Succumbus' GameSpot Friend's Reviews Succumbus' GameSpot Friend's Reviews Succumbus' GameSpot Friend's Reviews en-us Copyright (c)1995-2013 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved. http://www.gamespot.com 20 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:28:13 -0700 GameSpot Succumbus' GameSpot Friend's Reviews http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/shared/promos/misc/gs_logo.gif http://www.gamespot.com 135 40 Fri, 15 Mar 2013 19:27:09 -0700 nutcrackr reviewed Tomb Raider for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/tomb-raider/user-reviews/808871/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Tomb Raider is a reboot to a well established, stale franchise that was in need of an overhaul. It aims to tell the origins story of Lara Croft, the well known archaeologist heroine. It's grittier and more gruesome than any of the series previous games. Crystal Dynamics have made some big changes to the combat, platforming and puzzles. Almost all of the modifications are improvements to a franchise that has been stuck in a rut for a while. Its biggest source of inspiration comes from the Uncharted series, but it manages to put it's own spin on the action-adventure third person shooter genre. This reboot has young Lara Croft facing dangers she was never prepared for.

Lara's journey begins on the ship Endurance with a small crew in search of the lost kingdom of Yamatai. Lara's intuition sends the Endurance through a mighty storm that breaks the ship in two. While some of the crew escape on lifeboats, Lara washes up on a mysterious island and is taken captive by crazed inhabitants. The Solarii inhabitants have been trapped on the island for decades. Lara's adventure will unearth a sordid past of gruesome sacrifices and remnants from World War 2. Anyone who tries to leave the island is killed by powerful storms. Lara and her friends must find the source of these storms before they can escape.

The atmospheric beginning of the game centres on survival. Lara escapes the Solarii before isolation drives her to shelter. She is tasked with finding food using a newly acquired bow. After apologising to a dying deer, she skins the creature for its meat. This is the only time in the entire game, spanning several days, where Lara needs food or water. Her ankle even gets caught in a bear trap, yet she moves freely minutes later. There is massive schism between the survival narrative, told through cut scenes, and the action game design. The engrossing atmosphere is preserved until the conclusion, but survival aspects are mishandled or tossed aside. Tomb Raider is not a survival game and rarely tries to bridge the gap that indicates otherwise.

You may become attached to Lara through the hardships she faces and not because of her subdued personality. Lara gets battered and bruised more than any other hero in recent history. She endures a monastery exploding in flames, buildings collapsing, zip-lines breaking, planes falling and winds ripping walls apart. There is very little revealed about Lara beneath her scratched, muddied exterior. The back story is limited to a handful of flashbacks that don't lead anywhere. Lara's campfire journals offer brief, predictable insights into a character that you desperately want to know. Camilla Luddington has a great voice, but her timely moans are more prominent than her conversations or monologues. Lara stands tall during adversity but you are seldom exposed to a deeper personality.

The design of combat is separate from the survival themes. It is the most improved aspect of this reboot and very different from previous Tomb Raider games. It clearly takes inspiration from the Uncharted series with fast aiming, nimble movement, close over the shoulder view and melee importance. Platforming during combat is carefully managed and exploited by foes. You take cover behind boxes and walls automatically. You crouch behind cover and peak out naturally when you aim. Exploding red barrels are found almost everywhere and enemy grenades force you from cover. Your arsenal is fairly balanced and you'll rarely need to worry about ammo. The vastly different combat is a wholesale improvement over the previous games and matches many modern shooters.

When enemies get close, you can use Lara's agility to perform sneaky moves. Your melee weapon, a climbing axe, is not a great option unless enemies are weakened. Instead, you scramble on the ground to avoid attacks. You can throw dirt at nearby enemies to make them vulnerable or give yourself time to retreat. It is possible to counter melee attacks and carefully plant an arrow in an enemy's knee. Certain skills produce horrific finishing moves on injured Solarii. The scramble and melee counters make the action even more fun when enemies get close.

Stealth occurs naturally when nearby enemies are oblivious to your presence. You can get close to foes, as their vision is very fair compared to the size of levels. You are able to silently choke enemies from behind and avoid detection without firing a weapon. The bow is most useful during stealth; silent headshots are easy to achieve and arrows distract enemies. Certain scenarios craft wonderful stealth experiences. One such scenario has you moving through a forest under darkness while Solarii guards scour the area with flashlights. You can use the trees for cover, wade through the central river or use the zip lines to come from behind. Most sequences don't give you the chance to sneak around. Given the quality of the stealth, it's a shame there wasn't more of it during the game.

Platforming is more forgiving and pleasurable than its predecessors due to its brevity. Lara can scale ledges, slide over zip lines and swing on banners. A climbing axe is used to latch onto visually unique rocks and clamber around perilous cliffs. Zip lines allow for faster movement between areas and often replace tedious back tracking. Lara's movement requires less ruthless precision, unless you are dropping from one zip line to another. You won't be redoing many long platforming sections because the game saves frequently. There are no lengthy sections where Lara uses her upper body strength while you stare at walls. The platforming is less important, but Lara is still nimble and strong when she needs to be.

Most puzzles have been relegated into the optional, basic Tombs. The campaign has puzzles, but they rarely hold you up for more than a few seconds. The puzzles in Tombs are not dissimilar from those in Half-Life 2. They might involve weighing down a seesaw to leap towards climbable rocks. Or you may need to drag a pontoon across electrified water. Tombs only take a few minutes to complete and much of that time is spent crawling into them. Completing Tombs is not very fulfilling partly because you open identical chests which provide treasure maps of nearby collectables. Tombs are optional and easy, but they should have been more involving to give a sense of accomplishment. Crystal dynamics have proven themselves proficient in puzzle design, so it's a shame the puzzles are brief and hidden away.

You have access to varied tools that are used to progress or find hidden collectibles. From the opening sequence, a torch is used to set objects on fire to create explosions or release salvage. Salvage is then used to upgrade weapons with more damage or faster reloading. Once you get the shotgun, it can tear down barricades exposing hidden relics. The rope arrow can latch onto objects and create zip lines. The ascender provides rapid movement on zip lines or a way to pull heavy objects. These tools are steadily exposed to you so you can unlock areas you may have spotted minutes before. Having the entire tool set makes exploring the beginning areas quite liberating.

Tomb Raider is a pleasure to continue playing after you've finished the game. You are free to fast travel to campsites in each of the areas. It's not an open world game but you can explore to finish tombs, find relics or do other side tasks. Some areas, like the beach, are brimming with visual splendour and wildlife. The game repopulates areas with oblivious enemies that you can shoot or stealth your way past. This increased opportunity for stealth will make you wonder why there wasn't more during the campaign. Instinct mode highlights collectibles but isn't required. Tomb Raider is a relaxing game to play, even on the hardest difficulty, and returning to the world is more fun than you might expect.

Tomb Raider is a good reboot because it reinvigorates a constrained and predictable series. It's a shame the survival aspects are not perpetuated when the premise is ideal for it. Lara's personality is also hidden under her toughened and beaten exterior. It's fortunate that the game is so delightful to play, whether you are jumping, shooting or exploring. The brevity of puzzles and platforming is the special recipe that pulls the series from it's over reliance on those aspects. Puzzles could be more prominent though, especially when most are optional. The combat is smooth and stealth is the perfect complimentary element. Tomb Raider might not be a game about survival, but the changes it introduces will keep the franchise alive for years to come.

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"nutcrackr reviewed Tomb Raider for the PC..." was posted by nutcrackr on Fri, 15 Mar 2013 19:27:09 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/tomb-raider/user-reviews/808871/platform/pc/ Tue, 29 Jan 2013 14:52:51 -0800 nutcrackr reviewed Assassin's Creed III for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/assassins-creed-iii/user-reviews/806898/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

Assassin's Creed 3 is a step backwards for a franchise and a game that rarely exploits its greatest strengths. It continues directly from the end of Revelations, as Desmond and his Assassin team are headed for a remote cave to save the world. The Sun is about to unleash its fury on Earth. A powerful defensive shield, built in part by an advanced, extinct civilisation, is the only chance to save Humanity. Desmond must use the Animus to relive the 18th century and assume the role of a Native American named Connor. With his predecessors' knowledge, he can to unlock the secrets of the device and prevent Armageddon.

AC3 has the slowest and longest introductory phase you will ever see in a game. The first 5 sequences are rigid, leisurely and feature more cut scenes than action. It takes a good while before you are even controlling Connor. Instead you control an interesting man called Haytham. He is searching for the key to unlock the cave that Desmond is using in the future. These opening 5 hours are very heavy on exposition with frequent elements that involve doing little more than walking. Once it establishes a core group of characters, you then control Connor.

The early parts of Connor's journey are a challenge to get through due in part to their gameplay insignificance. You'll start as Connor by playing a game of hide and seek with friends. This is a poor tutorial for hiding from enemies, if that was the intention. You'll then hunt animals using conveniently placed clues. You only ever need to do once for the rest of the game. The hunting mission is very similar to the one in Call of Juarez. Connor hunts some rabbits and then tries to find some feathers on a mountain. This does introduce you to the tree climbing. You only get access to the horse whistle in sequence five These slow intro sections do a terrible job at bringing you back into the franchise.

Connor is exposed to spirits; the translucent predecessors that showed themselves to Ezio. They tell him to seek the Assassin's symbol that leads him to an ex-assassin named Achilles. The ageing Achilles refuses to train Connor and perhaps he should have taken his first answer. Connor wins his respect by thwarting a convenient attempted robbery, and Achilles agrees to train him in the ways of the Assassin. Unfortunately you never actually perform any kind of training with Achilles. Months pass in seconds and you become a learned master because the game says you are. New tools are dumped on you and explained through the HUD rather than through the characters or examples. You've seen many of these devices before but some of the controls have changed and the lack of simple explanation is disappointing.

AC3 has a few new tricks up its sleeve but they are mostly smoke and mirrors. The biggest of those seems to be controlling the large sailing ship, the Aquila. This broken down wreck is left in the bay near Achilles' Homestead. After recruiting some lumberjacks, who incidentally play no further part in the game, the game skips ahead six months (again) and the ship is ready to sail. You can take side missions that have you fighting boats, wrestling harsh winds or protecting vessels on the high seas. The Aquila has a tactile feel and turning to align your cannon fire works rather well. Although an interesting and functional aspect, the significance of sailing is lost beneath the sea.

Free climbing has been changed to make the whole process less involving. It requires very little input from the users to scale the buildings. Large leaps don't require button presses and all you'll need to do is hold the forward and sprint buttons to climb. This removes a good deal of fun out of finding the right route to a viewpoint, as zero skill required to reach the top. It also means that you might get stuck on buildings as you are running from or chasing enemies. The free climbing in the previous games was fine, and this change brings no improvements.

Even climbing viewpoints are no longer satisfying. Not just because the free climbing is unskilled, but because the viewpoints are repetitive. Churches of similar structure are copied in towns. The very same tree viewpoint you already climbed in another part of the open forest is waiting for you to ascend again. There are no truly high climbs to viewpoints and the only reason you'll be compelled to reach the top is to unlock the map of the surrounding area. A map which shows a lot of uninteresting side missions and shops you'll never need to use.

Regular tree climbing is limited because many trees can't be climbed. The ones that can are linked together by perfectly placed branches to direct you over specific areas. Careful attention was paid to ensure that it doesn't look odd, but it still looks odd. It would have been better to make all of the trees climbable so that nothing looks out of place. However, this would require a complete redesign of the open areas, because they are very empty aside from mostly placid wildlife. The tree climbing is a half finished aspect that receives little attention during the game for that reason.

Ubisoft have changed the combat so that three movies and one weapon work for the entire game. All you need is the hidden blade, counter, break and attack. Against regular enemies you don't even have to worry about breaking their defence. The only new challenge is that enemies will occasionally distance themselves to shoot you with slow loading rifles. You can quickly run to stab them or just run perpendicular to their attack vector and remain undamaged. The game only lets you grab enemies when the firing squad lines up to attack. Connor loves to play with his victims too, as unarmed foes can take around ten stabs before dying. The hidden blade proves less useful, killing enemies in close proximity can result in immediate detection. The inconsistent nature and simplification leaves only the animation to provide the satisfaction.

AC3 reverts back to the bad old days for core mission structure. This means a return of the awful eavesdropping and tailing missions. These horrible tasks were outlawed in the amazing Assassin's Creed 2 for good reason, now they are back to haunt us. As you tail an unsuspecting enemy, he will turn around at specific times. You need to hide behind objects or a crowd or the mission restarts. One mobile eavesdropping mission caused mission failure when a group of children bumped into the targets and knocked them so they faced my direction. These are not good stealth pieces and bringing them back from the dead in worst state that before is a true achievement.

There is a great emphasis on variety, but the result is a series of micro gameplay elements that never amount to anything substantial. The game frequently feels artificially padded with long walks and cut scenes. When it does have the opportunity to extend the game play naturally, through training, it instead chooses to leap forward months. The game only really wants to alternate between winter and summer to bring regular environment variety. It's interesting to see a game world change seasons but it doesn't add much to the game. When snow covers the ground, Connor has a hard time moving around and it's difficult to distinguish features your poor horse will crash into.

At this stage you are probably thinking that the open world mechanics are the true savour of this third major release. Unfortunately they don't do nearly enough, and the elements that worked in the previous games are disfigured. In the towns you are able perform short, pointless side tasks. One of those is chasing almanac pages that are almost invisible, a terrible replacement for rooftop races. Another is trying to plant some information on a civilian who can see through the back of his head. Could you believe that I didn't care how much money I had through the game? Would you be surprised if I only once bought weapons that I didn't even need? Doctors are gone because health regenerates. You can't buy shops anymore and money is useless.

As strange as it might sound, the parts I enjoyed the most were those involving our bar tending champion; Desmond. In the present day he and his team are searching for power sources to unlock the secrets of a cave. He acquires one power source from the top of a sky scraper that he scales using free climbing. Another mission has him moving through a stadium while avoiding guards. Juno speaks to him in this cave and gives him cryptic information about their failed attempts to stop the end of the world. These sci fi elements are refreshing diversions from the 18th century and tickle the grey matter.

