Gears of War 3

The epic end to Epic's epic is upon us. And to be entirely honest, it's pretty epic. I've spent the last week on the edge of my bed, eyes wide at how far this franchise has come, and where, if anywhere, it could possibly go from here. But you don't want to hear about the future, if you came here, you came to read a review. So let's get into it.

STORY
The story of Gears 3 follows on 18 months after the story of Gears 2. The locust hollows have been flooded, and COG settlements on a previously uncharted island are being attacked by lambent infected locust. Driven out of thier new home, Delta Squad (led by Marcus Fenix) attempt to find and rescue Marcus' father after a mysterious recording implies that Adam Fenix is not actually dead, as everyone had believed.

The story is action packed, and conveys the feeling of desperation almost as well as the Resistance series, a series long recognized for it's hopeless, desperate setting. You can feel that this is the Gear's last shot at reclaiming their world again.

Returning characters from Delta Squad gain alot more character devolopment this time around, and as a result are much more likeable. You can also feel the friendship that has developed between these characters in some key scenes, which I really shouldn't mention for fear of spoiling some fantastic moments.

PRESENTATION
Gears of War 3 is an epic improvement of the sights and sounds from the previous games. On the visual side of it, Gears 3 seems a lot smoother in graphical quality, as well as more detailed and more colourful. While the older games were quite grey and black, Gears 3 has a very gold tinge to it, and while black and grey are still present, there are also some nice greens and blues in certain scenes as well.

The voice acting is as good as ever, with old hands John DiMaggio (Bender from Futurama, Craig Marduk of Tekken fame), Carlos Ferro (Leo Da Vinci in Assassin's Creed) and Fred Tatasciore (Mario from Assassin's Creed) lending their talents to 3 of the main characters. Surprisingly enough, Ice T's cameo is more than (probably) anyone excpected, with Griffin being a possible jumping point for a new Gears universe game (perhaps).

The soundtrack for gears is suitably epic, and it works well enough, but the most interesting part is the use of licensed tracks. While theres really only one there, until the credits at least, it really hits home and intensifies the already extremely emotional scene. Basically, when it happens, you'll know.

GAMEPLAY
Gameplay remains largely unchanged from Gears of War 2, but let's face it... Cover based shooting is probably at the best it will be for some time. Lambent variations of the Locust enemies from previous installments are available to diversify your killing activities, as well as some new, messed up Lambent (mutating Drudges and Gunkers are the larger variety).

While the gameplay may not have changed much, the mechanics seem a lot more responsive. Each bullet impact seems like it has an effect and its satisfying to see an enemy go into the downed animation. And after that, you're able to hit them with an execution, which are all satisfyingly gorey. And theres a large variety of them. Which is awesome.

So in summary, theres not a lot new in Gears 3's gameplay, but it's all been polished to a mirror shine. Even the ally AI seems more responsive and less brain dead than last time; and that can be nothing but a good thing.

REPLAYABILITY
The campaign has plenty of collectibles to find, as well as the option to play it in 4 player co-op. Let's face it, even games that are shit become fun when you have a friend along for the ride. Add another two and it's like a party. With guns! On top of that, GoW 3 is a fantastic game on its own, and gets even better with some mates watching your back.

The multiplayer is also pretty fantastic, with a range of standard modes (TDM etc) and some not so standard modes, such as Capture the Leader or Wingman. The gameplay is still pretty solid here, and there were no glaring connection issues. Alongside standard multiplayer, there is also Horde mode (a wave survival mode) and Beast mode (basically a reversal of Horde).

OVERVIEW
To reiterate, this game is fantastic. There are few problems at this stage, with an interesting story, slightly more vibrant visuals and highly polished gameplay to back it all up. My only possible complaint is that some of the story points don't live up to the series' previous sense of scale. Most of the boss monsters have either been seen in previous installments, or just don't match up, scale-wise. But all in all, Gears of War 3 is a fantastic game, and if you own an X-Box 360, you really should get your hands on a copy.

So, I'm still loving Gears 3's multiplayer, but next week, I assure you, I'll have a review of Driver: San Francisco. See you next time!

Dead Island

Just want to put a disclaimer up here, I've played through ALOT of this game, and I still haven't reached the end. I'm about 86% through the storyline, and I've done a buttload of side missions; but I don't see myself playing through to the end in time to get this review up (more on that later). So, lets get on with it.

STORY
Dead Island takes place on the tropical island of Banoi where a strange virus has turned the natives, tourists and resort workers into flesh devouring monsters. You play as one of the only 4 characters who are seemingly immune to the strange condition, and as such, you are tasked with finding out exactly what is going on, as well as providing supplies for the other, non-immune survivors.

