Formats: PSP [Played]
Published by: Square Enix
Developed by: Square Enix
Released: 11 September 2009
Score: 91%

As a huge Final Fantasy fan this is a dream come true, taking characters from the early games right to FFX good and evil. Dissidia is so much more than a fighting game, you start the game buy choosing which day you want to earn double EXP on and also the game will decided another day which you earn more PP which can be used to unlock a vast amount of items and characters and bonus stuff. This game is a must for anyone who loves Final Fantasy.

The fighting is in a world of its own and battles can last from 5 seconds to 10 minutes, everything really is different from anything you have played before. You start with a prologue where you will learn different moves and some extras you can use within the battles. Once you have completed your training a vast amount of good characters will open up, each has his own story but all have the same objective and that is to acquire a crystal which will be used to defeat Chaos which is the big bad. Each character has his or her own fighting technique but the main buttons will be used for Jump, Attack and super attack which would be used to take out an opponent once you have broken their attacks. Whoever wins does not have to reduce their opponents HP down to 0 you can easily win the battle once you have taken a percent of their bravery down. The more you attack the higher your bravery and the lower your opponent and then once you see theirs break its time to go in for the kill. You also have a bar which builds up with each attack you make spreading something like shiny dust around the level which you can collect when passing through, there will also be a shiny bell which you can lock onto and will raise this bar quickly. Once filled your character can unleash their ultimate move which can finish off most enemies off in one hit.
Like other Final Fantasy games you can equip items to improve your character as s/he levels up, weapons and armor will improve attack and defense while equipping rings will improve HP and other extras. You can also collect and equip summons which will pop up during fights to help out, each summon has their own way of helping and once you collect enough you can choose which character owns which summons.
There really is a lot more to this then I can possibly put in one review, the fighting is really fun and you will find yourself flying through area’s performing stunning moves, the most impressive fight I have seen is Cloud vs Sephiroth fighting in the North Cave. The graphics are stunning for a hand held machine and even past characters have come back to do the voice overs. Yes this does mean Tidus too.
When you have enough PP you can start to unlock all the evil character which will be the main characters opposite from the game, E.G. Tidus vs Jecht, Squall vs Ultimicia etc etc.
Each of the 5 levels are played on a board, each character has their own board and way of traveling through it. Every move will cost you points but can be gained if you complete certain fights; these will be displayed before you choose them and will be things like finish the battle without taking a hit! On your first play through I wouldn’t worry about gaining the extra points and just level up as much as possible and collect all the chest you can, you will be scored at the end of each level and the points will gain your characters story level once you have completed that characters story.
The only bad thing about this game is you can be sailing through quite easy then you meet a character that can take you down within 10 seconds, it’s all down to reading what the character is equipped with so you know just what to do with him.

There really is much more I can tell you but I will leave it there as I am confusing myself let alone anyone reading this. I will add that the music features music from every game of that character with some old remixed. Also you can unlock different looks for each character like Clouds uniform from Advent Children. This game can be played by anyone but a true Final Fantasy Fan will admire it so much more.
Just an extra bit about the collectors set, this is more for fans, the game comes in a very nice box filled with goodies for collectors rather than use. The CD is a nice touch but I wish it was the full album rather than a couple of songs. If you can get one I would advise it but chances are they have sold out and people will resell them for a higher price, which is a shame for any true fan who missed out.

Formats: DS [Played]
Published by: Warner Bros. Interactive
Developed by: 5th Cell
Released: 09 October 2009
Score: 75%

As Maxwell your job is to find a Starites in each level in either an action stage or a puzzle stage. There are 10 worlds and each world has 10 Puzzle levels and 10 Action levels. Each level starts with a hint for each goal which makes what you need to achive slightly easier. Scibblenauts is basicly a puzzle game but you can ask for guns and bazookas to help you through each level. The game has a notepad at the top of the screen and once clicked it will allow you to pretty much type anything in that you think would assist you in your quest and when I say anything I mean anything, with over twenty thousand items and people added into the game. Not a great speller? Well once you type in anything that is not spelt correctly the game will throw up a few options that are close to the word you typed and this also goes for if there is more then one of the same thing.

Scibblenauts is an original game and i fell in love with it from the moment I first played it, solving puzzles with something original really does put a smile on your face and makes the game worth while. Once you complete a puzzle you get rewarded with points which lets you open up further places later in the game. You are awarded for time , items used and originallity. I really was amazed how the game knew which items did what and also which items interacted with each other like a dog would chase a cat which would chase a mouse or a caveman would be scared of fire and try to put it out.

