360Zine Issue 30

FREE! NAVIGATE Issue 30 | May 2009

360Free Magazine For Xbox 360 Gamers.Zine Read it, Print it, Send it to your mates… WORLD EXCLUSIVE PROTOTYPE HANDS-ON PREVIEW & INTERVIEW PLUS!

REVIEWED & RATED! PREVIEW PREVIEW GUITAR HERO PREVIEW TERMINATOR BIOSHOCK 2 ROGUE WARRIOR SALVATION METALLICA CONTROL a NAV I G AT E |02

QUICK FINDER Don’t miss! This month’s top highlights Every gam e’s just a click a w ay! End of Eternity The Chronicles of The Secret Riddick: Assault World on Dark Athena Bioshock 2 Guitar Hero Guitar Hero continues to go from strength to The Chronicles of Prototype Metallica strength and this issue we have a full-on review Terminator Wallace & of the latest rock-out incarnation Guitar Hero: Riddick: AoDA Salvation Gromit’s Grand Metallica. Chris Schilling is a master of the B ruta l l y b ri l l i a nt. . . Rogue Warrior Adventures genre so don’t miss his deﬁnitive verdict. Prototype Also coming soon from Activision is the MORE FREE MAGAZINES! LATEST ISSUES! mightily impressive looking Prototype. With fast H A ND S-ON P REV IEW & IN T ERV IEW & furious action promised this looks set to be another blockbuster when it ships this Summer. To whet your gaming taste buds we have a four-page preview for your perusal along with an interview with Radical Entertainment’s Max Terminator Salvation Belanger. H a n ds-o n p re vi e w Other highlights include Bioshock 2, Terminator Salvation, End of Eternity and The Secret World. Plenty to tuck into then... DON’T MISS ISSUE 31 SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE ! Enjoy the issue, WA RNIN G! M ULT IMEDIA DISA BLED! 360Zine D a n H u tc h i n s o n , E d i to r Guitar Hero Metallica If yo u ar e r ea din g th is, th en yo u di dn ’ t ch o o s e “Pl a y” FEEDBACK! 360z i n e@g a m e rz i n e s. co m R e vi e we d & rate d w h en A d o be R ea d er aske d yo u ab o ut m ultim e di a w h en Click here to yo u open e d th e m a g azin e. tell us what you think of With o u t t h e m ul tim edi a p l a yin g , t h e m a g a z in e w il l l o o k co r re ct, b u t yo u w il l the new issue b e m i ssin g o u t o n al l o f t h e ext ra co n ten t b u il t in to e a c h i ssu e , l ike vi d e o s , an im ated sc re en sh o ts , an n o tati o n s , q u i zze s , co m p eti ti o n s an d m o re . MEET THE We re co m m en d yo u c l o se an d re-o p en t h e m a g a z in e an d sel e ct “Pl a y” w h en TEAM Chris Steve Hill a s ked ab o u t t h e m ul tim edi a to en j oy t h e m a g a z in e a s in ten d ed . Pro b a b l y th e b est Schilling Poring over Prototype Rogue Warrior g a m es write r s o n Mad about Metallica? M assi ve p re vi e w th e p l a n e t CO N T R O L 360Zine NAVIGATE |03 Previews FIRST LOOK

Publisher: Sega Developer: tri-Ace Heritage: Star Ocean series, End of Eternity Inﬁnite Undiscovery Link: http://eoe.sega.jp Post-apocalyptic role-playing with guns ETA: Winter 2009

It’s rare to WhileWhat’s most Japanese the RPGsstory? require you to save the world from some unimaginable see gunplay evil, it’s rare that the world which needs saving has already been all but destroyed. feature heavily Adding a dose of bleak into an otherwise fairly happy-go-lucky genre, End of in a JRPG. Eternity takes place on an Earth poisoned by environmental changes, causing a virtual extinction of mankind only halted by the construction of a device called Burzel, created to purify the surrounding air. Yet just as civilisation starts to flourish PREVIEW once more, the device stops working… FEEDBACK! Click here to Those dreaded random tell us what encounters are reportedly LongWhat time Square-Enixdo we collaboratorsknow? tri-Ace have turned to Sega to publish their you think of back, and your party latest title, which takes a step back from the real-time approach of Infinite End of Eternity appears to be restricted Undiscovery, opting for a halfway house between that and the turn-based to three people. mechanics so ingrained in JRPG tradition. But as the subject matter seems to suggest, this isn’t your ordinary genre title. Hero Zephyr may be a 17-year-old androgynous orphan, but he claims that his existence is proof there is no God, while the female lead is a biological experiment known only as Subject 20, so called because she’s designed to expire when she reaches that age. Dark stuff indeed.

AccordingWhen todo Japanese we gamingget biblemore? Famitsu, it’s set for a late 2009 release in Japan. No word on a Western release yet, but we think Sega might be tempted to bring this one over.

