LittleBigPlanet

I've wanted to take a look at Media Molecule's brainchild LittleBigPlanet for some time now, and I finally have the chance after coming back from the Gold Coast, and not having the chance to play any games for the last week.
LittleBigPlanet (yes, its all one word) is a Puzzle/Platform game, developed by Media Molecule for the Playstation 3. Its based around the concept of "Play, Create, Share" and it allows players to do just that.

STORY
LittleBigPlanet (the place, not the game) is divided into 8 settings, each with its own individual story for the games protagonist, SackBoy (or if you feel so inclined, Sackgirl) to be directed through by the player.
This story comes to a head in the 8th world, where certain small occurrences in the other 7 begin to make sense. It puts a focus on the games Mantra of "Play, Create, Share", and adds a cute ending to tit, which really fits the style of LBP. Not wanting to give away the ending, i will say this. The games story isn't amazing. Its definitely not its strong point, but it has a cuteness to it which really endeared it to me.

Characters are all unique, especially the player characters. Sackboy is more or less a blank puppet, for you to add your own personality to. This may be through making him a cross dresser with a big hat and funny moustache, or making Scorpion from Mortal Kombat.

PRESENTATION
The presentation of LBP is really quite cool; everything in the world appears to be made of materials like cardboard or sponge and everything has a sort of handmade feel to it. The art style is unique, and a variety of stickers is available for players to customize their worlds. In addition to the awesome visuals provided by the building materials and stickers, LBP also has some really cool audio.

None of the NPC's or Sackpeople actually talk in game, instead players are presented with text bubbles, accompanied by various sound bites. When using the create feature, you'll find out that there are hundreds of variations on the sounds you can use, and they're all customizable.

The music used in LittleBigPlanet just fits so perfectly into its world, and sets the scene nicely for not only the developers levels, but also user creations world wide.
My main problem with the music is that it doesn't allow you to use sound files already on your system. It seems strange to do this, even though you can take pictures and add them to your creations using the PS Eye.

GAMEPLAY
Players control their sackboy on what is essentially a 2D level in that you can only move up, down and side to side along side scrolling maps. However, players can switch between 3 separate planes to traverse past obstacles. Sackboys movements are controlled easily enough with the analog stick used to move, applying pressure to the X button to jump certain distances, or using the grab button to swing across perilous pits, or activate switches.

Gameplay also has a strong focus on the use of inventions. These include various mechanisms and vehicles, like cars. All are wired to work using a designated switch which can be activated however the creator has decided.
Sackpeople will also be forced to navigate past hazards, including fire, electricity or even enemies.

Players also have control over the sackpeoples displays of emotion. Using the d-pad, they can control how happy, sad, scared or angry they are, whilst using the left and right triggers in sync with the left and right sticks to control their arms. This leaves the six-axis motion feature to control the avatars head motions or pelvic thrusts.
This adds a whole layer to player interaction when playing online or local multiplayer.

Content creation is surprisingly simple, and Media Molecule should be congratulated on the interface they created. Materials and functions are easy enough to find in the "Popit" menu, and the amount of customisation is incredible, almost daunting at times.
However, there are a variety of tutorials available which provide players with in-depth lessons on how to use certain aspects of the creation tools.

My biggest problem with the gameplay is that, even though everything works well, and presented even better, its just really insubstantial. Platforming is platforming, and it can get old kind of fast.

REPLAYABILITY
LBP is a title that I have been going back to play for the last year and a half, and I keep getting surprised by how much people can do with what they've been given. As of Feb 2010 there have been over 2 million levels uploaded to the community which are free to access and play, and many are really quite ingenious.
Because of the huge focus on creating and sharing, LittleBigPlanet offers a lot to those who want to open their imaginations to the world, or to those who want to see what the world is imagining.

That all said, Media Molecule is under the impression that everyone isn't completely retarded. Unfortunately for the rest of us, this isn't quite so. So many users seem to spam their levels onto the users, despite them being more or less blank, asking "Heart for Hearts" from other players.
This is what I cant stand; you have to wade through all the crap from the 'tards of the world to get the truly shining examples of level design from the online community.
But maybe its the shine from those examples that gives me the strength to wade through the crap every time I log on.

Theres also a hell of a lot of Downloadable content, but its totally up to you to decide whether 10 bucks is too much for another 5 levels, based on Metal Gear Solid or Pirates of the Caribbean for example.

Local multiplayer is really quite good; theres something awesome about getting more points than your buddy... then slapping them stupid and thrusting in their faces at the level complete screen.
In the game of course.

OVERVIEW
LittleBigPlanet is definitely one of the best looking games I've ever played; and I've had lots of fun with it. Despite it being cute, it is by no means a Kiddy Game, as there are some levels that are really quite crazy.
Gameplay works fine, but can sometimes seem inadequate as its just puzzle platforming, but hey, at least you know that before buying it.
Creation interfaces are simple, and most of the time the awesomeness of your level is only limited by your imagination.

However, as I stated before, you will wade through a lot of LittleBigCrap to get the the truly amazing Levels.
Give LBP a look if you have a PS3, and if you don't, bad luck, because this is definitely an amazing exclusive to have.


Seriously, if theres anyone reading, let me know what you think, either here or on the facebook page. Keep reading if you are, and also tell your gamer friends. Thanks =)

The Orange Box

So this week I dove Tophat first into another Valve release, The Orange Box. The Orange Box is comprised of Half Life 2 (Plus Episodes 1 and 2), the wildly popular Team Fortress 2, and the strange fps puzzler Portal.
The Orange Box compilation was released for PC, X-Box 360 and PS3 in late 2007.

HALFLIFE 2 and EPISODES 1 and 2
Halflife 2 is the sequel to Half Life, and follows the adventures of scientist Gordon Freeman, as he fights for "The Resistance" against an interdimensional empire known as the Combine.
Episodes 1 and 2 follow Freeman as he deals with the aftermath of Halflife 2.

