NOT TOO GRAND

NOT TOO GRAND

If you are itching to get back at Novak Djokovic for beating Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open, you couldn’t do better than to seek vengeance via Electronic Art’s Grand Slam Tennis 2. When it comes to visual brilliance this game’s is the best out there.

You can play your current heroes against legends like John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Martina Navratilova, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and Pete Sampras, not to forget Roger Federer.

The Total Racquet Control feature is quite a revolution as you can control the angle at which you use the racket for precise shots. So every serve, lob, backhand, drop shot can be played by a subtle move of the analog stick in the desired direction with appropriate intensity. Don’t expect to ace this in a jiffy but after some unforced errors you will finally serve and volley like Edberg or drive it down the line like Federer, even hit crosscourt winners like Nadal does. The Total Racquet Control mode is nothing more than a fine-tune mode in the game.

On to the Grand Slam Tennis career mode where you get to create your own player and manage the training and matches.You also get to customise the player’s style of play—baseline battler, serve-and-volleyer, etc. With each match the player gets to enhance his play by opting for three or a five set match or try out a new style of play like power against finesse. Your player has to play the four Grand Slam tournaments and a couple of minor ones for 10 years. The goal is to secure the No 1 rank. Initially the training sessions are a challenge and but once you get the hang of the game it becomes mundane and you start wondering when numero uno mission comes to an end. Initially, based on your rank, the artificial intelligence indulges you and lets you win matches easily. But as you improve your ranking, the matches start getting tougher. We suggest you fully master the server-and-volley play. This way you get to win a higher percentage of matches you play.

The game’s stand-out feature is the ESPN Grand Slam Classics where you get to live the legendary clashes between McEnroe and Borg or Becker and Edberg, to name few. The play-by play commentary is given by John McEnroe and Pat Cash. Initially they sound interesting and even witty but then you get to realise that they soon become too repetitive to enjoy.

Grand Slam Tennis 2 scores points for the visuals and mix and matches of players from different eras, but the game play becomes repetitive and boring after a while. The challenge can also be missing as you easily adapt to the demands of the game.

BAG ITOR JUNK IT?

Try your skills against legends of tennis.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINES

The year is 2080 and the earth is a water-logged ruin thanks to flooding. To rebuild the society humans make robots called Hollow Children. And then the robots turn violent. Your player is Dan Marshall who has to infiltrate Tokyo with a group of multinational soldiers and seize Yohji Amada, head of the Amada Corporation, which is responsible for the Hollow Child phenomenon.

You don’t just aim, shoot, destroy and duck—you are in control of the entire team and its movements. So strategy is a must. A unique feature is the Trust system. All your team mates have an individual bar showing how much they trust you with their lives. Trust can be gained and lost in a number of ways, but the best is through right answers or correct battle command.

Binary Domain doesn’t get predictable as there is a range of rebel robots, each of which react and fight differently. Realism is aplenty—as in the recoil of Dan’s machine gun or the graphics when you shoot the robots into pieces. The game is fast paced and yet keeps gameplay simple. If there is any disappointment, it is when you start getting into the groove of the game and then suddenly find that the campaign has comes to an end because the games is quite short.

BAG ITOR JUNK IT?

Very little chance of the action becoming repetitive.

BATTLE NOIR WITH LOTS OF RED

Jackie Estacado is back and with him, that power to control the Darkness. The foul-mouthed, action-packed game has disturbing images. While, the bad things happen only to wicked people, you will still be shaken by the gore.

The first thing that catches your attention in Darkness 2 is that our Italian gangster moves a lot faster than in previous editions. Press sprint and that is exactly what Jackie does.The Darkness movements too are in sync with our anti-hero’s. So while the left tentacle grabs and throws both items and people, the right not only knocks out rivals but also rips them apart.This implies unbelievable flexibility in combat for you—you can shoot down your enemy and simultaneously pick up objects and throw it at others. This total carnage at will is a rare feature. This time around the Darkness gets additional powers like a swarm of insects to tear your target apart or a powerful firing capability when you temporarily boost the guns. Unlike in its previous edition, in Darkness 2 you can develop and enhance new abilities with which you customise your attacking skills.

To make things more interesting, the game developers, Digital Extremes, have also added a multi-player option called the Vendettas. This mode is more a cooperation amid 2-4 players but all have to use different systems. The game has two main modes—Campaign and Hit List. The first one has a complete different story where you go through a set of missions with your friends. Hit List is again a co-op in which you take part in separate missions. These missions are short and quick. Like the protagonist, all the four characters have the power of the Darkness inside them.

The visuals have purposely been worked in a way to give a graphic-novel feel so that the sinister Darkness’ presence is felt all time. The graphics makes sure the gruesome executions and blood stand out.

The plot keeps you glued as you find out that a local mafia crew was hired to push Jackie into using the Darkness because an organisation called The Brotherhood, which knows a lot about the demon, has plans to use the shadowy character do their bidding. Also unlike the common thugs, the Brotherhood knows Jackie’s weaknesses and attacks him using magical weapons and floodlights which saps his Darkness powers. The game will last from 6 to 8 hours if you play the single campaign mode. This way one doesn’t leave you bored, believe us.

BAG ITOR JUNK IT?

Action-packed, gory and not boring at all.

APOLOGY OF A STORY

After the disappointment of Final Fantasy XIII, Square Enix came up with the sequel as a sort of apology. But the storyline is the weaklink of FF XIII-2, in which the fate of Cocoon depends on Serah and mysterious newcomer Noel Kreiss.

XIII-2 is more expansive and flexible allowing the duo to travel forward and backward in time. The improved combat system(Active-Time-Battle) let’s you battle the villains according to a plan. Another helpful change is that players can take over as leader should the team leader die in battle.

The game is definitely a visual delight as one can’t stop and admire the jungles of the Sunleth Waterscape. The game developers have ensured that each new era is a treat for the eyes. Many locations from FFXIII from different time zones and eras are revisited but this time the boring tunnels have been replaced with forests and neon cities.

Of course, the search for Lightning, the main storyline, isn’t exciting when played. This game scores in being a visual treat and letting the players choose their avatars be what ever they want them to be based on action or magical abilities. It is an absorbing game and definitely a pleasant step up from FF XII.

BAG ITOR JUNK IT?

Fun to play, but weak storyline.