Star Wars: The Old Republic - Review

Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR from now on) is the latest release by RPG veterans BioWare. The game takes place several thousand years before the events of the Star Wars films, and about 300 years after the Knights of the Old Republic game.
SWTOR is also BioWares first entry into the MMO field. For those who don't know what that means, basically an MMO is a multiplayer RPG.  Players will find their character exploring the universe with thousands of other players, both experiencing their own stories, and banding together to overcome much bigger obstacles.

Instantly the comparison between SWTOR and World of Warcraft are thrown up, and to an extent they are quite fair and valid points.   SWTOR has a very similar combat system, using hotkey combat and the tried and true trinty of TANK/HEALER/DPS class structure.  Many other MMO's have attempted this formula, but not as successfully.  Because I'm an ExWoW player, I like this. I found I could dive straight into SWTOR and find it instantly familiar.  Even the talent trees have a similar design.

Companions come in all shapes and sizes

The big thing that SWTOR boasts over any other MMORPG I've yet to see is the story.  Every NPC interaction is fully voiced, complete with Mass Effect 2 style dialogue chooses.  So while you are inevitably doing the same fetch or escort style quest, it feels more coherent.  It also opens up the opportunities to use a morality system, which is exactly what BioWare have done. Conversation choices have various effects.  Some are purely just aesthetic choices, while others can effect either the standing with your companions or you affinity to the force.  This opens up the possibility for players to have Sith who are more attuned to the light side of the force, as well as Jedi who are on a darker path.  It adds nice contrast to characters, as well as allowing access to various force level gear.

Companions are also a strong feature of the game experience.  This sounds quite odd to say, but companions are actually really useful.  Not only do they follow you faithfully into combat (and do a good roll in what ever area they are suited to), but they also form the basis of your crafting skills.  Your character can learn upto 3 craft skills, but when you're out in the world it is your companions who do all the hard work.  Firstly, they can gather materials from the environment you are in.  This works similarly to other MMO's, where you see a plant, for example,  and harvest it.  You can also send your companion of on missions for materials, although this will mean you have to adventure with out them for a small period of time.  Finally you can send them off to craft for you, again taking a small amount of time.  Initially when you have one companion this gets tricky, because you're going to want them out in the field with you. However once you get your second one you can leave one at your ship, giving them orders to craft for you while you're getting on with your game.  This is also a handy trick to do before you log off for the night.  Next time you log in, they'll be finshed and you'll have something shiny in your pack.

Sound also deserves to be mentioned, and the music in particular.  The score is unmistakably Star Wars, and is constant through out your game.  No matter if you are in a canteena on Tatooine, or exploring the seedy under belly of Nar Shaddaa, the music blends seamlessly. Its not obtuse in anyway, instead enhancing the overall experience.

So is the game worth getting?
That's actually a tough question to answer. Essentially this is 8 different fully developed stories rolled into one, without even considering PVP and end game.  If you are someone who is time poor, then this game is not for you.  If you love Star Wars, or loved the Knights of the Old Republic, then this game is almost certainly a must for you.  There is a monthly subscription fee, but for the amount of content on release, its more than worth the price of admission.

Final Verdict

Story:	9	The stories are well written, each would have been perfectly suited to their own stand alone title
Gameplay:	8	Combat Mechanics are tight, and the usual MMO trappings of grinding gameplay are really well hidden
Sound:	10	The voice acting is great, but the musical score is one of the best I've heard in a game
Graphics:	9	Even on the lowest setting (My PC needs an overhaul), the scenery is lush and well designed.  However the character faces do tend to look just a little like plasticine.
Overall:	9	There are hours and hours of entertainment to be had here, and for the about 2/3 the price of most console releases its an absolute bargain.

Xbox 720

Speculation has be flying around about Microsoft's next console release for months now. Will it be announced at E3? Will it's launch date be close to the Nintendo Wii U?

Today two new pieces of news are buzzing around the wires from various industry insiders. 
The first from fudzilla, which stated "the power behind the next Xbox will be a PowerPC CPU that is married to an ATI Southern Islands GPU, or modified 7000 series.". It seems that the System on a Chip (SoC) has gone into production.

The second piece of news come courtesy of IGN, claiming that the new Xbox will be six time more powerful than the 360, and 20% more powerful than the Wii U. The GPU is predicted to be similar to the Radeon HD 6670, and offers  multi display output, 3D and 1080p HD output.

This all points to an announcement this year at E3, and a launch date landing around October 2013.
With Microsoft expected to reveal their new console, and the Wii U it's line up of launch titles, one can only imagine that Sony will need something up their sleeves this year. Will we see the announcement of the PlayStation 4?

Back again

Well, as you may have noticed, this will be my first post in over a year. I'm hoping to change the format of the blog, offering news as well as reviews on all things gaming.

Last year was a pretty big year in gaming. We saw some great new IP's coming out, although it seemed that the year was to be dominated by sequels.  Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 went head to head to to compete for your hard earned dollars in the FPS market. Gears of War and Uncharted both delivered fantastic entries for their respective consoles, and fueled the every growing flame war that seems to plague the Internet.

Nintendo confirmed one of the worst kept secrets of the year, announcing the Wii U at E3. This will be their first contestant in the HD console category, and while it seemed the end of the Wii was written on the wall, the breath taking Zelda Skyward Sword had me dusting off the wiimotes once again.

2011 also had its share of turkeys.  Finally, after spending so much time in development hell that it became and ongoing gag, Duke Nukem Forever was finally released. Too bad it was a jumbled mess that had all the charm of a turd left to float in the toilet.

So what's to look forward to in 2012?
Bioware will be concluding their epic SciFi series with Mass Effect 3, Gearbox will be releasing Borderlands 2 as well as Aliens: Colonial Marine. The Wii U will (hopefully) be officially launched.  Microsoft and Sony are being tipped to announce their new consoles, and Max Payne will finally make his first true HD appearance in Max Payne 3.
2012 will be a big year.

Kinected

This week, I’m looking at Kinect.  Kinect is the new motion control device from Microsoft, and their answer to the Nintendo Wii.  The big difference is that no controllers are requires, with the device showering your living room with thousands of tiny pin prick lasers designed to measure depth, and movement. 

Technologically speaking the Kinect is miles ahead of both the Wii and Sonys Move.  As well as picking up motion, Kinect can be used with voice control as well.  Basically, Kinect remembers your face (after you assign yourself with a Kinect Id) and “listens” to the area around your mouth to hear your voice only.  This means you can actually navigate the menu using simple voice commands (unless you’re in Australia, at least for a little while), which is heaps cool.

Warning. You won't look like Tom Cruise using Kinect

So how does it play?

At the moment the selection of games types is a little limited.  Your left with the choices of either dance games, fitness games or mini game…games.  This has put a lot of gamers off the idea of Kinect, those who consider their console a halobox. Still, the potential for the system is huge.  Here are some of my ideas for hard core games that can be worked with Kinect.

1)  RPG’s.  A game such as Mass Effect, which could use a combination of controller for running around and shooting things, but using the Kinect for voice selection of conversations with NPC’s. Imagine reading out the option and having the NPC react to your voice.

2)  FPS. This would HAVE to be used in conjunction with a controller, due to pretty much every FPS fan hating the idea of a shooter on rails.  Kinect could be used for aiming your weapon at enemies, as well as actions such as tossing grenades.  Expect a gun peripheral to be released with initial titles.

      3)  RTS. These could use full Kinect integration.  Imagine standing before your battlefield, deploying troops with a wave of your hand, and sending them into battle by simply telling them to attack.  I believe this could be the first style of hardcore game to push it as something more than a party device.

So overall, Kinect has some big potential.  If you like dancing like a tool in front of your television, and jumping all around like a rabid monkey, then pick yourself up a Kinect now. If not, wait….and watch. Sooner or later someone is going to release a title that will fully realize the jaw dropping potential of the system, and change the way we game.

As a side note, one of the downsides of this system is out of shape people like me really struggle to play for extended periods.  Which is a real shame cos I want to keep playing it, but my body doesn’t have much steam left in it. Still, maybe one more crack at funky town before I keel over.

Next Week: Assassins Creed:Brotherhood

Back In Black

This week I’m talking about Call Of Duty: Black Ops, the 7^th title in the franchise.  This one has been developed by Treyarch, the team responsible for about half of the Call Of Duty titles.  It should also be noted that this is not part of the Modern War franchise, although it feels very similar. It also managed to sell a remarkable 5.6 million copies in the U.S & UK in 24 hrs. That’s a lot of happy CoD fans.

So onto the game. 

Black Ops is told through a series of flashbacks, as the main character Alex Mason (voiced by Avatar’s Sam Worthington) is interrogated by an unseen captor. From here you are flung head first into some of the most intense firefights of the cold war era.  Starting out in Cuba with an assassination attempt on Communist leader Fidel Castro, the story quickly sends you all around the world, blowing the crap out of stuff all the way.

How does it rate with Modern Warfare? 

Black ops was always going to be compared to its predecessor, so I may as well jump on this band wagon to.  Simply put, Black Ops could be the best FPS this year, and more than addresses concerns about Treyarch ability to produce a game on par with MW2. The story is compelling, dragging you along for the rollercoaster ride for thrills and kills.  The visuals are stunning….when you can pause to soak them in (some of the levels in the jungles of Vietnam look phenomenal).  There are plenty of intense shootouts, although there are some parts that are cripplingly difficult (especially on veteran).  And to top it off there are some truly inspired vehicle levels that give you a break from the running and ducking action of being on foot. For example, one level has you piloting a boat along a river shooting at Vietcong while the Rolling Stones Sympathy for the devil is blaring out of the speakers.  Awesome.

Multiplayer feels very similar to MW2, but in a good way.  The levels fell balanced and no load out seem to overpower others.  It uses a similar leveling system, but instead of complete challenges to unlock weapon addons, you earn money depending on how well you do, and can buy the addon’s you want.  The kill streaks rewards you earn are also more balanced, so gone are the match winning atomic bombs, replaced with a pack of wild dogs that roam the map looking for enemies to maul.  Also worth a try are the remote control cars with bombs attached.  Heaps of fun to use, and you can even get some pretty awesome kills with them.

You can also review the action using theater mode to watch any matches you’ve been part of. While this is cool for checking out how you played, it also adds the ability for developers to keep an eye on those who would exploit the game.  Cos everyone hates being killed by someone exploiting.

Black Ops is chock heavy with content, including some hidden stuff, and even a zombie killing mode which sees you fighting wave after wave of the risen dead, with some hilarious cameos.  

So how does it rate?

Game Play: 9/10.  Some of the levels, especially the later ones are a joy to play, even when you have just spent a good hour swearing at the TV while trying to make it to a new checkpoint.

Sound: 8/10. In general the sound is top notch; the only downside is occasionally Sam Worthington’s accent switches from American to his native Australian, which can be a bit off putting.

Graphics 9/10. Some of the set pieces are awe inspiring, but sometimes some of the character models look a little …odd.

Replay Value: 9/10. There is so much to do in this game, that you will still be playing it long after the single player campaign is completed.

Over All: 9/10. This could be a contender for game of the year.

Next Week: Kinect. Microsoft’s answer to motion control.

A Little Older, A Little Wiser

This week I’m taking a look at Splinter Cell Conviction, the sixth installment in the franchise.  For those not familiar with the series, it follows the exploits of Sam Fisher, a secret agent working for a top secret government group called Third Echelon.  The game relies on stealth tactics to neutralize your enemies, rather than the traditional run in and blow them all away game play of many action titles.  

Splinter Cell Conviction takes somewhat of a detour from the previous games, adding more action and making Sam an all round bad ass.  New mechanics include Mark and Execute, which gives you the ability to tee up multiple targets (usually while your hidden) and proceed to shoot them with one button press.  This adds an element strategy to clearing out a room full of people, giving you the opportunity to choose your targets, mark them, kill them then get the hell out.  Another mechanism is the last know position silhouette, which appears when you’ve been seen by a guard, but have managed to hide from them. Again useful for strategies, as guards will investigate your last known location, giving you the chance to sneak up on them.

The game itself has become more brutal, and rawer, than the previous titles.  Sam is no longer working for Third Echelon, instead following leads on his daughter’s killer. As part of his investigation, you’ll need to interrogate people, and by interrogate I mean beat the living snot out of by throwing them around the room as well as smashing heads into window, mirrors and walls.   

There is still plenty of sneaking around though, and more windows to jump out than you can poke a stick at.  The single player is however quite short, clocking in at about 7-8 hours of game play.  Luckily there is an entirely separate co-op campaign (which I’ve been unable to play, due to no one on my friends list having it anymore), as well as various multiplayer modes.  

So how does it rate? 

Game Play: 8/10. The game flows quite well, with all mission prompts incorporated into the environment. The gun fights are fluid, and the controls are not complicated at all

Sound: 8/10.  Michael Ironside returns to provide the voice of an aging Sam Fisher.

Graphics: 8.5/10. The graphics are lush, with a very gritty, real feel

Replay Value: 7/10.  At only 7 odd hours to finish it’s over quick, but there are a slew of challenges to go back and complete, and the multiplayer extends the shelf life somewhat too. 

Over All: 8/10. A great addition to the series, and showing that an old dog can be taught new tricks (especially tricks that involve shooting lots of bad guys)

Next week: Call Of Duty Black Ops. Can it live up to the hype?

Fableulous

This week I’ll be talking about Fable 3, but before so I should take a moment to mention the two previous Fables. Personally I’m a huge fan of the series. I love the world of Albion, and the humor that is injected (quite liberally sometimes) into it. If you love chickens or are an associate of PETA, this series may not be for you.  One thing that has plagued the Fable series comes in the form of Peter Molyneux, the oft times outspoken and, frankly, batshit crazy lead designer of the series. It seems that with every Fable release Peter has come out proclaiming some amazing, ground breaking features that usually end up getting cut from the final release (remember the acorn anyone).  

With Fable 3 however, Peter has been uncharacteristically quiet. In fact, when asked about what he was most excited about in Fable 3 he responded “the simulations”. Not his usual over the top response at all. However, there is a hell of a lot going on behind Fable that we, as players, seldom notice. Each civilian in Albion has their own set of characteristics that change depending on how the hero interacts with them.  You can take up a career as a trader, buying goods cheap, them moving to another location where one of the shops is looking for stock and make yourself some cash.  With Fable 3, like the pervious titles, you get out as much as you put in.

So, how is the game? 

If I were to sum it up in one word, I’d say ambitious.  It’s sometimes hit, sometimes miss, and depending of the mind set you’re in when you play it you’ll either love it or hate it.  You see, they’ve made some pretty interesting changes to the game dynamics from the previous games.  The menu system that plagued Fable 2 has been completely removed. Now when you hit the select button you’re whisked away to Sanctuary. From here you can wander around, select your weapons, magic, clothes and more.  You can also manage your funds; use the map to fast travel around etc.  Basically it replaces all the menu options. Many people I spoke to hate this, but I actually think it’s a great innovation.  The menu is now organic and a part of the gameplay instead of something that breaks the immersion.  

Interaction with the people of Albion has likewise been simplified; doing away with the radial menu of emotes. Not you choose a good emote or a bad emote and that’s about it.  This seems a step backwards, removing a lot of the choices present in Fable 2.  Also gone are the multiple choices for leveling your abilities. Instead of having three choices in each of Strength, Skill and Will you only have one.  This is done by opening chests in the road to rule (Basically the leveling system), and as you unlock various chests they improve the corresponding ability. For example, open a Strength chest and you do more damage in melee.  The weapons themselves are more organic, each with their own challenges you need to complete in order to upgrade them.  It’s a new take on the traditional RPG elements, and one which seems to polarize people. I, for one love that they are trying new things, even if they don’t always work out.

Now for the unpleasant stuff. Fable 3 has bugs. Lots of bugs. These range from annoying, such as the breadcrumb not loading or taking you the wrong way, to game breaking problems.  A game from a production house of this caliber has no excuse for some of these problems.  

Bugs aside, pretty much the only thing I really though needed improvement was the morality aspect of the game.  Basically your choices are virtuous or dastardly.  There is nothing in the middle, no murky water to tread. This makes it easy if you are focusing on maxing out your morality one way or another, but I think it’s too clear cut.

Overall, I loved the game. I didn’t personally encounter any of the game crippling bugs, and have had a blast running around shooting gnomes, finding plants and ruling my Kingdom. The game has some fantastic scenery, and many truly epic moments that will probably see me running through it again (This time I’m going evil all the way mwah ha ha.) If you liked the previous Fable games, and are open to some of the new ideas they’re trying here, then you should go out and grab a copy. I have spoken

Next week.  Something. I still haven’t decided yet. Must play more Fable