Grand Theft Auto all but invented the open-world sandbox gameplay model. There have been a lot of pretenders, looking to claim the crown of the best in this fledgling genre, but few have come close to Rockstar’s opus… until now.

inFamous opens with vague recollections of some sort of massive detonation – our hero, handily played by you, is at the center of the blast. Yet, unlike many others in the area, he’s not dead – in fact, he seems to have… powers…

And so is introduced one of the most exciting, polished and entertaining games of the year. It’s only May and already there’s a strong candidate for Game of the Year and it’s exclusive to the PlayStation 3.

You take control of an everyman called Cole. His unremarkable existence just became remarkable, thanks to powers imbued by the aforementioned cataclysm. He was already a formidable free runner, able to traverse the city in ways most of us could only dream about. Now he can control electricity itself, flinging bolts of juice around like so much left over candy. He can throw out blasts of physics forces, too, causing objects to explode or fly around as if they were discarded, day-old newspapers caught in a Wellington wind. That’s not all – there are numerous powers and improvements to existing powers to unlock as you progress.

Like most modern games, there’s a progression and improvement structure built in. Killing enemies or performing many other acts in the game earns you XP – unlike most XP-related games, however, you don’t use XP to level up. Instead, it’s like a form of currency – you use it to purchase upgrades to your abilities through the pause menu (abilities themselves will normally be unlocked via story progression).

You power most of your abilities through the acquisition of electricity. You can get more of the stuff from anything in the game that is powered – clicking the left stick in will bring nearby electrified objects to your attention. This mechanic drives much of the story, as players will need to ensure sections of the city are powered up if they want to be effective in there – Cole doesn’t like hanging out in blacked out parts of town.

If you’ve been thinking GTA up until now, there’s a major part of the game missing in inFamous – vehicles. They’re there, of course, it’s a city – you just don’t ever steal or ride in any. Instead, Cole gets around by clambering over the buildings themselves – and he’s quite the accomplished free runner. The system used to negotiate precarious ledges and pipes covering the various buildings in the city is nothing short of exceptional. At no point do you feel you can’t get somewhere and yet it’s not so simple as to be pointless button mashing. You have to look and think about what you’re doing, but the ability to move in the air combined with the soft-locking system will keep you on track.

Jump from a distance to a pipe and Cole will slide down it for a bit, really selling the fact that you just leapt between buildings. You’ll never die if you fall (or even take damage), thanks to Cole’s powers, but the snazzy presentation technique of tweaking the field of view when you look (or fall) down still makes you feel vulnerable as you “Spider-Man” your way around.

Enemies in the game start off as the regular gun-wielding variety, easily dispatched by a jolt of electricity. Shooting in this way is much like any third-person shooter, with an over-the-shoulder camera triggered by pulling in L1, then bolts of electricity sent out by pulling R2. You can also hit X while zoomed in to trigger a shockwave (the aforementioned physics force that pushes things away from you) and later upgrades include energy grenades, which consume quite a bit of your stored electricity. Fortunately, by finding broken fragments of a power source as you negotiate the city, you can upgrade the amount of electrical charge you can hold at any one time.

More advanced foes, like the Conduit, really take advantage of the game engine’s graphical effects, which are already used to good effect in the game. The Conduit, should you let him, will send a devastating surge of energy through the ground towards you, ripping up the earth and doing massive damage should you stand there and take the hit. He’ll also warp around the place to keep you on your toes.

Once enemies are knocked down, you can close in on them and use one of your touch abilities – you can essentially handcuff them with electrical energy, preventing them from escape but not killing them, which earns you good karma. Alternatively, you can drain their life force to return energy to you but doing so will earn you bad karma. You can do the same thing to regular citizen NPCs, even healing them (apparently jolts of electricity are good for what ails ya) – if you want to…

Karma determines whether you are good or evil and has a big part to play in how the game plays out. Be too much of a bad guy and the citizens will throw rocks at you. Be too much of a good guy and your real-life girlfriend will dump you for a lumberjack. Additionally, whether you’re good or bad will affect which power upgrades you can use, along with which side quests you can perform and how NPCs will react to your presence.

Graphically, if you’re looking at screenshots, it can seem a little dull – low detail geometry, no anti-aliasing and low resolution textures abound – particularly in the vehicles, which we’re used to looking pretty spangly. In motion, however, it’s mostly very good – there are so many post-effects employed, particularly during certain story sequences, that the environments come to life. They’re also littered with trash and many parts of the scene will blow to pieces in the middle of a firefight. It’s far better looking than something like Mercenaries 2, for example, and gives GTA a run for its money as well. The cutscenes, whilst a little out of place, look good in their own right. Max Payne-style comic book sequences suit the feel of the game no problem, they just seem… odd… compared to most modern action games.

