The Unwound Future begins with the Professor and Luke receiving a letter from Luke…10 years in the future. It appears that London is in trouble and Luke is calling upon the help of the trusty Professor. The game features more than 165 puzzles to keep even the most cunning players on their toes. The game also boasts significantly more hand-drawn cutscenes (still in the Triplets of Belleville style), as well as plenty of voice acting to add a little more spice to this story-driven series.

One of the things I liked during my demo was the return of classic characters from previous games such as Inspector Chelmey and Statchen, to name a few. And for those players who found some puzzles to be excrutiatingly difficult in past games, The Unwound Future features a new “superhint” option that pretty much gives you the answer.

There doesn’t seem to be any drastic changes in The Unwound Future, so if you’ve never been a fan of the series, this game probably won’t change your mind. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find out what the new minigames are in the latest installment (such as creating herbal teas in the last game). However if the series sticks to the improvements made in Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box, then Layton fans alike are in for a very special treat when Professor Layton and the Unwound Future launches on September 20, 2010.

Seven years after the last installment, Golden Sun finally returns. With the original two entries on the GameBoy Advance, Golden Sun: Dark Dawn makes a leap onto a new platform that allows players a new way to play the game.

Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Last Age featured some of the best sprite work on the GBA, although now that the series is being brought over to the DS everything is being made 3D. When I first saw screenshots of the Summon abilities, I found them to be a little lack-luster compared to the originals (weird, huh?). Although, once I had the game in my hands it was clear that the move to 3D graphics actually makes the series more visually stunning than ever.

The game is controlled entirely on the touch screen, although Dark Dawn still allows players to use the D-Pad whenever they feel like it. This means that all psynergy moves can be performed with the stylus, or with the controls from the original two entries. In fact, the stylus-heavy controls are reminiscent of the DS Zelda games (Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks). While this is a great new option, as a fan of the GBA controls I found it best to stick to what I already knew.

During my demo, there were moments when using the stylus to control psynergy moves became cumbersome, as the game didn’t understand direction I was pointing to. Overall, the gameplay still feels very familiar and strikes a nice balance between implementing new controls and letting fans of the series stick with what feels comfortable.

Nintendo has been quite tight-lipped about the story, but I’ve included a few tidbits below that help to provide a basis for Golden Sun: Dark Dawn when it launches this Holiday season.

• Story takes place 30 years after Golden Sun: The Lost Age
• Main characters are the children of the previous game’s heroes
• Although the Golden Sun was restored it is now changing everything: continents have shifted, as well as new countries and species emerging
• Psynergy Vortexes, which suck Psynergy from the land and Adepts, are spreading across the world

Think Mario Kart meets LittleBigPlanet. Pretty cool, right? Whenever I’ve had to describe ModNation Racers to any of my friends I typically use that description, and to be honest, it couldn’t be more accurate. ModNation Racers is the latest game in Sony’s line of “Play Create Share” games, or in MNR‘s case, “Race Create Share”.

Developed by Vancouver’s own United Front Games, MNR is a brilliant showcase that demonstrates just how a user generated content game should be done, but that’s also not to say that the game is without its faults. ModNation Racers gives you the option to create your own characters (or ‘Mods’), karts and tracks and then put them use either online or via the game’s career mode.

Overall, the play mechanics are good – you accelerate using R2, steer with the Left Stick, drift with X, boost with L1 and dispatch items with Square. However, sometimes it feels as if the steering won’t stay straight unless you are really forcing the left analog stick forward. The drifting mechanic works well most of the time, but does go in the wrong direction from time to time. It would have been better if you could control the direction of drifting through a button press (a la Mario Kart Double Dash), instead of the game trying to guess what direction you’re trying to drift. While not a huge issue, it can lead to frustration from every now and then.

With that said, the biggest source of frustration from MNR comes from the game’s exceptionally long loading times. When I originally tried the game’s public beta I felt that the loading times were also long but played it down due to the fact that it wasn’t a finished product. It’s not like the loading times affect the game or it’s playability in any significant way, but to have to wait 1 minute plus for a race track to load seems a little excessive.

My qualm with MNR is the sometimes brutal enemy AI and career mode difficulty. Unlike other kart racing games, you cannot select your difficulty on the racing circuit, while the initial few races might seem easy enough, the AI quickly learns its lesson and is hell bent on beating you. One of the things I also found surprising was how close the AI is behind you at all times. Basically it takes one slip up or fall of the course to go from 1^st place to last.

However, with all this said, ModNation Racers is still a superb game. All of the flaws I’ve outlined are relatively minor, in fact the AI issues go away as soon as you race online against other players. The online play is very smooth and offers plenty of options to customize the difficulty, track type (game made or user generated) and more. Within seconds you’ll be racing against other players and hopefully exploring new tracks created by the MNR community.

