Review: 'Medal of Honor'

Saddled with a hugely ironic title, this latest instalment receives anything but a commendation…

Flanked by grizzled veterans eyeing up the door in front of us hesitantly, my haggard companions swiftly order a breach and clear before readying themselves for the inevitable spray of retaliating gunfire that will follow. Wood splinters magnificently beneath a heavy boot, grenades are thrown into the unsuspecting crowd, bullets rip through the hostage situation to gorgeous slow-motion… and then one of my foes ditches gravity to glide calmly through the flames like some holy vision of Jesus.

Quite understandably, my initial reaction was unprintable.

Despite a lengthy development time, barrels of cash and two separate teams working on both the single and multi-player aspects of this big budget re-boot, the end result is a surprising disappointment that won’t even come close to knocking Call of Duty from it’s lofty perch any time soon. If this charge back onto the shooter scene played out anything like a real battle, for example, then the combatants would be falling over each other’s feet, holding their guns backward, staring aimlessly at the nearest wall or playing poker behind the crates when they think no-one is looking.

Shambles

It’s clear right from the start of Medal of Honor’s lacklustre campaign that this is a title with a deep-seated identity crisis, and despite assurances that it would be a realistic portrayal of the current war in Afghanistan it can never quite work out if it wants a bit of Hollywood glitz or gritty drama instead, desperately settling for both in a bit of a hodgepodge effort to appease all audiences. A sense of grounded accuracy is a particular high-point here, true (forging convincing characters, situations and storylines that will strike a chord with any who have family in the conflict), but when this is juxtaposed by sudden, thunderous theatricality? Well, it just doesn’t make sense at all. I mean, a streamlined HUD largely devoid of clutter settles you right into the experience but you’re promptly dragged out again by the likes of a ‘headshot’ marker that slaps itself across the bottom of the screen if you score a decent blow. Foes fall realistically with weight and believable drama during firefights but if you happen to use a high-calibre weapon their heads will explode like over-ripe melons. Military jargon and tactics are brutally offset by increasingly over-the-top conflicts with hundreds of Taliban arrayed against you, while secretive seek-and-destroy missions are interrupted by moments of such gung-ho intensity that it wouldn’t be entirely out of place to see Arnold Schwarzenegger spouting rappelling into action amid a cloud of fiery explosions.

Which is a shame, because the actual missions are quite well crafted; underneath the mess of horrible mistakes lurks a fairly decent shooter. Gunplay is eminently satisfying, many of the set-pieces are proper, white-knuckle fun - such as the Apache gunning stage or the final push toward an amazingly tense finale - and many of the levels you’ll encounter are simply stunning to the point of jaw-dropping amazement. A later level with the Army Rangers, for instance, is a masterpiece in tension and overwhelming odds where you are thrown head-first into noisy hell against hordes of foes, no way of escape and very little chance of survival, surrounded on all sides with cover being blasted away and ammo fast depleting. This can only be topped by Medal of Honor’s consistently phenomenal sound effects and score. It’s massively exciting, genuinely terrifying, and at moments like these the whole thing suddenly, wildly makes sense.

But then, annoyingly, one of the many just has to go and ruin things. In all honesty, the glitches on this game nearly cripple it and the technical issues render Medal of Honor almost broken (demonstrated perfectly by dismount my quad bike during a tense night raid and becoming surgically glued at the hip to its seat every time I tried to get up). It’s even more tragic when you consider many of the badly scripted levels that have you running into invisible barriers until the next set-piece is finished, horrendously stupid AI that often meander hopelessly past each other, an objective marker that goes on walkabouts or textures and effects that - while pretty in the right lighting conditions - turn out to be absolutely sickening up close. Take a look at the PS2 style fire if you want a decent example.

Silver Lining Indeed

They always say that there is a silver lining to every cloud, nevertheless, and this most certainly arrives in the multi-player component expertly crafted by Bad Company 2’s Dice. Crafted on a different engine entirely (e.g. one that works), it’s a heady mix that combines the afore-mentioned Battlefield’s tactical approach with Call of Duty’s whip-crack pacing. The end result is the perfect mix for those who want a change of pace from Modern Warfare 2’s manic stat-bashing and for Bad Company veterans who feel like a faster, more brutal game with all of the teamwork they’ve since come to love.