Burzel is home to a giant TheAnything game’s Director else is Takayuki to Suguro, declare? who was tower which separates the involved in the making of Final Fantasy Tactics and the upper classes at the top from wonderful Vagrant Story. the working classes who live around its base. CONTROL PLAYBACK OPTIONS:

CONTROL 360Zine NAVIGATE |05 Previews

The world is certainly contemporary, with elements of the fantastical to FIRST LOOK liven things up a little. Publisher: Funcom Developer: Funcom Heritage: Age of Conan: The Secret World Hyborian Adventures Link: www.darkdays No levels, no classes – the MMO goes contemporary arecoming.com ETA: 2010. Maybe ThisWhat’s forthcoming the collaboration story? brings together Funcom, creator of Age of Conan, and Ragnar Tornquist, Scandinavian writer of the terriﬁc Dreamfall. Little of the game has been shown so far, save for a stunning CGI trailer featuring a young 20- something woman battling some otherworldly creature inside her apartment.

TraditionWhat blendsdo withwe the know?new. The Secret World promises to be a real genre-shaker, “Cities ranging from eschewing the traditional class-based mechanics and character levelling of most MMOs New York through for something more akin to an action adventure with freeform avatar development. It Seoul to London will seems you can mould your character into the person you want them to be, rather than be the game’s yomping through environments slaying beasties until you’re sufficiently experienced to Tornquist can starting points” wear robes and hurl lightning bolts. Tornquist promises the game will be welcoming to really write, but newcomers, offering a way for new players to join more experienced friends in battle just how talky without spending too much time having to beef up their avatar. can an MMO get? When do we Somethingget more? this ambitious will take time, and while the basic idea has been fleshed out in some detail by Tornquist, it’s unlikely this will hit any time soon. 2010 may even be a little optimistic. The hype starts here! Anything else Theto entire declare? game will be open to everyone from the outset, with cities For many players, losing ranging from New York through the ability to level up Seoul to London as start points. will be problematic.

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CONTROL 360Zine NAVIGATE |07 Previews The lead designer on Bioshock 2 is PREVIEW the man who created Fort Frolic – FIRST LOOK FEEDBACK! the best bit of the first game. Click here to tell us what you think Publisher: 2K Games of Bioshock 2 Developer: 2K Marin Bioshock 2 Heritage: Bioshock Link: www.somethingin Underwater love thesea.com ETA: Autumn 10What’s years on from the the eventsstory? of the first game, Bioshock 2 finds Rapture under new rule. Yet as it emerges that young girls across the world are being kidnapped, it becomes clear that the underwater city’s current leader needs to be stopped. In charge of things under the sea is the Big Sister – one of the Little Sisters from the first game in mechanised form, as powerful as a Big Daddy yet much quicker. As the first Big Daddy ever created by Rapture, it’s your job to follow the instructions of Dr. Bridgette Tenenbaum, and try to put an end to the reign of this fearsome enemy.

ItWhat seems fromdo the wespeed know? of character movement that you’re playing a Multiplayer modes have comparatively lightweight version of the hulking behemoths from the first been promised, though game, though your weapons will be familiar to those who played the as yet it’s not clear what original – an arm drill and a rivet gun allow you to charge and shoot any form they will take. enemies foolish enough to come within range. The idea is to take the Little Big Sister really can run, and Sisters from the other Big Daddies roaming the hallways and corridors of looks set to cause a host of Rapture, either harvesting them for ADAM, or letting them ride with you, collecting problems for the player, ADAM from corpses as you protect them from harm. The Big Sister appears including one set-piece where periodically when you’ve destroyed a given number of Big Daddies – her arm she floods an area by cracking the surrounding glass. needle allowing her to inject ADAM directly into her bloodstream, affording her powers far beyond your own. When do we get more? “10 years on from It’ll be out sometime between September and November. We’ll hopefully have a more in-depth preview in the coming months. the events of the first game, Bioshock 2 finds Rapture PlasmidsAnything will still be elseavailable, thoughto declare?you’ll now be able to upgrade them in under new rule” unique ways, while you can dual-wield weapons and plasmids simultaneously – which surely can’t be seen as a bad thing.

