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You Haven’t Seen Sh!t Until You’ve Played RAGE (Hands On)

Chris Carlson — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:45:16 +0000

I’m going to be completely honest here. When Bethesda and id Software announced RAGE, it didn’t spark my interest very much. Hell, even after I saw multiple gameplay videos, I still wasn’t convinced. Yet, after spending over two hours playing the game, I now feel I should smack myself for not paying more attention to this beautiful piece of work. It’s simply incredible.

My experience with RAGE picked up from the very beginning of the game. Skipping past all the story details, as I don’t want to ruin anything for you. I ended up in a very small settlement, which is essentially the training area for the game. I started off doing small missions like killing a group of hostile bandits up the road, gathering supplies for the town and searching for parts to build my own ride. The first thing you’ll notice about RAGE is the graphics. They’re un-fucking-believable, and considering I was playing the 360 version of the game, I was amazed at how good this game looks. The lighting, texture work, character detail and animations. All just absolutely beautiful. The game did suffer from some minor pop-ins, and a few jaggies but these small flaws wont lessen your experience with RAGE.

No this isn't a bullshot. The game looks this damn good in realtime...on the 360.

The controls in RAGE are damn near perfect. I had very little trouble adjusting to the sensitivity, and within a few seconds of moving around, I felt as if I could shoot like a pro, which is great because the AI in RAGE is quite impressive. Your typical melee enemies will rush at you, but bandits wielding a firearm will take precautions. Instead of simply crouching behind cover like most games would have the enemies do, the enemies will actually lay down on the floor and peek their heads around, poking their gun around the corner and opening fire. I’ve also seen an enemy dive on the floor and crawl behind cover as I was fired upon his buddy. It really adds a sense of realism to the gameplay, which is always a plus. Another awesome feature RAGE offers is when you shoot an enemy in, let’s say, his leg, he will fall to the ground holding his leg but, at the same time, crawl backwards while firing at you. Basically, these sons of bitches won’t go down without a fight.

The weapons in RAGE are a friggin’ blast. Every single weapon that I laid my hands on felt satisfying after each kill. My personal favorite combination was the Shotgun and Wingsticks. For those of you unfamiliar with RAGE, Wingsticks are bladed boomerangs that automatically track your enemy if thrown in their vicinity. The totally kick-ass part about these babies is they slice the head clean off. So if I’m getting attacked by multiple enemies, I can blast the first guy in the face and then, before his buddy even reaches me, I can toss a Wingstick and it’s “off with his head!” It’s a beautiful scenario that one must experience for themselves to appreciate the sheer awesomeness of it.

This silent, but deadly crossbow will quickly dispose of your enemies at a far.

There are also multiple ammo types for each weapon that become very useful in certain situations. One of the alternative types of pistol ammunition I used could blow the head off an enemy and then make it burst into bits of goo, whereas the normal ammo would just knock their helmet off or drop them to the ground. One really cool feature I stumbled upon was when I was about to die. Instead of getting a “Game Over” screen and reloading a checkpoint, I was presented with a “defibrillator” mini-game, which is made up of points across the screen where you push the left and right sticks. You simply push the sticks into the correct position and with the tap of a button, you fill up the meter in the center of the screen. When the meter fills up, icons of the left and right trigger appear on the screen, going back and forth horizontally. The goal is to hit both triggers as they line up with the two boxes, which brings you back to life with full health. Yes it’s a life saver……Literally.

Since RAGE is an open world game, you’ll need to load new areas and towns you visit. Thankfully, the load times are incredibly short and painless. As you explore, you’ll have the opportunity to gather various items scattered throughout the wasteland, or by simply looting bodies. These can be used for a number of different things. Some items are component parts to build specific items like bandages, but there are also more complex gadgets. For example, certain doors have a bank-like vault on them which cannot be destroyed. After building the right contraption, you can place it on the lock, forcing it open. Of course, you’ll need to find the correct parts in order to forge these items. They’re not magical things that you can pull out of thin air whenever you please.

