Blogcritics Author: Andrew Ogier

Xbox 360 Review: Soldier of Fortune: Payback

Andrew Ogier — Sun, 3 Feb 2008 02:09:44 EST

Payback's a bitch. Pay me back my money please!
It's been a little while since a Soldier of Fortune game has graced our presence. Now that Soldier of Fortune: Payback has been released, I'm wishing that we had to wait a little longer....

Xbox Live Arcade Review: Rez HD

Andrew Ogier — Sat, 2 Feb 2008 20:19:50 EST

I shall not fear. Fear is the mind killer.
One of the most criminally over-looked games of this century to date has just been released to a whole new audience on Xbox Live Arcade.Rez HD is an enhanced Hi-Def Widescreen version of the classic Rez, released in 2001 for Dreamcast and Playstation 2. Created by Tetsuya Mizuguchi (now best known for Lumines and Meteos), Rez was his first, and in...

Xbox 360 Review: Blue Dragon

Andrew Ogier — Sun, 9 Sep 2007 16:54:38 EDT

The game doesn't make you feel Blue, and the story doesn't feel like it's Dragon... No more gags, I promise.
I despise Japanese RPGs, don't you? Identikit stories, Identikit characters, and identikit battle systems. Playing RPGs made by our Eastern friends can be so repetitive. Once you've played one, you've played them all.All except Blue Dragon that is.While at first glance Hironobu Sakaguchi's new title may seem like his previous games...

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

Nintendo DS Review: Anno 1701: Dawn of Discovery (EU)

Andrew Ogier — Sun, 8 Jul 2007 02:33:09 EDT

I've been disappointed with Sim games on the DS lately. First we had Theme Park, which is a port of the 14 year-old SNES game with absolutely nothing new added in. Second, we had Sim City DS, which valiantly attempts to win the DS Sim category with it's classic game play, but stumbles at the finish line with it's awkward stylus controls, horrifically tacked-on mini games, and inability to have multiple game saves (or being able to change your advisor once the game starts).Now we have Anno 1701: Dawn of Discovery. Luckily, this one doesn't fall into the traps the previously mentioned games did.This is the first time I've played a game in the Anno series, and playing this one has certainly peaked my interest in the other three games.It leads you in gently at first, with an incredibly well thought out (read: long!) tutorial that spans two missions and covers just about everything in the game.Your first port of call (ahem, sorry about the pun) is to learn how to use the Stylus. They really needn't have bothered with the tutorial on this part, as Anno's control system has obviously been designed with the DS in mind. Everything in the game is controlled entirely by the stylus. The top screen shows information about your current resources, recent messages, and objectives, and you can drag the map around on the bottom screen to get to certain points, or even slide the map by "flinging" the map in your desired direction. The interface is clutter free and dead simple to use. In less than five minutes you'll be able to hit a needle in a haystack on the map with the greatest of ease. It's a joy to behold, and moves so smoothly and elegantly it almost makes you want to cry with it's grace... okay maybe not cry, but it certainly feels a lot better than swearing in frustration when you're trying to build a road and the map shoots off randomly to some unknown location, costing you valuable money (I'm looking at you, Sim City DS).Once that simple task is over, the game holds you gently by the hand like a loving parent, through it's more complex tasks, such as dealing with your citizens needs and wants, micro-managing stock, and general government-y stuff such as fiddling with tax rates and keeping neighboring governors happy by trading. The tutorial is really clever on this section, as it only really gives you an underlying guideline of what to do, and lets you run your settlement the way you see fit, commenting and giving suggestions on the way. It's this kind of tutorial that I'd like to see in more games, to be honest. I hate it when you get a game, and you have to follow rigid, mundane, unnecessary instructions to the letter before you can move on. It's like being a cadet in the army and being barked at by superiors. I hate that crap. A game's supposed to be fun, and you're supposed to explore by yourself and find out how to get through situations in your own way. Anno 1701 does precisely that, by nurturing your curiosity instead of killing it.Once the tutorial is over, you're on your own through the trials and tribulations of 18th century life in stormy water. Build your settlement up, watch your people and cities evolve, defend them from attackers, then venture forth into lands and seas unknown to meet interesting new civilisations... then obliterate them! The story twists and turns almost as much as the water beneath your boats, and keeps you absolutely hooked until you complete the game, which will take a long time, believe me. This is not a game that you'll be able to blaze through in a weekend. Anno 1701 has over 15 missions, some of which take well over an hour to complete, which are segmented into five chapters. Luckily, you can save your game as many times as you wish, whenever you wish, so you don't have to worry about starting a new mission when your train's due in 10 minutes. Once you have finally finished the campaign, there's more Anno enjoyment on the cartridge. There's also an endless game play mode which pits you up against three computer opponents, all vying for precious land and resources, and no time limits. If you wish for competition that's a little bit more human, you can partake in a four-player battle mode on pre-set maps.Anno 1701: Dawn of Discovery should have been a five-star game, but it falls short slightly due to a few issues, which while being minor, certainly detract from the experience.While you can zoom, and flick, and fling the camera about with relative ease, for some reason you can't rotate it, meaning that as your screen gets busier with buildings and people, it's hard to see what's behind them, making split second decisions -- especially when it comes to attacking or defending -- cumbersome.Also, sometimes the best form of dealing with citizen's complaints are to simply remove them. If there's a problematic area of your city where people aren't happy with crime or a natural disaster in their vicinity, it's usually quicker and cheaper to simply remove their house and place another in it's spot rather than to build fire departments or police stations, rendering a fairly large part of the stratagem of the game fruitless. Of course, you're only cheating yourself if you do this, but the temptation is always there to create happiness with the double tap of a stylus.Despite these little problems, Anno 1701: Dawn of Discovery is the finest strategy / simulation game on the DS by far. The presentation and controls are the best implementations of touch controls I've seen so on the console, the sound is crisp and clear, and the game play is piled into this cartridge by the boatload.If you're willing to get cerebral on the move with an interesting, intelligently designed, strategy / simulation game, then you can do a lot worse than pick up Anno 1071: Dawn of Discovery.Anno 1701: Dawn of Discovery is released on August 24th in Europe, priced at £29.99. There is no current news of an American release date.Anno 1701: Dawn of Discovery is deemed suitable for ages 7+ due to depictions of violence by PEGI.

