Clive-Barker’s Undying

Game review by Gavin Martin

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Genre: First-person Shooter

Engine: Unreal Engine 1

Release Date: February 07, 2001

Cost: $17.99 (originally $49.99)

400 MB of hard drive space
Windows 2000/XP/Vista (32-bit or 64-bit)
Mac OS X 10.4 or better (PPC or x86)
Linux Kernel 2.2 or better with glibc

“You get to hunt crazy stuff, levitate, and shoot dark energy forces from your hands. It’s like Dragon Ball Z corrupted by something more sinister than a work of Edgar Allen Poe…and you love it. (There are guns, too.)”

Undying is a book by acclaimed horror writer Clive Barker. If you haven’t heard of the guy, he is so good that Stephen King said he is influenced by Barker and thinks he is one of the best horror writers of all time. Granted, Stephen King isn’t the greatest authority on such things, but he’s also not a guy to hand out compliments.

In other words, Clive Barker earned it.

What makes the game version even cooler, besides the fact that it doesn’t suck like many other cross-media ports, is that Barker worked with the developers every step of the way to turn his words into visions and concepts, and those visions into concepts into a very kick-ass single-player experience.

Gameplay: 9/10

Check this out:

You see that? It’s only a graphic example of what you get when you launch yourself into the interesting gameplay of Undying, but it still gives you an idea of what I’m talking about.

The game is a shooter but also has an added bonus of spell casting as you can see above. You have a full arsenal of guns to choose from with only so much ammo, and you also have your mana supply for spellcasting. Furthermore, certain creatures are better defeated by guns, while others fall more quickly to magic. Others require a combinations of the two. This gives a great amount of balance to the game, and also gives you (the player) a varying, exciting, and dynamic gameplay experience.

You also have in this game the ability to scry using the the stone above. You can only scry in certain locations, but when you find the right ones, you are thrown into this vision where you can see the past which adds a cool element of depth to the story.

The story works so well with the gameplay that you really wish that Barker’s book were something like 3,000 pages. In any case, I don’t want to give anything away, but I will tell you that it focuses on a troubled family with a dark past, and you are sent to investigate WTF is going on. As it turns out, part of your job description is risking your life with every step in this evil house (located on the south Jersey shore.)

Control: 9/10

The controls are standard for any shooter, with the exception of the fact that you have standard and alternate fires for not only every gun, but also for every spell.

Even with that level of depth, it becomes intuitive quite quickly. Best of all, however, is the fact that it seems really easy to aim in this game. I guess maybe they spent some extra time  making sure that the game reads mouse movements correctly. In any case, the only improvement that could be made to the controls would be if the controls when you fly (yes, you get to fly in this game too like a crazy God-wizard-thing) were more smooth and less chaotic. But then again, who said making a human fly would be easy?

Graphics, Look, and Feel: 8/10

It’s interesting that I give this a fairly high score, for as you can see below, it seems very unpolished. Honestly, when I first played the game I thought it was stupidly bad for a game that was released in 2001. But then I had an epiphany which you can read about below this lovely picture:

That epiphany was that the graphics were what they needed to be. I mean, let’s face it, horror is designed to be dark, mysterious, and somewhat disturbing. For this particular storyline, the graphics were perfect. In fact, I think that if they were to make a second version of the game, to mess with the graphics and the way the game feels to make them more appealing would be a mistake.

Much in the same way that dusty black-and-white photos have the ability to be more eerie than a color photo, this game hits on all of the right visual notes to give you the feeling of, “STOP IT…DON’T OPEN THAT DOOR!”

Okay, well there’s no badly voiced-over Wesker in this game, but when you do open that door above, there’s a wolf that wants nothing more than to eat your face. That’s what your gun is for…

Sound: 10/10

Wow…
That would be all I needed to say, but I will elaborate for those who still aren’t convinced that this game is compelling, awesome, and also has an epic storyline.

The sound is crisp, has warmth, is timed perfectly, and sounds insanely realistic. If I were to be stuck in a haunted house with God knows what, I would probably expect those same eerie sounds to resonate through the house. And with my Z-550 speakers, they resonate quite strongly.

I mean, honestly, the sound effects were part of the great experience of the game that gave me cold hands and feet, and rushes of adrenaline every time I entered into a new part of that accursed house. Seriously, the audio guy was that damn good.

Undying vs Related Games, and Final Thoughts:

I really cannot relate Undying to another game except for something like Heretic or Hexen. But even those examples fall so far short of what Undying is. Undying is an experience, artfully mastered and brilliantly pulled off. The storyline is awesome and it makes you become a big fan of Barker’s work. If his aim was to sell more books, he would have by patronage.

Undying needs no comparison, even in the way it came to me. I met a goth girl on a strange date where I started the night in her bedroom. I didn’t get what you guys think I did, but she did give me a copy of this game and told me to check it out. On a cold winter night, I did, and I realized I didn’t need more girls, nacho cheese, or more cowbell.

What I needed that night, and on the nights when my brain wants to be amazed, tricked, messed with, and worked up, I needed and still need more Undying.

It’s eight years later, but…sequel please?

Game review by Gavin Martin

Publisher: S2 Games

Genre: MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena)

Release Date: TBA (Closed beta started July 2008)

Cost: $30 (Closed beta is free)

400 MB of hard drive space
Windows 2000/XP/Vista (32-bit or 64-bit)
Mac OS X 10.4 or better (PPC or x86)
Linux Kernel 2.2 or better with glibc

High Quality/Recommended

Processor – 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo / AMD 3500+ or faster
RAM – 1.5GB or higher
Video Card – 256MB Geforce 7800+ or Radeon X1900+
Network Connection Required (Broadband)

Low Quality

Processor – 2.2GHz Pentium 4 / AMD 2400+ or faster
RAM – 1GB of RAM
Video Card – GeForce 5 and ATI 9800 w/ 128 MB VRAM
Windows XP, Win2k or Windows Vista
Network Connection Required

“It’s DOTA (Defense of the Ancients) with a different name, and much like DOTA, it is friggin’ awesome in every aspect.”

