Official Xbox 360 Magazine Sampler

Issue 77 October 2011 £5.99

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ASSASSIN’S CREED DRIVER RAGE NEED FOR SPEEDIssue 77 October 2011 www.oxm.co.uk

INSIDE FAKE BATMAN THE FUTURE OF KINECTANGRY SOLDIERS DARK SOULS EL SHADDAI

THE RULES OFMASTER CHIEFHow Microsoft built anext-generation hero

BODYCOUNTExplosive arcadeshooter reviewed

PLUSHOW XBLA IS

CHANGING GAMESGEARS OF WAR 3SECRETS OF DJ HERO

RENEGADE OPSAND MORE!

GoldenEye:007 ReloadedA retro classic isrebornonXbox360

2011 F1 THE READ

EXCLUSIVE

CREED ASSASSIN’S DRIVER RAGE SPEED FOR NEED77 Issue October 2011 www.oxm.co.uk

OF RULES THECHIEF MASTER

a built Microsoft How hero next-generation

REVIEW!EXCLUSIVEREVIEW!WORLD

EXCLUSIVE

5THE OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE XBOX 360

Theteam–andhowtheyspentthemonth

StaffWriterJon ‘Log’ BlythGamertag:OXMLogT:02070424682E: [email protected]

While Log didn’t make it tothe Edinburgh Festival orGamescom, he didmanageto throw a couple ofone-man gin parties instead.

WriterWill PorterGamertag: Batsphinx

Revealed the damagewrought byworking in acinemawith aDDRmachine:every time he hears 5-6-7-8by Steps he offers someonea large Coke.

Lost an untold number ofman points by revealing thathe really likes terrible SandraBullock rom-com TheProposal. Has been issuedwith Arnie box set.

Deputy EditorMike ChannellGamertag:OXMMightySevenT:02070424683E:[email protected]

Completed a triathlon,dispelling at least onemythabout gameswriters. He’seaten nothing but pizzasince, mind.

StaffWriterMatt LeesGamertag:OXM JamSpongeT:02070424690E:[email protected]

Spent a rare sunny dayattacking the garden. Claimsthat it was “just like that bitinResident Evil” weremetwith scepticism.

EditorJonHicksGamertag:OXM JontyT:02070424681E: [email protected]

Decreed that there is nogame that cannot beimproved by adding thesuffix ‘The Baconing’. It’s atough claim to dispute.

Online EditorEdwin Evans-ThirlwellGamertag:OXMETboy

Ed’s ongoing claim that heisn’t really all that posh tooka hit this month, when heaccidentally left a bit ofLatin in a game preview.We’re not joking.

Sufferedweeks offrightening dreams afterseeing deeply creepy trailerfor theTintingame. Ironically,was able to cure themwithRise of Nightmares.

WriterRichMcCormickGamertag: richmcc

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WriterMartinDaviesGamertag: Private

Welcome...

Jon HicksOXM Jonty

[email protected]

Make nomistake, Call of Duty is going to be the year’sbiggest-selling game. Its success is assured by themillionsof players still hooked on Black Ops online, and its qualityby years of experience – albeit slightly less thanwe’reused to from the now-diminished Infinity Ward. It’s goingto be good. But after several years of having Christmasto itself, it has a rival in the form of Battlefield 3, a game

that’s been accumulating plaudits and awards since it was first revealed.DICE’s franchise has steadily improved to the point where the two can bejudged side by side, andwe’ve done just that on page 32. The ultimatewinner? We, the players – we get two excellent shooters to round out 2011.And before then, of course, we’ve got our own Xbox-exclusive

blockbuster in the form of Gears of War 3, which you can get a final look aton page 56 – and see in action in the videos we’ve hidden through themag (see opposite.) After a quiet summer, it’s going to be a very busyautumn. Enjoy the issue.

To the year’s biggest showdown

Issue 77 October 2011 www.oxm.co.uk

6 XBOX 360 THE OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE

“ThevarietyofwaysyoucanuseKinect is itsgreateststrengthandmostseriousdrawback”

56One last glimpse before Gears of Warmakes its triumphant return.

82We look at the best andbrightest Kinect titles.

12Gearbox confirms moreBorderlands on the way.

Subscribe and save!Subscribe toOXM and you’ll save awhopping 31%on the cover price, aswell asgetting it delivered straight to your door.Turn to page 58 to find outmore.

