You know things just got real when a soldier is carrying four weapons at once!
Ah Call of Duty, a military shooter that is well known for the realistic yet fun approach found in just about every game in the franchise. You will never find gratuitous amounts of pew pew laser beams and portals to other worlds here, for CoD as it is called is all about using real life military hardware to dish out the carnage in actual to somewhat actual real world settings, where there is no such thing as energy shields saving your butt from a quick and painful death. There is also very little being held back in terms of violence, as there is plenty of blood, explosions, and dismembered limbs to be found in these series of games, and Call of Duty: Black Ops is no exception by any means. Taking place after World War 2, Black Ops takes everything about its predecessor (Modern Warfare 2) and seemingly ups the ante in all possible aspects, right down the sheer amount of 'M' rated violence that one can see and in some cases partake in. It should be noted, however, that I have not had the chance to play this game myself, for I have only seen it being played on You Tube videos as well as on campus, so the best that I can do is give you an idea on what you may expect from this thing.
The graphics, true to CoD form, scream of realism across the board, with plenty of details to be found in practically everything visible. Epic explosions, beautiful weather effects, incredibly well crafted vehicles and characters, the works! Heck even the guns that you utilize are very well done, as they seem to match their real life counter-parts quite well along with the previously mentioned vehicles. The audio aspect is top notch from what I can gather from the videos, as everything from the voices to the gun sound just about right to me, especially the guns and their realistic gunfire. Gameplay, from the on-looker's experiences, looks to be quite fun in terms of singleplayer, with plenty of action occurring in the one level that I got chance to witness for myself, though that alone probably says volumes for the rest of the campaign. Multiplayer on the other hand, I never got a chance to observe enough to give opinion, though I have heard that it is an nice upgrade from the previous game's offering.
Given what has been said above, I would recommend this game to you, though it would be wise to rent it if you are looking for any of the console versions (Xbox 360, PS3 to my knowledge), the PC version you would have either buy or borrow on the other hand. It would also be beneficial to look up videos and information of Black Ops, so that you would have far greater idea of to expect upon purchase/rent/borrow. When taking my previous experiences with the Modern Warfare series for example, I honestly think that you would find something to like about this game, though do NOT quote me on not, if you please!
WARNING TO ALL POTENTIAL ONLINE PLAYERS: There has been some serious issues regarding internet lag during release, and it is unknown to me AS OF THIS WRITING if it has been fixed in all versions yet, so please double and triple check to make sure that it is before considering Black Ops, for you may have to wait a little while before the lag is taken care before it hasn't been already!
Here is some singleplayer footage from IGN (mind the volume please):
If i have ever enjoyed zombie movies or games involving a zombie apocalypse, then Resident Evil 5 is up your alley. Released for the Xbox 360, PC, and possibly the PS3, Resident Evil 5 is the latest installment of the series of zombie horror games, where you have to fight through countless numbers of infected, bloodthirsty maniacs. The game starts off in an fictional village in Africa, where agent Chris Redfield is investigating a possible virus outbreak, accompanied by his new partner, Sheva Alomar. The situation quickly turns horrifying, as the entire population suddenly goes senile and attacks the pair at practically every turn, apparently being infected by the virus that Chris was investigating in the first place. Now the two have to find the source of this catastrophe and take it out before the virus spreads any farther.
The first thing to notice about the game is that it is beautiful, especially with the lighting and shader effects having that realistic look. This is further enhanced by its ability to utilize DirectX 10 for better graphics processing and optimization. Combine all of that with incredibly well made models and textures everywhere you look (most specifically, Chris Redfield), and you got a game that is sure to please to eye. A major warning for you PC gamers out their: RE5 will require a pretty decent system in order to have every graphical setting set to max without causing slow downs, though won't have to break the bank too much to upgrade what you need.
The controls function in a similar vain to RE4's scheme, with an over-the-shoulder third person view and using both the left and mouse buttons to aim and fire for starters. One of my favorite things that can be done control wise is a context sensitive feature called Partner Actions, which can range from you helping Sheva up a broken ladder to find something, to both of you busting down a door at the same time. You can also use this ability to help your partner out a jam whenever the need arises and the button appears on the screen. A cool feature that can be used is the ability to open up your items menu and select what you want to use in just a couple keystrokes, all while playing in the game. Not only that, but you can also use the number keys to switch between each of your items without having to look at the menu first, which will come in handy during a fight when you need health in a hurry. You can also make a full 180 degree turn with the single press of a key, perfect for when you want to get a quick kill from behind. Granted, the controls may take some getting used to, as it was the case with me. But once you the hang of things, you'll be killing stuff in no time.
