Consolation Prize

They say that “all good things come to he who waits”. An adage that certainly feels relevant as I’ve only just completed Half Life 2: Episode Two even though it has been nearly a year since the release of The Orange Box. I can now at last join the millions around the globe whom are anxiously awaiting the concluding chapter in this trilogy of episodic content – whenever it finally materialises.

So here we go again with another finely scripted, beautifully paced game that kicks off immediately after the events of Episode One as Gordon Freeman regains consciousness in the wreckage of the train - derailed by the portal storm from the Citadels destruction - which he and Alyx Vance used to escape from City 17. Reunited with his companion Alyx, and the familiar zero-point energy field manipulator (gravity gun) the pair set off in haste for the “White Forest” resistance stronghold with there precious cache of transmission data they’ve recovered from the Citadel. The Combine haven’t of course given up on there quarry, and our fleeing protagonists will be pursued mercilessly throughout.

Whereas its immediate predecessor took place in the claustrophobic surroundings in and around City 17, in contrast Episode 2 is mostly played out in a more open rural environment with trees aplenty, rocky outcrops, mining outposts, and abandoned dwellings. All of which add a great deal of diversity to the surroundings. I’m not sure whether it’s the new locales, but Episode Two certainly looks the more visually impressive entry of the series thus far even though it’s using the now ageing “Source Engine”. Whatever the reason for the apparent improvement, it would all be for naught if it wasn’t backed up by the solid level design we’ve come to expect from Valve.

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I finally managed to make it through Half Life 2: Episode One. Not unscathed however, there were plenty of close encounters where Gordon Freeman flirted with death, and he even visited the pearly gates once or twice (or was it nine or ten times) before the episode concluded.

Episode One is a direct continuation of the events that occurred at the finale of Half Life 2. Beginning immediately after the destruction of the Citadel reactor in City 17 Gordon awakes in the pitch black only to discover he’s buried beneath rubble from the explosion. Fortunately he’s excavated from his stony grave by Alyx Vance’s pet robot Dog and is soon reunited with his companion. The subsequent story centres on Gordon and Alyx’s attempts to escape City 17 before the reactor goes into meltdown and completely destroys the city.

Although in certain chapters of Half Life 2 there were some cooperative aspects, Episode One takes the principle much further and really focuses on the interplay and cooperation between Gordon and Alyx. When playing the game it’s obvious that the level designers at Valve have taken the “cooperative play” mandate very seriously and each level has been considerately planned to help promote the idea. Alyx is not just a pretty face, she is there to help out when required; hinting at possible puzzle solutions, warning the player of imminent danger, and providing well needed firepower when things start to get a bit hectic. The actual cooperative play between the two protagonists works beautifully and it’s easy to forget at times that Alyx is an AI construct.

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Grand Theft Auto IV, one of the most anticipated titles of the year was finally released on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 on the 29th April. The true successor to Grand Theft Auto III has been a few years in the making and fans have been salivating at the prospect of finally getting to grips with the latest sandbox game world. Combining the current generation of console hardware with Rockstars latest RAGE game engine it’s hard not to be impressed with the results achieved by Rockstar North.

As is prevalent throughout GTA games this is a “Rags to Riches” storyline with Eastern European immigrant Niko Bellic arriving in the docks of Liberty City at the invitation of his cousin Roman whom has promised that America is the “land of dreams”, bursting at the seams with money and promiscuous women. Roman has of course been embellishing the truth a little and instead of owning the mansion, four hot-tubs and fifteen sports cars as boasted, is in stark contrast struggling to make ends meet, in debt to gangsters, and owns a small time Taxi Company down in Hove Beach. And thus begins the game as Niko, with only a few dollars to his name, tries to carve out a living in the city of dreams.

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After two successful outings on the PS2, it’s time for the Ghost of Sparta to step into the mobile market for God of War: Chains of Olympus on the Sony PSP. The development reigns (or should that be chains) have been handed over to Ready At Dawn Studios using an enhanced version of their proprietary engine that was developed for Daxter (PSP).

Set as a prequel to the events that took place in God of War, this entry in the franchise nicely fits into the story arc that has already been told thus far and fleshes out more of our angry Spartans background.

At start of the game Kratos, already in servitude to the Olympian gods, is sent to the city of Attica to repel the Persian invasion. It’s an adrenalin inducing start and introduces the player to the controls gradually throughout the level and finally climaxes with a showdown with a Basilisk that has been terrorising the city. The level however is merely a taster of things to come and it’s not until vanquishing the beast that the true story line becomes apparent as Kratos witnessing the sun falling from the sky begins a quest to restore the god Helios.

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Mario and friends are back for another fun packed bout of racing in Mario Kart Wii. Although this is the sixth instalment in the series there aren’t really any drastic changes to the tried and tested formula. This isn’t a bad thing as by and large the series evolves with each generation of Nintendo hardware and introduces some new features.

So what’s new this time around? First and foremost is the introduction of motor bikes as vehicles rather than just karts. Instead of just being an afterthought however the bikes handle significantly differently from the karts to make them a worthwhile addition to the game, generally being faster and more responsive, but feeling a bit more unstable (twitchy). Bikes also tend to be lighter than there karting brethren and thus it’s easier to get bullied off the track while riding a pocket rocket, especially if coupled with a very light character.