The best part of ModNation Racers is the ability to create your own tracks, karts and Mods, but it’s not just being able to create them, it’s being able to create them with such ease that makes it great. When creating a track the game sets you up with a steam roller, you control it as if you were driving a kart and begin to lay down your track. When that is all said and done you can than choose to have the game auto-populate your track with prop items such as houses, signs and more, or simply lay it all out yourself.

If diving right in is too complicated or you are a creator looking to explore more advanced options, the game offers many different tutorial videos all of which walk you through step by step on how to create a killer user-generated track. One thing I found interesting was that there weren’t really any terrible courses that can be made with the tool set, just some annoying ones – such as a course designed to allow unlimited drifting so that players can unlock a trophy. It’s fine when there’s just one or two, but when the keep popping up in online races in can become frustrating.

Overall, ModNation Racers is a game I would highly recommend, if only so you can experience how amazing the level creator is. Like my earlier description stated, MNR is like Mario Kart meets LittleBigPlanet, and while there might be some areas for improvement you’d be a fool to miss out on such a fun experience.

Likes:

• Ease of all creation tools
• Ability to play split screen and race online at the same time
• Ability to download other’s creations and remix them your own way

Dislikes:

• Loading times
• Mild drifting issues
• Racer AI always seemed way to perfect

Review Score

Please note that this is a review for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game

Just in time for the movie, Ubisoft has released the latest installment in the Prince of Persia series. Back on track with the Sands of Time storyline, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands takes place between the original Sands of Time and Warrior Within.

You start off entering your brother Malik’s domain, shown through an almost life-like cutscene (the likes of which are never matched throughout the rest of the game) and begin to chase him down. Malik’s kingdom is being invaded, and thus he’s decided that the only way he can come out victorious is to unleash Soloman’s Army. Unfortunately, this only leads to disastrous results and now a vicious army of sand skeletons are on the hunt.

The game sticks to its tried and true platforming mechanics, which have been exceptionally polished in The Forgotten Sands. It’s funny; the opening tutorials from The Forgotten Sands and Sands of Time are almost identical. In fact The Forgotten Sands overall feels like an HD remake of the Sands of Time. This allows for a great entry point for new fans of the series, but still allows for die-hards to experience some of the platforming they know and love.

Unlike the 2008 game, simply titled Prince of Persia, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands follows a more linear style of gameplay, and also features more combat than the aforementioned title. 2008’s game turned out to be one of my unexpected favorites, and Forgotten Sands manages to top that in almost every way. The ability to use the Sands of Time is great, and the new mechanic of freezing water makes for great new challenges that test your dexterity while platforming. Just about the only thing I am not a fan of inThe Forgotten Sands is the combat. In Prince of Persia you were able to string together combos for days on end with the help of your partner, Elika. Here, all you can do is press the Square button to attack. Sure, you can pole vault over the enemies and use an aerial slash, but for the most part you just end up mashing the Square button.

Overall, The Forgotten Sands is a great game that provides a perfect entry point for new players in the Prince of Persia series. The platforming starts off easy and quickly adds on layers that with challenge even the most dexterous players, however with this said it never becomes quite annoying as to make you throw your controller. For fans of the series, Ubisoft has provided an all-new outing in the original Sands of Time storyline, however, if you’ve never played a Prince of Persia game, now is your time to get on board.

Likes:

• Use of your ability to freeze water
• Easy to get trophies/achievements
• Platforming is top-notch

Dislikes:

• The Prince looks nothing like Jake Gylennhaal (which does make a difference when you are trying to tie in a movie with a game)
• Combat is repetitive

Review Score

Well to be clear it’s not exactly math, but it’s a very interesting variation that makes for a refreshing experience in the puzzle genre; one I never embarked on upon it’s initial release. But with Picross 3D launching next week I figured it was time I finally gave the original, Picross DS, a shot.

The game has you unveil squares on a grid to reveal a picture inside. Thus giving the game it’s name, Picross or picture crossword. Each column and row has corresponding numbers, sometimes there are multiple numbers listed (always in order), all of which are meant to tell you how many squares you should tap. It’s up to you to find out where these squares are in the grid based off of the number clues provided. It might sound confusing initially, but the game explains it very well. After a few seconds you’ll find yourself hopelessly addicted. 

I’ve always been a fan of puzzle games, others including the Professor Layton series andPolarium, so it’s no shock that I enjoyed Picross DS, I just didn’t expect to enjoy it so much. It’s a neat little concept that allows for a pick and play style of gameplay. Slowly getting increasingly difficult, the game really challenges you by its last few puzzles.

