| |
 |
| "Fire" |
A game like Toy Soldiers doesn’t come along very often. It is pretty much unheard of that a game can fuse two genres of gameplay into one, but Toy Soldiers pulls it off seamlessly. Combining the RTS formulae and third-person shooter gameplay into one package would seem like a hard task, but Signal Studios have made a very quirky and original game.
As the name implies, this isn’t supposed to be life-like; you’re taking the roll of little toy soldiers during World War One. Again, the battle doesn’t take place on huge, life-like battlefields, but instead on a wooden board surrounded by plastic shrubs and cardboard scenery. It’s a fresh new take on the typical realism we’ve seen far too much of lately. The graphical direction perfectly matches the action and gameplay that takes place, although the great graphics do suffer from a shoddy frame-rate, which varies if too much action is taking place.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
Since the first days of board games and basic home computers, the idea of a story evolving in time with a player interactively has captivated audiences and created large communities that dedicate themselves to role-playing or throwing an endless number of die in pursuit of a personal tale.
Yet, in all that time, few have been able to capture the true feeling of freedom in a game – which is why Heavy Rain has greeted us in this gaming universe.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
In trying to renovate the series in Apollo Justice, Capcom received much chagrin from its loyalist Ace Attorney fan base, scorning the lack of the treasured cast built up over a trilogy of games. To their credit, the boys in blue [and yellow] did listen – Ace Attorney Investigations is the result of them being appreciative of their fans.
If you’re reading this review, I doubt you are not familiar with the franchise. However, if only to re-enlighten those who hadn’t picked up an Ace Attorney game in a couple of years, the series is well-known for its expansive, explorative gameplay in which you pace around large areas finding clues to defend a client as a defence attorney...
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
Zelda has been in the hearts of gamers for a long time now and for me, is a cherished series of fantastic games. Of course, the same opinion is shared across many gamers all around the world; which is why whenever a new Zelda title is announced, it’s carefully watched, speculated over and tends to build itself a lot of hype.
But ‘Spirit Tracks’ didn’t seem to grab the fan’s attention as much this time, showing that our hopes for a great game were a little lacking.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
So after reading my review about the single player portion of Modern Warfare 2, you are probably curious about the multiplayer part of the sixth Call of Duty game. If you enjoyed Modern Warfare 1's multiplayer, you will not be disappointed. But the same problems exist from the first game in terms of multiplayer. Does it ruin the experience? Lets just say I don't hate playing the multiplayer in Call of Duty, but I can't play it 24/7 like some people. Hit the jump to find out why.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
[Editor's Note: Since Modern Warfare 2 is such an enormous game, Baxy-Z is going to have two separate reviews for the game, one for the single player, and one for the spec ops/multiplayer aspect of the game. This single player review may contain spoilers, so read at your own disgretion. But don't say I didn't warn you!]
I don't know how Infinity Ward does it, but they always out do themselves with every game they release. The first Call of Duty was amazing when it was released, then Call of Duty 2 completely blew Call of Duty 1 out of the water. Then they released Modern Warfare 1, and surpassed all expectations for the game. You will be glad to hear that Infinity Ward has once again set the standard for FPS games. Infinity Ward has taken everything from Modern Warfare 1 and made it bigger, louder, and Modern Warfare 2 absolutely incredible, and every gamer is a fan of first person shooters needs to own this game.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
| |
When E3 saw the announcement of Left 4 Dead 2, many people were surprised. They were surprised because it was very sudden and unexpected, yet gamers still complained and moaned that the game was coming out too soon and claimed that Valve “rushed” the game to milk in on the franchise. While this may be partly true, fans of the franchise were upset to see that the game was going to be released as a full retail game and not as downloadable content. But, let me assure you that you have no reason to be upset. Left 4 Dead 2 really is the sequel we all expected and it certainly doesn’t disappoint.
