Consolation Prize

Due to be released this Friday (23rd May, UK) a demo of the eagerly anticipated PS3 exclusive game Haze can be downloaded from the Playstation Network, weighing in at a mighty 1.57GB.

For its huge download size the actual demo is really quite short. You play a soldier from the Mantle Corporation and along with your fellow squad members are dropped into the jungle and tasked with locating a downed transport craft and securing its valuable cargo of Nectar. All in all you can blast through the level in about 15 minutes and even quicker on successive runs and this level merely acts as a tutorial for the controls and the effects of Nectar on your combat skills.

As a Mantle trooper you have access to the performance enhancing drug Nectar. When coursing through your blood Nectar enhances your vision allowing you to easily pick out enemies, increases your strength, and improves the body’s ability to recover from wounds.

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Turning Point: Fall of Liberty is yet another FPS to be set in that highly plundered period of World War II but promises to offer a new perspective on events. The whole premise of Turning Point is based upon the idea of an alternate timeline. A reality where the then diplomat Winston Churchill hadn’t survived a collision with a New York taxi cab on December 13th 1931, and thus didn’t become the hugely influential prime minister of the United Kingdom. In this timeline the tide of Nazi Germany domination couldn’t be stopped and the United States is about to be invaded.

At the start of the demo you find yourself in New York atop the semi completed structure of a skyscraper during the initial air invasion. Your task is to navigate your way down from this precarious position to street level far below. Unfortunately the first segment of this demo as you immediately get control is flawed, requiring the player to negotiate a series of narrow girders. Although as long as you don’t jump off you can’t really fall to your death, merely grabbing the girder and hauling yourself back up, as an introduction to unfamiliar controls this design leaves a lot to be desired.

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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

Last Friday saw the release of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the eagerly anticipated first person shooter from Infinity Ward. I’ve spent sometime over the weekend playing the game and I completed the single player campaign yesterday. Now before you start thinking “This guy’s got too much time on his hands”, it must be stressed that the single player game doesn’t last that long at all (maybe 6 hours) and can easily be finished in a few days or in one session if so inclined.

Although the single player game is undeniably short it provides a fun and enthralling experience with some very intense moments when all hell breaks loose on the battlefield. I don’t think the single player game is breaking any new ground in terms of game mechanics, it’s all very familiar, but what “Infinity Ward”, and thus the game, excels at is providing an experience that fully immerses you in a war zone and makes you feel part of a gigantic war effort.

The game does provide an overall storyline and I was very impressed by the use of the in-game engine to relate key events, especially when viewed through the first person perspective of a character. Ever since the first trailers appeared and the game was demonstrated the graphics engine has been lauded. And it certainly doesn’t disappoint with some truly glorious visuals that surely must rank as some of the best seen on the Xbox 360 to date.

On a final note, I’ve yet to try out the multi-player game modes but I hope to give these a shot over the next few weeks.

As The Orange Box offers such a solid line-up of games all in one package I thought I’d review each element as and when I’ve played them rather than as a whole. First up is Portal.

Although Portal is played through a first person perspective it is at heart a puzzle game where you survive using your wits and skill. When the game begins the player awakes in a test chamber at an Aperture research facility and is informed over the intercom that they must complete a series of hazardous tests and when complete you will be rewarded with cake.

Portal does an excellent job of slowly introducing the player to the different aspects of the game, building upon skills learned in each test chamber enabling you to solve increasingly more complex tests. The primary puzzle solving element of the game is of course learning how to use the portals created by the “Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device” which you pick up during the early stages of the game.

The device allows you to create two portal openings, one blue and one orange, on most flat surfaces be it floor, ceiling, or wall and creates a physical connection between the two. Thus if you walk into the “blue” portal you will walk out of the “orange” portal. This is obviously a fairly simple example but things soon become more complex when you realise physical laws can be applied to problem solving. Thus if you fall into a portal at high speed you will exit the other portal at the same velocity and it becomes apparent that you have to use these physical laws to your advantage to jump great distances, reach high platforms or drop an object onto a button or hazard. As the game progresses you’ll have to start using more resourceful methods for portal placement, and experimenting with ideas is certainly one of the highlights of the game.

Graphically the game looks good. The environment portrays what I’d imagine a research testing facility with minimalistic design to look like. Portals deserve a special mention as being able to view into a different part of the map and seemlessly move between them in a 3D space is a feat in itself.

The test chambers are all excellently designed and you feel a real sense of satisfaction when you figure out how to complete a level. Dialog from GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System), your guide through the game, is top notch being both informative and amusing and gets even better as the story unfolds. Also of special mention is the ending of the game which features a sublime song sung by GLaDOS.

