Broken Sword 2: The Smoking Mirror Review (Playstation)

 

Broken Sword 2 follows the story of a Mayan god trapped inside a mystical Smoking Mirror. George Stobbart and his journalist girlfriend Nico once again find themselves tied up in a plot of murder, intrigue and mystery that could bring about the end of the world.

Graphically, the game remains much the same as the previous installment, no bad thing as the cartoon graphics compliment its style well. The interface hasn't changed much since the Shadow of the Templars either. Now however, there is the added bonus of being able to use the Playstation mouse.
Unlike in the previous title you now take control of both George and Nico. This may sound like a good thing, but in actuality tends to drag the game down. The problem comes because playing Nico is just so dull and players will be desperate to get back to George's much funnier dialogue.

While the story cannot hope to live up to the partially fact based account of its prequel, it nevertheless does create an interesting tale full of twists and turns. Unfortunately, the puzzles can range in quality. Certain sections more than live up to the design perfection of Shadow of the Templars, but others feel tired and lack invention.

Furthermore, certain chapters seem to have no direct purpose in moving the plot forward. These sections, while they don't appear often, drag an enjoyable story into the realms of the dull. There is also too much reliance on characters from the previous game showing up. While this allows for some light relief, it also highlights what is lacking in other parts of the title.

To sum up, what you get is basically more of the same in terms of puzzles and gameplay. If you loved the first Broken Sword, there is a lot of charm to be found in this second installment. It’s just a shame that genuinely excellent sections of the game act to show up other poorer areas. Nico's sections are particularly uninspired. Despite its faults, Broken Sword 2 remains a charming and intelligent game that will keep you interested until you uncover the mystery. With a bit more inspiration though, it could have become another all time classic.

7/10

Metal Gear Review (NES)

Ever wondered what ‘Outer Heaven’ was and why Snake and the rest of the characters kept talking about in Metal Gear Solid? Well, this is where it all started in  the first adventure for Snake way back in 1987 when Konami tried to add stealth into the modern gaming language, and as you may gather due to the franchise missing the sixteen-bit era it was not an entirely successful venture. 

The story goes that Snake is dropped behind enemy lines and must infiltrate Outer Heaven before killing comedy named leader of the opposition forces ‘Vermon Ca Taffy’ and taking down the deadly Metal Gear. Vermon who was a once ‘tranquil shepherd boy’, has outlawed democracy and forced homeless villagers to become terrorists - a more evil blighter surely does not exist! 

Stealth is still very much the order of the day, although implementing it on the NES means there are many limitations. Forget about the tricks of the later games (no strangling guards or wall hugging) and don’t even think about hanging from a ledge either. However, certain elements are in place. For instance, the silencer must be found before firing any of the guns you come across or the whole place will come down on you, and they will not stop after a certain time either, they just keep coming. The Codec also has a key part to play with the conversations being as long-winded as ever. 

Graphically, the game takes a top down approach. Though the animation is poor, the characters, vehicles and different locations are all detailed and at least mean that you have a clear understanding of your surroundings - essential when sneaking around. There is a touch of flickering present at times but it only happens on occasion and though it can complicate matters by making enemy soldiers nearly invisible it doesn't take away too much from the title as a whole.

Gameplay is problematic, the idea of the game is very good, but really this is not the format to implement it on. Snake moves around well, but there just are not enough moves available to make sneaking about as fun as it should be, furthermore combat is reduced to punching or shooting. This is made worse by the fact that both are too awkward to be affective when you are trying to take someone out quickly. What really makes the game fail though is the difficulty, it's so hard that on your first couple of goes you'll likely not get past the first four or so screens, which is simply ridiculous. 

Hardcore is not the word as you even get a complete map, a players guide and a chart of what does damage to what with the boxed version of the game. Yet you will still will not be able to get anywhere. This could be the hardest game ever made and it would not have taken that much work to sort it out, as it is though it remains frustrating and impenetrable with an unfinished feel. 

Overall, Metal Gear is not a great game, anyone who played this originally would never guess in a million years that is would become such a landmark title on the Playstation. There are nice ideas to be found, but they are implemented without flair or consideration of how they are meant to be achieved. It's all well and good telling a player to be stealthy but at least give them the moves to have a fighting chance. All in all it's a real shame how the game turned out, while not awful it's just too hard to be worth seeking out. If you must have the origins of the series it would be wiser to find the MSX version.

6/10 

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3DS EU Release Schedule

We don't normally do news but with so many 3DS games and dates announced we though you might appreciate somewhere where everything was grouped together. Below are the dates we know about for major 3DS releases so far this year. All dates are of course subject to change.