Fun, however, is one place inFamous is not even slightly lacking. Whatever you’re doing, be it questing for an NPC or just cruising around pretending to be everyone’s favorite web slinger, inFamous is FUN! The combination of character animation, abilities (including being able to target enemies from over the edge of an obstacle, the simple cover system, surviving a fall from any height and so much more), super powers, enemies, visual style and controls is, well, exemplary. At no point will you find yourself bored or thinking of anything else – in fact, while you’re not playing inFamous, you’ll be thinking about it and itching to get back in front of the television.

In a nutshell, then, inFamous is amazing. The feeling of “ability” engendered by the game’s openness and the soft-lock system that allows you to go exactly where you want to and land precisely where you intended is genre-defining. All other developers of games like this – here is your template, copy it like FPS developers once copied Halo. Add in super powers, the ability to be good or evil, a rich environment, killer story, solid characters and a fun-as-hell city to traverse and, well, you have the best game on PS3. Bar none. Period.

Any other games vying for the crown of Game of the Year 2009 pay attention – there’s a new kid in town and he means business. 

Apparently, the next issue of Japanese gaming magFamitsu PSP + PS3, set to go on sale May 30, features a cover story about none other than a “newMetal Gear” game. Of course, that could mean a new PSP installment, but I’m sure fans could care less. Details on the issue were found on the online database for the Japanese convenience-store chain 7&Y, so you know it’s legit…

Despite the fact that Kojima hasvoiced his concernsover the persistent and slightly unpleasant pressure to make a newMetal Gear, a new installment in the famed franchise is inevitable. And withE3right around the corner (who knows how many countdown clocks we’ll see by then!), it would hardly be surprising if a newMetal Gearis in fact what all the fancy patience-testing ruses have been about.

Unless of courseFamitsu, 7&Y, Sony, Konami and Kojima are all in on some massive marketing conspiracy, designed to cover up the fact that Kojima is actually secretly working on the nextHalo. Of course! And not a piece out of place. (Dusts off hands) Done and done.

How many would prefer Kojima’s next game to be non-Metal Gearrelated?

Devil May Cry 5will not be at E3. It’s less than two weeks before E3, which means the rumor mill’s churning faster than ever, but surprisingly, Capcom took time today to tell gamers the musings about a newDevil May Cryare not true through theirTwitterfeed. Capcom does, however, have another “mystery” game to reveal at E3.

Capcom’s said the second mystery game is from an “established IP [intellectual property],” which means the publisher is dropping back into an existing Capcom franchise. Capcom also took time to state the game “is NOT a remake.”

Rumors of a rebootedStriderhave persisted for years. Maybe we won’t see a newDevil May Cry, but that doesn’t mean Capcom doesn’t have a fast-action beat ‘em up waiting in the wings. Will we finally see Capcom make good onStrider‘s return?

So, yesterday we heard, via a consumer survey posted onJoystiq, Sony might possibly be considering thinking about wondering about potentially working on adownload rental servicefor the PSP. It certainly sounds like a logical and profitable venture, which is why it’s not that surprising that reports have now surfaced that Sony in fact secretly briefed developers at this year’s GDC back in March about the prospective rental service.

According to a source that spoke toDevelopmagazine, Sony held private meetings with several development studios at GDC, outlining the service and providing documentation to support it. This certainly makes for a meatier rumor, especially since it suggests that Sony is more than just fantasizing about this service.

Plus, asDeveloppoints out, Sony’s recent digital-only release ofPatapon 2marked a significant shift away from the UMD model rumored to be on the way out, and seems like a pretty good indication that Sony is looking to go all digital for the PSP, and possibly UMD-less for the still shadowy PSP 2.

Of course, without official confirmation regarding Sony’s intentions, we’ll just have to keep on speculating for now. Good thing we’re used to it.

Although not having the most politically correct game title, Fat Princess does sum up a bit of the game it’s named for. However, the more accurate principle of the game has you playing as a member of a group of peasants feuding with one another. As a consequence of the feud your princess has been kidnapped by your enemies, and like good law-abiding folk you are intent on retrieving her.