STORY
After Gordon's work in the first game, Earth was invaded by the Combine, who rule with an Iron Fist; preventing human reproduction, but protecting humans from alien wildlife in numbered Cities at the same time.
Halflife 2 follows Gordon's work with the underground resistance to overthrow the evil Combine rule.
The Episodes featured in the Orange Box place the players back in the shoes of Freeman as he deals with the aftermath of Halflife 2.

The story featured in these games is interesting to say the least. Characters are likeable, and the story is so intriguing that it just makes you want to play more to see what will happen to the unlucky protagonist and his cause next.

PRESENTATION
The presentation of these titles is definitely one of its high points. Settings in-game all have a dystopic feel to them, yet all are unique too. Landscapes range from Zombie-infested Ravenholme, to the creepy prison of Nova Prospekt.
Voice acting is of a high standard, and characters feel that much more real because of it. Unlike so many other games, the voice actors have really pulled out all the stops to make it so that these computer generated characters have their own personalities.

At least, this is true of the main characters. Other NPC's all look pretty much the same, and many share the same voices. Its a bit odd, especially when you just saw an NPC get killed, then 10 minutes later, you run into his clone.
Halflife 2 also has one of the best soundtracks I've heard in a game, with each piece of music neatly encapsulating the emotions that each scene in-game will evoke in players.

Halflife 2 really does well when it comes to immersing the player. Aside from unique and varied settings and decent sound work, there are NO cutscenes. At least, not of the conventional sort. Instead of there being fully rendered cutscenes, all action happens in-game, while the player controls Freemans point of view. There are also no loading screens, just bars that come up between each chapter; this helps the player stay in character as Gordon.

GAMEPLAY
Halflife 2 presents players with solid First Person Shooter gameplay, mixed with occasional puzzle sections, and somewhat Survival Horror sections.
This is one of the few FPS's I've played recently that has a life bar, as opposed to the "Completely realistic" "hide until your face doesn't have blood on it" mechanic. Its a nice change of pace and it makes hazards seem more threatening when you can't just wait for your health to regenerate.

Combat in H2 works as well as you might expect; using hilarious ragdoll physics on enemies hit with explosions, sending them flying gayly through the air is definately a high point for me. Weapon selection is limited to about 12 weapons, although you'd only encounter about 10 of them in a normal game. The other 2 are quite cool; one being a pheromone pod which controls specific alien enemies, and the other being the gravity gun.

It is around this piece of equipment that many of the puzzles are based around. At first, its pretty cool having to balance objects on a plank of wood to make a ramp, but by the end of Halflife 2 i was glad to be finished with them. Then they gave me some more in the episodes. Yes Valve, i get it, you made a physics engine, and it works wonderfully. But how many times do you have to make me do a seesaw puzzle??
Then again, how many different puzzles really involve the use of physics?

A few other gameplay elements popped up time and time again, such as waiting for an extremely slow elevator to arrive, while you fight off hordes of zombies. Though repetitive, these sequences are always rather intense, making you think you may not survive.

REPLAYABILITY
Halflife 2, and its runty offspring, are all well and good; and provided me with quite a few hours of play-time, but they offer no multiplayer (if you're playing on the consoles) and only offers achievements (no trophies).

PORTAL
Portal is a single player, First Person Action/Puzzle game, consisting primarily of puzzles using teleportation to move your character and other objects around test areas.

STORY
At first, Portal's story seems like just a framework for these portal based puzzles, but its more in-depth than that. Players control "Chell", a test subject at the Enrichment Center for Aperture Science; who must navigate through increasingly difficult areas via the use of portals (and later the portal gun).
Chell is promised Cake and grief counselling as a reward for finishing these areas by the AI test monitor GlaDOS. However, the cakes existence is found to be questionable... but that's the least of your worries.

PRESENTATION
The settings in Portal are all presented as pure white, clean testing areas with various scientific apparatus scattered within (which are used in the tests).
(SPOILER WARNING)
However, these clean environments soon give way to dark, rusty hallways and staircases as Chell makes her escape from Aperture Science, after finding that the cake is a lie.
Music and voice acting are also rather limited, what with only GlaDOS (and occasionally, gun turrets) speaking, and music being conveyed either through the radio, or as atmospheric background music. That said, however, the voice acting is of high quality, and even though the speaker is a computer system, it is filled with its own personality.
Music helps to set the scene, especially at the beginning of Chells horrible realisation... that the cake is non-existent. And other things. But I wont spoil that too much for you.
This title is full of some of the darkest humour I've heard in any game, and it'll have gamers reciting quotes for years to come.

GAMEPLAY
I went into Portal expecting a series of challenging portal based puzzles to get my brain working, and that's exactly what I got. Test areas are challenging, but start off easy enough, introducing you to the technology and how to use it.
In later levels, you get to wield the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device (Or Portal Gun) and create portals for yourself; which leads to more challenging test areas that rely on your accuracy, as well as timing and momentum altering abilities (which the device allows).
All in all, gameplay with the portal device is simple, but challenging to master in the later levels, especially during Chells escape.

REPLAYABILITY
Again, there is no multiplayer option available on this title, but after completion, players will find that challenge modes have been unlocked, which are a fun to go back and play over and over again, trying to improve your score.

Unfortunately, however, Portal doesnt last long. I completed the standard story in less than 2 hours, and it left me wanting more. That said, maybe its not such a bad thing. Surely the portal gun feature would have gotten old after prolonged use.
So portal doesnt outstay its welcome, which is good.

TEAM FORTRESS 2
Team Fortress 2 is a Multiplayer Class Based First Person Shooter. It is the sequel to Team Fortress Classic.

STORY
Theres no real story to TF2, other than, theres a Red army and a Blue army, and they hate each other. And they have to capture each others flags... or areas.... or just kill each other.

