Crysis had been on my must-buy list even before the demo was out. I was bought by the hype that surrounded it. But, as the release date of the game approached nearer, I found myself wondering whether I really want to buy this game, when I have already bought so many fantastic shooters recently, especially with CoD 4 and The Orange Box, which had so much replayabilities with its robust multiplayer features. And the more I read the previews and watched the demos, I started to realize Crysis wasn't really my cup of tea. However, I still bought the game in the end (well, partly because it was on promotion, got the game for only S$44.90). And hence here I bring you my review of Crysis.
The plot of Crysis is pretty standard for a shooter. You're a special ops agent sent into an island in North Korea to save a few archaeologists, but turns out your enemies are not only the North Korean army. The archaeologists have discovered alien lifeforms from their diggings, and *surprise!* these aliens are not friendly. And hence for the second half of the game you'd be battling them, which, to be honest, I find to be a relief after fighting all those irritating North Koreans.
I can't seem to appreciate the supposedly next-gen graphics that Crysis had promised -- sure, they look great, but they weren't nothing that I haven't seen from other games (personally, I felt that Episode 2 looked better). But, maybe it's partly because I had set the graphics settings to medium, which was the optimal settings for my rig. Which brings us to another issue. The thing is, my computer can be considered to be on the higher end as compared to those that most gamers have. If that's the best settings that I can enjoy at without any framerate issues, what about the rest of the gamers? Even if Crysis looks badass at the highest settings, most people won't be able to have access to it, given the limits of their system spec.
My second issue with Crysis would be a more controversial one. For the first half of the game, when you are fighting the North Koreans on the island, the gameplay is pretty much a sandbox type of gameplay -- you have total freedom to choose your methods of finishing your objective. Maybe it's just me, but I don't really dig this kind of gameplay. In addition, the map of the island is such that the route to your objective is more or less the same, and most of the time the missions have you infiltrate into the enemy's base to retrieve some data or jam their radar, so much so it gets pretty repetitive. Also, I found myself more often than not sneaking into the base Solid Snake style, not solely because I like to do that, but it's partly due to the fact that it's probably the only way to do it without getting killed.
Which brings me to my next gripe. What's up with the North Koreans anyway? They wearing nanosuits too? I swear these guys take way too many bullets to kill. The enemy can get riddled by tons of bullets and yet still be able to stand firm and fire back at you. It's really frustrating when you've thought you had silenced the enemy only to see them still alive and kicking as if they weren't injured at all.
It may seem that my experience with Crysis was a negative one looking at all the complaints that I had. However, I have to admit I do enjoy the second part of the game when you are battling all the aliens. I know that there are a lot of people out there who think otherwise; they prefer the freedom you have while fighting the North Koreans on the island and absolutely hated the linear gameplay that dominated the second half of the game. I guess it's a matter of taste, and that is probably why I'd rank Call of Duty 4 over Crysis in my personal list of Game of The Year.
PC Gamer gave Crysis a whooping 98%, a score that is only rivaled by games such as Half Life 2, but I beg to differ. To me, it's just another above average shooter with an innovative nanosuit feature.
Score: 7.5/10
The good: Nanosuit feature is cool.
The bad: Need a really good computer to achieve next-gen graphics, hard to kill enemies.
PS: Seems like the game didn't have any in-build screenshot taker, so I had played through the whole game without taking any screenshots. I don't think I'll be replaying the game anytime soon, so if you are looking for screenshots, check out other sites such as IGN.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Monday, December 24, 2007
Happy Holidays!
Sorry for the 2 weeks long of inactivity, as I was busy, both with real life and also with WoW. Farming honor for the S1 gears is really quite time consuming. Other than WoW, I've been keeping myself occupied with Call of Duty 4's multiplayer ( hich is helluva fun to play), Crysis and recently Team Fortress 2 again (Demoman rocks!).
I''ll put up the review for Crysis shortly, which unfortunately, isn't as fun as I had imagined the game to be. I know I know, I'd yet put up the much delayed review for Episode 2, which I'd probably do it some time soon. In the meantime check out this hilarious, and at the same time bad, TF2 griefing video.
Oh, and happy holidays to you!
I''ll put up the review for Crysis shortly, which unfortunately, isn't as fun as I had imagined the game to be. I know I know, I'd yet put up the much delayed review for Episode 2, which I'd probably do it some time soon. In the meantime check out this hilarious, and at the same time bad, TF2 griefing video.
Oh, and happy holidays to you!
Friday, December 7, 2007
Game saves child's life
There's a report by Kotaku about how the game World of Warcraft saved a boy and his sister's lives from an angry moose. It was reported that "he taunted the moose off his sister, allowing her to escape, and then he used his level 30 hunter skill feign death, causing the moose to lose interest and wander off". Expectedly, cheeky comments were posted with regards to this news, such as how lucky the boy was not to have tried to use his level 10 taming skills to try tame the moose, or how lucky the boy's feign death was not resisted.
Well, it's a good thing the boy and his sister managed to escape out of this situation unscathed, but I'd like to add my own cheeky comment here too: fortunately the boy did not play a paladin and tried to do a bubble hearth after grabbing the aggro off from his sister.
Well, it's a good thing the boy and his sister managed to escape out of this situation unscathed, but I'd like to add my own cheeky comment here too: fortunately the boy did not play a paladin and tried to do a bubble hearth after grabbing the aggro off from his sister.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Journalism Integrity?
I am sure most of you guys who follow gaming news closely would be aware of the recent firing of Gamespot Editor in Chief Jeff Gerstmann, which was reported in many major gaming sites, such as PA, Shacknews and Kotaku etc. Apparently (though it still is considered a rumor, since none of the Gamespot staff nor Jeff stepped out to comment on the news, at least publicly) it was over the less than glamorous review he had wrote for the new game Kane & Lynch: Dead Men by Eidos, which has been fervently promoting the game with its conspicuous and all over the place advertisements through Gamespot. It was rumored Eidos was unhappy with the review, both written and video versions (the latter was removed from Gamespot strangely), and pressured Cnet, the parent company of Gamespot, to fire Jeff. Of course, Cnet has denied it, but still, it did not in any way alleviate the anger among the gamers, especially Gamespot members, who have since flooded the site's forum, expressing their unhappiness. Eidos' official forum was hit the worst, it was flooded with many outraged gamers registering and spamming the board with all sorts of vulgarities and obscene images, prompting the forum to go down hours after the attack. Back at the Gamespot's forums, countless threads regarding Jeff's dismissal were locked and the admins seemed to be under a gag order, with none making any replies or comments with regards to the incident.
