Spawn: Armageddon, Electronic Games

It's true to say that in video games, copyright issues play an important part in what a developer can produce based on inspiration and ideas from other games. Game engines, character likenesses and names are often patented, but there are many ways around this and developers know it. Here, we're talking about Capcom's Devil May Cry and Namco's newly released Spawn game for Xbox. True, Spawn does take some obvious ideas from the Capcom slasher, but the game benefits from this, and ultimately that's why it's worth a punt. For those who don't know, Spawn's virtual offering is based upon the best-selling American comic book of the same name, created in 1992. What's more, he's not a Marvel character, instead belonging to McFarlane. And that's his history, but let's not digress too much - it's the game you're all interested in. Where DMC is a thoroughbred hack and slash affair set in medieval times, Spawn's tale pits players in a classic battle between the forces of good and evil - Heaven and Hell. Stuck in the middle of this eternal conflict, Spawn consistently finds himself clashing with a variety of demonic creatures and angelic warriors throughout the game's 25 missions and 60 or so sub-levels. The main character will find himself equipped with numerous blood-spilling weapons such as axes, as well as a pair of 'living chains' that can bring even the fiercest opponent to his knees. But unlike DMC, this is where the hacking and slashing stops, giving way to a greater emphasis on platform gaming. And this is how Spawn differentiates itself. Okay, it's not the first platform adventure we've seen, and in that respect Spawn lacks originality. But as so many of you will appreciate, it's how a game is designed and executed that makes it a worthwhile offering... and Spawn is definitely worthwhile. Level design is well thought out, and its puzzle element helps immerse players a little deeper into the game. It is indeed another comic book-cum-video game, and a very good one at that.

Buy Spawn: Armageddon for 9.99 GBP

Rugby League 2
Ever wondered what it would be like to score that match winning try against New Zealand or scrum down against the Aussies? Well, all this and more is possible in Rugby League 2. Get ready to play one of the toughest contact sports in the world on your Xbox. Building on the game engine used in the first game of the series, Sidhe Interactive has created a sequel packed with many new features. All th...
Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain?
Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? (DKBT) is a game inspired by the research of Dr Ryuta Kawashima, a prominent Japanese neuroscientist. The good doctor's theories revolve around keeping brains stimulated by performing various mental activities. The game is played with the DS turned sideways, making it feel more like a book. DKBT is basically a series of exercises designed to gi...
Disney Sports Basketball
Fact. There are very few basketball games available for Game Boy Advance, despite the console having a huge installed userbase. So when one does come along, it's refreshing. In this case it's time to look at the Konami/Disney collaboration, Disney Sports Basketball. First and foremost, the Disney brand is what will attract younger audiences to these sports games and the Basketball incarnation come...
Tony Hawk's Underground
Videogame skateboarding didn't really exist until the arrival of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater on the PlayStation. Atari's cult classic 720 was a massive hit in the arcades, despite its ridiculous rollerball controls, but after that, there was a decided lull, probably owing to the slump in interest in the art that is skateboarding. Then NeverSoft released Tony Hawk. And everything changed. Suddenly, casu...
Rampage 2: Universal Tour
The Rampage series has a history dating back to the eighties when 8-bit consoles were the top platforms. Fifteen years later, the original monsters have been captured in the name of world peace. But now there's been another disastrous mutant experiment, and the results are more life threatening than ever. Enter Rampage 2: Universal Tour. Destroying anything in their path, these new monsters are on...
Crash Tag Team Racing
Ah the nostalgia. Remember the heady days of the last generation, and the old arguments about the relative merits of the two machines? Plucky PlayStation fanboys, when confronted with an N64 owner bragging about his 64 bits and Goldeneye enablement, would generally point to more colours, and more, cheaper games on their flimsy grey console. Article D in the debate was very often Crash Team Racing,...