Sell me your goods lady!!

Over the course of your adventure, you’ll also find junk items which are only sold for money. Once you find a shop, the game will label the items in your inventory, which is great when you’re starting out and you’re unsure of what you need and don’t need. So if you find a bunch of gears, for example, the shop will tell you this particular piece can be used to make X item. You can also buy your standard health items and ammunition. If you want to modify your sweet ride, you’re going to have to race for those. By winning races, you’ll earn racing certificates that you use to purchase new upgrades or weapons. Turrets, land mines, speed boost etc. Some of the races will be simple time trials and others will include multiple racers.

The handling on the vehicles can be pretty rough at times, so don’t expect to be drifting through the wasteland pretending you’re playing The Fast and Furious because you’ll fail….miserably. The e-brake is more of a “stop dead in your tracks” brake, because that’s all it’s good for. However, once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty forgivable… but I would personally like to see some adjustments before the game launches. You’ll also need to watch your ammo supply. Your vehicle doesn’t have unlimited ammo, but it does have unlimited boosts. As you’re driving from town to town, you’ll encounter multiple enemies in various types of vehicles. Thankfully, the game has a lock-on ability for driving so you don’t completely waste your ammo, but you still need to be careful.

Driving is a ton of fun....if you can bear the controls.

Further into the demo is when RAGE really shinned for me. I needed to gain a sponsor in order to compete in one of the races. To earn that sponsor, I needed to compete in the Mutant Blast arena, which is set up like a television show. Each episode consists of a set number of waves. The first wave I played was filled with monkey-like creatures brandishing machetes. There were some fire-throwing goons in towers towards the end. Nothing too intense, but it gave you the general idea of what to expect. The second wave offered a nice twist. Instead of standard enemies, a giant robotic purple monkey with multiple blades spun around in circles inside the arena. After a few minutes, my moment of glory arrived. As a mutated freak was jumping at me through the air, I blasted his head off with a single shell from my shotgun and then quickly tossed a Wingstick, decapitating his buddy. Awesome, right? It got better. As his head flew in one direction, the force from the Wingstick knocked his body back into the devastating purple monkey, slicing his body into tiny pieces. Then it happened. Achievement unlocked! I felt like a complete fucking badass.

As I moved into the third area, the entire floor was covered in holes, which instantly screamed “DANGER” to me. The spotlights came on and as they shifted from white to red, huge spikes emerged from the floor, piercing through my enemies. Between my super awesome Wingsticks and deadly floor spikes, I breezed through the round. Being the badass that I am, I was offered a bonus round. A slot machine covered the wall of the arena and, shooting the target underneath, locked it into place. Matching all the dollar signs grants bonus money and you can keep going as much as you like until you fail, but the machine progressively gets faster after each win. The fourth wave was the most dangerous. No tricks here, but instead an enormous fucking mutant appeared before me. You remember those Venom Henchmen from Batman: Arkham Asylum? You know, those giant goons that charged at you like crazy men. Yeah, imagine that, but about a thousand times uglier and more vicious. That was my boss fight, and an intense boss fight it was. Shortly after my encounter with this beast, Bethesda kicked me to the curb and my time with RAGE ended.

Ahh, Mutant Bash. You'll enjoy your stay. I promise.

Even though I spent close to three straight hours playing RAGE, I felt like I barely scratched the surface of the game. Hell, I was just starting to acquire a good arsenal. Getting to participate in activities such as the Mutant Blast was fantastic. I probably could have spent more time with the game if I hadn’t gone back for episode two. Yes, it was that fun.

I started out with no intention of ever picking up RAGE. After playing it – Bethesda was lucky they didn’t have to pry the controller from the palms of my sweaty nerdy hands.

If you had any doubts about RAGE before today, I suggest you reconsider your October purchases. If you miss out on this game, you’re only hurting yourself because it’s that damn good. This may seem like “just another FPS” to you, but trust me when I say id Software isn’t fucking around with RAGE. Get hype, you’ll love it!

