Featured Game - Beyond Good and Evil (PS2)

Title: Beyond Good and Evil (PS2)
Format:Sony PlayStation 2 Console

Beyond Good and Evil was a much hyped game when it game out, and it deserved the plaudits. A mixture of action, and RPG, you play Jade a young photographer caught on a planet that is being invaded.

Caught between the invading Domz and the Alpha section, Jade joins the resistance to find out the truth about what is going on. This involves sneaking into heavily guarded bases to catch events on film as they happen. These photos are then integrated with underground broadcasts to win over the people.

It's a simple concept, and despite the sci-fi overtones the world of Beyond Good and Evil feels real. The script is sharp, the characters beliveable, and the game a great deal of fun for gamers of most ages (the very young may find it difficult).

Although I played the PS2 version, this game is also available on Xbox and GC. The Gamecube version will play on the Wii.

• Beyond Good & Evil (Xbox)
• Beyond Good & Evil (GameCube) - also plays on Wii

Featured Game - Miles Edgeworth Investigations (DS)

Name: Miles Edgeworth Investigations
Format: Nintendo DS

Part of the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney series, Miles Edgeworth Investigations takes a new spin on it. Playing the eponymous prosecutor, it's a surprise that there aren't more court scenes.

Instead, Edgeworth works with the police and witnesses to discover what truly happened and who should be prosecuted for the crime. With gripping stories, and an overall arc that keeps you guessing, this is an excellent addition to the Ace Attorney series.

A host of regular faces appear, both as major characters and cameos, and it gives you a chance to fill in some of the backstory between the charcters that isn;t covered in the main Pheonix Wright series.

Overall this was a joy to play, and definitely one I'll play more than once.

Featured Game - Ratchet and Clank - Tools of Destruction (PS3)

Title: Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction - Platinum (PS3)
Format: Sony PlayStation 3

Ratchet and Clank come to the PS3 in this action platformer.

Aimed at a younger audience, it's a little formulaic, and there are few sidequests. Although it has a few funny moments and some interesting enemies, but there is nothing there which would challenge an odler gamer.

Tools of Destruction is a fun family game, and doesn't pretend to be anything else. There are few games like it on the PS3 and for its target audience it is an excellent game.

That said, dedicated or hardcore gamers may find it less than challenging, but then they aren't the people it is really aimed at.

Malefex Publishing Update

We are currently switching the print production for the Malefex line to Lightning Source. This will allow us to link directly with Amazon an other online merchants, improving order fulfillment, but also to managed POD and possibly ebooks to complement the short print runs we usually use. This will also allow us to replace the shopping cart software on the website completely, and finish our transition to PHP.

While this is underway there may be some delays on order fulfillment, but we hope to get the transition done as quickly as possible.

Featured Game - Brutal Legend (PS3)

Title: Brutal Legend (PS3)
Format: Sony PlayStation 3


Heavy Metal in-jokes abound in this tribute to the metal scene. Written by Tim Scheaffer, the creator of Psychonauts, and starring Jack Black as Eddie Riggs the best roadie in the world, Brutal legend is definitely a different style of game.

On the down side, the game itself is rather short and the sidequests get repetitive. Download content provides a few extras to help with this, although they don't entirely correct it. However the script is great, characters excellent (if scarily recogniseable) and the soundtrack has to be heard to be believed. The stage battles are an innovative mechanic, and - at the risk of sounding cliched - the use of a guitar as a weapon rocks!

If you're a metal fan, this game features metal, goth, glam and more, and is definitely one for you. And that's without going in to the range of jokes, landscapes out of heavy metal album covers, and the creative use of the Parental advisory label.

Also available on Xbox360: Brutal Legend (Xbox 360)

Featured Game - Eternal Sonata (PS3)

Title: Eternal Sonata (PS3)
Format: Sony PlayStation 3

Eternal Sonata is definitely something diferent: an RPG based on the music and life of Chopin. There are a lot of unique features about the game, from the near real-time combat system and its innovative use of light and dark, to the soundtrack, and chapter breaks which tell the life story of the composer.

It has a slow start, buts builds pace steadily. As the action cuts between Chopin's death bed and his dying dream the question is asked repeatedly about which world is real, and in fact whether it matters?

Beautiful cel-shaded graphics and, unsurprisingly, an excellent soundtrack, make this one to play if you can get hold of it.

Also available on Xbox360:

• Eternal Sonata (Xbox 360)

Featured Game - Skies of Arcadia Legends (Gamecube)

Title: Skies of Arcadia Legends (Gamecube)
Format: Nintendo Gamecube Console (also plays on Wii)


Sky pirates, privateers, a hidden civilisation, an evil empire and more! Skies of Arcadia Legends is a classic exploration RPG for the Nintendo Gamecube. A port of an earlier Dreamcast title, small sidequests were removed in favour of enhanced graphics and gameplay. The result is a gorgeous-looking game with an excellent plot that keeps you hooked right up until the bitter end.

We replayed this on the Wii recently, and it has lost none of its charm for the new console. If you are going to play it on the wii however you will need two things: the classic controller and a Gamecube memory card to save your game.

• 16 MB Gamecube Memory Card
• Nintendo Wii Classic Controller (Wii)

For a detailed review and trailers, please see the review lens here