Subscribe and save!

74We preview the greatgames coming soon.

“ThevarietyofwaysyoucanuseKinect is itsgreateststrengthandmostseriousdrawback”

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88The future of Kinect islooking very impressive.

7THE OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE XBOX 360

Contents

The Full 360Customise and expand your Xbox 360gaming with tips, content and great ideas!112 10 things to try The best bits in Deus Ex: Human Revolution.115 How to... Meet the President, find a smoke monster and more.116 Download The verdict on Fallout New Vegas: Old World Blues.122 OXM Investigates The worst videogame movies ever.124 Grand Theft Auto IV We venture back online in Liberty City.127 Calendar Got any plans this month? You do now.130 Secrets of... DJ Hero developer FreeStyleGames spills the beans.

92Is F1 as slick as it was last

year? We exclusively reveal all.

On the discYour Official Xbox 360 disc has 8 greatdemos! Flip the page for more details…

Issue 77 October 2011 www.oxm.co.uk

DashboardExpert opinion and comment…012 Borderlands 2 Back to Pandora

with all-new guns and characters.016 Dead Faction We take a last look

at Volition’s Martian adventures.019 Lollipop Chainsaw Zombies

and cheerleading? We like.020 GoldenEye 007: Reloaded

Activision’s rework gets the HDtreatment and heads to Xbox 360.

022 Number Cruncher Are smallnumbers better than big ones?

025 Games of the Year The GoldenJoysticks are coming. Vote now!

026 Most Wanted We go weak atthe knees over Ezio’s finalexcursion. To Constantinople!

InputPost opinion on your games, yourfriends and your magazine028 Messages Launch your thoughts

at us via the medium of words.030 OXM Online Prime cuts from our

site and social networks.

FeaturesThe best writers in the industry explorethe wider world of Xbox 360032 The Battle for 2011 Modern

Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3 face offin the ultimate shooter showdown

046 Perfect Scores We cast our earover music in games.

070 Interview We get the lowdownon Anniversary and more withdeveloper 343 Industries.

074 The End of the Year Show Checkout these games – coming soon!

082 Kinect It’s got a lot more to offerthan golf and fitness

106 Gaming’s Digital Future Is DLCthe way forward for games?

PreviewsExclusive playtests of themost-wanted Xbox 360 games052 Brothers in Arms: Furious 4056 Gears of War 3059 Renegade Ops060 RAGE062 Gotham City Impostors063 Street Fighter X Tekken064 Dark Souls068 Need For Speed The Run

ReviewsThe ultimate buyers' guide – everynew Xbox 360 game reviewed!092 Formula One 2011097 Bodycount098 Driver San Francisco100 Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge101 Rugby World Cup 2011102 El Shaddai: Ascension of

the Metatron103 Captain America103 Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3103 Harry Potter and the Deathly

Hallows – Part 2104 Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet105 Toy Soldiers: Cold War105 Fruit Ninja Kinect

32“A newstar isrising – its techbrighter, and

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6 Download The verdict on Old World Blues.22 OXM Investigates The worst videogame movie

12 Grand Theft Auto IV We venture back online in Liberty CV127 Calendar Got any plans this month? You do now.r130 Secrets of... DJ He developer FreeStyleGames spills the beans.

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FEATURE

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Scores Perfect Scores Perfect Scores Perfect Scores Perfect

How gaming soundtracks are hitting the right notes

Back in 1982, the music industrywas genuinely worried that itsbusiness wouldn’t be able toco-exist with videogames.

Arista Records president Clive Daviseven put out an editorial inBillboardmagazine – the title of which hewould later come to regret: ‘You Can’tHum a Videogame’.

Skip forward three decades, andeverything’s changed. The musicindustry is desperately seeking ways toremain profitable, and the gamesindustry is an increasingly big customer,providing work for composers andmusicians alike. Music is recognised as ahugely important part of the moderngaming experience, and a soaring scoreis considered essential for any gamewith blockbuster aspirations. When

Activision needed a cinematicsoundtrack for Modern Warfare 2, itwent to Hans Zimmer – a man with a CVthat includes films like The Dark Knight,Gladiator, and Inception.

Fresh talentOther developers have followed thislead. Clint Mansell, the man behind theastonishing Requiem For A Dreamsoundtrack, has signed on to composethe music for Mass Effect 3, taking theplace of Jack Wall – the videogame-focused composer responsible for theincredible music of the first two games.

But the Tinseltown talent is a newarrival, and it’s following in thefootsteps of people who have played abig part in making videogames thesuccess they are today. While big-name

Words: Matt Lees

Twisted Pixel is knownfor its comedy songs.

Epic action requires afittingly epic soundtrack.

How gaming soundtracks are hitting the right notes

BBindustry music the 1982, in ack

was genuinely worried that its was genuinely worried that its to able be wouldn’t business

cinematic a needed Activision for soundtrack for soundtrack Modern Warfare 2Modern Warfare 2 , it , itModern Warfare 2 , itModern Warfare 2Modern Warfare 2 , itModern Warfare 2

went to Hans Zimmer – a man with a CV

Words: Matt Lees

PERFECTSCORES

newcomers work to adapt theirapproach and mindset, industryveterans such as Inon Zur are alreadyway ahead of the game.

You might not recognise the name,but you’ll probably know his work.Working on iconic music for gamessuch as Dragon Age and Fallout 3,he’s arguably just as much of

He looks like he’s neverseen notation before.

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a legend as someof thefilmindustry’s greats. Driven by the constantchallenges gaming soundtracks provide,he’s currentlyworking on the score for Lordof theRings:War in theNorth.“In filmand television composing, the

picture is locked so you don’t have thefreedom towritewhatever youwant,”explainsZur. “When composing for games,it’smore of a freeformapproach – aswe’reaiming to frame the atmosphere, emotions,and dramatic elements. Overall, this givesusmoremusical freedom.”Rather than composingmusic based on

a detached brief, Zurmakes a point ofactually playing gamesfirst to get a feelfor the rhythm. Despite specialising infantasy formost of his career,working onestablished franchises such as Lord of theRings still creates an interesting challenge.“We stayed loyal to the sound, butwe’vetaken it to a darker place. The score isentirely original but the sound isreminiscent of thefilms.”

Sounds familiarLumpedwith the expectations of itsnotoriously zealous fans, 2011’sDeusEx:HumanRevolution put composerMichaelMcCann in a similar pair of shoes. Inaddition to ensuring the soundtrack felt

“Whencomposingforgames, it’smoreofafreeformapproach”

Deus Ex combines oldand new instruments.

Can you tell us a little about thebrief youwere given forDeus Ex:HumanRevolution, and how youdecided to approach it?When I first startedwork on the game,audio director Steve Szczepkowski andI talked a lot aboutwhat direction Ishould take themusic. At this time, wewere looking at traditional cyberpunkinfluences such asBlade Runner and theoriginalDeus Ex. This electronicmusicwas a good starting point, butwhenlooking at the themes in the story andthe influences of Renaissance art, Iwas really drawn to the idea ofmakingthe soundtrackmore organic.

The influences for the acoustic sidecame from artists such as Dead CanDance and EnnioMorricone, and interms of the electronic influences, Iwas also inspired by Brian Eno andBen Lukas Boysen (HECQ).

Aside from the cyberpunk stuff,there are a lot of religious overtonesin the game, too. Have you tried toreflect these in the soundtrack?The spiritual/religious tonewassomething I represented through vocals.Vocals are almost everywhere in thescore – not necessarily up front, but oftenused as ambient textures, mixed into thebackground. There are around 100different vocals in the game. I spent a lot

of time looking for source recordings oftraditional and religious a cappella songs,especially for some of the game’smoreexotic locations. Even if themusic isvery electronic and the setting is veryfuturistic, there’s always this groundingelement to themusic that representsthe past, and some of the spiritualelements thatmight be otherwisemissing inside these environments.

Interestingly, considering theSplinter Cell connection, your themefrom theReGenesis TV show soundsa bit like some of Amon Tobin’s work.Whatwas it like following on fromthe heritage that he’d establishedwith Chaos TheorywhenworkingonDouble Agent?TheReGenesis theme is originally froman album I did in 2001 under a differentname,Behavior, and I first heard aboutAmon Tobinwhen someone comparedthat track to him.

ForDouble Agent though, one of theprimary directions fromUbisoft at thetimewas to go in the opposite directionof Chaos Theory. It’s an extremely darkgame, and amuchmore personal storythan Chaos Theory. Much likeDeus Ex,therewas a strong push to go in a lesscerebral and frenetic directionwith themusic, approaching somethingmoreemotional instead.

“I WAS REALLY DRAWN TOTHE IDEA OF MAKING THESOUNDTRACK ORGANIC”MICHAEL McCANN – COMPOSEROF DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION

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familiar, the game’s context provided a setof farmore interesting challenges. “Therewas one clear theme in the game that Iespeciallywanted to represent in themusic: the clash betweenunbridledscientific advancement, and thosewhooppose it on religious,moral or politicalgrounds,” he says. “Inmore general terms, Isaw this as afight between the old and thenew.Musically, there are two sides to theinstrumentation – the electronic siderepresents the ‘new’,while the other ‘old’side of the soundtrack is entirely acoustic.”Picking upon themes long abandoned

by cinema, projects likeHumanRevolutionare difficult for sci-fi fanatics likeMcCannto resist. “The themeof transhumanismwithin the game immediately brings upinteresting themesonboth sides of thedebate,” he explains. “Whether it’s religiousarguments against scientific progress(such as stemcell research) or, on theopposing side, an almost religious devotionto scientific advancement; both sides pullfroma very pious foundation. There’ssomething about spiritual stories that Ifind inspiring – it forces a composer intovery difficult and abstract

Professional recordingstudios are de rigueur now.

The Maw was TwistedPixel’s first original game.

Splosion Man’s missusis just as musical.

More cheery ditties invideo games, please.

DEADLY PREMONITION – THEWHISTLING SONGWe can deal with upside-down zombie things putting theirarms down our throat, andwe can even deal with theconstant string of brutally murderedwomen. Seriouslythough, please stopwhistling.

SONIC THEHEDGEHOG – GREENHILL ZONEDon’t be fooled bymodern imitations, it’s all about theoriginal Green Hill Zonemusic. It’s devastatingly infectiousstuff, andwe haven’t really managed to get it out ofour heads again since the game popped up on the XboxLiveMarketplace.

CARNIVALGAMES –MONKEYSEEMONKEYDOHave you seen that bit inDead Space, wherethe people get all those symbols andnoises trapped in their heads? And theymurder everyone around them to tryandmake the noises go away? Yeah,don’t play this game.

SUPER PUZZLE FIGHTER II TURBO– SAKURA’S THEMECamp J-pop at it’s finest, or worst,depending onwhether you’re the onebelting it out or listening to it. We can’tquite decide if it’s pure genius or pureevil, but we don’t seem to be physicallycapable of switching it off.

EVIL GAMING EARWORMSLOVE THEMORHATE THEM, THERE ARE ALWAYSA FEW TUNES THAT GET STUCK IN YOURHEAD

One of themost loved aspects ofSplosionManwas the ‘Donut’ song.Can you tell us the story behind it?Donuts, Go Nuts came about fairly latein development. Once I saw the gamemechanicwith the donut-eatingDanklefsen scientist, I knew I had to dosomething special with the audio, andthe idea for a song came quickly.

The first time I saw the scientistin-game, hewas just sitting in a roomwith a table piled highwith doughnuts,chomping away. Originally, I was justgoing to have the song play as if itwas on a radio in the room, but then Idecided to have it play as you carriedhim across the levels.

I think I wrote the entire thing in about10 to 15minutes. Mywife had just gottenhome fromwork, and I ran out into theliving room so I could play the song forher. She just said: “yeah, yeah, that’sgreat, dear.” Undaunted, I popped it intothe game, and the rest is history. I’m stillamazed at the reception. I’ve beenwritingsongs for almost 20 years, and I write afour-chord song about doughnuts and

everybody loves it… The simplest songI’ve everwritten inmy life. But that’s pop.

What’s the process in terms of addingthese songs into your games?I never try to force a song into our games.If it comes about organically, that’s great;if not, then the game doesn’t need it. JoshBear toldme going into Comic Jumper:no songs. Hewasworried it would feelforced, but I whipped up a version of theBrad theme song, and he loved it. As forMs. Splosion Man, I knewpeoplewereexpecting a newDonut song. After Isaw theMandy gameplaymechanic, Ithought the best choicewould be aBuddyHolly-style love song about her.

My real pride and joy is the song that Iwrote to accompanyMs. Splosion Man’scurse, a celebration of curvywomen. Idon’t want to spoil toomuch, but you’vegot to check it out. And I have tomentionthe extremely talented LonnyWatershed,who has provided uswith a song for bothSplosion Man and nowMs. Splosion Man.He is amusical genius, andmore peopleshould know about him.

“AS FOR MS. SPLOSION MAN,PEOPLE WERE EXPECTINGA NEW ‘DONUT’ SONG”MATT ‘CHAINSAW’ CHANEY –COMPOSER OF SPLOSION MAN

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emotions,which is probably themost difficult and rewarding challenge incomposingmusic. I haven’t seen a storythat hits this true emotional level in gamesyet, but I’m sure it’s coming.”

Legal rap battlesIt’s possible, of course, to go for theready-made impact of licensedmusic, butthat brings its ownproblems – aswasproven by theDJHero series, forwhich thecost of using licensedmusicwasn’t justfinancial. “We reallymade a rod for ourownback,” admits Jamie Jackson, creativedirector at FreeStyleGames. “WewantedDJHero to stand out, andmake people feellike theywere creating something new. Todo that,wehad to create it first.”DJHerowonnumerous awards for its

innovation, but it proved extraordinarilydifficult for the team to realise theirambitions. “The licensedmusicworld is areally strange place,” says Jackson. “Youhave all these situationswhere someonefalls outwith someoneelse, and eventhough it’s got nothing to dowith you,suddenly you’re told you can’t use a track,”explains Jackson.Consistent licensing issues saw the

teamcreating hundreds and hundreds ofmixes across the twogames, simply so

LISTEN FOR FREESOME PUBLISHERS RELEASE THEIR IN-GAME AUDIO FORFREE DOWNLOAD. HERE ARE SOMEOF OUR FAVOURITES

BIOSHOCK Sadly, only thecompositions for the firstgame are available todownload for free. Still,there’s enough here to fill asmall horror film.http://bit.ly/hnlK

BULLETSTORM Put your feet up, pouryourself a glass of kick-ass, and fire upthis free soundtrack for an opportunityto quietly reminisce on allthe times you shot thosestrangers in the balls.http://bit.ly/gtNA2I

PORTAL 2 Entitled ‘Songs toTest By’, this instrumentalcollection has provided theteamwith hours of ambientbleeping delights. Perfect forpumping into your ears onthe odd occasionswhenrazor-sharp focus is required.http://bit.ly/k1Mmjm

MS SPLOSIONMAN Ifincendiary pinkwomen floatyour boat, then theMs.Splosion Man soundtrackis essential listening. Checkout Matt ‘Chainsaw’ Chaney’shandiwork for yourself in thissurprisingly jaunty collection.http://mssplosionman.com

FINAL FIGHT REMIX If youenjoyed themusic from theoriginal Final Fight, thenSimon Viklund’s remix isessential listening. Createdspecially for Final Fight:Double Impact, this is aclassic slice of joyful retrorehash. http://bit.ly/bhqqXc

The LOTR films are ahard act to follow.

Inon Zur has worked ingames for years now.

Music can add vitalimpact to a scene.

“PICTURES CAN INFLUENCETHE MOOD, BUT MAINLYITS THE CHARACTERS”INON ZUR – COMPOSER OFLOTR: WAR IN THE NORTH

Do you think it’s important forcomposers to play the games theywork on?I always play the games Iwork on to get afeel for the game and its rhythm, tounderstand the role of themusic, how totailor themusic to the game. I play andwatch these games a lot during theirdevelopment. However, I sadly don’t havemuch time to check out games outside ofmywork, as I’m usually straight onto thenext project.

What do you think about thecompositionwork being done inother games?In the last few years the level of qualityhas increased dramatically. As composerswe’re always looking forways to bebetter, and topwhatwe’ve done before.There is a lot out there but I likewhatJesper Kyd is doing inAssassin’s Creed.

You seem to specialise in fantasy andsci-fi – what have yourmain creativeinfluences been?I am open tomany differentmusicalinfluences. I studied filmmusic at the DickGrove School ofMusic andUCLA undercomposers such as Jack Smalley, AllynFerguson andHenryMancini. Mymain

creative influences are the classical worksof Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Debussy andBeethoven and the filmmusic of JohnWilliams, Jerry Goldsmith and ThomasNewman. I also like jazz artists like GeorgeGershwin. I always keepmy ears open tolisten to newmusic and let it do itsworkwithin. When it comes to inspiration forscoring a particular game or genre, thestory is alwaysmyfirst starting point andcreative influence. Sometimes picturescan influence themood, butmainly it’sthe characters and their motiveswhichaffect the direction and tempo, evolvingand influencing themusicmore thananything else.

If you could go back in time andcomposemusic for any game inhistory, which onewould you choose?It would be the original Syberia adventuregame. I worked on the sequel Syberia IIand the storyline and beautiful animationwere very inspirational. The idea oftravelling to thismystical setting initiatedmy own journey, which led to places I’dnever been beforemusically, allowingme to explore new territory as acomposer. The cinematic elements in thegamewere very strong, including theamazing shortmovies.

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they’d have enough tofill the gameoncemost of the licensedmusic had beenremoved for legal reasons.

Go nutsWhile big-budget projects struggle undertheweight of their owngrand ideas,upstarts like TwistedPixel are taking anentirely different approach. Check outthemusic inSplosionMan, and you’ll findonly oneman in the credits: Matt‘Chainsaw’ Chaney. “I’m the only in-houseaudio guy at TwistedPixel, butwedoget help fromoutside sources” admitsChaney. “JoshMosley provided the epicmusic for the boss battles inMs. SplosionMan, and also recorded the live hornarrangements for the single-playermusic.

SEE IT LIVEGAME SOUNDTRACKSDON’T HAVE TOBE LIMITED TOYOUR LIVINGROOM.LIVE ORCHESTRAL PERFORMANCESARE INCREASINGLY POPULAR

VIDEOGAMES LIVEThis concert serieshas become hugelypopular and isheading to Londonagain in early2012. It’s run andhosted by TommyTallarico, otherwiseknown as the guywho did themusicfor EarthwormJim. Give that manamedal.

DISTANTWORLDS: MUSICFROM FINALFANTASYA touringproduction thatkicked off in 2007and has traversedtheworld since, it’llbe arriving atLondon’s RoyalAlbert Hall inNovember. Findoutmore atbit.ly/pYehz6.

PLAY! AVIDEOGAMESYMPHONYThis full orchestra/choir combo hasbeen performing inthe US and Canadasince 2006, andrecorded a livealbum in Prague in2009. UK dates areexpected sometime in 2012 – findmore details atbit.ly/nDZX4I.

VIDEO GAMEHEROESUnfortunately,you’ve just missedthis. The LondonPhilharmonicOrchestra took tothe stage at theRoyal Festival Hall,playingmusic fromMass Effect, ElderScrolls, GTA, andmore. Hopefullythis eventwill beback in 2012.

“The licensedmusicworld isastrangeandunforgivingplace”

All our voicework is handled by theincredibly talented dudes atOkraTron5000, but apart from that it’s justme.”In an industry inwhich talent contract

agreements can take up to sixmonths toapprove, Twisted Pixel’s ChainsawsatdownandwroteSplosionMan’s ‘Donut’song in under 15minutes – a reminderthat you don’t need to spend a fortune toget the perfect soundtrack.Regardless of the approach developers

and publishers take, there’s no denying theimportance that is nowbeing attached toin-gameaudio. After years of obsessingover graphics, the games industry is finallystarting to treat sound designwith equalrespect. If you’ll forgive the pun, thatsounds very good indeed.

”So which one of thesefor a mochaccino?”

With a lot of recent games focusingon big-name composers, do youthink there’s not asmuch respectfor games that use licensedmusic?I don’t know to be honest. In the pasttwo or three yearswe’ve cleaned up interms of getting awards formusic ingames, somaybe composers have justbeen left out for awhile. But obviouslywewere doing something differentagain; we didn’t just putmusic in thegame –we did a lotmore stuffwith it.

Where I sometimes think people getleft out, is in games that use licensedmusic that aren’t music games.Whetherit’s a driving game, or something likeGTA, someone spent a lot of timethinking about the rightmusic to goalongside it – trying to choose tracksthat peoplewill recognise, butwill alsoreally fit the style of the game.

You guyswere sort of a halfwayhouse – composing original music,but using a lot of licensedmusic inthe process. Can you tell us aboutthe difficulties involvedwith that?I thinkwemade over 800mixes for bothDJ Hero 1 and2, and the reasonwe didthatwas because for each onewe hadto contact the artist and say: “We’regoing to take yourmusic, andmake anew track, and release it into the publicdomain.” The licensedmusicworld isreally strange, and not a very forgivingplace.Wemade some awesome tracks –we took theA-Team soundtrack and theKnight Rider soundtrack, andmade thissuper-sick scratchymix.Wemade itabout four-and-a-half years ago, andwe never stood a chance of getting itlicensed. On the one side, you had themreleasing anA-Teammovie – they didn’twant the song getting overused – andthe newKnight RiderTV serieswasabout to go big; then one of thecomposers had a problem… Itwas tough.

Howdo you think the use of audio isprogressingwithin the industry?When I started in gameswe had oneguyworking onmusic for thewholeof Codemasters: 250 people, eightgames, one guy. It’s different now– people recognise it as being partof thewhole process.

“I THINK WE MADEOVER 800 MIXESFOR BOTH DJHERO 1 AND 2”JAMIE JACKSON –CREATIVE DIRECTOR,FREESTYLEGAMES

104

and access to areas that you were forcedto pass by earlier on, because they weretantalisingly locked. For example, theremote-controlled missile can be used tokill shielded enemies by zoomingaround the back. It can alsoopen doors by wobblingthrough corridors in slowmotion to hit switchesyour saucer can’t reach.

The puzzles areambient, relaxing, andclever. Some puzzles,such as redirecting laserswith crystals, are adisappointingly simplematter of trial and error. Butother moments require you to lookaround and figure out how the world fitstogether, and solving them gives you aburst of self-congratulation. A later leveleven attempts to fulfil the promise of thetitle, with machines that spin the worldinto different orientations.

Sadly, Shadow Planet isn’t as good as itcould be. First of all, it’s short – at aroundthree hours, it’s over long before the

possibilities feel fully explored. While thatmeans that the puzzles never outstaytheir welcome, it also makes the mapunderwhelming. Even the challenging

puzzles are made less so, becauseof the obvious clues given by

the scan tool and the factthat the map’s not large

enough for the solutionto be anywhere butextremely nearby.

Despite the fact thatShadow Planet is an

exploration game thatdoesn’t have enough to

explore, the charm of thevisual style, the ambience

of the world and the silentcommunication itself makes the shortjourney completely pleasurable. Justbe aware that you’re dropping a tenneron something pretty that won’t fillan evening.

The words ‘Insanely Twisted’ aredeceptive. They create anexpectation that this particularShadow Planet doesn’t even try

to fulfil. This isn’t some mind-juicinghyper-tough platformer, it’s a charmingexploration puzzler set on a planetwhose design is as simple as it is lovely.

The story unfolds without words – ifBastion is the gaming equivalent of anaudiobook, ITSP is a silent movie. You’re aflying saucer with the ability to scan itemsof interest. The scanner is a good source ofclues, showing you how to kill things, whichpower you need to open a gate and so on.

Strip away the stylings, and this is azero-gravity Shadow Complex – a gamewhere every power you earn gives you anew way to solve puzzles, fight enemies,

Boss fights – morepuzzle-based than twitch.

You’re not actuallysupposed to do it like this.

Insanely TwistedShadow PlanetNot as twisted as you’d like

What is it?A flying saucerexploring acruel planet.

What’s it like?A boiled-downzero-gravity versionofShadow Complex.

Who’sitfor?Busy people whodon’t have time tospend on games.

PublisherMicrosoftDeveloperShadowPlanet ProductionsPrice1200MPPlayers1

MicrosoftMicrosoftShadow Shadow

Productions Planet Productions Planet

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Reviewer

Jon BlythOXM Log

Nice visual style

Nextyear, let’s gosomewherenice 7

Clever, satisfying puzzles

Good variety of powers

Far too short

It’s hard to like a flying saucer

kill shielded enemies by zooming around the back. It can also

matter of trial and error. But look to you require moments other

ts gure out how the world fi around and fi

because so, less made are puzzlesby given clues obvious the of

fact the and tool scan thelarge not map’s the that

solution the for enough to be anywhere but

nearby. extremely that fact the Despite

Shadow Planet that game exploration to enough have doesn’t

the of charm the explore,ambience the style, visual

silent the and world the of short the makes itself communication

WINNINGThis is Michel Gagné’s first game –he’s better known as a cartoonist

and animator, who’s worked onThe Iron Giant, several Pixar

movies and the CartoonNetwork series Star Wars:

Clone Wars.

