http://swiftor.com/ en Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:56:21 GMT vBulletin 30 http://swiftor.com/images/misc/rss.png http://swiftor.com/ http://swiftor.com/f25/armed-assault-2-oa-dlc-review-pc-20460/ Sun, 05 Sep 2010 20:52:07 GMT This is a review from me about a niche type game which is only on the PC platform: Introduction: The game is developed by Bohemia Interactive,... This is a review from me about a niche type game which is only on the PC platform:

Introduction:
The game is developed by Bohemia Interactive, and is the 'third' installment of the series originating from Operation Flashpoint in 2001. The fundamentals of the game in 2001 have not changed massive amount to todays work. The game itself is for basically every gamer be it pro or amateur is Hard , it a true military simulation in every sense of the word, this can be attributed to BIS developing a near identical other simulation called Virtual Battle Space 1&2 which are one of the training tools being used today by the US/UK & Auz armies. The terrain which you operate on in arma is nothing short of remarkable, the main map in arma2 vanilla is 250sqkm of eastern Europe based of terrain of the Czech Republic, to say this game is sandbox is an under-statement, you CAN go anywhere anytime you want in whatever vehicle you wish or just walk, dynamic weather , animal life, local population, you name it it has it, one of the improvements coming from the expansion Operation Arrowhead (OA) is that every single building on the map is fully enterable, with many floors, plus the main city map which is 75sqkm of urban area has a fantastic mosque in the center of the city. Finally the most powerful tool of ArmA in my opinion, the Editor, in this immense tool, you can do what you want, you have the maps at your disposal a simple click puts down a group or a snigle unit be it men/air/Armour/sea, there are three factions to choose from both different according to if your playing ArmA2 vanilla or OA which combines both.

Sinlgeplayer/Campaign
The SP side of things is immersible, the campaign setting is more than loosely based on the events in Georgia in 2008, but with the added faction of the United States Marine Core. You Task-force a spec-ops unit are sent in infront of the main force to take out rebel potions ect ect , the morning before the main attack. From here the campaigns begins to take shape, you make allies in the form of a friendly guerrilla group, and help them take out the bad guys called the Czdaki, but of course they have their own back up...the Russian federation. This is what is meant when i say immersion, it has that dark dangerous feel of the cold war, as did the previous games. One of the special things about the campaign is that it is very dynamic, there are times in the mission were HQ will ask you if you have had enough or ask if you can do another objective, its your call if you want to, however....every mission shapes out the final out-come of the campaign even from early on, from what i can remember there is four final endings that can happen, the missions in the campaign list have different outcomes, so three different types of the same mission, if you get me :) . Along with the campaign, BIS also have given you around 8 extra missions to play as well, along with training to all parts of what is needed to learn. Action in the campaigns can be anything and everything, leading a platoon towards machine guns, coming up against tanks, planes helicopters, or sometimes you be it US/UK are in the tanks, or the fighter jets, or indeed infantry in which, there is a tool called high command can be used which is basically you controlling a massive force, and maneuver them about the field of battle from your map. Battles in ArmA can be epic as you can have i think around 2000 units on a map at one time so no holds-bar.

Multiplayer:
MP on ArmA is another good experience, there are several modes of gameplay, some made by bis others by the community in the editor. PvP seems to be popular at the moment and will grow as famous Dev's Project Reality are now coming into the fold. For me ArmA is not really a pvp type game it lacks the fluidity of games such as bf2 or cod, its much slow pace. The bulk of my time in arma is spent playing coop, which is great fun. The campaign is available in coop both ArmA2 vanilla and OA. However missions and new campaigns are released everyday online so there is an unlimited amount of fun to be had. As for me i am part of a ArmA gaming unit, and we have coop nights and training nights as do the vast majority of other clans throughout the community. Coop for me wins really because the AI are very clever in combat and do all the things you would expect, i.e. if you have a larger force than the AI , then they can pop smoke and try to flank you ect.

Community/Modding/mission-editor:
One of the things to set arma out from the others is its community, it is large to an extent, the modd'ing is really on a par with the BIS dev's themselves the mods extent from new tanks planes and units to whole new maps and complete conversions, i myself work on the Vietnam mod so you can make the game be about whatever you want, and there's always mission and campaigns to go along with these. Conversions such as WW2, Vietnam, cold war ect really do make the game last forever. The editor as i said before is a powerful tool, and if you take the time to learn it which is hard, (scripting, coding ect) then you can make missions and campaigns of your dreams, its really no stop to its power, I've seen mission and camps by the community before based on films, with all the appropriate cut scenes and sequences. Other great additions to the game are mods such as ACE which adds an immeasurable amount of new units, plus new weapon ballistics, backpacks to put gear in stamina, first aid models ect. Modules also are a decent part of the game, they can be set down in the editor to populate it or cause certain scripts to start working, i.e. civilian script or car or animal module will populate the map (remember we're talking massive maps) with all of these, others consist of UAV module, weather, first aid, and they all are simple enough to use.

The Rest:
Aside from all its superlatives, the game(s) do have set backs, some bad bugs do exist in the game unfortunately, AI behavior can be sporadic, with flying as well they don't always to what their told.

Conclusion:
The game as its pasts have once again become the forefront for military simulation, its unforgiving mind-numbingly difficult, but behind it all lies something truly spectacular of which i have not seen before, the graphics are fantastic, they look real, the detail is great, and the story, is good enough but the game is so much more than its campaign. Well i do hope you enjoyed my review its abit jumbled but i thought i would share the game with others who may not know of it, along with others who have played it i hope my points it home, so once again many thanks for reading.

