The Game's The Thing #2 (3rd October 2011)
The second of Jim Cross' weekly round-ups in the gaming universe, with new releases in focus, news and mini-features. A veritable meal of a column.
Here's a look at what's found its way out this week. ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Collection HD PS3 
There's been a few HD rereleases of late. 'Resident Evil 4 HD', the 'Splinter Cell' trilogy and now The 'ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Collection HD'. All of these games are incredible and will endure as landmarks in their own right. This much is clear simply due to their warranting rereleases, but the collection is the only set I would say is an absolute must buy. You need to experience Leon S. Kennedy's journey, his whimpering cries of Ashley! and the pitch perfect height of action-horror. Similarly, reliving Fisher's story from day one can be a nice trip down memory lane. A look back to a time when blocky graphics and stealth were PS2 staples. Ah remember that? The collection is different however. ICO and Shadow may have aged graphically and mechanically but one thing that hans't changed, that which never can, is a good story. Ugh! What an awful phrase 'a good story', forgive me but frankly I haven't the capacity to even begin to hint at the raw majesty of these games. Games that get under your skin, genuinely touch you, make you believe in love again. It's absurd and soporific to say so but really I'm floundering about desperately here in the hope that you'll be intrigued enough to try it for yourself. Do yourself a favour. Battlefield 3 Beta PC/PS3/Xbox 360 
What do you need to know? What do you want me say? The more I write, the more you read the less time you have playing. If you're interested in the B3 beta you're already playing it, you're probably not reading this. We Sing Uk Hits Wii 
So here's another Karaoke game for the Wii. But what makes 'We Sing Uk Hits' different? What's the differentiation here between this and say 'Lips' or 'Sing Star'? It's a genuine question . . . X-Men: Destiny - Xbox 360 and PS3 
It's licensed comic book games like this that really go a long way in making you realise just how amazing 'Arkham Asylum' was. Apart from a few gems, it was always been the case that comic book games were crap. Straight up awful. Depressing to play. Miserable. Cheap, soulless attempts to cash in on your favourite characters. Bred with as much love and care as a gangrenous pimp has for his ailing whores. That era is dying out however, we see comic book games that are not just good licensed games, they are straight up 'Game of the Year' material. That said 'X-Men: Destiny' seems to have crept in from a bygone era. Ugly, clunky seriously lacking in Riddler challenges. This brawler tries to redeem itself with light RPG elements which in turn try and hide behind the rich X-Men lore. If you're a big fan of the Marvel Universe you may get something out of this, but frankly it's hard to recommend. Fifa 12 - All formats 
It seems somewhat futile to discuss the Fifa franchise for a number of reasons. Firstly, I have no interest or expertise in the series and have no place commenting on it; but secondly because chances are you've already bought it if you're interested. EA have got it right with their yearly sports release schedule. I can tell you from various press releases that there are new graphical updates, new physics in collisions and a handful of new features, but it doesn't matter does it? You were going to buy it anyway unless you're a PES fanboy . . . (do they still exist?). 
Dear God, it's the Tommy Wiseau Show http://youtu.be/Nxp83CimT0w Movie mad man and maverick behind infamous cult flick 'The Room', Tommy probably genuinely unwell Wiseau continues to prove you needn't have talent to be successful. Wiseau's now managed to bag himself a series on Machinima in which he fails to play games for your entertainment. Brilliant. He's either a seriously deluded idiot or Andy Kaufman's spiritual successor. - He's an idiot though so don't waste another valuable moment wondering. Mass Effect 3 'New' feature 
According to various sources Mass Effect 3's mysterious new killer feature is just moments away from being unveiled. Currently all speculation points to a multiplayer mode of some description; which would be a nice, if not altogether necessary, feature in this already hugely anticipated title. City of Heroes 'Free 2 Play' 
The long running MMO 'City of Heroes' goes free to play this week, in a long line of conversions to the new and hip economic model. Favouring the trendy 'micro transaction' way of doing things 'City Of Heroes' now allows players to play the game free of charge, while in game content can now be purchased for real world cash. Although it may not be as sexy as 'WoW' or as exciting as the imminent release of 'The Old Republic' there's an MMO out there for everyone, might as well give this one ago now the doors are open for all. 
