iPhone Stepping Up As A Major Handheld

Written By Stephen Heller

While the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP have been enjoying their supremacy in the handheld market this generation, Apple’s iPhone is really stepping it up. With graphics that are better than the Nintendo DS, and an easy to access App Store, one has to wonder what is next for the multi function device.

The recently released Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition from Lucasarts has found it’s way onto the App Store, and with all the features intact from it’s Xbox 360 and PC counterparts. Weighing in at a mere 350mb and a measly $9.99 you can purchase a fully fledged game that will last 5-10 hours, for less than a quarter of the price of a new release Nintendo DS game.

Other developers are really backing the platform, EA releasing hand held versions of The Sims 3 and Spore, classic games such as Uno and new unique titles such as the ever popular Tap Tap Revenge. Even classics such as Wolfenstein 3D are making an appearance on the app store.

Will the iPhone replace the Nintendo DS or the Sony PSP? While the iPhone does rival such devices, it doesn’t make a sale purely as a gaming device. The fact that Nintendo and Sony tailor their experience purely as a gaming device will suit games better. What the iPhone does manage to do is open up the door to quality games for casual gamers.

What are your thoughts on the iPhone becoming a formidable force in the world of handheld gaming?

Return of the Adventure?

Return of the Adventure?

Adventure games dominated the PC gaming scene in the early 1990’s. Their complex stories, memorable characters, uncanny ability to sit on the edge of clever dialogue and puzzling challenges seemed to be the formula for success. Companies such as Lucasarts and Sierra On-Line ran ahead of the pack releasing what are still today, some of the greatest adventure games of all time.

With the ever increasing popularity of the First Person Shooter with the phenomenal successes of Wolfenstein 3-D, Quake and Doom, and of course the continuing increases in home console development and market share, Adventure Gaming seemed to be a dying art by the end of the 90’s. Lucasarts pulled out of the race entirely, closing up their adventure department and cancelling popular series sequels such as Sam & Max Freelance Police which left fans of the genre with a sombre outlook on their beloved genre.

Yet the past few years have seen an ever increasing buzz in the world of adventure gamers, and now with the release of a new Monkey Island series one has to wonder, could we be seeing the return of the adventure?

Telltale Games have become the front runner with their largely successful Episodic adventure games, already releasing two seasons of new Sam & Max adventures, a series of Strongbad titles, Wallace and Gromit and now a return to an old Lucasarts classic Monkey Island. Gamers across the globe have revelled in the nostalgia value of continuing on with a beloved character in Guybrush Threepwood, and newcomers alike are loving Telltale’s new series so much they are wanting to sink their teeth into the previous titles in the series.

With that in mind Lucasarts are releasing a new “re-imagining” of the original Monkey Island sporting new graphics, with an option to go back to the original graphics of yesteryear. It’s a great concept, and Lucasarts have claimed that if it sells well, we can expect more to come.

With the recently released Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings gamers had the ability to unlock the ability to play through the classic point and click adventure Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. Is Lucasarts testing the water to see if they can make a comeback to the genre after abandoning it so long ago?

Just last week Lucasarts made an important announcement from the Twitter account, stating that they will be releasing their catalogue of titles across the STEAM platform for PC users. One of the first games available was Fate of Atlantis making this the second time it has been re-released this year alone!

Aside from the frontrunners there has been a slew of popular titles in the adventure genre lately with titles such as So Blonde, Zack & Wiki and A Vampyre Story which prove that the genre is really picking up the pace.

The world of adventure gaming has been abandoned for far too long, and with recent investments into old series such as Monkey Island, along with new adventures such as A Vampyre Story it begs the question is this going to be the return of the adventure!

The King Of Pop

June 25th 2009 marked a day that will be remembered in history as the day that one of the worlds greatest entertainers died at the ripe age of 50. Love him or hate him, Michael Jackson was not only one of the most talented, and influential entertainers in history, but also the most successful solo artist of all time.