RAGE will be released on October 4th for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

Operation Flashpoint: Red River – New Walkthrough Video Series

Murray Hibble — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 03:36:34 +0000

A raft of video’s and gameplay teasers for upcoming Codemaster’s shooter ‘Operation Flashpoint: Red River’ have salvoed across our desks at RipTen over the last few months. Our own Chief Editor even attended a hands-on event held by the British developers and was impressed by its potential.

The guys over at Playr Blog are posting an exclusive series of walkthroughs this week and I’ll be updating this news article daily with their latest video.

Last Stand – Part 1

Last Stand – Part 2

Rolling Thunder – Part 1

Rolling Thunder – Part 2

Combat Sweep

As a huge mil-sim fan, player of the original game and frenetic-apologist for Dragon Rising, I am hugely excited by the impending release on both the Xbox 360 and PC. Fire your warning shots across the bow of my Twitter Account (@DarkMellie) and let me know whether you’re as excited for this release as I am!

Bethesda Announces Release Dates for RAGE, Brink, Hunted and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Bryce Wilson — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:58:42 +0000

Bethesda has given gaming geeks like us the world over a reason to be excited today, well actually four reasons to be excited after they just went on a release date announcing frenzy!

They’ve announced the release dates for four of their upcoming AAA titles. Hunted: The Demons Forge is due on June 1st in North America and June 3rd in Europe. Hunted is a fresh take on the old-school dungeon crawl experience and is shaping up to be a genre defining experience.

Quakerlands … Uh, I mean RAGE, is due on September 13th in North America and September 16th in Europe. RAGE is set to include intense id-style first-person shooting action, breakneck vehicle combat and a huge world full of gameplay opportunities and areas to explore.

Brink, a sort of Mirrors Edge, Team Fortress and Call of Duty hybrid is slated for release on May 17th in North America and May 20th in Europe. I’m personally excited about this and I can’t wait to see how the free-running aspect meshes in with the gunplay.

And last but definitely not least, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is due for release on November 11th 2011, so 11-11-11 – pretty easy to remember eh? This release has me a bit perplexed as to how Bethesda is expecting Skyrim to go up against the other big November AAA releases including the latest rumoured Call of Duty title, Uncharted 3 and Gears of War 3.

What do you think about not only Skyrim’s release date, but all of the above? Let us know in the comments below or tell me via Twitter – @DrjftGaming.

E310 Hands-On Preview: Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring

Rangebar Merani — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 01:38:35 +0000

Over near the Konami booth at E310, there was an actual wrestling ring used to promote SLANG’s upcoming wrestling title, Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring. While I had never heard of the game, Lucha Libre wrestling was not something entirely new to me, as I was a huge fan of wrestling as a kid.

Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring is the first title from Latin America game developer SLANG. Lucha Libre is a celebrated acrobatic and fast-paced wrestling style derived from Mexico, that should make for quite a fun wrestling game. The game features 30 notable wrestlers from AAA Wrestling in Mexico including; Konnan, La Parka, Psicosis, and Vampiro, many who have once wrestled here in the US. The game will also feature other unlockable wrestlers from Japan and the US.

Gene Simmons ain't got shit on me homeboy.

Heroes del Ring also offers a Create-Your-Own Luchadore Mode, where you can choose to be a good guy or a bad guy. The game also offers an in-depth mask customization mode, because for a Luchadore, your mask is very important to who you are. In Lucha Libre, popularity is factored into the gameplay and the building of your character. The more popular you are, the more advance moves become available to you. The game give you 2 story mode options, depending on which side, good or evil, your created character or other playable characters are.

