FPS

Saturday, May 5, 2012 

 Crysis 2

Crysis 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek, published by Electronic Arts. It was the first game to showcase the CryEngine 3 game engine.Crysis Lives up to the original in terms of providing amazing graphics and pushing graphics cards to their limits.

The player assumes the role of a Force Recon Marine called Alcatraz. Similar to its predecessor, it provides freedom to customize weaponry and abilities. The game is set in a destroyed New York City which has since been evacuated due to alien infestation. Alcatraz gains ownership of the Nanosuit 2.0 from Army Delta Force officer Laurence "Prophet" Barnes, who returns from the original Crysis. CryNet Systems has been hunting Prophet to retrieve the suit, inadvertently pursuing Alcatraz, believing he is Prophet. The aliens use high-tech humanoid armored war machines that stalk Alcatraz through the ravaged New York City.

The new Nanosuit supports new and upgraded features. However, suit functionality has been streamlined; multiple modes can easily be used simultaneously whenever the user wishes. This is decidedly different than the first game, in which the suit was generally limited to a single mode at a time and multiple modes cannot be used simultaneously for more than a split-second. The first suit's Strength and Speed Modes have been combined into the new Power Mode, the suit binoculars function has been upgraded with an advanced Tactical mode, the Cloaking Device has been modified to allow increased sensory input and silent melee stealth kills and has been renamed to Stealth Mode, while the Armor Mode has been left with slightly restricted agility and an ever-decreasing energy level.

The game play overall is great and you wont be disappointed with the campaign providing you with hours of fun and stunning visuals. The great thing about this game is you don't need an amazing computer to run it as even if you don't meet the minimum system requirements Crytek have designed the game to still be able to run on lower resolutions and graphic settings. However, playing the game on high settings shows you the incredible time spent into making the game as life like as possible.

Personal Ratings:

Graphics: 10/10

The graphics are incredible and Crytek strives to make them as realistic as possible.

Sound: 10/10

The sound is excellent featuring realistic ambiance and amazing detail in explosions and gun shots.

Gamplay: 9/10

The gameplay is great and I enjoyed the new features of the Nanosuit.

Overall: 9/10

If your looking for a game with amazing graphics and great game play then Crysis 2 is definitely for you.

Monday, April 30, 2012

Battlefield 3:

Battlefield 3 (BF3) is a first-person shooter video game developed by EA Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts. It is a direct sequel to 2005's Battlefield 2, and the eleventh installment in the Battlefield franchise. The PC version is exclusive to EA's Originplatform,through which PC users also authenticate when connecting to the game. The PC version of Battlefield 3 does not feature a main menu; instead the game is launched via a web browser from the Battlelog web site.

There is a campaign mode and an online mode. In campaign mode, players take on the personas of several military roles; a USMC recon Marine, an F-18systems officer, an M1A2 Abrams tank operator, and a SPETSNAZ operative. The game's campaign takes place in the year 2014. The initial sections of the campaign are set near the Iraq-Iran border, where the US Marine Corps are fighting the People's Liberation and Resistance (PLR).The game later moves into northern Iran, continuing the fight against the PLR. There is a mission set in the streets of Paris, and another set in the sewers and subways of New York.

The campaign overall was a bit disappointing in terms of its short length which is understandable as BF3 is focused on online gaming. The AI in the game tend to get in your way on certain missions sometimes even pushing you out of cover which was quite annoying as you would end up being demolished by the enemy AI. However, the F-18 mission was a definite plus in the game as it brought the fight to the air instead of constantly traveling for long distances on foot. The campaign levels were very detailed and large which is always good to see as it brings a variety of scenarios into play.

Battlefield 3's multiplayer matches see players take on one of four roles: Assault, Support, Engineer and Recon. The Assault class focuses on assault rifles and healing teammates. The Support class focuses on LMGs and supplying ammunition. The Engineer class focuses on supporting and destroying vehicles. The Recon class focuses on sniping and spotting enemies. The mechanics of the weapons have been changed to utilize the new engine: compatible weapons may have bipods attached which can then be deployed when in the prone position or near suitable scenery, and provide a significant boost to accuracy and recoil reduction. Suppressive fire from weapons blurs the vision and reduces the accuracy of those under fire, as well as health regeneration.The Recon class can put a radio beacon anywhere on the map and all squad members will be able to spawn on the location of the beacon.

