Comments (1)

By Michael Charge, 26/06/2010 7:00 am

Publisher: Activision
Developer: Infinity Ward
Year of Release: 2009
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PS3

I feel sorry for developers who make hit games. Not only do you get some fat cat in a suit meowing out orders that a sequel must be made but you also must deal with the pressure from the general internet using public, one of the most powerful and annoying forces on the planet. So it’s for this reason I salute Infinity Ward, the makers of 2007’s hit game Call of Duty 4 in making a game that pleases nearly everyone, from corporate overlord down to the man on the street. Well, apart from certain PC users but nothing is perfect.

Modern Warfare 2 is set five years after the events of COD4 and the world is slowly going to hell in a handcart. Not only did the Ultranationalists eventually take over Russia despite your activities the first time round, but they also are quite pissed at everyone who killed Imran Zakhaev at the conclusion of the first game. More worrying for the west is that Zakhaev right hand man, a madman by the name of Makarov has gone on a spree of terrorist activities, one of which you get to take part in and results in the Russians being mightily pissed off with the USA. Eventually, the war which up until this point had been “over there” for the US people is suddenly on their door step, wrecking their fast food restaurants and turning D.C. into a living hell. The plot is a little bit predictable up until a point. However, more important is the fact that the plot becomes batshit crazy at several points, including one sequence that had me on the floor laughing my head off at how completely ridiculous it was. Unlike the subtle and plausible plot of COD 4, the plotline in the sequel is a bit closer to a Tom Clancy novel, with the US being invaded and everyone important being double crossed at some point in the proceedings. I honestly think Infinity Ward sat down and thought of ways they could kill off as many playable characters as possible in the nastiest ways possible. Every level almost always ends or revolves around one or more set pieces, be it escaping on snowmobiles or attempting to re-enact Nicolas Cage’s flare scene from the Rock on the roof of Whiskey Hotel.

However, the story is rather short, with the plot being spread over 18 missions. This is more than the original game, but each mission is more intense than any in the first game as well as being shorter. Therefore the campaign takes about 5 hours to finish on regular, with veteran being slightly easier than in previous Call of Duty games but still posing a challenge especially in the later stages.. The missions also take place in a variety of locales and styles. In one mission you could be in Brazil fighting through the favela in a chase sequence while in the next you could be infiltrating an oil rig in the frozen ocean off Russia alongside the US Navy SEALS. Through all of the missions you play as various members of either the US Army Rangers or as part as the fictional multinational Taskforce 141, allowing the developers to mix up the British voices with Australians and New Zealanders.

Nearly nothing in terms of gameplay has changed since COD4 – you are still running and gunning while knifing people with the right stick. Nearly every mission is a set path between objectives, normally littered with enemy troops wishing to ventilate your brain as well as cover to hide behind to avoid said ventilation. The levels seem a bit more open this time, with multiple routes available to objectives in several areas. Additionally, nearly all the maps are littered with enough guns and ammo to make Dick Cheney blush, even before the killing starts. This slight increase in the number of pathways does mean there are a few less levels that will become sticking points in a playthrough as there is normally a way around most problems, but it also leads to a few cases of confusion. Similarly, with the introduction vehicles sections as well as several parts that use different control schemes, the game can be changing how it is played rather rapidly. It also seems that IW has done a few little tweaks in the overall gameplay, such as allowing grenades to roll. However, in all other respects if you were a king of COD4, than there is a good chance you will be pretty good at the latest version.

The main reason why most people play Call of Duty is not the single player, but is instead the crazily addictive multiplayer. Well, it’s obvious that this was the main focus this time, and I have to say I much prefer the new multiplayer over the version present in COD4. The first thing to know is that there have been no real overhauls, only the introduction of a few new features and some balancing of others. The most obvious is the increase in the number of levels, now up to level 70. This is in part due to the sheer number of weapons, perks, challenges and attachments to unlock. The game has also added some more character customisation options. Gone are the days of boring loadouts always featuring frag grenades – now that slot is also home to such coolness as a mobile spawn point, claymores or one of my favourites the throwing knife. This adds quite a few new tactics, but not as much as another tweak to the create a class system. Instead of being stuck with a good weapon and some crap pistol, several new weapon types (such as machine pistols, handguns, shotguns and launchers) can be used in your secondary slot. So yes, if you want to carry a handheld grenade launcher and an assault rifle with an M203, you can! (As well as being called a n00btuber). Many of the new launchers can also be used to knock out several of the new killstreaks, such as the AC130, one of the many new choppers and finally the UAV. The customisable killstreaks is one of my new favourite features as it means you can focus where you get rewards. Choose all low level killstreaks such as the UAV, care package or predator and you’ll get a lot of each but you won’t affect the battle in a major way. However, if you are a better player than I, you can start adding 11 or higher killstreak rewards, granting you access to the game changing items which culminate in the ungodly majesty of the tactical nuke, which requires you to get a kill streak of 25 in order to call in. When someone gets one of these, they become a figure of both awe and annoyance.

A better thing for anyone who maybe isn’t so good at first person shooters is the introduction of the new deathstreaks. If you end up dying repeatedly with no kills, you will eventually end up with a bonus to assist in getting you back in the game. This is the new home of the two most annoying of perks, Juggernaut which has been reincarnated as a health bonus for only 10 seconds after respawn, and Martyrdom. In addition there are new XP bonuses for a whole load of things such as coming back from a deathstreak, killing an enemy who has previously killed you, headshots, rescuing a teammate… The list goes on and on. These bonuses are just one part of making you feel like ever engagement is worth it as opposed to a multiplayer game just being wasted if you get into a bad frame. COD has also been inspired by two other big games on XBL such as Halo 3 and Street Fighter IV. From Halo, COD has taken the accolade system which is very similar to the medals. Meanwhile from Street Fighter, Infinity Ward has implemented the callsigns, which is a unique card that can identify you when you do something special such as downing the UAV or planting the bomb in sabotage. It is a quick and easy way to remember a certain player as opposed to just a name.

