SpiderMan: Shattered Dimensions

SpiderMan:
Shattered Dimensions
Marvel/Activision/Beenox

Xbox 360
PS3
PC
Wii
PSP

Ok web slingers here we go with the latest instalment from the folks at Marvel and Activision/Beenox. That’s right, one of comics most exploited characters is back on our screens in this little dimension hopping adventure. So let’s put on the tight latex suit and standard face coverings so we can swing right into it... No, not the Gimp suit! The Spidy suit, all four of em!


Spidy has made a balls of things by mistakenly creating four dimensions, this accident sets off your quadrupole adventure of webbed mayhem. The objective of the game is to search through the four new dimensions and find pieces of a mystic tablet to save reality before it all goes pop, right so no pressure then Spidy! Cross dressing has never been so heroic, you will get to be the Classic Neighborhood Spidy that we all know and love/hate so well, the 'Noir' Spidy of a by gone age who is a bit of a bad ass. There is Ultimate Spidy in his cool black S&M looking spandex and the least popular, Spidy 2099 who is a arrogant cock! All have their own dimension and surroundings to fit their persona's and all in all its an interesting concept. During these various themed levels you will face a heap of spider-mans favorite bosses along the way, which is cool. Throw in the obligatory hidden spiders and collectibles scattered about, and you more or less have a typical spider-man game but be warned, this is not the Spidy game you are used to playing not by a long webbed shot. That’s right, feel the Spidy senses tingling, anyone hoping for a nice big city that's free to run around in is going to be really, really, disappointed! It’s A to B stuff, the sandbox format is gone in the bin. Booooo!! But that doesn't mean its a crap game... or does it?


Game play is fast, you’re thrown into the action straight away, from the moment you start the level you are corralled down a linear path, there is nowhere to go but forward. You meet and chase Spidy's first Nemesis 'Kraven the Hunter' through out the level, eventually ending up in a jungle based thunder dome arena. This begins the first boss battle of the game. After wearing down Kraven's health something new and interesting happens, you go into a first person view for a punch up during the last moment of the final fight. You move the left and right analogue sticks for punching and dodging, a bit like EA's boxing games of late. This was a really nice surprise that is very well executed and is a pretty fresh feature to this type of game and probably one of the games better qualities. That said, all boss battles follow this format, they are rinse and repeat affairs - find the weak spot, hit it, hide, hit it again etc... Next!!


The general formula is also the same all the way through each level, beat up the weak bad guys, beat up the strong bad guys, beat up the stronger bad guys, fight the boss, rescue the civilians, then beat up all the bad guys again, then beat the boss... Again! Arg!
Initially this is fun for each level but eventually it looses its excitement and becomes a routine affair.
The controls in general are straight forward enough, but the overloading on some buttons can cause a bit of finger frustration. The targeting system isn't great and causes issues when trying to quick zip to surfaces but you end up swinging into the enemies target area instead, its just poorly done. What was wrong with the old system Spidy... WHAT!!??

The level design is boring and lazy, the designers need to hung upside down in shame and covered in web-goo I recon, how could they come up with this when they had four strong individual characters and four different versions of New York to play with, all with four different time periods to pour over it all? Tut, tut! Not to mention some past Spidy games as inspiration that were of a high quality. It's a missed opportunity to improve on previous games rather than to reboot it poorly but I guess that was a gamble they were willing to risk... unfortunately!

Visually its not bad, graphics are not ground breaking by any stretch of the imagination but having the four different dimensions with their own “unique style” was a nice touch and a solid idea. However its all a bit overwhelming on the orbs, mixing bright colours in one dimension with cell shading for another then to the dark and dirty style of the next, it’s a bit of a messed up mind fuck. Although it is trying to give contrast between levels it just makes it visually inconsistent and confusing. I felt that it falls short of what the developers were trying to achieve.

The audio just meanders along like some depressed worker looking forward to a day in the mines, it does what it does just enough to get by. Ok, so Spider man himself has been voiced by 4 different actors giving Spidy a “unique” quality each time and our favourite web head has also been armed with all the smart answers you would come to expect but after a while it just blends into monotony and repetition. The only really cool thing is having Stan “The Man” Lee as narrator but even then you’re looking for the skip button.


