In the already crowded field of World War II real-time strategy games, new contenders have to provide something special to distinguish themselves. In order to achieve this, game developers must experiment and push beyond the ordinary, creating games that give us new reasons to revisit WWII again and again. Men of War succeeds at carving a niche within the genre by delivering an epic campaign full of historical detail, plus the ability to jump into your units with a third-person “direct control” mode. Furthermore, Men of War forgoes base building so that you can focus on tactics. These elements combine to produce an experience steeped in history and rich in detail that will reward anyone looking for a challenging new twist on the genre.

 

 

Men of War is a complex and difficult game, and as such it can be tough to get into. The first mission, which is the closest thing the game has to a tutorial, only teaches you a few basic commands. After that, you’ll get some help from the interface, such as the ghostly outlines that show where your troops can take cover and the occasional tool tip that flashes by, but that’s about it. This can be problematic when a mission asks you, for example, to booby-trap enemy vehicles or hide dead bodies but gives you no clue as how you do so. Unorthodox controls are common in Men of War, so even relatively simple actions like dividing your units into numbered control groups might prove elusive if you don’t take the time to read the instruction manual. The default control scheme uses only the left mouse button for movement, unit selection, and attack and can be tough to learn. Thankfully, you can switch to the more traditional RTS mouse setup in the game options if you prefer.

The gameplay in Men of War is engaging and varied. The single-player game is a set of three campaigns. First is the lengthy Russian campaign, which follows two friends in the Red Army who participate in a wide variety of early war missions, such as evacuating Soviet factories and defending the city of Sevastopol. It’s truly refreshing to play a WWII game that doesn’t take you through the overused battlegrounds of Normandy and Stalingrad, preferring instead to deliver new challenges from the lesser-thumbed pages of history, and, perhaps because Men of War’s developers are Ukrainian, they deliver a seemingly thorough and authentic depiction of the war from the Soviet perspective. It’s no surprise, then, that the developers played favorites with the Soviet campaign and made the German and American campaigns, which focus on the fighting in North Africa, about half its length. However, the shorter campaigns are anything but short, clocking in at about eight hours apiece, which puts the full single-player experience at 30-plus hours.

Part of the explanation for the game’s long play time is its grueling difficulty; the rest it owes to a diverse array of long, involved, and realistic missions. Overall mission objectives go well beyond your typical “annihilate the enemy” fare and range from buying time for workers evacuating factory equipment to helping a small team of partisans stir up trouble behind enemy lines. In addition, you’ll find a wide variety of tasks to accomplish within each mission. For instance, in the Tobruk level, you must push enemies out of their forward defenses, double back to remove mines and tank traps, fight to get your artillery to the coast, blow up several transports and a dilapidated battleship, swing around to take out a fortress behind your lines, and then send five men through an underground tunnel to seize control of British fuel supplies. With so many objectives to tackle, you’ll often spend 90 minutes or more on a single mission–hours if it’s a particularly difficult one–and at the mission’s conclusion, you’ll be able to enjoy a well-earned sense of achievement.

 

Men of War’s most distinctive feature is the ability to take direct control of one of your units. This lets you control the unit with your keyboard and mouse like in a third-person action game. Although you’ll need to directly control an infantryman in certain circumstances (such as shooting out enemy spotlights on a stealth mission), tanks are by far the most fun. While driving a tank, you can alternate between machine gun and main gun firing modes at will, and given that all buildings are destructible, you can, for instance, flatten a house filled with enemy infantry and then cackle maniacally as you pepper the fleeing survivors with your machine gun. Of course, playing with tanks is fun no matter which mode you’re in, especially if you love seeing numerous real-world models depicted with historical accuracy. For example, tank enthusiasts will be wowed by how many different models of the Soviet T-34 tank are represented.

As if directly controlling units, finding cover for your infantry, and working toward your objectives aren’t enough, Men of War has an additional responsibility in store for you: Limited ammo. In the event that any of your guys run out of bullets, you’ll need to search corpses and supply creates for more. Additionally, looting corpses will garner you all sorts of items to augment your troops’ effectiveness. Although there is a certain engrossing realism to the fact that your soldiers can equip any dropped gun, helmet, or grenade that they find, micromanaging your squad’s inventory, and looting and equipping items, can become overwhelming. Regardless, you will still experience a profound feeling of accomplishment whenever your motley crew of units scavenges enough enemy supplies to barely make it through a mission.

Multiplayer in Men of War supports up to 16 players in both LAN and online matches and there are seven different game types to choose from that consist of variations on four basic themes. Given that there are no enemy bases to destroy, multiplayer matches are decided by points. Depending on the game type, those points can be earned by controlling areas of the map; by towing a randomly placed cargo wagon to your base, or simply by killing as many enemies as possible. Furthermore, you can play through the campaigns cooperatively with a friend, which is definitely a welcome addition. Curiously absent is any kind of skirmish mode for playing against computer opponents, which is unfortunate given that versions of the game from different territories aren’t always compatible with each other which can make opponents difficult to find.

