Brain Hood

LONDON: Super Mario Bros has been named the ‘Greatest Video Game Ever’.

In the game, Italian plumber Mario and brother Luigi must negotiate the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue Princess Toadstool from the clutches of evil Bowser.

The game topped a top-20 list compiled by a poll of 2,000 gamers.

More than 40 million copies have been sold since it was first released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985.

Pac-Man, which was released in 1980, landed the second spot.

“Games which were invented years ago, like Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, Super Mario and Pac Man, all appear in the top ten,” the Sun quoted John Sewell, spokesman for OnePoll, as saying.

“This shows that classic games will live on forever in the hearts of computer game fans.

“The gaming industry is getting more and more competitive, releasing more and more innovative games by the minute – but this survey proves that sometimes the most simple formats work well to keep game players hooked,” Sewell added.

The Top 20 Video Games, as voted for in the OnePoll survey:

1. Super Mario Bros. 2. Pac-Man 3. Tetris 4. The Sims 5. Sonic the Hedgehog 6. Space Invaders 7. Grand Theft Auto – San Andreas 8. Donkey Kong 9. Mario Kart 64 10. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City 11. Tomb Raider 12. Wii Sports 13. Final Fantasy 14. Gran Turismo 15. Lemmings 16. Frogger 17. Pokemon, Red, Blue and Green 18. Street Fighter II 19. Wii Play 20. Guitar Hero

From The Godfather to Goodfellas to The Sopranos, a romanticized version of the Mafia has been fertile fodder for TV and movies for years. So why not video games? What genre of entertainment is better suited to guns, gangsters, crime and corruption than games?

The problem is video games still aren’t entirely suited to telling rich, nuanced stories, the sort of tales that make mob shows so fascinating. Mafia II is the best attempt so far to blend the world of the Cosa Nostra with video game action, but it makes a few significant compromises along the way.

The game is set about 20 years after 2002′s original Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven, but isn’t a direct sequel. Here, players take on the role of Vito Scaletta, born in Sicily and raised on the mean streets of fictional Empire Bay. After returning from World War II a hero, Vito is taken under the wing of his childhood friend Joe Barbaro, who gently draws him into a life of crime.

Mafia II follows Vito and Joe as they rise from mob underlings stealing gas ration stamps to made men carrying out daring daylight massacres of a rival family, with dialogue-heavy cinematic scenes interspersed between the car chases, fistfights and gunplay.

It’s a mix that works pretty well for the most part. The cinematic interludes in Mafia II are well-written and well-acted (the voice cast includes several actors who played secondary characters on The Sopranos), and it’s easy to like Vito and Joe, despite their homicidal ways.

Over its 15-chapter length, Mafia II does some interesting things with its approach to storytelling, like setting the opening chapter during the Second World War (what better way to learn the controls for running, shooting and taking cover?) and nudging the game ahead in time six years when Vito does a stint in prison (in which players must clean urinals and fend off a shower gang-rape. Seriously.)

The game is bursting with the sights and sounds of the late ’40s and early ’50s, from the songs playing on radios in the many vintage automobiles to the collectible old-school Playboy magazines scattered around the city, which include actual centrefolds from the time.

Where Mafia II runs into problems is with its pacing. At first glance it looks like a 1950s mobster version of Grand Theft Auto, but this isn’t a so-called “sandbox” game, it’s a linear narrative. While players are free to drive around Empire Bay and admire its architecture, there’s nothing to do outside of the main storyline – no secondary plots, no side quests, nothing. It is possible to steal cars to sell them to a couple of contacts, but that’s the sum total of optional non-story content.

It’s a deliberate approach the game’s developers took in order to keep Mafia II’s story focused and interesting, and it mostly succeeds at that. But it does make the game world feel oddly empty, especially when so many missions involve long, dull stretches of driving between locations.

During its best moments, Mafia II mixes great storytelling with intense action. But these moments end up being so few and far between that the game has a slightly sleepy feel. Grab an espresso, Vito – maybe it’ll help.

Bottom line: A solid storyline, interesting characters and detailed 1950s game world can’t quite save Mafia II from its uneven pacing and lack of variety. It’s good, but not an offer you can’t refuse.

Adult entertainment company Playboy has decided to step into video gaming scene. Fiercely popular for its adult-content centric magazines, websites and videos, Playboy is going to launch a new video game label later this year. Paul H. Lee, Playboy’s managing director for new digital ventures, told paidContent that this game label is a part of the wider digital strategy to make the Playboy brand a more mainstream concept. The company has currently tied up with German online games developer Bigpoint whose crime fantasy game Poisonville is featured on Playboy’s website.

