Issue 15 of HGZine is out now!

The headline of this issue is Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. So, when you think Sonic, your mind probably doesn't immediately leap to the idea of an RPG game. And, when you've got your head around that idea, you're probably asking yourself who will be developing this little title. Bioware, that's who. Bioware, the genius behind the best RPG games of all time: Baldur's Gate, KOTOR, Mass Effect - you get the picture. And we've got an exclusive developer interview on how the game is shaping up.

It's interview-tastic in this issue, with a chin wag with the developer of Final Fantasy: Crisis Core and the developers of SEGA Superstars Tennis, including the huge 26 minutes original audio interview to listen to, inside the mag itself.

Download your HGZine here.

Warriors Orochi Reviews

Gamespot:
If the Dynasty Warriors franchise is to be commended for anything, it should be for its utter unwillingness to evolve -- it has absolutely perfected the art of remaining static in a landscape of constant flux. Warriors Orochi continues this long and dubious practice by melding the worlds of Dynasty Warriors with its Japanese offshoot Samurai Warriors, and the result is a game that the faithful it caters to time and time again will surely enjoy immensely. If, on the other hand, you do not enjoy brainless button mashing, laughably one-dimensional gameplay, and a severely aged combat system, you're better off running for the hills.

The Good
* The large battlefields of the console versions are mostly intact
* A total of 77 warriors from both franchises to recruit.

The Bad
* Boring, brainless button mashing
* Ugly and repetitive environments
* Poorly executed team system
* Enemy soldiers almost always pop up onscreen.

Full review

Gamespy:
How stressed out must the developers at Koei and Omega Force have been when attempting to bring their popular Warriors series to handheld systems? The series (both the Dynasty and Samurai varieties) is known for tossing dozens upon dozens of opponents on the screen at once to fulfill players' hacking and slashing needs. It would be extremely difficult to bring that experience to a portable.

Previous attempts at Warriors titles for the PSP have been fairly solid, but they haven't been able to fully recreate the console versions of the games. Instead of dropping the player on a large map full of enemies, these games broke the action up into a grid-style playing field with multiple smaller missions to complete.

Warriors Orochi, however, changes all that. This is a direct port of the PS2 and Xbox 360 game that was released last fall, and it does a surprisingly good job of living up to the game that inspired it. Just be sure to take advantage of the game's interim save feature or the PSP's sleep mode. Some of these battles can take half an hour or more to finish -- not exactly conducive to pick-up-and-play portable gaming."

Pros:
*Faithful recreation of the console game
*Tons of playable characters
*Weapon Fusion system allows for good customization

Cons:
*There's some noticeable pop-up
*Long load times
*It's the same Warriors gameplay

Full review

More reviews on God of War: Chains of Olympus

Digital Life:
The focus is on short, frequent and intense battles, but players can also enjoy solving the occasional puzzle by manipulating levers, statues, switches and refracting light.

Your path is linear and occasionally so obtuse you'll be scratching your head wondering where to venture next. But swimming, climbing and jumping interludes provide a change of pace between skirmishes.

Most impressively, the epic scale, colossal opponents and incredible presentation are on par with acclaimed PS2 games, and there are few loading delays.

The only compromise for the game's hand-held form is its shorter length compared to its predecessors. Players can complete the adventure in a day, with only a series of brief challenges or a higher difficulty mode to tackle next.

Full review


Videogamer:
Ever since the PSP burst into stores we've been waiting for true console-like gaming experiences to arrive. Sure, we've had a few classic games on the PSP, but only now, in the shape of God of War: Chains of Olympus, do we have a game that turns Sony's handheld into a portable PS2. Chains of Olympus is not only a stunning entry in the God of War series but the most impressive PSP game released to date - if you've been sitting on the fence over buying a PSP, now's the time.

For anyone following the plot and timeline of the God of War games, Chains of Olympus takes place ten years prior to the original PS2 game. The opening level sees Kratos defending the city of Attica from an invading army, slaying hundreds of soldiers in typical bloody fashion. The story eventually centres on Helios, whom Kratos must find in order to counter the deep sleep Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams, has cast on the other Greek gods. Suffice to say, it's a lot trickier to explain than it is to experience. The result is a quest through typical God of War environments, fights against mythical creatures and enough bloodshed to shame even the most prolific serial killer.

Full review