Author - Ripper71

ArmA II – Army of the Czech Republic Review (PC)

2012/09/27

In a world of FPS there are certain franchises which deliver excellent gameplay but due to the big boys never get the light of press. Everyone has heard of CoD and Battlefield but there has been another very active franchise which has been pulling in enough of a following to keep the DLCs and sequels coming out and has recently hit the spotlight with their zombie mod DayZ which is being further developed. ArmA ,from the Latin word for weapons (not the often mistaken belief that it is for Armed Assault the first game), has been around since 2006 when it was first developed by Bohemia Interactive whose big standout wound up being the Flashpoint series stateside but boomed decently with both titles in Europe. There the ArmA series thrived and grew with their third ArmA title on the way, an extremely well received expansion to the second game called Combined Operations and DLCs based off of it. It is one of these that Bohemia recently released, Army of the Czech Republic, that shows just because they have ArmA III and DayZ in development doesn’t mean they have given up on their previous title.

Storyline:

Civil War is just coming to an end in the fictional Bystrica and members of the Army of the Czech Republic are sent in to help bring the peace and round up war criminals. Things turn out to be a bit more complicated than at first thought as the game develops into a 15 mission storyline over two fictional territories. You will have state of the art equipment to help you in this fight but wits and strategy win the day in every scenario because your elite team is outnumbered at every turn.

Graphics and Sound:

The graphics in this game are excellent though objects in the distance lose definition which is probably intentional. An enemy standing still in camouflage among the trees for example blends in as they well should, and if you are advancing through foliage or in the middle of the road the enemy is going to spot you first, possibly while a canopy is still in your way. While this may prove frustrating it is accurate and up close the graphics show very nice and clean definition. The real gem of atmosphere is the sound though which is amazing realistic. I left the game for a moment to get a snack and came back and froze in the middle of my living room. It sounded just like my grandfather’s house out in the middle of nowhere in Southern Oregon. Crickets were chirping but it was more than just that, they perfectly captured the sound of nature being nature. It is almost hard to explain, like explaining the sound of nothing but that was it. When you move your sounds are accurate whether on roads or in brush and the gunshots are perfect as well but what really left it’s greatest impression was capturing the sound of isolated nature.

Gameplay:

The first thing you will discover with this series, and the Flashpoint games as well to a lesser extent, is that they are not trying to be another CoD or Battlefield clone. You can say sure, whatever, but until you play the training missions for ArmA you really have no idea how unique the game is when it comes to controls. Any person raised on American FPS controls will be immediately at a loss on how to do most things in this game. ACR is terrific but not a jumping in point. I believe there is a legitimate reason this is an expansion: the gameplay expects you to know this foreign control system. Here were some actual moments that happened when I tried to jump directly into ACR. I was stuck in a car unable to open the door while the enemy surrounded it and shot it up like the Bonnie and Clyde car (look it up if you have never seen it). I couldn’t change weapons when I ran out of ammunition so I stood there with an empty gun and got shot up. One of my men was shot to the point of near death, I was looking into his bullet holes and our medic just stood there checking the perimeter. Unable to use my sniper scope I stared uselessly at a forest as a sniper picked off my team one by one. These are just a few issues I found, the list went on until I went back and did the training and took a very long look at the controls section. ArmA didn’t go with some industry standard, they blazed their own trail in many ways and if you want to play it you need to embrace that. This game is so foreign that in ACR they don’t speak English, if you want to know what is being said you have to read the subtitles.

ArmA, and ACR in particular, doesn’t try to put in a bunch of cinematics or trails you have to follow, actually in most cases it is the opposite. If you find your own way, the often longer way to a location, you have a better strategic advantage. This game is all about the strategic advantage. Heading straight for an enemy from a road is the direction they expect you. Sneaking up wide and approaching from the side opposite the road is much more likey to take them by surprise. If you are on the high ground ducking can keep you from taking bullets while the enemy on the low ground has less defensible cover. These are real life standard tactics that are often lost in games so it is nice to see that most of the gameplay is realistic in that sense. Much like the real world this is a sandbox environment with many, many ways to get a job done and your most valuable weapon is your brain, though if you like other types of weapons this game adds all the latest weapons, vehicles and aircraft you could want and allows you to use them in mission or just having fun mode.

Drawback?:

I mentioned above that there was the moment when I was standing there next to my wounded comrade while my medic stood around checking out the scenery. This was frustrating as I managed to get the medic to try to heal me but couldn’t get him to heal the guy full of gaping wounds. My first thought is this is a major drawback to the game, I want my medic healing the team. When I think about it if we are under fire I would want my medic to do what I choose, return fire or heal the teammate depending on what I felt was the priority. So in that case I felt that the medic should only heal when I say so. But when the firing stops and we are regrouped I honestly felt the medic should heal the injured team member. Once I got the hang of issuing the order it just became a part of every post engagement assessment but at the same time it felt like telling a toddler he could go potty now. Maybe this is something that will be addressed in ArmA III.

