Well trained, well armed and now well voiced to boot!

EA are developing quite the reputation for pulling out the big guns for voicing duties on their games.

The latest title to feature this oral dedication is Starbreeze’s new Syndicate reboot.

Skipping straight over the C-list celeb ranks we can look forward to the dulcet tones of not only Rosario Dawson (Grindhouse & Sin City) and Michael Wincott (The Crow, Halo 2 & Darksiders 2) but perhaps most excitingly the legend that is Brian “I’ll get you Bourne! Oh and Wolverine!” Cox. Getting someone like Sir Brian of Cox is quite the coup, the man has bullet-proof credentials across multiple genres in addition to major voicing credits for all 3 installments of the Killzone series as the less than helpful Scolar Visari.

This sort of news continues to build expectation for what is looking more and more like a crackerjack of a game…

- Richard “Rax” Burley
@Raxous

Now with even more modern... warfare... maps... on PS3...finally...

PS3 Modern Warfare 3rs will finally get their hands on “Liberation” and “Piazza” on February the 28th.

So PS3 “Elite” subscribers are precicely 1 month less Elite than their 360 cousins… interesting…

Whilst this release is welcome news of course, it’s also further confirmation of the PlayStation’s ailing status in the world of online multiplayer.

Looks increasingly like you’re either enjoying the latest online multiplayer or your watching a Bluray… but not both…

- Richard “Rax” Burley
@Raxous

FAR better late than never!

One of the big games of 2011 has arrived on Mac, courtesy of the App Store.

Perhaps unsurprisingly it’s lacking any form of multi-player, but to be fair Mac players aren’t missing much as RAGE’s multi-player was… well… extremely limited… Furthermore it does include the cool former exclusives to the Anarchy Edition…

Anyway, if you’re stuck on a Mac for your gaming this is good news, it’s even not unreasonably priced… shock horror… at a mere £28!

- Richard “Rax” Burley
@Raxous

Battlefield 3 News of some News!...

Sometimes just the news of… well… some news is enough to get us all excited!

EA insiders have leaked the prospect of a DLC announcement for Battlefield 3 in an event to be held next week.

What will it be? Release date? Content? Price?

Who knows, but keep ‘um peeled next week for more!

- Richard “Rax” Burley
@Raxous

360: http://www.zavvi.com/games/platforms/xbox-360/warhammer-40-000-space-marine/10215583.html

PS3: http://www.thehut.com/games/platforms/ps3/warhammer-40-000-space-marine/10215584.html

- Rax

Won't repeat my previous (and hilarious)"Cindy Kate" joke here... no way... ooops...

Yup, we have a live date for the co-op demo of Syndicate coming direct to your 360 on the 31st of January 2012!

This is the sort of thing I might even stay up for to ensure I can play it absolutely ASAP… one of the gaming events of 2012 so far for me…

By then I hope all the “but it’s not an exact replica of Bullfrog’s classic!!!” gnashing will have died down. Syndicate 2012 is an awesome, co-op featuring, uber-FPS. Yes it’s clearly set in the classic Syndicate world, but it is not a clone of the original. It is new, fresh and introduces a “2nd-tier” to the FPS genre, requiring of it’s player some quick-thinking multi-tasking in addition to a razor sharp trigger finger.

Having played, and enjoyed, Deus Ex:HR last year I can definitely say that this is shaping up to be the game I hoped DXHR would be. It’s just so packed with action, skills, upgrades, weapons and squad-play, all in a beautifully harsh futuristic setting… I literally can’t wait.

Hope 3 of you can join me in the co-op demo, in fact I insist… go add this one to your calendar… right now…

- Richard “Rax” Burley
@Raxous

BioShock Infinite... ly harder...

So, enjoyed the BioShock series so far but just feel a bit like it was maybe lacking challenge?

Do you long for the halcyon days of “proper” difficulty levels?

Missing the sense of fury with yourself you used to get back in the “good ol’ days” when you got stuck in a gaming dead end?

Worry not fellow masochist, for Mr. Levine et al are here to save the day!

BioShock Infinite’s new “1999″ mode will return you to the cold-sweated fear you used to feel back when it’s great, great-grandfather, was stalking the futuristic corridors in the form of System Shock 2 (which was released in… … 1999).

Unforgiving, brutal, tense, worrying, panicky, fraught, desperate… just some of the terms I expect, nay guarantee, when you read the first reviews of this game mode upon the game’s release.

Whilst you will still be able to “save & load” the bygone days of; Death -> Vita-Chamber -> Death-> Vita-Chamber -> ad infinitum will be but a distant memory if you actually choose to ensure 1999.

Of course this will only be an option, with the usual, “ENH” (Easy Normal Hard) modes still also available.

Indeed the game’s creators are so concerned at the effect of introducing new players to this “old school” level of difficulty that 1999 mode will be “hidden” in the menu system by some cunning device… (I vote for requiring pipes to be laid out so that fluid can flow from one side to the other before the mode is available, or even better still something involving hacking & ICE?)

Anyway, this can only be a great move for all involved… well balanced “standard” gameplay modes for sane people, augmented by not only a “hardcore” mode for us “old school” fanboys of the series, but a “hidden” hardcore mode… oooooooooohhhhhhh…..

- Richard “Rax” Burley
@Raxous

http://www.blockbuster.co.uk/product/rent-games/ps3/game/251351/killzone-3.htm

- Rax

http://www.play.com/Games/Xbox360/4-/12145886/Metro-2033/Product.html

- Rax

http://www.play.com/Games/PlayStation3/4-/5483416/Fallout-3/Product.html

- Rax

http://www.zavvi.com/games/platforms/xbox-360/halo-reach/10048622.html

- Rax

http://www.play.com/Games/PC/4-/27114747/Saints-Row-The-Third/Product.html

- Rax

PS3: http://www.zavvi.com/games/platforms/ps3/bulletstorm/10177581.html

- Rax

PS3: http://www.zavvi.com/games/platforms/ps3/deus-ex-3-human-revolution/10201858.html

- Rax

XBox 360:- http://www.play.com/Games/Xbox360/4-/6060893/-/Product.html

PS3:- http://www.play.com/Games/PlayStation3/4-/6060904/-/Product.html

- Rax

http://www.zavvi.com/games/platforms/xbox-360/deus-ex-3-human-revolution/10201857.html

- Rax

Now even more modern...

The latest update from Infinity Ward delivers a couple of excellent fixes and a couple of cool new game modes!

In addition to clearing up a few lag related issues for all involved it also adds Drop Zone, Hardcore Ricochet and Hardcore HQ Ricochet and most interestingly perhaps “Community Playlists”, where Infinity Ward promise to add “popular or unique” private match modes to the public playlists. This is obviously a great move allowing all players to enjoy the fruits of each others distinguished match modes and more importantly supporting these for ranking…

So, to the new game modes;

Hardcore Ricochet: All Hardcore modes will be converted to “Ricochet” as a response to team killing. Any friendly fire will now be applied to the attacker, rather than the victim. Deliberate or accidental team kills will now just end up killing you!

Hardcore HQ Ricochet: We’ll be adding Hardcore Headquarters to the Hardcore Team Tactical playlist.

Drop Zone: Occupying the “drop zone” earns points, first team to 7500 wins, every 15 seconds of occupation a care package (owned by the team with most members in the zone) is dropped, with anyone able to “steal” it. These care packages are the only way to secure air support in this mode. Scoring is 20 points per second for each team member in the zone (each individual also gets 20xp), each kill scores at 50xp.

So welcome changes all round of course… we can’t wait to see what comes of the Community Playlists!

- Richard “Rax” Burley
@Raxous

http://www.gamestation.co.uk/gs/saints-row-the-third-121756

- Rax

But what when two just isn't enough? Well, why not each bring a friend?

Sometimes a news story is doubly worth breaking, but in this case it’s quadruply so, and that is rare my friends!

Not only is the next installment of the superb Army of Two franchise doubling up to 4-player co-operative chaos (Huzzah!) but we also learn that it’s going to be powered by the oh-so-very-awesome Frostbite 2 engine behind the incredible Battlefield 3.

As huge fans of co-op this really is a going to be a treat for us!

This catapults the game up our lists to sit alongside Syndicate, Mass Effect 3 and possibly Dragon Age 3 as being 4-player co-op games to get very, very excited about.

Now I just need to actually make 3 friends… better get a move on!

- Richard “Rax” Burley
@Raxous

.

Which two movie stars do you think are least likely to star in an advert together?

Well Jonas Hill & Sam Worthington are a combination pretty near the top of my list of unlikely screen-fellows!

It doesn’t stop them contributing to a cool trailer ‘tho.

(Apologies for the inane text pop-up drivel, that’s youtube for ya!)

- Richard “Rax” Burley
@Raxous

Don’t worry, Starbreeze Studios are very clearly fans too. Big fans.

We recently had the opportunity to play early versions of both single and co-op parts of the game and talk to some of those behind its creation.

For me personally, and I think I speak for the rest of the team who’ve seen it, this is one of the most exciting games to emerge for 2012 in the FPS genre.

I’ll come to address some of the issues raised by “old skool” gamers (such as myself) concerning the Syndicate universe’s translation into an FPS in a moment, but first, particularly for those who may not have been gaming in ’93, I want to just tell you all about this generation’s Syndicate.

The first thing that strikes you as you enter this new, futuristic, world is the awesome hud. Every object, item, person and system is tagged visually with a data layer, so you real feel “augmented” and “informed”, it is a strangely empowering sensation and a very impressive visual feat. Little “windows” appear for most things from trash cans to dropped enemy weapons, surveillance systems and, of course, the enemy. Very cool. This impression is quickly followed by the feeling of quality in the underlying graphics across the board. Part Blade Runner, part Mirror’s Edge, it is a fantastic fusion of old and new visions of the future. Not only are the architecture and environments rock solid, but animation is also excellent and weapon effects superb. Perhaps the final piece of the “feel” puzzle is the strong “Syndicate” feel pervaded by the omni-presence throughout the game world of the 3 major organisations; Europcorp, Cayman, and Aspari which dominate the global society in which the game is set. Topping this sense off is a very strong sound-scape which contributes to what is already a very polished experience for a game still some 3 months away from going gold.

A stylish... if fairly brutal world come alive once more.

Now, you may have developed (I hope) a sense of the style of Syndicate, but let me leap in there and quickly throw a few more tricks the game has at you to round out that overall impression. The shooting itself looks, feels and sounds great, weapons feel heavy, powerful and accurate. We are promised a deep level of weapon customisation, which is always hugely welcome, and will only serve to add depth to the existing experience. With one particular weapon we used we were able to “lock on” to an enemy and then each bullet would track the target, shooting around corners / over obstacles has never felt this slick or fun! But the dynamic combat experience does not end there, and perhaps Syndicate’s greatest contribution to the genre will end up being “breaching”.

Breaching is the act of using the military grade “DART” chip in your head to overcome and control other chips, be they in a turret, door lock or indeed in an opponent’s head. This is a brilliant nod to the original game and yet also feels so fresh and new. The most impressive aspect of this “breaching” is that it occurs in real-time. Yes, real-time. Think about this for a moment. No longer must you sneak past tricky opposition to gain access to it’s control panel to hack it, oh no. Now you can “breach” it on the fly, mid combat, and you can do this to various ends. Not only is this a game changer when you breach an enemy defense system mid-fight, turning it against them, but you can also breach the enemy themselves directly causing them to deactivate their own shields, become stunned, turn against their own side or even immediately commit suicide. Of course there are cool-downs and costs associated with this, but it makes for an exceptionally intense experience. When you are shooting and breaching, sometimes at the same time, even manipulating your environment to affect cover or subvert AI defense systems you really do feel like a powerful force in control of the battlefield.

OK, I know; Breach, Shoot, Breach, no, erm... Shoot, Breach, Shoot... or both... or neither...

So, we have shooting with a large array of deeply customisable weapons and dynamic breaching to multiple ends, but these are by no means the only tricks in the Syndicate arsenal.

Next I want to talk about character development. This is something very close to my heart and I place it high on my list of value adds to any FPS type game. Well, not only does Syndicate bring full weapon customisation, it also brings a flexible skill like system based on upgrading your DART chip with various technologies you find in other chips you come across, most often, it seems, from the heads of significant rival figures you dispatch. Via this “research” like mechanism, another nod to it’s ’93 progenitor, you can choose to move your characters play style in a number of different directions. Some options will improve your ability to shoot, others your breaching options and still more how rugged or perceptive you are. This does seem like it will really allow you to tailor your character to suit your style and make the most of the many options you have before you in dealing with the opposition.

Before I close this preview out I want to spend a little time on the co-op element of the game. And this is where things get really exciting for a big co-op fan such as myself. Make no mistake, in Syndicate’s case co-op is no mere bolt on, it’s a whole extended game mode. Within the “co-op” experience you have a separate character which levels up and is customisable within this mode. Furthermore this co-op is fully 4-player, a further nod to the earlier Syndicate. The separation of single player and 4-player modes has allowed the team to develop 9 missions, at this stage, which really work when you have 4 skilled players in them. And boy do they work! This is some of the finest co-op I’ve yet seen with players having to work together; Sniping, breaching, healing, going in close quarters, flanking, achieving objectives, supporting and covering each other against large numbers of powerful opponents. This certainly looks like a part of the game where I will be spending a significant amount of time.

Hmmmmmm... cool but cryptic... it's an official screenshot though... any guesses?

Finally, some of you fellow aged gamers out there may of course be thinking “FPS?” and I can understand that, the original Syndicate was the very opposite of FPS. Thus I would like to clarify a few points right now, before proceeding; Syndicate 2012, as I shall call it for now (although it’s set in 2069!), is an FPS through and through, but very clearly and faithfully exists in the Syndicate universe us fans hold dear in our hearts. How faithfully, OK, well some of the maps in the game are almost exact replicas of those from the ’93 game. Yes, the Starbreeze team have taken the old 2D maps and rendered them into gloriously stylish, living, breathing, multi-level, 3D buildings and areas. Not only that but they have done so in a way that still feels so very Syndicate that I can imagine myself running from the 2D world of old Syndicate and straight into the inside of a building rendered in 3D in the new one. Glorious. The chip breaching is also an obvious tribute to the original as is the research / upgrade mechanic. I guess the real question for fellow fans is “Is it a Syndicate game?” to which I can faithfully attest. “Yes”.

We very much look forward to bringing you more information on this game as we get it!

- Richard “Rax” Burley
@Raxous

That is one seriously huge beta! Bring on the launch!

Numbers for the recent Battlefield 3 Beta have been released in the form of this shiny info-graphic.
(Click on it to get a larger version, hosted by the very actual Official Battlefield Blog itself!)

The lowdown is that over 8 million people played it.

It’s worth highlighting that some 47 BILLION bullets were fired (glad I wasn’t in charge of counting them!).

That will certainly give many pause for thought.

We’re certainly hoping we’ll need relatively fewer than that to win our first conquest game. Although, having said that, with my aim it may be more…

(NOTE: Try saying this news item’s title repeatedly, at speed, with a mouth full of Jelly Babies…)

- Richard “Rax” Burley
@Raxous

Game:

So; we’ve completed Rage, finished every “Wasteland Legend”, collected every card, bested every mini-game and raced more than a few of it’s multiplayer tracks, oh and earned every one of it’s achievements, but what is our, we hope by now fairly well-informed, opinion of this much awaited game? Well, keep reading to find out!

A lot of people rushed their reviews of Rage out to have them up in a timely manner, and I can understand that. Having said that I have seen very few “complete” reviews of the game which cover everything Rage has to offer. I hope to set that right.

Coming to the game, as I did, a fan of id and what they have done for the gaming market over the years, I expected a fantastic shooter experience, loads of atmosphere and, despite all the marketing, something fairly RPG lite as concerns character development etc.

I was not disappointed, but I was a little surprised. Not only that, but these surprises were far more positive than I initially expected they might be.

OK, so we've covered "beautiful", but seriously, it really is...

Before we jump in to the nitty-gritty of game-play, I just want to talk about presentation in general, which touches every part of the gaming experience and affects every moment you spend in-game. Of Rage’s many strengths the sheer quality and detail of the visuals is amongst it’s greatest, it is stunning. It is quite possible, believe you me, to clean an instance out of mutants / bandits / authority and then just wonder around a bit inside it, reading graffiti, exploring odd corners, marveling at the way the light streams in through holes in the wall / ceiling, visualising it’s world pre-meteor strike or simply snooping around for goodies to pilfer! Not once did the environments become dull or repetitive and every distinct area has it’s own flavour and feel. Not only that but specifics such as; weapon design & action, varied ammunition effects, costume, vehicles and projectile paths are all dealt with very finely indeed, adding greatly to the dusty, down-trodden feel of the world.

However the greatest feature of id Tech 5 engine under Rage’s bonnet is it’s abilities around character animation. Yes NPCs are finely rendered, and faces strong and distinctive, but it is the movement of enemies in combat which is exceptional. Very rarely in gaming do enemies look fluid and natural whilst running at you along a wall or ceiling, or when they cartwheel mid-run to avoid your shots, or roll into cover, or just when crawling out of the floor, dropping from the ceiling or charging you suicidally along a tight corridor. The first few times I witnessed some of this finesse it very nearly ended in my characters death as I admired, rather than shot at, the oncoming foe.

All in all the game’s world, it’s population, vehicles and equipment all look fantastic, be they at rest or in action. From dusty outposts and neon-lit underground stations to destroyed office buildings and a gleaming authority base, every location is a delight and a spectacle. A feast for your eyes if ever there was one.

Rage is a beautiful game. Really. Beautiful.

So, Rage is certainly beautiful, we’ve made no bones about that. But at it’s heart it is an FPS and a VERY good one at that. Everything from weapons, cover, movement, opponent AI, the benefit of tactics, swift reactions, ammo variety, opponent’s strengths & weaknesses, set pieces and just plain good ol’ “feel” are all there, in abundance, and very finely honed. If you like shooting things, then Rage is for you, in a big way! Every gun feels just right in terms of accuracy, handling and damage, with all of them acquitting themselves equally well when using different ammunition, which sometimes completely coverts their fire mode.

Additionally, opponent behaviour and movement, as discussed above, makes shooting a real challenge, and all the more enjoyable, sniping a jet-packing authority soldier in mid-air is as much of a treat as coolly taking out a charging mutant, nose-to-nose, with your trusty shotgun, at the last possible second. I can honesty say that every single weapon had a use, and every one of them frequently got an outing. But the main “shooter” mechanic is not your only recourse when tackling your foes, in fact, my favourite combat moments usually consisted of either the use of an “advanced wingstick” or followed the deployment of the fantastic “spider-bot”. These two “items” alone contributed greatly to the overall combat experience and helped further expand both it’s appeal and flexibility. Use them, enjoy them, use them again!

So pretty... no not them... the engine... ok... better shoot them now!

OK, so we’ve looked at Rage’s FPS element, which is, after all, the game’s “raison d’être”, and determined that it is a more than competent shooter. Definitely. But does it bring anything else to the table? Most certainly!

The most pleasantly surprising thing about Rage is it’s variety of experience. Whilst the shooting is well balanced and great fun, even on the hardest difficulty setting, it is the other ways you can spend your time which help magnify the quality of it’s core FPS nature. Why? Because they offer you a break and a different challenge, and as they say, “A change is as good as a rest!”.

From the very enjoyable “Rage Frenzy” collectible card game to the highly entertaining “Rage Racing”, from the discovery and use of schema and recipes to the twist on the theme of FPS that is “Mutant Bash TV”, even the infuriatingly difficult to beat “Five Finger Fillet” and the slightly unimaginative “Tombstones” & “Strum” are well realised and definitely have their place enriching the weapon switching and bullet dodging of the central shooter experience.

More Rage prettiness... a screenshot of a broken world... good times...

As alluded to previously the three “mini-games” worth discussing in their own right are: “Rage Frenzy”, “Rage Racing” & “Mutant Bash TV”. The first is very simply a caringly realised card game, not unlike a simple form of “Magic”, or a very sophisticated “Topp Trumps”, it plays well, AI opponents are very competent, and it also panders nicely to any collector types out there, who, like me, are probably a little too excited about finding that slightly improved card with which to improve their “killer deck”!