PRESENTATION
TF2 looks really cool with its unique art style, both for environments and other characters. It leaves the realistic art style of Valves other releases, for a more Cartoonish approach, which works really well for it.
The map design has a strong evil genius theme with archetypal spy fortresses, concealed within inconspicuous buildings such as industrial warehouses and farms to give plausibility to their close proximities.
The bases hide exaggerated super weapons such as laser cannons, nuclear warheads, and missile launch facilities, taking the role of objectives. Between the bases there is a neutral space and its a really funny, but really cool approach.

That said, there isn't a whole lot of variety. Maps seem to have the same Desert/Industrial feel to them, which is a little disappointing.

GAMEPLAY
Team Fortress 2's gameplay is limited to online multiplayer, which is fine, but your judgement on the game will really depend on the speed and quality of your connection.
TF2 offers 9 classes to choose from, being Offensive (Scout, Soldier and Pyro), Defensive (Engineer, Demoman and The Heavy) and Support (Medic, Spy and Sniper).
They're all incredibly balanced, so long as you play them as they're meant to be played.
Another thing adding to the balance of the game is the exclusion of grenades. This may sound weird at first, but by not having grenades, it means that newcomers won't be isolated and fragged over and over by those who have mastered them.

Despite the amount of classes to choose from, there isn't a whole lot of variety to gameplay, not helped at all by the same-y ness of the maps, and the lack of variety in gameplay modes. If i recall correctly, theres only "Team Deathmatch", "Capture the Flag" and "Point Capture", and that's disappointing.

REPLAYABILITY
TF2 is definitely one of those games where i can keep coming back for more, because all the classes are fun to play as, and the design of maps and characters just keeps luring me back. However, i find it difficult to play for extended periods of time, due to the lack of variety.

OVERVIEW
The Orange Box is definitely one to have a look at, especially at the price its at these days. 5 quality games in one box; it'll keep you playing for quite some time. Some titles such as TF2 and Halflife 2 (+Eps) suffer from a clone virus where there isn't much variety at points, but problems like that can be overlooked because aside from that, they're really great games.

OK, so thats another top quality game that I think people should take a look at. Again, if there are people reading this, I'd like some feedback =). Be sure to join the Facebook page, and keep playing, people!
Also, sorry about the long review, next time i review a compilation, i may split it up a bit.

Left 4 Dead

Being a gamer, I've found myself pitted against Zombies many, many times. However, none were so intense as Left 4 Dead; a co-operative first person shooter, developed by Valve and Certain Affinity for PC and X-Box 360 respectively.

Left 4 Dead puts players in the shoes of 1 of 4 survivors, pitted against not only many hordes of regular zombies, but also 5 special "Infected".

STORY
Left 4 Dead takes place after the outbreak of a Rabies-like Virus which manifests itself as massively increased aggression and the loss of many higher brain functions within its victim. That's really the only information that the player is given, and they may have to fill in the blanks themselves.

Players take control of Bill (an aged war veteran), Zoey (a horror movie buff), Louis (an office intern) and Francis (the tattooed biker) as they battle to safety in various settings, surrounded by infected.

Alot of the story is related to you via scrawlings on the walls of safehouses, courtesy of earlier survivors. Alot of these give the player insight on what is happening, as well as conveying a good amount of humour.

PRESENTATION
Left 4 Dead looks and feels like you would expect the zombie apocalypse to be. There's a sense of danger in this game that's always present, and each play-through will NEVER be the same.
Settings are dark and eerie, with clear signs of destruction and abandonment littered around, such as burnt out cars and broken walls/fences.
Valve has effectively created a terrifying environment, so much so, that zombies could be replaced with teddy bears, and you'd still get the feeling of a Zombie Apocalypse.

Music is controlled by the Music Director, and each players audio mix is affected by what they have experienced. Say for example a game has 4 players in it; each player will hear a different mix.
The spooky music composition really helps to convey the mood of this apocalyptic setting.

Voice Acting in Left 4 Dead is of fairly high quality, and helps to endear each character to the player, making us feel for them whenever they get pounced on by a hunter, or downed by the witch. Although cut-scenes with dialogue don't appear, their voices will alert players to certain aspects of the game, such as the presence of pills, first aid kits, guns and certain special infected. There isn't a whole lot of variation to the lines though.
By the end of my time with it, I was dreading each time Louis spotted some pills, and cheerfully yelled "PILLS HERE!".
One may think he had an addiction of some kind... but i wont insinuate that...coz he's black... and people might think I'm racist.

Sounds made by the infected also raise the quality of the presentation; and help set the horrific scenes. Players may hear a witch's sobbing, sending a chill down their spines. I know this happened to me on more than one occasion.

GAMEPLAY
The Gameplay in Left 4 Dead is fairly straightforward; you have a gun, go shoot things. However, unlike most first-person shooters, L4D has a primary focus on Co-operative play. 4 player co-operative campaigns are available to play online, as well as split-screen co-op and even a single player campaign (where the player is accompanied by 3 AI players).
When I say the focus is on co-op, i really mean it. Special infected such as the tank, or the witch will need to be taken down as a team to minimize damage taken; and others such as the smoker or the hunter require a team-mate to rescue you if you're attacked by them.

Controls work well and the difficulty of each play-through is controlled by the AI Director, along with other things such as the placement of ammo and supplies.
A rather small variety of weapons makes the game seem a little more realistic, and the Director's rare ammo drops really heightens the sense of danger the player will feel.
Weapons work the way you would expect them to, but most are missing an Aim Down Sight feature; so unless you use the hunting rifle, its not easy to blow a zombies head off at 50 metres away.
Left 4 Dead works perfectly fine in single player, and you wont have to battle with your 'tard team mates over who has to play as Zoey.

Now to the point that really made Left 4 Dead stand out to me; the ability to play as the special infected in the online VS mode.
After a while, all first person shooters seem a bit familiar when played online; but not L4D. With the ability to play as Boomers, Hunters, Smokers and Tanks whilst trying to destroy the 4 human controlled survivors, this game offers hours of infected fun, on top of a pretty cool, if not slightly repetitive Story Campaign.

REPLAYABILITY
Valve's Zombie party (aka L4D) holds replayability as one of its biggest selling points. And i completely agree with it, to a degree. Thanks to the AI and Music Director, no encounter will ever be exactly the same. Both Zombies AND supplies spawn at different spots in each play through, creating a different experience each time.
However, you only have a limited amount of areas to play through over and over again, and they start to feel a bit the same after a while. Despite the different experiences each player will have, gameplay may get a bit repetitive after a while. And players may get fed up with being stuck as Zoey. Or Louis. I'm not racist!

The multiplayer feature (versus that is) allows for many more hours of game time by allowing players to take control of infected, and run rampant through maps hunting for the survivors. This feature alone may have gamers rushing back to this game for more Infected fun.

OVERVIEW
This review may seem shorter than previous reviews because, as much fun as i had with L4D, it wasn't particularly long at all. But what little of it there is, is actually quite fantastic.
My main problems with the game were the lack of a detailed story, as well as no infected gameplay for singleplayer or even splitscreen. And as different as the AI Director can make each encounter, it still feels rather similar each time around, no matter what happens.
The feeling of repetition isn't helped by the limited dialogue, though the voice acting is quite high quality.

I hate saying this, because it really goes without saying, but this game is one that gets better with other people. But isn't that true of so many things? I'm sure I'd have had more fun with Far Cry 2 if it were Co-op, but that doesn't mean its good. But what DOES make Left 4 Dead truly exceptional is the presentation and simple but effective gameplay. No other game has given me such a sense of danger as Left 4 Dead has, and that's why I'd recommend it to anyone with the means to play it.
This game is fun, despite repetition, and its really a must-try in my opinion.

But god i hate Louis.... he startled the witch, what can i say?.... I'm not racist!


It was nice to finally see a game revolving around zombies, not just featuring them as enemies, replaceable with ninjas or soldiers.
Definitely had fun in this one, not sure where my next reviews gunna go. So keep checking back, and I'll see you next time. =D

Just Cause 2

Why did i spend the best part of 17 hours surfing jet planes around a tropical island while soldiers tried to blast my ass out of the sky?.... Just 'Cause...
Just Cause 2 to be precise. (That was horrible!)
Just Cause 2 is a sandbox-style action video game. It was released by Swedish developer Avalanche Studios and Eidos Interactive, and was published by Square Enix. It is the sequel to the 2006 video game Just Cause.

STORY
Just Cause 2 puts the player in the shoes of USA Agency Agent Rico "The Scorpion" Rodriguez, sent to overthrow the President of the South East Asian island of Panaua, who has cut all ties to the US, and begun his own dictatorial regime.
On top of this, Panaua is divided by three factions, vying for control and power; a struggle that really ties together the main story elements.

This game is really more for the action junkies, so if you're looking for story, its not the best place to look. By no means is it the worst, but I'd definitely say that Just Cause 2 relies heavily on the gameplay and sheer size of the game
In short, the story of Just Cause 2 is there, but its not particularly in-depth.

PRESENTATION
Rico's adventure takes place on the tropical island of Panaua, which has been brought to life beautifully by the Avalanche 2.0 Engine. It is a welcome change from the usually gritty look of games such as Grand Theft Auto 4 or Gears of War.
The island is more than just beaches and forests, however. Landscapes vary from frozen mountaintops, bright beaches, barren deserts, a particularly spooky "cursed" island and colourful tropic jungles.

The map is absolutely gigantic, and i can safely say that a lot of my playing time was spent just travelling between missions. Combining this staggeringly huge map with the eye capturing visuals gives us a playground from which we will find it hard to tear ourselves away from.

The majority of the voice acting in this game is rather cringe-worthy, but will endear characters in players hearts, if only for this reason. Not all of it, just a majority. My main example of this is Bolo Santosi, leader of the Reapers. I have no idea how people would talk in this island nation, though i doubt it would be in the forced, unintentionally comical fashion as Ms. Santosi.
That said, no matter how bad some of the voice acting is, it was always rather enjoyable to hear; and it gave each NPC their own character.

The score of Just Cause 2 reflects the tone of the game perfectly. It always conveys the emotion of the particular situation, from intense gunfights, to walking alone on a "cursed" island. The music always makes you feel a part of the environment, wherever that may be.


GAMEPLAY
The gameplay is really what Just Cause 2 is there for. The game throws you straight into the action by putting you in a freefall after your fallen comrade and your PDA, and from there, it just gets more fast paced and intense. Except for perhaps the travelling sections, but more on that soon.

Rico Rodriguez seems like the video game equivalent of Chuck Norris. Sure, he can run, jump, swim, shoot, lob grenades and pilot a number of vehicles (land, sea AND air) like many other game characters these days; but what he has that no-one else has (except perhaps the Bionic Commando) is a hookshot arm. But wait, there's more! "The Scorpion" can also magically pull parachutes out of his ass!
This allows for some truly dynamic vertical gameplay; such as base jumping into a base to sabotage a piece of military equipment, then hookshooting and parachuting your way to safety.

A variety of weapons and vehicles are made available to you via the Black Market Chopper shop, as well as extractions, for zipping around the map quickly. Weapons all have a distinct feel whilst using them, as do cars, boats and aerial vehicles.
Cars can be amazingly fun to drive, so long as you keep it on the road (if its not an off road vehicle). As soon as my wheels touched gravel, i felt the vehicles control slipping, and id usually spin out. This was a bitch when i tried to do it during high speed pursuits with guards on my tail.

That may not be a problem though, as you'll often find yourself zooming around the skies because its quicker, and infinitely more awesome. Especially when you surf on a jet, i can't stress that point enough.

The focus of this game is action, but not your boring, every day video game action, but completely insane, over the top action.
I've never seen anyone in any game surf a jet plane as they try to blow up a rocket, and i doubt that I ever will again.
The game features a "Chaos" System; the more chaos you create, the more missions and items become available to you. As fun as blowing shit up is, it does get a little repetitive, especially since so many of the areas look cloned from others.

My biggest problem with the gameplay would have to be the flawed checkpoint system. Having a checkpoint system during your missions implies that if you fail, you could retry from a recent event in the mission. However, more often that not, it forces you to return to the start of the mission which, thanks to the size of the map, can take a while to work your way back from.

Enemy AI is nothing particularly special, they shoot at you when they can see you, and they occasionally try to flank you if you run behind cover. Friendly AI is sometimes hit with the stupid stick, as i found they would run directly into the line of fire when I needed to protect them (this is generally directed at the engineers during the takeover missions).

REPLAYABILITY
Just Cause 2 is an absolutely mega-ginormous game. And being such, it has an epic amount of replayability. Given the short time i had to play it, i had completed all of the faction and Agency story missions, and had completed the story. But i was in dismay when i saw that the completion percentage was only 30 or so. My jaw dropped! In my mind i was like "Well fuck you Just Cause 2! You think you're better than me?!". Part of me wishes that i could have kept playing and made a feeble attempt at gaining 100% completion.
So, for the record, roughly 30% is story missions; which can be completed in around 14 hours, give or take a few to compensate for player skill and difficulty settings.
That means that 70% of this game is dedicated to fucking around; blowing shit up, racing cars, boats, planes and yourself with the hookshot and parachute, and collecting hundreds of items.
This is definitely one for only the most hardcore of trophy/achievement whores to try and take on.

There's also so much to discover around the island of Panaua that has no effect on completion percentage. For example, I'm quite sure i found the Hatch from LOST on one of the surround islands, and a Beached Whale on another (this is where my kiwi gene kicked in and i shouted "Beached As Bro!!").

OVERVIEW
There's a whole lot to love about this game; its over the top action, its inventive and functional gameplay, the sheer size and presentation of the playground you've been set loose on. But this doesn't make it perfect.
The story was shallow and voice acting was sometimes pretty bad. Dialogue was fairly uninteresting (except for a certain line where Rico threatens to chop off his hostages hands and bitch slap him with them), and there were some faults with the Checkpoint system, as well as the major retardation of most vehicles as soon as they touch a surface that isn't actual road.

However, these faults can be overlooked on the most part. Sure, an in depth story has been sacrificed here, but if it were present, chances are it would have taken away from the over the top action. And Just Cause 2 knows it. It knows why its awesome, and sticks to it.

If anyone is reading this, leave comments. I like to know people are reading it, and I'm always listening for ways to improve on what I'm doing!
See you next time =D

Far Cry 2

From what I've been told, Far Cry 2 has very little to do with the original Far Cry aside from both being published by Ubisoft; and both looking quite stunning. But, having never played Far Cry for myself, i cant comment too much about it without sounding like a dickhead. So moving along.

Far Cry 2 is an open-ended first-person shooter developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft that was released late 2008 to PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.
Though it is the sequel to Far Cry, i see next to nothing that actually tie the games together. The protagonist from the 1st game is nowhere to be seen, unlike the player controlled character in FC2; and the setting is no longer a tropical island, but some unnamed East African nation.

STORY
As i mentioned, this is a completely new story from the original Far Cry game, which isn't a problem. What is a problem is that the story isn't explored as much as you might like. All that players are really told is that you are a mercenary (one of multiple, which the player chooses), and the African nation you're in is amidst Civil War. Your character has been hired by an unknown client to kill the man that armed both sides; known as the Jackal.

Although killing this arms dealer is supposedly your main mission; he hardly ever makes an appearance. You see him at the start after contracting Malaria; where it seems like he's nursing you back to health which, for a mercenary, seems pretty weak; then one or two times before the end of the game.
I always thought that the main antagonists actions should constantly be felt in a game; and although this man supplies your enemies with weapons; his presence seems absent on the most part.

PRESENTATION
OK, this is where Far Cry 2 earns its praise. It definitely has that feel of a dirty, run down, impoverished African country in the middle of a Civil War. It looks just like i would imagine Africa would look; from the rolling Savannas and Oasis' to the dense jungles and shanty towns. There is no background music, which in this case is good, as it would break the immersion if it did have it.
The playable map is huge, and these varying locales are numerous, although many areas feel like they've been copied, pasted, then tweaked ever so lightly.

Sound effects in FC2 are sounds you would expect to hear in Africa; the buzzing of mosquitoes and flies, the sound of wind whistling through trees, the sound of fire crackling as a bushfire burns out of control. (By the way, the fire looks quite cool; and spreads as you might expect a fire to burn).

Voice acting in this game is a little dull; and its often hard to distinguish between characters that you'll meet in the game. Most have a rather generic African accent, or a hilarious South African accent in some cases. My biggest problem with the dialogue in this is that it just seems so forced. It may just be me, but when a script is read; i like to feel emotion being conveyed in it. This may be why the story just didn't grab my attention like it should have.








GAMEPLAY
Far Cry 2 really doesn't bring a whole lot of innovation to the table of First Person Shooters. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Your character moves as if they actually have mass behind them. They aren't just cameras on a hover board, as many fps's make their characters feel.

Standard actions are available to players; running, jumping, crouching and attacking; with the added ability to slide to cover while running. Sadly, there is no button for melee attacks unless you arm yourself with your machete, leaving a few seconds between switching weapons, with which the enemy are using to turn you into Swiss cheese. I'm not asking for some Call of Duty-esque move where you instantly whip out the combat knife and switch back to your previous weapon. A killzone/halo style ramming of the butt of your gun into the enemies head would suffice.

Speaking of weapon switching, Far Cry 2 allows players to switch between a primary weapon, secondary weapon, special weapon and the machete. The problem with this is that it always forces you to take a secondary weapon that you may never use; without allowing you to swap it out for enemy primary weapons; which would be perfectly feasible in real life.
This is probably done to make the game more intense; just like the addition of weapons degradation. Now, this feature wasn't all bad. It definitely made me more conscious of my weapons state; and it made for some climactic gunfights when my gun jammed. That said, guns degrade way too quickly; and enemy weapons come pre-rusted; so you can expect gun jams often.

