Castle Crashers, PSN Review.

This may seem a bit strange to people as Castle Crashers has been out for some time now, but for all you Playstation Plus members who have never played this game and are wondering if its worth there time, then stick around and I will tell you! To clarify, Castle Crashers is FREE on the PSN, marked down from $10.99. This is an absolute steal and I can't recommend getting this enough. If you ever liked the old school arcade games in the arcade where you play, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, you have an analogue stick and two buttons. Castle Crashers is like that in so many ways, but with a ton of extras.

The plot of Castle Crashers is based around your specific character/characters coming over epic battles and enemies, whilst trying to rescue the four princesses that have been taken prisoner by some strange warlock looking dude, his name is never said. You are recruited by the king to rescue his daughters. I don't want to talk to much about what goes on in the story because some of the scenes are hilarious, but let me tell you this story is brilliant, its simple, no talking, the music kicks ass and you just happily enjoy running through the maps killing bad guys. You fight a whole array of enemies and some pretty sweet boss fights to say the least.The sound and music in this game are amazing, its very comical but at the same time intense. Every so often I felt like I was playing Mortal Kombat or The Matrix, its awesome. It will keep you very entertained.

You chose your character at the begging of a game, there are four colors to chose from at the beginning, nothing is said about the characters although can clearly see that orange is fire and green is poison and so on. There are some unlockable characters that you receive from playing through the story. Your characters can be specified to how you want to play, there is Strength, Magic, Shield and Agility. You can level these up and receive new moves as you do. You must also collect coins for potions etc and you also can receive pets that help you in battle.

As most always are wondering, what are the graphics like? Great. It is extremely colorful, there is usually a ton of action on the screen and you can see everything interacting very smoothly. It runs like a dream and for such a simple game its amazing. The game is extremely imaginative and impresses across the board.

I can't end this review without talking about the coop option. Not only can you battle your friends in the arena and play beach volleyball... You can quest along side up to three extra players, locally or online. Which is amazing because where the hell are all the four player coop games these days? Well here is one, its a load of fun with a few friends, you all are trying to level your characters and save the princess, because you have to think, when you have defeated a boss and the princess is free, which one of you is going to get the princess? Let me tell you its a hell of a lot of fun. Me and my buddy spent half hour on a single dual in the arena and I kid you not, I haven't had that much of a rush in a long time.

I literally can't say anything bad about this game, its fun, its simple, you can play with your friends and well its free. PSPlus users get on this deal and if you aren't a Playstation Plus member, then now is a great time to give it a go.

9/10

SEGA Rally Online Arcade Review

This game immediately brings me back to the days where SEGA fought head to head with the giant's of this fine industry.  Now the Saturn wasn't the best system, in fact it was one of Sega's worst in terms of support.  But one launch game will live long in the memory, SEGA Rally.  Despite the fact it only had a few courses and two cars it was the best racer on the system.

So what does this update have to offer?  After a full retail edition which scored highly I'm happy to report that the downloadable title is of a very high standard.  Everything you love about arcade racing is here, short bursts of total fun.  We have the usual fair of modes here for racing games, Championship, Quick Race, Online and Time Attack.  Each mode is pretty self explanatory and all very solid affairs.

But how does it race?  This of course, is the crucial part for a racing game.  The answer is overwhelmingly positive.  Sliding round dirt corners and seeing your pristine white Celica receive a torrent of abuse from the wet mud that clings to your car is a welcome sight.  The handling of the cars really is perfect and the AI of the cars is pretty much spot on.  Providing a challenge without becoming difficult.

So if your looking for a fun arcade racer look no further than Sega Rally, a fun game for a little over £6 from the PSN and Xbox Live.  It's one of my picks of the summer.

9/10

2011 So Far - Number 1 - inFamous 2 9/10

And so we arrive to our number one pick so far of 2011...inFamous 2.  The Sony exclusive has only been out a matter of weeks but that's long enough to tantalise our tastebuds and leave us wanting more.  Our two editors' express their love for inFamous 2 and why it fought off such strong competition in the first half of the year and can it stave off the big hitters coming this winter to land game of the year?

Craig John Shields: Obviously I reviewed the game so I'll try not to retread old ground but I loved inFamous 2. I enjoyed the original but the sequel improved on the first so much that it moved the franchise from good to great. The setting of New Marais and the development of Cole's and Zeike's relationship really stood out to me and appealed to me more than just on a gameplay level.

If I had to play only one game from the first half of the year it would undoubtedly be inFamous 2, there's just so much to do and even if your feeling lazy jumping off the highest point and slamming into the ground never gets old.

It has a massive task on it's hand if it's to win game of the year with Skyrim, Assassin's Creed Revelations and it's own PS3 rival Uncharted 3, but it certainly has it's place amoung 2011's greatest.

Alex Sodhi: Well what more can we say about Infamous 2? I was late to the franchise in the first place, I enjoyed Infamous 1 although it did take me a while to get used to. The idea of being a super hero with electrical powers sounds amazing without even needing to play the game! Unlike in many games, you are not held back by anything really, you can pretty much go anywhere you want to go, do anything you want to do.

Being able to chose between two different stories, based on the actions you take in the game is very cool. You feel like you just get a bit more for your money than just the standerd story. Infamous 2 is a deserving winner for the first half of the year. As Craig mentioned, will it be able to take on the likes of some of the huge games coming out this fall? It will be a challenge but only time will tell.