Category Archives: Gaming

Jan 23 2012

Gordon, where are you?

Now readers of this blog will attest that I am a huge fan of the Half-Life series; first person sci-fi shooters with unrivalled gameplay, storylines and immersion, where you play as scientist Gordon Freeman as he gets mixed up in an alien invasion.  Half-Life 2 remains the benchmark by which all story-based first person shooters should be judged, and even though Valve originally promised a trilogy of spin-off episodes … to date they have only delivered two, leaving audiences on a cliff hanger at the end of episode 2.  That was four years ago, and what have we had since?  NOTHING.  Valve will not confirm or deny the existence of another Half-Life game in development, and although rumours have swept the internet of possibly Half-Life 2: Episode 3 being announced, or even more excitedly, Half-Life 3, we still have a wall of silence from Valve.  This is simply not good enough in my opinion, and I’m beginning to resent Valve’s attitude not only to the beloved gaming series, but also to its loyal fan-base.

Over on Valve’s own Steam community forums, a group has been started asking for more communication from Valve on the subject, stating they do not want to rush the development of the next Half-Life, but would like to know at the very least, that another Half-Life is in development.  Other developers are only too happy to shout about their games, and Valve’s famous secrecy has begun to grate.  I can see such behaviour back firing on the developer, as when the next Half-Life does come out, it will only be its loyal fans that take notice, and the majority of the gaming community, drip fed on yearly Call Of Duty games will not even understand its significance.  Which would be a huge shame, because to date, Half-Life 1, 2 and the two episodes have delivered supremely entertaining gaming, and if Valve were to deliver the next Half-Life to the same standard, if not better – then once again, we’d all have to sit up and take notice.  Let’s hope we still care when and if that happens.

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Jan 15 2012

Modern Warfare 3 – impressions

This needs little introduction.  The biggest video game franchise in history, at least as far as sales go, and the widest played online multiplayer game in the world.  Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare franchise reinvigorated the Call Of Duty brand, bringing into the modern-day and hitting us hard with total realism, glossed over with Michael Bay-like fireworks.  It’s the blockbuster of the video game world, and one of my favourite game series ever.

This time around you’re after a Russian terrorist who brings about World War 3, and you are sent in with your team to stop him.  This is a game filled with ‘oh my god’ moments of action and spectacle, with a globe-trotting storyline and production values that set it apart from almost any other game on the market.  Infinity Ward this time have teamed up with new developer Sledgehammer Games, and each mission and each fire fight feels like its been designed with absolute immersion and Hollywood-like excitement in mind.  I’m almost done with the single player campaign, and have experienced some amazing moments, none of which I will spoil for you, all I’ll say is … its brilliant, well crafted, and longer lasting that previous instalments.

Now onto the reason 90% of fans love this franchise … the multiplayer.  Again you have a variety of maps to play on, and a reward system that enables you to upgrade weapons and install new perks to help you in your quest for online supremacy.  Not much has changed from the well-honed formula of MW #1 & 2, but this time with new mode Kill Confirmed where you collect dog tags of your fallen foes to increase points for your team – it seems more addictive than ever.  As can be expected, the online lives or dies depending on the time you put into it and how good your reflexes are, but when ‘in the zone’ it can be an adrenaline-fueled joy, and one I will be returning to again and again.  Add to this modes like Spec Ops, Domination, Free-For-All and the classic Team Deathmatch, and this is one game that just keeps on giving.

Modern Warfare 3 is the best Call Of Duty yet, no question … and a flagship title regardless if your playing it on PC, Playstation 3 or XBOX 360.

Dec 8 2011

L.A. Noir – impressions

This was one of my big hopes for 2011.  Rockstar Games’ much anticipated cop adventure game, borrowing from the likes of Grand Theft Auto as well as movies like L.A. Confidential.  The hype surrounding it made a big noise about the revolutionary facial technology that can put real actors into a game world, and the prospect of playing a game that is less about running around with a gun, and more about investigating crime scenes and interrogating witnesses, certainly made me sit up and take notice.  So what is the game actually like to play?