Let’s be clear about the history of Heroes of Newerth (new earth?): The guys at S2 Games went to Icefrog, the guy who makes DOTA, and said, “Hey, we like your mod (DOTA is a custom game / mod for Warcraft 3.) Do you mind if we blatantly copy it and then make money off of it? Icefrog then said, “Sure, go ahead.” Icefrog is a philanthropist so we found out. He’s also been hired by Valve. Icefrog = superwin.
Anyway…

S2 rejoiced and Tiny Tim even celebrated with them just like he did during “the Muppet’s Christmas Carol.”

God blessed everyone, and now S2 has a closed beta for their DOTA clone.
Normally when a developer blatantly copies a game, we, as gamers, mentally flick them off and laugh at their nonsense. However, S2 has accomplished something quite rare, and that is they have managed to clone an already perfect game, and they’ve made it…well…better.

Gameplay: 9/10

Heroes of Newerth is only available as a beta release, and the beta is closed. To play it now, you have to be one of the very special invited people. Friends can, in fact, invite other friends. Don’t have any friends who are part of the sensation? Well, get some new friends…

The fact that this game is beta, however, is very much worth mentioning. The reason being is that beta normally means that there are still a lot of bugs. I can honestly say that Heroes of Newerth has been one of the most feature-packed and reliable games I have ever played in my life, and is definitely not plagued with a lot of the bugs that even mainstream releases are shipped with. Something like the first release of “Rise of Nations” comes to mind, where the game would crash very frequently and you felt like your $50 was wasted on a sad excuse for an early beta, much less an actual release.

Heroes of Newerth is standalone from Warcraft 3, currently boasts 52 characters, and has 116 items. Each player has 4 skills, one being their ultimate, and each player can hold six items at a time. Each player also gets a stash to hold six additional items, though you’ll never need it really. What’s better is that S2 has been consistently adding characters and items, as well as tweaking things to make gameplay not only more fun, but more balanced.

I mentioned earlier that you’ll almost never need your six-item stash. The reason is that – for those who have never played DOTA – your character is chosen on a per-game basis. Each game is a multiplayer team battle, ranging from either one versus one all the way up to five versus five. The only thing that is saved from game-to-game are your stats, which are tied to your account.

Aside from team size, you can choose from three different maps and from a plethora of game settings. What do I mean by that? Well, take a look:

Now we hit the actual gameplay deal. When you join a game with your team, you then pick a hero. You have your choice of either the Legion heroes, or the Hellbourne Heroes, or, if the game is an All Heroes Game, then you can pick from both sides – so Hellbourne can pick Legion and Legion can pick Hellbourne…you get the idea.

The Hellbourne / Legion sides refer to a number of things. Those are the halves of the map, the type of creeps, and the team you are on. Your team members are not only your fellow online players, who are humans (I hope), but also your team creeps. Creeps are essentially non-playable monster-things, and both teams have them. There are also neutral creeps in the forest for players to kill for extra experience, if needed / wanted.

You level up your character by killing creeps at the beginning, and eventually you can better gain levels by killing other players. It has a PVM and PVP aspect built into one key strategy, to move toward one outcome: Your team winning by destroying the other team’s base.

With towers, extremely balanced heroes (for the most part), a ton of items, and the clock ticking (timing is pretty much everything…you better hope your opponent is better at managing it than you are), Heroes of Newerth requires a ton of strategy and thought to those who are unaccustomed to a DOTA-based game.

The reason the gameplay is only a 9/10 is not due to some downfall of the game itself, but merely due to the fact that not everyone will have the patience to keep sucking and being insulted by the multitude of experienced players who comprise the majority of the HON player population. But hey, it’s to be expected. Most of the HON fanatics are very experienced DOTA players, and, as I said before, HON is pretty much the same game.

Really though, the gameplay is awesome. Check the image below to see some of the key features, and then become envious of the fact that I have a beta key and you do not.

Control: 9/10

You can rebind all of the hotkeys if you don’t like them, and the rest of it depends on you being able to point and click. There’s not much to it, honestly. The only reason it gets a 9/10 is due to the fact that many times your intended target is hard to actually target. The reason being is due to the fact that between the similarity of color schemes between all of the heroes, the “bees on a hive” effect that comes with the fact that everyone is trying to kill the creeps and each other, the other graphical aspects which make the element of pure visual confusion really screw you to the point where you ask, “Umm…okay…what the f*** is going on? Oh, crap…I died,” and the two waves of creeps  (one from each side) which create a cluster-intercourse (family friendly) in the middle of each lane.

Graphics, Look, and Feel: 8/10

Can you say perfect transition? I will go ahead and address the two-points-short situation here since it plays off of what I mentioned before about the controls: There somehow is not enough contrast between everything so that the player can clearly distinguish who he or she needs to target to do their job correctly. Again, for experienced players this is no big deal, but this for newbies this will be one of the biggest reasons HON has such a steep learning curve for some.

It’s hard enough to focus on when to kill the creeps, when to hold your ground, when to run away, what skills to get, how to manage your gold, watching your minimap, and what items to get. The last thing we should have to do, as players, is try to sift through the ocean of creeps and players just so we can target the right person during a team battle. I’m not sure how to remedy this, but there has to be some way to make this a bit more intuitive and less stressful.

The other eight points are well-earned, however. It’s pleasing to the eyes, and it pulls you into the world of Newerth. I always know that the graphics and feel of the game are awesome when I find myself pumping with adrenaline – hands shaking – during the heat of battle.

Sound: 10/10

It’s everything you would expect, meaning it has that Warcraft 3 / World of Warcraft-esque auditory appeal to it. You are in a world where there is magic, swords, warriors, and a struggle for earth. In other words, you are in a Tolkien novel on steroids.

Most players disable the music, but it’s cool and suits the whole theme. It’s sort of mystical, but also compels you to get in the game and do something. The sound matches not only the intensity of the game, but it also has a non-serious element which is also typical of a game like Warcraft 3. Granted, this is not Warcraft 3, but it is basically DOTA, and DOTA is a mod / custom game for Warcraft 3.

I could go on and on about how it is perfect for the game and all that, but you really need to listen for yourself. The best I can do at this point is give you a side-by-side of Warcraft 3 and Heroes of Newerth, just to show you what I mean by “similar.”

And before I forget….
It also has one of those cool Quake / Unreal style announcers who emphatically throws out intensely delivered phrases. In this case, “DENIED!!”