I’m sure that there have been plenty of people who have compared this game to Sudoku just from a quick glance, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Sure both use a grid and numbers but here you’re discovering a picture hidden within as opposed to re-arranging the same nine numbers over and over again.

The music isn’t anything stellar in this game, but I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good puzzle game. There’s quite a few puzzles that will challenge even the most brilliant of minds, and hey, even if you get through all of the puzzles after a few days of dedicated play you’ll at least have Picross 3D to feed your new addiction!

Picross DS launched in 2007. Picross 3D launches on May 3^rd 2010.

New Game+ is LevelFortyTwo.com's blog not just looking back at older games, but also the effort and work that was put into them, as well as the joy of reliving old gaming experiences. Read more about the goal of this blog here.

If you're still with me, you know that the games are actually immensely fun and provide a nice break from most other games on the market. The game's art and music are also stunning, especially on the DS. Anyway, the main reason I am writing this blog is because I just got my Professor Layton figure (which I mentioned last week on the podcast). The Layton figure is actually surprisingly moldable, and comes with a variety of different attachments including a book, teacup, pen and a few different poses for his hands. Below are a few of the pictures I took of my Professor Layton. If you're interested in buying one, you can do so here (and I must add, AmiAmi.com ships very quickly!).

The reason I keep coming back to this series is the amazing storytelling and the fun yet brutal gameplay. This time around the series manages to deliver yet again, although the story doesn’t pack quite the punch it did with the first two games. One of my biggest complaints about the story is that Kazuma’s love interest from the second game, Kaoru Sayama, makes a brief appearance at the beginning of the game and then says she must leave. Kazuma doesn’t really seem to mind, and as such she is completely forgetten, and never even mentioned again throughout the game. I find it kind of shocking that the developers would introduce a relationship like this with Kazuma only to nullify it as soon as the opportunity arises.

Although the story isn’t quite as amazing as the first two, it’s still very engrossing (and still fully voiced in Japanese and subtitled in English). The series has always been known for its plot twists and strong storytelling, so at least it isn’t a let down there. One part where fans of the series might feel let down though is with the exclusion of the game’s hostess clubs, an optional set of side missions/stories for players to engage in. When Sega announced that this content had been cut only a few days before Yakuza 3’s release many loyal fans were upset. Personally I hadn’t really invested much time into this aspect of the previous games so it wasn’t something I greatly missed.

In terms of game play, Yakuza 3 is no let down either. In fact, the combat is probably the best it’s ever been. For those who have never played the series before, Yakuza is sort of a brawler-RPG hybrid that primarily has you using the Square and Triangle buttons for punching or kicking enemies, while level up certain abilities. There are many new moves to be acquired, most of them even more brutal than in the previous games (especially in HD). One new addition I am particularly fond of is the addition of “Super HEAT” moves. These only become available during certain boss battles but really allow the player to give their opponent a good thrashing.

However, not everything in Yakuza 3 is great. There are many occasions in the story where it feels as if the game loses some of its increasing momentum. This usually happens when Kazuma is running around trying please all of the children staying at Sunshine Orphanage. Sure, it makes sense to the story but there are some chapters (especially early on) where you are performing countless fetch quests for these children who seemingly rule this ex-yakuza’s life. At least these chapters are few and far between, but usually sandwiched into these chapters are the inclusion of new minigames. Let me say this: I play the Yakuza series because I want to see the story unfold, or I want to beat up some enemies. I don’t, however, want to be forced to play golf or go fishing or play darts. These minigames are only a small part of the overall game but I can’t for the life of me understand why the developers felt the need to include them.

Overall, Yakuza 3 is a very good game and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has played the first two games, or even someone just looking to start now. There is little to detract from your overall experience, and Sega has done a great job at providing very informative recaps of the first two games for players who are new to the series. I would like to provide one disclaimer, however: if you played the Yakuza 3 demo and didn’t enjoy it, please don’t use that to judge the game; that demo was horrible because it threw you into a chapter a third of the way into the game. Not to mention, it didn’t do a good job of showcasing what is best about the series: compelling stories and strong gameplay.

Likes:

• Improved combat
• Moveable camera
• Experiencing Tokyo and all of the game’s characters in HD

Dislikes:

• Minigames
• The complete dismissal of Kaoru Sayama
• Fetch quests for children in the orphanage

Review Score

/

The game controls differently from any other game you might have played before, and although there is a small adjustment period it quickly becomes second nature. The tasks that you are required to perform by using the Right Stick, or buttons are very good at immersing you into the experience. From the get go I was aware that any of the characters I was playing as could die and thus my decisions were greatly influenced. For my first playthrough I was determined to keep everyone alive. As the story progressed I found myself in increasingly stressful situations where my heart rate would steadily rise.

After beating the game I was still so enthralled in the story that I couldn’t think of much else for the next little while. Another amazing aspect of this game are the branching story paths. Based off of your decisions characters can live or die, and as such the story can be impacted. Upon completing Heavy Rain I felt instantly compelled to go back and play the game again with specific things I would do differently for each chapter.

The game also shares heavy similarities with the movie se7en, which actually works in its favor to create dark and atmospheric environments. Speaking of atmospheric, the music in Heavy Rain is phenomenal. There are many times where it builds up suspense making you feel as if your next decision could cost you your life. As mentioned earlier, each of the four characters can die and as such there are no restarts; if someone dies, that’s it. There were many times where I could only play a couple chapters and would then feel the need to take a break, sort of like reading a book. I felt as if this was a testament to how well crafted the story was; I was able to complete it at my own pace and not feel the need to finish it “before everyone else”.

Overall, Heavy Rain is an emotionally engrossing game. It provides a new experience not yet seen in the medium of video games. I would highly recommend it to those looking for something different than anything else on the market. With twists and turns around each corner, and plenty of replayability Heavy Rain is one of the best experiences you’ll have on your PS3.

Likes:

• Engrossing story with many endings
• Controls bridge a gap between been player and character
• Ability to choose your own actions and have to live with the consequences

Dislikes:

• Walking can sometimes be frustrating
• Characters sometimes look stunning, and horrible at others (Uncanny Valley)

Justin Potts: Upon embarking on the Heavy Rain rollercoaster, one of my first ambitions was to wander my spacious, sun-drenched home in my undergarments.  I was not allowed to do so.  This felt strange, as I had taken part in such simple activity only a few short weeks ago.

Forced to make myself presentable, I headed for my wardrobe, which appeared to be packed with stylish options.  With the flick of a thumbstick, my character dressed himself in something that I certainly wouldn’t have selected.  If found this rather frustrating, not because many smaller games built on “archaic” design principles sport some rather extensive costume customization, but because just prior to this I had been forced to . . . take a shower?

Despite these regular engagements with the mundane, Heavy Rain places the player smack in the midst of a multitude of intense, compromising situations, and these are (most often) stressful and anxiety inducing, to say the least.  Failing to perform the prompted inputs accurately in these segments, something I frequently struggled with although I feel this was due to no personal fault of my own, can drastically alter the course of events later on in the story.  However, should you choose not to engage and merely watch things play out, while the end result may be different, the individual events within the scene may not change in the least.

The examples above outline my biggest complaint:  More often than not, it feels as if points and events for player “engagement” are arbitrary.  I often got the impression that the entire game was “shot,” and then had “interactive” elements laid over the top, as opposed to the developers having actively sculpted interesting interactions which would then add to the experience.  Yes, the action and suspense are certainly tense, but that in and of itself is really nothing new.  It was all of the stuff in between that I was looking forward to.  We often hear the argument that merely presenting text to the player is a “waste of the medium,” that there should be other ways to pursue these interactions.  Heavy Rain has presented us with one more method, which should be seen as just that, one possible method.

Yet, despite what may read like a somewhat scathing analysis, the fact of the matter is that I could not stop playing.  The game’s developers repeatedly stated that Heavy Rain is not a “game,” but something more along the lines of film.  If this is truly the case, then Heavy Rain has accomplished something rather remarkable, as there is no way that I would put up with a movie this long, much less repeatedly sacrifice sleep in order to watch “just one more scene.”  There is something bigger occurring here, something that has been brewed up in the bowels of this composition, and the argument surrounding exactly what this may be still seems to be far from reaching any sort of conclusive analysis.  The questions in this case, I think, are of far greater importance than the (perceived) answer.

The qualities of Heavy Rain which make it feel fresh, engaging and memorable, most notably the story, themes and atmosphere largely lacking from big retail products within the medium, as well as the game’s visuals, likely aren’t going to stand the test of time.  As hardware grows more powerful and video games (hopefully) continue to broaden in their scope of viable material, the outstanding qualities of Heavy Rain will one day likely become some standard form of sub-genre.  It is quite possible however, that upon looking back, we may end up viewing the title as a significant turning point, a catalyst for the exploration and resulting production of a more diverse and challenging engagement with various avenues for storytelling and what it means for something to be “adult” underneath the video game umbrella.  Should this prove to be the case, I can hardly imagine a more welcome contribution. 

Likes:

• Forces the player to make difficult, rarely explored decisions
• Lots of great conversation to be had about the experience with others
• Always want to see what’s next

Dislikes:

• “Interactive elements” often feel arbitrary, disengaging
• Experienced many issues inputting desired commands
• Feedback to the player is (intentionally?) unclear