Archive - 2010

Armed Assault 2: Operation Arrowhead – A Review

2010/07/19
Jerry Paxton
Reviews

War-gaming enthusiasts rejoiced when they first heard that Bohemia Interactive was developing a stand-alone expansion to the realistic Armed Assault 2. Dubbed ‘Operation Arrowhead’, this expansion would add a new theatre of operation as well as new factions and units to command.

Visually, Operation Arrowhead has definitely been refined over its predecessor, with my gaming rig handling a lot more eye candy for the same frames-per-second. Units are excellently detailed, however human textures still seem a bit… unnatural. Just look at some of your compatriot’s faces and you will see exactly what I mean. Thankfully, the new terrain of Takistan, its capital, and a cool (albeit small-ish) desert map complete with oil derrick all hold tons of replayability. As always, the game audio is incredible, with sound ranging to source being spot-on accurate. See an explosion in the distance, don’t expect the noise of the blast to reach you instantaneously. The new music for Operation Arrowhead follows suit with the original ArmA 2 score, being made up of hard-hitting instrumentals and taiko drums.

The mission editor has been left fairly unchanged. However, with the new units and maps, it too seems to take on new life. The most fun addition to the game is the UH-60 MEV helicopter. This chopper allows for a completely different type of mission in the game: casualty evacuation. After setting my character up in this new chopper, as my mission unfolded, I would receive calls from around the battlefield from AI troops in need. It is up to the pilot and copilot to navigate to the correct grid reference and land. The entire trip to the requested LZ was fraught with danger – AA fire flashing past the cockpit. After successfully touching down at the location, I was shocked to see AI players rushing up to the nose of my chopper to heal and get back into the fight.

Even better, you can put a squad of medics and combat soldiers into your passenger seats, having them disembark and render aid/fire support where needed. The experience was so much fun, I wish Bohemia Interactive would create a full-fledged casevac DLC pack for us.

The story campaign mode takes place in the fictional county of Takistan, which has committed hostile actions against its neighbor.In response, the United States launches an invasion of the rogue country to remove its leadership. One major complaint regarding the original ArmA 2’s campaign was that it was VERY difficult. Movement in the ArmA series has always been a little clunky as players are kept within the bounds of realistic movement for a human being – almost rigidly so. This, coupled with overly-intelligent enemy AI and a slew of gameplay bugs made for an ‘iffy’ experience. Thankfully, the campaign in Operation Arrowhead is very much improved, with no bugs encountered and a brand-new difficulty setting for novice players.

One feature which I found myself enamored by was the implementation of infra-red imaging systems like FLIR (Forward-Looking Infra-Red). While some games have attempted to recreate this kind of system, Operation Arrowhead is the first game which has realistically-done so. In fact, watching scenes of carnage unfold through the sights of this kind of system brings an eerie memory of FLIR pod footage from actual war videos.

For fun, I whipped up a mission in the editor of a fictional US assault into an enemy country. Listen for details such as the ‘GO’ alarm sounding and the rush of choppers and vehicles ‘across the berm’ into enemy territory. You can do all this and more in Bohemia Interactive’s included mission editor. This title is worth the entire price of admission for this feature alone – not to mention all the rest of the awesome entertainment that ArmA 2: Operation Arrowhead will provide.

STM Scout Extra Small Laptop Shoulder Bag – A Review

2010/07/15
Jerry Paxton
Reviews

STM Bags has been making tech bags since 1998. Over the last twelve years, the company has refined their assorted bags and adapted them for the latest devices and PCs on the market. Their latest designs are centered around Apple’s highly-coveted iPad tablet. In this arena, they are touting five designs, ranging from simple sleeves all the way to messenger bags. Looking for a bag that fit somewhere in the middle, allowing us to carry not only our iPad but also other various reporting tools, we got ahold of their Scout Extra Small Laptop Bag.

It’s called a ‘laptop bag’ because it can hold an iPad or up to an 11-inch netbook. The bag is a durable canvas that will repel a bit of water and stand up to the elements – shipping in wither an olive drab or ochre coloring. The outer flap of the bag locks closed with a heavy plastic fastener and the removable shoulder strap even comes with an adjustable padding to help customize it for your body type and carrying style.