Andrew Ogier lives on a little rock in the middle of nowhere. Ever since the tender age of three-years-old, he has been addicted to video games, and has owned every major system created, along with a 10,000 strong video game collection spanning three decades.

Xbox 360 Review: Flatout: Ultimate Carnage (EU)

Andrew Ogier — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 23:45:43 EDT

The racing season seems to have started, and Xbox 360 owners are spoiled for choice. The excellent Forza Motorsport 2 has just been released, as has the superb Colin McRae DiRT, but what about gamers who don't really care about realistic handling and learning racing lines to perfection? What about us gamers who don't want to play fair with our competitors and would rather run them off the road than overtake them safely on a straightaway?Well, if you're the kind of gamer that wants rough and tumble in your racing game, Flatout: Ultimate Carnage is the game for youThis is no Formula 1 here, folks... this is dirty, rough racing on mud and tarmac (and sometimes on rooftops, through shopping malls and off ramps for major airtime) against 11 other competitors who don't exactly follow road safety guidelines.Flatout: Ultimate Carnage is essentially an enhanced version of Flatout 2, remade exclusively for the Xbox 360, with new levels, music, graphics, and game types. Ultimate Carnage gives you two main game modes to play through. First off is Flatout mode. This would be the equivalent of your standard career mode in any other racing game, but it's anything but "standard". This mode is basically the same as the original Flatout 2 game previously available on Xbox, PC, and PS2 - albeit with really lovely visuals, silky smooth frame rate, and a completely new soundtrack.In Flatout mode, you have three car classes: Derby, which basically lets you drive battered cars only fit for the scrapyard in all out, anything goes races on dirt tracks and Destruction Derby events; Race Cars, which you take on road and track based courses and events; and finally, Street Cars, which as the name suggests, allow you to race your way through city streets.No matter what type of car you're driving, racing is fast, furious, and hectic. The A.I. drivers all have differing personalities -- some will ram you relentlessly, some will only fight when you hit them first, and some suckers will try to race clean -- but the real personalities lie in the courses themselves, this is where Flatout: Ultimate Carnage excels. Due to a mixture of top-notch level design and fantastic physics engine the levels are built upon, no two races are ever exactly the same. Each course is littered with over eight thousand destructible items, each with its own physics. You can accidentally hit a pylon and cause a major chain reaction, causing the roof of a nearby building to cave in and litter the road with obstructions, or hit a pile of tires on a corner and see them bounce onto the road and cause drivers behind you to lose control... or you could simply ram your competition through the side of a bridge, causing the competitor (and the bridge) to sink into the water below. The possibilities are limitless, not to mention damn entertaining. Sometimes you can't help but be taken aback by the sheer scale of destruction even a simple object can make.In one race, I accidentally clipped a log. The log spun 90 degrees at high speed, and hit a pile of other logs it was next to. Those logs started to roll off their pile, across the road, down a hill, and hit one of the A.I. racers below, who subsequently got caught in a spin - right into a petrol station, which proceeded to explode and take out three other racers driving past it at the time! Passing the area on the second lap was like driving through a minefield as I tried to maneuver my car through the debris of logs, tires, and car parts strewn across the course. Fun things like this are commonplace in this game. The destructible objects aren't just for show though, as destroying them (or hitting enemy cars, or lifting your car off the ground) builds up your Nitro meter, allowing you to hit the juice and get a big boost of speed. And the physics aren't just limited to the cars and the tracks. Even the drivers have ragdoll physics, meaning that if you hit an object hard enough, your driver will fly out of the windscreen and splatter hilariously into whatever you just smacked into.The driver's ragdoll physics also lead into the mini-games included. There are 12 Stunt Events that you can participate in. These all basically consist of driving your car down a hill, and catapulting your driver to complete various activities like bowling, baseball, "stone" skipping, and Human Darts. These mini-games are a fantastic little distraction from the main game type, and can be played alone, or with up to eight players in party mode.The second game mode is rather lovingly named Carnage. Totally new and exclusive to Flatout: Ultimate Carnage, Carnage Mode is arcade based mayhem. Coming first in this game mode just makes you a bigger target for the opposition. This is all about tearing your competitors a new one through various games such as Deathmatch Derby, Beat the Bomb, races, and stunt games. The main difference between Carnage and Flatout modes is that in Carnage you are not only racing the other players, but against the clock too. Luckily, power ups are on hand to make completing a race or obliterating anything else on the track easier. And of course, no Xbox 360 game review would be complete without mentioning the Xbox Live game play. All game types and stunts are available for maximum online bang for buck, not to mention obligatory leaderboards for each race course. Online play is quick to start, easy to navigate, lag free and really, REALLY good fun. There's nothing quite like side swiping a human player and hearing him sigh with disappointment as he drops from first to last place while his car tumbles into the void. Overall, there's nothing in this game that I can fault. It does what it was designed to do, and it does it well. Even if you owned Flatout 2, there's enough extra content in this package to make it worth the entry fee. Flatout: Ultimate Carnage deserves to be in everyone's collection, not just the racing aficionados. It's pure adrenaline fueled fun with a destructible twist that's impossible not to love.Flatout: Ultimate Carnage is rated T (Teen) by the ESRB for Mild Lyrics and Violence, and 12+ by the PEGI because the game contains depictions of violence.

