When blocks evaporate depending on which way you're facing, you know you've got to flip quick.

Set along three various landscapes made up of crumpled up paper textures And Yet It Moves by the small team at Broken Rules at times seems like a physics based platformer that explores the unknown world inside a paper bin. That is not to say that it is all set in the refuse of a troubled writer, instead the paper is adorned with different themes, vibrant not blank. Pictures of trees, clouds or animals are pasted on to the rippled textures and re-arranged to create a platforming environment that is familiar to most of us. Even your character is made out of paper, he himself is susceptible to rips and – with such a fragile body – he needs a lot of looking after to keep him alive.

Something tells me I don't want to be on this tree much longer.

Even thought the environments of AYIM are a unique but familiar in design, the way of traversing them is entirely exceptional. There is not a simple left to right way through each level; instead you have to manipulate your surroundings to help you on your way, by using the Wiimote to pause the game you twist and turn the environment around your wandering character. A tree that was once blocking your way can be flipped around so that you can walk along its trunk, it is now, after all, the floor.  Also a gap that is too large to be simply leaped over can be made easily by turning the paper world so you’re no longer jumping on the spot but now in mid air, achieving the momentum you need to pull yourself forward to the next area.

This is the main mechanic of AYIM and one you are going to be using a lot. Twisting and turning the world to avoid traps and pitfalls, enemies and beasts. The physics of this manipulation are incredibly well utilised and the ingenuity of the level design will have you smirking with pleasure.

Platforms that would traditionally move up and down to try and halt your progression are replaced with branches of trees that wave in the wind, touching each other one second, only the next to be pulled apart. Or the branches themselves bend in upon the tree, so that by directing the world around you, your character ends up having to walk on the underside of the branch before you can flip the world back to its original state and then move onwards.  Where there are traditional blocks found in platforms, these turn and move along with the world or disappear and re-appear in time with the music. Broken Rules have taken what you know about platformers and gone and flip reversed that mother.

Capture the fire and move the flames to progress through. Simple!...?

To say I was captivated by AYIM is an understatement. The actual procedure of twisting the world becomes second nature very quickly and is introduced slowly but with just enough detail that you’ll feel like a pro within a few levels.  The true allure though comes from the design of the levels. Some of them feel utterly natural to traverse and none ever feel too contrived when you get confronted with an enemy or puzzle. The character you play has no form of attack so again the design of the game is to use the mechanics in place to take out the enemies for you. Bats for instance won’t harm you whilst you’re in the caves but they will distract that Chameleon who has a tongue not susceptible to paper cuts.  There is no way though to get the bats to do you bidding other than to manipulate the world so they share the same ceiling as the dastardly lizard. Always attracted to the top of the screen, like a fluttering Bat marble in a maze, you have to flip the world around so they fly to the top of the screen, on to the place destined for some Chameleon for supper. AYIM is so cunning and simple with a mechanic that feels never out of place, like the Earth revolving around the sun.

The detail and precision of the movements required is so precise and defined it is sometimes a shame that there are some minor bugs. The Wiimote responds well when using it like a key to turn the world but using it to ‘point and turn’ is a feature not without its problems.  In either mode there are moments that you’ll blink through solid objects if you spin the world around too much. Also there are the occasional frame drops when there is a lot of Bat and Chameleon action on screen.  These are only minor niggles that are unfortunately exaggerated by the lack of any manual ‘save’ function. To my knowledge the game saves automatically, however it never tells you when it is doing so and there is no option to save your profile in the main menu. This omission always left me somewhat scared to leap out of the game at any point, afraid that my unknown progress would be lost.

The perils of being made of paper.

And while you’ll be glad when some parts are over and finished with, there is replay value in AYIM which it sure needs with a main spread reaching to a paper thin 3 / 5 hrs. Broken Rules have put in the right modes of temptation to get you coming back though with achievements, time trials, speed runs and turn limitations all available to unlock to test your other skills once the puzzles have been solved.

AYIM is a tremendous achievement. Fusing some ball grabingly good level design with some fantastic physics elements and sound design that all feel as tactile and glorious as crumpling up a piece of paper.  Though however well implemented the mechanics and the re-imaginings of the genre, for some, may still not be enough to take the paper from their pocket…

MLG Rating: 8/10

Platform: Wii (PC, Mac)  Release Date: 27/08/2010

Disclosure: Midlife Gamer were provided a digital copy of And Yet It Moves for review purposes by the promoter. The title was reviewed over the course of four days on a Wii

There is something very special about Shank for me, probably stemming from my fond memories of Double Dragon and Final Fight.  But this isn’t the first 2D brawler to come to the current gen consoles, so what makes this different?

To start with let’s take a look at the game’s visuals, it’s an almost perfect art style with a solid amount of character to it.  All you need to know about Shank’s story is told in the grimace of the lead protagonists face – “shit just got real!”

Shank’s moment to moment gameplay also pans out like you’d expect, walking left to right taking on gangs of bad guys with a few tasty boss battles in between and with a smattering of platforming.  Things starts out simple with light and heavy attacks combined with a selected firearm and the well used evade move (you’ll be using this a lot).  It is at this point where you’ll either continue to enjoy Shank like I did, or get frustrated and admit defeat.

The art style and animation which portrays almost perfect combat transitions can also be its major down fall. Imagine controlling Shank as he fights through two skin heads, tears through an eight foot biker with his chainsaw before marching across the screen guns blazing as a few dogs start to lunge.  You’re mid-animation you realise that perhaps if you were to evade, you could counter with an uzi and a few grenades – nope, too late.

It may sound like a tiny gripe, but I found myself blaming the – admittedly incredible – animation when I did badly. This system doesn’t take long to adapt to, until you find another weapon, as all in all on the fly I was able to select between three guns and four heavy melee weapons (which have different effects against different enemies) and consequently I never felt quite at one with the combat system until the very end.