Internally, the bag is made up of three major pockets, all at a different Z-plane in order to better facilitate organization. The highest and deepest pocket is the one made for carrying the iPad or netbook. This pocket features dense walls to protect the device, but is lined with a very soft layer of fabric to cuddle it like an angel baby wrapped in a cloud. The iPad users will be happy to know this pocket does not strangle their hard-to-find tablet, but gives it breathing room – accommodating even the thickest skin case. This pocket also features its own flap which is fastened by a velcro strip. The inner flap allows you to open up your bag without fear of outsiders knowing exactly what lies within. It also helps the device from flopping around to much if the wearer gets into a game of b-ball with their friends while wearing it (we do not recommend this, by the way).

The middle pocket is a great place to store books, pamphlets, or important documents and features no internal grips or holds to interfere with this purpose. The last pocket is a great place to store notebooks, pens, or other small electronics and we even got our detachable Apple iPad keyboard dock in here comfortably! Also to be found in this pocket, aside from loops for the aforementioned pens, is a detachable key chain loop. This pocket also has an inner zipper which is home to a small pouch.

Using the Scout is a blast and, with the iPad and keyboard dock inside, is still very light-weight and comfortable. The Scout Extra Small Laptop Shoulder Bag is a great value at $49.99 and is the perfect accessory for students, bloggers, and iReporters alike. You can find this bag and more over at STM Bags’ official website.

Medal of Honor Limited Edition Announced with Trailer

2010/07/14
News

Electronic Arts and DICE have announced that there will be a special, limited edition version of their upcoming shooter, Medal of Honor. This limited edition variant will feature two additional shotguns – which are only available in standard editions after unlocking them, as well immediate access to the MP7 machine gun. Medal of Honor is due out on October 12th across North America.

Ballmer to Give Microsoft Keynote at 2011 Consumer Electronics Show

2010/07/09
Jerry Paxton
News

The Consumer Electronic Association has announced that Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, will be a pre-show keynote speaker at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show. The 2011 CES will take place in Las Vegas and run from January 6th through 9th. The Microsoft keynote will take place on January 5th at 6:30 PM, Pacific Time.

Microsoft recently squashed the plans for their highly-anticipated Courier tablet PC, leaving the only other marveling technology in their stable to be the KINECT system. Will Ballmer announce something revolutionary and completely out of left field? Time will tell as we learn more of Microsoft’s plans in the months leading up to the event.

The Old Republic Game Testing Begins

2010/07/09
boothby
News

LucasArts and BioWare have announced that beta testing is now underway for their upcoming MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic. According to the announcement, testing will be rolled out in stages from now until the game’s launch, which is currently still undisclosed save for a launch window of the Spring of next year.

‘Game Testing is an on-going process being rolled out in several phases. These phases began with smaller, more focused tests with community members from North America, and later will expand to other territories. Users selected for the test program will be notified via email with more information on accessing the Game Testing Portal. Those not chosen yet may be selected in the next wave!’

To sign up and be eligible for testing selection, head on over to the official website and create an account.

Moonbase Alpha – A Review (PC)

2010/07/08
Judgeman
Reviews

Moonbase Alpha from NASA is being called a ‘First-Person Explorer’ MMO. The game is designed to be played with multiple players with a single objective in mind, to re-pair the fictional Moonbase Alpha before your fellow astronauts suffer a gruesome death by oxygen deprivation. With this preview, will take a look at all the aspects that make up the experience that is Moonbase Alpha.

Story:
The story is simple enough, you and your fellow players are astronauts on the moon. While you are cruising around in your rover, your oxygen producing equipment is hit by space debris. It is now up to you and your fellow astronauts to race against time to repair the equipment before the base looses all oxygen and everyone inside perishes.