Interview: Just Cause Directors - Christofer Sundberg and Linus Blomberg

Andrew Ogier — Fri, 8 Sep 2006 00:45:03 EDT

Recently, I was given the great pleasure to talk to Mr. Christofer Sundberg, the Creative Director, and Linus Blomberg, the Technical Director, of the future hit – Just Cause, released on 22nd September for PC, PS2, Xbox and Xbox 360.Andy: First off, thank you very much for taking time out to answer my questions.Christofer: Thanks! It’s our pleasure.Andy: Before we move on to talk about your new release, I was wondering if you could tell our readers about Avalanche Studios, and what games you have been involved with in the past?Christofer: Avalanche Studios was founded by me and Linus Blomberg in early 2003. At the time, we were a four-man studio working very hard trying to get the company running after experiencing some very rough times with our previous company Rock Solid Studios (we were developing the game based on Tremors). It was great though getting a fresh start and we were one of the first developers focusing on outsourcing to minimize the many risks independent developers are exposed to. As things started moving and we got publishers interested in Just Cause, Eidos was the best partner (as they were based in Europe and the production crew, at the time headed up by Dave Rose and Martin Alltimes, was great). As the project was signed by Eidos, we started building up the team and we knew people that we wanted on the team and we managed to hire 100% of our “targets” and it all started from there. Just Cause is our first game as Avalanche Studios, but our team has worked on numerous award-winning and best-selling titles in the past. We have also hired some of the best talent from universities and game schools here in Sweden. All in all, I’m very confident when I’m saying that we have one of the strongest development crews in the world.Andy: And now you've just about finished Just Cause, can you tell us a bit about the game?Christofer: Just Cause came up after Linus and the technology team started designing a new game engine (not just a graphics engine) and we started designing a game that would be played in a huge game world. We wanted to develop a contemporary game, and a wide range of vehicles was an absolute must. After a late night in a bar, with lots and lots of rum, we decided that the Caribbean was the given setting. It was a quite unique setting three and a half years ago… In this bar, my old buddy (who was our Art Director at the time) Nils Gulliksson drew an image of a guy in dreadlocks with big tattoos and camouflage pants landing on the top of a car holding two guns and a parachute on his back. Rico was born… As we dug deeper into production, and the story was coming together, Rico was changed from the more stereotype game character he was into this handsome, suave guy he is today. We also changed him from a super-cool racecar driver banned from the tracks into an expert in regime change as we wanted a hero that was completely over the top. The game was staring to take shape and we developed a prototype that proved the concept and Just Cause was born.Andy: There seems to be several "nods" to the Grand Theft Auto games and James Bond movies, as well as several moments that remind me of the Far Cry games. Were these "nods" intended? What was your inspiration behind the game, and what separates it from these other titles?Christofer: No. I think Just Cause stands on its own two legs and the inspiration comes from old action movies, comic books, documentaries, news and original ideas.Andy: The sheer sense of scale in Just Cause is nothing short of spectacular (for example, the draw distance is a whopping 32 kilometres on the PC and 360 versions). It really feels like you're part of an expansive, living, breathing world. The fact the game has almost no loading whatsoever when playing almost dropped my jaw! How big is the play area in Just Cause, and what techniques did you use to make those maps so detailed, yet have no "Now Loading" screens?Linus: The playable world is 1024 square kilometres, some of which is water. We haven’t calculated the area of the actual landmass above water, but I would estimate it's about half that area. The technique is based on procedural algorithms combined with streaming. So, basically, loading is done in the background all the time, in parallel with procedural algorithms refining the data to the desired detail. That gives us great flexibility to decide a suitable detail level for a specific platform without needing to create new content. Andy: You must be some sort of magician to fit this game onto an original