Unfortunately it’s over all too quickly and you’re left with wanting more. As a bonus for completing the game you get access to six advanced “re-jigged” test chambers and additional game modes such as completing the chamber with the least number of portals or the fewest footsteps providing a good deal of replayability.

Even though the game is short it’s still excellent, provides an alternative approach to the first person perspective genre and is a worthy addition to the Half Life universe.

So the fight has now been finished but was it worth the blood, sweat and tears of your fallen comrades? Well for me the answer to that question is mostly a resounding “Yes”.

The game kicks off immediately after the ending of Halo 2 as Master Chief impacts “meteor-like” on Earth. After being found by sergeant Johnson and his team the chief sets off on nine campaign missions to conclude his fight with the Covenant forces.

If you’ve played any of the prior games then you will instantly get a feeling of familiarity. This is by no means a bad thing as the gameplay which was so successful before has been retained, tweaked and honed to near perfection to provide both intense small scale skirmishes and massive set piece battles.

The campaign game features a variety of decent locations both on and off Earth with most missions providing a good balance between indoor and outdoor settings. The levels are generally easy enough to navigate around with a waymarker appearing on your HUD to provide assistance. However, without giving too much away, there’s a mission towards the end of the game that features a very organic environment which unfortunately was all too similar and isn’t the easiest level to find your way around. With the exception of the aforementioned, all the other campaign missions were thoroughly enjoyable and provided some great gaming experiences.

The story is told through a number of cut scenes using the game engine or via dialog when in-game. The story is functional and does a fairly decent job or wrapping things up but leaving some tantalising questions hanging in the vacuum of space. Speaking of dialog, the “battle banter” from comrades and foes is top class and enhances the overall sense of immersion and on occasion provides some very amusing lines, especially with the “IWHBYD” skull switched on which provides alternative dialog.

The game features a number of vehicles both old and new which can be used by yourself and your comrades and were great fun to use. I still found that when it comes to driving the AI still isn’t the best around and in some circumstances would get stuck or overturn the vehicle when you’re controlling the mounted weapon of a vehicle like the “Warthog”.

Graphically the game doesn’t look to be on a par with some of the showcase games on the 360, but they are still very good and the entire game moves at a very slick pace without any slowdown even when there are lots of models on screen during the larger battles. This in itself is an achievement that is worthy of praise. No game is complete without decent background music and the dramatic music score featured in this game strikes the right balance between subtlety and the melodramatic and is always perfect for the current encounter.

The single player campaign isn’t the longest around and should be finished within a few days, however it does promote a lot re-playability. Not only are there hidden “golden” and “silver” skulls which drastically alter campaign mission parameters, but the entire campaign can be played through with up-to three friends in co-op. Even when you’ve exhausted those options you can turn on campaign scoring for an extra edge of competitiveness’s with friends and for the game achievements.

As mentioned the “skulls” that are found dotted through the campaign missions can be switched on to alter certain parameters. For example; the “Fog Skull” removes the motion sensor and more drastic skulls such as “Iron” ensure that the mission would have to be restarted from the very beginning if anything unfortunate happened to the chief.

A lot of games tag on some sort of multi-player mode just as an afterthought but this is certainly not the case here. As with its fore bearer Halo 3 has an extensive multi-player mode on offer. Depending on your preferences you will find something to suit your gaming style. Whether you prefer running around solo or teaming up with friends or random players there are a number of maps available which are all significantly different to one another, and together with the variety of gaming scenarios and settings that can be changed provides one of the most complete multi-player experiences available on a home gaming console.

A Halo game wouldn’t be complete without featuring a variety of weapons and Halo 3 is no different. Some new weapons have been introduced like the “Brute Spiker” and “Spartan Laser” whilst others have been refined or re-introduced like the “Assault Rifle”. All the weapons feel well balanced and some are more suitable to certain situations than others. Additionally the player now has the ability to rip weapons from mounted gun emplacements, such as Gatling guns or plasma cannons, switching the view to an “over-the-shoulder” third person view. This can be incredibly powerful while the ammunition lasts enabling you to clear rooms full of enemies quickly but reducing your movement speed quite considerably. The game now also features four grenade types with the standard frag and plasma now reinforced with the spike and incendiary grenades.

As-well as weapons and grenades Halo 3 now introduces “equipment” to the mix. This provides another tactical element to the combat as deciding what to carry (only one item a time) and when to use it can sway the tide of an encounter. Each piece of equipment has there uses. For example, the “bubble shield” provides an enveloping shield which cannot be breached by weapons, whilst a “power drain” can be used to remove the shielding from your foes making it easier for you to finish them off.

