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Sniper Ghost Warrior 2 Review

Brett Greaves — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 14:30:55 +0000

It takes quite a lot to develop a first person shooter game based on the story of a sniper, and only a sniper…it takes a lot more to follow that game up with a sequel. Sniper Ghost Warrior 2 does just that. We dug out the camo face paint one more time and got stuck into our review to find out if it pulls it off… So we have already established how cool snipers are in our Sniper Elite V2 review, but let’s face facts, once the blood from your first 500 metre takedown dries, a sniper’s job can get pretty monotonous. The biggest question on my mind going into SGW2 was; Can the developers keep me intrigued and captivated throughout? My thinking is a solid story would need to be on the cards to pull that off. Before we get into that though, let’s get into how it’s presented and how it plays.

Presentation

Much to my surprise, SGW2 is built on Crytecs, CryEngine 3, the same engine that brought us Crysis 2 and 3. So naturally the game not only looks spectacular, but plays like a dream as well. The environments are rich with detail and stunning to look at – albeit not too varied. Although SGW2 is a linear game, the levels are constructed flawlessly, as a player I was never left wondering where to go, or what to do next. The inclusion of a spotter on some missions was a great way to fully immerse me as player into the game, as he provides you with instructions on how to navigate past high-traffic areas unnoticed, as well as sounds out your targets for you in a succinct manner that will ensure your presence stays unnoticed. The variation of commands, instructions and emotions from your spotter is done well too, adding to the realism of the game once you are on the ground surrounded by an overwhelming enemy force. He also comes in handy when you have multiple enemies to take out, it is just a pity you are not able to issue target instructions to him for seamless takedowns, but rather have to rely on scripted scenes for this to take place. Overall though, the game looks very solid. My GTX670 tore it to pieces on Ultra-settings – with vsync enabled my FPS did not drop below 60 once. That said, I toned down the settings to high in order to get a feel of what the difference would be like from V-high to just high, and was surprised at how little difference it made, so the good news is that if you are playing SGW2 on an aging card, you will not be disappointed with it visually.

Gameplay

The gameplay itself is altogether a fun experience. Although there is an element of realism brought forth through the visuals and level design, players will be constantly reminded that this is a game by way of some overly intelligent AI that breaches on telepathy. For instance, should you decide to drop a bad guy who is in line of sight of his bad guy mates, they will not only be alerted to your presence, but immediately know exactly where you are and come storming at you like a bunch of hungry lions – and I don’t care how good your aim is, your bolt action sniper rifle is a redundant piece of weaponry against a few angry bad guys with machine guns. Let’s not forget that the one bullet, one kill mentality applies to you as well, so you will probably find yourself loading checkpoints every so often. This brings me to another bugbear – as has become accustom in a number of games released of late, you do not have the ability to save your progress at freewill in SGW2, but rather have to rely on reaching a checkpoint for your progress to be penned in – unfortunately the checkpoints are simply too far apart from one another in SGW2, resulting in some tedious repetition in gameplay should you get gunned down. The next awesome feature is the bullet cam, Which, unlike most of the gameplay NEVER gets old. The only thing better than a 800 metre headshot, is the ability to follow the bullet in slow motion as it finds its way to its destination. Boom. Surprisingly though, you have the ability to turn the bullet cam off – I don’t know why anyone would want to do this? Awesomeness and fun aside, the gameplay gets massively repetitive after about 100 kills. Sniping is cool, and taking down masses of enemies in with calculated precision is fun…but there is only so much one can take before you want to shoot yourself in the head. The game also becomes quite easy as you progress and become a better shot. It would have been great though, and may have added to the difficulty of the game a bit more, if players got the ability to choose what rifle they wanted to play with before each mission. The ability to purchase new rifles, upgrades to existing rifles and the ability purchase and choose different types of ammunition would have all been great additions to the game, something that may have justified the means to playing only with a sniper rifle throughout an entire game. Some puzzles and challenges, like hitting a moving target, or taking down an enemy through a penhole size gap would have been great additions to vary the gameplay a bit. Pity.

Story

Sniper Ghost Warrior 2 takes place in a modern day setting, the story tellers could have literally gone anywhere, done anything, I’m not a story teller – but off the top of my head I was asking myself if they were going to put me in the shoes of a bloodthirsty mercenary, paid to track down, intercept and assassinate a high profile executive while travelling on a train from Italy to Switzerland for no good reason I wish to care about but for money and the thrill of hitting a moving target, after which setting off a sequence of events that would leave me stranded in the middle of hostile territory with my rifle, my cunning to survive and my ability to wreck open world mayhem…but instead, they took the same old clichéd linear approach: Somewhere in the middle of Siberia there is a terrorist looking to sell a lethal bio-weapon to another terrorist who is on the FBI, CIA, NSA and all other 3 letter acronym anti-terrorist organizations watch-lists, and it is your job (as the lame good guy) to stop them. I’m not even joking, that is the story. It is so loosely strung together, that I think it is a continuation of the story from the first game but because there was so little pretext provided, I am still left pondering. I never played the first game and after following the story of this one I’ve no inkling to whatsoever. The good news is that the story is so weak that the storytellers couldn’t even drag it out endlessly, the game is short, so short in fact that a good sniper will finish it on easy within a measly 4 hours. You need to ask yourself at this point if it is worth paying money for?

Conclusion:

Sniper Ghost Warrior 2 is just another linear game, with the same clichéd plot we have been through a thousand times, made even more repetitive by the fact that your only weapon is a single sniper rifle. It is worth 20 minutes of fun with it’s gorgeous visuals, smooth gameplay and of course the infamous bullet cam, but not worth the price tag.

SimCity Review

Matthew Arnold — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 19:45:22 +0000

SimCity manages to bring the classic city simulation game forward to the present while keeping all the core elements that made the game such a success in the past. This is no mean feat as the game has been redesigned from the ground up and includes a lot of major departures from previous versions; however that signature city building addiction is still there in bucket loads. Before we get into the meat of the review we have to touch on the launch week server issues. Fans across the world were super frustrated at the in-ability to play the game due to overcrowded servers and stability issues. While I agree the always online DRM system is entirely stupid, EA deserve some credit for quickly fixing the problem. For South African users we had one or two days of downtime and everything is almost back to all systems go with EA confirming 92% of players not having any issues. I joined one of the 8 new servers that EA launched (Europe East 3) and managed to play all weekend without any problems at all. It is important to note this as there could be potential problems down the line when they roll out new patches or expansions and this cannot be ignored.