Now all these changes don’t matter if the game types are all rubbish. Well, MW2 has all the modes from COD4 as well as a few new ones. This includes the variants as well such as Hardcore and the new Third Person mode. IW has also added a new mode called Demolition to add to an already considerable roster. I have to say that this is the definitive version of online multiplayer. If you enjoyed Call of Duty 4’s online mode, this feels like an evolution, not a revolution.

But that’s not all! In response to the community’s thoughts on the level Mile High Club in COD4, Infinity Ward has made an entirely new game mode based on the concept of short modes designed to be played when you don’t have time to get into multiplayer. The whole setup is brilliant, designed to be played in co op with another player but still able to be a challenge for one. It’s based on a stars system, ranging from 1 to 3. Each mission varies in its objectives, but as a guideline the faster something is done, the more stars you receive. This mode has some really good missions, with my favourite being a two player one where one person takes control of a soldier on the ground fleeing enemy spec ops while the other player takes up position in the control terminal of an AC130 gunship raining fire down upon pursuing forces. These missions are really short and limited to only 2 players but are great fun to play, by yourself or with a buddy.

The game also looks really good. It is running a version of the COD4 engine, but with a few major tweaks. Several scenes are jaw dropping, with the mission that takes place in a blizzard being a perfect example of brilliant art design mixed with actual gameplay use, an idea Infinity Ward use in nearly everything they do. The levels that take place in DC are also spectacular, with the mixture between pitch darkness with the burning buildings whose smoke clogs up the sky. The models and animations for the characters also look a lot better, with a greater range of facial animation rather than either shooting or in pain. All the gun and equipment models look excellent as well, even if the reloading animation for the FN FAL is cringeful (you try reloading by knocking the half empty magazine out with another magazine). The care also can be seen in the sound design. The general FX is pretty good, but the voice acting is excellent. Kevin McKidd almost manages to depose Billy Murray’s Captain Price as coolest voice ever with his portrayal of McTavish, your character from the first game. The voice of Gaz also returns as Ghost while the voice actor of your new CO General Sheppard (which is Lance Hendriksen of Aliens and Terminator fame) really suits the character. The true star is the voice of Makarov, who oozes menace the few times he appears. He actually is someone you may come to really dislike.

Before I wrap up, I need to make a point. A major story that appeared in the media around Modern Warfare 2’s release was the leak about its mission, No Russian. For anyone who doesn’t know, this is a level where you play as a character alongside the supreme bad guy. In this mission, you enter a Russian Airport packed with civilians when you proceed to open fire on them with a machine gun. It’s a little disturbing, especially if you turn rounds and notice the injured dragging themselves out of the way. However, it is no worse than many scenes in film or on TV. The big outcry was that it was a game portraying this and games are still linked to being children’s material. Modern Warfare 2 in the UK carries a big fat 18 rating on the front of the box and for good reason. This may be a point where a parent should maybe actually look at what they are buying their child.

Modern Warfare 2 was the biggest game of 2009 and deservedly so. Although it doesn’t change the core formula of Call of Duty 4, why fix what isn’t broke, this game is one of the best this year. It is essential that everyone at least tries the game, even if it’s just to see how ridiculous the singleplayer get and to see how much fun the multiplayer can be.

In the months after release, some of this enjoyment has been slightly brought down. At various points, the multiplayer has suffered several major glitches which led to periods where the matches were dominated by certain weapons or tactics. This seems to have balanced out now thanks to multiple patches. The other major thing is the 1500 Microsoft points map packs. Most players I know haven’t bought them based on the price and the fact only 3 of the 5 maps are new (the others are remakes from COD 4 such as Overgrown or Crash). I think it is going to set a dangerous trend with map packs at 1500 points instead of the more usual 800 or 1200 points mark. That said though, the multiplayer is still one of the best available today and still gets millions of players even 7 months after release.

Comments (0)

By Michael Charge, 01/06/2010 11:16 pm

Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: Gearbox
Year of Release: 2009
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PS3

Ah Borderlands. How different a game could be, just based on its art style. When they first announced this post apocalyptic shooter way back in the days of yore, it still had the same grimy brown look as used in every other Unreal Engine 3 game that has ever been made. A few months later, and after a full on rebellion  from the art team, we instead got a new “concept art” style of graphics. Oh and a witty change of humour.  And yes the game is also good if you didn’t know that by now.

Borderlands is set on the planet of Pandora, a wasteland world covered in desert where it is rumoured that beneath the planet there is a vault full of advanced alien technology. As usual with all these treasure hunting stories, many people do not believe in its actual existence thinking it to be a trap to lure people to the planet. However, you arrive on the scene as one of four treasure hunters (Mordaci the hunter, Brick the berserker, Lilith the siren and Roland the soldier). You then proceed to travel around this world, through each of the differently styled areas in search of the keys to the vault, doing quests for various people and wiping out most of the criminal leaders on the planet. To be honest, the story is actually a little crap – the whole “guardian angel” side of it is rubbish with some terrible dialogue. She pops up every so often to simply say “well done, but you haven’t faced you hardest challenge yet” and at one part uses a line from Bioshock that stands out a mile away.