To make things more interesting, you’ve managed to acquire your foes princess, so you have some collateral, but you’ll need to collect resources, fortify your own castle, increase your team’s skills and fatten up your hostage in order to attain victory.

Resource collecting revolves around mining and deforestation, which give rocks and wood respectfully. In turn this also helps you to fortify your castle, as to do that you’ll need combinations of wood and rock to create doors and other upgrades. You can also claim outposts as your own, allowing you to dump any amount of hoarded wood and rock as you please, as well as giving your team a place to regenerate health.

Speaking of your team, you’ll be able to take on one of five classes by wearing a certain cap during the action. You’ll have workers, rangers, warriors, priests, and wizards, each having their various pros and cons. Workers, for example, are essential for gathering wood and rock, yet couldn’t fight their way out of a paper bag, so they’ll need to run for cover if attacked.

Developer Darkstar promises 10 maps in the final game, and judging by trailers and screen shots they seem relatively balanced, and also include some sort of warp device. Capture the Princess clearly stands as the game’s signature mode, but expect to see additional game types including Team Deathmatch, Thwart the Invasion and an assortment of mini-games.

The initial pick-up-and-play simplicity in Fat Princess should give way to a title that will be accessible, yet challenging for a large portion of the gaming demographic, a skill which is being more targeted in the age of console strategy titles. Fat Princess is due for a release later in 2009 on PS3, and NZGamer will be sure to bring you any further news on this title as it comes to hand. 

It’s going to bet worse before it gets better in Mass Effect. BioWare has successfully teasedMass Effect 2as we near its massive E3 reveal, but we shouldn’t expect much optimisim for Commander Shephard and friends, asMass Effect 2producer Casey Hudson toldIGNthe sequel is the “dark act” of the trilogy.

“We look at each game in theMass Effecttrilogy as a three-act story,” said Hudson. “But then as a trilogy we have our three acts. SoMass Effect 2is the dark act. It’s an opportunity to really explore the tougher, more brutal parts of the universe. They say in the first act you put a guy in the tree, in the second act you throw rocks at him, and in the third act you get him down.”

Knowing this, I suddenly have a desire to play throughMass Effectagain withMass Effect 2 in mind. I didn’t really take the decisions that seriously inMass Effect, not believing BioWare would really follow-up on their ambitions, but it’s looking more and more likely I was wrong. Anyone with me?

Double Fine head man Tim Schafer has been working on Brutal Legend, a game for all of those who ever wanted to live life in the cover of a Cannibal Corpse record. Or Iron Maiden record. Or pretty much any record by any metal band ever. It’s a funny old beast, metal. One girl’s face-melting Eurothrash is another boy’s East Bay beerbong sleepy-time. That’s about the standard of metaphor you can expect from me right now, just so you know. What I’m trying to say is building a fantasy world from the popular semiotics of heavy metal is no easy task – especially when you have to attract customers across two platforms. The game is being developed for the 360 and PS3.

Brutal Legend follows the life and times of roadie Eddie Riggs, voiced by the irreverent Jack Black. Eddie is preparing a guitar for the stage one night when he cuts himself and bleeds on his belt buckle, which turns out to be cursed. This act flings him into a parallel dimension – one populated by the demons of metal. With teleportation complete, and a pretty dire situation unfolding around you, you’ll control Eddie through claiming the mighty battle axe – the Seperator – and getting about the general business of taking it to the populace of this strange place.

As well as your axe, you can also call on Eddie’s guitar. A regular 6-string back on Earth, but here something of a magical wand. Past the teeth-gnashing and hair-tearing button mashing of your average dungeon crawler (and this is certainly how Brutal Legend looks) you’ll use Clementine to strum out powerful musical attacks that will slay your evil foe by the hundreds.

As if this wasn’t enough, you’ll also be able to tool around in a hot rod called the Deuce. Smashing down your enemies becomes a cinch at the helm of this pimped out beast, and will add another dimension to your adventure.

Now apart from getting home, Eddie’s main motivation in the game is to save the world’s human inhabitants, who are enslaved by the metal overlords. The leader of a resistance movement – Ophelia – comes on board to be Eddie’s love interest and partner in awesomeness. Together, you will be able to perform team attacks and access parts of the world closed off to Eddie alone. Ophelia also happens to be a fan of the Deuce, so she’ll happily sit beneath your arm as you speed around the landscape.

Much is being made of Schafer’s suggestion that the world is about 64 square kilometers, which obviously makes for a pretty big place to explore. Another hot topic on forums and among this industry’s hard-working pundits both pro and amateur is Jack Black’s supposedly side-splitting voiceover. The Tenacious D front man, Hollywood bigshot and star of the heavy-metal inspired film The Pick of Destiny has reportedly done an excellent job in lending his style to the game. Brutal Legend is hopefully the richer for his involvement, and it certainly seems that it isn’t some shallow hook used by the developer’s marketing team.

The graphical style looks to be pulled directly from the vast library of heavy metal and rock art. The world will be a collection of red skies, desolate temples, chains, swords and hideous creatures. All that adds up to a frightfully colourful, diverse… and perhaps just plain frightful, gaming experience. Imagine taking on the Sauron-like villain gracing the cover of Dio’s Holy Diver. Scary, right?

This game, in something close to final build, ought to be on show at E3, so we can expect an update from the NZGamer.com contingent heading to LA then. No matter where you look online, the outlook for Brutal Legend is resoundingly positive, so keep an eye out for final release dates closer to the end of this year and make sure there’s a slice of your bank account sectioned off especially.

Deja vu. It’s Pikmin 2. This is not only a sequel with only a few minor adjustments to make it an improvement over its predecessor, it’s also the second Pikmin game to move to the Wii from the GameCube under the New Play Control! brand. We reviewed Pikmin for the Wii back in February and just as reviewers were praising the small differences between Pikmin and Pikmin 2 on the GameCube, so must we now report its success.

Honestly, there’s not too much to say about Pikmin 2 that wasn’t said about Pikmin. The way it controls is identical, the game’s basic premise is largely the same, and there hasn’t been massive leaps forward in either graphical or technical prowess. But for anyone who enjoyed the original, it is a new adventure, and there is plenty more gametime packaged up awaiting discovery by eager fans.

I am delighted to have had the chance to play Pikmin 2 on the Wii. I never got a chance to enjoy the GC version, and naturally, I had no idea what I was missing. These games were excellent choices for re-release, and we should all be thankful they made the cut.

If you’re of sharp eye and a keen researcher, you might notice that the scores are exactly the same as the Pikmin review, except for one measly gameplay point, and the difficulty hasn’t changed either. The learning curve has been dropped by 5 minutes, even though at first it seems like it’s going to be hard to get into (more on that below). Pikmin 2 will be easier if you played the orginal, but the New Play Control! does take some getting used to.

So where’s the story at? Sorry, GameCube fans, you might like to skip to the end, because – how many times can I say it? – I am really about to re-invent the PowerGlove here. Olimar returns from his sojourn on the Pikmin planet only to find his employer, Hocotate Freight is in financial peril. All of the company’s assets have been sold following the robbery of co-worker Louie’s cargo of pikpik carrots by a malevolent space bunny. It’s put them deep in the red, and boss man doesn’t quite know how he’s going to get himself out of the mess. Through a series of fortunate (and convenient) happenings, however, a discovery is made about the garbage Olimar has brought back with him as souvineers – bottle caps, crushed cans and other detritus is worth a great deal of Pokos (local currency) here on the home planet. The ship’s computer analyses the rubbish and when it transpires that it’s worth a bomb, the boss decides Olimar and Louie need to go back and start finding a whole lot more of it, to pay down the company’s debt.

Returning to the world of the Pikmin, Olimar and Louie set out to gather up as much ‘treasure’ as possible. At first, Louie gets separated from Olimar right before they crash-land, and the initial gameplay centres around you finding your way back to him. Here, there’s a bit of a refresher on how to use the new control system to work your Pikmin friends, and you’re given a small squad to work with after saving them from one of the planet’s many beasties.

I actually thought this tutorial could have been a bit tighter and more helpful. Some fans may be coming to Pikmin 2 having skipped over the first one, perhaps remembering from the days of the GameCube that the sequel, however marginal, is better than the original. I got the feeling that the developers really expected gamers to already be familiar with New Play Control! which is overly presumptuous. The little snippets of info you need to really get going in the game come too slowly and some are even slightly vague. Later, however, this picks up. Soon the help comes from a number of sources, and the game doesn’t let you flounder around long before the ship’s computer tells you that you’re lost and points you in the right direction.

You’ll use Pikmin in the same way as you have before. The main differences are that this time you have an additonal leader to call on, switching between Louie and Olimar using the – button. There are also two new Pikmin to discover and whip into line – purple, the Sumo of Pikmin, and white, poisonous. Each of these have their own part to play and can be discovered if you’re willing to hurl a couple of your red buddies into the right flowers. They won’t be coming back, but you will be rewarded with a few new friends.