Xbox, let alone a PS2! How on earth did you manage to get a game that looks this gorgeous and has this much scope to run on a six year old system? Were parts of the game cut for the consoles with less horsepower?Linus: Yes it's pure magic (smiles). Obviously we had to cut down on texture and mesh resolutions, but the size of the world and all the missions are the same. Actually the game was originally designed for Xbox, so there was both a scale down to PS2, but also a scale up to PC and Xbox 360.Andy: And speaking about the Xbox 360, why is the 360 version so much more expensive than all the other versions (There is a £20 difference)? Do Xbox 360 owners get extra features that the others don’t, or does this price purely reflect the increased development costs for next-generation systems?Christofer: We can’t really affect the pricing of the game as this is all in the hands of the publisher. I am really proud of the Xbox version (as well as the PS2 version) as they are really pushing the hardware to its limits. The Xbox 360 version includes some new graphical features such as more hi-res characters and environments, dynamic dirt-maps on vehicles, motion-blur and HDR (and since we’ve received e- mails from people asking, Microsoft did not bribe us to exclude HDR from the PC version). It also includes the Achievements feature.Andy: I tip my hat off to you, it's an incredible feat. How long has Just Cause been in development?Christofer: From concept to finish, about three and a half years. Considering we had nothing when we started, it’s not very long I think. We added the PS2 version after ten months and the Xbox 360 version in December ’05, so it’s been a very unique and interesting project.Andy: And do you feel that it turned out as you had envisioned? Looking back, was there anything about the game that you'd like to change, or thought you could improve?Christofer: Pretty much, and I’m very happy with it as I did the original design. There are a few things that I wish was in the game and some things that was not. Sometimes you need to let go of things (I hate the expression “kill your darlings”) and compromise. To be more concrete, I’d like to see more incentive for the players to explore the world and perform stunts, but on the other hand it’s not a feature that is missing and I hope that the effect of the player’s actions will be rewarding enough. Andy: And what aspect of it are you most proud of?Christofer: The fact that we pulled this project off. It’s our first game and we started out with nothing and now it’s released on four platforms (everything from PS2 to Xbox 360) and in total 12 SKU’s (basically a model number for systems that vary in terms of specification. For example, the Xbox 360 has 2 SKU’s, the Core and the Premium packs). To go more into detail on the game, I’m really proud of the fact that we managed to develop a game where players can shape their own style and pace of gameplay. I think the game is quite thought provoking as it allows player to more freedom than in most games. It can also be played through as your every-day run-and-gun game if you want, but it’s all up to you. Andy: What would you say to gamers who aren't quite sure of buying Just Cause that would convince them to put this in their videogame collections?Christofer: If you want a game that is different and gives you the freedom you’ve always missed in other games, Just Cause belongs on your shelf.Andy: And finally, what's the next game we'll be seeing from Avalanche Studios? Could you tell us a bit about it? Will there be a Just Cause 2?Christofer: We are currently shaping the plans for Rico’s future but there’s another project in the works here at Avalanche, which is in a new genre but still allows the freedom and creativity which we hope will be the character of an Avalanche Studios game. Andy: I must say I've found the demo of Just Cause to be a thoroughly engrossing, impressive, and fun experience, and I am very excited to review the retail version in the next few weeks. I have a feeling you have a big hit on your hands with this one, and I think you deserve every ounce of success this game will bring you. Once again, thank you very much for talking to us.Christofer: Thanks! So there you have it, not only were both Christofer and Linus very pleasant to speak to, I do believe the news about a sequel to Just Cause is a Blogcritics exclusive!Look out for a review of the game shortly.Just Cause is released on 22nd September 2006 (27th in the US), rated suitable for ages 16+ by PEGI. The game will be available on: Xbox 360 priced at £49.99, and also on PC, PS2, and Xbox priced at £29.99.