The story of Moonbase Alpha is simple in concept, but is also compelling and urgent enough to feel the stress that an actual astronaut would feel in this situation. You get only one cut scene in the game, and that shows the beginning of the mission itself. The rest of the story is told to you through voice communication with the base. You will receive updates through your astronaut’s headset about current oxygen levels and the rate that oxygen is being produced. You will also receive pleas from your fellow explorers as they start to feel the effects of oxygen deprivation.

The story itself is functional, and that’s about it. You are given the objectives and the circumstances of this mission, with just a little flavor added along the way through communications with the base. The story is treated with the utmost focus on realism and I certainly feel that NASA did a great job in bringing that to the people. Truth be told, though, I still feel like there was something missing from this game. I understand that the story is supposed to be this way, but in comparison to other games out there, it feels very bare bones through it all.

Gameplay:
The gameplay of Moonbase Alpha is very interesting. You choose the map that you would like to play on, and this will determine the amount of people you can have play at one time and the amount of objectives that you need to complete. You are also given a time limit on each map, this time limit represents the amount of time you have to complete the repairs before the rest of your crew starts to suffer from the lack of oxygen.

On your mini map, you are shown the areas that need your attention. Each repair is shown as a different color, a yellow marker shows an easy repair while a red marker shows a much more difficult repair. As you come up to each damaged module, you have to make the decision as to whether repair it, or replace it. You are given only a limited number of new modules, so you can replace everything. In either case, you have to make sure you have the right tools for the job, and you are only allowed to carry one tool at a time.

As you repair the modules, a mini game will appear that will allow you to cut down on the time required to complete the repair itself. You will be shown a rudimentary circuit board, that you will need to follow the circuit in order to shave seconds off of your time. On the easy repair nodes, this game isn’t as critical, but on the harder nodes that will take you upwards of three minutes to repair, you really need to master this mini game because every second counts!

The key here is coordination, and that is very hard to do with a game filled with internet players that you don’t know. The reason a mission like this would be very successful is due to each individual having a set role. You would have a commander who would organize the astronauts, an engineer that would be specialized in repairs, and so on. I found that very few people would actually listen to advice from the other players and are used to going off on their own. The other item that really frustrated me was the ability to only carry one tool at a time or for the robot to only have one tool set on it at a time. This would lead to me thinking that I have completed all of the welding torch repairs with the robot, moving onto the hand repairs, and then finding out that I missed a welding repair on the other side of the oxygen producers. Then I would have to run all the way back to the tool shed, get another robot, and run him back to make that repair, all the while wasting precious seconds. Of course, this would have been a completely moot point if my fellow astronauts would have worked with me to complete the mission.

Graphics and Sound:
The graphics looked quite good but are by no means ‘stunning’. You get the feel that you are really on the moon. I felt that the shadows worked very well, and that the moon’s surface looked exactly like it does in the old photos that I still have from some of the Apollo missions. The astronauts all wear the same equipment, the only way to tell each other apart visually is the different color of trim that appears on each suit. I would have like to have seen some customization, either by gaining ranks whenever you finish a mission, or by selecting a role to play, such as commander or engineer.

The voice acting for Moonbase Alpha won’t win any Academy Awards either. Like most of this game, it is very functional without being outstanding. You receive voice messages through your comm system, and they are pretty much done in the same military style, whether it is a systems update, or a plea to hurry up because the oxygen is running out.

Final Thoughts:
Moonbase Alpha desires to bring to you the realistic look at lunar living and exploration, and I feel that NASA delivers in this regard. It is just, in this day and age of video gaming, sometimes real life can be very tedious. You move about the base, making repairs on damaged modules, but these only slightly vary in execution, and become quite repetitive very quickly. The game also relies heavy on the cooperation of others on the larger maps. For those of you playing with your friends, this will become a very nice way to play. However, if you are relying on the cooperation of anonymous internet players, good luck my friend, you will need it! Overall, I feel that for a free simulator of life on the moon, NASA’s Moonbase Alpha does a fantastic job, but it is geared for a very select audience that has the focus to complete a series of tedious tasks in a row to accomplish an objective. Moonbase Alpha is available now, for free, from Steam.

