Discs of Tron

Tron. I remember the movie fondly from my youth, mainly because of the amazing (for the time) special effects and the game related theme. I’ve not watched the movie since as there’s no doubt my rose tinted spectacles would be shattered in an instant.

This little trip back down memory lane brings us onto one of the weeks Xbox Live Arcade releases, a port of the original arcade game Discs of Tron, released back in 1983.

The game is based in an isometric view of the arena, the player character Tron is closest and the opponent Sark is at the far end, both players are perched on disc shaped platforms. The aim is simple, throw discs at Sark whilst avoiding any thrown back in return, and defeat him by either knocking him off the platform or hitting him twice.

The left joystick controls player movement and the right controls an aiming reticle shown on the arena walls. The aiming controls however feel a bit hit and miss and are not sensitive enough for precision aiming and you will frequently find the need to correct your aim. Up-to three discs can be thrown at a time which can be ricocheted off the arena walls rather than being thrown in a straight line allowing you to create an attack spread which is more likely to catch Sark off guard.

There’s not much more to the game really. It’s a fairly straightforward affair with the arenas getting more complex as you advance and it kind of reminds me of futuristic game of squash but with deadly consequences. The trial version of the game looks OK but sounds pretty dire with only the occasional splash of music or sound effect.

I can imagine that this game would have ridden on the crest of a wave of the films popularity but once you take the film out of the equation there isn't a huge amount here that will appeal to the modern gamer.

The trial game lets you try out the first couple of single player arenas whilst the full version offers enhanced graphics and multiplayer for 400 MS points.

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Devil May Cry 4 Price Injustice

Last Friday saw the release of Devil May Cry 4 for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 in the UK. I was intending to treat my PS3 to a new game as I feared it had been neglected for far too long and DMC4 seemed the perfect choice. I'd tried out the demo on both formats and although the differences seemed hardly perceptible the controls on the PS3 version felt a bit more responsive.

Alas, the decision on which version to pick was already made for me as the price difference between the two versions was unacceptable, and I certainly wasn’t willing to pay 10 GBP more for the privilege of playing the game on the PS3.

The price of games between the two formats is usually very comparable, and I can't remember seeing any significant difference before. Thankfully I have the luxury of being able to pick and choose as I see fit, but I can imagine there are a few PS3 owners out there that are feeling both frustrated and annoyed with the price inequality. I sincerely hope this is a one off occurrence and not a sign of things to come for the PS3 just because it's doing well in Europe.

I’m only about three hours into Devil May Cry 4 so far and overall I’m enjoying the game. There are a few niggles here and there, mainly to do with the camera angle, but I was expecting as much from the demo. The gameplay is solid and the cut-scenes have been great, even if they’re completely over the top, but they’re worth viewing at least the once.

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A New Domain!

Just a quick note to say that Consolation Prize has now moved onto its own domain address rather than using a “blogspot” address. I’m still using Blogger for hosting at present but I’ll hope to move away from that in the future.

The transition was painless enough to complete but I apologise if I’ve caused any problems while implementing the changeover. I’m also hoping to move onto a new layout in the next few weeks and so apologies in advance for any problems caused.

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Chessmaster Live and Poker Smash

There were a couple of new releases on Xbox Live Arcade this week. Both games, Chessmaster Live and Poker Smash, will set you back 800 MS points.

Chessmaster Live

There’s not a great deal I can elaborate on with this game. It’s a more than competent chess game based on a reputable chess engine, but don’t expect an exciting sensory experience.

The board can be viewed in either two or three dimensions, the latter of which can be rotated and panned and looks as good as can be expected. The 2D board doesn’t offer anything more exciting, feels a little out of place on an Xbox 360 console and reminds me of those portable magnetic chess games you can buy.

The actual chess engine itself seems decent and offers different personalities to play against in single player with the full version featuring full online play. Chess is one of those games that you either really like or just pass on. Personally I’ve never really got into the game, but if you like giving the old grey matter a workout then the trial is worth a go.

Poker Smash

Second up this week is Poker Smash, a puzzle game featuring five columns of rising blocks faced with kings, queens, jacks, aces or tens. The aim is to clear the blocks in either rows or columns by matching various poker hands before the blocks reach the top of the table.

Cards can only be swapped horizontally which will invariably leave you with some that can’t be matched in time and in these circumstances the limited numbers of bombs available to clear “bottleneck” areas are vital. Additionally time can be slowed down, draining a time meter, giving you a few additional seconds when under pressure.

Poker Smash looks pretty good with some vibrant effects when combinations are matched but the male commentator audio soundbites started to grate after a while. Regular readers will know that puzzle games aren’t really my favourite genre and unless a game offers something new and exciting then they don’t hold any lasting appeal for me. I had fun for about 30 minutes with Poker Smash but by that time it had unfortunately overstayed its welcome.

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Rez HD Review

I missed out on Rez the first time it appeared on the Dreamcast, and also its subsequent port to the PS2. An enhanced version is now also available from Xbox Live Marketplace for 800 MS points and this time I’m not going to miss out.

The story is a simple one providing enough detail to form a setting for the game. In Rez, you’re a hacker infiltrating a super network controlled by an artificial intelligence. Known as Eden, the AI has recently begun to question the meaning of its existence and has started to shut down. Your task is to enter cyberspace and infiltrate the core to re-awaken Eden.

Rez HD is an on the rails shooter and thus the player has no control over movement as you follow a predetermined path through each level. Emphasis is instead placed upon aiming as you guide the onscreen laser reticle over swarms of viruses and projectiles holding down the “A” button to get a lock-on to each target. Up-to a maximum of eight targets can be simultaneously locked-on ready for a laser attack when “A” is released.

Throughout the game you can pick up a couple of different power-ups. The red “overdrives” are in essence smart bombs and when activated with a press of the “B” button clear all onscreen enemies for a limited period of time. In addition blue "progress items" can be collected to increase your evolution bar, which when filled will see your character evolve to the next form. The evolutionary form of your character acts like a life counter. Every time you are hit by a virus or projectile you will devolve to the previous form until eventually only appearing as a wireframe spherical object. Once in this vulnerable state if you’re hit again then the infiltration of the mainframe was unsuccessful and its back to the menu screens.



Visually and aurally Rez HD is a treat. Yes the graphics are simple by design mainly being a mix of wireframe and polygons, but splashed with such a vivid colour palette that they’ll burn themselves onto your retinas. Of course it’s all the more perfectly realised now it's all in high definition and in widescreen.

The background music, all trance, builds from the first tentative beats of the track to a full-on crescendo as progress is made through the level. Not only that but the sound effects for your laser shots form part of the music and vary depending on the number of locked-on targets. This all sounds excellent in stereo but if you have a 5.1 channel surround system hooked up to your Xbox 360 then this is the way to experience the game.

The game itself is short with the core of the game featuring only five areas, the first four of which are split into ten "layers" as you delve deeper into the network. To clear each area you will need to progress through each layer before finally defeating the boss at the end of the level. To help longevity there are some extras to play around with, once unlocked, including extra levels, additional game modes, and the ability to apply different visual or aural effects to the game. The original version of Rez (is this now Rez SD?) is included but is only really here for historical completeness.

Although Rez HD is short, it represents excellent value for money for what is one of the best Live Arcade games available at present. A game that attacks the senses and is perfect for a quick blast whenever the mood strikes. Sit back and enjoy the ride!

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Turning Point: Fall of Liberty Demo

Turning Point: Fall of Liberty is yet another FPS to be set in that highly plundered period of World War II but promises to offer a new perspective on events. The whole premise of Turning Point is based upon the idea of an alternate timeline. A reality where the then diplomat Winston Churchill hadn’t survived a collision with a New York taxi cab on December 13th 1931, and thus didn’t become the hugely influential prime minister of the United Kingdom. In this timeline the tide of Nazi Germany domination couldn’t be stopped and the United States is about to be invaded.

At the start of the demo you find yourself in New York atop the semi completed structure of a skyscraper during the initial air invasion. Your task is to navigate your way down from this precarious position to street level far below. Unfortunately the first segment of this demo as you immediately get control is flawed, requiring the player to negotiate a series of narrow girders. Although as long as you don’t jump off you can’t really fall to your death, merely grabbing the girder and hauling yourself back up, as an introduction to unfamiliar controls this design leaves a lot to be desired.

Once free of the platforming the game picks up slightly leaving you to follow a fairly linear path to the end of the demo. To keep the feeling of tension high and the player on their toes a smattering of pre-scripted events are also thrown in for good measure.

The game itself looks passable but I certainly wasn’t overly impressed with what’s on show in the demo. The controls were all fine and I liked the introduction of the context sensitive “B” button that’s used for actions such as climbing or descending ladders and grappling enemy troops.

Turning Point is one of those demos where you just have to wonder why the publishers released a demo. The premise is a sound one and there are some good ideas lurking in the depths but surely releasing a game build which is sub-par with some obvious bugs and flaws does more harm than good? When an enemy’s body disappears right in front of your eyes, the third person view doesn’t show weapons even though you’re carrying them, and bullet collision detection is dubious you have to question the logic behind the decision.

However, according to the developer’s blog the demo is several months old. There’s still reason to hope that this game can improve, but unfortunately the seeds of doubt have already been sown.

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How Much Time Do You Invest in a Game?

I was playing through a few games of Catan on the 360 the other night, working towards the "Knight of Catan" achievement. It’s easy enough to get, you just have to finish the game ten times with the largest army card but I’ve never focused on the largest army before, preferring a road building and settlement strategy with a dose of knights for protection. As is usual with an Xbox Live Arcade game I always have a quick look at the leader boards to compare how badly I’m faring against the rest of the world.On the single player leader board I noticed that all the top players have easily logged over 2000 games and the leader of the pack is way out in front with over 5000 games played.

Now although that's an impressive feat it raises the question of "how much time do you invest in a game?". With Catan as an example even if you set it to the easiest AI, three players, and a capped victory point condition of seven instead of the usual ten then I would reckon a game would last between 10 and 15 minutes and therefore just to play 2000 games you'd need to invest somewhere between 300 to 500 hours. This is a serious amount of time dedicated to one game and although Catan is a good game I would find it extremely difficult to play the same game so often as to rack up this kind of tally in a year.

Of all the games I've played only one springs to mind that kept me entertained long enough to breach the 100 hours game-play mark, namely Oblivion. A fantasy RPG game with a highly detailed world that captured my imagination and proved to be a very immersing experience. However, even with a game as good as Oblivion there came a point where I felt I'd had enough and it was time to move onto something new.

Oblivion is the exception not the rule in my case and I'd say 15-20 hours is the general amount of time spent per game. Of course when considering the number of games I've played over the last year I can easily imagine I've spent hundreds of hours in total playing games, thousands of hours when looking back historically over the years. For me the saying "variety is the spice of life" is certainly true. Although I always aim to complete a game I'm forever looking ahead to latest and greatest offerings on the horizon and I very rarely go back once I've moved on.

So dear reader, what game have you played the most and for how long?

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