Each time you come across a piece of treasure, the trick is throw your Pikmin into retrieving it and bringing them back to your ship. While on the planet’s surface, you’re given about 15 minutes real time to explore, collect Pikmin, find treasure and complete tasks. At the end of that 15 mins, which makes up one game day, you have to leave the planet, ensuring you don’t leave your Pikmin behind. Do so, and they will be consumed by maurauding monsters.

While there is a 15 minute time limit in a game day, unlike Pikmin the Elder, there is no day-limit. When Pikmin 2 was released originally, this was the main point of difference that the journos were harping on. This no limit exploration is quite a big deal, and allows you to enjoy the game at a much more leisurely pace. While you might argue some of the challenge is gone, Pikmin 2 makes up for it with the addition of at least one stand out new feature.

Underground, there’s no flow of time at all. In Pikmin, Olimar was confined to the surface of the Pikmin planet. In number 2, you and your crew are able to get subterranean. Undergound are a number of new areas to explore, and in the first one, an ‘exploration kit’ which you collect pieces for as the game progresses. Your exploration kit, controlled by the ship’s computer (who acts as a kind of remote help tool) will help you get the most from your treasure hunts below sea-level. You can spend as much time as you like down here, and your 15 minute game day won’t resume countdown until you resurface, using a handily placed geyser.

Pikmin 2, like Pikmin, and like so many games produced by the Big N, is full of little surprises and quirky additions that will make even the most hardened of gamers crack a grin. While cutesy, it’s enormous fun to play and while so very close to the orginal, packs enough of a punch to get you involved. Owning both is perfectly acceptable and you might even find that completing number 2 is enough to make you want to go back and play the first all over.

I learned my lesson the first time, and turned down the music before I started playing. Sadly, this is one area in which Pikmin 2 mimics its older brother faithfully. The graphics are a joy, if nothing jawdropping, and the artistic merit of the game even extends to the instruction booklet – look out for the fantastic clay modelled scenes inside.

Happily, I’ll recommend this game to all fans of the franchise, and to those who have yet to discover it. I can only hope plenty more classics of yore make the inter-generational 

Good news, PlayStation 3 owners. You are no longer second classFallout 3citizens. Bethesda has just announced thatFallout 3′sdownloadable content will be available on the PS3 in the near future…it’s about time, eh, folks? “Operation: Anchorage” will be available for download in late June, followed by the release of “The Pitt” and “Broken Steel” a month or so later. Exact release dates haven’t been announced.

There are also two new expansions planned for all three Fallout 3platforms. Here’s what you can expect, with Bethesda’s own descriptions.

• Point Lookout : “Explore a massive new swampland area filled with new quests and content.”
• Mothership Zeta: ”The aliens have returned, and they’re pissed. Experience an alien abduction first hand and find out if you’re tough enough to survive.”

“Point Lookout” will be available in late June for Xbox 360 and PC. It will cost you $9.99.  You’ll see this DLC in the PlayStation Store after the first three DLCs have been released.  “Mothership Zeta” is scheduled for release in late July for Xbox 360 and PC at the same $10 price-point.. It will be available on PS3 after “Point Lookout.” 

You might think that that was all theFallout 3news I could possibly have for you, but you’re wrong. There’s more: All of the aforementioned extra content and a new edition of the game will be made available on store shelves for people who don’t feel like downloading it… at least for the 360 and PC. Here are the new retail releases:

• Fallout 3 Game Add-on Pack #1includes “The Pitt” and “Operation: Anchorage” on a disc and will be available for Xbox 360 and PC on May 26.
• The Fallout 3 Game Add-on Pack #2includes “Broken Steel” and “Point Lookout” on a disc and will be available for Xbox 360 and PC in August.
• A Fallout 3 Game of the Year editionwill be available in October. It will include the original game plus all five add-ons for $59.99 for Xbox 360 and PS3,

According to Bethesda, retail versions of the game add-on packs for PS3 are not possible and the DLC will only be available for download online via PlayStation Network.

Okay, what do you think of the new DLC? The description of “Point Lookout” reveals nothing, except a large swamp, so there’s not much to say about it, but how crazy does “Mothership Zeta” sound? Alien abduction is likely to mean some new, outer space monsters and also more ammo for your alien laser gun, thank god. Let me know what you think in our comment section, people!