Other than the firing of Jeff, the rest of the news are currently just rumor, with no confirmation publicly by any of the related personnel, but personally, I wouldn't be surprised if it indeed was the case.Looking at the excessive advertising of K&L at Gamespot, I would suppose the ad deal was very lucrative, and if Eidos had retracted the deal, Cnet would lose a lot of money. However, this at the expense of journalism integrity is a price too heavy, and I am sure Jeff knew it too, which is why he sticked to the mediocre rating for the game, which apparently cost him his job.
If everything about the incident were true, it would be very detrimental to Gamespot. Already, people are cancelling their subscription accounts, and more importantly, people would look at any reviews by Gamespot in a different light, especially ones which have their advertisement on the site. It's a lose-lose situation for Cnet/Gamespot now, because no matter what they do (rehiring Jeff, which I doubt they will, and even if they did, Jeff probably would not take up the offer; remain silent and just wait for everything to die down), they are going to be remembered for this unpleasant incident, and their credibility has taken a massive damage.
Gamespot video review of K&L by Jeff, which was removed from Gamespot.
Other than the firing of Jeff, the rest of the news are currently just rumor, with no confirmation publicly by any of the related personnel, but personally, I wouldn't be surprised if it indeed was the case.Looking at the excessive advertising of K&L at Gamespot, I would suppose the ad deal was very lucrative, and if Eidos had retracted the deal, Cnet would lose a lot of money. However, this at the expense of journalism integrity is a price too heavy, and I am sure Jeff knew it too, which is why he sticked to the mediocre rating for the game, which apparently cost him his job.
If everything about the incident were true, it would be very detrimental to Gamespot. Already, people are cancelling their subscription accounts, and more importantly, people would look at any reviews by Gamespot in a different light, especially ones which have their advertisement on the site. It's a lose-lose situation for Cnet/Gamespot now, because no matter what they do (rehiring Jeff, which I doubt they will, and even if they did, Jeff probably would not take up the offer; remain silent and just wait for everything to die down), they are going to be remembered for this unpleasant incident, and their credibility has taken a massive damage.
Gamespot video review of K&L by Jeff, which was removed from Gamespot.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Rise of the Videogame
Thought I'd post something in the midst of my study break. I chanced upon this video when I was surfing Spikedhumor (do check out their site, they have quite a lot of interesting and hilarious videos; don't worry, most of them are safe for work ;) ). It's a documentary on the Discovery Channel regarding the rise of the video gaming industry and how video games started (I never thought it started out that way!) Anyways, do check out the 2 clips below if you are a gamer to learn more about the history of video gaming.
For some reasons I keep getting errors when attempting to embed these clips. Here are the links for the time being while I try to sort out this problem:
http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/133552/Rise_of_the_Videogame_pt_1.html
http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/133553/Rise_of_the_Videogame_pt_2.html
For some reasons I keep getting errors when attempting to embed these clips. Here are the links for the time being while I try to sort out this problem:
http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/133552/Rise_of_the_Videogame_pt_1.html
http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/133553/Rise_of_the_Videogame_pt_2.html
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Exam Break
There will not be much updates during this period of 1-2 weeks as I'd be having my exams. No time to blog :p Cya after Dec 1!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Call of Duty 4 Review
Yes, I'm writing the review for CoD 4 before Episode 2's. Because it's such a wonderful game, and I want whoever's reading to know and go the game immediately.
I was hooked to the game when the original Call of Duty came out some 4 years ago. Unlike many WWII shooters back then (I'm looking at you, Medal of Honor), Call of Duty placed you in a big battlefield, alongside many other fellow soldiers, fighting against an equal amount of enemies. No longer are you the "special one", infiltrating enemy base Rambo style, taking down an obscene amount of enemies by yourself.
Call of Duty 2 adopted a similar gameplay as its predecessor, and strangely enough, I still enjoyed the game as much as the original, even though it was still set during the WWII period.
Infinity Ward recognized the over-saturation of the WWII shooter genre in the market, and hence in its latest Call of Duty 4 (Call of Duty 3 was developed by another company, and was console-exclusive), the stage's set in the modern era. And this time round it's not the Germans you are fighting; instead, you'd be fighting both Russian ultra-nationalists and a rebel force in the Middle-East that's planning to stage a coup. And in the past CoD games, you get to play from the perspective of the the American, British and Russian army; in Modern Warfare, you'll only get to play from the British SAS and US Marines' point of view, but that doesn't mean the fun is compromised in anyway.
The plot's pretty simplistic and linear; the head of the Russian ultra-nationalist army has collaborated with a rebel group in Middle East (the name of the country was not mentioned throughout the game, probably to avoid any controversies), with each group wanting to overthrow the current regiment in their respective countries and set up a new establishment. Do not expect any major twists in the plots; the main objective throughout CoD 4's 5-6 hours of single player gameplay is simply chasing down the leaders of the ultra-nationalist and rebel groups. However, the linear plot does not in anyway spoil the fun of the game, such is an instant where a simple plot actually does work in favor of the game.
The plot may be linear and simple, but Infinity Ward sure did make an outstanding presentation of it in the game. One of my favorite sequences in the game was the hostage part (I'm not gonna delve into the details, you really should go experience it yourself); the atmosphere was intensified by the excellent score by Harry Gregson-Williams, the very same composer for the Metal Gear Solid series. Also, there were some parts which sort of caught me by surprise, and I was very pleased with the way Infinity Ward handled the story.
Missions in the game vary a lot, ranging from storming a tanker, searching and rescuing fellow soldiers through heli-evac, air bombing etc. The mission styles are barely repetitive, making the overall gameplay all rounded and at the same time intense. People may complain about the similar type of gameplay of CoD 4 as compared to the previous CoDs, but hey, isn't that what made the CoD series stand out? Why change something that isn't broken?
If you think the goodness stops at the single-player, think again. CoD 4 has one of the most robust multi-player gameplay (at least in my opinion). It has various achievements and a leveling system which allows one to unlock new weapons and perks (a feature that allows you to customize your character), and various modes of gameplays for one to choose from. Yes, you may say that the achievements and leveling gimmick has been used in the Battlefield series before, however, I personally didn't find the BF series as fun. The reason CoD 4's multiplayer is so intense is due to the fact that the sizes of the map are just about right. There's no tiring running from one end to the other (yes, I am looking at you, BF) and dying even before you made any contact in the frontline of the war. In CoD 4, you can constantly hear firings and explosions in your proximity, causing one to be cautious in every steps and corners he/she makes. To make things even more intense, the guns in CoD 4 are able to penetrate through relatively thin covers, forcing one to constantly change his hiding spot. Then there are the airstrikes and helicopter assist, which I feel is a little overpowered, but still it adds to the fun in the multi-player gameplay.
The only complaint I have with CoD 4 is the short single-player campaign, which lasted about 6-7 hours for me on Hardened difficulty. However, the short duration of the game is fully compensated with the non-stop action during these 7ish hours of gameplay. That for me, is more than enough reason to overlook the shortness of the game.