Presentation

Obviously a massive improvement from its predecessor’s graphics, SimCity certainly looks the part. The shadows, texture and lighting are all excellent and the attention to detail throughout the city is amazing. Zooming down to street level to see signs on buildings, garden hoses on the sides of houses and even individual Sims limping when injured. The street view camera really brings your city to live and watching the traffic move through the intersections enhances the illusion of a bustling city even further. The tilt-shift camera effects are a nice addition but have the option to be turned down if you aren't a fan. In fact if you have a look in the graphics settings page you will find a range of filters that can be applied to the world. These filters offer a range of visual styles that can be applied including a badass Sin City style filter. These enhancements are pretty cool once you have been playing for hours and could do with a change of scenery. One of the standout features of SimCity is the audio. The entire city is filled with amazing sound effects and each building has its own sounds when you click on it. The background music is not too intrusive, in fact I often forgot about it entirely. Having an alternative track or the ability to import your own music would have been nice. The only audio negative is the fact that the Sims speak in that annoying Sims voice (ala The Sims) which irritates me. Fortunately you only have to hear it every now and then when a Sim makes a specific request/mission for you to follow.

Gameplay

The gameplay is the nuts and bolts of SimCity. All the required detail of a full SimCity experience is here and represented in a very easy to use interface. The data maps are beautifully layered over the city to help you with your decisions and are a crucial part of SimCity. Knowing which way the wind is blowing, how your ground water is arranged and where you mineral deposits are situated is crucial to creating a decent city. The road network now supports water, electricity and sewage which makes it a bit more accessible for new players and takes a lot of the dirty work away (excuse the pun). The inclusion of specializations provides some serious fun. Each city has the options of specializing in a specific field be it mining, tourism or even education each has its pros and cons and subtly affects the city you build (a mining town attracts lower income workers who don’t have the same yearning for education as higher income residents in a cultural city). One big frustration point for me is the very small maps. Each city has a predefined border that you cannot exceed. While the point of SimCity is to slowly increase the density of your city rather than create a large sprawling metropolis the small area can cause problems until you get the hang of it. Some buildings are very big (sports stadiums etc) and unless you have planned from the beginning you simply won’t have room. If you select a map that has a very mountainous area or lots of rivers you can expect your city size to shrink even further. The inclusion of a simple terrain editing tool would have made a huge different but instead you are stuck with what you get. The small cities are all part of the plan however and its core focus is to get you to leverage other cities in your region for other services. Due to the limited space it is almost impossible to build a city that has everything. Sooner or later you will need to use a neighbor to help provide a service or two. This is where SimCity starts to get interesting. Having a region with several cities, each with their own specialization can provide a beautiful thriving economy. Each region has the ability to create a Great Work, a massive construction that benefits all the cities in the region (think Solar Power or International airport). It adds a bit of inter-player strategy in multiplayer and rewards those of us that take the time to co-ordinate with our mates. You will just need to make sure you are all on the same server to be able to play together.

Content

SimCity has a lot of replay value due to the range of paths you can select. Each city specialization has its own buildings and nuances which will see you building multiple cities to try them all out. The introduction of regions and Great Works will also keep you busy for ages working your way towards building one in each of your regions. You will easily find yourself having built up to ten cities and still hungering for more. Presumably there will be future DLC with new buildings and great works which is something to look forward to. However the basic sandbox nature of SimCity means that you will want to play late in to the night for many nights to come. SimCity was developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. Our review is based on the PC version (Mac TBA in April).

Tomb Raider Review

Kevin Mullane — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 11:29:18 +0000

A reboot of one of the most iconic gaming series of all time was always going to be a risky and challenging prospect, but with this action adventure romp, Crystal Dynamics really have nailed it. Tomb Raider is all that we've come to expect from this franchise, and so much more.

Story

The narrative revolves around the coming of age of a young Lara Croft, taking the player through the trials and tribulations on the island of Yamatai which defined the classic heroine that is the Tomb Raider. The story-line is deep and complex, mixing a series of strong cut scenes with optional diary entry collectibles to provide two levels to the storyline. Shipwrecked on the island of Yamatai and then kidnapped by unknown inhabitants you are thrown headlong into the story from the very first moment. If anything the first few sequences are very tightly scripted and can feel a bit restrictive once the game open up though this is quickly forgotten and the real drama begins to unfold. Lara is a really strongly written character superbly performed by Camilla Luddington helps to bring real depth to the narrative. The supporting cast unfortunately come across as a little flat as a result of the focus on Lara, but this is only a tiny blip on the overall experience of the story-line of this game. Most notably the story-line manages to update and modernize the Tomb Raider series without negatively impacting on any of the previous games, a task not so easily accomplished. There is an added focus on Japanese folk lore and mysticism which again is linked to collectible items leaving the player in complete control as to how deep down the rabbit hole they want to go. Tomb Raider is an engrossing tail that will continually have you coming back to find out what happens next.

Presentation

Probably the biggest change in the series reboot was the focus on the detail and immersion of the environment of Tomb Raider. The game is far grittier and visceral than previous games in the franchise, but this gritty detail is beautifully offset against the stunning vistas of a lost island off the coast of Japan. The game uses a clever combination of (small) open world dynamics with interspersed guided paths to show off both the openness of a forested island and the dark light flickering closeness of underground tunnels, caves and tombs. All of these are rendered eye straining detail and artfully presented to draw the player in without losing the impact of the overarching storyline or the pleasure of the gameplay. I was particularly impressed with the way the game seamlessly integrates the key components of the environment such as ledges and cliffs for Lara to leap across, historically these have stood out from the rest of the environment and at times didn't seem to fit, no so with the new game. Add to that flammable objects and clever water dynamics, this Tomb Raider really draws you in, and drags you along a roller coaster ride of action and excitement all the while taking your breath away in a way more often linked to blockbuster movies than games.