Last Call:

ArmA II: Army of the Czech Republic is an excellent DLC on an excellent game. It requires a learning curve which if you have the patience for you are rewarded with hours and hours of great and challenging gameplay. My guess is that DayZ probably will have the same system so if you want to play one of the hottest zombie FPS properties around when it is fully fleshed out you may want to pick these games up for that alone, while others are stumbling around getting devoured trying to figure out the gameplay you will be boomsticking your way to Groovyville. If however you just want to play an extremely well built military FPS you can’t go wrong with this franchise and this DLC in particular.

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Tryst Review (PC/Steam)

2012/09/27

Ripper71

News, Reviews

I got really busy for a while there, too busy to play all the games I wanted. I know a lot of you out there who know me think that only happens during October when my grin glows in dark lit places, but I truly do get busy during an unofficial and little known season: “Beta Season”. There is a certain time of year when everyone is trying to get their beta work taken care of so they can hit a fourth quarter release or in some cases see if it needs a push back. It is at this time that I am often my happiest because I don’t just love the games, I love the process. I wish I knew how to create games so I could do it for a living. The part that so many in the industry dread, beta testing, is when I shine. I revel in finding AND reporting a bug (rather than exploiting it), making sure I can reproduce the exact conditions over and over before reporting it. I have a collision error so you don’t, I document that sitting in a jeep made me go into a environmental fall loop so you don’t have to exit the server at a key moment. So at one point this year I was in seven betas at the same time when suddenly I had a work surge and some had to fall to the side. It broke my heart that Tryst was one of them.

Then an assignment crossed the desk that made my week. Sure I wasn’t going to get to be part of the beta team, but at least I was getting to review it!

Storyline:

Humans have gone into space to explore for alternative means of energy, along the way they came across a technologically advanced species known as the Zali and two groups decided that the best plan would be to simply become allies. When they discover a planet named Ishtonia IV has massive amounts of the energy source Lohum diplomacy turns to war and no one can get along anymore. Much as is often the case in such moments, the humans find themselves underdogs fighting not just for energy but for the survival of our very species. Looking like the Zerg and Protoss had a lovechild, the Zali use insectoid machines against our utilitarian military looking buildings and units, often in zerging fashion.

Graphics And Sound:

No doubt the developers would rather we didn’t compare their game too much to StarCraft but the sometimes that really isn’t a bad thing. If you imitate certain elements of the game generally credited with “Best In Show” then you guarantee that at least those element will be liked and enjoyed. So with a similar running storyline to StarCraft there is also a very similar graphic style. The landscapes look very similar, the heads up looks very similar, units as well though as I mentioned above the graphics for the enemy seem a cross between the two StarCraft enemies. Even the voice acting has a lot of similarities, though these also have some common threads with Command and Conquer. The sound effects also bear commonalities. All this does not necessarily add up to a bad thing though, these were all successful aspects of the genre, and StarCraft in particular, so these when combined can make a game feel comfortable and instantly engaging, it is then up to the gameplay and mission qualities to make it a success.

Gameplay:

This is where the game will either be a hit or a failure with players, the irony will be the same for both reasons. The mechanics are easily picked up because they are very similar to all the big RTS games, the maps and play set up are just like most RTS including StarCraft. It is to the point that it will be called a StarCraft clone but before someone dismisses the game for that reason consider how that is actually an extreme compliment for a game and it’s similarities help contrast the differences.

So for example some of the best and finely tuned AI went into StarCraft. If your AI works well enough to be compared to StarCraft then you have a solid strategy title that should give you a good play regardless of “the packaging” and something to be proud of. This game has it. If the units have similar strengths and weaknesses and unit development is based on similar building systems you have a good play. Again this game has it. Then there should be some differences combined with the similarities, the enemy has a classic siege tank whereas the humans have a spider walking turret. The humans have a unit that can lay mines but it isn’t limited to three, instead there is a cooldown and less damage done requiring entirely different dispersal patterns. There are talent trees for units and some buildings but most ot them will lock out one talent when you take another.

I can go on but multiplayer, skirmish and single player campaign all have very much the same feel as StarCraft with just slight differences.

Last Call:

Tryst’s strengths can also be seen as it’s weaknesses by others. It is very much like StarCraft with just enough differences to separate itself. It is a solid RTS game with great graphics and, if you like StarCraft, you should like this game (unless you don’t like games that are too much like StarCraft because they like StarCraft too much). That seems weird to type but people will dislike it for that very reason. If you like StarCraft and want a slightly different experience but one that feels very much like it, this is a great play for you.

