Thought I might as well review some of the recent titles I've played.
GRAND THEFT AUTO IV (XBox 360 version. Also on PS3.)The GTA series has always been rather controversial and a mixed bag for me. Since it hit the 3D stylings in GTA3, the games have all been excellent, but not without flaws. GTA3 was a great introduction, but had a few control and camera issues, and was a tad limited. Vice City improved a lot on it, but had you in a world that felt like it was designed in a game. And San Andreas was huge and filled to the brim with things to do, but had an uninteresting story and main character, and sometimes tended too much towards extra features instead of where it counted.
GTAIV is kind of a rebirth in a way. It kind of turns back the clock, starting things over again. In a lot of ways it feels like GTA3 all over again, but bigger and fresher, and without the problems. Some will be put off by a lot of things that Vice City and San Andreas introduced that are missing, such as buying property and flying planes. But these aren't really problems when you take into account the sheer attention to detail that Rockstar have put into this new game. The world feels more real than probably any other game so far, thanks to the little things. Pedestrians no longer seem like mindless wandering drones; they now talk on cellphones, buy coffees and drink them, run for cover or draw umbrellas when it rains, etc. You can not only listen to the radio like before, but there's cellphones to use, the Internet to surf or television with actual shows and commercials on it. GTA also finally has dynamic lighting and ragdoll physics too. You can actually use taxi's properly now, can call paramedics and police to locations using your phone and finally climb ladders. There's even some moments where you get to decide the fate of people fairly important to the story.
Other big changes include the near disappearance of the HUD, and completely reworked police that no longer seem omnicient and solely out to get you and only you. In some ways their easier to ditch, in some ways harder. It depends. Shooting in general is quite different too, particuarly when in/on a vehicle. On foot you'll tend to want to take cover in a method rather similar to the combat in games like
Gears of War and
Mass Effect. Vehicles shooting is now both harder and easier at the same time, since you have to aim your gun now. Gone are the standard drive-by stylings of just shooting to either the left or right. This can make kills easier to get during a chase, since you no longer have to pull up beside them and hope like hell while you're shooting you don't hit anything ahead suddenly since your camera is facing sideways and not ahead. However, it also means driving while shooting is more of a challenge physically.
The important things are still the same though: great characters, great (if sometimes a little brick-to-the-face) satire, a good story and loads of fun, be you doing entertaining missions, or just running around doing whatever you like. Playing pool and attending strip clubs returns, but there's also darts, bowling and matinee shows. You can even get drunk at a traditional Irish pub, then attempt to stagger or drive home intoxicated if you like.
The graphics are pretty damn solid too. Gone are people who look like they're wearing giant oven mits with hands painted on them, and Liberty City has never looked more real. There are cracks in walls and garbage litters the streets. Almost anything in the world can be interacted with, even if it's just there to be knocked down.
If I have one complaint about the game, it's the driving itself. Firstly, the camera is far too low for my tastes. I already found this in San Andreas, but they've gone even further this time. Secondly, the driving and handling of the cars has been made more realistic. I'm rather mixed about this, as it suits the way they've gone for a more realistic setting, but at the same time I loved GTA because it was a more arcadey style of drive, rather than the more realistic racing games out there like the
Gran Turismo and
Need for Speed titles. I did get more used to driving at time went on, but I'd still prefer the snappier, road-hugging stylings of the predecessors over feeling like the car thinks the road is his enemy and tries to escape it at all costs.
That said, this is most definitely the best GTA game yet. If course, if you're a fan of the series, you probably already have it now.
Graphics: 9/10 - Very pretty, with good draw distances and fantastic lighting.
Sound: 10/10 - Great voice-acting, atmospheric sound effects and great stations.
Playability 9/10 - Very intuitive controls, that suit even a 360 controller quite well. Shame the camera is a tad low in vehicles.
Lastability 9/10 - Huge, and so much to do. Very much the sandbox game its predecessors were.
Grade: 9.5/10
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MASS EFFECT (PC)I've already reviewed the XBox 360 version, but I have to mention this one. The game is simply fantastic, and the best Adventure RPG out since the original
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Sci-fi cinematic mastery at its finest, it really does feel like an interactive movie. And the storyline alone puts pretty much any film I've seen since
Serenity to shame. The universe is grand, engrossing and simply amazing, and the characters interesting and deep.
Read my original XBox 360 review for more details of the game itself though, I'll just cover the PC version specifics. Firstly, it's all there. There's nothing missing from the original 360 version, except for the things that are altered. The decryption game is no longer a Simple Simon button masher, but instead more of a circular version of Frogger. The controls are far better with keyboard and mouse, and the inventory system has been improved greatly. Most importantly, the controls of the Mako (a large lunar-rover-esque driving vehicle) have been completely reworked, and are thankfully no longer camera-dependant, meaning you can actually control the thing. The graphics have been beefed up (if you have a decent machine of course) and loading times are far quicker.
The game is not without its faults though. Sidequests tend to be a little samey, particuarly those involving the Mako. Only the main Citadel (where you'll spend most of your time) really has a decent amount of sidequests, as opposed to KotOR having a good dozen or so on each world. This basically means you'll be doing most of your sidequests on sparse planets in the aforementioned Mako. While having about 20 planets to land on and do stuff sounds impressive, when all but 6 of them are pretty much the same, it really isn't. The game tends to lean a little too much towards combat rather than dialogue for my tastes too. The combat is actually fun and doesn't feel too repetitive, but at the same time I prefer to do more RPG'ing than shooting.
There's also the matter of choices and consequences. They're definitely present and a major part of the game, which tends to focus more on the shades of grey rather than black and white, but... well... if you get an urgent distress call, it doesn't seem to matter if you answer it straight away or dick around on 20 planets first. The outcome is the same. The main plot itself is also supposed to be a race against time, but you can still do all the sidequests and get there in time.
Aside from that, a fantastic game, made even better on PC. Highly recommended. It's a game that'll pull you into its universe, make you think, make you question, make you wonder, have you on the edge of your seat, and make you care about a bunch of 3D models like they were real people... or aliens. It really is a game of choice and consequences, and does a fantastic job of illustrating that perhaps what appears to be the best solution on the surface, isn't in the long run. How you choose to be a hero is up to you, but no matter what path you choose, you're going to lose at some point.
Graphics: 10/10 - With a good machine, this can look up there with the most visually amazing games out today.
Sound: 10/10 - Superb voice acting, fitting sci-fi music and brilliant sound effects.
Playability 10/10 - The keyboard and mouse is where this belongs. Fantastic.
Lastability 9.5/10 - So much to do, so many ways to play, dozens of locations and characters. That and future downloadable content and porting into the future sequels.
Grade: 9.5/10
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LEGO INDIANA JONES (PC. Also on, well... pretty much everything)I'm going to put this really simply: if you loved the
Lego Star Wars titles, and you love Indiana Jones, you're going to adore this game.
It's everything the
Lego Star Wars titles were, and then some. It's cute, it's funny, its challenging, it has neat puzzles, it has unlockable characters and bonuses, it has replay value coming out of the wazzoo... and it's just fun as hell.
You can, at some point, be pretty much every Indy character ever. Indy's whip is a fantastic tool and weapon at the same time, and Indy's companions provide great support. The graphics are beefed up a little since the Star Wars games too, so it doesn't look dated. The music is straight from the movies, and fits wonderfully. The cut-scenes are hilariously cute and entertaining, as are several situations you get in along the way. Some of the levels seem absolutely massive, and they're incredibly well-designed, as are the puzzles. And there's also the fact that several crucial items can't be obtained until certain characters are unlocked later and brought into the earlier levels.
Unfortunately, it suffers the same issues that the
Lego Star Wars titles did too, such as some bad camera angles and shifting during crucial moments, a lack of perspective with crucial jumps and leaps leading to death, some annoying out-of-the-blue instant death weapons and enemies, camera dependant vehicle controls, and the computer controlled second player just being a total retard when you need them to co-operate. Thankfully, like the Star Wars games, this game is saved from these being a huge problem due to the player having unlimited lives and simply losing Lego chips when disaster befalls them.
All in all though, one of the most fun titles out there, especially for fans of Indy. Sure, you'll be frustrated now and then at instant death out of nowhere and falling off that cliff because the camera suddenly shifted, but 10 seconds later that frown'll be gone when you start mowing down Nazi's in an old truck or a monkey swaps you a bundle of dynamite for a banana. You'll definitely be smiling and laughing more than frowning... after all, few things are more fun than smashing Nazi's made of Lego to pieces.
Graphics: 8/10 - Nothing spectacular, but definitely the best-looking Lego title out yet.
Sound: 8/10 - Similar to its Star Wars predecessors. Arcadey and appropriate, with the movie soundtrack accompanying wonderfully.
Playability 7/10 - Gameplay can be annoying due to camera and perspective, but made up for by sheer fun.
Lastability 9/10 - Good long levels that spread over the three original films, many unlockable characters, and replay added with you needing them to go back and redo earlier levels to get all the bonuses.
Grade: 8/10
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