We then move on to “Rage Racing” within which I will also cover the game’s wider vehicle mechanics and vehicular combat in general, as the racing game takes place in sub-sections of the wider world and employs exactly the same physics, handling and damage models as these “open world” driving sections. We should start by saying the driving is, again, excellent. It’s clear much care has gone into this part of the game and it really does show. Be you in a 3 lap race, a points “rally”, or in open world vehicular travel or combat the cars feel swift, sharp and forgiving, leading to a very enjoyable experience and helping to lend scale, but also variety, to the game world. The handling of the cars is arcade style and balanced well between forgiving and exciting. High top speeds and nitrous style boosts mix with handbrake turns, accurate jumps and guided missiles to make vehicle combat, which at first seems a daunting challenge, a fun and hectic experience, specially when there are three of them and only one of you!

And finally we come to “Mutant Bash TV”, an FPS take on the ol’ classic “Smash TV”, which simply entails you at first surviving waves of mutants in slightly different rooms, but then escalates, on subsequent run-throughs, to a finely honed dance like experience where you learn their patterns, allowing you to expertly dispatch mutants in extended kill-chains, at speed, to score (and thus earn) increasingly large prize pots. Whilst by no means easy, specially in your first run-through, once mastered it really is great fun and very satisfying (in addition to being a great place to both earn money and stock up on ammo if you’re accurate enough to not waste any!).

Mutant Bash TV... great fun, but not for the faint of heart...

It would not be fair to close out a review without focusing on the game’s story and, to be brutally honest, this is where Rage does not hit the peaks as it does in other areas. The story is both cliche and under-written. There are precious few “important” characters and even fewer really interesting or fun ones. The main plot points amount to only 3 “events” one of which is part of the introductory cinematic. There is also absolutely no choice at all as you progress through the game, not a single choice you must / can make plot wise.

To top this off the ending is anti-climatic in the extreme with both little variety of challenge and only a very small cinematic as pay-off for all your hard work. This is fundamentally, when all is said and done, a shooter’s shooter. No heart-string pulling or soft-focus romance. Enjoy for what it is. Shooting, and darn fine shooting at that.

To conclude we must focus on multi-player, which is a fantastic experience when Rage allows you to have some! You have a choice of two types of multi-player in Rage, either racing other players in a number of different modes, or finding a buddy and playing through 9 two-player “missions” through variations of the maps traversed in the single player. Whilst the racing is well done and hectic fun, well worth a dabble, specially for racing fans, it is the “Legends” mode where Rage multi-player really excels.

There is nothing more “Rageish” than racing through an enemy packed level, with a trusty companion, dispatching mobs hither-and-thither at speed, with all manner of different weapons and devices. I must say I highly enjoyed Legends and it makes a perfect “after-show party” the the campaigns main event (big thanks to fellow newb Jose who was just such a trusty and able companion throughout half of these “Legends”!).

With the ability to resurrect you buddy and greatly improved opportunities to engage in some flanking and support fire the game’s engine, weapons and level design really shine here and no Rage gamer should be without at least a quick romp through a couple of these levels. It’s such a pity this co-op feature could not be integrated into the whole game, now that would have been truly epic!

The matchmaking also seems sluggish at the time of writing, but, to be fair, your patience in this regard is always rewarded eventually. Best option here? Invite & play with a friend. There, matchmaking problems solved!

The Authority are cool... in an uber-autocratic kind of way obviously...

So before we sum up there are a few quibbles, beyond plot & characters that need clearing up; The game is short. If you don’t go after achievements, collectibles and side-quests it’s VERY short. There are also a small number of very unnecessary restrictions on some of the achievements, which penalise, without warning, and indeed prevent your ability to complete them beyond certain points. When will game makers realise that every achievement should be achievable following, or at least immediately prior to, the end of the game. Specially where save-games are limited and achievements are cumulative, but not across playthroughs. “100% completion” is all well and good, and indeed welcome, but in Rage’s case it means you can spend 99% of the time required and get 0% of the reward. Shame.

In summary, Rage is an excellent and highly enjoyable shooter with bells on, and those bells are big and very shiny. A stone cold recommendation for shooter fans, and an open invite to anyone who just wants to play a very good game.

Review Round-Up

Gameplay – 4.5/5: Near flawless shooting across multiple weapons and their different ammo types, numerous devices and equipment to use and fantastic enemy movement and AI, and that’s just the shooting. Add multiple cool mini-games a fun driving mode and crafting and collectibles and there really is something for everyone.

Graphics – 4.5/5: Cutting edge. The light interplay, the texture detail, the variety of costume and equipment, the raw power of the scenery, some of the best sky visuals ever seen, fantastic graffiti & decay details, huge amounts of detail everywhere, brilliantly fluid and intense combat movement and weapon fire.

Sound – 4/5: Everything from music to voice acting to sound effects are strong. On occasion the score fails to deliver the epic feel of the visuals, but at other times it’s haunting creep & suspenseful overtures pack a serious auditory punch.

Longevity – 3.5/5: With a fairly brief campaign, it’s the multiplayer and the sheer joy of replaying certain scenarios that will bring you back. Not quite enough to give it huge re-playability, but certainly good enough to earn it’s keep.

Overall: 4 collectible cards out of 5

Buy it, play it, enjoy it, then come back with a buddy for double the fun and shoot for those high multi-player scores. Great stuff!

- Richard “Rax” Burley
@Raxous

So, buying Battlefield 3 could be the best investment you ever make!

Today EA announced the largest online console game tournament ever.

“The Battlefield 3 Worldwide Conquest Tournament” will be a joint effort by EA, DICE & Virgin Gaming and will kick off in early 2012.

With a prize pot amounting to a staggering $1,600,000.00 (that looks way more impressive than $1.6m, non?) this is sure to be a huge media event the world over.

Anyway, to get more on this and sign-up you need to be heading to http://virgingaming.com/tournaments/worldwide-conquest/.

You can rest assured we will be reporting on this LIVE whether we make it into the latter stages of the competition or not!

It’s worth noting that at this stage it’s open to XBox 360 & PS3 players only. No PC support announced yet. This may affect your buying decision, so think carefully when you choose which platform to play Battlefield 3 on!

- Richard “Rax” Burley
@Raxous

Battlefield 3 Beta... but only for the lucky few today..

Today sees the launch of the Battlefield 3 Beta, currently available only to those who pre-ordered via Origin or purchased the Medal of Honor Limited Edition.

Beta keys & instructions for these lucky few will start arriving in inboxes later today (13:00 to 15:00 CET) and then the fun will really begin.

All the rest of us grunts will have to wait till the 29th when the doors to this theatre of war preview performance begin in earnest.

See you on the field soldier!

- Richard “Rax” Burley
@Raxous

So! What are your goals on this mission? Listen up soldier! I WILL only say this once!

The full achievements list for Modern Warfare 3 (MW3) has broken cover and can be found listed below;

Be aware that, as ever with achievement lists, spoilers are included. So read the list with your eyes fully closed if you don’t want some of your MW3 surprises spoilt;

•     Back in the Fight (5) – Start the Single Player Campaign on any difficulty.
•     I Live (10) – Survive 1 wave in a Special Ops Survival game.
•     Too Big to Fail (10) – Destroy the Jamming Tower. Complete “Black Tuesday” on any difficulty.
•     Wet Work (10) – Take back New York Harbor. Complete “Hunter Killer” on any difficulty.
•     Carpe Diem (10) – Escape the mountain safe house. Complete “Persona Non Grata” on any difficulty.
•     Frequent Flyer (10) – Defend the Russian President. Complete “Turbulence” on any difficulty.
•     Up to No Good (10) – Infiltrate the village. Complete “Back on the Grid” on any difficulty.
•     One Way Ticket (10) – Make it to Westminster. Complete “Mind the Gap” on any difficulty.
•     Welcome to WW3 (10) – Save the US Vice President. Complete “Goalpost” on any difficulty.
•     Sandstorm! (10) – Assault the shipping company. Complete “Return to Sender” on any difficulty.
•     Back Seat Driver (10) – Track down Volk. Complete “Bag and Drag” on any difficulty.
•     We’ll Always Have Paris (10) – Escape Paris with Volk. Complete “Iron Lady” on any difficulty.
•     Vive la Révolution! (10) – Reach the church. Complete “Eye of the Storm” on any difficulty.
•     Requiem (10) – Escape the city. Complete “Blood Brothers” on any difficulty.
•     Storm the Castle (10) – Discover Makarov’s next move. Complete “Stronghold” on any difficulty.
•     Bad First Date (10) – Find the girl. Complete “Scorched Earth” on any difficulty.
•     Diamond in the Rough (10) – Rescue the Russian President. Complete “Down the Rabbit Hole” on any difficulty.
•     Brag Rags (10) – Earn 1 star in Special Ops Mission Mode.
•     Serrated Edge (15) – Finish a Juggernaut with a knife in Special Ops.
•     Secret Achievement (20) – Continue playing to unlock this secret achievement.
•     Arms Dealer (20) – Buy all items from the Survival Weapon Armory.
•     Danger Zone (20) – Buy all items from the Survival Air Support Armory.
•     Defense Spending (20) – Buy all items from the Survival Equipment Armory.
•     No Assistance Required (20) – Complete a Special Ops Mission Mode game on Hardened or Veteran with no player getting downed.
•     Tactician (20) – Earn 1 star in each mission of Special Ops Mission Mode.
•     Strike! (20) – Kill 5 enemies with a single grenade in Single Player or Special Ops.
•     Jack the Ripper (20) – Melee 5 enemies in a row in Single Player or Special Ops.
•     Informant (20) – Collect 22 Intel Items.
•     Survivor (20) – Reach Wave 10 in each mission of Special Ops Survival mode.
•     This Is My Boomstick (20) – Kill 30 enemies with the XM25 in “Black Tuesday.”
•     What Goes Up… (20) – Destroy all the choppers with only the UGV’s grenade launcher in “Persona Non Grata.”
•     For Whom the Shell Tolls (20) – Destroy all targets during the mortar sequence with only 4 shells in “Back on the Grid.”
•     Kill Box (20) – Kill 20 enemies with the Chopper Gunner in a single run in “Return to Sender.”
•     Danger Close (20) – Take down a chopper with an AC-130 smoke grenade in “Bag and Drag.”
•     Ménage à Trois (20) – Destroy 3 tanks with a single 105mm shot in “Iron Lady.”
•     Nein (20) – Kill 9 enemies with A-10 strafing runs in “Scorched Earth.”
•     50/50 (20) – Complete a Special Ops Mission Mode game with the same number of kills as your partner.
•     Birdie (20) – Kill 2 enemy helicopters without getting hit in a Special Ops Survival game.
•     Get Rich or Die Trying (25) – Have $50,000 current balance in a Special Ops Survival game.
•     The Big Apple (25) – Complete “Black Tuesday” and “Hunter Killer” on Veteran difficulty.
•     Out of the Frying Pan… (25) – Complete “Persona Non Grata”, “Turbulence”, and “Back on the Grid” on Veteran difficulty.
•     Payback (25) – Complete “Mind the Gap”, “Goalpost”, and “Return to Sender” on Veteran difficulty.
•     City of Lights (25) – Complete “Bag and Drag” and “Iron Lady” on Veteran difficulty.
•     The Darkest Hour (25) – Complete “Eye of the Storm”, “Blood Brothers”, and “Stronghold” on Veteran difficulty.
•     This is the End (25) – Complete “Scorched Earth”, “Down the Rabbit Hole”, and “Dust to Dust” on Veteran difficulty.
•     Scout Leader (35) – Collect 46 Intel Items.
•     Unstoppable (40) – Reach Wave 15 in each mission of Special Ops Survival mode.
•     Overachiever (40) – Earn 48 stars in Special Ops Mission Mode.
•     Who Dares Wins (40) – Complete the campaign on any difficulty.
•     The Best of the Best (100) – Complete the campaign on Hardened or Veteran difficulty.

It looks like we’re in for a good mix of game modes in this release of the Call of Duty series, alongside some spectacular storyline set pieces.

So, armour up soldiers and pack some extra smoke grenades… we’re heading for the front-lines!

- Richard “Rax” Burley
@Raxous

Coming to consoles, but only via download...

The original Crysis will be coming to both XBox 360 & PS3 next month.

This back-release will include refreshed console controls & 3D stereoscopic visuals, but, and it’s a biggie, will only be available via download. Set to cost 1600 Microsoft Points on Xbox Live or £15.99 on the PlayStation Network, it won’t be cheap, but will certainly please any console gamers who loved the sequel.

Best be checking your broadband contract for download limits… that’s a lot of game to fit down a poor little ADSL line…

- Richard “Rax” Burley
@Raxous

Planetside 2; now with extra freeness...

John Smedley, SOE President, has revealed that Planetside 2 will be based around a F2P cost model.

Whilst no surprise, in this age of F2P growth, it is still very welcome news for all you MMOFPS fans.

The original Planetside being one of the pioneers of the MMOFPS genre, this sequel has a lot to live up to. And signs, so far, are good.

So, put away your wallet, and keep an eye on us for further news on this.

- Richard “Rax” Burley
@Raxous

Get some MW3 game time at GAMEfest...

So, when will we get to see MW3 for real and have a go on it?

Glad you asked.

16th of September 2011 at GAMEfest in the Birmingham NEC, UK.

There, gaming news can be so simple sometimes!

Oh and you can get more info about, or indeed buy tickets for, GAMEfest right here.

- Richard “Rax” Burley

One of the great joys in gaming is sharing your experiences with other players.

This is something which can take one of two forms; either the other discusee has played the game you are discussing so you both jump straight into highlights, criticism, reminiscences, comparisons and impressions, or they haven’t and so you undertake a sometimes elaborate, sometimes summarised, critique of the game from an overall perspective, and if it’s good enough, a sales pitch for it…

Well, in my humble experience, the STALKER (aka S.T.A.L.K.E.R.) series of games is one which too few people are able to avoid my sales pitch for…

So, just in case you are one such person, here goes;

The STALKER series of games, based on the popular Russian science fiction novella “Roadside Picnic” written by the Strugatsky brothers, is currently comprised of 3 PC / Windows games; Shadow of Chernobyl, Clear Sky & Call of Pripyat, each a classic, each charting the power struggle in and around the Chernobyl area following a further future meltdown of it’s famous nuclear reactor and the mysterious effects this has on it’s surroundings.

Whilst that may not immediately entice you to rush out and buy such a seemingly dour game, let me reveal to you the world within a world which STALKER inhabits, and see if I can’t tempt you to you join me in Chernobyl. Seriously. It’s far more interesting, rewarding and exciting than you would ever likely assume.

Beautiful and Broken.. that's a STALKER's world for you!

STALKER is, at it’s core, an open-world exploratory shooter. Indeed it was probably the first to successfully bring together such diverse mechanics / features as; Faction / Allegiance based NPC behaviours, independent NPC “lives” (including abundant and varied independent AI wildlife), fully detailed and realistic armour & weapon behaviours (degradation, handling, modification, repair, etc), location based trading price fluctuations, full day-night cycle, varied weather changes, ad-hoc collaboration with AI, realistic weight / load inventory management, bullet distance dynamics, skill-less / stat-less naturalistic character progression, and the list goes on & on… (and on).

So many options & decisions... inventory management par excellence!

With a list of features like that you may be wondering why you haven’t played it already, and that would be a very good question… because you certainly should have.

But let’s get back to basics, it may very well be a most accomplished game, but why should you play it?

The STALKER series has for a long time offered a level of freedom of choice that few other games can rival. This is particularly the case in the FPS genre where the player is usually asked to navigate an extended series of compounds, tunnels, trenches, corridors, alleys and lobbies, be that on a battlefield, in a city or through deep space. In a STALKER game you are more likely to notice the lack of any significant quantity of buildings in much of the game. This itself is a refreshing change of pace and allows you to choose if you want to tackle situations head on, from a distance, by flanking or avoid them altogether by bypassing the area entirely. Whilst this can certainly feel like too much choice early on, it eventually leads you to question the linearity of most other games, which seem very limited in comparison once you’ve experienced the freedom of STALKER’s approach.

"Hello! Excuse Me!... I'm pleased to inform you you've just been flanked! Congratulations!"

For example; It is very rare, in most other games, to be able to lead one set of opponents into a 3rd party and have them interact dynamically, but this can be a very efficient method of dealing with situations in STALKER games. It’s equally fascinating to sit at distance and watch a group you would normally run and hide from dealing with a surprise attack by local “wildlife” which plays out, to one of what could be almost any number of possible outcomes, without any involvement from you. Many a time have I heard gunfire & shouting in the distance and having sprinted (carefully) there found only a couple of dead bodies, some blood and perhaps some explosive marks… often leaving me able only to wonder what may have happened (but very happy to collect up any remaining weapons / ammunition / supplies left behind!).

On other occasions I recall being near death in a hopeless shootout I’d stumbled into foolishly only to have my aggressors ambushed from behind by an opposing faction’s patrol who just happened to be moving through the area, or more local “wildlife” drawn by the gunfire, allowing me a precious, and life saving, opportunity to escape as they battle each other.

"Hey you!"... "Erm... who? Me? But I was just walking my dog!? Honest!"...

Other “fond” memories include my assault rifle jamming as 3 members of military special forces charge my position, leaving me to deal with them with a grenade and a handful of pistol rounds. Or the time I was forced to try and lure a pack of giant, snarling, mutant dogs into a local radioactive “anomaly”, as I simply had no ammunition left following an unfortunate combination of weapon jams & ammunition over-usage in an earlier encounter.

These types of incidents are the kind of “undesigned” situations that only occur because of the way STALKER games are created. Totally unscripted events are by definition fresh, unplannable, and dynamic. Consequently they often feel extremely realistic.

What about the role radiation itself plays in adding peril, complexity and variety to these games? Well, it would be quite easy to write a few thousand words on this topic, but we’ll keep it brief. Radiation can be your best friend, or your worst enemy, and usually the latter. If generates nearly invisible “Anomalies” which can both unexpectedly kill you, if you are not using your “detector”, but can also conceal powerful “artifacts” which can provide huge boosts to your resistances, abilities & stats. It also poisons you unless you take anti-radiation drugs before or pills (or indeed vodka!) after exposure to strongly radioactive areas which, of course, often contain powerful items or weapons to be discovered within them.

It is essential to use distance to your advantage, rushing in guns a-blazing will get you killed... very, very quickly...

So, whilst there are myriad other areas in which the STALKER series excels I would like to spend a little time on the actual “shooter” experience. Vital to any game which features guns etc, the behaviour of these weapons is a key factor in determining the satisfaction experienced by the player. Weapons need to “feel” reliably realistic, have appreciably different applications / strengths & weaknesses and behave consistently in the range of conditions and situations you find yourself in throughout the games. You will have likely guessed, from the nature of the list, that STALKER does indeed tick all these boxes and more! Indeed it offers a superb example of how to deliver a visceral, intuitive and exciting FPS experience. When you add to this pleasure, in actually using the weapons, their detailed statistics, degradation, diverse ammunition types, attachments, modifications, the need to manage ammunition (many weapons can even be re-bored to shoot a different type of ammunition!) you really have a pretty complete approach to the whole concept of modern combat.

If you love beautifully & hauntingly realized derelict landscapes you are in for a real treat!

Anyway, there are many, many more areas of the game I would love to excitedly praise but as I always say, the game is… well… in the game… (OK I usually say it more pithily than that, but you know what I mean) and I feel, on balance, I have said all I can without diminishing the surprises, mysteries and complexity of the games I hope you will come to enjoy & respect as much as I do!

So join me and become a STALKER, be that for the good of all, or to entirely selfish ends, how you choose to play is optional, but playing in the first place is not. As ever, you have my promise of superior gaming quality, do not let this one slip by unnoticed, do yourself a favour, become a STALKER. It may not be for the feint of heart… but then what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger… doesn’t it?

- Richard “Rax” Burley

By far the most exciting MMFPS of 2011... and now with added bonuses!

DICE have just detailed the whole pre-order package(s) thingamy for everyone’s soon to be favourite shooter of 2011.

Without going into too much detail here, and believe me there is a lot of detail, let’s just say pre-ordering will be most worthwhile.

For full details you should definitely click here to access the full run-down on Battlefield’s own site.

