Operation Flashpoint: Red River

Oh look, the Tophat Gamer is reviewing a semi realistic first person shooter concerning conflicts in a middle eastern setting! How unlke him!

Fuck you buddy, I like other things. Fuck you twice over for being wrong, too. If we're calling CoD semi realistic, then Op Flashpoint is no where near as surreal as that. So, you think you're hardcore? You ain't seen nothing yet.

STORY
Operation Flashpoint: Red River's plot concerns a fictional conflict in Tajikistan in 2013. A terrorist group known as the ETIM launches mortar attacks on a US FOB in Afghanistan, prompting the United States to launch operation Enduring Shield, having the United States Marine Corps to invade west Tajikistan and wipe out the Insurgent threat.

The story follows Outlaw squad as they carry out Enduring Shield, and then dealing with involvement from the PLA of China. The story seems pretty out there, but it grounds itself far better than any CoD or Battlefield game I've seen.

PRESENTATION
The game has smooth graphics and animations on the most part, but they're used to show fairly unimaginative settings that have been done before. They're certainly acceptable visuals, but they aren't groundbreaking. I also saw my teammates spaz out alot but recover soon after. It really took me out of the otherwise rather immersive setting.

The voice acting isn't bad; with one excellent, memorable character in particular, coming in the form of SSgt Knox. What made him so memorable wasn't his chewing out of his suboordinates, but the excellent manner in which he does it. I haven't heard that many funny drill seargeant talk downs in a long time, and Knox is certainly funny. I've talked about how swearing in dialogue is normally unnecessary, but Knox uses it in such great effec, that I don't mind so much.

The rest of the voice acting isn't nearly as good, but it plays alongside a somewhat killer soundtrack, filtered in game through the radio's of vehicles. Among the songs I heard were "Symphony of Destruction" (Megadeth) and "Cowboys from Hell" (Pantera) and in my book, thats a win. Like ice cream.

GAMEPLAY
This is where things get really interesting. Yes, it has a similar story to CoD or Bad Company, and the visuals are like holding a mirror up to those titles, but the gameplay sets it apart. Yes, you're a disembodied hand holding a gun of some description, but it's deeper than that.

In single-player, you have almost full control over your team, allowing you to pull off flanking manouevers or to lay down supressing fire on a target. For those who want deeper control, you have the option to command each team member by themselves, as opposed to the whole group. And best of all, the system is easy to use. I confess, I enjoy simple FPS games and that I wasn't ready at all for OF:RR giving me all that control. I ran with it, and found that I was pulling of successful tactics without too many problems.

Also different from other FPS games is the health system. Got shot? You aren't going to regenerate by hiding in the corner sucking your thumb. You have to take cover and physically heal yourself using first aid kits. No, it doesn't go into great detail, but its more immersive than sitting in a corner waiting for the strawberry jam to slide off your eyes. Your teammates are mortal too, so the same applies to them.

What's more, is that even if you only get shot once, you can bleed out. If you don't patch yourself up, your health will decrease. Frustrating for some players, I'm sure, but damned if it isn't challenging.

The actual FPS like controls aren't much to write home about, but they fit with the uber realistic style of the game. You won't be jumping or circle strafing to victory here. Taking cover and utilizing your team is the path to victory. Can it be difficult? Yea, but it never feels cheap. Though I'm not sure if the CoD/Battlefield players will appreciate all the realism..

REPLAYABILITY
OK, so this is interesting. There's NO competitive multiplayer in Operation Flashpoint: Red River. However, there is the option to play the campaign with human teammates. Theres a robust levelling system too, and though there aren't millions of options, what the developers have included is certainly enough.

As much as I loved coordinating an awesome flank on enemies with my BOT allies, doing that with a complete human team would just be magical. It more or less makes up for the lack of competitive MP. Or it would have, if I got to try it.

Fucking hackers, ruining my PSN...

OVERVIEW
This is where I tell you if the game is good, or if it's worth a buy. Op Flashpoint is a difficult one to recommend, at least, to the people who would normally go for FPS games in a modern setting. The look and story are there, but the gameplay just wouldn't mesh with the usual FPS players style.

If you're looking for more depth than just running down linear firing ranges where the targets shoot back, OF:RR may just be for you. It's meant to fill that niche market between fast-paced action games and hyper-realistic military simulators. If you think that might interest you, I highly recommend it.

So, another week down... If anyone's wondering why theres only one pic, it's because my internet is being a whore.... I'm really enjoying this, but as usual, FEEDBACK IS APPRECIATED. Oh....guess what's next week..... It may be a little unfair for Aussie readers but.... MORTAL KOMBAAAAAAAAAAAT.
See you next time!

Test Drive Unlimited 2

So, my girlfriend had been telling me for some time about how much she enjoyed this game, Test Drive Unlimited. Then I found out (probably via her) that a sequel came out only a couple of months ago. So I figured, how often do I review a new racing game? Lets do it! And here we are now. You up to speed? Good. Lets go!

STORY
Test Drive Unlimited 2, being a racing game, lacks a decent, coherent story. The premise however, is that you have 2 islands (Ibiza and an Island in Hawaii), and a potentially huge garage. The "Less than decent, rather incoherent" story I mentioned involves your character getting fired from his/her valet job, then somehow getting the dream job of Professional Racer. Yea... I told you.

The premise itself is a good enough excuse to give you free reign over a wide selection of cars, and two large vehicular playgrounds.

PRESENTATION
The visuals of Test Drive Unlimited 2 are decent enough and, at times, the game looks really amazing. The selection of cars is huge, and they all look authentic and shiny; whereas the environment is sprawling and varied. The landscape goes from seaside roads, to dirt tracks through plains, to city driving. But then your customizable avatar gets out of the car for some arbitrary reason... And he/she looks shite. The character models here are pretty bad, even if most of the time you'll be watching the cars.

Speaking of your ugly avatar, they also have a really terrible voice too. Just like every other character in the game. They all have bland, horrible voices; which repeat lines ad nauseam. The soundtrack is pretty lame, but I'm sure someone will appreciate it. If only they would let us import tracks. On all platforms.

GAMEPLAY
The gameplay of TDU2 is primarily focused on, you guessed it, RACING! What kind of racing? I'm still not sure. I spent a decent amount of time with the game, and it still feels like a strange Arcade/Racing Sim hybrid. That's not to say it's bad. It actually works on the most part, and requires a relatively small amount of finesse compared to Forza or GT5. TDU2 also grounds itself in realism more than say, Need for Speed or (clearly) Split/Second.

The driving is solid, and the skill testing and varied tracks really are the icing on the cake. Like, really good icing on a somewhat average, but tasty cake. That said, the tracks provide more of a challenge than the AI competition. They're really not as competitive as they should be, and if you make a large enough gap between you and the following AI player, you can make a buttload of mistakes.

Speaking of AI, when they try to be competitive, it just comes off as being cheap. While I could win most races easily, when the computer racers caught up, they'd seem to intentionally spin me out. I even tried to return the favour, and the AI just compensated for it perfectly. It took me right out of the game. I know it sounds like I'm complaining, and I kind of am... but this was a source of major frustration for me.

So, after that, lets end the gameplay section on a high note. I like how you have to get different licenses for different championships, and that there are different car classes and championships. The offroad races are pure, slidey offroad awesome, and the other classes contain some truly amazing vehicles. Oh, and theres an "Island tour" race, that basically encompasses the entire island of Ibiza. It was awesome.

There are some pretty pointless features like avatar customization and house buying/customization, but the game never forces you to do any of that (unless you want to look like less of a douche, and own more than two cars at a time). Also, theres no way to quickly access races from a menu. The only way to do this is go to the map, and try to go directly to the race. This only works with roads you have unlocked however. All in all, the sandbox seems just a little bit pointless.

I almost forgot, theres a pretty cool multiplayer feature. Seeing as the game is held together by an open world sandbox where you can drive freely, you can see every online player occupying the same world that you're in. This is the only reason that the sandbox seems somewhat useful.

