FARCRY 3

FACE YOUR INSANITY!

Stranded on an island at the edge of the world, your friends are taken captive, and psychotic warlords are on your trail. Fighting to escape this beautiful but dangerous paradise, you'll have to confront who you really are....

A tropical Island holiday with friends and family went horribly wrong, in a world of beauty a hidden darkness lies waiting like a coiled snake to strike.

You'll be at the mercy of the most feared and deadly creatures known to humanity and then there's the islands inhabitants, who are just insane. Some of these creatures are what I have faced, after leisurely strolling through the jungle they are as follows;

Snakes, Saltwater Crocodiles, Bull Sharks, Leopards, Samaritan Tigers, Komodo Dragons, Cassowarys, Goats, Boars, Pigs and Rabid Dogs. What makes this interesting, is that not only are you hunting, you're also the hunted. You will have to stalk your prey, be it a Goat or Boar. But be on guard, because in an instant and from nowhere, you may be attacked by a pack of Komodo Dragons or even a ferocious Tiger. So this is fair warning, you are NOT king of the jungle, so play it safe out there, stay frosty and you might survive.

You'll have to craft wallets, ammunition pouches and weapon holsters. This is achieved by the above... Hunting animals and skinning them to get the materials you need to create, for example, an arrow quiver to hold your arrows. If you have an excess of skinned hides, you can sell the items you don't want at the local village store.

The locals are mostly people of Islander origin, some of which are Rakyat tribal warriors, fighting off the pirates that threaten their way of life. They are terrorized with a multitude of horrible crimes, including drug manufacturing and trafficking, slave trading and mass murder, just to name a few.

The story starts with the hero Jason Brody, who is a young man feeling directionless in his life and unsure of what essence eludes him. The fearless, and athletically apt Jason is perfect for the jungle warfare that awaits him on Rook Island. On holiday with friends and his brothers, Jason quickly finds himself and his brother captive by pirates, you struggle and manage to escape, but at a massive cost to Jason Brody. The most insane member of the pirate faction is Vass, who clearly struggles with multiple drug addictions and is on a dangerous downward spiral into complete and utter madness. Because of this, he makes one fatal mistake.. He lets you live. Make him regret that decision and make him pay. 

As the storyline progresses, you'll find your self tripping out more than a hippie at Woodstock. This has to be the most psychedelic tripped out game that I have played on a long, long time, caused by the Rakyat ceremonies that are initiated by Citra the warrior Goddess of the Rakyat. Drinking the poison will induce the ceremony and some really weird stuff will unfold before your eyes, but I'm not about to spoil the surprises that await the hardy naturalist adventurer, who dares for confrontation in the wild.

The heavily modified Dunia graphics engine, which uses Cry-Engine as a base, performs flawlessly to bring Rook Island to life in all its beauty. From dizzying the heights in hang gliders, or swimming in the crystal clear waters, the graphics details are incredible. However, this game is not just all polish and no substance. You can, and probably will, loose yourself within the jungles of Rook Island for many hours on end hunting and gathering, as this is a major part of the upgrade system.

Multiplayer is fun, and simple enough to navigate for gamers familiar with FPS (First Person Shooter) platforms. Finding a match here in Australia can be difficult at the best of times, but each time I connect, I manage to find a decent session with little to no lag whatsoever. Included with Far Cry 3 is a map editor, so you can create endless maps to challenge your mates.

The overall realism of the latest game in the Far Cry series, cements it's spot in the rankings of my all time favorite games. The best thing, in my opinion, about this game, is the sheer immersion that it can make you feel. This is by no small part, achieved by using stunning graphics and sound. A deep storyline that in time, may lead you to care about the characters and the fate of the inhabitants of Rook Island.

Did I ever tell you the definition of Insanity? 

No, I just told you where to look...
Far Cry 3

I RATE THIS GAME 8 / 10 

XCOM: ENEMY UNKNOWN

FROM THE MAKERS OF CIVILIZATION, COMES A GAME ABOUT CIVILIZATION'S 

LAST STAND

 

You are our last hope, as the commander of an elite paramilitary organization known as XCOM, you control Earth's defenses against a terrifying alien invasion.

