A feature by Pavel Barter of PC Zone magazine about game composition.
23 January 2009
19 January 2009
Preview of 2009's PC shooters
2008 will take some beating, but if enough developers can sneak their games out before Christmas, it's possible. Not that I want them to of course, I'd prefer the release dates of big titles spread evenly rather than them all being pumped out in the space of three hours, please. Here are the games I'm looking forward to playing this year, although several of them will probably be delayed until 2010.
Alan Wake
This heavily delayed 'psychological action thriller' from Remedy (the team behind Max Payne) promises a massive free-roam world and a true cinematic experience. It could raise the bar if the Finnish developer pulls off both.
Aliens: Colonial Marines
Details are scarce on this squad-based shooter but innovative gameplay ideas have stirred up interest.
Bioshock 2: Sea of Dreams
2K recently said that Bioshock could get several sequels, so there is a worry this could be rushed out. Surely a franchise with this much potential will retain it's brilliance and not become a shallow cash cow.
Borderlands
Intriguing alien-blaster with RPG elements being developed by Gearbox. The main thrust of the game's promotion is the random weapon generator, with 600,000 possible variations!
The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
The criminally under-rated original probably suffered from a lack of hype and it's apparently poor film cousin. It came out of nowhere and turned out to be excellent. This time we're ready.
Deus Ex 3
The game I'm looking forward to most of all. After the second in the series took a battering from critics, hopes are high that this can come closer to doing the original justice.
Fear 2: Project Origin
Reviews are already rolling in for this one, and while it doesn't seem to setting the world on fire I have no doubts it will be a solid, exciting shooter.
Mafia II
Probably the second most exciting sequel due out this year. I loved almost everything about the gangster film-inspired original so this could be easily be my game of the year.
Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising
A shiny update to the brutally difficult and realistic original is a dream come true for gun nuts.
Prototype
This sandbox action game will give the player superhuman abilities with which to run riot in New York and regain his wiped memory by consuming the bodies of those he kills.
Splinter Cell: Conviction
Another installment of this consistently great Tom Clancy series is always more than welcome. The first four managed to deliver the goods, this will too.
Wolfenstein
Reaction to details on this WWII shooter has been lukewarm at best. The inclusion of aliens came as a nasty surprise to many, but I am quietly confident iD will get it right.
Alan Wake
This heavily delayed 'psychological action thriller' from Remedy (the team behind Max Payne) promises a massive free-roam world and a true cinematic experience. It could raise the bar if the Finnish developer pulls off both.
Aliens: Colonial Marines
Details are scarce on this squad-based shooter but innovative gameplay ideas have stirred up interest.
Bioshock 2: Sea of Dreams
2K recently said that Bioshock could get several sequels, so there is a worry this could be rushed out. Surely a franchise with this much potential will retain it's brilliance and not become a shallow cash cow.
Borderlands
Intriguing alien-blaster with RPG elements being developed by Gearbox. The main thrust of the game's promotion is the random weapon generator, with 600,000 possible variations!
The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
The criminally under-rated original probably suffered from a lack of hype and it's apparently poor film cousin. It came out of nowhere and turned out to be excellent. This time we're ready.
Deus Ex 3
The game I'm looking forward to most of all. After the second in the series took a battering from critics, hopes are high that this can come closer to doing the original justice.
Fear 2: Project Origin
Reviews are already rolling in for this one, and while it doesn't seem to setting the world on fire I have no doubts it will be a solid, exciting shooter.
Mafia II
Probably the second most exciting sequel due out this year. I loved almost everything about the gangster film-inspired original so this could be easily be my game of the year.
Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising
A shiny update to the brutally difficult and realistic original is a dream come true for gun nuts.
Prototype
This sandbox action game will give the player superhuman abilities with which to run riot in New York and regain his wiped memory by consuming the bodies of those he kills.
Splinter Cell: Conviction
Another installment of this consistently great Tom Clancy series is always more than welcome. The first four managed to deliver the goods, this will too.
Wolfenstein
Reaction to details on this WWII shooter has been lukewarm at best. The inclusion of aliens came as a nasty surprise to many, but I am quietly confident iD will get it right.
AFX - Konklaver
Read today on two heavyweight electronic music forums that a new AFX album is due out in March on Rephlex (possibly as the label's 200th release). Cue two months of fanboyism debating on the quality of the music before anyone has heard it, whether Richard is past his best and whether the rumour is true anyway.
The track lengths look appealing, and the timing is perfect for electronic music's most important artist to rejuvenate the ailing IDM scene with a long-awaited new album, so an official announcement would of course be the most exciting news in the world ever. I'm going to leave the speculation at that for now, and live in hope.
Tracklist:
1. Flan Ard (4:10)
2. Saint Water 2 (5:59)
3. Gatelewn (5:43)
4. Mist In Storage (2:57)
5. Konklaver (8:41)
6. Fashionable Headpiece
7. Kashing For (5:03)
8. In (Fank2) (9:37)
The track lengths look appealing, and the timing is perfect for electronic music's most important artist to rejuvenate the ailing IDM scene with a long-awaited new album, so an official announcement would of course be the most exciting news in the world ever. I'm going to leave the speculation at that for now, and live in hope.
Tracklist:
1. Flan Ard (4:10)
2. Saint Water 2 (5:59)
3. Gatelewn (5:43)
4. Mist In Storage (2:57)
5. Konklaver (8:41)
6. Fashionable Headpiece
7. Kashing For (5:03)
8. In (Fank2) (9:37)
11 January 2009
CliffyB: Console sellout
It would seem everyone has got their opinion on what the outspoken lead designer of Epic Games has said about the state of PC gaming. Xbox kids finally have the chance to mock their superiors for a valid reason after it was revealed that Gears of War 2 would not be released on PC, and PC gamers have been left reeling after CliffyB's explanation why. He claimed that "PC gaming is in disarray". His connotation of 'disarray' being that piracy is affecting sales, nothing to do with the quality of the games, which of course continue to lead the way.
I've reluctantly given in to corporate selfishness and given half of the money to my brother towards buying the game. I feel like a dirty little child when playing it of course, so the sooner it's completed the better. Throw in the fact that it's too similar to the original and therefore somewhat uninteresting and I start to wonder whether PC gamers are missing out anyway (not just sour grapes).
If Cliffy wasn't so blinded by greed he would have noticed that the PC still enjoys a stronger release schedule than all of it's kid brothers combined. If he's abandoning the PC for good, I hope he refrains from attempting to damage it's reputation with his desperate PR.
I've reluctantly given in to corporate selfishness and given half of the money to my brother towards buying the game. I feel like a dirty little child when playing it of course, so the sooner it's completed the better. Throw in the fact that it's too similar to the original and therefore somewhat uninteresting and I start to wonder whether PC gamers are missing out anyway (not just sour grapes).
If Cliffy wasn't so blinded by greed he would have noticed that the PC still enjoys a stronger release schedule than all of it's kid brothers combined. If he's abandoning the PC for good, I hope he refrains from attempting to damage it's reputation with his desperate PR.
8 January 2009
Memorable experience 5: No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way
This game holds a very special place in my heart. It was a close call that it even made it into my pile of Christmas presents in 2002, as my Mum told me she'd been asking shop assistants if they stocked No One Ever Lives. I'll be forever grateful that she was alerted to her ignorance. The undoubted quality of the sequel came as a surprise after the flawed original had split opinion down the middle.
I mainly remember NOLF 2 for it's slick, fluid gameplay, glorious graphical style and it's wonderfully imaginative weaponry. Also, the female protagonist, Cate Archer, stands as the coolest female to ever appear in a computer game. A factor which set NOLF 2 apart from other shooters was its locations. Hugely varied, and always a joy to be part of, they ranged from a trailer park in Ohio during a tornado to a Japanese ninja village. Beautifully lavish with colour, they were a relief from the usual bleak, grey corridors. The game tells the best secret agent story I've heard. It's delightfully tongue-in-cheek and unpredictable.
James Bond meets Austin Powers, but without the lameness, NOLF 2 is an outlandish masterpiece that stands out as somewhat of an anomaly among shooters. Technically, it's aged magnificently, to the extent that returning to it wouldn't dampen the nostalgia too much. If you missed it when it came out, pick it up for a pittance and be thankful you're a negligent enough gamer to have not enjoyed it yet.
The tricycle chase
I mainly remember NOLF 2 for it's slick, fluid gameplay, glorious graphical style and it's wonderfully imaginative weaponry. Also, the female protagonist, Cate Archer, stands as the coolest female to ever appear in a computer game. A factor which set NOLF 2 apart from other shooters was its locations. Hugely varied, and always a joy to be part of, they ranged from a trailer park in Ohio during a tornado to a Japanese ninja village. Beautifully lavish with colour, they were a relief from the usual bleak, grey corridors. The game tells the best secret agent story I've heard. It's delightfully tongue-in-cheek and unpredictable.
James Bond meets Austin Powers, but without the lameness, NOLF 2 is an outlandish masterpiece that stands out as somewhat of an anomaly among shooters. Technically, it's aged magnificently, to the extent that returning to it wouldn't dampen the nostalgia too much. If you missed it when it came out, pick it up for a pittance and be thankful you're a negligent enough gamer to have not enjoyed it yet.
The tricycle chase
7 January 2009
Recommended game and music combinations (Part 4)
Thanks to the well-publicised feast of top quality shooters that were released at the end of 2008, my earlier recommended game and music combinations now seem very last-generation. It is a homage to the strength of those few months that I deemed this update necessary. Judging by the vibrancy in the industry at present, expect to see part 5 in a year's time.
Single-player
Fallout 3
The best game in years, this RPG masterpiece has you roaming the wastes of a bombed-out Washington DC after emerging from an underground vault. Satisfying, absorbing and at times breathtaking.
Grand Theft Auto IV
Rockstar have edged slightly closer to free-form perfection with the latest in their brilliant crime series. Still flawed in some ways, but wildly fun nonetheless and packed with things to do.
Far Cry and Far Cry 2
I've used the recent arrival of the beautifully realised sequel as a chance to add the glorious original to my recommendations. The first is set in paradise, the second in harsh African wastelands. Both will make you feel very lonely and can be brutally difficult.
Single-player
Fallout 3
The best game in years, this RPG masterpiece has you roaming the wastes of a bombed-out Washington DC after emerging from an underground vault. Satisfying, absorbing and at times breathtaking.
Grand Theft Auto IV
Rockstar have edged slightly closer to free-form perfection with the latest in their brilliant crime series. Still flawed in some ways, but wildly fun nonetheless and packed with things to do.
Far Cry and Far Cry 2
I've used the recent arrival of the beautifully realised sequel as a chance to add the glorious original to my recommendations. The first is set in paradise, the second in harsh African wastelands. Both will make you feel very lonely and can be brutally difficult.
5 January 2009
Memorable experience 4: SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle
From a time when games were delightfully fresh and magical for me as a 12-year-old (1999, to be exact), I remember SWAT 3 as far and away the best tactical shooter of them all. In fact, the evening in which I spent hours replaying the demo's single mission (video below) is one of my most sacred gaming memories. Games seemed to last longer in those days, so I think I was still playing it in 2001, but have not returned since. SWAT 4 was brilliant, but didn't quite have the same charm. I certainly wouldn't be giggling nostalgically at YouTube videos of the 2005 sequel in the way that I do its predecessor's.
Another of my treasured memories from the game is when me and a friend spent every night of several weeks replaying one of the best missions on the hardest difficulty setting. The randomly placed AI, who when given the smallest of chances will down you, meant the player had to be meticulous tactically. Progress was always slow, tension was incredibly high and completion was hugely rewarding. There was a feeling that Sierra had simply nailed the tactical shooter experience, and I couldn't imagine it would ever be bettered. In my opinion, it hasn't.
Unfortunately, as a preteen I never possessed the tactical nous or patience to complete all of the missions, as they became frighteningly difficult. I'll always remember SWAT 3 as the first game that had me thinking tactically and sparked a worrying interest in weaponry. If there is a developer out there planning the fifth in the series, I beg you to get a move on. I promise your game won't be compared to SWAT 3, that would just be unfair.
The game's third mission
Music wise, try dark ambient for the slower missions or dark drum 'n' bass for the faster ones to ramp up the tension even further
Another of my treasured memories from the game is when me and a friend spent every night of several weeks replaying one of the best missions on the hardest difficulty setting. The randomly placed AI, who when given the smallest of chances will down you, meant the player had to be meticulous tactically. Progress was always slow, tension was incredibly high and completion was hugely rewarding. There was a feeling that Sierra had simply nailed the tactical shooter experience, and I couldn't imagine it would ever be bettered. In my opinion, it hasn't.
Unfortunately, as a preteen I never possessed the tactical nous or patience to complete all of the missions, as they became frighteningly difficult. I'll always remember SWAT 3 as the first game that had me thinking tactically and sparked a worrying interest in weaponry. If there is a developer out there planning the fifth in the series, I beg you to get a move on. I promise your game won't be compared to SWAT 3, that would just be unfair.
The game's third mission
Music wise, try dark ambient for the slower missions or dark drum 'n' bass for the faster ones to ramp up the tension even further
Fallout 3
I now realise my unforgivable mistake in dismissing what I now consider the second best single-player game of all time (after Deus Ex, of course) from my Christmas recommendations. Fallout 3 was the glaring omission and my excuse is that I had not gotten round to playing it among the bounty of great games all coming out at the same time. 43 absorbing hours later (including eight on Christmas Day, stopping only for turkey and presents) and I'd reached the almost tearful climax. If you haven't already, play it to completion.
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