Theres also a levelling system, which allows players more unlockable items each time you level up. Although, the stuff you unlock is mostly arbitrary, and the requirements to level up aren't confined to just racing. Often it involves collecting clothes or exploring the island. While it's nice to do that anyway in some games, being forced to makes it annoying.

REPLAYABILITY
It's a racing game.. That should tell you all you need to know. While there isn't any split screen multiplayer, the online seems like it could be pretty awesome (though I didn't get to try it). On top of that, theres a lot of stuff to collect.. although alot of that seems really useless.

OVERVIEW
While the game does boast fast cars and interesting, varied tracks, I can't help but feel like something with TDU2 just doesn't work. Maybe it's all the pointless avatar customization, or the AI that feels somewhat broken. However, I do like the amount and quality of cars, as well as the variety of racing classes and types. The levelling system, I love alot less. The arbitrary customization and collection surrounding your avatar just ruins it for me though.

Fuckin' ugly avatars.


Next week, the uber realistic modern day shooter, Operation Flashpoint: Red River! See you next time!

Homefront

When Homefront was revealed, I wasn't particularly excited. "Ooh, a gritty near future shooter where your character doesn't speak. Yippee". Later in it's development cycle, I found out it had Red Dawn author, John Milius and that it has a fully fleshed out (if somewhat implausible) alternate history. Colour me intrigued. Did that intrigue turn to sheer disappointment?

STORY
The story takes place during the year 2027 in America; Colarado to be specific. America has suffered an economic downfall, and a newly unified Korea (yea, crazy, stick with me) has occupied it's borders during the ensuing problems. This is the severely cut down set up. The actual history here is quite interesting, if a little far fetched.
Moving right along...
The game puts you in the shoes of Robert Jacobs, a former Marine pilot and eventual American Resistance Fighter. The main plot revolves around you and your allies in the attempt to give America back to Americans.

While the alternate history of a unified Korea does sound a little bit far fetched, its all rationalized in such a way that it almost seems plausible. And Even if it wasn't, it's still interesting. After all, American soldiers are almost always the stronger force in today's shooters. It's nice to see a game put you in the shoes of the little guy, in a world thats out to get you.

PRESENTATION
While I've never found superb graphics to be a largely important factor in games, being exposed to messy and unpolished visuals can take me out of a game. And thats what Homefront did. The settings weren't particularly varied, and all seemed quite mess; which I guess made sense since alot of the battle grounds are abandoned homes and back yards. But the people just look kinda awful. I've seen better looking characters in Half Life 2, and that was made years ago!

The sound effects and music are all quite adequate, but nothing as epic sounding as other modern shooters have given us. The voice acting isn't bad, on the other hand. Certain characters (Connor Morgan, I'm looking at you) just make me want to stab them repeatedly, mainly due to their annoying or try hard voice acting.

As a whole, the game doesn't look particularly impressive, but it gets the job done. Certain stages really did feel like wartorn, abandoned U.S streets. It's just that Modern Warfare 2 did them better. (Lifts flame shield)


GAMEPLAY
The control scheme is a lot like any COD's layout, and you'll essentially be doing the same sort of actions as any recent shooter. Shooting and taking cover work fairly well, but alot of the time, I found myself shooting my cover, more than my enemies. It was a weird, because I could clearly see what I was aiming for through my gun's sights. And again on the cross hair while aiming from the hip. I don't mind your visuals being messy and chaotic Homefront, but when it impacts gameplay you've made a mistake.

I like that a game involving americans with guns has finally put the player on the smaller, underdog side. As much as I like being a part of the full american military in CoD or Battlefield, having to conserve ammo and be sneaky as a guerrilla fighter is just as fun, if not moreso. The problem is theres a few games that have done sections that do Guerrilla fighting better than this entire game.