Xbox 360 Review: N3 Ninety-Nine Nights (EU)

Andrew Ogier — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 19:24:26 EDT

Scrolling beat 'em ups, eh? Back in the 1980s, there was one to rule them all. It's name was Golden Axe, a Sega arcade game, which captured the hearts and wallets of many a young gamer. This opened the floodgates for many more, such as Final Fight and Streets of Rage. While these were great games, it always felt like something was missing – the core mechanics of Golden Axe were present, but they never really gave that same feeling of satisfaction that Golden Axe did back in it's heyday. Many games in the same genre have since come and gone, but only one series has remained and is still selling strong – Dynasty Warriors.Dynasty Warriors filled in the blank that Streets of Rage and Final Fight never could, and answered the question of why Golden Axe was so enjoyable. You see, there's nothing quite like the satisfaction of taking on what feels like an entire army, making mince meat out of opponents with a sharp weapon, coupled with the sound effects of steel on skin, and the sense of power and sheer forced impact this morbidly beautiful sensation brings. Forget the historical value, forget the story, forget everything else – the pure adrenaline and blood lust is what made Golden Axe and Dynasty Warriors stand the test of time.Now we have a new kid on the block.Let's get one thing out of the way right this moment: Ninety Nine Nights (known as N3 from here on in) is a work of art graphically. I don't think I've ever seen a game this beautiful on any system. The models are detailed, even down to the scratches on the metal of their armour, plus the metal reflects the entire battlefield.N3 uses a new evolution of cell shading (used in Jet Set Radio Future), but merged with highly detailed, lifelike characters. This gives the game a look I've never quite seen before. Some might not even notice it at first as it's so subtle, but sit back and look at the characters on HDTV, you just think "Wow! It's like they almost stick out from the screen like a pop-up book!".What's even more impressive is the amount of these highly detailed characters on screen. There can be over one thousand enemies at a time! It's quite simply incredible. Add this to the fact there is virtually no slowdown or pop-up visible whatsoever, and you have a helluva showcase for what the 360 can do. While it may not take your breath away as consistently as Oblivion did, there are certain moments in just regular play that make your eyes widen, your jaw drop, and you think to yourself "I can't believe I'm seeing this. Damn that looks cool".So yeah, to sum it up: the graphics are badger's nadgers.The sound is no slouch either. Fully orchestral pieces are the order of the day, which could almost rival even Peter Jackson's behemoth The Lord Of The Rings. The sound effects are suitably filled with screams, war cries, and the aforementioned pleasurably realistic sounds of steel on steel and steel ripping through skin. The only problem is the voice acting is.... how do I put this? Let's say "lacking". The majority of in-game dialogue is text only, and the rest of it is so poorly acted it borders on laughable. It makes Resident Evil's "Master of Unlocking" speech sound like an Emmy Award Winner.So, again, to sum it up: music and effects – Joygasmic. Speech: could make Keanu Reeves sound like a good actor in comparison.So now we've got to talk about the story!The story goes something like this: orb of peace broken, world split into Light and Dark, war started, seven warriors will determine who wins... yadda yadda yadda.Unimportant bullcrap. All that's important is we get to kill stuff, right? Well, that's what I thought, but turns out I was incorrect. This is one of the areas where N3 really surprised me.The majority of the plot comes from each individual character's reasons and their own personal plights and how they got into this mess rather than elaborating on the main storyline itself. Each of the seven characters has their own story, with their own take on events, and (more importantly) each character's missions is different – making this effectively seven separate stories set in one universe. You start off with one character – Inpphy – and as you complete the game, more characters open up, giving vital new information about the main quest in chronological order. To find out everything going on, you have to complete it with all seven characters, spread across both the 'good' and the 'evil' sides. I put 'good' and 'evil' in quote marks because this is one of the few games that doesn't really have clear-cut goodies and baddies. Even good guys can do evil things, and some evil do-ers have good intentions behind their seemingly evil ways.The way the story was handled is pretty classy, and is genuinely worth watching instead of hammering the Start button to skip through them, which is also possible if you just want to hack stuff up.And hacking stuff up is what the core of N3 is based upon.The controls are fairly intuitive. The left analog moves your character, while the right analog moves the camera, X is a light attack, Y is a heavy attack, B is special, A is jump, RT is dive, LT is block, and LR and RB in coordination with the D-pad assigns orders to your flanking troops. It's a pretty standard setup, and the game deals with button presses very responsively.As you use these buttons to obliterate anything that steps in front of you, your character gains experience and items. These can then be used to increase your player's repertoire of moves, allowing for deadlier damage, more impressive special moves, and general showing off with incredible 2000+ hit combos.Most missions are simple "kill anything that moves, and if it doesn't move, stab it a few times just to make sure" affairs, but there are a few that buck the trend, where you have to defend structures or key characters from the carnage that lies ahead. While the game may be repetitive in nature, it gets increasingly more and more challenging the further you delve into the game, and no matter how far I delve in, and no matter how much I play, I still have fun working my way through it.However, it does have its problems. The biggest problem, in my opinion, is the fact there are no identifying icons or health bars on enemies, so when you're in a middle of a thousand man battle fest, it can get a little confusing as to which units are friendly and which aren't at first glance. It's annoying, but I guess in real battles of this scale it would be the case anyway, so I can't really drop down my rating of the game for this one. But there is one area in which I do have to mark the game down, and that's the lazy design. Some objects that should be easily maneuvered around (like a little stone) can't be jumped over, and some objects that should not be able to be traversed easily (like some trees and walls) can be walked through like they weren't even there! There's no excuse for shoddiness like that. Bad, Phantagram, Bad! Slap on the wrists for you laddies! Let's hope you fix this for the inevitable sequel!At the end of the day, N3 won't be everyone's cup of java. If you don't like Golden Axe, Dynasty Warriors, Dead Rising, or if you want a game that will test your mental capabilities to its limits, then don't get this game.If you want something mindless, fun, chaotic, and thoroughly enjoyable, with plenty of replay value and a nice little fairytale story thrown in for good measure, then grab Ninety-Nine Nights the next time you go videogame shopping. N3: Ninety-Nine Nights is out now, priced at £49.99/$49.99.N3: Ninety-Nine Nights is rated 12+ by the PEGI because the game contains depictions of violence.N3: Ninety-Nine Nights is rated M (Mature) by the ESRB for Violence.