 

Men of War’s graphics and audio are nothing special, although the sound effects are good enough that you can distinguish noises as subtle as an enemy soldier crawling through the grass to throw an antitank grenade. The music is repetitive and becomes annoying due to the prolonged nature of the missions. Furthermore, the pathetic English-language voice acting, when combined with awkward character animations, makes for some unintentionally hilarious cutscenes that don’t mesh with the game’s otherwise gritty mood. One nice thing about the visuals is the inclusion of some greenery, in contrast to the traditional WWII palate of dirt brown and rubble gray. Overall, though, the graphics don’t compare too favorably with recent RTS games.

From the direct-control feature to the lovingly replicated historical vehicles, Men of War is full of well-crafted details that should make it especially appealing to history buffs. The steep learning curve alone will be enough to keep some players from enjoying everything that Men of War has to offer, but the reward for perseverance is a WWII campaign experience like no other game on the market.

Editor’s Note: The preceding review replaces the Men of War review that was originally posted on GameSpot, which was found to contain a number of factual inaccuracies. We regret the error.

While Germany’s estimable Panzer tanks may have gone the way of the dodo at the end of World War II, that little fact doesn’t seem to matter much to InnoGlow (formerly Stormregion). The developer has pushed history under the bus with Codename Panzers: Cold War, the third release in the series of real-time strategy games and the first to take the franchise beyond the war that gave us the A-bomb and the Andrews Sisters. But an offbeat name is the least of the problems that gamers have to deal with here. Formulaic design and tactical limitations make the game a mostly frustrating experience, even if you couldn’t care less about the historical accuracy of the game’s title.

 

Veterans of either of the two previous Codename Panzers games won’t find many surprises here, as the game is a straight-up rehash of the 2002 and 2004 predecessors. The only differences are in the storyline, which has been moved forward a few years. Instead of once more refighting the Second World War on those oh-so-familiar battlefields, you now scrap it up through an alternate-history Cold War. In this reality, the Soviet blockade of Berlin in 1949 turns into a hot war. Sooner than you can say do svidaniya to the uneasy peace that has held since 1945, Soviet troops and tanks are rolling into West Germany, and World War III is under way. The four-chapter solo campaign features slices of this conflict from across central Europe. You first guide Yank NATO troops under Lt. Douglas Kirkland and then take charge of forces under the command of German WWII veteran Hans Von Groebel. Two- to eight-man multiplayer is also offered via GameSpy online and LAN, with game modes such as team deathmatch and domination.

Gameplay also sticks close to the franchise essentials. Battles remain fairly small-scale, especially in comparison to a typical RTS game, where dozens if not hundreds of units face off in battles. Here, you generally control no more than a handful of tanks, companies of soldiers, and APCs at a time, along with a few special locations, such as helicopter pads where you order reinforcements and medical tents that can mass-heal troops. This keeps things simple, making the game ideal for a beginner RTS gamer or an old hand who likes to play something straightforward every now and then. Difficulty levels support this, too. Easy is actually easy, to the point where you can breeze through missions without losing more than one or two units, while hard and ultra are murderously challenging. This is a welcome change from many other WWII-era RTS games, which seem to delight in punishing gamers with insane difficulty even on the easiest settings.

But it all plays out way too formulaically. Campaign missions offer cliched WWII RTS objectives, such as protecting allied convoys, destroying bases, defending locations for set periods of time, and so forth. Settings also include a lot of old standards, such as rustic villages, railway yards, and rainy forests. Unit selection is limited. You generally have just a few choices to make when loading up for a mission. Mostly, you get only the basics. So your choices are limited to troops like SMG squads, bazooka teams, and mine-clearing engineers, and a few types of tanks with various weaponry and armor. Units can be tricked out with tweaks like AA guns and flamethrowers, although there isn’t much in the way of customization. There is little room to experiment with unit deployment, anyway. Most levels involve direct assaults up roads or pathways. Every time you need to use a particular unit’s special ability, it’s glaringly obvious what you need to do. If, for example, you receive an emergency airdrop of engineers, you know right away that there must be a minefield nearby that they need to sweep.

Lack of choice keeps everything straight and to the point, although this also means that you start experiencing deja vu after just a few scenarios due to all the repetition. All you really have to learn is the importance of healing and repairing. If you back up frontline assault troops with a squad of medics, you have instant healing on demand during battles. If you send out an APC or two with every tank column, you can repair damage dealt to your armor on the fly. There are limits to how much can be fixed up, of course, but the repairing/healing range is so extreme that you can situate medics and APCs well behind the fray and still provide loads of support to the poor suckers taking direct fire. This almost gives the game a sci-fi vibe, because it seems absurd that assistance can be rendered from such a long way off in battles taking place during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Healing and repairing appear to be immediately transported to units in need, courtesy of crosses and metal plates that fly through the air between units. It looks like they’re beaming the help over, which doesn’t give the game much of a WWII or Cold War feel.