An interesting feature to note is that you can actually choose to play with someone else cooperatively via online or through a LAN (Local Area Network), which only doubles the amount of fun you can have with this game, especially when the partner you get is at least somewhat competent at killing zombies here. But as I've basically said in many of my previous blogs, your online experience can and will vary, so don't be surprised if you find yourself stuck with a jerk. All in all, Resident Evil 5 is a game I have enjoyed so far (though I have yet to beat it sadly), and I would recommend that you fans of action games ought to at least give this bad boy a shot.
Before I finish, I would like to apologize for not updating my blog for as long as I have, for I was being particularly lazy, sorry professor!
Better late than never... (logo created by Blizzard Entertainment)
I am a fan of Real-Time Strategy games, mainly due to the fun of ordering armies to destroy stuff just for the heck of it. One of the series of games in this genre that I have had interest in is the Starcraft series, though I had never had the chance to play the first game nor its expansion; Brood Wars. Recently however, I was able acquire the sequel; Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty, and I will admit that it rocks.The singleplayer storyline takes place a few years after the events of Brood Wars, where Jim Raynor and his band of raiders do everything they can to deal damage to the oppressive Terran Dominion, led by the ruthless and cunning Arcturus Mengsk. Mengsk is countering this rebellion by using the media to paint Jim as a 'terrorist' who would harm the innocent. As if that weren't enough, the rebels themselves are particularly low on money and technology from the start of the story. The story is much deeper than I have described, but if I go further, I would start to spoil key plot points!
The gameplay mechanics, however, I can talk about more easily. As you progress through the levels, you will earn money for completing objectives, which you can use to upgrade your arsenal in many unique ways. For example, you can upgrade your Medics' healing ability so that they can heal faster than normal, allowing your attacking units to survive much longer in heated firefights. You will also gain new units to order around as you go through the story, such as the deadly Siege Tank, thus giving you an increasing number of tactical options as you go. Not only that, but you can also gain research points via secondary objectives in each mission, which you can use to further pimp out your army. For example, you can acquire flame throwing turrets that burrow underground and pop out when an enemy is present. To add icing to the cake, you are able to communicate with some of the main characters between missions, such as Jim Raynor himself. I strongly encourage you to talk to as many of them as you can before starting a new level, as their dialogue adds a layer of depth into the story that would not be noticeable otherwise.
The multiplayer aspect of Starcraft 2, on the other hand, is a entirely different beast. It is both online and offline based, where you can play against other people on the internet or AI bots. You can play as one of the three main races in the series; the tough as nails Terrans, the ultra high tech Protoss, and the monstrous Zerg. When playing a typical game, the objective is to destroy your opponent's base before he/she destroys yours. During the match, you will have to deal with two separate resources; minerals and vespene gas. I say this because everything you purchase will require a certain amount of at least one of those resources, so it is important that you make use of both of them quickly. Each race is completely unique from the others in more ways than one, from the way they are played to the units that you can utilize. The Terrans build their structures literally from the ground up, as you can see the actual construction of the buildings. The Protoss, rather than build their structures, warp them into the map via probes, and are powered by special buildings called Pylons. The Zerg are a different story, as everything about them, including the buildings, are born from either drones or larvae. I could go in depth about the unit composition of each race, but that would make this post the blog equivalent of a short story. Thankfully though, the game comes fully loaded with tutorials, videos, and a plethora of hints and tips to get newcomers up to speed on how Starcraft 2 is played. Matches start off slow, to be honest, but when the action picks up, the fight quickly becomes intense, especially when playing against highly skilled players.
I could go and on like a broken record about this game, but I think the best way to learn more about Starcraft 2 is to play it and see if it is to your liking. If you want more information, please visit the following links:
The Game's Main Site - http://us.battle.net/sc2/en/ My Favorite Starcraft Fan-site - http://sclegacy.com/
C&C Renegade: the name alone brings me back to my earlier years, when I had just started to truly get into the realm of PC gaming. I will always remember Renegade as one of the first PC games that I had ever played religiously for much longer than a couple of months, and for good reason too, as it provided me with years worth of fun and enjoyment. The game, much like Red Alert: A Path Beyond, pitted two unique armies against one another in all out warfare, with each one sending tanks, helicopters, and the like to bring in the pain. The main difference between the two games (besides the completely different armies), however, was the faster pace of Renegade that made players on both sides react to situations much quick than they would in APB, since the maps were much smaller in comparison. Once a match in the game began, it would not take very long for the action to pick up. Five minutes into the fight, and both armies would already be sending their vehicles of destruction to deal all kinds of mayhem to each other. That was the greatest thing about Renegade: there was almost always a battle taking place during a match, right until the last building is demolished.