Interview: Tim Beresford - 'Colin Mansfield Jr' in Mystery at Mansfield Manor

Andrew Ogier — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 20:54:34 EDT

After being given a press release pass to check out the new Mystery at Mansfield Manor game, I was kindly offered the chance to interview a few members of cast and crew and get all the questions I had about the game off my chest.So, in the third and final part of interviews about Mystery at Mansfield Manor, I had the pleasure to talking with Tim Beresford, who plays the role of 'Colin Mansfield Junior' Andy Ogier: Welcome Tim, thanks for taking time out to answer myquestions.Tim: My pleasure.Andy: Why don't we start off by telling our readers a bit about you?Tim: I have been using acting to buy my groceries for about four years now. Before that I was acting but not buying many groceries. I also enjoy music. I grew up in the country then lived in Toronto for many years. Then I moved back to the country. I still work in Toronto and therefore, I now mostly live in my car and not in the house that I drive to Toronto each day to pay for by acting. I had a small microwave installed in my vehicle so I could cook the groceries that I bought with the money I made acting on the way to work. I have become a perpetual motion machine.Andy: (Laughter). So which part do you play in Mystery at Mansfield Manor that helps you with your grocery bill? Tell us a bit about your character.Tim: I play Colin Mansfield Jr. Colin is a twit. I myself don't care for him but it was interesting to play such a disreputable character. Fellow cast members had such strong reactions to what I was doing that it became quite real. Realness is, of course, important.Andy: And that realness is clearly evident in your performance. What interested you most about playing a role in an interactive movie game?Tim: So many days are spent doing what you did the day before. It takes someone with a unique and accessible idea like this to break that cycle. I was glad to have been chosen to participate.Andy: Do you play video games at home? If so, what are your favourite games?Tim: Not so much. There was a time when I spent about six weeks alternating between SWAT and Road Rash, non stop. Then of course, I needed to go for a jog and I never really got back into it. Lest we forget the great Nintendo boom of the mid-eighties. Ahh, the good old days.Andy: Colin Mansfield Jr walks straight through a minefield of taboo topics. With alcoholism affecting nearly 10% of North Americans, racism still a problem that won't die away, and cheating partners becoming as common as free toys with a fast food meal, it must be very difficult for an actor such as you to portray a character that crossesinto all of these troublesome topics. How did you prepare for such a hard role? Was there any research required?Tim: Not really. As you said, all of these shortcomings exist. They are all around us. These poor examples are being set all the time and one cannot help but to bear witness to the occasional incident. Once you experience a bigot or some other nasty character,you are left with a unique opportunity: to ridicule them in fiction using their own ammunition. I don't think it is socially relevant or anything, it's just what I like to do. And as far as research for the role goes…I guess stupid people did all the work for me.Andy: That’s a good way of looking at it. Let’s face it, there is an abundance of stupid people out there – so plenty of research is already done for you. It doesn’t seem like any of your colleagues could be placed in that category though. It seems that you had some attractive, intelligent, and talented colleagues to work with. What was the atmosphere like behind the scenes?Tim: Very cool dudes. I missed everyone when it was over.Andy: I guess there's a long script to read with an interactive product like this, and long filming time with multiple endings and alternate scenes as well to work with them on! How long did shooting the script take?Tim: The whole thing happened very quickly. Necessity is, if not the mother of invention, at least an evil auntie. The production team needed to be dangerously organized and they were. I wonder how they kept it all straight.Andy: But it all seemed to have worked out in the end. The game is out there now and being perused by the public as we speak. Tell our readers why you think Mystery at Mansfield Manor is worth their hard earned/stolen/begged/borrowed cash?.Tim: Most folks take pride in being the first. Being the first to hear about a new band or read a really good book shows others how clever and pop culture savvy you are. Or, as the kids say, how cool you are. Someday the MMM format will be very popular but as it stands now, it is the first of its kind. A fine opportunity for the cool kids.Andy: I thought it was a great game too, and the format I’m sure will be paid homage to in future titles now that the doorway has been opened… But now that the door has closed on production of Mystery at Mansfield Manor, what's next for you? Do you have any projects coming up in the future?Tim: I play in a band called Chinese Food. I am doing commercial work and I have a few indie film projects on the go as well.Andy: Cool, if you pass me a CD of your stuff I’d be happy to review it for you (smiles). Anyway Tim, Thanks a lot for taking time to answer my questions. It's been grand.Tim: Shanti.Mystery at Mansfield Manor is online now, and costs $4.99. It got a respectable Four out of Five stars in my review.You can read Part One of this series here, and Part Two here.

