What's in the pouch today skip?

• 6May 11

  Gears Of War 3 Beta

  This is an early review as there is no where to post one, those who may be interested can read here.

  I was away the first week that BETA was launched and sadly missed a little game time so by the time I entered the fray - I was being punished severely, but a slightly different physic to the game. It is faster and smoother, and you are having to almost pre-empt button strikes and maneuvers before action takes place. It makes for a very furious game. If you're unable to react fast enough someone has smeared your remains all over the wall (and often themselves). I have the first two games but they did little in preparing me for this title - except teach me how to roadie run EVERYWHERE!

  This is great for those who like an action packed game. They seem to have made it easier to die with the red skull ring appearing faster than before (perhaps they are trying to attract those of the MW series). Personally, I don't like the touch, as the WORLD of GEARS set in the future it should be a little harder to kill a man, than todays standard of MW. Oddly enough, by firing a round of your lancer or even hammer-burst into the head of a character won't kill them straight away - which doesn't make sense when other weapons clearly do so...

  This is not a game for the beginner. I hope that the campaign offers more to the kid who wants to get a load of the hype, because if he/she gets online, they will be destroyed. This kind of slaughter leaves one to be very disheartened, even to one who is as stubborn as myself to try and be in the upper echelon of GEAR heads.

  I've noticed a few problems with the beta; it is now possible to run completely past a proximity frag grenade before it explodes; there are far too many times that both parties kill each other at the same time, characters get stuck on edges, there is virtually no need for a sniper rifle at all (it will most likely only come in handy during the campaign), and it appears to be more of a shotgun fest than ever before. It would have been nice to have a weapon introduced that competes against these booming busters. And then there are the levels, which for all but one are far too small for the amount of action going on.

  On the flip side, the levels are detailed and quite innovative, providing some interesting areas for combat. The characters are great. It's awesome to run around as a chick and kick some guys asses. and also great to hear her swear her head off when her gun jams on a mistimed reload. Everything has stepped up a notch in terms of how it looks and the natural shape of say an arm has been smoothed over to give a more real effect. They've tinkered a bit with sound too so firing rounds into gym lockers or store shelves sound great. The achievements are all possible and can be reached with mild perseverance. Best of all dedicated servers make it possible for me to play people in my local area without LAG. Sadly this means that I don't play with my American and Canadian friends as often. (Who says we don't need the NBN - give us more gaming power!)

  Once you become accustomed to the physics it can make for a very fun exciting match. There are times when you're the last man standing you wonder how the hell you'll make it through four or more opponents. But I have seen those truly talented masters take on a team and manage to escape alive. There is definitely a level of skill involved, and if you aren't prepared to do the hard yards to be 'capable' of holding your own, I suggest you try a different game. Matched against hardcore Gear heads will make you want to face the unforgiving MW kids without fear.

  There are a few bugs in the system like the server excluding what you chose as your character and weapons to start with, and randomly choosing the leader in CTL, but I enjoy the game immensely and there is an element of bias having played and enjoyed the first two, but I will refrain from giving it 'top marks' as it is still a prototype. I look forward to reviewing the game in full come September.

  7/10

  pz

  • Posted May 6, 2011 4:48 am GMT
  • Category: Games
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• 25Mar 11

  Because it's difficult...

  This is a disclaimer for any of those who decide or happen to read any of my game reviews.

  I tend to rate the difficulty on a level of what I find difficult. Most of the time, I find games quite easy. That is not to say that there aren't those gamers out there with far greater capabilities than I; to those I can only hope you improve with every one of those many hours you spend at the job *tips hat*.

  I always set the game at the highest available level to grasp the developers true intentions and how much dedication they've put in to making a serious game for the hard core (of which I consider myself) *raises fist*.8)

  So it is with this in mind I rate something like Ninja Gaiden to be 'VERY HARD', and something like Vanquish which can be extremely difficult on harder levels and challenges to be 'JUST RIGHT'.

  pz

  • Posted Mar 25, 2011 2:18 am GMT
  • Category: Games
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