Grand Theft Auto V - Cheat codes (PS3 and Xbox 360)

Grand Theft Auto games are renowned for their support of cheats and there's always plenty of codes that verge from the destruction to the silly. Below are the codes for all console editions of the game, there's unfortunantly no PC edition of the game yet, and you can enter these codes at any point during play.

Enter the following codes quickly, using the D-pad for directional commands like left or right. If entered correctly you will receive notification on the screen saying which cheat you have activated or deactivated. By entering cheat codes you will be disabling all Achievements/Trophies for the current play session. By resetting your game you can re-enable all achievements/trophies.

Note: ‘Give Weapons’ Cheat gives the Sawed Off Shotgun, Assault Rifle, Grenade, RPG, Knife, SMG and Sniper Rifle

Note: Entering the Weather cheat more than once will give you a different type of weather each time you enter it rather than deactivate the cheat.
Note: You can spawn multiple vehicles at any one time, unlike some previous GTA games.

PS3 cheat codes:

World

Change weather - , , , , , , ,
Slidey cars - , , , , , ,  , ,
Slow motion - , , , , , , - You can enter this up to four times to increase the effect, fifth time disables the cheat.

Player

Lower wanted level - , , , , , , , , ,
Raise wanted level - , , , , , , , , ,
Drunk mode - ,, , , , , ,
Super Jump – , , , , , , , , , ,  ,
Fast Run - ,, , , , ,
Fast Swim – , ,, , ,,  ,
Invincibility – , , , , , , , ,, ,
Special Ability Recharge – , , , , , , , , ,  ,
Slow motion aim – , , , , , , ,  , , - You can enter this up to four times to increase the effect, fifth time disables the cheat.
Moon gravity – , , , , , , ,
Explosive melee attacks - , ,, , , , , , ,
Max health and armour – , , , , , , ,, , , , ,
Skyfall – , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Items

Give weapons – , , , , , , , , , ,  ,
Give parachute - , , , , , , , , , , ,
Flaming bullets – , , , , , , , , , , ,  ,
Bang bang! (explosive bullets) – , , , , , , , , , , ,  ,

Vehicles

Spawn Comet - , , , , , , , ,
Spawn Trashmaster - , , , , , , , , ,
Spawn PCJ-600 (Motorcycle) – , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Spawn Buzzard Attack Helicopter- , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Spawn Stretch Limo - , , , , , , , ,
Spawn Stunt Plane - ,, , , , , , , , , , ,
Spawn Caddy - , , , , , , , , , ,
Spawn BMX – , , , , , , , , , , ,
Spawn Rapid GT - , , ,, , , , , , ,
Spawn Sanchez - , , , , , , , , , , ,  ,
Spawn Duster - , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Xbox 360 cheat codes:

World

Slidey Cars - , , , Left , , RT  ,
Change Weather – RT , , , LT LT LT
Slow Motion - , Left Right Right , RT , - You can enter this up to four times to increase the effect, fifth time disables the cheat.

Player

Raise Wanted Level - , , , RT Left Right Left Right Left Right
Lower Wanted Level - , , , RT Right Left Right Left Right Left
Explosive Melee Attacks - Right Left , , , , , , LT
Drunk Mode - , Right Right Left Right , , Left
Fast Run - , Left Right Right LT , ,
Fast Swim – Left Left , Right Right RT Left LT Right
Slow Motion Aim - , LT , , Left , LT Right , - You can enter this up to four times to increase the effect, the fifth input will disable the cheat.
Special Ability Recharge - , , , , , , Right Left  ,
Super Jump – Left Left , , Right Right Left right , , RT
Moon Gravity – Left Left , , , Right Left , Left
Invincibility – Right , Right Left Right , Right Left , ,
Skyfall – , LT , RT Left Right Left Right , LT , RT Left Right Left Right
Max health and armour – , , , RT , , , Right , , ,  ,

Items

Give weapons – , RT Left , , Right , Down , , ,  ,
Give Parachute - Left Right , LT , RT RT Left Left Right  ,
Flaming bullets – , , , , Left RT , Left , Right , ,
Bang Bang! (explosive rounds) – Right , , Left , RT Left Right Right , ,  ,

Vehicles

Spawn Buzzard Attack Helicopter - , , , , , , , LT , , , ,
Spawn BMX – Left Left Right Right Left Right , , , , RT
Spawn Comet - , , RT Right , LT , , , ,
Spawn Sanchez - , , , , , , , , RT LT ,  ,
Spawn Trashmaster - , , , , Left Left , , , Right
Spawn Stretch Limo - RT Right LT Left Left , , , Right
Spawn PCJ-600 (Motorcycle) – , Right Left Right RT Left Right , Right LT ,  ,
Spawn Stunt Plane - , Right , LT Left , , , Left Left , ,
Spawn Caddy - , , Left , LT , , , , ,
Spawn Rapid - RT , , Right , , Right Left , RT
Spawn Duster - Right Left , , , Left , , , , ,  ,

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Disney's Hercules: Action Game - Quick Review (PS1 and PC game)

Unless you are an extreme fan of the Hercules Disney film or Disney video games in general I wouldn’t recommend you add this game to your collection any time soon. It breaks my heart a little to say that as this game holds a great deal of nostalgia for me and, at the time, Disney's Hercules: Action Game was one of my PS1 gaming staples. 

