Transformers: War for Cybertron

This week, I sat down and played Transformers: War for Cybertron, a game NOT based on the movies, and therefore, an acceptable game for all gamers. Right? Well, this game was recently released by Activision and Hasbro and I can honestly say it is one of the best Transformers game in the history of mankind. Although, that may not be saying much…

STORY
Transformers: War For Cybertron is a stand alone game. It has nothing to do with the movie releases, and is a precursor to the 90’s animated show; so someone with no knowledge of Transformers lore is still going to be able to figure out what the hell is going on. However, this is a huge treat for the transformers nerds.
The story takes place in two parts, Autobots and Decepticons. The chapters are numbered, with the first half belonging to the Decepticon campaign and the second half belonging to the autobots; with one campaign story running after the other, as opposed to two parallel stories from different views.

The story follows Megatron and the Decepticon’s fight for control of Cybertron; home planet of all transformers. This involves their quest to obtain the element known as “Dark Energon” and their assault on the Autobot capital, Iacon.
This is when the Autobot campaign takes over; which follows Optimus Prime and his band of Autobot warriors fighting off the disaster that is befalling their homeworld. The entire story comes together really well; and its written with a particularly high quality, featuring some unexpected twists and turns, culminating in some huge boss fights.

PRESENTATION
War for Cybertron is a beautifully detailed game; with fitting dialogue and fantastic sound effects. The visuals in this game are so amazing; if a little unvaried. The game spawns a lot of clone enemies for you to take down; however, the playable transformers are all varied and detailed. The levels in the Decepticon half don’t change up much; however the Autobot half more than makes up for this.
The sound effects are all true to the series, from the gun effects, to the sound of each individual transformation. The sound of guns blazing and explosions going off really sets the tone, of a world in strife.

The dialogue is fairly well written, with most of the voice acting being really cool; particularly Optimus, Soundwave and Megatron. Re-used voices for miscellaneous soldiers bring down my opinion, but only a little. The soldiers seem to be recycled and re-used over and over again, which I suppose justifies the recycling of these voice recordings.

GAMEPLAY
War for Cybertron is a standard 3rd person shooter, at first glance. But this is transformers, and there’s always more than meets the eye. The controls seem very familiar, like Call of Duty style, and they work very well. Unlike most 3rd person shooters, there is no cover feature; though there is the Transform ability; allowing players to take vehicle form at any point during the game. These forms include Tanks, Cars, Trucks and Jets; each with their own advantages and weaknesses. This adds a lot of variety to the gameplay; with the ability to flee or evade fire fights by using the jet or car abilities available to you.

There is a variety of weapons to choose from, including charged plasma cannons, EMP Shotguns; and assault rifles which all allow players to take on combat any way that they choose. This is balanced by the variety of enemies to take on, from standard car or jet soldiers; to Brutes or the behemoth Tanks. This forces players to change up the way that they play, to combat the different threats.
Though there isn’t much variety in the missions, what Transformers does, it does very well. Enemy A.I. is nothing particularly special, they change forms whenever necessary, and know when to flank your sorry ass.

REPLAYABILITY
With an entertaining, but fairly easy campaign, you’re looking at about 6 or so hours of gameplay. However, with a plethora of trophies or achievements; as well as online multiplayer modes; hours of gameplay can be had with War on Cybertron. A lot of the online game modes are familiar; and can be found in most online shooters; including deathmatch, team deathmatch and capture the flag style modes. Along with this is Escalation; a game where multiple players work together to fend off waves of enemy transformers, whilst using points earned to open new areas, or gain new weapons.

OVERVIEW
Transformers: War For Cybertron is a fantastic game, which I recommend for gamers and Transformers fan boys alike. It is visually stunning, if a little “samey” in the Decepticon campaign; and its tight gameplay helps to convey a well written and interesting story. I had minor problems with the recycling of enemies and the familiarity of so many environments, but they don’t impact on the game that badly. I Highly recommend that everyone at least tries this game; if only by renting it. Those of whom who like a good online battle; you’ll enjoy this a lot.

So that's it for this week. As per usual, I'll be praying for comments and feedback; so please, answer my prayers. Right now I'm watching my girlfriend play Bayonetta for the X-Box 360; which I got her for her Birthday. I'm tempted to review this next week...
Byyyyye.

Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition

The past couple of weeks, I've been playing through Fallot 3, Bethesda's insanely popular Action RPG game set in the atomic wasteland of Washington D.C. I picked up The Game of the Year edition a few weeks ago, and it has really impressed me; as I'm not the biggest fan of Role Playing Games.
As I've only finished the main story quests and side quests, I won't be touching on the DLC, but if it's more of the same, it's not a bad thing.