Several game modes are present, including Conquest, Rush, Squad Deathmatch, Squad Rush and for the first time since Battlefield 1942, Team Deathmatch.


Personal Ratings:
Graphics: 10/10
The graphics are very realistic which is vital in making this game a success.
Sound: 10/10
The sound is excellent featuring realistic ambiance.
Gamplay: 9/10
The gameplay is great however i feel the campaing has let the game down.
Overall: 9/10
By far the online play for BF3 is easily one of the best modern day shooters. The maps are large and you can fly F-18's and helicopters online as well as traveling by tanks or jeeps. The environments are not as destructible as in previous titles were you could blow holes in walls and collapse buildings, however the game is perfect in representing a war game.

Monday, April 30, 2012

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

The eight title in the Call of Duty (CoD) series, Modern Warfare 3 builds upon the popular multi-player mode of the series, with new maps similar character upgrades available. However, CoD is not just for multi-player play, and Modern Warfare does not disappoint with a 6 hour campaign picking up where CoD: Modern Warfare 2 (The 6th installment in the CoD series) left off. Additionally, adding into the Special Ops mode of the game is the new Survival mode, to accompany the Special Ops Missions as the alternative multi-player mode to the traditional multi-player open maps.
As an FPS with a large fanbase, CoD: MW3 attracted a large amount of media and press on release and since then has gained popularity with FPS players. Continuing the franchise rivalry with Counter Strike (original game, Source, 1.6, Global Offensive, Condition Zero) and Battlefield (Battlefield 1942, Battlefield 2, Battlefield Vietnam , Battlefield 2142 and Battlefield 3 to name a few), MW3 goes up against the to be released CS: Global Offensive and the recently released Battlefield 3. As with the CoD series, MW3's advantages over the other games include the unique level, rewards & perks system, a large variety of multi-player game types such as the traditional Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag types and the more unique Kill Confirmed and Domination game types, and the comprehensive player tags & call-sign system.

As an FPS, the controls work well and are intuitive. With a minimal lag connection, playing the game feels like its rarely ever your own fault if you die (more than likely you just blame the person who killed you). However, the main movement which players are controversial over is the prone movement. While going prone, players can still aim and shoot, even being able to shoot down the scope. While this can be beneficial for advancing a frontline position, players often use this tactic to avoid being shot when walking the map alone, going prone to make it harder for other players who have just spotted them to shoot them before using a (more often than not) machine gun to gun the startled player down.

The main disadvantage to the game is the lack of a quick and responsive ban system for hacking players. The main type of hacking players are those who use 'aimbots', computer aided shooting scripts which enable players to track and shoot an enemies head behind and through walls or across large maps without fail. This does a few things; it increases the average accuracy of the player to otherwise unreasonable levels, it makes the player extremely hard to kill due to how effective he/she is at killing opponents, and it infuriates other players on the map.
Overall though, Modern Warfare 3 is an excellent addition to the CoD franchise, with excellent multi-player and an engaging single player campaign.

Overall: 8/10
Graphics: 8/10
The graphics engine of the game is quite good, rendering lighting and particle effects such as smoke and flashes very effectively. However, there is the occasional glitch where parts of the character models (mostly the shoulders) clipping through other graphics models such as guns and crates during killing animations or when character models are in unique positions such as leaning up against walls.
Sound: 8/10
The in-game sounds, as well as voice acting and menu sounds, are well thought out and work well for the game. The only thing I dislike about them is the repetitive nature and small selection of menu music. A little bit of in-game rock music wouldn't go astray either I think.
Gameplay: 8/10
Intuitive, easy to learn and highly customizable, the gameplay is well developed. The main issue I have with the gameplay is the prone issue and the lack of a quick, responsive anti-hacking system.