CONTROL 360Zine NAVIGATE |08 Previews Borderlands Publisher: 2K Games | ETA: Late 2009 Gritty, serious and now cel-shaded, Gearbox’s sci-fi shooter is looking very interesting indeed. Despite initial denials Mini Ninjas from developer head Randy Pitchford, it’s A fistful of top new titles coming to 360… Publisher: Eidos | ETA: Autumn 2009 stylish yet still adult. No doubt those who More info has emerged on Io like their future dystopias as realistic as Interactive’s family-friendly newie, possible will whinge a little, but we think though there’s still a tiny dash of this change will make Borderlands stand Dead Rising 2 Hitman in its stealthy third-person out from the crowd. Once again, expect more information before too long. Publisher: Capcom | ETA: 2010 action. Yet instead of garrotting Sadly, journalist Frank West doesn’t return in the targets, you’ll be attacking animals, sequel to Capcom’s zombie-splatterer, but we’re as the Evil Samurai Warlord has promised new weapons including motorbikes transformed forest creatures into and (yes!) a giant hamster ball. With up to 6,000 an anthropomorphic army. From zombies onscreen at any time (compared with castles to valleys and the snowy 800 in the original) it’s set to be even more peaks shown here, it looks like an frantic than the relentless original. epic adventure in miniature. Assassin’s Creed 2 Six Days in Fallujah Publisher: Ubisoft | ETA: TBC Batman: Arkham Asylum Publisher: Konami | ETA: 2010 Bigger, better, later, more seems to The latest game to invoke the ire of the Daily Mail has Publisher: Eidos | ETA: June be the message about Ubi’s beggar- barely been announced, but there’s good reason for the We’ll bring you our verdict of Rocksteady’s take on shoving sequel. New features include controversy. Konami’s latest has been dubbed ‘Iraq: The the ability to swim, enemy disarms, the Dark Knight next month. Until then, check out Game’ by the media, and focuses on the real-life battle for this collector’s edition, with a 14-inch replica new mission types (and absolutely the central Baghdad city. It’s a third-person shooter which no pickpocketing) and a day-night Batarang, an Arkham Doctor’s Journal, a 48-page will follow various units through the campaign, and while dossier on the inmates and a leather dust jacket. cycle. It’s set in the late 15th century, the developer is pledging a realistic experience, it might and you’ll play a descendant of Arkham Asylum has impressed us so far – fingers just be a little too soon for some. crossed it can deliver the goods. Altair’s named Ezio Auditore de Firenze, a Florence nobleman.

JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER Tales of Vesperia King of Fighters XII Dark Void The Beatles: Rock Band Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood Battleﬁeld 1943 Vertigo DiRT 2

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HANDS ON “Focus testing revealed Publisher: Activision Developer: Radical that a lot of people Entertainment were having trouble Heritage: Simpsons: Hit & understanding the Run, Hulk: Ultimate Prototype conspiracy-based plot” Destruction, Scarface: The World is Yours Link: www.prototype Underneath the hood… game.com “My name is Alex Mercer. I’m the reason ETA: June hen Prototype was unveiled for all this. They call me a killer, a monster, at the 2008 Game Developer Down, Fido! a terrorist. I’m all of these things…” WConference in San Francisco, the high-octane action was met with PREVIEW the requisite whooping and hollering FEEDBACK! from the attendant crowd. On ﬁrst Click here to impressions, it seemed to feature a tell us what bloke in a hoodie running round New you think of York City, sprinting up the side of Prototype buildings, chopping people in half, throwing people at tanks, throwing tanks at helicopters, and throwing helicopters at people. It was hugely impressive visually, but we came away from the demonstration not entirely sure of who was doing what to whom and, more importantly, why. Staying focused It seems we weren’t the only ones left scratching our heads, as extensive focus testing since has revealed that a lot of people were having trouble understanding the conspiracy-based story behind the action, leading to some of the dialogue and elements of the presentation being totally reworked to make it more obvious what was going on in the game.

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Club soda and salt Alex takes on a should shift that. pair of Brawlers.

Prototype continued “You are the hardest So let’s try again. You play the role of man in New York, armed Alex Mercer, who wakes up with no with an array of special memory, not only sporting a token abilities that make you item of chav-wear, but also lying a one-man army” prostrate in the morgue about to be carved open by scientists. You might not remember anything, but you soon need to know is that you are the learn that you are a genetically mutated hardest man in New York, armed shapeshifter, able to ‘consume’ other with an array of special abilities that people and assume their physical form essentially make you a one-man army, and abilities, as well as their memories able to leap tall buildings and destroy – thereby enabling you to piece tanks with a single punch. Not only together the fragments of the ongoing that, you’re also a world-class parkour conspiracy, which has been building for expert. Remember parkour? Brieﬂy 40 years and involves the military, fashionable about three years ago infected citizens and a so-called web (when development on Prototype of intrigue. As clear as mud, then. began) it involved mainly French Welcome to Presumably everything will come youths running and jumping across New York. out in the wash, but what you really rooftops like they were in some kind

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Your sister Dana occasionally helps out.

It’s murder in rush hour.

is – we’re talking leaping into moving “With the weight of the tanks and helicopters, consuming the US Army against him, drivers/pilots (hence gaining their flying plus hordes of Infected, abilities) and tearing round the streets Alex occasionally has of New York. Again, following focus his hands full” testing, the driving and flying models have been made simpler, and it really is a case of getting in and going, with person or a vehicle… well, suffice to say, they come off second best. It might sound like Alex is invincible, He’s not getting but with the weight of the US Army up from that. against him, plus a hordes of Infected, he does occasionally have his hands full, even if those hands can suddenly spring claws and carve up anything Prototype continued building and effortlessly run up the within reach. We played an early level, side, all the way to the top. And then which effectively acts as a teaser, of human platform game. Compared to just to show off, he can leap back to the imbuing Alex with a range of abilities All that killing is Alex Mercer, their efforts were frankly ground without so much as tweaking a and some fairly straightforward tasks. making you tense. risible. Alex can simply head for any tendon. And if he lands on another Straightforward in Prototype terms that

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He’s behind you…

That’s what you call armed.