Kind Regards Jeza

links:
ARMA 2 Official Website - Arma 2 Official Website
Armaholic.com - Armaholic.com - International fansite covering: Armed Assault - Arma: Combat Operations - ArmA 2 - Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead - Arma 2: British Armed Forces
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePrwLMi1fyQ
]]> Gaming Reviews Jeza http://swiftor.com/f25/armed-assault-2-oa-dlc-review-pc-20460/ http://swiftor.com/f25/mafia-2-pc-20261/ Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:51:43 GMT Gameplay

The gameplay was brilliant. They aced the 1940's atmosphere and managed to make you feel as if you were living in Vitos shoes. Every cutscene and mission allowed you to find out that little bit more about Vito and how he ticks. The characters you met each had individual personalities and acted differently. The cutscenes didn't spare any detail and allowed you to learn more and more about each character and how certain aspects of the game played out. There were a few plotholes, but I'd imagine that's only because I didn't play the first Mafia game.

One negative aspect I must point out is that this game didn't provide much else other than a storyline. I'm yet to complete it but I'd imagine once I do finish it that there's probably not going to be much left to do.

Sound

This game had a great selection of music. Even the radio had the buzz and iffy signal noises expected from a 1940's radio station. Once again, this was another thing that helped this game emulate such an outstanding atmosphere.

Another thing worth mentioning is that this game had great surround sound positioning. Voices and sound effects would move based on their position arbitrary to the camera.

Graphics

Outstanding. I played Mafia 2 on PC with an 8800GT (around 3 years old) and to my surprise I was able to max out most of the settings at my native resolution with antialiasing. The snow was perfected, nothing ever looked jagged or blunt and all of the textures were very high res. The faces in particular were brilliantly modelled and only a few polygons could be spotted.

Controls

I played this game with a wireless 360 controller and there were no flaws. Some of the controls could've been changed though, I thought A for cover and LB for running were odd buttons to map. Perhaps they should've swapped those two around. The use of the D-Pad for weapon selection was always a good idea, and besides that the typical Y to enter cars was included, so it's fairly easy to comprehend.

Conclusion

I can't honestly say I was ever hyped for the release of Mafia 2, although I know how hard it must have been for the developers to try and live up to the ratings of the original. I haven't ever played the first game, but the second has left me wanting more.

Pros
+ Great storytelling
+ Impressive atmosphere

Cons
- Game is centered around storyline, no replayability value

I'm gonna give it an 8.5/10. Brilliant game but I'd still suggest you rent it due to the fact that it has little to no replayability value and you'll find time to complete it within a week. ]]> Gaming Reviews GMX http://swiftor.com/f25/mafia-2-pc-20261/ http://swiftor.com/f25/tunnel-rats-1968-review-19990/ Thu, 26 Aug 2010 05:41:38 GMT Story : (0 | 10)
"Tunnel Rats is a dark and intense single-player shooter for PC that depicts the horrific realities of the Vietnam War as seen through the eyes of a young US soldier. As member of a "Tunnel Rats" squad, the player is trained to clearing out the huge tunnel systems underneath the jungle of Vietnam. After all of his mates got killed in an ambush, the young GI finds himself all alone, fighting against the Vietcong, their deadly traps and his growing inner madness."
(Source: Metacritic)
Alright before I begin ANYTHING I just want to point out this is video game based off an Uwe Boll movie. No. I'm not trolling you or anything, this is based off an Uwe Boll movie. Alright. Lets continue.

The story of the game is actually kinda unique, running around through man-made tunnels, having to avoid traps, be stealthy in a Vietnam sort of era is a cool premise.... except for the fact that the storyline doesn't really go anywhere and whenever a 'main' character dies, you don't care.

Gameplay : (2.5 | 10)
The gameplay of this game is bugged to hell, half the time I either get instant headshots or I shoot above their cover, yet due to the buggy system, counts it as a miss. Also. Throughout the game you can collect dog tags from fallen allies or eats from your enemies. How you can tear off an ear from someone without a head seems kinda silly to me, but I shouldn't question the absolute awesomeness of Uwe Boll. In the game you get your basics, you got your AK, you got your M16 and you get some handguns and a knife. I'd just prefer for these guns to not be one shot kills and I'd like an AI that didn't stand infront of nothing while I shoot it to death.

Graphics: (0 | 10)
The graphics of this game are crap, and this is a PC game in which I was playing at the maximum settings! The ground looks like crap, the characters look poorly detailed, the guns are horrible and the environment looks like a kid with a set of crayons stabbed every single one of them into a piece of paper.

Music: ( 0 | 10 )
This is an Uwe Boll game based off an Uwe Boll movie. Are you really expecting a good soundtrack?

Pros:
Short.
Interesting premise.


Cons:
Boring.
Tacked on.
Easy.
Buggy.
Bad graphics.
Bad soundtrack.
Bad AI.
Horrible character development.
Easy as hell to disable traps.

Overall: (0 | 10)

Rank:
Avoid.

Tunnel Rats 1968 is Uwe Bolls first video game off a movie in which isn't based on a video game. Lets hope this is his last try at anything video game based as he failed. Badly. Avoid this game like the plague. ]]> Gaming Reviews RENCAMO http://swiftor.com/f25/tunnel-rats-1968-review-19990/