The story, as it is, isn't the most riveting thing we've seen in games, but its by far not the worst. It works well enough in that it gives us some fairly interesting goals to pursue while trying to unravel the undead mystery. Without it, we'd just run around bashing zombie brains out. Though, that isn't bad.

PRESENTATION
Dead Island is most certainly NOT the best game you'll play this year. It'd have a hard time standing up against certain games from a few years ago. The graphics aren't particularly smooth, but zombies look suitably dead, and certain main characters have distinct looks that suit them.
The game has a number of visual hiccups, from textures taking a while to pop in, to waypoints on the map not showing up at all.

The sound design, on the other hand is fairly good, especially in the music and sound effect department. The larger zombies actually roar, and after playing this game for so long, it still makes me anxious. The sound track captures the somewhat depressing, desperate mood prevalent in the game, and it really works.

Voice acting is a bit hit-and-miss on the OTHER other hand, with there being more than one horrible aussie accent in the mix. That said, they aren't all bad, and it helps give the game a broader national scope than, say, gta 4 in (not) New York City or any other game that generally features an all american cast of characters. So, the voice acting isn't stellar, but its fun and diverse.
The playable characters fair a lot better, with some real experience in the form of Phil Lamarr (Futurama, Metal Gear Solid), Kim Mai Guest (Metal Gear Solid, No More Heroes) and David Kaye (Resistance, Spiderman: Shattered Dimensions).

GAMEPLAY
Here's where we get into the diseased, rotten meat of why Dead Island is a mostly enjoyable game. Zombies aren't new to our medium, but very few games actually feel like zombie games. So many use zombies just as cannon fodder, but never truly replicate the feeling of desperation or resourcefulness that one would think would come with a zombie apocalypse. Left 4 Dead did it, and I truly believe Dead Island has pulled it off as well.

Gameplay revolves around killing zombies, and fetch quests/escort missions; the latter of which we're all more than familiar with. What makes Dead Island fun is the way it lets you decide how you want to take on the undead hordes.
Do you go in guns blazing, or throw knives to soften them up before landing a killing blow? Do you bash in some brains with a mallet, or do you strategically dismember the horde with a katana?

Each of the above options is a viable solution to the undead problem, and they allow players to choose the way they want to play. Adding to this choice are the 3 seperate skill trees for each character, allowing for even deeper customization of one's play style.

The quests all tend to feel the same after a while, but the feel of the combat and amount of potential loot to grab certainly make up for it. Very few games do 1st person melee combat well, but dead island is certainly one of them. The amount of weapons is truly stunning, with mod blueprints available to customize your weapons and play style further.

Just a few minor issues, stop this game from playing perfectly. As I said before, visual issues pop up now and then, and occasionally get in the way of the combat. Aside from that, there are some minor collission detection hiccups, as well as a sometimes annoying (occassionally infuriating) autosave function that seems rather schizophrenic. Sometimes it doesn't autosave for a while, other times it autosaves every 5 minutes, causing yours truly to get stuck 86% of the way into the game because my AI escortee continues to get his head ripped off a minute after reloading.

In short, Dead Island's gameplay is THE reason to play this game. The visceral, satisfying combat makes the game feel powerful, while the shooting mechanics also feel like theres a tangible weight to them. Missions tend to feel a bit samey, but the core combat makes up for the games few gameplay faults.

REPLAYABILITY
While there are multiple characters to use in Dead Island, the initial choice doesn't mean much, aside from a few weapon specialties and different stats. There are no multiple endings, as far as I know, and aside from further exploration, there isn't much reason to play through the campaign again. Co-op is always fun, so i suppose theres an option if you feel so inclined.

OVERVIEW
To sum things up, Dead Island is one of those games that has quite a few faults, but the overarching gameplay is more than enough to save it. While Dead Island doesn't look great, aside from the landscapes, and the story is rather so-so, the violent gameplay at its centre is enough to make this definately worth a buy. If you like zombie games, you should really already have this. If not, go get it right now!

Also theres a half Australian Aboriginal ex-cop lady as a playable character. Thats certainly a rarity in gaming, so yea. Some food for thought.

Next week, Gears of War 3, the (possibly) final installation of the chainsaw gun wielding dudebro fest from Epic Games. See you next time!

Resistance 3

Last week I didn't really have much to review and my internet was playing up a fair bit, so I neglected to post a review. To make up for that, I've done a marathon effort with Resistance 3 and completed it in less time than I would usually alot to a game. Luckily I took part in the multiplayer Beta in it's later stages, so I have a good idea how well that works without actually touching the "complete" version. Not that I dwell too much on multiplayer in these things anyway. So, let's get into it!