though, and it really is about the whereby you use a freshly slain corpse absolute freedom and sheer depth of as an substitute skateboard, elegantly destruction on offer. New York looks dismounting by kicking the body at superb, and scaling a skyscraper and another target. looking down gives a genuine sense of If Prototype wasn’t so ludicrous it vertigo. And for sheer over-the-top could almost be seen as distasteful, and Dr Ragland, who is action, very little comes close. You whether this kind of intense action can kind of on your side. genuinely can throw a tank at a sustain interest over 15 hours remains helicopter, and who’s honestly never to be seen. Nevertheless, Activision are wanted to do that? Prototype doesn’t backing it as a big summer blockbuster Prototype continued anything, since we last saw Prototype shirk on the gore either, with rivers of and we’ll certainly be hurling a few it has got even busier, with the sheer blood and innards providing a vehicles and corpses around, weather helicopters hovering by default, and density of cars, tanks, people, beasts perennial backdrop. There’s also a permitting. As for that all-important tanks simply going where you feel and helicopters often overwhelming. macabre move called bodysurfing, story, we’ll get back to you on that… like pointing them. There are apparently quieter missions It’s a manic opening, but then the however, with Alex using the disguise action goes back 18 days to the ability to infiltrate military bases and HOW COMPLETE? FIRST IMPRESSIONS morgue, and the real story unfolds, other such stealth-based stages. 80% 90% with abilities gradually introduced. As Skulking about pretending to be a intros go, it’s full-on though, and if soldier isn’t going to sell the game Prepare for a summer of destruction

CONTROL NAV IGAT E |13 Subscribe to360Zine FREE! EVERY MONTH! The world’s best Xbox 360 mag! DON’T MISS OUT AGAIN SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE! Over 50,000 pe o p le have alre ady chosen to subscri b e to o ne o r mo re of o u r G amerZi ne s an d now re ceive noti ﬁca ti o n of e ach new issue a s so o n a s i t’s publ ishe d. Why not j o i n them an d ensu re yo u never m iss another issue a g ai n?

www.gamerzines.com CO N T RO L 360Zine NAVIGATE |14 Interview the heck is available to the player. Now we think the interactive part of our storytelling mechanism will keep the players wanting to know more, and further the story. There’s no alternate paths, Alex’s events will not change MAD the course of the story. What genre would you put it in? In a nutshell… In a nutshell there’s a lot of everything MAX You can never find a cab but in a way you’ve never experienced when you need one. before. There’s shooting, but is Prototype producer shooting a simulation? No, absolutely not. You grab weapons, and when Max Belanger tells us you’re done with the ammo you just toss it aside and find another one. all about the game… When Prototype was first Most open-world games tend to The same thing applies to tanks and announced, it was categorised as lose you in the story, because of the helicopters. We’re not as specific in a superhero game. Is that fair, or freedom of choice; because of the the realism of the way these vehicles is Alex a supervillain? liberty you have of doing whatever behave. Other games do that, ours I’d say more a supervillain. We refer to him more as an anti-hero, because superheroes always do the right thing. They are motivated by the right path, and Alex Mercer is unwell. in the case of Alex it’s not the case. He will kill innocent people to further his cause. The game does penalise you in certain ways for doing bad actions, but he’s definitely the type of character that walks the fine line between good and bad and doesn’t follow a morality code.

Are the missions linear? Do The man who you have to follow them, beats up tanks. and what’s the structure? The story is pushed in a linear fashion, there’s no doubt about it. And it was done on purpose.

CONTROL 360Zine WWW.GAMERZINES.COM NAVIGATE |15 Interview Alex in the throes of consuming an enemy. Interview continued He is it for sure. I’m gonna use people’s reaction at a recent event are arcadey, and they feel right and to describe it: “He can eat people!” Publisher: Activision they’re really fun to pilot or drive. Then, – meaning he can suck people into Developer: Radical once you’re done you just dispose of it. his own biomass. “Oh my god, he Entertainment The same can apply to almost anything just sliced someone” – he can Heritage: Simpsons: Hit & in the game, and I think what transform parts of his body into Run, Hulk: Ultimate distinguishes our game from the deadly attack powers. And yes, it is Destruction, S carface: others is the sheer amount of action, a very visceral game. It’s gory and it’s The World is Yours the density of the population and catered to the adult audience. He can Link: w w w.prototype traffic system – which are there to take tanks on with his hammer fist… game.com create a very immersive world. And come on, how many games do that? ETA: J une we think that you’ll find that with There’s huge strength in the world that comes a lot of explosions and but he’s equipped to face all of them. “I think what distinguishes spectacular moments. And the story He is the ultimate badass! our game from the others is too, obviously. the sheer amount of action” You describe New York as being almost like a character in the game. Was there a specific reason for He really should be given an ASBO. choosing New York as the game’s location. Is it for the parkour element with the tall buildings? There are obviously gameplay reasons for choosing New York – the verticality of the structures and the layout of the world. Los Angeles is rather flat and not very interesting, so for gameplay New The bigger they are, York was a logical choice. We also the harder they fall. chose New York because people know what New York is, even though they’ve never been there, the recognisable landmarks and areas of the city. We chose a realistic area because we wanted to ground our fiction in the real world and give it a realistic backdrop. Fighting with shapeshifting From Vancouver, powers on Jupiter is not as fun. Canada, it’s Prototype producer Max Belanger You described the lead character as the ultimate badass. What is that and what makes him it?