Interview: Lindsey Frazier - 'Nicole Edmunds' in Mystery at Mansfield Manor

Andrew Ogier — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 16:10:30 EDT

After being given a press release pass to check out the new Mystery at Mansfield Manor game, I was kindly offered the chance to interview a few members of cast and crew and get all the questions I had about the game off my chest.In the second of a three part series, I got the chance to interview the beautiful and charismatic Lindsey Frazier, who plays the “girlfriend” of the deceased -- Nicole Edmunds.Andy Ogier: Hi Lindsey, thanks for taking time out to talk to me and our Blogcritics readers.Lindsey Frazier: It’s my pleasure. I am thrilled that there has been such an interest shown towards MMM. Andy: So, tell us a bit about yourself. Lindsey: Well, I am currently in Charlottetown PEI for the summer as a member of the Charlottetown Festival, performing in their two main stage shows, ‘Anne of Green Gables’ and ‘Canada Rocks!’ This is my second season with the festival, and after last season I decided to move from my home in Bermuda, and make Toronto my home base so that I could begin to make the transition from the musical theatre world to the film world. I am a graduate of the Sheridan College Music Theatre – Performance program and have been in many musicals, as well as a number of short films, including ‘Curve Balls’ ‘Conflict’ and ‘Ballerina Burns’ in the last few years. Andy: And you play one of the key roles in the online interactive games MaMM – the beautiful Nicole Edmunds. How did you find out about the role?Lindsey: Through my agent, DaCosta Talent.Management in Toronto. Andy: Tell us a bit about Nicole.Lindsey: I was actually quite excited to play the role of Nicole, because she is so complex and has such unique relationships with each of the members in the household. Immediately after reading the script I saw that Nicole would need to be a very bold and strong-willed person to live in a household where she is hated by almost everyone. Although she does have a softer side and can be caring and considerate, she is also very smart and manipulative. This is a girl who knows how to push people’s buttons and get what she wants. Andy: She certainly does interact with the other characters in several different ways – cold and calculating to some like Rachel, then warm and kind to others like Debra, then become sexy, sultry and seductive around Greg! How do you prepare for a role that varies in moods and emotions so much?Lindsey: Well, in everyday life you interact differently with each person you know. You have people you like, dislike, love, trust, or distrust etc. Nicole is a slightly heightened character who simply does not hold back on any of these emotions. In preparing for each scene, I made sure I knew exactly how I felt about each character I was involved with, what our history has been, and what I wanted from them. Andy: And on top of having to deal with such a varied character, you also had to act with an interactive audience in mind. What differences are there between interactive movies and standard movies from an actor’s point of view?Lindsey: To be honest, not a whole lot from the actors stand point. We were given a movie script, shot it, and left the rest up to directing and editing.Andy: And one of the bonuses I would guess would be that you had a nice location to film in. It certainly is a nice house. Where was it shot?Lindsey: Yes, it was a beautiful house on the outskirts of Toronto. It was always exciting to see which room we would shoot in next.Andy: And in that house, Nicole seemed to be a generally disliked character in MaMM on the screen, but how well did you get on with your peers while off the screen?Lindsey: The entire cast was fantastic. Although we only knew each other for a week, we certainly did gel as a cast. Andy: Judging from the “Behind the Scenes” Material it looks like you had a blast making this game. My girlfriend doesn’t like many videogames, but she’s a big fan of CSI and Criminal Minds on TV. Do you think that Mystery at Mansfield Manor will interest her? Will it convert her into a videogame aficionado and force me to buy a second PC so that I don’t have to drag her away from the keyboard kicking and screaming when I want to get some work done?Lindsey: Well lets just say I think you might be making a little investment sometime in the near future! This game is great because it is just like watching a murder mystery movie….except this time…instead of just yelling at the screen…you can become a part of the madness.Andy: As if I wasn’t part of enough madness as it is. One last thing before you go. Who killed Mr Mansfield Sr., really? Was it Professor Plum, in the Library, with the Rope? Whodunit? Lindsey: I could tell you…..but I’d have to kill you!Andy: Thanks very much Lindsey for taking time out to talk to me. I hope my interrogation wasn’t as bad as the one Nicole had to face in the game!Lindsey: Thank you! Mystery at Mansfield Manor is online now and priced at $4.99. It got a very respectable Four out of Five stars in my review.Part One of this mini series of interviews is viewable here.

Interview: Rory Scherer, Producer and Screenwriter for Mystery at Mansfield Manor