You are ex-war veteran Cole Phelps, starting out as a beat Cop who quickly rises through the ranks, going from Homicide to Vice to Arson.  At first it feels ver much like GTA in the large open world (you get a fully re-created Los Angeles to explore) and being a good guy instead of a criminal is refreshing.  Once you get into the meat of the game, searching crime scenes etc, it’s very unique and interesting, and looking for clues is quite unlike anything out there, that I have played at least.  Also sitting down and quizzing witnesses or suspects is done well, with a system where you must ask questions, which are based on the evidence and clues you have found, and going by what answers the witness / suspect returns, you can choose between believing them, doubting their honesty or calling them a liar.  At first this is tricky to get to grips with, but once you understand what the game is asking of you, getting the job done and putting criminals behind bars can be very satisfying.

Graphically this is impressive, especially as far as the characters and various people you meet are concerned.  The technology is very good, even if the odd recognisable face (did I just spot Matt out of Heroes?) can look a little weird.  The city although very detailed pales in comparison to GTAIV for things going on and stuff to do, and can’t hold a candle technically to Mafia II either.  Also the game suffers quite badly from frame-rate slow down, and it’s obvious that the game world isn’t fully realised with many repeated lines of dialogue from pedestrians and a fair few bugs.  But it creates a great atmosphere of 1940s America though, and for that at least, it does what it came to do.

My main gripe with the game is the repetitiveness of the cases.  I am about half way in, and so far nearly every murder has been a woman and the investigations have constantly resulted in the same on-foot or by car chase, which is nothing we haven’t seen done many times.  Ok, the on-foot stuff is fairly slick, but when you’ve done it five or more times in a row, it gets boring very quickly.  I feel overall that this is a game with a great technology behind it and some good ideas, but for my money at least, it just doesn’t feel very well realised and lacks the variety and compelling story to make it much more than bargain bin fodder.  The kinda game you won’t regret buying cheap or trading-in for, but it’s not one I’d recommend at full price.

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Nov 17 2011

RAGE – impressions

This was one of my big hopes for 2011.  From the creator’s of not only classics like Doom and Quake, but the First Person Shooter genre entirely, ID Software, headed by uber-geek-genius John Carmack promised to really bring out the big guns with their long-awaited next game.  Showcasing ID-Tech 5, their latest graphics engine, the pioneering studio with the help of several gameplay previews, got me chomping at the bit with anticipation.  So what’s the final product like?

This game borrows heavily from Post-Apocalytic movies like Mad Max and Doomsday, with you as a no-name grizzled hero fresh in town and ready to earn cash doing missions for the local populace.  Along the way you will infiltrate bandit hideouts, armed with a meaty shot-gun and a variety of gadgets and gizmos, and also you get to explore the wasteland in a souped up buggy, which you can upgrade and add firepower to as you complete missions or win races.  Playing the game the immediate wow-factor is the utterly lush visuals, pin-sharp and full of colour and detail.  The game is over-flowing with personality, especially in the huge variety of folk you encounter and the wealth of mini-games you can enjoy to earn and gamble your cash.    It’s clear that this has been a labour of love for ID, all at a silky smooth 60 frames per second, making the game feel very immersive.

The game doesn’t exactly do anything new, and at times it bares an uncanny resemblance to Red Dead Redemption with its urban setting and quirky characters.  The game is mostly go here, do that and get a reward style, which I suppose could get boring, but ID has filled the game with gorgeous graphics and meaty combat and well-executed driving mechanics.  It’s all very polished.  The only real gripe I can find is one that has already been levelled at the game – the save system.  This plays a touch old-fashioned, checkpoints at the beginning and end of missions, and if you don’t remember to save frequently yourself you will be re-playing parts of the game over and over.

There is an online component which I have yet to explore, involving co-op play and buggy racing.  I will take a look at this and report my impressions separately.  For now though this is easily one of the shining lights of the current new releases - and an easy recommendation.

Nov 14 2011

Happy Birthday To Me

It’s my birthday today. I turned the ripe ol’ age of 36, and been spoilt rotten.  Money, prezzies and general fuss … makes me feel quite humble.  Of the gifts I had, I got RAGE on XBOX 360, John Landis’ Monsters In The Movies book, The Lion King on Blu-ray, as well as other things.  All of which you will hear a lot more of on this blog in the coming days … pictures and everything!

So I have had a great day and would like to thank everyone who did their part to make it so special.