GOW3 Weapons So this week, being the pestering and lazy swine I am, I thought I'd rope in some of the other editors for a little collaborative feature in celebration of the release of 'Gears of War 3'. In fact, I'm not ashamed to say all of this weeks features are 'GOW 3' related. Starting then as we mean to go on, let's sing the praises of the Gears 3 multiplayer starting weapons. The Sawed-Off Shotgun by Ben Rayner 
Now the final chapter to epic studios...well...EPIC trilogy is out on shop shelves and selling well into the millions, its safe to say that many of you have taken Adam Fenix and his crew of COGs to the brink and back, your next stop the huge brawl that is the gears of war multiplayer modes. While we all have our favorite load outs and routine, myself and fellow WhatCulture team mates are here to explain why you should choose a particular weapon to start your bloodbath on a high note! For me the weapon of choice is the Sawed-off shotgun. Sure the lancer is one of the most iconic rifles in gaming history to date (and trust me I love a good chainsaw as much as the next guy) but NOTHING feels anywhere near as good as popping round a corner at the right moment and blowing your enemy into tiny, tiny, TINY pieces! The Sawed-off is a neat looking little beast which packs one hell of a punch! Obviously like all weapons within Gears there are its draw backs, the biggest deal breaker for most gamers out there will be the lack of ammo capacity. Here, it's a single shot then reload time. However given a small amount of play time to get used to this and youll be reloading on auto pilot like a true zen master, ready to take on the next grunt you see! The other hurdle for the Sawed-off is unfortunately range, thats right you wont be able to stand miles away from your enemy and pick him off with anything more than luck and a whole load of wasted shells, but hey this is war right! Who wants to stand at the back quivering like Baird when you can get right into the mix, pushing forwards until you can see the whites of their eyes before pulling off a point blank head shot!......i think perfection is the word your looking for! So Im hoping Ive managed to convince some of you out there become shotgun toting, grenade throwing maniacs (real life not applicable of course). Take the Sawed-off for a spin and youll quickly see how it can change your game completely. master your reloading then charge head on into battle (or hide round those pesky corners) and youll be leaving bloodied masses behind you in your wake! REMEMBER THE SAWED-OFF! Its old-school, it packs a punch and its a cool boom-stick! The Hammerburst by Harriet Jones 
Play any match of Versus mode and you will soon see that it is full of people running about like lunatics with shotguns, picking those off who cant react fast enough. Thats fine, and makes for some fun fast placed gameplay, but it can be more than off-putting for newcomers to the series as well as those who are maybe less skilled. This is where the use of longer range rifles comes into play, and for me personally, nothing is quite like the Hammerburst. Okay so it isnt standard issue, and doesnt have any fancy attachments like a chainsaw or bayonet, but over long range there is nothing quite like it. The lack of attachments comes into use in close quarters when you can just smack someone away rather than worrying about revving a chainsaw or lining up a charge. In campaign using the Hammerburst is just common sense. The weapon is largely used by the locust forces, so ammo is rarely an issue. The fact that over long range the Hammerburst is the most effective of the three rifles means that you can pick off the locust as they advance, increasing your chances of surviving. This also goes for Horde mode. The entire point of horde is that waves of enemies are flung at you, with the changes to the mode meaning a money system is in place to build barriers etc, this also means ammo is there to be bought too. Why not save your money, pick up enemy ammo, and build an awesome turret instead. Versus, well this is where I can see other arguments coming into play, but think of it this way; a guy is running at you full pelt, or is hiding round the corner with a sawn off shotgun. Now normally your face is as good as caved in right now, but if you instead roll back and stun him with a few rounds of the Hammerburst, you can either make your escape or finish him off with your life intact. For the moment at least anyway. In reality it is a combination of weapons that is the key to success, but if you havent already then give the Hammerburst a try, you may be pleasantly surprised. It may not be as iconic, but its effective, and sometimes thats what you need. The Retro Lancer by Matt Man 
