Preview : Grand Theft Auto IV

I've been a big fan of the Grand Theft Auto games even since the early 'birds-eye view' days. The third installment was a huge step forward into 3D, and I thought Vice City was a fantastic game experience. None of it, however, prepared me for San Andreas, a classic open world game which probably still ranks as my second favourite of all time after Oblivion. Now we're just two months away from the release of Grand Theft Auto IV, and there is no game on the horizon that I am anticipating more.

Rockstar have never let us down; they've always been a company who are more interested in making a great game than they are in making money. Why else would they include seemingly-pointless-yet-somehow-fantastic features, such as the ability in San Andreas to wander into a bar and start playing pool? Finally, with the release of Bully next month and GTA IV the month after, we're going to get the chance to experience a couple of their masterpieces for the first time on the Xbox 360.

The Setting: Grand Theft Auto IV is set in redesigned version of Liberty City (previously the setting of Grand Theft Auto III), which is loosely based on New York and New Jersey. All of the streets in the city will be named, so each building can have an address, and the environment itself can be scarred or destroyed by heavy fire.

The total area of the map will technically be smaller than the massive tri-city San Andreas area, but on the other hand there will be less 'dead space' such as deserts and oceans, and more buildings will be accessible. Taking this into account, Rockstar insist that the total area and detail of the map is in fact comparable to San Andreas. And of course, we can expect the usual bonuses of quirky features such as an elevated train, hailable cabs, and a theme park ride.

The Characters: You play Nikolai Bellic, an eastern european who has travel to Liberty City in pursuit of the American dream. He begins as a stranger to the place, his only contact being his cousin Roman who lured him to the city with lies of a successful and glamorous life. In terms of customisation, you'll be able to buy new clothes for Nikolai but not change his hairstyle or physique, which seems an odd step backwards from San Andreas. Aside from the usual rich variety of game characters, the general populace of Liberty City will be more intelligent, realistic and diverse in the way the conduct themselves and wander around the city.

Gameplay: According to Rockstar, you'll be able to play the game from beginning to end without seeing a single load screen. Nice. Also, there is now an autosave after each mission (so you don't have to go scrambling to a safehouse every ten minutes), and the days will be twice as long as in San Andreas, lasting forty-eight minutes instead of a measly twenty-four.

There will be a state-of-the-art physics engine, including revolutionary character movement and a new, contemporary combat system similar to the one in Gears of War and Mass Effect. Stealing cars will also be more interesting this time round, and no longer as easy as just opening the door and driving away; you'll now need to break the window and hotwire cars. And since the game is in a modern setting, you can also expect to able to use mobile phones and the internet.

Freeform: This time round, what you do outside the main mission will affect the story itself, and vice versa, allowing for a more freeform experience than previous entries in the Grand Theft Auto series. Apparently, you'll also be able to go out on dates as in San Andreas, and I assume you'll probably be able to buy buildings and invest in businesses like last time round.

All in all, I'd say that's more than enough reasons to be happy. I'm even tempted to get myself an honest job so that I'll be able to afford this game when it comes out.

Review : Gun

I wish I was a wild west hero. Let's face it, who doesn't? That's what makes the old west such a perfect setting for a freeform RPG, and the fact that one wasn't made years ago remains something of a mystery to us all. Gun is really the first game to dip its toe into this genre, and hopefully there will be more to follow. At least a sequel is on the way.

You take on the role of freelance hunter Carlton Cole, who makes a living hunting game with his father Ned out in the wilderness. When Ned gets done in on a somewhat ill-fated steamboat ride, Cole swears revenge against a nefarious preacher who he deems responsible. It turns out it's all part of a grander scheme, and Cole gets led down a path he didn't quite expect, with a religious artifact, a search for an ancient city of gold and all manner of other wonderous encounters thrown into the mix.

The story itself is very linear, and there's really only one way you can complete it. You do, however, get to ride your horsey around the map as you please, killing bandits and completing a few limited sidequests in the process. The game map isn't huge, but it's quite well put together and the graphics make it all a very pleasant experience.

Gun is a truly open-world game, though not as immersive or detailed as the likes of Oblivion. Once you've completed the main story (which shouldn't take all that long), there's really not much else to do ... you can hunt down a few outlaws, dig up some gold, and do various other slightly repetitive sub-missions, but it feels very much as though these were added simply as an afterthought. Creating a freeform open world for you to explore was clearly not central to the concept of this game.