The game also has online multiplayer to offer, with up to 4 player co-op in various matches. One match mode that really stood out was the old school Mask vs Hair Match, where one wrestler puts his identity on the line and the other wrestler (who doesn’t wear a mask) puts his hair on the line. I have actually heard of these types of matches before, and I was happy to see that SLANG had incorporated the Mask vs Hair Matches into their online multiplayer mode. If you lose the match online, your character will either lose their mask or their hair, and will remain that way in all online matches and story mode until you win three ranked matches in a row. Now that’s just down right dirty.

This is how Peter Parker and Mary Jane kissed in the first Spider-Man movie.

As far as the gameplay goes, for a brand new IP and first game from SLANG, I was pretty impressed. The game felt good and the graphics were great. There seemed to be a few hiccups in my time with the game, especially with collision between wrestlers and some of the grapples, but overall the game is fun and a nice alternative to WWE games.

Oh, and what about that the wrestling ring you ask? Well, SLANG actually had some of the AAA Luchadores from Mexioco on sight at E3 to give us attendees a live match. It was fun to watch and a great marketing strategy for the game.

Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring hits the Wii, Xbox 360, and the PS3 August 10th, 2010.

E310 Hands-On Preview: DJ Hero 2

Rangebar Merani — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 07:42:58 +0000

DJ Hero and all its fans who spent their hard earned cash for the game that uses turntable controllers have got themselves a sequel. One of the keys to success with DJ Hero was how great the soundtrack was, and for the sequel Activision has found even more musical artists who want to be involved with the game. DJ Hero 2 already has an announced lineup of great music featuring Deadmau5, DJ Z-Trip, Eminem, Rihanna, Usher, and a number of other big names.

I got some brief hands-on time with DJ Hero 2 behind closed doors at Activision’s E3 booth. I got to play one song, which was a mix of Nelly’s “Hot in Here” and Warren G’s “Regulators”, which was a dope-ass blend. Most of the gameplay and controls are still the same, but a there are of course some new features and upgrades. A creative new freestyle element has been added that gives players control over cross-fading between the two tracks playing for a short period. This addition gives you the opportunity to use creative DJ elements as you now have more control over the songs. You can also play with a mic now and go along with the lyrics to the song, like karaoke.

DJ Hero 2 is obviously a great game to have around with friends and when you’re just chillin’, the music itself is a good enough reason to start the game. That being said, DJ Hero 2 introduces a new party mode where the game basically becomes a music player with an endless set of songs. Whenever anyone wants to play they turn on the turntable controller and hop-in without a break in the music. It works the same way when you stop playing.

The multiplayer in DJ Hero 2 really shines, as upgrades have been made to DJ battle mode. During these back and forth battles, there are parts where you can grab the music from the other DJ, the quickest one to draw gets it. Once you’ve grabbed the music, it’s like a freestyle session for you to add your own spin to the song. But getting there first doesn’t necessarily mean it’s yours for long. The other DJ has a chance for a steal as the music changes, like when the track calls for some DJ effects.

DJ Hero 2 is shaping up to be a great game, with great music, and that’s a perfect match. While I didn’t play the first game a whole lot, DJ Hero 2 totally blew me away with what it had to offer in terms of awesome music, fun gameplay and new features. I really enjoyed the few minutes I had with the game and and look forward to playing it when it comes out this fall for the 360, PS3 and Wii.

Oh, and there’s a great bundle of the game coming out too, at least for those who don’t already own a turntable controllers. The bundle includes DJ Hero 2, two turntable controllers and a microphone, all for $150. Now that’s something I’m really thinking about saving up for.

E310 Hands-On Preview: SOCOM 4, Ready to “Move”

Rangebar Merani — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 22:50:17 +0000

After giving the online-only SOCOM: Confrontation duties to Slant 6 to develop and releasing the online, 256 player, first-person shooter, MAG, original SOCOM developer Zipper is returning to form with SOCOM 4. Not only will the game feature online multiplayer with 32-player matches and all-new game modes, but this time around Zipper is hard at work giving SOCOM 4 a lengthy, deep, and cinematic single-player campaign.