Gameplay

Without being a standout point of the game, the gameplay is fluid and manages to perform its role in this action epic surprisingly well. The controls whilst nothing new and exciting are simple and logical and allow you really get to grips with the game. Combat is frequent but is not the overbearing in the game, and whilst I had some issues aiming Lara’s hunting bow early in the game, I did not struggle with the combat mechanics and surprisingly the scrap looting and weapon upgrading system was satisfying and rewarding. My biggest (and only) real issue with this game, and to be fair it is not just this game but something the industry needs to learn and fast, is the frequent use of quick time events (QTE’s) especially early in the game. QTEs add no value or experience to gameplay and only really serve to frustrate the player mid-story. My ability to hit the triangle key at the exact moment in a cut scene just to continue the story just seems pointless to me. With that out the way though I must say that the gameplay is solid and really helps to round off the overall experience that is Tomb Raider. Most importantly the game is fluid, the adventuring and puzzle engaging and the all round experience very satisfying. Tomb Raider was developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Square Enix. The game was released for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Our review is based on the PS3 version.

Aliens: Colonial Marines Review

Brett Greaves — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 22:06:07 +0000

The latest installment to Alien franchise recently caught our attention; Why? Well this game has been approved by Fox pictures and made an official sequel to the movie Aliens. We got our mitts on a copy to review, but not before doing our homework… I have always been a fan of the Aliens versus Predator franchise, ever since the original AvP launched in 1999. Possibly because that was the first game that truly brought forth feelings of real fear for me. It was the brilliant combination of isolation, extreme darkness and intermittent beeping that stemmed from the omnipresent motion tracker - even though it alluded to your enemies’ position, you were taught not to panic until you had visual confirmation that you were in immediate danger. This of course was made very difficult by the fact that the only items you had to illuminate a pitch-black area was a dim torch, and four measly flairs. This notwithstanding the fact that aliens cleverly traversed from wall to ceiling in an attempt to rip your face off – the overall result was both terrifying and challenging. This continued throughout all the Aliens games, including AvP2, and the 2011 release of AvP (Dx11 version). – Yes, the Aliens had a distinct shine to them in this release, but their tenacity to rip your face off from all directions was terrifyingly fun all the same. Story: Before getting stuck into the game, I was advised to watch the movies Alien, Aliens and Alien 3. As this game was indeed a sequel, it only made sense that I did. That said, I have mixed feelings about my decision to do so… let me take a quick step back to contextualize. In all the previous Aliens (vs. Predator) games, there was never really any story –at least any of much substance anyway- or point to the game, other than to survive all odds. As a player you didn’t really care either. As long as you were kept scared half to death, which was enough. Coming back to the Aliens trilogy, I played the first few levels of Aliens: Colonial Marines without having watched the movies and my experience was pretty much the same as the previous games. I was happy to be dropped into the story where the game takes place. I had no preconceived ideas about any of the characters (lt. Hicks), the planet (LV-426), the ship (USS Sulaco) and the game was, for all intents and purposes, the same as any of the previous games as far as the story was concerned. After watching the movies though I was hit with a wave of revelation, besides the fact that James Cameron is a genius, I now understood some stuff. The problem with my newfound understanding was I had more questions than answers. Simply put, the story that binds Aliens: Colonial Marines, is so loosely strung together that I could not fathom how Fox approved this as a sequel. In fact, if one was to properly scrutinize the story, Aliens: Colonial Marines doesn’t take place directly after James Cameron’s sequel, as one would initially be lead to believe, but rather sometime in the middle of the 3^rdAlien movie. All in all, the story is weak when put into context of the broader Alien plot laid out by the movies. Furthermore, it is predictable and in some cases incomplete. An unpleasant disappointment to James Cameron’s legacy to say the very least. Gameplay: The gameplay doesn’t get much better I am afraid. I took great pleasure in ignoring the naysayers when the game was released, reassuring myself that the gameplay was going to be as awesomely terrifying as all the other games – even if the story was a croc. Sadly, this game excludes one of the vital ingredients that made this franchise a success: Isolation. There is nothing more terrifying than knowing you are alone, surrounded by enemies that you know want to rip you face from your body, who you cannot see, and therefore cannot fire upon. This game loses that completely. As a player, you are always in the company of at least one NPC – Save for a single mission where you are left stranded without a partner or even a weapon to survive – The one cool thing about your NPC partner is that he is able to be repossessed by an actual mate, via a drop-in and out co-op mode. The single player co-op mode supports up to 4 players, which could be quite a lot of fun! Unfortunately throughout the single player missions friendly fire is enabled, meaning you can let rip without worrying about splattering your partners brains against the wall. Contributing to the ease of the gameplay. Then, just when you are getting into the game, the Aliens disappear and are replaced with other “gun for hire” marines, who are supposedly there to kill everything. It is at this point where the game becomes nothing more than another generic shoot-em-up, and loses the entire “Aliens” sensation altogether. Looking at the available weapons arsenal, players are able to carry up to 3 weapons at a time, 2x primary weapons, and a handgun. That said, you are able to switch between any one of the primary weapons available to you at any point during the game, which makes the gameplay even easier should you run out of bullets in one of your current selected primary weapons. Also, players receive experience points as they progress through the game, which can be used to upgrade each of the weapons. The Pulse rifle for example can be retrofitted with an extended mag or a laser sight to make life even easier in game. The A.I is nothing short of pathetic as well. Rather than traverse the sealing, walls or a combination thereof to rip your face off, Aliens simply run straight for you. If they do manage to leap at you, all you need do is take a step back to make them fall short. One well-placed round from your shotgun at this point will see the Alien’s life instantly expunged. Additionally, if an Alien does get the jump on you, your player uses his ninja-like reflexes to drop everything and hold the Alien at bay. A couple taps of the interact key will see you shove the Alien aside, buying you enough time to take out your side arm and drop the sucker. Too easy. Again, in alignment with James Cameron’s version of Aliens, the Marine cannot carry both the Motion tracker and a weapon at the same time. One would expect this would add quite a lot in terms of a challenge to the gameplay, that said, you are notified via a single beep from your motion tracker when an enemy is nearby, even when it is not equipped, which greatly reduces the need to ever pull it out. If I had it out to actually use it in the game, once, it was a lot. Combine all of this and the game does not feel quite, altogether. The blend of Movement and interaction is not seamless throughout. Honestly, it felt a bit clunky to me, a lot like Duke Nukem Forever. Not something we expected from SEGA at all. Presentation: With all the above said, the level design is one aspect that has been done really well, in terms of alignment with the movie sets. The cargo bay on the Sulaco is recreated perfectly. Even Bishop’s body is placed exactly where it is left at the end of Aliens. Again, without having watched the movies, a player would be none-the-wiser to the effort put in here. I am not even going to comment on the setting of Hadley’s Hope, because if you watched James Cameron’s, Aliens, you will also be struggling to figure out how everything is still in tact on LV-426 after a 30 megaton Fusion explosion… Generally speaking though, the environments are exceptionally dark and creepy, coupled with the realistic sounds, (pulled directly from the movies) do a great job of immersing you into them, more so if you have a set of earphones on. The developers have also done a great job at blending the Aliens with the environments too, so when they disappear into the darkness, they are impossible to see. Pity then that when they charge, it is directly at you, and not more of a challenge. The graphics are not that brilliant or taxing either. Although the levels are well designed and both look and feel like they are taken directly out of the movies, they feel slightly aged in terms of rendering. There is even a fix that some players have implemented in order to ramp up their graphics settings in order to bring more realism to the gameplay. Again, Duke Nukem Forever comes to mind when trying to describe the “incomplete” nature of this game. Conclusion: Aliens: Colonial Marines has evidently been created for true fans of the franchise, but the feeling is that a newcomer would get more from the experience. Albeit clunky and aged, it is still quite a bit of fun to play. So, if you are looking for some mindless, simple fun with some friends, this is the one for you. Overall though, my opinion is that this should have rather been released as a movie, and not a game if it was a true attempt at appeasing fans. Aliens: Colonial Marines was developed by Gearbox Software and published by Sega. The game was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Our review is based on the PC version.