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Massive Fury DLC Hits Transformers: Fall Of Cybertron (Review/XBLA)

2012/09/27

Ripper71

News, Reviews

The latest Massive Fury DLC for Transformers: Fall of Cybertron doesn’t bring any new maps with it but it does bring some love for the old school Transformers. The features include being able to play Retro Optimus Prime in single player campaign mode as well as the following:

Multiplayer

Kickback (Flying Insecticon)
Sharpshot (Flying Insecticon)
Hardshell (Beetle Tank Insecticon)
G1 Retro Optimus Prime Skin
Autobot Hound

Single Player

G2 Bruticus Skin
G1 Shockwave Blast Cannon weapon
G1 Megatron Pistol weapon

Last Call:

This pack was a lot less about weapons as it was about being able to climb into some fresh skin. Playing as an Insecticon or as Retro Transformers is fun but not much more than cosmetic which is pretty much what the pack is about. If you picked up the previous DLC then you have Dinobots to choose from as well or you may get lucky like I did and wind up in a multiplayer mission where I was playing an Insecticon next to Retro Optimus Prime as we charged some Dinobots. Playing in the single player campaign has a novelty as Retro Optimus Prime and Retro Bruticus but it does seem a little weird in the futuristic world of Cybertron to be cruising around in a semi truck. The DLC is a real blast and if you are fans of either set of additions to the Transformers world I recommend it but don’t expect any real change in content, it appears we have to wait a little longer for that.

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New Map Invades Battlefield Heroes

2012/09/18

Ripper71

News, Reviews

There is a possibility you haven’t played this game. It is free to play and combines the best elements of the Battlefield franchise in a cartoony, irreverent way. So you can use a sniper rifle to take out an enemy at the other side of the map… while dressed as the Easter Bunny. Or maybe you want to wear a cowboy hat, mime makeup, a tshirt that says “I’m with Stoopid,” a kilt and motorcycle boots while firing full auto with your PKM at a person jumping around dressed as a samurai. I’m not making this up!! This game uses Battlefield physics, weapons and vehicles while allowing massive individualization of your character’s look.

Most of the time you will find me as Santa Claus or Saint Nick blasting a machine gun and spouting such lines as “bad boys and girls now get lead instead of coal!” It’s addictive, both the gameplay and the costuming (which really surprised me), mainly because the team at Easy Company spend such love and time making every aspect of the game. That’s why when a new map comes along it is huge news… and when the new map has a new vehicle that is massive.

The new map which was named by the Battlefield Heroes community is called Inland Invasion and has the Royals (Allies) storming the beaches while the Nationals (Axis) defend from the cliffs above. It is a flag capture and control map with multiple flags and for the first time boats used to land the Royals on the beach under heavy fire. Imagine Saving Private Ryan with everyone dressed in Good Will rejected clothes and you get a fair idea of what is involved as the Royals try to take the beachhead and work their way inland.

The damage index on BFH is purposely soft to give players longer survival time. So no single head shots while still on the landing craft and the different weapons, vehicles and skills make for a great variety of damage and kills. The best part is the game is free, though those with a competitive streak or fashion flair will find themselves in the company store picking up guns and duds.

Last Call:

I have been playing and recommending this game for years, it is an excellent Battlefield shooter that happens to be free to play so you can give it a try and if you don’t like it don’t play anymore but you owe it to yourself to give it a try. The new map is very Battlefield franchise in it’s larger scale and though the boats are just making an introduction I could see them getting implemented much more. Who knows, maybe you will come face to face with a gun toting Santa saying “Ho Ho Ho, Merry Deathmas!”

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Goblin Zeppelin Ambush Review (Mega Bloks)

2012/09/18

Ripper71

News, Reviews

When it comes to these product reviews we make a request for a product by just asking for “a sample” and it is a surprise what arrives. So it was like A Christmas Story when a Mega Bloks Goblin Zeppelin Ambush arrived. I do believe my exact words were “Wow! A zeppelin!” and from the moment I got my hands on it I carried the box close to me until I had a chance to get working on it like I was afraid it might disappear. It didn’t and I now have plans to display it proudly over my computer while I hang out in Org and throw Papa Hummel’s onto my pets (you don’t have to be a WOW geek to truly appreciate this set, but it helps). It was the best set I could have hoped for and I have no doubt it will bring a smile to my face for years to come.

Have A Work Space:

For those of you out there like me who have done puzzles with thousands of pieces before 310 sounds like a nice cake walk number to work with, maybe something to make on your lap while watching television. Danger, Young Will Robinson, Danger! This set prides itself in detail and that detail is comprised of pieces that are so small they would be a swallowing hazard for a newborn kitten. There are two node pieces in this set that are curved so not only are they easy to lose but if you drop them they will hurt really, really bad when you step on them. So best plan is to clear a space, make sure there are no newborn kittens around, and get to work. Experienced puzzle builders have done it in around an hour, less experienced it has taken a couple hours so you probably want to put the time aside to do it in one sitting too so you aren’t having to pack part of it away to come back to.

