First person shooter Spec Ops: The Line isn’t new IP but it has been such a long time since the last Spec Ops game (2002’s Spec Ops: Airbourne Commando) that it may as well be. Spec Ops: The Line is pretty far removed from previous games in the series too. Much like Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Solider it has received a steady slew of 8/10s. Most reviewers were surprised by the developer’s storytelling skills. “There are such a lot of shooters these days, and so many tend to blur into each other if you’re not careful. This one won’t, however – and that’s quite an achievement,†said Eurogamer. A demo is available on Xbox Live and PSN if you’re curious.
Remember when it was announced that the UK were holding the 2012 Olympics and that it would create plenty of new employment opportunities? So much for that happening – London 2012: The Official Video Game Of The Olympic Games has been developed by a Korean company. Derby-based Eurocom made Beijing 2008 for Sega, so it’s not like finding a UK company to make it was going to be an impossible task. The first review to appear online was a poor 2/5 from French site GameBlog. “It’s not very pretty and not very well animated either,†they said. In French. For those who must have every piece of London 2012 merchandise, a steelbook edition exists.
We’re still not sure if Spider-Man needs a reboot so soon after Spider-Man 3, but we’re confident in saying that Activision’s The Amazing Spider-Man tie-in is better than last year’s Spider-Man: Edge of Time. Reviews so far include 7.5 from Gamespot UK and a 7 from Team Xbox. Gamespot praised the humour and good looking boss battles but weren’t too keen on the indoor sections. A demo for the 3DS version is apparently going to be appearing on the 3DS eShop soon.
The Amazing Spider-Man isn’t the only movie tie-in doing the rounds this week. There’s also Ice Age: Continental Drift – Arctic Games which is out on just about every format going. The Xbox 360 version is Kinect only, if you’re thinking of getting it purely for those presumably easy achievements. The fact that it’s a sports package and not a proper adventure/platformer suggests to us that it was made in a hurry.
Going back to the 3DS eShop for a moment, currently there’s a five minute promotional video on there for spook ’em up Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir. While it’s great to see a bit of promotion for a game that’s likely to be ignored by most, Nintendo forgot one essential thing – to tell viewers what it’s actually about. Thankfully a quick search on Google fills in the blanks. It comes with a 16-page AR book which you have to use in conjunction with the 3DS camera to free a girl called Maya, who has become cursed. Nintendo Gamer said it wasn’t bad but it’s a little short on content. They gave it 71%.
Project Zero 2: Wii Edition sounds like a better proposition for those who like their games to be on the scary side. Nintendo Gamer gave this one 89% while the Official Nintendo magazine gave it 72%. “Brown trousers all round, if you don’t mind the unwieldy control method,†they said.
Also on 3DS (and DS) this week is Harvest Moon: The Tale Of Two Towns. As pleasing as it is to see Harvest Moon on 3DS, it’s a game that wasn’t originally designed for the format, being a mere conversion of the DS version. The Metro’s GameCentral gave it 5/10 earlier this week but US reviews from late last year were a lot more positive. We have to say that we like the idea of the premise – to unite two feuding towns.
Rising Star are releasing To-Fu Collection on DS as well and at a budget price. It’s a collection of iOS games which have been downloaded over a million times so far.
PS Vita owners have two games to consider too. Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection is missing MGS: Peace Walker despite it being available on PSN, but it does feature save sharing with the PS3 version. The other release is Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge, which is a very belated release at that – the PlayStation 3 version came out last October. It’s a game which has held its price though, which we assume is why it has a £39.99 price tag rather than a budget priced one.
Next week: Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise (Wii), Dead Island: Game of the Year Edition (PS3, 360), Theatrhythm Final Fantasy (3DS) and Tour de France 2012 (PS3, 360).