Medal of Honor (Review)

Medal Of Honor
Platform: Xbox 360(Reviewed), PS3, PC
Developer: Danger Close
Publisher: EA
Release: October 2010

Before sitting down with MOH, you could be forgiven for thinking that you’d already seen everything it had to offer. Famous WWII game decides to change over to modern setting; Multiplayer with unlockable weapon upgrades; throw in some ATV sequences and it all feels a bit familiar. But once I started playing, I suddenly started to realise that maybe this wasn’t just an answer to COD4 and MW2 a few years too late. The plot is surprisingly good; and the AI of your team mates makes you actually care about their well being.

There are plenty of little touches to make the experience more believable, and more varied. If you stick with your team, rather than go off maverick, you can ask them for ammo when you run low. When breaching doors, the team will alternate who goes in first, so sometimes it’s you kicking it in, and other times you’re providing support. In most FPS games, you’ll have a slightly different loadout for each mission, but MOH takes it to a new level, with your loadout giving you a particular role within the team. If you’re carrying the heavy machine gun, you’ll be asked to hold back, or suppress enemy heavy weapons; while silenced weaponary might see you going forward as a scout.

The game’s set pieces, such as vehicle sections, or calling in missile strikes, seems far more linked into the gameplay than Modern Warfare, and joined with the limited HUD, makes for a far more story based experience. MOH may not have the glitz and glamour of MW2, but it is far more than a simple copy. There are lessons here that MW could learn from in the future; and so I really think MOH 2 could give MW3 a run for it’s money.

Review by Drew Bryce

HALO Reach (Review)

Platform: Xbox 360(Reviewed)
Developer: Bungie
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Release: September 2010

As soon as the opening cinematic of Halo Reach began, I felt the beginning of the end. Even Non-HALO fans have to admit, that HALO has been a defining force in action games for the last decade. Regenerating health; two weapon loadouts and many more have all come from HALO. All that I wanted from Reach was a suitable ending to the saga, and I can’t think of a single disappointing feature. It is, without a doubt, the definitive edition in the series. Bungie pulled out all the stops, and is clearly listening to the online community.

To be honest, Reach feels almost like a Best of, or a Special edition. It takes all of the best aspects of the first games, and brings them together for one final mission. But there are plenty of new features too for diehard fans. The most noticeable difference is in the enemy AI. HALO has also been praised for fine AI, but Reach takes it to a new level. The Elites are without question, the most violent enemies I have had the privilege to kill. They are bigger, better armoured, and often don’t need to worry about advanced tactics, merely
running straight at you with no fear.

The biggest change to the gameplay is the welcome addition of the armour abilities that keeps things fresh. Many of the abilities take time to get used to, but once you have learned to use them, you
wonder how you managed without them before. Long story short, buy it. Buy it now. Even if you aren’t a fan, this is a game that every true gamer needs to have adorning their shelf.

Review by Drew Bryce

Civilization Revolution (Review)

Civilization Revolution is a Turn-Based Strategy game in which you choose and lead a civilization to victory through several possible means. This new instalment of the popular PC series, Civilization (of which there are now 5 iterations), has been redesigned and rebuilt for consoles and hand-held devices. It's effectively a “dumbed-down” version, if you will, of it's PC relative, but that doesn't mean the game is any less challenging.

The restrictions that come with console controllers mean that it is difficult to play Real-Time or Turn-Based Strategy games with the same speed and fluidity that's possible on a PC. Having said that, the way the game has been redesigned to work with the Xbox 360 controller means that all the controls that you need are never more than a button press or a menu away. The fact that this game is Turn-Based means you can afford to take your time and take the game at your own pace, which suits the gameplay very well and you never feel rushed or hurried (unless an army is on your doorstep!)

To achieve victory, you can defeat your opponents in a number of different ways. You can win a match with an Economic, Cultural, Technology or Domination victory, with each type requiring certain criteria to achieve. With an Economic victory for example, you must have 20, 000 Gold in your possession before you can build the World Bank. Once the World Bank has finished being built, you will win.

