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Red Faction: Guerrilla (PC)
by Coolchris330 RED FACTION: GUERRILLA is a third person action game that is published by THQ and developed by Volition Inc. It is rated '15' by the BBFC, and '16+' by PEGI. Gameplay The ground shakes and dust rises from the barren surfaces of the surface of the newly terra formed Mars. Slowly, the foundations of what used to be a ... research building for the Earth Defence Force crumbled, collapsing the entire building and causing it to fall harshly onto the disturbed ground. I stand, sledgehammer in hand, watching the carnage unfold in an extreme crescendo and a metaphor for how people will not live with the overpowering force. The building smacks the floor, shaking the entire surface for the last time. It is the beginning of the end of oppression. My band of guerrillas looks solemnly over the rubble. I drop my sledgehammer and pull out my machine gun. I can hear the Earth Defence Force coming for us. We turn, and unleash hell in the form of Satchel Charges, flying plasma and explosive consequences. The revolution has begun. As you may have gathered from that short passage, this game has a heavy focus on destruction. In fact, the majority of the game is fully destructible. The buildings crumble realistically when shot in a way that far surpasses that of other commercial game. The destruction of this game far surpasses that of Bad Company 2, but sadly Bad Company 2 ended up getting more praise for it as it was more mainstream that Red Faction. You may not think of the game in the same way that I think of it. I think of Red Faction: Guerrilla as Grand Theft Auto. On Mars. Between missions, you are allowed to free-roam the whole surface of the planet, causing whatever havoc/good that you see fit. The game also captures something in this that Grand Theft Auto will never achieve, the thrill of driving off in a moon buggy while being shot at by the overseers of life. A man can dream for Grand Theft Auto: Space though, a man can dream. The game feels a little too easy, but that's just my personal preferences. Buildings take a long time to fall, but with piles of debris falling on you after you have destroyed the building, I began to wonder how I even survived, let alone was barely hurt by the incident. The physics have a feeling of weightlessness to them, and I was unsure during the game if that was intentional or not. However, unless you're actually attempting to look out for problems in the gameplay, it's really not that noticeable. In addition, the enemies that come at you are very easy to kill, whereas at the 'Normal' settings I played at, I shot each of them dead before they should even get a bullet onto my body. I thought that the game's difficulty, especially since you're an inexperienced miner and they're a dangerous security force, was a little too easy. The driving feels very solid, unlike the studios last game, Saints Row 2, where the vehicles felt far too responsive to button presses and would send you veering off in the wrong direction. This is a real step forward for the studio in terms of vehicle gameplay, and it's one of the things in the game that just feels right. It's a shame then that the vehicle sections are never really used a lot, they're there, but they are very rarely used in missions, apart from the general 'get there quickly, before him/her dies' start offs. Oh well, driving your cement mixer over the Mars hills has yet to get old for me. Graphics Graphically, this game isn't quite as good as it could have been. The physics are astonishing, there is no denying it, but it's just another game that uses the grey spectrum. It makes me think that the console revolution is killing gaming, because ever since the release of gritty Xbox 360 games such as Gears of War, I have very rarely seen any colour other than grey in games. I'm probably overanalysing, but it feels like I'm complaining about this for every game. Other than the colour scheme, the graphics are great. The animations feel smooth (providing you have a powerful enough computer to handle the game) and the entire game just has an feeling of authenticity to it, even though the subject matter for the game is physically impossible with this level of scientific advancement. My point is, if you saw it on the news, I suspect you'd be sceptical of its authenticity, but with this, it just feels so right, so believable. It really helps suck you into the experience. The shadowing effects in the game, as well as some of the lighting is persistently excellent, full dynamic shadowing is present throughout the game and I think it's fantastic. The lighting feels fantastic and somewhat real, and it's one of the games with the feature that I love. When you walk under a shadow, it goes onto your character as you walk under it. It may be a sad feature to adore in a game, but it's quite simply one of my favourites, and the game pulls it off really well. Sound The sound in the game is all important, the swooping of the wind close to the desert of the barren Mars ground, the zap of plasma gunfire, echoing gracefully throughout the barrels of the guns