Transformers: War for Cybertron Review (X360)

2010/07/05
Jerry Paxton
Reviews

When I think of how Michael Bay and Co. butchered one of my beloved childhood franchises with the two modern-day Transformers films, I just shake my head in frustration. I don’t recall ANY Transformer once urinating fluid on anyone for any reason – not even to put out a fire. But, I digress…

Thankfully, Activision’s new Transformers: War for Cybertron, feel much more like a story inline with the original animated adventures from the 1980’s than the new films, even though it it supposed to be a prequel to those monsters. The story chronicles the epic battle between the Autobots and Decepticons to control their home world of Cybertron. Megatron, leader of the Decepticons, is on a mission to reach gain ‘dark energon’, a corrupt and evil variant of the energon power used by all Cybertronian technology. When interfaced into normal machinery, dark energon will bend the machine to the will of the Decepticons.

The game is laid out into ten levels, each taking roughly an hour to complete – the first five being the Decepticon campaign set and the last being the Autobot campaign. Each level is made up of several checkpoints and at the start of each level, you can pick between three Transformers which will be featured throughout. Usually, you can choose between a ‘leader’ class, a ‘scout’ class, and a ‘scientist’ or ‘soldier’. Each of these ‘bots has their own strengths and weaknesses, with many having extra abilities on top of built-in weapon systems and Transformer forms. Throughout each level, players can pick up power-ups to heal themselves as well as swap out hand-held weaponry as they come across different ones.

One area of the game’s combat system which felt nowhere near fleshed-out enough was its melee weapons. Each Transformer has a melee attack, but these were apparently not meant by Activision to be primary combat attacks – even though they are some of the most fun in the game to pull off. For instance, when using Optimus Prime’s ‘slide’ ability when charging enemies, it would be great to go off into a flurry of spinning attacks with his twin-bladed energy axe, which crashes through Decepticons with a pleasing ‘schwak!’, often sending Transformer-giblets flying. Unfortunately, you get one attack and then have to recover for a few seconds, which leaves you open to enemy fire. Ranged weapons are definitely more numerous, with sniper rifles, energon pistols, plasma cannons, machine funs, etc. Each has its own pro and con in terms of range, damage, and usage which you will have to pick up along the way. Despite this array of ranged weaponry, much like the melee system the game’s combat is fairly simple and anyone familiar with third-person shooters should be able to pick it up quickly.

Changing back and forth between humanoid and vehicle forms is accomplished by simple pressing the left analog stick in. Vehicles mainly provide a quicker way to traverse levels and are not always necessary unless the game is requiring you to make a long jump across a broken highway segment or chasm. Players will find they really don’t need to rely on ground-based vehicle modes. However, the jet-forms in Transformers like Starscream, for example, are usually very handy as they provide two different types of weapons to switch between – each with unlimited ammo. There is also something very satisfying about diving towards an enemy at full afterburner and, just before crashing into him, transforming into humanoid mode for an up-close kill.

Visually, the game features a very detailed levels with plenty of greebles to help make the whole world feel mechanical. Transformers look great and are completely recognizable in their Cybertronian forms – although changing some of the ‘bots appearances a bit more could have been fun, it helps players keep that connection with the Transformers. Throughout the game, players encounter boss sequences and larger-than-life set pieces such as Omega Supreme and Zeta Prime’s armature. Aside from these, however, levels are fairly straight-forward. Thankfully, these linear levels are often set within a larger area full of action. During the Battle of Iacon, while the level is very linear, players can see all sorts of battle raging around them in the background. This helps give these levels a bit more life.

Transformers: War for Cybertron has an excellent cast, and well-acted throughout the entire experience. Background Transformers on both sides throw banter back and forth where appropriate and help you feel immersed into this world under siege. Megatron is voiced by long-time video game voice-over veteran, Fred Tatasciore, who puts up a strong performance with his over-the-top evil always seeming slightly under control in a calculated manner. And then there is Peter Cullen, reprising his role of Optimus/Optimus Prime…

Unlike the films, where Peter Cullen was given over-the-top pompous and self-righteous lines of dialog to spew forth, here, Optimus actually has some character development in his rising up through the Autobot ranks and every so often it would send a chill through this geek’s spine to hear him yell ‘Autobots, roll out!’ right before I hit the ‘transform’ button to those memorable synth-metal noises and stepping on the throttle.

