Review - Hydro Thunder Hurricane (Xbox 360)

By Jay

Genre: Arcade Racing
UK Release: 28th July 2010
Developer: Vector Unit
Publisher: MGS
Price: 1200 Microsoft Points
Other Formats: None

Hydro Thunder Hurricane is the second title to be released during Microsoft's annual 'Summer of Arcade' promotion on Xbox Live. It's a remake of a classic arcade racer originally released in 1999 that went on to appear on various consoles of that generation. The premise is to race high-tech futuristic speed boats around weird and wonderful tracks whilst earning boost to go faster.

As soon as the title screen pops up it's clear Vector Unit has stayed true to the series arcade routes. The announcer screams "Hydro Thunder...HURRICANE!!!" at the player. Jumping into the main menu the standard single player and multiplayer modes are on offer as well as leaderboards, achievements, download content and help/options.


Single player offers 50 events across 4 modes. 'Race' has you starting in last place in a field of 16. Your task is obviously to reach 1st place before the chequered flag. The other 3 modes are new to the franchise. 'Ring Master' sets out a course of gates along the track that you must follow. Each gate offers boost but a missed gate results in a time penalty. 'Gauntlet' puts the player one on one against the clock. Basically time trial mode but with exploding barrels. Lots of exploding barrels. Finally 'Championship' is a series of events that can consist of any of the previously mentioned game modes. Point are awarded after each event with the winner obtaining the highest total of points.

Boats are split into 3 classes (novice/pro/expert) and rated in 4 categories (acceleration/top speed/handling/air control). The action takes place on 8 circuits, each showing off a different wacky theme. These range from Area 51's aliens and space ships to Monster Island based in the Bermuda Triangle. Various shortcuts are available on each track with some paths only reachable with a substantial amount of boost in reserve.


Boost is earned by steering your boat into collectible tokens which are littered around the tracks. A press of the A button uses boost whilst hitting X initiates a boost jump. This brings an element of strategy to proceedings, forcing the player to think about when and where to use boost rather than simply holding A for the duration of the race. As with most racers RT and LT operate the throttle and brake respectively with the left stick used to steer. Y changes view whilst hitting the back button lets you reset your boat at anytime. Handy when you find yourself upside down in a rock. LB looks behind and finally the d-pad lets you change the background music.

For an arcade game the visuals are impressive which is perhaps warranted with the download weighing in at a hefty 459MB. This being a balls out arcade racer you know what to expect. Everything is big, bold and colourful and never fails to look anything but pretty on the eye. Special mention must go to the water physics which are some of the best yet seen. The way ripples and swells are formed as you power through the waves is a sight to behold.


Multiplayer can be fun but is a little light on options. It retains the traditional 'Race' mode and adds 'Rubber Ducky' to the fray (team-based shenanigans involving 2 players in rubber ducks!) but rather annoyingly drops the other new single player modes. It seems a shame that these haven't made it online as they would have added a little variety and longevity to proceedings. Having said that I found myself more drawn towards racing online with friends than I did by myself in the single player modes.

The game offers frantic action and fun and anyone who has played and enjoyed N64 classic 'Wave Race' will feel right at home. Both online and offline are great for a few hours and 80 hidden packages as well as an XP unlock system give it some extra life but racing itself is short and sweet. You soon hit that point where you're playing the same track you won on 10 minutes ago and it's at this point that I found myself feeling the game was a little short on substance and longevity. I couldn't see myself playing this long term and started to question the value for money factor on offer.


This brings us to the issue of price. Simply put 1200 Microsoft Points (over £10) is downright expensive for a remake of an arcade game. The price of full retail games drop so fast right now that I couldn't recommend buying this over a title such as 'Dirt 2' which can be found at several online retailers for only £5 more. It's also an arcade racer (albeit cars rather than boats) but offers far more rewarding gameplay, depth and longevity.