 

Visuals and sound provide more atmosphere, albeit at a price. This is a big-time performance pig, even when you’re running the game with one of the most powerful video cards on the planet. While missions are real lookers, with great fire and smoke special effects and tons of detail in unit and building explosions, all of these goodies routinely drop the frame rate into the single digits even on a video card like a top-of-the-line 4870 X2. At least the frame rate never gets so bad that the action stutters. Missions are always playable, although in a slo-mo fashion. So this can be lived with, if you have a killer rig. Playing the game with a system that meets only the base system requirements probably wouldn’t be a smart idea. Audio is also impressive, due to a lot of bombast that makes combat seem chaotic even when you’ve got just a couple of squads shooting it out onscreen. The only annoyance here is that too many people talk at the same time during battles. Sure, this is more realistic than one guy piping up for an entire battalion and giving an order acknowledgment. But having a dozen soldiers scream, groan, yell threats, make smart-aleck quips, and say yessir at the same time doesn’t seem like much of an improvement.

Panzers may roll on into the 1950s in Codename Panzers: Cold War, but the game itself too often grinds to a halt thanks to a reliance on simplicity that makes it too predictable. Only the alternative-history angle is of any real interest and solely to better-dead-than-red types who think we should have fought the commies right away instead of waiting four decades for them to implode economically.

The PC has not provided a home to many Japanese role-playing games, and when it has, the results have been uneven. How refreshing, then, that The Last Remnant is such an entertaining experience. It features a rich, original fantasy world, obviously crafted with great care and artistry, and it tells a strong, politically charged tale that will keep you glued to the screen. Although somewhat flawed, the battle system is fun to play around with, particularly in the second half when enormous armies go head to head in some dramatic, bloody showdowns. When the game was released on the Xbox 360 in 2008, these elements were partially buried under an avalanche of shameful technical problems. But with nary a hint of slowdown and less noticeable texture pop-in, The Last Remnant’s excellent gameplay shines on the PC, making it a journey that almost any RPG fan should take.

 

Rush Sykes is the prototypical fantasy hero, innocently sulky but totally devoted to his sweet sister Irina. When Irina is kidnapped, Rush hurries to liberate her, but unsurprisingly, it’s not the most straightforward of rescues. Rather, Rush finds himself caught in a political struggle centered around powerful magical artifacts called remnants. These objects are both the center of society as well as a great curiosity, heavily researched at the Academy by hosts of scientists, including Rush’s own parents. What starts as an upheaval between the pro- and anti-remnant factions explodes into an all-out war when a formidable hulk of a man calling himself the Conqueror appears, apparently able to control any remnant, no matter how large or potent. Political forces clash and hidden powers are unleashed, and though a tenuous peace is eventually achieved, it isn’t long before conflict reawakens. The story is epic, though Rush himself isn’t the most interesting leading man. Fortunately, his supporting cast is excellent; the noble David is a charmingly haughty presence, and David’s guard Emma makes a strong impression, thanks to some excellent, emphatic voice acting.

Whereas other RPGs tend to center on their protagonist, The Last Remnant eventually focuses on the Conqueror and his secrets. He’s a solemn, momentous presence who makes an impact each time he appears, and it’s easy to believe that this man may actually be capable of controlling the universe. But though it will take you a good 60 hours or more to unravel all of his secrets, the journey is entertaining, given that The Last Remnant’s distinctive fantasy world is so beautifully constructed. Each city you visit is different from the last, yet the overall vision is cohesive, so nothing feels out of place. Landmarks such as the towering, glowing remnant in Elysion are not soon forgotten, and numerous side quests will have you exploring scorching deserts, caves of bubbling lava, and even the land of the dead. Most of these locales are lovely and beautifully lit.

Those attractive environments were squandered on the Xbox 360, on which awful technical problems soiled the artistic beauty. On the PC, the frame rate remains smooth, which makes it easy to drink in the scenery and fully enjoy the bloody drama of The Last Remnant’s spectacular-looking battles. Texture pop-in, a telltale sign of the Unreal 3 Engine, is still present but less conspicuous, and the loading times have been markedly improved, which keeps the pace flowing nicely. However, a new problem has cropped up in the form of some occasional screen tearing, and the lack of an in-game v-sync option means that you’ll need to adjust the settings in your video-card software if it gets bothersome. Nevertheless, these issues are relatively minor, and though some low-resolution textures and simple geometry may occasionally distract PC enthusiasts with keen eyes, the game’s technical aspects ably support its art design.

 

The Last Remnant’s battle system is intriguing, though you will be several hours in before you can appreciate its intricacies. Rather than controlling party members during combat, you recruit leaders and soldiers, and group them together into unions. Although each unit has his or her own stats, equipment, and arts (the game’s versions of spells and combat skills), you issue union-wide, turn-based commands on the field. Whereas in most RPGs you choose very specific actions, such as casting a particular spell or using a particular item, in The Last Remnant you choose broader commands. These may include healing unions that need it; performing mystic arts (though you can see which arts the units will use, you can’t micromanage them on a unit-by-unit basis); or summoning Rush’s awe-inspiring, beautifully designed cyclops to assist in battle.