Once I had battled through to the last few levels and final boss battle, everything came together and I was able to quickly assess each encounter and know what weapon would see me through the best.  Which is why, once the game was over, I was left wanting more, perhaps a little more than just an additional difficulty level…

Although the end can come in less than four hours, the prologue of the story can be played with a friend by your side in a whole separate co-op story.  Not only do you get to see a little more of Shank’s brutal story unfold, but twice the action on screen makes for twice the enjoyment, not to mention two character specific combat situations and boss battles.

For what can feel like a short experience, I would have dropped well over the £10 asking price going through Double Dragon in the arcades and I got the same feeling as that felt here.  There is a demo available as always and I strongly suggest you go check it out.  Just remember to persevere if things feel a little ‘shanky’.

MLG Rating: 8/10

Platform: Xbox 360 (Playstation 3)  Release Date: 24/08/2010

Disclosure: Midlife Gamer were provided a digital  copy of Shank for review purposes by the promoter. The title was reviewed over the course of three days on an Xbox 360.

Simply put Madden NFL 11 is an alright game. That’s about as plainly as I can put it. It is a shrug raiser, lip curler, feet shuffler of a title. Though however basic I would like to put it and be done with it Madden NFL 11 isn’t going to let me go that easy. It’s just that those pond splashers over the way do have a penchant for overcomplicating the simple. So in turn sharing my opinion was never going to be that simple either.

Especially when it comes to sports, the Yanks tend to make the plain into the elaborate. That which starts with Cricket ends in Baseball. That which starts with Hockey ends by being played on ice. And that which starts with Rugby ends with American Football. The trouble is that with all this complication going on in one place, how does a game that is meant to replicate that exercise maintain a sense of control and ability whilst also making sure the title runs and plays like you see it in ‘RL’?

The easy answer is that you do what Madden 11 has done and you take away one piece of this simple conundrum. You make it a one hander and decide that this year, in the two decades of Electronic Arts presenting NFL titles; it is all about the spectacle, more about the experience than ever before. The armchair is your house and Madden dives in for a visit.

You can't beat how it looks but it is all too QT for me!

American Football is an extraordinary amusement, a mix between Rugby and essentially Dungeon and Dragons. Two teams take it in turns to out stratergise each other in the pursuit of gaining yards whilst keeping possession of the football or pig skin at the same time. Critically each play is a chance to out maneuver your opponent, rolling the dice hoping to guess what defensive/offensive moves they’ll try on you and then trying your best to counter in return. After all that, if you end up with the oval in the end zone then you score points and the most points win. Easy as that!

It is a complicated game and that is reflected in pretty much every area of Madden’s presentation bar the exceptionally well crafted replication of the sport on the pitch. EA’s attempt to streamline your play and offer up a smooth “in and out” style still ends up feeling cluttered because EA have abandoned any hope of the uninitiated gaining interest of the title and therefore little to no explanations, tutorials, or guidance is given to the depth and variety on offer, so you’re left to find your way like a shred of hay in a bottle of needles.

I am sure though that hardened Football fans are having a blast in all the modes on offer. Amateur leagues, mini-games, the usual extensive online functions and the very, very extensive  Franchise mode, which unlike the paltry Manager Mode in FIFA – which only lasts for four or five seasons – in Madden the challenge is to be on top of your game for thirty. Three decades of football!

Seasons are quite short, but EA’s eye is on delivering an experience away from the actual physical playing of the pig. The world of the Football Franchise is so in depth I was worried at one point that it was going to ask me how often the grass should be cut and when the Quarter Back should be getting his nails done. Again, to the hardened fan, I bet making sure that his minions of badly modeled spectators will have super fast broadband and personal firewalls whilst watching the game is of up most importance.

If you want, you can of course simulate all of these decisions and leave it to the CPU to arrange signings of players and make sure your winning staff stays paid and wealthy. You even have the option to simulate all the football games scheduled for you to play. In fact I found all this simulation a little demeaning. I just wanted to play football, and to go into a mode and then have the computer ask me if I am sure that I want to actually play the game and not ‘simulate’ felt like the emphasis was trying to be drawn off the game itself and for me to utlise the more in-depth manager mode.

Coach, I saw it in the showers. It was this big!

For a while now EA’s target for the franchise has not been to necessarily make an intricate and complicated replica of American Football but instead provide an experience, the experience of taking part in a televised event. Once you’re squeezed into a game, it starts with huge team logos planting on the pitch, fans relaxing outside the stadium, players, coaches and warming up. It all looks like it should look. The commentary as well is nice and playful, never too over the top and actually comes highly commended. It seems that the golden rule with sports announcing remains to be that ‘less is more’.

The world of the football game is very exciting to be a part of as well. You can challenge calls you think are wrong, and get treated to replays and officials arguing on the sidelines.  You can silence the crowd and get them pumped up just before a big play, and all of this adds to what you would see on T.V during the weekly matches. Though as much as the experience of goggle box viewing struggles to be maintained it still lacks the polish to be truly immersive.

Announcers will talk over each other when trying to skip through lengthy cut sequences or they will get things plain wrong, sometimes just pausing the game can take up to a minute to show up a menu and the crowd participation gets repetitive very quickly. Even the addition of The Extra Point, a real life show with real human hosts analyzing the weekend’s best games becomes best ignored very soon as the disc that spins away inside to find the audio that contains the right numbers sounds more interesting than the hosts themselves…

If you win the Super Bowl you get to meet this man! No half-time show or cheerleaders though.

Overall the whole experience has been streamlined to try and cater to those wanting to just get ready to watch the real thing by playing a simulation. While once you had to cycle though the hundreds of plays on offer to try and out play your opponent, this is all done now by the computer through one quick button press. The CPU decides the best play and you are simply an envoy taking part in quirky quick time events. Even the defence can be controlled by CPU just by the press of a button and it all starts to become all too tempting to just hit the switch and have the decision be done with, and with the orders being piped in through your PS3 or Xbox headset it feels so authentic. However, as time moves on you get the itch to learn more about the plays and decide for yourself what works best to take advantage of the depth that Madden 11 tends to scream and boast about, though when you do do that, American Football is still too much of a complicated sport to warrant full control over the field, so no matter how much you’ll start taking control away from the computer you cannot shirk that horrible feeling that you’re not doing any of the work.