Developer: Eurocom
Genre: Platformer

Release date: November 1997

Platforms: PS1 and PC  

ESRB: E - Everyone

When I first played this game I did find it genuinely fun and, on my second playthrough as an adult, I admit it has its charms but only on account of the nostalgia. When judging it based on its merits it’s hard to see beyond the boring and linear gameplay, annoying film clips and rehashed soundbites taken directly from the film. Overall, it’s an extremely short game and has very few levels that look better than they play, and they don’t look particularly exceptional.

The game is almost entirely in 2D though there are times when you have to walk backwards or forwards into an additional layer of the environment, before continuing with the regular side scrolling that the game exists on. There are ten levels overall but the last two, in the Underworld and the Vortex of Souls, are only available if you’re playing the game on either medium or hard difficulty though their addition does help to bulk the game out a little. There are a couple of levels in the game where you are unable to fight and instead must continually run forward, slowing or speeding up, whilst avoiding obstacles. One of the earlier levels features this rush type gameplay where you must avoid Phil’s hero training obstacles such as sharks, sword wielding dummies and giant stone fists that violently drop from above. This is, admittedly, quite fun to play through on the first attempt especially on the higher difficulty levels since it’s such an iconic scene from the film that you kind of enjoy playing through it, even if it is just for kicks.  

There are plenty of power ups and collectibles to collect during the levels. Your energy bar can be increased by picking up Hercules action figure dolls whereas your health can be replenished by drinking ‘Herculade’ that you probably remember from the film. Generally, you’re stuck with a regular old sword but you can also pick up power ups for it to give it magical abilities. I’m not sure where they got this idea from but I guess they can add a little creative embellishment in an attempt to make things more fun. These weapons are called ‘Gifts from the Gods’ which basically adds on stuff like a long stream of lightning that you can move about, fire balls that shoot off in any which direction and a sort of sonic blade that sends out a dangerous circular sonic blast, killing anything nearby. Finally, you can grab an invincibility helmet that makes you impervious to damage from a few seconds. There are two forms of collectibles in the game, for starters there are the letters of the name ‘HERCULES’ which are hidden throughout the level in admittedly really good hiding spots ( I haven’t actually found them all yet). Lastly, there are four vases that when found will give you the password to that level so you can replay it. 

Even when trying to find all these collectibles you’ll probably be able to complete this game in just a few hours, and it won’t necessarily be a fun few hours either. Though the game has its quirky moments that are fun for a bit it’s not really a substantial amount of enjoyment and it’s unlikely you’ll ever want to play the game again. Graphically, the game is reasonable and it has some really nice levels such as the early training levels and the dangerous jaunt through the city called ‘The Big Olive’ which has a few moments where you smile and go, ‘oh yeah’ as you remember the context from the film. The audio is a little irritating and the music is very repetitive, but good quality. The inclusion of low quality clips from the film to help explain the storyline can thankfully be skipped as they’re quite frequent and juts feel like a bulking agent to make the game last longer. Overall, there’s nothing particularly offensive about the game, it basically stands as a good little game for children or for those who enjoy knocking out a couple of hours on an old 90s Disney game without high expectations.

The Good:

• Iconic scenes from film fun to engage in.
• Decent levels, nice variety and very detailed.
• Well animated enemies
• Collectibles for the purists is always a good thing.
• Powerups mean you can cleave through enemies quickly. 
  

The Bad:

• Often you're just running to the side of the screen, continuously. 
• Repetative audio and music.
• Quite a bland experience.
• Very short.
• Lack of analog sticks means your fingers will hurt because of stubborn controls. 
  

The Score: 5/10

If you want to play this you can check out my passwords for all levels in all difficulties here. 

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5 Days a Stranger - Full Review (Free PC game)

This point and click horror adventure game is witty, intriguing and extremely engaging despite the archetypal sounding plotline. What’s even better is this is a completely free game so, for that reason alone, you should definitely play this fantastic, albeit creepy, little gem. 5 Days A Stranger is an amateur game created by Ben “Yahtzee” Crowshaw and made using the Adventure Game Studio tool. Despite the game’s modest backgrounds 5 days a stranger has won a handful of awards so with all the raving reviews I just had to play it, and here I am, raving about it because it was an incredibly enjoyable experience.

Gameplay and plot

5 days a stranger is set entirely inside the DeFoe manor house mostly due to the fact that after Trilby, gentleman slash cat-burglar, enters the house to steal some valuables he finds himself unable to get back out the window again. No problem, he thinks, he’ll just try another window since his one is oddly stuck, but all the windows are jammed. And so are the doors, plus the wall is too tall to climb and far too smooth to get a grip on it anyway, and… wait, what’s this? There’s a layer of thick concrete beneath the lawn in the backyard. Something’s not right here and, worse still, Trilby’s not the only unfortunate soul stuck in this mansion. Together with a group of strangers, Trilby must find a way out of this luxurious country manor but when the murders begin suspicion threatens to tear this fragile union apart. What is the dark secrets that lurk within the DeFoe manor, who is stalking its opulent corridors and why the hell did Trilby’s fence not research the place before sending him there? 

I was hooked into this game in its first few moments after, discovering the window was jammed, I meandered on downstairs and ran into a man called Phillip. Phillip is another trapped thief, just not a gentlemanly one, who’s also got a bit of an attitude problem. It’s Phillip who you first get to talk to properly and it’s Phillip who’s the first one to explain what’s been going on in the house. At first he thinks you’re here to rescue them all but when he realizes you’re trapped too he explains what’s been going on, in some way or another every person in that house have been separated from their friends or co-workers and come into the house alone and, once they’re inside, they’re trapped. What’s really unusual though is that Trilby got in through a window and as he rightly points out, how did nobody notice it was unlocked for his arrival? The trapped guests were periodically checking every potential escape route, taking it in turns and being completely thorough but somehow that one window had been wide open just long enough for Trilby’s arrival. There’s something else at work in this house, some kind of intelligence, and my God I wanted to know what it was. Phillip thinks it’s a reality TV show, Trilby’s not so sure and for some reason I was more concerned that the fridge in the kitchen was devoid of food. They’re going to let us starve? I wondered to myself, staring at a huge pile of salt in a kitchen cupboard. Are they serious, how have these people been surviving, what have they been eating, the carpets? It’s been days! I really didn’t realize this was a horror game and that things were going to get a lot worse than rumbling tummies. 

The plot drags you in and forces you to stay, just like that bloody house, because it builds up suspense wonderfully and never reveals its hand until the last moment. It does admittedly contain some slightly typical themes, like being locked in a creepy mansion by some unseen force, but it’s all combined in a rather original way and, genuinely, I was confused as to what was going on just like the characters. The plot unfolds very gradually and primarily through reading the few texts present in the game which are short but sad. There’s a pretty decent twist in the storyline that you may or may not see coming, depending on how versed you are in creepy mansion fiction, and the conclusion is very satisfying and nicely wraps everything up. For some reason I was expecting an ending that was going to be anti-climactic and though it didn’t exactly have whistles and bells on it was very fitting, cumulative and had good a splash of humour just to top it all off. 

The way you play the game is very simple; you have several icons that can be used to interact with the world; walking, using, talking and looking. You switch which of these you use by clicking them at the bottom of the screen or by using the F1 – F4 keys on your keyboard and then use them on the environment to navigate around the place, talk to people or find and pick up items. Sometimes you’ll have to combine things to make new items to advance the game and to solve the puzzles within it. The game itself is split into days which act as chapters, between each day you’ll get a cutscene which is usually rather disturbing and very confusing. Each day something will change and they’ll be a new task for you to complete, the first day for example is mostly just finding out what’s going on and meeting everybody. But then things get strange and you’ll have a lot more on your hands.

Graphics and audio

The horror elements of the game are apparent; there’s a fair bit of gore and some very dark themes though none of it is over the top and it’s certainly nowhere near as disturbing as IHNM. The blood and gore may not look like much to those glancing over but when you’re wrapped up in the storyline and the feel of the game it’s positively terrifying when the rare but effective gory scenes jump out at you. The graphics are a lot more subdued than other point and clicks but there’s no denying it looks pretty decent and is no less than I’d want from a 2003 point and click adventure game. There’s clearly a lot of detail that has been put into the environments and there’s a really great feel and personality present in the DeFoe manor, among other things. The animation of the characters too is truly brilliant. I’ll never forget how Trilby’s usually stoic face was contorted into utter, wide eyed fear as he awoke from a terrifying nightmare and the ability to portray that with such limiting graphics is exceptional. 

There’s not a great deal of audio in the game and it’s mostly restricted to sound effects such as footsteps and the creaking of opening doors. I encountered an annoying audio bug that meant whenever I clicked off the screen to look at something else the audio would repeat on itself over and over, such as his footsteps endlessly walking. Bugs aside, the audio is decent and the music is sufficiently creepy. Initially the music was only really present in the intro and credits but with the full edition of the game now available there is music throughout the game and it rises and falls with the tempo that the game sets. Though the music is creepy in and of itself it’s particularly disturbing when it cuts out entirely, leaving you standing there in the still silence wondering what’s caused this dramatic shift in atmosphere…

Overall

The personality of this game is not just restricted to the appearance of the DeFoe manor or its grounds, the characters are really well written and with very distinct personalities and great dialogue. Trilby in particular is such a brilliant character; charming and witty with bags of likeability factor that makes him an extremely strong protagonist for such a short little game. Trilby’s little comments when you look at things or talk to people are guaranteed to raise a few smirks and he is so utterly memorable I felt sad leaving him behind when the credits rolled. 

This game is the first of the Chzo Mythos series and if you enjoy this one it’s great knowing that the journey doesn’t end there as there are 4 sequels, though they’re not all point and click games. ‘5 days a stranger’ will last you around about 3 hours of play and I enjoyed it so much I wished for it to be longer with a lot more actions to perform and more item combinations in general. The game had some good puzzles and at one point I was left standing on a windowsill for ages, unsure of where to go from there, so I can’t say it wasn’t a challenging game. At times it was too easy but for a free game, it’s simply outstanding.

Score: 8/10

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Evil Twin, Cyprien's Chronicles - Full Review (PS2, PC and Dreamcast game)

It’s probably for the best that this game is largely unheard of. It feels clumsy, looks rushed and unkempt and has the strangest dialogue I’ve ever experienced, barring ‘Two Worlds’. I’m not sure what I expected for £2 when I picked this up from Cex but I know I wasn’t expecting beautiful, though rather intrusive, music, surreal but fascinating boss monsters and the most obnoxious teenager in dungarees ever to grace my PlayStation. This game was released in 2001 for the PS2 and 2002 for the PC and Dreamcast by Ubisoft and is perhaps one of Ubisoft's better kept secrets.

I was really hopeful when the game booted up because the opening cutscene was genuinely lovely, it had this beautifully soft piano music, cinematic thunderstorms and panning over the lonely, dark looking orphanage. When it entered the orphanage itself the camera gracefully showcased the rusty showers, dripping taps, grotty water pipes and overall the horribly dirty and neglected bathroom that these children had to endure. It was all so eerie, so sad, so beautifully melancholy… then the camera focused on a boy at the sink, staring at his reflection and my word, he was hideous. Blocky, choppy, strange spoon shaped hands and though he looked like an 8 year old he spoke as though he’d not only hit puberty but it had hit him, repeatedly. Needless to say, I was not only disappointed but I was actually a little pained as what followed was the most headache inducing game I have ever played. And I’ve played ‘Two Worlds’.

Gameplay and plot

The general plotline of 'Evil Twin, Cyprien's Chronicles' is that you play Cyprien, a young boy living in an orphanage who’s feeling rather down and depressed because it’s his birthday and also the day his parents died. His friends throw a surprise party but Cyprien becomes furious at their constant attempts to make him feel better, goddamn them, and storms away from the party. In his bedroom he hops on the bed and starts talking to a talking teddy bear wearing a full length purple coat called Lenny who apparently, Cyprien gave life to. Cyprien rants and raves about his friends, banishing Lenny, condemning his world to oblivion then weighing up whether that would mean he was dead or not. Then he begins to laugh manically, during all of this drama the room darkens and we see shots of the boys at the party being dragged away by dark tendrils and Lenny disappearing behind Cyprien. By the time Cyprien’s come down from his gleeful high he realizes Lenny is gone and starts to panic before he himself fades away. When he awakens he’s in a drowned world with floating crates and muddy islands. What the hell have I gotten myself into this time, is all I could think, still trying to work out what exactly had just happened and why there had been a talking bear. Cyprien must now try and find his lost bear and friends who have become trapped in this world, along the way he will meet many strange creatures and learn the history of this bizarre place. 

The game plays like a 3D platformer similar to what you’d get from 'Croc' or 'Vexx' and once you’ve gotten used to the temperamental camera controls it’s a fairly easy ride. You jump between ledges, rocks and platforms to navigate your way through the world and, though there is no real indication where you’re supposed to go, you will easily find your way. Initially the world looks quite repulsive because it’s all muddy platforms and garish green water that hurts you a little when you fall into it. That’s not to say the rest of the game looks stunning but as an opening level they sure did pick an ugly one. As you jump between platforms you will find some items along the way, usually in the form of tiny floating bear heads that, after you’ve collected 100 of them, will give you an extra life. 

After the initial level you gain access to SuperCyp; Cyprien’s alter-ego who’s basically some kind of super hero with the ability to jump higher, shoot fire balls and glide a little. You activate SuperCyp by grabbing tiny floating SuperCyp heads which fill a meter up, once the meter is full you can transform into him and maintain that form by grabbing more of the heads. You can also pick up extra lives which are few and far between though you probably won’t need them as the game is painfully easy. Whilst SuperCyp uses his fire missiles to destroy enemies regular Cyprien has a slingshot which you can use by either zooming in for more accurate aiming or just mashing the fire button which is almost guaranteed to hit the enemy, provided you’re pointed towards him. The enemies are incredibly easy to kill and have terrible AI, quite often I was able to stand a few feet away and just continually fire at them with my slingshot without them even responding. If you’re looking for at least some form of challenge, you will be disappointed with the regular enemies. 

I was generally disappointed with the entire game because there are some genuinely brilliant elements like the dark surrealism and the unique storyline that’s just ruined by shoddy craftsmanship. The lore too is quite curious and the world that Lenny came from, and the one you’re now trapped in, really has the potential to be something very interesting but it just all feels a bit rushed and underappreciated. The dark surrealism and the gothic fantasy entwine perfectly and if nothing else the game is atmospheric but from a mechanical standpoint it’s simply awful. I was constantly getting stuck in bits of floor and between objects and sometimes the collision detection is simply non-existent. All of these mechanical problems coupled with terrible lip synching, an awful camera and frustrating controls means you’ll be lucky to see this game through to the point where things start to get good.

Graphics and audio

I’m not one to usually talk much about the audio of a game but the voice acting of this game is really quite horrendous. I don’t know why but every time Cyprien talks to another character it sounds as though they’re in some terrible comedy sketch because everything is just so forced and sarcastic. Cyprien is voiced by an adult and, considering he looks about ten years old, this is extremely off putting and a little disturbing. What’s even stranger is he keeps swearing and then at one point accused a guard of being racist, so I was left with little clue as to how old he actually was. Cyprien is generally very obnoxious which would be manageable if it was well acted but all it really does is give me a headache. There’s also a lot of dialogue too and I kept finding myself laughing at what they were saying, in a bad way. That said, the music of the game is very nice. It’s creepily reminiscent of a haunted fairground and, considering there’s a lot of child themes like buttons and toys in the game, this is likely intentional. The music is very overbearing during dialogue however as it does not stop but seems to get louder, making it very difficult to hear what’s being said. If the subtitles hadn’t been on I’m not sure I’d have been able to grasp anything that was being said to me due to the insistently loud and invasive background music.

The graphics are fairly bi-polar as sometimes you get some rather interesting areas that are detailed, quirky and exploring. Most of these nicer areas come a lot later on in the game and what you’re given in the early stages of the game are fairly hideous. Usually though it’s the interiors that are the nicest places to be as there is no shortage of decoration and objects to pad everything out. The exteriors are a huge let down however and a lot of the game is unfortunately spent running around outside. Generally the exteriors are bland, empty, badly designed and just plain boring really. Almost everything is smeared brown, greys or orange so if it wasn’t bad enough that there’s nothing to look at in the first place, what you’re left looking at is ugly and uninteresting. The game is split into different islands and, at one point, a boat so there’s a fair bit of diversity with where you get to explore. It’s only when the game really gets into the swing of it that you’re treated to the interesting surrealist environments, bosses and creatures that the game actually does well.

The characters are extremely blocky and choppy and to be fair this is on the PlayStation 2 so a lot of that is to be expected and for what they are, the characters could be worse. Mostly I’m just confused as to why the hands are shaped like warped spoons with no fingers and why the characters all have huge anime eyes. The characters are all very well designed however and there are some particularly memorable and disturbing looking boss monsters that are perfectly suited to the bizarre, dreamlike fantasy world that they inhabit.

Overall

I found this game very hard to grasp at the beginning because everything feels under-explained and there are some incredibly strange and bizarre moments. The whole thing feels as though it had an amazing premise and someone who really cared about it that was then ruined by half-assed mechanics, awful voice acting and some terrible level design. The strong points are the graphics and character design, as well as the music even if it was a bit loud, and I was quite intrigued at some of the characters I met along the way. I found Cyprien to be an extremely irritating protagonist and would never want to play him again, his ability to turn into SuperCyp felt pointless and more like an attempt to make the game more action orientated when truly it wasn’t necessary. The controls are diabolical, aiming with the slingshot is frustrating and awkward and the camera’s unpredictable nature made me want to throw the controller away and go play something else. By sticking around for several hours I found myself enjoying the places I was visiting and the things I was seeing but it took a lot of persistence to stomach the terrible game far enough into the storyline for things to start happening . You’ll get around about ten hours to fifteen hours of play out of this game so at least it’s not too short and there’s plenty of build-up, if only they’d tried a bit harder and fleshed it out more. Frankly, I think this game would have been better suited as an RPG.

Score: 5/10

Note: If you're thinking of playing this game then feel free to check out the cheats for it, here. 

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The Bard's Tale - Guest review on Indie Retro News (MS-DOS, PC game)

‘The Bard’s Tale’ is a critically successful dungeon crawler trilogy with its first instalment; Tales of the Unknown: Version I having been released in 1985. This game is your classic RPG that also bares an extremely close resemblance to ‘Wizardry’ though with upgraded graphics and some additional, innovative gameplay elements. The game features your standard turn based combat, first person dungeon crawling that will leave you painstakingly mapping out the maze-like dungeons and also riddle based puzzles that will have you trekking back to another dungeon just to find the answer. The Bard’s Tale is a classic case of what 1985 contributed to the world of RPG gaming; lots of hard work, punishingly difficult battles, and a great sense of accomplishment when you finally kill the bad guy.   If you enjoy a good old RPG that’s not so much focused on the story but rather on the gameplay then you should definitely try out this game.

Read the rest of my review on Indie Retro News, you can find it here. Enjoy! :)  

To discover more of my old PC game reviews, check out this page here.

‘The Bard’s Tale’ is a critically successful dungeon crawler trilogy with its first installment; Tales of the Unknown: Version 1 having been released in 1985. This game is your classic RPG that also bares an extremely close resemblance to ‘Wizardry’ though with upgraded graphics and some additional, innovative game play elements. The game features your standard turn based combat, first person dungeon crawling that will leave you painstakingly mapping out the maze-like dungeons and also riddle based puzzles that will have you trekking back to another dungeon just to find the answer. 'The Bard’s Tale'is a classic case of what 1985 contributed to the world of RPG gaming; lots of hard work, punishingly difficult battles, and a great sense of accomplishment when you finally kill the bad guy.   If you enjoy a good old RPG that’s not so much focused on the story but rather on the game play then you should definitely try out this game. - See more at: http://www.indieretronews.com/2014/05/the-bards-tale-tale-worth-telling-if.html#sthash.6nE9Fw20.M50maQB1.dpuf

‘The Bard’s Tale’ is a critically successful dungeon crawler trilogy with its first installment; Tales of the Unknown: Version 1 having been released in 1985. This game is your classic RPG that also bares an extremely close resemblance to ‘Wizardry’ though with upgraded graphics and some additional, innovative game play elements. The game features your standard turn based combat, first person dungeon crawling that will leave you painstakingly mapping out the maze-like dungeons and also riddle based puzzles that will have you trekking back to another dungeon just to find the answer. 'The Bard’s Tale'is a classic case of what 1985 contributed to the world of RPG gaming; lots of hard work, punishingly difficult battles, and a great sense of accomplishment when you finally kill the bad guy.   If you enjoy a good old RPG that’s not so much focused on the story but rather on the game play then you should definitely try out this game. - See more at: http://www.indieretronews.com/2014/05/the-bards-tale-tale-worth-telling-if.html#sthash.6nE9Fw20.M50maQB1.dpuf

‘The Bard’s Tale’ is a critically successful dungeon crawler trilogy with its first installment; Tales of the Unknown: Version 1 having been released in 1985. This game is your classic RPG that also bares an extremely close resemblance to ‘Wizardry’ though with upgraded graphics and some additional, innovative game play elements. The game features your standard turn based combat, first person dungeon crawling that will leave you painstakingly mapping out the maze-like dungeons and also riddle based puzzles that will have you trekking back to another dungeon just to find the answer. 'The Bard’s Tale'is a classic case of what 1985 contributed to the world of RPG gaming; lots of hard work, punishingly difficult battles, and a great sense of accomplishment when you finally kill the bad guy.   If you enjoy a good old RPG that’s not so much focused on the story but rather on the game play then you should definitely try out this game. - See more at: http://www.indieretronews.com/2014/05/the-bards-tale-tale-worth-telling-if.html#sthash.6nE9Fw20.M50maQB1.dpuf

‘The Bard’s Tale’ is a critically successful dungeon crawler trilogy with its first installment; Tales of the Unknown: Version 1 having been released in 1985. This game is your classic RPG that also bares an extremely close resemblance to ‘Wizardry’ though with upgraded graphics and some additional, innovative game play elements. The game features your standard turn based combat, first person dungeon crawling that will leave you painstakingly mapping out the maze-like dungeons and also riddle based puzzles that will have you trekking back to another dungeon just to find the answer. 'The Bard’s Tale'is a classic case of what 1985 contributed to the world of RPG gaming; lots of hard work, punishingly difficult battles, and a great sense of accomplishment when you finally kill the bad guy.   If you enjoy a good old RPG that’s not so much focused on the story but rather on the game play then you should definitely try out this game. - See more at: http://www.indieretronews.com/2014/05/the-bards-tale-tale-worth-telling-if.html#sthash.6nE9Fw20.M50maQB1.dpuf

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The Unfinished Swan - Full Review (PS3 game)

The Unfinished Swan is a game of childish wonderment and discovery where everything along its path is a new and intriguing curiosity for you to explore. This game is flawless, enriching and deeply enjoyable and has the ability to keep you wanting more even after you’ve completed it. The Unfinished Swan is a beautifully captivating tale that’s told in a storybook manner by a softly spoken woman who straight away manages to captures your attention as though you were back in nursery school. You’re first introduced to a young boy called Monroe and his mother who loved to paint but who was always better at starting things than finishing them. Her most favourite of all her paintings was the Unfinished Swan who’s missing a bit of his neck. When Monroe’s mother dies, leaving Monroe alone in an orphanage, the only thing Monroe has left of her is this single painting. One night, the young boy awakens to find a door in his room that he’d never seen before. The swan in the painting has someone mysteriously disappeared leaving nothing but a blank canvass. Figuring the swan must have gone through this door, Monroe enters it too; and that’s where the story really begins.

Gameplay

This game had me confused when I first played it because you’re quite literally left staring at a blank white screen with a tiny, barely noticeable crosshair in the middle. There’s a grey balloon in one corner and apart from that, no HUD. I wasn’t even sure if the game had started or not but after a tentative press of the controls I heard my own feet on the ground, I pressed X and heard myself jump and land. I was intrigued. After some running about on this blank canvass I found that you could launch what seemed to be large balls of ink and suddenly; I had found a wall, made apparent the large splatter of ink now staining the white abyss in front of me. I did the only natural thing; I spun in a circle and splattered ink in every which direction, revealing above me beams of wood and on one of the walls a door, it’s shape just about recognizable through the contrast of black and white. The door couldn’t be opened and it took me a little longer before I found a corner to the room. I could only see where I was going by splattering ink in front of me and where the very edges of the splat met with the white canvass revealed to me detail; a bench, bamboo, tiny black blades of grass . I could hear birds tweeting and distant the distant twinkling of what sounded like a wind chime. I almost stepped into a lake, so intent I was at exploring this strange new world, but was saved when the embankment was suddenly made visible in front of me. Experimentally I threw some black balls of ink in front of me, revealing a few grasses and whilst some of the ink balls plopped into the white water and sunk beneath the water's surface, those that remained were eaten by a few large fish that leapt from the murky white water before me. A frog croaked and I saw it briefly before a huge sea monster dived out of the lake and snapped it up right before diving back down and out of sight again. Stumbling backwards dramatically I suddenly felt incredibly vulnerable in this blank, white world.

The entire game isn’t like this; a blank white canvass for you to splatter ink on, but the first few areas are and it’s so satisfying to reveal things like iron gates, a castle, the boardwalks over the lake as you carefully tread only where you’ve uncovered. The game changes things up just when it’s about to start feeling repetitive by adding in very simplistic additions like painted on shadows to help you find your way around. Later on there are some really interesting puzzle elements and environments such as a terrifyingly dark forest where you can activate glowing baubles of coloured light to temporarily illuminate the area before you’re injured by unseen creatures. Every time you’re introduced to a new mechanic for traversing the landscape you’ll be fascinated and amused at this new feature and the sudden contrasts that it has caused in the surrounding environment.

The gameplay is not challenging and it’s not really supposed to be. There were a few times where I was unsure about how to continue or go about something but after some wandering about and looking around it becomes pretty apparent what you’re supposed to do. It’s not a negative thing that the gameplay is unchallenging because you’re there to experience a journey, not a struggle, and the constant shifting of puzzles means it doesn’t feel boring or one-dimensional. As an added gameplay element there are hidden balloons to find in each level which you activate by throwing balls at. It sounds like a silly, childish thing to find but they’re actually extremely difficult to locate due of the nature of the environments. For instance, balloons early on in the story are pure white to blend in with the blank white canvass of your surroundings and the only way you’ll find them is by seeing them shift against a partially splattered black and white backdrop. Finding and unlocking the balloons is purely optional and you can always go back to levels you’ve already completed to try and track them down. The purpose of them is that you can unlock special abilities such as a balloon locator, a water hose used for throwing ink in a long stream or the ability to stop time, put down a lot of ink balls that remain suspended in the air, then restarting time and allowing them to splatter the scenery all at once. This last one is particularly useful for when you’re throwing water that fades away quickly instead of the permanent black ink of the earlier levels. 

