Halo Wars (360) - Ensemble Studios

As the flag-ship game for the 360 it is not surprising that Halo developers Ensemble are pushing the franchise to new limits in order for it to seep into everyday gaming culture, which has largely been successful thanks to the franchises three critically acclaimed games. Now, in what is a very interesting step, the latest offering in the Halo franchise is not first-person shooter but a real-time strategy.

It is a well known fact in the global gaming community that if there is one genre of gaming that consoles have continually failed to get right it is strategy: this is because a PC’s keyboard plays a monumentally important role in a l337 term known as ‘micro-management’; however a console controller is obviously hampered by its lack of buttons. Ensemble have addressed this problem by allowing you to cycle through different types of units using the left and right triggers and by using the shoulder buttons to select local (on screen) and all units. While this is a good idea Halo Wars still manages to lag behind its PC brethren due to the fact that you cannot arrange your units into specific squads for further micro-management. The use of the left, right and down buttons on the game pad serves the use of quickly jumping you to selected units and map events but thanks to the lack of a mouse allowing you to freely click on the mini-map itself results in a general feeling of restriction. While this may seem like a minor quarrel it can make a big difference later on in the campaign with the difficulty cranked up or on a fairly hectic skirmish when you are multi-tasking between constructing units and managing those already in the thick of battle.

Halo Wars is set 20 years prior to the events of the first Halo game (referred to as ‘The Halo Incident’) pitting you in control of UNSC forces as they valiantly struggle against the fittingly evil Covenant alliance. One of the main selling points for the 360-fanboys in la la land will be the opportunity to control armies of American-accent-totting UNSC forces or even switch sides in a skirmish to take control of a few Hunters, Banshees and the formidable Scarab. While both goodies and baddies hold forces of adequate variety that can be upgraded through research, not to mention that in Skirmish mode each general holds specific unique units; there is a persistent feeling of limitation. This is largely down to the limited visual and artistic differences between certain units; even with the ability to zoom in controlled through the right analogue stick it is difficult to tell them apart. This was particularly a pain when in one mission I continually found myself sending useless artillery tanks into the thick of battle mistaking them for something far more useful (and short range). The result: a certain Mr Cracka screaming at the aforementioned artillery in frustration, cursing the fact that they were almost identical in appearance to the more useful Scorpion tanks. This leads me conveniently to another issue I found with the game play: despite the presence of an adequate range of units to combine into an army it was all too easy to fall back onto the old amateur tactic of tank rushing. With this lack of strategy consistently employable throughout the game’s campaign save one or two missions it kind of defeats the purpose of a strategy game, and results in the fact that Halo Wars is not something that the die-hard RTS fans out there should be rushing out to play but instead serves as a good introduction to the genre itself.

All up Halo Wars is an interesting new take on the 360’s ‘killer app’ that provides a control scheme that, for once, actually works for a console RTS and is a fun game to play because of this. Unfortunately due to the simplicity in the units’ range and the dumbed-down difficulty thanks to the lack of strategy actually required, Halo Wars is a game that should only really be bought by the hardiest of Xbox fan-boys or those wanting an introduction to the strategy genre.

3.5 stars

Interview with Angelo Munro from the Bleeders

This is an interview I conducted and wrote exclusively for the club that I run, TrueRockSoc. I decided against submitting it into CANTA as I wanted some exclusive content for the club blog.

So tell us, what has been going on in The Bleeder’s camp? It’s been a while since we heard anything from you guys following last year’s self-titled album.

Yeah, I guess last year we did a couple of tours to support the record, and then took a break for 6 weeks before moving to Toronto in January where we are now based for next year. We have played a little bit..but looking to tour a lot more towards the U.S. summer. Also some writing towards a new album is a bit of a focus right now.

As arguably one of the most recognisable figures in the NZ music scene do you feel some kind of celebrity status or is our wee country too small to even consider yourself as a celebrity?

Haha not at all! I'm recognisable if you like what we do and you know the band, but I definately don't get harrased in the supermarket which I like. I am definately not a celebrity, I hate that shit. Manu Vatuvei...now that's a celeberity! He is the man!

Many bands head West to boost their careers but have been largely unsuccessful in doing so (Shihad case-in-point), is the North American hardcore scene very supportive for you boys?

