Games Reviews
(I know what you're thinking...film reviews...games reviews...she has too much free time!)
Computer games, like films have an age rating. This age rating serves as a guide that helps you understand the possible content of the game and whether it is suitable for you or whoever you are purchasing it for. Computer games aren't about reality and morals, they are often violent and nihilistic. If a game is rated 18, it's rated 18 for a reason.
"Indigo Prophecy" As a harsh cold grips the city around you, you awake from a trance in the bathroom of a diner, in front of you is a body. The body of a man you have just killed. You don't know what happened, you only know you have to escape and prove your innocence.
To sum up in two words...bloody brilliant. Not only do you control the main character but those around you, including the two detectives on your case. Talk about divided loyalties.
A truly engaging storyline and inventive game play. I wish more games could rise to this level.
"Far Cry Instincts" Or The Island of Dr Morose. So there you are on a sun kissed tropical island minding your own business when out of nowhere some bad guys turn up and start shooting at you! It's a hard life in indeed as you are forced to crawl through the undergrowth offing anybody who gets in your way. That's all very well, but then you get captured and injected with some experimental serum that brings out your inner animal with some new powers to show off. That's all ok but the Halo-esque vehicles are infuriating to control and add nothing to the game. Pretty to look at if sand and sun is your thing but very boring.
"Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: The Sith Lords" I guess if you like Star Wars you probably wet your pants over these games, I however think Star Wars is vastly overrated (now there's a quick way to make enemies!). This is the first Star Wars game I have ever played, I must say I was unimpressed. I found the storyline confusing, and couldn't really tell what was the name of a Planet and what the name of a person. So anyway, its all to do with Jedi's and you get to choose whether to join the Dark Side or be all boring and nice. As slightly entertaining as that is, it couldn't make up for the fact that this game has some *serious* bugs. Some parts became almost impossible, and made me wonder if it was play tested on a bunch of monkeys. As I said, if you like Star Wars you will like this, if not then there are plenty of better games out there to play.
"Splinter Cell". This game was infuriatingly good. I learnt to stop loving the gun and deploy stealth! Excellent game play, wonderfully made and a joy to look at.
"Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow". Once again a very well made game, a mix of stealth and precision shooting. Excellent plot that never confuses or lessens the enjoyment of the game. Sam Fisher is The Man.
"Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory". A truly wonderful game! The Splinter Cell series goes from strength to strength. Sam gets some new moves; the devastating inverted neck break and a new weapon; a rather big knife. The graphics and settings are excellent but because you have to play mostly in the dark (to avoid being spotted) and therefore use night vision you don't get to see a lot of them. Well worth playing. I really hope the planned Splinter Cell movie lives up to the wonders of these games.
"Hitman 2: Silent Assassin". Like 'Splinter Cell', this a a game that involves patience and stealth as well as all out gun mayhem. Although I didn't play the first game, based on 'Silent Assassin' I am looking forward to the third installment.
"Hitman: Contracts". Well this is the third installment in the Hitman series, and it has a much darker often disturbing atmosphere. Again, how you play the game is up to you; through the front door guns blazing or sneaking round the back with your fibrewire. While being a fun game, it does suffer from being a bit too repetitive, especially towards the end.
"Mafia" This game is wonderful! I don't think I can praise it enough. Its an epic game with a excellent storyline that takes into the world of organised crime. It was more like being involved in a movie than just playing a computer game. You get to drive some lovely old cars and shoot Tommy Guns, bliss! One of the best games I have played.
"Doom 3" Without a doubt the 'Doom' and 'Quake' series of games have shaped modern gaming, and while 'Quake' evolved into 'Quake 3 Arena' a rather boring effort far removed from the original game, 'Doom' has thankfully stuck close to its roots. In "Doom 3" you play a Marine who barely five minutes into his first day on Mars has to help save mankind as literally all Hell breaks loose. All the familiar 'Doom' Monsters are there (there's even a monster that resembles a Quake Shambler) but scarier and updated. This game is genuinely frightening, probably because it is so dark and things tend to jump out at you. The soundtrack is also unnerving, with a constant creepy ghost train set of screams and howls playing in the background. I did enjoy this game and I do recommend it, but to be honest once you've wandered down one dark corridor you've pretty much got the measure of the game. A good game, rather like 'Half Life'. Well worth playing, just to scare yourself.
