No, this is not the aftermath of drunken, human fisticuffs, but rather the battle against an evil alien empire known as the Bydo. A force that has provided gamers with more frustration than any other iconic enemy in existence. This is R-Type Dimensions, and it’s as good as ever – just pad your room with pillows first.

Consisting of both arcade classics, R-Type and R-Type II, Dimensions offers two of the greatest retro shooters to hit the Xbox Live Arcade. Both games remain completely unchanged from when they hit the arcades back in the late eighties, as Bydo in all shapes and sizes clutter the screen, reigning down death from every possible angle. It’s overwhelming, intense and extremely difficult; a game the hardcore, nostalgic fans will adore from the get-go.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything here to attract in some newcomers. Like Bionic Commando: ReArmed before it, Dimensions offers both games in glorious 3D. The change is astounding as you use Y to switch between 2D and 3D on the fly – a feature that every retro game on the XBLA should implement. R-Type is known for its excellent enemy and level designs, and here the step-up to 3D improves the experience tenfold. It looks sleek, crisp, highly detailed and down right beautiful at times. It might not be a giant step up, but when you see how much the original titles have aged, it’s definitely a lot more pleasant to look at.

And that’s not all. There’s also a whole host of other presentational options to take a gander at. Most apply to the 3D mode, with a new “crazy” viewpoint moving the camera to an angle just to the left of the screen; and some funky 8-bit filters, giving everything a washed-out look. But perhaps the most novel of all is the arcade camera for use with the original 2D mode. Here you’ll play on the tiny screen of a 3D-rendered arcade cabinet. As the ship moves so does the screen and joystick on the arcade unit. It’s fun to watch, but those susceptible to motion sickness may want to stay away. It may be gimmicky, but those nostalgic fans will get a kick out of it – and the small screen can ramp up the difficulty even further.

But for those of us that don’t want to die every three seconds, there’s the Infinite Mode. Rather than start with a measly three lives – like the classic mode – you’ll be given an unlimited amount. It makes the game extremely easy, and you can complete both games in around thirty minutes; but at least it gives you the option to do so, rather than never seeing past the first level.

Of course, you can always get a friend to join you, which should made the task a little more doable if you want to attempt the insanely difficult classic mode. Whether it’s offline or online, the co-op is a lot of fun. It can get a little too hectic with two people, and you’ll often forget which ship is yours, but a lot of laughs are guaranteed and it goes some way to justifying the high 1,200 points you’d need to be willing to pay for Dimensions.

And, obviously, that price will be the sticking point for a lot of people. It makesDimensions one of the most expensive games on XBLA, so even though it’s been made more accessible, it will probably only really attract in the hardcore fans. Those that will stick with the classic mode and spend countless hours trying to better their scores to extend the longevity of the game.

For the rest of us, the Infinite Mode makes the game way too easy and short, so there won’t be a lot to go back to other than the co-op. So really it depends on whether you’re willing to fight through the classic mode to try and justify your purchase. Those that do will enjoy R-Type Dimensions despite it’s horrendous difficulty level. There’s been a lot of effort and love put in to keep it from being just another retro game on the Arcade. The new presentational options differentiate it from that group, but I still don’t think it’s enough to warrant the high price point. The hardcore fans looking for nostalgia will definitely get the most out of it by far. It still maintains the classic look, sound and gameplay that made it such a hit in the first place. It’s just not for everyone, despite all the new bells and whistles that may attract a more casual audience.

Before I answer that question, I feel a little history lesson is in order. If you’ve never played Skate before then it’s worth noting how different it is from the Tony Hawk series. Their philosophy was for big thrills and spills, creating an arcade experience that focused on massive combos and out-of-this-world tricks and stunts. Sure, it was fun, but it wasn’t what skating is all about. If you’ve ever watched any skateboarding videos, or are a skater yourself, then you know it’s not all about pulling off one hundred move combos, it’s about nailing maybe one or two tricks in quick succession and using your environment to pull it off. It’s about getting a big grind down a set of stair rails, or just making it over a gap.Skate embodies this realistic nature, and by and large it’s a much more rewarding experience when you nail that perfect line or pull off a particularly hard trick on your fiftieth attempt.