I think most people have heard at one point or another in there life time, about the "UFO" crash in Roswell New Mexico in 1947. Well if you have... This may be what's really going on.

An ultra top secret program to defend the planet from alien invasion, consisting of a council of nations to operate and conceal from the public the existence of the XCOM project, it's technologies, missions and the existence of the threat that looms over our very skies.

Recovery of alien artifacts is paramount to the success of the XCOM operation, and backwards engineering of recovered technologies to advance humanity's chances of surviving a rising wave of terror, from the dark, coldness of space.

Choice will be the most potent weapon you can use against insurmountable odds from a smarter, more powerful and unrelenting enemy. You'll have to create items in your manufacturing lines that are hot off the research labs press. From advanced body armor, to more advanced weapons to take the fight to the enemy, such as; hyper advanced aircraft, heavy armor for your troops in the field and advanced laser weaponry.

Careful management of your monthly income from the council of nations is needed, as the more money you receive each month, will impact your ability to fight the enemy and whether or not you will be fit for command. This is judged by your successes and failures. Be warned, nations can and do leave the XCOM project, and no longer fund your resistance effort if you neglect them.

Your base is subterranean, and to expand to accommodate more facilities, you need to build down. This takes time, money and costs maintenance every month. Basically, the further down you tunnel, the more it costs. As you progress through the battle, you will be able to hire new units, able to deploy from your arsenal at any given time. Some units will be wounded and whilst they are in recovery, it's best to obtain some experience for the newbies, in the event of the death of one or more top level soldiers. It wont hurt the war effort as much in this event.
 

 

Obviously, this is not ideal, as it leaves you vulnerable financially. The best and easiest way to combat this, is to get as many satellites above each region as possible, because if you loose one nation in that region, the bonus from that region goes with it. Unless your base is in that region.

The enemies could be considered as a near copy of the grey aliens people are said to have encountered, they appear in the game as the Sectoid and the Muton. The Sectoid is the front line soldier of the invasion force. They are relativity smart, and can out-flank you if you don't cover your sectors properly. The Muton however, is typically as dumb as a flaming paper bag full of dog crap on your doorstep, but is tough, and will take out your entire squad unless you rain a hailstorm of lead down upon the raging behemoth. As your weapons and attachments progress to higher levels, it will become easier to kill these mountains of flesh. However, I always prioritise this particular enemy upon contact. A combination of flanking and suppression maneuvers will aid you in defeating them.

Autopsies and interrogations also play a pivotal role, as very valuable intel can be learned this way. These are performed as a part of the research branch of your facility.

  
The turn base strategy, gives you time to calculate the best path of action to take to kill the enemy with as little damage to the alien craft or technology possible. Overwatch will always slow down the advance of your squad, but wont put them at undue risk. Being able to react to the enemies movement by opening fire upon them, or reactive shots, is a massive advantage to your forces. But beware, the enemy can employ the same tactics against you.

There will be ways of making money on the side on the "Grey Market", selling excessive stocked items like dead Sectoid corpses, weapon fragments and navigation computers, just to name a few resources. 

Graphics are what is expected from a famed developer such as FIRAXIS and 2K Games. Flawless, whilst functional, it leaves an impression on you, wanting just one more turn without fail every time. Gameplay is easy to grasp, you will be picking up expert battle tactics in no time. 

This game is very addictive and will provide almost endless entertainment, as the enemies spawn randomly each time. Their tactics vary, and if you're not careful, your men will die and the fate of the Earth will be sealed forever. Now is the time to stand together and unite against a common foe, for united we stand... Divided we will fall. Rise up and fight to your last breath Commander, this may be the last fight of our civilization. 

I Rate This Game 9.5 / 10

Remember, Commander We Will Be Watching

All Images and video Courtesy of FIRAXIS and 2K Games all rights reserved

Medal Of Honor

Tier 1 Operations 

Lead a new breed of warrior in an adrenaline fueled single player campaign developed with elite tier 1 operatives and inspired by real events.

Fight today's war, battle your way through Afghanistan using the overwhelming force of a large, mobilized military and the surgical precision of Tier 1 operators.