The most impressive elements of AC3 are the presentation qualities of the cut scenes and world. There are many pre scripted in engine cut scenes. These are amazingly synced and well animated. Unfortunately they further blur the line between game and movie and not in a good way. In some sequences there are just enough gameplay elements for it to be classified as a game. In those cases though, the gameplay is rather ordinary. AC2 also had many great cut scenes, but they never replaced the gameplay as they do here. They were carefully separated and gave you plenty of free time to go about your business during missions.

AC3 is the result of a huge number of man-hours, but it has not resulted in a good game. Most of the work has gone into micro elements, a huge empty world, animations and cut scenes. Gameplay is secondary and a return to some of the worst features in the original is unforgivable. Assassin's Creed 3 needed more focus, less rigidity, better gameplay elements and more enjoyable side tasks. AC3 is the worst game in the series because it ignores the successes and failures of the other games.

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"nutcrackr reviewed Assassin's Creed III for the PC..." was posted by nutcrackr on Tue, 29 Jan 2013 14:52:51 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/assassins-creed-iii/user-reviews/806898/platform/pc/ Thu, 08 Nov 2012 15:41:59 -0800 nutcrackr reviewed Botanicula for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/botanicula/user-reviews/802805/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

Botanicula is a delightful adventure game from the developers who brought us Machinarium. Amanita Design craft another appealing universe with a variety of bizarre creatures living within the ecosystem of a tree. You play as a group of creatures and their home is under threat by a dark creature capable of sucking the very life from things. As you journey through the tree branches you'll find new friends and solve simple puzzles. Botanicula rewards players who want to click their way to success.

Puzzles in Botanicula are not as hard or involving as those found in Machanrium. Some puzzles are trial and error, but these are rarely a chore. Most puzzles are just a few simple steps with the occasional need to bring items to the correct characters. You might play a game of Pong against a creature to acquire a bird. Alternatively finding seeds in a cavernous area will allow you to progress. Much of the game is a standard pixel hunt but the hunting is enjoyable.

The land of Botanicula is full of wonderment and interaction. Clicking on objects or characters may set off a chain reaction of animations and delicious melodies. You'll want to click on everything even though you won't need to. Some trial and error puzzles produce some interesting results each time. Admittedly there were only two spots in the game where my progress was stalled briefly from the smooth flowing adventure.

Almost every click and puzzle results in some audio-visual payoff. Botanicula is a great looking game produced entirely using Flash. It has a distinct flavour with strong contrasts between creatures, interactive elements and backgrounds. The music is also great, just as it was in Machinarium, meshing beautifully with the visual design. The adventure in Botanicula is a short one, as you'll have seen everything in four hours. But it's hard to fathom being disappointed with the end result. What you get with Botanicula is a relaxing adventure that will surely bring a smile to your face.

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"nutcrackr reviewed Botanicula for the PC..." was posted by nutcrackr on Thu, 08 Nov 2012 15:41:59 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/botanicula/user-reviews/802805/platform/pc/ Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:33:44 -0700 nutcrackr reviewed Dishonored for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/dishonored/user-reviews/802209/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

They say revenge is a dish best served cold. In Dishonored, revenge is served by teleporting behind a guard, stabbing him in the neck, sending a swarm of rats to devour his friend and slowing time so you can escape. Dishonored can be brutal or stealthy, depending on your preference and patience. It borrows ideas from many great games including BioShock and Deus Ex: Human Revolution. While Dishonored succeeds in several areas, it fails to fully realise its own potential.

You play as Corvo Attano, protector of the Empress and trusted ally. You return to the city of Dunwall after trying to find aid for the vicious rat plague. While talking to the Empress, you are interrupted by teleporting assassins. They manage to incapacitate you and kill the Empress before your eyes. They also take the young Lady Emily, the true heir to the throne and last hope for the city. Conveniently you are left alive to take the blame. After escaping your prison cell, you must track down the perpetrators and rescue Emily.

Your first task is to meet with a group of loyalists who believe you are innocent. This ragtag group has associations deep within the corrupt military. With their help, you will kill or disrupt those who have turned your life upside down. The loyalists provide you with supplies and a place to sleep. The Hound Pits Pub, their base of operations, allows brief respite and simple exploration between missions. The structure of the world is a linear series of sandbox missions woven by a thin and clichéd narrative.

The world of Dishonored is well designed and enticing. The city of Dunwall feels similar to City 17 (Half-Life 2) with grey, oppressive structures associated with the overwatch forces. Good use of lighting, swarms of rats and detailed architecture produce a distinctive atmosphere that can draw you in. Audio logs and journals provide additional story much like they did in BioShock. A talking heart provides further contextual information and is probably the most interesting member of the entire cast. This heart locates Runes and Charms, scattered within the levels, which are used to acquire powers.

Blink is the first power you obtain and one of the most memorable features in the game. It allows you to teleport short distances, along the ground or on rooftops. You can teleport across an open area to avoid patrols or appear directly behind an oblivious guard to choke them to sleep. Blink can place you atop a street light, so you can knock out isolated guards with sleep darts. Reaching heights with Blink and surveying the area is not unlike the Assassin's Creed series.

Blink doesn't always work as advertised. It can ignore climbable ledges especially when looking directly up. Odd detection can result in situations where you miss ledges that should be climbable. This means Corvo can land ungracefully in the middle of irate guards several floors below. If you wish to avoid guards completely, Blink can make this trivial. The game is still largely improved by the inclusion of the Blink power, enhancing both stealth and action.

A handful of mostly unremarkable powers provide offensive and defensive capabilities. One power gives you control over small animals and later humans. This possession can be used to avoid guards or score easy kills. Freezing time can be useful although you'll rarely need it. It's probably impossible to grow tired of sending rats to consume or distract guards. Being able to see through walls is handy too. The passive powers that increase health or agility are docile in comparison. There isn't a huge variety of powers and you can't upgrade them all during one play through.

The non-lethal stealth options are limited when compared to similar games. Most of your actions involve sleep darts, choke holds, x-ray vision and the Blink power. These are no distraction devices and firing arrows near enemies sometimes goes ignored. You can't disable lights, not that there are many shadows to hide in anyway. There are security devices to rewire but they pale in comparison to the options in Human Revolution. It's a pity that you can rarely talk your way out of situations. Most weapons aren't designed for the non-lethal approach. Ten sleep darts is all you have for each mission and you cannot sell the deadly ammunition you never plan to use. Non-lethal stealth clearly comes second to the action.

Artificial Intelligence is crucial in stealth games and here it is merely adequate. The transition from guards seeing you to entering full kamikaze attack mode is extremely short. If they notice something at range, you can usually avoid full detection. If your boot sticks out from behind an obstructed railing, you will likely have the entire area of bad guys swinging swords in your general direction. Escaping initial detection isn't hard and enemies might go back on patrol within seconds. On the highest difficulty, guards are twitchy and have greater sensory awareness. Messing with the AI is never as enjoyable as in Thief: Deadly Shadows.

The AI has a tendency to glitch if you happen to be in the wrong place. This issue was most obvious during an assassination. After entering the target's room, a scripted sequence began in the adjacent room. My target slowly made his way to my location and I dashed into this nearby room to take down idle guards. After returning, my target remained outside never to enter. This forced me to reload my last save. With no logic to account for non standard solutions things can fall apart. While rare, this type of AI glitch happened enough to be disruptive during stealth.

The non-lethal, stealthy approach is not necessary, unless you want the morally superior ending or unique achievements. As an action game it shares similar mechanics with Dark Messiah, Arkane Studios last game. Direct confrontations are over quickly and there is less sword play than in Dark Messiah. There are fewer hilarious spells or environmental traps that send enemies flying too. No need to be patient or conserve ammunition with plenty of bullets from guards. Dealing with enemies is effortless thanks to sword block and capable weapons.

Combat can be creative if you want to fool around with the powers and weapons. Sending flesh eating rats towards guards and lobbing a grenade is a quick way to clear an area. You can even throw explosive whale oil drums or set razor mine traps to startle daft guards. Performing drop assassinations on Tall Boys is also rather satisfying. Creative action is its own reward because the most effective method requires minimal brains and fewer reflexes. The action is proficient but never competes with the naturally creative execution seen in BioShock.

Dishonored's defining moment came during a costume party mission. After identifying the target, you are told to bring her to the cellar alive. A brief conversation has you both in an occupied music room, unsuitable for non-lethal takedowns. The target quickly becomes bored of you, the mute protagonist, and walks off. However, she walks directly into the cellar alone and the nearby guards ignore the Corvo "lookalike" following close behind. On replay, after killing the guards, all three potential targets make their way to the same isolated room. This sequence highlights some flaws; superficial options, poor balance and silly contrivances.

After enacting my revenge, the resulting dish was a little cold. Dishonored never quite matches the many games it borrows from. Stealth is restrictive and AI problems hurt the cat and mouse gameplay. Luckily it still has some fun moments, especially when Blink and rats are involved. Being able to play the game in stealth or action is a good thing even if it isn't perfectly balanced. Significant differences to the final level, based on the chaos you generate, are certainly appreciated. If only the rest of the game was consistently excellent. Just like the act of revenge, Dishonored is a flawed solution that may leave you feeling a little empty.

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"nutcrackr reviewed Dishonored for the PC..." was posted by nutcrackr on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:33:44 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/dishonored/user-reviews/802209/platform/pc/ Sun, 15 Jul 2012 02:43:20 -0700 nutcrackr reviewed Mass Effect 3 for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-3/user-reviews/797349/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

Nobody saves the Galaxy quite like Commander Shepard. Mass Effect 3 is the conclusion to the cinematic epic spanning three amazing games. The Reapers are beginning their eradication of all technologically advanced life and Earth is right in the firing line. Shepard must unite the galaxy, resolve disputes and take sides to end the extermination. After the great success of Mass Effect 2, this finale has lofty goals to achieve. Thankfully this conclusion proves to be an immensely enjoyable game.

Earth is attacked by the Reapers within minutes of starting a new game. Shepard's prediction of the invasion has been largely ignored. You experience the ramifications of this ignorance first hand when Shepard fights his way off Earth. After escaping from the chaos it's no surprise that the fate of the galaxy now rests on your shoulders. You will take the spaceship Normandy to the far corners of the galaxy in search of help. After this shaky start on Earth, the game builds momentum until it reaches critical mass.

Familiar faces from Mass Effect 2 make important, emotional appearances throughout your journey. The crucial choices you made, some from the previous game's suicide mission, determined which squad members survived. These surviving squad members reappear at logical locations within the universe. Character histories become much more than just dialogue trees. A weaker Normandy squad and some poor emotional ploys are the only missteps when it comes to characters. The return of friends is the true triumph of the third game.

Seeing old squad members while building a galactic army is superbly executed. Continuing from where you left off, by using a save game containing crucial choices, will make the experience far more personal and enjoyable. An emotional scene at the midpoint made me realise how easy it was to care about these characters. The third game is the wonderful conclusion to character story arcs that have been years in the making.

Almost all events involving characters are resolved. Topics dealt with include the Genophage, Thane's son, Samara's daughters, Jack's responsibility and the Geth / Quarian conflict. Some situations call for tense and poignant moral decision with electric repercussions. Characters may sacrifice themselves or you may have to kill an old friend during a stand off. It might be as simple as saying goodbye to a major character after a pivotal moment in their digital lives. When all the pieces slide into place the complete picture becomes a beautiful mosaic of your adventures in this universe.

Mass Effect 3 is focused more as a third person shooter than the previous games of the series. They have improved scenarios with better pacing and level design. There are fewer sequences of knee high walls and enemies lazily entering the opposite door. Using a flashlight in a dark space station might feel a bit like Dead Space. The variety of enemies, weapons and missions is far superior to the previous games. The transitions are more natural and it could stand on its own as a third person shooter.

Mass Effect 3 is linear progression with a few side missions that impact on "War assets." This numerical figure tallies the total force Shepard has acquired. Planet scanning is one significant, optional source of war assets. This tedious element returns with few redeemable qualities. Tiny Reaper ships chase the tiny Normandy around star systems before you jump to light speed. This new Reaper harassment element might have worked better with some Benny Hill music. Once you have enough war assets you can finish the campaign or jump into multiplayer.

Multiplayer makes its debut in the series and is intrinsically linked to your military force in the single player. Effective military strength (EMS) is your total war assets modified by Galactic Readiness. Galactic Readiness starts at 50% and increases the more you play online. The catch is that it will drop everyday if you don't play. It is difficult to get the choice between all the endings without playing multiplayer. Linking the planet scanning and multiplayer components to the ending was a strange decision.

Fortunately the multiplayer is rather capable, well at least for a few hours at a time. Four different characters using varied powers and weapons engage in horde mode against Reaper, Geth or Cerberus forces. Six maps at launch was disappointing but additional maps, available for free, extend the lifetime of the online component. Connecting the single player component may actually ensure more people are playing online for longer. The replay value in the multiplayer is good with random missions split between the attack waves.

The multiplayer component is more enjoyable than you might expect. Earned credits are spent on packages that distribute medigel, missile launchers or bonus items. These items will give you an edge during the harder enemy waves. Occasionally my character would stutter when moving. This sporadic issue, relating to connection quality, fixed itself when going into cover. Four average players should have no troubles with the base difficulty, but there is plenty of challenge in the harder modes. Multiplayer is a competent online subset to the single player campaign.

The end of Mass Effect 3 may be a disappointment to some but the extended cut improves the weak finale. The original ending is abrupt and Bioware released the Extended Cut DLC in June 2012 with the goal of providing more closure to fans. The new endings add clarity, cut scenes and voiceovers that improve the original conclusion. The artistic vision was preserved with minor adjustments that improve continuity. The Extended Cut endings are more satisfying and certainly preferential over the original endings.

Mass Effect 3 is an incredible game because characters are brought back into the narrative with exquisite finesse. Thought provoking decisions have lasting effects on prominent alien species. Bioware even improved the finale and multiplayer components with free DLC. This astounding, controversial science fiction journey has made a big impact over the last six years. While the evolution of the series hasn't always been for the better, it maintained quality with each release. Saving the Galaxy with Commander Shepard and his remarkable friends has been an outstanding experience.