Crysis 3: Everything you’ve been waiting for? [Review]

Brett Greaves — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 13:46:28 +0000

It is finally here, the third and final installment to the Crysis Franchise, and it’s a marvel. Like its predecessors before it, Crysis 3 will push your hardware to its limits, take your breath away with its massive, gorgeous visuals and leave you with goosebumps when it is all over. Looking back: Before we get stuck into the nuts and bolts of Crysis 3, lets take a quick look back at the story so far: Intense stuff! Not sure if you caught it from the recap video, but Crytec have left a possible Prequel to this game wide open! Moving on. After I watched this recap video (Which plays just before the Crysis 3 campaign begins) I was left with 3 glaring unanswered questions:

What happened to Nomad? If I recall, he survived the Island that was Crysis 1. Now he is dead. But how did he die? Did he fall off the aircraft carrier after defeating the mother alien, and drown? Did he get hit by a F22 raptor at takeoff while doing a victory dance on the aircraft carrier? I guess nobody will ever know.
Anyone who played Crysis 2 will vividly remember this scene: No kids, it is not a toy. And no, there is no chance that he could of survived that bullet to the head. Moreover…how was he able to so easily slip out of the suit, without dying?
Alcatraz who? Yes, the protagonist from number 2, where is that dude? What happened to him. Has he miraculously transformed into Prophet? – Yes. so it would seem.

