Links 2004 : XBox

I've been hooked (and sliced!) on golf games for years, but Links 2004 is about as near to perfection as you can get without actually pulling on your plus-fours and heading down to The Belfry. The graphics in Links are simply stunning, and one could spend hours just admiring the scenery without even playing a shot. The lighting and textures of the courses, which include St Andrews, Greywolf and Four Seasons Resort Aviara, are crisp and clean with dappled shadows on beautifully textured grass.

Links 2004 improves upon the mediocre Tiger Woods games in a number of ways, most notably the putting system which has varying levels of difficulty and is easy to learn but difficult to master.


You can play either as an existing top golfer (Sergio Garcia, Jesper Parnevik etc) or, if you don't fancy playing as a Swede with a silly name in an even sillier baseball cap, you can create your own character using modifiable character templates (including the ability to change clothing, skin tone and even the style of walk and celebration the player has). At this stage you can also chose from a long list of pre-set 'audio nicknames', which the commentators will use when referring to you on the in-game commentary.

Links 2004's implementation of XBox Live play is excellent. Nothing beats playing against another real-life human being, and golf is ideally suited to online play.

Graphically, the game is sublime, showing off dynamic camera angles and some Matrix-like effects, including a flying ball with sonic ripples which although pretty cool at first, soon becomes a bit tiresome. Fortunately, annoying flashy bits can be skipped by pressing the 'A' button so you can get on with beating your buddy without the delays.


The controls are similar to the Tiger Woods game, marking a definite departure from the old fashioned method of the swing meter at the bottom of the screen. This new swing method uses the left thumb stick to swing the club back and forth in realtime, adjusting the amount of swing purely on the amount you pull back the stick.

This method takes some getting used to, but gives a more realistic feeling to the game, however anything less than a perfect swing will see you scrambling through the rough to get your ball.

On beginner level, a marker will indicate the ideal 'sweet spot' to hit the ball, but as you chose a harder level, the help you get becomes less and less, so your own skill and judgement comes more into play. On the easiest level, most of the options for the best shot are pre-chosen, but as you get more experienced you can play around with shot types such as such as draw or fade and blast, flop, or chip. Game types include stroke play, stableford, skins or matchplay.

There are times though, when you may find yourself missing the simplicity of the 'swing guage' of older golf games.


Like a lot of Xbox games, you can listen to your own custom soundtrack, but I think golf and music don't really mix, and part of the joy for me is enjoying a relaxing round with only the tweeting of birds and the plop of the ball near the pin to distract you. Also like a lot of other golf games, the commentary becomes a little tiresome after a while, so for me at least, silence is golden.

Except for a few minor niggles, Links 2004 is near perfect. Certainly the best in the current stable of golf games, and worth investing in until Links 2005 comes along.

Thief: Deadly Shadows : PC/XBox

The Thief series is considered by many gamers, to be the apex of the stealth genre and without them the Splinter Cells and Metal Gears of this world probably wouldn't exist.

The first game in the series, Thief:The Dark Project, came out in '98 and superb sequel Thief 2: The Metal Age hit the shelves two years later

A rich story, innovative gameplay, spooky locations and a vivid steampunk setting kept gamers hooked. All without rocket jumping.

While both games were praised by gaming press, neither were particularly successful commercially and developer Looking Glass Studios closed down in 2000.

Studio Head and Industry legend Warren Spector (Ulitima Underworld, Deus Ex), went on to form Ion Storm Austin where the latest installment has been developed.


The player once again assumes the role of the cynical master thief Garrett. Old foes and allies return. Fanatic hollier-than-thou hammerites, "tricksy" pagans, and of course the shadowy guild of Keepers.

The graphics (as you would expect from Ion Storm) are stunning. Character models and textures are realistic and well animated. The lighting is spot on, which is absolutely crucial considering the nature of the game. Blot out a torch with a water arrow and you can happily hide in the shadows you've created. Sneak up on a guard in an ill chosen spot and your shadow will loom over, alerting him to your presence and demonstrating the incredible A.I.


If a townsperson witnesses you breaking the law, they'll run off and get a guard. If a guard can't handle you, he'll leg it and come back with his cronies.

If an allied NPC sees you being attacked, they'll back you up. Which brings us to the next point.

The freeform nature of the game. While this has always been evident in the series, this installment takes it to the next level.


As well as a bunch of missions which you can complete as comprehensively or basically as you like, there's a whole city for you to explore and pilfer in third or first person. While it's not quite 'Grand Thief Auto', it's a step in the right direction.