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"nutcrackr reviewed Mass Effect 3 for the PC..." was posted by nutcrackr on Sun, 15 Jul 2012 02:43:20 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-3/user-reviews/797349/platform/pc/ Wed, 11 Jul 2012 01:47:54 -0700 biggest_loser reviewed Max Payne 3 for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/max-payne-3/user-reviews/797162/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

"When you're looking down the barrel of a gun, time slows down," Max Payne once said. But time has not stopped for the Max Payne series. In the nine year ceasefire between the second Max Payne game (2003) and this latest entry, many changes in the gaming industry and this iconic franchise have taken place. With the departure of the original creators Remedy, who chose to develop Alan Wake instead, Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar took over this much anticipated and equally troubled project. Rockstar was originally a publisher on the first two games and share a basic understanding of the series. Max's poetic language is more overwrought and colourful than ever before and the slow-motion gunplay, complete with violence amped up to sickening levels, is intense over the game's minor duration.

However, despite the efficiency of the combat model, this is the weakest entry in the series. The game is lacking the moral complexity of its predecessor's narrative and bizarrely omits any pop or literary references, integral to strengthening the themes of the narrative. Instead, someone at Rockstar decided that Max Payne needed a sunny, overtly military-themed setting in Brazil, some speedboat chases, car chases, rail sequences and a lot more gore. The idiosyncratic feeling of the original games is missing, along with the series' unique stylistic identity. The old bloke is inches away from calling in a UAV but a long way from New York City.

From the start, the game's narrative attains a visceral charge and some interesting formal choices, but it gradually deteriorates under its own convoluted labyrinth. Maturely, the previous titles are fixated on the failure of the American Dream. Max is a symbol of American accomplishment, a person so dogged and determined in the face of overwhelming odds. Yet for all the bloodshed and any scarce resolutions he finds, Max remains a tragic figure, tortured and isolated by his past. His bravery to fight the underworld, like an unstoppable winter blizzard over a city, is more of a symptom of madness and revenge, than righteous justice. He is like a classic Noir detective, modernised as man who is pushed one step too far. However, this compelling internal conflict is largely resolved at the end of the second game, The Fall of Max Payne. The follow-up offers little means of adjoining or reference the second game and its resolutions in any detail. Did Max not say that his dreams no longer haunted him?

Neglecting Max's development means that his sudden reliance on booze and pills again offers the game a convenient dark edge, rather than a plausible sense of continuity between the games and the protagonist. Additionally, this is the first game in the series not to use a graphic novel to tell its story. There are now frequent cutscenes to tell the story, seamlessly interwoven between the game play, but it also means that Max is detached from his roots in pulp fiction. It's strange how a developer like Rockstar, so attuned to pop culture and satire, would fail to address either Max's Film Noir or comic book symmetry, refusing to include in-jokes, film references, or just the graphic novel itself, favouring a supposed gritty realism, with speedboat chases.

The game's visceral nature is at times overcharged but often quite affecting too. The story opens gratuitously in Brazil, with a dismembered torso on the ground, not a sight I ever want to relive, but more intense is the raid on the party. Having left America and the police force, Max is now a bodyguard for a private company, protecting a spoilt family. The reasons for this are revealed in scarce flashbacks to New York. While Max is boozing at a party he is meant to be overseeing, the place is raided scarily by armed thugs who kidnap one of the girls in the family. What is problematic about this opening is that little time is taken to establish the side characters beyond caricatures of spoilt brats, before the bullets start to fly. There is also little identification with the villains, even when they are revealed late in the game, which means that their inevitable demise at the hands of Max is far less powerful and meaningful than it was in the other games.

A part of this anonymity in Brazil is deliberate. One of the most successful ideas of the game is Max's sense of disorientation and isolation. The game uses a number of clever techniques, smartly including native Brazilian dialect with no subtitles (a beautiful touch), copious amounts of screen blurring and superimposing key words, so that Max's senses are diluted. There is a fantastic scene early in the game where Max enters a club to protect the family. The amplification of the music and the blurring is tremendously effective in sharing Max's dislocation with the player. Yet true to the lack of development in Max's story, these techniques eventually feel overused. Right up to the final moments in the game, the blurring is still in effect, which weakens its stylistic meaning. Rockstar has not reigned in Max's narration either. The amount of voice-over, self-loathing, swearing and poetic language ("I'd killed more cops than cholesterol") seem to be working in overdrive but not with any purpose. Sometimes Max's quips are achingly blunt and funny but by the end it's forced so heavily and frequently onto the player, trying to convince you of Max's damaged soul, that it feels like he's become a parody of his own cynicism, rather than someone who is selectively witty.

What is also integral to a crime story, painfully missing here, is a plausible motive. If Max is so dispirited, what drives him to keep pursuing these baddies when things become really messy? If it is guilt, I think some dream sequences could have neatly asserted that emotion but they have also been removed too, which means that Max's actions of mowing down cops (or are they?) seems baseless. The overall trajectory of the plot is also a shambles. With two mysterious gangs to fight, an unnecessary subplot about selling organs, characters randomly showing up to explain plot points and scarcely defined personalities, I could not make any sense of the story. This is coupled with awkward jumps in the narrative's timeframe. Max and the family decide to put together money for a ransom payout and in the next scene they've already got the bag in the middle of a stadium. Similarly, a flashback to New York is abruptly dumped right in the middle of an important transition period in Brazil and feels unresolved.

For many of the weaknesses in the narrative though, Max Payne 3 is most successful and fun as a pure shooter. It retains the original bullet time game play but now Max is more fragile than ever: he can die in just a few shots and you must rely strictly on a checkpoint system. As with many modern games now, you also have a cover system to protect yourself from bullets. To play the game at exciting levels though it is best to forget the cover and dive into the action, using shootdodging and bullet time collectively. You can spectacularly dodge bullets and move in slow motion, watch individual rounds wiz straight past you as you return fire. I found this was the game at its most thrilling, with many intense and incredibly exciting gun battles. The downside is your fragility because it removes a lot of the elegance and the transcendent beauty from the original games. The previous games allowed you choreograph your own Matrix-like gunfights, as you waded across environments in slow motion, with superhuman grace. Now you can only sporadically use bullet time, which does force you to be more strategic, but some of the fun is lost.

There are a few handy touches, including being able to stay prone on the ground and keep firing and also a final kill move, which gives you a brief period of time to make a last ditch effort to kill an attacker before you die, restoring some of your health too. This removes a lot of the frustration from your limited pain threshold. There's also a wide variety of locations, such as warehouses, factories, rooftops, apartment blocks, city streets and glimpses of New York. All of these levels rely on a checkpoint system: you can't save your game individually anymore, which is challenging but not overly so. Only in the final stages of an airport, including a ridiculous boss battle, does it become very frustrating. Many of these environments are well detailed, with appropriate levels of graffiti, debris and ample panes of glass to shoot through, but the atmosphere and the feel of the game seems remote for this series.

Setting the game anywhere but America, especially sunburnt Brazil, away from the ice and snow of New York, was always going to be problematic. Brazil is colourful, vibrant, noisy and alive. As a series, Max Payne is not. Where is the sense of cold dread, the slums of an icy city, alit through short bursts of gunfire? This sequel offers a different sense of isolation, successful in its own right, but not as haunting as the brooding Noir universe we once knew. Returning briefly to New York, I rejoiced in seeing the dark shadows, the thick layers of snow and the deliciously morbid gothic architecture, all hallmarks of the series. Also deterring from the Noir atmosphere is the reliance on gimmicks like rail sequences. There are moments Max will attach himself to a cable line, or flying fox, and drift across the top of a room in slow-motion, firing bullets on baddies below. These aren't very challenging but provide a harmless diversion.

That is also where I draw the line. But Max is required to man turrets on the back of a speedboat, gunning down baddies along a river, or lean out of a train window to blast gangsters parallel to him. Even more ridiculous is a late sequence where he leans out of a bus to take aim, followed most stupidly by an end chase where he fires a grenade launcher off at various speeding jeeps. It detracts sharply from the classic Noir feel of the original games, if only so that Max Payne can now resemble recent military shooters.

Max Payne 3 features solid and sometimes exhilarating bullet time game play but it is not a true sequel to The Fall of Max Payne. The convoluted story lacks the same ambition and creativity as its predecessors, failing to assert Max as a character who is more than just a killing machine. Also, in spite of the quality of the gunplay, there are too many moments and design choices that feel misplaced. Brazil is a miscalculated setting, too far removed from 'Noir York City', and the games reliance on big set pieces, is detached from the contained mood and isolation of the rest of the series. This game had plenty of fun action moments for me but it feels like Rockstar was preparing for Grand Theft Auto V, instead of making a true Max Payne game. I felt this was a missed opportunity to build on the foundations of an outstanding series and I worry that Max's time might have finally run out.

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"biggest_loser reviewed Max Payne 3 for the PC..." was posted by biggest_loser on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 01:47:54 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/max-payne-3/user-reviews/797162/platform/pc/ Wed, 13 Jun 2012 03:01:13 -0700 nutcrackr reviewed Max Payne 3 for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/max-payne-3/user-reviews/795751/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

Max Payne is a tortured individual. He lost his wife and baby child many years ago. His femme fatale companion, Mona, was killed in the second game by the dearest of all his friends. Even after all of this agony the series continues under developers Rockstar. Remedy created the first two games that, despite excellent critical reception, lacked the sales they deserved. A collaboration of numerous Rockstar studios has taken Max to a new location with new characters and a reason to keep killing. Max is headed to Sao Paulo as private security for a rich family and he learns that trouble is quick to follow.

A Mafia problem in New York, explained during two nostalgic chapters, ultimately drives Max to Brazil. No characters from the previous games return and only a handful of references exist outside the snowy New York levels. Thankfully Max, his voice and signature bullet time moves are frequently on display. It's a shame the story hangs onto narrative threads for too long and is generally less interesting than one of the TV shows from Max Payne 2. The graphic novel from the prequels is gone, replaced by frequent cut scenes.

Cut scenes are numerous and they tell the story between chapters, break up the action and mask load times. They will feel familiar if you have played GTA 4 but flashing dialogue and seamless transitions help identify them. A large number of cut scenes during the first half consist of Max getting drunk and feeling sorry for himself. This tiresome trend, along with minimal humour, makes it hard to get behind him as a character. During the action it's not uncommon for cut scenes to take control from the player for minutes.

It's rare to deal with a group of bad guys and not have a filler cut scene that takes you to the next section. It retakes control as you near a door and shows Max moving to the next area. It's tiresome to lose control when nothing remarkable is added to the narrative. It's annoying to exit some cut scenes only to be removed from cover, repositioned and pitted against enemies who know your exact location. To make things worse the cut scenes will always switch back to your right handed weapon. You might be killed instantly as you exit a cut scene, depending on your health status

Perhaps it's lucky that when you do die, and you will die often, your health is fully restored after reloading the auto save. When the game feels like you've had enough, which is three kills after you've actually had enough, it will toss a few painkillers your way so you can deal with the ridiculously armoured foe that ends the sequence. The combat is different from Max Payne 2, perhaps not as straightforward, but it is still enjoyable.

Bullet time is changed and the prevalence of cover alters your approach. The longer, more spectacular shoot dodge is a great upgrade. It is hurt by cramped locations, poor recovery and enemies over-utilizing cover. If you have spare painkillers and take fatal damage, you'll be given a short time to postpone death by killing your attacker. This "Last Stand" manoeuvre is helpful but your target can be obstructed.

Bullet time never quite feels as slow or satisfying as the last game. There is no cascading effect into slower bullet time and you rarely spend a long time in slow motion. Carefully prepared scripted sequences almost makes up for this. Although there are several, a personal favourite was being knocked by a vehicle and shooting enemies while spiralling in the air.

Cover is standard for third person shooters and it makes its debut in the third game. It works as you might expect although not having a crosshair until you aim is somewhat disruptive. Most cover isn't destructible and you actually gain bullet time while enemies suppress you. Staying in cover and peaking out to pop enemy heads is a valuable option to gain bullet time and reduce harm. Killing from cover pales in comparison to the satisfaction gained from slow motion kills.

The third game handles weapons differently to engage in a more realistic, tactile approach. For series fans this means two things: no grenades and no huge pockets to hold guns. You'll only be able to carry two small weapons and one large weapon. Should you dual wield Uzis you'll have to drop that auto shotgun. Enemies throw grenades and it's disappointing that Max doesn't even have Molotovs to throw back. The experience could have been more enjoyable with a wide selection of weapons available at all times. Movement animations for Max are superb though; he feels weighty but is only slow after shoot dodging into a wall.

One of the best qualities of the previous games was the replayability. Unless you are a collectible addict there is little appeal to replaying this new campaign aside from unlocking infinite bullet time and painkillers. Dead Man Walking, the survival mode from Max Payne 2, is replaced with Score Attack. Here you go through the campaign and rack up points based on accuracy, chained kills and technique. This mode cuts the story between chapters but still leaves in many annoying cut scenes. It demonstrates how little the story adds to the experience, a sharp contrast to the previous games. The combat has excellent potential but is rarely allowed to break free outside the multiplayer.

For the first time in the series, Max Payne gets multiplayer. You'll play as a gang member from the Favelas or maybe a member of Punchinello crime family in Hoboken. Team Deathmatch is standard but there is also Paynekiller and Gang Wars. In Paynekiller two players take up the roles of Max and Passos from the campaign. This mode is hard to enjoy when you aren't playing as one of the powerful duo. Gang Wars is a mix of many different, familiar modes with some narration by Max. Domination, Bomb defuse and even capture the suitcase are present but the chain of events lasts too long and lacks consistency.

Bullet time works in multiplayer by slowing everybody within line of sight. This does result in a few situations where bullet time turns on and off as you pass windows but for the most part it works. It is rather satisfying to jump from a building and shoot real players in slow motion. Ragdolls do all sorts of weird things in multiplayer as characters feel clumsier than Max, people will try to shoot dodge only to clip a railing and tumble to the ground. Other problems include failure to join games, getting shot while in cover, quick deaths and pauses before spawning.

Multiplayer is clearly not a lazy addition but it's hard to see it providing dozens of hours of entertainment. There are funny moments with characters, like when a mob character screams "lets dump this in the river" after killing an enemy. Grenades are present in the multiplayer but they are horrendous to throw. The online portion is full of customisations of clothes and loadouts, like many recent shooters, but they take a lot of time to earn.

It would be nice to say that Max Payne 3 is a good port because of the vast array of configuration options. Unfortunately it gave me an infuriating mouse problem that doesn't appear to be very common. The crosshair skipped across the screen at random times, making the shooting about as fun as playing tennis with a bowling ball. A combination of low settings reduced the problem. On the multiplayer side of things, there is text chat but the connections are peer to peer with no visual display as to the quality of connection. It's worth noting that the game implements a few aim assists by default when using a mouse.