Another new element this time around is the ability to perform tricks on jumps. A quick jerk of the wheel upwards at the right moment and you get to see Mario or Toad pull off a random smile inducing trick which upon landing gives you a speed boost for a few vital seconds.

There’s a wide variety of characters to choose from, in fact Mario Kart Wii boasts the largest character roster of the series to date spoiling the player with 25 in total, including the ability to use your Mii. Although half of these have to be unlocked during the course of the game most of the best known characters are available from the start.

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I’ve recently picked up an iPhone and as with any new gadget I was eager to find out what games were available for my shiny new device. Fortunately I came across
Kingdom Game and I’ve been putting it through its paces over the last week.

Kingdom Game is an online real time resource management game based on one of several worlds (servers) which are also populated with many other kingdoms. The aim of the game is simply to become the number one kingdom in the known world by increasing its net worth through buildings and population.

Peasants are the bread and butter of your kingdom; they not only provide an income from taxation but can also be trained to become one of several different military units or alternatively a specialist unit such as spies, diplomats or priests. To expand your population you’ll need to build housing and provide an ample supply of food from farms but also ensure that you have enough raw materials from lumber mills and stone quarries in order to satisfy any building requirements.

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I missed out on Rez the first time it appeared on the Dreamcast, and also its subsequent port to the PS2. An enhanced version is now also available from Xbox Live Marketplace for 800 MS points and this time I’m not going to miss out.

The story is a simple one providing enough detail to form a setting for the game. In Rez, you’re a hacker infiltrating a super network controlled by an artificial intelligence. Known as Eden, the AI has recently begun to question the meaning of its existence and has started to shut down. Your task is to enter cyberspace and infiltrate the core to re-awaken Eden.

Rez HD is an on the rails shooter and thus the player has no control over movement as you follow a predetermined path through each level. Emphasis is instead placed upon aiming as you guide the onscreen laser reticle over swarms of viruses and projectiles holding down the “A” button to get a lock-on to each target. Up-to a maximum of eight targets can be simultaneously locked-on ready for a laser attack when “A” is released.

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Released about three years ago on the PC to mass acclaim Half-Life 2 is now available on the Xbox 360 as part of The Orange Box. If you’ve not played either the PC game, or the Xbox port released back in 2005 then you’re in for a treat.

In the first game Half-Life, our protagonist Gordon Freeman was involved in an incident at the “Black Mesa Research Facility” which resulted in a dimensional portal being opened to an alien world. Half-Life 2 kicks off an unspecified amount of time after the events of the first game as Gordon finds himself on a train on route to City-17 and learns that the world has been conquered and humankind enslaved by an alien force known as the “Combine”.

What follows is a series of story driven events split into a number of seamlessly merging chapters as Gordon tries to escape the Combine forces that are hot on his heels, and help the resistance movement fight back against there alien oppressors.

Although I’ve summarised the story rather succinctly I don’t want to give too much away. The unfolding story line, witnessed first hand without cut-scenes and narrated though dialog and characterisation is excellent and certainly one of the highlights of the game. Even though Half-Life 2 is now a few years old I still found myself very impressed by the emotional expressions shown by non-player characters and struggle to name another FPS game that can show the same mastery.

The world that the developers, Valve, have created is both believable and full of interesting locations. The urban setting of City-17 and its network of canals compliment locations outside of the city like the abandoned settlement of Ravenholm, or the hideouts along the coast-line, ensuring that repetitive locations are kept to a minimum.

Unlike a number of recent games where the player can only carry up to two weapons, Gordon can carry all the weapons he comes across during the course of the game. Although the actual number available just runs into double figures there’s a good assortment, including the trusty “crowbar”, sidearms and fully automatic weapons. The much touted “Zero-Point Energy Field Manipulator” also known via the much catchier name of the “Gravity Gun” is the key innovative weapon and can be used in a variety of ways both defensively and offensively to grab, throw and manipulate environmental objects.

Throughout Half-Life 2 not only will your reactive shooting skills be tested but also your grey matter will be called upon to solve puzzles that stand in your way. The puzzles nicely act as a change of pace, sometimes allowing for a breather, but always keeping the game feeling fresh and stopping the action from becoming monotonous.

I’ve not mentioned much about the look of the game up to this point, but even though the “source engine” is now a few years old this port is still looking great today. As an an extra benefit this (Orange Box) version features HDR (High Dynamic Range) imaging to further enhance the visuals. Audio is yet again decent with good voice acting for characters, although Gordon is once again silent throughout, and some pumping background music kicking in at key moments. The radio calls between Combine troops as they relay information to one-another, or the audible radio “white noise” and monotone beep as they’re killed are excellent examples of how sound effects when used correctly enhance a games atmosphere.

The greatest negative I can say of the game are the “loading” points. Although they’re not poorly situated they do detract from the game as suddenly everything comes to a halt for the 20 or so seconds it takes to load the next portion of the map.

It took about 16 hours to play through Half-Life 2 and as part of The Orange Box represents incredible value for money as this game alone is first class. Highly recommended!

See also:
The Orange Box: Portal Review