Madden 11, looks pretty and the animations on the field are slick and interesting, American Football nonetheless is a sport that will never translate properly to a full video game simulation. It requires too individual movements and design to ever be controlled by one person. All EA can do is to carry on developing their attempts to convey the experience of a televised effect because the results are often fascinatingly appealing, dragging you back for another fling of the football.

MLG Rating: 7/10

Platform: PS3 (Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PSP, iOS)  Release Date: 13/08/2010

Disclosure: Midlife Gamer were provided a physical copy of Madden NFl 11 for review purposes by the promoter. The title was reviewed over the course of seven days on a PS3.

It is hard to start any review about a new Lara Croft game without reference to her role as an icon of the industry. Her original appearance back in 1996 set new standards for graphics, puzzles, shooting and, of course, female characters in games.  We can all debate whether she is simply a male fantasy figure or a force  for feminism, but her famous twin assets – athletic puzzle solving and sharp gunplay – have seen the games sell in droves.  It is certain that, even without the help of Angelina Jolie, Lara Croft has had a major cultural impact beyond just gaming – particularly so in her “hometown” of Derby.

It is also customary with any recent review, it seems, to make some reference to Tomb Raider’s relative decline with time.  I remember cowering in a cave to hide from a T-Rex back with the original, and jumping around Venice in the sequel, but it’s probably fair to say that the failure to innovate has seen the series stagnate to the point of mediocrity – or worse.  Developer Core Design was out of the picture by 2003 with Crystal Dynamics taking over the helm for the most recent three games: Legend, Anniversary and Underworld.  This was certainly a step in the right direction as these more recent games have seen Lara undergo a reboot and the varied gameplay, excellent graphics and enjoyable plots have all contributed to successful games.

Then and Now …

This brings the first good news about Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light: it uses the same engine as Underworld.  This means real-time lighting, fancy shadows and lots of physics-based objects and effects.  And for a download-only title, coming in at a tenner, this has remarkable presentation.  The animation of Lara, other characters and scenery is excellent and the shadows and textures all look stunning – hardly a surprise since the game is a whopping 2 GB download!  The initial story is told through comic-style art, but thankfully during levels there are in-engine cut-scenes and Lara (et al.) looks even better from close-up.  The sound adds an exciting atmosphere, and voice-acting is pretty reasonable (if spoken in clichés) but the explosions do get a little repetitive over time and the background music, whilst serving to heighten excitement, seems to come from a small score which will becomes very familiar as progress is made and is far too loud on default setting.

Guardian of Light seems to follow a traditional Lara Croft path of jumping around ruins in Central America, looking for an elusive object and killing villains and wild animals.  The jumping and climbing business is where the first major detour from the Tomb Raider series takes place and the fixed, isometric view means that, although there are no annoying camera angles, there is also less of a feel of freedom that was afforded by the more traditional approach of previous games.  In fact, progress can be linear, with many detours clearly indicated (often named “challenge rooms”, where puzzles must be solved to reach upgrades), but the map can contain a number of different optional areas to explore on each level.

Gameplay is straightforward with a different button for each control: movement with the left stick, shooting with right trigger and directed using the right stick, “A” for jump, etc.  Lara starts with her signature pistols and a spear which doubles as a climbing aid, as well as other gadgets including remote bombs (for scenery as well as bad guys) and a grappling hook.  Sadly the latter of these is fairly limited in single player, only attaching to “golden hooks” at obvious points in the level, but that hasn’t stopped the designers incorporating its use in some excellent ways.

Combat is okay for the most part, with enemies being relatively varied in style from speedy lizards to hulking brutes, and the fighting certainly adds to the fast-paced nature of the game as a whole.  There is a multitude of weapons to choose from including classics like assault rifles and shotguns. Puzzles start as typical Lara fare: jump across this chasm, but that rock on this switch, avoid the spinning flame thrower, etc. But rapidly become ever more ingenious and require serious lateral thought to solve them.  Level design consists of various set of ruins – all of which look good if a little similar – but the layout has been cleverly considered by the designers.  Collectibles are a major focus of the game and vary from bonuses to firepower or health through to “relics” and “artefacts”.  There are about thirty artefacts to collect, and up to two can be “equipped” at any time, offering enhancements such as more firepower at the expense of less defence.  Relics are fewer in number and the selected item will give fancy bonuses to firepower as long as the Relic-Meter is full (achieved through killing enemies without taking damage).  All of these variations lend themselves to a varied, satisfying combat system and the exploration and loot reminds the player of Diablo-style isometric game mechanics.

The plot, however, is truly abysmal: An evil god (Xolotl) is awoken from a two-thousand year slumber and proceeds to slaughter everyone around him – except Lara, of course.  Fortunately his nemesis also awakens: Totec, an ancient Mayan warrior who defeated him two thousand years ago.  He then inexplicably decides that he’s got better things to do, so he gives Lara his spear and leaves for most of the remainder of the game!  The single player campaign is about 8-10 hours, which from a time-spent-playing perspective makes this a veritable bargain considering the number of full-priced games that can be finished in similar time (and the short length of other XBLA Summer of Arcade titles like Limbo).

Multiplayer is impressive in that each map is completely redesigned to feature new puzzles and fights that require two players.  The non-Lara player gets to control Totec and players must work together using a combination of spears, shields, grappling ropes and tight-rope walking to solve the puzzles and defeat enemies.  Although the focus is on co-operative teamwork there is a score kept and rewards are given to the player who kills more enemies or collects more of the gems that are dropped.  The puzzles in co-op are truly inspired and I have rarely had as much fun in a two-player game, be it from rage at the other player stealing an upgrade or the satisfaction of solving a fiendish puzzle then saving each other from a fatal fall.  The co-operative campaign will probably take around 6-8 hours, but players will want to try the other character and it’s so much fun there is inherent replay value throughout.

Sadly, on release there is no online co-op mode.  The release date was set some time ago in order to tie in with its (lucrative) role in the Summer of Arcade, and clearly this component was not quite ready.  Local split screen is there, and plays fine, but the good stuff will have to wait a month as it will (allegedly) go active as the game is released on other platforms.  Although LCATGOL may be a great value game that hasn’t stopped the developer announcing that there will be five sets of DLC between now and Christmas.  Three will be full add-ons and two bonus characters – details and costs are yet to be announced so it remains to be seen whether these add-ons will represent as good value as the initial offering.

So this new spin-off is not quite a groundbreaking release with the impact of the original Tomb Raider, but it is probably the best Lara game in a decade and a welcome diversion which represents a fun downloadable number with high production values and strong single and multi-player aspects.  It may be worth a wait for online co-op, but this would be a pretty good buy at full retail price let alone the bargain of 1200 MS points – and at that price, it’s a great buy.

Overall Score: 8/10

This Community Content article was created by CoinsMonter, a member of our community. Community Content is your way of getting long-form writing and opinion out to the Midlife Gamer audience, an open platform to get something off your chest. For full guidelines on our editorial standards and how to create your own post, click here. The views expressed within are those of the author and not necessarily the opinions of the Midlife Gamer Staff

My apologies then to the ladies and gay guys reading this review, this is a product aimed squarely at the straighter than straight lad’s lads. Coming from the small team over at WET Productions, My Virtual Girlfriend is nothing if not open with what it pertains to be. This is a lifestyle product, a badge of masculinity – if you will – as much as it is a video game. It’s the type of iPhone app that some sections of the male public will whip out down the pub for a titter amongst his mates. ‘ere Gaz, look what I got!’ they will say, ‘there’s a bird in her crackers on me iPhone’ they will exclaim.

Decisions, decisions...

And as a marker of sexuality amongst peers it’s a fine, well produced, throwaway little toy. The game boots and responds quickly, is intelligently laid out in terms of menus and the Unity 3D engine renders animation fairly well. There’s no super naughty content in the game, the furthest you’ll get in your digital dalliances will be a ‘flirty spank’ or ‘sexy dance’, but it has a cheeky – if slightly bawdy – sense of humour that tends to be based on subtle-as-a-brick-through-a-window word play.

‘Are you from Tennessee? Because you’re the only…’ and so on…

Where My Virtual Girlfriend falls apart though is in the ‘playing’ of it. Tasked with getting a girl to fall in love with you, you might have thought you’d be expected to go through a lengthy process of building up relationships with complex AI characters, each with their own desires, morals and unique personality. Perhaps you thought you’d be required to role play the type of man each of the women want to fall in love with, to steal their hearts forever. Perhaps you thought that this would be the equivalent of Façade for iPhone.

Well you thought wrong.

It is based on an unsophisticated turn based system, being asked a question, agreeing with whatever your good lady says, buying them presents, giving them kisses and repeating this process identically until you’ve ground your way through 20 levels of affection. To say that My Virtual Girlfriend becomes a question of mathematical human conditioning is an understatement, the actions you’ll take over the hour and a half it takes to hit the maximum love level border on the sociopathic.

The women too are not much to look at. The art design is good, if a little flat, but the engine just isn’t able to produce a sexy human being. Perhaps most off putting though is the temperament of the ladies in the game, which is not only utterly predictable but almost offensive in how shallow 99% of the girls in the game seem to be. Is your new lady not happy that you’ve been out recycling and earning money? Just buy her some new shoes or give her a mixed drink, that’ll get her back in your good books! Just like real life, right? Right?

Your results may vary...

I really like the guts of what WET Productions have done here, they clearly know a thing or two about getting the most from a touch-screen interface, their approach to design is solid and its a competent product all round on a technical level. But for the entirety of my time I was wondering why WET hadn’t either gone all out and produced an accessible western equivalent of a Japanese dating sim, or used the tech in a ‘proper’ game, a jaunty but methodically paced adventure game – for example – would be a perfect fit for this team’s tech talents and aesthetic direction.

For those looking to spend loose change on a cheap gag then; it’s perfect. Unfortunately the game  surrounding the app is tiresome for anyone with even a modicum of interest in a quality entertainment experience. Core gamers and those without a lot of spare time to kill can easily pass over this app, safe in the knowledge that they’re not missing much, but for those millions of people who purchase fart button and beer detector apps for their smart phone? Well they could do a lot worse than check out My Virtual Girlfriend.

But not my Virtual Girlfriend.

Obviously.

MLG Rating: 6/10

Platform: iPhone  Release Date: 12/05/2010

Disclosure: Midlife Gamer were provided a digital copy of My Virtual Girlfriend for review purposes by the promoter. The title was reviewed over the course of four days on a iPhone 3G.

Playing the role of faceless, paper-bagged ‘hero’ “Silence”, the game is split into 13 levels of masochistic and claret soaked action, where the ‘Ratatatatat’ of Silence’s mini-gun and ‘Blast’ of the shotgun compliment the comic book vibe that influences the game’s gorgeous visual style to a tee, along with the crudely animated but well presented cut scenes that lay down a brief narrative of Silence’s bid to rid the city of the undead creatures. Tipping the balance from the 3D graphics that bring Silence to the horizontal levels, VaS also showcases exceptional 2D art that populate levels, from backing detail to stabs at popular culture in any of the humorous billboards that stand out in the highway levels that open the game (a film ad for “Mega Chicken vs. Death Burger- ‘Cholesterolocalypse’”).

Edible Entertainment manage to give each level a sense of individuality also, providing a number of different locations, from zombie graveyard, to littered highway and a construction site, and although some levels work less well than others for differentiation in play techniques, others strive, where “Devil Machine” particularly excels and stands above the likes of “Industrial Zone”. A conglomeration of deadly projectiles, murderous robots and complex level design, Devil Machine will be sure to test your skills to the limits and highlights the challenge that the game stores in abundance- double jumps, ducks, and stick waggling a guarantee if you’re not to use up the 3 lives that are given at the start of each level (although not carried over upon completion).

Apart from the jumps and ducks that inform Silence’s movements throughout the surprisingly colourful levels, Veks and Silence delivers generous portions of other tropes from run-and-gun shooters with it; picking up extra lives, combo kills (that lay out exclamative after exclamative depending on level of the combo, from “Awesome” to “Genocider!”) and a score system that racks up from laying waste to the citizens of undead and robots that ensure diverse enemy types are on show, the slow moving horde of zombies in contrast to static turrets and flying sharks with wings, while the screen is  often awash with coloured projectiles in every which direction, intricately detailed 3D models and splashes of deep red blood.

Armed with four weapon types (each assigned to a corresponding button on the D-Pad), one of the few problems that arises from the game comes with the seeming lack of variation from each of the pistol, sniper, mini-gun and shotgun. Indeed, the shotgun is more appropriate for close quarters, but it’s not that the pistol is under-powered in these situations at all, in fact the rate of fire goes some way to rivalling the might of the “shotty”, as the game refers. Throughout my whole time with the game, I found myself much less inclined to vary weapon type and would instead often revert back to the trusty pistol, if not only to get a better jump (other guns deter Silence from long jumps). If Edible had managed to infuse gameplay with nervous switching to and fro through weapons then VaS might have been even more brilliant, although the addition of earning ‘Rage’ through extended bouts of ass-whupping that, when enabled, turn the screen a violent red as Silence incurs invincibility is a nice touch.

For a drop in the ocean sum of 400 Microsoft Points, you really can’t go wrong with the title. Sure to guarantee lengthy sessions of play and an ideal candidate for replayability, whether you choose to complete ‘Survival Mode’ for a new high score, or look to increase cash on a standard run-through, Veks and Silence is a challenging and meticulous revival of old-school 2D shooters with enough personality to shine through any cracks that may be present.

MLG Rating: 8/10

Platform: Xbox 360 Release Date: 08/08/2009

Disclosure: Midlife Gamer were provided a digital copy of Veks and Silence for review purposes by the promoter. The title was reviewed over the course of five days on an Xbox 360 Core. For more information on what our scores mean, plus details of our reviews policy, click here.

The good thing though with imagination is that it breeds creativity and creativity breeds products and things to distract us from that which we must be doing. Sometimes these are good and sometimes these be bad and sometimes the glittery sky gives us AstroDriller 3020.

In the future, the future being 3020, the hand of earth seems to want to do nothing more than stretch out its mangled claw and drill. Drill inside planet upon planet, plundering away at all the precious resources caked inside each one of these new rocky monoliths that have been discovered.  Strangely though in Chronic Logics’ AstroDriller 3020 you will not be doing an ounce of this drilling that is now so high on Earths’ new manifesto for discovering planets. That role is left to a cocky NPC American who apart from a very limited vocabulary and bad motivational skills is happy to come along with you across nearly 90 planets of hardcore drilling action. It might be the story line to the worst porn movie to be set in space but for a simple pick up and play title AD3020 sits unnervingly between  charmingly pleasant and boringly difficult.

If you thought that by not being the driller you would be escaping the hard work, then think again you maggot. You have the most thorny job of all: to sort out the drilled parts of rocks that fall from your colleague’s big tool. Whilst he is floating around happily picking apart precious gems, it is your duty to sort them and make sure they fall into the containers. However, because it is the future, everything has to be done as quickly as possible so you will be timed, and consequently graded on your efforts. To get a simple score and pass through easily you can just let rocks fall into their containers, but to really be the best fluffer to the big man’s weapon you need to be able to grind out the hidden gems inside each rock and make sure they fall into the containers of the same colour as the polished gem.

Many of you may have played the strange PC gratis game Ink Ball. Ink Ball is the simple windows game in which you draw lines of ink that when completed end up creating solid lines of deflection and defense, allowing you guide colored balls into holes and therefore win. AD3020 works in similar way but instead of ink you use lasers to help guide rocks into the containers at the bottom of the screen. These lasers – once positioned – last for a limited time but whilst there they will not only deflect a recently drilled rock but also grind away a part of its shabby gray coating. The more you grind the more of the gem inside is revealed and then the more points you get. Grind more, get chains, do it fast and you’ll get along fine.

The simple mechanic of AD3020 is fine. It is a jolly little puzzle game that tests your ability to micro-manage everything that is going on in-between the American and the containers below. As with all games of micro-management you’ll love it when a plan comes together. Grinding away a group of rocks to then deflect them into the right containers is delightful, if a little confusing when you get a bashing from the American and hardly any points on the board. But combinations are king and you must carry on grinding away.

Yes, AD3020 does get a little repetitive, oddly though it tries to combat any repetition in the overall mechanics of the game by ramping up the difficulty very soon and extremely sharply. It is a strange move and if it didn’t happen so early on into the title I might have felt more forgiving. It starts with different colours of rocks being introduced which then need to be put into their corresponding containers, so far so Ink Ball. What is strange is that this is more difficult in AD3020 than it really needs to be and what starts as interesting and unique level design starts to act against their favor.  Sometimes lasers are unresponsive in blocking off the direction of a misplaced rock fall, there is no warning when a new rock is going to fall and the screen sometimes becomes so cluttered and badly organized that I couldn’t help but feel those horrible pangs of bother, and why indeed should I be.

Also one of the biggest issues is that the physics in this puzzler are sometimes just all over the place. Some rocks fall faster than others, or bounce off lasers, or just don’t fall into their containers at all, and that is when it gets to be most frustrating. Just when you’re getting the hang of it the game behaves in a way you didn’t expect, consequently unpredictability became my main gripe.

I had a really difficult time with AD3020 even though there were parts of it that I initially really enjoyed. There is a simple upgrade system that means you are encouraged to complete levels at a level a little bit higher than mediocre. Upgrades come in the forms of making laser lines longer, better at grinding or that they’ll hang around long enough to actually be able to do something worthwhile with them. Though again, where Chronic Logic do something attractive and pleasing with one hand, with the other hand they are reaching for the bag of no-no toys! Menus are so simple and basic that I really had a hard time reading them and understanding terms like “schmoints” whereas in game the presentation is clean, smooth and colourful and the addition of a profile tracker was a nice caring touch!

I’m sure that Chronic Logic do care about those that purchase the title, but AD3020 is a mixed bag. Just when you think you’re getting somewhere with it you will really struggle to maintain any feelings that this is a game that you should be enjoying. Whether it is the staunch difficulty or just the unpleasant physics and repetitive mechanics there is not much of a reason to hang around for long. On the other hand though AD3020 is a cheap, cheerful pick up and play title that, when all is going well, plays out graciously. It’s got its inventive moments and even though it’s mouse rubblingly difficult at times, it has a real charm that goes far to make up for some of its other short-comings.

MLG Rating: 6/10

Platform: PC (Mac)  Release Date: 11/07/2010

Disclosure: Midlife Gamer were provided a digital copy of AstroDriller 3020 for review purposes by the promoter. The title was reviewed over the course of five days on a PC.

For a Scalok, Froomas was not extraordinary, his eyes although sufficiently slimy seemed to lack that gleam that drove the women Scalok wild. His ears were far too symetrical and his claws just weren’t long enough, not for lack of trying. But today he had proved his critics wrong, he had finally located a human settlement, a place where real live men had actually walked and breathed. Froomas was dizzy with the excitement just thinking of what treasures he would unearth.  He was so giddy infact he failed to notice his apprentice running up the hill towards him, he appeared to be holding something rectangular and heavy.

Scaloks: Darwin knew.

The ancient tome didn’t open as much as fall apart infront of them. With held breath the two Scaloks   were absorbed with the archaic text and colourful drawings of men clad in bronze and iron. Most of the pages were lost to the ravages of time, but a small section at the back of the tome remained. Froomas, with his advanced understanding of man-tongue read aloud to the gathering crowd. It appeared to be a diary of a confused man called Rusty. It went something like this…

Dear Diary,
I still can’t believe the “episode” that happened last week, I’d heard stories before of people getting marsh-madness but I never thought it would happen to me. The worst part is I can’t remember most of it, and when I ask the goat people they chase me away. It’s a shame really, maybe they could explain the warts I’m getting on my tongue. Anyhow, all that is behind me, I need to think positively and get back to business. If I’m ever going to get out of this place, its going to be through co-operation with the locals by delivering their grain or whatever they ask of me. I’m just glad mother can’t see me now, she always thought I was weak.

Day Two:
I met a most curious man today, Bob, a merchant no less. Well he says he’s a merchant but at no point did he offer his wares. Instead he asked me to sort out some nearby wolves that’d been damaging his wagon. I wonder why he has a wagon anyway, I haven’t seen him move. Still, after a flourish of my blade ten wolves lay stricken on the ground, unable to harm another wagon. Why do wolves want to harm wagons anyway? Does the wheel offend them? This is a very strange place. Anyway old Bob was pleased with me so gave me a pair of trousers made of said wolves. They’re far too small and smell funky, the gesture was nice though.

Day Three:
Saw Bob again today, his wolf woes are still not over. Instead of being tasked with the lowly wolf-cubs, I am to fell the mighty Wild Mane. Apparently he has the strength of ten men and can kill a rabbit with his stare. But had they not heard the tales of me? I’m Rusty Ringstinger! I strode to the middle of the wolf den to face this mighty adversary, I’d been promised a mighty reward from Bob. Well dear diary, you may feel the spackling of blood on your page. Things didn’t exactly go to plan, quite a long way from Plan, truth be told. It turned out the tales of Wild Mane were true, his rabbit-troubling gaze rooting me to the spot. I’d like to say the battle was epic, two forces of nature pushing against one another. Instead he killed me in little under ten seconds. Yes, I died today. To be honest it wasn’t as bad as I thought. People say your life flashes before your eyes, for some reason all I could think about was squirrels, big ones! And that was that, my life force extinguished. Except it clearly wasn’t when I awoke by some floaty crystals not far away, no ill effects present. I don’t know what all the fuss about dying is if you pop back to life 50 yards away. How did Uncle Clive manage to die from typhoid then? He didn’t come back, although I can’t say I blame him living with Aunty Nora.

Day Four:
Bob seemed really sorry about me dying and all. You see what he should’ve mentioned is that I  needed to assemble a group of warriors to take on Wild Mane. Oh well, no harm done I suppose. Before Bob left for Varanas, he had one more task for me, to capture twenty evil balloon monsters to add to his expanding catalogue. So, after collecting twenty boxes I set off westward with dread in my heart. Just the words “Evil” and  “Monster” conjures up ghastly images. However seeing the aforementioned evil balloon monsters I really had to wonder about the hyperbole of the person who named them. I mean we can all agree on the balloon part, that is a given. Monster is a bit harder to justify, but I don’t know, there may be some beautiful balloon creatures somewhere. The word that really stuck in my craw was evil, I mean do we really know if they are evil? Even if they were, I’m not sure where on the axis of evil these creatures would feature. Whether it’s world domination they have planned, or maybe just the inflated price of helium (I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist that joke). Well, maybe the next adventurer will find out, I just piled the little crap-heads into the box.

Bob was pleased, he finally had all wares he needed to hawk at Varanas, he bid me farewell and then proceeded to go nowhere. Maybe I’m seeing things again, the vision of Bob won’t talk to me anymore. Pfft, I’m going on to the Whitefur Village tomorrow.

Pure evil...

Day Five:
There seem to be a lot of people around today, especially in the Whitefur Village. Not long after entering the village a man by the name of LegionCS walked up to me and spoke in a strange tongue.

“Donde alkilo caballos aki?”
“Sorry friend I don’t speak Spanish”
“Aa ok Horse?”
“What horse?”

And that was that, there was no response coming from the mighty LegionCS, his Hispanic tongue stuck firmly in his head. Not wanting to leave the conversation on a sour note, I decided to resolve the situation in the international language of dance. Satisfied I’d done my part in advancing the goodwill between our nations, I decided to run around the village picking up every quest available and hopefully get them hammered through sometime soon. And then, without warning, the greatest thing in my life happened.

It started out ordinarily, I was just getting through all the tasks in an area when a particular quest of killing 15 evil goat-men proved to be too tricky. You see I could kill a goat-man without too much trouble, the problem was they were hanging around in groups of three or four. As I was perusing the scene, looking for a gap in their defences, I noticed someone on the opposite side of the clearing doing the same thing. As I ran closer their pixellated frame transformed into the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Long flowing locks of golden brown perfectly complementing the amber armour of a goddess. Her name was Prangano. You know sometimes when there is a perfect rapport between two people that words aren’t needed? Well, only one word was required: Team. And that was it, she couldn’t possibly know what that one word really meant between us. Those stinking goat-men didn’t deserve to bear witness to her deadly grace. They were like mannequins in the ballet of battle. She twirled and dived and ran through every one of them. It was all I could do to try to keep up and keep my jaw from dragging on the floor, occasionally swinging my axe in a vain effort not to appear to be transfixed by such elegance, but it was no use. With the goat-men piled high it was all over. Naturally I gave her all the spoils of battle, willing to do anything to keep this perfect team together. But fate is a cruel monster, because it seemed Prangano had to be somewhere else. With an adios she ran out of my life, leaving behind an aching chasm in it’s place. I will see Her again, I am sure.

She will be mine.

Day Six:
How does one carry on normally when you’ve seen the light of your life? I wasn’t sure if the butterflies in my stomach were real or if it was a demented goat-man trying to claw at my innards. Questing doesn’t seem the same without Her. Still, I carried on aiding the denizens of Whitefur while still staying close enough to the village if I heard her on the zone chat. Apart from the teamwork needed yesterday I can’t say I’ve needed any help at all in my time here. There is also a lack of variety in what I’m asked to do. Not many set-pieces as it were to shake up the format. Everything has seemed like a real drag today, like all colour has faded, leaving memories of burning  red eyes surrounded by auburn locks.

Still no word from Pranny, I’m sure she’s just really busy, otherwise she would return my mails.

Day Seven:
Didn’t leave the Whitefur Village at all today, need to be close incase She is around. Did I say something wrong? Could “thanks” be construed as something insulting in Spanish? I hope not. Maybe this was all just a big mistake, maybe mother was right. She said I’d never amount to anything. But I don’t think I miss the simple days of Pioneer’s Colony, it was all stuffy and pompous. Could I have got further if I’d spent real money to aid my progress? I don’t really care, life’s never a race. And think of all the creatures I’ve maimed, that must count for something. No, I’ve decided, if it takes me waiting forever to see her again, it won’t be long enough. I’m just going to sit here with my new caprine companions always looking for Her.

No you're wrong, she's totally coming back.

Epilogue:
And that was it. The Scaloks looked solemnly at each other, maybe holding back the tears. With infinite care the tome was put into a protective box to be taken to the Museum of Man. There it would sit on display with other man relics, reminding them of a time long ago.

Incidentally Froomas had a brief spell of success and appeared on the talk-show circuit, he even spent time as a guest judge on Scalok Idol. But to this day, Froomas still hasn’t got any action, his claws are just too short.

Summary:
And that really is that, I’m fully out of character now. I’ve spent over a month with Runes of Magic in the hopes of further quantifying it in traditional review terms. I’m still nowhere near savvy enough to encompass every element that the game has to offer. If you are looking for a qualitative review, this isn’t the place. I would like to give my general overview of the game though, it won’t be pretty and certainly not tidy, but here goes.

If a committee designed an MMO on paper, it would be very similar to Runes of Magic. It would have all the basic fare of a fantasy MMO but go the extra mile on each one of those features to give a “better game”. Rather than sticking to one class for 80 levels you can play two different classes up to 50 levels each, further tailoring your play style. Long-term play would be encouraged via an engrossing social element and a multitude of crafting systems. And most importantly it would be free to play, with the option to increase your progress or more importantly increase your social standing with micro-transactions.

Here’s the rub; Runes of Magic is exactly that game. Fantastic you think! Hmm, not exactly. I’m sure you’re all aware of the term “ghost in the shell”, that an inanimate object or program can have a soul of it’s own. A game’s worth can add up to more than the sum of it’s component parts. Runes of Magic seems soul-less. I might be wrong, maybe I haven’t played it the right way. But there’s always the feeling that this game is mechanically sufficient but lacks the charm. It seems that Frogster have an exaggerated expectation of the addiction-factor of their MMO. They can get all the parts right on paper and expect each player to find their own fun in the multitude of systems the game offers. They also expect such a connection that players are willing to spend their real-world money on a blue unicorn mount, just to look cool.

I don’t know, I’m still confused about this game. It could be that I’ve shaken off my addictive personality and didn’t get sucked into RoM the way I should’ve. Maybe it was because I was on a Spanish server, but I doubt it. Possibly my aversion to micro-transactions flared up my gag-reflex every time real-world money was bought into the equation.

But this game is FREE TO PLAY, I must remember this. However there is only so long you can justify a game with that prefix. Personally I think Runes of Magic just takes it a step too far over that line. Overall I didn’t mind the game, but I had much more fun creating the Rusty story arc, I hope you’ve enjoyed it too. Here’s the last thing I shall say about Runes of Magic:

A camel is a horse designed by committee.

Enter then Vector Unit, the developers of Hydro Thunder Hurricane – a full fledged sequel to the speed boat racing original released on home consoles towards the very tail end of the 20th century – who seemingly felt that there was life left in this old (sea)horse yet. Coming to market as an Xbox exclusive, as the next release in this year’s Summer Of Arcade, following up the art-house indie gem Limbo with a more… traditional… approach to games design and this being their first release, the odds were always going to be stacked against the team at Vector Unit to create a memorable downloadable title.

Yet somehow, HTH has managed to come out of seemingly nowhere to be one of the most fun and compelling racers in recent memory, providing a fitting homage to the original Hydro Thunder, yet updating the admittedly simple formula far enough to seem relevant in a market place that is, rather fittingly, flooded with arguably more sophisticated arcade racers right now.

Incorporating standard races, gate challenges dubbed ‘Ring Master’ mode and a ‘Gauntlet’ mode (wherein the player is required to make it to the end of the track without hitting too many explosive barrels), plus local and online multiplayer, in terms of framing Hydro Thunder Hurricane is nothing to write home about, though these varied methods of play do enable some elegant recycling of the title’s eight tracks. However this simple structure (and the game’s exceptionally fast load times) gets you into the right games for the right mood quickly. Fancy utilising the full capabilities of your vehicle and learning the riskier routes? Get straight into the Ring Master mode. Want a frenetic race to the finish? A standard race is the order of the day. Want to be a little more thoughtful in your racing? Gauntlet mode. Need to take on all comers and prove yourself? Online. From a limited set of mechanics then, this arcade racer covers a lot of bases.

Whereas the original Hydro Thunder outing could, if we were being cynical, have been accused at the time of being a Wipeout clone, Hurricane has a lot more verticality and more routes through its colourful world than Sony‘s flagship future rave racer. The waves for instance are much more integral to the game this time round, much in the same way Wave Race 64 has players taking into account how they enter a corner in relation to the surf around them. That said, HTH isn’t nearly as tricky as Wave Race and average players will only start to become truly challenged late into the game, by which point they’ll probably have unlocked most of the really important content. And – OH MY GOSH – the-unlocks! Perfectly paced, the game rewards you after almost every race with a new boat, paint job, avatar item, challenge, achievement or track to race on, providing that much needed impetus to continue when you’re twenty races into a session.

Racing is fluid (see what I did there?) and has a lot more nuances to it than its fairly simple accelerate, brake, jump, boost and steer would bely, with knowing when and how to boost being key to improving track times. The feeling of speed, height and weight has been captured well here, making for an adrenaline fuelled ride each time you start up the on-board motor.

It’s a shame then that the audio never quite matches up to the action on screen, the original soundtrack being a little middle of the road and the overly excited announcer starting to grate on occasion. It’s fine in the arcade to hear a context sensitive audio clip on a specific part of a track, because your interaction with that title is likely to be much less often than a home release, but hearing the same FX each time you go past an area in an environment, just feels a little lazy on the part of the audio team, as does the rest of the aural presentation.

If you loved the original Hydro Thunder, Hurricane is a tremendous return to form for the franchise, and if you’re looking for a slightly more old school (read: straightforward) arcade racer, this comes highly recommended. Hydro Thunder Hurricane is excellent and though it doesn’t break any new ground, it’s a thoroughly accomplished title and a fine – albeit polemic – release to follow up Limbo in this second week of the XBL Summer of Arcade.

MLG Rating: 8/10

Platform: Xbox Release Date: 28/07/2010

Disclosure: Midlife Gamer were provided a digital copy of Hydro Thunder Hurricane for review purposes by the promoter. The title was reviewed over the course of five days on an Xbox 360 Pro. For more information on what our scores mean, plus details of our reviews policy, click here.

So far, incapable of naming a single FPS that sticks out in my mind on the iPhone, I approached Archetype drowned in scepticism. Fortunately, I had little reason to, as this online first-person shooter that pits up to 5 versus 5 against each other (via Wi-Fi, 3G or Edge) is one example of the developer taking its time in sticking to distinct parameters and delivering a game that somehow works on the platform, against all odds.

Flawless in delivering a smooth online experience, Archetype also features exceptional matchmaking that could find a suitable game within moments of the request. Also featuring the ability to ‘veto’ map choice, obtainable ranks, and trackable experience points amounted within game (through either completing games or earning medals- such as kill one enemy with each attack type), the title never shys away from comparisons to the very best of online shooters. In fact, the whole presentation can be admired, with slick and stylish menus that float into view, to the well animated opening sequence. Optimised for the iPhone 4 with a crisp resolution, make no qualms about it, Archetype looks fantastic for an app.

It’s something that the developer, Villain, fail to capitalise on however for most of the game, with each of the five maps that have been presented on launch mostly bland and lifeless, projecting dull textures and confined play areas. Doing little to separate map from map, stylistically the game is underwhelming, where the game’s sci-fi architecture could have been fulfilled. Also populated by boost pads and teleportation stations, the maps are perhaps the least memorable aspect of the game, where the cold, industrial feel of metal panelling is often all to prevalent. ‘Pride’ is a step in the right direction, with a much more open plan construction for more smooth movement, verticality, and well layed out intersections that force opposing players at each other.

The sceptics amongst you, as I myself did, will question the viability of the product however in favour of its console counterparts. How can such a genre work on the touch screen? Of course, virtual thumb sticks are, as ever, a necessary feature, but in making sure the sensitivity of each is turned right up (a necessary step through the menus), the controls are more than adequate yet deceptively tricky still to master. You won’t be pulling off head shots any time soon, since what you reap in rewards of traversal for upping the sensitivity will hinder gun play. An automatic fire mode certainly relieves such frustrations, but there are obvious sacrifices made for the platform- a necessary evil. Otherwise, firing any of the 6 weapon types available (from the powerful mid to close range shotgun, to the devastating one-hit kill axe- with added blood effects) will come from pressing any of the right-side of the screen. Melee is available to use through pressing around the centre of the screen, and the somewhat over-powered grenades can be tossed by tapping a button in top-left (frustratingly out of reach in the middle of frantic firing).

Also containing a single-player ‘Training’ mode (akin to Modern Warfare’s timed tests, with cardboard cut-outs and all), and ‘Challenge Mode’- in which other players can be rivalled one-on-one, Archetype is bursting at the seams in terms of features for its tiny 64Mb size. Short cuts are obviously needed for the hugely ambitious game to work well on the system, therefore certain considerations have to be appointed. However, I have yet to find a game from its genre and similar in output on the App Store, you are unlikely to find a better shooter for the iPhone for some time.

MLG Rating: 7/10

Platform: iPhone Release Date: 06/07/2010

Disclosure: Midlife Gamer were provided a digital copy of Archetype for review purposes by the promoter. The title was reviewed over the course of three days on an iPhone 4. For more information on what our scores mean, plus details of our reviews policy, click here.