I feel sorry for Vector Unit because it's Microsoft that has put the entire Summer of Arcade line-up at the same price point (probably because of the sales and quality of the titles on offer in last year's promotion) but they must realise that XBLA games are often an impulse purchase for the consumer. 1200 Microsoft Points is not an impulse purchase price point. I'd wait for Microsoft to offer Hydro Thunder Hurricane as 'Deal of the Week' in a few months. Then it will likely drop to 800 Microsoft Points which is ultimately what this game should have cost in the first place.

7/10

Good:

• The nostalgia factor
  
• Always brings a smile to the face
  
• Great visuals and water effects for an XBLA game
  

Bad:

• Soon wears thin
• Simply not worth 1200 Microsoft Points
  
• You'll stop playing before 'Summer of Arcade' finishes
  

Review - Limbo (Xbox 360)

By Jay

Genre: 2D Puzzle Platformer
UK Release: 21st July 2010
Developer: Playdead Games
Publisher: MGS
Price: 1200 Microsoft Points
Other Formats: None

Limbo kick starts Microsoft's 3rd annual 'Summer of Arcade' promotion on Xbox Live. It's a very tidy 2D puzzle-based platformer and it's unlike any game you've played before. Both the plot and story are kept simple. The blurb for the game reads "Uncertain of his Sister’s Fate, a Boy enters LIMBO…" That's all we're told. No really, that's it! As the game starts you wake on a forest floor and off you go. Left stick moves the boy left and right. 'A' jumps whilst 'B' is used for actions (such as pulling or pushing an object). That's your lot.

It's not the controls or story of Limbo that instantly grab your attention though. It's the wonderful graphical and audio style that Playdead have so masterfully crafted. The game is essentially black and white with every shade of grey imaginable in between! Shadows and silhouettes unsettle and confuse in equal measures. Effects such as film grain and focusing are played out over a film noir style setting. It's very difficult to describe how effective it is without having a look yourself. Why not visit the official website where you can watch videos and view pictures of the game.


The gameplay has you navigating your way through a world fraught with danger in search of your lost sibling. Releasing platforms and pulling switches is only the half of it. The number of ways the boy can die is quite disturbing. Giant spiders, rotating saws and pits full of spikes all hinder your progress through a heaven/hell paradox. You'll lose limbs. You'll be decapitated. Having said that though the difficulty level is never in question, increasing throughout as you better understand and appreciate the world around you. You'll scratch your head over a problem for 5-10 minutes but then suddenly the solution dawns on you and you're making progress again.


Whilst true that Limbo is unlike any game you've played before some comparisons will inevitably be made to fellow Xbox Live Arcade title Braid (released August 2008). Interestingly both games contain a similarly hellish achievement. Limbo requires you to beat the game in one sitting with 5 or less deaths where as Braid calls for a sub 45 minute speed run. Braid is a great game but was very stop-start. With Limbo there are 24 main puzzles but this is never made obvious to the player as the experience is played out as one seamless sequence of events. Only from the main menu can you select the 24 different chapters.

This may sound like a lot but make no mistake that Limbo is a fairly short game. You'll be done in 4-6 hours. There are hidden eggs to find with many linked to the games achievements but beyond that you're done. Based on this I offer one piece of advice: never Google the solution to a puzzle. I'm not the sharpest knife in the draw and I managed to complete the game without cheating once. To do so would only be cheating yourself out of this fantastic experience.


Limbo isn't for everyone. It's a unique and rare title but one that is over far to soon, raising question marks over the price point that Microsoft has placed on the entire Summer Of Arcade line-up. However it is the type of rare gem that further provokes the argument that video games can be art. If you enjoyed Braid you'll love this even more. Give it a try and see if like me you get lost in Limbo.

9/10

Good:

• Graphical and audio style
  
• Stimulating puzzles
  
• Sense of accomplishment
  

Bad:

• Short
  
• Expensive for an XBLA game
  
• Not for everyone
  

Summer Of Arcade 2010

The Xbox Live 'Summer Of Arcade' 2010 event gets underway this week with the release of Limbo on Wednesday.

