A reckless disregard for gravity.

Among the many delightful independent games available on Steam, Valve's online game distribution service, comes one that is undoubtedly the most imaginatively named titles in recent memory. It's called AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! - A Reckless Disregard for Gravity, and , at less than eight hundred rupees, it's one of the best value for money games you can buy this year.

Developed and published by Dejobaan Games (an impossibly serious voice announces “bringing you quality videogames for over seventy-five years” during the game's intro video), Aaaaa! is everything videogames should be – amusing, original, innovative and heaps of fun. To get an idea of the sense of irreverent humour that Dejobaan has brought to this title, just visit their web site and see for yourself.

Basically, this is a game about jumping off extremely tall buildings, hurtling towards your tiny landing pad target, opening your chute in time, and land without any broken bones. It's played in first-person, so you'll basically be looking down as you free-fall through the skyscrapers that make up the game's levels, trying to hit targets, collect points, annoy spectators by showing them the finger (really) and open your parachute as late as possible for maximum points. Falling close to building surfaces, and even brushing them, get you additional score bonuses. But get it wrong, and you'll painfully bounce from wall to ledge to overhang, and break a lot of bones on your way down.

It's a game played almost completely at breakneck speed. You begin each level standing on the rooftop of a building, walking around and looking down for the best possible route to the landing. But at some point, you have to jump off. And then, the game becomes magical – you will hurtle towards the ground at blinding speed, accelerating all the time. The walls of buildings, beams, ledges, neon signs, roofs and spectators whiz by in a blur – you'll have to make split second decisions and choose your path – or wind up as street pizza. It's a bona-fide adrenaline rush.

Adding to the game's already high WTF quotient are special items – an espresso shot that will slow down your surroundings, a glove that will help you flip off spectators, a spray can that helps you paint grafiiti on the walls as you zoom past them. It's all quite completely insane, and a blast to play.

The visuals are a neon-futuristic-techno-cyberpunk genre of classics like WipeOut XL, Rez, Geometry Wars and the old arcade classics. It's all high contrast, brightly glowing, pulsating, strobing madness, and it moves by in a whirling, twirling dance of dazzling brilliance.

A game such as this lives or dies by its level design. There are too many examples of a great concept being completely deflated by poor level design, but this isn't one such instance. You'll replay each level multiple times trying to rack up the highest possible score (or, in the game's terminology, get mazimum 'teeth'. Don't ask.) and you'll never be bored.

Most importantly, Aaaaa! is unapologetic about being what it is – a game. There's no attempt at story, or narrative, or anything more than the most wafer-thin of contexts to the gameplay. It's our art form at its purest – a harkback to the glory days of Tetris, Pac-Man and Breakout where gameplay alone decided the success of a game in the eyes of critics and fans.

Aaaaa! is an unqualified triumph of unfettered, imaginative game development. If you care about games at all, you should support developers like Dejobaan by buying it. More power.

The King of Fighters? Don't think so.

It's been an incredible year for 2D fighting games. Street Fighter IV announced itself as perhaps the finest the genre has ever seen – featuring gameplay that walked the fine balance between pick-up-and-play and truly hardcore, a superb online experience and great visuals. Marvel vs Capcom 2 was a great revival of an old favourite franchise, with one of the largest and most interesting rosters of all time. BlazBlue was a breath of fresh air to the genre, and created what could turn out to be a blockbuster franchise in the years to come.

KOF XII wouldn't last a single round with Street Fighter IV or BlazBlue

Amidst all this excitement, it's hard to understand why anyone would bother with a thoroughly mediocre title like the King of Fighters XII. The latest in the venerable franchise is a classic example of what not to do with a sequel – a laundry list of game design don'ts.

In case you get the wrong idea – let's make it clear that the basic fighting system in KOF XII is as solid and sophisticated as ever. All the classic 3-on-3 team fighting mechanics that made it a much loved title on the Neo-Geo platform return in the latest version, with some small tweaks and additions. There are improved knockdown attacks and juggles that open up new offensive possibilities. There's a new critical counter system that, if timed perfectly, stuns your opponent and renders them vulnerable to offensive chains. It's a system that has stood the test of time, offering equal opportunities to offensive and defensive players – but it's really a no-brainer for the development team, who were working with gameplay that has been honed over fifteen years.

They've got almost everything else wrong.

The visuals are fairly decent, but given the achievements of Street Fighter IV and BlazBlue, they don't really hold up. The backgrounds are decent but not spectacular. The sprites are animated fairly well, but still have a jaggy, retro look. While this is fine for a truly retro title like MVC 2, they don't quite cut it in a full price game. But it's fine, really. The visuals would be tolerable if the rest of the game wasn't so broken.

You see, the essential problem with KOF XII is that there's nothing to do. Offline, there's a basic single player mode, a versus more, a training mode, and some unlockable art. That's it. No challenges, no story mode, no survival, nothing. In this day and age, for a full-price game, that's simply unacceptable. The single player arcade mode is essentially a time trial – there is no boss character to play, and no reason to play repeatedly. This game is only fun when you're playing it with a buddy on the same console.

The online experience could have perhaps justified the price, but it's simply awful. The lag is terrible – a deal breaker for a fighting game where timing is everything. You can't find players with decent connections. You can't quit out of spectator mode until the bout is over.

Better learn to love this menu - because you can't quit out of it.

Even more unforgivable – the game's offline and online menus appear to have been designed by either incompetents or sadists. For instance, you can't quit from the character selection screen to the main menu – you have to first start a match, and then quit to the main menu. This deserves a resounding WTF? It's ridiculous that a game this broken made it to retail.

KOF XII's lack of features and bad design combine to catapult it into 'disaster' territory. Avoid this, and spend your money on Street Fighter IV or BlazBlue.

The Alien has landed.

The world's most powerful gaming laptop comes to India.

by Anand Ramachandran. This article first appeared in Gadgets and Gizmos magazine.

Alienware. The mere mention of the name is enough to draw gasps of admiration, looks of envy, whoops of delight and other extreme reactions from gamers worldwide. Since 1996, the Alienware brand has been synonymous with top-of-the-line PC gaming all over the world. If you weren't playing on Alienware, you weren't a part of gaming's elite, the select few who could experience PC gaming in all its high-resolution, light blooming, anti-aliased glory.

In 2006, PC manufacturing major Dell bought the Florida based company, and made Alienware their premier gaming line, replacing their own XPS range. Three years later, the M17x, the 'most powerful gaming laptop in the universe' was launched as the first Dell-Alienware branded product. It was the ultimate in indulgence – a laptop that destroyed most desktops in terms of sheer gaming firepower. A rich kids' toy. A needlessly expensive and excessive white elephant. The hummer among laptops. Which is why everyone, openly or secretly, wanted one. It was the sexiest thing ever.

And now, it's in India. And we got a chance to take it for a spin, lucky us. Here's what we found.

Lust at first sight

The Alienware M17x absolutely dwarfs my beloved Dell XPS M1330. It's a behemoth in every possible way.

One look at the M17x, and even the casual observer will instantly know that this is no ordinary laptop. In fact, calling it a laptop is a little misleading. Unless you're Dolph Lundgren (or at least Sunjay Dutt), there's no way you can keep this 5.5 kg monster on your lap for anything more than a few minutes. This is firmly in 'desktop replacement' category. It's also fairly massive – measuring 16 inches by 12.5 inches, with a thickness of two whole inches. It's big and intimidating and will get you envious stares. Guaranteed sex appeal max (in a male way, though).

Don't like the eighties Kamal hassan movie disco colours? A few tweaks in the control panel , and . . .

. . . everything is now a nice, alien green.

The anodized aluminium exterior, in sleek, shiny black (silver is also an option) contrasts almost eerily with the glowing backlit keyboard, front and sides. And of course, the famous alien-head logo on the top cover. This thing comes with a software control panel that lets you pick the glow colours for each individual part of the laptop. It's insanely cool. But it's not that important. What's important is . . .

What's under the hood

Make no mistake – this laptop packs some serious hardware. Our review piece was running on Intel Core2 Quad Q900 with a 6MB Cache and a 1066MHz FSB, but you could also go with the Core2 Extreme Quad for even greater power. We had 4GB of DDR3 (optional 8GB available) and a 320 GB HDD at 7200 rpm. As you may have guessed by now, it's nicely set up for some deliciously extreme gaming. Now, if only there was a half-decent graphics card.

Too bad the graphics capability on this is disappointing. Heh – gotcha! Jokes aside, the M17x packs nothing short of the most awesome graphics ever seen on a laptop, period. Our review piece was running dual nVidia GeForce GTX 260 1 GB GDDR3 cards on SLI, but the true hardcore can upgrade to the GTX 280. You can wipe your drool off the page now, and continue reading.

The M17x actually has an integrated 9400M graphics chip that you can switch to when doing wimpy things like surfing the net or looking at pictures of your loved ones, to save power. Folks, the integrated graphics card on this machine is better than that you find on most laptops today. It's THAT awesome.

All this graphics muscle comes to life on the brilliant 17-inch Wide UXGA 1920 x 1200 display. It's pretty much a visual treat. Our advice? Don't waste this on kid stuff you can do on wimpier laptops, such as watching movies or working on Photoshop. This is a rig for gamers. Nuff said. And, speaking of which . . .

And the games?

Okay, here's the part of the review that most of you probably skipped to. It runs Crysis at almost maxed-out detail and anti-aliasing, at 1680 by 1050, at 60 fps. So you can stop reading now.

Master Chief admires the settings at which the M17x can run Crysis, and turns green with envy. What's that? He was already green? Oh.

Or you can choose to continue and learn that we also tested Dawn of War 2, Supreme Commander and STALKER. All these games ran on full detail at 1920 by 1200, without breaking a sweat. The RTS titles, when zoomed in, look like battle scenes from animation films. It's truly jaw-dropping stuff. In fact, after a few hours with the M17x, my PS3 games started looking like Nintendo64 titles.

After trying unsuccessfully to stomp on the M17x like a Koopa Troopa . . .

. . . Mario decides to take in the awesome splendour of Dawn of War 2 on full detail.

With lower-end and mid-range machines, it would make sense to go into great detail over gaming performance – discussing options, frame rates and resolutions, but with the M17x there's really no point. It will run all your games maxed out, at least for another two or three years. Simple. Now run along and play. We're done with this part.

Wait, there's more.

Okay, I got so excited about the core stuff that I almost forgot that the laptop has a slot-loading Blu-Ray combo drive, HDMI and video out, four hi-speed USB ports, an eSATA port, separate subwoofer and central speaker audio jacks, and a rear surround audio out port. The two built-in speakers on the front side deliver more than adequate sound for a laptop, but you're going to want to hook up a surround system or hi-end headphones for your gaming fix. The integrated Gigabit Ethernet RJ-45 (1000 Mbps) and high speed MIMO capable WLAN make it sweet for multiplayer as well.

Is it all good then ?

All that power means that your battery life is much lower than what you'd expect from a laptop. We got about two and a half hours from the 9-cell Lithium Ion battery in power-saver mode, running integrated graphics and performing regular non-gaming tasks. But in high-performance mode playing games, it drained out in a little over half an hour. But the point is mostly moot, since this heavyweight laptop isn't something you're really going to be lugging around on a daily basis. Portable, but not mobile, as they say.

Oh – and it runs Windows Vista (you can choose your flavour, but we recommend Ultimate) , which isn't everyone's favourite OS, but is pretty much the only viable one for gamers.

Verdict

The Alienware M17x is unquestionably a luxury product. It's not something you buy for value (you could build a comparable desktop for less than half the price) , it's something you buy for sheer indulgence. It's that sexy SUV that you know you can't afford (unless your name is Ambani) but are sorely tempted to save up for and buy just to impress the ladies.

If you're looking for the ultimate gaming experience on a laptop, and don't mind dropping Rs. 1.38 lakhs or more, look no further. The rest of us can hope that Dell introduces the Alienware desktops in India sooner than later.

Marvel vs Capcom 2 - Furious, Frenetic, Fun

by Anand Ramachandran.




Now THAT is a roster. Other fighting games can eat their hearts out.


In a year that has already seen two of the finest 2-D fighters ever in BlazBlue and Street Fighter 4, the re-release of Capcom's old classic arcade fighter Marvel vs. Capcom 2 could easily have passed without much notice.

But, thanks to a brilliant fighting system that rewards the hardcore without being too harsh on n00bs, charmingly arcadey presentation that is retro in the most wonderful way, and a diverse and awesome 52 character roster, Marvel vs Capcom 2 takes its rightful place among the top fighters available today.

Spins a web. Any size. Catches thieves just like flies.

MvC 2 was a much loved game in its arcade and Dreamcast avatars, and thankfully, most the good stuff remains unchanged in the new version (available for download from XBOX Live in India). The arenas have been modified to fit the widescreen ratio, and this actually opens up a little more space for fighting, impacting the tactics ever so slightly. The sprites remain unchanged, and look great even today. It's not quite Next-Gen visual pwnage, but it's stylish and pacy and rather trippy. The character portraits which appear on the victory screen and the team selection menus are all immaculately drawn and hand-painted, looking terrific.

The fighting system itself is superbly designed and balanced. Every character is viable, and, if you invest the time to master each one's individual moves, you'll be rewarded with an incredibly satisfying gaming experience. MvC 2 doesn't confuse you with a bewildering array of moves like the Mortal Kombat series for instance. Each character has anywhere between eight to ten moves, including specials, all of which are easy to learn. The challenge is in the execution and timing – winning in MvC 2 is about intelligent team composition, control of arena space, mastering the timing of combos, assists and hypers.

Ryu, Thanos, Cable. Triple-team. Nuff said.

All fights in MvC 2 are tag-team, and you can tag a team-mate into play at any time. This is especially useful if one of your characters is taking a pounding – swapping him out for a teammate will restore some health, and the teammate may be better suited for a particular opponent. Smartly tagging your characters in and out is crucial to success. Also, depending on your combo-meter level, you can perform devastating double-team or triple-team hyper combos that deal serious damage. But, unless you time them well, your combos can be blocked or dodged, so desperate hyper-comboing isn't a guarantee of success. You can also forcibly knock an opponent out of the fight and swap one of his teammates in, another critical tactic you must master to focus on a weak opponent and knock him out. It's all very tactical and skill-based, and it's extremely satisfying to win fights after implementing a well-thought out strategy, combined with old-fashioned butt-kicking.

The character roster is also complete awesomeness – Spidey, Iron-Man, Hulk, Cap, Logan, Doom, Iceman and more from Marvel duke it out with Ken, Ryu, Zangief, Abel, Dhalsim and many other Capcom faves. Sights such as the tiny ServeBot growing to humongous proportions and flattening the Hulk with a cartoon hammer are incredibly funny (unless you're the one playing Hulk), and the move combinations are virtually endless. Every character has some great specials, and these are great fun when combined with two or more characters to create maximum carnage on screen.

Servbot acquaints Steve Rogers with the power of a non-Mjolnir hammer.

With 52 characters in the roster, you can probably spend forever playing this game, even in single player. Add a smooth online experience, Marvel vs Capcom 2 is probably the best value for money 2-D fighter available in the market today.

The Rock Band experience comes to the PSP.

My first reaction to Rock Band : Unplugged on the PSP was one of scepticism. The basic appeal of the Rock Band series was that you get to feel like a genuine rock star – thanks to the plastic guitars and drum kits that made every 'air' musician's dream come true. What's the point of a handheld game using the same mechanic, but without the cool instruments? Lame, right? Like the mobile versions of Guitar Hero.

But Rock Band : Unplugged is immensely fun in its own right, and thank the gods of rock for that.

If you can look past the lack of instruments and get used to hitting the face and shoulder buttons in rhythm, you'll find that Rock Band :Unplugged delivers a great portable rhythm game experience – similar to and yet different from its console cousins in the best possible ways.

The Rock Band franchise has always been about delivering a 'complete band experience' , and the PSP version manages to do that surprisingly well by incorporating a smart new innovation – by hitting the left and right shoulder buttons, you effectively switch between playing the guitar, bass, drums and controlling the vocals. Hit every note for a short period, and that particular instrument will go into 'autopilot', playing itself for some time while you focus on the other tracks. You'll need to make sure that no track fails – ignore a track for some time and it goes into a 'red zone' of sorts. You will then need to play that track and hit every note for a while to bring it back to speed. Thus, the game makes sure that you're always switching between tracks, devoting roughly equal time to each one in every song you play.

While this sounds a little clunky and awkward, it's in fact far from it. Once you get used to the controls, you'll be effortlessly switching tracks, playing solos and rocking out like a pro band. You actually do get the 'band' feeling, and it's extremely satisfying to nail some of the harder solos later on in the game. This could also be partly because you create your entire band from scratch, giving them names, dressing them up, and kitting them out. You can't help getting attached to the little buggers, and share in their successes as they zoom up the international charts. Your band starts out small, and eventually grows to international superstardom, playing gigs all over the world, travelling by private jets, and picking up groupies, managers and even their very own spiritual guru. It's all presented very well, too – sharp, colourful visuals and impeccable audio (play this with headphones).

Rock Band isn't the first handheld rhythm game that I've enjoyed (Elite Beat Agents on DS, Gitaroo Man on the PSP), but it is without doubt the most satisfying one for the rock fan in me. The song list, such an important part of any such game, is extremely solid and covers a wide range of genres. Among the more fun to play tracks, early on in the game, are The Jackson Five's ABC, Pearl Jam's Alive, Billy Idol's White Wedding and Boston's More Than A Feeling. You can also download songs through PSN, but for players in India this isn't an option, obviously.

Rock Band : Unplugged on PSP offers a great way to pass the time at airports, waiting rooms and queues of all kinds – you're gaming and listening to music at the same time. What could be better?

Monster Hunting - not for the meek.

by Anand Ramachandran. This article first appeared on my weekly 'Game Invader' column for The New Indian Express.

Every so often, there comes along a game so lovingly, unabashedly hardcore that it reminds us of why videogames have managed to attract such a devoted, almost tribe-like fan following.

Monster Hunter : Freedom Unite on the PSP is one such game. While the gameplay is merely a polished, slightly improved version of its predecessors, this is the first release officially available in India. And for the hardcore set, this game alone is reason to get a PSP.

While most games today mollycoddle new players by offering tutorials that ease the learning curve, and difficulty levels that make failure near impossible, Monster Hunter : FU lives up to its abbreviated name by being so unforgivingly deep and difficult from the word go, that it seems to mock your feeble efforts at playing it. Sure, it has a superb tutorial that explains every facet of the game – but the tutorial itself will take over two hours to complete.

You'll go up against some baaaaaad monsters in this game.

Monster Hunter : FU is essentially an action / role-playing game in which you must protect a village by hunting down different kinds of monsters that roam the surrounding countryside. While this may sound like a regulation formula, nothing could be further from the truth. Hunting a monster in this game doesn't mean running brazenly into the forests, slashing the beast into ribbons, and hurrying back for a reward. You'll have to prepare carefully for each hunt – meticulously choosing your equipment and strategies depending on the weather, terrain and nature of the beast. Wander off into the snowy mountains without the proper warm clothing and hot drinks, and the frost will kill you even before you face your first monster battle. Forget to carry enough food, and you'll be so weak from trekking, climbing and running through rugged terrain the monsters will likely die laughing before you even scratch them. Trying to hunt down a flying monster armed only with a great-sword? Bad idea.

If you think you'll take this guy down by button-mashing, you'll be dead before you hit 'X'

The sheer number of things to do in the game is bound to delight RPG purists. Monster hunting, naturally, is incredibly varied and satisfying. Apart from a range of melee and ranged weapons, you can choose from a variety of traps, thrown weapons, bombs and the like to lure monsters, track them, conceal your approach and evolve unique strategies for each hunt.

Apart from this, there's a weapon, armour and item crafting system where you can use materials gathered from the wilderness to improve your equipment, create potions and suchlike. Gathering stuff in itself is deep and detailed – you can pick herbs and flowers, catch insects with a bugnet, catch fish, and carve items such as bones and meat from killed monsters. You can grow your own ingredients on your farm.You can cut precious gemstones from veins that you find on rock-faces in the mountains. You can cook a steak if you need food on a long and lonely hunt. And yes, you can burn it if you're not careful.

I haven't come across this guy yet, but when I do, I'll probably quit and get back to playing 'Rock Band Unplugged'. Mummy!

Sadly, there's no online multiplayer, so you'll need a friend with a PSP to play the ad-hoc coop mode – but it's worth it. The team hunts are great fun, and the only way to take down some of the tougher beasts in the game. Make sure you play with headphones for a vastly improved experience.

Monster Hunter : FU successfully delivers the thrill of the hunt on the PSP's tiny screen. This is a game that almost dares you to play it – but rewards the hardcore like few other games do. Easily among the best handheld action RPGs available today.

Playing old favourites in new places.

A review of the N-Gage version of Monopoly Here and Now : World Edition, which first appeared on my weekly Game Invader column for The New Indian Express.

One of my personal favourite gaming moments over the past few months came not on the PC or a heavyweight console, but on my mobile phone.

During a long wait at a bank (due to some procedural screw ups they seem to be so good at coming up with), I randomly decided to fire up a MONOPOLY HERE AND NOW : WORLD EDITION game on my N81. The game is an N-Gage port of the perennial board-game favourite, and I expected that it would help me pass a few minutes while I checked it out.

Monopoly Here and Now : World Edition is clumsily named, but surprisingly addictive and boatloads of fun.

But before I knew it, I was completely hooked, wheeling and dealing with the AI opponent with so much fervour, I almost missed my turn to meet the manager when it eventually came. An hour and a half had passed, and I was none the wiser.

The N-Gage version of Monopoly is a lovingly created, faithful translation that is sure to please fans of the board game. Within minutes, you'll be planning your empire, deciding buying strategies, improving and mortgaging properties, praying that the dice will roll up a favoured number, drawing Chance cards, and of course, making a few trips to Jail. Once you get past the very mild learning curve, which mainly involves understanding the controls and menus, you'll be enjoying an honest-to-goodness game of Monopoly.

In time, you'll grow to hate your AI opponent as much as you normally hate real-life monopoly opponents! Pity there's no cheating.

The AI is surprisingly decent – especially when trading with. Your opponent will accept or reject your offers to trade properties, come up with offers and counter offers of its own, and generally behave on the same irritating, hate-inducing way that most real-worl Monopoly opponents do. There's something about the game which makes normal, perfectly likeable people turn into stubborn, unreasonable, ruthless unspeakables. Brilliant stuff – the kind of appeal that makes for great games.

Playing Monopoly on my phone was a surprisingly complete and authentic Monopoly-playing experience that included almost every single aspect of the board game's fun factor – with the possible exception of cheating, which is one of the things purists will miss!

Monopoly Here and Now isn't a graphical powerhouse, but does feature some serviceable animation and fairly snappy presentation overall.

You'll spend many enjoyable hours poring over your title deeds, making offers and counter offers, and hoping for the favourable luck that will help you string together properties, build on them, and decimate your opponents into bankruptcy.

If you have an N-Gage compatible device, this is a must-buy game. And I'm pretty sure thare may be other mobile versions of it as well, so all you Monopoly faithfuls, give it a shot. Much joy to be had.

Monopoly is a classic example of how to tap into the delectable combination of classic gaming experiences and mobile phone technology to recapture the magic of old favourite board and card games for new audiences, as well as those like myself who rediscover these games. A huge advantage is that these are all already proven, polished and successful game designs – as long as the port is well done, you have a definite winner. It's a shame then, that so many of the ports are so badly or lazily done.

The excellent UNO and the upcoming UNO Rush, Carcasonne and Settlers of Catan on XBOX Live are also testimony to the good sense of well-made ports of existing classic game designs. People love playing these games, so developers, can we have more of these please? They're relatively cheap to make, and are almost sure-fire hits.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to roll a double, so I won't have to use my 'get out of jail free' card.

Ultra Beatdown : Street Fighter IV review.

by Videep Vijay Kumar

Doing a Street Fighter IV review might seem like the easiest thing in the world, but it's not. It's an emotional experience involving nostalgia, writer's block and memories of the ultra-beatdown you got from Seth in the game's “hard” difficulty setting. A review will also not be objective/free from bias, because every gamer/reviewer who is into fighting games is a bona-fide Street Fighter fanboy (yours truly included). So “What is the purpose of this credibility-losing rant?”, you ask? Well, it's simple – Street Fighter IV is probably the greatest fighting game ever made, and easily the most addictive, so addictive in fact, that I'm still air-rehearsing Akuma's Ultra and Super combos while writing this review!




Fighters from Street Fighter IV argue over whether Killzone 2 is better than Halo.



Roster: Evolution

Chronologically, Street Fighter IV is set between Street Fighter II and Street Fighter III. The roster, while not the biggest in all Street Fighter games (Street Fighter Alpha 3 does), contains a great mix of characters, with a character for every conceivable style of play. The total number of characters including the unlockable ones is 25. This includes twelve from SF2, with popular characters like Ryu, Ken, Sagat, Chun Li and Zangief all making a comeback, four new characters in the form of Abel, Crimson Viper, Rufus and El Fuerte, and nine unlockable characters. These include characters who've appeared in SF4 games before, like Akuma, Fei Long, Cammy and 'joke' character Dan. Capcom will continue to add characters to the game and will make them available in the form of downloadable content.



The roster features a varied mix of old faves and interesting new additions.


The roster is really quite varied and fans of the series will be very happy to see their favourites return, and the joy of executing your first 'hadoken' will really give you an unmatched feeling of nostalgia. If you've played any of the older games, you'll feel right at home with Street Fighter IV, particularly if you're playing one of the 'shoto' clones (Ryu, Ken, Akuma, etc. ) because there haven't been any changes to the button combinations of their special moves. The new characters have some very interesting (and powerful) moves, which can take a little practice to execute effectively. Some characters (like Abel, for example) will require a different play-style. So there's enough new content here from the characters alone that will keep you coming back for more. If you're looking to master every single character, quit your job/school/college, stay at home and play Street Fighter IV till you dislocate your wrists.



Round 1, Fight!

The arcade version of Street Fighter IV made it's way to Japenese arcades in July last year, and now, some seven months later, we've got a next-gen version on our hands. The home version includes six new characters, online play and promise of downloadable content and an all new “challenge” mode, which will unlock artwork and outfits on the performance of certain tasks. Other than the challenge mode, SF4 also features the usual Arcade mode, which serves the purpose of a story mode, with a prologue and ending cutscene for each character – people who like anime will definitely be able to appreciate these, even if they're a bit dissonant. You'll also need to complete the arcade mode with certain characters to unlock more. There's also a versus mode – this is where you and your friends will spend most of your time. There's also a trial/practice mode which will help you hone your skills.



I have no idea who this move is hurting more.


The fighting mechanics in Street Fighter IV have been polished to the point of perfection. Ever since the game's arcade release, Capcom have been hard at work, continuously improving the game after collecting feedback from top players. In fact, an update has already been launched for the PS3 and Xbox360, all within two weeks of the game's release.

SF4's gameplay is reminiscent of Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike and Super Street Fighter II Turbo, making use of six buttons for various degrees of attacks, including three punches and three kicks (light, medium and heavy). Pressing two light attacks (a kick and a punch) and forward or back, initiates a 'throw' move. All characters have unique throws and some can throw mid-air. Pressing the medium kick and punch attacks simultaneously initiates a 'focus attack', which allows you to absorb incoming attacks, while also giving you the opportunity to initiate a counter-attack of your own. Going out all guns blazing is a tactic that will see you lose more matches than winning. The game expects you to read your opponent, predict his moves and then beat him/her with a clever combination of counters, standard attacks, special moves and focus attacks. It also helps that you can taunt your opponents by pressing both heavy attack buttons together (no direct impact on a fight, but it sure will tick him off!). The game also features dashing (which requires successive direction presses either by d-pad or analog stick) and quick recovery (press down as soon as felled).




Street Fighter IV is the best fighting game ever.

Super Combo and Ultra Combo gauges are also present in Street Fighter IV, adding more variety to the mix. The Super Combo gauge can be charged by performing regular special moves – it's not required for you to hit your opponent, and merely performing the moves will suffice. The gauge will also fill up if you take damage. The Ultra Combo gauge, on the other hand, will only fill up if you take damage – it fills up a lot faster than the Super Combo gauge when taking hits. Once either (or both) the gauges are fully charged, your character can initiate a Super Combo or an Ultra Combo – you can do this by executing a semi-complex series of directional inputs and button presses (in some cases, all three punches or kicks for Ultras). The Ultra does more damage than the Super, but the catch is that you can use it only when your health meter is in the red-zone. Ultra and Super Combos can often produce comebacks and unexpected results in a bout simply because of the amount of damage they do.



Perfect!

Why is Street Fighter IV the greatest fighting game ever made? It is because Capcom have achieved something that most other developers haven't in a fighting game – they've found the perfect balance between accessibility and challenge. I mean, it's definitely not 'pick-up-controller-and-execute-super-combo' accessible, but by being more forgiving in terms of controller input, it's a lot easier to execute special moves and combos, unlike, say, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. It's more about timing in Street Fighter IV, so if you're able to read your opponent's moves and time your attacks to perfection, you're most certainly going to win. The game does cater to a wide variety of players with varying skill levels, so there things which only pro players will use, like cross-ups and focus cancels.




The Pwnzor is Street Fighter IV. The Pwned is all other fighting games. Savvy?


Verdict

Developers/publishers Capcom have created a fighting game that has surpassed everything that has come before it. Street Fighter IV is easily the greatest game the genre has ever had to offer.

Killzone 2 : Single Player Review

by Videep Vijay Kumar

Killzone 2 is arguably the most hyped game of all time. Delayed by over a year, the game has finally hit the streets in a few 'select' countries before the official Indian release date of 25th February -- it is believed that this happened because of a few over- zealous retailers in an Asian country who broke the street date. As a result, gamers in the West are still watching gameplay videos, while in India, people are labouring through the uber-difficult singleplayer campaign -- since the game isn't officially out yet, there aren't too many multiplayer servers up and running. It's a very interesting reversal of roles -- and recession probably had nothing to do with it.

The protagonist of Killzone 2, Sev, sports a haircut only a mother could love.

So, does KZ2 live up to all the hype? Are the game's graphics anywhere close to the 'gameplay' videos shown at E3 2005 (and subsequent improved versions)? Is it a Halo-killer? Read on to find out.

The Hellghast. Someone should tell these morons that their glowing red eyes make them easy targets. D-uh.

To Helghan and Beyond!

Killzone 2's story takes over from the story of the previous (forgettable) games, Killzone (PS2) and Killzone: Liberation (PSP). The game takes place on the Helghast's (the game's bad guys) home planet, Helghan. You play Tomas 'Sev' Sevchenko (no relation to Andriy), and are part of 'Alpha Squad', a regiment of elite soldiers who are a critical part of the ISA's (Inter-planetary Strategic Alliance) invasion force of Helghan. The whole invasion thing is retaliation for a prior invasion by the Helghast on an ISA colony, with the ISA wanting to return the favour. Sev's ultimate objective is to capture Emperor Visari, leader of the Helghast and 'bring him to justice' (kind of like Operation Iraqi Freedom, come to think of it). Alpha squad and the rest of the ISA's invasion force realise that the Helghan are a lot harder to fight on Helghan, who have adapted to the hostile environment and weather conditions of the planet, and have created large contraptions which capture lightning, turning it into a weapon.

The game is set up well with an opening cinematic that is rendered in a modified version of the in-game engine, and the narrative is carried forward by a bunch of non-interactive cutscenes that occur in-game. The dialogue is largely run-of-the-mill, predictable and sounds like it has been written by the guys who wrote Gears of War 2's dialogue. Not a single piece of voice-acting stands out – not even the bad guys, who sound like they're from England. The script-writers have abused the words 'F**k' and 'S**t', and these words seem to be present in every single line of dialogue. However, If I were to pick one character with tolerable voice-acting, it would be Colonel Radec, who sounds like a camp-y mix of Darth Vader (he also looks like a Nazi Vader) and a Lord of The Rings character. All the other characters come off as being too generic and 'badass' for my taste (it worked for Gears of War, but is atrocious here), and most importantly, lack personality – particularly Alpha squad.

We just included this screenshot to reassure readers that Killzone 2 is indeed an FPS.

Load & Reload

The weapons in Killzone 2 are standard issue. You're got your assault rifles, side-arms, SMGs, LMGs, Shotguns, Sniper Rifles, RPG launcher and a bunch of grenades. You'll find yourself using the standard weaponry (the assault rifles, in particular) most of the time. The game does throw some surprises at you a few hours into the game, in the form of two really cool weapons: the bolt gun and the electricity gun. Both these weapons provide a much-required (albeit brief) change from the monotony of firing an assault rifle. Guerilla seem to have put these weapons in specific areas which would help you tackle some of the game's set-pieces which would've been too difficult to get through otherwise.

The bolt gun seemed similar to a weapon from the game Timeshift, but the Electricity gun was a different experience altogether -- the game gets a lot easier in the section with this weapon, so I guess it's a good thing that you only have it at your disposal for a brief period.

The shooting mechanics are brilliant, giving you both that sense of immersion and realism that only a console gamepad can provide. The game allows you to look down the sights of all weapons that have sights, or fire them from the waist position. The sniper rifle is the coolest in any game to date, with the game making terrific use of the sixaxis feature in the PS3 controller -- you can steady aim and control recoil by keeping the controller still. That, incidentally, is the best use of the feature I've seen so far.

Killzone 2's grenades can be cooked before being thrown (expect lots of grenades to be thrown at you as well), increasing the chances of catching some Higs (slur for Helghast) in the blast. Later on in the game, you'll get to unleash some of the Helghast's own electricity-based tech against them in the form of shock grenades. In other sections of Killzone 2, you'll get to drive a tank, an armoured Mecha and shoot an anti-aircraft cannon in an intense aerial battle. Can't wait to get your hands on this game, can you?

Illusion, Light & Magic

The game's AI can be a mixed bag. At times, enemies will seem hyper-intelligent, digging in behind cover, flanking and get off highly accurate shots from difficult angles and throwing grenades at you, while at times they can look utterly helpless, exposing themselves by taking cover on the wrong sides of a wall. They're also not very good at dodging cooked grenades and dealing with melee attacks. Friendly AI, on the other hand, is not a mixed bag. Your buddies are almost always helpless, and you'll spend a lot time reviving downed comrades in the heat of battle.

The graphics in Killzone 2 are, by far, the best in any console game to date. Everything from the spectacular lighting effects, the incredibly detailed animation, to the environments, level design and weapon effects are truly top-notch. It's going to be a while before Killzone 2 is displaced as the best in the graphics department. Due to the game's non-linearity, Guerilla have gone all-out in creating the most spectacular-looking and immersive levels possible. The game's sound (other than the dreadful voice-acting) is up there as well, and is sure to put your high-end home theatre setup to the test.

Verdict

Killzone 2 is the first must-have title for the Playstation3 this year. It sports the best graphics we've seen in a console game and the game's single player campaign offers a high degree of immersion, a wide variety of weapons and some truly brilliant set-pieces. It's difficult, but ultimately rewarding.

More than just Reset Generation.

Reset Generation is a fantastic title – great graphics, original and addictive gameplay, and a great sense of humour. Easily one of the freshest, must-play experiences on the N-Gage. You can try the free online version right here on this blog.

Part One : The Review!

At its heart, Reset Generation is a strategy game, but it's quite unlike any other I've played. It's as if someone took a gigantic blender, threw in the grid-based gameplay of Advance Wars, the crazy weaponry and humour of Worms, a slew of original ideas, and some hilarious videogame in-humour, and somehow, impossibly, managed to make a great game out of it.

A lot happens. You have to drop tetris-like blocks and create paths to walk around on the tiled map, and you're faster and stronger on large contiguous areas of your own coloured tiles. You'll run around gathering insanely funny power-ups, fighting your enemies, summoning monsters, throwing grenades, rescuing princesses, shooting things, and avoiding annoying chickens running around on the map. All with a clock ticking, so you can't wait forever to work out your plan – you'll be strategizing and executing your moves in a tearing hurry. This breathless pacing in what is basically a turn-based game means the action is rather frantic, especially for the genre. It's all quite mad, and deceptively deep. For a detailed review of the game mechanics, head over to pocketgamer. And then back here for the rest of the post ;)

Make no mistake – Reset Generation, despite its friendly, colourful appearance, is a pretty hardcore strategy game that will take you quite a while to master. Since the gameplay is so wholly original, there are no 'genre-staple' strategies to fall back on, and you'll lose a lot of games (especially online), before you come into your own as a player. But Reset Generation is never frustrating – I haven't enjoyed getting my ass whipped repeatedly this much in any other game.It makes you believe, and rightly so, that you'll win the next round, so you're raring to have another go. Outstanding stuff. Take a bow, Red Lynx, you've just topped Pathway to Glory. This is your best yet.

Also, Reset Generation is a loving, adoring homage / parody that will delight the original 'Reset Generation' - those of us who grew up loving Space Invaders, Mario, Pokemon and the rest of the gang on an assortment of retro platforms. But there's something for everyone – fans of Tomb Raider, MMORPG players and FPS deathmatchers will also find laugh-out-loud moments and references to their favourite genres. The graphics are consistently high-quality, and the writing really nails the humour.

While there's a single player 'Story Mode' that's essentially a long and entertaining tutorial that preps you for the meat of Reset Generation – the online Multiplayer. Playing human opponents, of course, is exponentially more interesting than playing AI, and Reset Generation comes alive in Multiplayer. There are always a lot of players of varying skill available, and you'll never want to stop.

And wait . . . this brings us to . . .

Part Two : The Key Thing. Cross-Platform multiplayer!

Sure, reset Generation is enjoyable, challenging and addictive. And funny. But there's something far more interesting about it.

Reset Generation offers cross-platform multiplayer. This means that people playing on their phones can play against opponents who are playing on a PC, through their browsers. Nice. And what's more, the online version of the game is completely free to play.

Being an N-gage owner, and having fallen in love with Reset Generation's gameplay, I was keen to get my friends to try it, and then take them on in multiplayer battles. Thanks to the cross-platform feature, I can play against my buddies, none of whom own N-gage compatible phones.

In an age where 'proprietary' is the mantra, and companies like Microsoft and SONY making it increasingly impossible for gamers on both platforms to play together, it's delightful to see NOKIA take a step like this. They're not always known to make great marketing decisions for their gaming properties, but this one's pure inspiration.

Preventing cross-platform online play is a short sighted, narrow brand of corporate thinking that helps nobody. Why can't I play a cross-platform game like COD 4 on my XBOX against someone else who's using a PS3? Imagine a situation where five friends who own different consoles all wanting to race each other online. Thanks to Microsoft and SONY's policies, this is impossible. Ridiculous, really.

It certainly isn't technically impossible, and it's even been done before (Phantasy Star had common servers for PC, Mac, Dreamcast and Gamecube users, for crying out loud ! ). Instead of having a broader perspective and expanding the market together, heavyweight gaming companies insist on fighting over the existing market, making things harder for us gamers.

Returning to the Reset Generation example, the end result is that NOKIA benefits greatly by this open approach. In fact, a couple of friends, including fellow Zeitgeist columnist Videep Vijay Kumar, are even considering getting a NOKIA phone to play Reset Generation, and other N-gage titles, on the go. Their experience with Reset Generation has helped them discover N-gage as a platform – something that would never have happened if NOKIA had forced them to buy a new phone just to try the experience. Brilliant. Everyone's happy.

If companies are to ever stop whining about piracy and how nobody buys enough of their brilliant games, they have to figure out ways to get gamers on their side. I'm not talking about idiot fanboys, but mature, educated gamers who will have a far greater influence over broader and potential markets. Their voices on online forums, blogs and communities are a very significant force in game marketing today – having the capability to seriously impace game sales, reputations and market worth.

Pro-gamer initiatives and attitudes, such as what NOKIA has done with Reset Generation, will go a long way in reassuring customers that the big corporations really do care about their customers, and not just about sticking it to the competition, collateral damage to customers be damned!

Of course, I have a selfish angle to this as well. I just want to play great games with more of my friends, without each of us shelling out for every possible platform. Is that too much to ask ?