2009
From the creator of games such as The Sims and SimCity Brings you Spore, a game where you start off as a single cell and evolve all the way up until you get to space, and then from there it’s endless open play.
Once you start the game you have a galaxy infront of you with a few planets for you to choose from. You can name the planet and the creatures which you will play as. Once you start the cell stage you will have to pick what type of creature you would like to be, carnivore, herbivore or an omnivore. Then to evolve you have to eat the corresponding food which then gives you DNA cells to help you evolve. You also gain different parts to help you swim faster, defend yourself against other cells and several other categories.
After you have evolved onto land (Creature stage), you then go around and either make friends or attack and kill other creatures. Again to evolve its the same as the cell where you go and find different parts to upgrade your creatures and advance them onto the next stage. The way you find the parts is slightly different than the cell stage as you will find bits of skeletons lying around near the nests of the other creatures.
The Tribe stage is where you need to dominate the other tribes by killing them out right or by making friends with them. Unlike the other two stages you don’t need to find parts as you modify your tribe by the city planner located when you move the cursor over the main hut. Also when you hover over the hut you can also make another tribe member for when you expand or one dies.
The second to last stage is the Civilisation stage where you need to take out the opposing teams cities by either befriending them, converting them to your religion or by destroying them.
The space stage is the last stage and offers open ended game play. You will encounter other creatures and help them by doing jobs and trading with them for things you need to help you in your quests. You can also terraform other planets to colonise them.
So as you can tell there are 30+ hours of game play. The online content is a function where you can share your creations with other Spore users and use theirs as well.
I really do like this game and it is really addictive so be warned.
2009
You got the F.E.A.R…
By: The Almighty Bobfish Category: F.E.A.R, First Encounter Assault Recon, PC
NOW, STOP ME if I’m wrong. But as I recall, F.E.A.R was released with very little initial fanfare. I can remember reading about it in a few gaming magazines, the odd mention here and there on the internet, but nothing to make it stand out as one of those “one to watch” type games. Something which rapidly changed once people started playing it. An interesting, and probably long overdue, rethink of the survival/horror genre, and able to balance the combat versus sheer ZOMGWTF factor surprisingly well. No mean feat for the inherently action oriented FPS style. After all, the S for Shooter is there for a reason.
F.E.A.R does, indeed, and expectedly, have a strong run and gun element. A fast paced and extremely visceral experience that goes much further to show the sheer brutality of firing a gun than any other I am aware of. Watching a Replicant soldier twitch on the floor for a few seconds after blasting him in the chest at point blank range is a rather chilling experience, really heightening the sense of danger, especially when utilising the games slow-mo function. But also uncomfortably satisfying when taken into account of how persistent and intelligent the enemy can be. Jumping through windows, running for cover, even overturning tables and vending machines. In some ways this makes F.E.A.R both far more difficult, and predictably easier. The Replicant forces react in logical and very Human ways, making use of the terrain in much the same way as the player. A little forethought and you can set traps for them just as they try to do for you.
What really sets F.E.A.R apart though, is the extended periods without action. Leaving you nervously waiting for the next patrol to appear out of nowhere. There are a number of times you will be moving through an area, on edge, just waiting for the obvious trap to be sprung. Passing through the perfect place for an ambush, only to be left completely unaccosted. Then just as you let your guard down you’ll find yourself confronted with some eerie vision caused by the psychic emanations left behind by the elusive Alma’s passing. Or, perhaps by your target Fettel, it’s never definitively explained exactly which.
With the recent release of F.E.A.R 2 : Project Origins across all major platforms except the Wii, now would be a very good time for those who have yet to experience the F.E.A.R to put the time aside. And F.E.A.R not, unlike many of it’s ilk, the single-player campaign will not leave you complaining about a few wasted hours. The game is extremely large and will keep you going for a good couple of days at least, even on the lowest difficulty. And if the slow motion effects like bullet trails and slurred speech don’t hook you in, nothing will.
Graphics: 9.5/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Audio/Music: 8/10
Plot/Scripting: 9/10
Overall: 9/10
Note : F.E.A.R is a notoriously system intensive game. Make sure you rig exceeds the minimum listed requirements by a good margin to ensure you can run it smoothly
2009
…or have you?
By: The Almighty Bobfish Category: F.E.A.R, First Encounter Assault Recon, xBox360
SADLY, THE CONSOLE version of F.E.A.R doesn’t have quite the same panache as it’s PC counterpart. Speaking, in this case (but with external Playstation 3 input from Jedireaper) of the X-Box 360 specifically of course. All of the same elements are there. The aggressive physics system, the same sense of satisfaction when you fire a gun, and even the adaptive enemy AI. Unfortunately it just doesn’t deliver as effectively.
Yes, the enemy AI does show many of the same characteristics which made the PC game so intense, but rather than making the game more challenging and engaging, they just come across as a bit stupid. One occasion in particular I can remember, I opened a door to a courtyard in, I think, Interval 4, and fired a few shots at the first guy I saw, then closed it up again and ran back to take up a better position, waiting for the Replicant soldiers to come and find me. After a couple of minutes of waiting I was wondering what had happened and went back to investigate.
Far from trying to hunt me down and kill me, or even setting a counter trap of their own, I found no less than five of them gathered together in the middle of the yard just waiting for me. In fact, as I was watching, clearly visible through the double windows, I could see the two outer men ever so slowly walking sideways to pull in even closer to their compatriots. It was, admittedly very funny, but also disappointing after slogging through the whole game on the PC. And, sadly, this kind of behaviour is the norm. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been able to pick off the enemy one at a time because they just completely fail to notice either my gun firing, or the guy standing next to them being torn to pieces and crumpling to the ground with a half dozen bullets in his brain.
Another major concern is the checkpoints in the game. They’re horrendously far apart and, far from making the game more challenging, add exponentially to the frustration factor. Especially that section in the Armacham building when you have to fight your way through FOUR heavy armours before triggering the next one. It’s an unfortunate note to end the review on, because I’m a rather well known fan of the whole F.E.A.R series. But the console version of the game just let’s the side down. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a massive disparity between the PC and console gaming before. Thankfully, F.E.A.R 2 seems to have improved massively. But that’s a review for another time.
Graphics: 8.5/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Audio/Music: 8/10
Plot/Scripting: 9/10
Overall: 7/10
2009
Halo 2 : Enter the Arbiter
By: The Almighty Bobchiefish Category: Halo, Halo 2, PC
REGULAR VISITORS AND those who know anything about me at all will already be well aware of my general lack of…fondness for Halo. Nonetheless, being that there are only the Reaper, Charlie and myself making regular contributions at the moment, and Halo being one of the most successful and popular games franchises in the current gaming market, it seemed like a bad idea to cut them out completely. And, well, it seems that I am currently in the best position to muddle through. So here I am, back again with my take on the second chapter in this, most decidedly love it or hate it series.
I was rather critical of the first chapter, far more so than I really intended to be. And whilst I still feel my opinions were justified and correct from my perspective (opinion is a personal thing after all) I still made a genuine effort to offer a more impartial review. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t find anything at all about Halo that appealed to me. But my views on the first game are already documented and available of this very website for all to see so I don’t need to go over them again. But it’s important that I add perspective because the paragraphs to follow may come as a surprise to many.
Halo 2 improved immensely over the original both technically and atmospherically. The scripting was significantly better, with the characters being fleshed out far more than in the predecessor. Most notably the Chief himself, who was, not to put too fine a point on it, a right arrogant…so and so. He develops a more approachable and ultimately more compelling personality in his second appearance, moving away from the cheesy, gung ho “I’m going to save the galaxy” bs. He gains more of a grounded perspective, making him seem more likeable and less of a douchebag.
The plot, also, had a better flow to it, though a lot of that was ruined when the ending became, more or less, a repeat of the original game. Only the locations changed, and the introduction of a new playable character, the Covenant Arbuter, offering a slightly different perspective. I still wouldn’t go so far as to say I enjoyed the game, but I can at least say that I didn’t out and out hate it either. I’ve never been a particular fan of First Person Shooters at the best of times, and Halo 2 did nothing to draw me in and leave me with anything more than a so-so impression. And, again, I didn’t bother with the online play because that also has never appealed to me. I know that the online matches are a large part of the appeal for many gamers, but I’ve always been more interested in the main game so my impressions are always going to be based from that first.
It didn’t help that I was running a built for Vista game on XP Home either. I needed a number of home built and edited files to allow the game to even run on my rig, and faced a number of problems along the way from a technological stand point. Though this, of course, has nothing to do with the game itself, and could have been avoided by running the game under the correct OS, it didn’t exactly endear me towards it when I had to use the Task manager to close it down because it had frozen for the umpteenth time. Still, I do accept that that was my own fault and should be taken not as an attack on the game, but as a heads up to those who, like myself, still use XP and wish to play the PC version of the game.
Basically, Halo 2 is a lot like the first and will likely always divide the gaming world. Some will love it, others will hate it. Me? I was wholly under enthused and can say only that it wasn’t really bad, but wasn’t really very good either. As always, it would be best to decide for yourself. Just don’t expect to see me running through it again any time soon. Though it does offer 1000 achievement points which are attainable without needing a subscription to Live for online so…maybe.
Graphics: 8/10
Gameplay: 7/10
Audio/Music: 7.5/10
Plot/Scripting: 8/10
Overall: 7.5/10
P.S : WTF?!? Cortana went Emo. Hmm…
Emoness : 9.5/10
2009
Halo : Combat Evolved?
By: The Almighty Bobfish Category: Combat Evolved, Halo, PC
OVER THE CENTURIES of Human history, there have been issues that have divided us. Matters of such great importance that even the possibility of meeting someone with an opinion different than your own will cause anything and everything to grind to a complete halt until the argument can be resolved. And just when you think you have considered every possible permutation, every facet and diverse angle, along comes someone else that can say “yes! But what if?”
Questions such as which came first, the chicken or the egg? Do aliens exist? Empire or Jedi? (I say neither personally. A new hope is the best by far). But none have divided so many people so rapidly, as the choice between Halo and Half-Life. Having now taken the time to play through both of them, I find myself in the unenviable position of putting forward my own opinions on the matter. Though, as this is a review for Halo, the Half-Life references will cease here. We’ve had enough of the endless back and forth bickering between those two factions thank you very much.
So this brings us to the nitty gritty. Is Halo really any good?
Sadly, my opinion is that it is nothing more than mediocre. Whilst I can see why some people would like the game, especially if it was their first foray into the FPS genre, I personally found very little to keep me entertained. The choice of weaponry available is almost criminally tiny and I found the aiming reticules to be, well, odd to say the least. And speaking of weapons, I find it highly dubious that the Chief somehow managed to procure an assault rifle from…somewhere during the few seconds between the end of one chapter and the beginning of the next. Of course, picking up a new one whilst taking a ride on a Pelican is one thing, but to just…acquire one out in the middle of a swamp is…makes you wonder where he gets them from.
Of course, that’s only a minor issue. But it’s the kind of thing that actually rather bugs me simple because it’s so minor. After all, surely being such a simple issue it should have been the matter of only a couple of seconds to implement. It’s like how on other games (no names) you have to fiddle with your weapons and what not to get it back to what you had when you last played the game rather than the necessary information being stored as part of your save game.
Halo, does, however, have some points in its favour. The mythology behind it all is rich and intruiging, and the fact that it is actually the “noble” Humans being portrayed as the savage, bigotted destroyers was a nice touch. After all, Halo is a holy place for the Covenant, the fact that it also happens to be a weapon designed to wipe out all organic life in existence had nothing to do with them. Of course, when it comes to a choice between destroying a holy site and genocide, the Chief probably made the right choice. But that doesn’t make his motivation any less suspect.
Long story short, I was far from impressed with Halo, and really cannot fathom why some people are so rabidly profuse about how great it is. The level design was uninspired, the scripting was awful (especially Cortana’s incessant bitching) and the game was just too damned easy. Plus, well, it has to be said, but if I wanted to play Half-Life again then I’d just play Half-Life. So there’s one more reference, so sue me.
Graphics: 6/10
Gameplay: 5/10
Audio/Music: 7/10
Plot/Scripting: 5/10
Overall: 5.5/10
Final note : This game does, however, earn the Bobfish Almighty award for being the best bluffer of the recent gaming years
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