Left 4 Dead originally brought gamers the chance to co-operatively play through a series of levels with up to 4 other players, which all required a certain extent of teamwork between them all. If someone was injured or required ammo, then one of your team mates could supply them with what they needed to continue with the game. The system worked incredibly well and added something not too many games had seen before. Chuck in hordes of zombies and other monsters, as well as gruesome deaths and an array of guns, and well, you have a successful formula for a brilliantly fun and brutal game. Thankfully, Left 4 Dead 2 doesn’t change the excellent structure, but improves on it to make it an even better experience.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
When a sequel is announced, gamers expect to see improvements over the original, mainly to justify the cost of the game. Of course, when Microsoft announced that Forza Motorsport 3 would be arriving on the Xbox 360 in just a couple of months, a lot of people were divided: excited and anxious. They were excited to see one of the most popular and realistic racers on the market to be updated, yet anxious to see just how much better the franchise could get. Those that are anxious should disregard any type of fear now as I can promise you that Forza Motorsport 3 smashes Forza 2 and leaves it trailing in the dust.
Let me start by saying just how beautiful the game looks. Yes, I know graphics don’t matter in the whole grand scheme of things, but Turn 10 have really made a truly beautiful piece of art. You’ve hopefully seen the screenshots, but they really don’t do the game any justice. Each car is rendered beautifully and all the interior design looks incredible. Even damage on the cars looks good, but it would’ve been great if Turn 10 had made the damage system more dynamic, as it is a little basic. However, the environments look just as great, with the game’s tracks (and there’s over 100 of them) covering locations from all around the world, each track is varied and distinctive.
Just like the cars, the tracks are very detailed, too. Every little crack on the road or every oil spillage will show up on the tarmac. Even tracks from Forza 2 look 100 times better on Forza Motorsport 3. It’s just amazing to think that the developer devoted so love and attention to the smallest details, and whilst playing, you really do appreciate it. Unfortunately, and this was quite a downer for me, there’s no weather or time feature in the game. Each race takes place during the day and it will constantly be sunny. Nevertheless, a racing game has never looked quite so stunning before, and with a steady frame-rate, you will be totally drawn into the game.
Continued inside...
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
| |
There's certainly no shortage of shoot 'em ups on the Xbox 360, yet developer after developer tries to be the next Halo or the next Gears of War (if only in terms of sales). Many have come and most have failed, yet WET dares to be that little bit different. Does WET take us for a thrill or does it leave us in the dry?
Cold blooded, killing machine Rubi Malone lives the dusty and deserted state of Texas, and she will do anything for a pretty penny. The story kicks off a year piror to the main game, which sees you running and gunning everyone in Japan to rescue a precious organ. However, fast forward and the same guy you were helping before is now your next target. It's an interesting story, with some subtle plot twists in the game and it does progress nicely. And for those who would like to know, the game's story was written by Demetrius - who's best known for his work on the TV series 24.
As for playing the game, things get a bit dry and stale here. The main focus on the game is to shoot: shoot everything that moves. Been there; done that. However, Artificial Mind and Movement have added a slight twist to the generic genre. Jumping, sliding or wall-walking will slow the game down and you'll be able to pick out various targets in quick time, meaning you can take down 2 or 3 enemies with one jump. It's an interesting gimmick, but where the game really fails at being good is the fact it all feels incredibly repetitive.
More inside...
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
| "No one's gonna take me alive..." |
After many entries in the series, Guitar Hero 5 gives Rock Band a competitor for the title of best rhythm-based music game. How does it do? Well, it does a lot of things right, but some of the missteps hurt the game. Don't get me wrong, this is the best Guitar Hero since Guitar Hero 2.
When you first boot up Guitar Hero 5, you are treated to one of its new features: Party Play. In this mode, the game selects random songs to play on the screen. At any time, players can jump into the song and start playing: any instrument, any difficulty. It is a really neat feature, and shows how accessible Guitar Hero 5 is. After rocking out in the Party Play for a little bit, I decided to check out the main menu, and I was overwhelmed. It is amazing to see how far this series has come in terms of content. I'll start off talking about career mode.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
| The worst location for a concert, ever |
I can't remember exactly when it hit me. I know it was around the time that I was playing songs in Abbey Roads Studio. While watching a digital recreation of the most famous band in the world, I realized that Harmonix has something big on their hands. This isn't your typical Rock Band or Guitar Hero game. This game is different. This game is absolutely amazing, and every Rock Band and Guitar Hero game to come out now has huge standards to live up to. The Beatles: Rock Band is the best music rhythm game ever created. Come inside and let me tell you why.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
| |
After decades of being misused, Rocksteady Studios have finally cracked it and made a Batman game worthy of its namesake. I'm not one to usually give into hyperbole, but every ounce of Arkham Asylum is excellent and it is definitely the game I enjoyed the most all of the summer. There's nothing quite like it, the exploration, the atmosphere therein and the great set pieces that roll out one-after-another for the player, it's purely genius design.