Heroes of Newerth vs Related Games, and Final Thoughts:

I played DOTA a few years back, and I remember sucking at it compared to some of the pros. Fast-forward to today with S2, and I still pretty much suck. But I love it.

And that makes two rare things with me about Heroes of Newerth. First, it is a clone game and generally speaking I think games which basically copy another game are nonsense, but in this case I am extremely glad they did. Sometimes it’s good to copy things closely, like when a blue moon happens and a movie actually follows the book quite closely. This is another case where that is a good thing.

Second, I suck at the game and I’m happy about it. Normally if I’m bad at a game, I try harder until I get better. If I don’t get better, then I quit. This is what happened with Black and White, Rise of Nations, Command and Conquer, Tekken 5 (*gives middle finger to Paul Phoenix*) and Contra. With Heroes of Newerth, I want to finish writing this guide so I can go play, get insulted by experienced players, and suck. Part of it is the fact that I know I’m getting better, but the other part of it is how compelling the challenge is.

To knock off the comparison aspect of this article, all you really have to know is Heroes of Newerth is DOTA, without the Warcraft 3 characters, buildings, and graphics. For Warcraft 3 fans, this is not a good thing since part of that “lore corruption” is fun to experience. In other words, they took the original characters, models, sounds, and graphics, and modified it from its original purpose to serve a new one – ergo corruption.

Heroes of Newerth has a more solid netcode with zero base ping, meaning if you have 80 ms ping to a server then it is a flat 80 ms rather than 80 ms plus a 150 ms base ping, much like you would get with Warcraft 3. This fact works in tandem with the fact that S2’s dedication to detail, constant character balancing, item quantity, character selection, and pure quality of gameplay allows DOTA to become what it should be: It’s own awesome game.

Heroes of Newerth is on my new “must play” list. And if that doesn’t sell it for you, then consider this: Most games cost at least $50 these days, and anything new in the Warcraft game line is almost certainly going to cost you money every month you want to play, meaning you buy the game, and then by the game – and repeat buying the game times 6.023 x 10^23.

Heroes of Newerth is made by S2, and S2 doesn’t deal with that kind of BS. You pay $30 for the game, and you’ve got it. There are no monthly fees, and there aren’t going to be (*crosses fingers*). Play online, get owned, but have a ton of fun doing it.

S2 has done more than just create an improved version of DOTA, they’ve created a new yard-stick.

Blizzard has some catching up to do…

[TMC Approved]

Game review by Gavin Martin

Publisher: Alientrap

Genre: First-person Shooter

Release Date: May 02, 2009 (current version, 2.5.1; first version: May 31, 2005)

Cost: Free (GPL License)

400 MB of hard drive space
Windows 2000/XP/Vista (32-bit or 64-bit)
Mac OS X 10.4 or better (PPC or x86)
Linux Kernel 2.2 or better with glibc

High Quality/Recommended

A 1.5 Ghz Intel Pentium 4 chip or AMD Athlon 1500+ or better
9600ati or 5700fx or better
512 MB of ram or better

Low Quality

1 Ghz Pentium III or AMD Athlon
Geforce2 Video card
512 MB of ram

“Take Quake, introduce it to a aesthetic-savvy ninja who knows a thing or two about movement and netcode, mix in some trace-elements from Unreal Tournament, and you’ll more-or-less have Nexuiz. Yeah…it’s completely free too…”

I first heard about Nexuiz through a Linux distro which touted the game as a selling-point for switching over. I noted the name, noted the fact that it’s a FPS, and went on with my life. Fast-forward a year later to today, and I finally made the 600+ MB plunge into Nexuiz.

When I say 600+ MB, I’m referring to the download itself, which, for Windows anyway, is a .zip download available on the website (alientrap.org/nexuiz). Oddly enough, the download itself was the first impression I got from the game. The reason for that is the fact that Nexuiz, when extracted from the zip, is just a folder with a self-contained file structure. In other words, there’s no exes or registry BS to deal with. You just download, unzip, and run the exe from the folder itself – you can throw it in Program Files if it makes you feel better.

I, just wanting to get to the action, left it on my desktop. I loaded it up, set my keys, binds, graphics, mouse sensitivity, audio to how I like it for FPS’s, and clicked on the “Instant Action” button. The Instant Action deal threw me into a game with bots – giving a very similar feel to actually being in a server. This was reminiscent of games like Quake 3 Arena and Unreal Tournament, where the server-esque experience is always readily available.

Nexuiz has 24 official maps, 15 player models, and 15 guns. Let’s jump right into the nitty gritty:

Gameplay: 8/10

Just as small forward: The game is based off of a modified version of the Quake Engine called the DarkPlaces engine, but for simplicity and nostalgic value, I’ll refer to the Quake Engine primarily.

Why 8/10 you might ask? Well, I’m a huge-fan of fast-paced shooters. But even more than that, I adore bunnyhopping and this game has it. The bunnyhopping is really intuitive for anyone who has ever bunnyhopped in any game based off of the Quake engine, like in the hay-days of Half-Life, for example. Just as small forward: The game is based off of a modified version of the Quake Engine called the DarkPlaces engine, but for simplicity and nostalgic value, I’ll refer to the Quake Engine primarily. The game has a built-in speed meter for those who want it, frame-rate monitor, and endless customizations and mutators for you to play with.

Just to give you an idea as to how many details, settings, tweaks, and customizations there are to Nexuiz, I’ll just say this: After roughly 20+ hours of intense gameplay, I still am figuring out a handful of new things every time I load the game. What’s even better is the fact that the endless possibilities to this game aren’t overwhelming, and, in fact, they allow the game to be formed to anyones preferences. So, for example, if you don’t like how powerful a particular gun is, you can either have it not spawn on your server or you can change how much damage it does. Want low gravity? No problem. Instagib? No problem. 1V1 Arena Mode? Well, you get the point.

Lag isn’t a real problem, the netcode makes aiming fairly easy and only troublesome at times (like it is with any game,) and camera angles aren’t a problem since it’s first-person. There is one quark, however: Not all headshots are created equal, so I found out. The “very top of the head” headshot is an instant kill with the sniper rifle, whereas the “middle of the head” headshot is something like a two-shot kill. I guess they have hard heads…

In short the only real problem with the gameplay are the maps. To put it not so nicely, they seem amateur It’s not the look of them or anything, but they aren’t built toward the faster-paced gameplay that the tagline of Nexuiz touts. That tagline being “Simple, fast, intense, and completely free!”

It has the intense, completely free, and simple parts down, unfortunately the fast-ness, if you will, is reamed by the maps which are completely non-conducive to things like bunnyhopping, rocket propelling, and circle-strafing. The exceptions to this are there on the larger maps, but it’s still a big enough deal on enough maps to make me uncomfortable.

The maps are also leave something to be desired as far as complexity, depth, and explorability. As a contrast, Half-Life’s default maps were very interactive, fun to explore, and they were inherently challenging Figuring out exactly when things spawned and where they were. Where the longjump was and how to get to it. Where to fire the gauss gun to nuke that annoying camper. These were things that made HLDM so insanely fun and popular. Nexuiz is lacking that. Much in the way that the Playstation 2 trumped the XBOX just because of the game selection and availability, other Quake forks like Half-Life make Nexuiz seem sub-par by comparison solely because of the maps.

Control: 9/10

It has bunnyhopping, endless customizations built-in the GUI rather than through a .cfg file like some other games I’ve played before, crosshair customization, game mutators, tweakable gameplay modes, FOV settings, etc etc. You can really make this game fit your playing style with the controls. What’s more, the bunnyhopping is truly integrated into the game rather than having to use a special jump script to avoid sticking, like you would with Team Fortress back-in-the-day.

For newcomers, don’t expect the controls to be intuitive if you haven’t messed around with Quake-based games before. Just about any Quake-based game has a somewhat steep learning curve for anyone to truly become proficient. For Half-Life, Quake, and Unreal Tournament veterans however, you’ll feel right at home. Furthermore, the sense of control and the ease-of-movement that is nearly everpresent in Nexuiz will almost certainly provide you with many fun hours of gameplay.

Graphics, Look, and Feel: 6/10

Let’s be frank about this: It’s not the prettiest game you’ll ever play. The textures are fairly dated-looking, the models show their polygons proudly (along with their literally retarded-looking faces,) and the colors themselves are less-than-stellar leaving the game feeling more like a cartoon than an adrenaline pumping shoot-em-up experience.

Now, in defense of Nexuiz, it doesn’t really need to fall back on aesthetics accomplish being a good game; the other parts of this review have shown that. Furthermore, in fast-paced shooters having a extremely low-lag gaming experience is vital to the fun-factor of the game. Having simpler models, textures, and graphics make lag a non-issue for those with lesser graphics cards. This also allows a multitude of people to get in on the action, thus helping keep both servers and players’ wallets full. But when I compare the graphics for the amount of resources the game uses – which is relatively low – to a game like Half-Life, for example, (yes, I’m a broken record) I feel as though they could have spent just a little more time in this department. But with the current trend of video games having orgasm-inducing graphics and “throw that crap out the window”-inducing gameplay, I’ll cut Nexuiz a break on this one and just be thankful for the already rock-solid gameplay and controls.

Sound: 7/10

By default, Nexuiz will play this techno sort of music in the background while you play, which is cool for awhile. Eventually, however, you throw on the headphones so you can hear your opponents footsteps throughout the map, and with that, you turn the darn music off. Once that’s done, you’ll really get a sense for how valuable the sound in this game is, as it is with most shooters. Each gun makes a distinct sound, which is nice when you’re trying to decide whether or not to open that door (assuming you don’t take Wesker’s advice.) All of the other sounds make sense, and the sound quality itself isn’t bad either. What’s also cool is the fact that when you hit somebody, you get the same sort of sound you get in Quake 3. It’s kind of like an instant feedback system to tell you whether or not your futile efforts are even noteworthy.

The only real downfall here is this: While the sounds are good and suitable for the gameplay, they aren’t intense enough for me. In Quake when you get quad damage or shards of armor, you are kicking ass. When you fire a rocket you are kicking ass. When you fire the nail-gun and hear the very distinct ricochet against the walls, you are kicking ass. The sounds in Quake are so intense, so full of bass and authority, that they pull you into the zone of kicking ass, even if you are AFK and eating a taco, or something.

In Nexuiz, you don’t get that same sense of intensity or excitement, and without intensity and excitement, enthusiasm is that much harder to come by. Throw in more bass and more intensity to the sounds, and you would have a better and more compelling gaming experience. Or you can do what I eventually did: Overwrite the default sounds with Quake sounds.

Nexuiz vs Related Games, and Final Thoughts:

I remember the hay-days of Half-Life induced synesthesia thanks to the god-like Adrenaline Gamer mod which so produced so many top-notch gamers. Garpy from the UK, for example, became the pro he is today because of the fast-paced, intense, competitive, and communal nature of AG Mod. Hell, I became good at shooters thanks to AG Mod. It had everything. It became my yard-stick for shooters to live up to. It’s the kobe beef of FPS experiences for me.

Nexuiz has reached the level of a dry-aged prime strip-steak when I compare it to the kobe that is Half-Life 1 with AG Mod. Furthermore, I would prefer a T-Bone. What I’m really trying to say is I want there to be a longjump, a gauss gun, and fun things like tripmines, satchels, hand grenades, and – PLEASE – better maps. I also wish the guns weren’t so heavily balanced. They are all so mild and moderate. There’s no single gun that can kick ass under all circumstances unless you count the vaporizer-rifle-thing in instagib mode. Again, it comes down to two things for me: Give me a gauss gun and a longjump, and I’ll be much happier.

But to get back to it…

I often referenced Half-Life, Quake, and I occasionally referenced Unreal Tournament. Really, Nexuiz is a smoothie of a game – a blend, a mutt, a smörgåsbord When you play Nexuiz, you’ll really see how the pieces from all three of these legendary FPS’s have come together to influence the growth and development of Nexuiz. When you take three very solid ingredients and mix it up, you generally have a pretty good result. That’s Nexuiz – A free, fast-paced, FPS which draws from other great FPS’s. Some games would try this same recipe, and end up with a “fruitcake” of a game. Nexuiz has come up with a three-part side-by-side milkshake, which, I might add, is free. I’m ready for more.

Developer: Kojima Productions
Publisher: Konami
ESRB Rating: M (17+)
Genre: Action Adventure > Modern
Platform: Playstation 3 (Exclusive)

Well-versed gamers will be no stranger to the world of Solid Snake. Metal Gear Solid has established itself as one of the mighty in the realm of stealth gaming. As one of the most anticipated releases for the PS3, Metal Gear Solid 4 hits its target.

Bluntly, MGS4 is a pretty game. Easily one of the best looking games on the PS3. However, while the style of the game fits perfectly into the series, the graphics are not as great as one would expect. While being a definite upgrade in graphics, the jump from MGS3 just does not seem to have the same visual impact that MGS2 and MGS3 had. Enough bashing of my perceived visual shortcomings of the game, it is a great looking game. The textures are clean, lighting falls properly (although light does not play quite a large of a role as in the Splinter Cell series) and the various locations around the world that are visited in the game are rendered beautifully. The game is set in the near future, so most of the settings will be recognizable as most know them currently. And Shadow Moses rendered on the PS3 is quite nostalgic.

The sound in MGS4 is outstanding. On a surround system, it should be discernable as to where things are coming from and even in stereo, the game is great. The score by Harry Gregson-Williams is quality all-around. The music of MGS has always been great and this one does not disappoint. The cow noises are a bit disconcerting though. You may wonder where they are coming from, trust me, it’s not a cow.

The gameplay of MGS4 is outstanding. It is basically the same system from the last two games, only refined to be friendlier. The camera in previous MGS games was top down with ability for a first-person view. This limited the range of sight in the games unless you hopped into first-person. The views needed to be combined for a proper view of the surrounding area. In MGS4, the camera is a hybrid of Splinter Cell-like (360 degrees) control and a target reticule in third-person that allows for running and gunning in a semi-controlled manner. You can hit stuff, but first-person is always more accurate. The performance of the game overall is great for the amount of detail on screen. There are times where a visible change from smooth frame rates to slightly more choppy ones can be noticed. The game does not suffer because of this though. The only real issue that most people will have is with the game’s cinematics. If you have played any previous MGS, you know what you are in for. The cinematic quality of the game is in its mixing of gameplay and cinematics. This is just as much of a movie as it is a game. The cinematics are good yes, but most of the time they are excessively long. The only saving grace is that most of the long cinematics have a save near the half way point, but it is still advisable not to play this game if you are in a rush. In a break from tradition, MGS4 allows for much more access to your average gamer. The previous MGS games were sneak heavy and limited the amount of ammunition that was available. This made for a game that pushed sneaking by trouble more than gunning it down. In MGS4, Drebin is the limit. If you are so inclined to sneak, you can. If, however, you want to lay down all your previous pent up frustrations with sneak games and go through ammo like water, you can do that too! The game allows for all comers to gun as they like. Finally, the camo system is back. Snake now sports a suit of camo that adapts to the setting around him for greater stealth. This as well can be played as hardcore as one wants as well. There is an auto setting that will allow the suit to adjust colors automatically or if one wishes, it can be done manually. Overall, MGS4 is a blending and advancement of the systems from other MGS games.

Controls in MGS4 are fluid. There may be a lot to grasp at first if you have not played a MGS game in a while or never at all. Old MGS fans should not have a problem getting back into the game’s controls though. They are mostly the same. For newcomers, the controls are intuitive, but could be overwhelming at first. A few trips around the interface and most gamers will be ready to rock. The main issue with control will probably be in the sneaking area. Wall crawling might be slightly awkward at first. Hitting the wrong button at the wrong time and other mix ups could be problematic at first. Popping out from a wall instead of pulling a weapon can end nastily. More than likely, a certain play style will develop for the player. One player might like to crawl along the wall and pop out on enemies and another player may like to stay off the walls, but stay near them for cover and not physically interact with them.

Metal Gear Solid 4 is a Metal Gear Solid game in style, substance and gameplay. It is the evolution of many MGS games into something that should be fun to play, intriguing, and beautiful to look at. The game’s story may only suffer from it being back story heavy. Players not well versed in the MGS world might have a bit of confusion at times. Mostly things are explained, but some things might require a bit of outside research. Nevertheless, it is still a fun game for the uninitiated. This is a worthy entry into the genre of sneak games. Its near future setting and themes discussed in the game make for a politically relevant story while still allowing for some science-fiction license. There are other sneak games like MGS in gameplay, but the story makes MGS4 stand out.

Metal Gear Solid 4 is a must-have for any MGS fan. The game is accessible enough that it might draw in new players that may be intrigued enough to go back and play its predecessors. Still plagued by ridiculously long cinematics, the game does feel like it offers a bit more gameplay than cinematics compared to earlier MGS games. And the game is just beautiful. Metal Gear Solid 4 is a worthy addition to the MGS family at a 9.5 rating.

Developed and Published by: Square Enix

Genre: Fantasy Action Adventure, Third Person Shooter

Platform: Playstation 2

Cost: $19.99 (now)

Released: August 15, 2006

A part of the “Compilation of Final Fantasy VII” being released by Square Enix, Dirge of Cerberus was released about five months after the movie sequel to the game Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Dirge of Cerberus follows Vincent Valentine, a mysterious character that you encountered in Final Fantasy VII and appeared again in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Dirge of Cerberus reveals much about Vincent’s past as he tries to stop a group of people known as Deepground, who are trying to bring about the end of the world.

Unlike other Final Fantasy games, which are RPGs, Dirge of Cerberus is a third person shooter. The gameplay graphics are not that fantastic, but the cutscene graphics are amazing, reminding one of graphics in the CG film Advent Children. The colors throughout the game seem pretty washed out, but the washed out colors really seem to represent the state of the world after the movie Advent Children. The graphics are realistic, especially when it comes to the world you are playing in. The in-game sounds are helpful with finding your enemies, although 3D sounds would be much better. The soundtrack is reminiscent of Final Fantasy VII, which is just nice and nostalgic for those who have played VII. Gameplay is actually pretty irritating. The camera angles are very poor and most of the time it has to be adjusted by the player. Along with the camera angles, aiming your gun is a pretty big pain, mostly because they are the same controls. Even with a training mode available, the gameplay is not very player friendly.

Of course, I have to compare this game to all other games from the Final Fantasy series. It is an incredibly different type of game compared to the other Final Fantasy games, which were just fantastic RPGs. Dirge of Cerberus has a great plot much like the other Final Fantasy games. The gameplay is nothing like Final Fantasy fans are used to, but it cements the fact that Final Fantasy games all have fantastic stories and interesting, original characters.

Overall, while it tells a great story and sheds light on a character that was once very mysterious and everyone was curious about, Dirge of Cerberus was a bit of a pain to play. It was frustrating to try to aim and keep your camera straight. The beauty of the cutscenes and the story make the painful gameplay almost worth it. I would give this game a six and a half or so out of ten and recommend it to diehard Final Fantasy fans just to help complete the story. If you’re not into Final Fantasy, I would stay away because the frustrating gameplay is just not worth it.

You start out at the main menu with hundred dollar bills fanned out. If you roll through them you can see the three main characters which you can choose one to play throughout the game.  Chris Jacob, bald, dark, large man, the only mercenary that has a moral compass and actually uses it! Mattias Nilsson; blond Mohawk, Swedish man, the craziest of them all, he just wanted to blow stuff up. The last one is Jennifer Mui; Asian/American, tall, skinny, dark hair, all she cares about is the money, though all love that feature.  After choosing a character it then takes you to the first mission which is a tutorial to help you use you PDA and also how to use weapons, air strikes, change weapons, package drops, and other things you will use for the rest of the game.  Your first mission is to rescue General Carmona for a man named Ramon. After rescuing General Carmona you take him back to Ramon and Ramon betrays you and shots you in the ass. You then go back to Ramon’s mansion and “clear” it out. Basically kill everyone and take over the house for your headquarters. You next have to make friends with companies in order to get supplies and get paying jobs. Throughout this period you need to find and hire three key people, Ewan Devlin (helicopter pilot), Eva (mechanic), and Misha Milanich (jet pilot).  You will already have your INTEL person, Fiona Taylor, she will help you a lot throughout the game. After assembling your team you are ready to start missions. I will not give anything else you will just have to play the game, and have great fun. I did!

Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution is the fifth installment of the Civilization series, and the first of the series to release exclusively for the consoles. Along with being the first of the Civilization games to release on consoles, this is also the first Civilization game since Civilization I to be programmed by Sid Meier. This installment of the series keeps the addictive gameplay that Civilization is revered for alive, as well as the deep involvement in creating your own civilization.

Graphics

Civilization looks great on the 360 and PS3, partially due to the new cartoony look. The world reminds me of Super Mario Galaxy; you can see the curved horizon, and when you roam around the world with the cursor it moves a bit. The human characters have quite a bulky look, but it works due to the cartoonish world. There are plenty of vibrant colors, and all of the building models and environments look great. Everything is very easy to recognize, and there seems to be detail put into every model.

I like the stylistic choice for this game; it makes it very approachable and friendly. It also adds a bit of humor into everything, and exaggerates everything in the world. It really fits in with the style of the game, and allows for the play to feel more laid back. I also feel that when games aren’t going for realism, they can focus more on other aspects of the game. The focus here isn’t on making the game look great, it’s making the game play great. Granted, they have achieved both goals here.

Here’s the Xbox 360 version, showing off the vibrant colors, curved horizon line, distinctive building models, and cartoony characters.

Sound

Civilization has great ambient noise. During battles, the sounds fit in and make sense. Tanks sound like tanks, rifles sound like rifles, and airplanes sound like airplanes. None of the sounds are out of place, and everything sounds very crisp and clean. My only complaint as far as sound goes is when the advisors or any other NPCs speak to you. Every time they pop onto the screen (which is quite often), they speak in gibberish, and usually don’t stop until you’re done reading what they say. This isn’t a horrible problem, though, because the NPCs can be muted. Other than the advisors, the sound here is great. There are fun little tunes that play when speaking to other World Leaders, as well as when important events happen such as a declaration of war, or when a World Wonder is build. So the sound here is nice, and adds to the gameplay.

Talking privledges: DENIED. Sorry, Braveheart.

Gameplay

The gameplay is smooth most of the time in Civilization. However, when a character is coming to the front of the screen to talk, there can be a bit of slowdown. The camera always runs smoothly in game, but sometimes during battles the camera will do some odd things, like get too close, but battles only last about 30 seconds anyways, so it’s not a big problem. Before it’s your turn to make a move, the camera always moves you to where something is going on, whether it’s the completion of a building being built, a battle, or troops moving. That’s nice, so you always know what’s going on, but it can be a slight annoyance when you know something you need to do; in order to make a move yourself the camera has to make all of its moves first, and then you can choose to make moves. This isn’t a problem in the beginning of the game, but it can be annoying once you have more cities or are in a war, because the camera also moves and shows you when foreign troops near your territory are moving. All in all, the gameplay is great. There are some annoyances, but the game is so addicting it almost doesn’t matter anyways.

Control

The controls are fantastic in Civilization, from the menus to the button layout on the controller. The navigation is very simple, and makes it easy for first time Civilization players to understand. Pressing the right bumper brings up the Diplomacy panel, which is easy to navigate and looks nice. Another neat addition is the Civilopedia, which can be accessed at any time by pressing the Y button. This includes information on all of the World Leaders, World Wonders, Great People, and just about anything else included in the game. This Civilopedia is also very easy to navigate, using an x/y axis with categories on the x-axis and subjects within the category on the y-axis. Basically every menu is very clean and easy to control, which encourages the exploration of what they have to offer.

This simple button layout also makes micromanaging troops and cities a breeze. Each button controls a task for the troops, and navigating is simply done with the left analog stick. For new players who may forget what the buttons do, there is always a menu on the bottom of the screen that shows what the buttons do and the troop’s stats. The city screen is also very self-explanatory, and if you’re confused the advisors are always there to spout gibberish and tips at you. Basically, this game is very user friendly for new players to the Civilization series, but familiar enough to please returning players. The controls are really one of the shining stars of this game.

Micromanaging at its best; you build that Archer, Thebes!

How it Stacks Up

Civilization Revolution does a great job of breathing new life into the series. I’ve always known Civilization to be rather difficult, and this game lives up to that reputation. On the lower difficulties, winning a game can be a walk in the park, but when playing on the harder difficulties, you really have to use a lot of strategy. My one complaint is that the AI can be very aggressive. No matter what it seems you will always end up in a war with another country. The AI just does not stop demanding money, technology, and cities, or whatever else they want. If you try to say no, or offer them anything less, it’s war time. So other than the overly aggressive and greedy AI, this game is fantastic.

As far as console games go, I would say that this is one of the finest Strategy games available, and should be added to anyone’s library if they’re looking for a challenge that will keep them coming back for more. Each playthrough takes about four hours, and I warn you, you won’t want to stop until that playthrough is over.

ONLY 720 gold out of my 790 gold? Don’t trust him, Genghis is just going to declare war again after those four turns anyway, unless he asks for my remaining 70 gold for four more turns of peace.

Last Words

This game looks great, sounds good, runs solidly, controls gracefully, and leaves you begging for more. Be warned, you’ll be beat up and betrayed, and as a result you’re going to be thinking about the perfect strategy in your sleep.

Here are my overall ratings for Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution:

Napoleon has said it all. Be sure you join the Revolution!

]]> http://www.warfactory.net/sid-meiers-civilization-revolution-review/feed/ 0 http://www.warfactory.net/okami-game-review/ http://www.warfactory.net/okami-game-review/#comments Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:46:08 +0000 BlckdrgnFang http://www.warfactory.net/?p=68 Okami

Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Clover Studios
Genre: Adventure
Platform: PS2 (September 19, 2006)
Wii (April 15, 2008)
SRP: $39.99

From the first time I laid eyes on Okami, I expected great things. And Okami more than delivered, it was jaw-dropping. Okami has to be one of the most awe-inspiring games I have ever laid my hands on. When I started playing I was hooked till the end. I just love this game, the characters, the art style, the gameplay, everything about this game is so unique and so distinctive that it’s sort of sickening.

Story

In Okami, you play as the newly revived sun-goddess Amaterasu. Amaterasu was killed 100 years before the current day in a battle between the eight-headed serpent, Orochi. At the beginning of the game, Amaterasu’s mission is to restore the world of Nippon to its former beauty, but it is soon realized that the dreaded Orochi has reawakened and Amaterasu’s new mission is to stop the serpent once again. I know it sounds cliché, but Capcom pulls it off with flying colors.

But what is really great about the story may not be the story itself, but the characters. The characters in Okami have a life on their own. The characters dialogue is witty and sarcastic. Especially the games two main characters, Amaterasu and Issun. Issun is a bug sized artist that serves as the games guide and comedic side-kick. Amaterasu is a goddess, but she’s also in the form of a wolf so she can’t speak, but that doesn’t mean she can’t come across. She’ll literally fall asleep if something bores her. Funny thing for a goddess to do.

Gameplay

The design of Okami is based around the use of the celestial brush, a godly instrument that allows you to literally paint object into the world or directly affect its state. There are 13 brushstrokes in all and the powers they grant you are truly amazing. You can revive a dead tree by drawing a circle around it or slice and dice enemies with a single drawn line. I particularly liked the fact that if you didn’t like something that a villager told you, then you could set them on fire (I’m not sadistic). And don’t worry, it doesn’t kill them.

At the beginning of the game the use of the brush is fairly limited. You can do things like changing night into day by drawing a circle in the sky. But as you get more and more into the game, the celestial brush gets fairly complex. As you collect more brushstrokes you can do have more freedom. You create bombs out of thin air by drawing a circle with a fuse attached to it or create gusts of wind to blow out fires. Some enemies even have to be beaten using certain brushstrokes. An interesting part of the game is learning how to use these brushstrokes together to solve puzzles or beat enemies. For example, you can create a bomb and a simple gust a wind will send it barreling towards the baddies, truly innovative if you ask me.

Enemies are usually encountered by running into demon scrolls that are scattered throughout Nippon. You have to actually touch one to initiate a battle so theoretically you could go through the entire game without encountering a battle via a demon scroll. But if happen to stumble into one of these scrolls you shouldn’t have any problem whatsoever, the enemies you fight are generally pushovers and most won’t give you any problem.

The bosses, however, are an entirely different story. Most of them tower over Amaterasu as if she were a bug. Big or small the games main bosses are a challenge and require a little puzzle solving in order to defeat them. The only problem is that the bosses are in limited amount so you’ll encounter very few of them. But the ones they have are a spectacular addition to the game.

In addition to the main quest of the game there are literally a TON of side quests that you can embark on. From helping the townsfolk with simple tasks, digging up turnips, feeding animals, or exorcising demons. Some of these tasks get you money, but what you’re really after is the praise. Since you’re a goddess, praise helps you power up by getting more health or more inkpots for your brush. With the side missions included, the game is over 30 hours so you’re sure to get your moneys worth.

Graphics

When I first set eyes on Okami, I was simply amazed. The graphics in this game are a visual feast. Visually, no other game on the market today can compete with Okami. Everything seems to be alive. Even when Amaterasu is running across a field, trails of flowers and grass follow behind her, truly a sight to behold. During the game, there were several times when I just stood there, taking in the great graphics in this game. The animation is superb too. Amaterasu looks just like a wolf should and would look if it were running, not some crappy imitation. The game is smooth and easy to control, the one and only time I witnessed any lag was when I would create too many bombs with the celestial brush, but even then, it wasn’t drastic and it passed quickly.

Sound

Think of what you would think a Japanese game would sound like only better. The game has a remarkable soundtrack. The sound blends extremely well with the world of Nippon. When someone talks and series of grunts and mumbles are what come out instead of words. I know that many people don’t like that, either voiceover or nothing, but it adds to the games charm. And this game has charm oozing out it’s ears (if it had ears that is).

Conclusion

Presentation: 90 (easy to learn game with informative help screens, lots of extra stuff to go around, decent story, and witty dialogue)
Graphics: 100 (one word…freaking amazing)
Sound: 95 (soundtrack=good)
Gameplay: 90 (great boss battles and plenty of side missions/puzzles, but most battles are just too easy)
Overall: 94 (Great Game!!)

If you haven’t had the privilege of playing Okami, PLAY IT!! It really is a game worth your money. I had a blast from start to finish. It’s a refreshing game that’s charming, witty, and engaging that any self-respecting PS2 or Wii owner need to pick up just because there isn’t anything else like it. Sure it does seem like Capcom might have taken a shot at trying to create a Zelda-like game, and it has so much in common with Twilight Princess that it’s kind of uncanny. But is that really a bad thing? If Okami wants to take its structure from Zelda and make a game even more unique, by adding the celestial brush perhaps? Then I say more power to ‘em. Okami is a game that you shouldn’t pass up, particularly if you like the Zelda games. It’s s stunning refreshing game that deserves your attention, as it greatly deserves it. So go pick it up.