Use The Instructions:

Once upon a time this section would have been mostly dedicated to the guys who won’t stop to ask for directions at a gas station and who when they build a bookcase or entertainment center always have pieces left over or have to do it twice. Those jokes no longer apply to the male half of the species anymore and with that comes the greater number of people who don’t read directions. If you open the instruction book you will probably smirk at the fact that there are only 30 steps and start putting things together that obviously go together. STOP THAT RIGHT NOW! *smacks hands* each section of instructions requires multiple pieces to be put together so step one may be one picture but six pieces are put together. When you think about the fact that is comes with 310 pieces that means over ten pieces per step average. Take your time and make it right the first time, don’t wind up with extra parts and a wonky zeppelin.

The Results:

Ok I won’t take you step by step through the process, that would be silly. Follow the directions and you wind up with an awesome piece of WOW merchandise with tons of display options. The three figures come with removable armor and you have both factions represented including the two newest races. You have the zeppelin with a cannon and a ground crossbow both which fire to give fun battle possibilities, or to shoot at someone (never aim for the face!) whichever you are most likely to do. The zeppelin is loaded with movable and removable parts such as it’s rudder, blades, cannon, even sand bags. I have purchased several WOW things in the past and this is by far my favorite, where most of them will just sit on a shelf I have plans to try to make this one hang from my ceiling by fishing line, maybe even go in circles if I can get things just right. It truly is a great way to fly your geek flag.

Downsides:

There really aren’t many with this set, it is so awesome. I did notice that the color on a couple pieces didn’t seem to have mixed properly so I went to check to see if that was a common issue and it seems to be to the point of it maybe being intentional, you can see it in the brown section above. It is a bit pricey but you tend to pay a bit more for nicer toys. The secret loot was a little underwhelming since it was a toy loot rather than an in-game loot which would have been a lot more fun, but I now have another weapon to interchange with my figures!

Last Call:

If you are a WOW fan this is definitely a set you will want to have. The complete “assembly required” I think actually adds to it since you have the feeling of accomplishment afterwards. Just follow the directions and be careful with the pieces because though your kid may find it fun to play with too the pieces suck to step on. Best plan is to hang it high so you can look at it with pride while doing the latest raid or like me playing with your pet “Nuts” in front of the auction house. Now who is going to help me talk my wife into letting me get the rocket set? Pleeeeaaaasseee!

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Tower Wars – Review (PC/Steam)

2012/09/18

Ripper71

News, Reviews

I love tower defense games. There I said it. To some this is like a statement at AA but to others this is a “who doesn’t?” type comment. Basically there are people who really enjoy these kinds of strategy games and there are people who don’t enjoy them at all, there is seldom a middle ground when it comes to this genre. Some tower defense games are complicated enough that they are termed “real time strategy” or “turn based strategy” but they really come down to more involved tower defense games. There is somewhere you want to go and/or there is somewhere your enemy wants to go and you have towers and units to get there.

This simplification doesn’t mean that the games are any less interesting or worthwhile, tower defense games are quite often the most cerebral games out there as you try to figure out how to build the perfect defense or offense while your opponent does the same, always thinking several moves ahead. Reactionary tactics almost always fail you in the end with tower games so you have to think ahead if you want to survive a few minutes. Sometimes just surviving a while against a stellar opponent is worthy of patting yourself on the back because tower defense games often draw in the MENSA of the gaming world and you find yourself in the true situation of “the only way you get better is by playing a superior opponent.” So to help sharpen my mind and test my wits I was more than happy to try Tower Wars.

Storyline:

In tower defense games this can either be a driving force of the game or practically ignored. You are the one colored castle and your enemy has a different color which you hate because it is a different color. That’s pretty much it, so you have an idea of storyline importance in this one.

Graphics And Sound:

These are two really key elements in a tower defense game because it often makes the difference between a boring play on a good game base or loads of fun. Tower Wars goes with Medieval Cyberpunk cartoon graphics with upgraded towers and units showing distinct improvements and different animations. Combined with fun sound effects that don’t take themselves too seriously and this game becomes addictive just watching what happens when you line up a certain set of towers against a particular unit. You really don’t mind losing quite as much if you come up with particularly visually entertaining ways to beat up your enemy in the process.

Gameplay:

Tower Wars is set on a hex map with castles at each end of it and two territories, yours and the enemy’s. The point of the game is to get your units to the enemy castle and destroy it while protecting your castle by placing towers in your territory. You can’t place your towers on enemy soil, bridges or stairs and some towers require very specific locations so advance planning of the area is key. You only have so much territory so in some cases like on one particular map there are only a couple places on the entire map if you want to use a certain tower.

You do not choose your path to the enemy’s castle and they can’t choose to yours though once they are on your territory you can use towers to build mazes both prolonging the time to your castle and increasing the number of towers the unit has to pass before getting through. So the more elaborate maze you make the better your chance to win. You also need to manage upgrading your towers individually and your unit types to keep the battle escalating. Your funds for this are gotten from mining and you only have a limited number of miners you can have at each mine working at at time so you want to max that out quick so you have the income for the battles. Additional funding is done through Battle Points which are earned by sending your units out into the fight, the more ground they cover the more you get.