Borderlands is a combination of RPG and FPS, focused more on the shooting dynamics side as opposed to turning it into a combat system closer to the dice rolls that were blatantly behind the combat in Fallout 3 and the pit of eternal horror that was Hellgate London. The shooting is solid; feeling slick like any other modern shooter should do but also showing its RPG roots by the numbers showing damage amounts flying off enemies and a big red critical flying off an enemy when you hit their weak point. On top of that, the game also has various elemental damage systems which add some benefits, such as extra damage over time and rather excellent effects when you kill.With quest completion and kills you level up as you’d expect, which grants you more action points to upgrade you abilities. The different characters you choose at the start are actual the different classes. The Hunter is effectively the sniper, Brick the tank, Lilith the mage and Roland the healer/support person. The classes are brilliant, not limiting you to a certain weapon type but rewarding you for playing in a certain style. Each class also has a special ability, such as the turret from the soldier. These abilities are most useful when playing as a team when they combine together. Pairing a soldier’s turret to heal and attack while a siren uses phasewalk to sneak behind an enemy allows masses of enemies to be mown down. In fact, the game has several moments where it simply throws masses of enemies at you to deal with which sometimes may be best thing ever. However at other times when every enemy is at level 30 it can be a little bit frustrating. However, death holds no terror as if there are some enemies around you at low health. If you manage to take one enemy down then you receive a second wind, which brings you back to life with full shields and half health. This is a brilliant feature that helps to get rid of some of the frustration of this sort of game.

A brilliant feature of Borderlands is its massive number of guns. I’ve done around 2 playthoughs and can back up with the fact there are many guns. How many I hear you say? BAZZILIONS!!!! Many admittedly are only simply stat changes, such as swapping out a scope in exchange for a damage boost, but the system can lead to some surprising setups. One weapon I found is a revolver with only two rounds in a magazine but has a scope, does fire damage and each round does 300 damage before the effects of fire. Another weapon is a shotgun with massive amounts of damage when fired or used in melee, but has no accuracy – meaning of course you need to be in an enemies face in order to use it. This system means each weapon feels slightly different from the last. However, there is one issue. It is quite possible that you may go through a play through and pick up weapons that aren’t actually that good. On the other hand you may, like me, find a weapon that is over powered and then use it through the rest of the game and possibly take it into the second game.

The graphics of Borderlands are awesome. If you liked the look of Crackdown, this has taken it to the next level by rendering a more organic landscape with this method. It really suits it, especially in the design of the enemies. The skags, small dog like creatures (not the female members of Eastenders), are among just a few of the many enemies model who despite fitting into several groups, still each feel unique. The characters all looks like they are straight out of a comic book, with pencil lines bringing out every last detail. The only slight disappointment is that although there are millions of guns, nearly all of the same type look exactly the same with a few changed parts based around the same basic model. This good sense of art design is coupled with a stellar piece of sound design. The voice acting is excellent, but unfortunately you don’t get very much use out of it. Apart from your characters, or the enemies, little quips (“Critical Biatch!”) and the occasional story section there are no long sections of dialogue which is probably to the developer’s credit. The game also has a brilliant sense of humour. Some come through in the dialogue, but many are simply from little things. Fans of Firefly will rejoice when they reach Jainynestown while Mad Max fans will be seeing references flying out of the screen. The game introduces with a snappy grindhouse style character intro, giving each a tag line. This includes the first boss Nine Toes. I won’t spoil it for those few of you who haven’t played Borderlands yet but believe me, it actually made me laugh so hard the first time I dropped the controller. You won’t laugh a minute like in Brutal Legend, but it will still give you a chuckle.

Finally the other important things. Borderlands was designed to be played in co op and supports it 4 players online and 2 players in split screen. When played in co op, the game feels more like an MMO than a simple co op game which does means it’s disappointing when it misses out several features. First of all is that the trading system is based upon dropping items and letting other players pick it up. This works fine with trusted friends but as soon as you play online, it does not work. You can’t trust 90% of the players online, and if you trade with them something important you won’t ever see it again most likely. However, don’t let that put you off trying it out. Another minor fault is for a game that is packed with millions of cool pieces of equipment, there is no storage system in the main game, leaving you to bid farewell to any kit you don’t use. Finally, the achievements are a very good mixture of things you would find normally just by going through the game such as discovering area alongside others which are a little bit strange. My advice is to try anything – like getting on a boat.

I do need to also make a quick mention of the PC version. It runs really well on low end PCs while the higher resolution textures also means it looks a lot better than the console alternatives. You can also export the details of any excellent guns you find as JPGs allowing you to brag to your friends about them (if that floats your boat.) However, the UI isn’t changed from the console version, making it feel a little clunky when controlling with a mouse.

Borderlands is not the world’s most perfect game. But it has all the best parts of an MMO in a competent shooter and one of this year’s greatest co-op experience. This is one game which really did need to get away from the usual grime of Unreal 3 and into a new and almost unique look.

DLC

Borderland’s three DLC packs all add something else to the game as all good DLC should do. However, you shouldn’t really feel you need to buy all three of them as they each have their flaws. I have written about this before in this article but I’ll reprint some of my thoughts here.

The first pack, The Zombie Island of Dr Ned, added more of the main game, with a whole extra set of missions outside of the normal story. It takes place on the aforementioned island, where the ministrations of a certain doctor (who isn’t just Doctor Zed from the main game wearing a moustache) have lead to no one dying and instead wondering around pissing off the Jacobs Corporation who own the island. It is the basic zombie fighting story (discover zombies –> fight zombies –> find out main villain –> ??? –> Profit!) which also threads in werewolves and claptraps shooting each other. What’s not to like? This pack also ramps up the comedy – some of the character descriptions are even better than last time and the tannoys throughout the island have some of the best instructions for how to deal with zombies.

Although it is pretty good fun, it is just more of the same play style you’ve had from the start of the game. But it feels like something that wasn’t 100% finished when the game was getting close to release and so had to be delayed.

Unfortunately, the second pack is not quite so good. Mad Moxxi’s Underdome shifts the focus to the combat in a simple arena which is not quite the way to go. The arena mode takes some inspiration from Halo with its differing rules each turn, such as your health constantly dropping or certain weapons being more effective. It does make the action slightly more challenging. However the round system is retarded. 5 stages per round and 5 rounds per starting game. Each match takes ages with no chance to properly rest between fights making the achievement for finishing all the matches a pain in the backside to complete. The pack also ruins the aim of the game by removing the rpg elements. When the game is focused on drops, xp and stats this change does make this pack only for completionists.