"Rainbow Six 3" A cross between 'Ghost Recon' and 'Splinter Cell', looks great but just seemed to be lacking something.
"XIII" This game has possibly one of the best storylines I have come across; you wake up on a beach, tattooed with a number, with no memory and suddenly you are a wanted man. The comic book graphics were pretty impressive and a welcome break from the super-reality of other games around today. The vocal talent involved is great, although David Duchovny is underused as XIII, confined to mostly saying "I don't remember" etc. Sadly, despite the excellent cliffhanger ending I hear that no sequel is being made due to the general public not showing a great interest in this game. A good game with good graphics.
"Shadow Op's: Red Mercury" I didn't play the first game so some elements of the plot of this game, i.e., recurring characters baffled me. I liked this game but I didn't love it. Bit of a poor mans 'Splinter Cell'.
"Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay" The storyline is pre 'Pitch Black' and tells how Riddick gets 'eyeshine', the ability to see in the dark and his immense strength. Wonderful graphics, interesting and involving plot and great game play. Impressive vocal talent...Ron Perlman, Michael Rooker, Dwight Shultz, Xzibit and of course Vin Diesel the man with the sexiest voice around today. One of the very best games I have played.
"Dead to Rights". Up to a point I loved this game. It had a compelling storyline and tricky little games within the game...then I got stuck and I never finished it! Not a game for the easily frustrated.
"Dead to Rights 2: Hell to Pay". Just like it's predecessor, this game has moments of pure frustration where you play certain sections over and over again! But this time around I actually managed to finish the game. This is by no means a bad game but it just doesn't offer anything particularly new or exciting. The storyline left me a little confused (not a hard task I know) and since the ending was left wide open for another sequel there's little resolution. The A.I of Shadow the dog annoyed me the most, unless you are looking at the enemies you can't order the dog to attack, not good if you are hiding behind something. Also if you stand on something high and order Shadow to attack, the dog drops from mid-air...ok not really annoying but funny. The enemies have limited phrases and the constant repetition wasn't good for my anger management. Not that bad, not that good...mediocrity here we come.
"Prisoner of War". This was something new to me...no guns...no kicking...no punching! The most you can do is throw stones at the German prison guards and the fun of that wears off after a while! You're a butch yank fighter pilot who gets captured and then has to break out (and occasionally break in) to Stalag Luft and Colditz! Good fun...if only for the bad European accents.
"Dark Angel". Yawn
"Conflict Desert Storm". Set when another President Bush was in the White House, this is the story of the Gulf War. Grab a gun and join the fight!
"The Thing". Based around the excellent John Carpenter film ( a remake of a 1950's sci-fi classic), you get to toast aliens...but watch your companions they could be...The Thing!
"Call of Duty: Finest Hour" I admit I like a game to be real, but this game is real to the point of pedantry and in some places was so difficult my usual calm demeanour was replaced with a venom spitting monster that could only utter obscenities and mumble about tanks. The checkpoint saving (as with all other games that use the same method) was beyond annoying. Some of the missions were very lengthy, and if you screw up you start all over again. There are certain aspects of this game which haunt my dreams still. Ignoring all this, it is incredibly real to the point of being overwhelming in places. Infuriating but not a bad game.
"Medal of Honour: European Assault" I'm starting to develop a strong dislike of these kind of war games. The market is saturated with them and none stand out in my mind. I guess I am too used to state of the art weaponry to get excited about crouching in a trench. Anyway back to this particular game... this game is by no means spectacular but it had its moments and does offer some pretty intense game play. However, the A.I in this game, particularly of the other members in your squad is awful. I lost count of the times that they just stood there and got shot, no attempt to hide or duck. Its this kind of infuriating stupidity that had me rooting for the Germans. Overall a disappointing effort.