Well you know...NZ is always easy to point out about bands trying overseas and beeing unsuccessfull, but Shihad for instance, they weren't a failure by any stretch of the imagination. The population over here is a hell of a lot more, so expectations are higher. If you get signed to say a major like they were and you sell like 80,000 CDs per se...they see that as failure here. So you get dropped. Reports come back to NZ that they were dropped and its seen as a failure here too. But in the meantime they have probably got a nice small fanbase and can come here and play club tour to 200-300 people per night (or more, I'm not exactly sure what they do) and to do that in a country on the other side of the world from your home is amazing!

So to me...anything's a bonus. If we stayed in NZ for 2009 it would of gotten stale for us. So we are here, and we are grateful for anything. If we come home next year and can say we toured the States and Canada multiple times and have a CD out here with several thousand buying it I will die a happy man!

And yes...so far so good for the Canadians. USA is yet to see Bleeders as of yet. Maybe in a few months!

Tell us about Deadboy Records, you’ve signed on False Start and other emerging hardcore bands.

Yeah false start have done 2 CDs on my label, they were on board very early and have been my top seller for sure! I got like 6 bands on my roster now...so its fun. It's more of a hobby for me, but at the same time I can help bands get their CDs out and keep the costs low you know...so its cool. My label is very diverse, from emo/pop to brutal hardcore shit... like In Dread Response.

What’s your thoughts on NZ music month? Do we need it or should our local music always be able to support itself without the aid of mass-marketing?

I don't really care either way, I used to think there's no point shoving it down peoples throats. But you know...my band has had great support over the years and had shit pretty easy. So nz music month gives some bands that are under the radar a bit more exposure!

The Bleeders are known for their determined touring and intense live performances, care to share any horror stories from the road?

Bro we dont have anything to tell..seriously!

Finally, when can we expect to see you back in NZ? We’ve been missing our favourite hardcore act!

Next year for sure. We hope to record a new album later this year or early next year, and come home to tour it. Or...we may just come back to live. We have definately not claimed we are here forever...so no talking about us failing please if we do just the 1 year! Haha!

No Line On the Horizon - U2

It’s been five years since U2’s last studio effort, a big gap for a band who in their almost 30 year career have released eleven previous records. In this time they have written some great music, but it seems with No Line On the Horizon they may have dropped the ball.

I shouldn’t be all too negative about this album, there are some great songs on it. A nice cushy love song can be found in ‘Magnificent’ and the single ‘Get On Your Boots’ is pretty groovy, deserving the amount of radio attention it’s been getting lately. The same should be said about the opener ‘No Line on the Horizon’ as well, but it is unfortunately ruined by the fact that it is repeated as a closing track with minor musical alterations and different lyrics. Normally this can work if it acts as a kind of closing credits function only lasting a minute or so, but it is an entire song in itself which paints a pretty lazy picture.

What is interesting is that a lot of the songs are based in the perspective of some poor soul suffering through war and poverty or even a journalist covering these global issues. This would normally make for some pretty interesting lyrics but unfortunately they end up resembling those of an accountant for the Green Party, of particular note is ‘Cedars of Lebanon’ with the lyrics “Child drinking dirty water from the river bank/ Soldier brings oranges he got out from a tank” and so on…you get my point. Talking about lyrics there is a significant lack of such with too many choruses relying on the “Oh-oh ooohhh-ooooooh oh” style of speak resulting in the aforementioned laziness.

My biggest beef with U2’s No Line On the Horizon is the fact that it’s very linear; none of the songs really stand out and more or less just blend together. That doesn’t mean that it’s a bad album, but it seems to me that U2 are starting to lose their way.

2.5 stars

Parappa the Rappa: Killzone 2 (PS3)

I am always sketchy about games that receive mountains of hype by faceless marketing departments in the lead up to their releases. Sure, the game looks pretty and we are promised oh so much for forking out the hundred or so from our already thin wallets for it, but most of the time these games turn out to be unpolished and uninspired. However, Killzone 2 has done the improbable by actually matching its own hype with stellar visuals and some of the most intense firefights in recent memory.

The plot of Killzone 2 is not exactly gripping, but then again it cannot be called garbage. All you really need to know is that the evil Helghast Empire is now on the defensive back-foot after the American accent-toting Interplanetary Strategic Alliance managed to repel their invasion of the planet colony Vekta from the first Killzone. As soon as you pick up the game you are thrown into the invasion of the planet Helghan in a D-Day inspired scenario crash-landing on a beach…if you could call it that. Helghan is far from a holiday resort with some genuinely menacing environments on offer adding nicely to the dark tone of war given off by the game; this is complemented further by the enemies sporting glowing red eyes and evil English accents wheezing through post-apocalyptic helmets and gas masks.