The final pack, The Secret Armoury of General Knox, adds on a load of extra things to Borderlands. These range from new vehicles and weapons to quests, but the best part is the new increase of the level cap up to 61 (turning it up 11 extra levels). It takes place after the end of the main game, with the evil Atlas Corporation sending General Knox after you, much to his displeasure. You have to work with your friend Scooter and a rogue Atlas employee to stop him and discover the secret armoury. Along the way you deal with Mad Moxxi and a bunch of midgets riding skags.

The DLC is great fun but my main issue is its design. The base game could easily be played by yourself and online – either way it was still fun. However, the DLC is next to impossible to play by yourself due to its difficulty as it seems they have turned the scaling off. Bit of a shame when you can’t get a group of people to play properly. Also all the new vehicles and enemies only turn up in the new area, so you can’t drive the new 4 person car in the main game.

Overall, I recommend buying the Zombie Island of Dr Ned for definite as it as some of the best bits in the entire game in it. The others are less so good unless you have a group you can work through all of it.

Comments (0)

By Michael Charge, 17/05/2010 6:00 pm

Publisher: THQ
Developer: 4A Games
Year of Release: 2010
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PS3

Based on the games I’ve played from Russian developers, they must be the most depressed developers in the world. The STALKER games are bleak apocalyptic wastelands filled with death and horror while Cryostatis was a deeply upsetting and tense voyage through a ship frozen in the polar ice. I guess its in part due to the hard ships that their country has overcome (invaded constantly, weather that hates mankind and bad stereotyping) but it sure helps to make atmospheric games such as THQ’s Metro 2033.

Based on a recent Russian novel, Metro 2033 takes place in Moscow after humanity decides to stick the middle finger up at Sting and nuke the crap out of each other. Most of the Muscovites hide in the underground stations to avoid the nuclear winter, due to the fact they are built like bomb shelters any way. Over the years, these stations became their own states each with their own specific character (under siege state, communist state, factory state). Above ground, the radiation has ruined the surface and plunged the earth into nuclear winter as well as creating hordes of mutants that are attempting to get into and turn the humans into steaks. Even worse than even the mutants are the rumours of the Dark Ones, the new bogeyman that parents use to scare their children to sleep. This world is a horrible, gritty and grim vision of the future made worse by the fact that even when humanity’s very existence is in trouble, we are still trying to kill each other – the war between the Communists and the Nazis still carries on underground, in the ruined stations and the cavernous tunnels.

Your actual role is a much simpler one. Your character comes from one of the outlying stations, which is constantly under threat from the hordes of evil banging on the airlock. After a friend of your father’s goes missing in the wasteland, you head to the central station to relay the news of an impending attack. Along the way, you experience a cross section of the underground life. You fight the frontline of the war between the Commies and the Nazis, trek through a haunted tunnel with a spiritual ranger and then venture above ground to look through the ruins of Moscow. The story is a brilliant setup for the action, dragging you from set piece to set piece. Some of the associated dialogue that goes with it, as with many games from the Eastern Bloc, is lacking some of the quality of other games that came out in the same month. I also like the fact the background information isn’t just shoved in your face but is instead picked up by simply standing around in the hubs, listening to the chatter of the passing civvies as they relax in the cramped huts that line the corridors.

Unlike the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series of games to which it resembles in look and tone, the game is a simple corridor (often quite literally) shooter. There are no faction levels to monitor or free roaming to be had – instead the focus is on scripted experiences such as the rail car sequence near the middle of the game. All these sequences are really good, with no single one that left me feeling that I’d wasted time. Each one has various pathways which allows each playthrough to be done differently – an example is “The Line” were you can either fight your way through the battling sides or simply drop down to the floor (which does use up your gas mask filter due to the noxious gases) and sneak past all of them. These do add a little replayabilty to the game, which it is slightly lacking due to the absence of multiplayer.

One particular feature I quite like is the design of the weapons. There are several weapons that survived the nuclear war (such as the old standby the AK) but most of your arsenal is made from bits of other weapons that are strapped together. The double barrel shotgun is quite simply two tubes of metal strapped together with wire, while the Bastard (a starting SMG) is akin to a Sten gun – a lump of metal made as cheap and as quickly as possible. The funnier selections are the pneumatic weapons which require you to pump up the gas chamber. Every time I used them, it just felt like I was using a super soaker. Other standout weapons include the semi automatic shotgun, due in part to the worlds most inefficient magazine system which leaves a massive gap when you need it the most and also one of the coolest looking games, and the revolver, which when given a scope and/or stock is effectively a mini-sniper rifle.  However despite all of the weapons feeling and sounding powerful, they can occasional feel a little weak. The enemy troops can act as bullet sponges due to their body armour so all combat has to be focused on location damage to the head or legs and arms. The mutants on the other hand range from the disposable rat things to fucking annoying Librarian/Gorilla bastards (see below) which take more lead than the amount lying on the roofs of all the world’s cathedrals. The worst are the flying daemons which require a grenade or two in the face (bearing in mind that they fly) to kill. These factors combine to make battles quite challenging and often requiring a checkpoint reload

Relating to the weapons is the games currency – military grade bullets. The story says that collections of pre-war military class bullets are impossible to manufacture and so now are used as currency. Yes, you are using bullets to buy slightly crappier bullets. These are then used to buy new equipment and stock up on the essential before venturing back into the tunnels. In the early game it is rather hard to get enough to buy the good weapons, but most of the time you end up finding the best weapons lying around or are given to you. It is more of an issue when buying ammo as you never find it in large enough quantities to fully stock up, making some sections rather hard or requiring you to rush around looking for rounds rolling on the floor like a squirrel looking for its nuts.