Gameplay: Welcome to the New York 2.0 Story inconsistencies aside, five minutes into Crysis 3 you won’t care about anything else. Unless your FPS is under 20, it would be difficult not to care about that. The game starts like a Hollywood blockbuster and the quick pace from Crysis 2 is immediately resumed from the onset in number 3. The style of play is almost identical to Crysis 2, all the bells and whistles that were introduced in number 2 are back and have been improved upon in number 3. The environments are rich and beautifully contrasted. The developers have done a fantastic job of showing off here, not one level is like another in Crysis 3. Each offering a unique gameplay experience, one could even go so far as to say that players would do well by adopting different styles of gameplay to different levels. Ranging from massively open sandbox environments, like we were accustomed to in Crysis 1, to extremely tight and claustrophobic levels that we got from Crysis 2. Crysis 3 really is a hybrid of both. Better yet, Crytec have outdone themselves by introducing the predator bow. What a weapon! I must confess, I have not had this much fun in a game with a single weapon ever. I will definitely be replaying Crysis 3 from end to end with this little beauty in my hand and nothing else. Overpowered it is, so long as stealth is on your side. Don’t dare try run and gun with this bad boy. You need to take your time, aim down the sights and when you are confident you have your target pinned, release. THWAP! Oh my, there is not a more satisfying sequence of events…the invigorating sound of the arrow being released is outmatched only by the fulfilling sound of the arrow hitting your target, which is then outmatched by the feeling that comes when your enemy falls to the ground, lifeless. A single arrow that can later be retrieved from your downed target has never, in the history of the compound bow, been this sustaining. But why stop there, interchange your arrowhead for an electric arrow, and fire one off into the body of water your enemies are trudging through, or better yet, interrupt a group conversation by taking multiple enemies out with a single, explosive tip arrow, YES! Should you wish to try out the other weapons in Crysis 3, for whatever reason, you will be pleased to note that Crytec have introduced some new modifications all round. From larger ammo clips for running and gunning, marksman barrels for accuracy and my personal favorite, a bayonet for those inevitable close encounters while you are in the middle of a reload. All of which come in really handy in the Multiplayer by the way The suit upgrade module that was introduced in number 2 has been completely redesigned. Rather than being upgraded by picking up alien tissue, it is upgraded by cell suit modifications that can be found throughout each of the levels. Don’t be fooled though, they are not easy to find. In addition, unlike the modifications from the sequel, that were somewhat overpowered, the modifications in Crysis 3 offer much more subtle enhancements to the suit. Meaning you are probably still going to be looking for a good place to hide and recharge your energy. Don’t get caught with your pants down though, because the AI is as feisty and resilient as ever. Speaking of the AI, Crysis 3 is not without its pitfalls. There are a number of bugs to endure throughout the game. For instance, I was not able to remap my use/interact key (default is set to F) because when I did, I was not able to successfully hack a terminal, or rather, nothing happened when I did. Furthermore, I noticed that some of my secondary objectives were not checked off as completed, even after I had completed them. Albeit small, and easily fixable, diehard Crysis fans expect more attention to detail so far down the line. Crysis 1 was no Mona Lisa in terms of bugs, but Crysis 2 was near flawless. Presentation: It’s from Crytec alright! It has been evident since day one that bug fixing has not been one of Crytec’s dev teams fortes, but where their attention to detail lacks here, they truly make up for in their level design and visual’s department, over and over again. This game will suck every ounce of juice your hardware has to offer and transform it into eye-blistering value for money that will leave you stunned. Your eyes will be exposed to visuals and draw distances that your brain will not be able to comprehend in Crysis 3. There is an inordinate amount of attention to detail here – case in point, every single blade of grass has been individually rendered in the scene below: The DirectX 11 engine has been pushed to its MAX, and it shows. Even Xbox 360 players are in for a treat, as Crysis is able to perform miracles on this dated piece of hardware. The same is true for PC players. See for yourself: Story: It's not 'cos we want to, it's 'cos we have to. The Crysis 3 story kicks off 22-odd years after its predecessor, and although there may seem to be some inconsistencies in the storyline up front, the story –by-and-large- is a continuation of the sequel. The remains of New York City have been blanketed by a giant dome that serves as a prison for the remaining Seph infestation. The city itself has been overrun by plant life and vegetation flourishing within the greenhouse effect caused from the enclosing dome. Cell are on the brink of global domination and the task laid out before our protagonists is to infiltrate alien and cell infantry infested dome, the heart of Cell’s operation, and sink their plans. In short, your actions within the game kick-off yet another catastrophic sequence of events that ultimately lead to the apocalypse, unless you can single-handedly save the world, again. Only this time you have some help. Prophet is joined by his old partner throughout the game, Psycho, who you will remember from the original and Crysis Warhead. The story hinges on both characters internal battles throughout; Prophet has a nanosuit, but has had to sacrifice just about everything for it, whereas Psycho on the other hand has been robbed of his nanosuit and with it, his superhuman abilities. Both covet the others position and this is evident in the back and forth tug of war between both parties that continues throughout the game. As a player, you cannot help but feel like there is a deeper message being conveyed throughout the game plot, one that could even be analysed and re-interpreted as part of an English language syllabus one day...it is that deep. Like Crysis 2, the story unfolds piece by piece throughout Crysis 3, keeping players guessing along the way. However, Psycho being alongside you for the better part of the game adds a new dimension to the gameplay in Crysis 3. It almost feels like his character could have been turned into a co-op character if the storytellers took a slightly different route. Pity. Then, after 5-7 hours of gameplay the story will come to its conclusion…a conclusion that, in my mind, will be interpreted differently. Very much like the ending of the movie inception. You will not quite know the truth, or what’s just happened. Very Hollywood then, just like the intro. Conclusions: In short, Crysis 3 is a massive amount of fun, gorgeous to look at, and over too damn quickly. There are no two people who will play it the same, and levels can be approached using stealth, run-and-gun or a combination of both. It comes highly recommended for all who love to save the world, blow up aliens and have the ability to air-stomp their way into a situation. Crysis 3 was developed by Crytek and published by Electronic Arts. Our review is based on the PC version.

Dead Space 3 Review

Matthew Arnold — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 12:39:20 +0000

There has been a lot of hype and discussion ahead of the third installment of EA’s popular FPS horror franchise. With the new game incorporating outdoor environments and co-op play does it still manage to capture that Dead Space feel?

Story

When you start up Dead Space 3 you will be treated with a recap of the Dead Space storyline. It’s a pretty good summary covering all the key points leading to the start of Dead Space 3. As a newcomer to the series you would still get a good feeling of the meta story and be more than happy to get stuck in without having played the original or the sequel. As the narrative ends, gameplay immediately kicks off by taking users back some 200 years before the original Dead Space, to the icy planet of Tau Volantis. Players are thrown into the driver’s seat for the duration of this short backstory, first time players will enjoy this as a great little tutorial. Fast forward 200 years to the present day, we assume the role of protagonist Isaac Clarke who is almost instantly forced out of hiding to seek out and rescue a loved one, Ellie Langford. The story is pretty much more of the same, continuing the narrative around the Markers – the giant objects that were meant to deliver unlimited power for mankind but instead turned everyone into deadly space zombies. No major surprise there, it does a good job of holding all the necromorph stomping goodness together. The game starts off with plenty of traditional Dead Space environments and gameplay which feel as though you have just come straight through from Dead Space 2 without missing a beat. As they game progresses though, you will start to be pulled outside of your comfort zone as you start to explore different environments and challenges. DS3 undoubtedly has a more action orientated feel to it, with less survival horror than the previous two games. Don't expect a walk in the park, Dead Space 3 still has plenty of creepy atmosphere and scares, but it is more understated than in previous games. The inclusion of a co-op mode is done really well when it comes to the story – you don’t feel like you have to play it alone first in case you miss out on something (say like in Diablo 3). The ability to continue right where you left off in single player is great. Way better than waiting for your mate to get his act together!

Presentation

The game is undoubtedly a Dead Space title. EA have kept the same creepy art direction with plenty of old tunnels, space corridors and air locks. The graphics are solid with some great lighting and an overall well optimized performance. While it’s not pushing the technical boundaries in a Crysis way, it provides a deeply immersive environment that allows the suspense and atmosphere to build. The game developers have done a fantastic job in the initial stages of the game, while you are still in space, by incorporating obstacles and sometimes-tricky puzzles to solve. Players are made to take painstakingly frightening detours that force return trips down the same dark corridors past the same scary relentless waves of necromrphs. These rich, dark and often quiet environments are beautifully constructed and will definitely keep your heart ponding in your chest the whole way through. The graphics really start to show in the second half of the game as you begin to explore new environments that feature some amazing lighting effects. Take a look at some of these screenshots I took while playing to see what I mean with regards to the lighting: I was playing on my aging Nvidia 460GT which managed to run on a full 1920x1080 resolution with all the settings turned up full. In fact it cruised along with frame rates ranging from mid 60’s through to triple figures. So you can be sure to get a decent experience regardless of your graphics card.