Bursting on the scene at the young age of ten, Jackson instantly showed a flair for show business as the frontman of The Jackson 5, winning the hearts of the fans and the praise of the critics. His amazing vocal talent made him stand out, and with a series of number one hits behind him and his brothers, in the 1970’s he stepped out on his own to launch a solo career that would launch him to super-stardom.

A series of successful hits from his early efforts, it was the 1982 release Thriller that cemented him as a formidable force. It spawned seven hit singles (there were only nine songs on the album!), won Jackson a total of seven Grammy Awards and still to this day, is the best selling album of all time (It has held that spot for over twenty years!)

Jackson went from strength to strength, releasing juggernaut after juggernaut, becoming an icon for hundreds of thousands of people across the globe, eventually being dubbed “The King Of Pop”.

Of course many of you will be aware of the allegations, the rumors and the controversy that has plagued Jackson over the later section of his career. Believe the tabloid reports or not, Jackson was acquitted of all charges, and this blog isn’t at all about that.

This blog is to reflect on the influence that Jackson has had on the world. He broke down racial barriers in the United States, the immense success of Thriller backed up by MTV airtime paved the way not only for the station, but african-american artists everywhere to be featured on the airwaves. The video clip for Thriller paved the way for music videos as a storytelling art-form.

Michael Jackson was a humble philanthropist, starting up the Heal The World foundation, along with donating many of his concert proceedings to other charities across the globe. His Neverland ranch was constantly in use to bring joy and happiness to thousands of terminally ill children, as a place they could have everything they ever dreamed of at their fingertips.

There is no question that Michael Jackson was eccentric and strange, but writing this article has given me a chance to reflect on exactly what this man meant to the world, and what bearing his passing has on me, someone who never has been a fan of his music. I remember that Friday morning I was standing in the bank, had not even checked the news online and a teller simply blurted out “did you hear about Michael Jackson?”. I wondered “why the hell would she ask that?” so I replied no, to which she told me the news. At first I was shocked, but soon got on with my day and didn’t have another thought about it.

After talking with my parents, and reading up on what this artist achieved, and also listening to a little of his music I can now see what this world has lost. Michael Jackson continually brought us heart and soul through his music, music that melded so many forms of the craft, whether it be soul, rock, R&B or jazz, his unique vocal stylings and often haunting lyrics will be remembered through the ages.

Think what you will, but there is no denying that we will never see another artist of his caliber again. Michael Jackson was the 1980’s Elvis, that just happened to be performing for nearly five decades of his life. He was the pinnacle of what an entertainer could accomplish, and nothing will overshadow the stamp he has had on the entertainment industry.

Heller's E3 Predictions

It's back, bigger, badder, and better than ever before. E3 is here on our doorsteps, the biggest gaming exhibition the world has ever seen, which is constantly the event when all the juiciest content is revealed. What are my predictions for this years E3 Expo?

Xbox 360

When looking on the boards there hasn't been that much talk of great, exclusive content coming out for the Xbox 360 in the next twelve months. Microsoft will be showing us more of Halo: ODST which was a given, but other than the staple cross platform titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and the like, information on exclusives are lacking.

Epic could be set to release information on a either some serious DLC for Gears of War 2 or possibly the expansion with a new title in the series, but this is purely speculation.

There has been a lot of talk about some type of motion sensing device for the Xbox 360 for a number of months now, and with increasing leaks of "information" it is likely that IF such a device is in the works, we are going to see it at E3.

I think E3 will spell out the fate of the Xbox 360. IF there is a lack of content, I feel we will get an announcement by the years end of a new console coming out in the next twelve months. The Xbox 360 has been in our houses for quite some time now, and has almost reached the pinnacle of it's potential. E3 could be the clue that tells us if a new console is closer than we expected.

Wii

Ahh the Nintendo Wii, the little console that could. It's dominance in sales since it's release is impressive, but is let down by it's lack of decent games. Once again, not much is on the cards for Nintendo, and in true Reggie style, I think we will get some corkers announced at E3.

