Review: Genkibowl 7

Being a fan of Saints Row the Third, despite its numerous bugs and lacking storyline, I was quite looking forward to the release of the Genkibowl VII DLC. Not only would I get to spend some more time in the chaotic city of Steelport but I'd have an opportunity to achieve some of the more difficult accomplishments.

Genkibowl VII opens up a new set of missions for the player ranging from the combat based Apocalypse Genki to Sexy Kitten Yarngasm which plays like a game of Katamari Damacy

gone bad. The rewards for completing these missions are a few extra homies, some nice looking vehicles and a number of bizarre looking costume options.

While “Sad Panda Sky blazing” and “Sexy Kitten Yarngasm” are the good wholesome and ever so slightly demented pieces of fun you'd expect from a Saints Row game, the“Super Ethical PR Opportunity” and “Angry Tiger's Apocalypse Genki”missions are so similar to existing diversions that you begin to feel a little cheated. Annoyingly they're all fairly limited in number which makes it possible to complete this piece of DLC in a matter of hours.

Perhaps taking a levelled character with his infinite health and ammunition was my mistake but I would imagine a number of people would be using the same characters they've completed the original game with. Couldn't the missions have at least disabled some of these abilities to make it a bit more challenging?

There are still some good sides though which make Genkibowl VII worth purchasing. The new homies make interesting companions as you travel the streets of Steelport and the dialogue, as with every Saints Row game, is often laugh out loud funny.

If you find yourself desperate for a Saints Row fix and have completed everything else Steelport has to offer then try Genkibowl VII, at the very least it's a bit more time in a game you probably already love. Just don't expect it to last.

Guide: Saints Row The Third. Matt Miller bug

Saints Row The Third is a fantastic game and those of you who haven't bought it should check it out now. Unfortunately though there is a nasty little bug that can prevent you from completing an important mission.

The cause of the problem!

During Deckers.Die you encounter a larger than life boss in a virtual world. As you bring his health down a cut scene should occur where you copy his form and proceed to kick butt . Unfortunately those of us who updated on the 360 won't get the cutscene and find the boss just vanishes leaving you stranded in cyber purgatory. Thankfully though there is a work around. Just clear your system cache and ensure you don't download any further updates. While this has the side effect of having to redownload updates for your other games it seems to be the only way to consistently to avoid this bug. Here's how to clear your system cache.

To clear the system cache

• Press the Guide button on your controller, go to Settings, and select System Settings.
• Select Storage or Memory
• Highlight any storage device, and then press Y on your controller. (It doesn't matter which storage device you select; the cache will be cleared for all storage devices.)
• Select Clear System Cache.
• When prompted to confirm storage device maintenance, select Yes.

Gears of War 3 Beta Guides: Guns guns guns!

With the Gears of War 3 Beta in full swing here is the first in a series of guides to help you avoid those humiliating chainsaw defeats.

For the most part the traditional Lancer will serve you well but there may be the odd occasion where it lets you down, or perhaps you would just like to try something a little different? Either way this guide will show you the fun new toys for you to inflict plain with.

Sawed off Shotgun:
The sawed off shotgun is the definitive close quarters weapon. You only get one shot and the reloading time is atrocious but at point blank range this cannon can turn anyone into chunks. If you're lucky enough you may even get multiple targets! Typically this weapon requires hit and run tactics, dash in, turn someone into soup and run away before their friends realise you were there.

Just a little note, this gun seems to be most effective when fired "from the hip". Using the iron sights for some reason seems to reduce the guns power.



Retro Lancer:
Before the COG were attaching chainsaws to their guns they were using these. With a slower rate of fire and a higher recoil than the original, the Retro Lancer's saving grace is it's "bayonet charge". Activating it makes your character start sprinting forward. If they were to hit an enemy while on this charge then you get an instant kill. Much like you would if you were to have used the chainsaw.

The only down side to this is that while you can't be forced out of the charge when under fire, if you are hit you will be slowed down. So if you see someone charging towards you feel free to unload a few rounds into them before rolling to safety.

Digger Launcher:
Is someone hiding being cover and refusing to come out and be shot? How inconsiderate, thankfully this is where the Digger Launcher comes in. The digger fires an explosive that travels through the ground at speed and pops up after it detects an enemy. Aiming the digger launcher you will get a trajectory much like that of the grenade. The key difference being the range of the arc is a lot shorter and it travels under the ground for some distance.

It's quite easy to see the grenade coming towards you as and the explosion can typically be avoided with a swift roll. So if you're not lucky enough to catch someone out with this you can eat least force them out of cover and into the line of sight of your lancer!

One shot:
This is the new "hammer"! It's a heavy weapon like the mulcher and the mortar the difference being this is a one shot, one kill kind of weapon. Pointing it an enemy gives you a sniper scope, pulling the trigger results in some unfortunate soul being reduced to red vapor no matter where they were hit. You only get four shots and people will scatter as soon as they see the red beam this weapon emits but if you're lucky you can get four very satisfying kills.



Incendiary Grenades:
Yes, yes this isn't a gun but incendiary grenades are a welcome addition to the gears of war arsenal. Working much like a molotov cocktail, rather than bounching like others grenades this one leaves large patch of burning death wherever it lands. Incendiary grenades are often preferable to the ink grenades where you only need to cover a small area but want to inflict more damage.

Next guide? The maps, get the best vantage points and hiding places!