Farcry 2

It's hard to think that it's been only two years since the release of Farcry 2, the game was so hyped, I remember the adverts and the constant tv previews. I was looking forward to the game but for some reason it just slipped by without a purchase. Two years on and I'v finaly managed to get myself a copy.

The game takes place in Africa and has miles and miles of jungle and open tundra, Ubisoft did an excellent job creating the engine for this game, now I've never played Crisis but apparently back in 2008 this was as close as one could get with a console. The graphics are pretty good, it all just seems to blend together and at times the player can truly find themselves immersed in the african bush trying not to get eatin by lions and the like... This however is where it all starts to go wrong, yes the game looks good but this "facad" only lasts a few minutes, the player is not able to interact with the environment to a level I would call enjoyable. Surely in the bush one would have to watch out for lions and other animals but it just doesn't seem to be the problem it should.

The game gives the player the impression that there is an entire world out there to discover however this could not be further from the truth, as "sandbox" as the game apperas the player seems to spend more time in shootouts with the annoing AI, where are all the villages? I was shocked to find that every outpost seemed to be packed full of enemies and once allerted to your presence there is no getting away! Seriously these guys will ALWAYS track you down. For the first few encounters this can be fun but thanks to the realistic gun "degredation" the player can sometimes be left fighting an entire gang with a broken gun and nowhere to run. Some outposts can provide the player with a bit of fun, using the environment to your advantage makes for a completly unique and realistic experience but alas for all of it's realism Ubisoft for some inane reason decided to allow for the respawning of enemies, this is by far the most annoying aspect of this game, there is honestly nothing worse than traveling from A to B, clearing each outpost of enemies, spending ages "using the envirnmonet to your advantage" to find one has to do the exact same on the way back.

Truly such a shame that so many little problems can lead to such a mess of a game, sadly it seems that all the time and effort spent by Ubisoft has gone to waste. The story is half decent and to be honest was the only thing that kept me going, alas the constant relapsing between realism and non-realism are just too much for a person such as myself, I found the game far too repetative and just not as fun as one would have hoped for.

Sound wise, again the game does a decent job but for all it's worth is just let down by the "realism" of the game, as I type this review I feel that in a way I was cheated into buing Farcry 2 and am ashamed to have made the purchase so long after it's release, I attribute this mistake to the number of good reviews this game recieved and I wonder how this fast took place... If like myself you found Assasins Creed boring and repetative then I would give Farcry 2 a skip. Your money would be far better off spent elsewhere.

Gameplay 5

Graphics 8

Sound 8

Total 70

Red Dead Redemption

WOW! I honestly didn't want to use that as the first word in this review but I would be a liar if I didn't, this game is seriously good! GTA meets the wild west, need I say more?

I have had Red Dead on my radar for sometime now and for months I have been worried that it would turn out to be a GTA4, well I can now lay those fears to rest as in my opinion RDR is what GTA4 should have been, Rockstar somehow managed to take a step back with GTA4, gone were the random minigames, buying property, less sandbox more ironic wit. In a way Rockstar has stuck to it's roots here and created a game based on all those classic western movies, a very similar path it took with San Andrea's. The game has all those stereotypical western elements, the music, the bar brawls, it even has the outrageously cheesy bullets ricocheting off almost every shot.

In typical Rockstar fashion, you play the anti hero. A rough and tumble character who has forgotten his past in favour of raising a family and living the straight and narrow, unfortunately things haven't turned out as well as they could have and the player is thrust into the role of getting the bad guy to save his wife and kids, It is however up to the player to decide on how to "grow" their character throughout the game, It is possible for the player to take more of an evil route through the game building on those skills such as robbery and thievery, not to the point that was afforded in Oblivion but still the element is there.

Regardless on weather the player decides to be good or evil the missions remain fairly linear, remember you have a wife and child to get back to. The missions can be reminiscent of the GTA games but with just enough extra to keep the player happy, the race sequences are far and few between which for me was a boon. Some of the missions can still be tricky and can sometimes verge on the annoying, the player does however have the option to skip missions that are perhaps a bit too hard to complete. I did notice that the level of difficulty seems to be all over the place, at one point the player makes a trip into Mexico, this sequence in my opinion is rather tedious and seems out of place difficulty wise as the next few missions are a push over in comparison.