The full release schedule can be found below:

July 21st - Limbo

July 28th - Hydro Thunder Hurricane

August 4th - Castlevania: Harmony Of Despair

August 11th - Monday Night Combat

August 18th - Lara Croft And The Guardian Of Light

All 5 games cost 1200 Microsoft Points each. Inferior Gamers hopes to bring you some reviews very soon!

E3 2010

June 15th-17th 2010

E3 2010 kicks off next week with Microsoft, Sony & Nintendo all delivering the usual keynote press conferences. As well as this the show itself lasts 3 days with trailers and playable demos available on the show floor of the press-only event. Expect a heap of new titles to be announced due this Christmas and into 2011. Rumours will be quashed, secrets will be revealed as well as more on Natal and Move.

Inferior Gamers won't be providing daily news on the event as there are many professional sites better equipped to do that sort of thing but rest assured we'll be keeping tabs on all the goings on.

Enjoy E3!

First Look - Formula 1 2010

Codemasters' today lifted the lid on the new F1 2010 game coming this September for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

A press event took place in London called 'F1 2010 Revealed' that included a presentation and a working playable version. This was limited to a 3 lap quick race of Monza in the Red Bull of Mark Webber. A lucky selected few from the community were also in attendance.

Several sites have first-look previews of the game. You can find some of these in the links below:

CVG Interview Part 1

CVG Interview Part 2

Eurogamer

F1 Fanatic

Gamespot

IGN

Videogamer

We'll add more to that list as and when they become available.

There are 5 screenshots as well as a developer diary video. The game will replicate the current 2010 season with all the official teams, drivers and race circuits. Expect much more in the coming weeks and months leading up to launch. You can watch Developer Diary #1 by clicking the play symbol on the video below.

More F1 2010 News & Previews

There's also a Eurogamer TV Show F1 2010 Special. We're massive F1 fans at Inferior Gamers and cannot wait for this game to hit. To keep up to date with the latest developments it's worth checking out the official F1 2010 forums which can be found here.

Review - Mass Effect 2 (Xbox 360)

By Jay

Genre: Action RPG
UK Release: 29th January 2010
Developer: Electronic Arts
Publisher: BioWare
Other Formats: PC

I'd never played a BioWare game until a few weeks ago. Come to think of it I'd never played an RPG. Not properly at least. Not from start to end, taking in every conversation, side quest and experience point along the way. That's not for want of trying either. I gave the original Mass Effect (ME1) a go upon its release in late 2007 but couldn't get into it. The epic scale of this type of game scared me. Shepard and his foes didn't suck me in immediately so it passed by unplayed - my mistake.

2 years later and Mass Effect 2 (ME2) is out tomorrow. I want it. For some unknown reason I'm hyped for it. I don't know why and I don't know how. Maybe it's the titillating trailers and screenshots BioWare have been showing off. What I do know is I can't play it without having finished the first game. For those that don't know the world of Mass Effect is unique in that every decision you make can be carried over to the next game. This means the consequences of a decision you made in 2007 may not come to fruition until Mass Effect 3.

I spent the next week rushing through ME1 and loved every second of it. Long story short I stopped Ashley blowing Wrex's brains out, Kaiden got bumped off, Liara got shagged and the Citadel Council got saved. Now I'll agree this whistle stop tour of the Milky Way probably wasn't ideal to appreciate the finer points. But with the first game so fresh in my mind it does put me in quite a unique position to review the second in this remarkable trilogy.

BioWare has made a lot of progress in just over 2 years. On the technical side of things it’s immediately noticeable everything is slicker, sharper and smoother. It would be fair to say ME1 had a fantastic story but many would agree it felt slightly clunky at times and had some combat issues. All this and more has been addressed. The opening scenes are simply stunning and for the first 40 minutes you won't believe your eyes.