This game is a fun filler at best, after you complete the game it will sit on the shelf never to be touched again. That’s of course if you could be arsed to even finish it. Personally I like to finish every game I start, but even this is going to push me to my limits, and trust me I have played some doozers in my time... 'Spider-man Shattered dimensions' is a level based platformer that unfortunately offers very little new to the genre. The early novelties soon run out of steam and you just start ploughing through it, perhaps real Spidy heads will enjoy it just because of its brand but not for its merits as a game. I can tell you this, if I had spent my hard earned cash on it, I‘d be very pissed off.


Rent it, play it, forget it.

Dead Rising 2: Case Zero Review

Dead Rising 2: Case Zero DLC
Xbox 360
Capcom

Case Zero is the prequel to the upcoming zombie smasher ‘Dead Rising 2’ from our crazy friends in Capcom. In this DLC you get to take control of Chuck Greene, a man with a past in motor cross who has a big dilemma. His Daughter Kathy has been bitten by a dead meat sack while escaping Las Vegas, to make things worse Chuck decides to stop for a pee or whatever in a little shitville town gas station. Things soon go tits up when the truck with all the precious, pricy ‘zombrex’, a drug that holds off the zombie infection, gets stolen and he gets stranded in this small town of ‘Still Creek’. Here’s where the fun starts, commence Zombie dismemberment!
The overall objective of the game is to build a motorbike so you and your daughter can ride off into the sunset before the military arrive to cleanse the town. This involves searching around for bike parts, fighting your way through hordes of the undead, meeting some helpless survivors and of course a run in with the local fucked up, shit crazy redneck boss. During all this you will have the opportunity to see the new physics and weapon combos in action, along with much improved survivor AI...Thank Christ!! Because the last lot were as dumb as a bunch of retarded rocks!

The clock is always ticking in case zero, the timelines given to get things sorted are tight and like the original are quite punishing if you make a mess of things and leave yourself short of time, frustrating is one way to describe this and ‘Aww Fuck It!’ is another. You will also notice a big difference in the overall feel of the controls, it is much improved over ‘Dead Rising’ and far less annoying.
There is also plenty of zombie killing antics to keep you happy with a wide variety of weapons that help you paint the town red, literally. Take a chainsaw, take another chainsaw, get a paddle, and what have you got? Canoeing… Jason Voorhees style! Chuck also gets to use shotguns, machine guns, broadswords, moose heads, handbags, etc. Nearly anything that’s not nailed down can be used as a weapon to chop, crush, blind, skew, run over or splat the drooling meat heads and this is where the true fun and guts of the game lie.

Following on in the blood splattered footsteps of the original ‘Dead Rising’ there are the silly costumes for you to change into, although smashing heads in the maids dress is just wrong, it’s funny and sickly pleasing… but wrong! The blender makes a welcome return and allows you to mix all sorts of food types together for those special smoothes that keep you alive or boost your abilities. For the Alco’s among us you can mix the booze together, one bottle of bourbon not enough, hell mix two. But remember drinking too much alcohol will make you sick… but the zombies do love a pile of puke to lick or slip on... yum! The level up books also make a reappearance but only some of the abilities you learn from them are permanent while others last for a short time. The whole experience is all very familiar, yet all quite new in a strange way.

Yes there are a few flaws in the game, loading times, graphics glitches and the lack of audible speech when dealing with survivors... all of which I’m hoping will be addressed in the full game, because if the loading times are that bad in ‘Dead Rising 2’ that will really suck zombie balls. Having said that, this is just a ‘demo’, all be it for 400msp, it’s a great mini game at that price and the ability to carry across your character points from ‘case zero’ into the main game is cool… up to a max of level 5, which will no doubt come in handy for Chucks next adventure.

At the end of the day this game is designed to give you a taste of the blood and guts that waits on a much grander scale and to basically get you started on the zombie paved road to Vegas, and boy does it deliver with every squishy footstep. It is a riot from start to finish, and I found myself playing it again and again. So if you’re a Zombie fan, flash the cash and get it! Trust me - there’s some serious blood and guts fun to be had with a bucket load of zombie bashing in ‘Dead Rising 2: Case Zero’.