The game features some really solid multiplayer modes as well, with gamers being able to not only play the campaign co-op with a friend via Xbox LIVE, but also to create their own custom Transformer for play in the larger-scale multiplayer battles. Multiplayer battles are fun and offer a quick pick-up-and-play style which most gamers should not have issues with getting a handle on.

Overall, Transformers: War for Cybertron is a fun third-person actioner which will appeal more to fans of the original animated series than those who’s first experience with the franchise was the Bay films – and that is more than fine with this geek. Shogunites, roll out!

Land of The Free, Home Of The Pay: A Review of Battlefield Heroes (PC)

2010/07/04
Ripper71
Reviews

I followed the development of Battlefield Heroes closely. I have always loved the Battlefield games, buying new titles, downloading all the mods, I honestly couldn’t get enough of it. I have five of their titles on my computer right now and have played two of them as recently as a few hours ago, Battlefield has a permanent place on my rig. So I had huge hopes for a BF game on the go, one I could log on just about anywhere I was and jump in. I had plans to level like a mad man, use years of skills to get all three of my different ‘heroes’ as high as I could. I knew I was coming late to the scene, BFH had fallen off the map a bit but I figured just like BF 1942 there would always be a core of loyal players to jump in with. Besides there might be some fresh blood with the one year anniversary happening on none other than July 4th weekend. What I found was a small pack of people who knew each other from there being so few active servers and they couldn’t let go of the game because they had invested so much money in it. Meanwhile when a noob to the game like myself would show up it would be a mass slaughter instead of a wacky fun match.

Atmosphere:
The load music is great, the voices are funny, even the sounds vehicles make, the clunking and chugging noises all add to the fun. Everything is rendered with a cartoon style very different from the other Battlefield games. There are taunting but funny animations that some heroes do when they kill you and the costume/uniform variety is amazing. Most people have either seen screen shots of the kilted team or the trailers featured some time ago and they obviously planned to make this game fun. And at first it was, the wackiness was great and the Battlefield physics kept it grounded a bit so though you might be fighting a guy with his face painted the colors of his favorite soccer team while he wore a beauty pageant sash and heart-covered boxers, you could still rely on the weapons’ physics to perform like they have all these years. Then something becomes…off.

Game Play:
The players from each team greet players from the other team as they log in like old friends. The ones talking to each other are also the ones with the most extravagent outfits. So though they do gun each other down on occasion, they tend to aim for the plainly dressed, obviously new level 1-6 characters. Those who weren’t dressed in the fancy outfits were the main ones dying. A lot of dying. I would be shooting a perfect head shot with my sniper rifle, and it would do a low damage.

At first I thought is was a server failure or concession and these were really, really high level players that had gotten thrown into our mix. Then I noticed we were the ones thrown into their midst. There were level 7 players with literally ship cannons firing from their shoulders or gatling guns on their hips. Some sprouted electric fields that would wipe you out, some fired bullets that caught you on fire. And it took several plain clothed players to take one of them down. Some of the fancy dressed took it personal if they got killed in a round. Even just once, and they considered it a really bad game if they died a few times. So I thought maybe there was some trick to getting the special items at a low level, some points trade-in I hadn’t learned about yet. There was, but I wasn’t going to be able to ‘daily rent’ any of weapons for weeks(that’s right the lower levels of purchasing are just renting and the weapons go away in a few days), and I would have to hit level 10 before I could gain the simplest things. Or I could buy the points to buy the wacky outfits and outrageous weapons, at prices for the ‘battlefunds’ ranging from $4.99 to $99.99. So those who could pay to play with the big guns were the winners. I asked on open channel how many had purchased their weapons and outfits and how much they had spent but of course there is a stigma, no one wants to admit to buying weapons on a free play game, though it is very obvious they had.