Due to the messed up surface world, some places require you to wear a gas mask to progress through. These sections shows off the game’s sound especially, as when the mask goes on the sound and view of the world changes. Everything sound more bassey and as you are injured your breath becomes louder and raspier. However, the sound of breathing can also mean that your gas mask has become unsealed due to your gun play. The gas mask require two separate things to think about – gas filters and the aforementioned damage. This can make it rather complicated when you are above the ground and all you can hear is your breath – is your gas mask holed enough to be a problem or is it that your filter has just run out and your breathing in radioactivity? You can look at your watch but the vast majority of the time it doesn’t seem to correspond to what’s going on. The gas mask isn’t the only bit of gear – there is also your torch and your night vision goggles. Both of these require you to manually keep the power up via a hand cranked recharging system or else they lose effectiveness, with the NVGs cutting out totally. In the tunnels both of these are essential – as well as letting you see the bad guys, the torch is the only thing that can reveal the instant-kill ghosts while the NVGs allow you sneak past the bad guys before jabbing a knife in their back. The items also all have animations for using them, so when you need to put your NVGs on, the camera pans up to show you clipping them onto your helmet before pulling them over you eyes. It helps to tie you into the world a lot more, especially when used alongside the very minimal HUD and the physical journal/map.

As I have said, the game isn’t without its issues. As well as  the bullet sponge firefights, the enemy AI is a little simplistic. The enemy humans are fine, taking cover and laying down suppressive fire. The mutants on the other hand are very different – most battles end up with some side stepping, walking backwards and the odd quick time event when one decides to jump on you and eat your face off. Its a little annoying when most of the game is focused around firing lead at high speed towards bad guys. Despite this it is also rather hard, with the enemies liking to be constantly attacking and the number of health or other items rather hard to find. It can be hard to find a new mask when your current one has a gapping hole in it which can lead to rather quick death. Worse the game is also short at around 8 hours with no real replayablity apart from the level specific achivements (it requires Steam by the way for Steamworks) and trying out new tactics.Actually, I don’t really care about the lack of multiplayer. Many games (like STALKER) stuck in multiplayer just to seem more appealing to the western market but they always end up being so generic and lacking in other players apart from one guy is now the expert on it. Even just playing through it you could feel how it would be done  and the gameplay just wouldn’t suit it. The time that would have been spent on multiplayer has been instead used to great effect elsewhere on the tech and the rest of the game.

Metro 2033 is also rather good looking. A lot of work went into the lighting and the fog due to its use throughout. It is used rather well to crank up the atmosphere and make the stealth sections better. One such places that looks rather spectacular is the wide open areas of the Library on the surface, with dust being highlighted in the light. Unfortunately, the wall and floor textures are a little hit and miss in some places while most of the character models are a little glass eyed and fast approaching the uncanny valley. The audio is also excellently done and also benefits the sneaking points as well as when the action kicks off. My main issue with the tech is the frame rate – like its Ukrainian cousin S.T.A.L.K.E.R., it has a major issue with some of the optimisation leaving some very good looking graphics crippled by its framerate. Which is a shame.

I’m relatively easily pleased and I love games from Russia. Metro 2033 has a great setting, some great ideas and is a perfect match of survival horror and shooter. However, its failings can mar the good points and once you’ve finished it there is little reason to go back and play it again. Even so, the experience through is one not to forget, so why not give it a go?

Comments (0)

By Michael Charge, 02/04/2010 11:00 am

Publisher: 505 Games
Developer: Bohemia Interactive
Year of Release: 2007, 2009
Platforms: PC

Operation Flashpoint was one of those games I spent hours on but never bought. Most of my time spent at my grandparents in 2002 was spent in a single field of a Eastern Europe looking country, running across it clutching an M16 and being mown down time after time by Russian machine guns. But I didn’t care – for a boy who spent most of his break times at school fighting pretend wars in the playground, this single challenge was the best war game I’d ever played. But due to my lack of skill in it I never bought it. In fact, I only picked up ARMA when it was sat in the buy one get one free section of Gamestation in Leeds. But despite this terrible start, ARMA and its sequel is a brilliant game if you are willing to spend time learning how to play milsim style and forget your tea bagging and noob tubing skills you learnt on the mean streets of COD4.

First, some history. ARMA and ARMA 2 are made by Bohemia Interactive, a company who specialise in interactive simulation training packages for the military and the same people who made Operation Flashpoint for Codemasters in 2001. After a split which left Codemasters with the name but Bohemia with the tech. In 2007, Bohemia then released ARMA based off their latest training program (closely followed by an expansion) and then in 2009 ARMA 2 was unleashed upon a rabid and dedicated fanbase built up since we first fought the Ruskies across that bloody field.

ARMA is a soldier sim which delights in realism. Bullets act like bullets do in real life, with rounds arching at long ranges and requiring the usually annoying snipers to have to learn how to adjust for all sorts of factors (including the Coralis effect if you want to try firing a Barrett at around a mile.) Your ability to shoot and move can be modified in several ways such as through stamina or injuries. If you attempt to lug a machine gun across a field then when you attempt to shoot you will probably be more of a threat to your own squad than the bad guys. Similarly, the game hates your guts so don’t expect to run forward into the battlefield like Roach in Brazil – try any of that and you’ll be full of lead before you can say “Run Forrest Run”. Instead you need to keep low, command your squad and not attempt to open up on full auto at long range. As part of this, you need to use the terrain to your advantage – find a wall and use it for a base of fire team. In fact, if your able to find any real world military tactics, you can probably use them in the game.

Most of the time you will be a simple foot slogger in the infantry but occasionally you’ll be driving tanks, APCs, Humvees, trucks and tractors or flying helicopters and jets. The game can render full combined arms operations with helicopters and jets providing support to ground forces and its at this point the game comes alive. There are few better gaming moments then when you sit back and watch helicopters silhouetted against the sky like in Apocalypse Now as flak round light up the sky. Yet at the same time even playing a small mission as special forces can be among the tensest times you’ve seen. One example was a time I’d sneaked into an enemy camp to place some demo charges – avoiding roving patrols was genuinely scary. Its amazing how versatile the game is.

