While many people may not know too much about Ben 10, it’s evident that the animated series has become extremely successful and popular on Cartoon Network since it originally aired back in 2005.

With every popular thing in humanity, comes a video game; and Cosmic Destruction is the fifth Ben 10 game to be released. But is this experience a shape-shifting phenomenon or an ugly monster in disguise?

To summarize the Ben 10 premise briefly, a young boy, Ben Tennyson, acquires an alien-device which allows him to transform into a variety of different alien creatures. Jumping ahead a few years, Ben is now faced with his greatest challenge, as a planet destroying cloud known as the ‘cosmic destruction’ is heading towards Earth, and Ben is now on the trail to find some ancient artifacts which will strengthen the power of the device in order to allow him to save the planet. The story isn’t very well told through brief dialogue leaving unfamiliar players with little background, while fans of the show will probably be drooling at the extension of their favourite story.

Cosmic Destruction is essentially an action-adventure game wrapped in a cartoon IP. There is a fair amount of brawling needed to be done and there is a combo system to help with that, the only problem is that there is only one attack button. A counter attack allows you to strike after an enemy attempts a shot at you, and there is a dodge move, but for the most part you can just go on the offensive the whole way through.

The real draw of Ben 10 is the alien transformations and the game definitely delivers on this front. Players can shift into a wide variety of different aliens including some ultra forms, each with their own strengths and abilities which help you solve puzzles and progress through obstacles. Each alien also has four unique attacks mapped the trigger buttons, allowing for some powerful moves to be unleashed. To be fair, the game does a good job of throwing players in situations where they have to try different aliens and mix up their tactics, which is a nice design for players looking to get a little more out of the title.

Visually, Cosmic Destruction isn’t a great looking game, but it’s not a terrible one. The characters all represent their animated counterparts and the level design, while unpolished at times, is relatively decent with some interesting platforming sections. All the voice actors were used giving the game some authenticity for the fans and the entire presentation does fit into the Ben 10 world.

Ben 10: Cosmic Destruction understands what it is – a fun action game for fans of the show. It doesn’t try be anything more or less and it manages to do a pretty decent job at representing what the fans love: the alien transformations.

Pros

• True to source material
• Puzzles and combat relative to target market
  

Cons

• Presentation is hit and miss
• No backstory given for newcomers

The plot of Ghost of Sparta slots in ever so neatly between God of War 1 and 2. Now equipped with the Blades of Athena, the ever rebellious Kratos has discovered that his God ‘buddies’ were behind the death of his long lost brother. Kratos sets off on a mission across famous mythological settings to uncover the truth behind his brothers death and to try and bring him back.  In typical God of War fashion the game benefits from great story telling and believable voice acting.

Ghost of Sparta remains true to its roots and delivers the fast paced, blood squirting hack and slash gameplay that the series is known for. This time around the emphasis is more on action as there are no puzzles to be found, but with all the chaos unfolding infront of you, you wont even notice. Kratos also benefits from new magical powers, the ability to set his blades on fire as well as a cool new Spartan weapon. Players can expect a some cool platforming sections as well as some intense quicktime events.

Visually, Ghost of Sparta is the most impressive game to ever hit the psp. The graphics are sharp and environments are beautifully detailed. Most of all the game does get pretty intense at times and the frame rate keeps up really well.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta is an incredible game and a definite pick me up for those who were left saddened by the end of God of War 3. If your PSP has been gathering some dust, this is the game which will make you take it out of the cupboard. With tons of action and some replay value, its a sure bet for any hack and slash fanatic.

Pros

• Gorgeous graphics on the PSP
• Backstory of Kratos’ brother
• Combat as good as God of War 3

Cons

• Lacking any real puzzles

The plot of KH: Birth by Sleep fits in as the prequel to the original Kingdom Hearts and follows the story of three aspiring key-blade masters: Terra, Aqua and Ventus who’s dream has been put aside in order to fight against an evil force which has lead an attack throughout the galaxy. The story is light but still manages to capture the hearts (no pun intended) of players through with its sincerity and dream like setting. To add a little familiarity to the main story, the game is punctuated by Disney characters and plot lines which have been integrated seamlessly and somehow manage to bring about the nostalgia in you.

Before jumping into the good stuff, players will have to choose one of the three characters to play through with. Once having completed that characters story you’ll have to complete that of the others as well. The recipe for all three stories is basically the same. The gameplay has a hack and slash feel to it as you’ll be surrounded by hoards of enemies at times and using your keyblade as well as magic abilities you’ll have to eliminate the evil ‘unversed’. As you go along you will unlock different keyblades as well as new magic abilities which can be assigned to a command deck.

Instead of having to discover the upgraded versions of magic abilities, players will now be able to combine abilities to form newer, more devastating ones. This is a nice addition and adds a little more to the game as you try figure out what creates what. Once you’ve picked your deadly command list and have entered a battle, using different command combos together triggers a more powerful yet temporary attack. Overall the combat is super slick and feels like  PG13 hack and slash as enemies will spill out green orbs as opposed to blood. Nevertheless , it’s superb.

The PSP has been around for quite some time and but by looking at Birth By Sleep’s visual prowess you wouldn’t think so. The visuals are uniquely stylized in a typical Kingdom Hearts fashion with fantasy like environments, bright colours and whacky looking characters. Overall Birth By Sleep is definitely a good looking game.

Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep is a solid title for the PSP. It offers a great story, excellent combat and sharp visuals. It is without a doubt the best Kingdom Hearts game to date and will keep your entertained for a plethora of hours.

The underlying premise of LittleBigPlanet remains, to the point that there kind of is no premise. It enters the world of imagination as you control Sackboy, a walking hacky-sack of sorts, as he travels across this planet and in some of the wackiest and interesting levels you’ve ever seen. Each level has certain objectives which range from retrieving stolen eggs and chasing monkeys, to fighting dragons and flying magic carpets. The magic created by the PS3 version is definitely here, and it’s safe to say that some of the awe-inspiring levels and ideas here even top that of the original LBP and place some unrivaled variety on a simplistic design.

The way in which you navigate the levels, clear obstacles and solve puzzles remains the same. Jumping, pushing, grabbing and swinging your way through the levels is easy, and thanks to the layout of the PSP and simple in-game controls it’s a joy to play which leaves absolutely no frustration.  The mechanics work in the same way as well, and that’s due to the fantastic physics which fuel the gameplay and, more importantly, the platforming. All the cool features like the jet-packs and vehicles are there which just goes to show that everything has been included here.

The level creator, which has become a defining characteristic of the LittleBigPlanet IP, is incredibly deep and user-friendly which allows players to create their own adventures with ease. The content quantity has definitely not been toned down, and there are literally hundreds of pieces and prize bubbles to collect throughout story mode in order to build your levels with. These levels, once again, can be shared online with the LBP community, which in turn, results in an endless amount of game time with LittleBigPlanet PSP.

The original LittleBigPlanet was commended for its innovative multiplayer which allowed up to 4 players to simultaneously play the game together. The multiplayer was so tightly woven (another shameless cotton joke) and it required 4 players to complete certain objectives. However, in LittleBigPlanet PSP, you’re on your own. The lack of a multiplayer component came down to the size of the game and the limitations of the PSP itself, but don’t let that distract you as the story mode is phenomenal and the crazy cardboard characters you interact with have more personality than most of your real friends.

Visually, LBP PSP manages to do the same thing that its big brother did. It astonishes with beautiful graphics in the most charming and simplistic of ways. The animations of Sackboy, the surrounding environments and settings are incredibly fluid, and every detail has been put into this game to make it look as good as it plays.

LittleBigPlanet PSP is not just a landmark title for the PSP, but it’s one of the most important titles of 2009. Everything great about the LBP world has been brought to the PSP in stylish fashion. The PSP’s hardware and UMD space limitations do hurt it in the multiplayer department, however no one can deny the brilliant visuals, gameplay and attraction of such an ambitious title. Sackboy is finally home.

[starreviewmulti id=2 tpl=20]

Retribution takes place within the Resistance parallel universe, where an alien race known as the Chimera have invaded Earth during World War II sending the humans into a global unification against the extra terrestrial invaders. This time round players take control of British soldier James Grayson, who after being shamed for going AWOL after his brother’s death, is given another chance by fighting with the Marquis on a European campaign, which spans the Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg. The story is well presented and driven by a cocky, yet likable main character. It’s not the most original of stories, but the attitude Grayson brings to the table makes it really enjoyable.

Resistance: Retribution is living proof that third-person shooters can be awesome on the PSP. The controls are simple enough to grasp within a few minutes of playtime. The nub moves Grayson around, square and circle rotate aiming left and right respectively, and triangle and X adjusts the Y aiming Axis. Auto-lock targeting also helps immensely and works fantastically providing players with the combat responsiveness required for such a game. Auto-aim can also be switched to manual aim with a touch of the D-pad, allowing players to take more precise shots on such enemies as hybrids, which require head shots to kill.

A cover system is also employed allowing Grayson to cling to walls or crouch behind objects for a quick pop-up and fire mechanic which makes gunfights fun and strategic.

You’ll battle Chimera familiar to its previous PS3 counterparts, although a new half-alien half-human hybrid known as the Cloven will have to be dealt with. Boss battles also make an appearance providing a good enough challenge to cap off some levels.

Certain segments require you to man turrets or control an enemy mech. These add some great variety to the gameplay and also allow for the layer to test out some more Chimera weapons.

In addition to having a solid 10+ hour single-player campaign, Retribution also offers multiplayer modes such as Containment (Chimeran capture the flag/reactor) and Assimilation (playing as the Cloven, you’re required to infect the other players). This significantly boosts the game’s replay value and provides a strong component to go along side the game’s already high production value. Retribution can also be linked up to a PS3 with a copy of Resistance 2 to allow players to use the Dual Shock 3 to play, as well as unlock special weapons in multiplayer.

Sharp and smooth graphics and visuals make Resistance more than a joy to play. Grayson and the Chimera look great, while fluid animations are flawless while you navigate around interestingly designed levels conveying a mid WWII Europe complete with bombs in the distance and detailed landscapes.

Great voice acting along with a creepy yet enthusiastic score help put Resistance: Retribution in a class and atmosphere of its own.

Resistance: Retribution is a really solid shooter. Not only on the PSP, but in general. It’s got really easy and intuitive controls, matched with stunning visuals and a great campaign multiplayer component. Definitely one not too resist.

[starreviewmulti id=1 tpl=20]

]]> http://www.gamescastlive.com/2009/03/13/resistance-retribution-review-psp/feed/ 0