If you completed ME1 you have the option to import your save game and bring all your choices and decisions across. If you didn’t have that pleasure you’ll get to make them at the start of the new game. Equally you’re given the option to design your Commander Shepard how you see fit. You can tinker with his (or her) gender, physical appearance and back story as well as his class. This greatly affects your character powers and abilities, encouraging multiple playthroughs.

You once again take on the role of saviour, adventuring around the galaxy in an updated Normandy and getting caught up in all kinds of dangerous situations and moralistic decisions. The meat of the game involves recruiting and acquiring the loyalty of characters from all sorts of races and backgrounds, some familiar and some new. The task is to build an elite squad to take on a revenge suicide mission, all under the watchful eye of Mr Cerberus himself, the ‘Illusive Man’.

You are given freedom to do these recruiting and loyalty missions in whatever order you want as and when they become available. On top of this there are a few points in the game where the player is forced in to a certain plot centric mission that drives the story on before entering the dreaded Omega 4 Relay.

The conversation system was the star of the first game but ME2 takes in to another level. Mechanics of the conversation wheel have been improved and the result is nothing short of spectacular. The intertwining relationships between characters are on a level so deep it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before in a game. An all-star cast of voice actor talent totals 90 and BioWare claim they play 546 different characters, delivering 31,000 lines of spoken dialogue. Just think about that for a second.

Paragon and Renegade points return albeit with a slightly tweaked system. Paragon is a positive or good decision or action where as renegade is a negative or bad one. You earn them in much the same way as before and they ultimately shape the growth of your Shepard. What is slightly different now is the ability to cut some one off mid-sentence with either a spoken or action-orientated interrupt. This is shown by a flashing icon on screen to which you have a couple of seconds to decide whether to take action. As with anything in the Mass Effect universe this invariably carries a consequence.

Radically refined combat mechanics were promised and immediately it’s noticeable how much tighter it feels. Taking cover is now a delight and firing each of the various weapons just feels right. The onscreen interface is much cleaner and team mates more responsive to what you ask of them. Shootouts play akin to something like a Gears of War but in a world with real depth and character.

This process of fusing combat with narrative has been executed exquisitely. ME1 was very conversation heavy but BioWare have struck the perfect balance this time around with an equal split between action and talking. You’ll constantly be on the edge of your seat, suspicious of the Illusive Man's motives and even those of some of your squad mates. Pondering over whom you can and can’t trust and what choices you want to make leaves you engrossed and immersed in this magical fictional universe that BioWare has crafted so delicately.

All of the above makes for a lot of content and ultimately a huge game. It comes on 2 discs but swapping is no real inconvenience as I was only required to change discs twice in my entire playthrough. I clocked up just over 57 hours from start to finish and that involved doing everything possible, from scanning planets and gathering ship and weapon upgrades to completing side quests and downloadable content.

Speaking of downloads, ME2 makes controversial moves in continuing EA’s ‘Project Ten Dollar’ initiative. In an attempt to cut out piracy and pre-owned sales every new copy of the game comes with a single-use Cerberus Network code. Access is also available for 1200 Microsoft Points from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Basically if you don’t have Cerberus Network you won’t be able to buy or download any content. The 2 add-ons released for ME1 we’re seen as lacking substance compared to the main game and more is expected of BioWare this time around.

Released for free so far are Cerberus Weapon and Armor, Cerberus Arc Projector, Zaeed - The Price of Revenge and Normandy Crash Site. The later is quite ridiculous in name since it’s a major plot point early on in the game. Whilst the free content is appreciated it does feel somewhat lacking compared to the main game as was the case with ME1. It seems likely more substantial downloads will follow, but invariably at a cost to the consumer.

One of the few gripes I have with ME2 is the Citadel, or more the lack of it. It acted as your central hub in the first game and of course was the focus of the plot. You return there in ME2 but are only allowed access to a very small number of areas, most of these new and unseen in the first game. There’s no exploration of the Presidium or Flux this time around. It makes sense story wise but it would have been a small reward to be able to revisit the places you put so much effort into saving in ME1.

