The Playstation 3 seems to be waking up from its slumber recently with a decent catalogue of games finally gracing the console, one of the more recent releases is Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction, the first truly next generation platform game to hit the console, but is it a disappointment or is it the game that we have all been hoping for? Read on.

The story behind the game sees Emperor Tachyon being hell bent on taking out the last Lombax, which just so happens to be Ratchet, and obviously you have to stop him while also searching through the galaxy trying to figure out what happened to the rest of your race.

The way the story is told is brilliant, there is plenty of humor as usual from both Ratchet, Clank and the Emperor who broadcasts amusing messages throughout the game via the various tannoy systems which are spread throughout the cities. The animation though is perhaps the developers greatest accomplishment in telling the story, it is to their credit that during the cutscenes you would be forgiven for thinking that this was a pixar movie, they really are that good and go a long way to making this game what it is.

The game starts with you crashing your ship and then proceeds to follow your adventure as you work your way through the various planets searching for answers. Each level, as you would expect, is filled with all sorts of enemies, these range from Space Pirates to Drophyds (tiny fish like creatures housed inside a large robot). As you defeat the enemies bolts will spill out for you to collect, these act as the in game currency and allow you to buy new weapons and equipment at the various outlets you will pass on your travels. Weapons are also upgradeable by finding the rartanium which is spread throughout the games universe.

The combat is very much the centre of attention though and there is plenty of it to keep you occupied, also thanks to the wide range of weaponry and equipment available it is also very varied and at times humorous. Take for example the Groovitron Ball, throw one of these when you are in a jam and all of a sudden multi-coloured lights project over a certain radius, causing all in it’s path to break out their dance moves, this obviously makes them a lot easier to take down, which makes this a very handy weapon and although you can only carry three at a time it is well worth having one in your possession everywhere you go.

Weapons also have their use outside of combat, take for example the gel gun I managed to acquire in one of the levels, with this weapon I was able to fire cubes of gel, which then enabled Ratchet to reach platforms he was otherwise unable to, and if the first cube didn’t quite make the platform high enough.

Some of the other weapons that you will find throughout the game include the Fusion Grenade, Tornado Launcher (which fires a Six-axis-controlled tornado), the Shock Ravager (electric whip), the Nano-Swarmer (unleashes a swarm of insects) and the Shard Reaper (a buckshot weapon which allows you to shard your enemies). The weapons and equipment really do make the game what it is, just as you start to become happy with what you have something else always appears, making for one varied and fun packed adventure.

Outwith the combat there are various other obstacles to keep you busy, such as the grind rails, where you grind along jumping from one rail to another while trying to avoid the oncoming trains, there are also some other distractions such as the sky diving, where you use the Sixaxis to try and keep Ratchet from crashing into the various obstacles which are in his path. Clank also gets some action later on in the game, but we won’t spoil everything.

Graphically this is one of the best looking games on the Playstation 3 to date, the environments look fantastic, take Kortos for instance with it’s huge domed buildings hovering in the sky, the city is just bustling with life and really has a personality of it’s own, whilst on the opposite end of the scale, the pirate filled planet of Ardolis is a dark and dreary place which really does feel like it belongs to villains.

Ratchet and the other characters also look impressive, one of the funniest moments I had in the game was when I destroyed my first Drophyd robot and his little fish head started to flap about on the ground, what make me laugh the most was that when I stood on him and he flattened to the ground, it just reminded me of coyote from roadrunner being hit by a large boulder which had fell from the sky. Just to add to the perfection of the overall presentation the sound in Tools of Destruction is equally impressive, the voice acting is very well done and helps each characters personality come to life.

The only downside to Ratchet and Clank is that it is a little linear, Ratchet will usually follow a set path in order for you to complete the missions although some levels are more guilty of this than others, however as this is usually the case with platform games anyway then perhaps this was to be expected.

Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction is an impressive first outing for the pair on the Playstation 3, sure it may not offer much different from previous versions of the game, but the additions that are in help to make the game even better than it was before, and anyway you know what they say, if it ain’t broken then don’t fix it.

Rating: 9.6/10

Lair finally hits European shelves this month and it has certainly taken some flak on its travels across the Atlantic Ocean, mainly due to the Sixaxis control system that is mandatory in the game, but are the controls really that bad? Read on.

The game sees you play as Rohn, a dragon rider in the Asylian army who has joined the fight against the Mokai, who as far as you are concerned are the evil ones, however as the game progresses your character soon discovers all is not right in the Asylian camp, meaning that there are quite a few twists in the tale.

The best thing about Lair is without doubt the way that the story is told, the cutscenes are like something out of a movie but are at no point intrusive enough to take away from the action, usually they just appear to remind you of what to do or to take you to the next part of the story. It is when you are watching the first of the cutscenes that you realize how much work has gone into the game, the characters faces are all very detailed and the medieval background in which the game is set is a joy to behold.

Once the game begins, it isn’t long before you are into the action. You control your dragon using the much maligned Sixaxis motion controls, elsewhere the X button enables you to smack your dragon to make him go faster, the square button is assigned for your dragons fire breath and circle for stomping when you are on the ground, triangle is also useful at ground level as it allows you to feed your dragon with the enemies. Other controls include the use of the shoulder buttons for targeting and the triggers for breaking.

Much has been said of how difficult it is to control the dragon using the motion control and to an extent this is correct, however like anything new, practice is the key. I remember when I first started to play Motorstorm (another game which uses the Sixaxis) and how frustrating that game was at first, but once I got used to the controls I was finishing first everytime, the same applies to Lair really, sure it is very frustrating, especially in the later levels where your tasks are of a more precise nature, but after a few hours of playing you should get to grips with the controls.

The gameplay does pose a few problems which getting used to the controls won’t fix, when fighting enemies for example, you can use the targeting system to lock onto them, however the problem is that you can’t choose what to lock on to and this occasionally means that the computer will choose to lock on things that aren’t even involved in the battle, for example, I was playing a level were you had to lock onto some rhinos who where attacking your allies on a bridge, however as I swooped down on them, the computer decided it was going to lock onto the tower instead, this then meant that I had to turn around and begin my assault again. If the developer had included a way for you to switch targets manually then it would have resolved this issue completely, but unfortunately they didn’t.

The only other problem with the gameplay involves the controls, this is because you are unable to turn sharply, therefore to restart an assault on an enemy you haven’t finished off, you will usually have to fly around and start again, however I have found that by braking and flicking the controller up you will usually turn in the direction you need to be going in, although that isn’t really an ideal way of doing things.

The combat in Lair is quite varied, you can land on the ground and literally eat enemies for breakfast, or when fighting enemy dragons you can battle against the opposing dragon riders. The last alternative combat move is when both dragons face the ground and the camera zooms in, this enables you to get a close up of the action as you decide how you are going to take down the enemy, this can be done by either biting, clawing or flaming the opposing dragon to its demise.

Graphically Lair is a very good looking game, although there is a lot happening on the screen at once, the game doesn’t really seem to suffer, there are a few issues occasionally such as some screen tearing, but this is a rare occurrence and didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the game. The sound compliments the graphics by including some great effects as well as some great voice acting during the game and cutscenes.

Although I have mentioned a few problems with this game, I actually like Lair, outwith my frustrations with the targeting system and the minor issues with the controls, I think the action and the presentation makes this a game worth considering. When you are in the heat of the battle and breathing fire at enemy dragons and troops, this is an incredibly fulfilling game, the combat can be extremely frantic but fun at the same time, sure it won’t win many awards but this is certainly a game that you should judge for yourself.

Rating : 8/10

Wizards of the Coast are quite well known in some circles, one of their card games, Magic The Gathering has been a huge success all over the world making them plenty of money along the way, so it was only a matter of time before games like this made the jump to computer consoles and Eye of Judgment is Sony’s way of making such a card game come to life on their console and I will tell you now that they have done a fantastic job.

Eye of Judgment works by getting the player(s) to place their cards on a specially designed mat, this then allows the Playstation Eye to project the spells / creatures in 3D onto the screen. The box includes the software, the PlayStation Eye, camera stand, playing mat, starter deck and a booster pack, to go off topic slightly it is also worth noting that you can download software such as Eye Create from the Playstation Store for free which can be used with your Playstation Eye.

Before anyone considers buying this game you must really consider if it is for you, fans of the previously mentioned card games (Magic, Pokemon etc) will take to this straight away, however others may take a while to warm to it. Once you have the game in your hands setting it up is easy, place the mat on a flat surface, build the camera stand and make sure you place the Playstation Eye firmly onto it, you can then configure the cameras best position using the games built in features.

The game works with the PlayStation Eye by scanning the special barcodes on your card and displaying the creatures on the screen and this works very well. As soon as you place a card on the map the recognition takes only seconds and once the card is recognised, a burst of light flashes on screen followed by your summoned creature, the great thing about the whole setup is that it seems to recognise the cards every time without any issues at all.

Before the playing the game it is wise to watch the included tutorials, the main two focus on setting up the game and the rules themselves, while it is not really fun sitting through these it is definitely worth it as otherwise you will be lost, even if you are a fan of similar card games.

The main aim of the game is to occupy five spaces at one time with your creatures on the 3×3 map. Each player begins with a deck of thirty cards and they must battle each other in order to reach the main goal, for every turn you take you will draw a card and receive two mana, once this is done you may then attack or move your creatures, though only if you have enough mana left, once you have completed your actions you will then move onto the next phase, here you may summon one creature at a time which will automatically attack without requiring further mana, once all of these phases are complete the next player takes their turn.

As well as the two player battles which can be played on or offline, Sony have also included quite a few more features such as the Battle Arena, Deck Builder and the Judgment mini-game, some of these features, like the Deck Builder which lets you register a deck for online play are quite essential while others such as the mini-game can quite easily be forgotten about.

Thankfully Eye of Judgment works really well online, one of the main worries about playing online was the possibility of people cheating, however as you must scan every card you want to use beforehand with the Playstation Eye fair play is mandatory whether you like it or not, this is because once your deck is registered the computer will draw for you, meaning that you can’t just pick up another card should you not like the look of the one you have.

Although the background of the game is explained in the manual there is no real story mode in the game (therefore we haven’t rated the game on story), instead you battle the computer in one on one battles, it would perhaps have been more of an incentive to provide some sort of goal for you to work towards, however battling against the computer does provide a fun challenge, it’s just that without the extra incentive you may find that the game only comes out when you want to play online or against friends.

The main problem with Eye of Judgment is that it will only appeal to a certain audience, not everyone is going to want to go out and buy it, however for those that do you wont be disappointed as everything works as it should and it is great fun to see the battles you would otherwise be imagining taking place on the screen in front of you.

Rating: 8.1/10