This game is probably coming up to it's tenth birthday by now, and I still recall how fun it was to play in a destructable environment. Through the magic of Steam I can go back and play it again. With Armageddon coming out I truly wished to see where it all began again. If you ignore the awful audio sync, the blocky graphics and the fact that it doesn't automatically autosave, the game is great fun. For a game with such a great destructable environment, far ahead of it's time, it did have a few bad sides. I still think it's great, though, and quite nostalgic.
The vehicles are great fun to drive, too. They are a little slow, but they're great to drive. From the submarines to the drilling machines, tanks to cars, theres so much to do and try. Weapons weren't in short supply back then either. The voice acting wasn't too great, though, as characters were never surprised. The autosave thing bugged me a little, as I often forgot to save for some time, died, and had to start 5 or 6 areas back, if not more.
The guns were fun to use, they often went well with the destructable walls, I especially enjoyed the "heavy machine gun," due to it's high power and bountiful ammo supply. The weapons could have used recoil, though. The sniper rifles didn't have any recoil at all, rather annoyingly. I would still love for a lot of games to have such a great environment, I can just imagine something like Call of Duty or Brink with a destructable environment.
Ingenuity-8
Graphics-4
Story-5
Overall-6
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Sunday, 29 May 2011
Sunday, 15 May 2011
Poll Results!
The results of the poll are in, and Ezio Auditore from Assassin's Creed II won by 3 votes!
Brink
Just from the adverts, you can see how well this game plays. It's fun to just run about, sliding and climbing buildings, before noting that your being shot at. Brink's rule "Never stop moving" makes perfect sense after playing it. Stop moving, you get shot down before you even spot who's shooting at you. The game is based in the future, upon a giant floating city called the Ark. The Ark, when started, was supposed to be the solution to Global Warming. Soon after it's started the Polar Ice Caps melt and refugee's flood the city, so the builders hastily build a slum-like part to the city. At the present, it's split into two factions, the Security, whom wish to use the Ark to keep people housed and ration everything so it doesn't run out and the Resistance, whom wish to escape the Ark to find outside help for the other people on the Ark.
The game is like Call of Duty, Mirror's Edge and Team Fortress 2 rolled into one. Call of Duty with the customisation of weapons, Mirror's Edge with it's free running, and Team Fortress 2 with it's classes and objectives. The game plays well, allowing you to customise everything within an inch of it's life. Clothing, skin colour, weaponry and lots, lots more.
The SMART (Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain) system makes moving so much simpler. Just hold the sprint button and look above things to vault or climb over them, or press the crouch button to slide under things or trip people up. I was a little dissapointed in the story, though. The cinematics could involve more story, and the levels could have some more dialogue of characters talking to each other.
I do think it's worth playing through. You can play the storyline with other players against other players, seeing as every story mission works with each other. You also get challenge levels, with up to 4 players, to unlock things like sights and other weapon attachments for levels and online play.
Ingeuity-6
Graphics-8
Story-6
Overall-7
The game is like Call of Duty, Mirror's Edge and Team Fortress 2 rolled into one. Call of Duty with the customisation of weapons, Mirror's Edge with it's free running, and Team Fortress 2 with it's classes and objectives. The game plays well, allowing you to customise everything within an inch of it's life. Clothing, skin colour, weaponry and lots, lots more.
The SMART (Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain) system makes moving so much simpler. Just hold the sprint button and look above things to vault or climb over them, or press the crouch button to slide under things or trip people up. I was a little dissapointed in the story, though. The cinematics could involve more story, and the levels could have some more dialogue of characters talking to each other.
I do think it's worth playing through. You can play the storyline with other players against other players, seeing as every story mission works with each other. You also get challenge levels, with up to 4 players, to unlock things like sights and other weapon attachments for levels and online play.
Ingeuity-6
Graphics-8
Story-6
Overall-7
Sunday, 8 May 2011
Call of Duty
I found myself surfing around on Steam a few weeks ago when I came across a deal. £19.99 for Call of Duty, Call of Duty: United Offensive and Call of Duty 2. "This is too good to be true," I thought. I had lost the disks for these games so many years ago. They're great games to spend time on, and it was worth every penny. Call of Duty is coming to eight years old, and yet it still makes me feel amazing, just playing it through. It brings back memories of a younger me, getting into shooters and PC gaming for the first time, shooting Nazi germans, charging through Europe, running for cover in Russia.
The game itself has great gameplay. Despite the old graphics, it is so much more challenging than the new ones, the soldiers are scripted better, the whole game is just... Better. It's of a better time. At least, gamewise. Before the series became an excuse to milk money, before Activision became money hungry, before they stopped making all but 3 or 4 game series.
The characters are so much nicer, too. They're helpful, theres more of them, they're witty. It makes me long for these better times.