Combat is exciting and intense providing a great challenge throughout the game to the degree that you never get to the point of partaking in a spot of controller-discuss. The controls feel spot-on with great responsiveness while retaining the feeling of your character’s weight. By sticking with bullets over lasers, Killzone 2 avoids Halo’s fantastical sci-fi approach to weaponry in favour of raw grit, the result of which is a far more believable experience reminiscent of shooters like Battlefield and Call of Duty. However in saying that special mention has to go to the electricity spewing gun and grenades that prove to be very useful for mechanical foes and provide humour in hearing your more fleshy enemies’ garbled screams. Killzone 2’s gamble with the inclusion of a cover mechanic pays off allowing you to reload and (briefly) plan your next move without becoming Swiss cheese. The game even makes use of the largely useless Sixaxis motion control system by using it to turn valves and plant C4 charges. While most of the time this feels well designed, there are a few moments when going from staunchly firing your gun to flailing and twisting your controller in the midst of battle makes you feel like a bit of a dork.

Outside of the main campaign, there is further evidence of Killzone 2’s greatness by the inclusion of a great online multiplayer with some great maps and modes. The set up of multiplayer is superb in that you do not necessarily have to stick with the bog-standard death match. Once an objective is completed, the game assigns a new mode seamlessly through radio commands, the result of which can have you scrambling around the map completing search and destroy-style missions for a few minutes before smoothly changing to hiding in a corner while your teammates protect you from being popped in assassination missions. Even if you do not have access to the internet, the team at Guerrilla have included a Skirmish mode teaming you up with and against teams of bots playing multiplayer missions which adds a lot of replay value to an otherwise linear game.

While the original Killzone on the PS2 was average, Guerrilla have finally got the formula right with a superb shooter that gives the 360’s heavyweights Gears and Halo a real run for their money and effectively puts the PS3 back on the FPS map.

4.5 stars

Brant Bjork and the Bros at Al's Bar

Whenever a well renowned international rock act comes to Christchurch one would expect them to be perform in the town hall, Westpac or some other decent venue. However, what would be the case for the more underground rock acts of the, say, Palm Desert stoner era? Al's Bar is the only choice; a bar that holds local and underground live rock true to its gritty young heart and intimate atmosphere. And what better underground act than the legendary Brant Bjork who made his name as the stickman for desert/stoner rock pioneers Kyuss (the members of whom included Josh Homme).

Arrivingto the gig after a few late beers and an even later bus this reviewer unfortunately missed all but the final two songs of supporting act Second Gear Grind (UC represent!). However SGG proved they were more than worthy to support the a stoner rock legend with heavy bass and guitar driven rock led superbly by vocalist S.Bell's strong vocals showcasing their influence by the band that made Bjork famous but also combining it with a more metal-like sound reminiscent of sludge rock and metal. For the entirity of their epic songs (and I'm sure their set for that matter) they had the crowd grooving in such a way that only stoner rock fans can - heavy nodding and side swaying...the cool way.

Almost straight off the bat Bjork and his support band The Bros established themselves as all about the music launching straight into it; no arsing around, just pure unadulterated rock'n'motherfucking'roll. Bjork retained the perfect stoner rock look dressed (to put it bluntly) like a bum keeping his attention to the lazy rock and was aided greatly by heavy bass of the Bros' bassist and their baritone axeman Max Roddings. In fact so heavy was the grooves of the set that when I briefly ventured out of the mosh pit (if you could call it that) to break the seal that the entire mens toilets were shaking with a force that could only be compared to a dragon farting. As this gig was part of Brant Bjork's tour for his 2008 album 'Punk Rock Guilt' there were a few songs featured in the set, but due to my aforementioned lack of knowledge of his music I can't really tell you what they were. What I can tell you however was that the songs all reeked of dirty desert rock goodness that is so very under-appreciated in this day-and-age of bland Chad Kroegerness...but I'll save a further explanation of this for another day.

By the time Bjork and the Bros wrapped up their set of heavy grooves and amp'd tunes I was re-hooked on the stoner rock vibe and keen to grab a copy of their latest album, this would not be the case however. Due to the fact that this was a bar there was no chance of getting money out, so I've now resided to the fact that when Studylink comes through it will be right on the top of the list of things to claim as part of course related costs - I'm a Mass Coms student...it's gotta count for something right? But as far as Wednesday nights go, proclaimed Bjork midset, the night was about as close to a Thursday as you could get, and that coming from an underground legend in my books is pretty darn good.