Split up between familiar match types such as team deathmatch and territory control while boasting kill-streak abilities or unlockable weapons, Medal of Honor online really sets itself apart with an amazing amount of polish that sets up each match with a brief and voice-over, addictive and a flexible system where you can play more or less how you fancy. While you can rush in and start pwning fools like some avenging Rambo, you can equally spend your time working together with your team-mates to gain an edge over the foe or lone-wolf it to mop up kills across maps that are varied, distinct and (more importantly) concise enough to avoid those long, dull slogs of the Battlefield franchise when you had to traverse huge distances to get into combat.

But this is where it starts to unravel a bit, as one of the few flaws of this portion would be a lack of what made the other, fantastic FPS it apes popular. Wouldn’t it make more sense to stick to the current chart toppers or wait until their new instalments arrive? There is very little in the way of vehicle action here like Bad Company (sticking to the odd, rare light tank rather than the plethora of wonder-machines available on it’s sister title), the twitch shooting or arcade elements of Modern Warfare 2 are painfully missing and the deep character classes of the former simply aren’t present. It’s true that you can choose between riflemen, snipers and spec ops during play (essentially mid, long and close range specialists), but seeing as they only differ in weapon type they don’t really add anything to the experience other than from a point of personal perspective. This doesn’t help to keep the gameplay fresh, either, and you’ll soon find yourself getting bored once the initial novelty begins to wear off.

Still, modes such as the Objective missions really balance things out with something very similar to Bad Company 2’s Rush, where player lives are dealt in tickets and your team are tasked with taking the other’s objective before those same points have all run out, losing you the game. It’s fast paced, tactical and - best of all - superbly addictive with that familiar feeling of ‘just one more’ after each and every match. OK, so it might not be particularly friendly to newcomers, but once you’ve gotten into the swing of things it’s got a lot to offer. Which, oddly enough, sums up Medal of Honor nicely - despite the numerous issues hiding around every corner, there’s still a decent amount of fun to be had in there somewhere if you’re willing or patient enough to find it.

The Bottom Line

Medal of Honor should be hugely commended for it’s brave attempt at a realistic, respectable modern shooter, fantastic multiplayer and some very good snippets of gaming bliss that occasionally manage to claw free of some awful mistakes, but sadly can’t be forgiven for the mass of technical and design faults that can repeatedly render it near unplayable. The multiplayer goes some way to pulling it back, true, but with Black Ops so close and Bad Company 2’s Vietnam expansion about to hit, why invest time and effort when they do the same job, only better? If you’re a fan of the franchise or want to fill a gap until Call of Duty’s next landing then it’ll keep you busy for a little while, but that’s assuming you don’t tear your hair out first.

Rating: 60%
(Alright)

Clash of the (Gaming) Titans

Will Apple enter the console war?

Having become a household name over the last few years with ground-breaking tech hitting shop shelves world-wide and hordes of loyal followers practically everywhere, how likely is it that Apple will eventually join the console war and add another, considerable feather to their cap? According to company CEO Steve Jobs, the iPod Touch system is already the “most popular gaming handheld” across the globe, and even if you don’t entirely agree with this rather frivolous over-exaggeration, it’s easy to see where he’s coming from considering the multitude of titles currently spanning every Apple system from mobile phone to Mac. With this booming popularity buoying them up and the likes of the Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 showing how much money can be had elsewhere in the gaming world, who could blame them for wanting a slice of the home market as well?

Breaking In…

If they want to break into this lucrative, bitter arena then they may have their work cut out for them, however; the current generation consoles are very firmly entrenched after five, popular years in the public domain and show no signs of slowing down, so unless Apple can come up with a system that distinctively stands out from the crowd then they haven’t got a hope of getting anywhere - big-name-brand or not. This is especially true considering the introduction of killer ‘apps’ such as Kinect and Move to the Xbox 360 and the PS3, and it’s fair to say that such devices will come to define the future of gaming before the coming decade is out. As a result, why would anyone want to shell out for a console that does the same as already established, trustworthy companies for the sake of name alone? The Playstation 3’s lacklustre launch is a prime case in point, and served for one particularly dire warning to the industry as a whole on the danger of assumptions.

At this point it would probably be fair to say that Microsoft found itself in a similar position before the release of the original Xbox, but it should also be noted that, while under similar circumstances, they still expected ‘massive losses’ on the console before it became a brand and didn’t have to endure such trying financial times either. During a period of heavy recession and severe uncertainty in the industry, it may not entirely be in Apple’s interest to shoulder such a potentially crippling risk just yet. When the current triad of Xbox 360, Wii and Playstation 3 are coming to the end of their lives, attention lies solely on future products and the slate is wiped relatively clean then it will be a lot easier to gain a foothold in the market, but for now it would seem like sheer suicide.