"Buffy The Vampire Slayer". If you have played this game, I guess all I have to do is mention...The dreamers realm and you'll wince in pain. Like "Dead to Rights" good until it got too hard.
"Ghost Recon". Another Tom Clancy title (like Splinter Cell). This took a while to get into but was worth the effort.
"Ghost Recon 2" There's trouble brewing in North Korea...A huge improvement on the first game, much easier to use and therefore more enjoyable. Tricky missions, excellent realism and some good weapons to play with.
"Postal 2" Hilarious and sick beyond belief. What other game allows you to urinate on other people?! What other game has weapons of mass destruction and a section in the Tora Bora?! Not for the easily offended.
"BloodRayne" Interesting Vampire game, with some Nazi's thrown in for good measure. Slightly repetitive though.
"Project Gotham Racing". Winning isn't everything, Kudos is.
"True Crime: Streets of LA" This game has some really impressive vocal talent involved... Christopher Walken...Gary Oldman and the central character that you play is pretty cool. However the game is way too short... I finished it in less than a day. Also the game play is also far too repetitive, to the extent that you hear the same crimes being reported on your radio over and over again. A lot of people rate this game really highly so maybe I am missing something, or maybe I'm right and its just shit.
Brand Spanking New Xbox 360 Review Section!
Firstly, a little about the console itself: This looks as good as any lump of white (well off-white then) plastic can. Sleeker, curvier and much better looking than it predecessor. Wireless controllers are a must to enhance game play and the feeling that spending so much money is justified. There's no more black and white buttons, instead we have two new buttons above the right and left triggers, I haven't really found a use for these yet. The positioning of the start and back buttons is annoying, but I'm sure I will get used to it. I find the menu's confusing and difficult to navigate, but as I say I will probably get used to that to! Xbox live seems only worth it if you purchase a swanky membership and then credits to buy things with...surely you have enough money by now Mr. Gates. You can get trial games ranging from upcoming releases to those old fashioned games that make geek's of a certain age nostalgic. It can be linked to your PC (but only if you run windows, boooo hisssss) and funky stuff can be done with music and media storage.
While there isn't a huge amount of games released just yet, there does seem to be at least one game from each genre available so you should find something you like. As with all modern consoles the games are hugely expensive and you'll probably have to turn to crime to fund that gaming addiction you secretly harbour.
"Project Gotham Racing 3" If you have played one Gotham racing game you have played them all. Having played both one and two I knew what to expect and must admit there wasn't anything here that really impressed me. The cars are a bit shinier, and the crowd more realistic; not that you notice when whizzing past them at 200mph. The damage you suffer when ploughing into things at high speed is unrealistic. The learning curve of this game is less of a curve more of a roller coaster ride, from the pointlessly easy to the stupidly hard in a matter of minutes. I think indifference is the order of the day.
"Condemned: Criminal Intentions" Agent Ethan Thomas is one of the Serial Crimes Division's best officers; but when a routine investigation goes awry he finds himself on the other side of the law as a murder suspect.
It soon becomes apparent that something is deeply wrong with the city around him as violent crime spills out onto the streets and the serial killers Thomas sought are being killed one by one by someone much more twisted.
On the run from the police, Ethan Thomas must clear his name by finding the real killer all the while fighting to stay alive as the city sinks into depravity.
As I first began to play this game, I pictured myself writing a glowing review of it but as I continued to play, my enthusiasm began to wane.
However, before I begin to rant I will focus on the good points, and thankfully, this game has plenty.
In terms of atmosphere, I don't think I have played a game that has embraced the darker side of life quite so well. Playing this game actually makes you feel slightly dirty, every surface, every character seems to be covered in grime. The attention to detail is stunning and really brings to life not only the game but also the capabilities of the Xbox 360.