So as you can see there is a lot to managing the battle and it is all real time, almost entirely against another player. Your tutorial gives you an opportunity to play against an AI to learn the general ropes and there are three single player maps to test what you learned in the tutorial but they are survival wave maps and only help you perfect your towers not units. This would probably be my only real concern with this game, it is designed to be played against others almost exclusively so if you play during a quiet period you may not have many if any opponents to play against. Those that you do play against may have been playing to the point they have mastered the map and there is really no question of whether or not they will win but more how long it will take.

You will get better and faster this way but it actually hampers your development if you are still trying to learn the mechanics and you get obliterated too quick. Talking to other players most just keep playing the tutorial or other three maps over and over and over before attempting online play so that they have a pretty tight system down before playing a ranked match online. The game is fun enough that it takes a while before this gets tedious but it does eventually. Simply put, this game really would be twice as good if it had a campaign mode. There is a difference between having opponents that test your wit and skill and coming into a match noob and getting the floor wiped with you while they laugh at you and tell you to go back to the tutorial.

Last Call:

This is a fun, entertaining game with great graphics and is definitely designed to challenge your mind. The main thing is you have to go in knowing it will be quite a while before you are comfortable enough with the game mechanics to actually have the game be a test of brains rather than a checklist of what you have to do to survive. Until then you will probably have to suffer embarrassing losses, a slow learning curve and a plummeting rank all of which you can completely overcome with patience and thick skin. I can’t stress how much better this game would be if it had single player campaign, but if you take your time with it it can still be a very rewarding play.

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Tiny Troopers Review (PC/Steam)

2012/09/08

Ripper71

News, Reviews

When I was only a lad I used to have hundreds, actually thousands of the little toy army men. I got a set for my birthday once that had 6 different colors of army men all modeled after the real uniforms worn by soldiers around the world. I was the envy of all the kids in the neighborhood and they were always coming over to my house to play with them. Each color also had a military vehicle designed after one of theirs so there was plenty to go around. Then the Atari 2600 hit my house and the army men became an occasional play toy because what was better than interactive tv games? I still collected them, I even got the little tiny ones the size of a thumb nail which I just shoved a couple handfuls of in my pocket when going to visit relatives. I lost so many of them at my great grandma’s house in her sand backyard that we were finding them for nearly a decade later. The point is when you grew up with the little green army men they continue to hold a place in your heart long after your youthful imagination gave them voice and gunfire. I think that is the core reason that games like Command and Conquer, Warcraft, Starcraft and so many other strategy games are so popular. We are given our little green army men, given a mission and we send them off to war, all the while listening to them talk from the screen. The game Tiny Troopers is one of those games, in this case looking more like the little plastic heroes than most with missions just like you would have made up as a kid.

Graphics/Sound:

The graphics in this game are simple but nice, the landscape has good detail to it and the figures look like Lego men marching off to war, they don’t bend their knees and their faces are simplistic. The gunshots and music are dramatic but the voices, trying to emphasis the tininess of the troopers, are small and squeaky while they yell out iconic lines from different movies such as “game over man! game over!” or “mommy!” making sure that this game is supposed to be fun and challenging but it is not designed to be anything realistic.

I will admit seeing one of the little Lego figures writhing and groaning in pain with his ribs showing and a growing bright red blood splatter under him is a little disturbing at first but it is done cartoonish enough to not have any real lasting effect except to remind you which area you have covered by checking out the blood spatters left behind.

Gameplay:

The gameplay is pretty straight forward, the challenge is in the strategy. Left mouse button moves you, right fires your weapon and clicking on a special weapon then ctrl-right click uses it. That’s all there is control wise, you can fire your gun while you are moving around but you must stop firing your gun to move. So if you know an enemy is about to shoot at you you click on a spot on the map and while your are heading there you shoot at the enemy. They don’t track your movements very well at the lower levels so usually a small bit of movement is all that is required for them to miss. Certain missions require you to survive waves of attacks in which case you want to keep moving otherwise the zero in on you and you get taken down.

That brings up an interesting point in the gameplay, if your character dies it is KIA and no longer available. If you are in mid mission you might be able to get reinforced with a fresh face but if you wipe out your whole team then you get a whole new team when you try to do the mission again. This can be a little frustrating because the more missions your troop survives the higher their rank and the tougher they are. When you see your highest ranking officer drop because you didn’t notice a landmine in the shadow of a vehicle or that a tank is actually still live it can be a bit frustrating. It can also be proper incentive to not let that happen in the first place.