Speaking of the entire game, it took me 3 hours. Three fucking hours!! Some of the aforementioned guerilla sections from other games take almost a third of that time. What the fuck?? It seems I have an almost never ending list of gripes with this game, but I'll wrap this up now.
The NPC companions are A) Not helpful, B) Slow as fuck when moving to the next checkpoint or gate that THEY need to open and C) are not terribly smart. I'm not even talking about just bad AI anymore. Connor Morgan is kind of an idiot. Why hide from a helicopter behind trucks when theres a pit full of bodies to jump in? White phospherus? A fantastic idea for when our guys are right next to the enemy!!!... GOD I HATE HIM!

REPLAYABILITY
Yea, theres collectables and such. And I guess if you're into trophies and achievements, thats reason enough to play through the story again. For others, there is multiplayer, however during my time with the game, I didn't get to use it. Blame SONY. However, I hear its the highlight of the game, with interesting maps and an innovative in game currency system.

OVERVIEW
Homefront has an interesting premise, a somewhat believable setting and some truly spine chilling "What the fuck" moments. One bit I actually had to pause the game to think if I had just seen what I thought I had.
However, the game falls down in the gameplay and presentation departments. With a little bit of polish, Homefront's abandoned U.S streets could have looked so much more than just "messy". It could have been a real shock. And the gameplay needs some work.
Also, I would never recommend buying a game with a hardly substantial single player game. The multiplayer may well be awesome, but a game almost always has to stand up on its single player merits.

Is Homefront worth a play? Perhaps, but it isn't worth a purchase. Maybe rent it, but thats all I can truly suggest without taking a massive bribe from the developers.


Not sure what to do next week, suggestions? Oh and it was nice to get a comment last week! =D
See you next time!

Portal 2

Many readers may remember when I indulged myself last May with Valve's Orange Box. It was great value for money with some of the best games I've played in recent memory, and if you haven't played it I suggest going to get it RIGHT NOW. Almost a year has passed since then, and we find ourselves presented with Portal 2, a follow up to the short, but awesome puzzle fps that promised us cake, and gave us neurotoxin. How did lengthening a 2 hour story into a full length game work out? Does it recapture the same lightning that was the original Portal?

STORY
For those who didn't play the original, Spoiler warnings follow. At the end of Portal, the protagonist, Chell, had escaped Aperture Science and the demented tests of GLaDOS, the rogue AI. But as Chell lay semi-conscious in the A.S Parking lot, she was dragged back in by an unseen force.
As the game begins, we find Chell attempting to re break out of the labs with the help of an AI by the name of Wheately. In the course of this escape, Chell encounters GLaDOS again, and thus the tests begin anew.

Its worth noting that the game is roughly 3 times longer than the original, and the story surprisingly holds up for the entire play time. It is split into 3 acts, the first of which is your re introduction to GLaDOS, as well as the introduction of Wheately. It's here that basic portal skills are implemented to re-teach old players and ease new players in.
The second act focuses mainly on Aperture Sciences background and it serves to tell us how the facility got to the point it's at now. It's extremely enjoyable to hear the many recordings detailing Aperture Science's history and eventual downfall.

The third act is the climactic lead-up to the final battle, and (assuming you don't look at the trophies/achievements) you won't see the twist coming until it actually happens in an earlier act. This changes everything, and I wonder why the trophy/achievement wasn't made secret.

As a whole, the story is enjoyable and serves to give the game a sense of place in the world. We learn about GLaDOS as well as the failing Science labs, and it's really enjoyable. As with the last game, there is a lot of humour injected into the plot, and it works perfectly.

PRESENTATION
Theres been a massive graphical overhaul since Portal, and theres an added layer of polish in Portal 2 that makes the experience that much better. Don't get me wrong, the game looked and played fine before, but theres so much more character and depth to the world than what was found in Portal. On top of this, theres a lot more colour and variety to the settings. Some of the test areas are recyclyed from Portal, but are unrecognizable due to the overgrown vegetation.

The voice acting talent of Ellen McLain is again put to good use as GLaDOS, and Stephen Merchant plays Whetaely perfectly. Almost every line he says is funny or endearing in some way. J.K. Simmons (who some may remember as J. Jonah Jameson from the Spiderman movies)was born with a voice perfect for spouting insanity, and was cast perfectly as Cave Johnson (Aperture Science's CEO).

