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

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

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

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

GUN LOCO is a character-driven, blood-fueled race for survival and freedom. Set on an abandoned prison planet, a collection of the craziest criminals in the system are left to their own devices to shoot their way to survival and find a way to escape the planet.

Featuring a completely unique style, “Sprint-Action-shooter” gameplay and frantic Multiplayer mayhem, players will experience a taste of the mad, bad world of GUN LOCO!

For obvious Tier 1 type reasons, there is much I’m not allowed to tell you. Not that that is going to stop me!

The evening kicked off with a rendezvous in the dilapidated basement of an anonymous central London location. After descending the stairs into the dark, cavernous, empty andrun-down underground bunker and huddling round some rusty oil barrels for a few minutes, we were ushered into long, bare room, supported by interspersed girders, and gathered round a particularly large flat screen featuring the awesome, all be it blurred, image of … wait for it… a large goat.

We did not have to wait long for things to get started, as the musty air permeated our outwardly calm exteriors. Before we could grow agitated Peter O’Reilly, of EA’s sports division (Yes it’s official, war is now a sport…), appeared out of the gloom before us and proceeded to explain what we would see. We immediately leapt into the first part of a “Sledgehammer vs Scalpel” demo, with Peter ably leading his 3 AI squad mates (the Scalpel) up a cold and winding mountain pass, dealing with any foes they encountered swiftly, brutally and satisfyingly, whilst being treated to excellent graphics, sound and atmosphere, with a few excellent set pieces along the way to lend weight to the immersion.

The franchise's reboot is visually stunning

Having literally raced up the mountain over around 20 minutes he immediately transitioned to the Sledgehammer part of the demo and we found ourselves in an Apache gunship for the next 25 minutes as he moved from one strategic target to another, dispatching each with equally satisfying and impressive rocket and gun attacks. “Shock and Awe” indeed! One of the most impressive aspects of this part of the demo was the superb quality of both foreground textures and lighting effects, both pulled off beautifully by the engine without the merest hint of a flicker or judder.

How could they top that demo, as we waited eagerly to gain access to the 16 PS3s which awaited in an adjacent room? Well, we didn’t have to wait long as Peter explained that we were party to an exciting franchise announcement. Without further ado he turned to a far corner of the room from whence came striding the instantly recognisable figure of none other than… Chris Ryan! Yes, not some lightweight pop star or Z-list celebrity, no, only the best was good enough for MoH, and we got it!

After the initial, very respectful,  murmur of excitement died down most expected a few words from the great man about how the game was great and very accurate but two things very quickly made us all sit up and pay attention.

First Mr Ryan (as as shall call him, for my own safety! ) said that having been walked through the game by developers not only did he believe it was very clear that Tier 1 operators had been consulted during development, but that at a number of points he was reminded… wait for it… of exactly how it felt to be in the field with his SAS squad mates!  Crikey. An audible shiver spread through the room. What higher endorsement could a military FPS ask for!

Medal of Honour will undoubtedly one of the more authentic FPS experiences

No sooner had we drawn collective breath again he hit us with the second salvo of news. He Chris Ryan, ex-SAS and global best seller has written a book, about the characters in the single player MoH entitled, you guessed it, “Medal of Honor”! Wow, we all thought, this could be the end of sub-par video game novel tie ins!

Before we could recover the ability to speak Mr Ryan was gone, back into the darkness from whence he had emerged, and none in the room were brave enough to follow him through it.

So it was left to us to dive into the experience Mr Ryan had praised so highly, and dive we did. With both the single player Apache mission “Gunfighters” and the mountain top based multi-player map “Shahikot” available, we all got stuck in immediately.

I managed to get my hands on an Apache helicopter based singleplayer mission as well as some multiplayer

Having played for around one and a half hours, I am very happy to report that everything is very much shipshape and ready for duty. All the major concerns I had with the beta are resolved and many new improvements were evident.

1. Grenades are back, in a big way, no more ignoring them and that’s for sure!
2. Hit detections are considerably more natural and feel spot-on in terms of both accuracy and delay.
3. Snipers are more playable, but still certainly not overpowered.
4. The area defence / attack game mode played more fluidly and viscerally, with spawns being adjusted well as the game progressed.
5. Spawn camping appeared greatly reduced.
6. Graphics were vastly improved as were atmospheric effects (Snow blowing across the mountain before you and sun blinding you)
7. Sound was improved considerably with some excellent, authentic sounding radio chatter. A real winner.
8. Sniping for non-sniping classes is now much harder. Weapon accuracy seems to scale logically with distance.