Though there are no other characters in the game, other than the swan himself, you don’t feel entirely alone due to the narrative and the storyline that you’re following. The story itself is primarily told through simplistic, hand drawn storyboards that are very basic in appearance; black and white outlines with a little delicate colouring in here and there. Some areas have large storyboards on a wall or piece of scenery that, when you throw a ball at them, they melt away into the page of a book with an accompanying image. The same woman who tells the story before and after levels will read out the page in gentle, soothing tones as though reading a children’s book and it’s such a quaint way of finding out what’s going on that you actively search for each and every page so you don’t miss a thing. If you enjoy a good plot then this is the storyline that will keep you playing as more and more is revealed about the unusual, dreamlike world you’ve entered and the ending is a curious, but lovely, thing.

Graphics and audio

Though the graphics are simplistic and understated they are extremely pleasing to the eye. The entire world is so perfectly pieced together that the simplistic nature of the graphics merely showcases the confidence of the developers. This game doesn’t need incredibly high definition graphics because it’s a world of paint and canvas and in this world less is more. Colour is done perfectly and there’s a great emphasis on making things stand out like the black on the white, bright vibrant colours on a black canvass and the shocking green of life in a dead city. Nothing looks unappealing or boring and there’s just enough detail to make something feel full yet not overcrowded which is a mistake that could have been very easily happened in the city environments. Overall the game has a lot of levels that it feels really substantial and each chapter has a different element that keeps it really fresh and interesting. What’s even better is that that starting level’s world isn’t just white out of random decision; the storyline explains it as you progress through the game so it’s not just a game where you play at being an artist. There’s a reason and a good, solid narrative behind everything and also lots of interesting little bits that makes every new area worth exploring and appreciating. 

The game not only looks stunning but it sounds brilliant too. In those early moments of the game sound is all you’ve got to go on to find your way around. That clang of hitting an iron gate with a ball of ink as it suddenly appears before you; strikingly black, now partially swung open is wonderful. The tell-tale clacking of your feet on a tiled roof and the creaking and groaning from an unseen construction tower is all incredibly atmospheric and it’s these little things that you really notice. The music is lovely too. Initially subtle and pleasant, childlike almost, the music dips and dives into something a little more sinister or a little more majestic as your environment changes and the game progresses. The voice acting is also quite simply spot on. The soft tones of the storyteller drops you straight into ‘bedtime story’ mode whilst the odd little grunts and noises that your character plays are cute, simple but effective and really do make Monroe come to life. 

Overall

There’s plenty of artistic indie games out there on the market but none of them quite like The Unfinished Swan. The healthy mixture of storybook narration and the constant engagement with your imagination makes this a game that bucks the trend and encourages you to look at the world from a different perspective. If you enjoy games that are different, imaginative and beautifully refined then this game is for you where every new challenge and puzzle is more creative and original than the last. Though it may be a short game it has plenty in it to keep you occupied and it will take a good handful of hours to finish everything and, even then, it’s an experience you’ll really enjoy playing through again. This is quite simply a gorgeous game. 

Score: 10/10

To discover more of my PS3 game reviews, check out this page here.

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Child of Light - Full Review (Xbox One/360, PS4/PS3, PC and Wii-U)

“Come, tuck yourself into bed. Let me tell a story. Of Lemuria, a kingdom past. And a girl born for glory.” 

Child of Light is a beautiful piece of poetic artwork that stands as a solid nod to traditional RPG gaming yet with its own clear sense of identity. It’s not a joyful tale as the artwork suggests but instead an incredibly moving and deeply saddening story of a lost young girl and a grieving father.Through the use of the fantastic UbiArt Framework, an engine that helped to create the stunning ‘Rayman Origins’ and ‘Rayman Legends’, Child of Light now stands proudly as Ubisoft’s latest artistic masterpiece. The game boasts an unusual, but curious, combination of turn based RPG and 2D side scrolling platformer gameplay that gives it an immediate edge over the competition. Somehow the blending of these two genres have led to the creation of something incredibly creative and incredibly original but which suffers from a lack of any real challenge and a very predictable, short storyline. Regardless, this is a tale that unfolds itself before you with such grace and beauty that you simply cannot abandon it before its time. This casual game carries itself with such style and confidence that it doesn’t take long for you to fall victim to its charms and, before you know it, you’ve been pattering around the beautiful landscapes of Lemuria for hours.

Gameplay and plot

The true nature of this game is revealed in its earliest moments when a young girl, the daughter of a powerful ruler, is stricken down by some unexplained illness. The close relationship this girl had with her father is not only apparent but utterly destroyed when, one morning, she doesn’t wake. The king is thrown into despair and, rather than care for the kingdom that needs him, instead chooses to shut himself away in his grief. But he is not the only one who is lost; somewhere else his daughter has awakened only to find herself in an unfamiliar place, far away from the comfort of her home. This beautiful but haunting land is called Lemuria and it has lately fallen victim to a mysterious character known only as the Queen of the Night. This evil queen has stolen away the sun, moon and stars of the land and it now falls to Aurora, aided by her ethereal companion, to not only recover these stolen celestial bodies but to also be reunited with her father. This is a coming of age story with a difference that will show the lengths this young princess needs to go to become the woman she needs to be to tackle adversary and save the ones she loves. 