And to all you people wondering…yes, since you’re a wolf, you can give your enemy a golden shower and yes, it is hilarious.

Chris Newell

Gaming Seminar

9/3/08

Game Details:

Name: Age of Mythology: Gold Edition

Developer: Ensemble Studios

Publisher: Microsoft

Genre: RTS, Real Time Strategy

Platform: PC

System Requirements:

Microsoft® Windows® 98/Me/XP/2000

PC with 450 MHz equivalent or higher processor

128 MB of system RAM

1.5 GB available hard disk space

32x speed or faster CD-ROM drive

16 MB video card required

Sound card, speakers or headphones required for audio

Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

56.6 Kbps or better modem for online play

Cost: $19.99 List price

Release Date: June 30, 2004, Original Version October 30, 2002

Now, the real reason your reading this review. The juicy, extra saucy mash potato plated masterpiece of the actual game. When I first picked up this game I didn’t know what to look for in games. This was one of my first pc games. Yea I know I’m a little late to the pc world. I was looking for something to occupy my time. I also was interested in mythology, so once I saw this game it was a given.

When I first opened the box, I noticed there were two disks. I thought this was simple, compared to Baldur’s Gate with 4 or more disks (cant remember). Now I cant remember very many other games back then. Heck all of high school is pretty much a blur. So here we go!

2. ELEMENTS
1. Graphics

When I first started the game, you get a cinematic trailer. It captured me as soon as I saw it, I liked it so much, and I immediately quit the game and restarted it to watch it again. Then like the good little boy I was, I immediately launched the campaign. I mean for the time this game was made it has pretty good graphics. The colors in the game are still pretty good, even by today’s standards. They’re extremely bright and detailed, and there are a lot of units on screen at the same time. The units are pretty detailed, and the environments were visually interesting.

2. Sound

I found the sound in this game decent. I mean the sound in Real Time Strategy isn’t the main focus. However this game, along with most Real Time Strategy, doesn’t totally ignore sound. Each unit has it’s own unique sound byte that comes along with moving sounds and battle sounds. The background music is involved with the themes of the game. A little Greek, a pile of Norse, and a pinch of Egyptian combine into the games music. I never wanted to turn the music off, nor did I want to break my eardrums. It was peaceful and Zen like for me.

3. Game play/Control

The game play was the best part of the game for me. I like a game to have a lot of replay value. It’s been 6 years now and I’ve never stopped playing it. The game is a smooth ride, with not a detour in site. I never once experienced any lag spikes or slow processing times. Of course I had the graphics on full blast, but even then it was running very smooth.

The controls in this game were pretty easy to learn and part of the brilliance of the game play is just that fact. The learning curve is pretty good for an R.T.S.. Compared to Empire Earth where it took me considerably longer to learn the controls, in Age of Mythology I was immediately into the game.

3. Conclusion

When I first played this game 6 years ago, I was shocked at how much I liked the game. 6 years later here I am, still playing the game. Even if you hate R.T.S. id recommend that you try this game out. The game would of gotten a 100 from me if I had reviewed it when it first came out. I can proudly recommend getting the gold edition now, because it has held up to the test of time and still is a 100.

Link to the Official trailer: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4757082574169386904&ei=E2O_SOfAOZPm-wHuoLH_CQ&q=age+of+mythology&vt=lf

Published by: Electronic Arts

Developed by: Pandemic Studios

Released Date: August 31, 2008

Genre: Third-Person Shooter

Platform: XBOX 360

The Review

If you like blowing  shit up Mercenaries 2 is the game for you. Most of the game is just blowing crap up. The story is simple, we have herd it before, basically your pissed of because some guy shot u in the ass and you want to get revenge on him by killing him. So you must do jobs for people to earn money so u can buy new weapons and various items that will help u through the game. The game is funny and i found myself laughing at every cut scene. It has single player mode and also a fun two player mode only allowed over xbox live.

Graphics

Merc 2 graphics are pretty good. There are just a few things that bothered me. For one when you are in a vehicle you can pretty much drive through anything and destroy it. This is cool in some ways but come one you cant drive right through a full grown tree. Another thing is the vehicles dont leave tread marks on the ground. I think this is a nice touch and a pretty lazy decision for not doing it. Last thing is once things/items have been touched they disappear. This is ok in some cases but not with big items when its clearly noticeable. These are just some small minor things that i am picky about. The colors are nice and everything looks pretty realistic, but for the amount of time that it took to make this game i think that it could have looked better.

Sound

The sound of the explosions where nice and loud. If you have the surround sound hooked up you can here explosions all around you which make for a nice intense experience. The sound or the AI is the worst of this game. You will here the same five lines thought the whole game.

Gameplay/Performance

Almost everthing in the game is destructible, and when blowing theses things up the game keeps a nice steady frame rate witch is surprising for how big the world is. The camera angles are not bad. The only place it can get kind of confusing is when operating any vehicle.

Control

The controls are fine. They are like pretty much like any other FPS. Its easy to learn. Teh only time when it gets hard to control is when in a vehicle. You have to use both joysticks at once which can get confusing for some people.

Compare/Contrast with other games

I have never played Mercenaries 1 so i cannot compare to that. The games world reminds me of GTA but not as big and not as polished. Nothing special with the layout its just like any other 3PS. Its not anything that we have not seen before.

Conclusion

Overall i like Merc2. It has a lot to it. Of coarse there is just the main story  but there are also side challenges, a ton of unlock able items, and bonus missions with each real mission. Its one of those games that you dont even have to play the main mission to have fun. You can drive around town, hit pedestrians, and blow shit up. You do the main story at your own pace which is nice. Its not on any level with GTA but its worth a try. There are just a few things wrong with the graphics that i thought they could have done a better job on but other then that its a pretty solid game. Witch is why i give it a pretty solid 7.5 out of 10. I would not buy this game but for you crazy people out there who cant get enough of blowing shit up it might be the game for you. When it comes down to it Merc2 is a fun game  and thats what its all about.

-Matt Burns