Score: 9.5/10
The good: Everything you liked about the old CoD series is intact; modern warfare setting a fresh and interesting break from the over-saturated WWII games; robust multi-player.
The bad: Short single-player campaign.
PS: screenshots to come soon.
I was hooked to the game when the original Call of Duty came out some 4 years ago. Unlike many WWII shooters back then (I'm looking at you, Medal of Honor), Call of Duty placed you in a big battlefield, alongside many other fellow soldiers, fighting against an equal amount of enemies. No longer are you the "special one", infiltrating enemy base Rambo style, taking down an obscene amount of enemies by yourself.
Call of Duty 2 adopted a similar gameplay as its predecessor, and strangely enough, I still enjoyed the game as much as the original, even though it was still set during the WWII period.
Infinity Ward recognized the over-saturation of the WWII shooter genre in the market, and hence in its latest Call of Duty 4 (Call of Duty 3 was developed by another company, and was console-exclusive), the stage's set in the modern era. And this time round it's not the Germans you are fighting; instead, you'd be fighting both Russian ultra-nationalists and a rebel force in the Middle-East that's planning to stage a coup. And in the past CoD games, you get to play from the perspective of the the American, British and Russian army; in Modern Warfare, you'll only get to play from the British SAS and US Marines' point of view, but that doesn't mean the fun is compromised in anyway.
The plot's pretty simplistic and linear; the head of the Russian ultra-nationalist army has collaborated with a rebel group in Middle East (the name of the country was not mentioned throughout the game, probably to avoid any controversies), with each group wanting to overthrow the current regiment in their respective countries and set up a new establishment. Do not expect any major twists in the plots; the main objective throughout CoD 4's 5-6 hours of single player gameplay is simply chasing down the leaders of the ultra-nationalist and rebel groups. However, the linear plot does not in anyway spoil the fun of the game, such is an instant where a simple plot actually does work in favor of the game.
The plot may be linear and simple, but Infinity Ward sure did make an outstanding presentation of it in the game. One of my favorite sequences in the game was the hostage part (I'm not gonna delve into the details, you really should go experience it yourself); the atmosphere was intensified by the excellent score by Harry Gregson-Williams, the very same composer for the Metal Gear Solid series. Also, there were some parts which sort of caught me by surprise, and I was very pleased with the way Infinity Ward handled the story.
Missions in the game vary a lot, ranging from storming a tanker, searching and rescuing fellow soldiers through heli-evac, air bombing etc. The mission styles are barely repetitive, making the overall gameplay all rounded and at the same time intense. People may complain about the similar type of gameplay of CoD 4 as compared to the previous CoDs, but hey, isn't that what made the CoD series stand out? Why change something that isn't broken?
If you think the goodness stops at the single-player, think again. CoD 4 has one of the most robust multi-player gameplay (at least in my opinion). It has various achievements and a leveling system which allows one to unlock new weapons and perks (a feature that allows you to customize your character), and various modes of gameplays for one to choose from. Yes, you may say that the achievements and leveling gimmick has been used in the Battlefield series before, however, I personally didn't find the BF series as fun. The reason CoD 4's multiplayer is so intense is due to the fact that the sizes of the map are just about right. There's no tiring running from one end to the other (yes, I am looking at you, BF) and dying even before you made any contact in the frontline of the war. In CoD 4, you can constantly hear firings and explosions in your proximity, causing one to be cautious in every steps and corners he/she makes. To make things even more intense, the guns in CoD 4 are able to penetrate through relatively thin covers, forcing one to constantly change his hiding spot. Then there are the airstrikes and helicopter assist, which I feel is a little overpowered, but still it adds to the fun in the multi-player gameplay.
The only complaint I have with CoD 4 is the short single-player campaign, which lasted about 6-7 hours for me on Hardened difficulty. However, the short duration of the game is fully compensated with the non-stop action during these 7ish hours of gameplay. That for me, is more than enough reason to overlook the shortness of the game.
Score: 9.5/10
The good: Everything you liked about the old CoD series is intact; modern warfare setting a fresh and interesting break from the over-saturated WWII games; robust multi-player.
The bad: Short single-player campaign.
PS: screenshots to come soon.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Shooter's Paradise
Just when you thought you had experience the year's greatest shooters in Bioshock and The Orange Box... Well waddya know? There are more to come this holiday, with Call of Duty 4 and Gears of War already out in the shelves as I make this post. Then there's Unreal Tournament 3 and Crysis which have already gone gold and are expected to be out within November; this is probably one of the best years for all shooter fans out there, with so many solid fps games for them to choose. Personally, I won't be picking up Gears of War (need more $$$!), so you can check out the reviews over here, or here. So many games... yet so little time, I probably have to wait until my exams are over before I can give my final verdict on CoD 4 and Crysis. In the meantime stay tuned for the Episode 2 review and my Hellgate London impressions!
Update
Sorry about the lack of update to the blog last weekend, had to settle some personal stuffs. The Episode 2 review will be out shortly. And also, the first impressions of Hellgate London will soon follow too; just got the CE for S$80 last Saturday. I'm playing the SEA version, whose server is hosted by IAH and not FSS itself, and so far the results have been... quite dismal, I must say. Patch 0 isn't even out on the server, and IAH have only raised the level cap from 22 to 50 TODAY, almost a week after the launch of the game. The condition of the server is pretty bad, with usual issues of lag and network disconnection. Gameplay wise, I feel that it's quite fun, although it seems that reactions to the game have been pretty mixed so far. I'll put up a post of the game impression as soon as I've played the game enough to make a judgement.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Episode 1 Review
I've got a confession: I never completed the original Half Life. Back then I was still not into first person shooting games; adding the fact that game was too dark my liking back then, I stopped playing even before I was half way through. Never did I realize I'd have thought Half Life would be such a phenomena, and that it would have an equally impressive sequel 6 years later.
Embarrassingly, I only completed Half Life 2 nearly three years after I purchased the game. It was definitely a magnificent game, but the constant headache that I got whenever I played the game (a symptom which I get for almost every fps games that I've played) stopped me from completing it. It was only this year that I told myself I will complete the game, and I'm glad I did.
Ok, time to move on; this post's about Episode 1, not Half Life 1 or 2. It was my first time playing Episode 1 after I prepurchased The Orange Box; the initial pricing for the standalone version seems a bit too expensive for a game which was about 4-5 hours long. Upon booting the game, the first thing I've realized was: wow, the Source engine is still as beautiful even after 3 years. Playing the game at 1280x960 resolution, everything seems so sharp.