With cross game promotional items all the rage, there is little to surprise here, but a lot to be excited about, specially the previously unknown first expansion; “Back to Karkand“. Which is said to be bigger than BFBC2′s robustly sized Vietnam expansion… impressive!

So pre-ordering looks like it will save you at least $15 (£10?) fairly quickly, thus making this one game where pre-ordering does definitely make sense.

See at the front Soldier!

- Richard “Rax” Burley

Veterans to the left, Newbs to the right!

Epic’s Rod Ferguson, a big cheese in the development of Gears of War 3, has confirmed that not only will there be a “casual” multi-player area but that, interestingly, it will be inaccessible to anyone who has played a previous Gears of War game!

This is an excellent move, allowing those new to the franchise and / or FPS in general, to learn the ropes without getting mercilessly pummeled by 5 year veterans.

This is certainly the most significant implementation of an intelligent & helpful “tiering” system in a major game release. Something we hope will be adopted by other developers / publishers.

- Richard “Rax” Burley

With players being asked to pay some serious money to get hold of the game itself and now significant sums for additional DLC, gaming is becoming an increasingly expensive business.

With some people paying £40 for the game and then £10 for each DLC that puts total cost of ownership of BLOPS at £70. Ouch.

The maths also doesn’t really add up. At £10 a pop each map pack is implied to have cost 1/4 of the cost it took to develop the original game? Really? Erm… no. Just maps = Just static content. The constant drip feeding of fairly simple / cheap to develop content is becoming cynical and we certainly hope other developers / publishers do not follow Treyarch & Activision’s example to this extreme…

Having said all that, enjoy the maps!

- Rax

EA Steam issues continue of GameStop just wrong?

GameStop are claiming that digital delivery of Battlefield 3 will be through their own system only and will not be available via Steam.

This seems both unlikely and counter-productive for EA / DICE as Steam is such a dominant force in PC based games content delivery.

It can only further highlight what seems to be continuing difficulties with the Steam / EA relationship.

One interesting sideline not mentioned is that Origin does not come up in the conversation. Why would EA go with GameStop but not Steam? Surely Origin will get first dibs on it? Are DICE involved in this issue?

More on this soon no doubt…

- Rax

If you’ve ever wanted to be marooned in Moscow’s Underground system following an apocalypse that has created seemingly endless numbers of powerful mutants and chronic food, water and resource shortages then you’ve likely played Metro 2033 (or bloomin’ well should!), the original release and prequel to Metro: Last Light, which is due to release March 2012.

Whilst more linear than it’s counterpart in the niche genre of “Gritty & Unforgiving Post-Apocalyptic Shooter”, STALKER, Metro 2033 provides for a much more claustrophobic and focused shooter based experience both in terms of setting and resource availability.

Whilst clearly maintaining the superb feel of it’s predecessor, Last Light looks to be cranking up both the graphics and chaos in it’s approach as our embattled hero once more sets out on his most perilous journeys…

Most definitely one to watch…

- Rax

Far Cry 3 looks to be shaping up very nicely, as well demonstrated in the above video, with both realistic AI behaviours and excellent variety in gameplay approaches possible.

It also looks awesome, obviously!

- Rax

Easy does it... easy does it... erm... actually... sod it... I'm taking a running jump!!!

One of the most underrated games… well… ever actually, looks set to rise from the ashes of it’s less than spectacular sales figures and is mentioned as “in the pipeline” for DICE, to use their excellent Forstbite 2 Engine,  who are currently working on Battlefield 3.

This is great news as the first Mirror’s Edge really was something different and bought a fresh fluidity of movement to the genre…

Bring on the sequel we say… all platforms please… and get the marketing right this time!

- Rax

The most fun you can have online? Erm... yes indeedy!

If you have a PC, and enjoy any of the following, you NEED to download this and get stuck in, we promise it’s 100% awesome;

- Shooting people
- Tactical gameplay
- Gaining achievements
- Working collectively
- Unique classes
- Ambushing others
- Building things
- Healing buddies
- Wearing hats
- Making stuff
- Collecting drops
- Oddball humour
- Sound effects
- Backstabbing snipers
- Sniping enemies
- Cloaked sneaking
- Big guns
- Melee combat
- Ranged warfare
- Fish slapping
- Flame throwers
- Rocket launchers
- Strategic thinking
- Laughing alot
- Seasonal events
- Fantastic communities
- Excellent developers
- Mods galore

Thank us later… why not buy us a hat?

Further details here: http://www.teamfortress.com/freetoplay

- Rax

A few new videos have escaped from Square Enix’s top secret video vault, including the one premiered at E3 2011, above.

Another which may be of interest, but MUST be prefaced by a STRONG WARNING, is the one linked to below, but be warned it contains the full intro and prologue chapter from the leaked beta!

Only click this link if you want some serious spoilers for the start of this huge game! (Also note that it clearly does not represent the finished game in terms of graphics quality, smoothness, sound production or final plot options!)

Beta Leak Footage

- Rax

Call of Duty Elite... Waypoint for CoD?

It seems that Activision have noticed the ongoing success of Halo’s “Waypoint” and finally responded with burst of their own social media assault rifle…

The question is now how good will Activision’s version be and can it push the Call of Duty franchise to new heights?

“Elite” is going to be taking a lot of Waypoint’s great features and adding a fully integrated online match making extravaganza with support for one off events, tournaments and competitions.

With a userbase as large as Call of Duty’s this could be a huge new pull for gamers, however if it proves unwieldy, buggy or lacks real features gamers want then it could just be an expensive piece of brinkmanship.

Here’s hoping it turns out well as we should all be encouraging this sort of extension to the traditional, “single title”, experience and supporting publishers / developers who look to take things forward to a more integrated franchise approach.

- Rax

The good people at Gametrailers.com recently uploaded a video with an exclusive look at the gameplay for Dead Island. You know, that game with that trailer.

On the surface Dead Island looks to be a mishmash of Far Cry, Left 4 Dead, and Dead Rising (Left Far Dead Rising Cry?), but boasts a far more dynamic and varied RPG system, including four player co-op, character classes, weapon crafting and repairs, and a gigantic varied island setting.

It made The Newb Review’s Most Anticipated Games of 2011 list for a reason you know.

Expect to hear more details at this year’s E3 event in Los Angeles, ahead of the game’s August release date.

It seems to have become common practice to talk about what Crysis 2 doesn’t do. Certainly, we at the Newb Review could follow suit… ah, what the hell, let’s do it. Crysis 2 is a game that doesn’t (at time of writing) support DirectX 11, it’s a game that is far from bug-free, a game that doesn’t deliver world-changing AI, and a game that, at its core, doesn’t make much, if any, narrative sense. What you’re left with following such a salvo of detractions should be little more than a failure to deliver on the game’s grandiose intentions; the ruins of an FPS to contrast with the gleaming cityscape architected by the hype machine.

Yet the game that rises from the dust remains amongst the finest first-person shooters of this generation, and not simply because it’s one of the finest looking console games ever made. Read on to find out why.

In truth, I wasn’t expecting much when I sat down to start reviewing Crysis 2. After all, once the hype has died down, PC games have rarely translated well to their console counterparts without fundamentally reworking, handicapping, or lobotomizing the experience. My first hour or so with the game did little to change my mind. Certainly, the game looked stunning, but there was something ‘floaty’ about the experience. The bullet-sponge human enemies seemed to be soaking up far too many rounds for my liking, whilst my own super soldier felt fragile, vulnerable and not so super at all. Not a great combination.

A few hours further in however, and Crysis 2 had me hooked. Being of PC pedigree, this game demands head-shots, and provides the player with plenty of tools to go about getting them. Refreshingly, every weapon in the game is useful, albeit some are optimal at a very limited range, whilst others seem able to perform at almost any. Every weapon in the game is also customisable on the fly; with silencers, scopes, extended magazines and grenade launchers to be attached, switched and removed whenever you can spare the moments needed to do so. Acquiring a new modification will unlock it for the rest of the game, so it’s worth picking up that silenced shotgun for a moment, even if you don’t want to use it then and there.

The first hour or two was a bit painful to say the least.

You wouldn’t be much of a super soldier if you were reliant on firearms alone however. Like its predecessor, Crysis 2 puts the player in control of Some Bloke In A High Tech Suit, and this suit can be upgraded. Initially providing increased strength, durability and agility (kicking cars around is an early perk), your bread-and-butter abilities are a cloak and an armored shell. By the end of the game you can supplement these with a variety of additional toys, unlocked with what amounts to the blood of your alien enemies. Ranging from the ability to see through an enemy’s cloak to the ability to sprint and super-jump for longer, it’s a system that does well to empower you later in the game without crippling you at the start.

This range of upgrade options might lead you to believe that you can play Crysis 2 in a variety of ways, with the suit being customisable to support your approach. This is certainly true to an extent. Each area in Crysis 2 is a sandbox of sorts, and enables players to sneak up on unsuspecting enemies for stealthy melee kills, snipe from a distance or simply move from cover to cover, guns blazing. That said, there’s a definite ‘right way’ to play Crysis 2, particularly if you want to get through the toughest difficulty setting, and ultimately the suit augmentations are biased towards this style of play. I won’t spoil the discovery for you, but play like you’re Predator, and use your cloak and armour abilities in a see-saw fashion, and you’ll soon get the hang of things.

Play around and have fun with nanosuit abilities and you'll have A LOT of fun.

The artificial intelligence is inconsistent at best in Crysis 2. Enemies advance, flank, retreat and move to investigate suspicious noises or activity, but they will also hide on the wrong side of cover, run against walls, collide with each other and sometimes seem to perform a jittery dance on the spot. The Pingers – bipedal alien tanks – also have an irritating knack of facing you for a significant amount of time, irrespective of whether you’re cloaked. Particularly grating when their weak-point is on their backs.

Dodgy AI is supplemented by some glitchy moments of gameplay. Towards the end of the game, a bridge you must cross has enemies which spawn two at a time. I can tell you this, because every time enemies spawn, they flicker at the center of the bridge, before vanishing to wherever they’re actually supposed to be. A later moment had me reload and repeat the same combat set-piece four times before finally triggering the scripted event that would let me continue. Oh, and though not strictly a bug, welcome back to respawning enemies; a particular bugbear of mine that would be best left in games of the last generation.

Respawning enemies? Seriously? SERIOUSLY?

When Crysis 2 was in development, much of the hype surrounded the groundbreaking new approach to storytelling. Science fiction author Richard Morgan was employed to deliver a truly engaging story, and went on record last year to slam the narratives of other shooters, describing Modern Warfare 2’s plot as “Totally implausible”. If anyone doubted he could backup his words with better words, Crysis 2’s story can be summarised, spoiler free, thusly: The game places you in the role of a one-man-army named after a prison, who spends the entire game so chronically hungover that he’s rendered mute, and often passes out in pools of water. In this role, you must help the bastard lovechild of Gary Oldman and Rolf Harris work with and against an evil pensioner to save the world from an malign race of calamari who live under Central Park. Excellent work Richard.

Mercifully, the story can be ignored, even if the in-game cutscenes are unskippable. What’s left is a beautifully presented portrayal of Manhattan under siege; the environment becoming progressively closer to total devastation as you approach the climax. Even on a console, some of the views are breathtaking, and the sound design is excellent. Those who like to pause between combat to drink in the sights will find plenty to quench their thirst in Crysis 2.

Multiplayer

You’d be forgiven for thinking that you were playing a new episode in the Call of Duty franchise when you first play Crysis 2 online. The player cards are replaced with doglegs, still customisable with your nation’s flag, weapons are upgradeable and interchangeable through 5 custom class slots, challenges are presented for additional XP and maps can be voted for. Such levelling and unlocking of rewards presents the player with a scale of longevity that’s certainly equal to the market favourite. It remains to be seen if the Crysis lobbies stay as populated and attract the same interest as those of CoD, but at present finding a match is a smooth process.

In the multiplayer games themselves, the differences are similarly subtle. The perks and kill streak rewards in Crysis 2 are also lifted from Call of Duty, offering the usual 3, 5 and 7 kill enhancements. The custom perks to give your character an edge are about as original, and offer the same silent footsteps, faster aiming, and longer running boosts as Call of Duty with only a few omissions and extras. These perks are notably different from those available in singleplayer however.

At present all online FPS's seem to stick to a tried and tested formula, and Crysis 2 is no different.

The nanosuit’s, cloak and armour features define Crysis 2 as whole, and so it’s the nanosuit that sets the online experience apart. The ability to stealth defied my original skepticism by not being overpowered. Where I expected to be caught unawares by players who were literally invisible, I regularly spotted these shimmering sneaks and dispatched them quickly, favouring armour myself to outlast the firefight. Of course, occasionally these boys and girls papered my rock by getting the drop on me, and it was certainly an even fight. To be truly effective you have to master switching between armour and stealth as necessary, with the standout players able to know when to employ neither, instead using their suit power for a better melee attack, faster run and so forth. In any case, Crysis 2’s “if you cant beat ‘em, join ‘em” approach to multiplayer adds much to the game as a complete package and as a contender for the best shooter on the shop shelves.

Review Round-up

Graphics: 4.5/5 As is well documented elsewhere, Crysis 2 looks gorgeous, and is certainly amongst the best looking console games ever made. Unfortunately, such looks come with a price, and both 360 and PS3 version hide framerate drops with liberal motion blur. It’s also evident that the PS3 was not the lead platform, and has noticeably more pop-in and framerate drops than its 360 sibling, which do affect your appreciation. PS3 owners should deduct half a point from the final score.

Sound: 4/5 A well-scored soundtrack includes work by Hollywood favourite Hans Zimmer, and this was certainly money well spent. Satisfying combat effects and some decent voicework add to the experience – never has “Cloak engaged” sounded so cool.

Gameplay:3.5/5 Combining exploration and stealth elements with tactical action and a functional cover system, Crysis 2 offers one of the finest shooting experiences of this generation. Only a few glitches and some unfortunate AI prevent the game from scoring higher in this category.

Longevity:3/5 With the ability to carry-over your abilities and weapon modifications to successive playthroughs, the game rewards players who come back for more, albeit with reduced rather than increased challenge. There are plenty of collectibles to track down in singleplayer, and the usual host of multiplayer unlockables for those that perservere.

Overall: 4 out of 5

Flawed yet beautiful, Crysis 2 is an excellent singleplayer experience. Combined with multiplayer created by the team formerly known as Free Radical, it’s a tantalizing package for fans of the genre, and not one that should be missed. Crysis 2 walks so close to FPS perfection that at times its flaws seem all the more pronounced, but surely this is truly testiment to its strengths.

-Ash Tregay & Groark

Bethesda have told us that Splash Damage’s latest effort has had it’s release moved forward the 10th of May in North America, and 13th May in Europe, this will cover all platforms it is releasing for (PS3, PC & XBox 360) and has occurred due to the over efficiency of the dev team! Yay!

If only certain other games could learn from Brink and release a weak early, as opposed to 13 years late…

Featuring actual game play from the pre-beta of this imminently HUGE game, “Episode 3″ of the “Fault Line” teaser trailer for Battlefield 3 certainly whets the appetite!

The release of each episode is generating increasing amounts of excitement amongst the community, which seems likely to reach near fever pitch when the complete “Fault Line” trailer goes live on April 17th.

Whilst all the footage is amazing, it’s what we see in the final seconds of this episode that definately sent a real shiver down our spines…

Bring on Battlefield 3!

Game:

20^th September. This is the release date for Gears of War 3. If you can’t wait for that (and why would you) then Bulletstorm may be exactly what you need to occupy some time. I bring up Gears of War because the same studio that is responsible for Marcus, Dominic, Cole and the Carmine brothers are also the creators of Bulletstorm. Although these games are very different, they do share some of the same manly, grunting, beefcake character archetypes.

The game kicks off by introducing you to Grayson Hunt and his band of merry pirates. We see a flashback to their days as a secret hit squad for the army, under a maniacal general. When they uncovered the truth about the atrocities that they had been committing on the General’s word, Grayson mutinied, dragging his team along with him and turning them all into outlaws. We pick up the story years after when, upon a chance encounter with the General’s ship, Grayson lashes out in a drunken rage and once again puts his team in the line of fire. Both sides crash land on a treacherous, crumbling planet inhabited by insane mutants, the remnants of a dead civilization.

The main character is not a typical hero, but neither is he a true antihero. His motives are vengeance and justice, but his team are not as interested in morality as they are in their own mortality. Ishi is Grayson’s best friend, his sidekick, his Dominic, if you will. He is your partner through most of the game and he is justifiably pissed off: Grayson’s careless attack caused Ishi to suffer fatal wounds. The only way to save him was to replace half his body and brain with robotic parts. Evil robot parts.

The overarching objectives of the game are threefold; ‘get to the chopper’, ‘get off this rock’ and fix Ishi. It’s coherent and though it may not be the deepest story it’s still worthy of the action-movie vibe that Bulletstorm is riddled with.

Over the top gore and humour is Bulletstorm's forte.

There is a lot of tongue in cheek machismo banter and crudeness to the dialogue throughout, especially from the only female in the game. At first it’s entertaining and funny but as the game goes on, it can become quite tiresome. There are only so many times you can threaten to kill someone horrifically before it becomes pointless and throwaway. Every character becomes obnoxious but I still don’t dislike them, and there are a lot of laughs throughout.

The main thing that sets Bulletstorm aside, for me, is the focus on making gameplay fun. Through the campaign, you pick up various tools to make you the ultimate enemy of bad guy’s crotches. This injection of creative and fun action to the gameplay makes a game that could have been just another shooter in the ocean of shooters, into something much more significant. It’s a breath of fresh air in a headshot-saturated genre.

Indeed, headshots will barely score you any points in the skillshot system, which rewards you with points for killing in elaborate and methodical ways. For example, wrap someone in an exploding flail bomb then kick them into a pack of enemies before triggering the explosion, killing multiple mutants simultaneously. This kill is called ‘homing missile’ and will also get you extra points for ‘gang bang’ (killing multiple enemies at once), the points increasing with the more enemies you kill. If any are left alive but on fire, kill them using your leash to ‘thump’ them straight into the air, impaling them on ceiling spikes. This will get you the ‘fly swatter’ skill shot and also ‘afterburner’ for killing them while on fire. Combining skillshots are where the real points are made in Bulletstorm. Racking up points allows you to upgrade your weapons and buy ammo and special ammo.

Kill with skill maggots!

The action of Bulletstorm is broken up similarly to Gears of War, with triggered waves of enemies and breather sections where you can rearm, reload and destroy collectibles. Progression is made at a nice pace through the beautiful and varied world.

The visuals in Bulletstorm are another real win. I remember playing Gears of War 2 and thinking how dull the colour palette was for a game with such stunning design and animation. Bulletstorm takes the opposite approach, with vibrant blue skies, green flora, sandy architecture and war-painted enemies. Post-apocalyptic worlds with mutants and ex-marines don’t have to be brown or grey! Who knew?

The world is also crammed full of architectural detail, just don’t look at the landscape shots with your sniper rifle or you will see that those distant buildings are low resolution cardboard cut-outs. Look from a normal distance however, and you will see only a picturesque backdrop of skyscrapers. There are many of what Americans might call “make-out points” to stop and have a moment of peace and quiet, maybe a picnic. Since the action is triggered by your progress, you don’t need to worry that crazies carrying machetes will trample your sandwiches and cream scones. I suggest you take these momentary gaps in the action to drink in the visuals.

Multiplayer

As well as an impressive singleplayer campaign, Bulletstorm boasts two online modes, with more online content certain to follow if the layout of the multiplayer menu is anything to go by, seeming to suggest that players can change modes, though Anarchy Mode is currently the only one selectable.

The first of the two online modes comes in the form of Echoes Mode, that should be extremely familiar to anyone who has played the Bulletstorm demo, because said demo featured one level of Echoes Mode to play over and over again.

And I do mean over and over again: Echoes is extremely compulsive.

Echoes mode lets you replay key moments from the single player game

As shown by the likes of Peggle, Angry Birds and Tetris, the simplest of games can be the most addictive, and the concept behind Echoes Mode is just as simple. Echoes boils down to a score attack mode: players pick their weapons and power-ups, and then play a section of the singleplayer campaign with the sole intent of causing as much havoc and point-scoring skillshots as possible, oh and drinking the occasional beer.