First of all The Conduit will be high on the lists, to continue the hype train as it inches closer and closer towards release. Top this off with Motion Plus and of course a more in-depth look at Wii Sports Resort we will get a taste of what we can get our hands on very soon.

With the release of the DSi we can expect some big titles coming out along with a spiel on the DSi Ware titles. Nintendo should also be ready to unveil a storage solution for the Wii, it's been a hot topic for an eternity, and E3 would be the perfect time to address it.

Mature gaming is going to be high on the list, and we will see a bunch of info on the new Resident Evil title and of course Dead Space Extraction

Purely speculation but I have a feeling we will see one of the big Nintendo franchises with a new title on the Wii, I'd be leaning towards a new Legend of Zelda title.

PS3

Killzone 2 is out, Infamous is on the way, what is next for the big black box from Sony? Uncharted 2 will surely be on display, along with God Of War III and I'd be leaning towards getting some more info on Gran Turismo 5.

Sony has a really good chance at domination in 2009, and E3 is going to be make or break it for the console, especially IF Microsoft announce a new Xbox coming to the streets in the next twelve months.

Heavy Rain will steal the show this year, it's been sitting there with some teasers every now and then, and it would be a perfect setting for David Cage to show the world exactly how far his team have pushed the PS3. It could be the underground title that really propels the PS3 to greatness

Heller's Wish List

Heller's Desk Vol #14

Welcome to another edition of Heller's Desk. I hope you all had a safe and happy Easter break with family and friends, and you are now back ready for some great gaming....

First title sitting on my desk this week was the newly released Episodic title from Telltale Games, Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures: Episode 1: Fright of the Bumblebees. Fans of adventure games should know that Telltale always deliver an exceptional experience, and nothing less should be expected from the first episode in what looks like it will be a landmark series for the developer. It captures the look, feel and charm of the beloved TV series/Movies and plays more like an interactive TV program than a game. You can purchase the game from the Telltale Games website and it will be launching on Xbox Live in the near future. A featured review will be up on Myfrag and My360 in the next few days

It seems an eternity ago when Silent Hill V: Homecoming was released and then banned in Australia, but after a long wait it finally was released last week across store shelves. Silent Hill has always been a leader in the survival horror genre, and being the first in the series on this generation of consoles, it has big shoes to fill. Keep your eyes peeled for the featured review this week, but in the mean time why don't you brush up on your Survival Horror Origins

Chronicles of Riddick is dropping this week on both the Xbox 360 and PS3 and will be keeping many of you busy I'm sure. It includes the critically acclaimed Escape from Butcher Bay on the disc, which will give many of those who never had the chance to play the original, a chance to do so with fresh graphics. Gaetano is working on a featured review which will launch in the next few weeks.

Last but not least The Voice will be returning after a short break over the Easter holidays. We will be hitting it hard bringing you the latest news and reviews, and even have some interviews in the works. Also we will be bringing back the beloved Retrograde segment with our good friend Guyver!

A sudden urge to play Bioshock has washed over me so I'm off to do that, what are you guys playing this week?

Point and Click For A New Generation

Back in the early 90's PC gaming wasn't just all FPS shooters and solitare, many developers were taking charge of a genre known as Point and Click adventure games. Some of the major players in the genre included Sierra, and Lucasarts, who were responsible for bringing some of the greatest games in the genre to our PC's.

Lucasarts really ran away with the genre with successive hits in the Monkey Island series, Sam and Max Hit The Road, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Day of the Tenticle and their final swan song, Grim Fandango.

Many of these titles are constantly listed on peoples top games of all time, and rightly so. They intorduced us to memorable stories, zany characters and gameplay that required a little more than run and gun tactics.

As gaming evolved it seemed that there was no need for the genre any longer, and major developers dropped out of the race. Yet we are slowly seeing a resurgence of point and click adventure titles on not only the PC platform, but also home consoles.

