Archive for the 'Game Reviews' Category
When it comes to FPS games we seem to have no shortage and Far Cry 2 is no exception. Its hard these days to make an FPS that really stands out from the crowd and brings something new to the table. Today we are going to see why Ubisoft and the Far Cry 2 game do just that!
Graphics 3/5
While the graphics in Far Cry 2 are good and the world is simply huge there are some glitches and its not the best looking game on the ps3. The PC version is by far the best and the 360 / ps3 versions are above average at best. The player models to a lot of stretching and you will see grass that is just a image and doesn’t actually move correctly at times. Overall the game is decent looking and the sunrise and sunset is amazing.
I find it hard to play at night-time because everything seems so dark but its worth checking out anyways because the fire looks amazing!
Sound 5/5
The sound in this game is just awesome, the gun shots sound like the guns should. Everything from the subtle music to croaking frogs makes this game as believable as it gets. My only hitch about the sound is the vehicles, they do not sound like a hummer or small car.
Story 3/5
While the story is interesting at first you will quickly find yourself just exploring around destroying every enemy you see at guard posts. Its much more fun to pick your own path then follow along with a strict story line. However when you do get around to doing the story you will find its a bit shallow and sometimes down right sad.
The story does not carry much weight and its a shame because if it had a killer story this game would be in the top games of all time.
Game-play 3/5
Unfortunately this game simply does not live up to the hype the media gives it, its a good and fun game to play but until you get more of the better weapons its best to stand at a distance and snipe people off. While this is always fun I miss the all guns blazing approach I have come to love in FPS games.
Along with the fact the the early guns are really inn-accurate and you have to hit an enemy with about 10 bullets unless you snipe them this game lacks realism. If anything the older guns did more up-close damage then the guns of today.
The vehicles in game help you get from place to place but they are few and far between because you will regularly run into on-road battles when simply going from one point to the next. Unless you fight them off your vehicle will be toast within seconds and you have to foot in from there on. I found myself walking and running from one point to another for over 25 minutes… While the scenery is nice its not that nice. I guess when they say 50 hours of play they mean it…
My last and final complain about the game is the way that the weapons jamb and they have to be hit to fix, while this is an interesting factor in the game I find it a bit annoying when in the heat of a battle and my weapon jams and I have 10 enemies surrounding me. Its just not smart game-play.
Multi-player 4/5
Multi-player is great with the basic MP modes we have come to expect in an fps game.
Its hours upon hours of fun and the world editor / creator allows you to create your own maps for the game and this provides extra hours of play just for the fun of things.
Total Score 3/5
October 30 2008 | Game Reviews | No Comments »
Metal Gear Solid 4… I don’t even know where to start. This game has to be the best game of the year. It has it all: good story, awesome graphics, and even great controls.One thing that made me laugh, was after every mission, the game needs to install some files, but they keep you entertained by giving you warnings and tips. Some warnings come up at different times, such as “It’s past 1am, maybe it’s time to take a break”.
This is one of the games, where I wish I was able to give it more than a 5.
Graphics 5/5
Fantastic graphics. The levels and characters all looked amazing. Not only are the game graphics fantastic, but the cut scene animations are very life-like.
Throughout the game, I couldn’t stop myself from repeating “Wow, that looks so real.” I would often look around the level, just to see the extreme detail.
I think graphics play a very import roll in this game, as there are a lot of camouflages, and you need great graphics and textures to be able to tell the enemy from a tree.
Sound 5/5
Sound is another big part of this game. You almost always need to be listening for the enemy and listen for if they spotted you. You also need to watch your own noise, because if they hear you, they will warn the other enemies around.
Unlike many other games, this one doesn’t have a whole lot of swearing. There are a lot of great sounds, gunshots, enemies talking, and even soldiers going to the bathroom.
One voice that can get annoying is Otacon, his sidekick who controls the MK. II (a small robot that follows you, and is used to observe). Oftentimes Otacon will tell you something useful, or brief you on missions, but he also tells you some obvious knowledge, and repeats it.
Story 5/5
While the story is very good, it can be a bit confusing at times, might be because I haven’t played the previous MGS games, yet. After every objective you accomplish, there is a cut scene, these scenes consist of great animations that look quite realistic. Some scenes can be very long, but you always have the option of skipping them, which makes your game play much shorter.