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For more accurate aiming, the camera HANDS ON zooms in to a by now traditional Gears- Publisher: Warner Bros. esque over-the- Developer: GRIN/ shoulder viewpoint. Halcyon Games Heritage: Bionic Terminator Commando, Wanted: Weapons of Fate Link: www.terminatorsalva tionthegame.com/ ETA: Late May Salvation Rise of the machines “In the single- player mode, hough in the main Salvation Then the shooting starts, and it’s your female AI has been developed at Halcyon clear things are a little different. For ally doesn’t seem TGames, it certainly bears the starters, you’re facing much sturdier to draw half as fingerprints of its co-developer GRIN – enemies than before. In the first section in particular, the latter’s recent Wanted: of our preview code we’re called to the much fire as you” Weapons of Fate. As a third-person location of a downed copter pilot, but shooter with a dynamic cover system, it walk straight into two T-70s – crab-like naturally invites comparison, but when mechs spitting out machinegun fire. you witness the animations as John Staying out in the open certainly isn’t Weapons you can pick up are Connor slides – sometimes over hard advised – not only do their weapons outlined in yellow – oddly, these concrete, which has to hurt – from do plenty of damage, but they’re likely are visible from behind walls. barrel to wall, you could be forgiven to rush you on occasion, which is for getting a strong sense of déjà vu. effectively an instant kill. So your best bet is to stay out of danger, crouched behind a pillar or low wall, popping up to let off a few shots, and attempting to get round the back of them to shoot the hatch on their rear which represents their weak spot. That’s how it works in theory, anyway. In the single-player mode, your female AI ally doesn’t seem to draw half as much fire as you, and steadfastly refuses to do the dirty work should you lure them into a position where their

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Terminator Salvation cont. true enough. Then the more traditional Terminators appear – some are purely back is exposed. Shooting them several mechanoid foes, others are early times from the front does afford you a prototypes of the original T800, brief window of opportunity as they colloquially named ‘skinjobs’ by the pause briefly before resuming fire, human resistance. They take even more giving you the chance to nip around bullets before they drop, and while not and blast away. It’s easy enough with burdened with a fierce intellect, a toe- one, slightly less so with two. to-toe confrontation will always leave Fortunately, the weaponry found you worse off than they. lying amid the rubble of the destroyed While the third-person blasting is cityscape is much more suited to the obviously the meat of the gameplay, task in hand, making light work of the there are on-rails sections to vary the small flying enemies (Aerostats) and pace, with one seeing your team make Friendly behaviour is generally dealing enough damage to the walkers its escape from the robots along an decent, though as ever you’ll have to do most of the hard work. to make flanking manoeuvres much abandoned freeway, robot bikes tailing simpler. Grenades are even more your pickup as you try to take them out effective – often taking the larger ones before they can catch up. Another sees down in one hit should your aim be you picking up survivors on a train, fending off the machines with a rocket finished code – especially as a recent launcher as you try to collect as many video seems to suggest it’s had a of the wounded as you can at each graphical spit-and-polish to touch stop. These are very competently up the rather lacklustre visuals. handled, but there’s still a strong whiff of been-there-done-that about the whole thing. Naturally, the experience benefits from having a human player fighting alongside you rather than relying on the friendly AI, but even in co-operative mode, Terminator Salvation feels a little undercooked. But we’re reserving judgment until we play Enemy design is adequate and PREVIEW fits the franchise perfectly. FEEDBACK! Click here to tell us what HOW COMPLETE? FIRST IMPRESSIONS you think of Terminator 90% 70% Salvation Like the machines, lacking in personality

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The kills are randomised, though they also vary by location. HANDS ON Publisher: Bethesda Softworks Developer: Rebellion Heritage: Sniper Elite, Rogue Trooper Rogue Warrior Link: www.bethsoft.com/ eng/games/games_ Who swears wins roguewarrior.html ETA: Autumn ick Marcinko is a former Navy Marcinko’s larger-than-life persona will ‘Demo Dick’, as he’s SEAL. He served two tours in make this more interesting than your known, seems to prefer Vietnam and was highly average shaven-headed-space-marine- the thrill of a knife kill D “Rogue Warrior is above all other. decorated. He was such a fearsome starring blastathon. Indeed, it’s a warrior that he had a personal bounty pleasure to discover that not only does described by placed on his head by the Vietcong. He Marcinko have hair, but a lot of it too, developer Rebellion founded the Navy’s ﬁrst and second tied back in a Seagal-esque ponytail Counter-Terrorist Unit, and broke into with a thick, grizzly black beard. He’s as a ‘personality- Air Force One, just to prove that he certainly a striking screen presence, driven shooter” could. Most importantly, he now has and the revelation that he’s voiced by a videogame all about him. Hollywood hellraiser Mickey Rourke Rogue Warrior is described by bodes very well indeed. Then the developer Rebellion as a ‘personality- action starts, and we hear such driven shooter’, the idea being that winningly original epithets as ‘f**k’

Depending on circumstances, you Alternatively, you might might prefer the close-up third-person be able to use an enemy’s aim, or the ﬁrst-person viewpoint for weapon against him. taking out distant enemies.