Gameplay

Dead Space 3 takes the best of DS 2 and tweaks rather than reinvents the experience. You will find all the usual gameplay elements from plasma cutters to Statis abilities. The introduction of a more advanced weapon customization system is a welcome addition and provides a nice creative break from the hordes of necromorphs continually trying to rip you spine out. The system takes a bit of getting used to, with no introduction or tutorial you will have to explore and try stuff out yourself. At the basis it’s a simple system with several key building blocks for weapons and a range of accessories that customize the weapon further. What this allows you to do is create weapons that suit your style of play, something that comes in handy when playing co-op. Unfortunately players are limited to only carry 2 weapons throughout the game, meaning you are going to want to conserve your ammunition wherever possible so as to avoid the unfortunate possibility of running out of ammo whilst surrounded by Necromorphs. Another cool feature that the developers have incorporated into Dead Space 3, is the ability to swop out or modify your suit. Players who pre-bought the game are gloriously rewarded upfront with 3 super-cool environment suits to swop out with the standard suit when they get to the first Suit Mod station. If you did not pre-order the game, the standard suit is also fully customizable and additional suits can either be constructed based on items players find throughout the game or collected in game for accomplishing challenges. Some of the items players can upgrade are things like Kinesis range and damage, hit points, armour, Statis and air supply. Again, players will enjoy a great breakaway from violent, flesh eating necromorphs, and a resting heart-rate of 85 below while interacting with the suit upgrade module. Unlike the Weapon Bench Customisation system, only one player can interact with a suit upgrade module at a time, meaning if you are playing co-op, your mate will likely be standing around with little else to do but watch in anticipation and curiosity while you suit up. The Co-op experience is a great way to experience Dead Space 3. The voice over communication is quick and lag free, the ability to swap ammo and cover each other’s back adds a nice dimension to the game. Having someone to chat to during those tense moments can also help keep you sane. The story line remains the same regardless of whether you tackle the game on your own or with a mate, but if you do go co-op you can expect to play through some nice two player puzzles that require both players to work together. While the puzzles won’t be to everyone’s liking, I enjoyed trying to solve a puzzle as quickly as possible while my mate tried to hold the necromorph hordes at bay. At the end of the day it’s the alien ass kicking that provides the backbone of the Dead Space experience. It is fun to slice limbs and stomp creatures into the ground and there is no shortage of that in Dead Space 3. While the overall game does have a more action orientated feel than previous titles, it’s heart is in the right place and its full of warm slimy goodness. Dead Space 3 was developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts. Our review is based on the PC version.

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch [Review]

Kevin Mullane — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 16:40:41 +0000

Japanese Role Playing Games (JRPGs) are not for everyone, with strong links to traditional Anime and a reliance on a lot of the same themes and plot mechanics; it can be off putting for most western audiences. However, with that disclaimer done, we can now come out and say we were wowed by this fantastic remake of a Nintendo DS classic. While primarily aimed at a younger generation the surprising storyline depth and deeply engaging world of Ni no Kuni makes this game applicable to a much wider audience, and provides an opportunity to sit back and be taken on the kind of journey which has been lost in today’s sequel laden lands of FPSs, RPGs and RTSs.

Story

The story revolves around the character of a young boy Oliver who is on a quest to save another world and in so doing save the ones he loves in his own world. Importantly and strikingly different from most games these days is that the story revolves are the nature and character of Oliver, not his physical strength or magical powers and that sets the tone for the whole game. This is an old fashioned, good guys triumphing over bad guys by simply being better people type of story, with Oliver and his quirky lantern nosed companion Drippy, Lord High Lord of the Faeries taking on the forces of evil out of need to do what is right. While this may seem a little one dimensional we found it to be enchanting and heart-warming. The storyline however is in no way one dimensional and whilst always targeted at a younger audience its underlying messages are universal and intriguing enough to drag you into the journey. The game is complimented with polished Japanese and English voice overs; even Drippy’s quirkiness is further accentuated with a strong Welsh accent.

Presentation

The visceral experience of this game is directly thanks to the bright colours and engaging charaters brought to life through the combination of old fashioned animation and a well presented 3D world. The interweaving of storyline with a fantastical graphical feel and a strong musical score really completes the world of Ni no Kuni. The musical score especially helps to really complete the experience, draw the player in and helps to make Ni no Kuni the memorable experience it is. A small blip in the overall experience however is the choice of background music for the game’s many, many, battle sequences. This gripe is probably as much due to the grind of repeated battles as it is to do with the music, but it is enough to become annoying over time.

Gameplay

The gameplay and JRPG mechanics of Ni no Kuni manage to be both some of the best and worst features of this game. The game has included all of the mechanics of a modern RPG and they are all really well integrated into storyline including looting, bounty hunting, questing and crafting. The open world gameplay and storyline components flow really well and the game, once the initial 10 minute install is complete, seems to never have a loading screen again. There are strong rewards for completing side quests and the use of familiars as both companions and pets brings a number of gameplay mechanics into Ni no Kuni to set it above other watered down JRPGs. The downside however, and this is typical of JRPGs is the grind, battle mechanics can be frustrating as a turn based approach is forced into a real time battle mechanic without some simple shortcut keys for things like defence. Being a PS3 console exclusive (it is a remake, not a port, of a Nintendo DS game) has however helped to ensure that the controls are well integrated and battle sequences apart a simple game to get to grips with. Ni No Kuni was developed by Level-5 and published by Namco Bandai Games. Our review is based on the PS3 version (PS3 exclusive).