During the cut scenes Old Snake usually has some “flashbacks” or sometimes an option to change the view to see what he is seeing, so you will see a controller button pop up for a second notifying you to press that button. At the end of the mission, you are given points for how many “flashbacks” you watch.
After having beat the game, I am still confused about some parts of the story.
Game-Play 5/5
I thought the game play was very good, and also easy to control. You can go through the game in a couple different ways, you can sneak throughout the levels without getting caught very often, taking out the enemy with your tranquilizer guns and knife. Or you can go through the level Rambo style, killing however many enemies you want. Going at it Rambo style has it’s consequences, you will have a lot of enemies coming after you, making the game much more difficult, plus your physical health will start draining and your stress level will rise. When Old Snake’s physical health goes down, you will see his reactions getting slower, if you roll, it will take him longer to get back up, making it easier for an enemy to attack you.
The controls are great, and throughout the game you can constantly buy weapons/ammo or even switching out what weapons you have on you at the time. This was one of the best features, I think. You can go throughout the level with a couple machine guns and a grenade launcher, then see someone you want to snipe, you can then quickly go to your Weapons list, and swap out a machine gun for a Sniper Rifle.
You also have the option of healing whenever you want. Throughout the game, you pick up different items that heal Old Snake in different ways, ranging from drinks to a bucket of noodles.
Multi-player 3/5
After the 13-24 hours it took you to beat the game, you will be wanting even more. I recommend giving the multi-player a try.
While there is nothing amazing about it, other than the ability to run around the amazing MGS maps and shooting your friends and enemies, it just might cure your craving for more.
Personally, I would much rather beat the game again, but on a harder setting, than play the multi-player, but it is a great addition that will keep you from selling the game.
Total Score 5/5
July 08 2008 | Game Reviews | No Comments »
Have you ever wanted to know what it was like to battle through the rough and gruff rejects of the army? Well Battlefield Bad Company does just that and we think its pretty awesome! Its for sure worth the price tag and you should consider buying this one for months and months of fun play time!
So far this is probably the best FPS war game to come out since COD 4, now is your chance to see what this game is all about, come along because this is one war you will want to be in on!
Graphics 4/5
When it comes to graphics battlefield bad company does not disappoint! With a smooth frame-rate throughout the game and pretty decent textures everywhere it makes for a live action shooter that gives you the sense of motion!
The characters in the game appear a bit flat faced in some cut-scenes but generally they look decent considering what this game has to offer in the game-play dept!
Sound 3/5
The sound in this game is truly amazing, EA has captured the sound of guns and explosions perfectly making you truly believe they are happening. If you were to crank this game up on some decent speakers and let one loose you would feel the power!
Story 3/5
EA had a goal with Bad Company in that they wanted to create a story bases FPS. In the past they have done MP and SP war games but they lacked any story whatsoever other then onscreen instructions from mission to mission. In this game there are 4 main characters, the srg, haggert, sweetwater and you play as preston the newest reject in the gang!
Not to give away to much of the story but the game starts off with you completing some basic missions until you reach the president of the country your fighting against. You take the president capture and before you know it you are turned around into a story that goes deeper then you thought it would.
In the end you are searching for Gold that the Govt has left behind and yes you do find it, however I won’t say anymore because this is really the highlight of the game and if you can let yourself go long enough in the game you will start to feel as if you are preston and you will feel what he feels.
Game-play 5/5
Lets face it, we all love to blow stuff up! EA and DICE have created the first game IMO that does this correctly. You can basically blow up anything with a grenade launcher that is on your high tech war weapon. If there is no door you can make one by blasting a hole in the walls.
My only perk with this frostbite engine and the destructible environments is that you cannot bring any big structure down completely. It still leaves a couple walls and a bit of the roof intact, I would rather have the ability to blast it completely away but that’s just me! Aside from that one perk its probably the best blow up and shut up fps shooter you will find anywhere!
Multi-player 4/5
One thing EA did before with its battlefield games was make an awesome multi-player experience. Bad-company is no exception and has players playing it daily to rack up points and get new weapons that EA has recently released! MP is fun and worth checking out if you like to blow other peoples brains out on a daily basis 
Total Score 4/5
July 07 2008 | Game Reviews | 1 Comment »
When it comes right down to it Haze was a title that we all expected to shake things up and impress people to buy a ps3. To say the least it failed short in nearly every way. While some elements of the game were unique and I hope to see in a sequel later on the overall experience in the game is not worth the price tag.