Get the game now!
http://store.steampowered.com/app/115300/

Monday, April 23, 2012

Counter Strike: Source

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) is an online first-person shooter based game currently in development by Valve Corporation and Hidden Path Entertainment, who also co-developed Counter-Strike: Source. It is the fourth game in the Counter-Strike franchise. The game is currently in beta and the only way to play it is to obtain a beta key.

CS: GO features new maps, characters, and weapons and delivers updated versions of the classic Counter Strike content. In addition, CS: GO introduces new game play modes call Demolition and Arsenal(gun game), matchmaking, leader boards, stunning new visuals.

Like previous titles in the Counter Strike series, the game consists of two teams, Counter Terrorists and Terrorists. The objective for each team is to eliminate the opposition and achieve the objective of the map by either planting/defusing the bomb, rescuing the hostages in a set amount of time or progress through each gun in arsenal mode. There is a buy menu to purchase your weapons and equipment.

There is no regeneration of health and when you die you must wait till the round is over. By completing achievements you earn different titles which currently only you can see. There is no sprinting in this game and no ability to go prone. Global Offensive adds new weapons and equipment not seen in previous installments, most notably the molotov cocktail/incendiary grenade which temporarily covers a small area in fire, making it impossible to pass through without taking significant damage. The game also features a couple of new sub-machine guns and heavy machine guns as well as a taser gun.

There are two modes to play the classic counter strike maps on Casual mode which earns you more money per kill and automatically buys you body armour and a defuse kit if on Counter Terrorist and on a demolition map. Players can talk to each other on opposite teams and when dead you can spectate any enemy as well as your own team.  Finally, there is competitive mode which is focused on professional gaming and involves less money per kill, players must purchase body armour and defuse kits. When you die you can not spectate enemy players as you could tell your team where they are and you can only talk  to your team even when dead.

Personal Ratings:

Graphics: 10/10The graphics are a great improvement from the previous titles and live up to current gaming standards.Sound: 10/10The sound is great and easy to hear enemy positions.Gamplay: 9/10

The gameplay is good for being in beta stage, however there are issues with recoil as it is currently too strong and a few bugs which is understandable and these should be improved as the game continues development.

Overall: 9/10

Overall i give this game a 9/10 as it plays great with only a few bugs and is still in beta stage. With the help of current professionals in the franchise titles and player feedback in the beta forums this game should bring Counter Strike back as the ultimate fps game provided the developers listen to the community.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Counter Strike: Source

Counter Strike: Source expands on Valves original half life mod Counter Strike. Counter Strike Source was released in 2004 on PC. The game consists of two teams, Counter Terrorists and Terrorists. The objective for each team is to eliminate the opposition and achieve the objective of the map by either planting/defusing the bomb or rescuing the hostages in a set amount of time. There is a buy menu to purchase your weapons and equipment. 

This game is a test of who is the fastest and most accurate in terms of aim and skill. 
This game is very unforgiving. You make one mistake and you will end up dead and if you face someone that is very experienced it can be quite hard to get any kills, as simply spraying and praying will not work.

There is no regeneration of health and when you die you must wait till the round is over. The guns are quite balanced for each side and the weapon of choice for most players is the deagle, ak47, m4a1 and awp. There are no attachments for guns and no way to upgrade them. There is no sprinting in this game and no ability to go prone. However, some servers have their own custom skins and you can also download extra skins to add your player.


There are plenty of mods for Counter Strike: Source and an endless supply of maps as Valve has included a Source SDK which is a map making program as a tool in steam when the game is purchased.

Personal Ratings:

Graphics: 8/10 

The graphics are very good for when the game was release back in 2004. However does not live up to the present day shooters which is understandable.
Sound: 10/10 
The sound is excellent and with the right headset you will be able to hear players footsteps from a great distance.
Gamplay: 10/10

The game play is excellent and has lived up to the original Counter Strike which has pioneered the FPS genre.
Overall: 9/10
In my opinion this game has survived the test of time and is very competitive in E-sports tournaments. It provides you with hours of fun with friends and the competitive aspect of the game is great. This game is definitely worth it. Overall I give this game a 9/10.

Here is a link to the game. Keep in mind you will need a Steam account and will have to purchase the game to play it.