If there was one example that could demonstrate the change to the franchise, it would be the sniper section. In Max Payne 2, Mona covered Max with a sniper rifle as he ran through a construction site. In the new game, Max protects Passos from one side of a football stadium. The setup sounds similar but the difference is that the third game locks the sniper scope on Passos and only allows you to shoot after he runs between cover. In Max Payne 2, your view is never locked and you can use any of the weapons at your disposal. Max Payne 3 doesn't give you control of the experience for long enough. It doesn't trust you to dictate the action and that is the real crime.

After a long development and almost two years of delays, there is only about 4 hours of gameplay in the story mode. Max Payne 3 is a missed opportunity more than it is a bad game. The combat is slightly different but still enjoyable when given time to breathe. The visuals are nice and, despite the mass of hair on his face, the star is still Max Payne. The multiplayer will generate more value but the campaign might be more fun to replay even with the unskippable cut scenes. Max Payne 3 doesn't match the pacing or wit of its predecessors, but there are still good qualities to enjoy.

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"nutcrackr reviewed Max Payne 3 for the PC..." was posted by nutcrackr on Wed, 13 Jun 2012 03:01:13 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/max-payne-3/user-reviews/795751/platform/pc/ Mon, 26 Mar 2012 21:21:29 -0700 nutcrackr reviewed Alan Wake for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/alan-wake/user-reviews/790852/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Alan Wake is a psychological action game created by Remedy. Announced as an open world game in 2005, it was going to push the PC platform to extremes. Instead it launched only on the Xbox 360 in May 2010 thanks to an exclusive deal with Microsoft. It morphed into a linear experience back when Remedy had trouble with pacing and storytelling years before release. After pleading with Microsoft, they were able to self publish a PC port. Alan Wake was coming home. That port hit Steam less than two years after it landed on Microsoft's console. You'll want to savour every minute as you step into the role of novelist, Alan Wake.

Alan is a bestselling author who is having trouble writing. He and his wife, Alice, decide to take a holiday in Bright Falls, located in the American Pacific North West. Bright Falls is surrounded by the beautiful Elderwood National Park and the town is preparing for their annual Deerfest celebrations. A strange lady in the local diner gives Alan a key to his holiday cabin on Cauldron Lake. After reaching the cabin, the married couple share a disagreement and Alan gets some fresh air. Screams from the cabin draw him back. Alice is gone. Has she been kidnapped, did she drown in the lake or was she even alive to begin with? Alan will battle humans imbued with darkness as he tries to find the answers.

Much of Alan Wake is set during the night when the local population is far from normal. Darkness has taken over Bright Falls and people in the area have turned into psychotic killers. These unstable humanoids, called Taken, wield axes, chainsaws, sickles and knives. Protected by the dark they harness unnatural speed and strength. Only light can stop them. Alan Wake has combat that differs slightly from standard third person shooters. Remedy has opted to use light for protection and harm.

Combat in Alan Wake feels unique, which helps it remains satisfying for much of the game. The basic principle is to use light to burn the darkness from enemies and use conventional weapons to finish them off. You typically have a flashlight in hand, serving as your crosshair and main light source. This flashlight can be focused, draining battery power and providing damaging light. Not only does light burn the darkness, making enemies vulnerable, it slows their progress. You'll have to focus on multiple Taken to keep them from getting close.

What makes the combat interesting is how there are moments of vulnerability and great strength during each battle. If you run low on batteries or ammo you will need to manually reload as Taken close in. Alan has the ability to dodge attacks, producing some cool slow motion sequences. Although dodging is hard to perfect, it helps avoid several fatal blows. He's certainly not nimble, unable to run far or break from multiple attacks. Should a few Taken corner you, it's lights out for Alan.

Once you burn away the darkness, you turn enemies into sparks with standard weapons. The revolver, shotgun and hunting rifle are well balanced and feel great to use. Ammo can be limited early but there were only a few spots where it dropped to worrisome levels. You'll have access to a flare gun, which behaves more like a rocket launcher than a tool of safety. Hand-held flares provide seconds of protection for reloading or running to a nearby light source. Flashbangs emit powerful light that can disintegrate multiple enemies at once.

Light plays an important role outside immediate combat. Light heals Alan and any Taken chasing you will disappear back into the forest when you reach a well lit area. Lamp posts also mark the point for checkpoint saves. You will feel like you have achieved something each time you get to one after tough battles. Your flashlight, or car headlights, will also reveal luminescent graffiti pointing you to hidden stashes. These stashes, located in side areas, spawn enemies to keep you on edge as you acquire more supplies.

Most enemies are deranged humans who run at you with a variety of melee weapons. They speak with a devil voice, "have you called 911 yet," and hurl objects in your direction. There are a few basic varieties, ranging from the quick to the heavy. You also have to deal with Ravens attacking in large groups from the air. The Ravens make good use of the flare gun although battling them is not as fun as the humanoid enemies. Possessed objects fling themselves at you with force, so standing behind cover is often your best defence. Perhaps more types of enemies could have been used from the wonderful environment.

The real star of the show is the Elderwood National Park and its surrounds. Mist settles around the base of trees as light tries to pierce the darkness creating a fantastic atmosphere. Cabins, ranger outlooks, farms, mines and even the town of Bright Falls all make effective appearances. You aren't scared to go forward because you will be searching for more combat, locations and story. You will be uneasy about darkness, looking for the next light source and scanning the forest. You'll know when danger is close: the wind picks up, the forest gets blurry and darkness swirls. It's an effect mix of survival horror and action adventure.

The engine powering Alan Wake holds up very well on the PC platform. Although there is low resolution textures and simplistic geometry, most of it looks wonderful. The lighting effects are incredible, from the flashlight shadows to flares. Enemies react well to light, holding their arms up and creeping forward. What's most impressive is the lack of loading times, as starting a new game has you playing in seconds. Levels twist and curve around themselves, so you will see your destination in the distance across a chasm or valley.

The story in Alan Wake features a lot of exposition. It's an attempt to narrate the game so you feel connected with the story. It works but the dialogue can be bland and reveals little of strange happenings. Rather than giving you glowing objects or a huge arrow, you get a voice over telling you about a simple objective. Fewer words could have said a lot more. Still it's not bad, the weirdness and exaggerated characters fit perfectly with the world.

There are a several key characters that continue through the six episodes much like TV characters. Many of them are first seen in the Bright Falls diner at the start of the game. There's a pair of aging rockers and the waitress, Rose, is mildly obsessed with Alan. Sarah Breaker, the sheriff, is probably the most normal of the entire cast. Barry Wheeler, Wake's agent, will give the most laughs. He's also voiced by the same man who brought Vinnie Gognitti to life in Max Payne 2. It's an interesting selection of characters.

The story is presented via six distinct episodes over about 10 hours. This makes it feel like a TV show, each episode has an objective and climax. It breaks the narrative into separate chunks, giving you a summary of events between each episode. It's also the perfect time to take a break and come back to the game the following night. The middle episodes are exquisite in terms of presentation and length. They offer great pacing, interesting locations and the motivation to find out more. The game stumbles on the final episode because it's repetitive, has little story and most characters are absent.

The two DLC episodes, The Signal and The Writer, are included with the PC version. They produce an additional three hours of gameplay and are presented in dream like sequences. The combat can be harder, as you deal with more Taken in close quarters, but ample supplies level the playing field. The DLCs revisit areas, with The Signal feeling lazy by design. The voice of Max Payne (James McCaffrey) is most prominent in both episodes, serving as a beacon of light. The Writer DLC is particularly good toward the end with a great final battle. These episodes won't give you answers to story questions you may have, but are definitely worth playing if you enjoyed the original experience.

The flaws in Alan Wake are subjective as to the quality of the overall experience. The lip syncing and facial animation systems are sub standard. Improving them would have enhanced character likeability when watching the pre-rendered cut scenes. The cut scenes themselves are lower resolution and look different from the game, sometimes jarringly so. The collectibles are useless and silly additions to the world, demonstrating Remedy's infancy with achievement systems. Still it would be remiss if I claimed I didn't enjoy Alan Wake very much.

Alan Wake arrived on PC seven years after it was announced. The saying, better late than never, certainly applies here. Technically it stands up very well despite the loss of the original open world vision. It excels in areas of atmosphere, combat and pacing. Remedy has created a combat system that remained engaging from start to finish. The intriguing story ensures the desire to continue forward is strong. The biggest downside to playing Alan Wake: knowing that it ends.

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"nutcrackr reviewed Alan Wake for the PC..." was posted by nutcrackr on Mon, 26 Mar 2012 21:21:29 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/alan-wake/user-reviews/790852/platform/pc/ Fri, 09 Mar 2012 19:45:41 -0800 nutcrackr reviewed Dear Esther for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/dear-esther/user-reviews/789479/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

Dear Esther begins with you on the shores of a desolate island overlooking the coast as waves caress the rocks. An abandoned lighthouse is only a few steps away, and this is where your journey begins. It's a journey full of visual splendour and intriguing dialogue. No quick time events, no puzzles and no weapons to kill vicious monsters with. The first words you hear are from a man reading letters addressed to a person called Esther. It is the simplest form of exploration and adventure. The island comes to life with perplexing dialogue and classy visuals.

The island isn't open for free-form exploration. There are discrete paths along cliff sides or beaches. You'll proceed through luminescent caves and enter abandoned shelters. There are branching paths and you can head backwards to explore if you desire. Some dark areas require the automatic flashlight but you'll never have trouble seeing the beauty of the island. There is very little back tracking and several points of no return. Along the way, small objects scatter the landscape from those who came before you. You are walking in the footsteps of the man who is bringing the letters to life.

Intrigue is produced through the well voiced dialogue that is triggered as you move through the island. Many of these audio cues are directly related to what you see. The words are perfectly enunciated with balanced emotion. Toward the end you may be startled by some of the dialogue as it changes in tone to give urgency. The core behind this adventure is deciphering the confusing dialogue. It's a mixture of multiple different story threads. Your goal is to connect the story with the visuals that surround you

Dear Esther uses the Source engine to great effect, pushing the tech that powered Half-Life 2 to new highs. Wonderful cavernous areas, wind swept crests, haunting beaches and rusted ship wrecks are some locations you visit. The ambient audio does a great job to complement the environment. Wind circles through an enclosed path and water flows gently down a stream. Consistent textures give an earthy feel to everything. A wonderful music score helps connect it all together. Perhaps the final scene demonstrates the raw visual achievement if you haven't already noticed it.

There is no conventional gameplay in Dear Esther. This world seems the perfect fit for puzzles and interaction, but there is none. The closest in terms of mood and atmosphere would be the Penumbra games. Those games had puzzles and many interactive elements, all absent here. Instead you will walk, explore, swim and listen to dialogue for around 90 minutes. It may sound boring but the experience is far from it. The world hooks you in and compels you forward. You need to approach Dear Esther with an open mind to get the most out of it.

It's almost inevitable that you will ask yourself whether Dear Esther is really a game. Is it a form of art, an interactive story, a tech demo or a mixture of all of these things? Does it really matter? Dear Esther is a visual and auditory journey through a wonderful world. It's captivating experience that you won't soon forget. While the story may not make much sense when you finish, it won't stop you thinking about what has just transpired. It's a unique experience, one I recommend to anybody who can spare 90 minutes. The change of pace, visual accomplishment and thought provoking dialogue is worth it alone.

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"nutcrackr reviewed Dear Esther for the PC..." was posted by nutcrackr on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 19:45:41 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/dear-esther/user-reviews/789479/platform/pc/ Sun, 26 Feb 2012 16:59:46 -0800 nutcrackr reviewed Q.U.B.E. for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/q-u-b-e/user-reviews/788641/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

QUBE is a first person indie puzzler from Toxic Games. It is the first game released with the help of Indie Fund. Players wake up in a sterile environment of white rooms formed from blocks. As you move through the world colored blocks appear. Players manipulate these colored blocks to aid themselves or move objects to a destination. Special gloves allow you to activate the blocks from a distance or even bestow neutral blocks with a specific block type. Using the blocks in combination and correct sequence will take up most of your time.

The environment in QUBE is quite bland but it serves to make the colored blocks feel alive in contrast. The white blocks may move in cyclical patterns to produce some hypnotising effects as you walk from one puzzle to the next. Unlike Portal there aren't characters or jokes, the game relies on the puzzles and it only explains where you are at the very end of the game. Your real friends will be the colored blocks.

Different colored blocks react in unique ways when activated. Red blocks extend or retract by one unit. Yellow blocks are linked in threes and can create stairs. Blue blocks provide a pad that objects and players can launch from. The opening areas will relax you into using the blocks in basic ways. Later you'll be using all blocks in specific orders to get things done. Near the end, the world is populated with neutral blocks that you must correctly assign to a specific block type.

You'll be turning entire sections of walls and switching on magnets to move objects. A few puzzles, behind glass floors, ask you to position four magic boxes using the power of magnets. Here you will block the boxes to position each correctly before moving them all in tandem. These types of puzzles are not new; they've been done in 2D before. The 3D implementation is decent but lacks precision. Magnets are slow to activate, so moving one world unit becomes a hassle.

Some of the best puzzles involved a ball rolling down a ramp. The ball acts as a switch once it drops in the right colored pool. Before it drops in the pool, the ball needs to pass through specific colors. Passing through red and blue painters will create a purple ball. Not only do you need to place the blocks in the right position but you need to time your moves. Reflexes are helpful in some puzzles but most are sequence and placement orientated.

It's a little disappointing how many times puzzles broke. In one room, a block was somehow knocked perpendicular to any possible forces. Many rooms have a reset button but not this one. It required a restart from one of the frequent checkpoints. A few times when testing the solution of a room I managed to get stuck within a rotating wall. My favourite was when a neutral block incorrectly reset allowing me to complete the puzzle with little effort.

The core design of QUBE is relatively sound. It just needed more polish and an infusion of creativity. Maybe some longer puzzles directly involving the player would have helped. It uses the Unreal 3 Engine reasonably well but many two dimensional puzzles struggle to find a home in a three dimensional space. The game will probably take 3 or 4 hours to complete depending on your aptitude. The game is enjoyable enough and should hold your attention for the entirety.