Buy it, Play it, Love it!

Splinter Cell Conviction - Demo Impressions. Worth the Hype?

Splinter Cell - Conviction Demo

Xbox 360







Well, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction is released on the 16th of April (2010) which is only a few weeks away and the demo has been available for free on Xbox live for awhile and as always my first comment is this… play the god-dammed game demo for yourself, it’s the best way to Judge a game! If your too lazy or don’t have access to the demo then this one’s for you.

The newest Splinter Cell: Conviction is the fifth tale (not including the PSP title ‘Essentials’) of Sam Fisher and possibly the last I suspect… If you are expecting more of the same old hide, tippy toe, grab, kill, hide body, fade away or get killed - style of play then you’re in for a disappointment… or treat depending on your perspective.

The story seems to be a reasonably a good one, Sam’s daughter was killed by a drunk driver while he was away in ‘Chaos Theory’ but he now knows that it was set up by his former employers ‘Third Echelon’ and our hero is here to kick ass and chew bubble gum… and he’s all out of gum. This tale of revenge has Sam as a ronin outlaw on the edge and looking to kill the actual person who gave the nod for his daughters ‘accident’ for some much deserved testicular detachment. I suspect there will be twists and turns that will involve past characters along the way and a soap opera style reveal at the end but all that is to be discovered in the full game.



Visually the game looks good, I cannot say it is amazing or anything ground breaking but it is definitely of a high standard, animations are fluid and convincing and the sounds are weighty, giving atmosphere to the environments. Overall the production value is high but you would expect as much from the Ubisoft stable and a long running franchise such as this.

There are new game mechanics at work that favour combat over the stealth approach. When spotted by enemies Sam is now much faster to escape, takes less damage from attacks and is far more skillful at shooting on the fly. This for some gamers is a welcome change from the previous games where if you were spotted by a trigger happy terrorist you cold kiss your ass goodbye if you failed to escape quickly enough. It does however make the stealth approach optional with combat the easier option, which many Splinter Cell fans would say undermines the whole purpose of this franchise and will have its granddaddy titles like ‘Thief’ rolling in its grave. Others might welcome this new and fresh approach and feel it is needed to breathe life into a dying format.

The various vision modes and the usual gadgets are all still there and are much easier to access through a new selection system. The demo was not very informative in regard to the range of gadgets available (I imagine there will be new ones in the full game) but it would seem that you don’t need them at all as I got through the whole thing during a single play through without having to use even one optional item, only the mission crucial ones, which to be honest was a bit disappointing as it would have been a richer experience if tactics were needed to succeed. Weapons cannot be judged by the demo as only a limited supply are available but you can now poach ones dropped by fallen enemies which is pretty cool.



There are two new additions worthy of note, first is the ‘ghosting’ system which shows a transparent form of Sam in the environment, this represents where the enemy believes you to have been last, giving Sam the chance to either leave the bad man in a decoy area and sneak past, or to open a can of whoop-ass on the unsuspecting enemy. This is a pretty cool feature, though apart from the visual indicator it is not exactly revolutionary in Splinter Cell games as this is pretty much what players used their diversion gadgets for in the past. The other notable addition and change to the play style is a sort of auto targeting system for shooting grouped enemies. Accomplishing ‘stealth kills’ will build up an ‘adrenalin bar’, when this is full you are then able to mark two (possibly more in the full game?) targets from a position of cover and then press shoot, Sam will then follow a pre-determined animation of taking down the two baddies in one quick attack. This does keep the pace of the game moving but it takes the skill and chance of failure out of the player’s hands and it all feels a bit automated.



Mission briefings are replaced by text on surfaces that instruct you on what to do or where to go next and are a clever idea and keeps the pace flowing as there is no need for a menu or cut scene so overall it is a plus.. I guess. The ‘AI’ does not seem to be too high, dummies… I mean, enemies are easily led to their death and even when in open combat they seem slow to react and generally sluggish only posing a real danger when in groups of three and more. Even on a higher skill level they seemed a bit retarded but their bullets just did more damage. Listening to their prattle talk can be fun and getting a poor bastard in a choke grip and using him as a human shield is satisfying though not a new feature. What is strange though is you no longer can carry and hide an incapacitated victim… which is a real shame.



Environments have sufficient hiding and grappling areas which were enjoyable to tackle with only the odd frustration of falling or missing a ledge to grab when being chased. There are lots of dark areas to hide and lights to shoot or turn off adding to the strategic plan if you do decide to play that way. Though quite well designed your path through the level is pretty obvious, perhaps a little too much so and overall a bitlinier. In saying that, it is only a starting or instructional level so I imagine the full game maps will be of a improved standard.

There will also be a multiplayer aspect bundled in, this promises some good co-op play and online competitive action. If previous attempts of Splinter Cell multiplayer games are anything to go on then that could well be this titles strongest and most enjoyable aspect… but we shall have to wait and see.


It would not be the first time that a demo can give a misleading impression to gamers. I am hoping that this is one of those times because I cannot say this is quite the title that I was personally expecting, although I’m sure it will be enjoyable enough. For gamers that have played all of the Splinter Cell games and indeed other Tom Clancy tactical shooters such as Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six, they might well fell that ‘Conviction’ is all a bit ‘arcade’ like or ‘dumbed down’. People new to splinter cell and more casual players might enjoy this new approach more so and gladly leave behind getting caught up in finer details or punishing scenarios found in previous versions of Splinter Cell. There seems to be an easy learning curve and less of a challenge compared to its predecessors and less in the way of skilled strategic shooter elements, resulting in more fluid progression with more automated scenarios… so depending on your perspective, this is either very good or very bad.

Personally I will miss the strategic elements, although I do feel that the Splinter Cell IP did need an overhaul to make it fresh, this is not the approach I would have hoped for… (Queue the rotten fruit and veg throwing). There are lots of shooters on the market, and if that’s what I want then it’s easy to get my grubby gaming hands on one… finding a good sneak em up is a much more difficult task. An unpopular opinion I imagine given the hype and anticipation surrounding this title but an honest one all the same. I imagine that the success, true strength and perhaps the saving grace of Splinter Cell Conviction, for most gamers, will be the depth of the story and atmosphere, which appears to be simple but solid. Perhaps it will be enough to fill in the cracks for any other short comings it may have. Hopefully the demo is only a narrow view into what I hope will be a great gaming experience… Gadgets crossed eh!

Dantes Inferno - The Review.

Dantes Inferno EA, Visceral Games, Xbox 360, PS3, PC










There has been a bolloc load of hype around this hack n slasher prior to release and a bit of a hate campaign after, so with all the marketing and media surrounding this title it is fair to say that the essential truth about Dante’s inferno has been lost in the mix and that is – Does it suck like a 20 stone midget on a milkshake or is it the angelic blood fest we want it to be?
After playing the demo I was not impressed and felt very let down as I really wanted to like this game. The idea of taking the works of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy from the 14th century and bringing it into the twenty first century as the basis for a game - to me is absolute genius! Keep in mind that EA and Visceral games are not trying to rewrite this classic poem, it is only the premise for a great romp through Hell itself and a pretty smart marketing angle too. Hopefully other publishers will adopt this type of concept and tie it into their games as some have in the past (Bioshock - influenced by Atlas Shrugged from author Ayn Rand), it can potentially add a great deal of weight and depth if done well.
By now we all know the premise of Dante’s Inferno as far as the game is concerned… Dante is one serious bad ass doing God’s work by butchering Muslims during the Crusades. Turns out that was a crock of shit and all he has been really doing is racking up hell points for himself, Duh! Making a long story short Dante finds out that his hot blond bird ‘Beatrice’ has been killed and is promised to Hell because of his sins. Dante of course follows her into Hell with some divine help from a holy ghost by the name of ‘Virgil’. At this point you have to start a journey through the nine circles of the underworld and the fun begins!



So let’s get on the highway to hell and see just how hot this game is or is not. First off, the game looks great. Visuals are rich and colourful giving a good fell of being in various areas of Hell. Attention to detail is very strong and there always seems to be something going on in the background. Levels like ‘Gluttony’ are suitably gooey, snotty and gross while the likes of ‘Lust’ are suitably raunchy in a sick way… it’s all sexy dangly bits everywhere, more old age pensioner than playboy mansion though. Each of the areas through hell are suitably customised and well designed in relation to their theme while the moaning and groaning of lost souls echoes through the background screams. The atmosphere is well executed in sight and sound and at times is almost a bit pee you’re your pants freaky. Animations and models are also of a high standard, the whole 60fps trick that Visceral Games have used seems to have worked well. There is a reasonable variety of enemies to bash and the list grows as you go through each circle of Hell but quite often you will face the same demon drones, with the special level types popping in for a kicking every now and then. Combat is pretty basic… You have Deaths scythe and the holy crucifix to combat enemies, the scythe extracts evil points in the form of souls and the cross good points. These souls unlock skills which come in the form of extra health, stronger attacks, and combo moves. You will also meet dammed famous figures of history and myths that require your judgement, condemn or absolve, the choice is yours, but these decisions will influence your dark or light power points. Collectibles come in the form of Relics and Judas coins, these also add to your pool of souls while the relics can be equipped and upgraded giving an array of benefits. All of this will help you get access to evil abilities or good ones, you can spread them out over both disciplines, but it really has little impact on the overall game as to which side you invest in. Executing new moves is as easy as pulling the legs of a beellez-bug and requires little in the way of complex brain to finger function. You can mix it up by trying out the various options of combos but you really don’t need to, basic chopping or shooting crucifixes will do the trick with the odd need to shield or dodge. You could say this is too basic and simple or you could look at it that it doest get in the way of fluid progression. Either way slicing off demon heads or hacking at a bunch of evil babies is still a fun experience. This can become a bit repetitive but it never really gets boring and if you do decide to try and learn the combos then it will keep it even fresher. In Hell size matters, bosses are massive and impressive to look at but lack little in the way of a punch for the most part. Beating the hell spawn upper elite is pretty easy and usually involves a basic ‘rinse and repeat’ method, but again it is enjoyable rather that annoying. You will even have some objectives that involve controlling giant demons like a vehicle and these, although a bit token, are enjoyable and change the pace giving a break from the button bashing. Eventually you will confront the devil himself, who is actually quite a cool dude despite his need to show off the twig and giggleberries on a regular basis, well it is hot down there I guess. Then there’s the sexy Beatrice who is almost always naked, being fondled by bad men and giving Dante a constant guilt trip… ungrateful cow! Minos will try and crush ya, Cleopatra will try and screw ya, Mark Anthony will try and poke ya, Gluttons will try and eat ya, and the rest will just try and kill ya in colourful ways. It’s fair to say that Dante is having a pretty shit day! The holy freak Virgil will guide you on your way through all this giving his down beat advice and generally being a misery. Thanks for nothing ya ectoplasmic freak in a dress!

Overall it’s fair to say that Dante’s Inferno is nice on the eyes and enjoyable to play while simple to get through even on the top difficulty setting but what makes this stand out from the crowd just that little bit is its story and theme. The game is a bit short and easy to rip through and holds little in the way of a challenge but it does this wrapped up in beautiful visuals and fluid fun button bashing that has a story compelling enough for you to want to know what comes next. The in-between cut scenes are top quality and really enrich the atmosphere of it all. That said it feels like there could have been more added to the game, especially in terms of game length and enemy variety but perhaps I’m just being greedy… It does have a flavour that many of the early PS2 ‘hack n’ slash’ games did and feels quite nostalgic, at least to old fogies like me. And yes, this is basically God of War but that’s not such a bad thing especially for PC and Xbox owners.

If you like button bashers, demons, game nudity, buckets of bloody gore, biblical overtones and hero saves the day kinda stuff then you will thoroughly enjoy this romp through Hell, it’s just good old fun with lots of boobies, some bigger than a truck… honest! If you’re looking for innovate, high brow style game play, then leave Dante in Hell. What you really want to know is should you Buy, Rent, or Pass? Well there is some DLC coming for this soon so that will add multiplayer, that could influence your decision but if ya couldn't give a demon’s dick about such things then renting is probably a good idea. Chances are you will play through this once, maybe twice but then it’s gonna become a dust collector or trade in for most people. I really enjoyed Dante’s Inferno so if that’s a sin then send me to Hell, I have to say I am looking forward to the sequels which I imagine will be ‘Dante’s Purgatory’ then ‘Dante’s Paradise’, this would complete the Divine Comedy (Look it up you lazy people) but of course with a Visceral Games twist added. That said one man’s Heaven is another man’s Hell… I really enjoyed this but it’s really a matter of taste, if ya don’t like it spit it out but it’s worth chewing!

Dante's Inferno Demo Impressions - Hot or Not?

Dante's Inferno - Demo Impressions.
Xbox 360
PS3
PC

EA, Visceral Games.









Well, the Dante's Inferno free demo was released on the PS3 and Xbox 360 just before Christmas and is now available to all. If you haven't got your dirty lil hands on it yet I suggest you do and see what you make of it for yourself. Our opinion's on the demo here at Reaper Towers are quite split... Mr Exciting Alien hated it, he thought the 2D cut scenes were nothing short of amateur and the game play is repetitive and boring old hack n' slash button bashing that gave no satisfaction... ooo harsh!! But he has a point. Although I don't think Dante's Inferno is quite that bad, I was very disappointed, I really thought this ticked all the boxes for a top end experience and given all the great Dev Diary's we have seen and shared over the past months I was expecting more... As we tear the soul from this demo do keep in mind that it is just a demo and the kind of game a player will love or hate depending on a gamers taste of game type, so do the best review possible before you decide... play it for yourself! In the meantime here's my two cents...

The environments are rich and well executed with visuals in general very pleasing. The characters and animations are also very good with a nice variety of hell spawn enemies to chop up. Unfortunately, the camera can be a pain in the ass and swings wildly at times, which is frustrating during battles. Controls are over complicated (but this can be said for most hack and slash games) which means you rely on the basic attacks for the most part and accidentally end up doing combos. Cut scene timed button bashing is here in mass, the game is overdosed with this feature and is just overdone... it is OK here and there but when its all the time it becomes repetitive and annoying. Combat is fast paced but again becomes a button masher with little in the sense of satisfying attacks, it all just feels weightless.
You have a sort of path choice to make which is cool, you can save your enemies souls as you dismember their bodies through the power of good in the form of a divine crucifix which gives you good brownie points or chop em up with Deaths scythe and this will give you nasty points, basically its like force power but without bath robes and beards. As you fill up on good and evil souls you are allowed to level up abilities, personally I thought this menu setup looked and functioned awkwardly and could potentially become annoying at later stages, but it does open up some useful powers and there is a good sense that Dante is getting more powerful with each advancement.
There seems to be a good atmosphere and story to the game which may be its strongest feature, that said it is far from perfect... A point in case is where you have a chat with 'Death' himself during battle and he comes across as a moany little bitch when ya start kicking his ass... it just felt... immature or silly. On the up side there is a part of the demo where you control a giant demon allowing you to bite off enemy heads and relive your Godzilla fetish for a few moment, mmm yummy! The overall experience is middle of the road with a few high points, it is not a bad game but it is no God Of War either, unfortunately! As it stands, if you love hack n' slash games then play it through and trade it in when it gets boring, if you are not a big fan of this type of game I don't think there is much here to change your opinion...

I think that Dante's Inferno has the potential to be a Good game... not a Great one as originally hoped. If EA and Visceral Games start spending as much time and effort cleaning up the games shortcomings as they have spent on their hype machine then we could have a real kick ass experience here... but at the moment it is a title destined to purgatory I fear... I know its only a demo but the omens are not good, sort it out dev dudes, make Hell a nice place to be!!!

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 – Story Mode - Early Impressions

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Xbox 360
PS3
PC





Ok, the truth is this game doesn’t need a review it’s going to sell like hot cakes at a fatty convention regardless… Already it has sold around five million copies and is only out a few days. So the short review is ’It’s great, get it!’. This is exactly what we all did I recon but for the odd one of you out there still on the fence, here is a our early impression on playing through the story mode…

Visually this game is as beautiful as its predecessor and then-some, it puts all other current FPS games recently released to shame and shows how the life span of the current generation of gaming machines should stay as is, while the game development improves instead. Infinity ward have tried their best to immerse you into the story and have done a fine job. There are many locations to play in and every one of them feels like a scene from a movie or TV show. Production values in general are top of the line, great sound and a talented celebrity list of voice actors drops you even deeper into the pit of war.

The weapons are very realistic and have great weight and feel. Like a NRA meeting at Charlton Heston’s house it seems that everywhere you go there are guns and weapons lying around, and with a wide variety to choose from its difficult to stick with just one type. There is also the big weapons you access at certain point in the game, like the predator drone that you can control fully, it rains a fiery death on mass groups of evil anti western baddies and there’s the numerous fixed gun placements for maximum carnage and the list goes on, each one bringing a nice ‘Holy Shit – that’s cool!’ type of feeling.

The NPC’s in the game are convincing and even humorous at times and you really feel like just another grunt in the big battles and fight alongside your band of brothers as opposed to the lone ranger style of play. Some situations are truly breath taking, don’t worry, no spoilers, but when you’re fighting in a parking lot of fast food joints as baddies drop from the sky and you then have to secure a rooftop while surrounded by enemies, you will see what I mean. Later missions like the snow base combine stealth and vehicle action so perfectly it feels like a bond movie and then there’s the controversial ‘Terrorist’ mission… This you can choose to skip playing but let’s be honest, everyone is going to try it, when you do it is down to your own judgement how to participate and I personally found it all a bit boring after I capped a few civilians, bit like shooting fish in a barrel, so I then began shooting up the shops instead which was a bit more fun. Yeah, sure, the idea of killing innocent people in an airport has shock value and is shocking for the first few seconds but like I have said already, everything in this game is like a scene out of a movie or TV show, it’s not that different to a bank robbery sequence or an episode of ‘24’. Ultimately I can see why it is in the game as it is a primary plot factor to the chaos that follows, it really grabs you by the balls and pulls you into the story… and remember it is a game not reality, an adult rated 18’s title, not for kiddies and the truth of it is that the concept is far more sinister sounding than the actual playing, critics should keep that in mind.
Now with that little rant out of the way I can tell you that the level is not all about putting holes into innocent people, there are cops and Riot teams to tackle and this up’s the excitement and challenge. There are many world locations from a place in the sun to the depths of the sea, blinding storms to the vacuum of space, they are all here and all beautifully to behold, war has never been so pretty.

The single player experience so far is fantastic and a must for any gamer, I recommend ‘Veteran’ difficulty for the experienced player as I personally find this instalment much easier than COD4. We will bring a Multi player and Spec ops breakdown as soon as we have play tested more but I can say that both are of great enjoyment. So far COD MW2 is one of the first games in a long time that deserves the hype, just buy it before all the fatty’s get all the cakes!

FIFA 10 Review

Fifa 10

EA Sports

Xbox 360
PS3







Well, it's that time of the year folks when EA, THQ (amongst others) come along and hypnotize to monopolise you're hard earned euros with a glorified update of the previous years title release. Now, we've all grown weary of the bells and whistles thrown about the place and empty promises to 'change the way you play games forever' but no matter, we still splash the cash! So with about as much surprise as the moment your girlfriend waves an Xbox controller about as if it's a Wii wand comes along the mighty EA with the equally mighty Fifa 10. They say it's ground breaking so let's take a look under the hood.....

Firstly let's get the whole FIFA V PES out of the way, simply put this is better, on many levels. A blinding loyalty to PES has always been the modus operande here at Reaper Towers as long back as I can remember, but something strange happened a couple of years ago. Konami fell asleep in their Toyotas and along came EA who like 'em or lump 'em pushed the football game in the absolute right direction. Capitalizing on the 'Sim' quality brought to the genre with PES, EA got it just right with fluid controls, full and licensed rosters, brilliant manager modes and create-a-player that was second to none. We were (like Lindsey Lohan) swayed, and you were too!

Now 900 billion trillion copies* later we have just laid Fifa 09 to rest and wrapped our goalie gloves around Fifa 10 which is, if you pardon the expression, a perfect ten. So, what's new? Lot's actually...

Much has been written about the brand new 360 control, and surprisingly it is as good as they say it is. Although only slightly different than previous eight way player movement it's enough to completely change the entire feel of the game allowing measurably superior first touches and runs with the ball. For the first time you actually feel like you're playing football as opposed to playing a game, creating a real immersion that you never knew was missing. This feeds in to the new player dynamics where weight and speed are represented brilliantly and effectively. You know intuitively when a player can take a player on the ball, that said however, as much as I like to feel Ashley Cole's player dynamics I'd rather feel his wife....

Moving on you'll notice on the pitch everything just works better, from attacks at goal to passing dynamics to defensive abilities a little tweaking has helped a lot. In previous incarnations a defender found himself in the way of a shot on goal almost by mistake, where as now it's brilliantly animated when a shot is blocked. This adds an immediacy that was lacking and a sense of urgency when trying to get the ball in the back of the net...

Free kicks have also had an overhaul from the ground up. At the practice mode screen you can access create a set-piece, which might be construed as 'fiddly' but with a little time and patience you will have some seriously effective goal scoring chances that you can take online. I know the purists out there would probably like it 'harder' to score like this but by freeing up the chances of a screaming goal EA have put the responsibility on the defensive play to try keep it clean around the box, a change most welcome.

Outside of the pitch some new developments have also taken place. Players can now share their faces on-line via the My Virtual Pro Game Face option, create your player and splash your mug on it via the EA website (Mac users can't do this at the moment... Typical). Probably a bit pointless for girl gamers and people with fat faces but a fun tool none-the-less. You can bring said player through all sorts of skill curves and build up his ability over all modes including the practice arena, this can be great fun and especially handy for setting up your own team on-line with your mates. Live Season, allowing you to play in real life fixtures, returns in the form of 2.0, which 'Goddammit EA!! costs MONEY. This whole idea of paid for content really gets my grits. Was my initial money not good enough? It's like paying for a seat in McDonald's... Won't be buying that.

Manager Mode is, as ever, totally immersive and excellently executed. Full control is on offer here for those who fancy themselves as 'De Gaffer' from player health and tactics to ticket prices and player transfers. Word to the wise though, these players want a lot of money if they're gonna move to your club, so just give it to them... I hate Ronaldo. Also remember to turn off auto save to avoid those crucial losses and moments of madness where you throw your controller through your shiny HD tele...

The Menu system has been modestly improved and stream lined a bit better than last year and the load times have improved also. The gut's of the game are all still there, including the commentating of Andy Gray and Martin Tyler which really add to the atmosphere of a 'Big Game Match' although they're especially hard on poor old Van Persie, constantly reminding you that he's had a bad season. Wonder what he did to EA? But it's exactly this precise tie-in that makes you appreciate the importance of licensing to this title, reminding us not to take for granted everything reflecting real life, from kits to stadiums.

On-line play is fantastic and seeded to your skill level and in terms of racking up the points, highly, highly addictive. It's an integral part of the appeal of Fifa and EA seem to understand this, in turn building on it year in year out. And at time of review a notable drop in connection losses with your opponent, a problem that dogged '09 in my opinion.

Xbox achievements got a slight overhaul also, whereas you might expect 'header' 'free kick' and 'distance goals' to make a return, they don't. It seems to be mostly centred around Manager Mode and Virtual Pro which forces you to really delve in to the one player option and two player lounge modes. Fine by me, changes things a little and keeps it fresh. For those with a PS3, bad news, the graphics and fluidity are superior on the Xbox and on-line is better also.

The only real problem I can find with Fifa 10 is the inclusion of the Dutch side. I don't like them, wooden shoes and big women.

In closing, a great game indeed. It's not perfect and I'm sure as you play through you'll find little glitches but so far, so very good. EA have listened and responded satisfactorily as far as I'm concerned. From the minute you load this puppy up it's obvious that you're dealing with much more than a game. It's a community, a world within a world and a really great social game. From the frustration to the almost orgasmic satisfaction of scoring a winner in the last minute this title runs the gamut of emotion, exalting the highs and lows of the real life beautiful game and packaging it in a shiny little disc for your Xbox pleasure. How do EA improve on this? I'm not sure they can.

Blind Side G's Verdict: Get it!

P.S Avoid Exciting Alien if you want to win a match...