Having said that, it is a lot of fun while it lasts. It proves what I suspected all along, that the old west would be a fantastic setting for a huge open world game. Maybe the upcoming sequel will expand on this and deliver the game I was initially hoping for, but as of yet its all being kept very much under wraps.

There's not much wrong with the gameplay here, although it does come across as a bit cartoony at times and lacks the gritty realism of Deadwood or The Assassination of Jesse James ... the time of the fanciful daytime cowboy adventure show is long gone, and this just isn't how people see the old west any more. Ideally, the western computer game of today would be a little less John Wayne and a little more Ian McShane. For instance, if Rockstar had undertaken this project, it would have been a lot more fun.

It's also odd that in terms of combat and such, a fantasy game like Oblivion turns out to be more realistic than Gun, which is supposed to be in a historical setting. In the early stages of Oblivion you have no end of trouble dispatching of a single highway robber, whereas in Gun you can hold of an entire tribe of injuns armed with only your six-shooter. It's bizarre.

Gun probably is the best western game ever made (though lets face it, the only other real contender is Call of Juarez), but by no means is it definitive. There's still a lot of room for a realistic, immersive Oblivion-style open world game set in a larger, grittier expanse of the old west. But until that game comes along, Gun does make for a nice prelude.

Review : Just Cause

Your name is Rico Rodriguez. You're a CIA Black Ops agent sent to aid in overthrowing the military dictatorship on the South American island of San Esperito, aiding the rebel cause and bringing about a democracy on the island. How you go about it is up to you ... the island is 250,000 acres in size, and you have a whole arsenal of weaponry along with bikes, cars, planes and helicopters with which you can make your way around the island, fighting for a very Just Cause.

It does sound like a great Open World game, doesn't it? You have to ask yourself how far they could possibly go wrong with a concept like that. Well it turns out they can go a bit wrong, such is the world of computer games. But on the other hand, the parts that they get right are oh-so-sweet.

Since this game has alreay had so much negative press, I'm going to start off with the things that I actually liked about the game. Firstly, the graphics. The surrounding screenshots haven't been doctored or improved in any way; the game environment actually is that pretty. And what an environment it is ... a massive and gorgeous South American island, sandy beaches and elegant jungles all dotted with settlements and outposts, and you are completely free to travel through it as you please.

Also, the game does have its share of interesting innovations, such as the sky diving. It's surprisingly how much fun you can get from stealing a plane from an island airport, climbing up above cloud level, jumping out of the plane and hanging off the wing before letting go and falling down to earth ... the physics here are quite remarkable, and it makes you wonder why they didn't inject the same sense of realism into the rest of the game.

But probably my favourite thing is the combination of the grappling hook and the parachute. What have these two got to do with each other, you ask? Well, look at the screenshot below. The grappling hook is something you get after you complete the first few missions, and you can be airborne with your parachute at any time and use it to latch on to any vehicle; be it a car, helicopter or boat. Then you can just chill out and enjoy yourself a free ride around the beautiful island.

You've probably got the impression so far that I had a lot more fun exploring the game environment and playing around with the grappling hook then I did actually playing the game, and you'd be very right in that assumption.

The game itself is poor. The characters are absolutely awful, the combat is arcadey and not for one minute are you at all convinced or immersed by the purile, derivative story. It's all just a bit silly. I don't understand how they could go to all the trouble of creating such a brilliant environment and having so many clever innovations, and then spoil it all by clearly spending no artistic effort on the actual game itself.

It would also have been nice to have some more varied stuff to do on the island, like the interesting sub-missions that you find in Oblivion and Grand Theft Auto. And why not some nice shops or something where you can alter your character and get more of a flavour of the people who occupy this island, the people you're supposed to be fighting for? And well we're on the subject, where the hell is the wildlife? How does this island even function? If you ask me, there was a severe lack of ambitition in too many areas of this project.

Just Cause is half a great game. They've got the environment down, and they've chosen a wonderful, original setting. They've come up with some clever, appealing innovations, but then they go and waste it all by putting little effort into the game itself ... still, I did have fun for a few hours just exploring the island itself and ignoring the missions, so there's always that. Overall, though, it's all extremely frustrating.

A sequel has recently been confirmed as being in development, so lets just hope they make it a little more Grand Theft Auto and a little less House of the Dead this time round.

Preview : Bully

You've got to hand it to Rockstar Games. They know what the kids want. Taking a brief break from Grand Theft Auto, Rockstar courted controversy once again with their mischief-inducing high-school fun-fest Bully. I was very disappointed when I learned that this was only coming out on the Playstation, but good news everyone! Bully will be released on the 360 next month.

For those of us who wouldn't know a PS3 from PCP and thus haven't played this game, here's a look at what we can look forward to.

The Setting: Bully is set in a modest New England town, at the centre of which is Bullworth Academy. Don't expect the same sort of immense scale as San Andreas, but do expect the same kind of flair, humour and attention to detail that is so typical of Rockstar. The town has everything from hilltop mansions to neighbourhood slums, and it shouldn't take too long for you to get to know your way around. And on a next-gen console, it ought to look pretty sweet.

The Characters: In the game you play young Jimmy Hopkins, who gets dropped off at the academy by his parents, the latest in a long line of boarding schools which have failed to break the childs free-roaming spirit. Occupying the school you of course get the usual cliques of nerds, preps, jocks and greasers, as well as the most inept teaching staff you'll find this side of Hogwarts. The people of Bullworth town are equally as diverse and interesting, such as a crazy homeless man who lives at the back of the bus and teaches Jimmy some new fightin' moves.

Gameplay: Expect variety. With the limitation of not wanting to arm Jimmy with the usual armory of shotguns, grenade launchers and the like (even Rockstar won't go there), the creators have pulled out all the stops in order to craft a combat system that has everything from slingshots and stink bombs to a good old fashioned punch-up. This apparently makes for a huge amount of variety in playing through the missions themselves.

Freeform: From the sounds of it, Bully has about the same level of open-world gameplay as GTA. There are lots of missions to explore, errands to run, and ways to improve your character. For instance, what kind of school would Bullworth Academy be without classes? Attending class is entirely optional (funny, I had the same attitude when I was at high school ...), but by doing so you can learn new skills and items. Jimmy himself is also customisable, and changing his appearance and clothing with influence how people react to him, particularly the different cliques that occupy Bullworth Academy.

Whatever would we all do without Rockstar?

Sit around all day playing Oblivion, I guess ...

Review : The Godfather

You've probably heard a lot of bad things about The Godfather : The Game. The original version on the PC and Xbox was a victim of its own hype and ended up being rushed into production, resulting in a somewhat glitchy game that failed to live up to expectations. It's a shame, since while it may not be groundbreaking this game really is one of the better GTA-clones out there, and now with the updated Xbox 360 version you can play it in a much better form than its ever been in.

I didn't expect a whole lot from the game, which is probably why I enjoyed it so much. But then when you look back at the actual reviews themselves, the critical response wasn't as negative as people tend to think ... a four-star review instead of a five-star review doesn't mean it isn't still a good game. It's just not a great game.

At the start of the game you create your characters appearance. This is probably the best physical character creation tool I've ever seen in a game, and you can make your character look like pretty much anyone. My first character looked a lot like Clark Gable, while my brother initially opted to create a fat ugly Amish man. You can choose to create a character who fits into the world like a glove, or who looks comically out of place standing beside the likes of Marlon Brando and James Caan. Now that's freedom.

In the game you take on the role of a guy who becomes intricately involved with the Corleone family, and is involved in the background of pretty much everything that happens in the first Godfather movie. Well, as involved as he can be without ever actually appearing on screen anyway. A lot of effort has gone into recreating famous scenes, and though it doesn't always slot together perfectly with the movie you do have to admit they've done a pretty good job overall.

Movies and computer games have a rather turbulent history. Rarely does a computer game translate well onto the big screen, and most often computer games made from movies are simply a cash-in, these days often rushed through production in order to coincide with (or even act as a prelude to) the release of a movie. But there are some examples of great games that are inspired by movies, the graphic adventure of Blade Runner is one that always springs to mind, as well as various Star Wars games, and now The Godfather can be added to the list.

Thanks to Mafia, we already know that this kind of environment is ideal for a GTA-style game, and they've done a fantastic job of creating the setting for the game. Driving around early on I recognised locations from the movie long before they were actually involved in the story; such as the hospital where they take Don Corleone, or the spot where Sonny gets whacked. The gameplay itself is fantastic, and there are certain aspects of combat, inparticular the close-quarters 'grappling', which are a lot of fun once you get used to them.

As far how freeform the game is, it's around the same level as Grand Theft Auto; you get main storyline missions which sometimes give you the option of what order to do them in, and you also get side-quests. It's quite surprising how much freedom you get, given that a game based so closely on a movie must be fairly linear by definition, and given that almost all the missions tie into the story of the film in some way.

