F1 2011 offers plenty of modes including Time Trial, Grand Prix and Championship mode. In Grand Prix mode you can just jump straight into a race at any circuit and decide whether to play through a full race weekend, a short one or just get straight to the tarmac. This is a good place to get used to racing with other drivers as well as getting used to the new locations including the new Indian Grand Prix.

In World Championship you get to race as any driver from the 2011 season. There is no career mode here so if you just want to race at Red Bull you can; it’s a shame they decided to leave this out as it was fun working your way through the lower teams to eventually join one of the big teams. Finally Time trial allows you to choose a circuit and race up to ten laps to clock the fastest time possible.

“So what about the racing?” I hear you say, well you will either love it or hate it to be honest. There are four different presets for controlling your car, with default one offering full brake/throttle control with tilt steering. The others included auto acceleration and using an on screen steering wheel which was infuriating to drive, in fact it felt broken. I stuck with the default preset as it was the best of a bad bunch. The cars feel far too unstable at high speeds and I spent more time off the track than on it! With more practice I did improve but I still crashed far more often that I would have done on the console version. The 2011 season saw the KERS system introduced which meant there was another on-screen button for you to use, which sits just above the accelerator. I would have found it much easier to use if had been below the accelerator but hopefully an update might allow you to change this.

I’d love to say that gameplay makes things better, but it’s not the case. For example. it doesn’t matter if you are driving for Ferrari or Virgin the cars all seem to be equal, which means you can end up seeing the likes of Lewis Hamilton starting at the back and Sebastian Vettel actually losing races. To compound the misery I have for this game there is a weird pit-stop mini game which involves you tapping the screen 15 times to complete a pit stop. I don’t have a problem with the fact there is a mini game but the fact that it meant each pit stop took over 15 seconds is unacceptable in F1 these days.

If you are still reading this review in hope that things get better, they don’t. Apart from the main menus the presentation is pretty poor. Despite being recognisable, the cars and tracks look blocky and certainly don’t take advantage of the retina display on my iPhone 4s. The in-game music is familiar to those who have played the console versions of the game and isn’t too bad but once you hit the race track it all goes downhill again. The engine sounds from the cars is very poor too, it all feels very flat.

I don’t think I’ve been this disappointed by an iPhone title before, even more so as I was quite looking forward to reviewing it. I’d love to say that a quick update would fix the game, but I don’t think it will. I also think Codemasters have a bit of cheek to charge £4.99 for this. There are much better racing titles about. Just avoid this.

MLG Rating: 2/10 Platform:  iOS Release Date: 17/01/2012

Disclosure: Midlife Gamer were provided a digital copy of F1 2011 for review purposes by the promoter. The title was reviewed over the course of one week on an iPhone 4s. For more information on what our scores mean, plus details of our reviews policy, click here.

Note: Parental advisory, excessive language and talk of 90′s trance groups.

But there are bugs. Sometimes Vegas will randomly not see a segment of the video, rendering a blank screen for that 4 minute piece. Other times it will not complete the render, leaving the full size .temp file and no video, forcing me to entirely render again. It is like having the hottest girlfriend who will do anything you want on the one condition that she can kick you square in the happy-sack once a day. Is it worth it? Probably, but swwet baby Jebus it is annoying.

So to today’s episode. I’ve previewed the finished product and all seems present and correct, it is the content however that concerns me. After the good times of platforming Nirvana I’ve come up against the next boss, and he is a Grade A shithead. I even tried to push through in the hopes of Lady Luck coming to my aid. However I fear that luck is the last thing you want in a game like this. Enjoy.

Note: Parental advisory, explicit language and battles of attrition.

I have always found the Soul Calibur games to be very easy to pick up and play. The combos aren’t overly complicated which is a huge plus as it makes for a nice learning curve. I’ve found with other fighting games – like Blazblue – you had to take in quite a lot before feeling comfortable with the controls and nuanced mechanics, also you had different combos for each character’s special move to memorise and study. Soul Calibur V completely streamlines this by making every character’s special move assigned to the same combo. These moves are called Critical finishes and can only be attempted after you have filled up your Soul Gauge, this is done by successfully landing strikes on your opponent. Using your guard will also drain your Soul Gauge so the game encourages an agressive playing style.

The controls are really responsive, as they really need to be in a game like this. What I love about the controls is that they seem to have taken into account that not every person playing it has a fight stick on their lap. Going back to the Critical finishes; these require you to hit all three attack buttons at the same time at the end of the combo. Now at first I struggled to make sure I hit them all at the same time, even messing up my fight as I changed my hand position on the controller to make it easier. Then I realised that they had assigned this three button press to a single press of the R2/RT. Also the other trigger buttons are assigned to other two button presses. Once I realised this it instantly improved my game. It’s a smart design choice, one clearely insp[ired by titles such as Marvel vs. Capcom 3 but a excellent addition nonetheless.