Early in the game, when you don’t have a whole lot of unions under your command, you may bemoan the lack of micromanagement that this system entails. The fundamentals are a little confusing too, given that there doesn’t always seem to be rhyme or reason to the process that decides which abilities are available to you and when. Later on, however, you’ll have a lot more units under your command, and you’ll discover how elaborate battles can become. As units use certain arts, they level up those arts and learn newer ones, all the while improving stats–though it’s unclear how some of those stats affect the outcome of your actions. (Units possess such attributes as gluttony; what does that do, anyway?) Thus, grouping units into sensible unions is crucial, as is grouping them into an appropriate formation. You can get through many standard battles without putting too much thought into these aspects, if you take a lot of side quests and grind your way to power. However, even with a bit of grinding, the biggest battles require care, both before and during combat. As you play, you’ll gain a better grasp of your enemies’ weaknesses, the pros and cons of each formation, and the best way to develop your individual units through battle commands.

While licensed video games have a dubious history, those targeting the younger set have been particularly uninspired. It is a pleasant surprise, then, that Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa not only makes excellent use of its license, but presents a worthwhile game experience as well. Despite using different voice actors than the movie, the cutscenes capture the essence of the characters quite well, providing a continual string of well-constructed and downright funny moments. The simple gameplay may turn off experienced players, but the sheer variety of enjoyable activities will more than satisfy those looking for a fun romp through Africa.

 

Though this is primarily a platformer, you’ll be doing a lot more than jumping from one precarious platform to another. Through most of the game, you’ll be quickly shuttled from activity to activity. The tasks you’ll be asked to perform aren’t particularly deep, but they’re fun in short bursts. For instance, as Alex, you’ll attempt to join a herd of wild lions. To prove you’re worthy of such a prestigious position, you’ll be asked to perform in a variety of seemingly random competitions. Within the span of a half hour, you’ll compete in a game of musical chairs, play a variation of Hot Potato that uses the dreaded durian (a type of fruit with gooey, smelly insides), climb walls, avoid vultures, play dodgeball with mangoes, and ride on zip lines. The pacing is fast and furious–just before you tire of tossing around a durian, you’ll be whisked off to another event. Because of this, the game is never boring, despite the simplicity of many of these actions.

The breakneck pacing continues throughout most of the game. As Melman, you can ride atop boulders and whack moles intent on stealing suitcases; Marty plays a mean game of soccer and tests his speed in a series of races; the penguins drive around in a truck and build a flying contraption for Julien to ride in; and, of course, there is the quest to cure a herd of giraffes from a nasty outbreak of belly fish. Despite the many twists this game takes, the controls are tight and responsive no matter which ridiculous activity you’re competing in. And the punishment for failure is little more than a slap on the wrist, so younger gamers who have never experienced stealth in a game can get through the spy photography mission without worrying about unforgiving failure.

Later in the adventure, you’ll come across some longer, more varied quests as well. These are much closer to traditional platforming experiences, with the world opened up for free exploration and a few instances of combat thrown in for good measure. There are monkeys and coins hidden all over the land, and you’ll have to use each character’s specific abilities to navigate across every inch of the environment. As Gloria, you’ll have to get rid of a float of crocodiles by whipping mangoes at them. Once they’re banished, you’re free to explore the murky depths of the river for hidden chili peppers and fancy pearls. Alex is the most agile, able to double-jump to higher places and balance across narrow walkways. Melman can spin in the air, allowing him to float to faraway platforms. Once again, the variety keeps things interesting, constantly tossing new challenges at you.

 

Madagascar 2 is a surprisingly fun game. The gameplay may be simple, but the variety of your objectives keeps the game flowing at a brisk pace. The cutscenes are really well done, with the oddball idiosyncrasies of the characters providing a consistent stream of enjoyable humor. And when you’re done with the main quest, there is plenty of reason to escape to Africa for a few more hours of entertainment. It’s a shame all licensed games aren’t of this level of quality, but Madagascar 2 is certainly something younger gamers or those just looking for silly fun can enjoy.

Loosely based on the same Greek myth that inspired the 1963 movie Jason and the Argonauts, Rise of the Argonauts is an action-oriented role-playing game in which you assume the role of King Jason of Iolcus and go in search of the legendary Golden Fleece. All manner of monsters stand between you and your prize, and doing battle with them is a lot of fun. The same can’t be said for all of the time you have to spend wandering around and talking to other characters, unfortunately, and the wildly inconsistent frame rate makes even the stop-motion special effects in the aforementioned movie look silky smooth by comparison.

