REVIEW: Medal of Honor

Developer: Danger Close/Dice | Publisher: EA | Format: PS3

Reviewer: Craig Jay Gallagher The Medal of Honor franchise certainly deserves your respect for it singlehandedly launched one of the biggest gaming crazes of all time. The WWII fps has over the past decade became one of the most successful and acclaimed niches around. With Medal of Honor the franchise attempts not just a sequel but a whole new beginning wiping the slate clean as it updates to the modern-day replacing Nazis with the more topical Taliban.

The single player campaign begins in dusty Afghanistan with little in the way of introduction gamers are dropped head first into the action. The developers have repeatedly stated a desire to avoid political based storyline instead choosing to focus on the heroics and sacrifices made by the men on the ground. It’s an objective which is as noble as they come but given that none of the characters are anything but caricatures it robs the game of any impact. The closest we get to developed character traits are Rabbit’s luck rabbit foot. Characters all have cool sounding call signs but anybody who has watched an episode of the Unit will testify that it’s the characters and not their names which leads to an emotional investment in events.

The stunted nature of the single player campaign, it can be clocked in around 4 hours really does the game a disservice as within those 4 hours are some of the most thrilling and exhilarating action gaming around which is an experience sadly cheapened by heavily scripted gameplay. Unfortunately Medal of Honor more often than not plays almost like an on rail shooter with constant screams of where you should aim which coupled with numerous instances of making turrets and guiding missiles that it all becomes rather mundane.

Thank your lucky stars for the inclusion of Tier 1 mode which manages to offer a far more thrilling experience than you would imagine. Tier 1 serious ups the ante difficulty wise and the use of a timer makes for nail-biting gaming. THe objective is simple, complete the mission in the fastest time. It’s ironic that the most impressive game mode is the one in which story matters the least.

Multiplayer like Tier 1 is triple A gaming. Developed by DIC it may not be the most original gameplay around but it gets the job done in style. Much like Battlefield 1943 there are three classes to choose from, Rifleman, Sniper and Special Ops. Each class has its own ranking system allows you to equip your character with specialist equipment. Unsurprisingly the weapons cache you begin with is barebones to say the least, with the object of the game being to raise your level and acquire new gear.

Medal of Honor may not be the Call of Duty beater that we hoped but it’s also far from the travesty that many are branding it. The single player while sadly underwhelming does have a number of breathtaking moments which nearly make it worthwhile. The Tier 1 and multiplayer modes more than make up for this but the game remains a missed opportunity.

NEWS: Playstation Phone Leaked

A few months back tech blog Engadget reported that Sony were working on a PSP Phone and now it seems that they have proof of its existence. The site today posted pictures of what they allege is the PlayStation phone.

The pictures show a slide up smart phone with a striking PSP go style control panel which includes shoulder buttons, movement buttons aswell as all other controls currently found on the PSP. The only thing missing are the analogue sticks which it seems have been replaced by a touch sensitive pad.

In the article Engadget states that the device will include a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 mobile processor, 512MBs of RAM, 1GBs of ROM, a 3.7 to 4.1-inch touchscreen display, a built-in camera with LED flash, aswell as the touch pad.

Not much else is known about the device at this time and while this could all be an elaborate hoax early word is that it is the real deal. If so we can expect an offical announcement in the coming months.

VIDEO: Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare

The Undead Nightmare download pack is an entirely new single player campaign for Red Dead Redemption which pits John Marston against a plague of the undead as he attempts to find a cure for the disease which is sweeping the country.

The game is available on Xbox live and PSN store for €9.99 or 800 Microsoft points. Aswell as the new campaign the pack will include new multiplayer skins and a new horde mode called Undead Overrun.

Other additions include:

* New single player missions and challenges (including new “Missing Persons” side quests).
* 8 new multiplayer zombie characters.
* Zombie Animals unleashed into the world.
* New dynamic events.
* Brand new gameplay mechanics.
* Mythical creatures (the Four Horses of the Apocalypse, Unicorn and Sasquatch).
* A brand new secret location.
* New weapons (Blunderbuss, Torch, Holy Water and Zombie Bait).
* New multiplayer modes (Undead Overrun, Land Grab).
* 3 new outfits (Zombie Hunter, Union Suit, and Legend of the Apocalypse).
* A new missing person activity, similar to the bounties.

NEWS: Gran Turismo 5 Delayed

Gran Turismo 5 is to miss it;s intended November release date after being hit by another delay.  The news was announced today on the official US Playstation Blog when the following statement was released, “We sincerely apologize to GT fans for the delay, however, creator Kazunori Yamauchi and the team at Polyphony Digital want to make certain they are creating the perfect racing experience, and we are confident that this ambitious game will exceed expectations when it launches.”

This is the second major PS3 title to be delayed after it was announced earlier this month that Little Big Planet 2 would not be released this side of Christmas.

Gran Turismo 5 has been delayed once more as Sony announces it is to miss its November release date.  Sony has confirmed that this delay will affect all markets with a European spokesman stating that it hopes to reveal the new release date before the end of the month and that the game will eb on chelves in time for Christmas.

VIDEO: Fable III Launch Trailer

The Uprising Has Begun! The “Fable III” Revolution Revealed in Launch Trailer

Witness the intense action, adventure and drama as the rebellion against tyranny is born

Dublin 13^th October On Oct. 26, 2010, “Fable III” fans will begin their journey to rule Albion. Offering an exhilarating glimpse of the revolutionary action and adventure ahead, Lionhead Studios and Microsoft Game Studios released the never-before-seen launch trailer today for the highly anticipated third installment of the “Fable” series.

The gripping trailer, “Revolution,” takes you from the depths of rebellion to the birth of revolution in Albion as you take the lead in overthrowing the tyrant king Logan. Sounding the call-to-arms against oppressive rule and negotiating strategic partnerships with the different clans of Albion, the Hero and his fellow revolutionaries rise up to seize the throne. Xbox and agency twofifteen worked with Emmy award-winning visual effects house Psyop to bring the story to life with rich and imaginative cinematic detail. The journey is set to the chilling backdrop of the Black Angels’ track, “Young Men Dead,” resulting in a compelling story of revolutionary struggle and upheaval. View the trailer now at www.youtube.com/xbox.

Continuing the franchise’s core tenet of freedom of choice, “Fable III” is available in a Standard Edition €69.99 and Limited Collector’s Edition €84.99 for Xbox 360. The Limited Collector’s Edition offers a bounty of exclusive content, including a new quest, exclusive in-game location, “Fable III” playing cards, a Guild Seal Coin, the Boxer dog breed and a unique outfit for your male or female hero.

Pre-order “Fable III” today from participating retailers to create your own in-game villager with the “Fable III” Villager Maker at xbox.com/fable3. The in-game villager will deliver to your hero a thrilling new quest and 1,000 gold in fortune.  Now available for purchase is the “Fable III” Limited Edition Wireless Controller featuring unique artwork crafted by Lionhead studios for €49.99. The collectible controller comes with an Xbox LIVE token for an exclusive in-game downloadable tattoo set to further customize your hero’s appearance.

TRAILER: Call of Duty: Black Ops

The Call of Duty series excels in two key areas, first and most importantly it delivers consistently superb gameplay which raises the bar for all first person shooters. Secondly it repeatedly sells the series through epic trailers which match that of any big budget hollywood entity.

The latest trailer for the upcoming Black Ops release continues this trend by delivering a trailer which will leave many scraping their jaw from the floor.

NEWS: Killzone 3 Beta October 25th

Gamers will get their first hands on experience of Killzone 3 when the beat hits in a little over two weeks. That’s the good news, the bad is hat unless you’re a Playstation Plus subscriber you won’t be able to play. It seems a little unfair to make the beta a subscriber only affair but with Sony hoping to boost awareness and subscriptions to the serve it’s the perfect opportunity.

Yes, the Killzone 3 Public Beta Trial really is coming! Jt like its predecusessor, the multiplayer mode for Killzone 3 will be put through rigorous testing at the hands of the toughest, most demanding critics in existence: you, the fans. The Trial starts on October 25th and access is limited to 5,000 U.S. and 5,000 EU Plus subscribers, so please read the following instructions carefully if you want to know how to secure a spot in the Public Beta:
Be(come) a Plus subscriber
With the exception of a handful of key media partners and selected PAX feedback participants, access to the Killzone 3 Public Beta Trial is limited to PlayStation Plus subscribers. If you’re not enjoying the many benefits of Plus membership yet, now’s the time to sign up!
Download the theme
On October 19th, an exclusive Killzone 3 XMB Theme will appear in the Plus section of the PlayStation Store. The first 10,000 Plus subscribers to download this theme (5,000 U.S. Plus subscribers and 5,000 European Plus subscribers) will receive access to the Public Beta Trial.
Check your email
After you’ve downloaded the Killzone 3 XMB Theme, you will receive an email on Oct. 25th containing the Public Beta Trial promotion code and further instructions through the address you registered as your PSN Sign-In ID. Make sure you’ve set your notification preferences to accept emails from SCE, or we won’t be able to contact you.
Those of you who make it into the Public Beta Trial are expected to provide honest gameplay feedback, report bugs and glitches, and help test our network code in real-world scenarios. In short, we’re counting on you to help us improve Killzone 3! In return you’ll get a good taste of the multiplayer mode, including its brand-new Operations game type, party system, and jetpack and exoskeleton vehicles.

VIDEO: Vanquish Weapons Trailer

Vanquish the upcoming game from renowned developer Shinki Mikami is a  third person shooter which has repeatedly wowed us with the cutting edge visuals and impressive looking gameplay.

NEWS: Little Big Planet 2 Delayed

Another day another delay. Sony today announced that LBP2 has been pushed back toll the start of next year. The decision has been taken to ensure that the launch version is the best possible execution of the game as Media Molecule recognise that many gamers are still not connected to the internet through their PS3 and as such important patches remain unavailable to them.

Alex Evans from Media Molecule stated  “We respect people don’t have online and don’t want to patch their game to get the full experience, we could have shipped it and it would have been fine. However, we realised that with just a couple of extra weeks we could make the game super amazing, adding the super onto the already amazing which exists today.”

Sony have decided to run an extended beta trail so for those in mourning get your self online and beg, borrow or steal a beta key.

REVIEW: Tom Clancy’s HAWK 2

Developer/Publisher: Ubisoft | Format: 360

Reviewer: Craig Jay Gallagher HAWK 2 is the latest in the never-ending line of Tom Clancy titles. Following on from the adrenalin fuelled first entry in the series the game places you straight back into the cockpit as you utilise futuristic aircraft, weapons and technology to generally wipe any enemy resistance from existence.

The plot is one which has obviously had a lot of attention lavished upon it though like many military based game it can be rather confusing as a seemingly never-ending line of military bigwigs issue orders about domestic terrorism and the constant impending apocalypse. Where the story most impresses is in the manner in which it links in with other Clancy titles such as Splinter Cell Conviction.

As with other Clancy based games HAWK 2 is a visual treat with superb cut scenes and a truly awe inspiringly realistic game environment. Utilising satellite imaging the in-game environments are photo realistic with the gamer experiencing a constant sense of playing within a real world environment. Each aspect of the visual experience has been lavishly created allowing for a truly unique gaming experience which coupled with inventive use of in-game technology such as Night Vision and infrared leaves gamers in no doubt as to the games attention to detail.

The control system is equally well implemented. Navigating and understanding your HUD is a breeze and with the intuitive flight controls, HAWK 2 is one of the few flight based sims which anyone can pick up and play with no prior experience. There are however a few niggles with the game, the refuelling sequences are a pretty nifty addition but are far too difficult to repeatedly do. In many missions you must switch between air-borne and land based enemies which in theory is all well and good but the constant need to switch between the different weaponry required was a chore.

All in all Tom Clancy’s HAWK 2 is one of the most entertaining and rewarding flight based sims in a very long time. After the rather mundane Top Gun and lackstruck Ace Combat HAWK 2 is a breath of fresh air which impressive on every front. While there are a few small problems none of which are enough to stop HAWK 2 from being a triple A title.

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