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Rogue Warrior continued stealth-kills another opponent are just the right kind of guilty pleasure. A real- and ‘Jesus f**king Christ’ and you begin life Rambo feel could certainly work. to wish as much thought had been put Yet elsewhere, the game betrays the into the script as to the casting. need to keep things grounded in some That said, perhaps in context the kind of reality, the OTT action unable to excessive profanity makes more sense. prevent lapses into cliché. The level we This is, after all, a rather tall tale, loosely see is a bridge on the Korean/Russian based on the real-life exploits of the border, which is filled with plenty of man whose war stories are – as Senior generic enemy soldiers, walls to duck Producer Sean Griffiths puts it – ‘20% behind and plenty of other familiar real, 80% bullshit’. There’s nothing videogame ephemera. Brilliantly, at one wrong with a bit of artistic licence, and point the so-called reinforcements park indeed if Rebellion can nail the tone it’s their truck directly next to an explosive Though enemies are all much of a muchness, the character aiming at (“We’re being careful to avoid barrel. Guess what happens next, folks? models are impressive. pastiche, but the Eighties action movie For all this though, the transitions vibe is what we’re going for,” explains between ‘infiltrate mode’ and the more producer Aaron Guy) then the gung-ho action sequences seem contemptuous one-liners as Marcinko competently handled, while switching between first- and third-person looks do with p laying as a support character, natural and unforced. Marcinko’s brutal the highest-ranked p layer gets the kill moves are eye-watering stuff, with bonus of p laying with the D ick skin. It some context-sensitive wall-slams and surel y goes without saying that the bridge throws complemented by neck name hasn’t been finalis ed yet… stabs, and one particularly nasty move For a game termed as a per s onality - which left us crossing our legs in horror. dr i ven shooter, there’s a worrying lack We’re promised that we’ll get the of char isma to R ogue Warr ior s o far. opportunity to use them in multiplayer, H opefull y with a few tweaks to the too. “There’s nothing quite like stabbing s cr ipt and s ome more interesting your mate in the balls,” enthuses loc ations (we like the s ound of the Griffiths. We’ll have to take his word for Russian palace which features in a later it. There’s certainly an intriguing reward chapter), R ebellion’s game c an forge an for the best online players, though – identity of its ow n in what’s becoming while everyone else will have to make an increasingl y crowded mar ket.

PREVIEW FEEDBACK! Click here to HOW COMPLETE? FIRST IMPRESSIONS There’s something disconcertingly Conﬂict: tell us what 80% 70% Denied Ops about the whole thing. think of you This shooter needs a little more purpose Rogue Warrior

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CONTROL 360Zine NAVIGATE |21 Reviews The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena Publisher: Atari Developer: Starbreeze Shadows for a colossus “Combat is nasty, Heritage: The Chronicles of brutish and short” Riddick: Escape from Butcher riginally conceived as a minor Bay, The Darkness expansion to an HD remake of There’s a gritty realism to the look Link: http://atari.com/riddick 2004’s Escape from Butcher up counter moves which lead to a of both games which puts Riddick’s OUT NOW O Bay, Dark Athena has been transformed surprising variety of instant kill moves, visuals right up there with the best into a standalone campaign, packaged every one wincingly violent. There’s technical achievements on 360. with an update of that earlier adventure verbal violence too – profanities aren’t and a suite of multiplayer modes. so much uttered as spat, from a cast of Initially, Dark Athena compares very low-lifes who are as repulsive as they well to its predecessor – aboard the are well-realised. titular ship, Riddick stalks mercenaries and their remote-controlled drones, a Cruising comfortably horrifying hybrid of human and This rollercoaster is comfortably machine. Again, you’re left with little cruising to a 90%+ score, but then the more than your two fists and the ability wheels start to buckle and Athena to see well in the dark – until you get comes dangerously close to wobbling hold of the Ulaks, twin blades which off the rails. A sojourn to a nearby easily slice through human flesh. planet offers a fresh setting, but along Combat is nasty, brutish and short – with it comes an over-reliance on bludgeoning clubs are skull-crackingly outdoor gunplay and cheap enemies, Yet for a game that was never really effective, while well-timed blocks open including scuttling spider turrets who’ll meant to be anything more than a Bloody. Brutal. Brilliant shear off chunks of energy before bonus, that’s easily forgiven. And even at you’ve even seen them. And ultimately, its worst, Dark Athena somehow remains it doesn’t quite compare to the expert exciting. It also shows that Starbreeze pacing of its forebear, with Starbreeze should make another – if this is what the Looks and sounds superb seemingly making it up as they go developer can turn out as a bonus, just along, as the plot fizzles away and you think how good a brand new Riddick Stealth kills satisfy begin to wonder exactly where Riddick adventure could be. Unfairly hard near the end % is supposed to be headed. Chris Schilling 88

