Section 8 is set in a futuristic universe where players can customise their armour and weapon loadouts depending on their style of play. So you could have a Sniper Rifle with a Rocket Launcher as your secondary and change your armour settings so that you are invisible to Radar and carry your own Repair kit to keep you going between Sniper positions. I went with the Assault Rifle and Rocket Launcher combo and put my Armor points into shielding and armour so I could take a punishment and still win over my opponents. In addition as you play through a match you acquire exp points either through killing the other side or by taking Control Points and completing side objectives. Which you can use to deploy turrets/supply dispensers/additional sensors and to games two vehicles an anti-infantry mech that as Gatling guns and an impressive melee that will take out any poor soul who is front of the mech and the
games ultimate weapon the tank which seats four players who control a different gun expect the pilot who has the main gun and has to drive. The vehicles are brought into the game via some kind of dropship, which can be shot out of the sky before it drops off its payload, to the annoyance of the guy who spent all those points.

At the moment there are two gametypes; you have your standard Team Deathmatch and a capture points gametype that is very battlefield-esque. The game supports 32-players which is a little low for a PC game, I would have expected alot more, but it does not hamper the gameplay. As with the TDM gametype your player ‘burns in’ to the game from around 15,000 feet and plummets towards the earth, you could go straight down and land but you are then venerable for a few seconds as you gather yourself, the alternative is the ‘air brake’ which allows you some control of descent as you plummet but you can also be targeted easier by the AA guns, the best feeling is finding the right time to use the brake and swoop around the AA fire and land near or on top of the CP you want to capture. You can also land on people if you get it right and crush them as you start, which is fun when they do not notice you, before its too late.

The CP gametype has a default of 1000 points for the team to reach in order to win, you can obtain points by killing the other team, capturing/holding CP’s or completing one of the many side objectives that make this game interesting, sometimes the mission could be a simple one like ‘drive a supply truck to your base’ or it could be a lot harder such as activate a beacon (which deploys a mini base) and defend the area from attack for a certain amount of time. They are fun and add variety to a gametype that hasn’t changed much since BF:1942 in 2002.

The sounds and Graphics are great, again showing us like Valve, Epic Games knows how to make a brillant engine that can handle anything.

It is coming the UK around the end of august 2009 for the PC/Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 and will have a full single-player campaign based around the missions of a character call Alex Corde, I will expand on this in a full review upon release.

Minimum system requirements:
Windows XP SP3 or Windows Vista SP1
Pentium 4 3Ghz or higher
RAM: 1GB for XP, 2GB for Vista
6 GB free hard drive space
NVIDIA GeForce 7800 or ATI Radeon X1800 with 256 MB, DirectX 9c and Shader 3.0

Some games play by the rules, some games break them, and some games redefine what the rules are. The question here is what  type of game is mass effect? A ground breaking adventure, a frankenstenien creation that never should have seen the light of day,  or maybe something in the middle…

Now Mass effect has been around for a while to be perfectly honest, and many people reading this will already have played it, or  in some cases decided not to. In the light of the announcement of Mass Effect 2, a direct sequel to the first adventure of  Commander Shepard, the time is ripe for another look at this game.

On the surface Mass Effect is an action role playing game, with a few twist on the norms of the style. Although neither of these are  ground breaking, it is refreshing to see a game that wants to separate it’s self from the “middle earth” like fantasy setting, so common for this genre, as well as a third person camera that is more reminiscant of games like Gears of War. Instead the game throws you into the action of this Sci-Fi future letting you play the part of Shepard cutting to cinematic camera angles during conversations that generally feel very right.

The game starts like so many games, with a character creation tool. Your last name will be Shepard, whether you like it or not, otherwise there are a good number of options. Male or Female, you can make your character look unique, and customize the way they’ll play. Despite this system being relatively deep, it’s really difficult to not be slightly disappointed after having played games like Oblivion. The one shining point is a combination of two sets of questions. One defines, where you came from, not in terms of race but in terms of whether you grew up in space, on a colony, or on earth. The other defines why you are exceptional, I chose to be a war hero. These two options then come up in conversations throughout the game, which although might not be a critical feature is a nice touch. Hearing from a random passer by that you helped save their colony, is if nothing else a little heart warming.

Once you’re character is created you’re thrust into the world of Mass Effect, or more aptly, the Galaxy. Unlike most games which keep your feet firmly planted on a single world, mass effect let’s you hop between many different fully explorable worlds. On the surface this sounds a little overwhelming, however, not all planets are explorable. Most planets simply pop up a message explaining what you found. Even with this eating into the experience, there is still a massive amount to see. The galaxy holds numerous systems, with at least one planet being explorable in each.

Mass Effect takes it’s story and universe to new levels of depth. Beyond the massive scope of worlds to visit is an entire encyclopaedia of information waiting to be read. Each planet, weapon, company, building, race, clan etc… has an in depth entry in your codex. This means that if you want you can read up on every aspect of the universe of commander Shepard. Taking your understanding of the events to new highs, this is a nice touch, which isn’t necessary for most people, but there for those that really want to sink their teeth into this game.

In regards to story, it’s an immersive adventure with numerous twists, and they all depend on how you play. The story mainly driven through voice acted interactions between characters, where you almost always have the right dialogue choice for your given situation and mood. The voice acting is for the most part competent, with only a few lines standing out for being either badly delivered, or poorly written. The musical score is well handled, helping to evoke the right emotional queues. Sound effects, like the weapons fire, or doors are all well chosen. Like a most films this is a universe where people will hear you scream, but unlike most of those films this sits out like the original Star Wars Trilogy for the fact that it’ll sound right.

Perhaps the biggest let down with Mass Effect then is the graphics, which to be fair are amazing… most of the time. The one big chink in this games armour is perhaps how long it takes textures to load. Also there are some odd visuals during some of the dialogue sequences… That aside though and the graphics look good, and do a good job of creating diversity in the vistas of space.

Gameplay is fluid with the exploration dynamics easy to use. During combat the game shines, giving you a comprehensive basic commands system, that can be expanded on by directing your alies to use specific Bionics and Techs. A great addition for this style of game is a working cover system, that in conjunction with unit commands and special abilities, allows for many different play styles.  Your team while ok, could have spent a little longer at school, as at times they do ignore immediate threats, instead choosing to fire at some one off in the distance. Ennemies on the other hand seem not to suffer from this lack of smarts, as they work well at out flanking you or throwing a well placed grenade or power behind your cover at opportune moments.

All in all this is one hell of a strong title, of course there are things that could have been better like faster elevators, or a few more biotics and engineering skills. These are minimal and in general this is a game that doesn’t just make you want to explore space, it lets you. This is a game that tears up the rule book for action RPGs , and tells the industry to try to beat it… I can’t wait to see the second instalment.

Developer

It took me awhile to purchase this title as the previous Battlefield Console only game ‘Battlefield 2: Modern Combat’ was a poor game that didn’t really convey what Battlefield game play involves, Bad Company changes all that and improves ten-fold. The main game play mechanic in Bad Company is destruction, 92% of buildings can be blown apart and trees fences and walls do not stand a chance against a casually thrown grenade or tank round. This actually improves the pace of a game because you can no longer count on
hiding in a house or behind walls for cover, you have to keep moving as your cover could go at any moment.

The single player story is very light hearted from the way the squad takes to each other and the in-game cut scenes that are played throughout the game. The story revolves around hunting for gold that a merc group called ‘the legionnaires’ carry with them as payment for there services. The story is well thought out and introduces you to all the vehicles and weapons of the multi-player and is a definite improvement of bot matches from previous BF single
player outings. The maps are pretty huge and they give you a lot of freedom to accomplish your goals with added achievements for finding gold and new weapons throughout the level. The only downside is that there’s only one mission you get a helicopter as it finally easy to fly a helicopter in BF and very enjoyable.

The Multi-player is as always the reason for buying a Battlefield game and it is as addictive as previous games, the new game type ‘Gold Rush’ is a great improvement to ‘Conquest’ and is worth playing time and time again. There are five classes Assault, Demolition, Recon, Specialist and Support. They are all very balanced against each other and feel useful in a match. The game supports 24 players on PC-Dedicated servers so there is virtually no lag at all. As stated before ‘Gold Rush’ is the new game type and the setup of the game is an Attackers vs. Defenders scenario. The eight initial maps are Harvest Day,
Over and Out, End of the Line, Ascension, Valley Run, Deconstruction, Oasis, and Final Ignition, each with destructible environments, certain atmospheres, and vehicles. One team must defend two crates filled with gold while the other team attempts to destroy the crates. Once the crates are destroyed, more of the map is available to fight on with new crates appearing, along with added reinforcement numbers. The attacking team has a limited amount of respawns to achieve their goal of capturing the 3-5 gold stashes either by setting charges or simply destroying the 2 crates of gold at each base. The defending team has an unlimited amount of respawns available, but their goal is to exhaust the attacking teams respawns. To aid the teams are many Vehicles ranging from a main battle tank to a golf cart. As with previous BF games, players can earn ranks and awards as they play through the multi-player.

Age old battle of Tank vs Helicopter

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Is BattleField Bad Comapny worth buying?

Accessibility – 85%
It is easy to pick and play the learning curve is very gradual through most of the
single-player but with multi-player you will find it easier if you are a PC gamer playing on
a 360/PS3 but if you have never played any of the BF games on a PC you will find it
difficult at first.

Sound – 90%
The effects are brilliant from walking over different surfaces to your ears going partially deaf
as an explosion goes off near to your location. The music is well done with a nice remix of
the Battlefield theme in the main menu.

Graphics – 91%
Some of the animations on the buildings as you blow them up and the fact that a window
explodes when you melee it, Is the only downside to a very good looking game. Even when all
24 players are fighting with explosions going around there are no noticeable drops in the
frame rate. The Trees and Landscape are great to look at and the player models look great.

Reliability – 95%
with hidden gold bars to find in the single player and a great multiplayer this game will
keep you coming back for more and more.

Overall – 90%
Well worth the purchase if you own a 360 or PS3 and makes me want to buy Bad Company 2 for
the PC when it is released. It is a great alternative to other Modern Combat shooters such
as Call of Duty 4 among others.

It would seem the EU rating system is going to replace the UK’s BBFC system.

The Government is turning its head to helping out British Publishers and Developers as part of its new initiative to push the UK into a new Digital Age.

With the old system as long as a game had a BBFC rating it could be released, but with the new system every game has to be reviewed under the PEGI system and it is going to be enforced by law. An advantage of this is that even though it is an EU system it only effects the UK so if a game is banned or rated higher in the UK it will not effect the rest of Europe or vice versa.

Quoted from Gamespot. PEGI has a history of rating games more conservatively than the BBFC. According to the VSC, since 2003, approximately 50 percent of PEGI 18+ games have received more lenient ratings from the BBFC. As of the end of last year, according to a PEGI statement at the time, 24 of 50 titles rated 18+ by PEGI had had their ratings reduced by the BBFC. Two of these–Mass Effect and PSP game SWAT – Target Liberty–were released in the UK with 12 ratings from the BBFC, but with a PEGI 18+ in the rest of Europe. The other 22 received 15 ratings in the UK–among them, big games, such as Resident Evil, Silent Hill 3, and the original God of War.

This still has to go through the government and be passed by law. But if it does, it could mean an end to certain people blaming the games industry for violent games that under 18’s are playing when it is clearly marked at a 18 rated game and should be played only by over 18’s.

Time will tell if this new system will benefit the selling of games or not is another story.

But lets face it, there’s more questions to it than just what headset to get…

• Which is the most comfortable
• Which headset will sound best
• Which headset has the best microphone
• 5.1 Surround Sound or stereo sound

The list could go on, but these days there is such a selection you could be questioning if you should even buy yourself a new headset for days…

Well do you have a sound card, is it a surround sound ..sound card? Do you even need one? With technology available now like USB sound cards which plug-in to your PC externally (taxing your CPU more?) and massive external processors for surround sound like…. the Astro mix amp, for example and their other products choosing headsets has become more taxing than what CPU fits your motherboard!

We’re monitoring a poll over on Total Oblivion’s new website about what headsets real gamers are using.

A few of our guys are using some of the classics, Steel Series 5Hv2, Sharkoon X-tactic and the always raved about Tritton AXPRO headsets.

Personally I’m a steel series kind of guy, but I base my choice on comfort primarily, then the audio stuff. My Microphone isn’t even built onto the headset, instead it comes with its own second separate wire which connects itself via clips up the headphone wire allowing you to position it where you want, and it’s not too bad you know.

My headset IS 5.1 surround sound (to my knowledge), and I’m using a Fatality 5.1 sound card, but I tend to just leave it to stereo sound, unless the games are even capable of producing 5.1 streams and will use the hardware I have, otherwise whats the point?

Maybe I’m missing the point, maybe you can school this misinformed gamer.

What are you using, and WHY are you using it?

Thanks to stumbleupon for this one, see social bookmarking can be fun!

Thankfully as with all the other Call of Duty games of recent times, this little spectacle will be developed for not just the PC but the Wii, the PS3, and the Xbox360. Which coupled with the new xbox360 accessories like the Natal could see for some varied styles of gaming, like the Wii already implements.

Would the PC users jump to the 360 to try out a crazy motion detecting controller, or are they going to sit safe under their billion point surround sound headsets, sticking with the trusty gaming mice which have proved more effective for centuries (well maybe not as long as that…)

According to IGN’s E3 demo synopsis, the hero of the first game, Soap MacTavish is now a captain, who takes the place of the previous captain so you might finally get to see your ugly mug from a previous life.

The question remains, is it as good as they say it is, will it compare to the original and can we expect to be blown away by the realism, the environments and the fun we cherish from the original?

Alot of gaming fans have welcomed this with open arms, only it doesnt seem to be much of a hearts and minds winner due to the lack of release on PC. Fortunate ones of us will either own a PS3 or a Xbox360 as a backup gaming platform, even if they do lack in accessories.

Everyone loves a warhammer video, and this one doesnt dissapoint, so grab your favourite headset, turn up the volume and have a watch.

Developer: THQ

Publisher: Relic

Score: 8.5/10

Released: Sep 24 2007 (US) / Sep 28 2007 (EU)

Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts is the next instalment in the successful Company of Heroes series, this time bringing in the British and the fearsome German Panzer Elite. New specialized units, with beasts such as the King Tiger and the lethal 105mm Priest Artillery sets up for hours of fun.

Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts was released just about a year after the official launch of Company of Heroes itself. For those that haven’t played the series at all (shame on you), it’s all about WW2 tactical RTS combat at it’s very peak. The AI introduced, along with the graphics, was extremely well done at it’s time, there’s still very few titles to this date that can match the quality of this over two year old engine.

Opposing Fronts introduces two brand new armies to the game, the British and the Panzer Elite, both which are highly specialized armies that more or less lacks the bread and butter units like the US Riflemen squads and German Grenadier squads. What they lack in versatility, they gain in sheer fire-power and even more nasty surprises for careless enemies.

The Panzer Elite is focused heavily on mobility, with the initial squads being able to both repair your damaged armour, as well as packing quite a heavy punch against other infantry units. The strength with this army lies in movement, you rarely see a Panzer player ducking behind cover and taking up a defensive role. Their strength really lay in their mobility, usually raiding behind enemy lines and taking down any US or British foes that are stupid enough to go behind their lines.

This is not the case of the British player though, the Brits are extremely capable of setting up defensive positions, much thanks to the new trench building, and the awesome power of their 17-pounder Anti-Tank cannons which easily turns any German panzer unit, beside the Jagdpanzer and the King Tiger, into a pile of twisted metal within seconds. If that weren’t enough, they can also build the heavy 25-pounder Howitzer Gun to make German infantry caught in its blast fly sky high.

Factions

The new factions are both leaned towards veteran players, since they require a whole different playstyle than the regular armies, but the rewards for mastering one (or both) of them is so rewarding it’s well worth the hours spent honing your skills. There’s rarely anything as satisfying as steam-rolling into your opponents base with dozens of heavily armoured units leaving a trail of destruction in your steps, or on the other hand, watching the same convoy get massacred by a fortified British position.

Two new campaigns will easily keep you hooked for another good 15 hours of play, and when you’ve finished them both, it just takes a matter of minutes before you can start rocking out in the superb multiplayer part of the game – just be careful not to go in over your head, it’s quite easy to get overwhelmed at the beginning by experienced players.

Jens “Bonius” Albonius

AllUPlay

2008-09-01