Format: Wii | Genre: Karaoke | Publisher: Nordic Games | Developer: Wired Productions | Release date: 20/08/10 | Price: £29.99/£49.99 with two microphones

Jennifer Allen sings like a miming diva with WE SING ENCORE.

SINGING. IT’S a lot harder than it looks isn’t it? So many people think that they can do it well, but in reality, it’s quite a small number indeed. It doesn’t stop us all trying though. Especially on a Saturday night when the alcohol’s flowing and Summer of 69 comes on instantly reminding you of just how great life could be. Or is that just me?

Regardless of what I happen to get up to on a night out, We Sing Encore enables players to experience the drunken fun of singing to your heart’s content, all from the safety of your living room sofa. Of course alcohol is optional. During testing, while the group of friends who played it were downing many a cheeky glass of wine, I resisted in order to clearly remember my time playing it. So, even sober, I learnt that We Sing Encore is a hell of a lot of fun when played as part of a group.

The basic concept behind We Sing Encore is simple – words appear on the screen and you sing along. Just like karaoke, albeit a karaoke machine that then judges you accordingly. Fortunately (for me at least) We Sing Encore is quite forgiving. It also seems to be quite accepting of players shouting down the mic which was handy for my friend who decided to just shout rather than sing. For those lucky souls who can actually sing however, We Sing Encore does appreciate the effort. There’s a ’sung pitch bar’ that shows how much higher or lower your vocals need to be whenever you fail to hit the correct pitch (quite often if you’re me). Mostly though, We Sing Encore never veers away from being simply good fun.

There are singing lessons available in the package if you really want to try hard. These vary from simply holding a note for a length of time to learning to breathe correctly while singing. I’ll admit to only giving them a passing glance though as after all, I want to have fun. I’m not convinced any amount of singing lessons could actually improve my singing voice anyway, so I’ll stick to drunken confidence ensuring I vocalise loudly and proudly.

Competitive edge

It’s the multiplayer modes that are the most fun overall. While solo mode has the slight competitive edge in that you can collect awards as you go along, nothing beats a group singing session. I reckon there must be something in the process of singing that means endorphins are released as it’s hard not to smile as you sing along, even if it is to a distinctly dodgy track such as N-Dubz ‘I Need You’. There is a good mix of songs available however. While there are the karaoke classics such as I Will Survive, Gold and Total Eclipse of the Heart, there are also more modern tracks such as Cheryl Cole’s, sinks into your brain whether you like it or not, Fight For This Love and the even more addictive Umbrella by Rihanna. There are also plenty of contemporary hits such as S Club 7’s Don’t Stop Movin’ and Mika’s Grace Kelly. I could happily relive my youth courtesy of Lou Bega’s Mambo No 5 too which was a particular bonus. Initial concerns that maybe it was too varied were unfounded as my group of test subjects/friends seemed quite happy with the vast majority of tracks on offer and none of them polarised the group. Possibly my heartfelt rendition of Tainted Love scared them away, but that’s no fault of the game. No DLC capabilities is a bit of a shame but 40 tracks is nothing to be sniffed at and much of the fun will be garnered from the people you play alongside.

Besides being able to sing along in duet mode, there’s also the ability to sing against each other in various versus battles. If you’re cruel enough, you can even play 3 versus 1 thanks to We Sing Encore having 4 player microphone support. First to reach a certain score is also quite fun if you’re a competitive sort but it does get slightly frustrating as and when the song stops abruptly once the score has been reached. Unless of course you’re rubbish like me, then it goes on for a long time. Pass the mic is the scariest of modes but down a few more drinks and you won’t care. It’s a bit like a relay race, only with singing and added embarrassment thrown in as it becomes quickly apparent who is the weakest of the group. True experts can always switch to Blind or Expert mode where the lyrics are gone, and in the case of Expert, pitching advice has also been removed.

Of course, there’s the obligatory ‘if you’re anti social and/or only like shooting things, you won’t like this’ sentence. It’s true, you really won’t like this. We Sing Encore is a party game; it thrives on having a good, keen group of friends and a source of alcohol and party food. Singing isn’t essential in any way but not feeling self conscious is rather important. I can’t sing, few people should be subjected to my singing voice. But when you’re all laughing like mad and failing miserably to hit the right high note in Grace Kelly, it really doesn’t matter.

7/10

What does this score mean?

Aversion Therapy…

Format: Xbox 360, PC | Genre: Avoiding | Publisher: N/A | Developer: NerfGames | ETA: TBA

Ergh, there’ll be nothing but puns from Brendan Caldwell, you’d do well to AVOID.

Mafia II Jimmy’s Vendetta DLC out Sept 7, trailer

TRAILER TIME. Jimmy’s Vendetta, the first DLC instalment for Mafia II, is due out on September 7.

The story centres around Jimmy, the guy the people call when they need to get a job “done.” 2K are calling this a more arcadey addition to the Mafia gameworld, with 30 new quests and leaderboard rankings.

It’ll cost $9.99 on PSN and Games for Windows Live. Meanwhile on Xbox Live it’ll cost 800 Microsoft Farthings.

Brendan Caldwell

Back to the Future game to be developed by Telltale

A PC GAME based on the Back to the Future trilogy is being developed by adventure veterans Telltale Games, USA Today report.

The title will feature the likenesses of Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd and will be set in the fictional California town of the movies, Hill Valley.

Christopher Lloyd is also set to provide his voice talent while Bob Gale, screenplay writer of the trilogy, is working alongside the developers to produce the plot, which will be spread over five episodes.

(Via SlashFilm)

Brendan Caldwell

People will be let go, LucasArts confirms

STAFF AT LucasArts’ offices in San Francisco will be made redundant, the developer has confirmed.

In typical language-warping fashion the company has released the following statement: “LucasArts is reorganizing its teams to better address the needs of the internal studio. Unfortunately, this means adjusting staffing.”

Although the exact number of redundancies is not known, Kotaku have reported that as many as 85 people would be let go and that two projects would be cancelled.

The company insists that the reduction of staff is not a symptom of a wider problem.

“LucasArts continues to be committed to creating a first-class internal studio and to fostering relationships with trusted external partners in order to deliver quality games that amaze and inspire fans.”

(Via GamesIndustry)

Brendan Caldwell

Format: PSP | Genre: RPG | Publisher: Atlus | Developer: Atlus | Release date: 11/08/10 | Price: £24.99

Jennifer Allen delves into the deep and dark world of SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI: PERSONA.

YOU MIGHT think that the likes of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest sum up the peculiarities of the JRPG but you’d be very wrong. It’s the Personas of the world that really show how bizarre a JRPG can really be.

My first experience of the Persona series was long ago when I was but a fresh faced aspiring reviewer. One of the first games I ever reviewed was Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 on the Playstation 2. Having never played a Persona game before this, I’m still not entirely sure if it was a success but I tried very hard to sum it up. You see, the Persona series is rather quirky. Typically you play the role of a high school student who, alongside attending classes like a normal teenager, must also stop the world from being invaded by demons. The term persona comes about as each of the main characters can summon Personas which can be used to cast various special abilities.

The first Persona on the Playstation One was never released in Europe. However, with this PSP re-envisioning, Europe gets a chance to see just how the Persona series began. It’s rather nice actually as it means us Europeans get a superior version to the North American release of the game all those years ago. The difficulty level has been restored to its harsh beginnings and the Snow Queen Quest is back having been cut for the US release. Even the cut scenes and score have been remastered making it a lovely package all round. It’s impossible to deny that Persona has certainly aged in its appearance, at a formidable 14 years old, but look past the ugly exterior and it’s still oozing with potential. It’s the kind of game that you pretty much have to play if you say you like JRPGs. As a slice of history, it has its place. However, its place isn’t as an appropriate start to the Persona series any more.

I’m kind of a big deal

It’s worth noting that Persona really is rather drab to look at. You’ll spend much of your time wandering around very flat looking hallways in a first person view. It’s easy to get lost even with the addition of a minimap. When a battle does arise, it’s all on a similarly bland isometric grid. All battles are random and there are plenty of them. It’s all very old school indeed. Even the save points are rather limited in number although, from things I’ve heard, the original was much more unforgiving.

The battle system is refreshingly deep, with even the positioning of characters being vital to success, as is pinpointing your enemies’ weaknesses. There’s also the ability to negotiate with your enemy in order to acquire extra spell cards. It all becomes rather strategic as time goes on but expect to encounter many, many battles. Fortunately there are options for auto fighting and to speed battles.

What disappointed me most however was the lack of a social system in Persona. Past (or should I say, future) games in the series offered pseudo dating sections and lifestyle features so that you were doing more than just dungeon crawling. There’s no sign of that here, unfortunately. Persona doesn’t quite hit repetitive levels but it does veer dangerously near on occasion. While the dark and moody end of the world scenario keeps you hooked, it would have been nice to see depth in more than just the battle system.

For fans of the series, this is an unmissable instalment. It tweaks the original perfectly with improved dialogue, soundtrack and small bonuses such as a faster battle mode. For RPG fans that have yet to dabble in the series before, it’s a harder sell. I’d be inclined to recommend they start where the Persona story began for me: Persona 3. The combination of RPG and life sim makes for a much more palatable way of enjoying the Persona series. As a piece of history, however, it’s clear just what an impact the original Persona made all those years ago. It’s certainly something different and for that it deserves some credit.

7/10

What does this score mean?

Knowledge is power…

Do games have the inherent ability to educate? Greg Giddens sure thinks so and shares his thoughts on the subject.

THOSE OF you who enjoy good music may well recognise the title I’ve chosen for this article, it’s a line from the Bad Religion song “It Must Look Pretty Appealing”, a truly excellent song and band that the UK often fails to recognise the genius of. You may think I’m a bit off topic at the moment – considering this is a gaming website and all – but wait one second and I’ll explain my fan service. You see the moment I heard that line I knew it to be true, because it was true for me and my knowledge. A great deal of the general knowledge I had stored in my noggin had been siphoned from a bunch of different mediums, specifically books, TV, music, and games. So hearing the lyrics “Your intellect depends on your TV” instantly rang very true, with the exception of TV being replaced by entertainment in general. However, the lyrics made this out to be a detrimental effect of media, but the way I see it is that it’s a wonderful bi-product, and rather than this knowledge being limited or false it’s often accurate and vast.  If you know where to look.

My TV is huge

Initially I thought “sure my intellect depends on my TV but my TV is bigger than most other people’s so bow down to me you bunch of stupids.” Of course now I see the errors of ways and know not to proclaim such things, not out loud anyway.  In reality, however, entertainment is such a huge part of everyone’s lives that of course it’s going to influence intellect, you only have to watch a couple of episodes of The Weakest Link to increase your general knowledge for instance. Although many of the contestants on that show somewhat disprove my point, and why do so many of them fancy Ann Robinson? Perhaps she reminds them of their mums and they all suffer from a slight case of Oedipus complex – by the way did I mention how large my TV is? Sorry I lost my train of thought, oh yeah, so I stand by those lyrics but not the intended detrimental message, and I want to specifically talk about the education benefits of games – see, I told you I had a relevant point.

It’s an interesting time for games at the moment. With a new generation entering positions of influence the world over there’s a good chance the stigmatic view of games and gamers will change to be more accepting of their legitimate value to entertainment and society. In fact it’s a change we’re already starting to see and if people can understand the point I’m trying to make about game’s inherent educational value then things can only improve for our gaming community.  You see, games educate in many different ways, some which are obvious but many more that people disregard or simply don’t notice.

Grand strategy titles such as the Europa Universalis or the Hearts of Iron series’ are obviously educational, especially with the implementation of the many mods available for these and similar titles. They teach both geography and history, often to a high degree of accuracy and not to mention being generally more entertaining than many books and documentaries. Even when historical accuracy takes a back seat and an alternative history unfolds within the game, it teaches people something. The amount of effort made in these titles to deliver a realistic outcome for player actions and their nations shows the many twists and turns of history, and with a little guidance from say a history teacher, these fictitious events in-game can be used as example for actual historical events.

Continues…

Valve have three ‘surprises’ to come over 12 months

VALVE HAVE three “pretty big surprises” to announce to gamers over the course of the next 12 months, boss Gabe Newell has said in an interview with PC Gamer.

“I can guarantee you people are going to be surprised at stuff we do,” he said. “That isn’t going to stop any time soon. I’m just laughing because… people will be shocked again.”

“We have three pretty big surprises in the next 12 months at least,” he added.

Valve were scheduled to announce a similar “surprise” at E3 earlier this year but cancelled the planned press conference. Then they popped up during Sony’s keynote speech to announce Portal 2 would be seeing a release for the PS3.

Now we have more surprises to come. Let the speculation commence.

(Via CVG)

Brendan Caldwell

Final Fantasy XIV beta postponed

NEWS-IN-BRIEF time, baby. The Final Fantasy XIV open beta that was supposed to go live yesterday has been postponed until Sept 2, Square Enix announced.

The registration code needed to take part in the open beta will now become available at 2am on Sept 2 (that’s Britland time). It will be available from their special code-spitting website.

If you’re taking part, do have fun. The final release date for PC is September 22. However, PS3 users still have a bit to wait yet, following news that the console release has been knocked back to March 2011 to allow for ‘data optimisation.’

Brendan Caldwell

Format: PC | Genre: Strategy | Publisher: Ascaron | Developer: Neocore | Release date: 08/07/10 | Price: £12.99

J.D. Richardson returns to the land of King Arthur with KING ARTHUR: THE ROLE-PLAYING WARGAME: THE SAXONS.

THE SAXONS is like a second helping of a great Sunday roast dinner but the bottom line is if I have any more than this it’s going to start getting a bit old or make me sick. Either way it’s time for something completely different for dessert.

Having enjoyed King Arthur: The Roleplaying Wargame an awful lot a few months ago I was quite looking forward to seeing what the inevitable DLC or expansion would be. There were a couple of small downloads with new artefacts and units but that stuff never interests me on its own. As a larger package however though, it’s rather appealing. That’s kind of what The Saxons is and at the same time isn’t. Yes you get new artefacts, spells, ladies, heroes, quests and a few new units but at the same time there’s nothing meaty like a new map to explore. Instead it’s just a big chunk of ‘more of the same’. That’s not strictly a bad thing but I hope that any future DLC will be a bit more inspired.

One totally new thing is the victory conditions that you can set when you start a new Saxons campaign. You can select any number of these depending on how long and hard you want your game to be. These consist of conditions such as amassing a certain amount of gold, conquering a certain amount of counties or recruiting a certain amount of heroes. The downside to all that is that there isn’t really much of a story behind it. Sure you have new mini quests and adventures which enrich the original package and were enjoyed immensely by myself. Yet there’s no overall saga except for one you make yourself in your head. It’s not unusual for games in the genre to lack a strong story but it’s still noticeable.

New yet the same

To be quite honest I’m finding it quite hard to write anything new here which says it all really. I mean you could just go and look at my original review of the game and find all the info on Saxons in there. I could just list all the new artefacts and stuff like the diplomacy system but who wants to read that? When a game is good then more of the same is never a bad thing and that applies here. I enjoyed playing King Arthur: The Roleplaying Wargame again from a different perspective but it’s only going to hold my attention for so long. I crave totally new experiences in DLC for my favourite games, an expansion into Europe would have been quite nice, maybe adding some other mythologies from different countries.

The Saxons just reminded me of the pitfalls of offering extra content via digital downloads rather than in retail. Now in a world of micro-transactions, expansions seem to be getting smaller and smaller and less interesting. I don’t want to be constantly forking out a few quid here and there for new bits of game that should have really been in there to begins with. It’s like walking down the street with a ton of coins and a hole in your pocket. Or you could just choose to ignore it all until something with a bit more depth comes along. The Saxons just makes it into the category of having ‘a bit more depth’ but only just. Fans of the game will probably get a lot of enjoyment from it but for people who didn’t like King Arthur: The Roleplaying Wargame I can only say this; why the hell are reading this in the first place?

6/10

What does this score mean?