Still on the topic of gunplay, there is quite a variety of weapons to choose from. Sadly, many weapons of the same type don't feel different to others. There are some really cool weapons, like the Mortar, that are amazingly fun to use if you can master them.
Upgrades can be bought for weapons, as well as your character, and these can include stealth upgrades, ammo upgrades, or vehicle repair upgrades.

On that note, vehicle sections are really quite annoying. Unless you stick to the predetermined roads; you're likely to lodge yourself into a pile of rocks or a tree; but if you follow the paths, you're likely to run into enemy patrols..... Alot.
Cars handle badly and, more often than not, you'll be too focused on your map than the road, and you'll have to manoeuvre your way out of some predicament involving trees, rocks, or a Zebra corpse.

Enemy AI in Far Cry 2 must have bionic eyes, because I'd often be spotted by a randomly patrolling guard from almost 100 meters away, through thick forest. I don't know if this is just me, but i wouldn't be able to see shit in those conditions from that far away! Next thing i know, I've just snuck up on another guard who i could have sworn was just staring straight at me a minute ago.
Its perplexing! Sometimes enemies have futuristic binoculars, and sometimes; their eyes are in their ass.....
It was sort of cool to hear them talking after they'd lost sight of me, or see them trying to flush me out of my last known position with gun fire and grenades.

Friendly AI is also a bit mixed. You rescue "Buddies" in game, and they become your backup, for if you get downed during combat or something. This is helpful, because if you die, you normally go back to the last save point. However, when they save your wussy ass, more often than not, they'll be gunned down, and theres no indication of where they are except pained groaning and blue smoke (which is hard to see through thick forest by the way). Then you have the choice to waste your own medical supplies on them or a single bullet. Seems like an easy choice, but you may be more compassionate than I.

Final word about gameplay focuses on the different types of gameplay in Far Cry 2. It should be rather short though because theres not much variation. All missions in this game can really be summed up as either go to a place and kill some guys OR go to a place and blow stuff up... THEN kill some guys. They're all basically the same, yet most times you'll need to go to a telecommunications tower to get "Assassination Missions" or Weapons dealers to get "Convoy" missions where you blow up convoys (which helpfully drive around in circles). Otherwise, you'll be getting missions from "Buddies" or the Factions; which are a mixture of the killy/explodey fun.

Oh and the map is a bitch to get around due to aforementioned vehicle/AI retardation and the fact that the only fast travel is by bus. And you'll have to use a vehicle to cover the ground between buses and your objective anyway.

REPLAYABILITY
If you're one of those trophy/achievement whores (not unlike myself), you may find yourself covering every square kilometre of the FC2 landscape and doing every single mission that is available. This will eat up ALOT of time, and would be absolutely fine if the gameplay wasn't such a nagging pain in the back of my head. Not the gunplay, but anything vehicle related.
Along with the huge single player campaign, there is a multiplayer mode. This mode i didn't experience too much of, but from what i did, I'd draw the conclusion that it was absolutely mediocre when compared to other games.

OVERVIEW
OK, its not like i absolutely hated Far Cry 2. I caught myself having fun while i was having a shootout with 8 other guys while a bushfire blazed mere feet away from me, and my gun had jammed. It was rather dramatic. Problem is, that theres so much travelling in between those moments. In my opinion, the game would have benefit from a quick travel option that would take you closer than your bus rides.

Gameplay is solid, save for the horrendous vehicle sections and AI is a bit strange, when one moment they're friggin super soldiers, and the next, they've turned into complete morons. However, they do have some moments of pure brilliance which will get a pass from me.
That said, i think the developers may have been a bit lazy, in that, all enemies will shoot at you on sight, no matter what you're doing. The official reason is that you're doing secret (deniable ops) missions for each faction, therefore you're no friend of anyones. It just seems silly to me.

Story was rather forgettable while playing, which is sad, because it had a fair bit of potential. Voice acting in FC2 turned me right off the characters; and i really hated those vehicles, SO MUCH.

So is it worth buying...? These days, it'd be down to about $30, so i think if you want something that's fairly entertaining in small bursts, then sure, its worth buying. A game without a great story can still be OK with good gameplay, but that vehicle section bull just keeps getting to me.
So buy Far Cry 2 if you're into that. Or not.


As per usual, if anyone actually reads this, constructive criticism is awesome. And i screwed up my posting schedule somewhere along the line, so fuck it. =D

God Of War III

God of War III
God of War III is an action-adventure video game for PlayStation 3, developed by Sony Santa Monica, published by Sony Computer Entertainment and released worldwide in March 2010. It is the fifth and final chapter in the current story arc, chronologically after God of War: Chains of Olympus (for the PSP), God of War, God of War: Betrayal (Mobile), and God of War II.

STORY
God of War 3 picks up where GOW2 left off, with Kratos atop Gaia, a pissed off Titan; leading the Titan army to battle with the Gods of Olympus. First time players may not know the details of why Kratos is on a vendetta against the gods, but bits and pieces of information from God Of War 3's predecessors are recapped over the course of the game. It also opens with a cool looking opening credits sequence which pretty much sums up Kratos' adventure thus far.

The story isn't particularly deep, but its fun; and it takes us all over Mt. Olympus. This game dives deep into Greek Mythology and brings up some really amazing characters, creatures and locations; which help bring the story to life.

PRESENTATION
The first thing that struck me about GOW3; from the start of the first cutscene, to my first encounter with enemies, was that this game looks absolutely amazing. I'm tempted to use the word beautiful, but perhaps that's the wrong word for seeing a centaurs disemboweling happen in full High Definition. Whatever word i use to describe it, what I'm trying to get across is that God Of War III looks fantastic.

Environments in game range from the Halls of Mt. Olympus, to the back of Gaia, the earth titan; and even to the fiery pits of hades. Each environment looks stunning; and they all have a very unique feel to them.