Developed by EA, Dangerclose and Dice, this modern Medal of Honor breaks the typical, and let's face it, old mold set in world war 2. You're part of the elite of the elite, the best and bravest the US military juggernaut has to offer, battling Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan.

You play as Rabbit, an elite Tier 1 operative. The game begins shortly after the 911 attacks on The United States of America. You will have to take and hold Bagram airfield located north of Kabul, sniping from afar to support friendly troops, take control of the gunner in an AH-64D Apache gunship helicopter.

Genuine Tier 1 operatives helped to develop certain parts of this title, obviously they couldn't release classified details or operational details of missions, but mission activities such as the clearing of building tactics, camouflage, where pouches are located, attachments of weapons and their genuine, real to life ranging, and so forth. There were some missions that are inspired by actual events that went into the game, but everything was approved by the Tier 1 guys before it was put in the final game. 

This enhances the story, characters and depth of the games emotions they are attempting to portray. The graphics were not sacrificed at all, squeezing every ounce of graphics power out from the Frostbite engine. Explosions look real, shooting debris, rocks, shrapnel and dust everywhere, this is most prevalent during fire support from the AC-130, to take out embedded Al-Qaeda camps.

 

There's also a Tier 1 mode for the game, meaning there will be no respawning, once your soldier dies, you'll need to restart. Each mission, you have only a certain amount of ammo, you do not heal between missions either, which makes gameplay especially hard. You can compare your score against friends, or see how you stack up against the rest of the world.

The music within the game is climatic and the developer makes great use of it in the critical moments of the story. This game will have you playing it over and over again, with a great representation of the current war in Afghanistan, and the fact that most of the missions are based on real events makes it much more enjoyable for the audience.     

I enjoyed playing the multiplayer, but online players are too few and far between, and you'll find yourself with a lengthy wait. However for me, it's all about the story and this one is very powerful and relevant to our time. It's good to see there's no World War 2 setting, which I believe has been done to death.

This is a great game to buy, I know it's a bit older now, but trust me, it's one you will play over and over again and you'll likely get Medal of Honor at a bargain price.

I RATE THIS GAME 8 / 10

Operation Flashpoint: Red River

Stand Together

Tajikistan 2013, between Afghanistan and China, insurgent guerrilla fighters, the PLA (Peoples Liberation Army) and US expeditionary force face off in a deadly military flashpoint.

You and your fireteam can make a difference. How much is up to you, it's not the guy with the most expensive gun or the biggest heart who wins on the battlefield. It's the smartest SEMPER FI, MARINE.

 
In this edition of the acclaimed Flashpoint series, we take a short road trip from FOB Copperhead in the north of Afghanistan, into Tajikistan. The scenery looks much the same as most of the middle east, desert... Rocks... Towering mountains with snow caps. The graphics are awesome, and almost cinematic in appearance. I personally love playing the Flashpoint series as it's an extremely hardcore shooter, where there is no being pumped full of lead and walking away. Yeah, that's right, twelve year old C.O.D addicts wont like this one, it'll be too hard. Well, it's actually realistic in terms of how you can be killed and tactics employed by modern day forces. There's no indicator from where your being shot, so basically it's nothing like C.O.D or Battlefield. That alone is worth the purchase, the realism is refreshing from the crappy outputting of the same old crap that COD and Battlefield are renowned for. I especially enjoy this game because one bullet can kill you, and usually does.

From calling in JDAM strikes, Howitzer scatter pattern strikes or to call in the Wings of Death to unleash a deadly torrent of fire and brimstone upon the PLA or insurgents, you'll find these weapons at your disposal throughout the campaign. Weapons fire as they should, with bullet drop, jamming even employing damage effects and range effects for attachments, as well as environmental conditions. These can also affect how far your kill range will be. 

As the fireteam leader, it will be your orders that make or break the mission, and consequences lie in your hands. You'll be able to order your team to flank, rush, suppress and take control of mounted weapons, even to protect a certain target, just to name a few of the combat orders. You wont have access to combat support in every mission, but when you do have access to it, unleash a living hell on your enemy. If you're ever in doubt, pop smoke, retreat and re-group, then flank and attack.    