STORY
Resistance 3 starts 4 years after the events of Resistance 2, and it follows Joe Capelli's journey to New York to end the Chimeran invasion once and for all, and to make a better life for his wife and son. Resistance veterans may recall what happened to the series former protagonist, Nathan Hale, but for newcomers, I won't spoil it (though Resistance 3 will in the first cutscene).

The setting for Resistance 3 is very depressing when you think about it, but very immersive at the same time. 90% of the worlds population are now either dead or chimeran converts, and the desperation of humanity can be seen in various lines of dialogue between Joe, his family, Malikov and the Remnants.

What I found most intriguing about Resistance 3's story is that it tries to tell a more intimate story than it's very militaristic predecessors. While you're still fighting in some fairly large battles, you're only one man. There's very little backup, and you aren't fighting to win, you're fighting to live. This helps give the game a very helpless, desperate and human quality.

PRESENTATION
Resistance 3's visuals and musical score fit the tone of the game perfectly. It may not be of Battlefield 3 standard graphics, but it's bleak and grimy and it works. Very few games can have a grimy look like this and have it work so well. Many environments have a sepia tone to them, helping remind us that this game is actually set 54 years in the past.

The score sets scenes in the game perfectly, whether its the screech of violin strings in dark, claustrophobic corridors, or epic war drums in the larger battles. You'll very rarely notice a part where the soundtrack doesn't fit the part of the game you're in.

The voice acting is more hit than miss, but some of the country accents in the first few chapters of the game are rather funny. I've never been to Oklahoma, so if people do actually talk like that, I'm sorry. that's not to say all of them are bad. just some. Like I said, more hit than miss.

GAMEPLAY
The gameplay of the Resistance series has always been an interesting beast. Despite the name, you would always feel equally matched with your alien opposition due to squads of friendly NPC's or something akin to that. While Resistance 3 starts similar to that, you soon learn that the games tagline, "You are the resistance" is more than just a line. For most of the game, you'll have maybe one friendly NPC helping you out, and for the rest of the game, you'll be on your own. The chimera are vicious opponents, and it'll take every trick you have to come out of this alive.

But don't worry your little nooby head. You aren't completely helpless. Making it's return from Fall of Man is the much coveted Weapon Wheel, a concept that would have improved countless games in the last few years (did I hear you say, Duke Nukem Forever)? And in that weapon wheel, you have some truly epic weapons. Yes, there are your standards like the shotgun, the carbine rifle and the sniper rifle, but as well as having more unique weapons, each weapon has a useful secondary fire and upgrades.

By the end of my time with it, I was kicking ass left, right and centre with my Incendiary shotgun and magnum with exploding rounds. Insomniac games have proven themselves once again as the innovators in game weaponry.

Gameplay never really evolves past the whole "go here, shoot things, go here, get friend, shoot things with friend, win" scenario, but so many other games do that with so much less to back it up. The gameplay may be repetitive, but you'll barely ever notice it, simply due to the amount of variation in the ways you can take your fight to the chimera, and the constant tension you feel when searching for a health pack in the heat of battle. And for me, that makes Resistance 3 one of the best FPS games of this generation.

As for the problems, I had some minor clipping issues, and got stuck in the environment once or twice, but I played without any patches or updates. I've read in other, more "professional" reviews that enemies will occasionally float into the sky, or just stop moving all together, but I never had any problems with this.
I did, however, have a problem with my console picking up the fact that there was a disc in it, but I think that's probably an isolated issue.

REPLAYABILITY
R3 has a strong single player, replayable campaign on its own, but it also has a number of collectible journal entries and audio diaries that flesh out the already riveting story. As well as that, theres a number of trophies to unlock, and weapon upgrades to attain.
Now, if you're the type who doesn't like to replay single player campaigns, then the multiplayer is for you. It's like a mix between Call of Duty and Halo, with similar gameplay and controls to CoD and special abilities mimicking the armour abilities of Halo and the perks of CoD. To some, that may seem like a rip off, but is it really so bad that many FPS games are trying to replicate CoD multiplayer? I wish more would take the CoD template and put their own spin on it, like Resistance 3 did.

OVERVIEW
Is Resistance 3 a perfect game? No. It's often too easy, the story goes a bit quickly and the gameplay (for some) may be a bit repetitive. Is it a damn good entry in a great series? Hell yea. I would say it's the best in the series. Sure, theres no Nathan Hale, and Capelli isn't as strong as a character, but the story itself gives us some closure, I believe, and the gameplay is as strong as ever. The lack of regerative health may seem to difficult for some, but it's balanced nicely with the fuckton of guns you get in the weapon wheel. It all allows more choice in a genre that generally puts you on a path with very little deviation.

Game of the year contender? In my book, you better believe it.



Next week, a review of Dead Island, which is shaping up to be one of those "B Movies of gaming". Stupid fun, if nothing else. See you next time!