CONTROL 360Zine NAVIGATE |22 Reviews Guitar Hero

Publisher: Activision Metallica Developer: Neversoft Heritage: Guitar Hero: One for the fans, or the best GH expansion yet? World Tour, Tony Hawk series uitar Hero Aerosmith felt like feels like a more well-rounded Link: www.guitarhero decent fan service, but little experience in its own right. We’ve metallica.com more. The latest entry in the always had a soft spot for the likes of MASTER OF PUPPETS ETA: 29th May G world’s most popular music game Enter Sandman, but by the time we’d Frantic as its name suggests, How Neversoft has really upped its franchise is different. It goes without finished Career mode, we were almost particularly on the harder difficulties. gamgamee for Guitar Hero Metallica saying that the people likely to get the ready to declare ourselves full-blown most out of this are those who know Metallica fans. At the very least we’d about tells you everything you need to the words and chords to the 28 certainly gained a new appreciation for know. It’s easily the best franchise entry Metallica tracks featured here, but this their songwriting craft, which just that’s not an official sequel, and probably represents Neversoft’s crowning achievement in the series so Hetfield’s characterisation is a far from a purely musical standpoint. little flattering, but otherwise Wonky note charts? Thing of the past. the caricatures are spot on. Rather than a nostalgia-tinged look back at the band’s long career, Guitar Hero Metallica shows the foursome as they are today, rendered in that exaggerated, cartoonish GH style, with character models mo-capped from Duly Candid This one’s performance footage. The results are noted camcameraera for you splendid – the band are far more animated than the no-mark avatars from previous Heroes. Reflecting the CandidThisDuly one’s noted camera for you more intense performances, a restless The fandeveloperperformance service hashere ‘footage’ clearly is exemplary, listened feels moreand to complaintsit’s authentic a nice touch about than that everoccasionally we before, get to see duffwith some note the camera prowls the stage, with the odd mo-cappedamateurcharts in footagepast band Guitar of members the Hero band titles lookingalongside – mainly just the areaslike more (amusingly where famous you’re videos caricatured expected of their versionstobiggest play of)hits.more the The notes real Metallifacts thanthing. exist There’s are in genuinely the something actual interesting, song a little – and more providing the onesraw andanhere insight in-your-face seem into pretty a band about bit of shaky-cam judder for added themoreexcellent way fascinating everything’s to us, particularly than filmed,you might on too. Hard have mode. previously thought. Enlightening stuff. you-are-there realism. The calmness

CONTROL 360Zine NAVIGATE |23 Reviews Some seriously rapid strumming King Diamond is one of two is needed for the thrashier unlockable vocalists, the other numbers – diﬃculty-wise we’d being Lemmy from Motorhead. put this a notch above Aerosmith.

Guitar Hero Metallica cont. have noticed just how much Ulrich likes to mix things up, but rest assured you’ll of Kirk Hammett’s guitar-playing particularly keen on the selections be kept on your toes throughout, contrasts marvellously with the (though you’d be mad to ignore some “You’ll be kept on your particularly if you’re not overly familiar hyperactive Lars Ulrich on drums, of the songs here – our current fave toes, particularly if with the band’s output. battering his skins into submission. It’s being unexpected Foo Fighters pick you’re not familiar with Previous Guitar Heroes have always telling that you’ll almost subconsciously Stacked Actors) the new star-based the band’s output” had a few songs where monotony sets start aping the mannerisms of the band career structure means decent players in, but even Metallica’s sometimes if you’re playing with three friends – it’s can skip most of the asides and lengthy tunes never outstay their almost undeniably the best-presented concentrate on strumming, drumming perfect fit for a Guitar Hero game. welcome. And if you’re a fan and a Guitar Hero to date. and shouting along with their heroes. You’ve got changes in time signature, really accomplished drummer, there’s Musically, the game barely misses a It’s partly thanks to the band’s loud and quiet bits, memorable riffs even a weighty challenge for you in beat, with 21 songs from other bands commitment to the motion-capture easing into melodic solos and thrillingly the form of the Expert+ mode – hand-picked by Metallica themselves process that makes the Metallica songs meaty power chords, tricky but which gives you the option of plugging meshing well with the numbers the stand out from the rest, but also satisfying bass lines, and a surprising in another drum pedal to try and fans are here for. Even if you’re not because their catalogue seems to be a variety in drum beats. You might not match Ulrich’s double kicks. FREEZE FRAME Taking you through the game one step at a time… 30 MINUTES 1 HOUR 3 HOURS 5 HOURS 10 HOURS Metallica bring out the big guns quite Everyone will have their personal By now you’ll probably be thinking The later venues are certainly Expert+ will be beyond all but the early, but there are plenty of classics favourites, but there’s something this is the most consistent Guitar Hero different, to say the least. most dedicated Metallica fans and to come later in the game. about Sad But True that does it for us. to date. And you’d be right. professional drummers.