The biggest let down of RDR however is the lack of thought that goes into some of the missions, there are a number of missions that due to the stereotypical nature of the game just had to be in included in the game, where would a western game be without a stage coach robbery for instance? My problem however comes down to the fact that often the player is left asking "why wasn't that as fun as it could have been" one particular sequence has the player chasing down a train before it reaches the bridge which has conveniently just blown up, Back to The Future anyone? Well this sequence has such potential but instead seems to be over within minutes... Surely this could have been an excellent opportunity for a shootout where the player is forced onto the roof of the train in an Indian Jones type of scenario?

At the end of the day this game does exactly what it says on the tin, it's a western through and through. The dead eye shootouts give the game that movie feel, the landscapes are fantastic and yes the action could have been better but what with all the additional action bits chucked in for good measure, this is a game that everyone should play! My one hope is that Rockstar take note, not every game has to be full of sarcasm and black comedy, I'm sure we can all agree that these elements a good game does not make...

Gameplay 8.5

Graphics 9.0

Sound 8.5

Total 87

Battlefield Bad Company 2

An entire month to go before the official release of the next Battlefield, I was honestly hoping that MAG would be the perfect game to keep me busy during February but alas as per my previous review this was not to be the case, lucky for us though DICE released a demo for Bad Company 2 a month in advance! I'm not 100% sure on when it will be available for PS3 but sources say that it wont be long now.

The demo comprises of a single multiplayer map and a nice supply of vehicles, on the face of things it seems very similar to the original BC, there doesn't seem to have been a lot of change to the Frostbight engine as most of the buildings are still not 100% destructible and the graphics are slightly better than those of the original, which in my opinion is not a bad thing at all.

The sound effects as in the original BC are just brilliant and one of the most impressive aspects to the game in my mind, the wide open areas accompanied with echoing gunfire in the distance give the player the feeling of being a single cog in a much larger war machine, this effect is accentuated thanks to the different class types, snipers tending to find a position providing a nice view of the battlefield, rifleman and engineers taking on more of an assault role and support gunners... well providing support. It's this kind of gameplay I'm sure upsets the typical Call of Duty player, games like Modern Warfare provide for a much faster pace of gameplay, one that relies more so on a quick trigger finger than that of finding your correct place within the war machine I spoke of earlier, I'm sure I could go on for ages discussing the psychological difference between a MW player versus those of a BC player suffice to say that the games are different and so are the players, I personally enjoy both types but I suppose the real point is that the gameplay in BC allows for a much better sounding game based purely on the fact that as apposed to MW2 the gunshots in the background are those made by players miles away and it's this that provides for such an immersing experience.

Some notable changes to the gameplay include the player upgrade system, allowing players to do this during the game, thereby negating the need to exit and re-customise a class. As it was only the Demo played I cant say for sure how much class customisation there is available but I'm sure it would be a safe bet to assume something of a similar calibre to the first, this along with a matching campaign and multiplayer map list will in no doubt provide for weeks of enjoyment.

My one and only hope is that EA/DICE have sorted out the constant sever problems that seemed to plague the last 2 Battlefield games most noticeably 1943 on the PS3, I was never sure if this error occurred on PSn only but to say it was annoying is an understatement, I found it almost routine to be dropped from a game after about two matches with a message stating a network error had occurred and requesting me to "check your connection"... I'm sorry EA/DICE but could you not do us all a favour and check your own connection before requesting we do the same? There is just nothing worse than coming home from work, switching on the PS3 to find you can't connect to a single game due to "network error"! This time I shall be buying on the xbox as my hope is that Microsoft will ensure the gameplay experience is smooth, that said I shall keep my fingers crossed for all PS3 players just in case (I do so wish they made these games cross platform...).

