Turok [PS3]

Joseph Turok is the latest addition to Whisky Company, a military unit sent to an unknown planet to find and capture Roland Kane, a war criminal who was once the commander of Wolf Pack, Turok's old unit. Kane's troops shoot down your squad's airship, forcing Turok to search the strange, dinosaur-infested planet for his squadmates, Kane, and a way back home.

As soon as you start the game, you'll notice that a lot of care was taken in getting the environment right. Part Land of The Lost, part Jurassic Park; The jungles and swamps that you travel through on your mission are well-detailed and alive with creatures, both in the sky, and on the ground. Grass sways, hiding small lizards that bite, and most of the time you get the feeling that just about anything could be lurking around the next corner. Of course, there often is a raptor or other lizard looking for food, but they seldom travel alone. Both visually and aurally, the game gives you the feel of being there, and the first time you see one of the large dinosaurs, it really is quite impressive.

As you progress through the story, more of Turok's background with Wolf Pack will be revealed through flashbacks and memories, and it's certainly interesting enough to inspire you to continue through the tougher spots. The game isn't easy, with several sections requiring the player to think methodically, rather than charge through the situation at hand. There's also some clever boss battles, and a few places where you'll simply need to die a few times before you figure out what to do, sometimes with a bit of frustration.

The combat system is another high point as well, and Turok can use several types of guns found during the game, as well as a bow and a knife. I especially found using the knife an efficient way of dealing with most of the creatures, and the variety of attack moves kept it from getting too routine. When you need some distance, the bow is efficient, and also good for downing small dinosaurs and Kane's troops while staying hidden. The selection of guns that becomes available is surprisingly varied as well, and you'll even find yourself using an RPG and turrets at some points.

The game isn't without its problems though, and most of them seem to have at least something to do with the less-than-fully optimized state of the Unreal Engine on PS3. There's a lot of frame-skipping here. Not enough to ruin the game, but certainly enough that it's more than just an occasional glitch. The lighting is also harsh at times, with the engine's trademark lighting having too much contrast a lot of the time. It may sound picky, but there's also some long load times that happen at close intervals, giving the impression that this was definitely not the lead platform.

There's also a selection of multiplayer modes, where players can face-off online in several styles of play including deathmatch, capture the flag, and co-op. The stealthy vibe of the story mode carries over into the online game as well, with one of the nicest features being the ability to choose which weapons are available. This enables online knife fights, which are quite a fun change from using guns. The lobby system is bare-bones though, and it's cumbersome to both find and host matches.

Overall, The game feels as though you're playing a movie like Aliens or Predator, at times both hunter and hunted, and it's a lot of fun most of the time. Fans of the original Nintendo 64 title will definitely enjoy it, and it's also different enough from most First-Person Shooters that those looking for something a bit less conventional should consider giving it a try.

Video Games Live [Massey Hall, Toronto]

Game composer Tommy Tallarico brought his multimedia-meets-symphony stage show back to Toronto for the second time, bringing along a few special guest performers, and making some changes to the playlist since the last show in 2006. Even before the show started, it was clear this wasn't a regular night at the symphony. The over-40 set were in the definite minority, most of them having been brought by their 20-something offspring. A smattering of cosplayers dressed as their favourite characters added a festive atmosphere, with a particularly young Link winning the best costume contest preceding the show. It was also worth noting that the men probably didn't outnumber the women by much of a margin either.

Starting with an homage to old-school gaming, a large video screen played footage of a few dozen milestones of early arcade history like Pong, Space Invaders and Defender. Fans were then treated to music from the Metal Gear Solid series, accompanied by a montage of footage spanning the various titles. During the performance, a generic soldier made his way around the stage, with a cardboard box following close behind. As the score ended, Tallarico appeared onstage and revealed that the box contained none other than YouTube and E3 phenom Martin Leung, the "video game pianist." Leung dazzled the crowd several times throughout the show, performing his famous blindfolded, high-speed version of Super Mario Bros., a medley of various Final Fantasy titles, and music from Chrono Cross.

While most of the show was dedicated to big console hits such as God Of War, The Legend Of Zelda and Sonic The Hedgehog, there were nods to the world of PC gaming as well. The music of World Of Warcraft proved popular, and the tribal sounds and chants of Civilization IV provided some diversity. Not being a typical orchestral concert, there were also crowd participation segments where two audience members were pitted against each other for prizes in a game of Frogger, and another had a chance to win a home arcade system by playing Space Invaders and having to move back and forth across the stage as the "base." It's also worth noting that the orchestra, choir and special guests The Runaway Five, a local jazz group, were all from Toronto.

Even though the evening had a decidedly fun and light-hearted atmosphere, it was also good to see Tallarico go out of his way to have some substance as well, partnering with the History Channel to put together actual war footage for the Medal Of Honor (sic) segment. While it's doubtful that many of the parents who attended the show through their children's interest are going to start listening to game soundtracks en masse, the show's success at bringing game music to a wider audience and more serious appreciation is another sign of the industry's increased acceptance and relevance.

9/10

Burnout Paradise [PS3]

For the first time, Electronic Arts bring their road-raging racing series to the PlayStation 3, with the game now taking place in Paradise City, which is loosely modeled on Los Angeles and the surrounding area.

When you first start out, you'll have a learner's permit, and gain license classes as you progress through the game and win races. You'll also earn new cars, which can be picked up by driving into any of several junkyards. Cars now have "Boost Types" as well, which separates them into classes based on aggression, speed, or stunt ability. An aggression class car will earn boost faster for offensive driving, but won't be able to compete in Burning Route races, which are only for speed class cars. This gives some more incentive to unlock cars than in the previous games, and car types include muscle cars, hot rods and SUVs. While you don't have a huge selection of car-modding options, you can repair damage, change your paint colour, or refill your boost just by driving through the "Drive-Thru" at a repair shop, paint shop, or gas station; without even hitting the brakes. There's also an artsy vignette that plays when you unlock a new car, called "Picture Paradise" that features classical music.

Instead of stopping the action and making players scroll through a menu or drive to a garage to find new races and challenges, you simply pull up to one of 120 intersections in the city, and pull a brakestand. The race event for that location will then start, with computer-controlled opponents pulling up from behind. Players familiar with the series will recognize the straightforward point-to-point races, speed-focused Burning Route challenges, and Road Rage events, where the objective is to take down a set number of opponents within the time limit. The series' Crash Mode is gone, but the new Stunt Run events offer up a way for players to show off their drifting, jumping and spinning skills off of ramps and highways scattered around the city. There's also a new Marked Man race where all the other drivers are looking to force you off the road before you get to the finish line.

One of the new features that really makes the game feel different is that the city is wide open right from the start, without having to unlock any areas. Racers can find their own paths during a race, using the many shortcuts to outwit the other drivers. It's definitely worth taking the time to learn the city as well, since the game's difficulty is a bit higher than in previous versions, and you'll likely need those shortcuts. There's a map in the corner of the screen, but if you look at it for more than a second, chances are you'll look back up to a collision. It's nice that those big flashing arrows designating corners in most racing games are gone, as are the invisible walls that were behind them. I was also pleasantly surprised at how little advertising there is in the game. I would have expected at least the gas stations, where you can refill your boost meter, to have been branded by one of the global chains. There are a few legitimate billboards here and there, and a few branded retail stores, but it seems that EA's heard the complaints gamers had about the heavy product promotion going on in their other games and toned things down quite a bit.

The graphics look considerably more polished than they did in Burnout Revenge, but it's the size of the city really that impresses the most. There's also no tearing or draw-in at all, and the frame-rate is steady at 60fps. There's also more detail, and the lighting doesn't bloom as much this time either, which works for me. The cars definitely look better now as well, and collisions are a bit more directed, with a third-person view taking over just before impact. The sounds are pretty much as expected, and the soundtrack is quite substantial as well, with a good variety of rock and electronic music to suit most tastes. Series vets will remember some of the songs from previous iterations though.

The game also allows online play by simply hitting right on the direction pad and seeing a list of friends currently playing the game. Send them an invite and you can challenge their speed or stunt records, try to take each other down, or create your own custom race for up to eight players. While racing against the computer is as fun as ever, it doesn't compare to challenging friends online in the racing events, or even just playing chicken or tag to see who can score the most takedowns. There's headset support for whatever USB or Bluetooth device you already have setup, and PlayStation Eye / EyeToy support allows the game to take a picture of your rival's reaction when you take them down.

Burnout Paradise feels like the kind of game that the developers always wanted to make, but only now have the technology to pull off. The updated graphics and open world bring the game up to a new visual level and the fact that you don't have to leave the game to choose races or even to find people online adds to the immersive feel. The increased competitiveness you'll feel and the new immersive play styles you can create with friends online bring the street racing experience to a new level.

9/10

Unreal Tournament 3 [PS3]

Originally titled Unreal Tournament 2007, this latest instalment was almost delayed until the new year, and is also a showpiece for Epic's Unreal Engine 3.

For the first time, Unreal Tournament offers up some single-player action in addition to its usual array of multiplayer modes. An invasion by an alien race known as the Necris has commenced, and naturally, it's your job to defend humankind and get rid of them as James 'Reaper" Hawkins, a member of a hired mercenary team. A tutorial of sorts, the story starts with footage of a battle where Reaper is injured. Post-recovery, Reaper's sister Sarah (Jester) provides a bit of training, after which their commander (Malcolm) fills you in on the situation with the Necris.