So, improvements across the board, and no steps back that I could see. All signs are that this is shaping up to be an excellent single and multi-player experience for all MFPS fans!

Medal of Honour's latest reboot looks set to "blow" gamers away

- Richard Burley

The Medal of Honor reboot has been a hot topic of late. Whilst you’re not going to get a comment on the Taliban controversy in this article, stay tuned to The Newb Review for an exclusive interview with Greg Goodrich, Executive Producer for Medal of Honor, in the coming weeks. in the meantime Tom Wallis took a behind closed doors look at and early mission from the Medal of Honor single player campaign. Let’s see how he got on…

“It’s not about the metal, it’s about the man”, Greg Goodrich, Executive Producer on Medal of Honor. It’s clear that Danger Close (EA LA), single player developer for the game, are heading for a more realistic experience with their upcoming reboot to a much loved franchise.

The preview I was shown at Gamescom comprised of a kind of scouting mission; two Apache gunships are surveying the Afghani mountains for hostiles, and predictably, it isn’t long before they find some. Having played FPSs in the past, there are a number of features present in MoH that have become standard. The ability to call up your objectives by pressing up on the D-pad, zooming in down the gun sights slightly by using L1 and having your guns overheat if fired for lengthy periods of time are all features that purvey realism, even if we are familiar with them.

The brand new reboot sees you take to the skies

However, this endeavour for realism carries through into the very nature of the gameplay; the Apache gunners have to wait to confirm with HQ that there are indeed hostiles present before engaging. Whilst this is a small aspect of the narrative, it is something that hasn’t really been seen in FPSs of late.

Another impressive way in which they’ve brought this realism into the game is by having actual army pilots script the dialogue in this mission. Whilst not everyone will notice this, it’s the attention to detail that is most impressive about the part of the game I was shown.

The Apache gunships have three different weapons in their arsenal. The 30mm gun is a particularly devastating, if a little inaccurate gattling gun that tears through enemies with ease. Aiming is made even more difficult by the frequent banking the helicopter does to avoid return fire.

Shooting from a helicopter whilst it dodges rockets fired from one of these bad boys is quite tricky

Hellfire missiles are also at your disposal. These small missiles have a larger impact than the 30mm, so I found them a lot easier to use as the helicopter shifted at speed. The final weapon on the Apaches is the Hydra rockets. These missiles can be locked onto targets to devastating effect; strategically blowing up installations such as mortar pits.

One thing I only noticed after playing for some time was the use of the soundtrack throughout the mission. The fact that it wasn’t immediately apparent shows the immersion of the gameplay as well as the unobtrusive use of additional music. Whilst this music wasn’t the Linkin Park track from the trailer, it certainly sounded similar to their style, which is another nice touch.

No music from Linkin Park in the in-game soundtrack i'm afraid..

One thing that was peculiar about this preview was that there was a notable absence of any ground missions. Whilst I’m sure these will be shown pre-release, I for one left the MoH booth wanting more. With the release set for October 15^th, it looks like I won’t have to wait too long.

- Tom Wallis

Game: Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days
Format: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Developer: IO Interactive
Publisher: Eidos/Square Enix

Not content with releasing a game with one of the most depressing narratives ever, Kane and Lynch Dead Men, the team at IO Interactive have brought us a grimy, despair-soaked sequel Dog Days. Regular readers of the site will recall we were genuinely surprised by the game when we got our hands on the demo, but how does the full game stand up to scrutiny?

Kane and Lynch have had something of a transformation since the their first outing. Where Dead Men drew inspiration from glossy heist movies such as Heat, and coupled it with basic squad-based gameplay, the sequel draws its inspiration from the opposite end of the visual scale, YouTube videos and news footage, combining to create an incredibly unique looking game.

Taking place in Shanghai, this time you play as the medicated psychopath Lynch as he waits for his old friend Kane to arrive in the city to help him with one last job. Before starting the job however, Lynch has some unfinished business with a low level criminal that he needs Kane’s help dealing with.