STORY
Players take the role of "The Lone Wanderer", a man or woman who grows up in Vault 101, one of many large scale bomb shelters used during and after the nuclear war of 2077. The player character is born around 200 years later, and after the playing through the characters birth and pre-teen years, the father of your character flees the vault, leaving you to follow him and fend for yourself in the "Capital Wasteland".
The majority of the game follows the players character travelling through the wasteland and doing various quests for the lands various characters. The main story of Fallout 3 is well written, with various paths to follow in that story.

PRESENTATION
While Fallout 3 isn't the most beautiful game around, it does have an aesthetic appeal to it, featuring a landscape with a lot of character behind it. Many characters you meet have interesting looks to them, but many more look like cut and copy duplicates of others found in various settlements. The same applies for many of the character voices, although the completely unique voices of characters like your Father, Moira and Moriarty are all high quality and memorable.
The dialogue is pretty awesome on the most part, with a lot of choice being provided for players to use when conversing with NPC's.

The music used in Fallout 3 has a fittingly retro feel that goes along with the theme of the wasteland; a world stuck in the 50's in all but technology. This, along with the unique 50s style set pieces really help create a real personality for the land in which you are let loose.
But again, the graphics could use a bit of a touch up. Not a huge complaint, and it isn't gunna bring down my opinion on this title.

GAMEPLAY
At first glance, Fallout 3 plays like a First Person Shooter with RPG elements, and on the most part, that's exactly what it can be described as (although the camera can be switched from 1st to 3rd person).
The controls are easy to understand, with many of the controls being similar to a first person shooter, save for the V.A.T.S (Vault Assisted Targeting System), which allows players to place their shots with deadly efficiency while gameplay is paused.

The RPG elements f Fallout 3 determine how good your character is at certain tasks, such as hacking, lockpicking or which type of weapons the "Lone Wanderer" specializes in. Also open to customization are the weapons and outfits that players can equip, each with their own different stats and perks.

Quests are given by NPC's, and often have multiple ways of completion. Alot of the time these range from Choirboy to Insane Asshole, but there are often occasions where the choices are not black or white, but grey. Many endings result in new equipment for the character, so a lot of thought should go into how your character acts.

Enemy AI isn't really anything groundbreaking. More often than not, all enemies will charge you, regardless of the weapon they possess, and do not run for cover. This doesn't allow for much of a tactical approach to combat, but the V.A.T.S Targeting System makes up for that, with the ability to cripple limbs; resulting in a corresponding disadvantage. This can include the loss of mobility from crippling the legs, or the inability to wield a weapon after crippling the arms.

Bugs in a game aren't normally a huge problem for me, but a lot of the bugs in Fallout 3 are recurring, or just too huge to ignore. Constant frame rate issues have plagued me during my time with the game, as well as glaring issues like having to glitch through a wall into the untextured "Abyss" to find an NPC who hasn't spawned in the game map. It's things like this that should have been fixed or patched by the time a game of the year edition has been released.

REPLAYABILITY
One of the advantages a game has by offering a moral choice system is that players can often play through a game more than once, and earn different abilities, equipment or quest endings thanks to the different actions. Fallout 3 offers 3 paths, good, evil and neutral; each with their corresponding trophies or achievements to earn. In addition, there are many collectible bobble heads to find; as well as various unmarked quests and locations to find.
If you happen to acquire the G.O.T.Y edition, there are also 5 Downloadable content packs to play through; Operation: Anchorage, The Pitt, Broken Steel, Point Lookout and Mothership Zeta; all adding more weapons, environments and a lot more character to the fallout world.

OVERVIEW
This game is a must try for anyone with a PC or a next gen console, even if you aren't into the RPGs. It has enough character and charm to ensnare any gamer, as well as some cool game mechanics like V.A.T.S. However, glaring development issues such as disappearing "essential" NPCs are almost a deal breaker, but if you can get past them, its a game you wont forget. Also, in the game of the year edition, theres all the additional content. For free! You know yo love free stuff.

Come back to the site next week for a review of a new game. Hopefully. Or It'll be sometime during the following week as I may be away from my computer. Anyway, until next time, take care. Also, FEEEEEEEEEDBAAAAAAAAAAAACK! Please?

Resistance: Fall of Man

This week I decided to review a game that was received quite positively by most, and negatively by few close to me. If they read this, they know who they are. Resistance: Fall of Man was one of the very earliest releases for the Playstation 3, and since its release has spawned a sequel on the PS3, as well as an interquel on the PSP. Resistance 2 was released late 2008 and was bigger and better than its predecessor; as any good sequel should be. If I have nothing to review next week, I may do Resistance 2.