During the solo campaign, players will fight various team-oriented battles that introduce the various game types such as Team Deathmatch and Capture The Flag, which will be familiar to most players, as well as Warfare, where teams link nodes across the map and then destroy the enemy's power core. It's also a chance to practice controlling the various vehicles in the game without the pressure of an online match. There's also the new hoverboard as well, which can be controlled via motion controls if you like. As you progress, cut scenes will reveal more of the story and you'll have some choices as far as which battles to fight in. It's a nice added extra, but does feel somewhat strung together, and definitely falls short of the solo game in other First-Person Shooters.

Of course, online multiplayer is really what this series is all about, and in that department, it doesn't disappoint. After creating a customized character, you'll be able to join a Quick Match, browse the various hosted games looking for one that appeals to you, or host your own game. Naturally, there are a large number of settings to tailor the gameplay to your liking. Video effects, audio levels and controller options are almost as numerous as on shooters for the PC. You can even use a keyboard and mouse, if you prefer using them to a controller. If you can't find an online match that appeals to you, or you find you need some practice, you can play against computer-controlled bots to build up your skills. They aren't wimpy either, and seem to be quite a bit smarter and faster than in previous installments. You can also have bots take the place of human players as you wait for more people to join a match that you host. Sadly, there aren’t any split-screen modes where you and a friend can team up against bots, human opponents, or even each other. It’s a shame, since Co-Operative play is fast becoming a must-have feature for FPS fans. Players that were expecting new weapons might not be too thrilled either, as aside from some minor tweaks, the available arsenal hasn’t changed.

The level roster is slightly larger than expected, with different maps available in each game type. While a few are certainly reminiscent of the earlier games, most of them feel fresh enough while still inspiring the same type of cat-and-mouse gameplay the series is known for. One of the new features of UT3 which will likely keep players interested for some time, is the ability to play user-created modifications (mods) made with the PC version of the game. This means that new levels and gameplay types will be available for free. Mod creators will need to export PS3-specific versions of their creations, but players will only need to download the PS3 version of a mod with their PC, transfer it to a flash memory card or USB drive, and then import it into the game from the menu.

The game's graphics are meant to show off Epic's Unreal Engine 3 technology, and do look good. The level structures look amazing, and the game runs as fast as you could ever want it to. It's harder to compare some of the character and weapon visuals, since they are quite stylized, but suffice to say that UT 2004 is looking pretty old at this point. Audio is pretty much what you'd expect from the series, with pumping music, weapon fire, and headset trash talk dominating the soundscape. There's also some ambient sound mixed in there too, and it's definitely nice to have control over the mix.

UT3 is decidedly focused on multiplayer, as veterans of the series will expect. While the single-player campaign does offer a good introduction to the various game types and a training ground for newbies, players are much better off practicing against the bots before taking their game online. The game is very good at what it does, and having access to mods will no doubt keep the game fresh, but the lack of offline split-screen play will likely leave some players wanting just a bit more.

9/10

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock [PS3]

When Activision bought Guitar Hero publisher Red Octane and then handed development of the game off to its Neversoft studio, gamers were concerned that the title might lose some of its magic. Happily, the game manages to keep the same vibe as the previous versions, and adds some new life to the formula as well.

Players again choose from one of several characters that poke fun at various genre conventions and proceed through several setlists, unlocking more tracks as they progress. As usual, you have five fret buttons and the strumbar to hit notes as they scroll past the indicators on the screen. The biggest difference this time is having to contend with the occasional Boss Battle, and eventually battling against Slash from Guns 'N' Roses. During the battle, instead of earning Star Power to multiply your score, you'll earn power-ups that screw over your opponent by increasing the number of notes they need to hit, or making them break a string.

You and a friend can play Career Mode co-operatively online, which is great, since you won't need a second guitar controller. There's also several options to battle one-on-one and see who rocks harder. Worth noting is that the controller is now wireless, and syncs to a USB dongle that plugs into the console. The shape is comfortable to hold for a long session, and the buttons have a softer feel than before, but don't feel loose or unresponsive. Sadly, it doesn't work with previous versions of the game made for the PlayStation 2 when you try them on a backwards-compatible PS3.

The songs themselves are mostly cover versions, as before, but are still high enough quality for the most part that it's not a huge issue. The tracklist should please most fans of the series as well, with tracks from bands like The Beastie Boys, Alice Cooper, Heart, Kiss, Metallica, and The Smashing Pumpkins offering a diverse lineup. With seventy-one tracks in total, and downloadable songs available from the PlayStation Store, there's bound to be a few of your favorites included.

While it's the fourth version of the game in only a couple of years, Guitar Hero III does manage to feel new enough for fans of the series. It's also a good place to start for players who are new to the genre.

8/10