But, graphics aside, I've got to admit I was kind of disappointed with Episode 1 overall. Firstly, the setting is still confined within the Citadel and City 17, meaning that the environment in the game is mainly recycled from Half Life 2. It gets boring seeing the same old stuffs after a while. Another gripe: why is the game soooooo dark? When I say dark, I mean it literally. Adding to the fact that a large part of the game takes place indoors, it really gets claustrophobic at certain points. This is the reason why I was so glad that there was actually some living being person accompanying me throughout the game: Alyx Vance. Alyx is more than just a mere decoration in the game, in fact, her pistol is overpowered -- it's way much better than the submachine gun Gordon was carrying. The player can usually just stand back and watch Alyx take out the zombies by herself, and assist her if she gets outnumbered.
I never realized how short Episode 1 was until I reached the ending unknowingly. It (the ending) was too abrupt, in my opinion. The final boss (if it can even be counted as one) was really weaksauce which could be easily taken down with 3-4 rockets.
Episode 1 is definitely in no way a bad game; it's not even mediocre. It's just that Half Life 2 was so good that it has raised the bar so high up for its sequels. And, it's essential to complete Episode 1 so that you can carry on with Episode 2, which you'll know why it's so good after reading my soon to come review of Episode 2.
Score: 8.0/10
The good: Beautiful looking graphics, realistic physics, the overpowered gravity gun!
The bad: Too short, a bit too dark for liking, weaksauce final boss.
Seems LOTR-ish to me...
Alyx looks gorgeous close up.
The weaksauce final boss.
You won't want to be anywhere near the citadel when it blows up.
Embarrassingly, I only completed Half Life 2 nearly three years after I purchased the game. It was definitely a magnificent game, but the constant headache that I got whenever I played the game (a symptom which I get for almost every fps games that I've played) stopped me from completing it. It was only this year that I told myself I will complete the game, and I'm glad I did.
Ok, time to move on; this post's about Episode 1, not Half Life 1 or 2. It was my first time playing Episode 1 after I prepurchased The Orange Box; the initial pricing for the standalone version seems a bit too expensive for a game which was about 4-5 hours long. Upon booting the game, the first thing I've realized was: wow, the Source engine is still as beautiful even after 3 years. Playing the game at 1280x960 resolution, everything seems so sharp.
But, graphics aside, I've got to admit I was kind of disappointed with Episode 1 overall. Firstly, the setting is still confined within the Citadel and City 17, meaning that the environment in the game is mainly recycled from Half Life 2. It gets boring seeing the same old stuffs after a while. Another gripe: why is the game soooooo dark? When I say dark, I mean it literally. Adding to the fact that a large part of the game takes place indoors, it really gets claustrophobic at certain points. This is the reason why I was so glad that there was actually some living being person accompanying me throughout the game: Alyx Vance. Alyx is more than just a mere decoration in the game, in fact, her pistol is overpowered -- it's way much better than the submachine gun Gordon was carrying. The player can usually just stand back and watch Alyx take out the zombies by herself, and assist her if she gets outnumbered.
I never realized how short Episode 1 was until I reached the ending unknowingly. It (the ending) was too abrupt, in my opinion. The final boss (if it can even be counted as one) was really weaksauce which could be easily taken down with 3-4 rockets.
Episode 1 is definitely in no way a bad game; it's not even mediocre. It's just that Half Life 2 was so good that it has raised the bar so high up for its sequels. And, it's essential to complete Episode 1 so that you can carry on with Episode 2, which you'll know why it's so good after reading my soon to come review of Episode 2.
Score: 8.0/10
The good: Beautiful looking graphics, realistic physics, the overpowered gravity gun!
The bad: Too short, a bit too dark for liking, weaksauce final boss.
Seems LOTR-ish to me...
Alyx looks gorgeous close up.
The weaksauce final boss.
You won't want to be anywhere near the citadel when it blows up.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Crysis
I seldom get excited over an EA game, but this one really has me at the edge of my seat. So far responses from people who have played the beta are pretty good (the guys at PC Gamer are seldom wrong :p), and I am sure looking forward to the release of the game, which is due in November.
PS: I know I'm still owing a review of Episode 1, but it's really been a busy week for me. I'd probably put it up this weekend, and hopefully together with Episode 2, which should be near completion soon.
PS: I know I'm still owing a review of Episode 1, but it's really been a busy week for me. I'd probably put it up this weekend, and hopefully together with Episode 2, which should be near completion soon.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Portal Review
Before I start going on and on about how fantastic Portal is, let me just get this minor gripe I have with Portal over as quickly as possible: the game is way too f**king short. Ok, now that I am done with it, let's move on to how freaking cool this game is.
The plot is pretty vague: you wake up the start of the game to find yourself in a glass cubicle, and then you're greeted by a female robotic voice, who referred to you as a test subject, and then released you from the cubicle. A few steps out from the cubicle, you will come across the unique feature of this game, the portal (duh). A brief explanation on how the portal works: A pair of portals are needed for it to work. One functions as an entrance, the other being the exit. Together, the 2 portals act as a gateway, allowing the player to cross over, from the entrance to the exit. Portals are 2-way, meaning after crossing over, the entrance and exit roles are reversed.
Initially in the first few levels the portal sites are fixed -- player has no control over them, and the levels' pretty straight-forward. After a few "training" levels, you would be given partial access to the portal gun, allowing you to place a single portal as you desire. The other portal is still fixed, hence there's still a certain limitation to what you are allowed to do. The fun starts after you get full access to the portal gun, and that's where the creativity and challenge set in. Being able to place the 2 portals as one wishes allows many possibilities and varieties of methods of getting through a level; the "fling" method will turn out to be the most crucial one in the later levels.
How flinging works (Disclaimer: Not done by me)
There are a total of 19 levels in the "campaign" mode, with the last 2 being the more challenging ones. But still it won' take long before one figures how to maneuver through the obstacles; what is more challenging, is trying to minimize the amount of portals being used, and the time taken to complete the level, in which these challenges can be unlocked after completing the game. There are also a few advanced levels with certain objectives and goals, which I have yet to try out (yes yes, I went back to TF2 straightaway after I finished the "campaign" mode).
The game itself is fun, however, it would not have been as fun if not for the female robotic voice that accompanies you throughout the 19 levels. Rather than a guide to hint you if you are stuck in between the levels, the voice served more of a comic relief with its constant sarcastic and discouraging comments. The song after the final "boss" fight is especially hilarious, enough to justify saving a slot after the fight just so that one can go back and listen to it once in a while.
All in all, Portal is solid game in terms of gameplay, and though the game is painfully short, it does have a high replayability, as players can try out new methods and set personal challenges (time limits etc.) when playing through the levels again. The achievement feature is also a welcome, as players will have more reasons to go back to the game after completing it.
Score: 9.5/10
The good: One of the most innovative and original gameplay (and weapon, since the Gravity gun) in the recent gaming history. And a hilarious female robotic voice doesn't hurt too.
The bad: It's short. Really, that's all I can complain about this game. And hence the 0.5 deduction.