Crisis 3 Beta Multiplayer: Everything you need to know

Brett Greaves — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 22:55:05 +0000

Crisis 3 Beta Multiplayer dropped today, naturally our inquisitive natures got the better of us and like the original and the sequel, Crisis 3 Beta Multiplayer swallowed us whole!!Before I get into it, can I just reiterate...what a great game! Emotions aside, here is a helpful tip that I had the displeasure to discover, and that is: If you are going to download this game with the intention of getting in a few minutes of gameplay before your daily routine gets in the way - like, I donno, sleep or work for instance...then don't. I strongly recommend you put in a solid half-day's leave, or wait for the weekend and enjoy without the disruption of life. A replacer would be nice too. First things first: The download is available on PC from Origin. Now, I am not sure why, but Crisis 3 Beta Multiplayer is impossible to locate within Origin. Don't bother searching for it either, apparently the search function on the Origin app is for display purposes only. No, proceed straight to the Demo tab held within the primary navigation of the Origin Store tab, locate Crysis 3 Beta Multiplayer and click on the tile. Sadness and anxiety will kick in at the point the download begins as the download is pretty big (3.3 Gigs) so set aside 2-plus hours for that to do its thing depending on your line speed. Once you are in: The first thing you will notice is that the menu structure is very familiar to that of Crysis 2. Some small refinements have been made that you will notice within an instant. Before you immediately proceed into a game, double check your controls - for some reason the default values of these have been changed from the sequel with zero changes being made to gameplay – in addition, you will need to tweak your video options. Don't be like me and take advantage of the fact that your system default display values are set to very high. You will be disappointed. It is a Beta version after all, so cut them down a trickle. My GTX670 struggled a bit on very high, so I bit the bullet and set everything down to just, high (First world problems...). Once you are satisfied, then proceed into a game. Gameplay: Yes! Three hours later, finally. There is a bit of good news here, along with some bad. The good news is that games are plentiful, so finding a one will be of no hassle whatsoever. The bad news...well apparently everyone playing in the games are little Crysis ninjas. Sadly, you stand little chance against them, unless you yourself are Crysis 2 Multiplayer veteran. Couple this with the fact that the graphics are gorgeous, I estimate the average life expectancy of a person in their first round at 0.25 seconds. What is very important to note is that the actual gameplay itself has remained by-and-large the same. Some very cool new suit mods have been added, like the Auto-Armour mod, which is why the life expectancy is set so high - I am really not kidding about the ninjas. One other cool aspect of the game that has been included is the fact that there are now objects and weapons scattered throughout the 2 maps that are available in this Beta version, these can be picked up and used to get creative with your kills. One last thing I noticed that has been changed, is that running no longer detracts from your suit energy – unless you are cloaked – which is handy for getting around quickly. It doesn’t do much for your life expectancy though… More importantly, there are 2 types of gameplay in this Beta version of the game, the more familiar: Crash. Then the very new, very awesome, try it first: Hunter. Crash Yes, you remember this from Crysis 2 Multiplayer. It remains unchanged, apart from the fact that you can now walk up to a crashed pod and grab one of its side-panels and use that as a shield and/or weapon. And, like battlefield 3 there are some pretty deadly vehicles that can be used to assault and then defend the crashed pod. But don’t play this yet. Hunter In this game mode players are split into two teams, Hunters and the guys who die. The guys who die receive some new weaponry, which is pretty cool, until you realize how frivolous it is without armour or cloak modes at your disposal. If you haven’t already guessed, your task – as one of the guys who dies - is to survive for as long as possible, not fight. Never fight, that would be counter-intuitive. Why? Well, because the Hunters are equipped with enhanced nano-suits and a PREDATOR bow. Oh, did I mention that they are permanently cloaked? Their single purpose in life is to destroy you. They will succeed. Each game comprises of a series of 2 minute rounds. A really cool aspect about Hunter mode is that as Hunters eliminate players on the other team, those players then respawn as Hunters themselves, making it harder to survive on the opposing team as more and more Hunters emerge. Hunters win the round if they eliminate the all the players in the opposing team, conversely, the opposing team (aka the guys who die) win if they remain alive. In this team you will receive points intermittently for remaining alive. A fat bonus is received if you manage to survive the entire round. Tip: If you plan on doing this, find a good place to hide and stay there. To find out more, check out the full Crysis 3 Beta Multiplayer tutorial video here: All in all, you are in for hours of flat out fun and some retina-blistering visuals. We highly recommend Crisis 3 Beta Multiplayer to everyone who is as excited as we are about this new marvel from Crytec and cannot wait until March. Our review is based on the PC version of Crysis 3 beta multiplayer it is also currently available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 console platforms, and is scheduled to end on February 12, 2013.

Puddle Game Review

Matthew Arnold — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 06:10:20 +0000

Puddle is a physics based puzzle game that requires you to navigate your splash of liquid through various levels and past a range of threats.

Gameplay

On the surface Puddle is a very simple game, get the liquid from the starting point to the end point losing as little as possible. You only have two buttons - tilt the screen either left or right. If only it was that easy. Simplicity is at the heart of all great puzzle games and provides a good learning curve with a multitude of complex levels down the line. Mobile games have perfected this type of gameplay and this game with the tilted control scheme feels as though it should have been on a smartphone. The levels vary quite a lot as you progress through the game with different environments and a range of liquids that each have their own strengths and weaknesses. For example water will evaporate easily when moving over hot areas and fertilizer will cause certain plants to grow on contact. These reactions have an effect on gameplay and each level is built specifically to provide a challenge to that particular liquid. The game can be quite frustrating at times (as all puzzle games tend to be) but this fact is mitigated slightly with the introduction of Whines. If you can't get past a level you can use one of your Whine cards and skip the level. Although you only have 3 whine cards you can go back and complete a level at a later stage and get your Whine card back.

Presentation

Puddle looks great albeit understated with an dark subdued style. The varied environments provide a constantly changing palette of colours and lighting while maintaining the black silhouette style made popular by games like World of Goo and Limbo. While the level design is not particularly complex the back grounds are well designed with a lot of interesting detail. Puddle does a great job of creating beautifully styled levels regardless of the environment. The two dimensional paper level is a great example of this. Sound plays an important role as it acts as an aural warning sign when you water starts interacting with something on the level (sizzling as it moves over a hot element). The soundtrack is decent although the ability to import custom music would have been a great option.