CONTROL 360Zine NAVIGATE |24 Reviews PULSOMETER Signs of life The boys Did you Ulrich is a real livewire – Guitar Hero Metallica cont. are back Mid-set lull know…? half the time mouthing the lyrics, and never sitting still. It wouldn’t be a Guitar Hero game without a wealth of unlockables, with the majority focusing on the band themselves. All the Metallica songs have accompanying videos, ranging Sad but Awesome, Tick, tick, tick, tick, from homebrew fan clips to expensive more like tick, tock… promotional vids. Information about each track is provided, with lyrics for those who want to brush up on their Hetfield impressions before taking to the mic. Best of all, the Pop-Up-Video- inspired Metallifacts offer some often- surprising trivia about the band or the song currently playing – this stuff will keep the most serious fans busy for hours. If you’d rather just play along with the band than learn more about them, then you can unlock new guitars and skins, Metallica-themed clothes and two new avatars in the form of Roll over screen for annotations Motorhead’s Lemmy and Mercyful Fate’s King Diamond. There might not be any substantial changes to the Guitar Hero template, but did anyone seriously expect that? Some of the unlockable For all but those with the most lofty axes look great. expectations, Guitar Hero Metallica will blow away any preconceptions – particularly if you thought it was going to be little more than a cheap cash-in. More than just fan service With Neversoft clearly starting to enjoy itself with this franchise, it leaves us more optimistic than before that Guitar Hero’s future is in safe hands. And if the Best GH soundtrack to date? Possibly improvement between Aerosmith and this is anything to go by, we can’t wait Performances look fantastic for the next band-specific Hero. If you hate Metallica… % Chris Schilling 86

CONTROL 360Zine NAVIGATE |25 Reviews

Xbox LiveAnother Arcade thrilling game available for download Round-Up today… Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures Episode 1: Fright of the Bumblebees Developer: Telltale Games Publisher: Telltale Games Price: 800 MP (~£6.80) “The presentation is superb, with Gromit fter efforts on the Wii and PC – because the plasticine duo’s Live every bit as expressive Atwo formats seemingly well- Arcade debut is a little belter. suited to the mechanics of the point- The 360 controller is never going as the ‘real’ version” and-click genre – the publisher has to be anyone’s first choice for a point- turned its attention to the 360, a and-click, yet the control scheme them around with the left analogue console with a controller that’s hardly sensibly understands the pad’s stick. The right stick is used to highlight an ideal choice for the type of game limitations and also its strengths. So items you can interact with, a tap of the The interface is effectively Telltale usually produces. Yet spread us instead of aiming where you want A button either observing, using, simple – press A to interact or X on a cracker and call us Wensleydale, Wallace or Gromit to go, you guide activating or chatting depending on to use objects in your inventory. what you’re targeting. The left and right bumpers cycle through objects in the There are four chapters in all, vicinity if you’re uncomfortable with you’d rather the challenge of working Two brief shooting sections add a and control alternates using both sticks. Shifting between everything out on your own, you can bit of variety, while the final chase between Wallace and Gromit. static camera angles can lead to a few reduce the frequency of the tips. sequence is inspired, if a little too moments where you’re wandering in The presentation is absolutely short. Everything else is just about the wrong direction, but thankfully superb, with Gromit every bit as what you’d expect from this talented these situations are rare. expressive as the ‘real’ version, while developer – a polished episodic Which leaves you to enjoy the story the other characters feel like they adventure that doesn’t take long to and rack your brain to figure out the could fit neatly into any of the pair’s complete but will leave you eagerly various puzzles. One or two riddles previous adventures. The dialogue is a anticipating Episode 2. require a little too much toing and little heavy on some occasionally froing, but the solution is rarely so groan-worthy puns, but a few Looks great obscure that you’ll find yourself stuck moments will have you chuckling Clever and amusing puzzles for any time. Besides, the hint system away as Wallace’s entrepreneurial Controls feel awkward gives you a nudge in the right honey-making idea leads to an direction if you appear confused, but if unexpected invasion of giant bees. Cracking adventure, Gromit! 81%

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All rights reserved. This publication may be copied in its entirety without Cranberry Publishing Limited modification for non-commercial purposes, for example but not limited to copying to CD-R for a friend, but it may not be offered for download from PREVIEW & INTERVIEW! www.cranberrypublishing.com any website or similar without the prior permission of the copyright holder. You are Publishing Director: Dave Taylor free to, and encouraged to, link to the original file for download from our website and you can find help on doing so here. While the greatest care is taken in producing Email: [email protected] this guide, we do not accept responsibility for the loss of any data or any other Editorial Director: Dan Hutchinson damage caused by following the instructions in this publication. We always recommend that you keep a backup of your hard disk data and ensure that you check Email: [email protected] all files for viruses before installing or using any new software. None of the Commercial Director: Duncan Ferguson information in this guide is intended as legal advice. All articles are for information PLUS! purposes only. Websites mentioned in this publication are not affiliated to or Email: [email protected] controlled by the publisher. We are not responsible for the contents of these sites or Telephone: 0117 986 6550 any changes made to them. WETBIONIC COMMANDOPROTOTYPE FUEL VIRTUA All contents © Cranberry Publishing Ltd 2009 Call Duncan to discover how e-publications can work for you! Company registration number: 4987058 TENNIS 2009GHOSTBUSTERS: THE VIDEOGAME Contributors: Chris Schilling, Steve Hill

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