…Or Breaking Tradition?

But who’s to say that they would even go down the traditional route anyway? An employee of Epic recently suggested that home consoles could end up becoming highly portable like the iPad, with players potentially being able to ‘set it up in the café and play Dance Central’ with their friends. This is where Apple could truly fill a niche and start a trend - full HD home-console power and capabilities slapped onto an easy-to-transport system that you can use in your living room, on the go or wherever you happen to be? That would simply take the breath away and change how we play forever. And it’s certainly plausible, too; if you want an example of what even the current set of devices can do then you just need to take a look at the Epic Citadel, a phenomenal technical feat which boasts hugely detailed settings, console-esque controls and a whole bucket of potential for portable gaming in general. It’s hard to believe it even works on the system in the first place, being rather comparable to titles such as The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, and with the aforementioned success of the iPod this sort of gaming is a concept fast gaining popularity not just among the public but among developers, too - just look at the recent Kingmaker game for the upcoming Fable 3 launch, where players interact not only with each other but with their real
environment.

Kingpin

For now it’s certain that Apple’s portable gaming focus will only continue to improve, but where it goes from there is anyone’s guess; if Epic Citadel is anything to go by, though, the old boys certainly need to be on their toes especially if the ‘i’ range can serve as phone, organiser, camera, video camcorder, web browser and gaming-machine all in one for similar prices to the likes of Nintendo’s strictly gaming handheld. Perhaps the current industry kingpins should sit up and take notice before they are outpaced by an industry that demands - not to mention thrives on - change, ingenuity and adaptation. Hey, it’s happened before; just take a look at the Wii itself.

Regardless of whether we end up with an Apple console by the end of this decade, however, it’s almost certain that the queues on release-day would still be horrendous.

First Impressions: 'Fallout New Vegas'

More duck and cover than must-have adventure?

Considering the fact that 2008’s Fallout 3 met with such critical and commercial success (including countless game-of-the-year gongs), it’s hardly surprising that the inevitable sequel would always have a hard job following up; expectations were so ludicrously high, after all, that these shoes were unlikely to be filled to everyone’s satisfaction. In an irnoic twist of fate however, Vegas may actually come close to fulfilling that goal - this is particularly impressive when you think that developing duties lay primarily with new-boy Obsidian.

Gang Warfare

While it may be true that this feels, looks and plays in almost exactly the same way as it’s predecessor, it’s to Obsidian’s credit that when differences do start to crop up it’s hard to believe that they were never implemented in the first place. Just look at the much-needed inclusion of iron sights (such a simple but vital addition that completely re-invigorates a combat system previously feeling more than a little distant) or the newly introduced ‘faction mechanic’ if you want an example.

Breaking out as many exclusive gangs as an angsty, pre-teen school-yard, this new wasteland is completely full to bursting with warring groups and organisations who are desperate for your aid in one way or another, so, understandably, your actions with or against them will directly affect another’s feelings toward you (help out tyrannical Cesar’s Legion and expect to feel the wrath of the democratic New California Republic, for instance, or struggle to escape deadly hit squads if you decide to take on the thuggish Powder Ganger’s rule of fear). As you can probably guess this adds some real consequence to your actions that can boast a whole lot more depth to the experience than the usual, black-and-white RPG affair we‘ve become used to, and it’s particularly interesting to see how the world reacts to your choices as you struggle to balance allegiances and promises throughout your adventure. Especially if you decide to see what your bosses’ mates would do if you happen to stuff a stick of dynamite down his trousers.

A World Without Boundaries… Almost

And that’s the greatest thing about New Vegas; just like Fallout 3, the sheer freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want is enough to turn any head. Don’t fancy spending time on the main quest? Then explore instead and chart your own little story as you wade your way through mountains of side-quests or whimsical random events. Become a thief and earn your living picking pockets or become the hero of an oppressed people (before blowing them up for their cash, naturally).
Never has the idea of a ‘second life’ been more apt.

If you enable the much anticipated Hardcore mode, though, lifestyle choices come in a very definite second place to the simple matter of surviving; here your character needs to drink, eat and sleep regularly if they want to keep off the flat line, and because the likes of health-giving Stimpacks only improve your HP over time and crippling wounds must be specifically healed by a doctor, the Fallout universe suddenly becomes a much more dangerous place altogether. Although it can be turned on or disabled whenever the player wishes, it is still a bold move that will give core gamers the sort of nail-biting adventure they will rarely have experienced before. Here, every fight could be deadly, every journey might prove fatal and if you don’t have your wits about you along with an ability to learn fast, the twists and turns of Vegas’ desert will almost certainly snuff you out like a candle.

