So, a couple of months ago, according to the folks at the University of Adelaide, teenagers who play video games regularly are more likely to develop anti-social habits that lead to problem gambling.

I guess it’s not the craziest thing I’ve heard.

I mean, if you take it in a literal context, there are plenty of examples of gambling in games. There are interactive scratchies in GTA: Chinatown Wars. There are the pub games in Fable 2. There are slot machines, blackjack sessions, variations on blackjack sessions…you can even contribute ante to a pot in some racing mechanics. Hell, some games just cut to the chase and are purely on casino table games. The online poker phenomenon has been around for years, with pundits playing several games at once, using bots to suck fish dry, and even getting promoted to real poker championships to boot.

But wait a minute - let’s step back for a second.

If we look at a definition:

Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods.

“An uncertain outcome”. That would imply the concept of chance. You are betting on the fact that the laws of gravity and friction will have the dice facing up in a particular way. You are betting on the fact that the single jackpot winning lottery ticket you are buying is one amongst several hundred thousand.

Most games nowadays reward players with skill, rather than by some random chance. Hopefully, it wasn’t luck that had your railgun slug punch through the skull of your opponent across the map. You didn’t just wall run through a gauntlet of spinning knives and do a double somersault pike while snatching that golden idol by chance. You earned that shit, goddamnit.

However…there is an element of luck in games.

I believe that as we progress through games and we start getting comfortable with the controls and the abilities we have, we become cocky. We take chances, trying to push the envelope of what is possible and what we can or cannot do. We try to leap onto higher buildings. We start aiming for the head instead of the body. We try to pull off trickier combos. Risk for reward - it’s the oldest trick in the game design handbook.

Games also promise rewards. Armour sets, higher levels, better mounts, mo’ money. Gamers want these rewards, so we chase them (work and social life be damned). We grind and we crawl and we reload our subscriptions. Just so, hopefully, we get a lucky drop.

So the more I look at games in this mindset, the more I realise that they all have a hook of some sort. And why shouldn’t they? The stakes are high, the bar has been raised over the years. Games need to capture us and hold us so that we’ll keep playing, buying subscription recharges and DLC, and hopefully even the next instalment. Encouraging us to take risks in the hopes for a big payout? Yeah, I’d say that’s some kind of correlation there.

Or, y’know, it’s more likely that these kids need a better parenting model.

So, I just finished Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood.

I’ll admit that my main reasons for playing the game were only to hear exaggerated wild west accents, and to shoot pistols akimbo like the crazy Texan from The Simpsons.

BiB did deliver in both regards, but what really surprised me was the thought and care put into the story. The characterisation was a pleasant surprise, with a mixed cast consisting of a young preacher; a womanising lasso twirler; a headstrong and violent gunslinger; a deceitful Mexican bandito and his beautiful yet manipulative woman; a scorned Southern general; and an Apache brave. It’s a large list of characters to follow for a First Person Shooter, of all things, but the story is warm and chewy like well-made popcorn. It doesn’t require you to think too much, but it employs enough drama to keep you interested as to why you’re slinging guns and popping rifles.

Graphics and presentation are stunning, with a heavy emphasis on post-processing effects. High-end cards are the order of the day here.

Some nifty gameplay elements attempt to separate this from the numerous other shooters out there. There’s the option to choose one of the two playable brothers in the game, which usually means different weapons and abilities. There’s also a heavy focus on time-slowing, which is erring into the realm of cliche, but it’s relevant and it works, for the most part. The gun showdowns are something different, although the controls are a bit awkward when using the mouse.

It’s not so much essential gaming as it is comfort gaming. Well worth a second-hand purchase and definitely worth a look if you find it marked down.

Great game. And great longevity, too - I’m still going through the single player (although I have been distracted with other stuff, lately).

Hit the image for the full write up.

If I had to make a list of things in Prototype to whinge about, the ridiculous title styling would make the top five. Because it’s not Prototype - it’s [PROTOTYPE]. Square brackets are back in vogue, baby.

Other than that, I experienced a complete about-face on this game. My first impressions after the linear “tutorial” level and the first few minutes of “parkour” (which…isn’t, as I’ll explain later) were that this game was half-finished. The graphics were disappointingly sub-par; the AI was awkward; and the controls were initially cumbersome. The so-called street running kicks in whenever you hold down the right trigger, which sends your character sprinting up the sides of buildings, tumbling over obstacles, hopping on cars and flying around corners. It’s not the same kind of parkour as you’d see in, say, Assassin’s Creed, Mirror’s Edge or Prince of Persia. Alex Mercer is simply too powerful and too wild compared to the graceful elegance of Altair.