Graphics 3/5
Although this is a next gen game the graphics are subpar when compared to other great FPS shooters on the ps3 such as COD4 and MGS4. With that said however it does look way better then any ps2 game ever did and the game definitely has a lot to show in terms of levels and the differences between them. You generally play in beat up environments because they have been destroyed over time but it doesn’t really matter as it adds a nice grunge to the whole game.The level that stood out the most to me was the final on-foot mission where you destroy the nectar generator. This level has lots of nectar obsessed foes to kill and its fun to do!
Sound 3/5
Although the graphics did not live up to what we were hoping for in a next gen game the sound in the game is decent. If you can overlook the stupid voice overs that don’t even make sense half the time. This game also has a knack for swearing like a hot potato right out of the oven. Nearly every other word is of foul language and I would not suggest anyone play it for that reason alone.
The gun shot sounds in the game sound just right and they should for weapons we have never seen before. They are really just classic weapons revamped for nectar use. The guns do sound powerful and each shot is very realistic!
Story 1/5
As if the rest of this game wasn’t subpar enough the story is no exception. Although at times you can feel for shane carpenter (the character you play) he simply is not that likable of a guy. When you start the game you have a team and all of you are on nectar the drug that later in the game you try to destroy, or so you thought…
Throughout the game you will see various buttons you have to press to advance on and one of these missions took me way to long to do because I was simply stupid in thinking they would make it tough to find the switches when in reality they are right in front of you.
One of the best levels in this game is at the end when you on a land carrier and your defending your bud who is trying to activate the elevator so you can get to the top of the carrier and shut it down for good.
After all that there was only one so called (BOSS Battle) where you simply have to kill your first major at the beginning of the game who is planning to take over the nectar and do things right. Took me one round of shots to take him down so it was not much of a challenge to say the least.
Game-play 4/5
Although most of this game was subpar Haze was generally fun to play because everyone loves to smash a few heads and shoot bullets into seemingly stupid foes. You could plank enemies all by yourself, no need for anyone else to be in the mix.
If you like to shoot bad guys (or good guys) and you just want to do that and don’t care about a passionate story that will live on forever then haze is a great game. But I much prefer an fps with a deep story that gets you emotional throughout so you connect with who you are playing in the game and everyone seems like family that way.
Multi-player 2/5
Although multi-player is not really my cup of tea mp is in the game and is somewhat fun if you can get over the fact that its just shooting and killing the same people over and over again.
Total Score 2.6/5
June 20 2008 | Game Reviews | No Comments »
It was hard to review this after playing Vegas 2, because there is a huge difference, especially in the game textures and details.
Graphics 2/5
The bad part with the graphics is that the levels are all very dark and cloudy. There was many times when I had no clue who was shooting at me because I just couldn’t see anyone even though they were close.
It was hard to tell my teamate (was playing co-op) where the enemy that shot me was. We were constantly getting lost and splitting up from eachother, but we were often saved by the small map on the top of the screen.
It was just very hard to see the enemy with the dark textures, especially in cop-op mode, because you only have half of the screen.
Sound 3/5
The sounds are good in the game, they aren’t amazing but definitely compare to the sounds in Vegas 2.
Story 3/5
The player starts off as a new Rainbow team leader, named Logan Keller, along with two other squad members. You start off in the year 2010 in a Mexican town called San Joshua del Mosquiera with the mission to arrest a terrorist ringleader by the name of Irena Morales.
After this, you end up going to Las Vegas to take care of the crisis happening in Las Vegas.
Throughout the game, you meet up with many people and squads that you will have to work with and rescue hostages and rid Las Vegas of evil terrorists.
Game-play 2/5
While the gameplay isn’t very different from Vegas 2, the controller set up is different and at times confusing. The small map at the top of the screen was a good addition, and without that I would still be stuck in first level.
It is hard to aim well without crouching or zooming in, so a scope is almost mandatory.
When you play co-op you pretty much “select” the missions you want to play, rather than going through story mode, as you can with Vegas 2. Selecting the missions can get quite confusing at times.