Gameplay 9/10

Graphics 8/10

Sound 9.5/10

Total 88/100

Hitman: Blood Money

Well, well, well, well, well, whats all this then... A new year and another chance for the new Hitman game to be released, it's been almost four years of waiting, each year hoping for number 5 to come out but alas ending in disappointment, well my fingers are crossed yet again that 2010 is the year and as a good will gesture (more like a desperate cry for help) I decided to get myself a copy of Blood Money for the 360.

I originally played this game when it first came out on the PS2 and was just blown away, the game was in my opinion the best in the series and provided some intense action. I was a little worried that time had taken it's toll on this game and that as with most classics the age of the game is noticeable within seconds of play but this version has been updated for the 360, I assume from the PC...? This game still looks good, I wouldn't say awesome but hey it's been four years! The levels do look there part and each provides the perfect setting for murder with snow, rain, day and night this game caters for all.

I suppose it may help for those that have never played a Hitman game to perhaps explain the game mechanics, you are Number 47 and you play the role of the Hitman, every missions starts with a briefing provided to you by your agency explaining the background to the hit and the mark itself, you then select the weapons and any upgrades you may need for the mission, now this is one of the aspects I love most about this game because each mission can be completed in an array of different ways hence the weapon selection becomes a pivotal point to the game play, rifles, hand guns, poisons and bombs each provides a different angle to the mission. Being a Hitman is hard work though as you not only have to assassinate the mark but you also have to do it undetected, on some levels this can be hard work but being a professional definitely pays off giving the player a feeling of accomplishment.

The weapon's available in Blood money are fairly varied, in my opinion though most are not needed, if you had to kill a doctor in a hospital would you try and walk in holding an M16? I thought not, but hey it could be fun... The only problem with this kind of "run and kill everyone" tactic is that the results are not as close to real life as the game attempts to achieve, for example the police wont arrive in vast numbers as they would in real life... The game tries desperately to be as realistic as passable, I found myself therefore using the silenced pistol for most of the missions as it's low noise level allows for almost silent assassinations as apposed to a noisy M16, the music blends in well with the gameplay, there is just nothing better than pulling off the perfect hit with some haunting music in the background that somehow says I'm badass but in a rather sophisticated fashion.

All in all this game is well worth a play, each level provides a large open areas for the player to explore and "solve" in an almost puzzle like fashion, if you enjoyed the previous Hitman titles you will defo enjoy this outing, as stated previously this has to be the best of the lot. The gameplay is something completely different even by today's standards, it may not be for all types though and in a way falls into the thriller/strategy genre so if your looking for something COD like then please do look elsewhere!



Gameplay 9/10



Graphics 6.5/10 (Based on today's standards)

Sound 8.5/10

Total 80/100

MAG

Massive Action Game

This has been on my radar for sometime now, I think it's been more than a year since I got my first peek at a trailer for this game and have been doing my best to keep my ears to the ground hoping to hear any possible news about this game so you could imagine how miffed I was to hear that I had totally missed the Beta's, luckily though I managed to get myself a copy of the open Beta released last week and managed to get some good play time in. Yes, yes, I know it's only a Beta but with only two weeks until this game comes out surely not much can change...?

First off I would just like to reiterate that so far I have only managed to play the open Beta and I shall hopefully update this post in the future or perhaps someone can add a comment on just how wrong I was hehe ;)

Well lets start off with what MAG really is, Mag is the first ever multiplayer only game for consoles that is able to support 250 players, that's 250 players on one level at one time! Just imagine Battlefield Bad Company or Call of Duty but with 125 players on your team as apposed to just 8 or 16... i can tell you one things for sure, the action is intense to say the least, bullets flying all over the place, explosions in the distance, I-N-T-E-N-S-E! The game is basically split into two segment types namely capture the flag and demolition with lots of shooting in between of course, players are split down into smaller groups with their own set of objectives, once the objectives are completed the teams then move onto the next stage and so on until all objectives are completed and a victor crowned.

Sounds good but alas just a few too many bugs have been left in the game, now I know that it's only the Beta and I'm hoping that Zipper have made two copies of the game with us Joe's only having seen one of them but I fear that this is not the case... The first problem I have with Mag is it's average graphics, now I can accept the fact that not all games can look the best and sometimes sacrifices have to be made, but some of the character artwork in Mag is verging on terrible! Don't get me wrong it does the job but in the age of "next gen consoles" this just should not be the case, the lighting is way off on some of the jungle levels making it almost imposable to spot enemies especially when they are wearing black (Raven) add to this the confusion that inherently comes from 250 people running left right and centre and well... lets just say I managed to shoot a few of my own team mates as well as get shot stood right next to an enemy player.

The sound in Mag could definitely do with a bit of improvement, as with graphics sound isn't as important as gameplay but for some reason the sounds in Mag are just unforgivable! The guns sound like a 5 year old's toy, the explosions are basically the same sound over and over, not something i thought I would ever be complaining about but with sooo many of them going on throughout the game it soon becomes annoying.

Add to these two some bad collision detection, some weapons that seem to do no damage and you soon get the feeling that all this beta testing was for nothing, I just don't see how so many of these errors managed to remain in the current version.

I have to admit though that even with these errors Mag was still an enjoyable game, things are a little hard to get used to at the start and it can sometimes be annoying to empty an entire clip into someone without them dieing, lucky for us then that the game allows players to purchase a number of upgrades for each class with the potential to eventually working their way to a position of leadership, whether this will be enough to make mag a classic is unknown, my personal feelings are that mag will simply be a road map used by the likes of EA or Infinity Ward when developing there next batch of shooters while Mag will instead turn out to be something closer to the likes of Warhawk, yes it's a good game but alas there is better out there.

There's a few weeks to go until the release and my one hope is that zipper is hard at work putting the finishing touches on the actual game and it will turn out that the beta was just chucked together for gameplay and network testing, if this is not the case i think i might just have to wait for Bad Company 2 although I would be tempted to use Mag as a gap fuller... Will just have to wait and see.

Gameplay 8.5/10

Graphics 6.8/10

Sound 6.5/10

Total 73/100

Operation Flashpoint

Being a FPS fan of sorts especially those with a good multiplayer aspect I was intrigued by the gameplay described in most of the reviews I read for this game.

I shall start off by saying that this game is HARD! As said by many other people this game brings the true story to war, an enemy standing half a kilometer away becomes a deadly enemy, bravado becomes insanity and every form of cover becomes your best friend, bullets come zinging past your head triggering an instant action to shoot back but where? You can hear where it's coming from but you just know that the next shot wont be a miss and unlike other shooters this game can end very quickly, this combined with the fact that it take about 5 minutes to get back into the game gets the player thinking more about strategy than anything else.

The game takes place on two islands, the main one having been over run with Chinese PLA forces. Only two maps I hear you say? Trust me these maps are huge and it seems as if it could take forever to walk from one end to the other. The game itself plays out in a sequential set of targets i.e take this out, go here and then defend that with various orders obviously given in between.

The AI in Flashpoint can be rather good although I do question the use of the word "intelligence", enemies will find cover if shot at but sometimes if shot again while under cover will walk straight back into the line of fire!?! As in many other games the so called AI has a rather uncanny ability to tell from which direction the player is coming even when hidden behind a hill, the game gives hints such as "recon areas before entering by using your binoculars" but I found on many occasions that this process led to more frustration than had the player just run straight at the enemy, there can be nothing worse than spending a good five minutes spotting a number of gunners on a hill, planning out a best form of attack and then walking the long way there so as to maintain the element of surprise to find out that everyone knew you were coming anyway! Thinking that you have the upper hand and then having all of that taken away in an instant from a single shot can be very, very demotivating.

I also found on many occasions that this game is not as "realistic" as I was lead to believe, perhaps when it comes to the player dying yes but apart from that it seems that this game is heavily scripted and I often found myself failing a mission for what seemed to be no reason at all other than the fact that I hadn't done exactly what the game thought I was going to do. I also got the impression that the enemy seemed to take bullets a lot better than my own guys?!?! Not exactly fair.

These frustrations aside, Flashpoint is a good looking game, the islands look beautiful with lots of different kinds of terrain ranging from wooded areas to beaches to towns. There are a large amount of vehicles the the player may use from jeeps to helicopters and it's a real shame that as the levels go on the player is often constrained with time limits preventing them from really enjoying the sandbox style landscape and the vehicles provided.