STORY
Resistance: FOM follows humanity's battle against the alien Chimera, in the last attempt to save Britain, and ultimately, Europe. It is set during an alternate history, in 1951, when Europe is overrun by a mysterious alien force known as the Chimera. Since the British forces are fighting a losing battle, America sends in reinforcements, part of which is soldier Nathan Hale.
As you progress through the story, which is told via narrative dialogue by Nathan's ally Rachael Parker, Hale is infected by the Chimeran "Virus", and learns more about the alien race.

Resistance is one of the most story driven first person shooters around, with each level having a clear explanation to tie it to the next. There are also intel items in each level; all of them detailing weapons, enemies and events seen through other soldiers eyes.
However it does take a while for the story to get truly intriguing, and I've never accepted "it gets better later" as an excuse, but it DOES get better. However, it doesn't start off badly....

PRESENTATION
Fall of Man is definitely not the best looking game around, which i guess is understandable for one of the first games on a next gen console as powerful as the PS3. However, it's not excused, and while enemies and locations look interesting and unique, they don't look as polished as they could have. Theres also some minor texture and clipping issues that pop up every now and then. However, with so much going on on screen, theres surprisingly no frame rate issues.

The music in Resistance is top notch and sets the tone for every level well. The sound effects from each enemy and gun is also unique and makes them seem more lifelike, despite being so unrealistic.
The dialogue is also strong, with solid voice acting for most of the characters; though maybe the British accents could have been dialled down a little. At least they aren't full on cockney accents though.

GAMEPLAY
Behind the strong story and somewhat mediocre presentation lies some solid gunplay with a variety of truly unique weapons, mostly with 2 different methods of fire.
The controls take a little getting used to, as they aren't in the standard FPS Layout. However, once past this, theres a lot of fun to be had with the various weapons you'll find around.
Among these are the Bullseye, which can fire targets that attract fired rounds, and the Hailstorm, that can fire the entire magazine, which acts like a mini turret.

There are also some excellent variants on the classic grenade, including the hedgehog, which fires giant spikes off in all directions. Unfortunately, there is no option to cook grenades before you throw them which is a minor gripe of mine, but easily overlooked.

What can't be overlooked at how easy the campaign was on medium. I breezed through it on my first time through, and even quicker with a friend in co-op play. That's not to say the AI enemies are idiots. They take cover and try to flank you as you might expect in a true firefight, but they lack a ferocity which is needed to make the game truly difficult.

There is a nice enemy and gun variety to the gameplay, but the lack of difficulty really can't be overlooked. When you are given all the weapons at once as opposed to just a switch between 2 helped in that. If you've been playing a level using the carbine, and all of a sudden you need the rocket launcher, you can just switch to it, instead of having to find one in the surrounding area.

There are also cool vehicles sections, but not enough of them to be truly core gameplay. Like the weaponry, theres a balance between both Chimera and Human vehicles.

The Co-op gameplay also seems like an unnecessary add-on, though it was enjoyable. It is just the single player campaign, but with two people.

REPLAYABILITY
There is a multiplayer aspect to Resistance, but i very much doubt there is anyone online these days. Theres a variety of game modes, but again, not many players online. There are no trophies to be gained by playing through again, however there are more weapons to use. If that's enough incentive for you, go right ahead. Always fun to play through in co-op though.

OVERVIEW
Resistance is a strong game with solid gunplay and a variety of guns and enemies to back up a strong story, which does take a while to get started. There are a whole lot of intel items to collect, which urge players to explore in the mostly linear environments. I recommend that if you own a PS3, you at least try this game, because it is truly an exceptional game. Unfortunately, things like the lack of difficulty, mediocre-at-best graphics and lack of replayability make this game a little less impressive. However, I stand by my opinion that the gameplay and story are both solid.

So that's another review done for this week. Might do resistance 2 next week if I have nothing new, but its really just the same as this, with a graphical update, better gameplay and better multiplayer... Anyways, see you guys next time! Also, comments and feedback!!

F.E.A.R.2: Project Origin

So, I finally devoted some time to actually finishing F.E.A.R.2 so I could properly write this review, which is a little late thanks to my being in Canberra for the last 4 and a bit days. Now, F.E.A.R.2 took me quite some time to finish, mainly because its atmosphere creeped me right the fuck out, and i took each step carefully; this is a point I'll be touching on later.

F.E.A.R.2: Project Origin is a Horror First Person Shooter, developed by Monolith Studios, as a sequel to F.E.A.R; and is available on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Project Origin continues to tell the story surrounding Alma Wade and the secret government projects conducted by Armacham Technology Corporation.

STORY
Project origin puts players in the shoes of Michael Becket, a Delta Force operator; whose team is sent to take Genevieve Arisitide (President of Armacham) into protective custody. After her rescue, Arisitide claims that Becket and his team are the key to stopping the supernatural being known as Alma; whose rage against those who wronged her causes an escalating paranormal crisis that threatens to devour and replace reality with her own.