In games where there are no real repercussions for losing a mission or losing a team member carelessness can be the result of impatience. In this game you move carefully, use any advantage such as range or intel that you can get not just to win but to have the best team you can for the next mission. Once you beat a mission in campaign mode you can go and play it again in single mission mode so that if you have a favorite map or think you could just have done one better you can go give it another try.

Last Call:

Tiny Troopers is addictive “one more mission” kind of fun. The controls are simple, they gameplay is pretty straight forward but takes planning and strategy if you want to get out of a mission with your team still intact. It is so much fun on the PC that I picked it up for my iPhone so that I can take this game on the road just like I used to take my little green army men.

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Transformers: Fall Of Cybertron (Xbox 360)

2012/09/08

Ripper71

News, Reviews

There is almost always a dark time in a universe, it is how we define the heroes and villains of the story. The funny thing is that often, because we want the hero to shine, that dark period is alluded to rather than directly addressed as a verse is establishing itself. A great example would be in the Star Wars Universe the first movie speaks of a dark time when Luke’s father is killed by a villain by the name of Darth Vader who hunted down and destroyed the Jedi. We don’t see it but we imagine great battles with the Jedi dwindling in numbers. This movie has a great heroic end and once the heroes are established the verse can be put into dark times again. Very much the same thing can be said of the Star Trek movies, where the heroes of the enterprise are established and then the dark force of Khan descends upon it. This isn’t limited to movies, fans of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series wondered for quite a while all the detail in the battle of Jericho Hill before it was briefly delivered in the books and delved into in the comics (which I highly recommend). The point is that generally the most dramatic and beloved parts of a universe is when the hero is put to the greatest test and barely succeeds and this near defeat changes them. In the Transformers Universe this moment is The Fall Of Cybertron, so the pressure was definitely on with this installment of the story because it defines all stories that follow.

Storyline:

Optimus Prime is not an optimist as he walks the halls of one of the Autobot bases talking to Bumble Bee about the eminent loss of the war and that the only chance left for them is to run for it. All of the escape ships have either made it or been destroyed by this point except for one last great ship, the Ark. The problem is the planet’s Energon supplies have been depleted and there isn’t enough juice to use automated systems, defend the base AND launch the Ark so manual routing and re-routing as well as trying to find alternate sources of energy become the challenge of the day. That and the fact that the Decepticons want nothing more than the complete destruction of all Autobots.

You find all this out at the beginning of the game and you only need to glance at the control information in the game booklet to see you will play different Autobots and Decepticons throughout the game, the nice part being the wide variety. There are heroes great and small in most good stories and that is definitely the case here. This is one of the darkest times for the Transformers and this game doesn’t shy away from that. This is the Wrath Of Khan, Empire Strikes Back and Jericho Hill of the Transformers ‘verse and they make sure if feels like it. It even gives a great and dark origin for the Dinobots!

Atmosphere:

The graphics and sound are done really well and they test your video level at the beginning for a reason, they want to make sure the atmosphere is dark. The voice acting is well done and fits Transformers which is important since there is no organic life on the planet. Everywhere you look it is metal and yet they have to give that metal a balance between the realistic and the personalities we have grown to love. The graphics during transformations are terrific, I changed a few times just to watch the animation and the sounds all reinforce the point that these are living and very heavy machines. The atmosphere pulls you in immediately and the cutscenes are done both well and emotionally.

Gameplay:

The Transformers saga of the post-Saturday morning cartoons era has been plagued by issues, from storyline to effects in the movies and storyline to gameplay in the games. Actually as video games go the Transformers Universe’s gameplay options have immensely run the gambit and some are known as the most spectacular failures in recent years. It became known for being a miss more often than a hit with fans of the ‘verse lining up each time to pay their money knowing they were definitely taking their chances.

That is why I am so happy to say that while the gameplay on this title isn’t necessarily original, it is both solid and enjoyable, so much so that I think the gameplay lends itself to replay. In most ways it is very much a standard third person shooter with first person aimed shot. This is a run and gun game with limited cover and generally some strategy necessary to clear certain waves of enemies. The big difference is that as a Transformer you can run and gun as a robot or as your vehicle shape. The vehicle is very similar to the classic styles we are used to with the exception of the cars being hovercrafts and everything in the designs and weapons are made to have a vaguely alien feel.

Each form has it’s advantages and weapons stock so if you find yourself running out of ammunition in one form you can switch to the other and keep fighting. When in robot form you can pick up or purchase different weapons as well as upgrade them, while in vehicle form you only have your standard weapon but your speed is greatly increased, especially when you use boost. Also different enemies have different vulnerabilities so certain enemies which might be slow but tough will knock you around in robot form and take your lunch money (ok maybe not that last part) but once you change to vehicle form you can keep out of their attack range and they are weak against you vehicle weapon. After a while you get used to knowing which enemy to attack in which form.