At Sony’s E310 booth, I was given some great hands-on gameplay of the first level in the campaign mode. This level throws your protagonist Cullen Gray, Operations Commander, and his support squad into a heated battle in a city somewhere in Southeast Asia. The environments are surprisingly detailed, filled with abandoned cars and other debris, which come quite in handy when using the game’s new structured cover system, a first for the series.

Previous SOCOM titles have avoided a real cover system, but instead let players find their own cover. This new cover system is much needed, as so many popular shooters have adapted with the new feature, Zipper was smart to include it in SOCOM 4. To cover, tap Circle when near an obstacle and your character ducks out of sight; press the stick up to peek out over the top, or sideways to look around a corner. But don’t stay in one place for too long because most cover is now destructible in SOCOM 4, meaning enemies can shoot right through with enough fire power. However, this isn’t as dangerous as it may seem, as the game now introduces a health-recharge, another first to SOCOM. Not sure if the health-recharge will be part of the online multiplayer, and if it is, I can see many longtime SOCOM fans getting pissed.

Another main addition to SOCOM 4 is a system for giving quick commands to your teammates. By tapping Left or Right on the d-pad, you can direct your squad to take appropriate action at the area you’re targeting, whether it be to attack an enemy or simply change position. Previous installments in the series have had command features, but they required going through a menu to execute the commands . This new feature allows for quick strategy, something that will come in handy as Zipper has really stepped up the intelligence of enemy AI, giving baddies more options like using cover diligently and using flanking maneuvers.

The other big new feature for SOCOM 4 on display at the E3 show was PlayStation Move support, which I didn’t get a chance to actually play. However, I did see a few other folks using Move with SOCOM 4, and it looked like it worked pretty well. The controls are identical to the Dual Shock method, except that aiming and turning is accomplished by using the Move controller. Just like with some of the shooters on the Wii, with Move you hold the controller as if you were actually holding an actual gun, and trust me, you don’t look like a complete idiot doing it. Hopefully the Move formula works out well with SOCOM 4, because I could really see myself using it to murk fools online with.

In short, SOCOM 4 seems like it’s really trying to get back to it’s glory days it had on the PS2, and you can tell Zipper is looking to refine and update that classic formula. As a huge fan of the series, I’m greatly looking forward to SOCOM 4, because Confrontation was somewhat of a let down, not only for me, but for SOCOM fans wanting a true SOCOM experience. Look out for SOCOM 4 for the PS3 this fall.

E310 Hands-On Preview: NBA Jam, Boomshakalaka!

Rangebar Merani — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 09:09:07 +0000

NBA Jam for Wii is bringing back that classic arcade experience. The two-on-two basketball game features all the fun of the original like crazy dunks, insane blocks, fast-paced action, and now with the Wii’s motion controls.

I got some great hands-on time with NBA Jam on the E310 EA show floor and had a blast with the game. I played two games as the Los Angeles Laker’s Kobe Bryant and Paul Gasol (2010 NBA Champions, by the way). The game has a great number of not only current players, but also legends such as Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

Like I said earlier, the game plays really fast, but getting used to the motion controls was pretty easy and quick to learn. Shooting requires an up-and-down action on the Wiimote, while jumping and/or blocking requires you to flick the Wiimote up. Other controls such as passing, stealing, shoving, etc. were assigned to buttons . The only area that I had difficulty with was stealing the ball (and getting the ball stolen from me). The game is, once again, extremely fast-paced so it’s hard sometimes to get a good, hard shove on an opponent as he’s blazing right past you with that turbo button, but it’s also easy to run into someone consistently swatting at the ball.

While NBA Jam excelled with bringing back great arcade action and used the Wii motion controls to perfection, it sorely lacked in the graphics department. The game’s visuals are not impressive one bit. With other EA showings with excellent graphics such as Dead Space 2 and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit at its E3 2010 booth, NBA Jam just looked hideous. Even compared to other Wii games, the graphics were very mediocre. In short, the graphics are really out dated and I’m hoping EA can polish the visuals up before it’s released.