With that being said, I suppose you are wondering about the significance of the "Renegade X" picture shown on this post, well then allow me to make sense of my madness through the use of appealing visual aid. To that end, I will now show two videos; the first one depicting an attack performed during a match in Renegade, with the second depicting a rather different take on a similar performance.
There is quite a difference between the two videos, is there not? As shown in the second one's title, the game being featured is none other than Renegade X, a professionally made recreation of the original C&C Renegade, produced as a large-scale modification for Unreal Tournament 3.
The game itself takes everything that made Renegade so enjoyable and brings them into the modern era in every possible aspect, all the while keeping the fast paced warfare-styled gameplay that got me hooked so many years ago largely intact. As one could tell from the videos, the graphical appearance of Renegade X makes its predecessor look old and feeble in comparison. Everything from the maps to the characters you play as look absolutely stunning, thus it is easy to tell that the people behind the graphics took their sweet time in getting their work done just right. The sound is also heavily improved, with a combination of classic sound-bytes from the original game along with brand new bits of audio that give Renegade X an epic yet nostalgic sound that is pleasing to the ear. Last but most importantly, we now turn to the gameplay at last. As mentioned earlier, C&C Renegade's gameplay was left practically unchanged when brought into its remake. For those of you who have read my APB post, the premise is very similar: two teams blow each other with weapons of war until one's base is completely destroyed. Thankfully though, this has proven to be an interesting blessing, as the people who have played the original game will feel right at home in Renegade X, while those who have never played either game before will not miss out on the fun so easily. All in all, I have found this game to be a rather enjoyable experience, and a worthy successor to C&C Renegade.
Before I give out links (for those of you who are actually interested) though, a warning should be given to the readers who may own old computers. This game is can be quite intensive on computers with lower end graphics cards, so if your system has a graphics card with Intel in its name for example, expect slow downs as those cards were not made with high-end gaming in mind! It should also be noted once again that currently, Renegade X is a modification of Unreal Tournament 3, therefore you will need to have said game installed and fully patched up before installing the mod in question.
With that being said here are the all important links:
The insignia of abandoned souls, brought back into the light by those who give a care.
The year is 2007, and Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars is released to the public. As time passed after wards, the C&C 3 Mod SDK, which allows owners of the game to modify it in a various number of ways, becomes available for download and use. Time passes once more, and September 21st arrives, marking the release of what can be considered the greatest example of what can be done with the SDK: The Forgotten.
The Forgotten is an immense modification of C&C 3, to the point where one could call it an unofficial expansion pack of the main game in terms of content. The mod's main features include a brand new faction, new maps for playing against the computer or other people online, and a full single-player campaign with high definition full motion videos (videos involving real life actors). Let us start by taking a closer look at the new faction, one that is literally the main focus of the entire mod: the Forgotten (yes, the title is named after them). The Forgotten themselves are a group of individuals that are afflicted with Tiberium-based illnesses (Tiberium is the main source of income in C&C 3, story-wise it is an economical gift as well as an environmental curse to humanity and Earth in general), and have been mutated and shunned from society as a result. As the years came and went, the mutant population become more and more fed up with being abandoned and ignored by humanity, to the point where one particular mutant, Salvador Trogan, decide to take action. By uniting many of the Forgotten under his banner, Trogan would take the newly unified force and use it to strike at the ones who had shunned them in the first place, thus begins the campaign of their namesake.
The Forgotten are not the most advanced faction in the game by any means, however this is easily remedied by the uniqueness and sheer versatility of their units and structures. For example; just like with the main factions, the Forgotten need power plants in order to keep their bases up and running. The main twist is the ability for the player to add certain defensive weapons or a power upgrade to each power plant, with one add-on per plant. This means that one could build a couple Forgotten power plants in front of their base and add some pillboxes and rocket cannons to each one, there-by giving the enemy player a rather nasty surprise. Another, equally humorous example is the War Camper; a transport vehicle that can carry a single unit and utilize a rocket turret to defend against aircraft and lightly armored vehicles, allowing it to double as a hit and run attack vehicle if enough of them are present. Imagine the look on your opponent's face when he or she notices the lack of base power, only to find that was caused by a group of modified mini-vans. I have not even scratched the surface on this faction in terms of unit and structure composition, but I feel that you may something to like in their inventory of destruction.