The music is some of the best I've heard in any game, with some very cool electronic tunes during the test chambers, and some dynamic flourishes while doing certain things, like soaring through the air. And Jonathon Coulton works his magic again during the credits. Its a nice little reward for playing a fantastic game.


GAMEPLAY
The base of Portal 2's gameplay remains the same as the original: get from point A to point B using Portals. The game increases it's puzzle repertoire, however, with the addition of gameplay mechanics like Light Bridges, Excursion Funnels and Propulsion and Repulsion Gel.

While a lot of the puzzles aren't as difficult as in the original, they're still challenging. In addition, nothing gets you bogged down enough to get frustrating. The game flows nicely, and it's unlikely that you'll get stuck for extended periods of time. The challenges do get gradually more difficult, but thats par for the course. Theres no point in continuing if the challenge will always stay the same.

There is also a co-op campaign with a story and challenges seperate from the single player. Using 2 sets of portal guns, players have to communicate with each other to pretty much get from point A to B. Teamwork and communication is paramount here, and the addition of the "Ping" feature, means playing online without a headset won't be too frustrating.
As with all Co-Op games, theres a lot of potential for betrayal here, and lets face it... Who doesn't love screwing over their mates??

While there really isn't alot to the gameplay here, it's presented in enough ways as to never get uninteresting. While the last game ended quickly as to not outstay its welcome, Portal 2 introduces enough new elements regularly so that it maintains interest.

REPLAYABILITY
O.K, so there isn't a whole lot to the gameplay here. After single player and co-op completion, all you really have is trophy/acheivements to get, and some user created content if you're connected to steam (though PS3 counterparts may not have this function. Not sure).
Personally, I've played through the single player 3 times; if only for the humour and creativity on display here.

OVERVIEW
I had fun here. I honestly did. The game looks great, plays smoothly, the controls are well thought out and the story is both interesting and funny. The voice acting is pretty awesome here, and the story comes through strong, despite their being only 3 major voiced characters. But theres still no cake, so I'm conflicted.

Only kidding. Pick this game up if you can go without killing someone for a few hours. Portal 2 is just more of the same, and this isn't a bad thing for once. Oh, and the ending is out of this world. Just saying.


Hope everyone had a Happy Easter, and to all the Aussie and Kiwi readers, Happy ANZAC day! Lest We Forget.
Suggestions for next week would be appreciated, also feedback. Should I keep doing this?
See you next time!!

Mass Effect 2

This may seem a bit odd, I've had quite recent games to review lately, when all of a sudden, whoosh! We're back in early 2010, with a Mass Effect 2 review! Well, calm down, because its not THAT much of a retrospective. This is the PS3 edition, though it can be taken as generally similar to the 360 edition, minus the free dlc additions and the engine upgrade. And with that out of the way, let's get into it!

STORY
Following directly after the events of Mass Effect, ME2 puts you in the shoes of Commander Shepard; an Alliance Spectre who's gender and appearance tend to go un-noted in the history records. The game starts with a bang as your ship, The Normandy, comes under fire and is destroyed, leaving your lifeless body floating in the darkness of space.
The game starts by killing you, but its a good set up for the character customization, class choice and beginning conflict within the story.

After you recover from your death, Shepard is informed that human colonies have started disappearing, and it's up to him/her and a band of misfit alien combatants to save humanity, and perhaps all life in the universe.

Mass Effect 2 is billed as an Epic Sci-Fi adventure, and thats pretty much it. The ME Universe has a lot of history, and likable characters. The story has you exploring many planets with their own atmosphere and cultures and it really helps to immerse players into the world. On top of that, it's well written, with lots of plot twists and interesting dialogue (although Bioware don't get points for this anymore).

PRESENTATION
Mass Effect 2 on the PS# looks amazing. I'm willing to bet that this isn't a huge departure from the X-Box 360 graphics, however the PS3 edition is utilizing the engine for Mass Effect 3. On top of this, Mass Effect 2 has a large amount of varied and interesting settings and characters, in a wide range of colours that really make the game look stunning.