The fighting style in Soul Calibur games is quite different to that in other fighters. In most you have you light, medium and heavy attacks which you can chain together to make combos. Soul Calibur instead focuses on horizontal and vertical strikes with a heavy emphasis on kicks. If someone uses a vertical strike on you then the best way to avoid it is to strafe left or right. Horizontal strikes will hit you if you try to use this method, so the best thing to do is to step back out of range or use your guard. I really do enjoy this fighting system; it feels so good when you perfectly time a side step that leaves your opponent completely open to a barrage of pain.

The story mode takes place seventeen years after the events in Soul Calibur IV. You play as Patroklus and Pyrrha who are brother and sister and the children of the series’ familiar face, Sophitia. The presentation in this story is a bit all over the place if I’m honest. Some of it is presented in beautifully rendered cut scenes with not so great voice acting. Other times it is just narration over still images and finally there is a small bit of text you have to read before you click on a new episode. It’s a real shame that there wasn’t more cut scenes in this game because I really enjoyed the ones that are there. After seeing the story mode in last year’s Mortal Kombat – which had brilliant cut scenes that seamlessly transitioned into the fights – Soul Calibur V just seems a bit lacking in this area. Also the story isn’t that long at all; I managed to clear it in around three hours. I can kind of forgive the length of the story, however. While it’s short and rather forgettable it serves as a decent introduction for new players.

The training mode was a real disappointment for me. It’s pretty much the same thing you see in most fighting games; you against an opponent that is essentially a punching bag. While this is a great place to learn your combos without hindrance from the AI or other players I feel that a lot of players new to the genre expect the game to hold their hand a little more in this mode. Even if it was just a simple explanation of the fight system followed by “now you give it a try”

Now to quite possibly the most important question asked of pretty much every fighting game of the last five years. Does the online work? Yes it does and I think it does it very well. Namco have clearly been paying attention to what their rivals have been up to lately. Match making is handled very well as you are able to filter your searches to look for players around your own level or higher if you are looking for more of a challenge. I think that this little option is great for entry point players as they are more likely going to go against players like themselves and not immediately get matched up with a series veteran and get scared off at the first hurdle.

Player lobbies can hold up to six players but only two players can fight at a time in a simple tried and tested winner stays on format. While you are waiting for your match you can watch the fight that is going on in real time. Another nice feature is the text box; this may sound like only a small tweak but I feel that the game is taking into account that not everyone has a headset. This simple text box gives everyone the opportunity to communicate with the other people in the lobby.

You will also be pleased to hear that during my experience online that I experienced next to no lag at all in the gameplay, even when matching up against people in America and Japan.

The visuals in this game are nice but it fails to match the overwhelming sense of style of its contemporaries. The Soul Calibur series has always stuck to its clean, crisp aesthetic of armoured combatants wielding a host of melee weapons, but visually it lacks flare. Games like Street Fighter IV and Blazblue have distinctive art styles that are instantly recognisable as their own. Soul Calibur V just seems quite plain in comparison. The music, however, is another story. It’s powerful and inspiring and it really helped me get into the zone.

Creation mode has returned again. This allows you to make your own character of any shape and size and also allows you to choose between a reasonable variety of clothes for them to wear. You do not get to create your own fighting style; instead you pick a character that is in the game. This I feel is a fair compromise as you are able to take these characters online. So if you could create your own combo list then the online experience would quickly become unbalanced and generally not a fun place to be.

Other modes that are practically a standard with fighting games are also present here. Arcade mode presents you with the challenge of going through six different opponents to reach the end. You are then graded based on your time and difficulty. Quick Battle and VS mode are also featured. Quick battle just throws you against a random CPU opponent – you can earn new titles for your player card by playing this mode as well. In VS mode you can play against either another player or the CPU. You can also watch the CPU fight itself.

The Soul Calibur series has started to make a tradition of featuring cameo appearances of characters from other games or even film licences. I remember buying Soul Calibur II on the Gamecube because it featured Link from The Legend of Zelda”. This time around it is Ezio from the Assassin’s Creed games. He fits into this game perfectly. The way he dresses, the weapons he uses. It’s a sensible move and a much better choice than Yoda and Darth Vader from Soul Calibur IV. As cool as they are they just seemed out of place.

Overall I feel that Soul Calibur V is a strong and worthy successor to its predecessor. It doesn’t take leaps and bounds forward from previous games in the series but I feel the key word here is refinement. The story mode brings it down a bit with its disjointed presentation and short length – I worry that people playing this part first may get switched off and not want to do anything else. I implore you to carry on. The online is very strong and the lobbies are a great place to hang out with friends. If you are still unsure whether fighting games are for you then I say give this one a go. It’s very easy to pick up and play and like all great fighters it has enough depth in its fighting system to keep veterans interested. A great start for fighters in 2012.

MLG Rating: 8/10 Platform:  PS3/ Xbox 360 Release Date: 03/02/2012

Disclosure: Midlife Gamer were provided a physical copy of Soul Calibur V for review purposes by the promoter. The title was reviewed over the course of one week on a PS3. For more information on what our scores mean, plus details of our reviews policy, click here.

Note: Parental advisory, explicit language and problem solving on a grand scale.

So kids, these demonstrations dissections will be across as many platforms as possible and will be very ‘spoilerific’ of the demo’s content. But don’t worry, when we get to that point, I will give you forewarning. As we all know, game demos have been with us for quite some time and they have delighted and sadden us along the way. I will always remember getting my first floppy demo disks from my Atari ST magazines, which seemed to be attached to the front of the magazine by sellotape or just simply stolen, and loving the playable introduction into a game that might very well be the next game that took over my life. I can remember getting Super Cars 2, or at least my now drunken hazy memory say it was, and playing it like it was a full title. Over and over again. Bloody smashing.

Now days, with publishing houses sinking small fortunes into their titles, they can be more important than ever. Some have been shocking, actually ruining the game before its release (Dark Void being the first that jumps to mind). So, with a hopefully a few laughs along the way. Let see what today’s latest demos are all about.

We start with 2K Game’s The Darkness 2. And what a start it is. I really hope that you all are familiar with the original game. It was released back in good old 2007 to mostly eight and nine scores out of ten. And I agree with them. I thought it was a great part action, part stealth, part supernatural and part horror story all wrapped up in a FPS. It was steeped in history of its own making, this being the graphic novels and comics that prelude the games release. The Darkness was/is simply put, a dark tale of revenge.

One of the things I remember most about playing the lead character; Jackie Estacado, was your ability to stop and take in your surroundings (obviously not in a gun fight). This ranged from sitting with your ill-fated girlfriend to watch television to throwing some change at break dancers and watching them ‘Bop’.

The demo starts with Jackie telling us that he is bound by fate and that, as his power grew, it over powered him. He also talks about the one thing I think that keeps the Darkness from completely taking over and making this mafia boss completely evil; his girlfriend Jenny. We next see him waking up. As Jackie wakes he realises that he is not alone and more important he’s nailed to a massive plank of wood. Don’t get wrong, I’ve been woken up by some terrible things in my time; shouting neighbours through my letter box, a cat’s arse on my face. But being nailed up as if you were the son of God? That takes the first prize.

Now the first this you’ll see is that the art style has changed. It’s an awesome mix of cell shading and a great looking black outline feature that really makes the graphics look like a cartoon. I’ve heard people compare it to Boarderlands, personally I think it’s better than Boarderlands as this ‘graphic filter’ really leans back to the comic book beginnings of The Darkness. The detail that is given is just right, in my opinion. It’s a fresh way of showing action, blood and horror – and I like it.

It’s at this point that we are introduced to what must be the villain. With a face like that, how could he not be?

His name is Victor Valente. Coupled with leg braces like Jimmy from South Park, bad hair and a face like Mason Verger from Hannibal, he’s obviously in a bad mood. With his looks and personally I’m pretty sure that he’s left on his own in his local night club’s dance floor. Victor dislikes Jackie as he believes that Jackie doesn’t deserve the Darkness and that the Darkness should be ‘With those who know how to control it’. Victor asks Jackie to give the Darkness to him… as if.

From this moment on the Demo flashes between this cellar, in which Jackie is nailed up, to now what can only be earlier that night where Jackie is about to enjoy a lovely meal with two buxom blonde twins. That is until Victor crashes the party and sends his men after Jackie. Thus follows guns fights, steal pole impaling and twisting the heads of bad men. Awesome!

You can dual wield guns or simply have one and be able to zoom down its sight (something you couldn’t do in the first game). But best of all, your demons are back. And baby, they are back and they mean business. You control them through your bumper buttons. Right is your slashing arm, this will tear people in half and whip their heads off also. Your left demon arm, controlled by your left bumper, is your grabbing arm. Through this you can pull car doors off and use them as shields, grab metal poles and spear your rivals, but most impressively you can use this to perform gruesome and bleeding awesome killing moves. It also eat hearts, what more could you ask for from your demonic arm? Not much is the answer.

Oh and this time round you only have one Darkling. But this time he’s a lot more intelligent and can be used in battle to distract your enemies. He speaks in a cockney accent and likes to wee on things. I think plenty of fun will be had with him when the game is released.

Spoiler Dissection Section– There is nothing much to spoil in the demo if I am honest. It’s a fantastic introduction back into the Darkness universe. It, like what all demos should do, makes you want to pre-order the game once you’ve played it (I did!). I can say with hand on my heart, this is one of the best demos I’ve played in quite some time. It introduces the story well, it let you take a peek into what kind of powers you will be able to unlock and it makes you want to play it again.

The Sew Up – It’s a great demo to what looks like a great title. If you’ve not downloaded it yet, shame on you. And once you’ve played the demo, pre-order the game. It promises to be the first A star title of the year, and many prove to be some people’s favourite.

Baron’s Demo Dissection Score: 9/10

1. Having a relatively quiet space to legitimately vent my excess aggression against the game relieves overall stress levels.

2. No matter how hard it gets at work, I know it could be so much worse in the land of The Guy.

However well I feel at other times though, I feel like a rat bastard while I’m playing this infernal game. I mean, who makes a game like this?!

Note: Parental advisory, explicit language, graphic themes and talk of the neighbours.

Martin Sheen, Seth Green, Tricia Helfer, Ali Hillis, Keith David and Jennifer Hale talk briefly about their return to the series, meanwhile new to the cast, Freddie Prinze Jr. talks abouts voicing new squadmate James Vega and Jessica Chobot introduces us to the character she’s lending her voice to, Diana Allers.

Check out the trailer below.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfvo5ueKJY8

Note: Parental advisory, filthy language and themes not suitable for the mentally challenged.

Jump N Roll is, when you take away the smooth graphics and quite impressive music, an old school game at heart. Like Frogger it feeds that repetitive, ‘get to the end of the level’ urge. Yet with its coin and diamond collecting, it reminded me of a stressful Sonic game as well. What it also incorporates is the use of two dimensions of platforms to work across, much like Little Big Planet, with a foreground and background route. As the screen progresses to the right and you struggle to keep up, your character (which I can’t even begin to describe. A flaming lion’s head perhaps?) can choose to work on the easier path at the front of the screen or, take the high road at the back, where the challenge is far greater.

It’s a free title, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t spend money. This is one of those titles that allows, no scratch that, encourages you to spend your money on upgrades through the purchase of Pink Diamonds through the App Store. These diamonds offer such things as extra lives, instant access to locked levels and other upgrade items. Purchasing diamonds from the App store as we all know can be expensive and, sometimes, take the fun out of the game. It acts like a quick ladder to the top rather than working your way there on your own accord. Why miss the grind? Well, one reason would be to beat most of the annoyance out of the game. And I found this game annoying.

Ultimate frustration in videogames nowadays comes in the form of such games as Trails HD or Super Meat Boy. The fundamentals are all solid and the frustrations come from intentional mechanics. Yet I now find myself getting stressed with many videogames recently for dropping the ball on elements that we should have perfected by now. In Jump N Roll’s case it’s the controls that really let it down.

Many people’s biggest bugbear with iOS games is that the controls, well, don’t control. Even more so if you are playing on an iPhone or iPod touch. And with Jump N Roll, a game I otherwise enjoyed, this issue with controls ruins the entire experience. Even more upsetting is how simple the control are and should therefore function; two buttons on either side of the screen. Tap on the left hand side to jump, tap the other to ‘boost’. This would normally completely eliminate the clumsiness that is directions but I found them consistently unresponsive. Additionally, because there are no visible buttons to press, I found myself pressing anywhere on that side of the screen thus adding to the confusion.

Yet saying all this I did enjoy the game. Sure the Pink Diamond business model can be intrusive, asking if you want to buy things from the App Store, and yes it was unresponsive therefore I died a lot. And yes, the main menu leaves a lot to be desired. But, it pushed the old school gamer urges that I liked to get pushed now and then.

Jump N Roll is worth downloading. I would even pay between 60p to £1.50 for it if that would mean less aggressive selling of the diamonds. The graphics are also hugely impressive, complimented by some truly hypnotic music. Getting caught up in coin collecting and landing those perfect jumps is a compelling experience but the controls threaten to completely undermine the fun.

MLG Rating: 6/10 Platform:  iOS Release Date: 11/12/2011

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