Skate 2 is largely similar to its predecessor. Of course the innovative Flickit controls remain at the heart of the game, and there’s now an overabundance of new tricks included in your repertoire. Whilst the original focused on flip tricks, grabs and grinding, Skate 2 opens things up with hand and foot plants, no complys, finger flips and even hippy jumps, just to name a few. The sheer amount of moves you can pull off is overwhelming at times, and it’s here that the Flickit controls’ main fault lies. Pretty much every trick is mapped to the right analogue stick with other buttons, like the right trigger, allowing you to tweak these moves. This is fine when you’re casually skating around, but when it comes to certain challenges where you need to pull off a specific trick, it can get frustrating. There are so many moves mapped to the right analogue stick that slight adjustments in any direction will produce different results. You’ll be failing a challenge because you’re moving the analogue stick a tad too high for the particular trick you need to perform, and just trying to get the right movement can prove tiresome after you’ve bailed for the thirtieth time.

However, while this may be the biggest fault of the control scheme, it’s still a minor complaint when you consider how well it can work. Performing a basic kick flip has never been so rewarding, and it’s a compliment to the Flickit controls that it’s managed to remain just as refreshing and exciting as it was in the first game. If you’re a Skate veteran it’s easy to come into Skate 2 and begin owning the streets just as you were before. Only now it’s just a case of mixing in the new tricks into your repertoire. While it’s not the big change people were waiting for, the new tricks do fit in well; you’ll just need to adjust to using them, and remember to include them when roaming the streets.

The big new change this time around is the addition of actually getting off your board. Sadly, the controls are pretty terrible. I would call them tank controls, but it’s quite possibly worse than that. Don’t panic though, because it’s not all bad. While the controls may be horrendous, they prove useful for navigating to hard-to-reach places, and just mounting a set of stairs. The lack of a climbing button does hamper the experience when you can’t get over a four foot wall, but it’s much better to have them than not.

Especially when it allows you to manipulate objects in the world. See a high wall you want to jump over, but can’t see a way of getting the height? Easy. Just grab that bench over there, move it into position, and you have a perfect launch platform. There’s a profusion of moveable objects scattered around the fictional city of New San Vanelona, all there for you to move around and create your own, unique lines. A lot of the challenges require you to position objects, so you better get used to it and the controls. Luckily they aren’t as bad as the other off-board controls – they’re actually quite easy; just go up to an object and you can easily grab it and move it in any direction, or even rotate it how you want. It’s intuitive and makes setting up your own obstacle course an easy task. The problems arise when you consider that they have virtually no weight. Skate 2 is primarily a physics based game, so it’s strange to see this big wooden ramp knocked out of position when some wannabe-skater crashes into it. It makes sense in terms of game design that they’re weightless when you’re required to move them around, but once they’re in place they should be bolted to the floor, per se. In busy areas you’ll constantly have to keep moving objects back into position as the busy streets tussle and turn them every which way and that.

It also makes some challenges harder than they should be. As you well know, in the original Skate, completing tasks was always a trial and error affair – much like real skating. You’d be asked to hit a certain rail whilst performing a specific trick, so it would often take many, many attempts. It was a rewarding system though. The sense of jubilation when finally nailing the line was a terrific experience, and it remains the same in Skate 2. The reason the moveable objects create difficulty here is that you never quite know whether you’re supposed to use them or not. For instance, one challenge required me to gap over a water fountain. It looked doable with a simple ollie, but there was also a set of ramps and rails pushed to one side. I figured that since they were placed precisely in that spot that it was pretty obvious that I needed to use them. So I set the ramp up and had tremendous difficulty making the gap. It was only after I took it away, and tried the gap a few more times that I accomplished the task. Skate 2 is already full of trial and error gameplay, so hinting that you need to use objects even when you don’t just adds to this because you never quite know whether to continue trying it with the objects, or scrap them and try doing it without. Telling you whether to use them or not may take away from the added strategy, but it’s better than not knowing whether you should continue on or try something different.

The story mode could have also been improved upon. It remains strikingly similar to the first game with most challenges revolving around nailing tricks for magazines, shooting sponsorship videos, competing in contests, impressing pros and so on. I know there’s not a whole lot more you can do with skating, but it’d be nice to have a little more variety thrown in. You’ll spend the majority of your time shooting photos to get in both Skateboard Mag and Thrasher. It’s always built up that this is your main goal – and I would imagine it’s the same for any skater – but the outcome is a tad disappointing and anti-climatic.

The progression is still a firm favourite of mine, however. Rather than improving your skater’s abilities, he’ll stay the same throughout the whole experience. The only one improving will be you. It’s a brilliant way to progress as you know it’s all down to you. There are no upgradeable stats holding you back, it’s just personal skill. When you’ve played for a few weeks you really get a sense of how far you’ve come and it’s extremely gratifying.

Especially when your skater looks like you. Whether you’re male or female, both sex can be chosen here – although that’s really the only difference. Surprisingly the rest of the features are pretty slim compared to the first game, but there are still a bunch of clothing options to dress your skater however you want him/her to look as you get ready to hit the streets of New San Vanelona.

And it’s “New” for a reason. While there are plenty of landmarks you’ll recognise, there’s now a vast number of new locations as well. These are great, particularly the areas designed around gaining as much speed as possible. It’s an exhilarating experience blasting down a hill, pulling off tricks with little remorse for human life. Skate 2 does an exceptional job of conveying speed so that it never feels like you’re quite in control of your board. It‘s these new locales that are definite highlights, although, for you traditionalists out there, there are still plenty of classic skate spots to enjoy as well. The great thing about San Van is that it never feels like a game world. Sure, it’s built around skateboarding, with rails, empty pools, and the like, littered across the city, but it’s never so obvious that it couldn’t be a real city. It’s testament to the design, and definitely makes San Van a joy to explore. Sadly, the frame rate can slow you down though, especially when overlooking the city. It’s not as smooth as it could be, often dropping when there’s a lot going on.

The visuals aren’t a big step up from the original either. It still has a washed out look, but it fits the skateboarding scene, particularly when you consider that the game is always looking through the lens of a camera. The most impressive aspects are the little details. Your skater will now cut and bruise after bails, and his clothing will get dirty over time. It’s nothing big, but it is something you’ll notice that helps absorb you into this world, and get a feeling of the pain these guys go through.

And this is none more evident than with the new bailing system. The animation throughout the game is outstanding, but if there’s one complaint that was levelled against the original Skate, was that the bails looked a bit iffy. That has been rectified in Skate 2 as bails look just as painful as you would imagine them to be. It might not fit in with the realistic nature of the rest of the game but the Thrasher: Hall of Meat is an enjoyable and hilarious new addition. At any point in time you can chose to bail out, and then continue to pull off special moves whilst crashing through the air. These will earn you points to go along with the extra points you get for distance travelled, objects hit, bones broken, and so on. It turns into its own game as you try to find the best places in the city to hurl your skater to certain death. You wouldn’t think it’s possible, but Skate 2 actually makes bailing a fun experience, especially when you hear the gruesome cracking of bones all over your body.

A definitive aspect of the excellent sound design. Whether you’re just cruising down the street or flying face first into a vehicle, the sound just feels right. And the soundtrack is of similar quality – although some of the songs don’t lend themselves well to skating. As a collection, the soundtrack has a great mix of different genres and styles to please all, it’s just that some of them don’t really fit in with the skating culture. You might enjoy listening to them on their own, but they’re not ideal when cruising the streets. But really, that’s just nit-picking.

Skate 2 is an enjoyable romp through skating culture. It’s extremely similar to the first game, but the new additions here are a lot of fun, even if they contain some flaws. It’s not the huge step up people were waiting for, and it’s disappointing that some aspects weren’t fixed; but the Flickit control scheme has managed to feel just as fresh and exciting as before, and the plethora of new tricks are welcome. There just seems to be something missing.

Maybe it’s the fact that there seems to be a greater need to play through the story, rather than just skate around in your own time, that’s most upsetting. This was one of the best aspects of the first game, and it really captured the laid back, relaxing nature of skating. In Skate 2, this attitude seems to have been lost in the mainstream. You can now teleport to absolutely anywhere on the map, eliminating the need to explore the city. Sure, it‘s a handy feature to have when you just can‘t be bothered to traverse across the whole map, but a lot of the fun from the original was based around skating to your destination and getting to know the city whilst learning all the tricks on the way.

Regardless, Skate 2 is still a blast. If you’ve done all you can in Skate, then it’s worth picking up to extend your adventure. For newcomers, it may be better to try the original first and just spend time skating around and learning all the tricks on offer. Maybe it was because it was something new, but for me, the original Skatewas a much more enjoyable experience. Skate 2 builds on that, it just can’t quite capture the magic. But don’t let that put you off, it’s a hard task matching Skate’s high expectations.

Played a game today. Watchmen, they call it. Tie-in for a film, twenty years in the making. Originally a book. I wouldn’t know, no time to read about such gratuitous life/death struggles. Opinion is mixed though. Some say game should not be made, source material does not suit it. Hard to tell, difficult to play with face on. Fights are full of violence and the violence is full of blood. Should please some, not all.