Taking on the role of this lost young girl you’ll be transported into a beautiful hand drawn world that seems to exist entirely from a child’s perspective, from its poetic narrative to its picture book appearance this waking dream will leave you feeling utterly enchanted. Feeding into the undernourished concept of artistic gaming Ubisoft have bucked the trends of traditional gaming and instead veered down a route usually only travelled by indie developers such as Thatgamecompany, Playdead and Giant Sparrow. Not only this, the game has been designed with a cross-generational appeal in mind in order to fight back against the negative stereotype that video games damage children. What with the media trotting out the idea that games are harmful, violent and something to be avoided ‘Child of Light’ has instead produced a game that parents would be proud to, not only give to their children, but to play with them too. You can immediately see the appeal to parents and their children however as the storybook design, rhyming verses and lack of complicated menus means that even very young children will find this game engaging.  

A bit problem with these sorts of co-op RPG games is that they can often result in a restricted second player who can do no more than exist as a spectator and maybe even grab some coins or experience during battle, such as in ‘Super Mario Galaxy’. Rather than this though the developers have ensured that the supporting character of Igniculus, Aurora’s firefly companion, is able to help at every stage of the game from exploring the environment to aiding in battle. Whilst Aurora is the one doing most of the fighting Igniculus is also incredibly useful and thankfully doesn’t just sit around on the side-lines. Igniculus can slow down enemies during battles by hovering over them and slowing down their personal timer which delays their attack. Igniculus can also heal party members by absorbing magic and energy from the surrounding environment making Igniculus more of a supporting role than a defined party member. Outside of battle Igniculus can also access certain treasure chests, switches and also help Aurora progress through some very simple puzzles.

The battle system of Child of Light is very familiar to those who play RPG and JRPG games. The combat is turn based with active time, meaning that a lot of tactics are involved in order to use your time efficiently. The battle system is very similar to what you’d find in a Final Fantasy game with your standard levelling up, increasing your stats and also an upgrade tree. The upgrade tree is fairly problematic with far too many choices that all offer more or less the same minor bonuses that you can achieve by simply levelling up. Your party has a maximum size of six members by the time you reach the end of the game but during combat you are limited to just two of these characters, though you can switch them in and out which is handy. Prior to battle enemies are encountered in a very standard JRPG manner; battles trigger whilst exploring the environment and coming across an enemy but with Igniculus’ help you can bypass these encounters entirely. If Igniculus runs ahead and shines his light on the enemy he can temporarily blind them, allowing Aurora to run through unscathed.

The battles themselves generally boil down to the individual resistances and vulnerabilities of each character so whereas one may be particularly resistant to fire characters another may  be weak to them, requiring you to bolster their fire defence or just switch them out entirely. What this results in is quite a bit of character juggling as you move through the areas but it’s still a manageable amount due to the limited number of party members. The means in which you can buff your party members falls down to crafting special gems called Oculi which are really the games only crafting resource. Oculi are used to buff attacks, defences and also provide other benefits like additional experience and an increased chance of dodging. There are ten base gems such as sapphire and rubies which all have their individual properties so, diamonds increase your speed, earn additional experience from battle and also increase your casting speed. You can then combine gems of roughly the same quality, be that rough, tumbled or faceted to then create other gems of higher quality. Three rough gems of the same kind, for example, will produce one tumbled gem.  Unfortunately there’s no in game recipe chart or any form of guide so it can be quite difficult to remember how to make a particular gem without the use of pen and paper or just having to memorize everything .  

Graphics and audio

The first thing you immediately notice about this game is the stunning visuals. Whether that’s the beautiful and intricately hand drawn environments or the simple but delicately tailored HUD and font that compliments the overall feel of the game.  The environments and landscapes are incredibly varied with some very lovely visual elements such as droplets of colour rising from the ground to the sky as though a wet watercoloured painting was turned completely upside down. The game holds classic fantasy imagery everywhere you go and the childlike picture book quality does wonders for the atmosphere of this strange place. You really only need to look at the screenshots to see what a visual masterpiece this game truly is but what the screens don’t show is how beautiful the game not only looks, but sounds. The music is striking but gentle and provides a wonderfully relaxed, almost whimsical sense to the entire game though it can often dip into the melancholic and subdued as the story addresses more saddening issues.  It is clearly apparent that much loving care and craft has been poured into making sure this game punches you with the right visuals as they uplifting your spirits, swell your heart then drop you back down again with its melancholic, orchestrated melodies the leave you feeling emotionally tied up with the story. 

Overall

What let this game down was the simplistic gameplay and overly predictable storyline. It may be unfair to dismiss this game as far too easy because, and the developers have admitted as much, it’s aimed at parents and their children. The rhyming structure of the game, whilst intriguing at first, quickly becomes more of a limitation on narrative than an enhancement and sometimes you can sense that the writers struggling to keep in pace with this difficult task. The game is also very short with only about 12 hours of gameplay within it and though it is an enjoyable 12 hours it could have done with a lot of additional content. Despite the spattering of side quests alongside the main storyline the game still feels a little barren. With a game that looks and sounds so perfect and which provides such a promising concept and storyline it's hard not to feel let down as you realize the game is already drawing to a close after just several hours of play time. Despite its problems the game is a nice addition to artistic games, especially considering it’s from such a well-known developer. I can only hope that, in the future, Ubisoft try again but with something a little more fleshed out and with more effort put into the actual structure of the game. For a game that costs just £12 though it's very difficult to see these complaints through and, honestly, I only wish there was more of it because what was there was so enjoyable and so endearing.

Score: 8/10

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