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"nutcrackr reviewed Q.U.B.E. for the PC..." was posted by nutcrackr on Sun, 26 Feb 2012 16:59:46 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/q-u-b-e/user-reviews/788641/platform/pc/ Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:16:34 -0800 nutcrackr reviewed Duke Nukem Forever for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/duke-nukem-forever/user-reviews/783071/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 4.5.

The Duke Nukem franchise is a big part of gaming history. Not because of the great PC platformers released in the early 90s or the pivotal shooter, Duke Nukem 3D, from '96. It's part of history because of the turbulent development for its latest entry. Duke Nukem Forever was first announced back in '97. After several engine and developer changes it was finally released in 2011. 3D Realms led the project but the single player was finished off by Triptych (ex 3D Realms employees) after lack of funding. Gearbox bought the rights and with the help of Piranha Games they ported it to consoles, added multiplayer and polished the campaign. After fifteen years in development hell, DNF proves that time can be a vicious enemy.

Within the game, Duke is saviour of the world thanks to his efforts during the previous alien encounter. He has his own casino, plenty of hot babes, adoring fans and even a Duke Cave. Duke knows the new presence of Aliens on Earth is bad news. The President insists that Duke keeps his finger off the trigger while he negotiates. It's not long before Duke's "Lady Killer" casino is under direct attack and the aliens take our babes. DNF is not that dissimilar to D3D but it also borrows heavily from Half-Life 2 and modern shooters. It relies on novelties to break up the mundane shooting but very few are engaging.

The arsenal is mostly a copy of the weapons from D3D, with a rocket launcher, hologram and pipe bombs. The shotgun has reasonable weight but it's hard to justify carrying when much of the combat is further than its effective range. The machine gun is the best standard weapon and the others get used when you run out of ammo. The poor enemy AI doesn't help the combat either. The aliens love rotating on the spot, perhaps trying to pay homage to the 2D sprites of days gone by. They also gather illogical upward momentum after taking a fatal bullet. Don't be surprised if a pig cop freezes midair after getting stuck on a body or sandbags while jumping at you.

The visuals in Duke vary between awful and satisfactory. Indoor locations in the early parts of the game are crisp but lack detail. Outdoor areas will have you believing you suddenly developed cataracts during the loading screen. Here the world proportions feel wrong and the 2D backgrounds are blobs of indistinguishable objects. The world is a blurry mess and the colour palette and contrast is insulting to the eye. Just when you thought the visuals couldn't get any worse, it puts you in an underwater level where you chase bubble streams for air. All of this doesn't even touch on the poor animations, horrible explosions and muted weapon effects.

Duke earns Ego for completing mini games and defeating bosses. Ego is basically your rechargeable health. There are no health packs, so Duke will be ducking behind cover after taking damage. Although infrequent, it's one decision that doesn't feel at home with the franchise. There are some interesting mini-games and their technical implementation can certainly be appreciated. Duke fans will gain the most Ego and the rest will just get enough to get through the game without problems.

The novelty sections prove to be the best parts of the game. Moving through Duke Burger as miniature Duke while you jump hamburger buns, avoid mouse traps and climb over dead bodies was a highlight. Even some of the puzzles weren't necessarily bad, just misguided. Turning a huge statue of Duke and raising its arm in order to climb to the next level has some merit. Then there were the pleasures of stomping on pig cops after shrinking them down to size. Not all the novelty sections behave quite as well.

A dream sequence has you on a treasure hunt in a strip club where you look for popcorn, a condom and a vibrator. This is concluded with a lame strip tease just before Duke wakes up. Duke will even venture underground to transverse through numerous Prey inspired doors and roll some objects into door switches. Unfortunately terrible lighting means you won't see anything during these sections. Duke's personality proves particularly grating in this game.

Throughout the game Duke unleashes one line quips like they are bullets. Very few are amusing and none are funny after the tenth time. You literally get one stupid line every 3rd dead alien in some locations. He'll rattle off lines from movies which don't fit with anything. Lines like "If I promised to kill you last, I lied" and "I'm from Las Vegas, and I say kill 'em all!" He's a walking quote factory who also happens to reference other games in the same uninteresting way.

Half-Life 2 is referenced and imitated more than any other game. A monster truck sequence is a replica of the Highway 17 level without any of the pacing or logical qualities. When your truck conveniently runs out of gas, enemies spawn and you fight your way to a gas can. After finding a group of gas cans, Duke decides to take only one. He runs out of gas a few minutes later. His monster truck will then dodge perfectly round boulders crashing down from the mountain above. Why is this so? Apparently none of the developers really cared. The multiplayer is also a disaster.

It's hard to believe a current operating developer actually created the multiplayer. The maps don't flow well and the combat is horrible. The net code is the worst seen on the PC for years. If you happen to hold your weapon over an enemy and shoot you'd have more luck winning the lottery than actually hitting anything. The unnecessary customisation should have been ignored in favour of a better experience. The only neat thing about the multiplayer was being able to shrink people and see them fight each other as mini-dukes.

There was only one laugh to be had in the entire game and it occurred just before the end credits. Perhaps this was purely a side effect of actually finishing the game. Duke needed to be a parody of modern gaming, one that took the worst aspects of current shooters and made fun of them in an intelligent way. It also needed to provide its own brand of fun shooting. Instead it takes some bad devices from modern shooters and merges them into its own aging formula. The combination was never going to succeed and its terrible presentation and unsatisfying combat is a recipe for disaster. DNF isn't really a game; it's an interactive part of gaming history with a few movie quotes thrown in.

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"nutcrackr reviewed Duke Nukem Forever for the PC..." was posted by nutcrackr on Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:16:34 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/duke-nukem-forever/user-reviews/783071/platform/pc/ Sat, 15 Oct 2011 16:01:35 -0700 nutcrackr reviewed Rage for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/rage-2011/user-reviews/777099/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 6.5.

Rage is an arcade shooter / racer from id software, the developers who helped define the FPS genre. It is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland 106 years after an asteroid crashed to Earth. Before the asteroid struck, you were placed in an Ark and buried underground along with many others. You awake as the only survivor from your Ark and are rescued from certain death to begin your journey. Rage gives you discrete linear shooting segments split between driving across the empty wasteland. It is a departure from id's previous linear efforts.

Rage struggles with a narrative and occasionally doesn't even bother to try. You meet caricatures, who you don't care about, that give you meaningless tasks. It is really only the last hour of this 14 hour game that you get something resembling a story. Unfortunately this is more than offset by a terrible end level that feels slapped together. If your idea of a good motive is going to a distillery to bring back moonshine (twice) then Rage will suffice. Of course the arcade design is a great way to defer responsibility. It's just a shooter after all, who needs a cohesive reason for your actions? If you expected an atmospheric wasteland then you will be disappointed.

The open wasteland in Rage is dissimilar to the ones seen in Fallout 3 or Stalker. It takes up a static role and serves as the playground for brief vehicle combat. It doesn't have a living world of mutants and bandits vying for control. Instead the wasteland respawns vehicles, sometimes in identical places, for you to kill repeatedly as you move back and forth. Occasionally you'll be prompted to destroy groups of death cars or collect "Feltrite" meteors to gain funds.

Aside from some floating robots, which can be smashed by performing crazy jumps, the wasteland is very static. There is no weather system, nor is there a day-night cycle. The static lighting ensures it's always 3pm in the world of Rage. Even car wrecks do not remain on the barren surface. The two main wasteland areas are located around Wellsprings and Subway Town. These outposts are your go to zones for ammunition and quests. The wastelands are just open hubs that connect small, linear shooting segments.

The core of Rage is the shooting, and it takes place in carefully designed linear levels. Each level has a different flavour including a hospital, power station, prison, sewer and metro tunnel. The good thing is that the shooting and weaponry feels similar to Doom 3. These levels typically last around 30 minutes and there are around a dozen throughout the game. The game only saves at the start and end of each level, so the F5 key will get a good workout. Once you get to the end of the level the game blocks off your previous route and opens a shortcut to the entrance.

Some quests send you back into these linear levels, only this time you may move through them in reverse. It's a shame they didn't decide to mirror the levels too, in order to squeeze every last drop from them. After all these years the majority of time has gone into creating large empty wastelands rather than more unique and enjoyable shooting levels. In an effort to spice things up, various gangs provide subtle gameplay differences.

Rage populates the linear shooting sections with human gangs and mutants. Mutants move quickly, leap on walls and like to get in your face. Their animation sequences direct them naturally over objects as though they weren't even there. The Gearhead gang use robots and sentry guns to make your life rough. The Authority, the main foes in Rage, use electric shields to cover each other. The enemies don't provide the variety from id's previous games so there are rarely surprises. You slowly gain access to more tools but the combat remains simple.

Combat is frantic shooting, backpedalling when required and standard ammo management. The biggest departure from the formula is the wing stick, deployable robots and the different ammo types. The Wing stick is a bladed boomerang that lops off heads with the press of a button. Robots can be crafted and provide enough damage to make them worth using. Each gun has multiple ammo types, from electric arrows to meteor bullets. Although these don't alter the gameplay much, it never hurts to have options. If you tire of the shooting you can always get behind the wheel.

Rage isn't just a shooter, the game gives you the opportunity to race your wasteland heap of junk and buy upgrades for it. You are free to participate in events and only a few are required for the story. The events start easy with time trials and follow with combat races and rallies. As you are using your vehicle to drive to each quest, the prospect of more racing becomes unappealing after a handful of non-essential races. At least the vehicle controls are adequate and the AI does a fine job of driving over highlighted zones for points.

Many race events take place in the same wasteland you've been moving across already. The murderous bandits have taken a break and let the local residences set up tracks with floating items to collect. The racing doesn't help sell the game world. Its arcade nature contrasts too heavily with a world that frequently strives for atmosphere and texture. The transition was done so you can hop into the multiplayer and know what to do. Thankfully the competitive aspects of the multiplayer work rather well.

Multiplayer in Rage comprises of the vehicle combat and co-operative shooting. The competitive racing immediately feels like Quake 3 on wheels. The twitch aiming has been replaced by good driving. Even health, ammo and quad damage are scattered on the surface like Q3A powerups. Weapons lock onto cars in front of you, so being the first isn't always the best. There are no linear races, opting for a better use of open areas and capturing randomly spawning zones. You score additional points for destroying other cars. Aside from some lag the multiplayer racing is quite enjoyable for a few hours.

Not surprisingly the co-op has you and a buddy running through levels you've already seen in the campaign. "Legends of the Wasteland" relives the events that occurred before the mute protagonist moseyed his way into Wellsprings. Some of the co-op levels use foes in the exact same locations as in the campaign. When the action gets intense enemies can freeze briefly then warp right in front of you. The closest competitor this year is F3AR which is a more polished, enjoyable co-operative experience. The co-op isn't fun to play, can be finished quickly and has too many sloppy lag problems.

The visuals in Rage are somewhat unique, with a game engine that does things a little differently. The world is detailed in the distance with no repetition. Artistically it's well designed with a textures laid all over each other. It's as though somebody has come along and painted over the world, then dozens more have added extra texture detail. Subway Town looks incredible and many of the locations viewed from medium to long range are breathtaking

The engine has some downsides though, not including the myriad of problems with the PC launch. The megatextures in Rage are not kind to small items and objects in close view. You don't have to go out of your way to see these low resolution textures, they are everywhere. There is almost no interaction with the environment as boxes, computers, and barrels are super glued to the world. The engine itself, if you get it working, runs smoothly at 60FPS.

The launch of the PC version was a combination of errors from several parties. Gamers using AMD graphics cards were dealt the biggest blow with the wrong drivers released. Unfortunately Rage also had no graphics settings and while patches added settings many problems remain. The flawed auto-detect system resulted in poor performance and bad texture streaming for some. Configuration files improved things but are hardly an ideal solution. Considering the visual power of Doom 3, with its own graphics settings, this departure was foolish. Technical problems aside, Rage just isn't a good game.

Rage doesn't really know what game it wants to be. It tries to be a racing game but forgets that you spend lots of time driving through the vapid wasteland. It feels like a shooter but reuses linear levels, has almost no environment interaction and doesn't have enough enemy variety. It has a bad narrative, a terrible finale and the replay value of a yo-yo without a string. Aside from some satisfactory shooting, which could have been compressed into 5 hours, the game is a waste of development time. The strengths of id software are distant echoes bouncing off the attractive canyon walls.

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"nutcrackr reviewed Rage for the PC..." was posted by nutcrackr on Sat, 15 Oct 2011 16:01:35 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/rage-2011/user-reviews/777099/platform/pc/ Sat, 15 Oct 2011 04:21:19 -0700 nutcrackr reviewed inFamous 2 for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/infamous-2/user-reviews/777064/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Infamous 2 is a great sequel to the PS3 exclusive action game released in 2006. You reprise your role as Cole McGrath, the man with the electric super powers. This time Cole does most of his work in the town of New Marais, a far cry from Empire City. He is preparing to battle a giant, powerful humanoid called the "Beast". The Beast is destroying everything as it makes its way to New Marais. Cole must find and absorb Blast Cores to help him defeat the Beast. The story in the sequel is good, with well defined characters and better delivery.

You arrive in New Marais with two allies, Zeke Dunbar and Lucy Kuo. Zeke is a familiar face for those who have played the first game. His lax attitude and loyalty to Cole provide some of the comic relief. Kuo, a CIA agent, sticks around to help Cole defeat the beast. Kuo represents the side of Good Karma, the side that says you shouldn't shock civilians with your lightning powers. Nix takes up the role of Bad Karma, shown by her aggressive nature and indifference regarding collateral damage. New Marias does not welcome Cole with open arms.

New Marias is under the control of Joseph Bertrand and his gang of Redneck Militia. The militia have taken the law into their own hands, battling the local police and terrorising the populace. Not surprisingly, Cole quickly makes an impression with his conduit powers and becomes the enemy. Infamous 2 makes a range of changes to the core mechanics of the original. The combination of improvements makes for a much more enjoyable game. The three core improvements involve AI, movement and powers.

The AI works better because you are harassed less and given the opportunity to engage on your terms. The original game incorporated AI that would stand on the edges of roof tops and snipe you from blocks away while you walked the gloomy streets of Empire City. In the sequel the AI take up small patrols on roof tops and this keeps them away from edges so you won't be harassed from above. Because the enemy visual acuity has been reduced you also see enemies before they see you. Both of these simple changes make moving through New Marias less of a chore.