Story / Campaign

Puddle doesn't have a story of any sort and lacks some sort of intro or meta narrative but it does have two different game modes to keep you playing. The first is the main game where you progress through various levels using different liquids across different obstacles This is the heart of the game and where you will spend 90% of your time, with the levels getting particularly challenging near the end of the game! As you complete each stage you are given a rating of Cu, Ag, or Au (Copper, Silver, or Gold, of course). These ratings are based on how quickly you complete each stage, not just how much liquid you have left. Performing well and earning Gold and Silver medals will net you some unlockables in the game's second mode - Laboratory mode. This mode lets you play around with various liquids and environmental objects as you unlock them to experiment with the game's physics system. While the puzzles are sure to keep you challenged for quite a while I wasn't drawn to replaying the game to better my scores a second time. Puzzle was developed by Neko Entertainment and published by Konami. Our review is based on the PC version (Steam). It is also available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PS Vita and WiiU.

Dishonored Review

Brett Greaves — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 15:45:11 +0000

We are so used to mainstream title launches that bring promises of “new new new” taking the spotlight and their big budget releases which include billboards on William Nicol, that we easily forgive the fact that they repeatedly bring us more and more of the same. So much so, that these repetitions in both Storyline and gameplay are included by big software companies as their Guaranteed insurance policies for a games success. It’s these guarantees that allow us to justify how good the game is; e.g. “Because it’s like its cool”, or “Because it reminds me of its good”. Think about Skyrim, Half-Life 2, Crysis 2 or even Diablo 3? – Did they really leave that much of an impression? Or were they all lacking a bold new level of gameplay that left them hiding in the shadow of their predecessors? Dishonored is a title we were expecting so see more of those exact promises fall flat, after all it’ s brought to us by Bethesta Softworks – a company that has been promising more-new in the FPS genre since the release of Daggerfall in 1996…Boy were we in for a treat!

Story:

Set in a dystopian past, the story takes place on a small fictitious plague infested island that is governed by a controlling, fascist-like authority…the odds are evidently stacked up against you. Even with the pleasantly peaceful introduction, which commences with your return to the City of Dunwall, players are left with an uneasy feeling from the onset. You assume the role of Corvo Attano (With a name like that we can assume he was orphaned) a bodyguard to the empress. The story begins when the Empress is killed and you are the one framed for her murder. Almost instantly you are stripped of your title as ‘Lord Protector’, branded as a traitor and put on death row. After escaping from jail, with some help from some mysterious “friends” you spend the rest of the game as a fugitive of the state, with the aim to seek out the empresses’ murderer and clear your name. All in all, a pretty conventional story, again very similar to…about a hundred other games that came out last year. BUT what sets Dishonored apart from other FPS games, is the fact that your actions throughout the game impact the stories ending - The more ruthless your actions, the darker the ending. Conversely, the more you avoid the temptation to slaughter everything in sight, the better the ending…relatively speaking - Moreover unlike games like Blade Runner and S.T.A.L.K.E.R which both had multiple ending’s based on player actions throughout the game (Deus Ex Human Revolution not included!) the actual gameplay itself begins to evolve based on your actions. Kill more and there are likely to be more plague-infested rats around to attack you. Kill unnecessarily, and NPC interactions are likely to be more hostile and aggressive towards you. Awesome.

Presentation:

Again, as is accustom to the latest blockbuster game (especially from Bethesta) this game was not built to push your hardware to the max, or to test the contrast ratio of your HD LED 30” Monitor and no, Dishonored will not feature in new GFX card benchmark shootouts…In fact should run on perfectly on full settings even the most aged systems. So it looks pretty crap then? No. Interestingly, there has been a layer applied to the game textures to give it a kind of ‘Pastel drawn’ finish. Couple that with volumetric clouds, dynamic lighting and shadows and it looks gorgeous. See for yourself:

Gameplay:

Wow, so much can be said here…the gameplay is what truly sets Dishonored apart from any other. As mentioned before, there are multiple ways to play Dishonored, and although stealth is often the most effective it is not necessarily the most fun! Armed with a Pistol or a hand crossbow in one hand and a sword in the other your options for physical attacks are virtually endless…Take an enemy out silently with your sword from behind, put them to sleep with a sleeping dart to the neck or silently take their head off (literally) with an arrow to the forehead, both from your crossbow or loudly with a bullet from your single shot pistol (can be upgraded later) to the chest. Don’t worry if you alert his mates though, they will come charging at you with swords drawn and angry looking expressions on their faces, taking them out when they charge is just as much fun – you can counter their sword strikes at the last minute and set them off balance, leaving them vulnerable and exposed to sword through their neck, or a bullet to the face. Too gory? That’s fine, your character possesses an equally formidable set of spiritual abilities that can be acquired and upgraded by means of finding secret runes scattered across the map. The first of these abilities is given to you fairly early in the game, it is the ability to teleport short distances in the blink of an eye. Dangerous then? No. But use it to teleport yourself in front of an enemy and you’ll startle him for long enough for a silent sword takedown. Some of the other spiritual abilities include the ability to possess rats – and later people, once upgraded – hurl a gust of wind from your palms, see through walls and my personal favorite, the ability to freeze time. Suddenly you have a skill set that requires no use of weapons at all. In fact, combine some of these abilities and you can start having some real fun. Another reason –besides the varying storyline- you will want to play Dishonored over and over from start to finish is for the multiple ways that the game can be played. Excluding the playing styles and various ways to eliminate enemies (one can experiment for hours with these simply by reloading save points throughout the game) is the fact that although the game is not open world, there are often a multitude of routes that can be take to get your destination, be it to assassinate a traitor, or capture a strategic position, the options vary. Players are given the option to avoid conflict altogether by taking a dark alleyway, or the high ground by means of teleporting across rooftops. Alternatively, players can sneak passed patrolling guards using shadows and stealth, or by way of your spiritual arsenal- I mean abilities. Either way you choose, you will encounter alternate quests, alternate means in which to achieve your objectives, a range of items, ammo, money, secrets and tips that will make your journey easier to navigate…again, be it by means of stealth or by means of out right violence, the choice then is truly yours, making this one of the most playable games of 2012/2013. Dishonored was developed by Arkane Studios and published Bethesta Softworks. Our review is based on the PC version. It is also available for the Xbox 360 & PlayStation 3.