Telltale Games are really leading the pack with a series of critically acclaimed titles which include the Sam and Max series, Bone series and most recently the release of the Wallace and Gromit series.

Does this mean that a genre that seemed all forgotten still has a place in this gaming world of ours. Could this truly be the beginning of another "Golden Period" in gaming, with more on offer than just your average FPS, RTS and Puzzle title?

Do you have memories from the old point and click titles? Have you been one of the gamers who have only recently had a chance to experience the genre? Stay tuned for a Lucasarts Point and Click retrospective in the next few days

Heller's Desk Vol #13

Today is my 22nd birthday, and while I feel a little older, I also feel like this is going to be a good year. So instead of my usual quirky desk pictures I decided to take on of my ACTUAL desk at home. You can see a 2008 iMac sitting there, 3gb of RAM and a 2.4gbz Intel Processor. This is my primary computer since I got it in September 2008. Next to it is the screen of my gaming rig, a filthy AMD X2 Athlon 6000+ with 4gb of DDR 2 RAM, with 2x 8600GTs running SLI. It's rocking Windows 7 and it get's all my gaming needs done, but could do with some new graphics cards.

Well now onto what's been hot on my radar this past week. With Dead Space out of the way I've really been sinking my teeth into Resident Evil 5 and while it's very different from past entries into the franchise, it inspired me to write an article on the origins of Survival Horror, where it's been and where it's headed. Check it out over here

Vin Diesel has crept onto my Xbox 360 for a few hours this week with Wheelman. It's a what you see is what you get, and chances are you won't like what you see. Tano has done a featured review which you can see here

The Godfather II has been taking up most of my time this week. It's harbors some very interesting gameplay mechanics, and while lacking overall polish, if you can get past the graphics and sub-par AI is a half decent play. I'll most likely play the whole way through but you can make your own judgements when the featured review launches towards the end of the week :)

What have you guys been playing?

Heller's Desk Vol #12

That's right sports fans, Heller is back again with yet another rant filled posting of Heller's Desk

Finally I have dusted off my Nintendo DS for what I truly believe is one of the most IMPORTANT handheld titles we are likely to see for a long time, Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. It is a deep and engrossing title, which truly captures the spirit of the GTA series on a bite sized cartridge. Just because the DS lacks the storage or size when compared to say a PS3 or Xbox 360 doesn't mean this game is lacking in any way. Offering a comprehensive experience with more relevant mini games than you can throw a Molotov at, a decent story, and tight and intuitive controls, this is the must have title for the Nintendo DS. Hell I'd go as far as to say it's worth purchasing a DS just for this title! Check out our featured review over here

Sega are sure pulling me into the Nintendo Wii, first with the amazing House Of The Dead: Overkill. It is a fantastic, hilarious, and more importantly, mature game that offers something unique to the console. I had the pleasure of getting some time with the limited Bang Bang Box, unboxing article can be found over here.

Sega have followed it up with their totally OFF THE HOOK title MadWorld which releases nation wide today! Offering a totally unique visual style that is very "Sin City" with some of the strangest and brutal gameplay, this game sure isn't one for the weak hearted. Make sure you check this out if you have a Wii. We are currently offering a SICK prize pack, so make sure you get those entries in over here

So what have you guys been playing lately? What game has come along that unexpectedly blew you away? What game were you super excited about and it did nothing but let you down? Send in the scoop so I can check it out for myself :)

DLC will lead to Digital Distribution?

Written By Stephen Heller

Downloadable Content has become a staple to all the current generation consoles. We have Xbox Live and PSN offering us not only patches, demos, updates and packs, we also are seeing arcade and full fledged being offered to consumers for a price to download. While these services have been offered since the current generation releases, with recent releases from Rockstar with DLC such as GTA IV: The Lost and Damned and Criterion's constant free DLC for Burnout Paradise, the bar has been raised higher than ever before.