F.E.A.R.2 has a well written story, that sounds like a classic horror movie about supernatural beings taking revenge on the people that wronged them; and anyone who gets in their way. It shares many horror cliches, such as teams splitting up to investigate strange occurrences; as well as your character being separated from the main group for any number of reasons.
The well written story would receive more praise, if not for the terribly executed development. Most of the story unravels through Intel documents that your character picks up along the way.

That said, it isn't impossible to figure out what's going on without them, although they do help you make sense of the story. Most of the major points come to light near the end, but in perhaps less detail than it needed.
So, great writing, with bad implementation can really bring down the story aspect of a game. Intel items can be nice to elaborate on a story and give players something to hunt for, but they shouldn't be the main medium for telling players the story.

PRESENTATION
Project Origin definitely pulls off its creepy, eery atmosphere well; and it really adds to the players experience of the game. The visuals in-game are quite good-looking, though not as pretty as some games. This doesn't affect my opinion so much though, simply because, although it doesn't have the best graphics, it does have the horrific style necessary to tell the story Monolith were trying to tell.

Blood stained walls, flickering lights, corridors littered with corpses; all features that bring this nightmarish game to life. These images, coupled with some of the scariest ambient music I've heard in any game, really keep the player on edge. I found myself, on more than one occasion, taking corners carefully, so i don't get attacked by some unseen monster.
Theres a lack of actual cut scenes, with Monolith taking what would appear to be the "Halflife" approach; using in-game scripted events, as opposed to cinematics.

The voice acting is of decent quality, and I can't really complain about the dialogue. It may be a bit cliched, but its horror, what can you really expect? I suppose that shouldn't really excuse it, but on the most part, the dialogue warmed me to the characters through their banter with Becket and definitely made them more human to me.

GAMEPLAY
Beneath the scary, gritty exterior of F.E.A.R.2 lies some solid First Person Shooter gameplay; featuring some really cool Melee attacks, as well as a variety of kick-ass weapons; and a somewhat misplaced bullet time mechanic.
First off, Project Origin has a well layed out control scheme; with little to really complain about, even the weapon menu works well, letting you choose any of your four weapons at any given time; at the cost of not being able to pause while you do this.

The melee attacks are somewhat varied when compared to other FPS games, as you can make Becket ram enemies with his gun... or perhaps slide kick into them... or how about a Chuck Norris styled roundhouse kick to the chops?
It's all very cool to do, but loses its newness about half way through the game. Oh well, it was cool for quite a while.

The wide range of weapons available to you include shotguns, assault rifles, SMGs, rocket launchers, lasers and hammerheads (which i like to think of as giant, industrial nailguns). However, some of the horror aspect of a game is lost when you're able to nail your foes to a wall through their skull.

There are a few other gameplay aspects that kind of ruin the horror aspect a bit. The bullet time mechanic is extremely cool to use in a gun fight, especially since you can see the shockwave of explosions, or bullets flying past you.
But when the slo-mo meter is almost always full, you'll find that players use it when startled by the horror aspects of the game; and when the horror aspects are slowed down, it loses alot of the scare in it.

The horror element also decreases when giant Mech suits are introduced into the equation. When you're covered in metal, and able to liquify enemies with your machine guns, you haven't got a whole lot to really F.E.A.R.... see what i did thar? =P
But all in all, it IS fun; and when it comes right down to it, as a game, its main priority is fun.

REPLAYABILITY
Theres not a lot of sense in going over and playing F.E.A.R.2 again, unless you're a trophy/achievement whore, or you want to know all of the story through Intel items; in which case, go right ahead. If you don't plan on doing this, F.E.A.R.2 offers some solid multiplayer for those who feel so inclined. Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and a Search and Destroy style game are only some of the matches that await you online, in both ranked and unranked modes.
DLC has also been made available, both multiplayer (maps, and Mech Suit modes) and a new campaign, following the story of the original F.E.A.R's antagonist Paxton Fettel.

OVERVIEW
F.E.A.R.2: Project Origin is a fun, atmospheric title, with a well written, albeit poorly executed story, and solid gameplay. If you're looking for a scare, you'll probably find yourself jumping at shadows after playing this one, and if you're in the mood for gore, you should definitely take a quick look.
Unnecessary gameplay features such as Mech suits and bullet time, while fun, do take away from the horror elements in the game, but are fun, so can be overlooked on the most part.
OK, so I'm posting this today, instead of last Sunday, because I was in Canberra for the weekend. I'll be sure to post again this Sunday; probably on something I know quite well, like InFamous, or Modern Warfare 2. Anyway, until then, i won't be sleeping; and I'll see you next time. Oh, and keep reading, sending to friends, sharing on facebook, leaving feedback; ANYTHING to know that some people out there ARE actually reading this.