MPCon XXV

Ok, I know, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 came out, and it is awesome. It has gotten perfect scores all over, and hardly, if any, criticism. With all that said Borderlands kicks CoDMW2′s digital behind.  It might just be my opinion, but seriously, play Borderlands.

Review barrowed from Gamespot.com

On the hostile, bandit-ridden planet of Pandora, there is one thing that draws off-world attention: The Vault. This mysterious alien structure is rumored to hold treasures of fantastic power and wealth, and so it attracts fortune-seeking corporations and individuals alike. In Borderlands, you are one such individual, but the satisfaction of unlocking the Vault’s secrets pales in comparison to the rollicking good time you’ll have on your way there. Borderlands is all about the journey, not the destination, and like most trips, this one is much better when you have some friends along for the ride. Solo players can still have a good time, because the bloody and entertaining combat is paired well with rewarding loot and engaging experience systems. But Pandora is a lonely place for a solitary mercenary, and lone wolves will find the pace deliberate and the friendly characters too few and far between. Those who take advantage of the four-player online cooperative mode will experience the game as it’s meant to be played. The pleasing rhythm of killing enemies, gathering loot, and cashing in is punctuated by fighting bosses, completing quests, and leveling up. As a solo merc, this rhythm is slow and methodical, but as a team, the pace quickens to an invigorating clip and pretty soon you’ve spent hours having a riotously rewarding time. Continue reading »

When it comes to promising new indie games, a dash of originality is usually what gets people’s attention – some memorable feature or twist that helps the game break away from the herd – but in the case of Trine, from Finnish developer Frozenbyte, it’s actually the warm feeling of familiarity. Certainly, anyone who’s been gaming since the early nineties will find it delivers a tasty blend of beloved old flavours, served up in a tangy sauce of modern physics.

The danger when discussing such a classically constructed game, of course, is that it’s tempting to rely on a soundbite tick-list of influences to set the scene, so let’s get that out of the way. The obvious reference points are the side-scrolling exploration of the original Prince of Persia and the three-way ability-based puzzling of Blizzard’s cult 1992 gem, The Lost Vikings. Mash those two together, add a splash of LittleBigPlanet’s physics-heavy gameplay, and you’ve got Trine.

You’re in control of three characters. The first we meet is Zoya, a thief. You guide her through a sacred temple, in a neat opening section that doubles as a simple tutorial, until she stumbles across the Trine – a magical artefact of unknown power. Next we meet Amadeus, a wizard, who investigates the disturbance in the temple and also finds himself bound to the Trine. Finally, there’s Pontius, a gruff knight whose bullish determination to defend the realm makes him the third hapless soul to be caught up in the adventure about to unfold.

From this point on you can swap between each character at will, and use their unique abilities to explore each stage. Pontius has the most obvious default ability – he’s a fighter, and his sword and shield offer essential protection against the various foes ranged against you. His strength also means he’s ideal for smashing through weak obstacles or cutting ropes, and he can also lift heavy blocks and throw them. Zoya, on the other hand, excels in ranged combat. Her arrows can be charged up to shoot across the screen, while her grappling hook makes her the most nimble of the trio, able to swing and swoop to platforms and areas beyond the reach of her companions. Continue reading »