Playboy intends to get into massive multiplayer online game (just like Farmville and not Dungeons & Dragon Online) and the game label will be launched before the end of this year. “According to Playboy user feedback, we know our audience is interested in online videogames…so we’re thrilled to launch a formal videogame label later this year that will meet their needs,” Lee added.

At this moment, Playboy will be promoting MMO action game Poisonville that is set in a fictional U.S. city. The gamer is required to complete a series of missions to gain respect and fight against corruption, just like in GTA or any crime-corruption game. During these missions, the protagonist will have close encounters with women who have full Playboy potential (you know what we mean…). Lee added that, “Playboy’s gaming interests included a few licensing deals and some editorial in the form of gaming reviews. But there was no clear, over-arching strategy in place. With Bigpoint, we’ve established a clear path in terms of where we want to go.”

This is a big step for Playboy who’s widely popular for adult and explicit content to foray in gaming for masses. You can start playing the new action game Poisonville right now. Note that this game is currently in its beta stage.

The year has been riddled with quite a few video game sequels. Most of them have been high caliber, exceeding expectations and overcoming what held them back in the original. After players have finished one game, he or she is able to jump right back into the experience and count down the days until the next installment.

However, there is Kane and Lynch 2. This game somewhat improves what held it back in the first installment but still has a long way to go in order to reach the ranks of games such as Mass Effect 2.

The game does have a few good aspects, including its very unique look. It has a shaky camera style seen in films like “Cloverfield” and “Paranormal Activity.” The camera work is excellent, selling you on the “made for YouTube” approach to the game. Along with the camera style, there is a definite sense of dark grit. Headshots are censored by a blur effect, making the act feel more gruesome than it is. Voice acting and sound work are also both excellent.

The story draws players in immediately when Lynch meets his former partner Kane. It is clear that neither of them is very comfortable with their new lives nor with each other. Their body language and tone reek of uncertainty.

It is when players actually start playing the game that Kane and Lynch 2 falls apart.

Overall the game is a very bland third person shooter. The games’ title would have been more accurate if it were called “Kane and Lynch 2: Mediocre Days.” For the most part, the mechanics are there, but, unlike most good third person shooters such as Gears of War and Uncharted 2, there is nothing special about Kane and Lynch 2. All players end up doing in the game is moving from open space to open space, shooting waves of enemies that were made from the “Copy/Paste” school of design. As a matter of fact, during the first 20 minutes, players will have seen all that Kane and Lynch 2 has to offer. All the things players do in this particular game have been done before and done ten times better.

There is nothing to note about the story either. There are a couple of disturbing moments, but it never reaches the crime/thriller cinematic experience that it longs to achieve. It falls apart by the half-way point and players will find little reason to care about what is going on.

There is co-op, both split screen and online. It is suggested that players avoid split-screen entirely, as this game has some of the worst split-screen in recent memory. The black borders on the top and bottom of the screen are so big that it wedges the two screens in the middle. It virtually makes it impossible to see anything. When either Kane or Lynch gets shot, flecks of Kool-Aid blood coat the screen, adding to the already annoying presentation in split-screen. Even rain will impede progress, splattering on your reticule. There is virtually no discernable difference playing as Kane or Lynch, and it is very apparent that the game wasn’t made for co-op of any kind. The challenge never gets ramped up. The only good thing about co-op is that at least players won’t have to suffer alone.

Multiplayer is also available in the form of Cops & Robbers (which is like team death match), Undercover Cop and Fragile Alliance. In each of the three forms, the robbers have five minutes to steal a large sum of money and make it to a getaway car while the police are on their tail. Undercover Cop has a disguised cop in the team of robbers, and he or she has to take out the team before they find out. Fragile Alliance has everyone working together, however, if one of the team members becomes too greedy, he or she can eliminate the other team members and make off with more loot. Undercover Cop and Fragile Alliance are very memorable and plays on your deepest paranoia, as anyone from the team can betray you. Unfortunately, while the ideas are there, it suffers from technical problems. The AI cops all spawn in the same places and the maps are very short. It also suffers from lag, even if you have a good connection. Characters will dart across the screen like they’ve been infused with superpowers, making everything very confusing. More than likely, players will treat multiplayer like a novelty at best.

The biggest crime Kane and Lynch 2 commits is charging the public $60 for a game that is bland, forgettable and short. The main campaign lasts only four hours and after players are finished, they have a feeling that they have been shanghaied. In no way should anyone pay that much for a game that’s behind on the times. If players are looking for a good co-op game that’s low on price and high on fun, then go download “Lara Croft and The Guardian of Light.” It’s beautiful, creative and ten times better than Kane and Lynch 2.

You may have already deduced this in light of the complete absence of marketing for the game, but CVG report that long-in-development-hell, ex-Midway game This Is Vegas has finally been put out of its misery.

Yes, the open-world game that nobody ever wanted, never looked remotely interesting and never looked like actually coming out may now never actually come out, the report saying that the game had consumed over $50 million between former publishers Midway and current publishers Warner Bros.

$50 million? On This Is Vegas? No wonder Midway went bust.

It seems that the secrets of Halo: Reach are being revealed early due to a recent leak on Xbox Live. Microsoft recently posted an early copy of Halo: Reach for industry reviewers on a hidden section of the Xbox Live Marketplace. Despite costing 99,999 MS Points ($1200 USD) on the marketplace hackers were able to overcome this limit and download the game’s code. From there they were able to remove the restrictions placed on the games files and make it playable on modified consoles.

Microsoft has stated that they are investigating this security hole and will be working to patch it. Early leaks are nothing new for the Halo franchise. Halo 2 was leaked four weeks before its release in 2004 thanks to employees at a manufacturing plant. Halo 3: ODST was also sold several weeks before its street date in Europe.

Halo fans who wish to avoid leaked spoilers and screenshots may want to avoid popular game forums and video streaming sites where such secrets may be posted. The ending to Halo 3 was famously posted weeks before the games release which angered many fans.

If any more information regarding Halo: Reach’s leak or those behind it come to light we will make sure to bring it to you.

Shares of GameStop Corp. sank more than 8 percent Thursday after the Grapevine-based video game retailer reported increased second-quarter results that nevertheless missed analysts’ expectations.

The company also slightly lowered its outlook for the third quarter, but it kept its full-year guidance intact.

GameStop said it expects a recent surge in sales of video game consoles and new games to lead to a boost in used game sales, which is the company’s most profitable segment.

The company is also accelerating the rollout of two initiatives: a new customer loyalty program and in-store kiosks that allow customers to purchase downloadable game add-ons.

Those moves are adding costs.

“We kind of surprised people with the aggressiveness of the rollout of our strategic initiatives,” chief executive Paul Raines said.

The retailer reported total sales of $1.8 billion, up from $1.74 billion a year ago, turning a profit of $40.3 million, or 27 cents a share, compared with $38.7 million, or 23 cents a share, last year.

Analysts had been expecting revenue of $1.82 billion and earnings per share of 27 cents.

Shares closed down $1.70, or 8.2 percent, at $19.06 Thursday.

GameStop’s digital strategy is of particular interest to investors and analysts concerned that the disc-based industry will soon migrate online, as the music business already has.

GameStop recently bought online gaming service Kongregate and is building in-store kiosks where gamers can download additional content for their games.

Raines said more than 5 percent of purchases at GameStop include digital add-ons.

Still, many analysts are skeptical that GameStop can manage the transition from packaged-goods retailer to digital distributor.

The company is also developing software for its kiosks that will allow customers to swipe their payment cards and PowerUp Rewards loyalty cards at the kiosks, rather than at the store’s cash register.

That technology could allow GameStop to place stand-alone kiosks in shopping malls, convenience stores and other locations.

GameStop officials said, though, that they have no intention of mimicking Dallas-based Blockbuster Inc.’s plan to rent video games by mail.

“You’ve got a high-cost, short shelf-life item that gets rented and gets held for weeks,” said executive chairman Dan DeMatteo. “So your number of turns on this thing is very, very short. That was a real head-scratcher. At this late stage, getting into that business, I don’t get it.”

Store openings have slowed considerably, with GameStop adding a net of 99 stores worldwide so far this year.

While that rate is about one-third less than it was three years ago, Raines said, there are still about 1,400 locations in the U.S. that could ultimately accommodate a store.

GameStop now has 6,549 stores in 17 countries.

Poor Lara. Everyone’s favourite tomb raider has had it tough the last few years. Once an emblematic duchess of the video game industry, Ms Croft has had to suffer the indignity of starring in two rubbish films being fussed over by Chris Barrie, before naff PS2 game Angel of Darkness spoiled her cred altogether. Even her latest games, despite being more than decent, have been spoiled by snotty upstart Nathan Drake (recently seen in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves), with his perfect stubble, frat-boy repartee and wet T-shirts. Even Lara’s tight vests and impractical short shorts can’t compete with that. So just what’s a girl to do?

A makeover is in order, and perhaps teaming up with a bloke in a skirt. While appearing in a ten quid downloadable game might sound like a bit of a step back for our erstwhile queen of adventure, the Guardian of Light allows for some experimentation to put the spring back in Lara’s step. The result is, well, spectacular.

With a hearty devotion to co-op, arcade style play and an isometric viewpoint, the Guardian of Light initially appears to be a radical departure for Lara. But it’s unquestionably Tomb Raider, with all the high-adventure action and exploration that entails. The zoomed out camera angle doesn’t negate the effects of a strikingly pretty lost civilisation; of lush jungles rustling with the undead, of great tombs carved in stone and volcanic mazes doused in fire. These areas are all laced with vicious traps, stuffed with collectables and provide plenty of giant balls to roll around, pressure plates to stand on and giant spiders to shoot in the face.

Each of the game’s 14 stages is accessible, definable chunks of exploration. Each significantly different in feel, tone and style to the last. They’re all designed to a fault too, meticulously planned out to be easy to navigate but tricky to conquer whether playing on your own or with a friend. In co-op, the second player takes control of the skirt guy, Totec, a Mayan guardian who has lain dormant for thousands of years. Totec has been watching over The Smoke Mirror, an ancient artefact that has trapped the malevolent god Xolotl. Lara, the great ninny, breaks into The Smoke Mirror’s resting place only to have been followed by some mercenaries, who pinch it, release Xolotl’s evil army and all get themselves killed. It’s up to Lara and Totec – rudely awakened by the appearance of his arch-nemesis – to defeat Xolotl and return him to the mirror.

Lara and Totec are equipped to complement each other. Totec has a shield to guard the pair from a hail of arrows, or he can hold it above his head for Lara to hop onto for a boost. Lara’s grappling hook allows Totec to use it as a tightrope or to save him from a fatal fall. Totec can lob one of his spears into a wall for Lara to perch on. It’s beautifully balanced for give and take; proper co-op, in other words, rather than just an extra gun and a second chump to weigh down a pressure pad. The puzzles are designed around these skills and the to-and-fro between each player is terrifically satisfying.

Significantly though, Lara is on her own in single-player. Oh, Totec pops up during the comic-book cutscenes, telling Lara he’s totally helping her out, honest, but then bogs off, presumably to tend to his ponytail (it does look like it takes a lot of work). Totec’s absence immediately avoids the perennial problem of a co-op focused game in that you don’t have a moron AI partner to look after. But most importantly, each level is repurposed depending on if you’re playing solo or in a pair. Puzzles are neatly tweaked, often in incredibly subtle ways, to be solvable by one player, but they never feel compromised. The single-player is in no way diminished by the co-op focus, rather the game is enhanced when playing with a friend.

It’s a fine example of the elegant design and meticulous attention to detail that permeates The Guardian of Light. There is the odd blemish, such as sporadic trial-and-error sections that can irritate (though checkpoints are very forgiving) and one overlong engagement with wafting poison gas, but for the most part everything is expertly crafted. The controls are exceptionally tight, and even the simple act of button-mapping is spot on. Every action on the pad is just right, making Lara and Totec tangibly fluid in your hands.

Combat is handled twin-stick shooter style, with the left stick controlling your movement, right stick used for aiming and the right-trigger firing your weapon. It is, and has been for decades, a marvellous system for gunplay. And it fits perfectly in the Guardian of Light, again suited to either solo blasting or more tactical two player action. Enemies come in various shapes and sizes, huge trolls that thunder towards you with a hefty shoulder barge, smaller, zippier creatures that try to overcome you with sheer numbers and some that explode on death requiring you to quickly nip out of the way. It’s a deeper system than you may expect too, different beasts are handled best with a certain weapon (of which there are many, from dual pistols and shotguns to flame-throwers and rocket launchers) and being able to plant a bomb before detonating it remotely adds a layer of quick defensive thinking. Defeat multiple monsters without taking damage and you build up a combo, activating a relic that gives you a special power-up, such as regenerating health, more power or, my personal favourite, scattershot.

This arcade sensibility is woven throughout the Guardian of Light. You are bombarded with challenges to perform (such as bombing a spiked ball into a fire pit in one go), artefacts to find (that power you up when equipped) and high scores to beat (at which I am rubbish). Crystal Dynamics’ design positively glitters here. Hunting out the collectables is effortlessly compelling, rewarding and most importantly, fun. Whether they’re hidden in the brilliant challenge rooms or dropped in a hard to find nook in the environment, they make full use of the skills you’re provided and encourage you to explore off the beaten track. There are high scores targets to meet by racking up combos in battle or speed-runs to aim for. There’s no way you could do everything at the same time, unless you’re some kind of weird superhuman, so you choose your path as you set out. And whether it’s combat, reaching the exit as fast as you can or just good old exploration, it feels like the game was designed specifically for that one sole purpose. With just so much going on, that is quite an achievement.

Here’s the thing: you’d get change from a tenner for Guardian of Light. My initial playthrough clocked in at around five hours, which is comparable to some retail games I could mention, but with so many challenges to complete and artefacts to find, I wasn’t even nearly finished with it. And the tale of two friends going tooth and nail at the top of the leader boards proves that there’s life in Lara beyond even the challenges the game throws at you. You will rarely find a game that offers such phenomenal value for money, even at full price I would wholeheartedly recommend it. It’s an exciting reinvention for a heroine whose light has unfortunately faded in recent years; an exciting parade of action, puzzling and exploration elegantly crafted with fresh direction, all while retaining that familiar Tomb Raider ethos. So there you go Lara, all you needed to get back on top was a fresh perspective, and just a little help from your friends.

There aren’t many video game franchises that could survive a 12-year gap between releases, only to return to hysteric fanfare.

Few games have had a following like “Starcraft,” which was released in 1998 and is still played online by thousands. And so expectations were set high for the sequel, “Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty,” ever since it was initially announced three years ago.

Luckily for fans of the original, developer Blizzard has met those expectations by changing little of what has worked for so long.

For gamers who missed out on the original, “Starcraft” is a real-time strategy game in which players manage resources to build the sci-fi armies of one of three races: the human Terrans, the Alien-esque Zerg, and the spiritual Protoss.

“Wings of Liberty” changes none of this. Instead, Blizzard wisely avoids trying to outdo itself by expanding on the single-player storyline and refining the multiplayer campaign without stripping away any of the original game’s appeal.

The single-player storyline, set four years after the events of the 1998 expansion pack to “Starcraft,” “Brood War,” will be largely confusing and irrelevant to gamers new to the franchise.

That’s a shame, because the tale of Jim Raynor’s rebellion is engrossing sci-fi. Blizzard includes four pages of backstory in the instruction booklet with “Wings of Liberty,” retelling the events of the original game. But despite smart writing, eye-catching cut scenes and a riveting cliffhanger, the story will be secondary to the gameplay for many players.

The single-player gameplay, which is limited to Terrans (Blizzard plans further expansions focusing on the other races), is varied and ingenious. From hurriedly gathering resources as lava rises and falls around your units, to chasing trains as roaming mercenaries attack your troops, “Wings of Liberty” rarely gets old.

While many of the original units such as Marines, Zerglings and Zealots return, Blizzard has added several clever new ones that dramatically change the strategy of each game. The Zerg’s Roach, for example, can travel while burrowed and pop out to surprise enemy bases. The Protoss’ Colossus, seemingly inspired by the tripod aliens of the classic “The War of the Worlds,” can step across cliffs and different levels of terrain.

It’s the smaller touches, however, that make “Starcraft 2″ great.

Whereas the original game featured a static menu where floating heads talked about mission, players now explore Raynor’s detailed ship to get to know the characters, play old arcade games, and even listen to a jukebox filled with classic and original songs. Blizzard also included achievements as small rewards for players who complete side tasks in both the single and multiplayer modes, giving the game an extra layer of re-playability.

For many, the real draw of “Starcraft 2″ remains the multiplayer aspect. The updated Battle.net, Blizzard’s free online service, is a slick hub that helps users learn the game and find opponents of a similar skill level. While casual gamers will likely need time to get used to the difficulty of multiplayer, which is just as strategic and varied as the original, it only adds to the satisfaction when players win a match.

The bad news is the game does not work well on every PC or Mac. Whereas the original game seemed to run smoothly on any machine, “Starcraft 2″ can be a resource hog. The game looks great even when the graphics are set to the lowest levels, but don’t bother picking it up if you are playing under the minimum recommendations.

For fans of the original, “Starcraft 2″ is worth the wait. Blizzard doesn’t deviate from the proven formula, but instead adds to it to create an updated version of a game that was already flawless. And if you’re new to the franchise, don’t worry — you’ll learn what a Zerg Rush is soon enough.