Green.. Becomes Round...

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:

Cry Some More!!!

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:

Need a Jolt?

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.