Left for Dead

Just how safe they’d decide to play it elsewhere, on the other hand, is a little unsettling. If you were expecting a fully fledged sequel then I’m afraid that you may end up being disappointed, as at times New Vegas would seem to be little more than glorified DLC. Set in the Mojave Desert around Las Vegas you play a courier robbed, shot and left for dead while carrying a particularly important package, but for all the talk of a ‘vastly different’ location things feel disturbingly familiar. The map is a similar size, sure, but what does that matter if we’re privy to the same building blocks and we don’t even have as much to see or do in it? While this may be more the fault of the creaky, aged Fallout 3 engine with its awful animations and uncomfortably dodgy visuals it’s still a blow all the same, certainly not helped any by a number of embarrassing glitches you will almost certainly stumble across in your time with post-apocalypse.

Worst of all though, would be the lack of soul in New Vegas. Although the writing is admittedly far punchier and more entertaining in its humour and nastiness throughout, it still isn’t as engaging or epic as Fallout 3 until you get quite some way in. To make matters worse, there’s also this strange sense of awkwardness that hangs over the whole affair like a fizzling party when all the interesting people have packed up and left - you want to enjoy it, but it’s just not the same.

Most of all, however, it’s starting to feel as stale as the wasteland it’s set within. ‘More of the same’ can often be a recipe for success, but when it hews this closely it’s just off-putting. Check back in a couple of weeks for the full, written review.

Review: 'Enslaved - Odyssey to the West'

There’s no apocalypse quite like this one…

In a genre positively gagging upon grim, archaic wastelands dominating endless sprawls of brown, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is such a massive breath of fresh air in the world of post-apocalypse that you’ll be temporarily struck dumb by the sheer amount of gorgeously bright colours popping up all over your screen. Even more surprising, however, would be the fact that this vibrant action-platformer also plays host to such a thumpingly good story, expertly crafted by the likes of The Lord of the Ring’s Andy Serkis and following the exploits of thuggish slave Monkey as he attempts to get his technological whiz-kid captor home. It’s the sort of tale that has been told a thousand times before but is approached with such heart, charm and phenomenally brilliant, subtle acting that it’s almost impossible not to become completely mesmerised once again as you race through a game that (though still rough around the edges), is undeniably compelling.

Hypnotic

As in most like-minded titles, you’ll largely be dividing your time between hefty brawls, free-run platforming a la Prince of Persia and the occasional, brain-teasing puzzle for good measure, and in an overall sense this works out pretty well; the combat, for instance - while a mite on the shallow side and lacking some variety both in combo and enemy type - is rarely short of hypnotic due to frequently overwhelming odds forcing you to utilise enemy weakness rather than a desperate hammering of buttons to survive, ludicrously nasty boss-fights very capable of pounding you into dust and an unexpectedly useful, appealing AI partner who will lend a dash of tactics to proceedings as you struggle to make it through a game that absolutely nails impressive set-pieces and great, whip-crack pacing. What’s more, it’s to the developer’s credit that even if the accompanying parkour never really takes off (rarely tasking you with anything other than leaping dully from illuminated handhold to handhold), things are still engaging due to stunning animations and challenges that require quick reactions - not to mention spot-on timing - when avoiding the myriad traps, foes and environmental dangers that will be thrown your way in abundance toward the end of the game. That’s without mentioning the multitude of other activities providing suitable distraction, of course; you’ll often find the pace freshened considerably by the likes of vehicle sections putting you in control of a nippy little hover-craft or in the turret of an on-rails shooting gallery.

Wonky

To be honest, the only place in which Enslaved really falls down at all would be with a wonky camera that repeatedly attempts to get you killed by diving behind scenery at the most inopportune moment and overly sensitive controls that mean it’s almost impossible not to tank into the nearest wall every two minutes until you’ve gotten used to a particularly finicky system.

If you’re in the mood for one feel-good action game buoyed up by a story that will stay with you far beyond the credits, though, then don’t hesitate in picking up Enslaved; it’s the perfect remedy for an over-abundance of familiar, FPS online leviathans despite it’s flaws and, in a nutshell, is exactly the sort of heart-warming title you need when the bitterly cold Holiday season sets in.