While not having the best graphics this game is a pleasure to look at and simplicity is its biggest reward, this game is all about solving puzzles with items that the player thinks could assist. Sometimes you will get by from pure luck and this is one of the games biggest downfalls but I will return to this later.

Once you complete a puzzle/action level you will get a silver star and more levels will open up but to finish it 100% you will need to go through the level 3 times using different items then you used before which really becomes a challange when your brain runs out of words or when you can think of something but not its name.

The games biggest flaw is control. You use the stylus to move your character and the dpad lets you view what is around you. You also point at things you creates to move them into place or around the only problem is is if you mishit anything your character will come running along to where you clicked normally into oncoming danger or death meaning you have to restart the level. This really is a major problem as things like rope can move around and clicking the end could be more difficult then it sounds then along comes your character walking off a cliff or into lava.

With that out the way the game is brilliant its just a shame about the control which is a major issue.

You will never have played anything like this just be prapared to get frustrated.

**SPOILER ALEAT** There are some thought out words that let you travel to other levels like timemachine and teleporter, also some fun things like God and Angel but the fun is finding most of them out yourself **SPOILER END**

Formats: 360, PS3 [Played], PC
Published by: Eidos Interactive
Developed by: Rocksteady Studios
Released: 28 August 2009
Score: 94%

A big fan of Batman I knew I was going to love this game from the trailers and screen shots, I played the demo on both Xbox360 and PS3 and after much debate I choose the PS3 version as it had the Joker extra challenge pack which I will mention a bit later.

You start the game wheeling the Joker into Arkham Asylum, Batman has just caught him but feels that the Joker let himself be caught but for what reason? Too late, Joker has trapped everyone in Arkham Asylum with help from his psychotic beau, Harley Quinn and has let all the prisoners loose and it’s up to you to sort things out.
I am feeling a lot of love for Mark Hamill for his voice acting; it really is spot on and seems anyone these days who plays as the joker does so brilliantly. First off I was worried that Ledger would never be able to top Nicholson but outclassed him and then Mark Hamill again performs the voice acting role with class.

The beginning of the game is very different from the demo with a 10 minute intro of you following the joker deep into the Asylum before he springs his trap, you will pass through some of the characters you later meet within the game too so keep an eye out
Once the joker escapes the game eases you into the combat side of things against a few of the inmates and then challenges you against one of the bigger opponents.
The combat is very easy to pick up and you will later gain other combat moves and take downs later in the game as you gain XP which allows you to purchase moves, weapons and upgrades from Waynetech.
With Joker in charge of the island he can navigate and control where Batman goes and as you hear him over the speaker system he comes out with some funny one liner, help or hindrance to your quest. Its little things like this which makes this game stand out from anything similar; the camera will sit over Batmans shoulder while you walk around and then move around while in combat and some takedowns will be shown in slow motion.
Building up a combo allows Batman to pull off the most spectacular attacks and earns more XP and it’s also the quickest way to finish off a large group of inmates. The counter moves, take downs and different type of enemies is what stops this game becoming a button mashing fighting game, you will encounter guys with knifes which you will need to use your cape to deflect them away and others with electric rods which you will need to dodge and sometimes you will encounter these enemies all together so you will have to pay attention to who you are attacking.
Along with fighting face to face you can also choose to take a more stealthy approach, this is needed when facing a room full of goons with guns as once you are spotted they will take you out very quickly. The game has unlimited continues and every check point isn’t far away but it’s nice to get through the games with as little deaths as possible.
To help with your stealth attacks you can creep behind a goon and perform a stealth takedown also your batarangs glide attacks and the takedown which I find most fun which is hanging from the ceiling and grabbing a goon and tying him up. Later in the game the goons and rooms become harder to do these stealth attacks but that’s a good thing.

The Riddler has kindly planted trophies, maps, riddles to find and voice recordings for you to find around the island and proves an extra challenge if you wish to enhance your gaming experience. The Riddles are fun and some can be a challenge to work out but once you pick up the map for certain areas everything becomes too easy.

As you progress the game the constant combat and travels will take their toll on our Dark Knight as his suit and cape become tattered and torn and you can see his face and body becoming more bruised which is a lovely touch to the game.