As I mentioned before this is a dark time for the Transformers, particularly the Autobots, so one of my favorite features is the variety of characters you get to play, including Decepticons. I consider myself an Autobot fan but I had an incredible time playing Megatron and some of the most enjoyable missions are actually ones that mess up the chances for the Autobots to escape. Playing both sides also means more vehicle choices and ways to complete missions. Most missions don’t have an exact way they have to be completed, you are often given a Transformer, told to complete a task and it is up to you how you do it and in what form. If I go into this any deeper I would start to give away plot points so I will just say sometimes switching back and forth between vehicle and robot form make for the best mission success. The only complaint I feel I need to bring up is there is a great deal of difference in difficulty between Easy and Normal, they needed some level in between.

Multiplayer:

The multiplayer is pretty standard third person shooter stuff with team, capture the flag, co-op survival mode and such being the gameplay possibilities with the two main differences being that you can switch between robot and vehicle at any time you like and you have to earn money during the match to pick up more weapons, health, or ammo. There were a few times when I was too low on cash to get more ammo so I would go into a melee fest on the enemy to get more precious money. This definitely makes it so that no two multiplayer games play out exactly the same and really holds a players interest.

Last Call:

Transformers: Fall Of Cybertron is my favorite Transformer game and possibly my favorite Transformer storyline of all time. I like the darker storylines, I like when the good guys have to accept that this may well be their last stand, the dark days show character and when combined with straight forward third person gameplay I think this is a must play for any fan of the franchise.

Trailer:

Gallery:

PAYDAY: The Heist, Wolf Pack DLC Review (PC/Steam)

2012/08/30

Ripper71

News, Reviews

When I sat down and played OVERKILL’s PAYDAY: The Heist at E3 2011 I fell in love, as many players did. Here was a first person shooter that had missions designed after famous movie heists! Dane Cook once said in one of his standups that we all want to be in a heist, slightly wounded in the leg, limping down the street saying “Where’s the van?” and in the heart of most first person shooter gamers that is what they are dreaming as they watch Heat then start tearing it up in their favorite FPS. Some players who prefer a Sci-Fi approach scoffed at this game while others, like me, treasured the plastic Heist mask and waited for the game to come out. It was short, but it was oh so sweet. I kept playing the missions over, doing different things, almost always getting shot up a bit but working my way through location after location just trying to get away clean. Then having satiated my desire and thoroughly assaulted the game’s content I moved on to other games with heists still dancing through my head.

Then OVERKILL did something stunning, especially to a zombie nut like myself, they collaborated with Valve and gave us Mercy Hospital… for free.

Here is a quick synopsis:

The Mercy Hospital Heist is finally here! We have collaborated with Valve to bring our beloved PAYDAY fans a completely new heist, free of charge! Set in the Mercy Hospital – made famous by Left 4 Dead – everyone’s favorite robbers are out for blood. We also have some extra candy hidden in there for those who just can’t help ending up in the hospital. If the regular difficulty levels won’t do it for you, don’t forget that you can play the Mercy Hospital Heist in the new OVERKILL +145 difficulty. We promise you that this one will leave you gasping for air…

But wait, the infection seems to be spreading: not only do our beloved players get a new heist for free, they also get new zombie masks AND a new zombie theme! Oh, the horror! New related challenges and Steam achievements will be released in an upcoming patch.

NEW HEIST: The Mercy Hospital Heist is available to everyone who owns PAYDAY on the PC.

NEW MASKS: Players that have “Left 4 Dead” or “Left 4 Dead 2” in their Steam library and have it installed on their computers, are awarded the new zombie masks. Wolf and the gang can now disguise themselves as the walking dead.
NEW THEME: Players are now able to choose a new theme inspired by our favorite undead.

It was the perfect gift, if you had already invested in the game on Steam they rewarded your faith with free content and quality content at that. Now you got to experience a heist in the Left 4 Dead world! It was too much to ask for another free pack, OVERKILL needed to make some dough too and let’s face it, we didn’t just want more heists, we wanted more features. So along comes a clever way to bring on more content, one that will hopefully be done for the whole team and not just for one character whose name lent itself to poking fun at how every group of men now call themselves “The Wolf Pack.” We get a chance to follow the exploits of one of the team on other jobs: The Wolf.

Key Features:

PAYDAY The Heist Wolfpack lets players take on the role of hardened career criminals in constant pursuit of the next ‘big score’. Load out with an array of brand new weaponry including the new STRYK pistol, automatic AK rifle, or the GL40 grenade launcher which aims to please, as you execute two intense new heists and 48 new levels.