I urge you to check out the Xbox 360 version of this game. It's not so old that the graphics look dated, and you really can't fault the gameplay. Whether your a fan of The Godfather or a fan of GTA, you'll find a lot to enjoy here. Apparently a sequel was 'in development' as far last year, but as to when it will surface who knows. As for me, I've already re-watched The Godfather 2 wondering how it would work as a game ...

Review : Mass Effect

The heritage of Mass Effect goes back a long way, as far as the spacefaring adventure days of David Braben's Frontier : Elite II in the early nineties. Since Frontier there's never really been a really great freeform science fiction game ... Bioware aren't new to this genre since they've previously released Knights of the Old Republic, which was really a "scripted freeform" game, allowing a certain degree of freedom while still blatantly leading you down one of several pre-determined paths. Must be those pesky midichlorians guiding your fate again.

Mass Effect is one of those games that since its release has been regularly gifted with the "best game ever" tag by overzealous reviewers, which of course should always result in a healthy dose of skepticism from the general public. It isn't the best game ever. It's just the best game of 2007.

At the start of the game you get to customise your character. I use the word 'customise' rather than 'create' because of the very limited options that the game gives you. Your character has to have the surname 'Shepherd', which is how you will be referred to in the game, but you can change the first name (though there isn't much point really). You also get to choose the history of your character, which basically comes down to nine possible combinations of 'background' and 'psychological profile'. The personal history you select does influence the game in a small way, such as in how certain characters react to you, and generally you'll make choices in the game appropriate to which personality you chose at the start.

You can then customise the appearance of your character. The main limitation is that your character has to be human, and also there aren't a whole bunch of hairstyles to choose from. You do have a nice selection of cool-looking scars, though, so points for that. Once you're done with the customisation process, you're ready to launch your character into the Mass Effect universe.

Knights of the Old Republic 2 was made by a different games company, and was pretty good although it didn't expand greatly on the original. Mass Effect is basically a Bioware sequel to KOTOR, but without the Star Wars license. Instead of jedi knights, you have "Spectres". Instead of the force, you have "Mass Effect". There's also quite a bit of Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5 and Star Trek thrown in for good measure.

The universe of Mass Effect is very attractive and intricate, and yet it somehow lacks a certain immersive quality that you find in other freeform games, such as the Elder Scrolls series. There certainly isn't a sense of a vast universe for you to explore, since you can only travel to literally a handful of planets on the galaxy map (and there's not much incentive to do so). The "freeform" element basically comes down to the order in which you complete missions on various planets, choices you make in how those missions are completed and how you interact with the other characters. Generally, there's nothing more than a good choice and an evil choice. If you're a follower of the 'grey' side of the force, you'll be disappointed.

There are a bunch of optional side-missions to complete, and optional planets to explore, but make sure you do it before you get too far into the main quest or you won't get a chance. It's not like Oblivion where you can choose to keep playing the game after you complete the main story, since there's still so much to do in that game ... here the focus is very much on the main story, and anything else is really just an afterthought. Personally, I'd rather they'd do away with that and instead dedicate themselves to creating a larger universe with more options for the player; in other worlds, a truly open universe.

As it stands, Mass Effect has very little replayability. If you're a dedicated gamer, you can complete the main quest in a matter of days and then the game is over. Even if you mix it up by also doing the limited side-quests that are available, then it still won't take all that much longer and there's little incentive to play the game again.

You might recall that the main problem with the KOTOR games was that there was way too much dialogue. Here, they've just about cut the dialogue down to a reasonable amount and mixed it up with a decent amount of action. The combat system is generally pretty good, but there's an extremely annoying and completely unecessarily quirk of not being able to save during combat, which means that if you're in a particularly difficult firefight then you have to start again each time you get killed, as well as re-watching any cutscenes that immediately preceded it. That's easily my main nag-point of the gameplay right there.

There's quite a good variety of different settings and different bad guys to destroy for the different missions, so there's no problems there. It's not just a case of running down the same old corridors shooting up the same old enemies, which seems to be the way of things in so many games. Generally you do have some kind of discernable objective that you're trying to accomplish and can do so with the help of your squad, which are two characters chosen from a possible selection of about six NPCs that travel with you (as in the KOTOR games). These NPCs all have distinct personalities and attributes, and tend to offer their own comments and guidance throughout the mission as well, which is nice. How you experience a mission depends on which squadmates you bring with you ... Bioware should expand on that idea in future games.

If, like me, you're a big fan of Open World games, then don't expect too much from Mass Effect. If you've played Knights of the Old Republic then you should more or less know the kind of game this is, since this is basically a next-generation version of that. It could have been oh-so-much-more, but instead we are once again left waiting and hoping for a new Frontier.