Players who expect to pick up the game and run through it with Move easily will be shocked, using Move with this title takes some practice – and will even put Resident Evil veterans through a new learning curve. But, when you are used to the layout and how the hardware works with the game they are definitely some great advantages offered by Move.

The biggest advantage Move offers is the aiming is much more precise. It takes so little effort to get the shot you want lined up. It’s really user friendly. This becomes clear when you’re up against face a group of enemies. It’s so much easier to clear them out. Although the Motion control has improved the aiming, the movement of the character in general is a bit of a pain. You have to options when it comes to the movement of the character. You can either purchase the extra Navigation Controller, or use the Left hand analogue of the dual-shock controller (I tried both and found it a lot more comfortable and slightly easier with the Navigation controller). Either way the movement of the character seems a lot slower and slightly more difficult compared to the dual-analogue, but if you give it chance it does become easier over time. Other than these changes the layout of the other buttons are the same and are easy to navigate around once you are used to the placement on the Move controller.

So, the question is does Move improve the experience of Resident Evil 5? If you are willing to give it time (and prepared to part with the cash for the additional controller), it does improve the games overall feel and removes some of the frustrating parts of playing it with dual-analogue.

The first thing I noticed, that anyone noticed, is how clean and stylized the presentation is. I believe the fellow behind me exclaimed “Holy sh*t, the menus look sick!” I mentally agreed with him, and proceeded to choose my fighters. For the build that was available, there were about 20 fighters. My first time around, I chose Ryu, Doctor Doom, and Chun-Li. There was really method to my choices, I just didn’t want to keep the guy next to me waiting. Each fighter has 3 special moves that you’re allowed to chose one of. Again, I have no idea what difference these made, so I just chose the defaults. Then the match began.

For the first 15 seconds or so, I slammed buttons. For the first 15 seconds, it actually worked. Then, my opponent realized that I was clueless, and began to level me. After I lost, I laughed it off, and shook his hand. Instead of going off to another kiosk to play other games, I stepped back for about 20 minutes and watched what worked and what didn’t. I thought I had a grasp on what to do, so I jumped back in and played someone else.

Turns out, I actually won this time. I chose Ryu, Hulk, and Viewtiful Joe. Once again, this was on a whim. The difference was, I understood the importance of blocking at the right time, and actually switching my characters in and out. I know there are fans of the genre screaming at their monitors regarding my stupidity, but refer to sentence one of paragraph one.

The game plays and feels absolutely incredible. Everything runs extremely smooth, and is as responsive as could be. Even when I was slamming buttons, I was able to pull of some awesome looking moves that dealt quite a bit of damage. When I actually figured things out, it only got better. For only having a limited amount of time with it, I was shocked at how quickly it began to feel natural. Obviously I’d get my ass kicked by anyone who actually knows how to play well, but I’ll chalk this one up as a win for my own sake.

Oh and it looks pretty good too. Actually, it’s gorgeous. The animations are fluid, and the colors as vibrant as the comic books from which some of these fighters come from. Character models looked awesome, and certainly looked better than some of the overweight cos-players that populated the convention. Jokes aside, the special moves that fighters pull off look fantastic. Even when they were going to undoubtedly put an end to one of my fighters, I just didn’t mind because of the visual feast that led to my demise.

This was my first experience with the game. To be honest, I haven’t been giddy with excitement over a fighting game since….well, ever. Marvel Vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds was the talk of the show amongst the fellow gamers I spoke to, and for great reason. This game is going to be huge.

Oh, and apparently I’m the only one not obsessed with Deadpool. Someone want to clear that up for me?

Pro Evo was the cream of the crop last generation, but that just hasn’t transferred into the HD era. For me, Pro Evo has always looked better in it’s cutscenes and replays than the actual game did. There’s no change here. For the most part, animations look stiff and don’t really flow into one-another. Konami have definitely worked to make their ‘skill’ system similar to FIFA’s and that really works. Performing different skills is intuitive and they can be strung together quite easily. The problem I had is the basic animations were everything the skill system wasn’t. Passing animations looked stiff and the shooting felt canned. Collecting the ball also seemed to be a problem. The subtle right stick movements that work so well in ‘the other’ football sim are really missed here and the flowing nature of football wasn’t present.

With the game coming out very soon, it feels far too arcadey to be the football simulation it was back in the day. It feels stiff and outdated and very Japanese. Everything down to the presentation is full of Japanese sensibilities that just don’t feel right. I’ll try to give my full verdict when the game releases next month, but everything is pointing to PES 11 being runner up yet again.

Valve’s Doug Lombadi explained, before the presentation began, how Portal 2 was a bigger and better experience than it’s predecessor. At around 3 hours long, Portal was not all that hard to get through, so this was something I was happy to hear. The demo opened on a pretty messed up test room and the player was greeted by a chirpy voice from the North of England (a good sign in my book. Sadly, he’s not the final voice actor).