Where the game really shines though is in it's multiplayer form, four player make up a fireteam and can then tackle the levels together making for a much better experience, the game becomes very tactical and can lead to much shouting and cursing but at least with four players the game only ends if all four are dead, this makes good leadership a key point and I'm sure with a bit of practice could be loads of fun.

All in all Flashpoint isn't as bad a game as I make out and as long as your a patient person with a need for a more realistic shooter I think you could do a lot worse than Flashpoint, bring into that mix the online play (for this I would definitely recommend a friend with a copy too) and one is presented with a decent shooter that can provide loads of entertainment.

Gameplay 7/10

Graphics 8/10

Sound 8.5/10

Total 78/100

Modern Warfare 2

The next game on my list MW2 has been an absolute record breaker since the day of it's release, I managed to get myself a copy on day one from Sainsburies, was shocked to walk into the store to find a massive sign stating it was sold out... Luckily they had just hidden them all at the tobacco counter!

If you enjoyed the first game and don't have a copy of this stop reading NOW, get down to the shops and get yourself a copy! I do have to admit that I do prefer the first Modern Warfare, it was an epic game and so many of the levels were just amazing. MW2 still manages to deliver an excellent experience, the game starts off with a bit of a nondescript story line, it doesn't really have allot to do with the storyline to be honest... Things start to get interesting after the infamous airport scene, yes you can shoot loads of defenseless civilians but you don't really have to, it makes me laugh when people complain about things like this, "oh the game contains a scene where I shot loads of un-armed people" boohoo! You did it! if you dont want to play the game then don't, I'm pretty sure that the DVD could be snapped in half and used as a dangerous weapon, this doesn't mean you have to do it! AAaaaaargh!

Anyways it's true this scene is a little over the top but then again it's only a game, even so it does pose a number of questions, what if the chain of events did take place, I think the main point the game gets at is how something so small as an undercover agent in the wrong place can have serious consequences, the game has also managed to take this much further than any movie has done before, movies like Saving Private Ryan etc have given us an incite into the atrocities of war but MW2 does the opposite and allows us to see that unlike the most recent wars i.e Vietnam or Iraq a war with Russia or some other super power would not be as one sided as the previous two examples... The Whiskey Hotel scene is just amazing and really makes the player ask themselves "could this ever happen, could things ever get this bad?" I wont talk about the plot anymore as i wouldn't want to ruin it but the story has a few more twist than number one did that's for sure.

The game play is very similar to number one, it can be a little hard to tell who's on your side and who's not but once you've played a level you kind of know what side is yours and therefor who to shoot at, I did manage to die a number of times but this is usually down to me taking cover too much. I personally prefer it when games are a little bit more realistic when it comes to the AI, Battlefield multiplayer would be a good example of this, the player doesn't feel like everyone is shooting at him/her, MW2 does the opposite and more than often gives the player the impression of being the only "good guy" on the battlefield. This can be a bit annoying at time but like I said once you've played it a few times you kind of know who to shoot at and when not to take cover.

The best part to this game though has to be the online, man oh man it's good! It has all the goodness of the first one but with sooo many added extras, loads of weapons, loads of addons and loads achievements. If you lost many days/months of your life with number one i suggest you get yourself a doctors note and prepare to spend the next few weeks at home "sick" ;) I would also suggest telling your friends to do the same as MW2 has a few extra multiplayer options, two of you can play in a coop style game, most of it being a kind of kill loads of baddies but each level has a kind of twist, the best of these is where one player takes control of a gunship while the other has to make there way from A to B whilst trying not to die, bullets zinging over head, swarms of enemies all over the show whilst yelling down the mic to your friends "HELP!!!!" it does bring a new dimension to the gameplay and I really, really wish they had added loads of levels of this type. It's a shame really as the developers have tried to keep the player busy with an unlock system where you basically have to face harder and harder levels in an attempt to unlock the rest, at the moment I am just stuck, it seems that it's just imposable to get past the levels :( I just sooooo wish they had added more at a slightly easier level. I would just like to add that alot of PC users have complained about how the developers have moved away from games being hosted on servers and is now down by the actual players, to this I say BOOHOO things change and it's time to get used to it! For us console users it's a brilliant idea and I think more developers need to go down this route. Modern Warfare 1 had massive issues with the servers being clogged up and it would be impossible to get into a game, EA is the worst for this, if you have played Battlefield BC you will know exactly what I am talking about, it's been out for some time now and I still manage to get kicked from game with a nice little note about network connection lost, LIES I tell you! It's because the server is packed and needs to drop player I tell thee!