On the harder difficulties, it can get very tense when you are a number of Gold pieces away from building the World Bank and another Civ only needs 1 more Great Person or Wonder before they can build the United Nations (for a Cultural Victory). Similarly, once you have researched enough technology, you can launch rockets into space and build an intergalactic Ark. The goal here is to launch the Ark and travel to Alpha Centurai. It takes a few turns for your Ark to get there, but once it does then you will achieve a Technology victory. Domination is the most straight forward, since all you need to do is capture all of the other Civ's Capital cities to win.

The number of civilizations is impressive, with each Civ having different bonuses that occur when you reach a Certain stage of history. For example, the American start off with a 2% interest bonus on Gold reserves and when you reach the Modern Era, your factories will triple Production. The colourful cast of character that represent each Civ are based on historical figures from that civilization. Napoleon represents the French, Lincoln represents the Americans an they continue in that fashion. Likewise, your advisor’s are equally colourful and their appearance changes depending on the Era you are in.

There are also a variety of Scenarios to keep you occupied, if the main game doesn't appeal to you. Each of the Scenarios have certain conditions that alter the way the match is set up, from more frequent Barbarian attacks to having all of the Technologies researched, making a Tech victory impossible. If it weren't for these scenarios, there wouldn't be much to keep you going and the serve to give the game a bit of longevity, since there is no story or additional objectives other than win the
match. This makes the game feel a bit empty, but the games themselves can last a long time and it can get very addictive, with the old feeling of “just one more go” being experienced over and over again.

Graphically the game is solid, with bright and colourful visuals and simple, yet effective, animations. The cities that you build will all look similar however, with the exception of having individual “Wonders” being build in your city. Likewise, your Settlers or Military units will look the same as your opponents, with a slightly different colour scheme. I didn't see this as a bad thing, but it would have added a bit if character to the units you built, making each civilization feel that little bit different from the rest.

The music in the game is nice and the SFX do their job, and that's all you can really say. There's no need for atmospheric music and wacky sound effects and consequently everything sounds appropriate. It's a missed opportunity to not include Civ specific music or SFX, but to be honest, it doesn't detract from the game either.

I haven't spoken at all about the Multiplayer, since I haven't played it. However, I understand it to be a bit slow. There is an option to turn on a Chess-style timer, but ultimately it would be exactly the same as playing the single player, so it doesn't add much to the game.

I have spent a long time with this game and have thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a bit shallow in terms of the amount of game you get for your money, but you can spend a long time in matches and they can get quite tense, so I would say that it was definitely worth picking up if you can get it for less than the RRP.

Review by Kenneth Hubble

Borderlands (Review)

Platform: Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, Playstation 3
Developer: Gearbox
Publisher: 2K
Release: October

Very original and yet it's not at the same time...

Borderlands is an FPS/RPG of the loot whoring kind that seems to borrow elements from so many games that even though this is an original IP, it feels like I have played this before.

The story is nothing special, it merely serves as the purpose to play through the game and offers nothing in terms of character relationships or even character development. You arrive on Pandora (unfortunately not as gorgeous as Avatar's Pandora...) which is mostly a dusty wasteland, inhabited by thugs of the Mad Max variety and creatures of the WTF variety. Your purpose is to find "The Vault" a myth that holds unimaginable wealth and has been hunted for by hundreds of travellers to no avail.

There are 4 selectable characters to choose from, each with a specific set of skills and abilities. You can be a Soldier, Siren, Berserker or Sniper, each with 3 "trees" of abilities that you can put a point in each time you level up. However, this doesn't mean that if you choose the Sniper character that you can't use a shotgun. The more you use a weapon, the better you become at using it, for example my Sniper's best weapon by far is the shotgun. The only difference between the characters in the beginning are their Action Skills but eventually a level 50 Siren will be very different from a level 50 Berserker depending on how you distribute your Skill Points.

The gameplay is very solid and plays more like Halo 3 or Call of Duty 4/Mod 2 than say Fallout 3. The action can be very high tempo but even if you find yourself with no shield and no health, there is a Second Wind function that allows you the chance to kill an enemy as you are bleeding out. If you are successful, you will regain all of your shield and a small bit of health and that keeps the action flowing. That function has saved me more times than I can remember. The enemy AI is a little bit suspect sometimes, but is usually pretty good, however there will be instances where they will run your direction and yet face a completely different one. You will never really struggle too much with the missions and the enemies unless you decide to take on something that is a higher level than you are, which makes the game enjoyable yet still challenging. I pretty much cruised through the game at a steady pace, not that it was easy, but much like Mario Galaxy, if you just keep plugging away then you will progress.

Every enemy will usually drop something when they are killed, be it weapons, ammo or money and that's what this game is really about, the loot. Gearbox Software have created an engine that will generate an obscene amount of weapons, making the chance to find something unique higher. I found myself constantly hunting for better weapons and better weapon set-ups, like a shotgun with added acid damage or an assault rifle that has a scope. I often found that the best weapons weren't necessarily the ones with a higher level or the rarest drop rate and occasionally I have compromised when taking a slightly less powerful weapon for a weapon with a faster firing rate or better scope.

Graphically, the game is pretty detailed, using Epic's Unreal Engine (to be honest, what isn't nowadays) and has a strong, comic book inspired design. However, the environment gets boring sometimes and there are only really 5 or 6 types of enemies. The higher the level those enemies are, the more variety you will see but for the most part you won't see anything new for a while. All the characters have an individual style and the bosses and later enemies are characterised well too, but the planet still feels too small. I will say I was disappointed with the final boss, which ended up being a very generic final fight with a generic final boss (who, by the way, was very easy to beat once I had found and exploited a technique).

The Audio, much like the story, is nothing to right home about but is still solid and appropriate for the game. There is really only one moment in the game where I have felt that the music was good and that was the introduction movie which uses a licensed track. There are small pieces of dialogue from your character every time you level up or score a critical hit, and they break up the grunts and screams of either yourself or your enemies when being attacked. Characters you interact with are voiced well and I have found myself feeling anxious or paranoid when I could hear an enemy but not see them.

For all the negative things that I have mentioned in this review, I do genuinely like the game. But the fact it reminds of other games I have played makes it feel less special. The gameplay is like Halo 3 or CoD:MW1/2, the graphics are like Prince or Persia, the style of the game is like Fallout 3 or Bioshock, the Guardians are like the Space Pirates from the Metroid series and the loot dropping is akin to WoW or Diablo. Admittedly these are all good games and imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but the originality soon wears off once you begin to recognise each of these games in Borderlands.

It's fun, addictive and a very solid game, just don't expect to be blown away by it

Plants vs. Zombies (Review)

Platform: Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, Xbox Live Arcade, Nintendo DS
Developer: PopCap Games
Publisher: PopCap Games
Release: May 2009 (PC)/September 2010 (Other Platforms)

Across a lifetime of video gaming, there are a few things that I have realised. There are some games that I’ve loved playing because they were a challenge; some games I’ve played time and again because they scared me; some games I’ve played because I enjoyed being in the shoes of the character. Plants Vs Zombies fits into one simple category. It’s fun. There is no real way to put it into words. It’s simple, and yet different players will come across complex and differing strategies. It’s easy to pick up and play, and hard to put down.

Having completed the PC version of the game several times, I didn’t expect to get much play time from the XBLA version. And yet, I found myself being drawn in again by its pied piper music, colourful design, and addictive gameplay. For those who missed out on the craze of the PC version, PvZ on the surface, is a straightforward
tower defense game. Zombies are attacking your house (and want to eat your brains. Mmm. Brains). Your only defence is the array of mutant plants at your disposal (49 in total). In standard tower defense style, you have to collect resource (sunlight) and use it to build offensive and defensive equipment to aid your survival. The weaponry ranges from the simple (pea shooters; cabbage catapults) to the crazy and heavily explosive (jalapeno pepper bombs; frozen watermelon launchers). The main game is split across fifty levels, ten on each of the five areas (front garden day; front garden night; back garden day; back garden night; and rooftop). Each area offers different challenges, and different zombie types. Night time levels make it more difficult to collect sunlight, while back garden levels have the added challenge of water. As you move through the game, you unlock more powerful plants, and seed packets that can be used to improve simpler plants (at a price). With the main game complete, there is still plenty to do, including mini games, tending to your
Zen Garden, and my personal favourite survival mode.

The XBLA addition of the game brings with it new multiplayer modes Co-op and Versus. In co-op mode, both players can plant, and one can apply butter to zombies (just as weird as it sounds)to slow them down. If anything, co-op mode did seem to make the game a little too easy, and felt slightly more like a “Girlfriend Mode”. Versus on the other hand is a stroke of genius, allowing players to go head to head, Plants vs
Zombies. The plant player, plays as normal, while the zombie player collects “Brain power” in order to place their zombie horde. The main problem with VS mode seemed to be that it wasn’t very well matched, so one player (usually Plants) could easily feel outmatched. The main worry with point and click strategy style games being ported to console, is that the control system won’t ever be able to rival a mouse. In this case, PopCap has done a brilliant job, and if anything I would say that the 360 control system seems like a more natural way to play the game.

Whether you have played a different version of the game or not, this is a game that I could not recommend more highly. It is intensely addictive, and will be enjoyable for hardcore and casual gamers alike. If nothing else, play it just to watch the music video that plays out the end credits...

Dead Space (Review)

Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360,Microsoft Windows
Developer: EA Redwood Shores
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release: October 2008

In the dark, on your own, with nothing but a mining tool to save you from what lurks in the shadows of the USG Ishimura. Dead Space is truly one of the most atmospheric games ever created.

I am a little late to the show in reviewing this game now, seen as it has nearly been on shelves for two years. However, I have just finished it and feel that I should spread the word on this supremely impressive game.

As a fan of 3rd person survival horror games; Resident Evil and Silent Hill being my all time favourites, I was intrigued by the style that Dead Space was made in. I am one of those people who feel that a game can either create atmosphere by removing action, or forget it all together. I am not a fan of the newer games in the Resident Evil series because of this exact reason. However, Dead Space manages to maintain a delicate balance on a very thin line.


The game takes place for the most part on a mining vessel named the USG Ishimura. A team were sent out to check up on them and find that there is no radio response and no sign of any lights on board. After crashing your ship into the docking bay, things just get worse as members of your crew are attacked and you end up separated. You are playing as the character Isaac Clarke. With your trusted mining tool at your side you have to run, kill and maim your way through hordes of evil, and eventually find out what the Hell is going on aboard the ship.

The first thing people will notice with Dead Space is that there is absolutely no HUD on screen. All of the elements which usually make up the HUD are placed in plain sight as part of the character. Your health is shown on the character’s back; communications are shown as projections from the characters suit, etc. All of this brilliantly designed to make it look more realistic and involve the player to a degree I have rarely experienced. Minimalist displays are something that many games have used since; a prime example being Split/Second.

Another mechanic touted by this game is the “strategic dismemberment”. This sees the player using his weapons to shoot the limbs off of the enemies in attempts to either slow them down, or even kill them. The beauty of using this technique is that you are rewarded by being able to drop enemies faster. If you choose to ignore this and just blast away, you will find that they are far more difficult to kill.

When I watched the original trailers for Dead Space, I was sceptical as to whether the game would be all action and no story. I was wrong. Despite it not being an Oscar winning piece of fiction, it keeps the player enthralled with the mystery, and allows you to become attached to the character even though he never opens his mouth. I am not entirely sure if it is the story that makes you feel empathy, or the lack of dialogue for your character creating a personal connection with the circumstances.

If you want a game that will scare you, challenge you and keep you occupied with content, then Dead Space is your game! I have no hesitation in saying that it will be worth every penny and you will be on the edge of your seat from the first encounter to the games shocking conclusion.

Kinect Sports (Preview)

Platform: Xbox 360
Developer: Rare
Publisher: Microsoft Games Studios
Release: November 2010

With the release of Kinect for 360 looming, the team at Gamepocalypse sat down with Rare to find out a little more about their launch title Kinect Sports. Available in the demo we played were 100 metre dash; bowling; and javelin; and we were treated to video footage of football, which is presumably in an earlier phase of development.

The first thing you notice about Kinect is the sheer level of control that it allows over your character. In bowling, the player can select a ball with their left or right hand, and we were able to add spin, throw overhead, or merely marvel that when we moved our legs, the avatar moved too.

Although at first glance, Kinect may appear like an attempt to follow in the footsteps of the Wii, as soon as you play it you will see the difference. Where Wii Sports was fun between friends, Kinect Sports is genuinely challenging. The 100 metre dash left us out of breath, and gave me more of a workout than Wii Fit ever has.

Obviously, it’s still early days, and only time will tell if Kinect will become the 32x of the generation as some fear, but this is definitely an encouraging start.