 

The high point of Rise of the Argonauts is undoubtedly the combat; Jason is skilled in the use of swords, spears, and maces, and he carries one of each as well as a shield at all times. The controls are uncomplicated and responsive, and it’s good that they’re the same no matter which weapon you’re wielding, because you’re encouraged to switch between them on the fly. None of the enemies are particularly intelligent, but they’re varied enough that you need to employ different weapons and strategies to get the better of them. Your spear can be used to keep overly aggressive enemies at a distance, while your mace is a good choice for destroying the shields of enemies attempting to hide behind them, for example. Putting your own indestructible shield to good use is crucial early on, but as you progress you become much more powerful and can spend more time on the offensive.

Interestingly, you need to go into the options menu if you want any kind of heads-up display for your health during combat. By default, you’re supposed to look for visual clues such as blood on the clothing of Jason and his allies to know when they’re in trouble, but the combat is so fast-paced that this isn’t always possible. Adding the HUD makes it much easier to know when Jason’s health is low, though it’s not always important because, in keeping with his mythological status, he’s a tough guy to keep down. When your health drops to zero you don’t die; rather, you enter a “state of grace” in which the screen blurs and you have 10 seconds or so to avoid taking any more damage before you regenerate around half of your health. You’ll die if you sustain a single hit during that time, but there are very few enemies who can keep up as you frantically run and roll around.

 

To purchase any given aspect you need to earn enough favor with the appropriate god to unlock it, which can be an interesting challenge in itself. The most obvious way to earn favor with gods is by dedicating to them any deeds you’ve accomplished. You can do this at shrines scattered throughout the world or, less elegantly, via an option in the pause menu. When you dedicate a deed to one of the gods, you earn an amount of favor proportional to the scale of your accomplishment. Settling a dispute among two traders is unlikely to impress in the same way that lopping off the heads of 25 enemies is, for example. The second way to curry favor with a god is by selecting dialogue choices that are clearly labeled as being appreciated by them. This can make the act of choosing dialogue a mechanical one if you care more about pleasing a specific god than you do about your interaction with whomever you’re talking to, but the conversations feel so unnatural anyway that this is as good a way as any to get through them quickly.

It’s unfortunate that so much of your time in Rise of the Argonauts is spent in conversation, because much of the dialogue is poorly written and the voice acting is even worse. It’s conceivable that one is the victim of the other, but certainly neither deserves any credit for keeping the story compelling. Even on the rare occasions that the script and the actors work well together, poor sound design results in unnatural pauses and in volume levels that compete with background noise or have you reaching for your TV remote. The lack of believable expressions on characters’ faces doesn’t help matters, nor do the load screens that frequently appear at the most inopportune times–occasionally so quickly after a piece of dialogue that there’s some doubt as to whether or not the character talking was even allowed to finish.

 

SingStar is back for a fourth instalment on the PlayStation 3, and the series gets its first artist-exclusive title in the form of SingStar Abba. Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny, and Anni-Frid require no introduction in SingStar’s heartland of Europe and Australia, where they have endured as one of the most successful pop acts of all time. The Swedish group has also received a revival in recent years thanks to the Mamma Mia! musical, penned by Bjorn and Benny. Your enjoyment of SingStar Abba depends entirely on your love of the band, and of karaoke; if you love Abba you’ll be in for hours of disco-tastic fun belting out their classics in your living room. It has a great mix of songs (all in English), cheesy video clips from the ’70s, slick presentation, and superb online support–just don’t expect anything new or innovative.

 

The harmony mode that debuted in SingStar Vol. 2 is back, although it only features in “Does Your Mother Know” and “Super Trouper.” If you’re used to singing the melody it might take you a bit to get used to singing harmonies, and you might even feel as if you’re singing out of tune, but with a bit of practice you should be able to pick it up. Unfortunately, SingStar’s microphones are still wired and need to be plugged into the USB port on the front of your PS3 via the included adaptor, and trophies are completely absent from the game. Given the exclusive deal Sony has struck with Abba, it’s also a shame there’s no bonus content included for diehard Abba fans, such as behind-the-scenes videos or documentaries on the band.

Despite those few omissions, however, what SingStar does, it does well. The core gameplay is identical to previous versions and is plenty of fun to play, especially when you’re accompanied by a few friends. If you connect a PlayStation Eye or EyeToy, the game will take a series of snapshots and a short video during each song for you to cringe, laugh, or cry at afterwards. You can also save these to the PS3 hard drive and, if you’re bold enough, upload to My SingStar Online for others to watch online.

 

While SingStar Abba receives a budget price of �24.99 in the UK without mics–roughly equivalent to 25 songs from the SingStore–Americans are lumped with a hefty $39.99 pricetag. It’s also worth bearing in mind that while you can cherry-pick individual songs from the SingStore at 99p each, Abba’s library is only available on disc for now. Whether you’re considering it as an addition to your existing SingStar collection or as your first foray to the series, you’ll be guaranteed a fun night if you like Abba. That said, it’s a shame the game offers nothing new to fans of the series, especially in the way of online play.