of the characters. The decent voice acting, as they pace up and down, is waiting patiently for the arrival of dreaded Earth Defence Force armies. The sound of the buildings crumbling and falling towards to ground is one to be adored. The sound of twisting metal is one that is significant to the game, and it matches up so well with the ambience of the wind in the background. It's one of the features that make me glad to be an open gamer that appreciates all of the elements of the game. It all matches up so well, and again, it makes it all feel so vivid, so... real. So, if you aren't getting what I'm getting at, I'm trying to tell you in an astonishing way "The game sounds great!" Value for Money/Longevity Well, it's all about where you get it from, and what you look for in a game. The value for money is fantastic, if like me, you've found it on Amazon for £5. If that's the price you've seen for it, get it without a moment's hesitation, but remember to finish reading this review first. The longevity really depends on what type of gamer you are. I doubt that I will extract nearly as much fun from this as someone whose favourite genre is third person action. I much prefer first person shooters, but this was a pleasant break for the norm. I suggest that if you find the game as cheap as mentioned above, you do indeed buy it without a moment's hesitation (but read the system requirements at the bottom first), because even the gamer whose genre isn't third person, you'll still extract some fun from this extraordinary single player game and brilliant wrecking crew mini-game. However, don't come in expecting multiplayer, that's long deserted, and I suspect Games for Windows Live to have been the cause. Content Conclusion There are features of Red Faction: Guerrilla that parents may not want their children to see, however they are mild. Here is a detail of what the beef is with the content Violence The game revolves around destruction, rebellion and a work force going against authority, if any of that sounds bad to you, I'd avoid the game. When enemies are shot, there is a brief amount of blood, it is barely noticeable. When you hit people with a sledgehammer, mutilation is not found, but it's a little on the cringe worthy side as you hit them so hard the screen shakes and their body flies a metre, landing floppily with a disheartening crack. The player can steal roaming cars off the road. There is nothing graphic about the procedure of getting the driver out, but parents may find that this is against what they want their children to do. Language There is some strong language in Red Faction: Guerrilla, such as 'f***', 'sh*t' and 'as**ole', but it's infrequent and rarely in the actual gameplay. Language is sometimes muttered during the cutscenes and the mission briefings. Sometimes strong language is used on the radio broadcasts around Mars. Content Conclusion If your child can survive a little language and a tiny splash of violence, this game will be fine for them to play. There is nothing particularly impacting in the game, and gore is never present throughout the entire game. Especially since most of violence is inflicted upon the buildings and forces of oppression. If you're still not sure, tell your children that the moral of the game is not to back down to oppression, but be sure that it shouldn't be done with violence. Game Conclusion The game is good; the graphics are great, if a little grey. The physics are absolutely astonishing and the free-world really feels open. The game gives me something that other games of the genre always fail to provide. An astounding sense of fun. Well done, Volition, this is far better than your previous effort with Saints Row 2, even if it can be a little lagging on lower end systems. You really gave the foundations of gaming a smacking (see what I did there?). Minimum System Requirements 2.0GHz Dual Core Processor 1GB RAM (recommending 2GB from me) Windows XP for DirectX 9, Windows Vista or 7 for DirectX 10 128MB Graphics Card with Shader Model 3 (Technically, the game will run on a Nvidia 6800+, but the game's requirements state oddly that you require an Nvidia 7600+, however, the lowest end card I have is a 7600GS, so I cannot test my theory.) On my high end specs, this game is able to be maxed out with full resolution and only once in a blue moon of slowdown. High end specs below. Intel Core i7 (2.66GHz, Hyperthreading) 6GB DDR3 RAM ATi HD RADEON 4890 1GB On my lower end specs in my laptop, the game had huge slowdown at even the lowest settings and resolutions, rendering it unplayable with a framerate regularly dipping into single digits. The specs of that laptop are Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz 4GB DDR3 RAM Nvidia G105M (equivalent of a 9400GT) So I recommend a high-mid range desktop to run this game, or a specifically designed gaming laptop. I recommend that you ask you retailer if your computer will be able to play the game should you be unsure. I give the game 4/5 Read the complete review |
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Age of Empires III Gold Edition (PC)
by Nixer Age of Empires 3, obviously the third installment of the game. A little different than the others. You of course have your major players, the guys you see everywhere, being the British, the French, the Spanish, and the Dutch. The Russians, the Portuguese, the Germans, and the Ottomans. A neat feature of this game is the mercenaries, I ... liked this about the game a lot. As well as indian camps / tribes! They show up in the game as well. Something that just adds a lil kick and twist to the general game. Into the gameplay however, first we will start of with the base plot of the game. You start out being given control of a little colony. Its a colony just starting out and you are the man (or woman) for the job to bring this colony to greatness. You must build up your settlement, and to do that you need resources of course. If you are a player of the other two you will remember the food, wood, stone, and gold resources. This game drops the stone, and you only need to worry about food, wood, and gold. Also, a part I appreciated was the queuing up of units. You can produce 5 at the same time it takes to produce one now, which is helpful to amass a large army quick. Or, if your being attacked to hopefully mount an effective defense! Like the other games, you must build up your economy, while balancing your defenses, and army. The military units are pretty generic. You do have your race specific units however, the British have their famous longbows, and the Turks are very big on gunpowder units. It leads up to some pretty interesting and fun battles, with strategy being a big key. Better graphics than the older games, and simplified controls in certain areas. You will notice (if you played the previous games). All in all I rate this 3 stars. The reason for this is the game did not BLOW my mind, therefore, can not be granted 5 stars. Also, its a 3rd line of the series, its hard to really make new things pop out and be effective. That along with the occasional bog in frame rate,( could be my computer though) I have to give this game 3 stars! Still worth the play, although I'd wait to find the game on sale personally. Read the complete review |
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Gears of War (PC)
by Coolchris330 This is a copy from my profile at Ciao.co.uk, I wrote this review, it is not copied :). Gears of War is a third-person action game created and developed by Epic Games. It is published by Microsoft and features the Games for Windows Live DRM, which may be a problem for certain players, if their internet connection doesn't work ... with their servers. Gears of War is a third person shooter, following a squad of rather large men who have guns. The twist, the fact that they have Chainsaw Bayonets. You must shoot, saw and grenade your way throughout your surroundings, and I can assure you, it's fantastic. Gameplay/Playability To tell you the gameplay is bad, unoptimized for PC or bland would be pure unauthenticated lying. This game employs a few new ideas, such as the chainsaw bayonet, but that's not really what makes the game fun, what makes the game fun is the way it's all executed. The camera wobbles as you chainsaw someone through the stomach. The room lights up as you fire from your squad at the locusts as they slowly rise from the ground, the blood flying as a rogue turns the corner just as you pull your trigger. It's all very satisfying, and is one of the better things about the game. The gameplay is highly commendable and is one of the most engaging third person games I've played yet, and I'm most certainly looking forward to playing through cooperative with my friend. Graphics The graphics in this game know how to utilise the grey colour spectrum, but not a lot else, at least that's what it seems. The colours in this game are extremely far from vibrant or bright. I believe that it's just the game trying too hard to be dark and gritty, but it doesn't really take anything away from the core experience. At times the screen can be a little dark, which means you may have to turn your brightness settings up, which you cannot (annoyingly) alter during gameplay. The blood in this game looks a little like ketchup, when it's flying everywhere the game could be mistaken as an advert for Heinz, the gore doesn't look particularly realistic and the explosions could use a little more oomph. Additionally, in one of the cutscenes, there is a shiny, yet partially demolished car. A shiny-metalled cars in a wasteland like the one portrayed in the game must be a very uncommon sight, it's only on scene for a couple of seconds, and it's quite hard to overlook, especially since it's right in your face, but then again, it's not affecting gameplay so it's all right. Sound The screaming of the Locusts, the manly, grunting comments of the main characters and the aggressively buzzing sound of chainsaws are all present throughout the game. It's all fantastic and it's easy to listen to (although the main characters have voices so gravelly that you're surprised that they haven't taken a day job telling stories about past wars in semi-dramatic fashion). The sound was quite important to the atmosphere, specifically the music, and I really enjoyed the game. The sound was thoroughly enjoyable. Value for Money/Longevity The very uniqueness of this game is fantastic. It's easy to play, fun to play, and extensively re-playable, specifically in multiplayer. You can play the campaign through with anyone you wish, you can unlock achievements to push that game a little bit longer, and you can easily spend fifteen hours having fun on this game. The longevity is great and the value for money is fantastic, truly a great buy (although I did buy it cheaper than the offer suggested on ciao. Difficulty and Complexity Well, Gears of War is a little more complex than your average game. The story isn't that hard to follow and the mechanics aren't hard to grasp, but the game is challenging without being brutally unfair throughout. The regular checkpoints make it so dying isn't too punishing and yet you still don't want to fall in battle. It makes getting through the fray first time extremely rewarding, and most of all, it makes you feel awesome. Multiplayer To tell you that the multiplayer in Gears of War is generic, boring or unbalanced would be unfair. The Gears multiplayer is based entirely on skill. It's hard, it's challenging but it's a fantastic feeling when you beat every other player of the game is a battle of tactics and aim. The multiplayer component of the game has an additional game mode over the Xbox 360 game of the same name, but there is very little in this game that would make it worth buying as well as the console version. The multiplayer is well optimized, a little hard to find players and not too laggy. Fantastic fun, I say. Content Watch Gears of War is by far one of the least suitable games for children. Here's a run down of the content Violence This game has a lot of violence, in fact, the sheer bloodiness of this games combat is one of it's selling points. If you can find a third person game with more bodily fluids on the screen than this one, I'd be surprised. When you use the chainsaw, the chainsaw goes through the body of the person/thing you are killing. It's extremely graphic and quite nasty to look at. The bodies slump lifeless to the floor after you've killed them. Being shot or shooting at people produces splurts of blood to appear, they don't stay long and a look a little bit like ketchup. The game still shows it's gory with this though. The grenades can dismember and kill the characters that scatter the game world quite brutally in true ragdoll-flail fashion. The physics engine takes a play here showing the game as the flying pieces of body flies about with a realistic sense of gravity. The game is very, very violent. However, there is an option in the menu marked 'Extreme Content', which you can turn off. This turns the blood in the game to sparks and removes some of the gorier effects such as dismemberment. The game is still violent at it's core, even with this off, but it's got less impact when the extreme content is off. Language The language in this game is strong at times, with the marines dropping words like 'f***' at times of great sadness, annoyance of stress. The main characters also regularly use the word 's***'. There is some other, milder language throughout. The stronger language (f***) can be turned off in the extreme content button, but the milder words (s***) remain scattered throughout the game, albeit in a lesser quantity. Sexual Content It is implied that one of the characters has a 'two year old kid' at home. It implies that the characters had sex and the man is a father figure, but it's a puny reference compared to the gory content in the game. Content Conclusion With the full graphic effects on, this is a fairly adults only game, with gore and language around every corner. With the extreme content off, the game is still fairly violent and grim to play, but some of the impact is taken away, making it playable by perhaps a mature teen. Full Conclusion I conclude that this is a fantastic, fast paced and frantic third person game that surpasses most of the games of it's genre. It's one of my favourite action games around and I could easily recommend it to anyone (who I believed mature enough to play it). If you like the gorier games with cover systems, you should go and play this right now. If not, you should still go and play this right now. Minimum System Requirements CPU: Intel Pentium 4 @ 2.4GHz or AMD Athlon @ 2.0GHz RAM: 1GB Hard Drive Space: 12GB Graphics card: Nvidia 6600 GT or ATi X700+ Game crippling bug solves There is a bug in this game due to the fact that the anti cheat certificate has expired on the Games for Windows Live. This causes a message to appear telling you that you 'cannot play the game with a modified executable'. This can be fixed by either not playing with a modified executable (if you modified it) or by changing your system clock to 2007 (for the time you're playing the game, ensure you change it back otherwise your computer will act up severely after finishing, because it will not detect current security certificates on sites such as Hotmail or Ciao up to date). Read the complete review |
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