As the player progressed through the rooms, it became clear that there would be a lot more exploration to be done this time around. Of course, the puzzles were still there and the game definitely has a few more tricks up it’s sleeves. Aside from the regular portal shooting and use of forces, there’s new platforms that will propel you through the air, a gel that pushes things through the environment and a liquid that can be poured onto surfaces to make the player move faster. These were all welcome additions. They added new depth to the gameplay and gave us Portal fans something new to look forward to.

The gameplay was great in Portal, in fact, it was only outdone by the tremendous writing and voiceacting. I’m happy to report that the fantastic dark humor from the first game makes a return as does the fine voice work of Ellen McLain (GLaDOS). As funny as the writing is/was there’s definitely a haunting quality to it that will never get old. I’m paraphrasing, but this GLaDOS’ line sent a shiver down my spine and made me laugh at the same time: ‘We’ve a lot in common, you and I: You helped me, I helped you. You killed me, I ki…oh no. Well, that’s food for thought’. There’s not many games that have an effect on me like that.

Look for Portal 2 in 2011.

The biggest problem I had with Fallout 3 (and Oblivion, for that matter) was the fact it looked horrible in 3rd person. Now I don’t know about you, but I like to keep my RPG’s third person. The problem was, Fallout 3 looked pretty horrible in 3rd person. The animations alone forced me to play the little I did in first person. That’s probably why I’m using “the little I did” in this preview right now.

I’m happy to report that the third person camera has been fixed by New Vegas – a massive win in my book. It might not be that significant for the majority of players, but the new over the shoulder, third-person friendly camera is great. It allowed me to experience the game the way I wanted, without having to deal with horrendous animations. Aside from that, I didn’t notice too much of a change between this and it’s predecessor. The game does use the same engine as Fallout 3, so they look pretty identical and animations are vastly the same. The obvious difference between the two is the environment.

As the title suggests, Fallout: New Vegas is set in the city of Las Vegas. This is a big change from the Wasteland environment of Fallout 3. Sure everything’s a little messed up, but the city is not as majorly effected as Washington was. The famous strip is all lit up (yes, they have electricity), there’s clubs and casinos to venture into and everyone seems to be having a good time of it. It can’t be ideal, but the place doesn’t have that depressing feel of it’s predecessor – a game I felt was a lot like a certain Cormac McCarthy novel.

I didn’t really get to experience much of the story stuff but, from what I gathered from the few conversations I had, your character is wandering the wastelands and happens to wander into what’s left of Las Vegas. That’s about all I’ve got. It looks like you’ll be able to choose your alligences with various people and factions in town (I think I had a run in with the mafia at one point, but I can’t be sure) and, because of this, the line separating good and bad could be further blurred.

If you enjoyed Fallout 3 and want more, I think New Vegas will be the perfect game for you. There’ll definitely be a few people who wanted more from a new game but, please bear in mind, this isn’t a full sequel. I think we’ll have to wait a little longer to discover all of what New Vegas for now, but it’s certainly shaping up to be yet another cool Bethesda-published RPG.

The premise is simple, but makes for a really cool experience. You pick a character – all of whom have different weapons and abilities – and are placed into a map with seven other players. Each player is assigned a target, another human player. The objective is to track down and kill your target, before you are assassinated by the guy chasing you.

The maps are filled with similarly attired NPC’s, so your target isn’t all that easy to spot. This made for a cool game mechanic, but seeing the exact same character model over and over kind of got on my nerves a little bit. A compass at the bottom of the screen directs you where to go, and as you get closer a meter fills up to let you know just how close you are.

There’s no real fighting, no shooting, you just have to assassinate your target quickly and quietly. This makes a change from the majority of titles on the market. It’s a simple game of cat and mouse that works perfectly with all the running, jumping and stabbing gameplay mechanics that make Assassins Creed what it is.

Each time you respawn you are given the choice of character. This is purely aethetic, each character has the same skill set, but you can adopt two special abilities to make the character-for one round at least- your own. Each of the characters are civivilians, but I can see this being expanded via in-game unlocks and downloadable content.

In my two rounds, I could see how easily addictive this mode could become. It’s definitely not enough to sell the game though. Call Of Duty or Battlefield this is not. Then again, I don’t think anyone expected it to be. I think for people to really grasp what Brotherhood’s multiplayer is all about, some kind of beta or demo is in order. Think on, Ubisoft.

After a brief introduction to the story – a meteor has hit earth and stuff’s gone all post apocalyptic. We got a chance to look at three environments and a good idea of how the “open but directed” adventure would work. The demo began I was immediately reminded of two games: Fallout 3 and Borderlands. The waste environments are very reminiscent of those titles. Being a fan of those two, my interest was immediately piqued. The game looks amazing. The environments are bright and interesting (who’d have thought a desolate wasteland could be interesting?) and are filled with a cast of colourful characters.

The first area visited was Wellspring. This is one of the game’s larger hubs and contains everything you might need. Whilst here you can pick up primary and sub quests from the locals (all of whom will pass comment on you). Your character is tasked with helping out the people of the town, by taking down a group of bandits holding the, all important, well to ransom. Creative Director Tim Willits informed the room that, as is the norm with id developed titles, players will be introduced to new weapons and skills when entering new areas. For this, we were shown electro bolts. A weapon that certainly helps when fighting guys soaked in water.