Part of this is from the games editor which is amongst the easiest I’ve ever used. Within moments (and with a limited knowledge of scripting), you could be defending a beach landing zone from waves of enemy troops coming ashore or commanding a Marine Battalion as you advance through a No Man’s land of minefields and artillery strikes. The missions can be as complex as you want – I’ve seen missions which are based off the in game templates while others rival those that came with the game. Which reminds me – the campaigns in both games are terrible. They are alright if your wanting to learn how to play the game, but don’t listen to the plot or the dialogue as it is terrible.

Multiplayer is I think one of the main draws of the game. As well as the usual mission types, the game also includes a pretty good mode called “Warfare”. By combining squad of infantry players with a commander who balances equipment and artillery support in an RTS mode, the game feels like a war going on with order seeping down from the top. Its like the PS3 game MAG, but better and with more people. But like that game, if there is a single idiot in the game at a command system the system falls apart and the game become no fun, especially when the commander thinks is funny to drop phosphorus rounds on the staging area. ARMA 2 makes it even better with a mode featuring three separate sides leading to a great deal of diplomacy between the West/East and the third party faction side. One game had the insurgents backing the Yanks up until the final moments. Unknown to the US, the guerrillas had placed satchel charges around all the key buildings and defences and carried Russian Special Forces to a cabin overlooking the West sides base. So while we were sat in the Russian camp smoking victory cigars and admiring our handiwork as we whittled down the remaining buildings, a huge explosion could be seen far away. The multiplayer is full of these moments and that is why its one of the best multiplayer experiences available.

That said, both games are buggy as hell. Its a lot better when it gets to about the third or fourth patch but at launch both games were in a state. Constant crashes, memory errors, multiplayer disconnects and, the biggest issue of all, a stupid set of system requirements. The games’ system requirements on the back of the box seem alright, but it runs terribly on most PCs. The second is a slight improvement in the fact it runs slightly better (due in part to being optimised for multi-core processors) and looks better but even so, if you want to run it on high settings, you better be using a national supercomputer. I think this is in part to the 10 kilometre draw distance which is an amazing feature but its rare you’ll actually use it. Another downside is the command system, which has not been changed since Operation Flashpoint. It is really clunky, which can make it hard to make orders in the middle of battle accurately with round flying around. It takes more keypresses than it should to order a single soldier to hit the deck.

At this point the games need to be looked at separately. ARMA takes place in Sahrani, a fake Atlantic island which is in the middle of a situation not too dissimilar to the Germany in the Cold War, with the West backed South fighting the Communist North. In this you play as a US Army helping to train the Southerners. Its an interesting set up.. The map was also designed with two totally different climates with a desert to the south while an Eastern Europe looking region to the north. This variety allows it to pretend to be areas ranging from Iraq to Eastern Europe. ARMA also received an expansion pack called Queen’s Gambit, which takes place just after the end of the Sahrani campaign and has an even worse set up. However, the expansion also includes several new units and weapons which are a boon to mission makers, such as technicals, as well as a totally new island of Porto which is perfect for all the Blackhawk Down style missions.

ARMA 2 is a much better package from the off. It looks better, plays better and is easier for new players to get into. Its multiplayer has worked reasonably well from day one and the setup is much more interesting than the first game. This is set in the fake ex-Russian state of Chernaus and has a conflict that escalates from a small scale insurgency (with American envolvement) between entirely Chernausian forces up to an almost World War 3 conflict between the Russians and the US. The maps are also detailed to the extreme, with tiny incidental details littering the entire (size) area. Due to it being based off satellite imagery of an area of Bohemia’s home country of the Czech Republic, every hill, valley, forest and town feels real. Unlike in Saharni, there are no areas that have the look of "generic_hamlet_01", which make fighting through them a real joy. The Russian scenery is atmospheric with mist hanging low in the mornings as the sun rises over fields and castles. It’s a place where you could be quite happy to just move through the world ignoring the mission objectives. There are several galleries online packed full of landscape shots taken in the engine. The other advantage is the sheer number of different units on show. There are 5 sides (US Marines, Russia, local forces, insurgents and nationalist guerrillas) engaged in this conflict and each have their own set of vehicles and weapons ranging from main battle tanks to ATVs to artillery pieces to shotguns which are all detailed to the extreme as they should be in a training tool. ARMA 2 is getting its own expansion soon which adds the US Army, an Afghanistan-esque map and, for the first time, other Blufor troops (the German Special Forces and the Czech rear their heads.)

I have four personal recommendations for anyone wanting to get into the ARMA games:

1. Buy ARMA 2 – its far superior, has more people in multiplayer and more addons being made for it.
2. Learn to use the mission editor – I’ve spent most of my time in both of the games just making up cool scenarios ranging from single man stealth operations up to full scale wars across a huge area. There is a lot to learn but the basics such as unit placements, waypoints and basic triggers should be alright just for the start.
3. Join a clan – It is easier and more fun to learn to play while part of a clan. I learned so much from the guys at Royal British Commandos ranging from how to use the editor to the oddities of the different equipment. It also means that you can just turn up to game and have a good time with a group of people who all enjoy the game.
4. Download addons – most of the fun from ARMA is how its used as a platform for other mods ranging from changing the UI up to total conversions that change how the game plays entirely. Armaholic is the main site I use and it pretty good at getting only the best mods available. In fact, I’m at the point where the addons installed are around the same size of the game’s original data files. But if you want to be conservative, ACE 2 is a must have due to how much it adds or changes. However it can be a bit complicated to install and if you want to use it online you will have to make sure you regularly update.

I’ve spent over 230 hours in the ARMA games fighting in virtual wars. These games are war simulations without equals and bring you as close to war as you want to go, as long as your willing to learn how to play them. Jump in straight into the fire and you won’t enjoy it. But learn how to play, learn tactics and how to master the clunky command system and you’ll have an amazing time. Just try the demo before you buy as although I could rave about it until I grow a beard but it doesn’t appeal to everyone. See you on the battlefield.