The Bottom Line

Proving to be one of the biggest surprises of the year so far by quite some way, Enslaved - Odyssey to the West is a amazingly engaging, touching and thrilling title that aptly shows just how effective story can be in a game. The script is fantastic, the acting is spot-on and the direction is superb, but when it’s mixed with such mesmerising set-pieces and utterly spell-binding action, the end-result is immensely hard put it down. Well worth a look.

Rating: 84%
(Great)

Assassin's Creed Beta Impressions

Trust no-one…

You could easily be forgiven for focusing solely upon the single-player of the up-coming Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood and passing off its brand-new multiplayer feature as a tacked-on cash in, but you may not want to be so quick in casting it aside; if the recent Playstation 3 online Beta is anything to go by, this title may end up being one of the most original and engaging multi-player efforts on the market in quite some time.

Cat and Mouse

The goal here is simple; taking on the role of one of many gorgeously detailed, distinct Templar assassins, players are deposited onto the Renaissance streets and tasked with hunting down a target as stealthily as they possibly can. The twist? Someone else is also looking for you too, meaning that you’ll have to be quick about it and use as much wit and brain as you can possibly muster in order to survive. As you would expect from such a tense game of cat and mouse, paranoia is rife and patience - along with a healthy serving of quick reactions and good observational skills - are vital if you want to succeed or make a decent notch upon the end-of-match leaderboards. And keen observation is a necessity here; because every crowd member on the busy map is a duplicate of each participating player’s avatar, danger could be waiting anywhere, at anytime. Moreover, each AI participant has been actively programmed to act unpredictably, frequently imitating the behaviour of a flighty player and pushing you ever closer to the edge of a seat you’re already practically falling off of.

This quite obviously leads to some fantastically enjoyable chases though the cluttered alleys and to some truly heart-pounding man-hunts across the map in a fantastically nerve-wracking game of acumen, but the fact that it comes so neatly packaged in such a polished, well-balanced and thrilling experience is absolutely breath-taking. As for the sceptics out there, it’s not quite as straightforward as it may sound either - although you can admittedly snag a couple of easy kills by dashing pell-mell across the arena, it’s also almost certain that you’ll be found and eliminated in the process as surely as planting a hefty bulls-eye right over your head. To add insult to injury, you will only receive the minimum point-score for your efforts too, for the stealthier and more original the kill, the larger the reward you will receive.

What’s more, the odds are very evenly tipped both ways so that each player has an equal chance of success; if you think that you’re being followed, melt into a crowd of doppelgangers to confuse the would-be-killer (they lose the contract if they murder a civilian) and then ambush them when they’re in your grasp. If you’re unsure of where your mark is, follow your compass on the HUD to track them down - it glows brighter when you’re near. If you’re being pursued, use counter-measures such as the smoke-bomb to momentarily stun your suspect before making your escape. In a nutshell, creativity and patience prove to be far better tools here on the terrifying knife-edge then a quick trigger-finger and a fast connection, meaning that you’ll have to rely on your gut and grey-matter rather than your high rank to succeed.

Balanced

Not that it’s one sided, of course; developer Ubisoft have intelligently put many fail-safes in place to stop anyone gaining an unfair lead largely through giving high kill-streak players multiple pursuers, ‘death-streak’ bonuses to struggling assassins, a great kill-streak bonus that will help most catch up so long as they keep their wits about them and fantastic, unlockable perks such as the ‘disguise’ ability that can change your appearance briefly (fortunately even these abilities must be recharged after use before they can be accessed again, and this leads to a very varied and engaging - but vitally balanced - game). If you are spotted, however, it’s not the end of the road - if your foe makes a blunder or is discovered, you enter into a chase sequence where all secrecy is out of the window and you have to use every skill of free-running or old-fashioned hiding you possess to escape with your life, not to mention utilising traps, obstacles and escape routes (illuminated on-screen) to your every advantage.

The only problems present in the beta even worth mentioning would be the fact that misfortune is often a rather contributing factor to failure (spawning and then accidentally walking into your pursuer is a right pain), and occasional technical glitches sincerely cause annoyance when they eventually rear their ugly heads, but seeing as the former was thankfully uncommon and the latter will undoubtedly be ironed out for the big release, there’s not much here that could manage to put a downer on proceedings come the November 19th release day.

The Bottom Line

In spite of being initially met with a certain level of scepticism, the latest Assassin’s Creed could well end up being the run-away multiplayer star of this year. If you’re tired of the familiar to-and-fro of traditional online shooters or are eager for something very different from the usual bread and butter of Xbox LIVE or the PSN, then this most definitely deserves a look both online and off.