If you play the game in co-op player two will control Kane. However, should you decide to play the game in single player, Kane will still be there to back you up. Unlike AI partners you may be used to, Kane is perfectly able to hold his own in a fight, will aggressively pursue your enemies, and likewise your enemies will attack the AI Kane as frequently as they attack you.

Predictably the simple job goes terribly wrong.

In terms of gameplay there is very little here that you won’t have seen before; the typical third person experience with an over the shoulder viewing angle and cover based shooting. That’s not strictly a bad thing however, and the cover system is a vast improvement over the original’s; though on odd occasions it can still be a little difficult to get out of cover.

One welcome change to the formula that Dog Days brings is the ‘down by not out’ system where, if you take enough damage, gun shots knock you off your feet. Where games like Army of Two and Gears of War have had this be the end of you unless your partner revives you, in Dog Days you are able to crawl around on your back, shoot, and dive up immediately in to cover. This feature is incredibly useful as there are numerous occasions when you will find yourself facing off against dozens of enemies.

While the gameplay is nothing to write home about, where the game really stands out is in its visual design. Much has been made of the game’s intentionally low-tech YouTube-esque graphical design, with bleeding colours, pixelation, and the wobbly camera that turns stomachs. It’s unlike anything that has been seen before in a game and will doubtless be copied in the future.

The world of Kane and Lynch 2 is beautigully grimy

While the vomit-inducing camera shake can be turned off in the options, the pixelation of extreme violence and nudity cannot. It is a design choice that will annoy some, but I felt it really added to the whole low tech news footage angle they were aiming for.

The character designs for Kane and Lynch are some of the most apt in gaming history. After just one look at Lynch in particular you already know exactly what sort of person he is; only one type of person would have that type of haircut. Speaking of hair, their (further) receding hairlines and soiled clothing are something of a departure from the sleek gloss of the original game.

Just from looking at these men you know they are a pair of shambling wrecks, down to their last dime, with nothing to lose. While Kane and Lynch are vile human beings that do terrible things, at times they display an unusual vulnerability: when was the last time that you saw a game lead sobbing to themselves after an intense gun battle?

As Lynch is now a medicated psychopath, the game’s depiction of Lynch’s illness is far more subtle than the original game. In Dead Men Lynch would hallucinate, seeing enemies that were not there or mistaking hostages for Policemen on several occasions. In Dog Days, Lynch’s illness is displayed in the incidental dialogue, particularly when under heavy fire. One instance has Lynch frantically trying to reassure himself by repeating “You’re the man! Come on, you’re the man!” however his voice waivers considerably, displaying the fact that the strain is getting to him.

You'd have to be mental to sit in a helicopter with a massive gun.

There are about a dozen levels to shoot through, each lasting around 20 minutes each, making the game quite short. Levels take place in a number of locations, from dark grimy alleys, to the up scale skyscrapers of Shanghai. The brevity of the game is enhanced by the rapid pace of the action; you are perpetually running from one bit of destructible cover to the next, constantly being pursued and under heavy fire. As such it is entirely possible to finish the story mode in one sitting on the lower difficulty levels.

There are no secret collectibles, or audio diaries to distract from the action, which is refreshing in this day and age. While some will lament this, I can’t tell you how many times I have despaired over arbitrary collectibles in games (most recently Alan Wake and those damned Thermoses) that did nothing in game other than artificially extend game time. Dog Days is a game that focuses on entirely on shooting with no distractions.

Having said that, there is currently a slight imbalance in the weapons’ fire power and range. For example, nine times out of ten the Shotgun is able to kill most enemies in one hit even from a great distance, so is your best bet in the majority of firefights. Conversely, machine guns tend to spit bullets all over the place, rarely hitting your target unless they are standing right in front of you.

In terms of Multiplayer, the story section features both online and split screen co-op, meaning you and a friend can play together however you want. Having said that, the online co-op is marred slightly by the fact that you have to meet in a lobby: there is no drop in/drop out co-op to be had here. Sure it’s a minor issue for those that play online, but when compared to other, older co-op titles like Resident Evil 5 and Gears of War 2, that does not stop it from disappointing.

