Kiling Floor Review

Title of the Game: Killing Floor
Platform of Game: Available on the PC Only

Genre of Game: First Person Shooter

Developer:
Publisher: Steam

Product Model Year:
14 May 2009

Game Requirements:
Operating System: Windows 2000 / XP / Vista
CPU: 1.2 GHz or Equivalent Memory:512 MB RAM
Hard Drive Space : 2 GB free hard drive space
Graphics Hardware: 64 MB DX9 Compliant
Sound Hardware: DX8.1 Compatible Audio

Description of the game: The game is a spin off of the popular unreal tournament mod, Killing floor. The modders decided that the game is so popular that it deserved to have it's own game. Thus, the new mod is repackaged and turned into a new game. The game gives open world co-op gameplay that allows players to team up and find their own locations to strategies their ways to hold out the waves of zombies. It is a highly addictive game, especially if it's played with friends.

Game Play: Much comparisons can be made with it's alternative, Left 4 dead, but it is worth mentioning that the mod this game is based on was created way, before left 4 dead was developed and some monsters itself in left 4 dead are remininces of the zombies here. There are a number of zombies that can really be a challenge to players. It is also worth noting that the game has a level system and have a wider range of weapons in which can have players vary their playstyle. There is also a perk system that can be tuned to the player's playstyle.

Graphics: Even though the game is sporting an unreal tournement 2004 engine, the game's orgy of violence in which much blood and gore is splattered is more than trilling to the soul. The adreline rush coming from killing 46 zombies at one wave is more than enough to keep your heart racing.

Sound: The cresendo of music played during epic zombie battles keep the mood constant. It is also worth noting that there is a voip system built into the game.

Conclusion: Even though the game's engine might be dated, it sparks an interesting take on how a mod can be turned into something standalone and even into a commercial game. Perhaps somewhere out there, there is a mod waiting to be unleashed.

Fallout 3 Review

Title of the Game: Fallout 3
Platform of Game: Available on the PC, Xbox360 & PS3

Genre of Game: Third Person Shooter/First Person Shooter

Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks, ZeniMax Media

Product Model Year:
North America : October 28, 2008
EU: October 30, 2008
Aus: October 30, 2008
UK: October 31, 2008

Game Requirements:
Operating System: Windows XP/Vista
1GB System RAM (XP) / 2GB System RAM (Vista)
2.4 Ghz Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent processor
Direct X 9.0c compliant videocard with 256MB RAM (NVIDIA 6800 or better / ATI X850 or better)

Description of the game: Fallout 3 is an interesting Role Playing game that takes place in an open world with almost endless opportunity for exploration and making decisions. In the game, there is no black or white options. Only shades of grey. There is no out right good or bad decisions, and most decisions you make will affect what happens in the game.

Game Play: Every run through of the game gives the player the opportunity to try something different. The karma system itself increases replay value of the game. With each decision you make, an influence to the general game. The map also appears to be endless with almost the sense that the map goes on forever.

The bad point is that the game play may be very short if you stick to the main storyline. You will have to take the time to travel the world and abandon the main line quest for a while to truely explore the world. For example, you have the opportunity to blow up a citycalled megaton, which would give you alot of bad karma.

However, what makes the game even better than it is is the 4 DLCs released fr the game which adds value to the game. Lengthening gameplay value and time.

Graphics:
Graphics wise the game is immensely fantastic. Even on a low speced computer, the game runs amazingly well, however, certain expect of the graphics have to be turned off.

Sound:
Zuir did a very good job with the sounds in the game. However, it has to be noted the music in the radio station tends to be boring after a while as they are almost on an endless loop with the occasional voice of 3-dog.

Conclusion:
The Game is a fantastic game that truely has surpassed the defination of open world as there is almost no representation of a loading screen in the game. In a world that is that large, the feeling that there is almost no loading screen is amazingly unique for a game of that scale.

Battlefield Heroes

Title of the Game: Battlefield Heroes
Platform of Game: Available on the PC
Genre of Game: Third Person Casual Shooter
Developer: DICE, EA
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Product Model Year: TBA (Still In Closed Beta)
Game Requirements: Windows XP or Windows Vista, CPU: 1.0 GHz, RAM: 512 Mb (1Gb on Windows Vista), Video Card: 64Mb DirectX compliant video card with at least pixel shader 2.0 support, Hard Drive space: 1Gb of space is required to install the game, Internet connection: 256kbit Cable/DSL connection

Description of the game:
Battlefield heroes is an interesting new breath into the world of online games. The developers at DICE, have decided to forgo realism and make the game a cartoon shooter, thus making it a casual game. Unlike it’s valve counterpart, team fortress 2 that took the same root, but with added blood and gore, this game loses the blood and gore and replace it to be a more arcade stylized game.

The game uses a class system similar to it’s other Battlefield predecessors, however what makes this particular game unique is the introduction of character customizations and that the game is free to play. The publisher, EA decided to go with an advertising model build into the game then going the traditional route of selling the game storefront. Small banner ads are displayed in the lobby and several places in the game. Interestingly enough they do not really take the user’s or player’s experience away from the intended game play. But who knows, when advertisements will actually appear in-game.

Game Play:
The game is a free to play cartoon shooter, however it carries a third person point of view. Players who are not comfortable by this viewpoint might find this quite disturbing however, the approach the game took in implementing it’s skill system might redeem itself. For example, the soldier, can heal everyone on your team at a radius. Thus this means that players will not only be helping themselves to survive longer, but helping their entire team.

In the number of games I have played, I noticed that the game’s fundamental structure is capture the flag. That principal in itself works, but the game only has capture the flag, making the game choices pretty blend.

There are 3 classes each with their own specialties. Though, the commando might be overpowered by their stealth ability being in infinite, almost making themselves invisible for the whole time, only appearing, when they attack or are close to other players.

The variety of vehicles, ranging from mounted turrets to tanks to jeeps and aircraft make the game choices for attack really interesting, however we do notice that flying the airplane is no easy feat. Using the mouse as the yaw stick is very annoying, playing it at demo alone, I notice I almost always leave the area. Playing in a proper server, I noticed people flying the aircraft in incredible ways, I have no idea either to be shocked or ashamed. Perhaps flying is just not my thing.

For the tanks, as if to emphasize on the cartoon part of the cartoon shooter, the tank shoots with an interesting pop sound instead of the traditional boom.

Graphics:
The Game is incredibly colourful, being a cartoon shooter after all. With plenty shades of colours to emphasize the backdrop of the maps, representing areas in france and small towns. Though the game works even on my EEEpc, the textures appear well placed and good with few graphical glitches.

The effects, like glow and the pop of the tank appear fairly well in the cartoon like environment of the game. Especially the skills used in the game.

However, one iffy of the game is that almost all characters in the game appear al most robotic, they arn’t very fluid, for example, when jumping the character appears to just jump straight up, it’s almost as if all the soldiers were soaked in starch and left out in the sun to dry for 3 days, and ironed out.

Sound:
Being a cartoon shooter game, the game makes use of cartoon sound effects to mix it up. Also, the theme song of the game is indeed very catchy. I admit i do have that song as my ringtone for my handphone. It is indeed that catchy.

Sound effects wise, the game has quite a varied number of sound effects at it’s disposal.

Conclusion:
The game is an interesting take for an MMO game, it does have it’s drawbacks, and it’s the first time EA is trying out this new business model, we can just wait and see if the game takes off the way it should. Though it has it’s flaws, it’s still in beta and the developers are still working on the game. The developers are indeed listening to the experience from players and are still improving on the game.

The game is still in beta stage so experience after this review was written might change.