Multi-player 2/5
Multi-player isn’t too bad, but there is no clans, no friend addons, and you cannot see your stats.
Also, if you don’t have a mic, you can’t hear what everyone else is saying.
In the end, if you have a choice between this and Vegas 2, definitely go with Vegas 2. You will have a lot less stress in your life, and not as much eye strain.
Total Score 2/5
May 29 2008 | Game Reviews | No Comments »
GTAIV is here, the long wait is finally over and you can now pick the game up at nearly any retail store! GTAIV is the 4th game in the gta series and to put it simply “IT RULES”. The game is unlike the others in the fact that it is just way better in every-way from sp to mp play you will not find a better game on the next gen console!
Gameplay 5/5
The game-play in GTAIV is extremely fun, you can drive around a massive city or blow things up and shoot people, plants and cars any time you want. You can run from the cops or play a good guy half the time and stop at every stop light and stop sign in the city. If your unsure you will like the open-world freedom GTAIV brings you only need to think back to games like Driv3r or even the previous GTA games to understand the massive scale and fun game-play.
GTA brings a decent cover system for heated battles you will come up against in the game, however I find it easier to stay away from the battles and instead just run from the police on foot and driving in a car or on a bike.
If you like the hardcore play of run and shoot GTAIV pulls it off perfect with a cover system much like Gears Of War 1 on the Xbox 360. You simply walk up to a walk and touch the Right Top button on your ps3 controller to put your back against a wall and you can peek out around cover to take your shots without taking damage yourself.
Throughout the game nearly every object lying around from trash cans to birds can be interacted with (picked up and thrown). Overall GTAIV brings the best game-play to the next generation consoles I have seen to date.
My only complaint with game-play is the fact that the cars drive so wildly its hard to have control, when you go around a corner and nail the throttle the car should take off but it doesn’t, its very delayed and makes escaping from the cops when your heat level is maxed out extremely difficult.
Story 5/5
The storyline in GTAIV is just as great as the game-play with a host of characters from scum underground to big time mobsters you won’t ever get tired of completing missions that are different and unique. As you progress through the game you will unlock weapons and more places to just go and chill! You can go to the show or take a girlfriend on a date to a fancy restaurant or show. In the game there are also many mini games like darts, pool and bowling you can do with a date or your cousin roman.
I don’t want to give any of the actual story away as I would rather you all be surprised by what goes on but I will say that on several missions you can choose the fate of characters, you can choose to kill them or tell them to just get out of town. Each can make different things happen on your journey to finishing the game which means you may want to play through the game several times just for the fun of seeing a different cut-scenes and such.
Many of the missions however are relatively the same and are a bit repetitive accept that you can drive multiple ways to get there and on the mission take different routes. This is easily overlooked since the city is so massive and there is no one way to do things.
Graphics 5/5
From any next gen game we expect great graphics to erupt and GTAIV is no exception. The visuals are very nice and at times you will even be saying to yourself there is no way this is a game it has to be real. The vehicles are extremely realistic with some old class touches to make them different then any other car game. The character models are probably the weakest part of the whole game visually and even they are pretty nice.
They all support bump and normal maps to really bring the realism out and make you believe your actually in the game as niko. Not only does the shiny paint and busted up cars look real but things like water and weather effects are also just as nice. Night time is actually when the city looks its best with tall buildings lit up like christmas trees and the fact that if you taken down light poles when driving it takes the light for that area out unlike some previous games.
Damage on vehicle models is simply superb and I could not find any flaws, when you hit something with your back bummer it forms around it realistically. The cars must be very high poly to do this and GTAIV pulls it off perfectly with just the right amount.
Sound 5/5
Just like the rest of a game sound is very important and GTAIV Rock-star team new this, the game has superb voice acting behind every character engaging you to play more and more. Every person you meet has a unique and different voice by a talented voice actor. The lip sync is also very realistic on the characters but even better then that is the different engine sounds and gun sounds you will hear. Everything is spot on and could not sound any better or realistic!
Multi-Player 5/5
If your a MP junkie then you will love GTAIV, it has some of the best MP modes and game-play to date. You and up-to 16 friends can ride around and destroy the whole city all while online. Its great and the battle is intense and fun! Grab a copy today and see you all online!