Other than the poor graphics, I really can’t find anything else I didn’t like about the game and my time with NBA Jam was fun. It’s a great choice for some quick and exciting gameplay, especially with three other friends. In the end the game is a super fun time that’s great for all gamers because NBA Jam is one of those kind of sports games that’s fun for people that aren’t even fans of the real sport. That’s how fun the game really is. Look out for NBA Jam for Wii this October.

E310 Preview: Dead Space 2, Can You Hear Me Now?

Rangebar Merani — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 05:00:27 +0000

EA showed a live demo of Dead Space 2 behind close doors at its E3 2010 booth. The demo showed several minutes of thrilling gameplay, including a lot of the game’s new features.

While the survival-horror gameplay that made the original a hit is most definitely back, the sequel adds new effects, even more unique environments, creative puzzle solving, and voice acting for Isaac Clarke, the returning protagonist of the game. The demo shown was awesome and was a great first impression on what to expect from Dead Space 2.

The demo started off in the Church of Unitology. Shortly after entering, Isaac was attacked by a new Necromorph monster, which had a vomit-like attack. The action slowed down for really cool dramatic effect. The gameplay was then mixed up a bit when Isaac had to solve a switch puzzle. It wasn’t very difficult at all, but it was a good way to mix things up. By this time in the demo, I was craving to get my hands on this game.

There are a whole slew of new features in Dead Space 2. Isaac can now switch suits at checkpoints and each suit is designed to perform better in different circumstances. There’s also a javelin gun that shoots long projectiles into enemies and can even cut off limbs. It kinda looks like a crossbow, but ya know, from the future.

There were several portions of the demo in zero gravity, probably something that’s gonna be quite prevalent in the game. These parts of the game let you control the action in 360 degrees. The game’s graphics looked fantastic, especially the monsters. Even in its early stages, the visuals are right on point.

As a fan of the original Dead Space back in 2008, I can truly say I’m looking forward to Dead Space 2. All the scares and gruesome gameplay is back, but now with a whole bunch of new features and additions. Get ready to be thrilled when Dead Space 2 hits the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on January 25, 2011.

Oh, and if you buy the exclusive PS3 version, you’ll also get Dead Space: Extraction, which will be PlayStation Move compatible.

E310 Preview: Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

Rangebar Merani — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 04:08:41 +0000

Both Assassin’s Creed and its sequel have been two of my favorite games in the past few years, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that the third installment, Brotherhood, was on the top of my list of games to see at E310.

At the Ubisoft booth on the E310 show floor, we were shown a demo for the single-player campaign portion of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. The story of Ezio continues in Brotherhood, but this time around he’s no alone. Ezio has risen to become the leader of a guild of assassins in Rome.

Sure, you can still go free-running, rooftop leaping, and assassinate all you want, but you’ll also have to spend time recruiting other assassins to your guild, training them and sending them out on missions. Once successful, you can give out experience to your assassins to get them upgrades and bonuses.

The demo was really cool with great action scenes of Ezio, even one with him riding his horse inside of Rome (in the previous games the horse waited at the cities entrance) and a badass turret scene in which he was blasting foes with canon balls.

The single-player was dope and I’m really excited for it, however, the best part of the Brotherhood showing had to be the multiplayer, which is new to the series. I didn’t get a chance to play the single-player mode, but you’re damn right I got my hands on the mulitplayer.

The only multiplayer mode available to play was Wanted. Everyone who’s playing picks their character and their perk loadouts. Some examples of perks are using a disguise, having throwing knives, smoke bombs, a hidden gun and sprint boosting, just to name a few. Once the everyone is ready and the game starts, everyone is each assigned a target to assassinate. This means as a player, you are both the hunter and the hunted as an unknown player is out there after you as well.

This is basically the new Assassin’s Creed multiplayer, at least the one mode that was shown, but there will be more game types in the final game. The city is still full of people while you are playing and you’re given an image of your target and a meter/radar that gives you a sense of which direction your target is and how close you are. Points are awarded for killing your victim, and evading or killing the assassin hunting you. As your online rank advances, your assassin can gain new abilities, like disguise, to become either more deadly, or more elusive, depending on your play style.

I can’t wait for Brotherhood! The multiplayer is going to be hella’ dope and some serious fun. I’m curious as to see what other online modes there will be. Lookout for Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood when it launches November 16 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Dragon Age: Origins Video Impressions and Screenshots

Jonathan Zungre — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:20:31 +0000

Hey, my ugly mug is back and ready to tell you about why Dragon Age: Origins is looking better than ever. All the videos are (almost) under two minutes and I brought a basket full of screenshots this time! Yowza!

The Approval system is the evolution of the Good or Bad character alignment system that you see in most modern, western RPG’s including Fable 2, Fallout 3 and Mass Effect.

Read the interview with the founders of BioWare here.

The secret spell combos that show up in the game are kind of like mini in game achievements…

Screens!

Preview: Left 4 Dead

Sam Naylor — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 14:31:25 +0000

Although I was only able to play the XBox 360 version of Left 4 Dead at the Eurogamer Expo, I have been playing the pre-release demo for the PC in the comfort of my own home, to my delight. The perspective I’ll be giving on the game is from a PC standpoint; to me, playing a Valve game on a console is like eating Ben and Jerry’s with a rusty nail- it still tastes nice, but the sheer pain (of using a controller) ruins the experience. Before you begin to shout at me, make sure you read the preview after the jump. Here’s a spoiler: it’s unbelievably good.

I’ll begin with the 360 version which I played at the Expo. If I put aside the obvious control faults, I can find nothing wrong with this game. I began with a standard shotgun, walked out into a hallway, and was immediately met by three screaming zombies running at incredible speed towards me. My shotgun tore through them, creating one of the best sensations a videogame weapon can create: satisfaction. It feels exactly like a shotgun should feel, and the zombies tear apart with the exact amout of force that a shotgun should provide. It was fantastic. I continued up on to the roof of the building I was in, and found that the four of us were going to have to radio for a helicopter to pick us up- but doing so would set off an alarm, causing a huge horde of zombies. When it happened, there were at least 100 of the buggers, who all seemed to think it was only my brains that were on the menu. Needless to say we didn’t make it, but my, was it an experience. Even on the 360, from the short amount I played, I can tell that this game is phenomenal.

Left 4 Dead on the PC is, going by the demo, probably going to be my favourite game of all time. It might seem a little presumptuous to base this on a demo, but if you’ve played it you’ll understand. The demo features 2 sections of one level, and I have played it through at least thirty or forty times, and never had the same experience twice. The game’s AI director places zombies based on how well you’re doing- if you’re doing well, without losing much health or ammo, the director will spawn a huge horde for you to fight off, or more boss infected.

Boss infected are special types of zombie that have abilities other than the simple melee attack. The Boomer can vomit on you, attracting all nearby zombies to attack you, or blow himself up in an attempt to kill you. The Hunter can jump around at incredible speed and pounce on you, knocking you down and causing a lot of damage. The Smoker uses his huge tongue to entangle you and drag you towards him or even into a pack of zombies. When killed (or on command) he releases a huge puff of smoke, which is impossible to see through. There is also the Tank, a huge hulk of a zombie that takes concentrated fire from all four of you for at least a minute to take down- if you see a Tank, the next thing you know, you’re going to be dead or dying. Finally, there’s the Witch. She does nothing if you leave her alone, but if you startle her by being to loud or shining your light in her face, she’ll drop you to the floor in one hit and proceed to kill you very, very quickly, unless your comrades can save you. You’re not going to want to startle the Witch.

Because of the AI director, you never know when or where it is going to spawn- I’ve experienced points of the game where there are no zombies one round, and the next there are hundreds standing there. It makes for an everlasting game, as other than knowing the direction you’re heading, you’re completely in the dark (metaphorically and literally) as to what will happen next. As with the 360 version, the guns are a pleasure to use, and zombies die perfectly. Later in the level when the more powerful weapons are revealed, they become even more fun, if that were possible. The auto-shotgun in particular is fantastic for crowd-clearing, shooting bursts of shotgun shells as fast as you want. I’ve never played a game where the shotgun is more satisfying.

The survival instinct is another testament to the game’s greatness; on harder difficulty levels, you’ll rarely have above half your health, and ammo runs short after so many zombie attacks. By the time you reach the safe room, your character is hobbling and spluttering, making for an incredibly cinematic finish- closing the final door just as the zombies start to swarm around it is a better adrenaline rush than any horror film, I can tell you. Oh, and if I haven’t mentioned it before, there are a lot of zombies. With the right circumstances, and a bit of developer console wizardry, it’s possible to spawn around 1,000 zombies on screen without a hint of lag, as seen above.

To finish, I can only say one thing. This game is looking like it could be the best game I’ve ever played. There is almost nothing I can find to fault it- and I’m usually more critical than most. I can’t stress this enough: if you’re not looking forward to this game already, you should be. Look forward to our review in the coming weeks.

Preview: Resident Evil 5

Sam Naylor — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 20:49:20 +0000

It might come as a surprise that Resident Evil 5 was playable at the Eurogamer Expo, as it certainly was for me when I saw it. There were only 3 screens playing it, one 360 and two PS3 (I played the PS3 version)- not much when you consider how anticipated the game is. Since the game is expected to be released in March of 2009, it was certainly a pleasant surprise to be able to play the game months before the release date. Hit the jump for my thoughts.

Fans of Resident Evil 4 have no doubt been anxiously awaiting the fifth installment of the series, and I can safely say Resident Evil 5 is shaping up to be at least as great as Resi 4. The first thing one notices is the visual difference between the two games. The level I played was set in a dusty junkyard, and while there were plenty of infected villagers, the bright sun and light coloured floor meant that the dark, creepy atmosphere from Resident Evil 4 is changed. The absolute contrast might seem like a mistake, but the brightness adds a certain eeriness to the location, and the wavering heat is portrayed brilliantly. I actually felt like the sun was beating down on my back as I played, and that just made me more tense as the waves of infected started rolling in.

The controls have barely changed from Resident Evil 4, although the ‘run’ and ‘shoot’ buttons have been reversed, which took some getting used to. Of course, the controls were fantastic in Resident Evil 4, so no complaints in this department. The guns feel pretty similar too, especially the shotgun, with it’s satisfying knockback effect. One thing I did find happening was losing ammo. I ran out of shotgun shells pretty quickly, and once my handgun ammo had gone, I had to rely almost completely on the knife (it’s bigger than Leon’s, more of a machete actually) and Chris’ combat moves- kicking the enemies as they are stunned- which really adds to the feeling of desperation.

Another notable difference is that in Resi 5 you switch weapons in real-time, instead of the game pausing to let you sort out your inventory. It’s a nice touch for immersion, adding to the manic feel, but again, it takes some getting used to. The (useful) companion that follows you is another brand new feature; contrary to what you might think, she’s pretty useful. She helps out with the horde of infected, but best of all, she gives you ammo and health. I felt compelled to save her (unlike Ashley in Resi 4), because she would thank me with precious ammo, and she might carry on shooting the huge infected in an executioner’s outfit (complete with oversized axe) shuffling towards me.

Resident Evil 5 seems to be the logical progression of Resident Evil 4. Nothing drastically new, but why fix what isn’t broken? I’m confident that this game will be worth the wait until March (and I’m thankful it’s not coming out soon, actually- I’ve bought 5 new games in the last two weeks). Oh, and if I haven’t convinced you yet, just take a look at who’s back: