Welcome to The TPS Report, home to video game blogs, mix sets and even the odd piece o' 3D art.

Broke arse student, freelance games reviewer and rambling obsessive that I am, I currently seek work in mags and web sites throughout the world. If you're in a position to make that happen - and like what you see around here - let me know. I've published work with the likes of IGN and Gaming Steve.

-Matt/Diggler

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If interested in discussing writing opportunities for on or offline gaming publications - either UK based or abroad - please contact me via E-Mail. Sparkling CV available on request

 

 

Demo Round-Up - BloodRayne 2 & Area 51 Put to the Test
Posted by Diggler - 30/9/2004 13:41

Having just gone head to head with the latest batch of console demos, I thought I'd shed a little light on these two upcoming bad boys (and girls).

The Ultimate Metaphor For That Time of the Month?

Click to enlarge
This guy still has better luck with women than I do
I must admit I never finished the first BloodRayne. It was one of those games that at first emitted coolness from every pore, but the deeper you delved, the more you realised you'd seen all it had to offer in the first ten minutes. I'm usually a sucker for T&A, but even the exciting new boob-jiggling dynamics weren't enough for me.

So how's the sequel? Although this demo is only a small portion of one level, I can say without doubt that it completely and utterly eclipses the original in every way (yes, even T&A). In fact, the mediocre original somewhat taints this just by being mentioned in the same sentence.

As with the first game, BloodRayne 2 sees you taking control of super vampire slut Rayne in another barrage of brainless button bashing carnage. Story-wise, we're in the present time now as opposed to Nazi era World War II, admittedly a lot less interesting, but the much more important difference here is that this time it just kicks so much more arse.

This is exactly how Enter the Matrix should have played. You're constantly pulling off an all manner of fancy flips, kicks, and kung fu mastery with such aplomb that it'd cause Neo himself to empty his poop shoot. Rayne is just so nimble and responsive, seeing her in action is as beautiful as it is hypnotic. At least, as beautiful as slitting someone's belly down the middle can be.

Click to enlarge
The impressive ragdoll physics let you chuck enemies all over the place now
Helping things along is not only a vastly improved graphical shine and a fantastic new physics system, but also, and perhaps best of all, interactive and destroyable scenery.

Imagine, if you will, three thugs charging you down head on - such a simple scenario ends up having a ton of possible outcomes now. You could for instance, slice the first guy in half from head to toe, smack his buddy back across the room so hard as to smash him through a bar table, and finally lasso the third and final guy into a whirring fan blade, dosing the room in a nice claret sheen like something out of The Shining. But that's just what I'd do...you could alternatively go old skool and simply gun 'em all down before they get anywhere near you.

The new dynamic feel of the physics gives the game that same kind of freedom and spontaneity we recently felt in Psi-Ops and the like. The greatest thing about BloodRayne 2 though is that there's always some kind of barbaric scenery feature to toss your helpless victims into, whether it be a garbage crusher or just through a top story window.

The animation is also fabulous, the effects wonderful, and Rayne herself looks stunning. One area that deserves special mention perhaps most of all though are the sound effects - not in a long time have I heard such bone crunching smacks and piercing machine gun fire. Here's one that truly shines when heard blasting out in 5.1 surround.

In terms of gameplay, it's quite clear that Terminal Reality have been playing Prince of Persia during the creation of BloodRayne 2, at least if this demo is anything to go by. In between the constant thrashings of violence and mayhem, you'll also be doing a fair bit of physical puzzle solving as well. Whereas Prince of Persia opted for a slow, methodical, feel though, Rayne is all about high speed chaos, so when you hit a brick wall (literally) and are forced into jumping and wall running segments, it can feel a bit laborious. Regardless, from what I've seen, such moments lend some variety to the game, so we'll give 'em the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise.

The Truth Isn't Out There, It's Right Here

Secondly let's chat about Area 51 - this won't be too long though because, well, neither is the demo. Never the less, after battling my way through this tiny teaser - all three rooms of it - I'm pleasantly surprised so far.

Area 51 was originally an "on the rails" arcade game from back in the day, but thankfully any other similarities end abruptly there with this update. Instead what we have here is a squad based first person shooter in which you play one man of a military clean-up crew, sent in to sort out a rather nasty mess. Cue dark science fiction plot surrounding the Roswell crash site, alien invasions, and evil government conspiracies.

Of course, you get none of that from the demo - this is strictly a case of holding the trigger down and mowing down endless nasties.

This is actually a game I've kept one eye on for a while now. Sadly it just hasn't been gaining the kind of press and word of mouth it seemingly deserved though, which is a shame 'cos from what I've seen, we have a distinctly above average shooter here too.

I'll be honest though, it err "pays respect" to Halo in a huge number of ways. I wouldn't consider this a bad thing, though. Halo got it right after all; everything from the feel to the weapons to the speed of the movement - it all just slotted together perfectly. Area 51, although not particularly original in its wake, gets all the same things right. You'll even find that same selection of pistols, shotties and machine guns keeping you company.

The responsiveness and ease of aiming is simply brilliant, and way above average for a console based shooter. Sound and graphics, although following the Doom III trend of 90% darkness, are also pleasing to the senses.

What you won't find is Halo's humour though - this is apparently aiming for much more of a dark, adult atmosphere than Bungie's masterpiece. Imagine a whole game facing down The Flood, and you're starting to get the picture.

With the promise of alien weapons, transforming into a mutant, and even celebrity voiceover by David "Mulder" Duchovny, Area 51 looks set to be an enticing experience, but the success of this game for me relies on whether they include a co-op mode or not. This is the one single feature console shooters do considerably better than their PC counterparts by a good mile, and the primary factor deciding on whether I'll be splashing out on Area 51.

Although this demo is way too short to get hugely excited about just yet, it shows a lot of promise never the less, and could surprise a lot of people on release if it continues to perch below the radar.

Thus ends this brief look at two upcoming goodies for the PS2 and Xbox. While Rayne is heading for PC as well, this is the kinda thing that only deserves to be played with a console pad, so I'd quench that thought right now. It's also worth noting that while Area 51 was scheduled to hit the GameCube as well, it's since been cancelled. Another nail in the coffin?

BloodRayne 2 hits stores next month, Area 51 early next year.

(Pictures courtesy of BloodRayne 2)

Untitled Document

The Polynomial. Like playing a rave

Untitled Document

Game
Fallout 3

Enjoying a fully modded out re-visit. Wow

Film
The Road

Pretty much due to the above

Show
Breaking Bad

Already shaping up to be the best season yet

Tune
Explosions in the Sky

Easing the pain of living in a post-Friday Night Lights world

Untitled Document

Forums

The TPS Forum
Official boards for the site

RLLMUK Forum
The old Edge forums gone independent. The busiest and most interesting gaming board around, worthy of multiple visits a day

NTSC-UK Forum
Another exceptional gaming forum, featuring one of the friendliest communities on the net, and up to the minute news

NeoGAF
A more US-centric gaming board, with huge piles of traffic and even the odd famous face

Gaming Shows

The 1up Radio Network
1up.com's collection of weekly gaming podcasts, the pick of which would have to be ListenUP, full of juicy rumors and interesting banter week in, week out

Area 5
Formerly The 1up Show, since losing their jobs the old video editing team have continued doing what they do best, in an independent internet-based TV show, covering whatever upcoming games they can get their hands on, and various other bits and pieces

Fully Ramblomatic
A hysterical gaming blogger posting what he calls "zero punctuation" video reviews that have to be seen - and heard - to be believed

A Life Well Wasted
Freelance journalist Robert Ashley's internet radio show, with a far more interesting and professional demeanor than your typical podcast. Interviews, fast-paced editing and catchy tunes abound

On the Spot
The humongous gaming site known as Gamespot broadcasts a video show each week, in which upcoming games are demoed live on air, and viewers are invited to send in questions to find out more

The Hotspot
Gamespot's audio-based companion to On the Spot, in which site editors cover the week's news while simultaneously poking fun at all that is gaming

Gaming Steve
A more mature podcast, hosted by a long-time games industry professional armed with a ton of insider info and loads of interesting opinions. The Dig's been known to post articles and stories on here from time to time

Consolevania
Quick-fire internet-based TV show with console reviews and comedy sketches. Funny as hell

Major Nelson
An interesting "blogcast" hosted by a Microsoft employee, featuring stacks of exclusive behind the scenes news and interviews relating to all things Xbox 360

The Kojima Productions Report
Official podcast from the team of Hideo Kojima, creator of the much-loved Metal Gear franchise. Full of news and interviews relating to all things Metal Gear, it's probably one for die-hard fans only

Pure Pwnage
Mockumentary series on the life of a pro gamer. Episode five is possibly the funniest thing on the internet

Other Sites

Kotaku
What you could call gaming's homepage. Constantly updated news and links on the entire industry, from minute breaking headlines, to funny arse viral vids

Game Trailers
Easy to use multimedia-rich web site offering official trailers, video demos and sneak peaks at all the upcoming releases

Game Videos
Sister site to 1up.com, focusing on game trailers, video interviews and even the odd documentary

Gamespot
The Gamespot front-end, and the gaming equivalent of the Internet Movie Database. Includes detailed reviews and extensive video features on pretty much all systems and games ever made

Giant Bomb
Speaking of Gamespot, the controversial "letting go" of editor Jeff Gerstmann resulted in him starting up this new venture with fellow former writers of the site. Great podcast in particular

1up.com
Discounting the audio and video shows mentioned earlier, 1up's main site is also worth a visit in its own right. Not only bustling with quality gaming articles and extensive developers' blogs, it also doubles up as a massive friends network, ideal for meeting fellow gamers and joining like-minded communities

Live Marketplace Feed
The most up to date and reliable way to keep track of all the new Xbox Live Marketplace content, from new weapons and map packs, to movie trailers and game demos

Xbox Reloaded
360 backwards compatibility can be a minefield. This blog attempts to shed some light on the issue by playing original Xbox games for you and reporting back the results

GameFAQs
The ultimate resource for walkthroughs and cheats

Disposable Media
A wonderful (and free) E-zine, full of reviews and articles on gaming, movies, music and TV. Puts most high street mags to shame

X-Fire
A must-have for all PC gamers, X-Fire is a buddy list and communications tool that keeps constant tabs on what games both you and all your mates are playing, on or offline

Steam
A contender to the X-Fire throne that has pretty much overtaken it straight out of the gate. Valve's Steam client contains friends lists, downloadable games, Live-style achievements and plenty more to sink your teeth into

MyGamerCard.net
Convert your Xbox Live gamercard into an image, for use on forums and web sites for free. That's mine further down

Ain't it Cool News
The latest news, gossip and spy reports from the world of movies, TV and (occasionally) video games

Smodcast
Writer, director and actor Kevin Smith - he of Clerks fame - records a monthly podcast in which he and fellow pals discuss everything from trying to felate oneself, to the time his dog got covered in ejaculate. Riveting stuff

 

Matt Robinson, 2011

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