Instead, Mercer looks like he’d be better placed in Crackdown. He can jump several stories, propel himself through the air, and glide between buildings. And if he’s equipped armour, he simply barges through obstacles instead of jumping over them.

But once I got over the initial expectation that he was supposed to be this precise acrobat, I quickly warmed to the idea that he was an untamed animal, summoning weapons at will and dismembering both innocent and guilty alike. I relished in the free falls from skyscrapers that ended in meaty impacts, sending cars flying (although I would have loved to get the same impression of falling as in Mirror’s Edge).

The gritty graphics simply allowed for excessive amounts of chaos to fill the screen. Strike Teams of attack choppers filled the sky unloading payloads into the street, supporting tanks that focused their fire on Hive Buildings. Jarheads rush onto the field of battle, firing at infected civilians that have choked the streets. Hunters emerge from Hives, rushing towards the soldiers as they cut blindly at the air in front of them. Explosions surround you, barely stifling the screams and the radio chatter. And you’re in the middle of it all, with the game hardly skipping a beat.

There is a surprising amount of variety in the side missions to keep you distracted, and there are plenty of upgrades that unlock some vicious attacks. Mercer’s takedowns are brutal and violent, and the game doesn’t let up on action, pace or sweet sweet blood.

The story was standard “Gubmint-conspiracy” fare, bogged down by the bizarre emotional delivery of Mercer’s lines, but it’s good for some mindless enjoyment.

And that’s the aim of the game, here. Other than the upgrades, there is nothing to truly aspire to in this title. There is no high learning curve, nor reward for time invested. (Those “stealth” missions would be a dead giveaway.) It’s to fulfil your dreams of being both ridiculously agile and near omnipotent. It’s the reason why media producers make things with big explosions and bad-ass characters - to appeal to the baser emotions in us.

Playing [PROTOTYPE] (sigh) is like eating copious amounts of average quality chocolate. It’s not good for you, and it’s not even the best stuff out there…but it tastes damn good. Not bad for a sandbox title.

It’s not so much a review as it is a recount of my early experiences with the game, but I thought I’d share it anyway. For a guy that doesn’t normally play fighters, it’s great fun

So I’m getting back into my DS (and by “my DS”, I mean “the DS that is on indefinite loan to me”). I figure that it’s probably just as easy maintaining balance on public transport with a DSLite in my hands as it is with a giant ass book.

At the moment, I’m passing the hours on my commute with GTA: Chinatown Wars. As expected, I’m enjoying my train trips a whole lot more nowadays, possibly due to the sole fact that I can trade drugs in game.

For a minigame based on supply / demand, it’s amazingly addictive. Receiving notifications on bargain prices for the flavour of the week will see you taking trips out of town to seal the deal, then head on over to the area where demand is high (thanks to the Turf Map) where you can sell for a tidy profit. Random drug trade busts break the monotony of deals, and it hurts when you lose a satchel full of powder.

After a few good deals you’re suddenly hitting 5 figures, which makes your story mission rewards look like peanuts. Then you can go around looking for apartments, get tooled up from Ammunation, and all the good things that come with having too much money.

Oh, and everything else about the game is great too. Especially the additional touch screen interactions.

Okay, player. It’s just you, me, and Mr. Ryu over there. The odds are stacked against us; that’s fine, I’m cool with that. Keep the timing tight, manage that space, and punish when you can.

Alrighty, skipping the character intros, that’s good. You’re keen. You’re ready to go. Round One. Now…make me throw a fireball.

What are you doing? Stop making me punch the air! Do it now…now!

ARGH! Oh Christ, those fireballs…they hurt so much.

Quick, make me throw fireballs back at him! No, you fucking moron - Down-Forward-Punch! Down-Forward, not Wrench-Stick-From-Side-To-Side…honestly, you’re killing me with these whiffs, man.

Okay look, just…block. Get me blocking. Move that stick back. That’s it. WaitnononononononoIcan’tblockthatFUCK.

Oh, I’m stunned. Tweet, tweet, tweet. You can’t exactly say “no throws or mercy” to the CPU, can you? Well, here comes Ryu to introduce me to some pavement. Great.

So now I’m on about 20% health, and Ryu hasn’t been touched yet. Come on - at least end this with some dignity.

Wait…what are you doing?

Oh no…my Ultra meter is full. Please. Please don’t make me do it. He’s on the other side of the screen, you douchebag! DON’T DO IT!

SHINRYUUUUKENoooohhh God, I’m dead.

“What, round’s over?” Yeah, that’s right. I’m dead thanks to you, scrub.

And just think - there’s a whole extra round of this to come.