Today we cover the official digital facsimile of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the aptly-entitled Beijing Olympics 2008 from SEGA. Related in name and make only to a certain sports-themed mascot mash-up, this outing is the full-blooded trustee in preserving the memory of the athletes and events of the world’s largest amateur sports meet–a lot of responsibility. But is it a lot of fun?

From the sounds of the more favorable reviews–which I will trust, because I like their sounds more–the game harkens back to Decathlete on Sega Saturn, which was as fine an exercise in button-mashing as was ever conceived. This is the control scheme that best simulates (or simulates as closely as is possible with a manually-operated input device) the act of running, peddling, swimming, or hurdle-hopping your legs off. Repetitive strain injuries to your finger muscles will put you in the shoes of any Olympian–but if you can withstand the current crop of Guitar Hero-like dexterity drills, this should be cake. While the older game featured–obviously–a mere ten events and few more athletes, things have come a long way since 1996: of the 30+ events in Beijing Olympics 2008, only a few are duds, depending who you want to believe (1Up.com in my case). And, while online play is declared lag-fully flawed, it’s just as in the real Olympics–there are those pendulous, precious metallic incentives for solo play. For some, such a simulation might be better left to the Wiimote-waggling of Mario and Sonic–but for those with a taste for real venues and real personalities, not to mention all other penchants for realism, this may be the way to go.

Just one of the infinite possible round-table discussions between Lucasfilm and Namco that brought Darth Vader and Yoda back in time to the 16th century in Soul Calibur IV, newly released to a hungry, fighter-playing public. It was either this, or Street Fighter IV–not that it would have been any stranger a candidate for the cameo appearances. Ultimately, Namco isn’t alone–the orbit of the Mortal Kombat universe will, somehow, soon eclipse that of DC Comics, rending holes in the very fabric of logic itself.

It’s all a little hard to take.. but may I proceed to admit that the fans will love it? The culmination in a quartet renowned for its flash (and flesh), SoulCalibur IV (if you’re lucky enough to get what I like to call the “Special Tin Edition”) includes memorabilia like a comic book and wet-erase tournament leaderboard to commemorate the occasion of its release. And it’s a good game, too–I’ve seen it first-hand, and SoulCalibur, being at least 50% about looks, and about 50% of that being how good the characters look, delivers again on both counts. On PS3, from the time you boot to the crazily cinematic intro, to the time you create a character in the enormously-expanded Creation Mode, to the time you take them into battle, everything is stylish and smooth.

If you’ve liked it so far, you’re going to like it again.

Let’s make no mistake, here–ever since their move from collapsed arcade scene to consumer electronics, Midway has been much maligned, more or less worldwide, and in every conceivable way. Whether it was children’s protection agencies lobbying congress to ban Mortal Kombat or the unanimous panning of their every new release by the critical pen, not to mention the scorn of the entire nation of Japan, it’s kind of a wonder that Midway is still faring reasonably well. Personally, I never had a gripe with them, but it’s pretty bad when a company fires one of their own for discussing the bugs in one of their games. C’mon, it’s not as if the rest of us are too stupid to notice game-crashing bugs and sloppy programming.

That said, once in a long, long while, someone gets sick of it and decides to do something about it. Like esteemed action director John Woo, who descended upon Midway with guns blazing and doves flapping–and from the wreckage of clipped polygons and frozen screens, there would emerge an appealing third-person shooter, rife with theft from Max Payne but still distinctly Hong Kong, Chow Yun Fat, and fun: Stranglehold. For those with no action-film background whatsoever, the PS3 Collector’s Edition of Stranglehold, seen here, includes a full copy of Hard Boiled, the movie to which the game acts as spiritual sequel. The Xbox 360 version omits the movie in favor of behind-the-scenes ‘Making Of’ footage, taken straight from the voice acting floor. (The movie kicks ass, by the way).

In summary: Inspector Tequila. Cop killers. Lots of diving, dodging and log-rolling. Some competent graphic artistry one moment, some really stiff pouring of stiff drinks the next. That’s Midway for you, but Stranglehold is still true to its name in how it will hook you.

It’s easy, really, since your PS3 will emulate the PS2 and, depending on the model, more or less faithfully emulate its games. Now, the catch: when I’m eyeing a PS2 game I’d like to see upscaled, it’s most likely a game I’ve played before, its save file residing within the copious data on my Memory Cards. Out of the box, you’d have no choice but to start anew on your PS3 hard disk drive, because the PS3 doesn’t natively bear a Memory Card port. If I have to start over, I could just buy the newer, assuredly better version, right? (n.b.: not always right, so read on.)

Is this a scam to get you to shell out for another single-purpose, little plastic doohickey of dubious craftsmanship? Partly, but consider that the Sony Memory Card Adaptor for PlayStation3 is a fairly inexpensive investment, especially compared to new games, and well worth the money for anyone who’d still like to spin the oldies from the PS2’s tremendous game library.

Plus, as a first-party product with a very specific function, it can’t be that faulty… just, back up those saves early and often, wilya? It’s good practice anyway.