The later missions in the game are genuinely scary and unsettling, especially the ones involving zombies. Previously in 'Thief', Zombies were somewhat annoying and felt a little out of place. The new and improved Deadly Shadows undead run, scream, and generally put the wind up you.


There are plenty of nice little touches. Shoot a moss arrow into an opponents face and they'll choke, giving you time to escape. Lockpicking is done Splinter Cell style, which with a little skill and practice becomes second nature. Oil flasks are a comedic affair. Smash one on the ground and pursuing enemies will slip off of rooftops or straight into walls.

We have to mention a couple of little niggles.

The XBox version has an annoying bug which, resets the difficulty to normal when loading a saved game and also a few frame rate issues when there are too many enemies on the screen.

These niggles are minor though and shouldn't stand in the way of an essential addition to any gamers collection.

All in all, highly recommended.

Gran Turismo 4 Prologue : PS2

Gran Turismo 4: Prolgue features 46 tests to improve your driving skills and 64 different cars, each with their own individual realistic handling and dynamics. Gamers will also be rewarded for their persistence and training with a head-start saved on their memory card for Gran Turismo 4, due out later this year. Also included in the package is a bonus disc including a GT4 trailer, a gallery, and a "Making of GT4" movie, which previews the eagerly anticipated Gran Turismo 4, shows unique behind-the-scenes footage and gives advice on just what makes a great driver.



Now, although this game is a limited version of the final GT4 package, it is around half the price of most new games and is immensely playable.

The cars handle incredibly realistically, and when you watch the included documentary , you begin to understand why. The amount of effort that went into making GT4 the most realistic handling racing game ever is nothing short of breathtaking.



However, it's not perfect. There are some redraw issues when buildings in the distance suddenly appear and the PS2's graphics capabilities are starting to show their age when pitched against the likes of Project Gotham Racing 2 on XBox.

The graphics seem to be a step up from the previous game, but I'm yet to find any racing game on any platform that beats the Deep Forest Raceway level in GT3 for jaw dropping realism.

The lack of a 2 player mode and any online facilities are also a noticable omission from Prolgue, although apparently these are included in the full GT4 game.



The cars still suffer no damage whatsoever which subtly reinforces the fact that you are playing a video game.

It's still a great deal of fun though, and well worth the asking price if you can't wait for the full release of GT4 later in the year.

Full Spectrum Warrior : XBox

We finally got our hands on Full Spectrum Warrior, and boy was it worth the wait. We weren't sure whether we believed all the hype about this game, but for once, our anticipation was justified.



Full Spectrum Warrior is something of a mix of genres. It's part third-person shooter, part real-time strategy and part squad-based gameplay. You never actually aim weapons (except for grenades), everything is managed through an innovated control system that tells your teams where to move and who to fire at.

Initially developed as a US Army training aid, only later did THQ & Pandemic Studios decided to turn it into a video game.

The fact that this game comes from simulation genes really shows in the levels of realism. Each of the members of your team has a unique personality and you find yourself really starting to care about their well-being. When one of your guys takes a bullet, it's not a case of game over, but instead finding your way to the nearest casevac unit to fix him up. In some cases, this may mean working your way back to the beginning of the level.

As the player, you don't take on any specific character, but rather control the actions of your two teams, Alpha and Bravo, through their team leaders. You constantly switch between the two teams providing cover with one team while the other moves, and then vice-versa. While the team leaders issue the commands, you can switch to the other team members to get different angles of sight which can be useful at times.



And this is the basic premise of the game. Work your way through through the levels, making sure your team have sufficient cover at all times. Cover comes in the form of building corners, broken down cars, and crates, amongst other things. Hiding behind a car while the windows get shot out and the car (and therefore, your cover) starts to degrade, is an experience to behold.

XBox Live support is not as fully featured as we would have liked. Basically, it takes the offline game and puts it online with a friend controlling Bravo team instead of you. It's a great experience but we would have also welcomed competitive play or the support for more than two players.



Graphically, this game is superb. After playing for just a few days, graphics and character animation in other games such as Rainbow Six 3 seemed simplistic by comparison. You'll also find that playing this game for a while seems to sharpen up your skills in other games. You'll find yourself making better use of cover and working together with a teammate.

Full Spectrum Warrior has a steep learning curve, and even completing the tutorial can be difficult, but if you stick with it, you'll find it a rewarding and thoroughly enjoyable experience.