The voice acting in ME2 is superb, with actors like Martin Sheen, Yvonne Strahovski (of Chuck fame), Seth Green and Steven Blum portraying just a few of the many interesting characters that Bioware has envisioned. The musical score of this game fits perfectly with the setting, and the sound effects all work well.

One problem I have with the presentation, however, is that the subtitle or conversation text is sometimes unreadable, whether it's too small or blends in with the background.


GAMEPLAY
With such a strong story and presentation, it would be a shame if Mass Effect 2 fell down in the Gameplay department. Luckily, here you'll find solid cover based shooting, with some tactical gameplay thrown in for good measure. Unfortunately, the gameplay is ONLY solid, and not as spectacular as the other aspects.

Nowhere near a deal breaker, but the rest of the game is damn near perfect. When I'm actually playing, I tend to enter a trance, where I don't have to take much notice of anything, because everything I'm presented I've seen and done in countless games before ME2. But still, if you ARE just looking for solid 3rd person cover based shooting, I'm sure you can do a lot worse than ME2. Like Kane and Lynch 2. God I hate that game.

Upgrades and resource gathering have always been a part of RPGs and I didn't expect ME2 to be any different. However, the resource gathering here is soooo boring! Theres nothing exciting or fun about scanning the surface of a planet from orbit, then sending probes to do the dirty work. This isn't a necessary part of gameplay, but you need to do it if you want to upgrade your shit, or get the best ending.

For PS3 owners, you also get about 6 hours of free content that had previously been DLC on the XBLA marketplace. Some of the gameplay gets mixed up here, and theres a vehicle section or 5, but nothing so alien that it seems out of place.
In all, theres good gameplay here, but it's outdone by the story and feel of the environments.

REPLAYABILITY
An RPG with multiple choice based missions, with a variety of different endings? WOW! Never seen that before!... But in all seriousness, there is certainly enough content here to keep you more than busy enough on one play through. If you're crazy enough to double that time with another playthrough, doing the opposite of all your choices last time, then theres that option too. And it's always nice to know that if you played good one time, you can be a real asshole the next time through. Its rather cathartic.

OVERVIEW
Get it. Get it now! X-Box owners, if you don't have it already, you've had a year, no excuses! PS3 owners, it's been out for a few months, why not go pick up one of the most intriguing story based games of this generation? Sure, the gameplay is pretty by the numbers, but the story, the effort put in to making this look and sound amazing, and the universe as a whole makes up for anything lacking in the cover-based shooting area.
No, it isn't perfect. There were occasionally bugs during conversation where the NPC's would stop talking a word too soo, or the enemy AI would run into walls, but these are minor gripes on something that is spectacular as a whole.


Not a clue what I'm going to review next weekend, any suggestions? Well, see you next time!

Split/Second: Velocity

Thought it's been a while since I reviewed a racing game so, here it is, Split/Second:Velocity! Regular readers may remember that it was one of my nominees for best racing game of 2010 and there is a reason for that. But like many racing games, it's far from perfect. Also, imagine my surprise when I realised it was developed by Disney Interactive Studios.

STORY
Split/Second sets the games races as events in a TV series, called Split/Second (oh dear, who saw that coming??). As far as racing game stories go, it's a decent enough reason to fly around race tracks in cars I couldn't imagine owning. To seperate this show from it's more professional counterparts (grand prix, V8s, what have you), it takes on a Michael Bay approach, that is, blow the shit out of everything to appease the A.D.H.D crowds.

Honestly, this premise alone makes it interesting enough to warrant a few hours of playthrough in the Season (campaign). It does raise a few questions though. Where are these explosive races being held? Who are the racers, and why do they have death wishes? But alas, the questions go unanswered. But who didn't see that coming. It's a premise, and not much more.

PRESENTATION
Like most games these days, Split/Second looks pretty amazing, but the explosions and scenery destruction are some of the best I've seen in games. And so they should be, the game centres around these things. The cars look great, and the tracks are fairly varied. Unfortunately theres a shortage of them, as they get repeated over and over. While they do look different at first, they start to blur together the more they are played.

The soundtrack is fast paced and fitting for a game that is meant to be so high octane. Adding to this, the sound effects and end-episode re-cap voice overs sound like any prime time tv show would. It honestly feels like it could be a TV show, if the premise and colateral damage weren't so preposterous.

GAMEPLAY
As far as racing games go, Split/Second: Velocity has solid driving mechanics. The vehicles honestly feel really fast, and the explosive tracks add a sense of danger to the mix that can't be found in serious racing sims, or even the more arcade racers. No, the explosive power up system is more reminiscent of mario kart and company, with collapsing buildings and such taking the place of tortoise shells and the like.

I do have one small issue though. No matter how far ahead you are, or how many times you crush an AI opponent with a building, they catch up so easily. This happens, even if you make no mistakes and drive perfectly. It gets pretty annoying, but maybe thats just my Noob driving skills.

The games campaign plays much like a TV series, with each episode being split into about 6 events. Theres around 12 episodes in the entire season, and it works well enough to frame the gameplay. In each episode, there are races, time trial events, elimination style events and many special races that vary on the them of "People trying to blow your shit up". This could be attack helicopters, or tankers with explosive barrels. They serve well enough as slices of excitement to break up the somewhat repetitive standard events.

The multiplayer works well enough, and is completely passable. The inclusion of splitscreen events makes this a far more friendly title to me than, say, Need For Speed: Most Wanted, or the original Motorstorm.

REPLAYABILITY
A lot of the races are entertaining enough to play over and over again. If you like car chase sequences in movies, or just love Michael Bay films, then you'll get alot out of the set pieces in this game. As far as replayability goes, most racing games rely on multiplayer, and Split/Second: Velocity is no different. I'm just glad that it allows online and splitscreen multiplayer.

OVERVIEW
OK,it's no secret I dislike the more serious racing sims, but arcade racers often give me headaches as well. Split/Second is unique enough for me to more or less ignore its faults, and blow up more racers with what would appear to be Centrepoint Tower. The set pieces are awesome, and the TV show presentation works well enough to be somewhat entertaining. Do I recommend this game? Yes, mainly if you want something full of excitement and speed. If you're loooking for a little more depth, look elsewhere. Like... another genre?

Mass Effect 2 review next week, finally. Hope you guys don't mind me doing retrospectives at this stage. I'm a bit strapped for cash. See you next time!

Crysis 2

Readers who have been followers of this blog on Facebook or Blogspot may remember the last Crytek game I reviewed. Those same readers may also remember that I pretty much didn't like it. Far Cry 2 had some redeeming qualities, but none were awesome enough to completely redeem the bad design choices. And with that, here we are x amount of months later, with Crysis 2. Sadly, Crysis 2 doesn't deserve the written abuse that Far Cry 2 got. Oh well.

STORY
The game is set in New York City, in the year 2023, three years after the original Crysis. Society has broken down due to the outbreak of some virus that causes complete cellular breakdown, and fears of an alien invasion by the Ceph (the aliens behind the incident in Crysis [Spoilers], or so I'm told). You control "Alcatraz", a marine saved from certain death by Prophet (also seen in Crysis), a soldier wearing a highly advance nano suit.
After your rescue, Prophet decides to put you in the suit, and promptly take his own life; leaving very little explaination as to what's going on, aside from "Find Dr. Gould". From here, we learn more about the invading Ceph, the suit's powers and purpose, as well as Prophet's experiences in the first Crysis.

Now, being someone who never played the first game, it took me a while to understand exactly what was going on. However, not a whole lot of the backstory is crammed down the players throat, so Crysis 2 could easily be treated as it's own game.
Once we get past that, Crysis 2 is certainly interesting, with some obvious, yet still entertaining, plot twists. It's got enough mystery surrounding the suit and the aliens and everything else to keep me playing on to find out more.