Total Score 5/5
May 06 2008 | Game Reviews | 1 Comment »
Resistance: Fall of Man is an alien-killing, man-kind saving, robot destroying, action packed game that will leave you wanting a sequel.This is one of those games that every PS3 owner should at least rent.
Gameplay 4/5
With Resistance you have the option to either play single player or Co-Op with a friend. While the gameplay is quite exciting the video clips inbetween missions are a little too long and you don’t have the option to skip them. It is especially annoying if you’re playing it for a second time and are already aware of the story. Resistance can be quite difficult at times, but for the most part it is fairly easy, but this does not detract from the game.One of the high-points of the game is fighting the amazing bosses. You will know when you’re fighting one, as they are usually huge and scary. The last few bosses will require you to wear a diaper as they can get pretty intense.
Story 3/5
The story is very nice and easy to follow. You are pretty much single-handedly (2 handed if you’re playing Co-Op) saving the world from a war with aliens. You do meet up with the military in a few parts, but they don’t help you out very much. The game gives a feeling of having to just clear the level of weird aliens rather than saving the world, but then the video clips between the missions do a great job at keeping you up to speed in the story.
Graphics 3/5
The graphics don’t take away from the game play in any way, better graphics would just make our eyes happier. While playing the game, I got a very interesting feel from the graphics. It has a very futuristic, but yet World War 2 look. You can definitely tell that the aliens are more advanced than the humans just from the look of the textures and technical models.
Sound 4/5
The sounds were nothing extremely special, but it was not a downpoint. Weapons, aliens, and nature sounds were perfect. Gun-butting a box sounds much different than gun-butting the face of an alien. The voice over in the video clips was perfect and set the mood, also the sounds the aliens and creatures made were pretty freaky, especially when you turn a corner and you hear one yelling at you.
Multi-Player 3/5
While the online play isn’t too bad, I find the single player Co-Op mode better. While the story only has 1 character your friend may feel a little left out when the video clip comes and there is only 1 character, but he’ll get over it.
Total Score 3/5
April 15 2008 | Game Reviews | No Comments »
If you remember jurassic park when it came out and how you got that frightening feeling when the Trex finally made its big screen appearance then turok will leave you with the same feeling. Turok is based on a new story brought to the saga and they do it decently.
Graphics 5/5
If your into the next gen graphics and have been waiting to see how dinosaurs could look in a next gen environment then turok leaves you speechless. The dinos and enemies look very detailed with very little stretching ever happening. The worst stretching we saw was on the big trexs in the game (ooh, maybe I shouldn’t have said that) but overall the Dino’s look great as to the enemies you face throughout the game. There are many different types of dinos in the game, some classic ones like the trex all the way to some new creatures that act like a cat and a dino put togther. Each dino has its own weakness which you will have to learn and deal with through different missions.
Along side the great looking dinos is the environments you will play in. You will play through rain forests and mech buildings throughout the game and there is even a lava level which looks similar to the last level in halo 3. However turok is a great looking game and does a few things really well including rain. Till turok I have not seen any next gen games look so goo in the rain dept. It usually just looked choppy and sort of childish but turok really makes you believe is real rain!
Sound 3/5
Like the graphics in this game the sound is equally as good, the cut scenes to help with the storyline sound great as well. The weapons fire sounds are pretty realistic and the dino sounds are excellent to boot!
Gameplay 4/5
One thing turok brings to the table in full stride is plain good old fashion run and gun fun! Turok takes us back to how fps games used to be before all the gadgets and gizmos like james bond has came to be. You just pick up a gun, and run in blasting away. This makes for some intense battle and you really feel as if you were in the heat of things yourself.
Another great addition that makes this game a must have is the use of the knife turok has on his person at all times. You can sneak up on any enemy or run straight for a dino, just before you hit the person or dino you can hit your knife button and you will perform an awesome finishing move to take them out silently. I have taken out nearly most of the dinos in the game this way as its easier then waiting for them to hold still.
However one thing I will complain about is the shotgun in the game, In my opinion the shot gun should take out most of the dinos with one shot but it in-fact takes about 5 or more shots to take them out. I can understand the machine gun doing this but the shot gun symbolizes POWER and should act as such. I found the pulse rifle to be the best weapon to use throughout most of the game as it has fire-able grenades that simply destroy enemies if you throw 3 or more into any area. They go flying and you can also zoom in pretty far with the pulse rifle and pick off enemies from a far.