Sargent Knox is the Platoon Sargent of Outlaw 2 One, and is your direct commanding officer. You will find out about Sgt. Knox's 10 rules for survival within the game. He does display colorful language, so this game isn't for the kiddies, it only adds to the realism. The Sgt. also cracks a few funny jokes throughout the campaign. You will receive your orders from him directly, then it will be up to you to work out how you will achieve the goals of the mission. 

Gameplay is excellent with good replay ability. With firing mechanics that would leave most people awe struck, and some complaining its too hard, but if you're in the market for something more real, then this is a game for you. Also. it boasts kick ass graphics throughout the entire vista. Whether up close, or off in the distance, the graphics hold up to the havok engines beefy abilities, this includes the star filled night sky. 

My personal favorite part of this game is that it is more realistic than anything else on consoles. The ability to call in combat supports is a great advantage, being able to get access to theses isn't based on how many kills you get in a row either, which is good because the last time I checked, this isn't how the real military's around the world operate. It's a breath of fresh air into a stale genre, especially for someone who gets bored with multiplayer trash talking about darn K/D ratios.

  
In summary, this game is great value for money, with a high chance of being played over and over and over. There is a great campaign, extra missions in the following modes; CSAR, Rolling Thunder, Combat Sweep and Last stand missions. You can also download extra maps in "The Valley of Death" map pack. Being one of very few Operation Flashpoint games available on consoles, it's worth buying, just for a break from the mindless close quarters battles that feature in the dominating FPS games on consoles.

I Rate This Game 9 / 10

Assassin's Creed III

Assassin’s Creed III invites players to experience the untold story of the American Revolution through the eyes of a new Assassin, Connor.

Designed from the ground up over more than two years, Assassin’s Creed III takes one of gaming’s most beloved franchises to new heights.
The year is 1775. The American colonies are about to revolt. You are Connor, an assassin who has sworn to secure liberty for his people and his nation. To do so, you will hunt your enemies across a staggeringly large, open, and realistic world. You will unleash your lethal skills in a violent quest that will take you from chaotic city streets to blood-soaked battlefields in the hostile American wilderness and beyond. You will meet legendary heroes of American history, and together you will conspire to annihilate those who threaten Liberty itself.
Whether you use your predatory instincts to kill silently, or your fearsome arsenal to kill openly, one thing is clear: the world that the Assassins live in has become far more deadly. And so have you.

In Assassin’s Creed III, we meet Connor, trailing in the footsteps of Ezio and Altair. This story revolves around the American revolutionary war, your enemies are smarter and far more numerous in this edition, You will struggle to survive and it’s more of a challenge than all previous edition’s combined.

You start the journey as Ratonhnhaké:ton (Connor) in his village in the Mohawk Valley as a young boy, doing as all young boys do, getting up to no good with a buddy. This stage of the game is a little bit mind numbing to former players of the series but its a necessary part of the process none the less. The skills learned in this early stage of the game WILL save your life many times over if you like to raise hell in the streets as I do, But it also adds a bit of innocents to the character of Connor and is an essential part of the plot building.

Images Courtesy of Ubisoft  

I was pleasantly surprised to find the player in the shoes of Desmond Miles doing a lot more than roaming from a shower to a bed and back to the Animus. I would say that 40-50% of the entire game is spent as Desmond fighting and using the knowledge that he has gained from the weeks and months inside the Templar constructed Animus. The bleeding effect has finally paid off, and Desmond can finally kick some Templar ass outside the Animus.

The weapons act like they should with the upgraded physics engine “Anvil Next”. My personal favorite is of course the tomahawk because i like no other weapon better for splicing open the exposed grey matter of the red coats than this brutal and viscous tool of death, some other good weapons are the flint-lock pistol, muskets, axe’s and some brutal looking sword’s.

The newest feature in the series is the best in my opinion naval missions. That’s right I said Naval missions. This feature has to be the crowning jewel of Assassins Creed III, the water texture and general feel is so well done you can almost smell the salty ocean. At one point I tried to cast a net off the couch to catch dinner. The downside to this feature is a big downside, there is not enough naval combat and you are almost invulnerable, the wind physics are a little dicey to manage.