The other big change to the AI is a focus on the nuances of enemy types rather than just throwing more difficult enemies at you. Rednecks with guns are easy to take down but pack a punch in groups. Mutants rush and attack in mobs, making good use of your new melee sticks. New ice enemies may not be accurate with weapons but they are nimble. Perhaps the most pleasing improvement for the sequel was how small changes to movement greatly improve combat and travel.

In the original Infamous, Cole was a man of great upper body strength. He could climb buildings with the push of a button. Unfortunately this was slow and Cole felt more like Sticky-hands man than an electric superhero. Simple changes to powers and world design make for a huge improvement when navigating.

The world design has been created with a focus on how Cole moves about. One simple change is adding electric poles to the base of many buildings. Once Cole latches onto a pole he shoots up with great speed, drastically reducing the time to ascend buildings. The second area in New Marias is a flooded city with rooftops and buildings surrounded by shallow water. Since this area is low profile it is the easiest to navigate. The water is dangerous to Cole and deadly to enemies but due to the design it's easy to avoid. There are also powers which have been tweaked to allow for smooth transitions.

One power Cole acquires early is the ability to electro jump from a car. The height is just enough to leap onto the cable car power lines and zoom around the city. This makes quite the change from climbing up a pole or floating from a building. Later, assuming Cole chooses to side with Good, he gains the ability to Ice Launch. On any flat surface or roof top he can super jump with the aid of an ice spike. When paired with the standard electric gliding it makes movement an absolute joy. These superior movement abilities go hand in hand with enhanced offensive powers.

The biggest improvement to combat is the melee sticks Cole starts with. These electric batons make short work of enemies in close quarters and even grant Cole full electric recharge with instant kills. Mutants are no longer annoying when they get close because you can just whip out your shock sticks and take it to them. These melee attacks leave you open to bullet fire but you don't need to run away anymore.

Most of your electric ranged attacks have multiple ammo types. The standard lighting bolt is broken into a long range Artillery Bolts, high damage Magnum Bolts or even a quick fire Bolt Stream. Cole's Blast can send enemies flying into isolated low gravity or fire a charge on a surface that explodes when shot with electricity. The game pauses when Cole switches between these various ammo types, so there is little reason not to change things up.

When you combine the improved powers, the better movement and the focus of different AI you get a much more enjoyable game. You can leap across rooftops with ice launch and then switch quickly between melee attacks and ranged powers. You can blast enemies off roof tops and shoot them after they land into the conductive water. Feel free to borrow a car and hurl it towards groups of militia and mutants fighting each other in the streets.

Sucker Punch has greatly improved the visual appeal of the game with great looking cut scenes and a much crisper world. The cut scenes in particular have been improved with better direction, great looking characters and excellent anti-aliasing techniques. This carries over to the main game with crisper textures, more saturation and even more detail in the environments. It's also the little things that make a big difference. Plants on rooftops, colored lights lining the facades of buildings, better draw distances and the sunken city greatly improve the aesthetics.

The sequel includes User Generated Content that allows others to create their own missions. The game will show you the "best" ones by default although all of these were created by Sucker Punch. Some aren't bad but many break the fourth wall. They act more as tutorials for what can be done with the UGC rather than great side quests. Unfortunately this will probably cause you to stop playing them because they just break the immersion.

Quest structure and quality mirrors that of the first game. Some of the quests are indeed fairly lacklustre and there are odd difficulty spikes offset by generous auto saving. The first few hours of the game are the hardest and your power upgrades keep you one step ahead of the curve. The repeating quests are basic but easy enough that you'll want to do most of them anyway. The moral choices are black and white but it works fine when the game funnels players down specific paths with powers to unlock. Alternative quests give enough reason for a replay.

Infamous 2 might not be the perfect game but it is a brilliant sequel. Changes to AI and movement remove almost all annoyances when navigating. The power options and enemy nuances work a whole lot better than the silly Dust Men in the original. The visuals in the sequel are better and New Marias is a refreshing change from the dreary Empire City. Infamous 2 is a shockingly good open world action game and one of the best games on the PS3.

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"nutcrackr reviewed inFamous 2 for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by nutcrackr on Sat, 15 Oct 2011 04:21:19 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/infamous-2/user-reviews/777064/platform/ps3/ Sat, 17 Sep 2011 15:46:46 -0700 nutcrackr reviewed Bulletstorm for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/bulletstorm/user-reviews/774823/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Bulletstorm is an outrageous shooter from People Can Fly, the developers who created Painkiller and brought Gears of War to PC. Using the Unreal 3 engine to great effect the combat in Bulletstorm makes other shooters seem boring. You play as the crude Grayson Hunt, an ex black ops soldier who leads a small team on a quest of atonement. Their target is this sarcastic General Sarrano who was in charge of ordering the execution of innocents at Grayson's hands. Grayson and the General crash land on a resort planet after a brief but eventful space battle.

After crashing your goal is to help Ishi escape and find the General. Ishi, part of Grayson's team, was saved during the battle via an ad-hoc merger with AI. His unpredictable digitized personality requires power to survive. The vibrant resort planet of Stygia is home to hostile aliens, mutant plant life, electrical storms, rivers of radiation and prehistoric creatures. The pair follows a sassy female soldier, Trishka, who initially rejects their presence but later joins them for a common goal. This story is impressive for a shooter due to its hilarious delivery but it may be too crude for some. It is the shooting that elevates Bulletstorm above many others.

Bulletstorm introduces a point system that rewards you for killing in different ways. You may get rewarded for kicking enemies off cliffs, impaling them on spikes or shooting them in the head. Points are multiplied for Killing more at once and unlocking new skillshots. To aid in these skillshots you can use a leash that reaches out to grab objects or enemies. The objects are brought back to Grayson and enter an isolated stasis field that allows you to make headshots with ease. Grayson can kick them any direction he likes and move to the next target. The reason this simple mechanic works so well is because of the point system, shooting and environmental hazards.

The point system is justified as a solution that rewards the best soldiers with more ammunition. Dropkick pods, located throughout the game, take points in exchange for weapon upgrades or ammunition. This simple incentive has been built into the game lore quite well. There is good deal of fulfilment from seeing bodies fall followed by points and the type of kill. Occasionally you might accidentally kill an enemy by shooting him; this measly point reward will seem like a failure. On the opposite end of the scale when you score highly you'll feel as elated as your character, "It's a murder party, starring me!"

Weapons in Bulletstorm have been designed with a crazy feel especially with the expensive charge shots for each weapon. The pistol charge shot fires a flare that sticks into enemies, hurling them through the air into explosive barrels or off the edge of cliffs. The sniper rifle charge shot lets your steer an explosive bullet to its destination. The Flailgun traps an enemy within a grenades connected by a chain, giving you enough time to kick them anywhere you wish.

What works just as well as the weapons is the environment surrounding the battles. Large cacti impale enemies granting you a Voodoo skillshot. Bare electricity wires will shock any you kick toward it. Hot Dog carts explode and put those nearby into stasis. Spore pods burst and the gas it releases makes foes attack each other. Sacks can be kicked onto heads taking them out of the fight while they dance around helplessly. Even small ponds with piranhas turn your adversaries into fish food.

You won't face a lot of enemies until the last few hours of the game. Up until then you are starved of combat enough to love every bit when it falls your way. When the action gets insane you'll wonder why they didn't give you more enemies earlier. What it does do well is slowly introduce new mutant gangs, environments and weapons. You get a sense that there is always something new and dangerous coming and you are rarely disappointed. The price of all this fun is some absurd vulgarity.

Bulletstorm is funny and crude but rarely both at the same time. It strings together swear words like it was a new language. Perhaps this was done so the outrageous combat would seem grounded in contrast. Bulletstorm is a funny game hidden underneath the vulgarity. It's best to ignore the swearing and laugh when the situation demands it. The funniest thing Grayson actually says is "I feel like I should say something witty here" after witnessing one of several hilarious scenes.

Bulletstorm does have a few flaws that seem rather strange when the rest of the game is well polished. From start to finish the game puts invisible walls everywhere, ledges, stairwells and even cliffs. If you want to take a shortcut down a stairwell you just can't. You can't even jump aside from pre-defined waist high walls. While this prevents you from sliding off ledges it becomes irritating because it doesn't mesh with the freedom of combat.

Bulletstorm uses regenerating health and Grayson can take a lot of damage before it becomes a problem. It is only really in the late stages of the campaign, during a silly difficulty spike, when this happens frequently. When it does you are told to take cover, which generally means crouching behind a wall. Unfortunately it completely breaks the flow of combat. Just when things get hectic you are hiding like a fool waiting for the screen to stop flashing. Why force the player out of the combat when it reaches its peak?

The campaign takes around seven hours to complete, after which you can try the echoes challenge mode or the multiplayer horde mode. The echoes mode consists of short action sections taken from the campaign in which you race against the clock to get good scores. These bite sized areas of violence are fun to replay several times but the same is true for most of the campaign. The multiplayer puts you with players against hordes of AI enemies. You must earn enough points to proceed to the next wave. The added lag makes the killing very clunky which greatly reduces the potential enjoyment.

Bulletstorm is a great shooter that gives a bad first impression. As you continue through the campaign it becomes more refined and even hilarious despite the vulgarity. The shooting, leash, and environmental interaction melds together to create very addictive action. You won't be satisfied just to kill a screaming enemy. You will be constantly thinking about how to kill them in the most insane way. This is the true success of Bulletstorm: it changes how you think about shooting.

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"nutcrackr reviewed Bulletstorm for the PC..." was posted by nutcrackr on Sat, 17 Sep 2011 15:46:46 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/bulletstorm/user-reviews/774823/platform/pc/ Mon, 05 Sep 2011 17:31:13 -0700 nutcrackr reviewed From Dust for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/from-dust/user-reviews/773922/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

From Dust is a strategy game where you control the forces of nature to battle nature. You are a deity and need to escort a tribe of lowly humans across a landscape so they can capture totems. To do this you have the power of breath, letting you absorb basic elements and redistribute them elsewhere. As you protect your brainless tribe you unlock new powers and gain access to objects that make From Dust more complicated than it appears. Most of your actions involve the breath power.

As a powerful being you view the world from above and can absorb material from below. Water can be sucked up and redistributed to put out fires or quell lava flows. Earth is vacuumed into a ball and placed near rivers to redirect flow or used to bridge gaps between landmasses. Lava is absorbed to make solid rock mountains or steer the magma from a volcano. These absorbed abilities are enhanced by nifty side powers that are gained from capturing totems.

You can amplify your absorption, increasing the amount you can swallow before you need to empty it. Water and be turned into Jelly and can be manipulated creating a temporary path within a wall of water. Totems can be imbued with captured objects to protect them from lava and water. These repel the forces of nature like two similar poles on a magnet. There are even fire trees and plants that release water when heated. You'll need these powers when you are fighting the insane forces of nature.

Tsunamis, volcano eruptions, torrential rains, rising waters and moving earth are problems you face. Because many are cyclical you may have some time to manage the world while things are quiet. Many of these events occur in conjunction so your time is split between different locations. Later missions push the boundaries of this management and keep you constantly occupied. Once your tribe captures each totem they can move through the tunnel to the next mission.

You lead your tribe to totems and they will try to take the optimum route. You need to babysit them by protecting them from water, lava and helping them cross small obstacles when they complain. Sometimes they will head in a direction that puts them near a lava pool about to overflow. Other times they will complain about the slightest bit of water on their precious earth. Worse still is when they can't overcome a slight incline. Then there are times when they walk in a loop or can't move for an unknown reason.

The tribe can survive the water but swim badly and tend to move in the opposite direction. You can't direct them to stand in a specific location while you carefully move nature. The AI makes for some frustrating sections because they take your focus away from battling nature. With all the powers at your fingertips you are still at the mercy of the human condition. Thankfully the quality of the game overcomes most of the AI issues.

From Dust is as much a technical achievement as it is a good game. Water and lava flows naturally down valleys and creates large deltas. Plants slowly spread across the earth and can catch fire which can destroy your captured totems. Water even comes to rest to produce lakes or bounces against the land masses after a tsunami. Much like an artist with a canvas you paint the surface with almost as much freedom. There is elegance when crafting the world to save your tribe.

From Dust is a good strategy game, and the difficulty is a good balance between freedom and micro management. There are additional and more direct challenges you can undertake outside the campaign. These may have you racing against an incoming Tsunami using limited power. If the AI was better, or at least allowed some direct control, there wouldn't be much to dislike. The 'always online' DRM is apparently being removed in an upcoming patch but it caused no problems. From Dust is a stylish strategy game that captures the beauty and power of nature.

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"nutcrackr reviewed From Dust for the PC..." was posted by nutcrackr on Mon, 05 Sep 2011 17:31:13 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/from-dust/user-reviews/773922/platform/pc/ Mon, 18 Jul 2011 22:15:21 -0700 nutcrackr reviewed F.E.A.R. 3 for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/f-e-a-r-3/user-reviews/770671/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

FEAR 3 is an average shooter from Day 1 studios, the developers who brought FEAR to consoles. With some guidance from Monolith, Day 1 has created a sequel with a co-operative focus. During the campaign you are once again the time slowing, limb removing (and beard wearing) Point Man from the original. His deceased brother, Paxton Fettel, returns in ethereal form and is playable in co-op or the campaign. To be a successful entry into the FEAR franchise a game should carefully meld visuals, weaponry, A.I. and scares into one cohesive package. FEAR 3 doesn't quite nail all of these things.

The story of F3AR quickly picks up from where Project Origin ended. Alma Wade is getting ready to give birth, sending the city of Fairport into disarray. The two brothers are trying to find their mother, Alma, and also run into Jin Sun-Kwon. Jin died in the FEAR expansion pack, Extraction Point, but that expansion is not considered canon despite its quality. Jin and other returning characters are visually dissimilar to their characters in the previous games. These visual differences are compounded by the insipid graphics shown throughout the entire game.

Most of the story is told via crude, lengthy cut scenes between the Intervals. Point Man never talks during the game even in these third person movies. Instead he wears a confused and angry facial expression that becomes somewhat irritating. Unlike the previous games, there are no answering machines or intel devices to investigate that reveal additional back story. Since almost anything can happen there is no reason to spend time predicting events. Thankfully unlike the messy story, the weaponry is clean and predictable.

