Hellgate London: Tube Tours

Hellgate: London is one of my most anticipated video games ever since I found out how accurate London would be represented in the game, particularly the London Underground. The developers, Flagship Studios (of Diablo fame) has recently released a bunch of videos titled the "Hellgate London: Tube Tours".



First up is Covent Garden station, which is the first 'hub' you will come across in the game. Hubs are like towns in normal RPGs where you can rest, shop and receive quests. As a person who frequently shops at Covent Garden I can attest to the accuracy of polygon'ed Covent Garden tube station and its surrounding areas (e.g. Covent Garden Market, British Museum) is bloody accurate (minus the wondering demons). Other places to visit includes Bloomsbury and hopefully Soho.



The next video introduces us to Charing Cross. Charing Cross is officially known as the centre part of London since the early 19th century. The station here would be the third stop in the game, and like Covent Garden, it acts as a hub that allows the gamer to replenish his or her supplies. However while Covent Garden is well protected, Charing Cross apparently is well within the edge of the danger zone where places like Piccadilly Circus and probably Soho has since fallen to demon control.


A pretty accurate 1992 Central Line stock

So there you go. Other locations confirmed to appear includes the Tower of London and the swaying Millennium Bridge. Graphics aren't that impressive but I could easily overlook it as the visual style is fantastic. At least it gives my two year graphic card a chance. Combined with the talented developers who made Diablo and our favourite London Underground, this should be a game to get next month.

Toy Review: Final Fantasy III trading art figures

We went down to East London today. Did some cultural shopping down at Greenwich Market, then visited the new TokyoToys market stall across the road where Jenni went to pick up her Final Fantasy III DS trading art PVC figures. Final Fantasy III DS was the second ever RPG that she played. She even completed it without a walkthrough, putting to shame the professional reviewers who bemoaned the game for its apparent difficulty (owned) and old-school'ness.

These official Squenix licensed figures seems to like the company of video games:


L-R: Luneth (freelancer), Arc (red mage), Refia (dragoon & devout) and Ingus (knight)

Cute aren't they? The character designs on this remake were by Akihiko Yoshida, who also designed the characters for Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy XII and Vagrant Story, among others.


Dragoon Refia just loves the attention.

The figures are pre-painted and display ready. They come with small display stands which could not be removed (a shame - but understandable). Each stands around 2 1/2 inches tall and are quite faithful to the character design. Overall we are quite happy with these fellas, as the quality are reasonable for the price.

You can purchase the set here.

TV Review: Bionic Woman "Pilot"

The Bionic Woman was one of my favourite TV shows back in the days when The Incredible Hulk, Six Million Dollar Man, Airwolf and Knight Rider ruled the terrestrial airwaves (you young-ones won't understand). It didn't have the production quality of current TV series like Heroes or Lost but it did have a certain charm to it and certainly back then I rather watch TV than head to the theatres.

Today with the revival of quality television which began with Six Deep Under and continues with Heroes and Dexter, it is pleasing to find that studious such as NBC recognises the audiences' need for good television. But rather than coming up with an original IP, NBC's new line-up for 2007 is a remake of the classic Bionic Woman, updated for modern times.

When news broke out that Michelle Ryan was to be cast in the lead role of a remake on Bionic Woman I was a bit sceptical. I mean Michelle Ryan was one of the major reasons why someone would ever want to tune into BBC's EastEnders (license money well spent), but she wasn't exactly one of the more memorable cast. It would be no doubt that the 2007 Bionic Woman would be darker and edgier than its predecessor and Michelle Ryan does seem to fit the bill as a replacement to the charming and beautiful Lindsay Wagner.

Fans of the old series may be disappointed with the direction in which the remake is going. The plot is darker than I would have preferred - like La Femme Nikita or Dark Angel dark (though cheesier and less intelligent). Personally I think it is a positive move by the production team to modernised the series, though it is filled with unfortunate cliché (e.g. hacker sibling, darkish organisation run by moppets, The Matrix reference).

In the Pilot episode plucky barmaid, mother substitute Jaime Sommers and her boyfriend Professor Will Anthros are both involved in a hit and run accident which left her severely crippled. Fortunately for her, her date happens to work with a shady and malevolent agency that were experimenting with artificial body parts. When Jaime finally woke up, she finds herself a new pair of bionic legs and other plastic replacements (like her Steve Austin eye). Unrealised by her, the accident was caused by a disgruntled former bionic woman experiment gone wrong Sarah Corvus (played by Katee Sackhoff of Battlestar Gallatica).

The first episode isn't without its fault. In fact they are plenty. Editing was jarring and the special effects were crap, quite unlike NBC's own Heroes. The writing isn't as good and filled with very very corny dialogue. It doesn't have that 'ready for prime-time' feel to it, though I love the Sci-fi b-movie vibe (which isn't surprising since this new series is being produced by none other than Battlestar Gallatica's David Eick).

The major problem here is the production team tried to cram over two hours worth of materials into a 40 minute broadcast. So what we have is a convoluted mess where we get quick one minute scenes that doesn't make sense with plenty of two dimensional characters and confusing plot lines. They could have easily split it into a two part episode where Jaime's recovery from her accident could be explored in the first and her realisation of her power in a second, giving more room for Peter Parker style of discovery.

Michelle Ryan as the new Jaime Sommers is, well, different. She doesn't have the same charming presence that Lindsay Wagner has, but given time I am sure she will settle down in her American role. The modern Jaime is however more alluring. Her character's relationship with the shadowy agency whom she is obliged to do work with, and the doppelgänger will be something to look forward to in future episodes, as long as the series doesn't get dropped. She already had her first battle (of many I am sure) with Sarah Corvus.

While the messy Pilot indicates that the production team still has a lot of work cut out in order to sustain interest, it does highlight that 2007's Bionic Woman has potential to improve. If only they will get their act together.

Resident Evil 4: Wii edition review

One of the biggest issues with playing 3D shooters on consoles are the ridiculously difficult controls. This is especially true for someone like me who was institutionalised with KB+Mouse combo since Doom was installed on our 486. Gamepads are the reason I did not like Goldeneye on N64 (despite its a-okay split-screen multiplayer); and is a reason why I always hoped that Capcom would release a decent Resident Evil 4 port on PC. Because while I liked the GameCube version enough, despite its obvious controller problems; I was sure I would love a PC version with mouse support even more.

Well they did finally release a PC port earlier this year, but like the typical anti computer gaming they are, Capcom (or at least the third party who did the porting) did not code in mouse support. Selling a PC game with no mouse support is like shipping a TV with no remote (trust me I know something about operating a TV without a remote because we lost the remote to our TV a long time ago - it is a chore) or a phone without buttons.

So when Capcom announced that they will be releasing yet another port, I cringed. Then I mourned for Shinji Mikami's headless corpse over how Capcom's execs defiled their GOD (Mikami, not the mythical ones). Later someone pointed out that this latest port would be for the Wii. My hopes raised. Capcom noted that Resident Evil 4: Wii edition would have the same code as the GameCube version but with support for progressive scan and 16:9 widescreen (but it does suffer from black lines on the side - so it isn't true 16:9) rather than the letterbox format on the GameCube version. It also contains previous PS2 exclusives such as Ada Wong's Separate Ways and other bonuses. But the real reason to get this new money spinner is Capcom has finally brought almost mouse-like precision to Mikami's finest through the inclusion of WiiMote and Nunchuck support, which I will be concentrating in this review.

As with any Wii game, there are gimmicks and an obvious one here is 'shaking the WiiMote around' for melee attacks. Stupidity aside, tacking on waggle control at least contributed a massive improvement on gameplay over to the GameCube version, which while graphically good, was a pain to play due to the unwieldy controls of the GCN controller. The WiiMote control does enable console third person and first person games a joy to play, though it isn't as precise as what you would normally get when playing PC shooters with a KB+Mouse setup.

The targeting system for one is different from FPS where the crosshair always remains in the centre. In RE4: Wii controls the , the WiiMote crosshair, where as the analogue stick on the nunchuck controls Leon's (and Ada's) viewpoint. Basically the camera and aiming are controlled independently. For example in order to shoot an off-screen enemy, move the analogue stick around so Leon/Ada's camera also changes. Once the enemy is in sight, hold down the 'B' button on the WiiMote where the crosshair will appear then aim with WiiMote so the crosshair pointer will move towards the enemy and press the 'A' button to shoot.

Unbelievable as it may sound, what this mean is you can't walk and shoot.

It does gives a sort of light-gun kind of vibe to it, which is okay, though it needed some getting used to. The WiiMote isn't as precise as mouse to do FPS style twitches and I believe Capcom was wise enough to understand that. In fact this is probably why the next Resident Evil spin-off (Umbrella Chronicles) to appear on the Wii will be on-rails. It will appeal to a more casual crowd, which is what the Wii appears to be built for (yes, I was being derogatory).

Perhaps the biggest disappointment after playing RE4: Wii edition was how good the visuals still hold up. Yes you read that right. RE4 was originally a GameCube game, and as a port, remains the best looking game I have seen released on the Wii this side of the pond. So while I thought that RE4 looked great on the Wii especially on 16:9 none-HD tellies, I am disappointed that there are no developers that are willing to push the Wii to its graphically limits, preferring instead to tack-on waggle capabilities with crap graphics.

Resident Evil 4 was an already great game just slightly handicapped by traditional dual analogue gamepads. The Wii version is even better and is the definitive version to play. Controls could have been executed better, but the precision of aiming of the WiiMote makes this the edition to own/rent. If you prefer, RE4: Wii edition also support the Classic Controller and GameCube controller, but why should you? Playing shooters with gamepads is like riding a bicycle without handles, sans-brakes and punctured tyres, while blindfolded with hands tied to the back and a cat peeing around while attempting to cycle on the M25 on the wrong side of the road during winter. It just does not make sense.

Likes:
- Ada Wong
- Wii remote control better implemented than majority of Wii games
- Same old masterpiece that was Resident Evil 4, with good controls to boot
- Proper progressive widescreen
- Ada Wong ^^

Gripes
- Essentially a GameCube game with waggle support
- UK rip-off price
- Can't run and shoot
- Not enough Ada Wong

8/10

You can purchase it here from Amazon UK or import the NTSC version from Play-Asia

Facebook, overvalued, overrated

Unbelievable as it may sound, there are people out there who actually believe that the current social networking fad Facebook is worth up to US$10 billion. O_o With around 34 million active users that is roughly around £130 per user. O_O For a company that has very little cash flow and revenue.

Bad move Microsoft. Remember the Hotmail bubble? Even then you guys paid around US$50 per user. Now the rebranded Windows Live Hotmail is lagging behind competitors. What about Yahoo!'s acquisition of Geocities or Time Warner's AOL? None proved to be worth the price tag.

Anyway, like Myspace and Friendster, Facebook is yet another Web 2.0 fad. Wait a year or two, and I am sure another new social networking site will come to exist and will be the new mass-media darling. Just wait. The bubble has to burst eventually.

Hype 3

Why would anyone want to queue for a video game is beyond me. It isn't like it would be short in supply, like say theatre tickets where the demand far outstrip the supply. Not constantly refreshing video games sites because you are fed up with a certain hype can be a good thing. Just like the "revolutionary" fruit phone that was launched a few months back, overkill hype marketing can sometimes makes you hate the things associated with them.

Reminds me of other video gaming hypes - Mario 64, Twilight Princess, Final Fantasy VII, Goldeneye - all of which failed to live up to its mass-hysteria praise, at least to me.

Product Review: John Lewis clear glass clip 24 x 32 inches frame

This clear glass clip frame has been mounted on the wall empty for the past two weeks. Why? Because a poster art that was sent two weeks ago has not arrived. Why? Because Royal Mail and CWU are still screwing with us. They have even announced two more official strikes to go with their illegal unofficial ones. Friends has almost even come to accept that this was a mysterious poem by someone called "John Lewis" (until they read it).

So here it is, a very very short review. It is glass frame which is far sturdier than those tacky plastic frame that you get from discount art stores. The frame can be hung vertically or horizontally and directly onto wall fittings. The glass (and poster) is mounted to the frame with ten metal safety clips. I give this a 8/10 score. Right now it just needs a bleedin' content. Argh!

Rogue Galaxy review

Rogue Galaxy is a beautiful game. I mean stunningly beautiful. It isn't pixel perfect or high definition like a PS3 game - it is just beautiful. Cities are vast and the environments are massive, making exploration a joy. Consider that it was made by the same developers who made Dragon Quest VIII (which incidentally was a very very beautiful game), then you will know what I mean. Level-5, I kowtow to you, the visual experts of cel-shading.

Phew. Anyway that's the best part of the game. Now on to the average part, starting with combat. It isn't exactly the most beautiful combat system in the world. In fact it can get messy. You see. jRPG fans are a fickle bunch. They love old school turn based combat. And Level-5 excelled in such when they did the incredible old school Dragon Quest VIII. Even when the series almost became an action RPG, fans cried aloud and eventually they decided to switch back. Rogue Galaxy is Level-5's take on finally modernising the archaic combat system, by making it real time, ala Final Fantasy XII.

But... it doesn't do it quite as good. Like Final Fantasy XII, combat takes place instantaneously as there are no transition between exploration and battle. Unlike the menu-based-real time Gambit system employed by Square-Enix, the combat system by Level-5 is almost Ninja Gaiden/Devil May Cry'ish, not quite unlike Level-5's own Dark Cloud series; with some sort of auto fighting system engineered in it for good measure. So is it a RPG, or a button-masher? Well, it is sort of both, jack-of-all and master of none sort. RPG elements are evident as you are able to go into menu and get all sorts of RPG cliché items and customising your characters.

Much like Final Fantasy XII's License Board and Final Fantasy X's Grid Sphere, Rogue Galaxy also has a system similar (Revelation Flow) that requires the player to unlock special abilities. Similar to the License Board, I find it slightly annoying and serves no gameplay purpose. It is also less intuitive than Square-Enix's version. But there you go. These sort of gameplay hurdles is set to stay whether we like it or not, so better get used to it.

Rogue Galaxy, like Final Fantasy XII, has a Star Wars'esque plot. The protagonist Jaster Rogue (an orphan BTW) a man who dreams of escaping his desert planet Rosa, and somehow managed to do so when a monster attacks his town. He then inherits a sword... Sounds familiar? No? Well go download Star Wars Episode Four AND One then (even Lucas rips his own films). The plot (Rogue Galaxy, that is) is pretty much a typical RPG plot cliché, so I won't ruined the rest for you. Unfortunately Jaster and his band of space pirates are some of the worst character development in RPG history.

So Rogue Galaxy is almost like Final Fantasy XII so you may as well play XII. But if you have already enjoyed XII, then there isn't any reason why you wouldn't enjoy this. It just isn't as polished and in almost every part of the game from graphics to voice casting to gameplay, it is sub par to Square-Enix's finest in the past ten years. As long as you understand that and recognise the me-too generic plot, then you will likely enjoy this, if not for the above average gameplay.

7/10

You can purchase it here from Amazon UK or import the NTSC version from Play-Asia