Another small blemish on an otherwise perfect game arises when multiple conversational choices are present. You’ll find yourself accidentally repeating the same short sequence of dialogue because you pressed the wrong button or forgot which avenues you’d already exhausted. It would have made sense for each option to disappear once used.

I felt the task of recruiting and then attempting to gain the loyalty of your team mates did become somewhat of a rinse and repeat routine. Each squad mate story is varied in content but assembling the team does make up the bulk of the game. Upon entering the Relay I was surprised at how the game soon reached its conclusion, leaving me wanting more. The world around Shepard is sometimes more linear than Bioware would like you to believe. ME2 is evidently the middle game of a trilogy the same way The Matrix Reloaded movie was to that franchise and doesn’t hide or shy away from that fact. Don’t expect any major plot twists as BioWare is clearly saving them for the finale.

There’s no Mako (possibly a good thing depending on your preference) and surprisingly little interaction with your old squad mates from the first game. Planet scanning can get boring but I’m nitpicking and gripes are ultimately few and far between. Mass Effect 2 improves on the original in every way possible and what the developer has achieved is nothing short of breathtaking. It’s easily one of the greatest games of this or any other console generation and Microsoft must be thanking their lucky stars they seem to have this franchise as a console exclusive. If you play just one single player game in the first quarter of 2010 make sure it’s Mass Effect 2. The only question that remains unresolved is how BioWare will bring this epic trilogy to a close.

9.5/10

Good:

• Amazingly immersive gameworld
• The best voice acting in any game ever
• Rights every wrong from the original

Bad:

• Where did the Citadel go?
• Combat could be improved even further
• The long wait for Mass Effect 3

Review - Bayonetta (Xbox 360)

By Nige

Genre: Action
UK Release: 8th January 2010
Developer: Platinum Games
Publisher: Sega
Other Formats: PS3

One of the first games of 2010, Bayonetta hadn’t registered on my games to buy list. I really had no interest in the game until I saw the high review scores.

I decided to try the demo just to see what all the fuss was about and was amazed to find myself thinking I really want this game. A couple of hours later I had been out and bought it and was ready to start what must be the cheesiest and most over the top game I’ve ever played.

On loading up the game I was impressed by the simple but effective intro which ended with the ‘Bayonetta’ logo whooshing into the screen. The game stars you as Bayonetta who is a sexy crazy witch who has been awakened from a coffin at the bottom of a lake. You don’t know much about her but as the game progresses you unlock more about her past and the worlds you inhabit. It all boils down to a war between good and evil and just for a change you’re the bad gal. The enemies are supposedly the angels but they all look pretty crazy and scary!

To be honest the story takes a back seat as the game involves going through the 16 levels dispatching enemies and working out the various puzzles with lots to collect and unlock along the way. When you start playing the game has you shooting, kicking and violently killing angels that look very sinister all to the tune of Bart Howard’s ‘Fly Me to the Moon’. You know from that point this game is going to be something very different indeed - think Quentin Tarantino does Devil May Cry and you may get some kind of idea as to the general style.

You start with basic weapons and abilities but can unlock more as you go along. Most levels have a mid-level boss with a larger boss battle at the end, but every enemy is massive whatever the situation! I must admit the graphics really took my breath away and I found the end of level boss encounters offered some of the most impressive visuals I’ve seen on the Xbox 360 so far.

Sound is a mixed affair. The soundtrack itself is fantastic - I especially liked the choral music that plays when a new enemy appears. You’re given a little sequence to give the creature a name. However the voice acting is terrible. Voiceovers sound wooden leaving you feeling very little for the characters in the game. I feel better voice acting would have added a lot to the atmosphere of the cuts scenes.