When you first enter Moria, the famous dwarven depths, an imposing stairway of 1,001 rocky steps greets you. It’s an indelible moment for Tolkien fans, but more importantly, it sets the stage for this curiously murky, moody expansion pack to last year’s massively multiplayer The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar. With Mines of Moria, developer Turbine pulls off quite a feat: they make the tight labyrinths and cavernous halls of the mithril mines even more compelling to explore than the rolling hills of Middle-earth. Aside from a couple of new character classes, there’s very little incentive for newcomers to join in, particularly given the thin population of the original environs. But for veterans, this is a treasure trove of rewarding questing and clever storytelling, and a must-buy for anyone with a character approaching level 50.

The mines aren’t the only new area; you’ll spend some time (perhaps a little too much during the slow-starting introductory story quest) in Eregion, and later in Lothlorien. Yet even in light of Lothlorien’s glowing green spaces, Khazad-Dum is the most incredible region to behold, far surpassing what you would expect from what amounts to a gigantic underground dungeon. The environmental design is absolutely meticulous, and the corridors and hidden alcoves are at once ominous and inviting. You don’t know what monster, what goblin encampment, what magnificent statue may be waiting around the bend, and it’s this sense of unsettled wonder that will keep you peering around corners. However, the bleak sights don’t just unfold in front of you, but also above and beneath you. One misstep may mean a heartrending plunge into a dark abyss or an inadvertent descent into an undiscovered area. Glance above for a look at impressive formations (natural and dwarven alike) that make for vistas that are at once spacious and eerily claustrophobic. The effective soundtrack ranges from the dramatic to the melancholy, dutifully enhancing the atmosphere.

 

It’s a wonderful marriage of content and art design that further strengthens the developer’s knack for storytelling, a floundering art in most MMOGs, yet a triumph in Mines of Moria. Although some of the story chapters lack cleverness (gredbyg killing is better left to the nonessential questing), many of them shed light not only on the dwarves’ attempt to reclaim their rightful territory, but also the origins of their plight. For example, in an early quest, you teleport to the past and watch the dwarves inadvertently release the fiery Balrog, and destroy a tenuous pact between themselves and the elves in the process. Its cinematic presentation and sense of real danger is a treat, and though much of the questing boils down to the usual fare, these special moments, and fantastic quest writing, will keep you emotionally involved.

Although there are some solo-focused quests like the one noted above, you’ll want to grab a buddy or three and drag them along. The shadowed crevasses don’t just look dangerous–they are dangerous, and general exploration has been clearly geared toward small fellowships. This was a smart choice; the small-party camaraderie fits well thematically, conjuring images of humans and hobbits huddled together for warmth as they eke their way to glory. But this focus on small groups also wisely pays heed to the diminished population of the game in general. Experienced adventurers looking to reach the new level cap of 60 will find plenty of questing partners during peak hours, but the original areas of the game are sparsely populated; if you’re new to the game, or decide to roll a new character, you could play three or four hours before you run into other players, depending on your chosen race and profession.

Though Mines of Moria is not generally a solo-friendly experience, there are opportunities for you to keep yourself occupied when you’re not in the socializing mood. There are numerous solo quests, some pitting you against fun bosses and requiring a good command of your abilities. However, the most intriguing way to spend your time outside a group is by creating and tweaking your own legendary weapons. The introductory quest to this feature is a bit tedious, but once you wade your way through, you will be grabbing legendary items off of fallen monsters. Then you can dismantle them, rejigger them, level them up, and even rename them. This flexibility is a welcome adjunct to the already-elastic traits and deeds system, but more importantly, you’re not just forging a new sword, but an actual relationship with it. No longer is your weapon a disposable commodity; it’s an extension of your virtual self. So powerful is this connection that you’ll wish you could create legendary armor and accessories as well. Sadly, you can’t dual-wield legendary melee weapons (though you can simultaneously equip, for example, a legendary bow and a legendary sword), but even in its current form, the customization possibilities will keep you constantly rethinking your character.

 

The unique player-versus-player component has seen some tweaks as well, such as new traits for monster players and a ten-llevel upgrade. Better support for smaller groups is also a wise change that is consistent with the other tweaks mentioned earlier, but clearly, Mines of Moria is focused more on storytelling than player battles. There aren’t any major additions to PVP play, which is a shame, considering Wrath of the Lich King’s newfound focus in this area and Warhammer Online’s major inroads. The addition of the two new classes should make for some interesting battles in any case, though it remains to be seen whether that will be enough to breathe life back into the generally fun and exciting monster play.

The bowels of Middle-earth have no right to be this interesting to investigate, yet Moria’s dim passages are a dungeon crawler’s delight, surpassing even Shadows of Angmar’s charming landscapes for sheer exploratory value. There isn’t much for new players, though if you’ve avoided The Lord of the Rings Online until now, consider this: The expansion pack includes the original game, a value rare in MMOG expansions. Nevertheless, LOTRO veterans have the most to gain, thanks to awesome new areas, new story chapters to probe, and the giddy trepidation that comes with not knowing what ghoulish ogres might be lurking around the corner.

Backgrounds that could have been taken from old Hanna-Barbera cartoons and a bad guy who looks like he just stepped off a Count Chocula cereal box make A Vampyre Story one of the most distinctive adventures released this year. This point-and-click romp through a gothic carnival is more successful for its striking appearance than its gameplay, however. A punny sense of humor generates more groans than laughs, while the traditional puzzle design and a new twist to inventory management can make for obtuse mysteries. Still, the game has enough charm to get it over these rough patches.

 

Characters and plot blend modern Disney animated movie conventions with the nonstop puns that weighed down cartoons that the big three TV networks walloped kids with in the 1970s. So you’ve got the requisite smart-mouthed animal sidekick, in this case a bat named Froderick, alongside punny jokes about everything from the Internet to Ozzy Osbourne to Harry Potter to a pack of rats named Frankie, Dean, Sammy, and Joey. The story is one big groan punctuated by the odd chuckle. OK, that doesn’t sound very appealing. And it occasionally isn’t, although the biggest culprit here is actually the voice actor who decided to give Mona the squeak of a Gallic version of Jennifer Tilly. While Mona herself may grate on your nerves, A Vampyre Story’s general shtick never gets annoying because all the liberal dollops of cheese seem to be in their natural environment here. In front of skewed backdrops reminiscent of cornball cartoon escapades like Scooby-Doo, puns and broad double entendres are pretty much expected.

The structure of the gameplay is less ambitious than the art design. Developer Autumn Moon Entertainment follows the pick-everything-up formula that dates back to the days when Sierra adventures like King’s Quest and Leisure Suit Larry ruled the world. The third-person camera tracks a 3D Mona as she wanders from one set-piece 2D location to another, where you need to scour the terrain for any object that can be tossed into her coffin inventory. At least you don’t have to scoop up everything in sight as if you’re on a scavenger hunt, though. Many useful items can’t be acquired when first noticed. If Mona spots, say, a heavy mace that might come in handy down the road, she’ll say so when you attempt to take it, and it gets placed in your inventory as a ghost object. Later on, when the mace needs to be used, you drag it into place on the main screen just like any object that you’re physically carrying. This triggers an animated sequence where Mona poofs back to where the medieval weapon was hanging on the wall, scarfs it up, and then teleports back to where she started. This new twist on inventory management isn’t a total success, though. While this mechanism is a great way of getting your mind off the monotonous “pick it all up, yes even that dog doo” mind-set that afflicts traditional point-and-click adventures, it mainly just forces you to collect objects twice. The second go-round is automated, but it’s still annoying to have to watch Mona go back and grab the real version of the ghost object that you placed in your inventory a while back.

 

Even though A Vampyre Story may be too corny for its own good at times, it packs enough character into the moments between the puns that you can’t be upset with it for very long. Just about anyone with fond memories of being a cartoon-watching kid will enjoy what this slice of gothic goofiness brings to the embalming table.

Kung Fu Panda on the Wii manages to capture the look and feel of the movie it’s based on–but shallow, repetitive gameplay, inconsistent visuals, bugs, slowdown, and a short length are sure to disappoint. The game is intended primarily for those who have seen the film and want to live out Po’s adventure as both the bumbling fool and the unlikely Dragon Warrior saviour. For this reason, those who pick up Kung Fu Panda on a whim may find that the character introductions are a little thin and that their experience suffers as a result.

While not impossible to follow, the story can certainly be a little confusing, especially in regards to intercharacter relationships. If you haven’t seen the movie, the game comes across as slightly disjointed, and while it can be played like any off-the-shelf beat-’em-up, don’t be surprised if you find yourself struggling to make connections to the story at times.

 

You’ll use the Wii Nunchuk’s analog stick to move your character around the screen, while your basic attack is performed with the B button. A more powerful attack is available by swinging the controller horizontally. Double jumping and snapping the controller downwards performs the Panda Quake ability, an area-of-effect knockback move which uses Po’s chi, the game’s form of energy for special attacks. Defeated foes drop orbs that, when collected, restore chi, while smashing and consuming the contents of dumpling baskets restores health. Gold coins can be collected and used in the game’s store to upgrade Po’s health, chi bars, and attack power. Unfortunately, the relatively small amount of chi used for specials at the easier difficulty levels and plentiful refills mean the best approach is to pump all your coins into maxing out your Panda Quake ability, lure and corral groups of targets, and then body-slam them into oblivion. It’s an effective but incredibly repetitious way to finish the game, and it’s usable all the way to the end, with the exception of the boss battles, which often incorporate quicktime remote-waggling events.