XBOXLIVELantern Run lets youplay online againstup to three otherpeople, in straight upsurvival races. It’s astrong and socialaddition to the lonelysingle-playercampaign, and therandomly generatedlevels give it a bit ofbonus life.

Bastion audiobook,

ying saucer with the ability to scan items fl of interest. The scanner is a good source of clues, showing you how to kill things, which

power you need to open a gate and so on.

zero-gravity

PublisherMicrosoftDeveloperHalfbrickPlayers1-2Co-opYesCost800MP (£6.80)

PublisherMicrosoftDeveloperSignalGamesPlayers1-2Co-opYesCost1200MP (£10.28)

105

XBLA ReviewsviewsXBLA Rev

Fruit Ninja is a good match forKinect. It was claustrophobicand fiddly on the iPhone, and thegrand full-body pinwheeling of

Kinect feels like its spiritual home.But if Fruit Ninja came up againsta one-trick pony in a talent-diversity gala, it would struggleto compete. Slice up fruit. Awayyou go.

Just touching a fruit won’t do – you haveto be moving at a pace before it registersas a chop. Luckily, this is one of the most

Like the original ToySoldiers, Cold War has youguarding your precioustoy box against action-

figure invasions — only this time,cavalry and biplanes give way toinfantry and armaments from theReagan era. You’ll drop a handful ofupgradable tower-defence staples onpredetermined build sites, taking directcontrol of them whenever you feel likemowing down a crowd.

Your AI gunners are now relativelycompetent, but manually controlling onehas its benefits. Quickly chew up 20

Fruit Ninja Kinect

Toy Soldiers:Cold War

They won’t know what hit them. They don’t have cognitive functions

Teeny tiny ’80s retro

Annoyingly, there’s no way to quickly retrya level after a poor start.Fruit Ninja Kinect is a decent party game.

It’s a brilliant use of Kinect, and it’s thegame they should use on shopfloors toshow how responsive the kit can be. Butit’s also 800MP for what amounts to asingle motor function in a single mini-game. Even with leaderboards, it’s hard towholeheartedly recommend.

enemies and you’ll earn infinite ammo andenhanced damage. Extend that kill-streakto 40 and you’ll earn bombing runs, nukes,and even a Stallone look-alike with a rocketlauncher and a mouthful of movie quotes.It’s a lot of fun, at least for a while.ColdWar improves on the first game in

almost every way. The newly co-operativecamera makes it easier to jump betweenbattlefield supervision and firsthandcarnage. Vehicles, which range fromTopGun-style jets to thundering tanks, arefaster and more manoeuvrable. Get in ajam, and you can even rewind the action toprevious waves. Only a few boss battlespop up during the campaign missions, but

Short-termfunfor theyoungofmind 6

Fun,butnotas long-lastingas itsnamesake 7

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the action chugs along at such a steadyclip you won’t have time to wish for more.

On the other hand, you’ll almost certainlyyearn for more than just three survivalstages and versus-mode maps. But even ifColdWar lacks enough variety for morethan a few afternoons of entertainment,its simple, enjoyable challenges still earn itan honourable discharge.

responsive Kinect games around, with solittle lag – even with two players – that it’sa genuine showcase for the tech. If we canget this level of body-tracking fidelity intogames that don’t focus so heavily onpunching bananas, then that’s progress.

Classic mode is a potentially endless trial– hit a bomb or miss three fruit, and it’sgame over. Zen mode removes the bombs,and introduces a 90-second time limit. Thedifference between being good and bad atZen mode is lining up combos. Hit three ormore fruit at once, and they score double.

This is even more important in Arcademode, where bonus bananas andmaintaining combos make the scoring morecomplicated and occasionally random.

grand full-body pinwheeling ofhome. spiritual its like feels Kinect

have you – do won’t fruit a touching Just

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Tonight we dinein vegetarian hell.

Attack your own colouredfruit or lose points.

Take that, you cynicallymarketed superfood.

All together now: “Highhhwayyto the danger zone…”

‘The Littlest Commando’didn’t take off as a TV series.

Official Xbox 360 Magazine Sampler

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