Another point of debate is the save system. The game auto saves at certain points however if you give up halfway through a level its very touch and go as to whether you will return to that particular save point. You get the option to save before you start the next level but if you reload from this point then you have to start the level from scratch. An option to save anywhere would have been so much better, but maybe it would have made the game too easy.

One very annoying feature for me was the constant repeating of bosses in the game - when they are dead they should stay dead. It almost spoilt the game for me, but I will forgive it because the rest of the game is so damn good. It never seems to end either. Just as you think you have it beaten it throws another boss at you. I honestly thought I had finished the game after level 11 only to find there were another 5 levels. And after that the game still carried on during and after the end credits!

One thing to look out for is the homage to many older Sega titles dotted throughout the game including the Outrun soundtrack playing over one of the craziest motorway scenes I’ve ever seen. This involves a chase with you racing a motorbike at insane speeds across a collapsing bridge, which is a welcome break from all the slashing. I loved trying to spot all the Sega touches and they are done so well that they fit the atmosphere of the game perfectly.

Overall the game has some incredible bosses, amazing graphics, one of the best soundtracks I have heard for years and some breathtaking sequences. I would imagine this will be high on my game of the year list yet it’s only January. Sadly I think Bayonetta will get overlooked by a lot of gamers with more recognisable sequels to Mass Effect, Bioshock and Splinter Cell hitting in the next few weeks. After not really considering buying Bayonetta I’m glad I took the plunge...

9/10

Good:

• Amazing graphics
• Non-stop action
• Fantastic soundtrack

Bad:

• Dire voice acting
  
• Repetitive boss battles
  
• Unreliable save system
  

Review Policy

We just wanted to let people know how we plan to go about reviewing our games.

It's fair to say between us we've played a lot of games across god knows how many formats. We've seen some fantastic ones and some that made us cry - basically we know what makes a good game and what makes a bad one.

We'd like to think our reviews will always represent a fair and unbiased opinion. We will only ever review the retail version of a finished game and not before we've spent significant time with it - most likely to the point of completion.

When a review is submitted the title will always include the name of the game and the format it's being reviewed on. Underneath that you'll see the name of the reviewer and some core details such as the genre of the game, the UK release date, the developer, the publisher and any other formats the game is being released on.

When considering a score for a game we will take into account a number of factors including but not limited to gameplay, graphics, audio, innovation, immersion and longevity.

Reviews will always be scored out of 10 with 1 being the worst score and 10 obviously being the best. Half scores can also be awarded. Here's a rough guideline of what we consider a good or bad game:

1 - Drivel
2 - Awful
3 - Bad
4 - Poor
5 - Below Average
6 - Average
7 - Good
8 - Very good
9 - Excellent
10 - Outstanding

We hope you will agree this system is both fair on the games we review and honest to the readers. Who knows, perhaps you'll grow to have faith and confidence in our judgment!

Fingers crossed you will enjoy reading our reviews as much as we will enjoy writing them.

Orientation

Hello and welcome to Inferior Gamers!

Firstly thank you for taking the time to check us out. Inferior Gamers has been created simply because we wanted a space to put some of our thoughts and opinions on the video games industry down in writing.

What's the name all about I hear you ask? Well we enjoy all types of games - from the yearly EA Sports title updates to obscure Japanese RPG's. We've played nearly 400 Xbox 360 games between us and that's just one format! But when it comes down to the last lap of the race or the final kill in team deathmatch we're the last guy you want on your team. Hence we are inferior to the majority of gamers out there.

In terms of the content we will be putting out don't expect daily or regular updates. We won't be submitting frequent news - there are plenty of sites far better equipped than ourselves to provide you with that sort of information. Instead expect fair and honest reviews on the games we've been playing with the occasional feature, article or opinion thrown in on a particular aspect of the industry.

Feel free to comment on any posts we make - debate and discussion is to be actively encouraged! We'd also appreciate any feedback be it positive or negative, just please make sure it's constructive. We hope you like what you see and that you might subscribe and come back in future.

Thanks,

Jay & Nige