New Handgun: The STRYK Full Auto Pistol
New Primary Weapon: The AK Automatic Rifle
New Secondary Weapon: The GL40 Grenade Launcher
New Deployable Equipment: Sentry gun – based on internet blueprints
2 New Heists: Undercover (transfer money to your account from the IRS) and Counterfeit (secret operation in the Sunshine State)
New Skilltree: Become the Technician. Raise your level cap to 193
New Player Upgrade: The Tool Kit – so you can interact faster
Hosting Ability: Invite friends to play in the new DLC maps even if they do not own the DLC themselves
6 New Steam Achievements: Ready to be unlocked by the ones that got what it takes

Graphics And Sound (Atmosphere):

The graphics are excellent and the sound is hectic and crazy just like you would expect in such a situation. You have your intel guy in your ear giving you static burst updates on the police movements and when something goes SNAFU, while listening to your guys shout to each other and tons and tons of gunshots. It is all crisp and clean and the graphics are nice and neat pulling you right into the action. Listening to the sounds can be key to a quick reaction too, you can hear where the police are and when a drill gets unplugged.

Gameplay:

Game controls are standard keyboard FPS style with a few extra buttons thrown in for necessary additional actions. And the action is hot and heavy fast. The game lets you know at the beginning of the mission what percentage of players in the world have beat the mission on that particular difficulty level, which gives you a hint they made the missions nice and brutal for this addition. You might want to even start at the beginning and work your way up again, not just because it is fun but the tighter you get your skills wired the farther you will get into the mission. Plus you want to level so you can unlock as much as possible and have a hopefully better survival rate. The great thing about this game is you get addicted and want “one more try” on and on since each time you get the heist a little tighter wired and figure out a better plan of attack each try.

These missions fit right onto the game seamlessly so that it doesn’t feel like a sequel or DLC but rather just the next gig, though these new gigs also come with a whole bunch of fun new weapons that will have you working at it over and over just to get them unlocked. Let’s face it anytime you can set up a sentry gun in a game you dang well want to! I can’t remember an example of a game where I wasn’t excited to set up the turret and this is certainly no exception.

At the time of posting this review I haven’t beaten both the missions and I haven’t unlocked everything, if I waited until then you would have had to make the decision for yourself long ago or just planned to pick up a pack of DLCs because OVERKILL is making sure that they stay on top of releases so that right about the time you feel ready for some fresh maps and new weapons they arrive. I have played it enough to know if I should recommend it though.

Last Call:

Buy this. The Wolf Pack DLC is both affordable and fits seamlessly into the game so that you are simply expanding your experience, continuing your career. These maps are amped up tough and feel like a natural progression from the other map making me think that OVERKILL know what they are doing with this game and for every big heist in a movie we can eventually expect a map here to match it.

Trailer:

Gallery:

Smite – Beta Preview (PC)

2012/08/30

Ripper71

News, Previews

I really have to give it to Smite, it is a strangely addictive blend of different games. At first I wasn’t too sure about it, it is far more complicated than it looks on the surface and even if you aren’t someone who thrives on PvP it can be an extremely fun play.

So first off to give this game a description: it is a real time strategy tower defense game with minions and character PvP. You play a god on a team of gods, each of which has it’s own specialty, and you have to fight other gods, their towers, their minions and the first team to take the final tower (in this case in the shape of a minotaur) at the back of enemy lines wins. As you battle your god levels quickly improving your skills and weapons as you do and when you die you have a wait period to get back in during which you are getting no experience while everyone else is. You do this a couple times and you’ll find yourself levels behind everyone else with no real way to catch up.

Each god not only has a specialty but also fills a special role. There are five man teams in which players pick a tank god, melee god, hunter god, range magic god and some that are a mix. Only one person on each team can play a particular god at a time so that you don’t wind up with a whole team of hunters, etc. The maps have three paths across them with little trails in between so though you have a party filling all the different roles they are split up over three paths. To allow for movement between the paths you spawn minions on a timed bases and they attack anything enemy in front of them.

With all this set into place you attack towers, enemy minions and enemy players all while trying to work your way to the enemy minotaur and fall it. This can result in some very chaotic play as you run from path to path trying to defend towers, back other players, flank enemies, all with the plan to hit that final minotaur with enough of your team at the right time to fall it. Team work is essential, strategy if any is considered tends to win the battle and the better the player knows how to control their gods the better their chances of victory. This is all well and good then you have a player who is spending their whole time criticizing others instead of fighting, making homophobic and racist comments and running around wherever they feel like at the moment. It surprised me to run into this issue in beta, usually it is when the game opens up to the public that these issues arise, but players can send beta keys to friends now so the player base has dropped average IQ and players are far more concerned with winning than testing mechanics. This is one of the rare times I think the player base will improve when general population starts.

A very nice touch is that while you level if you go to your base either by heading back or by dying it upgrades your weapons and can be set to auto give you the best spells. This is really key because during the match you may get up to level 15 for example but when the match is over you are still level one or you get just enough points from the match to hit level 2. So there is your in game level and your actual level and they are completely independent of each other. This oddity also takes a bit of getting used to.

Last Call:

This is really more of a first call for the game, just a preview where everything still isn’t set in stone and by the time the general public get a hold of it it may have evolved further. It is a fun game right now, even if it seems to be a mash of different genres squished together and surprisingly working. This is a game to watch for.

Trailer: