first person shooter

All posts tagged first person shooter

Haze – 12 Years Later

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 06/02/2020

Posted in: PlayStation 3, Retro Consoles. Tagged: exclusive, first person shooter, fps, free radical, haze, playstation, playstation 3, ps3, Sony. Leave a comment

Publisher: Ubisoft

Developer: Free Radical

Release Date: 05/20/2008

Available Exclusively On

It’s not a mystery that developers around the world struggled with the HD era of gaming. Development went from a few dozen to hundreds almost overnight, and with the advancement of shaders, more complicated lighting effects, higher resolution textures, larger worlds, and more dialogue, it was a huge undertaking that put many companies out of business, and Haze is a casualty of this struggle.

You play as a private security mercenary named Shane Carpenter who is tasked with eliminating a rebel group for some reason, and it’s never said why. You are a supercharged soldier hopped up on the stimulant known as Nectar, and as the title says, halfway through the game, you are an outcast and deemed Code Haze. The nectar is used to force the soldiers to see the world in the way that the company wants them to see it, and in turn, you help the rebels take down the Mantel organization. Surprisingly, the story is the only interesting thing going on in this game. It had a couple of really good moments, and only if the developers had more time to work on this, Haze could have been one of the best shooters of the HD era of gaming. But, like most games back then, the publishers were pushing for money and time, and thus the game fell through.

The shooting, sadly coming from some masters of FPS games, is awful. There is zero feedback in the gun, the controller, or hit detection, so every enemy just feels like a bullet sponge. The guns feel the same, and there’s just no satisfaction or character in them, such as in a game like Resistance, for example. Why there is no rumble function for firing weapons is unknown, but it sucks big time. Aiming and shooting became chores due to the poorly laid-out control scheme, which I completely had to change. It doesn’t help that there are very few weapons. A shotgun and an assault rifle were the only weapons I used throughout the entire game, outside of a few areas that called for a rocket launcher. There are supposed to be rebel weapons and Mantel weapons, but they are both exactly the same with just different ammo counts. They both feel exactly the same, which is ludicrous. There are a couple of interesting ideas, like being able to create nectar grenades to confuse soldiers and make them fight each other. Meleeing enemies and taking their weapons is also a good idea, but it’s all executed so poorly and feels half-baked.

The level design is also bland and uninspired. Boring jungles, boring gray buildings, and hallways—the game just looks half-built. Many buildings are void of any furniture or character. I mean, why are there so many buildings in this world without desks or paintings? Does everyone just live on the floor? Then let’s get into the vehicle sections. I don’t think these were ever playtested. The vehicles are floaty and too vulnerable, and scripted vehicle sections actually destroy the vehicle and force you on foot. Imagine any other game with a scripted vehicle sequence like Uncharted and having your vehicle blow up, and you just walk on foot through that section while the rest of the sequences trigger. It’s broken and awful and should have been cut completely.

Visuals, you say? Outside of the boring design, I guess the game looks decent for an early PS3 game. The game runs well at a good framerate, but it could have looked better. The multiplayer servers have long since shut down, but you’re not missing much at all. For the bargain bin price, I can only recommend this to those wishing to fill a PS3 void that they missed or are just curious. Haze is one of the most infamously awful games, and it left a stain on the video game timeline forever. It’s short-lived, but you’re better off playing one of the other many amazing shooters on PS3.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 05/08/2020

Posted in: Microsoft Consoles, PC Reviews, PlayStation 4, Sony Consoles, Xbox One. Tagged: activision, call of duty, campaign, cod, first person shooter, fps, hd, modern warfare 2, remake, remastered. Leave a comment

Publisher: Activision

Developer: Beenox

Release Date: 03/31/2020 (PS4), 04/30/2020 (PC, XONE)

Available On

Well, what a treat! Modern Warfare 2 is considered the best game in the earlier series, and the campaign was most definitely the best and most memorable. The game takes place right after the end of the first game, with the Russians invading the United States for World War III. You play as various soldiers in this war and bounce back and forth trying to stop the bad guy, Makarov, but the story takes a crazy twist at the last mission.

The question here is: is there anyone asking for these games to be remastered? Most people usually only stick around for multiplayer, and it’s rather strange to only remaster the campaign and release the multiplayer section later. Most Call of Duty players skip the campaign and only bother with multiplayer, and it’s not like the Call of Duty campaigns are anything to write home about. Sure, they’re entertaining and exciting, but they don’t last long, and the story is a trite modern military train of nonsense, so who is this game for?

That’s going to be hard to answer, but I’m one of the few who plays the campaign first and usually goes back for seconds later on. I played the original on Xbox 360 and spent more time in this game’s multiplayer than any other in the series. The maps were perfectly created, and the balance was fantastic, but it’s long dead now, so all we have is this campaign. Thankfully, it’s only $20, as you get about 4 hours of gameplay out of it. It’s literally fun for an evening, and it’s over. The game does have some crazy scenes, like seeing a nuke detonate from space, and the battle in Washington, DC, through the White House is pretty awesome. There are more stealth missions with Captain Price this time around, and overall, we get a good range of different types of action. The boots on the ground mowing down enemies type, the special ops missions, then the stealth missions.

What I would have liked to see was more on-rails stuff. There are a couple of chase scenes in the game and one helicopter ride in which you get to snipe enemies, but I wanted more of these. They’re exciting and just a lot of mindless fun. I did find the game’s difficulty poorly balanced, as I’d blow through a couple of missions and then die over and over in one spot, particularly as Roach in the U.S. Marine levels. There are wide-open areas, and they usually have you running around trying to take down vehicles and large waves of enemies. There is never a dull moment, however, and I had a blast through the whole thing, but it does feel shorter than the first game. The infamous and controversial “No Russian” mission is present but allows players to skip this level entirely. While at the time of release it may not have seemed like such a big deal, mowing down people in an airport as part of a terrorist attack is all too real these days, and there are thousands of people in the US who have fallen victim to shootings or have been near one. It can be a seriously sensitive topic, so good on Beenox for adding this option.

The visuals are amazing, using modern techniques to make the game look like it was made and released today. Fantastic lighting, textures, models, and other effects that PC gamers will love. It runs flawlessly without a hitch, and every moment was a blast. I will say that there is no reason to go back, however, and that’s going to be the deciding factor for people. There’s zero replay value here as Battle.net doesn’t have an achievement system, and while you can find 45 different Intel laptops, what’s the point? There’s no reward for doing so, and there are no extra modes either. There’s a neat little museum mode that lets you see various panoramas of each level, but there’s nothing to do besides pressing a button and having all the character models jump at you and attack. It’s neat but seriously pointless, so no one will probably bother exploring.

Overall, Modern Ware 2 Campaign Remastered is a blast while it lasts. It’s only 4 hours long, with no replay value, extra modes, or a reason to even go back. It’s a game you go back and play every 5–10 years for nostalgia, and that’s it. Newcomers will have a blast and may play through a second time, but that’s all your $20 is going to give you: one fun evening. The visuals are fantastic and look amazing, but that’s about it here. It really is the best campaign of the early trilogy, but what does that mean to anyone? I guess it depends on how much you love linear shooters.

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Halo: Reach – 10 Years Later

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 02/23/2020

Posted in: Microsoft, Microsoft Consoles, PC Reviews, Retro Consoles, Steam Deck Unsupported, Steam Deck Verification, Xbox 360, Xbox One. Tagged: 343 industries, 343i, first person shooter, fps, halo, Microsoft, pc, reach, the master chief collection, windows, xbox, xbox one. Leave a comment

Publisher: Xbox Game Studios

Developer: 343 Industries

Release Date: 12/03/2019, 09/14/2010 (X360)

Available On

It was a brave move to move the Halo franchise away from Master Chief’s point of view. After the success of ODST, Bungie continued this move with a prequel to the original game and how Cortana was discovered. You play as a ragtag team of elite soldiers, and you play as the Noble Six. The funny thing about Noble Six is that he is basically a nobody, and you witness the deaths and heroisms of your fellow squadmates and search for the last hope of humanity.

The game plays and feels exactly like Halo 3, which is a good thing. The game has many of the same weapons and power-ups as Halo 3 as well. The game has a decent length of nine levels, and the progression is well done. Each level takes place in a new area, so I never felt bored like I did in ODST. From outdoor areas with sweeping vistas to tight and controlled corridors, The game is fast-paced, hectic, and a lot of fun. I felt it was less difficult than previous games and much more balanced. I was able to quickly get a feel for my favorite weapons and the ebb and flow of the gunplay and enemies.

Again, the same enemies in Halo 3 exist here, and with the introduction of the Brutes from Halo 3, they make for a formidable foe and some of the toughest in the game. There are a few flying creatures, and I found there was less vehicle combat in this game than in any others in the series. Most of the game is on foot, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Most objectives will require you to activate or defend something, and this was typical for FPS games back in the day, but it never felt old. Halo has this magical formula of great AI, enemy balance, and knowing when and where to use each weapon. You know what situations call for which weapons, and when you see the weapon, you go for it, and when the situation flips, you know when to drop it and go for another. I know in tight corridors I want a shotgun, so I drop the pistol and pick up an energy rifle, as a scoped weapon is useless. When I run out of ammo, I know there is an alien equivalent lying around, which is great.

Reach just really isn’t much different than Halo 3 or any game before or after it. It’s a solid game with one of the better campaigns in the series, and the multiplayer is rock solid. With this being a spin-off, you’re expected to see asset flips and familiar gameplay, but the shift from Master Chief is what makes it feel a little fresh. With the update for The Master Chief Collection, the game has better visuals, runs at 60+ FPS, and supports ultrawide screens, mice, keyboards, and current-generation hardware. It looks dated, but clean, and feels like a modern shooter does on a PC. I didn’t run into any crashes or major glitches, so it’s a solid port.

I don’t have much else to say other than that it’s a good Halo game. The ending is solid, albeit sad, and sets you up for the main trilogy. I loved Halo 3, so being able to get back into that era of Halo was great, and the upgrades make this a no-brainer for any Halo or FPS fan. If you don’t like Halo, this game will not change your mind at all, as it’s about as rudimentary for the series as it gets, and the story is a little on the light side compared to other games in the series. I didn’t care for any of the characters, and if you aren’t familiar with the future timeline, it won’t make much sense to you.

Reviewed On

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 11/20/2019

Posted in: Microsoft Consoles, PC Reviews, PlayStation 4, Sony Consoles, Xbox One. Tagged: activision, call of duty, cod, first person shooter, fps, infinity ward, modern warfare, online multiplayer, shooter. Leave a comment

Publisher: Activision

Developer: Infinity Ward

Release Date: 10/25/2019

Available On

When you’re desperate to bring a franchise back, what do you do? Well, two things: either reboot the entire series into something new or bring the series back to its roots. Activision chose the latter, and somehow it just brilliantly worked. See, Call of Duty 4 was something groundbreaking and revolutionary in the first-person shooter genre. With a fantastically cinematic campaign, an interesting protagonist (Cpt. Price), and addictive multiplayer that had you grinding for perks and weapon unlocks, it was fast-paced and fluid with well-designed maps. Infinity Ward had created magic that took the world by storm. Of course, what do you do with a franchise that’s this successful? Milk it to death with yearly sequels for over a decade until it kills itself. That’s actually what happened to Call of Duty twice! While the peak of the series was with Black Ops 1, the latest Black Ops 4 was a complete disaster. With every iteration, there was a less than stellar campaign and boring multiplayer. So, all those wonderful memories you had with Call of Duty 4 can now come back as this is a prequel to that game. Keep those memories in mind because we’re going to come back to them later.

Call of Duty has never been well known for its amazing story, but Modern Warfare tries, at least with the game taking place in Russia and the Middle East. You are trying to find out who stole a toxic bioweapon, and you team up with a rebel group in the Middle East to stop the Al-Quatala terrorists from unleashing it on the world. It’s a typical modern terrorist plot, but it’s enough to get the job done. At least the characters are interesting. With you playing Adam, Garrick, and Farah, Adam is part of the US Army, and Garrick is part of the SAS. Farah is the rebel group trying to break her people free from Al-Quatala, and the Russians selling the bioweapons aren’t helping. Each character is actually really good to watch and pay attention to on-screen. Of course, Cpt. Price has this awesome presence that you can’t look away from. His voice acting and motion capture are amazing, and it’s nice that they tried to breathe actual life into these characters. Remember when I said to remember those CoD4 moments of nostalgia? Well, when Cpt. Price comes on screen for the first time or you see the ending, you get goosebumps and can’t help but smile and think, “It’s back!”

The campaign is short but sweet. Running for about 6 hours, each and every level is unique and different, with a ton of scripted cinematic moments. There’s even a level where you play as a child and have to sneak out of your village. Infinity Ward really tried with this game, and the campaign is actually replayable and incredibly fun to go through. The game is familiar to any Call of Duty fan, but you can feel the original’s fingerprint throughout the entire game. From nighttime stealth missions to explosive-bombastic firefights, modern warfare covers every base, the pacing is spot on, and it never gets boring. The shooting itself is very familiar with the first three Modern Warfare games, with various real-world military weapons fine-tuned and balanced just right. There’s a play style here for everybody, from spewing rounds with the PKM to running around corners with an M80 shogun to picking off enemies with a Dragunov sniper rifle. The balance of weapons leads to the feeling of movement and the satisfaction of bringing someone down. The four-way spread of the reticle when you’re hitting an enemy and the sound it makes to let you know you’re on target have changed the way you can now slide around corners and mount walls. It’s a formula that only works in Call of Duty, and it’s never been better than it has been here.

Once you finish the campaign, it’s off to multiplayer, which is where the meat of the game is. This also feels very familiar and brings back old Call of Duty balancing and modes such as Team Deathmatch, Headquarters, and various other modes. This is the first Call of Duty game since Modern Warfare 2 that has had me coming back over and over again for more carnage. The gameplay is perfect, and while the weapons are still being balanced through patches, the expensive map packs are now gone in favor of free maps and a battle pass similar to what Battlefield is doing.

Acquiring new unlocks comes much quicker and more steadily than in previous games. Nearly after every match, I was unlocking something, whether it was a paint job, a perk, or an attachment. There are so many playstyles available for players, and the maps allow them all. Hand back and pick off enemies, set up camp in a sniper position, or run around with a shield and shotgun like a lunatic—it’s all up to you. The Killstreaks and Perks are back to basics, with UAVs, Cluster Strikes, and Apache helicopters raining havoc down, including white phosphorus and the new Juggernaut armored suit. It’s a reason to play better and stay alive, as the best Killstreaks are for the elite players who are the best. The game can also seem frustrating at first, as you will die a lot and not get any kills when you first start out. Modern Warfare has a special feel to it that every player needs to get down. Learn the maps, every nook and cranny, the shortcuts, and how the flow of each map is laid out. That is key.

Speaking of maps, the launch maps are rather generic. While they aren’t designed poorly, they just aren’t that interesting, with just an overall generic feeling to them. While more maps are to come, the 10 maps included just don’t feel as memorable as previous games. With a few maps being specific to Ground War, which is an all-out huge battle to take over choke points, the smaller maps just leave too much room for campers with blind corners and are easy to hide in pockets. Overall, they’re still fun, and I don’t have any other complaints about multiplayer than the map quality. I do enjoy the new cross-play feature, which is a first for Call of Duty. PC, Xbox, and PlayStation players can play together with symbols indicating what system and device the players are using in the lobby before a match starts. It’s a great way to keep longevity alive, as PC activity usually dwindles towards the launch of a new game, but with three combined user bases, the game is sure to stay alive for much longer.

The last thing I want to talk about is the visuals in the game. They are out of this world amazing thanks to a new game engine and implementing RTX Ray Tracing on PC for Nvidia GPU users. The lighting is fantastic, and the engine is so well optimized that I’m able to get triple-digit frames with RTX on and the graphics maxed out in certain scenes. The textures and models look fantastic, and the lighting is just incredible. Running through certain scenes and levels just made my jaw drop, and this is easily one of the biggest technical marvels of the year, hands down. However, that is just for PCs. I did play this on the original Xbox One console, and it looks like garbage with tons of blurring, poor frame rate, and stuttering. I’m sure the PS4 looks the same if now worse, and the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro versions are better performance-wise but don’t hold a candle to the PC version.

Overall, Modern Warfare is one of the best shooters in the last decade and the best in the entire series. It took way too long for the series to get back on track, but it’s here and better than ever. With groundbreaking visuals, an addictive multiplayer suite, and tons of maps to come, there’s not much to not like about this game.

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Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles – 12 Years Later

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 08/15/2019

Posted in: Nintendo, PlayStation 3, Retro Consoles, Sony Consoles, Wii. Tagged: capcom, cavia, exclusive, first person shooter, fps, light gun, Nintendo, rail shooter, resident evil, shooter, the umbrella chronicles, wii. Leave a comment

Publisher: Capcom

Developer: Cavia, Inc.

Release Date: 11/13/2007

Available On

Resident Evil is less known for its light-gun arcade games, as these are held in public places that are niche hangout spots. The Wii with its remote and Zapper attachment is just begging to be used as a light-gun, and many of these games followed, and Capcom jumped on the bandwagon. Umbrella Chronicles is one of the more solid light-gun games on Wii, but it must be played co-op or you’re not going to have a good time.

The game has four chapters, with each one following bits and pieces from Resident Evil 0, 1, and 3: Nemesis, respectively, with the final chapter being an exclusively unique section just for this game. Each chapter has three or four sub-chapters and a few side chapters that are shorter and feature an alternate perspective featuring Ada Wong, Albert Wesker, and one Umbrella operative, Hunk. Story-wise, don’t expect to get a comprehensive telling of the Resident Evil series, as the pre-rendered cutscenes are chopped up and it’s not very cohesive or easy to understand. This is more for people who have played the older games before.

Outside of that, the shooting itself is rather solid. There are over a dozen weapons in the game, with your side pistol having unlimited ammo and various other guns like submachines, shotguns, rocket launchers, and handcannons making up the majority of the arsenal, but the ammo for these guns is extremely limited, and that’s the first downfall of this game. Why make an action game based on survival horror and keep the ammo count low? The pistol does very little damage, and you just forget about beating a boss with it. Ammo is incredibly scarce and requires you to have a partner, as some scenarios and waves just can’t be defeated with only the pistol. Hordes of enemies, sometimes over a dozen, will spawn in front of you, and popping them with 8–10 shots each with a pistol is just not feasible. With a second player, it’s possible, but solo is not. After chapter 3, I had to resort to a partner because it just gets too hard and too demanding for one player.

There are a good variety of enemies in the game, with some not appearing until the final chapter, and the bosses are all unique and incredibly challenging and require great reflexes, aim, and actual skill. Bosses are recycled from previous games, but fighting them in a 3D environment is pretty awesome. Some bosses have multiple stages, but these repeat in a cycle and can even include quick-time events that require button presses or a quick waggle. Quick-time events are peppered throughout the game and thankfully not abused, but they don’t appear on-screen long enough, and the waggle ones won’t trigger unless you start waggling the second they appear on the screen. This can lead to frustrating deaths.

Speaking of deaths, if you find a health spray, this acts as an extra life and can resurrect you on the spot, but without one, you start at the last checkpoint. There are herbs lying around for health, ammo, grenades, and barrels just begging to be blown up to take out large groups. This is one of the most difficult light-gun games I have ever played, and sadly, it’s impossible to finish solo without having unlocked the infinite ammo. The first two chapters have a nice difficulty scale, and it just ramps up way too hard on chapters 3 and 4. There’s also an issue with the game feeling too repetitive and not having enough variety, like vehicle scenes similar to other light-gun games. It relies too much on just shooting the same enemies ad nauseum.

Let’s talk about production values. Capcom is never one to skimp on a Resident Evil game, usually, and while Umbrella Chronicles looks fine, it shows it doesn’t push the Wii in the right direction. It looks like a GameCube game at best, with muddy low-resolution textures, but somehow there’s still a slowdown when too much is going on. It really could have looked better, even on the Wii, as there are better-looking games on the system, but what’s here is fine. The menus are pretty ugly, with not much going on, and everything looks so blurry and low-res. I need to redact my GameCube comparison from earlier; it’s more like a Dreamcast port, to be honest.

Overall, Umbrella Chronicles is a decent light-gun game that requires a second player or you won’t get very far. The boss fights are bombastic and fun, and each is unique, but the same enemies repeat over and over, and the scenarios don’t change. You’re just running down hallways or open areas and blasting enemies. The game goes on way longer than it needs to, with each chapter taking about 30-45 minutes to complete if you include the bonus missions. There is a lack of variety when it comes to other stuff to do to make this game even more exciting to play. The extras aren’t worth unlocking as they require S ranks in each chapter, most of the time, and after finishing this game once, there’s no real reason to go back.

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Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter – 13 Years Later

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 08/03/2019

Posted in: Microsoft, PC Reviews, PlayStation 2, Retro Consoles, Sony, Xbox, Xbox 360. Tagged: advanced warfighter, first person shooter, fps, ghost recon, grin, military, red storm, shooter, tom clancy's, ubisoft. Leave a comment

Publisher: Ubisoft

Developer: Grin

Release Date: 05/03/2006

Available On

Ghost Recon has always been a part of my childhood, as it was one of my dad’s favorite games. While we only had the inferior PS2 versions, they were kind of fun to play and really challenging. The slow pace of crawling through enemy territory and deciding the best way to take them all out without dying after 3 shots could sometimes be quite rewarding, especially since this is what the series was popular for. GRAW carries this over to the PC version specifically, while the Xbox 360 version is faster-paced. I personally think this is a much inferior version, and the slower pace feels dated and boring.

After so many Ghost Recon games, it was exciting to get a new game in the series on the brink of brand new technology. While the PC version sure looks great, it uses a slightly different engine and is from a first-person perspective rather than a third, like the Xbox 360 version. Everything just feels completely different, such as enemies not staying tagged with the orange diamonds, and this became a real big problem. You get a drone in this game, but it’s tied to a tactical map rather than viewing it in real-time overhead. You can use basic commands to send squad members to an area and take out enemies, but you’re so blind, and the angle of the camera for the map is really strange and distorts your perspective. Many times my men died because I didn’t know what was ahead, and unless you play at a snail’s pace, you’re going to die a lot.

That also goes for your character. Two or three shots and you die, and the checkpoints are so infrequent and spread apart that it leads to many frustrations. The PC version should have a manual quick save feature, but it doesn’t. The character walks like a geriatric on a crutch or sprints as fast as a turtle. The maps are bland and void of any type of action or ambiance. Just plain walls, silos, warehouses, and blown-up cars. Once I did get a few bad guys tagged, I would send my guys out, but they strayed too far and the tags disappeared, which is really pointless. Just on the training map alone, I died maybe 6 or 7 times because it’s just so hard to see what’s coming up on a large open map. I need something like, I don’t know, my drone’s tags to stay up and I see where every bad guy is and either skip some or avoid certain areas.

At least giving commands is rather simple, as using the mouse wheel or number row tells your guys to stop, follow, attack, or carry out commands set on the map. However, the AI is weird, as sometimes my guys would pop people I never even saw and then not engage on tagged targets I told them to attack. They would just stand there and stare, sometimes get shot up, and tell me that the target wasn’t reachable. With all of this combined, this makes for a buggy and frustrating mess of a game that doesn’t exist on the Xbox 360 version. The snail’s pace alone isn’t fun, is boring and bland, and takes away all the character and amazing pace of the console version. Why Ubisoft tried to make the PC slower is beyond me, as I wanted the 360 version, maybe with better visuals. Even the art style is completely different, despite most of the maps and missions being the same.

Overall, GRAW on PC is a huge letdown, as Ubisoft thinks we want a slower, more boring game. It feels more like Rainbow Six than Ghost Recon, and it carries with it too many of the issues from past Ghost Recon games. Get rid of the slow pace and animations, make the AI better, and stop making up crawl around a massive map trying to pick off targets. It’s just not fun at all. Some people may love this, such as those who actually like boring tactical shooters that play at a crawl, but GRAW on PC just doesn’t cut it and shouldn’t exist when a superior version exists on Xbox 360.

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Metro: Exodus

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 03/29/2019

Posted in: Mac, Microsoft Consoles, PC Reviews, PlayStation 4, Sony Consoles, Steam Deck Verification, Steam Deck Verified, Xbox One. Tagged: 4a games, deep silver, exodus, first person shooter, fps, horror, metro, ray tracing, scary, shooter. Leave a comment

Publisher: Deep Silver

Developer: 4A Games

Release Date: 02/15/2019

Available On

The Metro series is one of my favorites and is on my top 10 first-person shooter lists. It has a lot of flaws, but there’s a lot of heart and love that went into this series, and it showed with each game and even the Redux games. Exodus has been in development for about 5 years now, and I expected a lot from this game. What we got was a lot, but not how I really imagined it would be.

Exodus takes off right after the end of Last Light, with Artyom and Miller and the gang setting out from the metropolis of Moscow to find a clean place to live free of radiation and monsters. The main hub in this game is a train called the Aurora, and instead of being confined to a small linear metro tunnel, there are a few large maps you can freely explore, and the game is much longer than previous ones. The story itself is actually quite good, and the atmosphere plays a big role here, just like in previous entries. The funny thing is that the game almost feels like three parts put into one. The first two large maps are fully explorable with hidden items and side objectives, while the third map seems large and open, but there are no side objectives or things to really find. The last map ends up being a linear tunnel that harkens back to the first two games, with mostly atmospheric storytelling during the last 30 minutes. It’s got great pacing, and this constant change of gameplay kept me interested.

One of the major changes in the crafting system is that it allows you to collect chemicals and scrap metal to craft anything from medicine syringes to filters to certain ammo types. When you finally get a workbench, you can use it to clean your weapons, masks, and craft ammo, as well as equip new pack items such as a compass, motion detector, and even a better charger. Metro is all about survival, so the only thing you can do with your pack on the field is craft medicines, filters, smaller ammo, and throwables, as well as change out your weapon parts. The crafting system is decent enough, and I stuck with one loadout through most of the game, as once you get better parts, there’s no reason to equip weaker ones. There is a large variety of weapon types, and the more you use them, the more they jam up and misfire, just like in previous games.

The shooting is spot on here, and the weapons feel heavy and cumbersome like any junked-together gun would. From pistols to Gatling guns, the weapons are rather unique for the series, and I’m glad the weapon system got a lot of attention here. My first issue occurred with the stealth, though. Just like in previous games, nothing was really fixed. Sometimes I could sneak through an entire compound and kill everyone, and other times the enemies were placed in such odd positions that I got spotted no matter what. I also don’t like how silent weapons and stealth kills can be heard if you’re too close to another enemy. There were several dozen checkpoint restarts made throughout the game to get it right, but thankfully you can quicksave anywhere. Most of the time, sneaking missions turn into shootouts, and dying is quite easy here. A few bullets, and you’re pretty much dead, so keep medicine syringes handy at all times.

I do want to talk about the atmosphere a little. The game is incredibly foreboding, from the empty tundra to the dry desert and lush forests. The game feels empty and alone, and you’re always feeling afraid. Of course, the tensest moments are towards the end when you’re in the tunnels, and when you finally get back on the train or even a safe house, the respite is so relieving. I never played a game where a single light, a rest spot, or another person would feel so nice. You’re constantly on the edge of your seat, whether it’s hiding from monsters, tense shootouts, or sneaking around a bandit camp.

The visuals in Exodus are absolutely fantastic. Some of the best graphics this generation has seen. While I don’t recommend playing this on the original Xbox One or PS4 hardware it looks amazing on my Xbox One X I gave it a whirl on PC with Ray-Tracing enabled and it looks out of this world good. Of course, you need a 2080 or higher to get good frames with RTX on, and sadly, the DLSS is completely broken in this game. The entire game looks blurry and slightly out of focus, which is sad because I got a good 15-20 FPS just from DLSS alone. On Xbox One X, the game looks amazing, and there are only slight differences between it and the PC outside of RTX and some draw distance settings. Of course, the game never reached 60FPS on the One X or PS4 Pro (which the game runs slightly rougher on), but it all plays well. There were some glitches with the game crashing my Xbox and scripted events not activating, causing me to restart at a checkpoint as well.

Overall, Exodus is a fantastic game that is somehow still rough around the edges but still evolves the series with large open maps, varied environments, and mixed-up gameplay ideas, as well as the best story in the series with good characters, but sadly, they aren’t exactly memorable but good enough to push you through it.

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Battlefield V

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 01/20/2019

Posted in: Microsoft Consoles, PC Reviews, PlayStation 4, Sony Consoles, Steam Deck Playable, Steam Deck Verification, Xbox One. Tagged: battlefield v, dice, ea games, first person shooter, fps, shooter, wwi. Leave a comment

Publisher: EA

Developer: EA DICE

Release Date: 11/15/2018

Available On

Like so many countless games before it, Battlefield V tries to install the terror of war into the player with bombastic action sequences and dramatic, tense moments while bringing a visually stunning experience to the player’s home. Battlefield V does most of this well, but clearly, not enough time was given after Battlefield 1 to really flesh out the experience and make it something memorable.

The campaign follows the same design choice as BF1 with short War Stories, this time only 5, following various parts of the theater of WWII, from Norwegian tundras to the deserts of Africa. I really loved this idea in BF1, as it was a fresh take on a military campaign that was never done before. Here, the game follows this formula too closely and doesn’t evolve it at all. With pre-rendered cut-scenes shoved in, the game does little to offer interesting characters this time around or settings. The “open-ended” level design approach is abused here and detracts from the action that BF1 brought by forcing the player to use stealth in every single story.

I don’t want to run around a massive map trying to accomplish three objectives by infiltrating a small village or guard post by disabling alarms and stealth killing people just so I don’t have to fight it out. It makes for a more generic feeling, as there are few scripted events in this game. This happens in every story, with the first four abusing it the most. The best part of BFV is the raw shooting, as the weapons handle beautifully and are a riot to use as the authentic, accurate WWII weapons we have become accustomed to really don’t feel like arcadey pop guns anymore.

The last war story is actually the best of them all, and I would have liked to see more of that one. You play as a German Commando, which is usually never done in these games, using a Tiger tank to fend off the Americans in one last stand in Germany. The characters are actually great, and the intensity is fantastic. I really felt the heat of war, and something about being on the losing side makes it that much more intense. The other stories aren’t as interesting and feel pretty bland outside of this final story.

Multiplayer has been expanded upon, but it is generally the same as before, with just a few modes added. 64-player Grand Conquest is probably the best here alongside Team Deathmatch, as the battles are intense and the tug-of-war aspect of these modes is addictive. Sadly, it just hasn’t changed much and rides too hard on the unique feeling BF1 brought fans and doesn’t carve its own path, which is surprising as this is a WWII shooter and not WWI. Maybe the uniqueness of the BF1 reboot forced DICE to bring out their creative effort, and after that, they just felt too safe bringing nearly everything back.

The visuals are absolutely stunning and somehow top BF1 with amazing lighting, textures, and animations, and the sound is superb. This is probably one of the best-looking games of this generation, and you will need a hefty rig to run it right. Overall, Battlefield V is a fantastic WWII shooter that, while smoothing over the ideas of the last game, just doesn’t deliver the fun that counterbalances the authenticity of the era it tries to emulate. With a lackluster campaign and only the final chapter being interesting, and multiplayer that hasn’t changed an awful lot, DICE has got to bring something amazing with the next game, or gamers will quickly become fatigued with the franchise that has long stood its ground in a crowded military shooter era.

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F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn – 9 Years Later

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 12/23/2018

Posted in: Microsoft, Microsoft Consoles, PC Reviews, PlayStation 3, Retro Consoles, Sony, Steam Deck Playable, Steam Deck Verification, Xbox 360. Tagged: 2, alma, dlc, f.e.a.r., first person shooter, fps, horror, reborn, scary, shooter. Leave a comment

Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Developer: Monolith Productions

Release Date: 08/27/2009

Available On

I never really got around to this DLC, and I was not missing out on anything. The DLC is about 1 hour long, and you play as a replica soldier who gets called to Paxton Fettel (I’m not sure if it’s a prison cell or just his soul in the epicenter of the nuclear blast from the first game) and has to blow through your own kind to get to him.

The game mainly consists of large firefights that are actually quite tough (I died a few times here) with tons of enemies, mechs, and even a turret sequence thrown in. The game starts you out in a mech, and you go from there. It’s a short rollercoaster of every element created for F.E.A.R. 2, and it’s fun while it lasts, but a disappointing DLC as it adds nothing new to the game; even playing as a replica doesn’t change the gameplay one bit.

As it stands, play this just for the heck of it because you own it, but otherwise you can pass if you missed out all these years.

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F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin – 9 Years Later

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 11/18/2018

Posted in: Microsoft, PC Reviews, PlayStation 3, Retro Consoles, Sony, Steam Deck Playable, Steam Deck Verification, Xbox 360. Tagged: 2, alma, f.e.a.r., first person shooter, fps, horror, project origin, scary, shooter. Leave a comment

Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Developer: Monolith Studios

Release Date: 02/10/2009

Available On

I remember when F.E.A.R. 2 was first announced, and it blew up the gaming world. It was a long-anticipated sequel to one of the best FPS games on PC, and surprisingly, it was also coming to current consoles, which I felt held the game back some, and this infuriated some longtime fans. You continue where the first game left off and must go back into the destruction that the nuke caused and try to stop Alma once and for all.

The story and characters are worse than in the first game and make absolutely zero sense. I still don’t know why Alma wants to kill everyone or who Beckett really is (your main character). The game focuses more on action than atmosphere and scares, unlike the first game. There are some really creepy scenes, with the elementary school being by far the best, with poltergeists chasing you in dark hallways. It’s sad that the horror element took a back seat, and the game just doesn’t feel as good as the first game.

The shooting, however, has improved a lot with more responsive controls, faster-paced gunplay, and a slightly higher variety of weapons. The enemies are still generic soldiers called replicas that are just bullet sponges and don’t offer anything interesting to the game. There are two mech sequences added to the game where you can crawl inside one and devastate foes. Outside of feeling powerful, these scenes felt more like filler than anything else. Another continuing issue is the level design. The game is full of generic, desolate city streets, hallways, metal and concrete buildings with catwalks, and industrial decor. It’s the same as before, just with more detail and better visuals.

Slo-mo does make a return here, but I didn’t need to use it as often as in the first game as this one is much easier. Instead of hoarding 10 medkits, you get up to 3 and body armor to help absorb damage. You can still upgrade your Reflex meter by finding syringes and data pads scattered everywhere for story tidbits. I have to say I miss the answering machines and Alienware laptops scattered around, as it felt more organic and required less reading in such a fast-paced game.

The game looks really good, even today. Larger environments, higher resolution textures, better models, physics, and overall lighting effects really stand out, and this game looks far from ugly, just boring and generic. The game tried to switch up the setting with more outdoor environments and less indoor environments, but it doesn’t really matter as the game is still highly linear. It just doesn’t feel like F.E.A.R. did, and that’s a shame, as you can tell there was careful placement of each scare and less focus on action.

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Overall, F.E.A.R. 2 is a great sequel and worth your time for a weekend playthrough. It isn’t memorable; there’s nothing special, but the occasional scare and interesting horror elements, as well as fantastic shooting, make for a good game.