A bit of a history lesson here. The Sega Dreamcast was the first console that featured DLC. Due to technologies and bandwith at the time, and memory limitations the quality of said DLC was lacklustre but none the less it was offered. Microsoft was the first company to charge for DLC on their Xbox console in 2002 for Mech Assault. Microsoft continued to release DLC for select titles on the console, but it wasn't until the release of the Xbox 360 that DLC became to become a standard feature in home gaming consoles. Microsoft had paved the way for DLC making the "Xbox Marketplace" and DLC an integral component of the console experience.

DLC since then has certainly evolved from arcade games and map packs. Criterion have steadily increased the life of their Burnout Paradise title for over twelve months with a slew of free DLC provided that not only added to, but completely changed the gameplay experience. Rockstar have released the stellar Lost and Damned for their Grand Theft Auto series, which includes well over 10 hours of additional gameplay, from a new perspective and feels like a stand alone title. With the release of Midnight Club LA: South Central DLC just around the corner, Rockstar are certainly proving that they are the leaders of quality DLC for their titles.

Now the bar has been raised so high, people are going to start expecting more from developers when they are served up DLC. This has been reflected recently with the public backlash towards Capcom's release of Resident Evil 5 DLC, which simply adds a more robust multiplayer functionality to the title. The public already expect more for their money, it will be interesting to see where DLC is going to head over the course of 2009.

This also begs the question is Digital Distribution the way of the future for console gamers. With services such as STEAM already operating with high success on the PC platform, and titles such as Gran Turismo Prologue, Warhawk, The Watchman all being offered as full downloads on the PSN and Xbox Live service, many would have to believe it's a real possibility. While it won't replace disc based media anytime soon, developers are going to have to investigate it as a viable option, especially considering the current global economic standpoint.

Join Heller and Tano on this weeks episode of The Voice as they discuss indepth their current views of DLC, the idea of Digital Distribution and of course the latest news and reviews.

Is The Wii Finally Maturing?

For those who are old enough to remember, during the early 90's we witnessed one of the greatest console wars to date, Sega vs Nintendo. It was a brutal war, scathed with fierce advertising campaigns, constant battles over exclusive titles, and of course sledging between the two companies. It was unlike any other battle that we had seen, or had seen since. I remember as a kid getting beat up because I preferred a fat Italian plumber over a Spikey Blue Hedgehog...

But all good things come to an end and eventually Nintendo stomped out Sega towards the turn of the century and lord and behold Sega games started appearing on Nintendo consoles, I KNOW, I mean to think Mario and Sonic would star together in a game after so many years of turmoil was enough to make any gamer's head explode.

Since the launch of the Wii it's been the mind of the "hardcore" crowd that it's full of shovelware, and doesn't have enough games that appeal to the "gamer" crowd, but more than enough to entice those casual posers. Sure we've seen some glimpses of maturity there, Resident Evil 4, Manhunt 2 and Disaster Day of Crisis come to mind, but it's just not enough to warrant a purchase for many gamers.

Then along comes Sega, ready to say a proverbial "F-You" to the masses and they drop a bombshell with House Of The Dead: Overkill, one of the most enjoyable games I've had the pleasure to play this year. It's got everything a growing boy needs, violence, gunplay, swearing and more violence. Many will be of the train of thought "Violence doesn't make a game" and most occasions I'd say you are dead right. What House of The Dead does is make you feel like you are in a genuine Tarrantino flick, it's dialogue is deliciously cheesy, it's visual presentation is slick and looks amazing for a Wii game, and more importantly it's a whole bunch of fun.

Then Sega plan to follow this up very soon with Madworld, one of the coolest looking titles we've seen since XIII back in 2004. Madworld features so much violence and destruction, but once again in an environment that is begging for it.

Add The Conduit to this impressive lineup, a hardcore shooter that the Wii crowd has sorely been missing and you can't help but ask yourself, is it totally ironic that Sega seem to be bringing the fans what they want, for a Nintendo console....