A never-ending fall
Wait a minute, is that me on the other side?!
The cake is a lie (you'll get the joke if you play the game)
The plot is pretty vague: you wake up the start of the game to find yourself in a glass cubicle, and then you're greeted by a female robotic voice, who referred to you as a test subject, and then released you from the cubicle. A few steps out from the cubicle, you will come across the unique feature of this game, the portal (duh). A brief explanation on how the portal works: A pair of portals are needed for it to work. One functions as an entrance, the other being the exit. Together, the 2 portals act as a gateway, allowing the player to cross over, from the entrance to the exit. Portals are 2-way, meaning after crossing over, the entrance and exit roles are reversed.
Initially in the first few levels the portal sites are fixed -- player has no control over them, and the levels' pretty straight-forward. After a few "training" levels, you would be given partial access to the portal gun, allowing you to place a single portal as you desire. The other portal is still fixed, hence there's still a certain limitation to what you are allowed to do. The fun starts after you get full access to the portal gun, and that's where the creativity and challenge set in. Being able to place the 2 portals as one wishes allows many possibilities and varieties of methods of getting through a level; the "fling" method will turn out to be the most crucial one in the later levels.
How flinging works (Disclaimer: Not done by me)
There are a total of 19 levels in the "campaign" mode, with the last 2 being the more challenging ones. But still it won' take long before one figures how to maneuver through the obstacles; what is more challenging, is trying to minimize the amount of portals being used, and the time taken to complete the level, in which these challenges can be unlocked after completing the game. There are also a few advanced levels with certain objectives and goals, which I have yet to try out (yes yes, I went back to TF2 straightaway after I finished the "campaign" mode).
The game itself is fun, however, it would not have been as fun if not for the female robotic voice that accompanies you throughout the 19 levels. Rather than a guide to hint you if you are stuck in between the levels, the voice served more of a comic relief with its constant sarcastic and discouraging comments. The song after the final "boss" fight is especially hilarious, enough to justify saving a slot after the fight just so that one can go back and listen to it once in a while.
All in all, Portal is solid game in terms of gameplay, and though the game is painfully short, it does have a high replayability, as players can try out new methods and set personal challenges (time limits etc.) when playing through the levels again. The achievement feature is also a welcome, as players will have more reasons to go back to the game after completing it.
Score: 9.5/10
The good: One of the most innovative and original gameplay (and weapon, since the Gravity gun) in the recent gaming history. And a hilarious female robotic voice doesn't hurt too.
The bad: It's short. Really, that's all I can complain about this game. And hence the 0.5 deduction.
A never-ending fall
Wait a minute, is that me on the other side?!
The cake is a lie (you'll get the joke if you play the game)
Saturday, October 20, 2007
So...
What (gaming related stuffs) have I been doing this week, you may ask, after nearly a week of inactivity at this blog. Well, I have just completed Episode 1 this morning (my god it really is damn short!) and the rest of my gaming times have been dedicated to TF2. I just won't get sick of the Demoman and ctf_2fort. Gary Whitta has hit the bullseye when he mentioned (on the PC Gamer podcast, which I strongly recommend for all PC gamers) The Orange Box is an all round package; it has such a variety of games in it that people are sure to find one they like. There is the classic but epic fps series (Half Life 2, episode 1 & 2), the mind boggling and hilarious Portal, and finally the fast-paced and addictive Team Fortress 2. For such a fantastic package, US$49.95 is really a bargain (I got it for $44.95, $5 discount during the preorder :D). To fps lovers who have yet to get and experience The Orange Box: what are you waiting for!? Go get it now!
I'd probably put up my review for Portal and Episode 1 this weekend, together with a brief recap/review of the original Half Life 2. I know I know, I am still owing the Bioshock screenshots, I'd probably put them up by this weekend too.
I'd probably put up my review for Portal and Episode 1 this weekend, together with a brief recap/review of the original Half Life 2. I know I know, I am still owing the Bioshock screenshots, I'd probably put them up by this weekend too.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Orange Box Special: TF2 Overview Part II
The Demoman
In case you haven't notice, Valve has released a series of short clips of the various classes in Team Fortress 2, the latest one being "Meet the Demoman", which can viewed in one of my previous posts. I'd recommend you to check it out to understand the basic idea of being the Demoman class in the game.
The Demoman has overtaken the Spy as my favorite class of TF2 as I start to try out the various classes in the game. Initially, I felt that the class is pretty vulnerable, as he has only grenade and sticky bomb launchers as his range weapons apart from the standard melee attack, thus making him extremely fragile when enemies are close up. However, I was soon convinced otherwise, as I finally start to realize the Demoman's true potential, and his importance in support and defensive roles.
The grenade launcher, what can I say.. It packs a heavy punch when it explodes, and even harder when the grenade comes into contact the enemy before making its first bounce, hence making it a staple means of clearing the road in front for the rest of your teammates to proceed on. Pop a few of them in the midst of chaos, and you are guaranteed a kill or two, or least an assist. When the enemy is close up, hit one straight in his face, and he most likely
won't survive the encounter, though you may sustain some damage from the explosion too.
However, it is the sticky bombs that has caught my attention initially when trying out the class. Put a few in place, and you can take out even the toughest enemy (aka the Heavy) with much ease. The best thing about it is that you are able to detonate the bombs no matter where you are in the map (they will only disappear if you get killed). Adding the fact that you can have 8 of them out at a time, sticky bombs are one of the best way to defend the intel in ctf_2fort or the control points in the rest of the maps.
The Demoman's armory works best at areas where space is constrained: narrow corridors and walkways, rooms with single exits etc. Placing a few stickies at slightly less noticeable corners and spamming the nades once in a while is the way to go. However, that's not all the Demoman can do. He can actually support the frontlines with his powerful ammunitions too. There are times when spies in your team aren't able to get rid of those pesky sentry guns (nowadays you'll find more engineers staying beside their sentries and dispensers, shooting anyone who runs by for spy-check), and that's where the sticky bombs and grenades come to use, especially the former. With an exceptionally long range (hold on the fire button for longer distance), the bombs can be deployed at a safe distance from the sentries and then detonate it when you are done. If you are lucky you'd be able to take out the engineer too.
I am having tremendous fun with the Demoman class lately, mostly in ctf_2fort, where there are a lot of narrow walkways and corners in which the Demoman can fully shine. Learn to place your sticky bombs at strategic locations, and you can easily earn yourself a top position in the kill chart.
Who will be the unlucky guy to run past my sticky bombs?
In case you haven't notice, Valve has released a series of short clips of the various classes in Team Fortress 2, the latest one being "Meet the Demoman", which can viewed in one of my previous posts. I'd recommend you to check it out to understand the basic idea of being the Demoman class in the game.