Good joke. Everybody laugh. Roll on snare drum. Curtains.

ROSHACH, MARCH 14TH, 2009 .} {.

And back to reality. If you didn’t understand what any of that, rather awkward, fan-service-intended opening meant then you’re in the wrong place. Watchmen: The End is Nigh is of course a tie-in to the much anticipated movie adaptation of Alan Moore’s classic graphic novel, Watchmen. A book that elevated the superhero genre to new heights with its adult take on the flawed and troubled life of a superhero in an alternate 1980s America where an impending nuclear war looms on the horizon.

Developers Deadline Games have taken a wise design choice, opting to set The End is Nigh a few years before the events of the graphic novel and film. The source material could never in a million years translate well into a game; hell, fans continue to claim that the graphic novel is unfilmable even as it hits cinemas this month. So Deadline Games chose the right option and drafted in original talent with Watchmen’s editor Len Wein, and artist, Dave Gibbons, to pen the story, while they were at it.

And their talent goes to good use. Whilst not matching the extreme heights of the original tale, The End is Nigh still manages to entertain as the detective-style story plays out in some gloriously hand drawn cut scenes that capture the graphic novels style. It’s great fan service that elevates the game’s story even more so; managing to imbue an extra ounce of back story into these deep and thought-provoking characters.

Something the gameplay falters at is in its approach. You see, while the story focuses on telling a crime solving, detective story in line with the original graphic novel, the gameplay takes a completely different angle, borrowing more elements from arcade classics such as Streets of Rage and Double Dragon than its source material – which many believe would be ideal as a point-and-click adventure title.Watchmen: The End is Nigh is a straight up brawler, plain and simple. Playing as either Rorshach or Night Owl, you must make your way through six chapters of pummelling guys from head to toe. Each chapter is set in a different location, from the dodgy back streets of a dreary New York, to the city’s sewage system and dock yard. You’ll fight your way through the underbelly of the Big Apple, taking on the scum of the streets in all shapes and sizes.

And, surprisingly, it’s a pretty competent brawler; basic in design, but fun, nonetheless. You have your heavy and light attacks as well as a dodge move and special attacks depending on which crime fighter you’re playing as. Rorshach’s the more visceral of the two, he’ll charge in like the psycho he is, smacking bad guys left, right and centre. When he gets particularly angry his rage meter will fill up allowing you to go into overdrive and unleash some deadly, bone-breaking moves. Nite Owl, on the other hand, is a little more conservative. His moves have a hint of grace about them, and he’ll use technology to defeat his foes with night-vision, electric shocks and grenades all at his disposal.

But ultimately, there’s not much of a difference between the two. Sure, they have their own unique abilities, but you’ll end up playing the game the same no matter who you choose. Luckily there are quite a few combos to unlock as you make your way through the game. They’re easy to pull off and you’ll discover a much more rewarding experience with The End is Nigh if you utilize them properly. Some are just shorter or stronger versions of combos already in your repertoire, so it does get repetitive eventually, but it’s certainly more enjoyable than some action games I’ve played over the past year.

The special moves are especially exciting. When the moment calls for it you can press a button to unleash a devastating finishing move. There are quite a few to see but it’s all random so you never know what you’re going to get. They’re all very satisfying though, especially Roshach’s brutal approach to finishing off his foes – just when you think it’s over, he’ll come back with another gut wrenching blow. It might shame the graphic novel with its approach, but there’s no denying how cool it is to see these characters execute moves like this.

Sadly, though, there’s just not much else to it. You’ll enter a room, a wave of baddies will run in, you’ll beat them up, rinse and repeat. The only time the combat is broken up is when some video game clichés are introduced. From lifting up gates, to pulling switches and turning levers; it’s all here and it’s all as boring as you can imagine. You can see they’ve tried to put some emphasis on co-op play by occasionally splitting you both up, but it never lasts for long and seems like something that was thrown in last minute in an attempt to spice things up.

And, really, it doesn’t work as well when there’s no online co-op anyway. Being an Xbox Live Arcade game where two characters are always present, it’s a major oversight that online co-op couldn’t be incorporated. There’s still split-screen, but there are no excuses, especially with the high price point.

Luckily the production values are through the roof. Visually, The End is Nigh is stunning. This is the largest download on XBLA and you can see why. There’s some exceptional texture work here and the lighting effects are superb. Character models for both Rorshach and Night Owl are done extremely well, although the other characters didn’t get quite the same treatment; and while the animation is great, there are some choppy transitions between certain moves. Regardless, this is by far the best looking game on the Arcade, and it could definitely match up against some retail games.

And work in the sound department is just as impressive with talent from the movie reprising their roles with Jackie Earle Haley and Patrick Wilson voicing Rorshach and Night Owl, respectively. They both do an admirable job, and on the whole, the brutal blows of combat sound top-notch throughout.

Watchmen: The End is Nigh is a game that probably shouldn’t have seen the light of day. A brawler is not something you expect to see these characters starring in, but it’s not as bad as you might imagine. However, for 1600 Microsoft points (the same price as The Lost and Damned, to put things into perspective) it’s ludicrously overpriced for what is a three to four hour basic street brawler. Repetition begins to set in eventually, and there’s not much to go back to other than co-op. Sure, it’s an enjoyable romp that some fans should enjoy thanks to the faithful design and story, but there’s not enough substance to make it last more than a few hours.

Another World War II game? Most people grudgingly sigh when they hear “World War II first-person-shooter”.  For all of the great experiences had in games like Call of Duty and Medal of Honor, there have been a slew of horrendous games just trying to cash in on the lucrative formula.  One of the more successful franchises in the shooter genre are the Battlefield games, which have a robust online community that keeps the games strong years after they’re released. Battlefield 1943, the latest installment in the franchise is a game that deserves your attention. As the true-sequel and a homage to the classic PC shooter Battlefield 1942, this game is fast-paced, addicting, and a superb value at $15.

Battlefield 1943 got off to a rough start. The Xbox 360 version in particular had server outages which did not allow many people to play through the first weekend after the game’s release. In addition, the game’s voice chat features and squad systems seemed glitch ridden. Yet DICE worked diligently to add more servers and correct some other problems joining matches with friends. Upon sitting down to play the game it seemed as though it finally gained some momentum.

Battlefield 1943 keeps the formula pretty simple—three classes and maps all built around one gameplay variant.  Players will play conquest matches as members of the Japanese Imperial Navy or US Marines on three of the most iconic battlefields from the Pacific theater of World War II. Wake Island, Guadalcanal, and Iwo Jima were sites of intense fighting during the war and are all compromised of vastly different topographies.  What Battlefield 1943 is missing in numbers, it makes up for in diversity and substance. Wake Island’s unique boomerang shape, Guadalcanal’s hills and valleys, and Iwo Jima’s fortified Mount Suribachi (the site of the iconic flag raising) all play differently enough that player’s strategies will have to be significantly amended from map to map.

Strategy comes through choice of classes and vehicles. Players can choose from infantry, scout, and rifleman classes. All of the different classes have their strengths and weaknesses but certain classes seem to be a bit stronger than others. Unbalanced classes are not overwhelmingly apparent but I found that the sniper rifles and machine guns were weaker than the rifles. Players take a lot of damage before they are killed regardless of which weapons are utilized, something that leads me to believe that lower powered weapons were a design choice. This design mechanic creates a game that plays differently from other more realistic shooters but doesn’t dilute the enjoyable aspects of the game.

Where the game has a more arcade feeling among the shooting elements, the vehicles often time feel like a complicated simulator. During a loading screen, the game warned me that the planes were incredibly hard to use, something you discover immediately after takeoff. The game uses a very complicated control scheme for flying planes which will result in many unintentional suicides.  Practice makes perfect but after the flying has been mastered the underpowered explosives replace the controls as the most frustrating element. Planes and tanks have explosives as one would expect, however, they are enormously underpowered when facing soldiers. The explosives small damage radius is the problem. In order to kill an enemy with explosives you have to hit them almost directly, an almost impossible proposition when facing a fast moving target.

It is important to realize that these problems do not ruin the fun. This is because there’s an entertaining experience to be had regardless of what role you take on your team. One quickly realizes that not everyone is going to be an ace pilot or sharpshooter but that every player will find a position that’s fun even if it’s derived from defending a flag. Although reviews tend to highlight the negative sides of games, I want to stress that Battlefield 1943 is one of the most enjoyable and addicting online games I have played of late. Of course, some of my enjoyment of the game is because I was a fan of Battlefield 1942 (I have to admit that I got goosebumps after I heard the theme music again) but the beauty of downloadable games is that everyone can try the trial. There are some bugs within the games, particularly in the Xbox360 version’s graphics and leaderboards, but the underlying entertainment value is not diminished.  For a $15 downloadable title, Battlefield 1943 is an amazing value which will definitely provide hours of entertainment and hopefully be supported by additional downloadable content.