Well it’s that time of year again where all of the football fans get ready for another high class tournament, however this year most of us are a bit stuck as none of our teams made it past the qualifying stages. You could all go to the pub and watch the games there, crying into your pint, dreaming of what could of been, or you can stay at home and make sure your team wins a few and even bring back some silverware.

UEFA EURO 2008 is an updated version of the FIFA 2008, usually games such as this that are linked to major tournaments do seem to fail, mainly due to them feeling like more of an expansion than a new game. Thankfully though Euro 2008 has changed that trend and offers plenty of new choices for offline and online play as well as more fluid and faster moving gameplay.

As always the offline Single player mode offers plenty of choice should you be playing solo, Kick-Off has one off exhibition matches, Be a Pro allows you to take on your opponents from the players perspective and you are also able to take part in penalty shoot-outs (just don’t choose England as you may miss a few). UEFA EURO 2008 allows you to choose your team, even one that didn’t qualify and play from the qualifiers all the way through to the finals themselves. The biggest and most exciting addition to the game though has to be Captain Your Country, here you are able to choose and play as a player from the B side and prove your skill on the pitch, eventually captaining your team in big games.

The road to qualification is riddled with dangers, lower opposition will deliberately play from a draw while more established nations will pound your goal from beginning to end. Throughout each game you are always kept up to date with the latest goings on elsewhere, which does make for some tension when you find yourself needing that last minute goal. It’s great stuff and feels quite realistic, which can only be a good point.

Online is where most of the work has been put into the game, a cool new addition is the Battle of the Nations, EA servers upload your gaming stats daily and add points in a league. Here they are able to crown Champion Gamers and also the Nation of Euro 2008. So even if your team did not get to the Finals in real life, they can still win some tournaments. You score will join all other gamers who have selected the same country as you, playing low ranked teams and defeating high ranked teams will earn you more points. Even if you play as Sweden, as long as you choose your home nation all of the points will go to you own nation. There is also a Euro online knockout cup where you join a 16 team cup battle.

Graphically the game isn’t really a big step up from FIFA 2008, while the on screen action looks fantastic and runs smoothly, some of the animations do look quite strange when examined a bit closer.

The commentary is great, constant. Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend constantly through the game, this plus the great crowd participation and look of the stadiums really give this game some atmosphere. The cut shots of celebrations and managers shouting form the sidelines make it feel like you are watching a live game on TV rather than playing yourself.

UEFA Euro 2008 is a great game and offers a insight into just how good FIFA 2009 could be. If the game has any problems it is that it is too expensive for what it is, after all it lacks the club teams and the other extras which make FIFA such a great package for value. If you want to take your team all the way to UEFA Euro 2008 then this could be for you, however if you all ready own FIFA 2008 then we suggest practicing on that until the next version comes along.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

Lightgun shooters have always been an arcade pastime, many companies have tried to bring them to consoles before but only with limited success, however this hasn’t stopped Namco from trying again, this time with Time Crisis 4 for Playstation 3.

When I received this game for review I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I opened the box, I had heard about the new GunCon but had no idea how this would work, thankfully then it was quite simple to set up. Included in the box are two sensors, each of which are attached to a leather strap with a weight on the end, these are placed on each side of the TV and then connected to the PS3 via USB, the gun itself which it has to be said feels very well built, also connects to the TV via USB.

Once all the pleasantries of setting the game up are complete it is finally time to get started. Time Crisis 4 provides you with a few different gameplay modes to keep you occupied, first up is Arcade mode which sees you play as a member of the V.S.S.E, which is a taskforce set up to stop the terrorists know as W.O.L.F from destroying the world with their secret weapon. The gameplay in Arcade mode sees you go through each level on the rails while taking out all the enemies in your way. During each mission you are able to switch between the weapons you have in your possession, these include a handgun, machine gun, shotgun and grenade launcher, although only the handgun has unlimited ammo, meaning that you will need to shoot the men in yellow coats in order to reload your other weapons.

As well as being able to blast your way through the enemies you are also able to take cover, this is done by releasing the fire button, so if one of those pesky rockets are coming towards you then you know what to do. The secret to winning in the Arcade mode is to balance the cover system with the combat, once you manage this then you will find yourself cruising through the levels. Just to add a twist to Arcade mode each section is also timed, take out the enemies before the clock runs out and you will be fine, if you don’t then you will lose lives, which may seem harsh but at least it keeps you on your toes. There are quite a few twists during each level to spice things up and challenge you, however I will let you find these out for yourself.

The new GunCon includes two analogue sticks and for good reason, not until you start the Complete Mission mode will you make use of these, this is because it includes both the gameplay from the Arcade mode but also a new FPS mode which helps fill you in on the story. The first of these missions allows you to get used to the general feel of this new mode as you take control of Captain Rush who has been send out to investigate what the evil terrorists are up to. During this mission you will make use of every button the Guncon has to offer, you will be changing weapons with the LB/RB buttons which are situated at the back of the gun, you will also be looking left and right with the rear analogue stick as well as moving the Captain with the front analogue stick. Captain Rush is also able to duck, jump, open doors and of course take down the enemies with his numerous weapons.

The main difference to this part of the game is that you can explore each environment, allowing you to collect items and equipment on your way. The Complete Mission mode actually works really well, mixing the V.S.S.E arcade elements with Captain Rush’s FPS modes certainly helps fill the game out and adds the depth which is otherwise missing from the Arcade mode.

Time Crisis also includes plenty of mini games for you to play once you have completed the games two main modes, which means that there is plenty of replay value to be had here. The mini games will test your accuracy and reaction by having you take down set targets within a specific time limit. This mode also includes Crisis Missions which have you pick enemies out from a crowd or take down a set amount of enemies within a set time limit.

Graphically it is hard to find any complaints with Time Crisis 4, the environments all have their own unique look and the enemies and main characters are all well detailed. There are a few points during the FPS modes that some slowdown will occur however this is quite limited so doesn’t really turn out to be a major issue. As far as the sound is concerned, the voice acting is of a decent standard though not spectacular and the same can be said of weapon effects which do what is needed but no more.

Time Crisis 4 is the first Lightgun shooter for the Playstation 3 and in that respect it sets a decent standard, the GunCon itself is very well build (although it would have been nice if it was wireless) and the game offers plenty of depth and replay value. Fans of the lightgun genre will certainly not be disappointed, it’s a decent effort and therefore worth purchasing if you like this type of game.

Overall Rating: 8.2/10

Dark Sector has been a long time in the making and any glimpses that have been shown of the game have been looking pretty impressive, however with lots of other shooters on the market does this game do enough different to stand out from the crowd?

In Dark Sector you play as Hayden Tenno who is on the trail of someone called Mezner, the bad guy who is intent on infecting everyone with a virus he has managed to get hold of. The thing is this is one nasty virus, you will first experience it in the first level where you will meet for the first time, Mezners bodyguard who is one tough cookie and has a rather nasty blade to match. Without spoiling too much when you do meet the bodyguard you also meet Mezner and you don’t come out very well, as you eventually end up being infected with the virus you are trying to put an end to.

The game plays in the guise of a Third Person Shooter, throughout you will find yourself ducking and rolling around for cover as this is essential for taking out enemies, the environments are fragile though so bullets will soon take down any crates or other breakable items you have used for cover.

The first level itself is quite unusual in that it takes part in Black & White, only when you have killed a few enemies, stolen their weapons for yourself and then took down a helicopter will you then meet the bodyguard, go through the scene mentioned above and then start to see things in colour.

As well as starting to see things in colour once your body is infected with the virus you begin to change, no longer are you able to hold enemies weapons, well not for long anyway because they are fitted with a sensor and will deactivate after a short time should they be used by one of the infected, later on you will also gain some rather good abilities such as being able to turn invisible or use a telekinetic shield, however by far the coolest thing about being infected is your Glaive.

The Glaive appears in your hand soon after being infected, the best way to describe it is to call it a giant shuriken which acts like a boomerang, so in other words throw it at the attacking enemies and watch it cut through them before coming back, cutting through them again (providing they don’t duck) and returning to your hand. The glaive is quite simple to use, pressing L1 to aim and the R2 to throw makes things easy, you can also press R1 instead of R2 should you wish to stick to more conventional ways and shoot at your enemies with your handgun.

As you get more into the game, the more powerful you and your glaive will become, allowing you better moves and even giving you the ability to pick up items, such as weapons or equipment simply by aiming the glaive at the item you are after. There are many other things you can do with the weapon as you progress which are really inventive, however I don’t want to spoil things too much by telling you what they are. One of the features of the glaive I do need to mention however is Aftertouch, this gives you the ability to follow the glaive in slow motion and direct it to your enemies neck using either the right stick or Sixaxis motion, although other games on the PS3 using this feature have been criticised, it does seem to work quite well in Dark Sector once you get used to it.

During the game you will find cash lying about on tables and elsewhere, you can then use this to upgrade and purchase new weapons, allowing you access to Uzi’s, Shotguns and more. Of course all of this makes you one hard bloke, with your glaive in one hand and a magnum in the other those enemies better watch out.

The gameplay in Dark Sector works really well, throughout you will be constantly learning new moves and tearing your enemies apart and although it can get a bit repetitive, it does keep you challenged and gripped long enough to make sure you do not lose interest. There are a few flaws such as the frustrating melee combat which has you slashing at nothing half the time due to the angle of the camera and you will also have this issue when swinging at the ammo crates you will find lying around, in fact at one point I must have slashed at a crate four times before eventually being able to hit it, however there are ways around this, and hey maybe it was just me being rubbish.

Dark Sector also includes a multiplayer mode, this is actually quite fun and comes in the guise of two modes over five maps. First up is the infected mode, here one of the players is Haden and the others the guards, the objective is to be the first to take down Haden and then become him yourself. The second mode is called Epidemic, this divides players into two teams with one player taking the role of Haden on each side, again anyone killing Haden will become him. The multiplayer mode is really good fun, however I wasn’t much good, it seems that the people I was playing with had much more practice than me.

Graphically I was quite impressed by Dark Sector, the name describes it perfectly really because it is a very dark game, all the environments seem to be constantly cast in a shadow, however they do look great, as do the finishing moves during melee combat. The only criticism I have as far as graphics go are for cutscenes, to me not as much effort has went into these as the rest of the game.

Dark Sector is quite an impressive game, it is no Gears of War but it does offer an interesting take on the Third Person shooter, oh and the Glaive is fantastic. If you are in the market for a new game this month you won’t go wrong with this as it is great entertainment, it’s just not perfect that’s all.

Overall Rating: 8.1/10

The much flaunted PSP debut of God of War is finally with us here in the UK and it has certainly felt like a long time coming, but does Chains of Olympus live up to the hype that has generated around it? Read on to find out why this game is about as crucial to your PSP as the battery.

God of War: Chains of Olympus follows the story of Kratos as he tries to save the world from certain destruction. At the beginning of the game you find yourself in Attica helping to defend the city against the invading Persian forces and even at this early stage you begin to realise that this game could indeed be something special.

Some of action even at the start is quite impressive, one minute I was fighting against some army forces and then the next thing I knew a huge beast burst through the door, such was the scale of this beast on the PSP screen that it really took me by surprise, however this beast was nothing compared to the battle with the basilisk at the end of the first level.

Once you have taken care of the Persians, this is when the story starts to get really interesting, without giving too much away, Kratos eventually ends up in the land of the dead, where he must rescue the land from total destruction, some of the things you will see during these levels will leave you wondering why games this good haven’t reached the PSP before now, but that’s a different story entirely.

There is a lot that is impressive about Chains of Olympus but perhaps nothing more so that the control system, everything move and combo is so simple to pull off that fighting and using magic seems to come naturally, and if you do happen to forget a move then simply pressing the start button will remind you of each ability that you have access to at the time. Most of the combat and magic moves use a combination of L2 or R2 and the corresponding face button, while you can dodge by pressing L2 and R2 together, this is a fantastic way of doing things because it is simple and means that you will find it hard to mess up the move you are trying to pull off.

Generally the game will lead you through its chosen path, although occasionally you will find hidden rooms that contain items to increase and restore your magic and health. Most of the game though revolves around combat, which is just as well because this is were the game really excels, often you will find yourself blocked in a room with magical barriers and the only way out is to kill everything that spawns in front of you, this however is a brilliant experience due to the smooth combat system and the sheer amount of combos that you can pull off.

The enemies that you will face come in all shapes and sizes, and while a lot of them appeared in previous game in the series, this still does not take away from the sheer challenge of trying to defeat them as each have their own strengths and weaknesses, meaning that you cannot just bash one button and hope for the best. In order to best defeat an enemy you must work out for yourself the best way and then use a combination of your magic and fighting abilities in order to take them out, especially so for the larger enemies that you will face.

Another good point to Chains of Olympus is that even when you are not fighting, you are usually always on the go, be this solving many of the various puzzles or trying to find out how to move on from where you are, there is certainly plenty here to keep your brain ticking, from simple things like having to find a wall to climb to more complex situations like lining up sunbeams and then reflecting them with your shield in order to progress. In fact some of the puzzles that you will come across can be very challenging, while at the same time being obvious and therefore will probably make you feel just that little bit silly once you figure them out.

Throughout the game you will come across new abilities and weapons, these can be upgraded by finding the red orbs which can be found in chests and are also rewarded for killing enemies, each upgrade will request a certain amount of orbs for you to sacrifice before you will be able to make your magic/weapons more powerful, however this is certainly worth it as the effects can be quite devastating. Your health and magic bars can also be upgraded by finding a certain amount of set items which are spread throughout the game.

Graphically God of War Chains of Olympus is the best looking game on the PSP yet, everything about it is just classy, from Kratos and the very atmospheric environments, to way the gameplay stays smooth throughout. The cutscenes are also pretty impressive, adding a real cinematic feel to the game along with the excellent background music and the beautifully created voiceovers.

So with all of this graphical prowess under it’s belt you would think the game would take forever to load, however this is not the case and it’s fair to say that it has perhaps some of the shortest loading times the PSP has seen yet, and if that is not enough to convince you to buy this game then I have no idea what would be.

God of War: Chains of Olympus really shows what the PSP is capable of, so if you own a PSP then this game is essential, simple as that.

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Is it a demo, is it a game of its own? Whatever it is Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is certainly causing a lot of debate, and it has to be said selling a lot of copies, in fact it has been reported that almost 1 million pre-orders of the game have been made, which is pretty impressive.

The Gran Turismo series is the best selling series on Playstation so when a new game comes along everyone who owns the console takes notice, thankfully then the people who have shelled out for the game are not going to be disappointed.

There are plenty of racing games around at the moment, but most of them seem to be on the Xbox 360, leaving the Playstation crying out for a realistic racer like Gran Turismo Prologue, though it seems the wait has been worth it because this could be the most realistic of them all.

Gran Turismo Prologue is presented in glorious 1080p, meaning that it is without doubt the best looking racer around, there are some fantastic moments in the game graphically as you are blinded by the realistic glare of the sun when coming out of a tunnel or when you driving through the shadow laden streets of London, both these moments really make you appreciate the effort gone into this game. There have been some complaints already however in respect of the graphics so it’s best not to ignore these. Occasionally there will be dips in the frame rate , there is also no collision damage, meaning cars remain unscratched even in the most violent of crashes, there is also no marks left on the road even when you skid around corners at full speed, so yes it isn’t perfect but it still looks fantastic.

The game includes six tracks (twelve if you count the fact that you can drive the mirrored versions too) they are all very detailed and include the Eiger Nordwand, the Daytona International Speedway, the London City Track, the Fuji Speedway, Suzuka and the High Speed Ring, the London City track especially sticks out for me as all of the landmarks you would expect are present, along with the tight corners and tall buildings which practically block out every ray of sun.

As well as the tracks Gran Turismo Prologue also includes an impressive 71 cars, obviously they all vary greatly, when you start off you are given around £36,000 to spend, using this I purchased a Ford Focus which seems to be a good all rounder and although this purchase never left me with much money I was able to enter enough events with the car in order to earn money to buy another. Of course all of the cars in the game look fantastic, from the Dodge VIPER GTS to the Ferrari F40 all of them are detailed with jaw dropping precision.

The events are split into three classes, A, B and C, you start off racing in class C, and within this class there are quite a few events to take part in, although some of these are restricted to certain manufacturers/car types so you will need to be careful which car you buy at the beginning of the game.

Handling the cars while driving has never felt so good or more realistic, you can feel the speed in this game more than any other racer especially so when you are in one of the more powerful cars, it’s fair to say that approaching a corner at high speed or trying to get past that elusive opponent really does make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

The main flaws to the game come in the fact that you need to work your way through the events in order to unlock the games main cars, competing in class A will eventually gain you access to these power houses, however this will take a good few hours of gaming, similarly you are unable to tune your vehicle until you reach class A, which is a bit of a let down.

Back to the good points though and these come in the guise of the multiplayer options, offline you have the ability to play split screen against another player, which is a great addition, sure it doesn’t look as good as single player but it sure is fun. The main addition to the game though has to be the online mode, Sony must really be pinning their hope at this working and in most cases it does, there are plenty of different options to allow a bit of variety with scheduled events and time trails the order of the day, obviously you can also create your own races and take part in others also. The only issues at the moment involve the usual lag and slowdown problems associated with online gaming, however I am sure that Sony will soon tackle this.

Also promised in the future are more additions to the new Gran Turismo tv, a feature which allows you to watch trailers/programs via the game. At the time of writing all that is on there is a trailer for the game, however we are promised some episodes of the popular Top Gear at some point, which is sure to keep the car enthusiasts happy.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is certainly not without its flaws, however you will not find a more realistic looking and handling racer around at the moment, well until the full version pop’s it head up anyway.

Overall Rating: 8.9/10