The weapons feel at home in the series. A sub machine gun and assault rifle are dropped frequently by human soldiers and become your primary weapons. These are relatively effective and comfortable offensive tools. The shotgun looks mean but lacks real punch even up close when aimed at the head. You will get to use the nail gun again to pin enemies to walls but it only gets used in two sequences during the later part of the game. Grenades lack offensive power, sending more smoke into the air than flying limbs. The sniper rifle kills with ease and slow motion helps score a few headshots.

It wouldn't be FEAR without slow motion and Point Man can switch it on when required. Heading into slow motion and popping heads is satisfying but the visual effects are diluted compared to the Monolith games. The bland world just doesn't seem all that different when time stalls. There are no outrageous blurring effects or sparks flying and the environment takes little damage. Even the player movement doesn't feel great with unnecessary head bobbing and cover that doesn't work everywhere. The AI system is decent enough but never matches its predecessors.

The enemy AI is competent but lacks the animation systems from the first two games. Enemies can be patient but may also rush straight to your location and one did this while running backwards. It is their animation components, or lack thereof, that make the battles visually unappealing. No longer do you have AI firing rifles one handed and running backwards or opening car doors for cover. Their chatter consists of accurate observations of your location but there are no satisfying quips about your reflexes. When the AI is severely injured the game starts feeling like a FEAR experience.

Gore returns although perhaps not as pronounced in combat situations. Limbs can still be shot off and heads can even explode. Headless soldiers stand stationary for a second before crumbling to the ground. Limbs can be removed leaving soldiers staggering before finally collapsing. This level of gore is suitable for the franchise but only once did an enemy turn to mist with the shotgun at close range. The new ranking system creates a self competitive atmosphere and one that incentivizes rushing through levels.

F3AR includes a ranking point system throughout the campaign and multiplayer. You can gain points by rushing through the levels, using specific weapons or getting headshots. Higher ranks give you more health and longer slow motion. The frequent display of awards and full screen rank up messages will bring some out of the experience. Alternatively the drive to try different challenges may entice a replay or otherwise create a constant reward system. Irrespective of your preference it's hard to deny that it dilutes the already weak scares.

The game will try to scare you a few times but a good chunk of these are poorly directed. During the first few intervals the ineffective scares consist of random objects being thrown in front of you. FEAR like scares almost work but tend to fall flat, partly due to the poor graphics or general lack of ambiance. You might be looking a different direction as a monster runs along the ground. You may hear spooky music but not actually see anything happen. Even if you manage to spot the intended scares you will rarely jump in fright. This third game provides the least scares in the franchise to date.

Should you desire to replay the game, Fettel is unlocked after Point Man completes each interval. Fettel is powerful and is able to lift enemies into the air and take control of them. Assuming control of one soldier and attacking his team from behind is rather satisfying but gets old. Once the puny human takes enough bullets Fettel explodes out of him, essentially giving him two lives. Fettel is very dominant when he jumps quickly from one soldier to the next allowing quick transition through levels with few deaths.

The entire campaign can also be played cooperatively with each player taking the role of one of the brothers. Fettel can suspend enemies while Point man unloads bullets into him. Players go into a downed state when sufficiently damaged and can be picked up by the other brother. There isn't a strong level of teamwork outside these basic functions. Co-op levels play out very much like the solo version only with extra enemies added during some sections. The co-operative gameplay is actually competitive as players try to rush through the levels. You compete using the point system to get the most kills.

The game includes co-operative multiplayer modes for up to four players. In one mode, F***ing Run, you must sprint through a narrow path as enemies spawn in front of you. This mode can be interesting because of your reliance on your partner to dispose of enemies while you are reloading or under fire. The mode Contractions has you defending against waves of enemies and restocking or repairing in between waves. Soul King lets you take control of soldiers and gather the most souls without dying. These average modes aren't going to last very long due to their repetitive nature and limited player counts. However the multiplayer offerings are probably the best the franchise has seen.

F3AR is not a bad third entry in the franchise but it doesn't quite feel as good as the Monolith games. The scares are weak, the graphics are ordinary, effects are lacklustre and the ranking system was a turn off. The marginally better multiplayer is not going to set the world on fire but may provide a few hours of fun. Day 1 Studios have focused on a co-op experience and tried to bring in something new with playable Fettel. Unfortunately FEAR 3 doesn't implement the essential FEAR traits well enough to keep up with its predecessors.

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"nutcrackr reviewed F.E.A.R. 3 for the PC..." was posted by nutcrackr on Mon, 18 Jul 2011 22:15:21 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/f-e-a-r-3/user-reviews/770671/platform/pc/ Tue, 12 Jul 2011 17:29:52 -0700 nutcrackr reviewed L.A. Noire for the PlayStation 3... http://www.gamespot.com/l-a-noire/user-reviews/770209/platform/ps3/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

L.A. Noire is a good interrogation simulator and crime scene investigation game from Team Bondi and Rockstar. The game is set within the enormous city of Los Angeles during 1947. You play as Cole Phelps, an ex-marine, who moves through the police department solving a range of cases. Pieces of his army back story are slowly revealed throughout the story via slow but effective flashbacks. Cole is free to drive almost anywhere but will proceed through a series of linear cases. Much of the investigation takes place within interactive crime scenes.

Crime scenes are extremely detailed and searching for clues drives the case forward. Turning the default controller vibration off and actually looking around for clues feels natural. Police crime scenes place yellow markers next to clues and directed lighting makes it obvious which objects are important. Some crime scenes might have a blood trail to follow, others might have clues inside victim's clothing or on their person. There are even some simple puzzles to solve like joining objects or opening a box with a combination. These detailed interactions make the items more tangible and could have been used more.

Some items need a further level of investigation before they actually become clues that can be used against suspects. Turning over a completely plain statue and looking at the face seems unnecessary but the game insists. You'll need to read letters, look inside objects, find hidden rooms and even compare ligature marks. Clues are rarely difficult to find but you can use intuition points, gained from levelling, to locate every clue in a crime scene. These limited intuition points are more useful when you choose to remove a false answer during a tricky interrogation.

The game revolves around the interrogation process of suspects and witnesses. You investigate an area, a crime scene or place of residence, and then use what you've found to further your case. Cole asks a few predetermined questions and you identify truth, doubt or lie for each. Characters lie in different ways although shifty eyes are a dead giveaway. If the person stares straight at you it's pretty much a certainty that they are telling the truth. These shifty eyes may be a formulaic game feature but without them the interrogations wouldn't flow very well.

Cole approaches interrogations in a Jekyll and Hyde type manner and you never know which side you will get. Even when you select the lie option he will calmly spin the suspect into a trap. But when you doubt the witness report of an old woman Cole launches into a tirade befit for the worst criminal offenders. He even interrogates a young girl shortly after explaining that her mother had been murdered. Although these contrasting mannerisms don't alter the final result they don't paint a balanced picture of Cole. Cole's character is further clouded by a few absurd decisions he makes during the story.

The most difficult part of the interrogation is choosing the correct piece of evidence when accusing a suspect of lying. Due to the unpredictable and restricted way Cole approaches questions he can sometimes eliminate evidence. During the longer cases you will have quite a lot of evidence to decide from. The suspect will direct you towards the piece of evidence after you accuse them. The nice thing about selecting a Lie is that you can always back out should you have no contrary evidence. Even still not knowing how Cole approaches the questions prevents some success.

You can do poorly in interrogations but many cases still play out in exactly the same way. The difference between failing an interrogation and passing it might be just the number of cosmetic stars you receive at the end. The game funnels you toward the solution and it gives you a false sense of making choices. L.A. Noire is a very linear game with only a few minor alterations between events that have no major bearing on solving cases.

The final act of getting the murderer is never as satisfying as the individual steps taken to get there. Evidence is usually strong but also circumstantial and extremely convenient. In a few situations you are forced to charge one of several innocent individuals with virtually no evidence because the game forces you to. You can't opt out of this decision as you cannot progress without charging one suspect falsely. Perplexingly the game even rewards you with more stars for arresting one of the two wrong suspects.

Once you catch the genuine bad guy, however unusual that may be, there is rarely an admission of guilt. The only real feedback you get from cases is from random civilians in the street mentioning previous cases you "solved". The lack of satisfying conclusions during important cases almost makes them a waste of time. Instead you find clues, catch the bad guy via some arbitrary chase scene and he is taken away (or killed) never to be heard from again. As Cole says hilariously during one particular chase, "why do they always run?"

Facial recordings of real actors certainly helps sell the game's interrogations. With such believable faces the game will give you a feeling of watching a movie and playing a game. The facial recordings aren't perfect but they certainly look more natural than hand crafted animations. Lips look slightly strange on some characters and at certain angles the faces don't match well with the heads. These visual oddities are few and far between and are probably just indicators of the technology in its infancy. Considering how much the game depends on interrogations, recording a vast array of actors was certainly a worthwhile task.

When Cole is not investigating a crime scene, interrogating a suspect or re-watching an unskippable story cut scene you'll be doing disappointing game type things. Car chases, foot chases, shoot-outs are the core action experiences you'll be involved with. It seems mandatory that all foot chases involve at least one downpipe to climb during the first half of the game. Many end with some hostage scenario that forces you to restart the whole sequence if the hostage dies. Some of the action sequences are indeed impressive, such as a shootout in an ice factory. However when the game strings together dull, scripted car chases it completely loses appeal.

Absurdly controlled suspect cars are impossible to catch until you reach a certain point when they slow to a crawl or crash. You can skip these action sequences once you fail them several times but they are rarely difficult. Labouring through them once is more than enough. There was even a very arduous treasure hunt type quest near the end of a long case. Needless to say these types of things were far from a game highlight.

These formulaic game structures feel repetitive when each case is unique with new clues, characters and crime scenes. The city of Los Angeles is so immense that it takes minutes of driving to reach each destination. The best option is to let your partner drive so you fast travel to the location. The city is far too big to navigate and there is no need to memorize any of it. Once you start using the fast travel system there is very little reason to drive anywhere yourself. The open world framework just gets in the way more than it enhances the experience.

L.A. Noire is a fine game trapped by some rigid and boorish game structures that it repeats far too often. Formulaic and scripted chases often detract from the experience even though they try to provide action. The consistent lack of satisfying conclusions to cases is a huge problem when the journey is very good. It is extremely irritating to be forced to charge the wrong suspect when it is so obvious the evidence doesn't add up. It's a pity the ambitious and enjoyable interrogation system is so frequently wasted during big cases. L.A. Noire, like Cole himself, is both good and bad wrapped into one impressive visual package.

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"nutcrackr reviewed L.A. Noire for the PlayStation 3..." was posted by nutcrackr on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 17:29:52 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/l-a-noire/user-reviews/770209/platform/ps3/ Tue, 14 Jun 2011 03:42:34 -0700 nutcrackr reviewed Red Faction: Armageddon for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/red-faction-armageddon/user-reviews/767430/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 7.0.

Armageddon destroys most of the good work Red Faction: Guerrilla did for the franchise. Armageddon is a brainless, linear third person shooter that has less personality than a Martian rock. You play as Darius, the bald grandson of the bald Alec Mason, who accidentally unleashes a plague of alien creatures upon Martian colonists. Darius naturally feels guilty so he tries to solve the problem by blowing up aliens and buildings. The open world nature of the prequel is gone, destruction is less satisfying and the nonstop shooting of alien bugs gets repetitive after only a few hours. A handful of vehicle sections and some pretty looking cut scenes aren't enough to keep Armageddon standing tall.

Buildings can be brought down just as they could in the open world Guerrilla. Most of these buildings are located in large cavernous areas under the Martian surface or in tunnels. Without Geomod the cave walls are static like the landscapes in Guerrilla. Less care is required to identify structural members or weak points in buildings. There is never any need to demolish efficiently because buildings are destroyed easily. The destruction almost always comes in conjunction with action and not before it. There is less satisfaction when destroying buildings because once they fall there is no permanent outcome for your actions. All the destruction really gives you is more salvage to upgrade abilities. Destruction plays second fiddle to shooting aliens.

Most of the action consists of you against a large number of aliens of various sizes with some destructible buildings strewn about. Some aliens will hang from the ceiling and launch projectiles toward you. Others will rush in and explode when they are about to die. Larger foes will appear from the ground and provide health bonuses to aliens in the area until they are killed. Alien sacs will continue to spawn baddies and walls will split open sending a handful of enemies toward you. Thankfully the weaponry is capable of handling this high volume of aliens.

Standard weapons include machine gun, rocket launcher, grenade launcher and shotgun. A Singularity weapon sucks enemies towards the projectile then explodes with considerable power. A particle beam will send out a stream to vaporize anything in its path. The fun Magnet gun attempts to join two objects together, be they alien or building, resulting in much destruction. Unfortunately low ammo counts and clip sizes force Darius to use all of his four equipped weapons instead of those based on a specific use. Once the battle ends you restock and go at it again in the adjacent cave. The offensive capabilities aren't just limited to weapons.

Darius can use his Nano forge powers to destroy or repair. With upgrades he can send out forward shockwaves, create a shield, lift enemies from the surface or just go berserk and deal high damage for a short time. You do need to wait for a recharge but these powers come in handy when the action gets heated and enemies close in. Sometimes objects will need to be repaired in order to continue. After removing various bugs from an area, the surrounding structures will be significantly damaged. Repairing stairs and bridges will allow you to proceed along the highlighted path.

In between the constant shooting of aliens on foot you have more constant shooting in vehicles. These take place in Exo suits or larger spider like walkers. Vehicle sections remain excruciatingly linear for the few minutes they last. All you do is kill critters or cultists along a very confined path. Holding primary fire and then using secondary fire each time it recharges. There is even less brain work needed during these sections than while Darius is on-foot.

While the shooting and general action of Armageddon is fun enough things come crashing down when there is nothing else to the game. The story is thin and told through pre-rendered cut scenes that have more video compression artifacts per second than the game has bald male characters. The game is highly linear with only a few side caves to explore for ammo and salvage. Upgrading Darius feels relatively shallow and some upgrades have minimal bonuses. The computer aid, SAM, will occasionally work in contrast with Darius in order to create some fairly basic jokes. Sadly even multiplayer can't salvage the game from implosion.

Competitive multiplayer has been completely removed in Armageddon. You are now restricted to four player Infestation (horde mode) and Ruin mode. Infestation soon becomes pretty stale on the same map even if it gets very chaotic as the waves get harder. Ruin mode allows you to take down some buildings in levels your saw through the campaign. If you enjoyed the competitive nature of building demolition in the previous game then you will be bitterly disappointed with the offering this time. There is just less stuff to do in the game world compared to its predecessor. With only a seven hour campaign and no human competition the value comes into question.