Controls:
Controls are really similar to the other Battlefield games. The planes have slightly different controls which throws off a new player and though I think it is an improvement it can really cause a lot of crash landings, so only the long term players seem to use them. If you are in one of the tanks or planes and it blows up, no matter how many extra toys you have, you die. I have seen over-powered players running around destroying tanks as fast as another character but when in the vehicles all are equal. So controls are great, follow Battlefield’s physics and it is fairly easy to forget you are driving a cartoon tank instead of a beautifully detailed one.

Graphics/Audio:
Graphics are what they are supposed to be, cartoonish, wacky, fun and original. They don’t let you down on this account. There actually seems to be less ground solid issues than older Battlefield games and some people complain that older rigs that played the older games just fine can’t handle the graphics on this. Seems funny at first since there is less detail, but there is far more variety of dress, design and weapons. The customization probably causes quite a bit of the lag. The audio for the most part follows the game actions, gun shots, knife swipes, explosions. The taunts have sounds also though which could be another reason for lag. The graphics are fun and the sound is great.

Playtime/Cost:
This is a sticky subject. Technically it is free to play but since free to play translates to lots of deaths, that play can be a bit frustrating and slow unless you put some money into the game… which kind of defeats the free to play purpose a bit. But the folks killing me seem to be having a grand ol’ time. At up to $100 in investment at a time, I would hope so.

Last Call:
I will probably stick it out. I still like the idea of free play and I have a grinder’s patience and maybe if I get a better cash flow I MIGHT invest in a weapon set just to give it a try. Who knows, maybe eventually I will have my ‘Cheers’ moment and everyone will know my name when I log in. Or maybe I will pick up one of the newer FPS titles I have yet to try and save this game as an occasional travel distraction.

We Preview Codemasters F1 2010

2010/07/03
E3, Previews

On Day 2 of the 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo I had the chance to visit the Codemasters suite to check out F1 2010. A small group of us sat down to a presentation by two of the games producers and off we went into the wild world of racing. The demo started off with the producers explaining the world of F1 racing to us. F1 racing is a huge mega sport in Europe that has yet to branch out to North America. The development team’s goal for F1 is to spread the sport globally by delivering story into a racing game…(cont.)

Read the rest of the story, after the break! (cont.)..F1 racing has gone through a change recently and the sport has been taken over by a crop of young drivers that live rockstar lifestyles. The developers really drove home the point that F1 2010 is all about ‘Being the driver and living the life’. Most racing games on the market put you right in the car and nothing else. F1 2010 provides some great racing but also the chance to live that celebrity lifestyle. You are the new kid in town and as you complete more races you will start gaining attention from the media and maybe even a celebrity heiress or two. As what seems to be a recurring theme this year at E3 the choices you make in the game will change the path of the game.

The devs switched on the actual demo and started up one of the tracks in the game. F1 2010 will provide players with not only real tracks to drive on but it will put them up against some of the top F1 drivers in the world. The cars were really good looking and were decked out with the top sponsors in racing. As the car sped through the track the weather suddenly changed providing a treacherous rain slicked environment. The devs pointed out that weather will have a huge impact on the game and cause the player to use a little more strategy. The wheels on the car showed how they were reacting to hitting different levels of puddles on the track and hitting the corner too fast could become a disaster.

The AI of the other drivers was promised to be realistic with drivers responding to your actions on an off the track. An in-game reputation system can make other drivers your friends or your heated rivals on the track. This adds an interesting level of making the driving game a bit more personal for the player. As you race through your career you can be offered different contracts by top sponsors. Nothing like ditching out on the team that helped you become a legend!

One of the more interesting points of the demo is that the game will be accessible to those like me who are horrible at race games. The level slider can start at noob level where you are just racing and get tuned all the way to professional. The top mode gets down to the nitty gritty details such as fine tuning parts for your car. Having a wide range of difficulty settings is going to really help in bringing the world of F1 racing to a larger group of people.

While I am not the biggest racing game fanatic out there (that falls to whatamaroon!). I think that F1 Racing 2010 is a game that can be played by all levels of players. Allowing the new player to enjoy the game and not focusing too much on fine tuning is the key. Shogunites that love racing games will want to check this out when it releases this September for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC gaming systems.