Parappa the Rappa: Skate 2 CANTA review

In 2007 EA Blackbox's Skate stole the heavyweight championship belt off the ailing Tony Hawkes franchise for the skateboarding genre by focusing not on arcade-like craziness but instead on realism and a revolutionary 'flickit' control scheme. Skate 2 has finally arrived with much hype expanding the tricks to twice the amount of the original, as well as a redesigned city and the ability to hop off your board to move objects around to create your own line anywhere in the game. Along with these features Skate 2 still very much feels like the first game, encouraging you to explore New San Vanelona to find hidden spots to destroy (or 'Kill') and complete a very wide range of challenges.

Like most games nowadays there is a plot, but really it's just your average quest for skater of the year theme which quickly takes a back seat. The only important thing about the plot that links with the gameplay is that while you were in prison (yeah, weird I know) a natural disaster occured and a corporation known as MungoCorp rebuilt the city but have capped many a skate spot and have infested the city with security guards. This ties into the gameplay loosely by setting you challenges revolving around avoiding said-guards and uncapping spots to make them accessible to you and other skaters, but that's really it. While the story may be weak, everything else is solid.

Blackbox have taken a leaf or ten out of the Tony Hawkes franchise's book by allowing you to hitch a ride on cars by way of skitching and giving you the ability to abandon your board to run around like a nice normal person. The reason for the latter is so that you can walk up stairs and even grab onto certain objects to move around to create you own line. While this is a brilliant idea and can really liven up a dull line the off-board controls feel stiff and wooden (think old-school Tomb Raider bad) compared to how Tony Hawkes Underground managed to pull it off. The result is an at times frustrating experience that feels like it was tapped on at the last minute, and is ultimately pretty disappointing seeing as this was one of Skate 2's main selling points. Another leaf that has been taken out of the Tony Hawkes game bible is the inclusion of bonelesses, no complies, footplants and handplants resulting in a more diverse trick book, albeit at times difficult to pull off. Speaking of tricks, the flickit system of course remains, assigning the left analogue stick to controlling your body and the right for your board, but has been expanded to include fingerflips as well as more grabs and grinds.

Skate 2, like its predecessor, is not a very easy game to play and has a fairly steep learning curve in respect to getting used to the controls, however since there are no stats to assign, your skater's limitation is down to your own mastery of said controls. At times this will leave you wanting to hurl your controller through a window/TV/annoying flatmate's face, but the immense satisfaction of finally pulling off a killer line or trick is worth every painstaking moment.

The signature low camera angle of Skate remains giving you the perspective of your cameraman buddy Reda (who looks remarkably like last year's VP Amedeus Rainbow) which results in an at-first annoying but ultimately realistic view focusing not on your skater but rather your tricks. However if you do find yourself pining for the Tony Hawkes' camera angle Skate 2 has included the option to do so. One thing does have to be said about the characters though, the dialogue is littered with 'sick', 'buttery' and 'dude' to such a point that I wonder if all skaters actually talk like such douches (ummm hi CUBA).

It has to be said that it is very fortunate for us students that Skate 2 has been released this early in the year so far away from assignments and exams. The sheer amount of hours you can easily sink into just screwing around New San Van completing some excrutiatingly hard challenges, making skate videos using the very flexible replay editor and even taking it online to kick some n00b ass is epic. The game even caters for the players who totally suck at skateboarding by expanding the original's Hall of Meat rewarding you for hurting yourself in certain ways. This of course results in further procrastination by throwing yourself off stupidly high buildings and dams just to see how many bones in your rag doll body you can break in one go.

While it may have failed to live upto all its promises effectively, Skate 2 is still a superb game that has the potential to destroy your social life (in a good way) and is a must have if you have ever been a fan of skating.

Parappa the Rappa: Skate 2

Pros: Almost double the amount of tricks including handplants, bonelesses, and footplants; expanded city with way more skateparks; the ability to get off your board and move objects around to create that perfect line; alot more challenges to keep you busy; not as many trick-specific challenges this time around.

Cons: Steep learning curve getting used to the control scheme; some challenges are actually nearly impossible requiring luck or trickery to succeed; on-foot controls feel like they've been ripped from the mid-nineties; seemingly solid objects can be easily moved by you or other AI; the sheer amount of security is a bit overkill at times; no way to replay your favourite challenges; annoying glitches that can stop you from completing challenges and even freeze the game.

Buy it or rent it: Buy it if you can get used to the controls. Despite it's difficulty and glitches Skate 2 is a superb game that anyone who has ever had an interest in the sport should play. The sheer size of the city and it's almost limitless lines combined with the excellent replay editor will provide hours of replay value and with it's immense popularity there will always be someone online to play a spot of S.K.A.T.E. with.

In 2007 Skate reinvented the way that skateboarding games played with the award winning Flickit control system and the more down to earth realistic approach to the genre that had previously been dominated by the squandering arcadey Tony Hawkes franchise, so it's no surprise that there has been alot of hype behind the sequel. Back again is the city of San Vanelona, back again is the Flickit system, and back again is the annoying Reda...but it's all different.

The story of Skate 2 is that of redemption...well sort of. In the opening movie you are released from prison for an unmentioned crime and your cameraman/annoying git of a friend Reda informs you that while you've been in the slammer San Van has been rebuilt by Mungocorp to become New San Van and is now teeming with security eager to knock many a skater of his or her board. Throughout the game you basically spend your time draining pools, freeing skate spots from clamps and generally reclaiming the title of Skater of the Year to show the pros what's what. Of course, being a sports game, the story takes a back seat pretty quickly in favour of just skating, this is the charm of the Skate franchise and it's good to see that Blackbox have barely changed the formula to encourage just this. In Skate 2 you can easily sink more hours into perfecting a killer line anywhere in the sprawling city than actually completing the game's challenges; and with the enhanced replay editor, which allows you to create your own skate video, Skate 2 holds alot of replay value.

One of the main hypes behind Skate 2 is the controls: the team at EA's Blackbox have managed to almost double the amount of tricks at your disposal. The Flickit system has been expanded to include fingerflips and one footed grabs and by simply tapping a button as you reach the lip of a quarter pipe you can bust out a handplant, which can be tweaked in a similar way to grabs by pushing the right analogue stick in a direction. In a similar way bonelesses and no-complies have been added but are slightly more difficult requiring you to time you ollie and grab or foot-push perfectly. The grinds and stalls have also been expanded by allowing you to grab your board or even strike a pose (or 'flair' as it's called) while doing so. It's good to see that even by doubling the amount of tricks Skate 2's developers have been true to the formula by relying on natural-feeling controls and not resorting to the Tony Hawke's franchise's Special move cheapness, however the inclusion of 'flairs' quickly gets lame even if you do change them around. The control system of the Skate franchise is unforgiving to be brutally honest. Unlike Tony Hawke's where you could bust out a varial heelflip to judo almost instantly the controls in Skate actually require your own individual skill and your own ability to learn. While this is initially difficult, the steep learning curve is actually very refreshing, resulting in a much more realistic feel to skating restricted only by your own ability, as opposed to individual stats (THPS I'm looking at you).

The other main hype for Skate 2's control scheme was that you could get off you board to get up stairs, caveman into a grind or drop and even move objects around to create your own custom line. While in theory this was a great idea in reality this feature feels unpolished and frustrating. Tony Hawkes Underground was the first skating game to allow you to get off your board and succeeded with a simple control scheme using the left analogue stick to move you about while the right analogue stick controlled the camera. You would have thought that Skate 2 would have unashamedly copied this scheme because, well...it worked, but really it just feels rushed and unpolished. This is a major dissapointment when you think about it and a bit of a blow to a great game, however the simple fact is that you aren't going to be spending alot of time off your board anyway so it can be ignored in favour of the game's great trick system.

Overall the look of New San Van is great: there are way more rails, lips, and damn near anything to make a great line, but what makes Skate 2 stand out is the fact that you can now hop off your board and move certain objects around to air massive gaps or just make that dream run that much more technical. However, just like running around off your board, this aspect of gameplay is unfortunately flawed. With just a single button you can grab onto certain objects and move them around almost effortlessly, but this is also the case when you or the AI knock into the objects, thus ruining your perfectly placed line. This can be incredibly frustrating in certain challenges where you have to clear a gap using loose objects while avoiding security guards. Again this fault results in a rushed feeling to the game which is quite a dissapointment, but just, and only, excusable.

Despite New San Van being a great city to skate and explore the inhabitants can get pretty annoying by dropping physics-enhanced litter and handbags that get caught in your wheels and generally just getting in you way, and those pesky security guards are far from elusive too. While the game gives you the option to distract security by calling on the infamous Big Black it feels like a bit of a last-minute tack on that has greater chance of ruining your custom line than protecting you from being tackled.

Skate 2's faults stop it from being a really great game, however it is still very good nonetheless. Skate 2's charm lies in its controls and sheer replayability, which coupled with the very flexible replay editor and slick online play makes for a great buy.

8.5/10
**** 4/5 stars