Castlevania: Mirror of Fate 08/03/2013

Monster Hunter Tri 22/03/2013

Fire Emblem 19/04/2013

Luigi's Mansion 2 17/05/2013

Animal Crossing New Leaf 14/06/2013

Code of Princess (Download only)  - Spring

Mario Golf - Summer

Mario and Luigi 4 - Summer

Donkey Kong Returns 3D TBA

Trine 2: Directors Cut Review (Wii U)

We’ll admit here at Retro 101 that we hadn’t really been paying much attention to the Trine series until it arrived on the Wii U eshop. As such, this review comes at you from a newcomer to the series point of view. This review also takes into account the recent update which improved graphical performance and added voice chat and pro controller support. As this the director’s cut you also get the expansion pack and an exclusive Wii U level as well.

Trine follows the adventures of a mage, knight and thief bound together by a magical artefact known as the Trine. A 2D puzzle platform game, Trine 2 tries to do something new with a genre more typically found back in the 16-bit era. Indeed, we found our thoughts drifting to The Lost Vikings as we began utilising the three hero’s unique abilities.

The knight is best at fighting and can use his shield to reflect light beams and deflect objects. The thief shoots arrows and can use a grappling hook and the mage can conjure and move objects. Each character can be upgraded by seeking out experience points in the form of magic bubbles. This unlocks further abilities such as exploding arrows, stealth abilities and a number of other things which help fight off the many Goblins and giant spiders you'll encounter along the way.

With the different abilities on offer and different ways to play the developers have given the players multiple options in how to solve the puzzles. Playing single player has one character on screen which can be changed at any time, while multiplayer has all characters on screen at once. This means that certain puzzles would by default need a number of different ways to get through them.

The great thing is that the Trine world and physics are very tactile and effectively sets up a big toy box for you play around with to accomplish your task. Players who prefer the mage will be able to upgrade his abilities to summon large numbers of boxes and ramps to get around. While those using a mixture of the characters will find the need to use a combination of grappling hook swings, magical platforms and brute strength. 

You could for instance spend time re-arranging pipes to get the water level right to reach a high ledge. Alternatively you could use an ice arrow to freeze the pool and then stack some mage created boxes on it, while in multiplayer there would be much more opportunity for cooperative lever pulling . The choice is yours. We found this flexible approach refreshing and it meant that progression was always steady as you weren’t left searching for the one way the developer intended you to get through an area. 

The first thing that strikes you about the game is just how jaw droopingly gorgeous the whole thing is. The backdrops and landscapes are beyond stunning. We have never seen a 2D game that looks so good. Sunbeams shine through leaves, ice glistens and everything looks as magical and enchanting as seems humanly possible. The attention to detail is staggering and this combined with the physics engine creates a solid and immersive world that you never tire looking at.

The music is also suitably epic with bold fantasy themed tunes subtly underscoring your adventure. Even better news is that Trine 2 has an excellent script and group of voice actors. As the heroes adventure their comments and conversation can’t help to raise a smile. Everything seems to have been done with just the right amount of tongue in cheek humour. 

Graphics and sound are all good but don’t mean anything if the game doesn’t play well. For the first hour or so we were a little worried that the controls wouldn’t gel. But after that the gamepad controls feel like second nature. The only slight issue is having the action button just above the character change button. Initially we were swapping characters when we wanted to fight and this did cause a problem. However, you soon get used to it and after the first few levels it never posed an issue again. An option to configure controls would have been useful though.

The Wiimote and Nunchuck and Pro controller can be used but we found the gamepad the best. It’s worth noting that the old Wii classic controller is useless as the button used to change characters is miles away from anything else. You can play it solely on the gamepad as well.

The game itself is very smooth with everything acting as it should and combat working well. The only slight issues is that after years of playing games like Flashback and Prince of Persia we instinctively expect the edge of a platform to be in a certain part of the graphic. Trine 2’s is a little deeper and this left us missing jumps a number of times. Again, once you get used to it there is very little here to complain about, and if you get really stuck you can just head to the Miiverse and post a screenshot in the community area and await help.

This is a good thing as the game is pretty sizeable with the normal quest taking around ten hours and the add-on content pushing that up by another five to eight depending how good you are. Searching out all the hidden chests to get paintings, poems and the maps pieces needed to access the Wii U exclusive area will also take a fair amount of time.

Every level is strong and there was never a time when we found ourselves wanting the game to be over. It’s one of those titles that eats up your free time without you really realising it. When it ends you just wish there was more of it and we can honestly say this is the most pure fun we've had with a video game for years. Everything about Trine 2 just makes us smile and anyone slightly put off by the price tag really shouldn’t worry. The amount of value and enjoyment present here is to be commended and it’s clear the developers really have gone that extra effort to make something that deserves to be held up with the very best in the genre. In fact, we are a little disappointed this hasn't been made a full retail release and the amount of content and quality on show certainly justifies it.

If you haven’t guessed by now we like this game a lot. It takes players on a magical and beautiful adventure while always remaining enjoyable and throwing in some absolutely stunning design. If you own a Wii U this game is as essential as anything else you can buy. This is definitive version of one of the best games to come out in an absolute age. There really is no excuse not to own it. 

9/10