Ingenuity-8
Graphics-5
Story-7
Overall-7
The game itself has great gameplay. Despite the old graphics, it is so much more challenging than the new ones, the soldiers are scripted better, the whole game is just... Better. It's of a better time. At least, gamewise. Before the series became an excuse to milk money, before Activision became money hungry, before they stopped making all but 3 or 4 game series.
The characters are so much nicer, too. They're helpful, theres more of them, they're witty. It makes me long for these better times.
Ingenuity-8
Graphics-5
Story-7
Overall-7
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
Pokemon White/Black
I finally got around to giving this game a go, and let me tell you, what a game it is. I've always loved Pokemon games, and they always seem to get better every game Nintendo releases. Black and White are no exception to this. There are great 3-D effects when just walking through cities and across bridges. One of the first bridges you come across is beautiful. It goes across a river, and cars and lorries drive under you as you walk. The game itself offers a tonne of content, on a small cartridge, which is something I love about DS games in general. No disks, just small cartridges.
They've started giving you two rivals, up from one. One chooses the Pokemon naturally weaker than yours, the other stronger. For those who don't know what they are, Pokemon are basically animal-based beings that people called Pokemon trainers battle and trade with each other. Battling is something you'll often do, whether it be against the ones programmed in the game, or against other friends across the world. It crosses quite a few genres. Strategy, RPG, puzzle. It sort of bridges the gap between the three.
These games had taken up most of my childhood. I recall playing them with my friends in school, playing them at home, playing them on my way to and from places. It's appropriate in most places. They're such amazing and addicting games, you can challenge yourself through playing and attempting to defeat or explore the possibilities within them. Because they're endless.
Ingenuity-9
Graphics-6
Story-10
Overall-8
They've started giving you two rivals, up from one. One chooses the Pokemon naturally weaker than yours, the other stronger. For those who don't know what they are, Pokemon are basically animal-based beings that people called Pokemon trainers battle and trade with each other. Battling is something you'll often do, whether it be against the ones programmed in the game, or against other friends across the world. It crosses quite a few genres. Strategy, RPG, puzzle. It sort of bridges the gap between the three.
These games had taken up most of my childhood. I recall playing them with my friends in school, playing them at home, playing them on my way to and from places. It's appropriate in most places. They're such amazing and addicting games, you can challenge yourself through playing and attempting to defeat or explore the possibilities within them. Because they're endless.
Ingenuity-9
Graphics-6
Story-10
Overall-8
Wednesday, 20 April 2011
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
Now, this is a good game. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is a First Person Shooter (FPS), and probably one of the best modern based shooters around. At times you play a U.S. Marine, and at other times a British SAS operative. Like most shooters, the characters you play are mute, but your teammates talk plenty, offering helpful advice and humourous banter.
The game revolves around Russia, mainly, where a terrorist has taken control of a nuclear base, with the nuclear missiles aimed at major cities in America. The game is interesting, with a variety of objectives to missions. For instance, there is one level where you have to go through Chernobyl, a city in Ukraine where a nuclear reactor exploded, and you have to silently kill terrorists and sneak your way to a skyscraper so that you can kill their leader, but ultimately fail.
The multiplayer mode, like with all Call of Duty games, is great. The community is often helpful, and the levelling system is well thought out, offering 55 levels, with many weapons and upgrades to put on those weapons. The maps are large, and can become quite strategic at times. You might decide to take a high vantage point with a sniper rifle, or maybe get up close with a shotgun, lurking in corners and other small places. If your looking to try shooters, or even just to shoot your friends, Call of Duty is a great place to start.
Ingenuity-9
The game is well made, with lots of things to put on your guns, and, lots of guns in general.
Graphics-7
Not too bad graphics-wise, but could have been polished a little.
Story-9
Well thought out and written story, with great characters.
Overall-9
If I have to be honest, I believe that the good Call of Duty games ended at this great ending for a great franchise.
The game revolves around Russia, mainly, where a terrorist has taken control of a nuclear base, with the nuclear missiles aimed at major cities in America. The game is interesting, with a variety of objectives to missions. For instance, there is one level where you have to go through Chernobyl, a city in Ukraine where a nuclear reactor exploded, and you have to silently kill terrorists and sneak your way to a skyscraper so that you can kill their leader, but ultimately fail.
The multiplayer mode, like with all Call of Duty games, is great. The community is often helpful, and the levelling system is well thought out, offering 55 levels, with many weapons and upgrades to put on those weapons. The maps are large, and can become quite strategic at times. You might decide to take a high vantage point with a sniper rifle, or maybe get up close with a shotgun, lurking in corners and other small places. If your looking to try shooters, or even just to shoot your friends, Call of Duty is a great place to start.
Ingenuity-9
The game is well made, with lots of things to put on your guns, and, lots of guns in general.
Graphics-7
Not too bad graphics-wise, but could have been polished a little.
Story-9
Well thought out and written story, with great characters.
Overall-9
If I have to be honest, I believe that the good Call of Duty games ended at this great ending for a great franchise.
Sunday, 17 April 2011
Crysis 2
I finally got around to playing the sequel of the game with some of the best graphics around. Even just looking at the box itjust screams "awesome" at you. The game is based a few years after the first game, in New York. You play a U.S. Marine named Alcatraz. The game literally explodes into action from the start, as you escape a sinking submarine. After the escape, your squad is shot pactically dead by a big alien ship, and only Prophet, one of the characters from the first game, donning his nanosuit, can aid you. He shoots down the ship, and gives you his nanosuit to stop you from dying.
The game is a little less confusing than the first, but at least it explains things a bit more detailed than Crysis did. The soldiers, when they aid you, can actually help you as well, which was a slight relief. I was a little saddened that they massively reduced the amount of vehicles you gained, and that they reduced the amount of suit powers you had. They seemed to have grabbed a few ideas from Halo, though. You are able to rip turrets from their stands and vehicles to roam with in the urban jungle of New York. I don't quite understand why the aliens had a change of heart from their suit designs, the annoying floating suits changed into walking exoskeletons.
I do like the way that you can get upgrades for your suit, like decrease the amount your energy drains in various modes, or tracing enemy footsteps and the trails of the shots. The thermal camera is ingenious, and very helpful when sniping or facing cloaked aliens, as is the assassinations you can do while in the cloaking mode. The variety of weapons has also increased, but the attachments have decreased.
Finally, though, it has a better, more worthy storyline to stand beside the amazing graphics, making it even more beautiful than the first. The combat AI is great. If there are aliens, they might run to cover, charge at you to knock you over, shoot at you, jump up walls or many other things, while enemy soldiers might call for backup or grab a vehicle.
The fights can get quite tactical. The suit will tell you beforehand if you can do various tactical manoeuvres, and to see them you have to look through your binoculars. They could be, use a turret, use stealth to get to a certain point, flank around the enemy, snipe, or climb to a higher vantage point. Of course, you don't always have to choose these. You might see an even better way to get through the enemy.
If you had to play any shooter this year, I would force this one upon you. Despite the confusing plot and often aggravating fights, you would be missing out on one of the great new game series'.
Ingenuity-8
It has taken a few things from other games, but mostly sticks to what it had in Crysis.
Graphics-10
It stays at the top of my list for explosive graphics, even if my PC can't handle the "Very High" setting.
Story-7
The story has improved quite a bit, even when it's still confusing and, at times, misleading.
Overall-9
It really has improved since the first game, and I hope they bring out a third one.
The game is a little less confusing than the first, but at least it explains things a bit more detailed than Crysis did. The soldiers, when they aid you, can actually help you as well, which was a slight relief. I was a little saddened that they massively reduced the amount of vehicles you gained, and that they reduced the amount of suit powers you had. They seemed to have grabbed a few ideas from Halo, though. You are able to rip turrets from their stands and vehicles to roam with in the urban jungle of New York. I don't quite understand why the aliens had a change of heart from their suit designs, the annoying floating suits changed into walking exoskeletons.
I do like the way that you can get upgrades for your suit, like decrease the amount your energy drains in various modes, or tracing enemy footsteps and the trails of the shots. The thermal camera is ingenious, and very helpful when sniping or facing cloaked aliens, as is the assassinations you can do while in the cloaking mode. The variety of weapons has also increased, but the attachments have decreased.
Finally, though, it has a better, more worthy storyline to stand beside the amazing graphics, making it even more beautiful than the first. The combat AI is great. If there are aliens, they might run to cover, charge at you to knock you over, shoot at you, jump up walls or many other things, while enemy soldiers might call for backup or grab a vehicle.
The fights can get quite tactical. The suit will tell you beforehand if you can do various tactical manoeuvres, and to see them you have to look through your binoculars. They could be, use a turret, use stealth to get to a certain point, flank around the enemy, snipe, or climb to a higher vantage point. Of course, you don't always have to choose these. You might see an even better way to get through the enemy.
If you had to play any shooter this year, I would force this one upon you. Despite the confusing plot and often aggravating fights, you would be missing out on one of the great new game series'.
Ingenuity-8
It has taken a few things from other games, but mostly sticks to what it had in Crysis.
Graphics-10
It stays at the top of my list for explosive graphics, even if my PC can't handle the "Very High" setting.
Story-7
The story has improved quite a bit, even when it's still confusing and, at times, misleading.
Overall-9
It really has improved since the first game, and I hope they bring out a third one.
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