Instead of taking the working formula of Guerrilla and melding a new tale of destruction, Volition has taken a few steps backward. The shooting is definitely fun and often insane but also highly repetitive in rigid spaces. The last few hours in particular would be more at home in a Starship Troopers game because of the high volume of 'bugs' and little else. There is no substance to the story or the lacklustre missions you are sent to perform. There is no player choice, no way to just take a vehicle and cause mayhem anywhere you like and run away when the EDF chase after you. The repetitive shooting of creatures is all the game has and it suffers for it. Guerrilla was far from perfect but it was a step in the right direction for the franchise. Armageddon is a disappointment because it lacks the strong foundations shooters build themselves around.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"nutcrackr reviewed Red Faction: Armageddon for the PC..." was posted by nutcrackr on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 03:42:34 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/red-faction-armageddon/user-reviews/767430/platform/pc/ Tue, 07 Jun 2011 03:43:01 -0700 nutcrackr reviewed The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/the-witcher-2-assassins-of-kings/user-reviews/766733/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 9.0!

The monster slayer, Geralt, is back to severe limbs, cure curses and make critical decisions in a new magical tale. The White Wolf is after the Kingslayer and also trying to solve some personal mysteries of his own. He once again gets involved with the world more than he ever anticipated. The world has been wonderfully designed with detailed characters, stunning locations and great quests. Combat has been given a revamp, making it more action orientated at the cost of some difficulty inconsistency. Choices have incredible impacts on future battles, locations and alliances between characters. The captivating story will curve naturally around your decisions. The biggest change to the game is the improvements to the combat system.

Combat in Witcher 2 is a different beast than the first game. Instead of standing in front of enemies and watching an icon flash, Geralt's movements are far more energetic. Being surrounded will result in a quick death and positioning becomes crucial. There are deliberate pauses when performing actions to punish careless behaviour but it can make Geralt unresponsive. Attacking enemies from behind, using fast or slow strike, grants a good damage boost. Geralt is usually very effective against single targets but groups pose a whole new challenge. Unlike the original, there is no god-like group stance that lets you stand between a bunch of enemies and click the mouse to win. You have to dodge and use all of the available tools to secure victory.

The collection of signs at Geralt's disposal, five available at the beginning, are more balanced this time. Shield (Quen) has probably received the biggest improvement as you can cast it before a fight and use it to absorb damage. When it is upgraded further it can also reflect the damage outward to enemies. The redesigned trap power (Yrden) holds an enemy in place for a period of time. This is useful for heavily shielded foes allowing you to move around and attack from behind. Axii (hex) is used again to turn an enemy, although the turned enemy isn't particularly good at dealing damage it does act as a meat shield.

Aard is still extremely useful both in combat and to knock environmental objects to clear a path or extinguish fire. When upgraded the area effect and chance to stun makes it very potent, allowing for some nice instant kills. Igni is able to set multiple targets on fire, taking them out of the battle and doing damage. Once the signs are upgraded they make the combat easier. You can unlock extra Vigor slots (used for signs and block) and faster recharge to reduce downtime. Other aspects involved with combat include traps, bombs, oils and potions which are also more useful.

There is still a strong focus on preparation for battle in this sequel. You are regularly told what enemies you will encounter, or specific quests make it obvious. Using this information Geralt crafts bombs, applies oils and drinks potions in order to improve his skills. He can prepare these during meditation, which can be performed anywhere when not in battle. Sword oils can be used to target specific foes and traps provide a handy bit of damage. A variety of low cost bombs are crafted with ingredients and placed in slots to be used like signs. The game does fall apart a little when a chain of events prevent this preparation but some items don't provide appreciable bonuses anyway.

The varied offensive and defensive tools make the combat satisfying which can depend on your specialisation. Geralt can upgrade traits on three main character branches - swordsmanship, alchemy or magic or any combination of the three. The combat is certainly less repetitive than the original but has some disappointing difficulty issues. The enormous challenge at the start of chapter one will discourage many but the combat is easier and more enjoyable during the second chapter and beyond. This absurd difficulty curve (on Normal) might require some difficulty adjustment on the fly in order to meet a healthy challenge for oneself. Regrettably Easy holds no challenge and Normal is more like Hard early on.

The graphic qualities of this new adventure are not to be understated. Although a good PC is required to get the most out of the game, it still looks superb on low. Main characters have great textures and insane detail right down to belt buckles and objects hanging from their necks. Cut scenes could pass as pre-rendered CGI for many recently released games. Fighting animations are impressive from every sword swing down to the last punch. It may even have the best god rays in any game to date. Even still these features often pale in comparison to the spectacular locales.

The town of Flotsam is one such locale and it has docks on one side and an imposing wood on the other. The woods around Flotsam dramatically change when darkness sets in. Walking through the forest as the mist settles gently on the ground with the moonlight piercing through the creaking trees is jaw dropping. The battlefield around Vergen is occupied by ghosts and features an orange hue making it beautiful and deadly. There are essentially no load times, new areas are streamed in as you move through doors or intermediate zones. This makes the experience seamless at the cost of some choppiness.

Quests in the sequel are of good quality and variety. They range from investigating the accusations thrown upon a female elf, clearing a hospital of wraiths, finding a rare plant deep underground and obtaining a magical item from a ghastly creature. These quests go along with minimal monster hunting which can be critical to the story or just a side quest. The exact direction you should precede is not always given to you. If you are the type of gamer that just follows an arrow then the game will get confusing. For example, one quest gives you a poem to find a location and although not difficult it requires some exploration and thought.

The choices involved in small and large scale decisions have consequences even greater than the original. A simple choice toward the end of the first chapter greatly alters the proceeding chapter in terms of location, main quests and major characters. You simply cannot see what the entire world has to offer until you play it again. The decisions at key points have impacts on the characters and alliances you forge. None of the choices are good or bad, merely alternatives that the story naturally bends itself around.

The choices might open up additional quests from characters or provide different rewards. How you interact with NPCs may result in allies coming to your aid during battle. It may be the difference between fighting a group of Rotfiends in sewers and fighting armoured Humans on the surface. You'll witness unique cut scenes, view events from different perspectives and undertake contrasting missions based on choice. The choices are wonderfully summarized by the Dandelion-written journal entries and hand drawn cut scenes. The incredible options at crucial story moments greatly improve the replay value.

The story in Witcher 2 is enthralling and even overwhelming when threads come together toward the end. There are a large number of layers involving the main characters and their involvement in the big picture. There is not one antagonist, nor is there only one goal to be achieved. The choices get progressively harder and there is almost always some justification for the actions taken by characters. Should you decide to punish these individuals or save them? Knowing full well that punishing them could spell disaster for others. Do the ends really justify the means? The story may not be fully understood after one play through due to the complexities of the narrative and array of characters.

There is a good collection of well voiced characters ranging from racists, renegades, terrorists, kings, sorceresses and military personnel. Geralt has close associations with many sorceresses in this sequel, none closer than the red-headed Triss Merigold. Triss has a different voice actor this time and her dialogue makes her seem far less conceited than in the prequel. Other friends will travel alongside you during the game, some through the choices you make. Unfortunately certain problems do appear during the 20-35 hour campaign.

The game is not without noticeable flaws, although I experienced only a few crashes. When crafting bombs or potions the game decides what ingredient to use rather than the ones you selected previously. There is no way to compare stats of your currently equipped weapon with something for sale, requiring instead inventory shuffling or a good memory. There is no storage should you want to keep a sword crafted specifically to destroy Harpies or preserve the 80 sets of Nekker teeth you fought gallantly for.

Some pacing issues occur when a chain of events force Geralt along a fixed action orientated path. Being taken directly from a conversation into battle that results in a fireball to your back is incredibly annoying. There isn't always a clear indication that your next action in a quest is the point of no return that will result in various quest failures. Companions occasionally lagged far behind underground and some enemies lost the ability to recognise Geralt as a foe. Geralt even died once after a series of trivial fist fights. These types of issues, which may be patched out, do not prevent the game from being anything less than brilliant.

Witcher 2 has received a lot of love from CD Project Red. This is shown with the detail surrounding quests and the world at large. NPCs go about their daily lives while you are off in the darkness being torn apart by Nekkers. Multi-step quests with alternate solutions allow you to play a role and experience the ramifications of your actions. Satisfying combat and a strong focus on preparation will keep the action interesting for the entirety. This plus an absorbing, layered story with great characters makes Witcher 2 one of the best games in recent years.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"nutcrackr reviewed The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings for the PC..." was posted by nutcrackr on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 03:43:01 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/the-witcher-2-assassins-of-kings/user-reviews/766733/platform/pc/ Mon, 02 May 2011 18:55:46 -0700 nutcrackr reviewed Portal 2 for the PC... http://www.gamespot.com/portal-2/user-reviews/763754/platform/pc/ ...and gave it a 8.5.

Portal 2 is an extremely polished puzzle game that is well worth the full price tag. It works so well because it contains rewarding puzzles and witty dialogue. Each puzzle is both a learning process and an implementation of skills acquired in the preceding levels. A new character, Wheatley, is a great contrast to GLaDOS and they frequently make jokes at your expense. New puzzle elements combine to create some fantastic solutions especially during the final few puzzles. The co-op levels make excellent use of the two extra portals by promoting satisfying teamwork and presenting challenging scenarios.

The puzzles in the sequel are less about how quickly they are executed and more about how they are solved. There is little need for swift reflexes although it helps complete some multi-step puzzles faster. You might be using a turret to protect yourself from fire or lining up a laser beam through portals and switches. Using portals to generate inertia and placing boxes on switches are just the basic brain teasers to get you thinking with portals. Your brain is going to get a workout, not your hands, and learning the new tools helps keep this sequel fresh.

The real key to the success of Portal 2 is the slew of new puzzle devices that are carefully exploited in the numerous puzzle rooms. Initially you will be dealing with the standard box / button / turret mechanics but later you'll deal with hard light beams, excursion funnels (energy beams you can float in) and special gel. Not all the levels are purely test chambers so changes to your thought process are required. Some later areas are very large making things a bit more difficult. When the new devices combine the true genius of the design shines through.

The great new tools at your disposal include hard light, excursion funnels and gel. Hard light is used with portals to create platforms to walk on, barriers that protect you from turrets or block objects from being lost in hazardous goo. Objects float through excursion funnels and they allow you to get some height to enter a portal with speed. There are three types of gel; bouncy, slippery and portal placement. These gels paint the surfaces of chambers, often through portals, and bestow special properties on the area painted. Bouncy and slippery gels propel you forward or upward to generate much needed inertia in confined spaces. They allow you to make a huge leap over a chasm or press a switch located high above. The white gel will let you place a portal anywhere it splashes on the surface although it is not used as naturally as the other gels. With some well design puzzles the solutions are usually very rewarding.

The sequel still has the important "aha" moments although they only occurred for me during the last few puzzles of the single player. There is a slow build up from the opening extremely basic puzzles to the huge open levels toward the end. It should make you respect how far you have come on this journey of scientific discovery. The way Valve has systematically programmed your brain to deal with each puzzle is an impressive feat. The sublime pacing, a key Valve trait, is ever-present and the game will never feel repetitive.

The great dialogue helps push the player forward and even makes the simpler puzzles enjoyable. Very little of the dialogue isn't designed to be funny and it succeeds almost every time. It might be Wheatley discovering he didn't explode when using a light or GLaDOS frequently making fun of your weight. GLaDOS voices the co-op levels too but her dialogue lines are more restricted. When these two distinct characters interact with each other during the story the magic peaks. Great voice delivery and situational humour ensures this game is more than just a series of puzzles rooms.

Co-op is about as long as the single player campaign, which is over twice the length of the original game. In co-op you take up the role of one of two robots, P-body or Atlas, who are destined to save science. They must complete the complex and teamwork focused test chambers. There are five unique chambers, each chamber has 2é puzzles. Every chamber targets a different aspect you saw during the campaign such as hard light, inertia or special gel. Players can place hints in the world to greatly facilitate teamwork and even time special moves. A new level of enjoyment is reached when you solve the tricky puzzles that employ the intelligent use of four portals.

When first playing co-op the extra portals are used to separate the players so one can stand on a button while the other gets a box. Later the portals are used to leap-frog players through walls they can't directly see from their current location. This teamwork moves up a notch when the robots are separated by force fields that instantly destroy boxes or any portals created by the player passing through. When separated each player has to perform a specific task in their sealed off area. One might send goo through a portal while the other stands on a switch. It is not always as simple as solving the puzzle once. Both robots need to reach the exit and sometimes getting the second robot home is the difficult part.

The experience exceeds the single player during the later co-op levels. A good teamwork example was floating together through excursion funnels while one player protects the duo from turret fire with hard light beams. The extra steps occasionally felt like three people were needed but a few minutes of thought and observation were enough to create a two player solution. Funny moments could be generated by purposely causing death on your robot friend or watching them flounder in one of your portal loops. For a truly great experience it is strongly recommended you play with a friend who hasn't done the puzzles. A new player joining with somebody who has done the puzzles, or replaying with somebody who hasn't is unpleasant.

Portal 2 has very low replay value and repeating co-op levels can even be painful. There is very little enjoyment gained from repeating the campaign puzzles unless you are trying some slightly different solutions. In co-op pretending to play dumb while your friend solves the puzzle is less enjoyable than watching paint dry. If you solve the puzzle quickly you have robbed the other player of the thought process involved that make them rewarding. Providing infrequent hints yields best results for both players but even doing this proves disappointing. The lack of replay value will reduce the long term opportunity for new players to enjoy the same experience as early adopters. The co-op experience is occasionally uneven but you should still appreciate the puzzle design when both players are thinking through each puzzle.

Portal 2 is a great ride, the campaign is brilliantly paced and the puzzles are refreshing and interesting. The co-op makes wonderful use of two players and the last few puzzles in both modes are very impressive. The journey was designed to be completed once but for many this will be more than enough. Free DLC has been promised which should provide even more fantastic puzzle rooms to solve. Everybody should play Portal 2, for science.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"nutcrackr reviewed Portal 2 for the PC..." was posted by nutcrackr on Mon, 02 May 2011 18:55:46 -0700
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