If your a fan of FPS games then you just have to get a copy of this, if not you probably still have to get a copy else all your friends will probably hate you!

Gameplay 9.5/10

Graphics 9.5/10

Sound 9.5/10

Total 95/100

Grid

Well I decided to do a few games reviews in the hope that I can help stear people away from any horrible nasties I just happen to play, my first review is Grid for the PS3.

Well I a can be the odd fan of racing games, the last one being Dirt which was fun, you just can't really beat a good rally game (am looking forward to the new one, that and GT HD). Well I grabbed a copy of Grid as it got some good reviews and I just don't think I could have bothered with another Need for Speed. Anyways, I popped the game in and was... erm... surprised, the game plays fairly similar to Dirt 2 being as they are both from Codemaster it's not a surprise, I played for a few hours but unfortunatley could go no further, it is a shame that in todays racing game world every Racer seems to have the same problem and the better the games systems get the more apparent the problem is getting, that problem is all down to the lack of skill or effort on the part of the AI.

For years now we have known that racing game AI just has to cheat, different games employ different techniques, catch up etc and it's all no doubt due to the incredable risk a racer is willing to take when he/she is not actuall in the vehicale racing straight towards a brick wall, basically i can easily hammer a F3 car into a corner at 120 odd miles per hour and slam on the brakes at the last minute, if I crash who cares im sure I'll catch up or I could just reset the race, unfortunately in most cases I just have to take the risk as in doing so I pick up three places in one corner, the problem with this games mechanic is that the AI is set to be as realistc as possable and is just not willing to take this gamble, so therefore the AI is given a slight advantage and manages to stick to the road a bit better, accelorate faster etc. What im trying to get at here is that games are becoming more and more realistic but I just don't think the games mechanics are mathcing these realisms. How could you have a LeMans type if race in 3 laps?!?! How come the AI knows all the corners coming up and I don't?

I think what I wanted to see with this game and what I honestly thought was going to happen was more of a "win some loose some situation" we all watch Formula 1 etc and we all know that the winner doesn't have to win every single race over and over, why can we not see something where the player is not forced into taking risk after risk throughout a race, the gameplay in Grid is nonetheless as good as it really gets on the PS3 for now, the best bet is to wait for the new Grand Tourismo, Grid is trying to keep us busy until that point and for that fact Grid does it's job.

The graphics in Grid are pretty good and nothing to be looked down at, they are pretty average compared to todays games but lets remember that this is a year old now, the cars look nice and bling, there are loads of custom setting allowing the individual to customise there own race team colurs and insignia but it's not Need for Speed so I wouldn't be expecting to customise every aspect of the car, saying that there does seem to be an almost infinite number of cars to choose from and loads of race types from formula 1 to Japanese drift comps, this game seems to have all the bases covered and will keep one entertained for some time!

All in all this game is worth a play if your an extreme race fan, for me I found the gameplay was just far too frustrating and made for much shouting at the TV screen in anger as I tried again and again to finish the race without placing last, yes I know most people would say I should have practiced etc but I found it far too stressful, I managed to finish most of the races in half decent position first time but it was the odd race where it got to a point that i just didn't want to play anymore and would have been happy placing 5th or something like that withought a massive penalty or feeling like a complete dunce!

Rent the game if you can but if your like me and your not a massive "all I play is racer" type of person then I would rather just wait for Grand Tourismo, Dirt 2 has just come out and alas is mainly rally but i think playing Grid will just lead to far too many objects being thrown at your TV.

Gameplay 4.5/10

Graphics 7.3/10

Sound 7.3/10

TOTAL 63.6/100