Stellarium

I've only recently discovered Stellarium but I have to say it's rather impressive. I know, it's not technically a game but I felt it deserved a mention. Essentially this is a program for PC/Linux/Mac that shows you [as far as I know] all the stars in the sky. You can change show man-made satellites and zoom in to the various stars and planets (the planets featuring very nice details - along with their moons), all of which move in real-time.

For anyone interested in the stars and planets, I highly recommend it. Plus, it's free!

http://www.stellarium.org/

Medal of Honor - Review

Figured I'd start my reviews with one of my favourite games in recent years:

Medal of Honor

I've been a fan of the Medal of Honor and Call of Duty games since they first came out. Of course, it's only natural that people will compare the two. Particularly now Medal of Honor has moved to modern warfare. When Medal of Honor was first announced, I was pretty excited. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was, in my opinion, a pretty lackluster affair with its short and incomprehensible campaign, frustrating and over-hyped multi-player and a constant [yet false] reminder that it was 'the most realistic shooter'. So to have MoH step up to challenge could only be a good thing.

Instead of creating a fictional story for its campaign, MoH chooses to focus on the war in Afghanistan. A bold move given that its a war still being fought; the idea being to bring home the reality of what the soldiers are doing over there. Throughout the game you take on the roles of two Special Forces (Tier 1) operatives, a pilot, and a US Ranger. The story is weak if you are expecting a Tom Clancy style plot. But this isn't the idea of this game. It's less to do with story and more to do with experiencing. And this game does something few first-person shooters have managed...it makes you care about your fellow soldiers. You have their back and they have yours. It creates an intensity seldom seen it FPS'. Many times throughout the missions I was checking on my squad to see if they were okay, despite the fire we were under.

The varied missions make for nice pacing and really help create the experience. It isn't all 'run-and-gun'. Parts of missions will see you directing close air support, traversing on quad bikes, sniping and 'bringing the rain'. Of course there are missions that require you to run and shoot, although that isn't advisable. Not many shots are required to take you down. Running headlong into a fire-fight is a sure path to death. This game is about fire and manoeuvre, coupled with use of cover and support fire. While not a tactical shooter like Ghost Recon, some tactic is required. It's a slower paced game than Call of Duty but all the better for it. The enemy A.I. certainly isn't the worst you find in a game but could do with tweaking. 

Graphically, this game is on par with other FPS'. I've read some reviews stating it had the graphics of a Playstation 2 game. I question whether they are playing the same game as the rest of us! True, they're not ground-breaking and aren't without problems. Occasional frame rate issues and some unpolished textures rear their ugly heads, but never enough to spoil the game. It features some amazing lighting effects and the smoke and dust effects are almost enough to start you coughing! The background graphics are stunning, giving you views over the Shah-i-Kot Valley. Yes, the graphics could've been better but they certainly shouldn't be considered bad. Animation-wise, its up there with the best. Soldiers move as the should - this is particularly evident when clearing a room - and everyone features facial animations that, while not quite up to Killzone 2 level, are enough to convey the emotion.

Sound is where this game really comes into its own. Explosions, bullets zipping overhead, soldiers barking orders, units communicating over the radio...everything sounds perfect. You almost feel each explosion; you instinctively duck your head as bullets fly over you; and the radio-chatter brings a level of authenticity that puts you there.

However, all that doesn't stop the campaign from being short. A little too short. Average completion time is probably about five hours. Most will do it quicker. Of course, the missions are begging to be replayed but, as with most games, there's only so many ways to do each mission and they will eventually become old. Outside of multi-player there's only one other mode to try called 'Tier One'. This mode takes the campaign missions but adds twists such as a time limit, increased bullet damage and no ammo refills. Again, fun for a time but grows old. 

Multi-player is an interesting addition. Created by the team responsible for Battlefield, it was always going to be good. The only question was how good. I've played my fair-share of multi-player games (including Bad Company and Call of Duty) and have to say I was pleasantly surprised. MoH has stripped away a lot of the unnecessary baggage, leaving a solid base. There isn't thousands of weapons from which to choose, nor is there hundred of upgrades for the remaining weapons. Same story with kill-streaks awards. They are there, but are more subtle. Vehicles aren't featured much and levelling up isn't a massive feature. There are half-dozen weapons, each with its own feel. You don't need to empty a magazine into someone to kill them, unlike CoD. MoH sits nicely between CoD and Bad Company. The levels are well designed, meaning no single class has the advantage. They aren't so big that eventually each game descends into a sniper battle, yet aren't too small as to make shotguns the only weapon choice. What is does do is bring everyone to a similar level. Kill-streak awards sway the battle rather than outright win it and clever level design discourages the infamous 'campers'. It's basic but all the more challenging and fun. You have to rely more on your own skill because the kill-streak awards, while helpful, will not save the day. Levelling up provides small advantages (such as new weapons or add-ons), however, it doesn't mean that someone on level 8 is going to walk over someone on level 2. It's slower pace and slightly more brutal health system will probably put off the die-head CoD fans (you know the type...run at you full tilt, guns a blazing, emptying an entire magazine into you, rinse and repeat) but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

I'm a firm believer that a game should be able to stand alone on it's single-player. Multi-player is all well and good but too many idiots and hackers, coupled with the servers becoming empty some 12 months later make for a bad combination. With that in mind, MoH is a great game. It's not the best though. A short campaign and a lack of activities outside said campaign let the side down. It could've done with a little more polishing too. For those that like their multi-player, MoH isn't trying to be Call of Duty or Bad Company. It is much more basic but all the better for it. While it adds no revolutionary new features, it refines those already around. 

This game shows promise. An interesting narrative with real life and more personal and believable story, some solid game mechanics and graphics and a fresh take on the ever increasingly popular multi-player. One can only hope that EA gives a sequel a chance, for then we may see something truly brilliant.

Overall, it's multi-player offers a 'back-to-basics' style challenge, free from the baggage under which the latest games seem to be buried. It's single-player, while short, offers a real, thrilling, nerve-shredding, adrenaline-fuelled and poignant insight into what our soldiers are faced with each day in a war being fought as you read this. For that alone, Medal of Honor is a unique game that should be played by everyone and anyone with even the slightest interest in first-person shooters or the military.

Welcome

Welcome to my gaming blog. The purpose of this blog is to review the games I play, and maybe throw in some news and options as and when.

Hope you enjoy!