The game starts off with you, Batman, taking Joker to Arkham Asylum upon capturing him, following him deeper into the prison out of a gut feeling that the maniacal clown is plotting something nasty. This hunch turns out to be correct; within the first ten minutes of the game, Joker escapes and Batman is forced to chase him down. This is made difficult by the villain's control over the security systems and the release of many of the Bats' arch nemesis's, including plenty of the fan favourites. Although some do not appear in game as bosses or cohorts to the Joker, everyone is covered in some way and you even see glimpses of others [such as a certain frosty cell of a certain ice-bound sir]...
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
The latest DLC for the wasteland simulator, Fallout 3, is upon us. Mothership Zeta, explores the story of the distress signal you find around a crashed spaceship. Well, here's my verdict:
Mothership Zeta starts off when you visit the crashed spaceship again, and get abducted by the not-so-friendly aliens. You are about to get vivisected when you wake up, and you will need to find a way home quick, before its to late.
So, up to the story. The story is a bit predictable, and looks like it comes from an 50's science fiction movie. Then again, the whole game has this 50's feel, so it isn't a bad thing.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
| |
This generation, being different is tricky. The budget of games has skyrocketed and safe bets are now even more attractive than they ever have been. Enter Mirror’s Edge, a game that opened to a lukewarm reception last year and you see what a game can be if creative freedom is a given, for the worse or for better – mostly the latter. The gimmick of this game is that you’re a ‘runner,’ an agent unbound by the law who traverses rooftops and sewers to perform ‘secret tasks’ for the underworld. This is quite the cool concept at heart, but the way it is presented makes the game seem like it is too full of itself at times.
The game is in first-person throughout, but there are no guns. Your character, Faith, is mainly fitted to running, jumping and using the scenery to travel extraordinary distances. The structures used to progress in levels is absolutely spectacular at times, although there is only one linear option for every problem. You’d think with someone as talented as Faith, there’d be more. This is definitely the game’s biggest fault. Then again, there is the story.
The plot of the game is complete garbage. It’s like some kind of bad sitcom or whodunit set in a Neapolitan dystopia, it is quite the blemish on such a beautiful game world. Within half an hour of beginning, you really won’t care about what happens to the characters and the entire experience with the story’s highs and lows is confusing, embarrassing and / or baffling.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
The newest third-person sandbox game is upon us, but the genre has spat out some stinkers in the past – Prototype is no laze, though. Right off the bat, the game boasts some really fun if at times bitter exploration, but by limiting your powers, some may not get to the real meat of the game. Indeed, it is hard to understand why Radical Entertainment strips away your powers for a large part of the game’s first half.
Bizarre design choices perk their heads up in others sections of the game as well, like being unable to repeat side-missions that you’ve completed if they’re a type that the game doesn’t like or being unable to harm a hive – a base for the ‘zombies’ in the game – with a helicopter that shoots missiles. The game gives you full powers at the beginning of the game and teaches you how to use them, then takes all of these powers away, then gives them back to you in pieces and finally strips them away again before giving them all back to you a little later. All in all, the game feels somewhat disjointed.
Further from that, the gameplay is fun, but can get quickly repetitive. The game’s superhero protagonist Alex Mercer combines Spider-Man’s manoeuvrability with The Hulk’s superhuman strength and throughout the game, you feel like a complete God. You can immediately pick up cars just by the press of a button as well as people and jump or fly around the city faster than a jet. However, there is shallowness to all of this, such as the crowds of people all being generally alike and there being no personality to the city. It’s an unimpressive version of Manhattan.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Welcome to Baxy-Z - Site version 3.0.2
Currently our registration system is down. We'll be fixing the problem as soon as possible. Thanks for the understanding!
We've currently launched site version 3.0.2; please see this link for more details.
|
|
.png "Back to the top of the page")