Of final note is the new “Theatre” mode. Every game you play, whether campaign or death match, is temporarily saved to the 360’s hard drive for viewing afterwards. Although this initially doesn’t sound like it should cause much of a fanfare what really raises the bar compared to other replay modes is the ability to detach the camera and move it around to your hearts content while the movie is playing or paused. This is a fantastic feature enabling you to analyse your performance, or that of another player, and definitely helps you learn item locations and strategies. As an additional bonus movie segments can be recorded or screenshots taken to send to friends or upload to the file share.

In summary; although in my opinion the single player experience doesn’t quite reach the lofty heights of something like Bioshock , as a complete package it provides first class entertainment and will be played for many months and years by its devotees.

The demo for one of this years most anticipated games, Bioshock, has been recently released on Xbox Live Marketplace. The download isn’t small at 1.35GB so expect a wait if the servers are busy. The demo lets you play a small part of the beginning of the game and reveals some of the story behind the game.

It’s 1960 and you find yourself in a plane crash whilst on a night flight over the mid-Atlantic. As you struggle to the ocean surface you’re surrounded by a ring of fire created by the crash and see what’s left of the plane slowly sinking into the murky waters below. In the distance what looks like a small island with a tall building lights up the night and is the obvious destination to swim towards.

As you climb the steps on the island you find that the door to the the building has been left ajar and with nowhere else to go you head into the dark. When you step through the door it closes behind you, light slowly illuminates the area and in the distance you hear some 50’s instrumental music. The only way to go is down and as you descend a few flights of stairs you discover the source of the music comes from a bathysphere.

This is your gateway to “Rapture”, a sprawling city built beneath the sea by its visionary “Andrew Ryan”. Your guide to Rapture, at least for the demo, is via radio contact with a man calling himself Atlas. He introduces you to “Plasmids”, which are genetic enhancements that rewrite your DNA giving you abilities. “Electrobolt” and “Incinerate” are just such plasmids and enable you to send out a bolt of 1000 volts or set a target alight. Atlas also gives you some background information about the warped citizens that now lurk around the corridors of the city.

The graphics of this game are very impressive. From the first scene where you break the surface of the ocean to the excellent object modeling and art deco styling everything is outstanding. I sometimes found that I spent time looking at the scenery rather than getting on with the task in hand. The game is also very atmospheric with some great use of music and sound effects to enhance the tension.

The controls were straight-forward enough and will be familiar enough for anyone that’s played a FPS game with the left joystick used for movement and the right for looking and aiming. Triggers are used for plasmids (left) or weapons (right) whilst the bumper buttons are used for plasmid and weapon selection. This leaves other actions like reloading, jumping, interacting and healing assigned to the main buttons (X,Y,A,B).

Although this is a FPS at heart it seems to encourage you to use your environment as you see fit. For example you could hack a sentry gun or sentry bot to use as an ally rather than destroying it. Or if you spot enemies standing in water you could opt to Electrobolt the water rather than just the individual.

The demo gives you a taste of what’s to come and definitely leaves you wanting more. I would highly recommend that you download and try out this game if you’re a fan of FPS games, and even if you’re not a fan try it anyway!

Marathon: Durandal was released onto Xbox Live Arcade last Wednesday (1st August) for 800 Microsoft points and it’s a fairly sizable download for an Arcade game at 138MB.

The Marathon series of games, of which I believe this is the second, are FPS games developed by Bungie Software of Halo fame. With an attack by the alien race the Pfhor imminent, Durandal an AI is the only hope of defeating them and this game sees the player exploring the ruins of an alien civilisation known as the S’pht on their homeworld of Lh’owon.

The full game offers a good selection of multiplayer deathmatch modes such as “Every Man for Himself” and “King of the Hill” or you can play the single player campaign cooperatively with up-to seven friends. The trial game allows you to play the first level of the single player campaign as you start exploring Lh’owon.

The controls for the game are straight forward with the left joystick used for movement, the right to look, with fire controls assigned to the triggers and weapon selection to the bumper buttons. The only real oddities are the “X” and “Y” buttons which are used to glance 90 degrees to your left or right respectively when they are held down.

You can either play the game using the original or HD enhanced mode, with the latter mode sharpening up the graphics noticeably. Overall the graphics are what I’d expect from a game that was released in 1995 with some fairly decent backgrounds, sprite animation and details. The gameplay seems fairly typical of first person shooters and sees you trying to achieve mission objectives and flipping switches while dispatching enemies.

The available trial level didn’t really impress me and unfortunately it left me feeling fairly nauseous after I’d played it for a while, which is something I’ve never experienced before from a FPS. I also found that the glance buttons only added to my feelings of nausea and I stopped using them fairly quickly. If you’re a fan of this genre and have an interest in older games then this game may be worth a go but it’s not one for me.