Whilst all of the content was new to me, I was informed that a lot of it had been seen before. Willits did show off a new area in “Dead City”. Here players are taken out of the wastes and are introduced to a broken down, mutant-inhabited metropolis. So yeah, it’s pretty dead. The mutants here aren’t just regular mutants though (who wants regular mutants these days, right?). These guys have glowing white eyes and a completely different look to them than the previous bunch of bandits in Wellspring. id have said they wanted each group to have their own particular ‘look’ and they seem to be sticking to that. Once the initial guys were done with, their friends arrived fashionably late. These guys were huge and throwing blobs of…something at you. The only way to take them down? A rocket launcher of course.

When those guys were dispatched, like a Russian doll, even taller mutants appeared. These guys were towering over the majority of the environment and it was there that the demo ended.
id is still keeping their cards close to their chest, slowly drip feeding us information. After seeing that demo, this is going to be hell. I can’t wait to play this game. The game is coming in 2011 to PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

I was tasked with competing in a one-on-one ‘Tables, Ladders and Chairs’ match. The way players can use objects has been greatly improved, players can now perform different actions to inflict pain on their opponents. Other than that, there was little that differentiated this game from any other I’ve played. The improved roster and new environments are sure to be a draw for WWE fans, but there was little here I could get excited about.

The presentation looks as slick as ever and it’s shaping up to be a good package for WWE fans, but one that could feel very familiar.

With each iteration the FIFA games get bigger and better, FIFA 11 is shaping up to be the best yet. In the brief time I played this, half finished, build I noticed so many little nuances that make each year’s title so exciting. With the majority of features currently unannounced, the focus here was gameplay. I can see that FIFA 11 will be another set up for the franchise.

Even whilst using assists, passing felt more natural. No longer can you make a pinpoint pass on a 180 degree turn, no longer will you have Sol Campbell taking on the Chelsea defense and EA are striving to fix all of the problems players have had with previous titles too. The whole thing felt a lot more natural. Players felt like they had weight to them, each of them feeling individual.

Individuality is something EA Sports have strived to etch out in this iteration. Players will be distinguished, not just by their specific look, but how they move on the ball. Take Andrei Arshavin of Arsenal, for example. He is a very quick, nimble player with good ball control. When running he is quick, he can make turns faster and he keeps the ball close to him. Sol Campbell, a large, lumbering defender does not play the same way. His touches are much less controlled and his speed much lower. Alongside the player-specific updates, I noticed a few changes to the way players look, how they hold themselves when idle and, also, a good few new passing, crossing and shooting animations. All of which add to the realism. These little details are what make FIFA so realistic and it looks like EA have hit the spot again.

One of the non-gameplay features talked about was the ability for players to record their own chants (a la MLB The Show) and use them in the game. Finally fans can have their favorite chants sung from the terraces. FIFA being a ‘family friendly’ title, there’s a lot of chants that just can’t be used. With this, I can finally complete my football experience.

I’m certainly looking forward to what EA have yet to announce with regards to FIFA 11. We’ll find out more very soon.

Dante’s Inferno is definitely a gaming experience that exceeds expectations and could be a sleeper hit of 2010. Before playing, I had seen some of the content put out by EA and was thinking the same as I suspect most people – poor mans God Of War. I couldn’t have been further from the truth. Whilst the game plays very similar to GOW, Dante’s is thematically darker and seems to have a more intriguing plot.

For those who don’t know, Dante’s is based loosely on part one of the 13^th Century poem The Devine Comedy by, Italian poet, Dante Alighieri. You play Dante, a crusader who returns home to find his beloved Beatrice dead and her corpse defiled. Her soul is then taken and the story follows Dante as he is lead through the 9 circles of hell in pursuit of his love Beatrice.

First off the game is gorgeous and runs at a seamless 60 fps. I’m not talking about some of the time but experiences some frame rate issues when lots is happening on screen, yes Pro Evo I’m looking at you. I mean locked at 60 fps.

Any Kratos veterans will feel right at home here. The combat is very satisfying with effortless transition when moving from enemy to enemy. The move list is vast and the game boasts over 60 upgradable combinations of attacks. A Dead Space style system of upgrading means that you always have something new to upgrade and you can tailor this to suit your style of play. If you prefer to use magic then upgrade this first, if your strong suit is hacking and slashing then unlock new and more devastating weapon based moves.

With essentially two boss battles and an amazing end to the demo it will leave you satisfied and drooling for more. For me GOW 3 looks amazing but could play out like “better graphics same old game”. Whilst this isn’t a bad thing Dante’s Inferno on the other hand comes across as fresh and the story is unique. I’m seriously considering cancelling my GOW 3 preorder and spending some quality time in Hell. Kratos better watch out, there’s a new guy in town and Dante is playing for keeps!