As the first episode of June, this episode needed to come into its own, and it has. A treasure trove of content will hit your PS3 this week when you download FirstPlay, with yet another mini; a couple of reviews and previews; some brilliant screenshots; and of course the all-important highlights of the network. This week will blow your brains out in terms of content, as well as extra fun in the Featured Downloads section, but if you’re still unsure, don’t worry – we’re here to help!

HD REVIEWS AND PREVIEWS

In the HD Reviews and Previews section this week we have three reviews and a preview, as well as the usual ‘Next Week’ section and Adverts. On the Reviews side of things, there is Red Dead Redemption, ModNation Racers, and Sherlock Holmes (Blu-Ray). Also in this section is a preview of Demon’s Souls.

In the adverts compartment are reappearances of last week’s episode with Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, God of  War III, blur, and Alpha Protocol.

The first review this week is that of Red Dead Redemption. FirstPlay liked pretty much everything in the game including the vast and diverse environments, the solid gunplay and the tonnes of sidequests and minigames. They also loved the beautiful vistas to be found which improve on GTA IV’s engine. They felt the multiplayer was well implemented with a variety of game modes to play. I thought this was a brilliant review of the game, and the score given was well deserved, I was also surprised by the length of review – it was pretty long (but not too long) but it covered all the points that I wanted to know about the game.

Red Dead Redemption: Stunning vistas, great gameplay, oh, and cowboys!

The second review of the week is ModNation Racers, the quirky racer developed by United Front Games. FirstPlay liked the tactical/upgradable weapon system featured in the game, and loved the simplicity of the create mode; but they felt (quite rightly too) that the story is a bit clichéd and the handling when drifting was pretty bad too, that and the terrible rubberbanding of the AI. One point I felt they didn’t cover though was the loading times or the difficulty of getting online games, this might be because these problems are going to be solved, but for gamers who don’t have the game, I felt they were too big to miss.

In the Demon’s Souls preview, you get to look at the challenging combat that this game has become oh so famous for (especially the boss fights)  as well as some of the environments which you will encounter. I thought that although FirstPlay did cover the online implementation in the game, they did overlook a few features which are there to be used by players – such as giving other players messages if you die, or hijacking another player’s world. Other than that though, the preview was excellent and I look forward to the review of this game. One thing I’d like to see more often in future previews though, is the dev talk segments. Whilst not entirely essential to a preview, they help to give a much bigger insight into the game’s development, like how it is progressing or what features are being included in the game.

Last in this section is the review of Sherlock Holmes. The gist of the review is that the relationship between the characters is excellent (as well as some of the screenplay) but the storyline has no real sustenance, nor is it really that good.

SCREENSHOTS

The screenshots section this week has five games to show you – Everybody’s Tennis a spin-off of the popular series Everybody’s Golf; Dead Rising 2, Backbreaker, The Sims 3, and Lara Croft: The Guardian of Light.

First off is Everybody’s Tennis, which shows about half a dozen shots of the various courts and environments to feature in the final game. There is also a look at shots, but overall I thought everything was a bit brief especially since there are only six screenshots – I can appreciate that FirstPlay are only working with what they’re given though.

Next is Dead Rising 2, a sequel to the zombie action-adventure Dead Rising, where you’ll find yourself battling through Fortune City – a homage to Las Vegas. Included in these shots is a glimpse of the combat and co-op gameplay featured in-game as well as a look at the weapons you can use. The last few shots are all renders depicting various characters from the game.

Dead Rising 2: Going to beat Vegas? Try beating the zombies...

Third is Backbreaker, an upcoming american-football game built to rival EA’s Madden series. Coming in with just under ten shots, you get to see some of the ‘over-the-shoulder’ camera used in the game – contrary to the bird’s eye view which we’ve come to see in many sports games – as well as some shots of, well, shots.

The Sims 3 next, which is making its glorious return to the consoles in gleaming hi-def form. The screenshots here show how you can utilise the create mode to create mazes for houses or to torture those poor little Sims. There’s also some picture of the new karma powers – which is a new addition in this instalment of the series.

Last in this section we have Lara Croft: The Guardian of Light, a downloadable title hoping to be released on the store soon. In this collection of shots, you get to see some of the all new co-op gameplay as well as quite a definitive glimpse of the various puzzles that you’ll have to solve to get your hands on the treasure – with some featuring multiple solutions, lastly there’s a small look at the weapons in the game.

NETWORK HIGHLIGHTS

In this week’s Network Highlights section, there is a round-up of the Best of PSN as well as a look at the best PSN Puzzlers. Also on the cards are the Top Ten FIFA Goals and a look at GTA IV’s Episodes from Liberty City.

First of all is the Best of PSN where FirstPlay recommend the best content that’s on the store at the moment. This time round, we get to see the puzzling Blue Toad Murder Files (Eps 4-6), the adrenaline fuelled After Burner Climax and the new FPS on the store – Section 8. I’d have liked to have seen more games in this section, as FirstPlay usually select four or five, but the three they did select are worthy choices.

Next is PSN Puzzlers. In this edition, FirstPlay looks at the time-altering Braid and the timeless classic Zuma as well as a look at the addictive but strategic Trash Panic. Again, I’d have liked to see more games in this feature, Blue Toad Murder Files could easily have made its way to this feature, but for some reason it didn’t.

Action-packed, fast-paced, adrenaline-fuelled, what we really mean is After Burner Climax is really really fast!

Also in this section is the look at Episodes from Liberty City, which shows off the latest DLC to arrive in GTA IV – The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and Damned. Both episodes get good coverage from FirstPlay with a lot information conveyed in the various shots. I felt that this feature belonged more in the Reviews section really, seeing as the basic narration was there – if FirstPlay had slapped a score at the end, it could quite easily have passed for a review – however maybe FP are trying to keep the balance right by keeping at least four features in each section.

Lastly is the Top Ten FIFA Goals, where a fresh batch of the best goals submitted to the team have been displayed. Nor much to say about this feature really, as you have to see what’s happening to really get a good gist of what’s going on. But let me just say that there are some beauties in the chart including a couple of kicks from the halfway line.

FEATURED DOWNLOADS

This week’s featured downloads section sees another refresh with a new mini and another theme. The Ghost Recon theme is shown below and the mini is reviewed after the theme screenshot.

The FirstPlay Ghost Recon Theme included in this episode.

AGE OF ZOMBIES ‘MINI’ REVIEW

After the initial hiccup on the store side of things, Age of Zombies was finally released the morning after this episode was released. It was truly worth the wait though, as it’s such an addictive game with a fully fledged (if a little short) story mode, complete with cheesy one-liners.

The aim of the game is to shoot zombies, simple. The control scheme at first seems a little weird (X to shoot down, O to shoot right etc.) but once you adjust feels like second nature to you. The story mode takes place across several different time periods, each with their own song and voiceovers for each gun, you’ll find yourself rampaging through the Stone Age to the future with a few stops in between, all adding to the variety the game has to offer.

Once you finish the story mode though, you have a survival mode, where you choose a time period and earn as many points as possible without getting hit. All in all, a fantastic little mini which is made all the better as a freebie.

FINAL SUMMARY

A very impressive episode this week, with a great load of content all round. Some sections may have been a bit lacking, but the free mini, the free theme, and tonnes of reviews, previews, screenshots and network goodness make this episode one of the best yet. The two game reviews could have done with being earlier, but I don’t doubt that FirstPlay try as much as possible to get these reviews out close to release. A definite essential for those who don’t buy on a regular basis. 9/10

NEXT WEEK

Next week’s episode is the concluding week on the ‘minis marathon’ with the final free downloadable mini for the moment – Rocket Racing. But don’t worry, FirstPlay have promised a load of more goodies to come soon – including plenty of new themes and even some new avatars. Also on offer is a review of Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. Episode 010 (yes 10 already) of FirstPlay will be released on Wednesday 9th June.


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