So overall this is the best yet in the series, Assassins Creed  III appears to be the bright star leading you home in the ever dark abyss in the world of gaming entertainment. My most disappointing moment in the game was sadly to see the promise of a much higher evolved combat system not stack up to the hype it was given, however it is not to say that the combat system did not receive a huge tweak from the button mashing from its past.

Multiplayer was again a massive let down not by any fault of Ubisoft, but there are just not enough people playing multiplayer at any time to have a half way decent match without massive ping problems. The Absturgo story is continued through out the mutiplayer experience, but good luck trying to find a good enough session to raise your level within the multiplayer off shoot story line.

I RATE THIS GAME 8.5 / 10

Mass Effect 2

Images Courtesy of BIOWARE / EA

Entire Human colonies on many worlds are vanishing. As Commander Shepard, You must assemble the galaxy’s deadliest team to save mankind against impossible odds.

They call it a suicide mission… PROVE THEM WRONG

In this episode of Mass Effect, you take on the role of Commander Shepard, again you’re facing off against a deadly enemy. If you played Mass Effect the original game, you would have had to have made several key decisions. These will, and do follow you into not only Mass Effect 2 but to the very end battle in Mass Effect 3.

For example, if you saved the Destiny’s Ascension in the battle of the Citadel, if you were able to talk down Wrex on Virmire, saved either Ashley Williams or Kaden Alenko, then you will see a big difference in the story unfolding before you, and they both have pros and cons to the story’s tree. But if you didn’t play the first game, don’t despair, you can download Genesis, a 15 min interactive Dark horse comics back story with all they key points without having to play the first game, but I would recommend that you do play it, as it will give you the knowledge that you will need to face the true threat.

 

You will meet several of your old companions from Mass Effect as-well as make some new pal’s along the way, including an adventure to find out why a single Geth unit is stalking Shepard. You may also meet a genetically altered Krogan and a Drell.

The least enjoyable part of this game is that for fans of the original Mass Effect, this seems to have dropped a lot of what made Mass Effect great in the RPG style for more of a 3rd person shooter, akin to Gears Of War style. This was a big shock to the hardcore fans like myself, I am not big on RPG games but this style really appealed to me. A space RPG/shooter in 3rd person. What made it  great was the fact you could find new amour pieces, for example “Combat exoskeleton X”, which is very powerful and after you find a few of them, selling them to get almost infinite amounts of credits. However, Mass Effect to makes up for this shortfall in bucket loads of “Ezzo”, with the addition of using biotic powers in unison with your squad mates on a single target.

You will also see the addition of new “heavy” weapons like the M-900 CAIN (mini nuke) to name just one, as they are too numerous to list them all. These weapons come at a cost, scanning of planets for resources and hidden secrets will be required. This new exiting feature where the scanning equipment, weapons and even the Normandy’s amour, can be upgraded with materials acquired by scanning planets and of course credits. Another new feature is being able to use the galaxy map to control where you ship is traveling at any point inside any star system on the relay network. This brings to mind, fuel, so there are conveniently placed fuel stations near the local mass relay.

The Citadel is where you take Shepard and his team for a bit of R & R and to sell any spare parts you may need, or have picked up along the way. On the flip side, you can delve deep inside the Terminus Systems (the wild west and lawlessness of the galaxy). Many different races that are not seen in Citadel Space can be found here, like the slave trading Batarians, the Vorcha and many more.

You will have more side quests than I care to remember, but they are all worth completing as they are action packed, it is optional of course.

What I liked most was that you were driven to grind against the grain of the Council’s wishes and the Alliance brass to do anything to save humanity, at a time when everyone but the few believed there was a legitimate threat.

As a stand alone from the series, despite the flaws, it is the most difficult in terms of AI and I personally feel it has the best story in the entire trilogy, Some choices WILL come back to haunt you from Mass Effect and the choices you make here and now will effect the end game and it will affect the future of all advanced beings in the entire galaxy.

The fate of the galaxy lies in your hands. Will you save it or destroy it?

I RATE THIS GAME 7.5 / 10