culture‘.’ While there are some truly amazing independent comics out there. 90’)? still seem to revel in the world ol superheroes. And it doesn‘t look like Marvel. l)(‘.
lrnage or any of the other major
publishers are planning on changing their ways. (‘omics will
continue to be a great resource of
ideas for other media to profit from. Still. it's refreshing to see videogame publishers joining
forces with comics creators to offer
some exciting new content.
Perhaps the most interesting (it
ultimately unsuccessful) col- laboration of recent years was Murt‘e/ Nelliesis.‘ Rise of the Imperfects. This involved the release ot‘ a live issue comic series leading tip to the launch of the game. liA is the biggest games developer in the world. so unsurprisineg had the clout to get Marvel to jump on board. The comics may only have been fair to middling. but with Mark Millar — Scottish writer ot~ such series as (’llimure X—Men — working on the back stories of new villains. the Imperfects. Nemesis had all the makings of one of the greatest comic videogames of all time. In reality. the game failed on most levels.
The Irish comic scribe duo of
Garth linnis and Jimmy Palmiotti worked on The l’imis/Ier from T1 lQ. ()riginally replete with violent and bloody third person action. the tinal product became emasculated because THQ were reprimanded by censors. got scared and switched all their brutally inventive interrogation scenes into grainy black and white. obscuring all the blood and gristle. What could have been a great game packed with cheap visceral thrills was. in the end. decidedly average. Perhaps the best videogame/ comic crossover yet is L'lrr'mure Spider-
Ultimate Spider-Man: derived from the comic book revival series, this game offers an unbeatable gaming expeflence
Mun. It is the most authentic comic- book game around. with a great story that really captures the comic book and an authentic sense ol the characters involved. It‘s also great fun to play. with Spider—Man's web slinging and wall-crawling leading to ambitious. yet brilliantly executed. gameplay dynamics.
(iames developers Rebellion went as far as buying 2000A!) outright just to have control over all videogame incarnations of its characters. The latest product ot this acquisition is Rogue Trooper. For the uninitiated. Rogue is a genetically engineered soldier lighting a tuture war on Nu—liai'th. The game starts off with an exhilarating Saving
Private Ryan-style decimation of
your brethren. while the rest ol‘ the game is spent trying to track down the traitor who sold out your squad. This really captures what made the
comic great. but even if you‘d never
read a panel of the source material it's a great third person shooter. And what it does well. it pulls ot‘ with panache: there is none ot’ the forced reliance on sneaking and hiding. and you can play this with guns a— blazing or as a stealth mission.
Whether you have read the comic or
not this is a literal blast: the rich backstory is tar more involving than most hastily constructed storylines featured in many videogames. The action is l‘renetic and intelligently designed and this is a l‘aitht'til adaptation for the fans. This is a quality addition to the burgeoning comics-to-videogarne genre.
Rogue Trooper (Eidos/Rebellion) 0000 is out now on P82, Xbox and PC.
MUSIC
666: the number of the beast and also the date on 6 June 2006, So why not celebrate by listening to Slayer all day. the heaviest. evilest metal band to roam the planet. then finish it off ‘.‘.lllll a trip to the rnovies to catch the new Omen released on the same day. Remember the devil has the best music. www.nationaldayofslayer.org
Reviews
oEXTEn (Sony) 00000
St i" “7s are
'ratt fr‘r'ik one, tr no.
and 'fr‘wn ’_;zfi
s: l'ltftlill‘d that s sneer "i‘as‘ l'.i:;.e't'orr1 (:“r‘v'V Al‘li iii "ttri'tw. if '.l‘~ er Y'i‘. ma, 'l‘ll‘itllllllrd l‘im as
Thi- .-.:ser rar‘ki'ig ginger
{realm «or #3 a<i.entuie were; no l’?3.‘. That .'.as a great series lll its o.'.in right. and this little offshoot :s arst as good. Pure liiéllilfllllll‘it] heaven. l)! NU? ieaps. bounds and sr:tir'iies '.'.’llll the best or them as he embarks on his new career as an exterminator lighting bugs aeross Haven Cll‘y. Paeked ‘.'./|lll ever inventive platform levels it's an absolute pleasure to control the little fella. the range of movement. t-speeiail, the (:anny use of Daxter's bug spray as a 'ortket paek. is astonishing. It's still hard to get used to how t)<)‘.'/(:l’itl| the PSP can be in the right hands. and the level of graphical detail is astounding. Add in llllllt‘ games. some genuine humour. driving lC‘UCifi and a llllk-tli) option to the Jak X racing game on P82 ivia USB cabler and there's loads of variety as well as the ever il‘i'."(fflil\.(3 level design ithe Fish Facton/ a highlight). The best P8P title yet rand \, es. that does mean better
METROID PRIME: HUNTERS (Nintendo) 00..
for; v issitiie git trst. i‘~r‘l‘»t“.r"tll‘i t‘ .l" l f» lllt‘ eh; i" ri‘wrttat‘. " 'wpip; l‘rl"1l‘}<‘l"ii'l‘.. an \.'.irxi pup iii mush heartshot ti bi-r’ ‘rlllt? art .‘i:t<trr‘t;'.e staple rather than .in riteonsistent treat.
l.‘.h,;. t‘. hearts that the
ll 'nult'rtiaratr game
modes are a delight as
well as a guarantee of hand (:r'amps and Violent language For the more mild mannered. the solo game is also a crisp and impressively lengthy challenge. The puzzles are as teasing as before. though still not testing enough for some tastes. But aiiihition comes at a price. and although the levels are VISUZtll‘,’ appealing. the action fast paced. there are a few moments when the .‘rhole thing gets too much for the poor handheld machine and stuttering or slowdown occurs. The bosses are also not as exerting as they could have been. But none of this is game breaking. All these gripes are enveloped in
SCIENCE
answered.
Covering everything from Brainwashing tO the new PS3. this lovely websne has a huge encyclopaedia of entries explaining. in layman's terms. how the hell things do what they do. All yOur questions
www.howstuffworks.com
v a. “saw. inspiring
t I '.l.‘~°t 't ' .lt‘T't‘r'l
' .l . ms .ll . ‘ \ rain llavrasonr
RUMBLE ROSES XX
(Konami) 000
if}; ‘.‘.i'e'tl itstt". it ‘ Tun
girls trgtttttttg in a late filtll‘l Rt ‘tkt‘ SHOOT t‘t Stltit‘ltlt’lltlli Street, teetering t‘ack and lrl".‘.tll;l on their high tier-is while tugging at ttsttulr; ot hair and ~a.-.'rng at takertan laces. v; hardly an attr.ir‘tr.e :mage. lt r‘ertai'rr, isn't the stutt ot norma% air ti““rit‘tll male fantasy. Noe. imagine these tiattling tiuids are dressed iit skimpy bikinis or leather hotpants. And the sun is shining. And there is a ring. And some oil. And llté£l(l'titll.‘§lllllr] thigh loeks, Suddenly the image is much more appealing to the teenager With time on his hands. Whir;h is where Rumble Home; XX eomes in. This is a y'arestling title tor the onanist. There are length/i (:areer challenges. but who cares? A iiuriiber of combat styles to master, but who eares? A robust game engine. but who cares? All that matters is that it looks great. packed ‘.’J|lll all the sgueaks and sgueals you could ‘NlSll tor. And massage. Unrelenting and unapologetic. RR'XX hits its market perfectly. rlain Dawdsonr
98 THE LIST 25 May —8 June 2006,