The campaign itself is five missions long, with high definition full motion videos playing before, during, and after each one. The mission number is admittedly small, but this is mainly due to the fact that each one is not exactly a 'walk in the park' so to speak. Let me explain: mission one requires that you locate and capture a TV tower while busting through all of the enemies that stand your way, including (but not limited to) an entire enemy base. After that is done, your next objective is to defend said tower from wave after wave of increasingly difficult enemy attacks until the timer runs out. Note that this is only the first mission in the campaign, so you are particularly limited in terms of what units and structures that you can build, which only adds to the challenge. As for difficulty settings, I kindly suggest that those of you who are new to Real Time Strategy games should set it to easy, as the higher levels can be overwhelming for those who have not-so-good reaction times. As challenge as I make it sound, the campaign does not seem to be horribly impossible by any means, you just have to use your heads and you'll see the ending in no time.
Now that the single-player aspect of the mod has been described, let us now take a gander at what its like to fight against the Forgotten when a computer is controlling it. While not incredibly competent at the lower difficulty settings, the AI itself is just smart enough to keep a beginner on their toes on easy and even more so on normal. Hard and brutal on the other hand are a different story all together, as the AI for each of them is much more intelligent, and is prone to making players pay for messing up even a little bit. The brutal difficulty is the meaner of the two, as it can easily steamroll your base if you are not prepared for such an occurrence. Thankfully though, even a brutal AI can be defeated by a player who is at least a tad competent, though it is safe to say that a total newbie may want to start on easy or normal first.
The new campaign levels, skirmish maps, and all of the Forgotten's forces and buildings look absolutely gorgeous; incredibly large Tiberium canyons dividing huge chucks of the landscape, mutated dog-like creatures with bits of Tiberium growing out from their bodies, a giant underground monster destroying everything within the reach its tentacles, Ion Storms ravaging the surface and anything that is unlucky enough to get struck by the lightning, a large structure that is loaded to the brim with Tiberium crystals of multiple colors and sizes, the list goes on. I could continue to give countless other examples of the Forgotten's graphical quailty, but that would be one blog post all together in terms of size. Instead, I will put it in more simpler words; the sheer amount of details put into this mod's overall look is simply incredible. This is especially true if you consider the fact this is simply a modification of an already existing game, created through the use of its adjacent SDK among other fine programs
If you have played Real Time Strategy games before, then playing The Forgotten shouldn't be too hard to be honest. But if you are not exactly experienced in sending virtual armies to blow up a bunch of other armies, then I suggest that you play C&C 3 first, so that you can get a feel on how an RTS plays out. Of course, you could also throw caution clear out the window by playing The Forgotten campaign on hard if you really want to, just try not go into it thinking that its going to be easy, otherwise you will see a mission failed screen more often than not. Since this is a modification of C&C 3, that particular game has to be installed and patched up to 1.09 in order to get the mod set up properly so that you can play it. For more information regarding The Forgotten, simply go to its main site.
I leave you now with not one, but two videos for your viewing pleasure:
Credit goes to Valve for the creation of this epic picture.
Anyone who has at least heard of Valve will have also heard of Team Fortress 2, a class-based online first-person shooter for the PC, Mac, and Xbox 360. Putting a huge emphasis on team-based gameplay, Team Fortress 2 (which shall be referred to as "TF2" for the remainder of this post) pits two teams against each other in all sorts of intense battles, where the prize is usually bragging rights and reducing whats left of the losing side to bits. Every member of both teams can select from one of nine different classes, each with his (or her?) unique style of play; from the ultra fast Scout to the bullet spitting tank that is the Heavy. While each of these classes bring something new to the table, they all have their weaknesses that can be exploited by good players. The Heavy for example, has the health and size of an NFL football player with a truck-load of firepower to match, but he also has the running speed of a turtle and is a big target due to his massive size. The strengths and weaknesses of all of the classes, along with other less noticeable nuances, make for the basis of a fair game.
The game-types for TF2 include the ever familiar "Capture the Flag" (ctf), "Control Point" (cp), and a few others as well. Capture the Flag is easy to figure out; steal the enemy team's flag while defend yours. However, TF2's take on the classic game-type is a bit different, in the sense that you are capturing briefcases that are loaded with intelligence, instead of the usual flags. Control Point is also not too hard to learn, for your team simply has to capture points that are scattered through out a level until you have them, whilst making sure that the other team does do the same to you. There are different variants of this mode, such as one where one team attacks the control points while the other tries to prevent their capture, so its always good to keep on an eye out for things like that. Other game-types include "Payload" (pl), where you have to push a bomb cart from checkpoint to checkpoint while the enemy team tries to stop you, and "Arena", which is basically team deathmatch without the constant respawning.