Story 2/5
The storyline in turok is a tad weak but by the end of the game things turn around and you appreciate killing off the man that once betrayed you like no other. I wont give away to much here as the story is really the WORST part of the game anyhow. However I must say that the last battle in the game with a person is with this arched rival and you take him out if you have reasonably quick reflexes.
MP 3/5
The multiplayer in turok is another great feature, although frustrating at times because of the lower quality it brings vs the single player mode its still fun to run and gun. However if you have ever played COD4 mp you wont even touch this part of turok.
Total Score 3/5
April 09 2008 | Game Reviews | No Comments »
Army of Two is an outstanding game. Full of great graphics and is, my opinion, one of the best Co-Op games yet. It is a little too short, but is just as fun to play it for a second time.
Graphics 4/5
The environment and character details and textures are great, but the weapon could use more detail. The animated video clips, on the other hand, are amazing. The environment is extremely detailed and there are all sorts of explosions that look very realistic. Overall the graphics are above average.
Sound 4/5
Sounds are about average nothing amazing. What sets it apart from many other games is that the players interact with one another. A great addition the ability to compliment your treamate (go up to the player and they’ll either do a hand shake or say something kind ) or you can go over hit your team.
Story 4/5
While the story is entertaining and has 3D animated videos between missions to help you better understand the story. The entire game is much too short. You can have it beat within a week. The story leaves you knowing that there will be a second part.
Gameplay 5/5
Although it’s fun to play with an AI teamate, it is much better playing Co-Op with a friend.
What Army Of Two has that I haven’t seen in any other game is the ability to do Co-Op sniping. Let’s say you see 2 guards in a town you’re silently going into. All you have to do is use the Co-Op sniping command and it will take out your sniper rifles, then when you’re ready to take out the guards, you start the countdown and then you simultaneously fire. Throughout the game you try to make enough money to buy better guns and upgrades. You also have the option to “pimp” your weapon, which just makes the weapons so shiny you could wear them around your neck.
The characters react great when you push the “take cover” button (triangle) if you’re near an object. The player character will slide to it and stay low. Or if you’re against a wall near a corner, he will get tight against the wall and give you the ability to shoot around it.
Multi-player 3/5
Other than the campaign co-op, the LAN multi-player isn’t too much fun. It does allow you to get more money to upgrade your weapons.
Total Score 4/5
April 08 2008 | Game Reviews | No Comments »
If your like me every now and again you just plain want to have fun when gaming. No hassles just game for the sake of gaming. Skate brings gaming back to the old days when it was fun and just challenging enough to keep you wanting more. In no time you will be skating around town nailing grinds and sick flip tricks! Skate takes a new approach to skate games and it makes it feel like your really boarding. When you go down a slope it feels like it, when you crash hard you feel it!
Graphics 3/5
The graphics of skate are good but nothing extrodanary. The player models have stretching and wierd movements at times. The envoirnments look decent but vehichles and ramps are not detailed enough. I guess thats what you get for a huge envorinment that takes about 10-15 minutes to skate staight across.
Sound 5/5
The skate sound is awesome, when you do a flip trick it actually sounds like it really would. If you bail hard you know it hurts when you hit the ground. Best of all the people yelling at you for skating just rocks!
Gameplay 5/5
I give the gameplay a 5 out of 5 for bringing something new to the table when it comes to skating. Instead of pressing and holding a button then releasing to jump you flip the stick back and then forth to olly. It takes a bit to get used to and pull off big airs but its way more realistic then the standard tony hawk jump button. Likewise the game is pretty accurate in terms of how the skating goes down, compeitions and tasks to complete are sorta amaturish but they are fun to do.
Story 3/5
The story behind skate is not to bad, you start off as a small time skater and work your way up getting on magazine covers and doing skate demo tapes. If your a die hard skate fan you will appreciate the skating awards you earn. But for me they just got in the way of the fun gameplay!
Multiplayer 0/5
Please… Its just not all that great
Total Score 3/5
April 02 2008 | Game Reviews | No Comments »
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