To me it was pretty obvious even after the first time I picked up the gun; oh there would be others but nothing compares to the Retro Lancer in Gears 3. I know it is not the gun everyone thinks of when they think of Gears of War weapons, but in all honesty it is the most useful gun in the game. In addition, the Retro Lancer is the most fun for me; mostly because I had no idea how much I would enjoy hearing Marcus Fenix go screaming into battle and start stabbing Locus in Gears of War 3. I have to admit it gave me a lot of pleasure to just say screw it and start charging into gun fights with my Retro Lancer and stabbing every enemy in sight. And this is where the real usefulness of the Retro Lancer comes into play; above all else it saves on ammo. Any time I was low on ammo I didnt need to panic because I could still one hit kill enemies by stabbing them; and then take their ammo to replenish my own for the larger enemies. Now you may say to yourself, sure thats all well and great but the regular Lancer has a chainsaw attached and can save you the same amount of ammo. However, the Lancer has one major flaw; there is a delay before you can start cutting a Locus in half and more times than not you are being shot at while trying to start your chainsaw. With the Retro Lancer you just point and go charging into action, there is no delay you just look for the enemy who is out of cover and charge at him. In addition, I believe that the Retro Lancer is one of the most powerful weapons in the game at close range. So even if you miss with the bayonet, shooting close range is the specialty of the Retro Lancer because it is extremely powerful. The one downfall of the Retro Lancer is the lack of accuracy for long range, but if you want long range accuracy get a sniper rifle and go play Call of Duty you sissy (sarcasm). The Gears of War series for me has always been about up-close and personal gun fights and now instead of waiting for my chainsaw to rev up all I have to do is run recklessly into battle with no accord for my own life. In conclusion, the Retro Lancer alone brings the manliness level of the Gears of War series to a whole new level and no other weapon in the game can lay to claim to that. The Lancer and Gnasher Shotgun by Jim Cross 
Yeah - me again. Sorry to disappoint but no one else fancied these two so you're stuck with me. Though I have to admit, in a way I quite like that the two original powerhouses have been left for yours truly. There's something very satisfying in considering how far both have come, how they've evolved and stayed relevant as the series has developed. Firstly, on a mechanical level I can tell you that the Lancer is the the most useful (not powerful mind, but useful) weapon in the game. A bold claim yes, but having beaten Horde 2.0 and soloed Gears 3 on Insane I can honestly tell you that the accuracy and R.O.F. of the lancer make it the most practical tool in the fight against the locust. The ability to blindfire with precision, thus suppressing or straight up destroying enemies from the safety of cover, coupled with the chainsaw's ability to kill many opponents in a single swipe make it invaluable on the harder difficulties. Even with five competent players on the casual difficulty, the last ten waves of Horde are a real pain. Giving the enemies a times 2.5 multiplier for damage, accuracy and most dangerously, health, makes things incredibly tough. Knowing you can 'run and rev' into a drone for a quick kill is a brilliant failsafe however and thus the gun is mechanically favourable and versatile of the bunch. On the other hand of course the iconic look, sound and feel of the thing is undeniable. You remember the Lancer, you long to pick it up again after the tinny float of guns from certain FPS's. Frankly it can do no wrong. 
As for the Gnasher - well it's been a hard year hasn't it. No longer is the shotty the be all and end all of online play. No more can you assure yourself a kill with the flick of a roll and the squeeze of a trigger. Balanced has been addressed and theres more than one way to win now. That said of course the Gnasher is still the most iconic shotgun, perhaps in any medium ever (a certain 'Boom-Stick' not withstanding). Other than that it's still incredibly useful and really typifies the gory visceral nature of the franchise. Yes you can saw a guy in half or beat him down, but with the Gnasher you can literally liquify an enemy, or bust his head to bits. Pure class. Really the game's about choice, one of the great strengths of Gears is that every weapon is useful and idiosyncratic. All said and done, you really need to give them all a go. Party Pick Beast Mode 
For those of you looking for a silly, blood drenched laugh - look no further. Playing as a Ticker, being the serapede Gears of War 3's Beast Mode is fun regardless of whether that means anything to you or not. The idea is simple, you and other players (locally or over Live) band together to destroy waves of human AI. Now this isn't Horde, this isn't a survival mode instead you're playing against the clock to kill human heroes and destroy their fortifications. Kills equal seconds on the clock and cash in the bank. Keep earning to unlock more powerful nasties against harder human waves. That's the idea but that's not why it's fun. This mode is the perfect opportunity for you and your mates to play silly buggers. Simple as that really. Whether it's spamming the good guys with suicide tickers or flailing about as the butcher, there is something undeniably destructive about it. This isn't the intensive experience of Horde mode which asks you take it seriously, defend yourself, struggle to survive. Here you keep respawning, shamble about as you please, attack, get your melee on and generally have a more relaxed experience. This is gaming as it should be, you're not so much focused on reaching the end (which is fairly easy) instead it's about enjoying the ride. Small bites sized chunks of fun, worth a go beer in hand. Until next time Thanks again for taking the time to give TGTT a go. Check back next week for more tea leaf reading jollies from the world of games. Until then, adios.