As the development that was billed to carry PS3 at E3 2007, I remember hearing that Heavenly Sword largely impressed in those early showcases. Then, the final version released, opinions changed, and the reviews fell flat. I returned to the comforting familiarity of PS3 having nothing, and forgot about it.Now that we’ve crossed paths firsthand, I find that Heavenly Sword is (mostly) my kind of game. As SCEE’s highly-stylized take on the most familiar refrain in hack-’n-slash gaming–of blood feuds, internecine warfare, accursed weapons, and the fated prophecy that ties them all together–it’s a description that reads like any given pagan myth, lasts only as long, and causes the occasional abraision through needless button-mashing and the Six-Axis’ slightly rough edges. Once you get used to the motion controls, however, the ever-popular Aftertouch becomes the highlight of Nariko’s five-day quest, next to the oldest story in gaming–in which our interest, perennially renewed by a mere modicum of skill in presentation and delivery, is ramped up as Heavenly Sword veritably flexes PS3’s cinematic muscle. Although combat may tend towards combo-matic monotony and visual flair, there’s some engaging boss fights to bind the mindless battles and puzzles in between.One can easily trace its bloodline to the likes of God of War and Jade Empire, right down to the epilogue-as-prologue chronology, but the tried-and-true formula of Heavenly Sword is still working. It ain’t broke, and they didn’t fix it.

Quite possibly the most hotly-anticipated PS3-exclusive yet, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots arrived a full two days ago to a minor earthquake of applause that tipped 2.0 on the Richter Scale. The finale in the ten-year-long saga that has always set jewels of relevant drama and intrigue in its crown, MGS4 does the same–but the maximum-strength graphics culled from the PS3 hardware can’t be ignored. Indistinguishably cinematic from edge-of-your-seat cutscene to explosive gameplay, what has got a lot of people talking is the action-orientedness of the denouement over the previous installments. Still, mastering the arts of disguise, covert pursuit, trail-tracking, and more stealthy manouvers plays the biggest role… just like old times, eh, Snake? There won’t be another outing, no more sneaking around for the stalwart soldier and his perennial support gang… but Konami has ensured he go out with a bang.

Summer is here, and hot weather comes with. If you want to stay cool and safe from the hazards of sun exposure but still enjoy a wild, sweaty-palmed, and sometimes-steamy excursion to the heart of the pre-Incan jungle, might I suggest the game pictured at right. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune delivers a cinematic experience to rival the movies (I’m looking at you, Indy), but the gameplay is just as much a part of this ride: gunfights, puzzles, rock-climbing, and sprints across collapsing trap floors provide exhilirating thrills you watch AND play. On the trail of Sir Francis Drake, the world shall be your oyster, even when things go wrong–and, as in any salt-worthy, twisting bit of Hollywood yarn, they will. Dare the heights and depths of the world, take in spectacular views, and yeah, punch in a face or two in Uncharted.

Portal, Valve’s experiment of player-turned-guinea-pig and infinite loops you can walk through, has produced favourable results among its subjects and generated significant interest in the gaming community. I now know why. I just played the PS3 Orange Box, and for Portal alone, I beseech you to do the same. Phrases like ‘pioneering new directions in imagination’ and ‘the simplest forms of genius’ don’t begin to describe this game, but that’s all I’ve got coming to me. You won’t know what hit you–seriously, you’re thrown without explanation into successive exercises in interdimensional interior design at the Aperture Labs Enrichment Program, and are expected to take the controls of a vortex-spouting gun like it comes naturally. But because the design is flawless, it is as natural as you ever imagined walking through a thousand mirrored mirrors to be. The asylum theme provides much amusement, and also your character’s constant companion in the form of a not-so-slightly unstable robotic voice. All things in Portal are in perfect proportion to respect your intelligence and to entice you to experiment for the sheer fun of falling through the ceiling at terminal velocity forever.

Sometimes, an even bigger fuss really is warranted. Also available on PC (not pictured because there’s another blog where that might happen).

Winter in my part of the world doesn’t know the meaning of ‘curb your enthusiasm’. Its record-setting feats of frostbite and tendency to crack down on any unfrozen square inch of earth make living as me that little extra bit miserable. For regular fans of the outdoors, things must be even worse, because they actually want to leave the house once in a while and that can cost you dearly in ice-broken vertebrae.

There is some hope, even in winter of a near-nuclear variety. That hope is called skate.. The first period is part of the title and included for emphasis; the second period is to end the sentence and is included for emphasis. I emphasize to you that typically I find EA games abhorrent, but that skate, unlike so many of them, captures the essence of the titular verb so well that I’d swear I were right in the thick of the rail-grinding, half-piping, ollie-ooping skateboarding action, if I actually knew what that felt like. At the very least, with its great views and Hollywood-worthy visuals, skate makes you feel like you’re holding the camera and calling the shots for an indie documentary… or it would, if I knew what that felt like either.

I think the most fun to be had in skate is just playing around with things you couldn’t do in real life. So much fun that, come rain, or shine, or sleet, or hail as big as your face, you might want to try the real thing. It’s available on Xbox360 and that’s the version I’ve played, but I don’t plug the PS3 offerings enough, so I will because I think I can, here.

Despite a few forays before it, Virtua Fighter is the game that spearheaded the break with the second dimension. If memory serves, one of the original Arcade Model 1 boards (c. 1993) that ran the game rests in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. for its achievements in “Virtua” Technology. Sega had, essentially, registered the patent to 3D at the time under the Virtua name; as not every department in the company is as proficient in three dimensions as AM2, let’s be thankful the patent seems never to have come into effect.

Many arcade models later, developer AM2 continues to show its mastery of simulation in every outing, and Virtua Fighter 5, available on PS3 and Xbox360, is no exception. After a long period of apathy, this game has rekindled my love of the series’ beauteous visuals, devilish learning curve and true-to-life fighting mechanics. This is definitely the pinnacle of martial arts games, the culmination of successive technical improvements found in each installment.

Solid online play on the 360 version gives it added value, but having played both, that’s the only difference I can discern. ..try VF5 today!