The Demoman has overtaken the Spy as my favorite class of TF2 as I start to try out the various classes in the game. Initially, I felt that the class is pretty vulnerable, as he has only grenade and sticky bomb launchers as his range weapons apart from the standard melee attack, thus making him extremely fragile when enemies are close up. However, I was soon convinced otherwise, as I finally start to realize the Demoman's true potential, and his importance in support and defensive roles.
The grenade launcher, what can I say.. It packs a heavy punch when it explodes, and even harder when the grenade comes into contact the enemy before making its first bounce, hence making it a staple means of clearing the road in front for the rest of your teammates to proceed on. Pop a few of them in the midst of chaos, and you are guaranteed a kill or two, or least an assist. When the enemy is close up, hit one straight in his face, and he most likely
won't survive the encounter, though you may sustain some damage from the explosion too.
However, it is the sticky bombs that has caught my attention initially when trying out the class. Put a few in place, and you can take out even the toughest enemy (aka the Heavy) with much ease. The best thing about it is that you are able to detonate the bombs no matter where you are in the map (they will only disappear if you get killed). Adding the fact that you can have 8 of them out at a time, sticky bombs are one of the best way to defend the intel in ctf_2fort or the control points in the rest of the maps.
The Demoman's armory works best at areas where space is constrained: narrow corridors and walkways, rooms with single exits etc. Placing a few stickies at slightly less noticeable corners and spamming the nades once in a while is the way to go. However, that's not all the Demoman can do. He can actually support the frontlines with his powerful ammunitions too. There are times when spies in your team aren't able to get rid of those pesky sentry guns (nowadays you'll find more engineers staying beside their sentries and dispensers, shooting anyone who runs by for spy-check), and that's where the sticky bombs and grenades come to use, especially the former. With an exceptionally long range (hold on the fire button for longer distance), the bombs can be deployed at a safe distance from the sentries and then detonate it when you are done. If you are lucky you'd be able to take out the engineer too.
I am having tremendous fun with the Demoman class lately, mostly in ctf_2fort, where there are a lot of narrow walkways and corners in which the Demoman can fully shine. Learn to place your sticky bombs at strategic locations, and you can easily earn yourself a top position in the kill chart.
Who will be the unlucky guy to run past my sticky bombs?
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Stay tuned
Having finished Bioshock means that I have more time for the Orange Box now. In fact, I have already finished Portal, which is a very, very short game, and been spending the rest of my weekend fragging in Team Fortress 2. Stay tuned for the review of Portal, and also the special coverage of Demoman class! In the meantime, check out this cool clip, Meet the Demoman, by Valve.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Bioshock Review
Alas, got to finish Bioshock today, 1 week after I started playing it. It took me kinda long to finish it, but I was busy with school work, so yea.
*Spoilers Alert!*
Bioshock is considered to be a spiritual successor of the System Shock series, one which I had not played before. But if they were anywhere similar to Bioshock in terms of the gameplay and atmosphere it creates, I would be really keen to try them out.
Bioshock takes place in the 1960s, and the player (as Jack) starts off on the dark vast ocean, after surviving a plane crash which left everyone, save for the player, dead. Jack's forced to take cover at a what looks like to be a light house, only to discover a bathysphere within, which eventually leads him to Rapture, an underwater utopia built by Andrew Ryan. Or should I say, Andrew Ryan had hoped that Rapture would be an utopia, which turned out to be the total opposite by the time Jack discovered its existence.
As soon as he stepped out of the bathysphere, Jack's greeted by a guy named Atlas through an intercom, after witnessing a brutal murder by a splicer (I'll get to the meaning of that term later). As the game proceeds, Atlas starts to fill in details on how Rapture became what it was, and how people started to mutate after injecting themselves with enhancement plasmids, turning them into splicers in the end. The goal of Jack was to locate Atlas' family and rescue them, and at the same time get rid of now insane Andrew Ryan and get out of Rapture for good. Things start to complicate as the player plays further into the game, which I will not divulge.
Bioshock is a mixture of first person shooting and some role-playing elements. At the start the player will start to come across some plasmids which will enhance Jack's power, at the expense of consuming EVE (think mana). Throughout the game, plasmids can be found lying around or purchased through vending machines. Weapons are upgradable, and ammunitions can be invented using raw materials found from loots, using the Invent machines. The wide variety of plasmids and weapons allows more varieties when it comes to killing the enemies. Do you want to lure the splicers into the pool of water before electrocuting them? Do you want to incinerate them and watch they burst into flames and gradually die? Or do you want to use the good ol' way and blast them off to bits with your grenade launcher? You decide. I must admit it was fun to have to so many ways to defeat the enemies, which gradually gets tougher as the game proceeds. That's where ammunition comes in, where anti-armor bullets work well against armored splicers and turrets, and anti-personnel bullets work well against the less protected enemies.
It will not be long after the start before the player encounters their first fight with the toughest enemy in Bioshock; the Big Daddy. This enemy packs a lot of punch and a single hit by them is enough to reduce Jack's health to critical condition at the start of the game. But killing them is a necessity, if you want to harvest or rescue the Little Sisters they are escorting for ADAM (ADAM is needed to purchase new plasmids and their respective slots, and also to upgrade one's health and EVE). Luckily, with the wide variety of weapons at hand, these Big Daddies are not impossible to kill; in fact, you'll get the hang after killing a few of them.
The graphics and atmosphere in Bioshock is absolutely amazing. The game worked smoothly on my new rig, and the effects were pretty excellent. The atmosphere genuinely gives one a sense of helpless and loneliness in a world where everything has gone wrong, and horrors lurk in every dark corners. That, together with the occasional music coming out from the jukeboxes, really creates the setting for a horror sci-fi story in the 60s.
My only real gripe with Bioshock, is that the ending is way too short and anti-climatic for a game with such an epic plot. I was expecting something more when I finally killed the last boss; before I knew it, I was already brought back to the starting screen. But that should not deter anyone from trying out the game, as it is easily one of the better games that is out in the over-saturated first person shooting market. The last first person shooting game that leaves me with such deep impression would be Half Life 2. Being able to be compared with Half Life 2 is no small feat, and that's how good Bioshock is.
Score: 9.0/10
The good: the atmosphere, gameplay, plot
The bad: come on man.. the ending's waaaayyyy tooo short to do justice to such an epic game.
Feel the wrath of the Little Sisters
Guess who stuck that hockey stick into that guy's head?
Mannequins? Think again.
Apparently you can buy ammunitions from vending machines in Rapture.
*Spoilers Alert!*
Bioshock is considered to be a spiritual successor of the System Shock series, one which I had not played before. But if they were anywhere similar to Bioshock in terms of the gameplay and atmosphere it creates, I would be really keen to try them out.