PRESENTATION
When the first Crysis came out, people were pretty much jizzing themselves over how beautiful it was. And while I do admit, Crysis looked amazing, Crysis 2 drops the ball somewhat. It's not bad looking, it's just not as good as I've seen Crytek do. And this isn't just a console problem either; Killzone 3 was fucking beautiful.

The environments in Crysis 2 get somewhat repetitive after a while; some time after you're flanking PMC's through the 8th sewer. But, as repetitive as they are, they're interesting enough to not notice too much.
The scenery starts to vary about halfway through it, and it left me wondering why they didn't change it up sooner. For one thing, I've seen Central Park in ALOT of games set in New York City (or Liberty City even), but I will NEVER forget Crysis 2's rendition of it.

The music is fairly ordinary most of the time, but the voice acting is rather excellent. Prophet sounds like the nanosuited god of manliness that I'm sure he is, while Hargreave is voiced in such a way that you're never quite sure if he's trustworthy or not.


GAMEPLAY\
The main draw here for Crysis 2 is the nanosuit mechanic. Without it, the game would be your run of the mill first person shooter affair. Not to say it doesn't have solid controls or anything, but fire one gun in first-person in a game, and you've fired almost all of them.
The nanosuit seeks to give players a more tactical approach to any situation, with Armour, Stealth and Power modules to customize the way you play. As well as these power modules, your visor also lets you scan for tactical points on any given situation.

While these are pretty interesting mechanics, and they serve well to differentiate Crysis 2 from the crowd, the enemy AI throws it back in with the rest. While alot of the game CAN rely on your stealth skills, it doesn't really work when once a single grunt spots you, every soldier within 5km knows where you are. The fact that they can spot you from a mile off, hidden behind cover, is astounding.
Also, why would people know where you are if you shoot someone else, four rooms away WITH A SUPPRESSED WEAPON. It's sheer stupidity! Far Cry 2 had the same problem!

Luckily, not all encounters are decided by your sneakiness factor. If the shit hits the fan, you can pump up your armour and go fucking Rambo on everyone in the street, which, in itself, is its own gratifying reward.

Other than that, Crysis never really evolves past your standard shooter. Gunfight-->cutscene--->gunfight--->first person cutscene---> vehicle section---> gunfight.
Everything about it is rather by the numbers, aside from the nanosuit. Maybe that's enough, but its strange that Crytek can't get stealth sections right when frnachises like Call of Duty and Killzone have for ages!

One last thing, all the freedom that Crysis 2 gives you is an elaborate illusion. It basically tells you what to do at each tactical point, and the incredible awareness of the enemy AI almost destroys any chance at a successful stealth attempt.
BUT, these problems aside, Crysis 2's gameplay is fairly solid (apart from stealth problems) and fun when it comes down to it.

REPLAYABILITY
Crysis 2 is a first person shooter with an online multiplayer mode! How unique!!!!
But seriously, it does have a multiplayer mode, and it is fun. While the shooting mechanics (hit detection especially) need some tweaking, it didn't stop me wasting a couple of hours on it. The nanosuit abilities make an appearance in this mode, and its partly because of them that this could possibly stand up to the CoD behemoth, despite ripping off plenty from it.
The campaign is interesting enough to warrant another playthrough, and if you truly believe theres a better way to do a certain mission, then you can jump straight to it and attempt it again. Plenty of trophies and achievements too, but I reckon that goes without saying anymore.

OVERVIEW
Crysis 2 was fun, but not everything I was led to believe it was. The freedom it offers seemed like more of an illusion to me, and the graphics weren't as amazing as we were promised, console or not. I was surprised at the depth of the story, however, and the multiplayer amazed me in that it was almost as solid at its core as Call of Duty. But it had superpowers, which is an added bonus for me.
My recommendation: If you like FPS games, and you want something slightly different, there are worse picks than this. It was interesting, to say the least, tedious at its worst, and really fun at its best.


No idea what I'm going to review next week. Maybe a retrospective on Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, considering Skrim comes out this year. Anyway, see you next time!