Andrew Ogier — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 12:19:39 EDT

After being given a press release pass to check out the new Mystery at Mansfield Manor game, I was kindly offered the chance to interview a few members of cast and crew and get all the questions I had about the game off my chest.This is the first of a three-part series of interviews for the game. So without further ado, here is the interview with Rory Scherer, producer and screenwriter. Andy Ogier: I'm here with Rory Scherer, the producer and screenwriter for the brand new "Whodunit?" interactive movie game Mystery at Mansfield Manor.Could you please tell our readers a little bit about yourself Rory? Rory Scherer: Hi Andy. To make a long story short, after working in software for a few years I went back to school in September, 2003 for an MBA with the intent of learning the business skills (marketing, business plan writing, etc.) to produce an interactive movie. In my last semester I completed an independent study with a professor in which I wrote the business plan for Mystery At Mansfield, an interactive murder mystery movie in a DVD format. Once I graduated, I shopped the idea around to several companies. The usual response was “sounds great, but show me a prototype.” Finally I decided it would not make sense financially to produce a prototype because if you were to spend a little more money, you can complete the entire production and rather than creating a DVD, I could create a website. Some of the advantages of creating the website is that distribution is no longer a concern, DVD piracy is not a concern, and there is no packaging needed which significantly lowers your costs. I wrote the screenplay, applied for a small business loan at a bank, and arranged to have a production company handle the production aspect and another IT company to follow my directions to create the website. Once the loan was approved, we started on pre-production immediately.Andy: How did you get into independent movie making?Rory: As a hobby, I would write screenplays. Finally I decided to pursue the dream of producing a screenplay that I wrote. However, when I wrote Mystery At Mansfield Manor, I wrote with more of a business approach rather than an artistic approach because I was financing the production. That is the key reason why 95% of it takes place in one location. My other screenplays do not have any artistic limitations.Andy: And your newly released Mystery at Mansfield Manor -- what is it? What's it all about?Rory: Mystery at Mansfield Manor is an online interactive murder mystery movie. Some people have described it as a combination of Clue and a choose-your-own adventure. Essentially the user takes on the role of the protagonist, Detective Frank Mitchell, and must solve the crime before the midnight deadline.Andy: Why did you choose to make Mystery at Mansfield Manor an online title? What benefits do releasing the game in this form have over, say, releasing it as a DVD that people could buy on a store shelf?Rory: The most significant advantage is that you do not have to concern yourself with distribution. Anyone, anywhere, at any time can visit the website and play the movie/game. Another advantage is that the threat of DVD piracy is not a concern. But most importantly, films today all rely on their opening weekend. If it fails in its opening weekend, it is more likely that the film will not be an overall success. Because MMM is a website, it has more of a ‘bell-curve’ approach where it will slowly build its audience, reach its peak, then slowly decline over time. Also, another advantage is email forwarding. Several websites become popular because friends email their friends a link and those people keep forwarding the email. I am hoping people will forward the link to Mystery At Mansfield Manor to their friends and it keeps going like the Energizer bunny.Andy: I've been playing this for quite some time and I must say it's thoroughly engrossing, and it really goes to show how versatile Macromedia Flash is when creating online content - especially with the game's multiple endings - but I'm sure creating an interactive product such as this must be quite a lengthy, tricky process. How long did it take to make, and what obstacles did you face in writing and producing it?Rory: We filmed MMM in March and the website was officially launched on July 19. Most of these questions are answered in the documentary in the Bonus Materials section. It’s funny because I filmed the documentary with my friend’s digital camera that has an option to create MPEGs. That goes to show you how small the budget was. Then I edited it with Windows Movie Maker, the basic editing software that comes with Windows XP. But I want to stress that the film was completed with high quality cameras as I hired a production company for MMM. The difference between MMM and the documentary is night and day.Andy: You certainly made the best out of a tight budget. It seems like there was a lot of work involved in making this, but you don't have a high price point for the content. In fact, it's a very agreeable $4.99 for three days unlimited access. That's the equivalent of two nice cold beers down at the local bar! Why such a low price point?Rory: It takes the same approach of renting a DVD from Blockbuster or any video store. You rent a movie and have to return it a couple days later. With MMM, you log in and a countdown timer begins. In MMM’s case, there is nothing to return so the customer is not inconvenienced by leaving their home.Andy: There have been games similar to this in the past, especially in the early 1990's "FMV Boom", which didn't exactly meet worldwide praise. Were you aware of these earlier games, and how did you ensure that Mystery at Mansfield Manor didn't fall down the same pitfalls as earlier titles?Rory: I did some research and I wanted to ensure before I embarked on this venture that there is a demand for interactive movies. I’m not familiar with FMV Boom, but in 2006 most households in North America have high-speed Internet access so Mystery At Mansfield Manor can be accessed quickly and conveniently.Andy: The acting of the cast is particularly solid and believable, which, for me personally, really differentiates Mystery at Mansfield Manor from the earlier games of this genre. What did the cast members have in their auditions that the less successful applicants didn't? What made you choose them?Rory: When I wrote the screenplay, I had the characters visualized in my mind. When the actors auditioned, I selected the ones who I felt best matched with my interpretations of each character.Andy: Judging from the "Behind the Scenes" content on the site, you and the cast certainly seemed to enjoy themselves behind the scenes. Were there any amusing bloopers you'd like to tell us about? If so, will you put them online along with the game?Rory: There will be a bloopers reel added to the Bonus Materials section in the future. It is in progress at the moment. I will also be adding a ‘media’ section that will include all of the interviews I have done as well as any reviews of Mystery At Mansfield Manor.Andy: If you knew everything you knew now before you started creating Mystery At Mansfield Manor, what would you have changed and why? In retrospect are you happy with the way that the game turned out?Rory: I am very happy with Mystery At Mansfield Manor. I think the actors went above my expectations, especially considering they were only allowed one take, the editing, the website, and even the background music.Andy: So, now that Mystery at Mansfield Manor is "in the bag" so to speak, what will you do next? Any plans for a follow up?Rory: My goal for Mystery At Mansfield Manor is two-fold. The first, I want to break even. Once I do, I may remove the price. I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. The second is I would like to find someone, whether it is a company (production, toy etc.), a partner, a silent investor, an agent, a manager, anyone…to work on the next one with or any of the other ideas I have for interactive story telling. My long-term goals are to produce the screenplays that I wrote years ago, but the budgets on those are significantly higher than MMM.Andy: Finally, All of the actors seemed to be really excited about the launch party you promised them in the "Making of" short film on the Bonus Material on your site, which led to a great little gag at the end. How was the real launch party (which was on the 17th July) for you? Unfortunately I was too far away to attend, so can you tell me what I missed out on? Were the actors pleased with the “real” shindig you promised them?Rory: The launch party was last week. It was a lot of fun and it was great to see the cast and crew (those who were able to attend) again as I haven’t seen most of them since we filmed MMM in March 2006.Andy: Thank you Rory, it's been a pleasure. I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. Mystery at Mansfield Manor is online and costs $4.99 for three days of unlimited access.Mystery at Mansfield Manor was awarded a score of four out of five stars in my review of the game.