Everything you’d expect to be included in such a score attack is present here. Time bonuses, global and friends only leaderboards, even a performance rating system that unlocks other sections. It’s a match made in score hunter heaven.

What makes Echoes so compelling is the sheer variety of skill shots, enviromental hazards and multipliers at your disposal. To reach the higher echelons of the leaderboards, and to get the most enjoyment out of Echoes Mode, players are encouraged to explore and experiment with different ways to deal death to the hordes of enemies. Such experimentation alone offers the player seemingly endless possibilities and hours upon hours of gameplay. Simply put, Echoes Mode is addictive, creative and a lot of fun.

Anarchy Mode is the seemingly requisite Horde mode, but succeeds where other imitators have failed, by taking the traditional Horde mode formula and improving upon it rather than simply rehashing it. For this reason, Anarchy Mode proves to be the unlikely highlight of the game because, as fun and as enjoyable as Bulletstorm’s campaign is, and as addictive as Echoes Mode is, Anarchy simply tops them both.

Anarchy Mode may well have redefined the horde mode multiplayer game

As with the rest of the game, there’s a big score element to Anarchy Mode, with players beating score targets for the four man group rather than having to simply survive in order to advance to the next stage. With that in mind, players are again, encouraged to be creative, experimental and explore their weapons and gadgets (which they can purchase and upgrade with the points they’ve personally accumulated at the start of each round), as well as the enviroment around them.

Another key element added to the mix is teamwork. Teamwork in Anarchy Mode is not only vital to success, it’s also rewarded. The range of different skillshots and kills is expanded even further, as players can combine their efforts and achieve kills together, adding multipliers to each team kill they pull off and boost their total points score in order to reach the target. As the team progresses through the waves, challenge-based enemies spawn, giving the team a nice, fat score bonus, if they can pull-off the specific team kill required, something which is crucial to reaching waves further along.

Needless to say, coordination is key, which sadly can make playing with random players somewhat frustrating. When teamed up with a bunch of your mates however, Anarchy Mode and the rest of the Bulletstorm package delivers one of the most enjoyable, creative and entertaining experiences that has been released for quite some time.

Review Round Up

Graphics 5/5 - Simply put it’s some of the best graphics featured in any game, and even looks amazing on 360.

Sound 4/5 - Dialogue is, for the most part, superbly written, and harks back to days of old with it’s low brow sense of humour, however after a while it does start to grate. Thankfully some brilliant voice acting makes up for that and helps make the game’s funny moments, even more hillarious.

Gameplay 5/5 – It’s FUN, addictive and refreshing, the key to what makes this game sooooo good!

Longevity 4.5/5 – Whilst the game’s campaign won’t seem long to those who just plow through it, Echoes and Anarchy Mode will keep you entertained for hours and hours. Add in downloadable content which is bound to be released at some point and you’ve got yourself a hell of a lot of game time.

Overall 5 Bullet Kicks out of 5

[starreview tpl=16]
Bulletstorm is a total revelation for the FPS genre. At a time when the majority of first person shooters offer a very similar experience, Bulletstorm gives the genre a “boot in the butt”. A must play for anyone and an early contender for game of the year.

- Joe Finn & Kieran Roycroft

Bungie + Activision = Destiny

So, what next after the hugeness that was Halo?

Well for Bungie at least it looks set to be Halo MMO… sorry, I mean a totally new concept of a space set shooter… wait for it… MMO tentatively titled “Destiny”. We presume there will be some sort of points based system with unlockable equipment and achievements, co-operative play (maybe small squads of say… erm.. 4 players)… and the like… and if you’re wondering how we Reach that conclusion then you’ll just have to erm… meet us at our next Waypoint and ask? (*sigh*)…

Despite the violently unsuprising nature of this announcement it sounds like it may well be a keeper… as Bungie put it themselves… “World of Warcraft in Space”… we really don’t know if we should laugh or cry!

The run up to Christmas has become something of a gaming event these past few years. Why you may ask? Well it’s the one time of the year when every man and his bleedin’ dog seems to release yet another game to add to your list to Santa, it’s HUGE business. Take this year for example: Fifa 11, Fable 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Gran Turismo 5 (unless it gets pushed back AGAIN), Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood… they are all coming out in and around Christmas time.

But if there was one gaming franchise that defines this time of year, for my money it would have to be the Call of Duty series. For the past 4 or 5 years a Call of Duty game has been churned out and released, EVERY year, all in the run up to Christmas. Call of Duty 2, 3, 4, World at War and Modern Warfare 2 have ALL been so close to Christmas that I now no longer consider getting all the Christmas decorations out until that year’s Call of Duty is on the shelves.

2010 of course is no different because, in and amongst the likes of Fable 3 and Gran Turismo 5 (AGAIN… if it actually comes out), lies arguably this year’s biggest games release; Call of Duty: Black Ops. However whilst you read this, quite literally on the eve of its release (unless your reading it after the game has come out, in which case… Hi!), I thought I’d take you back in time, give you a bit of a history lesson and convince you that Call of Duty 2 is still the best game the franchise has produced so far.

The best game the franchise has produced so far? Incredibly controversial I know, but hear me out.

I am biased of course; Call of Duty 2 was, like so many others, my first exposure to the franchise. Therefore the game holds the fondest of memories. Sure, 5 years has not been kind and the game hasn’t aged very well in terms of looks, but that’s all superficial. Look past its graphics and sometimes dodgy controls (yes, I’m talking about the melee system or as I like to call it, the FAILee system) and COD 2 possesses some qualities that, in my opinion, no other Call of Duty game has surpassed.

A singleplayer campaign in recent Call of Duty games seems to have become a mere afterthought. Players pick up the game up for its multiplayer experience rather than the singleplayer one. Sure, Call of Duty 4 has a widely acclaimed campaign due to an emotional, tear-jerking ending, but I feel even COD 4′s campaign relied too heavily on spectacular, blockbuster set pieces at times. Call of Duty 2 on the other hand, swaps out the impressive set pieces with a campaign that’s far more engaging and interesting.

The level of variation that Call of Duty 2 sports is something that I feel is lacking from more modern Call of Duty games. From crawling through pipes, infiltrating a Nazi stronghold in snowy Stalingrad, Russia to the derelict buildings of D-Day, France, the game always keeps you on your toes with different locations and different scenarios, ensuring that there’s never a dull moment, from beginning to end. Call of Duty 2 doesn’t rely on “epic” moments in order to create action, excitement and drama, and yet it’s probably the most dramatic Call of Duty game ever released. Instead, it involves a number of different countries and scenarios that realistically, could’ve happened during World War 2, to provide drama on a bigger, global scale. Whilst this is subtler than other games in the series, it’s also much more varied and much more intense overall.

Perhaps it's the fact that it's based on something so real and so close to home, but Call of Duty 2's story is has dramatic and intense as it gets.

COD 2 also harks back to the days when FPS’s didn’t have to rely on cheap tactics in order to be difficult. Many of the recent shooters, including the latest Call of Duty games, turn into a bit of a grenade-fest when you go up in difficulty. Call of Duty 2′s harder difficulties (including Veteran difficulty), seem fairer and perhaps a bit more intelligent than its more modern counterparts. Sure, grenades are still quite prominent, but the game’s difficulties focus far more on A.I intelligence and increases in bullet damage, meaning that when you die, you often feel like you’ve been outwitted or simply outsmarted by A.I enemies, rather than the game has cheated you by throwing an endless barrage of grenades.

But what about multiplayer? Surely more recent iterations of the Call of Duty franchise have done nothing but improve on the multiplayer formula? Well yes and no. Whilst Call of Duty 2 doesn’t pack as many features (sporting only 5 different game types), with zombie modes, killstreaks, spec ops modes, loadouts, attachments and perks all adding to the Call of Duty multiplayer experience, COD 2, to this day, is still a fun, slightly nostalgic romp.

Call of Duty 2's multiplayer is the very definition of "barebones".

In complete contrast to the fast paced, twitch shooter style of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, COD2 plays at a slower paced (the lack of a sprint mechanic takes some getting used to), and perhaps feels a little bit more strategic. This is mainly due to way maps have been designed and the fact that, just like in singleplayer, it takes more than one good shot to kill an enemy in Call of Duty 2. There’s plenty of cover, plenty of buildings and plenty of vantage points in EVERY map meaning you can get picked off from out of nowhere, so you have to tread quietly and carefully. But even if someone does attempt a sneak attack, it’s not all over just yet because Call of Duty 2 gives its players more HP than your average shooter these days, meaning that not only are firefights more exciting and interesting, but they also last longer, making them feel like more 50-50 exchanges. There is a certain skill to being able to control and win firefights in COD2, a skill that is different to the skills needed to do well in more recent Call of Duty games.

Call of Duty 2 pits you against players that are harder to kill and therefore the sense of enjoyment and achievement when actually shooting and killing an enemy is a lot more gratifying, and because all you have to select are set weapon classes, the game is a fair, level playing field, giving you the feeling that you’ve really earned your kills. The weapons at your disposal can seem a little off at times (one thing the more modern titles have improved upon is hit detection), but if you are willing to let that slide, there is still a lot of fun to be had.

Killing enemies in Call of Duty 2 is extremely satisfying and fulfilling.

Thankfully, even 5 years on, there is still a small but dedicated community that plays Call of Duty 2 online. Matches are rarely full and with such a minority playing, it can take a while to get into a game, but the fact that people still play this game in the light of Call of Duty 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is quite remarkable, and serves as evidence that I’m clearly not the only one that sees the brilliant qualities that COD2 inhibits.

- Kieran Roycroft

Game:

Initially I was a little apprehensive about the new Medal of Honour multiplayer experience, what I had seen from trailers and screenshots did not impress me at all. I considered it to be derivative, a little dull and lacked variation in its online game modes; to be honest I thought I had grown tired of FPS games altogether, but oh how surprised I was to hear myself saying “wow!”. Truth be told the multiplayer is really freaking awesome!

After the critical and commercial success of Battlefield Bad Company 2, Electronic Arts handed the Medal of Honour Multiplayer reigns over to the delightful people of the DICE development team, with hopes that they might invigorate the series and develop a multiplayer game that may shoot a few bullet holes in the two online juggernauts known as Call of Duty and Halo.

In MOH multiplayer you play as a soldier in either the Coalition Forces or the recently renamed Taliban as OPFOR (opposing force) in eight fantastically detailed maps, all lifted and modified from the single player campaign. All the maps provide ample cover for you and your team as well as enough distance for you to rack up a sniper spree should you so wish.

The levels constantly differ in altitude and environment, letting you battle your way through derelict buildings, muddy airfields and ammunition filled warehouses; the maps will consistently surprise you with cubby holes and ideal camping spots, letting you adjust your play style easily. DICE have put a lot of effort into the maps and demonstrated fantastically what the frostbite engine can do.

The level of variety between maps really pushes DICE's Frostbite engine to it's limits.

Unlike the Battlefield Bad Company games complete environmental destructibility has been left out, but the game is better off for it. The limited map selection is easily overlooked by the many ways you can play them and with the recent announcement of DLC, two new maps and an entirely new game mode, you certainly won’t be disappointed.

The core multiplayer gameplay is solid and feels altogether very polished, with fast loading times, a rapid game play style, and all in all has a very old school FPS feel. When you die (and it will happen frequently) the game will present you with the option of respawning either on the front line, which more often than not just gets you killed again, or in you base which can sometimes be a little too far away from your objective.

The pacing of each round never slows down and its almost impossible to find a spot where you are entirely impervious to harm, which goes a long way towards keeping you on edge the whole time. Shooting feels tactile and responsive with a great deal of satisfaction being granted after killing your enemies. If you can keep your kill streak going you will be rewarded with increasing attack bonus’s, like Airstrikes, UAV support and an odd cruise missile here or there.

In other online FPS games dying is a mere inconvenience, however in MOH its a serious issue, if you can’t stay alive you wont get the essential support bonus your team vitally needs to win. DICE have created a multiplayer experience which, despite being built with an older game engine, is original and fun once you push past the frustration caused by constantly reoccurring death.

Dying has even bigger repercussions.

In Medal of Honor you will have the choice of three different class types to play as: Assault Class, the all rounder who deals persistent mid range damage with assault rifles, carries smoke grenades to provide cover, handy noobtubes and are pretty much able to deal with all anti-infantry situations you may be presented with.

Spec Ops Class: stealthier based players who specialize in infiltrating enemy bases, planting bombs and eliminating heavy cavalry with their trusty RPG’s or AT4 rockets and generally camping while the assault class leads the way.

Sniper Class: cowards who, as you would expect, use sniper rifles to pick of enemies from afar, disrupt organization and cause as much mayhem as they can with mortar strikes and other such ordinance.

Its a low number of classes when you look at other FPS games on the market, but its not a negative point, its just simplified and streamlined while still providing tactical flexibility, which goes a long way towards making the MOH multiplayer a lot more accessible and reducing the learning curve.

While we are on the subject of snipers I think its worth mentioning that the online game is pretty much infested with them, which can be really fucking annoying. Sometimes a match can end within twenty-seconds of it starting, just because everyone on your team picked sniper and nobody rushed to secure or disarm the bomb location.

Unfortunately Medal of Honor suffers from the age old FPS curse of too many snipers.

Each class has a different unlock tree with weapons that are realistic representations of the real world’s armed forces. As you play through the multiplayer you are rewarded with experience points for kills and every important action you do that contributes towards your team’s success. You progress up the leader boards by staying alive for longer, racking up more kill chains, supporting your team with bonus items and generally being more accurate with you shots. You will level up each class independently, which means it is possible to be a level 15 spec ops but a level 1 sniper. This provides some replayability and all the classes fuse well in battle, providing everyone is willing to cooperate.

What about the game modes you and your pals will be competing in? Well they are what you would expect from a modern day military shooter:

Medal of Honor sports all the standard games modes you've come to expect from modern day shooters... but there's lots of them!

Team Assault is a fairly standard deathmatch with up to 24 players over all maps.

Sector Control, which is a King of the Hill variant, revolves around three different locations in relatively small maps that must be captured and defended throughout the match. As the teams fight it out to maintain control, a point meter ticks down faster or slower depending on how much ground you have, your team wins when the opposition has lost all its points.

Objective Raid which is a variant of rush mode from Battlefield Bad Company 2; one team attacks and the opposing team defends two bomb sites for as long as possible. When both sites have been destroyed by the attacking teams the match is over. Its particularly frustrating because team work is the only way to win, failing to work together can lead to some Raid matches ending in less than a minute.

Hardcore Mode: in Hardcore mode you will rotate between Objective Raid, Sector Control and Team Assault, friendly fire is enabled and bullets do substantially more damage.

Finally the most interesting of the multiplayer modes, Combat Mission: the map will start small with the attacking team been given different objectives. After completion of the objectives the next area of the map is opened up giving people a lot more room to move around. Its the most rewarding of all the game modes with the most variation.

It is obvious that MOH’s multiplayer has not broken new ground, nor does it boast anything you couldn’t find in any previous FPS titles either. Having said that what the multiplayer lacks in variety it makes up for in gameplay and it appeals to a completely different demographic of shooter fans.

Review Round-Up

Gameplay 3/5: Medal of Honor has a completely different feel to any other shooter that we have seen in recent years, with the way it plays feeling particularly old school. Bursting with detail and lovable (if somewhat robotic) characters, MOH has delivered a unique gameplay experience which, despite its stunning realism, unfortunately isn’t memorable. The multiplayer is the game’s saving grace, giving the game a good balance, providing equal amounts of frustration and fun.

Sound 5/5: The audio design in MOH is second to none. The development team went to great lengths to make sure everything in the game sounded as realistic it possibly can, visiting army bases to record all weapon and vehicle sound effects on site. All the extra effort they put into the game has proven to be a key supporting pillar throughout a story which really only appeals to a small number of military porn enthusiasts; your ears will tremble with delight.

Graphics 3/5: MOH performs well visually with detailed and enjoyable environments, it is not mind blowing that’s for sure, but with the tools they were given DICE have managed to produce an atmospheric, engrossing and impressive looking game which will surprise your eyes every time you play it.

Longevity 2/5: As for replayability, this is the one area where MOH really falls short, you will get a good 8 to 10 hours out of the single player campaign and the multiplayer has enough content and upcoming downloadable content to keep you playing for months on end… that is until you get bored of repeatedly and consistently being taken out by the abundance of snipers or simply max out your character with unlockables.

Overall: 3.5 manly, blood soaked beards out of 5

[starreview tpl=16]

- Adam Radcliffe

Game:

“There is a new enemy. There is a new war. There is a new warrior. He is Tier 1.”

Medal of Honor is a game that I value, having so many fond memories of it as a child. I was slightly apprehensive towards the new game upon its announcement because, frankly, I considered the series to be dead and buried, never to return after the success of other such first person shooters. But with the power of voodoo magic it seems the series has been resurrected.

The latest game in the series has had to endure a three year wait in the bunkers before its release and new developer Danger Close have certainly done a fine job with the time they were given. Medal Of Honor delivers a fresh look on an otherwise stagnated genre and makes itself stand out, delivering a compelling story, inspired by and developed with actual Tier 1 Operators.

The campaign is told from the perspective of four different characters; Deuce, Rabbit, Hawk and Adams. Each role has an important part to play in the unraveling of this war story. Each loveable soldier brings a unique skill set to the front lines with a contrasting combination of stealth and overwhelming brute force.

Each character is incredibly relatable and brings something unique to the table

It’s not unpredictable but has plenty of surprises around the corner nonetheless. There are plenty of situations when it looks like all hope is lost and every so often somebody will crack a joke or two, which will genuinely make you laugh (“that was pretty fucking ninja” for example).

There is no lack of tension and the time passes quickly without ever giving the feeling that you’ve been short changed. Medal Of Honor is paced so that it balances the in game cinematography and cutscenes perfectly with gameplay. It was quite gratifying to see a first person shooter where so much love and care has obviously gone into the development of the narrative; it stays really authentic throughout.

This title is well written and the voice acting melds magnificently with the script. In fact the sound design shines as one of MOH’s best aspects. The developers have gone to great lengths to record actual gunfire and vehicle sounds on location. This focus on authenticity helps generate an authentic war-zone atmosphere and amps up the immersive gameplay. There are even a few original rock songs which kick in while you’re kicking ass. Everything gels well to create a game which is hard to put down, until its disappointing but hopeful ending.

It’s relieving to see Medal of Honor’s single player campaign is most importantly not “hollywood” its a short lived journey with a persistent feeling you’re fighting a losing battle. The dev team wanted to tell an authentic story and they have achieved it wonderfully, their dedication is impressive.

Medal of Honor doesn't have to rely on epic set pieces. It's focus on authenticity makes it stand out from the crowd

Sadly the game’s visuals are less impressive. They’re not exactly terrible, however they are just a little sub par. Despite this, the environments remain realistic, seeing you raise hell in the Helmand Valley to the city ruins of Kabul. The variation in the environments captures interest, from snowy mountains to vast desert fields, small villages to labyrinthine city streets. However it can be hard to distinguish a Taliban from a Caravan at some points.

Speaking of the enemies, they’re not the brightest AIs in the terrorist bunch. It wasn’t hard for me to flank behind them and surgically remove the upper spinal column with a few well placed bullets; most of the time the bad guys will hardly even notice that you’re there.

Your teammates on the other hand are a well oiled military unit who can handle themselves in any given situation. The character models are genuinely very cool to look at and each one of you war buddies portrays a unique persona. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the Taliban, who enthusiastically re-spawn wearing the same outfits over and over again, only to be ventilated again and again with the same rib tickling death animations.

As for the combat gameplay, it feels very tactile and there is no loss of satisfaction when killing your relentless opponents repeatedly, especially with the pleasurable touch of achievements. There is a robust sense that everyone is doing their bit to fight the good fight, whether you’re playing as the surgical Tier 1 elites, or the overwhelming force of the U.S Army rangers. You feel part of a team and it contributes nicely towards the games replayability.

The sense of immersion is impressive. You really feel part of a team that's all fighting for the same cause, which is incredibly uplifting

I know you’re dying to hear about the weapons and I have got to say they are a little disappointing. Somehow there just isn’t enough gun porn! Each new chapter of the story presents you with a new toy to play with, weather that be a Barret 50.cal, UMP.45 or even some high powered ordinance. The problem is that the game isn’t difficult without them. In fact I’m sure I could have done the entire campaign using nothing but my 9mm sidearm. All the weapons seem to have minimal recoil, which I found odd. Having said that, the lack of variety in weapons ultimately boils down to the game’s authenticity.

If you are as trigger happy as I am, you will doubtlessly run out of ammo frequently. Thankfully your buddies will always be on hand to graciously dish out another magazine, and the ground is littered with AK-47s. This leads me on nicely to the difficulty curve; in actuality its more of a difficulty slope. The game is easy to pick up and play, but good design choices mean that frequent deaths don’t dissociate you from the story arc. The lack of loading screens helps tremendously, these have been replaced by cutscenes which are all skippable (should you so wish) meaning you can get back in to action quickly.

You may remember during Gamescom 2010, a demo was shown for the helicopter stage of the new game. During the helicopter stage you basically have to shoot anything that moves will Hellfire missiles, it wasn’t particularly mind blowing but it looked fun. This feeling can be applied to the whole Medal Of Honour experience. In a later mission there’s the opportunity to take control of a Quad Bike (which doesn’t score any points for manoeuvrability) but that’s about the extent of the rail shooter vehicle riding portions of the game. The sole purpose of these short joyrides is to provide a novel little segway into your next mission objective, while admiring the middle Eastern scenery.

The new Medal of Honor doesn’t quite provide an epic tale to be told throughout the ages, and depending on how you play MOH’s campaign, the completion time is around 5-6 hours. It can get emotional towards the end, especially after you have developed a sense of brotherhood with your team. If you really are pressed for time, you can pretty much speed run the entire game on hard mode with relative ease, but why would you want to do that when there is so much atmosphere to admire and absorb?

Keep your ears to the ground because a sequel is bound to be on its way.

Stay tuned for Part 2 where I tackle not only the multiplayer side of the game, but give you my general, overall review round up of the entire game

- Adam Radcliffe

I’ll start of by laying my cards on the table. I am a big fan of the Killzone series. Whilst I really enjoyed the initial appearance on the Playstation 2, it was Killzone 2 that sold the Playstation 3 to me. I clocked up a considerable number of hours on the multiplayer, squeezing a huge amount of value from each and every minute. I thoroughly enjoyed the single-player experience (bar a couple of minor gripes); I thought it presented a nicely paced, well designed campaign. With that in mind, when the list of exhibited games was published for London’s recent Eurogamer expo, it’s not surprising to learn that I was sparkling with enthusiasm as I read Killzone 3 would be at the show… In 3D nonetheless!

When the short, barrel-chested security operatives dressed in their Hi-Vis coats of wonder (which apparently grant the wearer +2 Obnoxiousness) finally decided to let the press in, I made a beeline straight for the cordoned off over-18 section and sat down in an empty Killzone 3 station. Before me stood one of those them-there new fandangled 3D TVs. I picked up the controller, slipped on the 3D specs and what I saw before me was… nothing.  I was the first person in and the glasses weren’t working.  I hoped this was not a portent for the rest of the game. I switched to another pair of (functional) 3D goggles and immediately dived in.

My immediate impressions of the visuals were very positive. Killzone 2 was/is a very attractive game. The graphics have always been one of the strongest in the genre and this new title seems to have upped the ante by some degree. The 3D effects were subtle and only served to enhance the already accomplished visuals, or so I thought. Then I hit my first “wow” moment. Clicking the button to look down the sights of my rifle presented me with the first and possibly best example of how the 3D technology can be used to improve the experience and actually change the game for the better. Words cannot accurately describe the effect that 3D has on this simple action but the visuals made me feel like I was the sight with the rifle pressed up against my shoulder with my target off in the distance. Objects and cover in mid-range truly existed in 3D space – I wanted to run around “scoped-in” for the rest of the game.

Accompanying me on my mission was the Killzone stalwart – Rico.  Now through the previous titles he has been one of the biggest character irritants around.  It seemed as if Guerrilla Games had elected to inflict the character with the most severe case of Torrets that the world has ever seen. I’m not prudish at all but you couldn’t walk 6 feet without another F-Bomb being dropped – a completely ridiculous and excessive use of language. Thankfully it would appear that Rico has undergone severe therapy and his language has been significantly moderated.

In Killzone 2 our foulmouthed friend could also be something of a liability, getting easily killed and lolloping around on the floor waiting for you to hit him with the defibrillator. This time around he seems a bit more useful though, as he provided more functional support and even going as far as reviving me with the defib when I had succumbed to the Helghan offensive; a marked improvement on the previous iteration of the game.

Thankfully the team A.I has been improved

Perhaps one of the biggest criticisms of Killzone 2 was the “sluggish” feel of the controls. Many described the feeling of playing KZ2 as akin to running through porridge – not something I ever had issue with personally, but it was valid enough a concern for Guerrilla to issue a patch to improve the handling. The developer’s aim had been to give the characters a tangible sense of weight, something that comes from carrying around a lot of heavy weaponry and kit. However it seems they over-cooked it for most peoples preferences. Having spent some time with the upcoming title I can say that the controls feel much lighter, as a point of reference I thought they felt a lot like Battlefield Bad Company 2’s set-up. Hopefully this will appeal to those who were put off by the feel of the last game.

The other change worthy of report is the melee system. Gone is the simple knife-swipe from Killzone 2 and now we have a context-sensitive, violent hand-to-hand system. If you’re within reach of your opponent you will knock them backwards with a swipe of your rifle butt. Then, depending upon body position, you could follow up with another, more brutal and lethal attack. My “favourite” was plunging my combat-knife into a Helghan’s eye and then giving it a sickening twist to finish him off.

Overall it seems as if Guerrilla have listened to all the criticism and feedback from players of the last game and attempted to address those issues. For the most part it seems like a refined Killzone 2 rather than a revolution. The tweaks have most certainly improved the game in its weakest areas and the implementation of the 3D graphics appears to have been done with perfect balance. If Guerilla provide the same support for the multiplayer that they did with Killzone 2, they could have even greater success with this follow up title.

Needless to say, Killzone 3 is shaping up VERY nicely

- Steve Garrett

Recently, Tom from newbreview.com was ushered into the behind-closed-doors presentation of Epic Games’ first person shooter, Bulletstorm. From the developers of Gears of War, this title suitably impressed in the recent EA showcase at Gamescom last month, but with an early hands-on preview of the game, what will Tom make of it?

The beginning of this game sets the player as Grayson Hunt, an ex-mercenary who has become something of a smart-mouthed drunken pirate of late. Battling against the Ulysses, a much larger military ship, it becomes clear that Grayson’s ship is massively outclassed and decides to ram the enemy, sending both ships crashing down to Stygia, the planet below.

The two ships crash fairly close together, creating an uneasy alliance as you are forced to team up with Trishka Novak from the opposing force. You’re also joined by Ishi Sato, a cyborg who wasn’t present in the section of the game I played, for reasons which I won’t explain lest I spoil some of the plot for you. I was told that Ishi is the Spock-like character of the group; eminently logical and relatively unemotional from what I can gather, which could bring a nice contrast to the smart mouth displayed by the game’s protagonist.

The visuals are often the thing you take note of when experiencing a game for the first time. Bulletstorm definitely impacts in terms of aesthetics. The location I was shown is reminiscent of something like Las Vegas or Dubai; but with the noticeable difference that everywhere is decidedly devoid of people and the vegetation seems to have taken hold in a major way.

It seems the vegetation is running the place

By enveloping an otherwise fairly familiar locale in vegetation the developers have attempted to create a unique twist on otherwise arguably generic FPS titles. The vibrant colours and variation in plant life goes some way to realising this; however I was only shown one mission, so unfortunately I can’t say whether there will be a lot of differing locations or not. When asked how many different locations there will be, and even how many missions there are, I’m afraid I received the typical “we haven’t announced that yet”; the stock answer for so many questions in previews such as this.

The developers have taken this over-the-top mentality and strewn it over nearly every aspect of the game. The weapons include a quad barrel shotgun, able to rip enemies into pieces at close quarters, and a flail gun that fires two grenades linked by a chain. These weapons can be further augmented to create new ways to destroy those opposing you. The quad shotgun for example upgrades to melt the skin of anyone it hits.

The quad shotgun in particular offers up a variety of different ways to disintegrate enemies

The crux of the game is in the combat. You are rewarded for killing with skill and style, with the end of each level awarding scores relating to the many outlandish ways in which you’ve dispatched with your foes. Whilst using the guns alone gives you the chance for some reasonably high scoring kills, the upper echelons are achieved by implementing Grayson’s physical attacks alongside the weaponry.

The three main moves available are the leash, which can latch onto enemies Indiana Jones style and pull them towards you, the kick; a satisfying boot to the chest which hits your foes back, and the slide, which pretty much does what it says on the tin; slide tackling the enemy from a few metres away. All three of these abilities are made all the more powerful by the kind of kinetic barrier that is emitted when they’re used. Using the leash on someone for example causes a blue sheen to cover them and they fly towards you, allowing a few moments to line up the perfect head shot before they continue on their trajectory.

Combining weapons such as your leash and kick with your guns makes for some devastating kills

With Bulletstorm, Epic Games are hoping to put the fun back into the first person shooter. What I’ve seen has certainly been inventive and entertaining, let’s hope the final product follows up on the promise set by this preview with more variation on the creativity they’ve displayed.

- Tom Wallis

Tomorrow sees the release of the Ultimate Collection of Battlefield Bad Company 2, a new retail package that comes with all of the downloadable content and a download code for Battlefield 1943. As you can imagine this may lead to an influx of new players, so we here at The Newb Review thought it was time for our resident Battlefield Bad Company 2 Expert, Steve Garrett, to share his sagely advice.

For God’s sake.  If you’re in a squad, play to the squads objectives.  If you want to play “lone wolf”, don’t join a freakin’ squad.

The end.

By Steve Garrett: age 35

Ok, so maybe that’s not a substantial enough look at the intricacies of Dice’s amazing first-person shooter, but it’s an accurate way to sum up some of my multiplayer frustrations with this title. If you want to, you can run and gun your way through this game forgetting every objective, forsaking every team mate in pursuit of the mighty Kill: Death ratio. Do that and you’ll be ignoring a MASSIVE element of the game.  It’s akin to picking up the latest FIFA title and spending the whole game just passing the ball around your defenders; playing for a nil-nil draw. Sure, it’s part of the game but it’s a lesser experience. With that in mind the following paragraphs will cover what I believe is the most rewarding way to play the game (all controls are for the PS3).

Squad Play

Playing as a squad will help you progress

Battlefield Bad Company 2 is designed to be played as a squad-based shooter typified by (if nothing else) the fact that whenever you die, you can re-spawn on any of your squad-mates. As I said in the intro, you can play on your own if you want to but if you do chose to play as a squad you will score far more points during your average game. A medic who revives a fallen team mate scores 50 points whereas if you revive a squad-mate you score 80. This works for all types of tactical co-operation: re-supplying, repairing, healing, spotting will all yield significant point bonuses and what do points make? PRIZEZZZZZZZZ! The quicker you collect the points, the sooner you’ll have access to the awesome arsenal of the latter levels.

As well as generally playing with your squad, don’t forget to issue squad objective orders. Simply aim your reticule at a Rush or Conquest objective, hit the select button and you’ll have issued an instruction to your squad-mates to attack or defend that objective. Sure, you can do this over voice-chat but using this in-game mechanic is another way to score bonus points. Anytime you heal or re-supply a squad-mate near the designated squad objective, you score additional 10 point bonuses. One of my favourite plays as a medic is to gather the squad together, set a defend order on an M-Com station in Rush mode, drop a Medi-Kit around the objective and watch the points roll in as our squad starts to take fire. You can very easily amass 300+ points in just a few seconds using this technique (especially if you have the improved Medi-Kit specialization).

In short, squad play will help you progress through the game a lot quicker than if you run around like Rambo. However you decide to play, you need to first work out what character class is the one for you. Here’s a brief run-down of the kits on offer and some general gameplay advice for each.

Character Classes

Assault

Assault at the pointy end of the action

The grunt, the foot soldier, the man at the sharp end; however you want to describe him, the Assault class is an essential member of any squad, on any map, in any game-mode. Carrying an assault rifle, ammo box and 40mm under-barrel weapon, this guy can lead from the front. As you progress through the points, you will unlock weapons with various levels of accuracy, damage and fire rate. You will also access various specializations to further enhance your weapon. Red Dot or 4 x Sight, Marksman Training for greater accuracy are just a couple of the options available. The 40mm under-barrel weapon is also interchangeable as you can switch between smoke-grenades, shot-gun rounds or a grenade launcher once a sufficient point level has been reached.

My load-out of choice is to use the AN-94 Abakan rifle which has high accuracy and damage, along with the 40mm grenade launcher, 4 x Sight and Magnum Ammo for even greater accuracy. This lets me take out the enemy from near-sniper range whilst still maintaining strong close-quarter combat – you can shoot people in their face-hole if you’re the other side of the map, or straight up in their grill.

The AN94 is a great all-round weapon

When playing as the Assault class make sure to drop ammo crates whenever you can (remembering that every time you drop a new one, the old one magically disappears). If you spawn in on a Recon class playing as a Sniper, drop one for him immediately and run off to engage the enemy all the time making comments about your colleague not wanting to get his hands dirty and not have the balls to get in a REAL fight. The Sniper will run through ammo quite quickly and if they’re staying on the periphery of the warzone, they’re not going to be able to pick up any spare ammo. You should also stay close to your Engineers as they will run dry even quicker than the Sniper. You want their rocket launcher ready to go should the enemy roll in with an armoured vehicle – harsh words and insults will not scratch that armour. Medics carry a massive amount of ammo so don’t worry about them and other Assault classes can take care of themselves.

Don’t forget about your grenade launcher. It won’t do any real damage to tanks (unless you shoot them in the arse) but it’s fantastic for breaking down the environment or taking out lightly armoured vehicles.

If the enemy are taking cover behind a wall keeping you suppressed, just blow the crap out of the wall with your grenade launcher and you’ll probably take them out at the same time. If you’re playing on a map full of Snipers, then try using the smoke grenade option to help cover you and your squad from long range assassination. The Assault class is the one to go for if you like getting your hands dirty and requires less thought or strategy to get the most out of him.

Medic

The medic should hang back a little

The Medic carries a light machinegun with a huge clip capacity – 100 rounds - which is balanced against the painfully slow reload that most of their weapons have. When you hit reload you could in theory drop the controller, walk to the fridge and crack open a bottle of Corona, realise you’ve got no lime so jump in the car, zip over to Tesco Express, get a lime, head home, cut off a slice and jam it in the bottle, getting a squirt of the juice in the eye, run around the kitchen crying like a baby until your wife comes along and helps you rinse out your eye, compose yourself, grab your beer, return to the game, pick up your controller and wait another five seconds before the reload animation finishes.

Along with your LMG you carry Medi-Kits and Defibrillator units. The Medi-Kits can be enhanced through Specialisations unlocked as you work your way through the levels, improving the speed at which they heal players and the effective range of the kits (obviously not NHS issue then).

Medic is my favourite class to play and my load out varies depending on the maps or game format. I normally stick with the M60 as it had high range, power and accuracy, although it lacks mobility, although on some maps with a large number of close quarter battles (White Pass, Melson Bay etc) I will switch to a shotgun – more often the SPAS-12 Combat Shotgun for strong defensive play. If playing as the defending team in Rush, I will usually go for the Medi-Kit improved range and Medi-Kit improved heal as my specialisations which help keep my team-mates alive as long as possible whilst defending an M-Com station. If playing as the attacking team I will switch out the Medi-Kit upgrades in favour of improved range via the 4 x Sight perk and either Body Armour or Magnum Ammo. As an attacking force your squad mates won’t stay in one place for as long so the Medi-Kits lose their effectiveness. Instead the medic can provide supporting fire whilst maintaining a safe distance thanks to the improved weapon characteristics.

The M60 always gets the job done for me

The Medic is arguably the best points scoring class in the game. If you want to progress through the early levels as quickly as you can, then you should probably choose the Medic to specialise with at first as the points you can accumulate through reviving and healing squad or team-mates are substantial. You could very easily finish a round as the top-scoring player without ever having fired a shot but that is where some people have a problem playing with this class. If you play as a Medic you have to get your brain-box around the fact that you are a support player, not the spear-head of an assault. You want to hang back a little, providing Medi-Kits to the frontline troops and reviving fallen comrades – you know, the ones who aren’t good enough at the game to stay alive for more than five seconds. You definitely should not play this class if you’re worried about your Kill: Death ratio though as we may mock the brainless, meat-sack Assault types for constantly dying but as a medic, you’ll probably end up K.I.A more often than you will register a kill.

Recon

Sneaky, sneaky Sniper

The Recon, or Sniper is quite possibly the best class to go for if all you’re worried about is your Kill: Death ratio. With your trusty Sniper rifle you will be able to pick out a nice quiet spot on the map, well away from all the scary stuff and give a slew of people some nice, free, brain ventilation. If you like to play on the edge of the map picking off people from huge distances you’ll probably want to take the mortar strike as your gadget.  The line of sight system lets you tag a target and call the rain and watch the thunderous artillery rip your target apart. A few good mortar strikes will demolish most buildings from a safe distance but you can take out a tank with just one well placed strike. If you like to get up close and personal, hiding in plain sight to take out your unsuspecting prey you might want to opt for the C4 gadget instead of the Mortar. Drop a couple of stick C4 charges on a target, retreat to a safe distance and then detonate. Boom!

Optimizing the Recon class to the map you’re playing on is an essential skill. Not every map is perfect for sitting back picking off people from a distance so I vary my choices depending on where the current round is set. If I’m on a nice, open map I will take the M95 Sniper Rifle with the 12 x sight and Improved Demolitions combined with the Mortar Strike. If it’s a tighter, smaller map I will use either the VSS Snaiperskaya Special or the SPAS-12 Combat Shotgun with C4 Charges and Improved Demolitions. The VSS almost acts as a SMG type weapon with automatic fire but will run through ammo very quickly just like an SMG.

The M95 will score devastating head-shots from extreme range

The Recon is the class which requires the most variation in play style. Some maps just don’t support long-range sniping. Melson Bay on Rush is a typical example. Set in the middle of a forest, there are too few clear lines of sight to effectively snipe. Because of this most experienced players know exactly where a sniper is likely to be and will ambush you if you’re not careful. The Motion Sensor mines are a very important part of your kit and you should use them wisely. You can set them around your perch to alert you if someone is being a sneaky bastard; trying to creep up and knife you when your sights are trained on the distant enemy. This sort of selfish play doesn’t contribute a lot to your teams overall effectiveness though, so your mines are far more effectively deployed at key points on the map. When defending an M-Com station, set them around the target to alert your team-mates to nearby insurgents. Remember, you get points if someone kills and enemy that your Proximity Mine spotted (you get bonus points if a squad-member bags the body).

C4 is a hugely effective weapon that can be used in a variety ways. You can lob it like a grenade (although you might get injured in the residual blast) to take out a group of bunched up enemies. You can place several charges on a Quad bike, ride it at high-speed at an enemy target, jump off and detonate the charges as the vehicle steams into the unsuspecting chumps. One very sneaky tactic – an exploit of sorts is to work with a squad mate who jumps on the UAV controls. You load up the UAV with C4, your squad-mate flies it into an enemy target and gives you the nod at which point you detonate the charges. If you’re in any mode except hardcore, this will leave the UAV unharmed thanks to the no friendly-fire rule. If you can get the UAV back to base, you can reload it with more charges and repeat the process until the enemy shoot it down (*). Another clever ploy when attacking in Rush mode is to quickly surround the target station with C4 while a squad-mate arms the M-Com charge. Then run off to a safe distance and wait for the enemy to frantically try to disarm the charge – BOOM! Watch the bodies fly. I like C4.

Engineer

Engineers make things go boom

The final character class in the game can often be the most important – the Engineer. This class is the most reliable way to take down enemy armour – you never want to face a tank without one of these guys by your side. Armed with an SMG and either a Rocket Launcher of some description or an Anti-Tank mine, these guys can turn the tide of a battle in a map populated with vehicles. A repair tool is also part of the kit and the Engineer uses this to keep your own heavy metal on the road and blowing the crap out of the enemy. Be careful what you shoot at though as the SMG’s are the most ammo hungry guns in the game, you will run short of rounds very quickly if you want to get into a front line fire-fight with enemy soldiers.

I prefer to wield UMP-45 SMG when running as an Engineer. Although some have
slightly different characteristics, most of the SMG’s are pretty similar. On very open maps I will use one of the rocket launchers as my secondary weapon as you can hit targets from long range and don’t have to risk venturing out into the open. This also applies on maps with little or no armour. On the tighter maps with narrow roads and plenty of cover I switch to the anti tank mines which are more effective and efficient and neutralising heavy tanks. You can place a mine, run off and five minutes later see the Vehicle Destruction points click up on your screen as some unsuspecting boy racer trundles over a long forgotten mine. I often opt for the extra ammo perk as running empty after a couple of minutes in the heat of battle is not uncommon. I also like to utilize the extra explosive damage specialization to maximize the efficiency of my explosive ordinance. Using one mine to take out a tank is far better than having to use a pair right?

Spray and pray with the UMP

Engineer seems to be a very popular class as nearly every map has a fleet of armoured vehicles at various points throughout the stage. The engineer’s role is most effective when played as a supporting class. Either take control of a vehicle yourself or hitch a ride as a gunner. When your vehicle starts to take a worrying level of damage then hop out, position yourself so the tank is between you and the attacking force, then whip out your repair tool and keep the vehicle on the road. The repair tool is best used in a sort of “burst fire” mode otherwise it will quickly overheat and you face a period of time where the tool has to cool down. In a rather unsporting move the attacking force won’t wait for you to be ready to resume your mechanical duties and will continue to cane your vehicle with everything they’ve got. If you’ve run out of your favourite brand of explosives then you can use the repair tool as a potent destructive weapon against enemy vehicles – just watch your back as the tell-tale metallic screech that accompanies this form of attack will alert the vehicle’s crew to what you’re doing and if they’re quick enough they will stab you in the back of the neck before you manage to escape with their alloys.

When trying to take out heavy armour with your rocket launcher of choice, it’s important to always try and shoot them in the arse. The armour on the front and flanks can take several shots at close range before any real damage is done but a couple up the exhaust pipe is normally enough to destroy the vehicle. If you prefer the anti-tank mines then be smart with their deployment. Lay them on typical traffic routes but be sure to space them out. If you drop three mines in one spot they will all go off together when a vehicle triggers them, yet perhaps only one would be required to take the vehicle down. Spread them out and you’ll get a far healthier return on your landmine investment. The exact placement of the mine is important as well. If you lay them out in strong sunlight they will be very visible to those driving the vehicles. Instead place them in shadows, blast-craters or just over the brow of a hill. If you start taking fire, stop placing the mines. These babies can be triggered by an errant bullet and if one goes off as you’re placing it, the game thinks you’ve killed yourself and you’ll be deducted points. The movie-esque trigger by bullet can be useful offensively as well. Throw a couple of mines up against the foot of a building, retreat to a safe distance and explode them with your sidearm. Their explosive power is amazing and very useful for bringing down buildings in stunning style. The engineer is definitely the king of making things go bang.

General Play

The biggest piece of advice I will give is to try and not pigeon-hole yourself into just one class. Some character classes are simply not particularly effective on certain maps. Sure there are all-class weapons and specialisations that can help tweak your favourite character type to most maps but these won’t make a major contribution to your teams objectives. Whenever you re-spawn you get the option to change your class or load out. Use this opportunity to think about your performance and your team’s current situation. Ask not what you character can do for you but what your character can do for your team.
For example, in the first stage of an Africa Harbour Rush game the map is extremely biased toward armour, so engineers are strong selections. Also there a many long-range sniper hideouts for the attacking force to use to great effect. However as the game progresses to the second stage in the town, combat becomes less armour-centric and close quarter elements come into play. The Recon and Engineer are still valid but Assault and Medic become arguable more viable. This trend continues down this path through to the end of the map.

Consider what the rest of your team / squad are doing with their character selection. You might favour the recon class but a squad of four snipers is not really going to achieve a hell of a lot. Who is going to re-supply you with your ammo? Who is going to revive you? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve started a Rush game on Port Valdez as a defending recon class and instantly mortared the mountain top that overlooks the first stage. You almost always get 3 or 4 kills simply because too many people want to play as a sniper from that strong position overlooking the M-Com stations below. If they used their noggin a bit and thought ‘you know what, we only need a couple of guys up here keeping the defenders suppressed’, it would be a much tougher proposition defending that first stage.

My final general word of advice – don’t jump in a vehicle and tear off on your own. Most have several seats in. Wait a few seconds to see if anyone needs a lift or you’ll find that you rush into the heart of battle and get quickly overwhelmed because guess what, the defenders aren’t being glory hound dicks. Patience is a virtue my fellow virtual warriors. This game is something special when played with thought and consideration rather than a mindless run-and-gun approach. If you like the idea of playing that way, feel free to send me a message (kamiza989 on PSN) to meet up for a game. If you want to play the other way, lets set the game to hardcore mode so I can slice your Achilles tendons off when I get super-frustrated with you.

(* Credit for that goes to Hendrix and Bloodshot Robot over at www.shfts.com for that one)

Many rumours, concerns, whispers, hopes & fears have been voiced, but where is the title now? What do we know about the game and where it’s headed before its release in October?

Well I’m happy to tell you that your reviewer has played the multiplayer beta for more than a couple of hours, levelling each of the three classes to Level 7 and learning both available beta maps like the back of his hand, and is keen to report back in from the beta front.

As ever, I will keep this brief and to the point.

You will love the MoH multiplayer beta if:
- You’re a fan of shooters with frenetic pace, and I mean frenetic. (Think Serious Sam / Doom with real guns!)
- Environmental extras do it for you. (Paper blowing in the breeze, small fires in oil barrels, dust devils, great external sounds & dramatic flyovers).
- You think Snipers should earn their stripes. (VERY poor initial weapon load out for snipers, improves greatly at higher levels).
- Complex weapon stats / options distract you from the game experience. (At this time weapon selection is VERY restricted).
- You want ALL weapons to work effectively at medium to long range. (Yup, all 3 classes can snipe in MoH!)
- In your opinion grenades are over powered in most FPSs. (Grenades are currently frankly pitifully puny in MoH)
- You believe more skilled players should get more rewards (Score chains / kill streaks are the only way to access tactical elements such as air strikes and health boosts etc)
- Short “rounds” help break up monotony and add pace from your perspective.

You will want to look elsewhere for your multiplayer FPS beta action if:
- Destructible environments are vital to your enjoyment. (VERY limited destructibility, building fabric never affected)
- Planning is a key part of your FPS play style. (Spawn, shoot. Or sometimes, spawn, sprint 10m and shoot).
- Medics provide you with an important, strategic element, to your play experience. (No medics and no strategic healing element)
- Equipment load out options that encourage diversity help you tailor your playing style and add variety. (Apparently this may change with the release of the full game, but very limited at the moment)
- Expansive environments with travel time and ample opportunity for concealment / surprise are important to you.
- You think you might ever want to take all classes to top level / “Tier 1″ / Level 8.
- You don’t like being spawn killed.
- You need absolutely cutting edge graphics.

In summary, Medal of Honor is currently far more Modern Warfare than Battlefield Bad Company. It has just about enough of Battlefield to be considered a hybrid, but also improves on the “manic” Modern Warfare gameplay experience to a considerable degree across the board. All-in-all, an excellent adrenaline FPS that may not replace BFBC2 for those who love their vehicles, building destruction, medics, grenades and more realistic range effects on weapon accuracy. This will certainly be a hit for those who just want some fast, frenetic, pick-up-and-play, FPS action. I will certainly be playing it again whenever I don’t have the time, or concentration, required for BFBC2′s 20+ minute rounds!

See you on the front soldiers!

Over & out.

- Rax

Four years or so have gone by since the launch of the Wii and yet the console still doesn’t have even one good FPS. Sure, Nintendo have made attempts with the aforementioned Conduit, but nothing that’s ever been good enough. Sony’s PS3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 have their own flagship FPSs in form of their Halos and their Killzones, but what does Nintendo have?

Where is Nintendo's answer to Master Chief?

Needless to say, in terms of first person shooters, Nintendo have been left behind. But all of this could change. If there was any first person shooter that needed a sequel it would be XIII. Not only was the original brilliant, it also ended with a cliffhanger, leaving room for a sequel anyway. In an age where FPSs all look and play the same, the comic book stylings of XIII would set it apart from the crowd, a true alternative, one that was on the Wii for a change.

Alas, this will likely never happen. After all, Ubisoft owns the XIII license (or at least did) so if a sequel were to ever be made it would probably be available on all formats, just like the original was. For the moment at least, lets forget about such misery and instead allow me take you back in time and talk to you about the original XIII; a game that was made for a sequel it will never get.

The opening to XIII was, and is still, one of the best opening scenes to any game I’ve ever played. The president is dead and you are the number one suspect. Problem is… you can’t even clear your name as you are suffering from amnesia; you cannot remember a thing. You awake on a beach, badly injured; you don’t know who you are, where you are or why you’ve got a mysterious tattoo of the Roman numerals for the number 13 on your shoulder. Sounds like your average night out to me.

The plot to XIII is like your average Friday night out... minus the assassinations, shoot outs, spies and corrupt government organisations

Immediately you’re thrown straight into the deep end, which despite its age is still somewhat refreshing alongside contemporary FPSs. Modern entries into the genre take far too long to get going, making you sit through drab tutorial after drab tutorial. XIII kicks off the action right away with gang members out to get you from the off. It draws you straight into to an intense, exciting world full off espionage and betrayal, giving you the necessary tutorials as you progress, thus ensuring the controls are fresh in your mind and that you are properly equipped to take on any challenge at any time.

Speaking of controls, the GameCube controller itself is somewhat of a strange beast (I’ll assume you’re playing XIII with the GameCube controller on the GameCube itself or the Wii, like I did). It’s not really designed to play any game, let alone a first person shooter, with its odd shape and its many, many buttons. However, the way XIII uses such a strange controller is brilliant. Every button, every flick of the joystick, feels extremely intuitive and accessible.

The GameCube controller is somewhat of an alien entity in itself

What makes XIII really shine is its unique graphical style. I’ll admit, at the time the game looked stunning on the GameCube; I can’t think of any game that looked better, but after recently firing XIII back up in my Wii, I can safety say it hasn’t aged well graphically. This is something you will have to look past in order to get maximum enjoyment out of the game. But whilst time has not been kind, the uniqueness of XIII’s graphics is still unparalleled.

In today’s gaming environment, graphics are at the forefront of game design (Crysis anyone?). It’s a true testament to XIII that, whilst cell shaded, comic book style games have been done to death. The game’s edgy, gritty, comic book visuals continue to set it apart from games of a similar style, let alone your generic, copy and paste shooters we have to live with today. Everything from the beautiful looking cutscenes to the actual gameplay itself is highly stylized (taking huge influence from the comic book series XIII is originally from), and utterly unique.

XIII is such a multifaceted shooter, not only does it have a brilliant story, “pick up and play” controls and a unique graphical style, but it boasts a variety of gameplay elements that help set XII apart from other shooters. Whether it be a skill/cheat system you unlock throughout the game, brilliant cover and hostage systems or gruesome skill shots that display head shots and the like in gory detail with the clever use of some comic-book-esque panels.

The game rewards players for skillful shots with some brutal, comic book panel inspired effects

A standout moment from the game is the awesome (and my personal favourite) second level in which you must escape from a bank after being framed for yet another crime: this time, setting off a bomb in one of the vaults. Of course you are innocent, so you want to escape as quickly and as quietly as possible without seriously hurting anyone.

Rather than running around shooting the place up, the game forces you to think more carefully; by using chairs and other objects you can knock out the armed police and security guards (as opposed to killing them and/or taking them hostage) which will enable you to escape without injuring anyone. The way the game effortlessly shifts between a shooter and some sort of a stealth game gives you the sense that you are in the starring role of a James Bond film… or something.

This level of variety is something which runs through the game as a whole. Whether it be the 34 singleplayer levels, the 6 multiplayer modes, playable on 14 different multiplayer maps (including up to 4 player local, en or over the internet via Xbox Live 1.0 and PS2 Online, on the Xbox and PS2 versions), or simply the huge range of weaponry at your disposal ranging from melee weapons such as ash trays, and glass bottles to AK47′s, Sniper rifles and Magnums, each with their own comic book inspired “POW!”, “BOOM!” and “”BANG!” imagery. XIII is chock full of content and variety.

There's no better way than to kill an enemy with a rocket that goes.. BAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

And that’s not all! XIII also sports brilliant use of sound, coupling a cheesy, 80′s inspired soundtrack with an awesome voice cast including Adam West (insert Family Guy reference here), and David Duchovny aka Mulder from The X-Files.

Unfortunately, whilst XIII is a brilliant example of game that has all bases covered, it’s another game that time seems to have forgotten and a sequel is about as likely as pigs flying… with wings and all that. However, if you do find yourself getting bored with the same old, generic FPSs, why not give XIII a shot? (no pun intended). Once you look past its age, you get to experience its real beauty.

- Kieran Roycroft

Maybe ‘addiction’ is an exaggeration, but Audiosurf is certainly a compelling game. Once I figured out the system of scoring and bonuses, I started climbing my way up the leaderboards of certain songs (each song has a leaderboard for each of the three difficulties: Casual, Pro, and Elite). As a fan of much obscure music, I found myself competing at times with only a few other people.

Showing the persistence of someone who has gone through the stage of repeatedly dying, and displaying terrible KDRs in Counter-Strike, I was able to pull myself to the tops of some leaderboards. I was gripped by the sort of high score fever rarely seen since the demise of the arcade. Casual became easy. Pro was a bit more challenging, but I thirsted for more. I turned to Elite.

I should point out that I have mostly been playing the ‘mono’ game modes. There are a range of modes in the game, which basically boil down to hitting coloured blocks as they scroll down the screen, using your little spaceship and moving it left and right. In mono, you hit the colourful blocks and avoid the grey blocks. This is the simplest of the many many; but is not to be underestimated. As you raise the difficulty level, the track flies by at an ever increasing speed, and the concentration of blocks is hugely increased. To stand any chance of a high score in mono you need the ‘Stealth’ bonus. This is gained by gaining at least 30% of your score without hitting any grey blocks. This becomes harder as the song you play becomes longer as it’s far easier to focus on dodging grey squares for a minute than it is for three. This is where the relationship between Audiosurf and Counter-Strike comes in.

Good reflexes are absolutely vital to stand any chance at getting the Stealth bonus. In a fraction of a second you need to spot the opening between grey blocks and move your mouse the right amount at the right time (or you might overshoot and hit a grey in another lane). This employs the same reflexes as those needed in Counter-Strike. If someone jumps out from behind a corner; you need to realise what’s going on, aim at their head and shoot before they do the same to you. As you play a song multiple times, you become familiar with its track. This is similar to getting used to a map in Counter-Strike (or any online FPS for that matter). With the combination of a growing familiarity and the development instinctive reflexes, you’ve got a good start for doing well at either game.

And that’s how Audiosurf made me better at Counter-Strike. For those less masochistic than myself, Audiosurf can be a highly relaxing experience. I recommend Blue Ȍyster Cult’s ‘Screams’ on Casual mono for a relaxing, smooth ride. After that, see if you can take me off the top spot of Optimus Rhyme’s ‘Reboot’ for a bit more of a challenge. Then launch Counter-Strike: Source and amaze your friends as you top your team!

- Jimi Cullen

Game: Borderlands: The Secret Armory of General Knoxx
Format: Xbox 360
Developer: Gearbox Software
Publisher: 2K Games

The Newb Review Game of the Year nominee Borderlands received it’s third piece of downloadable content last week, and to cut to the chase, it is brilliant. After the shambolic mess that is Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot which cut out all of the fun aspects of Borderlands: exploration of vibrant open areas, looting, and levelling up, we are treated to a lengthy new campaign, complete with expansive environments, new enemies, new weapons, and a further 11 experience levels to unlock.

Taking place directly after the events of the main game story, your character is contacted by Athena, an assassin who has recently quit working for the Crimson Lance and asks for your help bringing them down. Summoning you to T-Bone Junction, an entirely new town that you can access from any fast travel station, you are tasked with destroying the last stronghold of the Crimson Lance, in particular the titular Armory of General Knoxx.

T-Bone Junction and the surrounding area is large. Each area is linked together by Highways that are overrun with Crimson Lance soldiers. Your main objective is to destroy roadblocks in order to gain access to new areas such as a Prison and Deep Fathoms, which is a dried up lake. During your travels you will meet a number of memorable characters, and while the story is not exactly great, the dialogue is as fantastic as ever. General Knoxx in particular shines with his apathetic messages regarding his superior officer who send him taunting orders written in Macaroni and Crayons. As well as excellent new characters, a number of old faces make a return including Scooter and Mad Moxxi, complete with amusing dialogue.

New vehicles and enemies are abundant in this add on

In order to access the new areas you will need to construct new vehicles to break through the Crimson Lance’s road blocks. The three new vehicles comprise of The Racer (a speedy version of your standard car), The Monster (a Jeep armed with machine guns and homing missiles) and The Lancer (A four person tank armed with mines, machine guns, a laser canon, and a pulse blast). Each of these vehicles has their own strengths and weaknesses, such as the Racer being incredibly fast but vulnerable to damage. The vehicles are very useful when facing off against the new enemies that have been added to the game.

As well as the elemental shock troopers; armoured soldiers that have weapons that inflict either shock, explosive, fire, or corrosive damage, there are a number of new bandit types and new creatures called Drifters: towering spider like creatures. On top of the new enemies and environments, a new super rare class of weapons has been added. These Pearlescent weapons (coloured a sort of turquoise blue in your inventory) are incredibly rare and devastatingly powerful.

The enemies you face are very tough

Due to the fact that the main story of this add on takes place after the ending of Borderlands, you cannot access any of the missions until you have completed the main game’s story. Consequently, the enemies that you will fight are pretty tough. It is very clear that this pack has been designed with multiplayer in mind, as there are a large number of enemies on screen at any one time.

There are a number of side missions included in the game, ranging from simple assassination missions to general Fed-Ex quests. One mission in particular “the Super Secret Final Boss”, is actually impossible to beat on your own as the boss is a level 64 character. The level cap has been raised to 61 in this game, which means that even if you completely upgrade your character, this boss is 3 levels stronger than you are. The only way to beat him is to team up with other high levelled characters and work together to take him and his minions down. You will be rewarded with some of the rarest items in the game for beating this boss, but it is no mean feat.

General Knoxx is an apathetic bastard.

As with every other mission in Borderlands, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx can be played through twice by each character; once on playthrough one, and the final time on a second run. The second play through features stronger enemies of a higher experience level, which should keep this add on challenging even for those with exceptionally strong characters.

Review Round-Up

Graphics: 5/5 Brilliant character designs with bold, colourful, expressive graphics. Very stylish overall.

Sound: 4/5 The strong voice acting you would come to expect from a Borderlands game returns. The music remains as strong as ever, and the sound effects are as varied as usual.

Gameplay: 4/5 A wide variety of missions ranging from simple assassination missions, to your typical fetch quests. The three new vehicles shake things up a bit, with each of them having their own strengths and weaknesses. Although it is easier to play this add on with other players, and probably more fun, it is possible to play through it in single player so long as you have a strong enough character.

Longevity: 5/5 The main story missions will last a good few hours, and there are a number of optional side missions. The inclusion of a further 11 experience levels could also provide enough reason to go back and complete more missions in order to get as much experience as possible.

Overall: 4 Pearlescent Shotguns out of 5 It seems Gearbox have listened to the critics of Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot and delivered an incredibly strong add on that builds on all of the original game’s strengths. Exploring a large open world populated with memorable characters and a ton of new equipment has brought new life to Borderlands.

The Secret Armory of General Knoxx is available for download now on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

[starreview tpl=16]

UK based developer Rebellion are no strangers to the Aliens Versus Predator (AVP) franchise. One of their first games was AVP for the Atari Jaguar, which is widely considered to be one of the console’s finest games. They returned to the franchise in 1999 to release Aliens Vs. Predator on the PC, another critically lauded title. Yet in 2007 they released Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem for the PSP, which was generally panned by reviewers. However, no-one can argue that they don’t know the source material.

Rebellion’s latest offering to the AVP franchise is something of an uneven experience. With a fairly short single player campaign that is broken up into three modes, the Marine game, the Alien game, and the Predator game. The Marine sections are little more than a painfully generic shooter, while the Alien and Predator sections blend melee combat, stealth, and platforming to create a (mostly) interesting game, even if it is a little short.

In terms of story, the game is a little light. The evil Weyland-Utani corporation has discovered an ancient Predator pyramid, and in their quest to mine it for information, have unleashed an Alien swarm. Hearing their high tech burglar alarm going off, the Predators descend on the planet in order to protect their secrets. Caught in the middle of the Weyland-Utani corporation, the Aliens, and the Predators is a small band of Marines who are stranded on the planet thanks to a surprise attack by the Predators.

Of the three campaigns, the Alien campaign is the most fun, despite being only 5 levels long. As the Alien you have no weapons other than your claws and gigantic tail, so combat is a melee based affair. Pressing the right bumper performs a quick attack, left bumper performs a heavy attack, and holding both bumpers will make your character block, which is only really useful against the Predator whose primary weapons are his wrist blades.

After successfully blocking an attack you can press either of the bumpers to perform a counter attack, which deals massive damage to your foes. If your opponent is attempting to block your attacks then the only way to break their block is to perform a heavy attack. This adds a little depth to the combat, but for the most part the melee combat is a clumsy and imprecise affair.

The Aliens can climb any surface.

The added bonus of playing as the Alien is that you can climb on any surface, Spider-Man style. When facing a wall, or ledge, simply hold the right trigger and you can crawl as much as you like. While the shift in perspective can be a little disorienting at times, overall the climbing works pretty well. Wall climbing and hiding in darkness is key to the Alien campaign, as it is far easier to take out your enemies by sneaking up behind them and performing a quick kill by pressing the X button.

Quick kills are suitably gory, for example the Aliens can impale humans with their tails, or chew through the humans skulls with their mini mouths. If you come across an unarmed human you can tackle them to the ground and prepare them for a face raping at the hands of a lone Face Hugger, which quickly jumps on your victim and deposits the Alien embryo in the victim’s stomach.

The Predator game is a close contender for best campaign, with most of the same controls applying to the Predator, except you are unable to climb surfaces. Instead the Predator can perform a massive jump in order to get in to the perfect position to kill your targets. As with the Alien stealth is your best option. While you do have projectile weapons, in the form of the plasma cannon, the gun has very limited ammo due to the amount of power each shot consumes. The power for your weapons can be refilled by draining human generators of electricity, these generators are few and far between, so more often than not you may find yourself being without your gun for lengthy periods of time. Predators also perform quick kills, and the Predator kills are the most gruesome. You can decapitate humans, or rip their spinal column out. On a visceral level these quick kills are visually impressive and would gross out most people. In a good way of course.

The Marine campaign is by far the most traditional, and it is also the longest. Armed with a pistol and two other guns, either a sniper rifle, machine gun, or shotgun, you traipse your way through one dark corridor after another. For the most part, your primary light source can be compared to the light found in the glove compartment of a mini metro. With the torch light doing little to illuminate your surroundings, it is good news that you can pop off a flare with a simple button press.

While the flares only last a few seconds, they dramatically increase the amount of light available. This lack of light is no omission on the developer’s part; it was clearly intended to increase the tension. There’s no arguing that it can be incredibly tense wandering down a pitch black corridor with only the sound of something scuttling around in the darkness and the recognisable bleep of your motion sensor, but after a while you may find yourself wishing this futuristic colony had an electrician on call.

You sometimes come across another Marine or two to help you out

The Marine campaign is chocked full of cliché characters, with tough talking Latina Marine Tequila (yes, really) being the worst offender of the lot. The other Marines you encounter shout generic military jargon at you when you pass them, and if I ever hear another Mercenary say “I think that’s the last of them!” only to get torn apart moments later, I may well dive head first off the top of a multi-storey car park.

In overall terms the single player is disappointing because the three campaigns altogether only last about 8 or so hours; with each of these campaigns happening at the same time, in the same place. This means that you will find yourself playing the same level two or three times, just from a different perspective. Fortunately the developers give you the choice of which campaign to play, rather than dictating which species you can play as.

The level design, in general, is nothing to write home about. Levels tend to range from dark facilities, to dark jungles, to dark underground temples. Even in the Jungle level, where the sun was clearly visible in the sky, it was exceptionally dark. While the Aliens can see in the dark, and the Predator has three vision modes (regular vision, thermal vision for seeing humans, and Alien spotting vision) the Marine’s reliance on a piddly flash light and short lived flares can make the single player a chore.

Aliens hide in the darkness and spring out at you from nowhere.

So, whilst the single player is a bit meagre, the online multiplayer is quite impressive. Sure, it has the generic deathmatch modes, but there are also some decent game types. Infestation has eight players, with one player randomly cast as the Alien and the other seven as Marines. When the Alien kills a Marine, that Marine becomes an Alien and must work to finish off the rest of the survivors. When there is only one Marine left the Aliens have 30 seconds to kill him, or that surviving Marine wins the game. While each round has a time limit, how long you survive depends on the people you are playing with and how you work together.

Survival mode has four players playing as Marines fighting off wave after wave of Aliens in cramped conditions, surrounded by darkness. Each player’s health bar is displayed on screen, so if one of your team mates wanders off into the darkness, you can see if he is being slaughtered. Couple that with the terrific sound effects, and you have a wonderfully tense game. Most games of Survival that I have played have only lasted a few minutes due to the sheer numbers of Aliens that swarm you all at once, so Survival seems like the perfect game mode for someone that wants a quick game online.

Predators tend to favour their wrist blades in combat over anything else

The other online modes are made up of Deathmatch (all against all), Team Deathmatch (species vs species), Predator Hunt (a team of Marines vs a Predator, with the killer of the Predator earning the right to be the next Predator), and Domination (King of the Hill) are all well put together, but nothing particularly special.

Review Round-Up

Graphics: 4/5 While the character models are particularly good, the levels themselves tend to be overly dark. I understand the darkness is an intentional design choice to heighten tension, but towards the latter part of the Marine campaign especially, they are just ridiculously dark.

Sound: 4/5 There are only a few voice actors in the game, only Lance Henricksen offers a particularly memorable performance as Karl Bishop Weyland, evil CEO of the Weyland-Utani Corporation. The sound effects are particularly good, especially the Marine’s motion sensor, machine gun, and the Alien’s screeches.

Gameplay: 3/5 The Alien and Predator have interesting abilities, focusing more on stealth and melee combat than anything else. Although they are the shortest of the Campaigns, they could potentially have worn out their welcome if they had been significantly longer. The Marine campaign is more traditional and becomes more and more tedious as it progresses. Online multiplayer has two brilliant modes, Infestation and Survival, and the other more traditional game modes are competent.

Longevity: 2/5 The three single player campaigns will last about 8 hours, and each campaign has a number of collectables: audio diaries for the Marines, Royal Jelly Canisters for the Aliens and Trophy Belts for the Predators. However, these will likely only appeal to the most obsessive compulsive gamers out there. The online modes will probably keep you coming back, so long as there are enough players still playing.

Overall: 3 Surprise Face Huggings out of 5. A short single player experience that offers little replay value is propped up by a decent online multiplayer mode. While there are no major flaws with the game, there are a number of minor issues that all mount up to decrease the overall quality of the game.

[starreview tpl=16]

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Game:

Bioshock is a first person shooter set during an alternate history in 1960. Playing as Jack, the sole survivor of a plane crash, you must explore the underwater dystopia of Rapture whilst battling against mutated beings and mechanical drones that populate the city. Originally released on the Xbox 360 and PC at the end of 2007, the game took until October 2008 to be released on the PS3.

“So why haven’t you reviewed it yet?” I hear you ask. Well, with the sequel finally upon us, the staff at The Newb Review thought it was high time we gave you our thoughts on this intriguing title. Read on for the full review from our very own tom01255…

The FPS genre has been largely filled, and mostly dominated with war games, most notably the Call of Duty franchise. The sci-fi FPS titles that do reach us certainly contain some absolute classics (see 2007s Half Life: Episode 2), but these are few and far between in comparison to the many open warfare based games. With the world-wide acclaim this title has achieved, I was fairly confident that I had an impressive and memorable gaming experience to look forward to, but I got so much more…

The opening of the game lets you get to grips with both the time setting (you begin with a lit cigarette on a cross-Atlantic flight) and the eerie location. From the ominous opening of surviving a plane crash, to stumbling upon the supposed intellectual haven on the sea bed, there is a feeling that real care has been taken to bring this world to life. The loading cards and 60s setting are somewhat reminiscent of the Fallout franchise; however this seems a lot darker and more surreal than Fallout would dare to be.

Welcome to the sprawling underwater metropolis of Rapture

As an FPS, there are some problems with the gameplay. Whilst ammunition reservation for the few guns you find through your journey adds a delightful tactical element to gameplay and a real sense of survival, the ability to play this game as a pure FPS is somewhat hindered. Gunplay is solid enough, but creeping through in a crouched position, which is vital when sneaking up on enemies, causes the camera to lurch uneasily from side to side, and can even induce some motion sickness if played for prolonged periods.

Throughout the game, role playing elements are slowly brought in to enhance and increase your abilities. Primarily, these come in the form of Plasmids: the same genetic enhancements that have caused the populace to go insane. There are a set amount of Plasmid slots. Whilst these can be increased throughout the game, the limited number of slots brings a tactical element to gameplay as you must decide which of your abilities will be of more use in upcoming battles.

Injections of Eve allow you to use Plasmid abilities

Despite the impressive Plasmid abilities and solid-enough shooting mechanics, both are let down by the lack of capability to dual wield. Abilities are fired off using the left hand, and guns from the right, however you must fully put away your gun in order to use abilities and vice versa. Whilst this is clearly an oversight, it does begin to grate and you’ll find yourself under-using the abilities in favour of the various guns.

Graphically the game is superb. The various creatures you meet along the way are beautifully realised; even though they are, for the most part, horrific and mutated. The setting feels suitably desolate, with certain narrative twists causing parts of the city to collapse in epic fashion. The Playstation version does have a few minor lighting issues that should have been caught in testing, but these are far from game changing and don’t detract from the overall experience.

Aftercare at the cataract clinic was a little bit ruthless

The sound enhances the graphics to a tee. The city groans and heaves in a surprisingly realistic manner and played in a suitably dark surrounding, the sound really heightens the tension of the narrative. There is a real feeling that death could be lurking around every corner. Voice acting is equally as robust. Everything from the non-playable characters you meet to the recorded logs you pick up along the way establish characters well and help paint a realistic picture of how this vibrant city went so wrong. Particular highlights include the dual voice of the Little Sisters; a trait that makes them unbelievably creepy.

The main narrative clocks in at around 10 hours, which may seem a little short. However, this is a title concerned with quality over quantity. Also, with the sequel having been launched already, you can pick this up at bargain prices. If you’re at all enticed by the advertising of the new game, I implore you to pick this up first and have a run through. This satisfying classic is not to be missed.

Review Round Up:

Graphics: 5/5 – From the very beginning you are thrown into a vibrant and dazzlingly desolate setting. The graphical quality doesn’t let up throughout the adventure.

Sound: 5/5 – The groaning of the city makes you really feel like you’re hundreds of feet underwater. Voice acting is superb and the fantastically creepy enemies really add to the overall aesthetic.

Gameplay: 3/5 – The FPS style is strong enough, but problems with aiming and moving whilst crouched really take away from the experience. Not having the ability to dual wield the abilities and a gun is cumbersome and a severe oversight.

Longevity: 3/5 – At around 10 – 15 hours this runs a little on the short side, but at bargain bin prices you can’t really complain. There is no multiplayer and the morality choices add little incentive for multiple playthroughs; although three possible endings may persuade you, they are far from fundamental to the narrative.

Overall: 4/5 – A must have for any gamer. If you haven’t checked this out yet then you really must. Go on, go and get it now. You won’t be disappointed.

[starreview tpl=16]

Any devoted readers of our site will know how popular last year’s Borderlands was amongst the staff. We must have loved it, because it was one of our nominations for Game of the Year.

The real joy we found in Borderlands came from not only the tight controls and the charismatic characters, but from the compelling loot system. The game boasted the fact that there were millions of different types of gun, each with their own individual statistics. Arguably, it was the search for bigger and better guns that made Borderlands so compelling. You can imagine our disappointment when upon loading up this latest piece of downloadable goodness, we discovered that there is essentially no looting to be had at all.

Moxxi provides commentary during each round... And it gets pretty stale.

To set the scene, Mad Moxxi is a woman looking for love. After three failed marriages – including one to a recognisable character – Moxxi founded the Underdome Riot. This is an arena-based battle to the death, with the hope of possibly finding husband number four along the way. Moxxi herself is a typically charismatic character with well written dialogue.

However, in terms of gameplay, Mad Moxxi’s Underdome is a very dull place. There are three arenas: each based on areas you visited in the main storyline and you are tasked with defending yourself against wave after wave of opponents. The first set of challenges has you fighting against five waves of enemies. However, each wave is made up of five rounds, meaning you have 25 rounds to fight through before completing an arena.

At the end of each round you fight a randomised boss character from the story mode. In a way it is similar to the fire fight mode in Halo ODST: up to four players keep fighting their way through increasingly difficult waves of enemies, with certain waves having unfair advantages, such as being immune to headshots. This is all very well and good, but the real problem with this format is that you gain no experience for each person you kill, and they drop no loot.

The only way to get loot is to defeat the boss round at the end of the wave, and a randomly generated gun will fall out of the sky at your feet. So far I have yet to be given a gun that is actually any better than the ones I had previously found.

The new waving robot had them completely entranced

The second problem with this add-on is that the enemies are often too tough, as they have no set experience level. Instead, they match the experience level of the player that hosts the game. In true Borderlands fashion, if you are unfortunate enough to not at least match the experience level of the host, then you have absolutely no chance against the enemies. They are all just too strong.

You could argue that this is where teamwork comes in, allowing you to strategise with your team mates. But there is little time for strategy as the enemies tend to just come charging towards you. Once you eventually make your way through all 25 waves in each of the three arenas, you unlock the advanced challenges. These place you in the same three arenas, but this time you must fight through 20 waves of enemies in each arena, bringing the total number of rounds to 100. Even completing the 25 five waves of the original set of challenges became tedious, and as of writing I have given up slogging through because it has become so mind numbing.

Having listed the faults it would be unfair not to list the few good points of this DLC. A new bank system is introduced, allowing you to store items that previously you would have to have dropped if you found something new and interesting.

Round 1! By round ten you'll want to scratch your eyes out...

Moxxi herself is a good character, although it is sometimes easy to forget this when you are forced to listen to her repeat her phrases for the 131st time in a row.

Finally, if you can stomach beating the Underdome then you are rewarded with one new skill point, which will please the more hardcore players that have already reached experience level 50, and are looking for some way of advancing their character.

Review Round-Up

GRAPHICS: 3/5 Borderlands’ graphical style remains unchanged. The new environments are made up of parts of levels already experienced in the story mode, which is a little disappointing.

SOUND: 3/5 As usual, all the sound effects remain pretty much unchanged. New music will play in the game when you reach the boss fights and this is suitably fast paced and pleasing to the ear. Moxxi’s voice acting is competent, but after the 200th time of hearing her yell “horde wave!” you may get sick of her.

GAMEPLAY: 1/5 While there is a certain amount of fun to be had playing these challenges in multiplayer, it only lasts so long. This add-on is as tedious as it is long. While I appreciate the inclusion of various handicaps in rounds – such as enemies only being able to be harmed by shotguns – by the time you beat the first three arenas you will probably have seen everything there is to see.

LONGEVITY: 2/5 Each of the first set of arenas will take approximately half an hour to beat. When you move on to the final three arenas, which are four times as long, you can expect to spend a few hours on each map. However, the removal of one of the key elements that made Borderlands fun in the first place (the looting) will likely mean that you won’t bother.

OVERALL: 2 Horde Waves out of 5. It seems the developers have forgotten what made Borderlands fun in the first place. Having chosen to remove all the fun of looting and expansive environments to search, they decided to stick you in a familiar looking set of arenas and force you to shoot at wave after wave of generic enemies.

[starreview tpl=16]

Finally reaching us some two years after the original, Mass Effect 2 has more than a little anticipation and hype. Any gaming fan has been left drooling over teaser footage as this sequel brings back the primary protagonist, Shepard, to once again kick ass and take names throughout the universe. Searching through even the least hardcore of gaming forums shows a lot of speculation as to the new gameplay style and, perhaps most importantly, where the developers are going to take the narrative of this lucrative franchise. So, does the game live up to the hype? Read on and you’ll find out…

Mass Effect 2 is the second in the trilogy (Mass Effect 3 is looking likely to be a late 2011 release), and the story follows on directly from Shepard’s first outing. Don’t let this put you off; the story is accessible even to those with absolutely no knowledge of the franchise. The beginning of the game briefly explains what went down when Sarren (a space cop turned rogue) tried to use the Geth (a race of hi-tech robots) to destroy the universe. We begin with Shepard’s ship, the Normandy, searching for Geth activity, when it is attacked by an unidentified ship and blown to smithereens.

Shepard is back and he looks a bit miffed...

It’s clear from the very beginning that Shepard’s second outing is a lot more focussed on action. The cinematic opening fills in any back story issues you may have, whilst simultaneously moving the narrative on at a blistering pace: all in all, a fantastic re-introduction to the franchise. Even the brief tutorial-style beginning to the actual gameplay is great for entry level gamers and veterans alike; the basic actions are introduced quickly and effectively to allow a good grip of the gameplay without the chance for boredom if you’ve seen this all before.

Once the opening scenes are completed, the narrative shoots forward two years (to tell you much more would ruin the initial surprises the opening has in store), and you’re introduced to a universe that is familiar, but oh so different from before. If you’ve played the first one, locales such as the Citadel will certainly feel familiar, but the ending of Mass Effect has left the developers plenty of opportunity for a redesign to keep things fresh and inviting.

It’s clear that Bioware are aiming this at a much larger audience than the first. The primary complaint of Mass Effect was the combat, and they’ve certainly gone to great lengths to rectify that. The first was a blend between FPS and RPG, with the weighting perhaps favouring the RPG elements more than visceral gamers would have liked. The sequel shifts the scales much more towards the FPS genre. Players of any call of duty or battlefield game will feel right at home in the new Mass Effect.

More FPS means big explosions - Yay!

So, whilst the franchise has certainly moved closer to Call of Duty in terms of gameplay, the extent to which the FPS demographic will be captured with this new title remains to be seen. Call of Duty is pure FPS, and whilst the combat of Mass Effect 2 is a lot more visceral and exciting than the previous title, the presence and depth of character development may switch some hardcore FPS gamers off.

The shooting is augmented by tech and biotic abilities, which make a welcome return from the first title. Lifting one enemy into the air whilst you concentrate fire on a second brings a new tactical element to the FPS formula, and it’s fairly straightforward to pull off some spectacular moves. As you move through the game the RPG elements kick in; gaining experience and levels that enable you to further develop your abilities. At the top levels, a choice of ability evolution must be made; essentially you can either affect a wide group of enemies, or opt for sheer power with any given move.

Biotic powers are pretty impressive

For much of the game you control Shepard, choosing two more comrades to take with you on missions. Whilst the squad system is a nice touch, it is a little basic. On the Xbox 360 at least, micromanagement was difficult to achieve effectively. Leaving your sidekicks to get on with their own thing whilst gunning down enemies seems to be the most successful strategy. You’ll quickly find that trying to overcomplicate the gameplay with strategy will lead to a swift death.

Graphically the game is superb. Whilst actual gameplay graphics are not quite as good as the cut scenes, it is difficult to spot the difference at times. At the beginning of the game my Dad was watching over my shoulder and asked, “How did you know when you were supposed to take control?” when the game moved from cut scene to actual gameplay. Bioware know they’ve done well with the graphics, just look at the number of times you’re treated to a landscape shot across the urban sprawl or a sweeping cinematic of a ship landing on a hostile planet.

Dave loved his new glow-in-the-dark tattoos, but they did make his eyes look funny

There are conversational choices to be made within almost any dialogue with another character. As with the first game, these range from extremely friendly and positive to downright callous. These conversation choices earn you points that shape your character as either a Paragon (Good guy) or Renegade (Bad guy).

At first you might think that the difference in narrative is minimal, and you’d be right; the overarching story doesn’t change drastically, until arguably right at the end. But it’s the development of your relationships with your companions and how you are treated by those you meet that really makes this system special. A second play through as a Renegade after adhering strictly to Paragon choices creates an entirely new experience.

In terms of sound, it’s difficult to find a game as diverse or accomplished as Mass Effect 2. There are a whole host of voices to be recognised throughout the narrative for any fan of Science Fiction. Likewise, the few more mainstream stars will have you smiling the moment you hear them; Martin Sheen is a big highlight. The soundtrack has an epic feel that harks back to Space Operas such as the Star Wars saga and 2001: A Space Odyssey. This game almost begs to be experienced in surround sound to be truly immersed.

The action looks and sounds great throughout

The game itself is fairly epic. It will take around 25 hours for a single run through of the story, with minimal attention to side-quests or item collection. Replayability is the name of the game however. Once completed, a kind of New Game + option arises where you can import Shepard from your completed file, choose a special ability to begin the game with (I’d recommend Miranda’s Slam – lifting enemies into the air and slamming them to the ground never gets old), and you’re treated to massive amounts of credits and mineral resources to get you going.

Review Round-Up

Graphics: 4/5 A real step up from the first game. Graphically this game is stunning, but a few glitches here and there prevent a perfect score.

Sound: 5/5 If you’ve played Mass Effect, you’ll know what to expect here. If you haven’t, you’ll be blown away by the voice acting, and general cinematic feel the suitably epic soundtrack and great audio effects bring to this extremely well-polished product.

Gameplay: 4/5 The shift towards more action oriented FPS gameplay works really well. There were a few instances where it felt the RPG elements had been stripped away a little too much. But Bioware have walked a thin line in fine form.

Longevity: 5/5 There is a tonne of things to do on a first run through. When you factor in the replay value, this game will keep you coming back again and again, right up until Mass Effect 3.

Overall: 5 Mass Effect Relays out of 5. Cinematic certainly is the operative word here. The visuals, writing and voice acting are as good as any blockbuster. This is an instant classic, a true achievement. Now hurry up Bioware and finish Mass Effect 3 so we can play it.
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With all the merriness and festivities that came with Christmas and New Year, The Newb Review thought we’d commission Crofterz to stop the world from exploding (you can thank us later) by balancing it all out with some good old fashioned anger and misery. Join him as he takes us through the critically acclaimed wasteland of Fallout 3.

You may accuse me of cheaply bashing “Fallout 3” just to provoke reaction, enraging people into commenting and emailing in order to gain a few extra visitors to the site, and you know what? You’re right (well… partly).

I know how beloved Fallout 3 is to a lot of you gaming folk. It’s so beloved in fact that it has spawned multiple DLC packs and a Game of the Year edition of the game… But I just don’t get it.

You know how it feels when your friends are talking about the latest and coolest programme on TV, but when you sit down to watch it for yourself you wonder how anybody could possibly find it enjoyable? Well, that’s exactly how I feel about Fallout 3.

Combining both elements of a First Person Shooter and a Role Playing Game (a combination of which has more recently been used as the basis for Borderlands, although it was improved massively). Fallout 3 is a jack of all trades, master of none. Yes there is typical first person shooter gameplay in there, but it’s nowhere near as exciting or rewarding as something like a Call of Duty or Battlefield.

The VAT system (a slow motion system which pauses the game to queue up shots on the different body parts of your enemies) in particular is a shining example of what Fallout 3 is. It sounds exciting, interesting and refreshing, but ultimately it’s utterly disappointing. The system is fun to use at first, but the novelty quickly wears off and it starts to become more and more apparent that the it only breaks up the gameplay to make it feel less fluid.

The new percentage themed postage notes were going down a storm

Perhaps comparing it to the likes of Call of Duty or a Battlefield is absurd, considering the RPG elements are seemingly what makes the game great. But the RPG elements aren’t even work that well. I mean it’s not a Final Fantasy is it?

Yes the RPG elements work within the game, but they lack the depth and excitement of a true RPG. The story is anything but exciting (it’s mind numbingly boring) and lacks direction. I want a challenge, but when I have to wander around for hours (and I am being literal here) trying to find out where to go, that just isn’t fun. And yes OK, I don’t want a game that is going to hold my hand; but at least give me a sodding clue!

On the face of it the experience of wandering around aimlessly through a barren wasteland, struggling to survive, is perhaps what the developers are trying to give the player. What they failed to remember is that they also needed to make the game fun. It’s all just depressing, bleak and drab; much like the actual prospect of a world post nuclear fallout.

Now I think about it Fallout 3 might possibly be the most depressing experience I’ve ever had from a game (which is quite an achievement considering I’ve not only played but completed Assassin’s Creed 1 and Condemned 2; a game in which you play a drug adled, alcoholic, homeless, tramp, fighting to the death with other similarly gruesome tramps in order to get your next fix).

This lovely depressive feeling is also hammered home due to the fact that literally everything is trying to kill you! In Fallout 3 not only do you have to contend with the various enemies that attack you, you also have to cope with radioactivity, alcoholism and drug addiction. The very water you drink gives you radiation poisoning and the drugs you take to enhance your character become addictive. It’s all just one sadistic trail after another. I’ve heard of making a game hard but Fallout 3 really takes the biscuit.

I don’t know what version of Fallout 3 you fanboys have played but it certainly isn’t the same version I’ve played. Fallout 3 is almost totally devoid of fun. I can only assume that you guys like playing insanely difficult games (so hard they were used as tortures devices in Guantanamo Bay) that contain mediocre gameplay and a completely mundane story. Come to think of it, I don’t know whats worse, playing Fallout 3 or being subjected to Chinese water torture.

How can you have this much love for a game that a) offers you great gameplay mechanics such as making your own weapons from completely useless odds and sods (oooo! *puts on a cheesy smile*) and b) pretty much forces you to make your own fun; a part of games that I actually f*cking detest, unless it’s a Crackdown game.

How lazy can Bethesda get? Not only do you have to make your own weapons but you also have to make your own fun? What next? Make your own levels? How about you don’t get so caught up in the big hype machine surrounding Fallout 3 and make up your own minds?

What's next? Little Big Planet: Fallout 3 edition?

Perhaps I’m being a little harsh, or perhaps I’m totally wrong and like I said, I simply don’t get it. What I do know is, I simply don’t care. but what is seriously making me grind my teeth (they are now just stumps of calcium) is all this “perfect game” nonsense that all you Fallout 3 cultists are spouting. So please stop.

Now if you’ll excuse me I must dash to seek safety in my own purpose built fallout shelter. Hopefully this will protect me from the inevitable onslaught of death threats and insults that are sure to come my way.

See you in another 10 years!

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Fallout 3 Game of the Year edition (with all DLC) Current price: £21.76

Gameloft are one of the biggest developer/publishers on iPhone/iPod (that’s the last time I’ll mention the iSiblings real names as I hate writing them like that). They’re closing a lot of big deals to remake classics and port established series onto the mobile platform as well as creating a lot of brand new games, even if some of their ‘original’ games aren’t very original. With so many high quality titles being churned out recently, we at Newb Review thought we’d give you the low down, so look out for more coming up over the next couple of weeks. Let’s start with the best.
I’ve tried my thumbs at a couple of demo’s of first person shooters (FPS) on the iConsole and I haven’t been convinced by the controls, mainly due to the lack of dual analogue. It’s a big leap when you’re so used to having that all so familiar controller gripped firmly but lovingly in your hands. So, at first, N.O.V.A wasn’t on my wish-list but I kept hearing this faint, croaking voice whispering in my ear; “give it a chance… go on, you know you want to”, “if you don’t buy it puppies will die” etc, etc. So after booking an appointment with a head doctor, I got on the app store to save the puppies.

Stay close, do exactly as I say... get ready... GET IT!

To begin, I was quite put off by the lack of ability to invert the y-axis. I always play inverted - that’s just how I roll. Trying to switch back after so many years was extremely hard on my troubled brain. However, due to the touch screen control method, I found a totally new way to control the game that didn’t wreck my grey matter. Instead of using my right thumb to point at enemies and shoot, I used my right forefinger, while holding the iHandheldgamingplatform in my left hand. This made my brain happier as it’s apparently only my thumb that works inverted. After getting past this hurdle I reintroduced myself to the satisfyingly tight control system. The aim assist is a God send due to the iDevice not really being the best equipped for handling finer FPS control. Luckily aim assist works a charm.

There are 3 different options for control including analogue sticks and the option to centre analogue control wherever you touch on the screen. By that I mean if you touch anywhere on the left side of the screen then swipe left/right/up/down and you will move in that direction (up and down being forward and back) and similarly on the right side for aiming. There’s also the option to customize the placement of the HUD, as well as the analogue sticks, shoot button, shield indicator and just about everything else. As I previously stated the only thing missing from the aim controls is inverted aim. The default turning speed is also a little slow but that can be cranked up.

Gameplay will be highly familiar to anyone who’s played an FPS shooter since the N64 days. The selection of weapons is pretty standard; with an unlimited ammo handgun that isn’t as weak as you might think, a nicely precise automatic rifle, which was a gift from Master Chief and a shotgun that teaches a wide spread of aliens about pain. Other weapons include a launcher of rockets that makes things go boom, a sniper rifle with adjustable zoom that sweetly blows the crap out of whatever is caught in your sights and a delightful plasma gun later on in the game.

You’ll also get the chance to use turrets, which provide a welcome break in gameplay. Players might find that jumping on the turret is a little strange at first, as suddenly their left thumb is expected to control aiming and right simply to hold shoot. I found it much easier to use solely my right hand, shooting with my 2nd finger and leaving my 1st to control aiming as usual.

I realise now that my expectations of gameplay were really quite low prior to starting. I foresaw continuous room and corridor walking with basic shoot-kill mechanics. This isn’t the case, as their are other things to do; the environments are well designed for taking cover and flanking enemies and it never gets boring.

Stand out moments include when large brute aliens pick you up, forcing you to draw your handgun to shoot him in the face as quickly as possible. He then ’puts you down gently’ because of the holes you make in his brain.

I almost forgot to mention that there’s also the ability to momentarily paralyze an enemy with an energy burst, but this uses a bit of your regenerating shield energy and I’ve never really found it useful. I’d have much preferred the addition of a melee attack.

...I'm a legal Alien, I'm an Englishman in New Yo... Wait, where the hell am I?

One of the first things you’ll notice about the game is how good it looks… You shallow bastards. But hey, that’s the first thing you see! You start the game in a dead ship floating in space but this is only the beginning. I seriously didn’t expect the amount of variation that I found in the locations. The forest level is outstanding, with many little effects done to simulate more complicated lighting and textures and some great level design.

You’ll also have the opportunity to trudge through thick snowy mountains and to visit an alien city. Sadly, it’s not a very tourist friendly city; I would have loved to have picked up an “I Love (alien city)” t-shirt, but unfortunately I had to massacre the residents instead. This is by far the most impressive looking game I’ve played on the iMachine with a smooth as galaxy chocolate framerate, some colourful environments and lots of great textures, as well as some good character models and animations (even if there isn’t much variation in enemies). I never knew the iThingymajig could do so much.

Shiny

There is an online/local multiplayer mode and I’ve had a go, but not in any great depth. The 5 levels vary from small platform based maps to large arenas with portals and most have hoppers to shoot you off into the air, Halo style. The maximum number of players is 4, with the host deciding the frag or time limit.

It’s a pretty smooth experience considering the platform but I did experience some lag. From what I played the multiplayer could be something that would be quite fun and challenging online, and I’m sure you’d have a great time if you could manage to get 4 friends together with N.O.V.A.

The campaign story isn’t really worth talking about and voice acting is cheap ice cream (stiff and cold), but these anything to really focus on. We are talking about a £4 handheld game here, not a £40 blockbuster, so I wouldn’t expect too much.

Gameplay is king in this title. It should probably also be said that the design is an obvious knock-off of Halo. However, the total package is far from a cheap or lazy copy. There has been a tremendous effort made to produce the high quality game that currently seems to be the top FPS of the iVerse. Forgiving the lack of originality, you will go on to see that there is a lot of fun to be had and this actually is a unique experience in the iPlace.

You're ruining my Christmas!!!

There really aren’t many games out there that can compete with N.O.V.A in terms of gameplay, scope and polish. It’s a must have for anyone looking to do some real gaming on their iGadget. For the inevitable (hopefully) sequel, it would be nice to see some more varied enemies, more interesting weapons, a melee attack for close quarters combat, and the ability to invert the y-axis. But well done with this one Gameloft. AAA stuff.

Review Round Up

GRAPHICS: 3/5

Literally amazed me. Strong textures, nice effects and some tricksy work to simulate more modern lighting effects. The silky smooth framerate allows the gorgeous and varied environments to shine.

SOUND: 4/5

A cross between the Metroid Prime series on Gamecube/Wii and Halo. Perhaps a little too inspired by them, but if you’re going to copy, you copy something good. The moody music is complimented by satisfying sounds.

GAMEPLAY: 5/5

This is the big one. Can an FPS work well with just a screen? It turns out it can, if you’re clever. Your vision will be obscurred by your digits, the fine control isn’t 100% and you will have to pick up your thumb to reposition regularly, but it still works and it is good. The gameplay is varied, control is suitably tight and customizable. The bottom line is… it’s fun.

LONGEVITY: 4/5

For an iGame and a first person shooter it’s just about right at 3-5 hours. The multiplayer will extend playing time for some, but I’ll stick to replaying the campaign mode.

OVERALL: 5 generic, smoky voiced, helmet wearing, space marines out of 5.

A true AAA title for the iPhone/iPod Touch. The only question left is, when is the sequel coming out?

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Game: Battlefield Bad Company 2
Format: PS3
Developer: EA Digital Illusions CE (DICE)
Publisher: Electronic Arts

Our good friends over at EA invited tom01255 to jump in on the multiplayer Beta for the upcoming Battlefield Bad Company 2 (affectionately called BFBC2). BFBC2 is the second first person shooter for the next-gen consoles. Whilst its predecessor certainly didn’t redefine the genre, it provided an enjoyable alternative to the genre dominating Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

The Beta level available to us involved a simple attack and defend mission; the attackers seek to set charges at two primary locations, with the defenders struggling to fight them off; disarming the charges before they blow. Once the primary targets, labelled A and B, are dealt with, the map expands to show two more targets. The attackers must then advance whilst the defenders drop back to defend their remaining bases.

Character advancement is fast paced; the beginning will see your chosen class gaining several upgrades before the match is even finished. Whilst this advancement slows once you rank up, there are still plenty of unlockable items and perks as you progress; giving you the ability to mould your character to match your play style; whatever class you choose.

The four classes: Assault, Engineer, Recon and Medic, display fundamental differences that add that extra tactical element to your play. As with many other FPS games; you have the ability to chop and change between classes mid-level if you are killed, or you can simply commit suicide to respawn if the chosen class really isn’t working for you.

Whichever class you choose, you're still going to look badass

Destructibility is a big part of the gameplay in BFBC2. Almost every structure is destructible; walls will crumble and bullets will punch holes through your chosen cover so that constant movement is a necessity. This makes the multiplayer matches more frenetic than other FPS such as Modern Warfare, as you can’t simply camp behind a structure and wait for your opponent to run out of bullets; eventually one of them is going to find you.

Vehicles litter the maps and there’s a great variety available; from tanks and armoured cars, all the way down to the somewhat flimsy but cheek-clenchingly fast quad bike. The tanks, for example, are solid and present the opportunity for some easy kills, but they are destructible enough to provide the right level of frustration; you shouldn’t find yourself throwing the controller against the wall after being wiped several times in a row.

The tanks look and feel believable.

Vehicles are also something of a necessity because the multiplayer maps are a little on the large side. Whilst you can sprint over short distances, it will take you an inordinate amount of time to get back to a battle site if you’ve chosen the standard respawn point. There’s also the handy option of respawning next to anyone in your squad that happens to still be alive; this comes in handy when attacking the enemy bases some way from your respawn point.

With the disillusionment many PC gamers are feeling over the lack of server support for Modern Warfare 2, I can see this new offering being a really big hit. BFBC2 is shaping up to be a fun and in-depth multiplayer experience. It’s due for release in March 2010 on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Keep it locked to NewbReview for a full review as soon as we get our grubby little hands on a copy.

So I’m one of the few (thousand) who have been called up to the ranks of the Massive Action Game (MAG) beta trial and as far as I can tell, I’ve not signed a non-disclosure agreement, so I thought I would share my initial impressions of this much hyped game.

Before we go any further, it is incredibly important to understand that as this game is an unfinished product, much could change between now and release. The purpose of beta testing is to find faults, bugs and glitches before release. Also, the beta version launches with no help or instructional documentation, so most of what I have experienced is through trial and error.

MAG is a first person shooter, exclusive to the Playstation 3 that should be deploying sometime in early 2010. The “Massive” part of the name refers to the fact that games can have up to 256 players in the same battle at any one time. The game itself is set in the near future where three military factions are at each others throat. Each faction comes from a different point on the rainbow of modern warfare. S.V.E.R represent the rag-tag, almost guerrilla-style warriors who fight with whatever weaponry they have available. Raven are the guys with the shiny, state-of-the art, shoot your eyebrows off without collateral damage, type weaponry. The final corner of this warring triangle is Valor, who represent the middle ground.

You start off by picking your faction and going through a small “create your character” section, that lets you adjust some basic character features. Once created, you can choose your weapons/gear pack (called loadout) before each battle. This loadout will determine the type of role you will play be it medic, sniper, etc. The more you play the game, the more experience points you gain. These experience points unlock important abilities and character facets. These can be managed through the “Barracks” menu option before deployment. Overall, the presentation is quite slick and clear.

So, what about the “Action”? Well, there seems to be plenty of it. Because there are so many people in the one battle, it becomes very clear, very quickly that structure and order are required to be successful. The game has a chain of command. Each faction has an Officer in Charge, who has, under him, four platoon leaders. These platoon leaders each command a group of four squad leaders who in turn bark orders to their team of eight grunts. Wow, that’s some hierarchical chain. But that is exactly where the strength of MAG seems to lie. If you want a run-and-gun, Rambo-esque shooter, I don’t think this will be for you. If you want a more tactical shooter, the early signs points to something that will tick that box in a big way.

There look to be different game types available in the full version but the beta currently only allows the “Acquisition” game type. In this one faction must steal two transport vehicles from the other. Simples no? Well, not quite. You, as a lowly soldier may get nowhere near these vehicles. In fact, what I’ve discovered is that its actually a good idea to forget all about them. The chain of command is key. The Officer in charge will specify tasks for his platoon leaders designed at achieving the ultimate objective. For example, Platoon leader A may be tasked with taking out the anti-aircraft defences, whilst Platoon Leader B is given the objective of taking down the front gate. Platoon leader A will ask Squad Leader 1 and 2 to approach the AA guns from opposite sides, whilst Squad Leader 3 and 4 provide sniper and heavy weapons cover. Squad Leader 1 may ask you to run around in a circle like a headless chicken drawing the enemy fire whist the other 7 squad members sneak up and kill the defending forces. Phew. That’s just one way of laying out how this game looks like it wants to be played. Yes, you can run around on your own shooting people, but you will progress much quicker and achieve more by sticking with your squad and obeying orders.

I love the theory behind this game and the general gameplay is heading in the right direction. I have some small reservations though. The on-screen display that shows you current objectives can be a little confusing at times. If you have a vocal squad leader, its not a problem though as they will tell you exactly what they expect. There are a couple of other areas I’d like to see tidied up as well but that’s what you should expect in a beta. This game is a way off completion but everything I’ve seen so far suggests that this could be a really well executed strategic FPS. It does rely on people following the chain of command though, so consider that before making your purchase in the New Year.

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