Reviews
XBOX360 JUST CAUSE (Eidos) «u
Most people have dreamt of flying unaided. But the method is often unique to each person. Some fly like Superman, some can only glide like an albatross. but the feeling of freedom and liberation is the same for all. And Just Cause seems to have captured that very same feeling. The ability to leap from a jeep onto a helicopter. to soar from one burning aircraft to another. to glide over the lush jungle on a parachute makes Just Cause something special. Not that the action adventure following the exploits of special agent Rico tackling the drug cartels and corrupt government of San Esperito is absolutely perfect. There are some tedious missions that drag at the seiil. not to mention a few inconsistent animations and aura- breaking hiccups. But the overall experience is one of such enthusiasm and verve that problems are sv/iftly forgotten. (Iain Davidson)
PS2 'XBOX PC xeox see NEED FOR SPEED CARBON
(EA) 000
There comes a time when a sub-genre is so oversubscribed with a glut of the good. the bad and the ugly in gaming that you almost forget which game's which. And that is the fate that awaits Need for Speed Carbon. That's not to say that it's a bad game. but this urban boy racer just feels much like any other contender for the drive-'em- up crown. The graphics are super slick. while the cut-scenes. a bi7arre and slightly creepy mix of full motion
PLAY
video and computer graphics. just scream quality and attention to detail. However the races feel unexciting. The main change is the new co-op play you have with a computer controlled companion. As something to spice up the gameplay it's a nice idea but in practice it hinders more than it helps. But the worst offence is how short changed you'll feel if you don't buy the next gen versions (there's a P83 version when we finally get the machines in the UK) as some of the garneplay modes. and perhaps worst of all, the online modes are missing. A worrying sign as to how developers will treat the PS2 and Xbox when the P83 and 360 take over.
(Henry Northmore)
PC COMPANY OF HEROES (THO) 00000
This is special. Not just because the off-hand. gaming-at-a-distance of the usual RTS titles has been utterly destroyed. Here you are drawn deep into every battle. every skirmish. with each shell hit. bullet ricochet and creaking tank track smacking y0u straight in the stomach. From the tension before each skirmish to the sad. empty post-combat exhaustion. Company of Heroes makes yOu feel what you should be coldly commanding. And neither is it because of the amazing animation that constantly delights. catching your eye with tricks and details that suck you further into the world. And it is not just because of the amazing imagination and skill with which each missmn has been prepared and executed. This isn't yOur normal build a base. build an army. stomp across map strategy title. It teases. it frightens. it builds panic then delivers shock and awe. It also boasts some fantastic intelligence that preys on weakness yet allows itself to be out manoeuvred. But it's not any one of these things that makes Company of Heroes special. It is all of these things. and a whole lot more. (Iain Davidson)
XBOX360 GEARS OF WAR (Microsoft) .0000
Heard in an Everguest guild: ‘sorry I've not been on this weekend. I've been playing Gears of War.‘ In a Counterstrike clan: ‘Baah sorry I missed the Saturday fragfest. I've been playing Gears of War.‘ Posters in the street. FanCy adverts on the telly. It's making a bit of a splash is Gears of War. And it deserves to. A gloriously fluid Visual treat that marries ultra- violence with razor-sharp design. this is what you want from a console game. On a basic level. this is a third person combat title. with running. shooting. weapons. set-pieces. bosses. etc. But every single element has been polished and tweaked to produce something that feels new and exciting. Pleasing bonuses make reloading a gamble and the smooth. almost balletic. movement of the main character. Marcus Fenix. mutates combat from simple stand and fight to a fluid glide from cover to cover. lvlultiplayer modes. both cooperative and othenvise. give Gears of War almost unlimited replay value and simply reinforce its already legendary status. For once. the hype is justified. (lain Davidson)
P82 CANIS CANEM EDIT (Rockstar) 0000
Better known as Bully. there was absolutely no way this game could avoid a raft of controversy. For the makers of perhaps the most hounded game in eXistence (the masterful Grand Theft Auto series). setting their new game in a high school was just ripe for fear from the world of parents with detractors going as far as branding it a 'Columbine Simulator'. Well the fear mongers obviously
haven't played the game or done the slightest bit of research. Canis Canem Edit features nothing you wouldn't find in a 12A rated movie. There's kissing girls. a bit of truancy. fisticuffs and some catapult action. It's naughty not nasty.
Playing as Jimmy Hopkins you'll spend your days defending nerds. attending class and avoiding prefects. As mentioned. there's none of the violence of GTA. but it does share the free roaming misSion-based structure. Beyond the school there's the local towns where you can continue Jimmy's adventures into the wider community. What really holds the game together is the excellent voice acting and superb script — another involving action title from Rockstar with a mist. (Henry Northmore)
C BATTLEFIELD 21 42 (EA Games) 0000
It's weird how. given an open playground for the imagination, a blank canvas. the human mind often fails to come up with the goods. Take the Battlefield series. When constrained by history. shackled to a millstone of technological and political aCCuracy. the game flourished. It built on our familiarity and created something new. something exciting. the bOundaries catalysing a fresh approach. In Battlefield 2142. however. there are no such constraints. set as it is in the future. Imagine what crazy methods of waitare we Wt” have produced by then. Imagine the advances in command structures. the biological and technological weaponry, in the very fabric of war. Well Battlefield 2 MB does this and comes up With something not quite as engaging as its pret‘lecessors. The same basic multiplayer game is here. and as such is a joy to play. It retains the epic scale of the original. but it doesn't immediater connect. As good as this is. the futuristic setting acts like a cushion. detaching the player from what is one of gaming's most visceral experiences. Hard to imagine isn't it? (Iain Davidson)
104 THE LIST fit) Nov— 14 Dec 2006
BONKERS FURNITURE There's home furnishing sites and then there's interior furnishing sites. This remarkably extensive, newly launched online emporium boasts something for anyone who shies away from the popular minimalist approach to such things. Navigate your
way easily through gothic reproduction statues. rocking horses, Bakelite phones. and best of all, a half naked monkey lamp (pictured) with glee. pleasure and the warm reassurance of swift home delivery. www.focalpointfurniture. co.uk
SPORT
It might have a slightly dodgy title (therapist; the rapist?) but fear not. this site is host to an array of sporting injuries. Canadian sporting injuries mainly. There's a feast of nasty pictures and a glut of amazing stats. For instance. could you ever have known
that 18,000 cheerleaders are hurt at their work every year? Which is roughly 4000 less than those who are crocked while risking their lives on the bowling green. What are they doing with those pom-poms and jacks? http://therapist-man.tripod .com/