The interesting thing about the game-types is that they are adjacent to the maps that have the initials next to their names (for example: ctf_2Fort), meaning that if you want to play ctf, you will have to find the map that its tied to. This tends to be good thing, since the only maps that one could play a specific game-type on are the ones that are made specifically for it, which goes a long way in keeping every game from being unfair. The maps themselves have varying appearances; rocky deserts, industrial complexes, mining facilities, and many other kinds of regions can found in this game.
Just like with Red Alert: A Path Beyond from my previous post, teamwork is highly recommended in TF2. This is especially prevalent to me in Payload, where I've seen almost the entire offensive team surround the bomb cart so that they push it faster and defend it more effectively, with impressive results when performed correctly. you could play a game of TF2 lone wolf style if you really wanted to, but unless you are particularly skillful at this game, expect to die in record times until you decide to suck it up and find a partner or two to help you out. For instance, when you are Heavy and you see a large of group of enemies heading your way in a close formation, it is a very grand idea to at least warn your teammates of the impending attack so that they can provide assistance. The downside to this is that, just like with APB, you will find at least one jerk on your team who will out right refuse to be a team player of any kind whatsoever, sometimes going so far as to cuss up a storm for no legitimate reason: you have been warned!
Other than that, I believe you will find something to like about Team Fortress 2; whether it be hitting people with a baseball bat as the Scout, fooling the enemy team with your clever disguise as the Spy (then stabbing them in the back just to mess with their heads), or just rocketing players to kingdom come with Soldier. If you can't seem to enjoy this game, then you are missing out on one of the best team-based PC games to hit the commercial market, and I would feel bad for you because of it. For more information regarding TF2, including on how to purchase it, visit this link. It should be noted that you will need the "Steam" online gaming program/service installed onto your computer if you wish to play this game (don't worry though, Steam is no where near as problematic as it used to be, from my experience at least). Before I go, allow me to end this post off with one of my favorite TF2 videos on the internet:
Command & Conquer fans are probably drooling at the name "Red Alert" right now.
For my first blog post, allow me to introduce you fine folks to a little game called Red Alert: A Path Beyond.
Red Alert: A Path Beyond (or APB if you prefer) is a team based, online shooter for the PC that is based on the real time strategy game Command & Conquer: Red Alert. APB itself has the same setting as its name sake: An alternate World War 2 where the Stalin-led Soviet Union, rather than Nazi Germany, invade western Europe, and it is up to the European Allies to defend their homes and drive back the Communist war machine. The game's main attraction is its multiplayer, where you play as a soldier from either the Allies or the Soviets, with the objective being to destroy the enemy's base while defending yours.
The coolest thing about the game is the arsenal that you can utilize; tanks, helicopters, naval ships, submarines, and many other vehicles can be built and piloted by you and your teammates, and they can easily mean the difference between victory and defeat if used correctly. Not only that, but you are not strictly limited to being a simple rifleman with an M16 to your name, for you are able to choose what kind of unit you wish to be at anytime via a purchase terminal, the same can be said for purchasing vehicles as well. True to the name "purchase terminal", a vast majority of the vehicles and units you wish to obtain don't come free (save for a few basic infantry), as they will require a certain amount of credits (ala: cash) depending on what you wish to buy. Thankfully though, money is usually acquired through either time or kills if I recall correctly, so it may not be too long before you can get your hands on that big tank you always wanted. While the matches do take a bit to really pick up at the start, the fun does start when the battles begin to occur. The fights get even more excited when there are a good number of people playing at once, as that usually translates to more enemies to blow up.
It should be noted again that APB is a team based online shooter, to the point where going at it alone usually translates to a quick and painful demise in game form. That means that unless you are incredibly awesome at games such as this, it pays to have a few teammates backing you up when you need them. For example: never drive a tank to the enemy base all on your own, as the opposing force can and will... "pimp out your ride" in the most explosive fashion possible. That being said, there are some teammates out there in the online world that tend to be rather mean to others among other social problems, so it is only fair of me to give you a heads up about that.
But you really don't have to take my word for it, so how about I give you some visual aid to help you get a far better idea of APB is like that no amount of text can bring home:
IMPOTANT NOTE: The video above shows an older version of APB (1.3.1 if memory serves), as it was the only video I could find that could give a decent gameplay demonstration!
As of this writing the current version of the game is 1.4.0, with it's fair share of bugs here and there to be honest, but since it is in constant development, that will change as time passes. If you wish to obtain more information on Red Alert: A Path Beyond, including download links and forums, be sure to visit their main site.