The majority of a buyer’s play time will likely stem from the online multiplayer. The critically acclaimed Fragile Alliance mode returns with two new game modes: Undercover Cop and Cops and Robbers. For those that never played the original game’s ground-breaking multiplayer, Fragile Alliance has you and your team of criminals working together to defeat computer controlled cops and perform the perfect heist. What makes things more interesting is that, at any point, you can choose to betray your team mates and keep the loot for yourself. If you are killed, you respawn as a cop and must try and stop your former team mates from escaping with the money.

Fragile Alliance games are incredibly tense.

The money you earn in one round can be spent on purchasing new weapons for subsequent rounds of the game. You are unable to carry over the weapons your purchase from game to game however, so once you complete your three rounds, your weapons will return to the default selection. On the surface this may seem irritating, but it does go some way towards leveling the playing field for new players and veterans. For the first round at least. The more you play the more experience you earn and, as with most multiplayer games these days, as you level up, more high powered weapons become available for purchase.

Fragile Alliance can also be played in single player via the Arcade mode. In the single-player version, the objective is to complete as many increasingly difficult rounds as possible before running out of lives. While Arcade mode is a welcome feature for those without an internet connection, a lot of the tension and uncertainty that you feel when playing online simply can’t be replicated when playing against computer controlled robbers.

Cops and Robbers mode pits teams of Cops against teams of Space Men.... Not really.

There are about a dozen maps to play through across all three game modes, although each level is fairly small and can become quite predictable after a while: Enemies always spawn in the same place and the escape chopper always arrives in the same point. As such, the multiplayer modes may lose some of their shine rather more quickly than you’d like.

Review Round-Up

Graphics: 5/5 Sure, some of the character models may look a little stiff at times, but the game’s unique graphical style is superb.

Sound: 4/5 Sound effects are exactly what you would expect, while the voice acting for the characters of Kane and Lynch is brilliant; you can almost hear Lynch’s mind crumbling as you progress further through the story.

Story: 3/5 While the story mode is fairly short, and will leave some people cold, I personally really enjoyed seeing the events of the game unfold. The game continues the series tradition of being bleak and full of despair. Kane and Lynch have no friends, everyone hates them, and everything they touch falls apart.

Gameplay: 3/5 Over the shoulder, cover based, shooting is the main focus of the story mode. Some will tire of that, but perhaps those people will be more interested in the three multiplayer modes. Fragile Alliance and Undercover Cop, with the perpetual air of paranoia and fear of betrayal, are the main highlights, while Cops and Robbers offers a more frantic, visceral experience.

Longevity: 3/5 The story mode will only take you about half a dozen hours to complete, and there are no superfluous collectibles to artificially extend the game’s play time, which is refreshing but will reduce your play time. The real meat of the game comes in the three multiplayer modes…you could almost be forgiven for thinking that the game is actually an online multiplayer shooter with a story mode smuggled in.

Overall

[starreview tpl=16]

Four Medicated Pschos out of Five

Kane and Lynch 2 Dog Days is a grim, gritty, depressing experience for adults only. The game manages to be mature without being gratuitous, which is rare in this indstry. Some will despise it for being brief, while others will love it for not sticking around for too long. Playing the game in co-op, or spending time in the online multiplayer modes should keep you occupied for a good while.

Before talking about this downloadable add-on, it would probably be worth reading our review for the retail release Army of Two: The 40th Day. For those that would rather skip all that, here is a brief summary: taking place in Shanghai, Army of Two: The 40th Day revolves around homoerotic-mercenaries-for-hire Salem and Rios shooting an army of nameless foes. In the opening of the game the duo have been hired to plant beacons all around Shanghai. Once they complete their assignment, a barrage of missiles hit the city as a paramilitary force descends on the street. Suspecting that they may have unwittingly had a hand in Shanghai’s destruction, Salem and Rios try to clean up the town.

Utilising a morality system, much like every game seems to do these days, you could choose to be a good mercenary (saving as many people as you can, tying up your enemies, and so on) or being an utter bastard, shooting your way through not only the enemy forces, but any hapless sap that got in the way of your bullets. However, where this morality system got interesting was in the cut scenes. During certain cut scenes you could decide to help someone or not.

For instance, you come across an elderly guard looking after a cache of weapons; you can choose to take the weapons for yourself, or leave the underpowered man with this huge arsenal. So far nothing particularly note worthy. However, making the good choice would reveal that later on this helpless old man would go on to sell the weapons he was guarding to your enemies. Likewise, if you chose to take the weapons for yourself, during the struggle the guard winds up accidentally being shot dead.

Cover based shooting is the name of the game in The 40th Day

With that being said, this first piece of downloadable content for The 40th Day, Chapters of Deceit, pretty much ignores the moral choice system with the exception of one instance. Instead, it focuses on throwing hundreds of enemies at you to stop you from reaching your objectives. Occasionally you will be asked to try to rescue hostages, but there is no real need to. Even if you kill the hostages yourself the only penalty is that people will think you are a “prick” (the game’s words, not mine). Every now and then you will fight larger, tougher, enemies such as the Gatling Gun solider, and have to defend unarmed allies, but for the most part it is a simple shoot fest.

Chapters of Deceit adds two new story chapters, which is roughly one third of the original game. It is not entirely clear when these two new chapters are supposed to have taken place, thanks mainly to some garbled storytelling. Playing as Salem and Rios you discover some information that might lead to you taking down Jonah, the man behind the terrorist attack on Shanghai. In the opening Chapter (called Chapter 8, despite these events seemingly taking part before chapter 6) Salem and Rios have split up in an office complex while searching for a wounded ally.

While you can choose to save the hostages, you aren't penalised if you kill them

The most interesting part of this chapter is that at the start of the level Salem has to act as a spy, running ahead and tagging targets for Rios to shoot from the opposite side of the destroyed building. It’s not clear why, but Salem can’t shoot anyone himself as his guns have been taken away. All Salem can do is mark targets for execution and hope that Rios is good enough to take the enemy out before they realise where he is.

Salem marks targets for Rios to take out

The rest of the chapter is standard Army of Two fare; Salem and Rios regroup with all of their weapons intact and stomp around through floor after floor of the ruined building, looking for their ally. Once he is found, the two are tasked with defending him against dozens of enemies. As with the main game, the focus on cover and building aggro to divert enemy attention is key to survival. The aggro system worked well in the main game, and continues to do so in this expansion.

The second chapter revolves around hunting down a traitor to the resistance. What you decide to do with her is your choice, but there does not seem to be any real consequence behind any of the choices that you make. Once the traitor is out of the way, the resistance needs you to blow up some support pillars on a bridge in order to flatten the invaders. Completing this mission will complete the expansion, with some predictably unintended consequences.

Review Round-Up

Graphics: 2/5 Exactly the same as the main game. The level design is competent considering each level is supposed to be a generic office, or ruined street.

Sound: 3/5 Am I the only one that is fed up of Nolan North voicing a character in every game? Other than that the voice work, sound effects and music are perfectly adequate, if a little generic.

Gameplay 3/5 Aside from the fairly interesting opening segment in which Salem and Rios are separated, which requires Salem to stealthily mark targets for his partner to kill, this plays exactly the same way as the rest of the game. Hundreds of enemies will attempt to stop you from reaching your objectives by running head first into your bullets. It is perfectly playable in single player mode, but there is more fun to be had in co-op with a live human partner; preferably one you know.

Longevity 2/5 There are two missions, each lasting from 30 to 45 minutes. Essentially you are getting a third of the main game again, but once you beat it there is little motivation to play again.

Overall: 3 Bromantic Gestures out of 5. If you liked Army of Two: The 40th Day and fancy the prospect of adding two more missions to the game, then perhaps this is for you. After a fairly interesting opening, Chapters of Deceit quickly descends into more generic Army of Two gameplay. However, considering the price: 800 MS Points (about £6.80) and £7.99 on Playstation Network, some may question how much bang they will get for their digital buck.

With the advent of this generation of consoles we have seen the rise in prominence of digital downloads thanks to Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, and the Wii Store. Not only are we seeing the release of really great original titles like Shadow Complex but we are also treated to classic titles from older consoles that, until now, have been unavailable without delving into the depths of your local used games store, or taking a chance on ebay. Arguably one of the most demanded titles would be the N64 classic Goldeneye, a game that is renowned for popularising first person shooters on home consoles thanks to it’s spectacular four player deathmatch mode.

Unfortunately the legal wranglings to get Goldeneye on current consoles are too gargantuan, not only would Microsoft have to broker a deal with Activision, the current Bond licence owners, but they would have to deal with Nintendo too. Thus, Microsoft offer us the next best thing: Perfect Dark. When Perfect Dark was released on the N64 it was considered to be the spiritual sequel to Goldeneye, with the same fantastic multiplayer mode including a number of Goldeneye’s best levels and fantastically imaginative new weapons, such as an alien riffle that can shoot enemies through walls.

This re-release of Perfect Dark has been given an HD make over. Although the graphics are recognisably of the N64 era, they do look very smooth and polished. When Perfect Dark was originally released, a big feature of the game was that every character in the game had a real person’s face. With this being an HD remake, the character faces have been reworked to look clearer than ever. Joanna Dark in particular has had a lot of attention paid to her face.

Joanna Dark has had a HD makeover

In terms of controls, the game has three pre-set schemes. These are the original controls transferred across to the 360 controller, Call of Duty style controls, and Halo style controls. The ability to adjust the controls according to your shooting game of preference is a good feature, and it would be nice if more shooters took this approach.

As a way of compensating the gamers for their inability to broker a deal that would see Goldeneye being released on Xbox Live Arcade, this version of Perfect Dark has all of the weapons from Goldeneye available to be used in multiplayer. In essence, the multiplayer is exactly the same as Goldeneye’s, but with new weapons and levels. While the original Perfect Dark only had split screen multiplayer, this version has online multiplayer as well. Offering games with up to 8 players, as well as 4 player split screen, the multiplayer is as great now as it was back when it was on the N64. The game features a generous auto-aim feature, thanks mostly to particularly sensitive aiming and the extreme speed that the characters move at.

The guns themselves have two modes of fire. Some guns’ secondary fire mode makes the gun in to a melee weapon, while others can be turned in to proximity mines, or sentry turrets. Even now Perfect Dark has some of the most imaginative guns of any game; the only contender in my eyes is the Ratchet and Clank series. The Alien guns in particular have some very innovative features, such as the ability to see and shoot through walls.

Every weapon has a secondary fire mode, including this gun which can see through walls

Whilst arguably the multiplayer is the biggest selling point of this game, there are a ton of other features. As well as a shooting range, in which you can try out every weapon in the game, there are combat simulation challenges; essentially multiplayer games against computer controlled opponents with specific goals, and the story mode. Story mode can be played in single player and two player co-op, as well as the innovative Counter Operative mode. The Counter Ops mode has the second player take on the role of the nameless enemies in the story mode. Your objective is simple, kill Joanna Dark and stop her from achieving her goals. While the guards have a very small health bar, if you are killed you can respawn without being penalised indefinitely. Joanna, however, only has one life, and if you are successful in killing her then you win.

There are a ton of game modes to choose from

The story mode itself is a bit uneven by today’s standards. In particular the levels, while being fairly small, are designed in such a way that it is rarely clear where exactly you need to be going. There are no radars, map markers, or guidelines of any sort in the story mode, which only really highlights how much modern games hold our hands and guide us. There are over a dozen levels in the Story mode, but for the most part they can be completed in less than five minutes on the default difficulty. Playing each mission on the higher difficulties not only makes you more vulnerable to bullets, but adds new mission objectives, which serves to increase the length of each mission.

Despite the HD make over, the game maintains it's original look.

As good as the game looks and as fun as the multiplayer is, the game still has a very old fashioned feel to it. The free aiming is too sensitive, which makes sniper sections of the game more challenging. Having said that, the same could be said of Perfect Dark when it first came out, and you can always adjust the sensitivity in the menu.

Review Round-Up

Graphics: 4/5 The HD makeover gives a very clear, smooth look. They still manage to maintain that typical N64 look that the original had.

Sound: 3/5 Voice acting is, for the most part, fairly generic. The music has a very recognisable Sci-fi sound to it that is reminiscent of John Carpenter movies.

Gameplay: 5/5 The addition of online multiplayer is fantastic. Anyone that spent hours and hours playing Goldeneye on the sofa with their friends will love it. The inclusion of Co-Op in the story mode is a welcome feature, and the Counter-Operative feature, where the second player must try and stop the first player from finishing their objectives, is inspired.

Longevity: 5/5 The Story mode is about a dozen levels long, and can be played through on three separate difficulties, each with their own unique objectives. The real meat of the game comes in the form of the multiplayer, both online and splitscreen.

Overall: 4 Proximity Mines out 5. While Perfect Dark does feel like an old game, with archaic level design and slightly wonky controls, the inclusion of all the multiplayer modes, including the co-op/counter-operative modes, makes Perfect Dark a wonderfully nostalgic experience for anyone that sat up all night shooting their friends on Goldeneye. Younger players may well be less impressed with this game thanks to it being so old fashioned, but considering the low price of 800 Microsoft Points (about £6.50) it is hard not to recommend Perfect Dark to all 360 owners, both young and old.

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]

Game

Show me a guy that doesn’t want to drive a tank, blowing holes in walls and destroying enemy tank and I will show you a man with no soul.  Show me the young boy who hasn’t turned his bedroom floor into a monumental warzone with little toy tanks and plastic soldiers and I will show you the child who has clearly been the victim of parents who impose a joyless environment.  Gameloft (the developers) are doing their best to reignite that flame of a guiltless, frantic, military firestorm with their PS3 title for the PSN – Battle Tanks.

The premise of the game is simple.  You control a tank.  You have to shoot things without getting shot.  Not too complicated really.  No convoluted story to contend with here.  It’s kill or be killed – simple as that.  Well not quite.  This PSN title features a fairly substantial campaign mode that can be played with one or two players.  You progress from map to map by destroying any and all enemies on the screen.  As you progress through the campaign you are faced with increasingly hazardous maps and more intelligent enemies.  There are environmental obstacles to overcome such as thick mud, which slows down your tank and makes you a more vulnerable target.  You also have to contend with piston powered walls which will crush your tank should you linger too long.  Scattered across the maps are various power-ups that can be collected by both you and the enemy, so you need to be quick.  Heat Seekers, Flamethrowers, Speed boost etc are all important to help you progress through the maps.

The controls are very simple.  The left stick controls your movement through the map whilst firing your primary weapon can be done via the shoulder buttons for the more controlled and considered of you or a continuous firing mode can be done through the right stick.  Your primary weapon can be bounced off of the non-destructible walls which creates a fun game play style.  This can also come back to bite you in the arse – quite literally as firing wildly without thought could see your own rocket flying straight back at you.  You have a secondary, limited ammo weapon in the form of a proximity mine.  Pressing the circle button will deploy a mine on the ground that will destroy any target that rolls over it.

The maps themselves, although limited to a single screen, are quite varied.  Moving floor panels, natural hazards and destructible walls add a dimension to the game play that is very enjoyable.  As you get further through the campaign, the maps offer more of a challenge and the game play takes on something of a puzzle element as you take your time to work out exactly how you need to tackle the level.  One that gave me particular trouble was a map covered in moving floors.  Every time I moved, I was flung straight into a lethal crossfire, no matter which direction I went.  Finally the penny dropped and I dropped a selection of mines onto the moving floors and watched them fly off toward the feet (tracks) of the opposing tanks – BOOM!

The game also features online multiplayer with Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag.  Unfortunately I’ve been unable to test the game online though as I’ve never been able to get a match set up through a lack of players online.  The local multiplayer is very entertaining though and very accessible as my children aged 7 and 9 were both able to properly enjoy the game.  The music is fun and reminds me of games like Commando back on the Commodore 64.  The graphics are bright, clean and sharp and have a cartoony feel. 

REVIEW ROUND-UP

GRAPHICS – 4/5 I was particularly impressed with the graphics as they are sharp, clear and full of colour.

SOUND – 3/5 Simple, but effective with a touch of nostalgia for the older gamer.

GAMEPLAY – 3/5 Again, simple, but effective.  Easy enough to learn in a couple of minutes but enough depth to keep you playing for a while.

LONGEVITY – 2/5 It’s a simple game, with a decent length campaign, but considering I was unable to get into a multiplayer match after several attempts on different days, I question how much long term appeal it will have.

OVERALL – 3/5 This is a perfect 10 minute game.  The sort of thing I could switch on for a quick blast while the wife pops out to the corner shop.  Gameloft have done a good job with this and it comes at a decent price on the PSN.

[starreview tpl=16]