The music composed for this action/adventure title is just like the other presentational aspects of this game. And i suppose there is really only one word for the presentation as a whole. This game definitely has an epic feel which is conveyed through the stunning visuals and music that just suits the environments so perfectly.



GAMEPLAY
God Of War III is your standard hack and slash action adventure affair; with fairly basic puzzles thrown in for good measure. Combat is the focus of this title, and GOW3 does it extremely well. The problem with this, is that its really the only above average gameplay aspect that God Of War has to offer.

Don't get me wrong, hacking and slashing enemies until Kratos' white skin is stained red with their blood is satisfying. To a nearly disturbing level. But it will get repetitive if you play the game for and overly long period of time. The game gives you four different weapons, but you'll find that 3 are basically the same; and all use the same button sequences to pull off combinations. It all really depends on what flavour of awesome you prefer to kill your opponents with.

Weapons can all be upgraded with skill points gained by defeating enemies; which unlocks more combos to use with each weapon. However, unless you like to spice things up, there's a good chance that you'll spend all your time upgrading the one weapon and just using that.

The puzzles on offer to the player break up the hacky/slashy action; and are pretty simple on the most part. This is good, because it gives us a quick moment to rest from the awesomeness that is God of War 3's combat gameplay, while not taking us away from the best part of the game for too long.

I believe that the Boss fights in God of War 3 deserve a mention aside from the standard combat. For the most part, they are played using Quick Time Events, which i wouldn't normally care for; but the sheer quality and intensity of these pseudo-cutscenes makes up for the fact that they are there at all. This allows boos fights to end in a fittingly epic fashion.

REPLAYABILITY
This title offers no mulitplayer features; nor would players who have experienced the series before expect it to. The single player campaign stands up well enough on its own, and if players are trophy whores, it provides many challenges to raise their trophy count. On top of the core gore-fest that is the single player story, there are challenge rooms which set Kratos against ferocious opponents with specific conditions of victory.
They are called challenges for a reason; they are by no means easy, and can easily suck up a few hours of free time that players may have.

Also on offer are a variety of different costumes for Kratos to wear during the campaign; giving the players another reason to play through Kratos' god-murdering-simulator over and over again.

OVERVIEW
God of War 3 is an epic, stunningly beautiful gore-fest that's sure to keep you entertained for hours at a time. That said, the gameplay does get repetitive, like most games of the genre; but God Of War pulls off the hack and slash gameplay so well, chances are that you may not notice.
Puzzle gameplay is very basic, but fairly well designed. Most players will get a bit sick of the killing, but its all very well presented.

Definitely a game to try, but due to its length; maybe better off renting it. Unless you intend on playing through the campaign multiple times, then by all means, buy it and go nuts.

Once again, thanks for reading and constructive criticism is always welcome.
See you next time.

Bioshock 2

BioShock 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Marin and Irrational Games for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 video game consoles, and the Windows operating system. It is the sequel to the critically acclaimed 2007 video game BioShock.

Having not played the first Bioshock (save the demo available on the Playstation Network), I only had a vague idea of what to expect from this game. After inserting the disc, i sat through a near unbearably long installation screen, accompanied by some jazzy, nostalgic 50's music. I liked the music... not the installation time. But the game more than made up for this.

STORY

Bioshock 2 is set 8 years after the original, but the story begins 10 years before this. You play as Subject Delta, the fourth prototype Big Daddy, who is forced to commit suicide by Sophia Lamb, this games Antagonist. Lamb informs you that the Little Sister you are bonded to was formerly her daughter.

It picks up when Subject Delta is revived in a Vita-Chamber in the now run-down and chaotic dystopia of Rapture. He receives psychic pleas for help from Eleanor, his former Little Sister, setting the story in motion.

A lot of the back story of Rapture was unknown to me when i began the game, but through the use of collectible audio logs, main points were explained to me through characters words and I'd soon caught up with why Rapture was in the state that is was. The plot is fairly solid and introduces us to a few interesting characters and familiarizes us with our surroundings.

PRESENTATION

Bioshock 2 is set in the underwater dystopia of Rapture, a city once a gleaming paradise for individuals to flourish, now run down and mostly ruined underwater hell. Its inhabitants are mostly homicidal maniacs called Splicers, who have used Plasmids and Gene Tonics to modify their genetics.

The "steampunk" feel of the environment is created through the placement of 50's style items such as antique radios, alongside the security cameras, security bots and vending machines selling genetic upgrades. Posters can be seen on the walls which have a distinctly 50's style to them.

The player will often feel unsettled by the environment due to the dark corridors; i often found myself jumping at shadows cast by enemies against flames around the next corner. The disgusting appearance of your enemies, along with the sometimes dark and spooky environments in Rapture made the setting feel like a hell.

The graphics look great in this game, though not being the most "realistic" you'll see in video games. Then again, who wants THAT much realism in video games?
It has a sort of cartoon-ish style to it that works well, especially with the Splicers and their cartoon like personalities.
The graphics in the underwater sections also look stunning. I found myself just looking around, watching the wildlife as i journey to the next section.
I was in awe as a saw the shadow of a giant squid fly past me, or when i caught a glimpse of a Big Sister stalking me.

The sound effects in Bioshock 2 are extremely effective in immersing the player into the atmosphere; from the terrifying screeches of the Big Sisters, to the scurrying of a nearby but unseen Spider Slicer. Quite often, you'll also come across a 50's style radio which plays music of that era. It helps to keep the game in a certain time zone, but it also makes the environment that much creepier. The sound also helps to convey the players existence as Subject Delta, from the heaviness of your footsteps, to the sound of bullets ricocheting off your armor.

Strong voice acting lends believability and personality to the characters you interact with mostly through audio logs and radio communication, while an excellent score conveys the mood of this once gleaming paradise.



GAMEPLAY
I've played First Person shooters before; and when i picked up Bioshock 2 I didn't think it was going to be all that different to F.E.A.R 2 or games of that sort. I was pleased to find out that a) there were no creepy little girls (who were trying to kill me at least..) and b) there's a lot more to Bioshock 2 than most FPS's.

First of all, you play as a prototype Big Daddy; a being who many will remember from the first game as terrifying and amazingly strong "monsters". This is conveyed in Bioshock 2 through the amount of damage your character can take, and how powerful his melee attacks are, especially when equipped with the giant drill.
The drill feels amazingly powerful, and its fun to ram it into enemy splicers.

The controls in Bioshock 2 work rather well, allowing all the shoulder buttons for Weapon and plasmid selection and combat. Switching between the two has been eliminated; now both can be wielded at the same time, allowing for some fun combinations of weapon and plasmid combat. For example, using Winter Blast on an opponent, then Drill charging them and shattering them to pieces.

Fights in Bioshock 2 are always chaotic, the game giving you 5 types of splicers to come up against, as well as the occasional Big Daddy or Big Sister fight. When it comes to splicers there are melee based thugs, gun based Leadheads, Brutes, acrobatic Spiders and Houdini's (who can teleport and fling fireballs at you).

Enemy AI seems natural, Leadheads will try to shoot from cover, Spiders will drop from ceilings to startle you; and if any of them catch fire, they will run for water to put themselves out. This is always a good opportunity to zap them with a lightning bolt, which will help turn the environment into your weapon.

There are 8 available "weapons", but only 6 of them are actually weapons. You get your drill, rivet gun, machine gun, launcher, shotgun and the always entertaining spear gun. Each of these can be upgraded at "Power to the people" machines, which, sadly, may only be used once per machine. This means you have to choose your upgrades wisely.
There are also two non-lethal "weapons; the research camera: used for gaining upgrades against certain enemies; and the hack tool: used to hack bots and cameras.

There are also 11 plasmids to choose from, and about 55 gene tonics. Plasmids are active "superpowers" ranging from Fireball throwing (Incinerate!) or freeze blasts (winter blast), to Shooting bees from your wrists (swarm). Gene tonics are items that can be equipped to give your character background upgrades, like speed boosts.

All of that said, many players will find their perfect combination of Plasmids and weapon attacks, which makes many of the plasmids and gene tonics obsolete. Players may find that they're picking up ammo for guns they rarely use, because they already have a plan for all encounters.

An aspect of gameplay that keeps popping up is hacking. This "pseudo quick-time-event" has replaced the boring "plumbing" minigame from bioshock one, and has made hacking a little more challenging, but a lot quicker. Hacking has various purposes, such as reprogramming enemy bots to aid you, or getting free stuff and reduced prices at vending machines; but gets really repetitive.

Being a Big Daddy, your character is inside a pressurized diving suit, allowing him to survive on the ocean floor, if only for short periods of time. Walking around in this environment feels as if you're underwater; jumping feels nearly weightless, and guns/plasmids have been disabled, as they wouldn't work effectively in the environment.

MINOR SPOILER ALERT- Moral Choices

A core part of the gameplay seems to revolve around moral choices, whether or not to kill certain NPC's or to harvest or adopt Little Sisters. As with most games involving moral choice systems, they affect the outcome of the game. Being a jerk will get you the evil ending, while being a nice guy (with severely less powerful plasmids etc. i might add)will get you a happy ending.

Apparently there's some middle ground with the ending if you're only kind of a jerk, but being the power crazy meanie that i am, i got the evil ending. It seems a bit silly to give players these opportunities to make their character more powerful, then giving them the unhappy ending, but oh well.

Replayabilty
With the aforementioned moral choice systems, players may find the need to replay the single player game again to get the alternate ending. This could give them the chance to also change the way they play, as well as farm a few trophies or achievements. The amount of different plasmids and gene tonics makes gameplay extremely varied, and gives plays the chance to play whichever way they want.

There are also up to 100 audio logs to collect, which helps to reveal the back story of Rapture through personal accounts. The existence of these gives players an actual reason to explore the decaying paradise of Rapture again.

The multiplayer aspect of Bioshock 2 isn't nearly as strong as other games, such as Call of Duty, Halo, or Resistance; but it is quite unique, and has a story separate from the main single player story. It takes place in Rapture during the civil war; and players take the role of citizens who have signed up for Sinclair Solutions plasmid field research.

The playable characters all have a back story and have audio logs which help to reveal even more of the story. Gameplay in multiplayer is fun and chaotic, with players using weapons and plasmids against each other; and randomly appearing big daddy suits are available to the play who gets to it fastest.
Game modes include your standard Free-for-all and team deathmatch, but also Last Splicer standing, Turf War (king of the hill), Capture the Sister (capture the flag), ADAM grab and Team ADAM grab.

OVERVIEW
Bioshock 2 has an in depth story to tell; and it is woven seamlessly in with the ever changing gameplay that allows players to play how they want to. The path may be linear but how you travel that path is completely up to you.
Some aspects of gameplay get repetitive; such as hacking, or helping Little Sisters harvest ADAM, only to get attacked by a big sister after all encounters, whether you save the Sisters or harvest them.
Also, gameplay is interesting, but only if players find the need to try new things when battling enemies. If the same plasmid/weapon combos get used, it gets stale after a while. But that's all up to the player.
The presentation of this game is fantastic, and it really immerses you into the environment. However, graphics leave a little (and i mean very little) something to be desired.

Bioshock 2 is a fantastic game; anyone who enjoyed the first game will enjoy this one too. Anyone new to the world of Rapture may enjoy this too, if they're looking for an FPS with a twist. Its an extremely atmospheric environment and that was enough to draw me into the game (as well as the use of superpowers). It was an immersive roller coaster ride, taking players from (seemingly) abandoned, pitch black corridors, to chaotic battles with multiple Splicers.


As per usual, constructive criticism is encouraged... and i mean CONSTRUCTIVE. Saying something is pathetic is NOT constructive.

Thanks for reading =).