Bioshock takes place in the 1960s, and the player (as Jack) starts off on the dark vast ocean, after surviving a plane crash which left everyone, save for the player, dead. Jack's forced to take cover at a what looks like to be a light house, only to discover a bathysphere within, which eventually leads him to Rapture, an underwater utopia built by Andrew Ryan. Or should I say, Andrew Ryan had hoped that Rapture would be an utopia, which turned out to be the total opposite by the time Jack discovered its existence.
As soon as he stepped out of the bathysphere, Jack's greeted by a guy named Atlas through an intercom, after witnessing a brutal murder by a splicer (I'll get to the meaning of that term later). As the game proceeds, Atlas starts to fill in details on how Rapture became what it was, and how people started to mutate after injecting themselves with enhancement plasmids, turning them into splicers in the end. The goal of Jack was to locate Atlas' family and rescue them, and at the same time get rid of now insane Andrew Ryan and get out of Rapture for good. Things start to complicate as the player plays further into the game, which I will not divulge.
Bioshock is a mixture of first person shooting and some role-playing elements. At the start the player will start to come across some plasmids which will enhance Jack's power, at the expense of consuming EVE (think mana). Throughout the game, plasmids can be found lying around or purchased through vending machines. Weapons are upgradable, and ammunitions can be invented using raw materials found from loots, using the Invent machines. The wide variety of plasmids and weapons allows more varieties when it comes to killing the enemies. Do you want to lure the splicers into the pool of water before electrocuting them? Do you want to incinerate them and watch they burst into flames and gradually die? Or do you want to use the good ol' way and blast them off to bits with your grenade launcher? You decide. I must admit it was fun to have to so many ways to defeat the enemies, which gradually gets tougher as the game proceeds. That's where ammunition comes in, where anti-armor bullets work well against armored splicers and turrets, and anti-personnel bullets work well against the less protected enemies.
It will not be long after the start before the player encounters their first fight with the toughest enemy in Bioshock; the Big Daddy. This enemy packs a lot of punch and a single hit by them is enough to reduce Jack's health to critical condition at the start of the game. But killing them is a necessity, if you want to harvest or rescue the Little Sisters they are escorting for ADAM (ADAM is needed to purchase new plasmids and their respective slots, and also to upgrade one's health and EVE). Luckily, with the wide variety of weapons at hand, these Big Daddies are not impossible to kill; in fact, you'll get the hang after killing a few of them.
The graphics and atmosphere in Bioshock is absolutely amazing. The game worked smoothly on my new rig, and the effects were pretty excellent. The atmosphere genuinely gives one a sense of helpless and loneliness in a world where everything has gone wrong, and horrors lurk in every dark corners. That, together with the occasional music coming out from the jukeboxes, really creates the setting for a horror sci-fi story in the 60s.
My only real gripe with Bioshock, is that the ending is way too short and anti-climatic for a game with such an epic plot. I was expecting something more when I finally killed the last boss; before I knew it, I was already brought back to the starting screen. But that should not deter anyone from trying out the game, as it is easily one of the better games that is out in the over-saturated first person shooting market. The last first person shooting game that leaves me with such deep impression would be Half Life 2. Being able to be compared with Half Life 2 is no small feat, and that's how good Bioshock is.
Score: 9.0/10
The good: the atmosphere, gameplay, plot
The bad: come on man.. the ending's waaaayyyy tooo short to do justice to such an epic game.
Feel the wrath of the Little Sisters
Guess who stuck that hockey stick into that guy's head?
Mannequins? Think again.
Apparently you can buy ammunitions from vending machines in Rapture.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
1 more day
That's right folks, 1 more day to the long awaited release of the The Orange Box! Somehow, I can foresee the Steam servers crashing as millions of Steam users try to download Portal and Episode 2 from it. Well I am not in a rush to play it anyway, still got a few hours left in Bioshock.
*Spoiler alert!*
I'm already up to chasing Frank Fontaine, and probably will finish the game before this weekend, and possibly put up a review by this week too. Team Fortress 2 coverage will have to be put on hold until after I complete this eerie epic game by 2K (yes, it's that good).
*Spoiler alert!*
I'm already up to chasing Frank Fontaine, and probably will finish the game before this weekend, and possibly put up a review by this week too. Team Fortress 2 coverage will have to be put on hold until after I complete this eerie epic game by 2K (yes, it's that good).
Friday, October 5, 2007
Welcome to Rapture
Finally got hold of this critically acclaimed game after my new rig arrived! Stay tuned for the reviews...
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Orange Box Special: TF2 Overview Part I
The Spy
It's funny how the spy class in TF2 reminds me of the rogues in World of Warcraft. The spy's special skill, cloaking, seems alot like the rogue's vanish skill. However, one aspect in which the spy feels and plays more cooler than its WoW counterpart is the fact that he can disguise himself as the enemy, allowing him to infiltrate into their ranks. On paper this sounds very easy, but be assured that it takes skills to truly maxmize the utility of the spy.
When the spy starts out from his home base, he must first start to figure a way out to sneak into the other half of the map, in order for his disguise to be successful (You wouldn't think the enemy is so dumb as to believe their own ally is running back from the other half at the very start of the game right? Same concept applies to the fact that it is somewhat suspicious to see a fellow ally running back from the enemy's half unscathed, at any point of the game). This is where cloaking comes into use. However, do take note when cloaked, you will still be blocking another player if you should cross his path, and the enemy is able to catch a glimpse of you if you are too close to them.
If you were to successfully infiltrate into the enemy's half, that's where the next challenge comes -- what disguise do you use? And where do you uncloak yourself? The latter is pretty a no brainer question; of course you should uncloak at relatively isolated corner such that no one sees you uncloak, or else your cover will be blown. How about the disguise then? What class do you impersonate? That'll depend one how are you are into the enemy's half. If you are relatively near the frontline, where soldiers and heavy (and perhaps medics too), it's definitely recommended you disguise as one of them. It would be odd to find an engineer or sniper running up so close to the frontline. Same applies if you are relatively at the back, where engineers and snipers usually hang out at.
It's a pity there's no friendly fire in TF2, hence people usually are able to check whether one is an ally or actually a spy in disguise just by shooting them. However, I have to admit if FF were on, the spy would be an overpowered class. Take note that the Pyro's flame will also be able reveal a cloaked spy, so don't get into a pyro's line of sight. I really enjoy playing as the spy (it's the class I played most so far) and it feels satisfying to do a successful backstab and then cloak myself, only to return later and kill another enemy. It's even more satisfying to have an enemy medic heal me, with me "repaying" by giving him a knife on the back.
Disguising myself as a Red soldier, preparing to jump diown and backstab the pyro
Cloaking
It's funny how the spy class in TF2 reminds me of the rogues in World of Warcraft. The spy's special skill, cloaking, seems alot like the rogue's vanish skill. However, one aspect in which the spy feels and plays more cooler than its WoW counterpart is the fact that he can disguise himself as the enemy, allowing him to infiltrate into their ranks. On paper this sounds very easy, but be assured that it takes skills to truly maxmize the utility of the spy.
When the spy starts out from his home base, he must first start to figure a way out to sneak into the other half of the map, in order for his disguise to be successful (You wouldn't think the enemy is so dumb as to believe their own ally is running back from the other half at the very start of the game right? Same concept applies to the fact that it is somewhat suspicious to see a fellow ally running back from the enemy's half unscathed, at any point of the game). This is where cloaking comes into use. However, do take note when cloaked, you will still be blocking another player if you should cross his path, and the enemy is able to catch a glimpse of you if you are too close to them.
If you were to successfully infiltrate into the enemy's half, that's where the next challenge comes -- what disguise do you use? And where do you uncloak yourself? The latter is pretty a no brainer question; of course you should uncloak at relatively isolated corner such that no one sees you uncloak, or else your cover will be blown. How about the disguise then? What class do you impersonate? That'll depend one how are you are into the enemy's half. If you are relatively near the frontline, where soldiers and heavy (and perhaps medics too), it's definitely recommended you disguise as one of them. It would be odd to find an engineer or sniper running up so close to the frontline. Same applies if you are relatively at the back, where engineers and snipers usually hang out at.
It's a pity there's no friendly fire in TF2, hence people usually are able to check whether one is an ally or actually a spy in disguise just by shooting them. However, I have to admit if FF were on, the spy would be an overpowered class. Take note that the Pyro's flame will also be able reveal a cloaked spy, so don't get into a pyro's line of sight. I really enjoy playing as the spy (it's the class I played most so far) and it feels satisfying to do a successful backstab and then cloak myself, only to return later and kill another enemy. It's even more satisfying to have an enemy medic heal me, with me "repaying" by giving him a knife on the back.
Disguising myself as a Red soldier, preparing to jump diown and backstab the pyro
Cloaking
Friday, September 28, 2007
Orange Box
Went to preorder The Orange Box on Wednesday from Steam (US$44.99 after a $5 discount for early purchase) and immediately started downloading Team Fortress 2 which was open for beta since last week. Didn't play much (tests are coming) and have only tried the Spy class. Th experience so far is awesome, and it is extremely satisfying when you successfully disguise and infiltrate into the enemy's ranks, backstab them and proceed to vanish into thin air, only to come back later in a fresh new disguise. Look out for screenshots in the later posts when I actually have the time, and also bother to, take some screenshots in game.
Welcome!
Welcome to my gaming blog! Select the articles/posts you are interested in:
Random Chatter:
1. Orange Box 28/09/07
2. Welcome to Rapture 05/10/07
3. 1 more day 09/10/07
4. Stay tuned 14/10/07
5. So... 20/10/07
6. FYI I'm a spy 26/10/07
7. Update 06/11/07
8. Shooter's Paradise 06/11/07
9. Gentlemen, this is war 09/11/07
10. Exam Break 22/11/07
11. Rise of the Videogame 25/11/07
12. Journalism Integrity? 02/12/07
13. Game saves child's life 07/12/07
14. Happy Holidays! 24/12/07
15. Eagles Scream! 01/01/08
16. Home Run 01/01/08
17. Inactivity 20/01/08
18. Mass Sexeffect 27/01/08
19. Upcoming Games 04/02/08
20. The Forgotten Realms 11/02/08
21. Ladies and gentlemen, Chris Remo has left the building 12/02/08
22. SIMply unbearable 14/02/08
23. Shackers Pilot 18/02/08
24. Fez 20/20/08
25. Return of a classic 21/02/08
26. Thank you for the detailed and precise combat log 23/02/08
27. Never gonna give you up 24/02/08
28. Lorelol 28/02/08
29. busy busy busy 13/03/08
30. Tom Clancy's EndWar 19/03/08
31. Suggestions for original Tom Clancy IPs 24/03/08
32. Map of Paris, WoW-style 25/03/08
33. Welcoming a new member 05/04/08
34. April Fools! 05/04/08
35. I'll be back 25/04/08
Reviews:
1. Bioshock 13/10/07
2. Portal 23/10/07
3. Half Life 2: Episode 1 30/10/07
4. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 14/11/07
5. Crysis 30/12/07
Features:
1. Orange Box Special: TF2 Overview Part I (The Spy) 29/09/07
2. Orange Box Special: TF2 Overview Part II (The Demoman) 15/10/07
You're welcomed to give comments, but please, no flame posts. The opinions (in the posts) are purely mine, and I know I'm no 1337 gamer. However I'd appreciate if you point out any errors or give constructive criticisms on how I should improve my posts. Thanks ;)
Random Chatter:
1. Orange Box 28/09/07
2. Welcome to Rapture 05/10/07
3. 1 more day 09/10/07
4. Stay tuned 14/10/07
5. So... 20/10/07
6. FYI I'm a spy 26/10/07
7. Update 06/11/07
8. Shooter's Paradise 06/11/07
9. Gentlemen, this is war 09/11/07
10. Exam Break 22/11/07
11. Rise of the Videogame 25/11/07
12. Journalism Integrity? 02/12/07
13. Game saves child's life 07/12/07
14. Happy Holidays! 24/12/07
15. Eagles Scream! 01/01/08
16. Home Run 01/01/08
17. Inactivity 20/01/08
18. Mass Sexeffect 27/01/08
19. Upcoming Games 04/02/08
20. The Forgotten Realms 11/02/08
21. Ladies and gentlemen, Chris Remo has left the building 12/02/08
22. SIMply unbearable 14/02/08
23. Shackers Pilot 18/02/08
24. Fez 20/20/08
25. Return of a classic 21/02/08
26. Thank you for the detailed and precise combat log 23/02/08
27. Never gonna give you up 24/02/08
28. Lorelol 28/02/08
29. busy busy busy 13/03/08
30. Tom Clancy's EndWar 19/03/08
31. Suggestions for original Tom Clancy IPs 24/03/08
32. Map of Paris, WoW-style 25/03/08
33. Welcoming a new member 05/04/08
34. April Fools! 05/04/08
35. I'll be back 25/04/08
Reviews:
1. Bioshock 13/10/07
2. Portal 23/10/07
3. Half Life 2: Episode 1 30/10/07
4. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 14/11/07
5. Crysis 30/12/07
Features:
1. Orange Box Special: TF2 Overview Part I (The Spy) 29/09/07
2. Orange Box Special: TF2 Overview Part II (The Demoman) 15/10/07
You're welcomed to give comments, but please, no flame posts. The opinions (in the posts) are purely mine, and I know I'm no 1337 gamer. However I'd appreciate if you point out any errors or give constructive criticisms on how I should improve my posts. Thanks ;)
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