If like me you scoff when someone tells you that a certain film or game is scary because you know when you watch/play it you will be disappointed then I think this is a game that will finally live up to the hype. The 'monsters' in this are truly repulsive and the games creators take great pleasure in having them jump out and attack you as much as possible. The settings are spooky; from abandoned buildings to subway tunnels to a disused department store. A word of warning, if you do have a problem with mannequins then this is definitely not the game for you.
The AI is annoyingly superb, I especially like the way the bad guys will occasionally raise their weapon to hit you, pause and give you a look as if considering where best to whack you one. They will also run off and hide if the fight gets too intense for them!
Nevertheless, as I said this game does have a few issues that really did spoil it for me. Most notably the storyline, which seems to lose all the promise it built up in the first half. It's almost as if a story about serial killers that kill purely because they want to kill is too much, they have to add in some kind of supernatural/conspiracy back-story to serve as a get out clause.
As much as I enjoyed the dark tone of the game, the actual darkness does become an annoyance. I found myself cranking up the brightness in an effort to stop my almost constant squinting at the screen. I really was unable to spend too long playing this game as it did give me headaches and probably a few extra frown lines.
On a lesser note, I found the speed of the character too slow, you would think the sight of someone coming after you brandishing a weapon would encourage more than a stroll. You do have a sprint option, but this is short-lived and hard to control.
And my last gripe is a small one and one that goes beyond the realm of just this game. It seems now we have a plethora of strong female characters in modern media, hurrah you say, well maybe. There is a confusion these days, whereby strong or 'feisty' seems to be interchangeable with rude. In the context of this game we have one female character, some kind of forensic expert who helps Ethan throughout. Despite knowing his circumstances and being rescued by him she still seems to have a constant line in put downs and sarcasm.
So, what is my final verdict? Well on the strength of the first half of the game, the overall graphics and atmospherics I would have to say that this is a must have for the Xbox 360. Probably not a game I will play over and over but definitely a good scare the first time round.
"Hitman: Blood Money" Agent 47 finds himself on the other end of a gun as a shadowy greater power begins killing other assassins in his agency and he becomes their ultimate target.
Agent 47 is back and better than ever in this example of just how good a game can be.
Once again how you go about completing the missions is up to you; stealth or slaughter, you decide. Blood Money also features new accident scenarios, which allows you to get rid of your targets in a variety of mishaps while keeping your notoriety low.
The A.I is annoyingly realistic and keeps you on your toes.
A hauntingly brilliant Jesper Kyd soundtrack that bristles with melancholy and anger weaves its way around the levels as you play.
A dark attention grabber of a game that is one of the best of the year.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion So far, I haven't really played a game on the 360 that I felt justified buying this swanky new console. Glorified ping-pong and racing games don't quite float my boat. And since you have to sell internal organs just to be able to afford a game you kinda hope for something good!
And at last something rather good has come along; The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
As always with these games, something rather nasty threatens the countryside. The King/Queen in powerless or dead and only you can save the world with a big sword and some magical powers!
Now, I don't normally like these types of games, I much prefer modern technology, big guns and stealth, but this game had me hooked.
The scope of Oblivion is huge, the map is packed with caves, forts, and various buildings that you can explore and creatures that you can kill.
Aside from the main quest, there are countless side quests to keep you busy (I'm still working through these side quests). You can have a chat with almost all the other characters, buy horses, houses and generally stroll about the place.
To me it's like a sword and sorcery Grand Theft Auto. It's not a game that you can finish in a day, probably couldn't finish it in a week either.
Bad points? Well aside from the big name voices, there seems to be about four other voice actors, so this means there's a generic voice for the not so important characters. This becomes slightly annoying, when you have to chat to characters repeatedly.
Oh, and dare I mention the loading screens. I understand they are necessary in a game as complex as this, but they can be so intrusive and can take what seems like an eternity!
A Brilliantly involving game thats looks stunning.