(I have actually review ARMA 2 before and it is still online over at geeks.co.uk
Its a brilliant site and the team behind it are all awesome)

Comments (0)

By Michael Charge, 27/02/2010 7:00 am

The star of Bioshock wasn’t Jack, the Big Daddies or even Andrew Ryan – it was Rapture, the underwater city that acted as a living backdrop to the dramatic events of the first game. It was such a brilliant setting but still most treated the news of a sequel with contempt, thinking of it as unashamed cash in (a situation not helped by certain 2K executives talking about milking Bioshock for all its worth). I was less than interested in it and didn’t even think of picking it up despite the promising previews. Well, I finally caved, picked up a Steam copy and have to say I was glad I did.

Bioshock 2 takes place in 1968, eight years after the events of the first game. This time around you aren’t playing as an outsider coming in, but instead as one of the Big Daddies the gentle protectors. However, you aren’t any of the normal kind but instead you’re one of the Alpha Series, the prototypes before the designers decided that maybe it was a bad idea to give these madly devoted bodyguards the ability to throw fire and/or bees when they feel that their Little Sister is in danger. You have a very special bond with her which is slightly ruined when you are forced to blow your own brains out on New Year’s Eve 1959.

A large amount of the plot is based around the bond between you and your linked Little Sister, Eleanor. Throughout the game she is constantly in contact, offering you advice and leaving little gifts of plasmids and tonics lying around along with a jar of fireflies. However, Eleanor is the daughter of the new supremo in Rapture, Sofia Lamb (and before anyone shouts spoilers, this is revealed in the first 5 minutes) and Sofia is not too happy to see you back. There is a lot of times where Sofia, just like Ryan in the first game, berates you over the radio for coming in and wreaking the world and also pulls the stunt of locking you in a place and almost killing you (to a point, I wonder if Rapture included an “evil methods of revealing your identity” course). Lamb doesn’t quite have the same personality as Ryan or even Frank Fontaine (who has some brilliant audio diaries once you find his office) so you never feel like she is a major threat, she is just some crazy with a radio. Its also a bit weird that you only find audio diaries that mention Lamb in the areas in this game, when you are told that Lamb’s ideas spread through the whole of Rapture. That said, the diaries featuring socialist Lamb squaring off against capitalist Ryan in several debates are among the best sections of plot I’ve ever heard.

The areas of Rapture you’re shown this time around are all new with no repeats from the first game. It is mainly the pleasure areas, such as Lamb’s own garden where her and her bunch of crazy artists hung out thinking revolutionary thoughts (until they met a watery end) or Siren’s Alley, an area that went down hill until it became the Red Light district of the underwater city. They show a different side, yet they still share the look and feel with the cobbled together turrets, Circus of Values vending machines and the ever present dripping water (including a smart thing where if you stand under a drip you hear it clanging off your suit). The real standout is Ryan Amusement’s, a museum setup to explain the principles of Ryan to the children of Rapture. Its also a good place for those who never touched the first game to get some of the history of it, as well as be a little ironic. It shows just how good the level designers are when you wonder round the gift shop and notice the little details.

As well as loopy Lamb and Eleanor, you also meet some other new characters. The best of these, and one of my favourite characters from both games, is Augustus Sinclair. You may recognise his name from Sinclair Solutions, the makers of the plasmids. He is you characteristics southern gentlemen, whose entire goal seems to be to make money. He holds quite a few secrets about Rapture, Ryan and you and seems to drip feed them as you go along. He also acts as your guide through Rapture while also reminding you of your goal. He is a brilliant character and his eventually fate, while not upsetting, did leave me in the “Fuck You Lamb” frame of mind for the ending. Yet he is but one of many characters who you have to deal with, including two of Lambs lieutenants. I do have to say that the Bioshock guys know how to introduce their characters as pre splicing version before you enter their area – for example, one character is a priest so in the area before you see him, you find an audio diary of one of his sermons. This method is brilliant as it leaves you mind open to consider just what may have happened to the voice of the past you hear. Similarly to this is some of the audio diaries that relate to the previous game and Project WYK. Its a little thing that helps to link it to the previous game while also revealing some more of the goings on behind the scenes of Rapture

Your trek through Rapture also brings up several moral choices. As well as the Little Sisters, you also meet three major players in Lamb’s rise to power and have the option weather to spare them or take your revenge. Each of them also has a link to you, either back to your mysterious past or having just spent the last level trying to kill you. The choices are included but they feel a little bit manufactured. The fact a cowardly character simply stand in front of you as you walk towards him with a drill kind of ruins the effect – you’d think he’d be backing away as fast as possible. However, these moral choices do affect the ending in a way that is really really good. I can’t tell you exactly what’s its like as you have to see it. But the good one had tears starting to appear as it was just what you wanted.

So that’s all the plot line, but Bioshock 2 is still a first person shooter at heart. It’s the exact same mechanics as in the first game, with a selection of weapons and plasmids to use. There are a couple of tweaks such as the ability to dual wield weapons and plasmids which help to make the gameplay a lot quicker and faster paced. The new weapons (all designed to be similar yet different to the first games selection) feel a lot more powerful so gun battles play better. In fact the combat overall is just slicker, making it more fun and less of the chore it was first time around. Similarly, health and eve (aka plasmid juice) are handled in exactly the same way. Hacking (or plumbing as it was the first time around) has been changed to be a slightly easier way of simple button presses. The aim is to land it in the green or blue areas but landing it anywhere else ends with either 1000 volts or a flying drone wanting to put a couple of .45 rounds in your arse. Now I had no issues, but many people who are colour blind have complained about the choice of colours which can lead it them being unable to differentiate between items galore or face ventilation. Researching is also back, but now in video. The idea is the same (do research to get bonuses) but now you take a clip instead of a still. In the video time you have to use a mixture of guns and plasmids in order to gain the best results. It works better then turning you into a photography but it would be better mapped to a single button as opposed to being a separate weapon as you can end up selecting it by accident mid-firefight

The ending of the last game majorly fucked up when if brought in the escort mission for the Little Sisters. This time, the system is a lot better. After offing a fellow Big Daddy and adopting his Little Sister, you then have a chance to set up some defences around a corpse before gathering your very own ADAM. Of course this makes the local splicers go ape shit before descending on her in an attempt to take the precious. So you need to stop them (via bullet, drill or electro-spear.) Various tonics (gained by rescuing the little tykes) can help out making her gain more ADAM or do the deed faster but after two collections you have to drag her to a vent to either rescue her or get the munchies and harvest the slug from her. Luckily, when you are moving her around, she climbs on your back so there is no dragging around or waiting for her to work out how to walk AROUND the wall. Additionally the sound guys have worked out how to make

In terms of enemies, the Splicers are the most abundant. They have really gone downhill in terms of genetics, with all of them covered in grotesque tumours or with malformed limbs. However they are exactly the same when it comes to combat, although the grenade spammers have been kicked out. Instead they are replaced with the new boomers. These rather large gentlemen are basically like a gorilla, getting close to you and punching or throwing large chunks of the scenery at you. They feel like weak version of the Bouncer Big Daddies but are great fun to shoot up especially when they turn up in tuxes. The Rosies and the Bouncer versions of the Big Daddies are once again protecting little girls, but they are now joined by the Rumbler, who has a nasty habit of throwing turrets and RPG rounds at you. There is another Big Daddy type, but I won’t reveal them as they first turn up in a awesome moment. The fights with these tin cans are still as good as they were, having to plan out areas to trap before funnelling them into your killing zone. Finally, there are the Big Sisters who turn up once you have cleared out an area of Little Sisters. These fights are the true stand out, really having a feeling of terror when you hear the music and your low on ammo.

I do have one or two faults with the gameplay though. The first is the fact that despite being a massive clunking lump of metal you fall prey to a splicer with a wrench is a tiny bit wrong (what’s he doing? Unscrewing the leg joints?). I didn’t die very often but the deaths I had just felt cheap, with no real reason why I had to go back to the vita chamber. This game also lacks the whole “Oh No I’m going to die" fear just like the first due to the chambers but it does come with an option to turn off them if you like the whole permadeath thing. The other thing is the combat and most of the gameplay is simply dragged over from Bioshock 1. Its alright but it would be nice to have a few more changes seeing as you’re a rather different character to the simple human that Jack was.

The graphics and sound are both amazing. Its the exact same engine as the orignal so don’t worry about it not running on your PC if the first one was fine. It still looks as good as ever, with the water dripping and running across the ruined surfaces. The effects of the plasmids are pretty cool, as are the new guns with their ornate decorations on some while other look like some crap thrown together. Bioshock 2’s graphics are not techical as good as Crysis but the art direction is a lot better – every think has the same art deco look the first game got to a tee. Want to see art deco skyscrapers under water? Go for it! Similarly the music, a key part of the first game is back and as good as ever. The orchestrated soundtrack is perfect for the setting, with some songs that just help to add to the tension and bring it to a level where you’ll be absorbed into the game. I still love the old 50’s style music. There is that innocence in them that is in contrast to the ruined setting around it. Though I swear to go, the song “Hush, Hush, Hush, Here Comes the Boogeyman” has quite literally drilled a hole in my head and is now stuck in their.

Now, I’d be pretty happy at this point with the single player. But Bioshock 2 also has a multiplayer option (made by Digital Extremes who took part in UT2003 and UT2004) which is interesting to say the least. Its a basic COD4 style setup (kill dudes with guns, gain points to gain levels and new guns, rinse, soak, repeat) but with a change or two. The use of plasmids changes it up slightly and you can hack turrets in the levels to bring the pain, booby trap vending/health machines to make enemy players hate your guts or snap a picture of a fallen foe in order to gain a damage bonus. Or alternatively snag the Big Daddy suit and introduce your misguided enemies to a rivet flying at high speed. Game modes include the usual deathmatch and team deathmatch (complete with 1 life mode for both of them) as well as a few new ones. There is Adam Grab (in either solo or team) where each player attempts to grab hold of one of the little sisters for as long as possible, Capture the Sister (where one team aims to take the Little Sister from the defenders) and Turf War (effectively Domination, with Team Atlas squaring off against Team Ryan). So far, so normal.

What is different is the multiplayer has a story. You choose one of 6 (8 if you preordered) character, each with their own back story. The multiplayer battles are in fact part of plasmid testing for Sinclair Solutions. In between each level you can go back your apartment where you can change your loadout of plasmids and guns, choose your character customisation options or listen to a set of audio diaries that reveal a little extra about the world. Its a nice idea, but some missions that play directly into the story of Rapture would be rather cool. Imagine playing in the battle over the Kashmir Restaurant in 1959. The setting of Rapture is too good to just simply have battles with no more story then fight. The areas are all pretty good though, bringing back fond memories of the first games amazing settings. The multiplayer also has a bad case of the gremlins, which can lead to freezes, crashes or simply major lag. I also worry about the population on all three platforms due to the elephant in the room of MW2. However, the game does have multiplayer achievements that should guarantee at least a small amount.

Bioshock 2 is not a poorly made rip off sequel. It feels natural, taking the story on with a new insight into the mysterious world of Rapture. Its not as written as well as Bioshock but that’s like saying that 1984 isn’t as well written as Wuthering Heights – it is still miles ahead of an industry that brought us such crap as Rogue Warrior. The gameplay is better, it has multiplayer but it just feels familiar. And that’s a good thing. If you have played the first, play this to remind you of the good bits. If you have never been to Rapture, play this as well. You may miss a few references (WYK Project!) but its still a good intro to one of the best settings in games ever. This has to be a must play.

Ah, well I killed everyone and harvested all the little girls. BEST. GAME. EVER.