These battles become more frequent as you progress, with the number of movement combos you’ll need to perform getting higher toward the end of the game. In line with the game’s gentle learning curve, if you fail to perform them you simply restart at the beginning until you get it right. There’s no penalty for failure, but multipart waggle sections strung together with unskippable cutscenes become frustrating, because one mistimed swing will send you back to the beginning. Because the camera is manually controlled with the C button on the nunchuk, you’ll spend much of your time screen-scrolling to stay focused on the action. While it’s easy enough to snap back, don’t be surprised if your limited field of view means you get hit from behind a lot as you try to find your next target.

 

The game captures the feel of the film very well, all the way down to the lush jungle villages and furry tufts on Po’s character model. Unfortunately, while some sections look quite good, others are prone to texture popping and artefacting. Frame-rate slips are common during action sequences when multiple enemies are onscreen at once. Audio is one of Kung Fu Panda’s strong points, and it helps deliver the snappy quips with great success (when it works). While the game doesn’t have the same all-star cast as the film, the Jack Black impersonator who narrates the game’s story does a good job and is convincing enough to be the real deal. However, the same can’t be said for Jackie Chan’s character, Monkey, who comes across as wooden. Sometimes the voice-over dialogue disappears during a cutscene and is replaced by looping background sound effects. A console restart is enough to fix the problem each time it occurs.

Kung Fu Panda is an admirable attempt to bring the fun, humour, and feel of the film to the Wii, and in these areas it succeeds. Unfortunately, the entertainment is short-lived at only around four hours in length. Repetitive brawler gameplay, inconsistent voice acting, and flaky visuals make it a hard sell at full price for all but the most hardcore fans of endangered-species martial arts.

Shaun White Snowboarding on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 offered an unfocused and often boring rendition of the popular winter sport. Featuring sprawling mountains that looked pretty but provided little in the way of content, the game spent more time forcing you to hunt for coins hidden across the expansive environments than letting you take part in actual snowboarding competitions. Thankfully, the Wii version is a completely different experience. The wide-open mountains have been replaced with well-constructed paths down chilly slopes, the inane quests for secret coins have been scrapped, and the emphasis has been placed on pulling off wicked jumps and crazy tricks. More importantly, the controls have been revamped and now take full advantage of not only the motion controls of the Wii Remote, but the Wii Balance Board as well. Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip is a satisfying re-creation of snowboarding, and though the lack of diversity limits the replay value, it’s still fun to hit the slopes for a while.

 

The titular Road Trip has you flying all over the world in search of Shaun White, who seems to think it’s funny to leave for a new country just after he asks you to join him. You’ll control members of his eager posse, each with unique attributes. The difference between the riders is noticeable. If you select Jasmine, you can get ridiculous air off of jumps, but you’re pretty slow and will have to line up your board nearly perfectly to land gracefully. Gordon is all about speed, and you’ll notice his ineptitude in other areas when you’re trying to pull off tricks. There are enough unlockable characters to cater to everyone’s needs, but the lack of customization is disappointing. You can’t upgrade your favorite rider with more attribute points, and you don’t even have the ability to alter your riders’ clothing. The lack of customizability hurts the personality of the game, making you play as a stereotypical snowboarder rather than your own creation.

You’ll travel across five different countries in search of the elusive Shaun White. Each mountain resort has a few different slopes to tear down, along with some very creative halfpipe tracks. There are only three objective types, and the lack of variety is tiresome after a while, but at least you’ll be focusing on crazy snowboarding antics the whole time. Scoring a lot of points is the most common goal. You’ll sometimes have to deal with a time limit, but you’ll usually be able to take your time, using the whole mountain to milk the points. A ticking combo meter urges you to continually pull off moves, which means you’ll be grinding and doing little bunny hops between the big ramps. There are also racing events, which pit you against either the clock or other eager snowboarders. When going against other riders, you’ll usually earn a new playable character for your group, with new attributes to take advantage of. The final objective in the game is to collect things. This is actually fun in the Wii version thanks to the more confined, accessible level design that stands in stark contrast to the sprawling mountains featured on other consoles. The collectibles are almost always located at the beginning of a ramp or along a grindable rail, so you’ll be pulling off cool moves while you grab the prizes.

 

The cartoony aesthetics are vivid and eye-catching. Though the tracks are rather confined, they are populated with a wide assortment of trees, ramps, and rails to make every slope look unique. The draw distance will give you a good view of your upcoming obstacles, so you’ll have plenty of time to prepare what sorts of moves you want to pull off. The most satisfying aspect of the visuals is how the crashes are represented. These are some painful-looking wrecks. Riders will slam forcibly into the ground, tumble awkwardly, and then rise from their failure covered in snow. Shaun White is not the most technically impressive game, but smart artistic decisions have made it pleasing to the eye.

Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip nails the controls, taking full advantage of the unique opportunities offered by the Wii. While the objectives can’t match the creative control scheme, movement is so enjoyable that you’ll gladly replay the same goals over again just to tilt and twist your way back down the slopes. With a clean aesthetic and engaging multiplayer modes, this should satisfy those looking to hit the slopes from the safety of their own home.