The Secret World – Combat, Abilities Gameplay Trailer
The Secret World is a MMo that I had my eye on for about a year now. I was initially captivated by the modern day world and the whole Illuminati angle of it. This game is built off, legend, myth and conspiracy so if you’re into that stuff like I am watch the video you may like it. Just remember The Secret World is a MMO and a PC game. Locations in-game include New York, London, Egypt, Transylvania, New England and more. The typical MMO gameplay like collecting loot and unraveling the story is in there judging from the trailer below.
The Secret World has no classes or trait system. You can get over 500 combat abilities though. And with that, a custom character. Ability Wheel keeps tracks of all abilities and weapons. The video shows some detail from a combat and gameplay standpoint. Personally I really like the visuals and combat pacing in this game. Sure it isn’t your typical MMO but the atmosphere and presentation is something that I would like. The Secret World was developed and published by Funcom for the PC. It releases June 19, 2012. Thanks GamerSpawn.
Max Payne 3 – Review
Published By: Rockstar Games, Developer: Rockstar Studios, Genre: Action, Release: May 15, 2012, ESRB: M, Systems: PC, Playstation 3, Xbox 360. ***SPOILERS THROUGHOUT***
Presentation: Its been years since we as gamers have been able to step into the shoes of Hoboken’s hard-boiled alcoholic ex-cop Max Payne. From an overall presentation standpoint Max Payne 3 is as solid as any game that has released so far in 2012. However I must discuss its faults. Blemishes during my play-through was regulated to Max clipping objects during some melee execution sequences and bullet-time/ shoot-dodge gameplay sequences. I also seen a few weird physics glitches. For instance, after shooting an enemy he flies about 20 feet up in the air wiggling and falls down then bounces against an object wiggling. At times Max gets stuck against objects and it takes a minute to get around objects in small areas when walking. There was some slow down and frame rate dips during cut-scenes (which there were plenty of in the campaign). Those are the technical glitches and performance issues I witnessed. Now take those “issues” and throw them out of your head because this game was so amazing the issues this game had didn’t even register a blip on my review radar.
Max Payne 3′s title screen showcases the menu tabs of Story, Arcade, Multiplayer, Settings and Playstation Store. As far as menu design and ergonomics are concerned Max Payne was easily navigable and streamlined. You can find what you need pretty quickly throughout the menu tabs. I will dig deep into the Story, Arcade and Multiplayer in this text review so stay tuned. But first I want to write about the controls of Max Payne 3 which tie-into the game’s stellar gunplay and presentation. This article is for the Playstation 3 version so the controls naturally for the Dual Shock 3: LS-move, Select-attachments, D-pad-painkillers, camera toggle, quick turn, L3-crouch/prone,L1-weapon switch,, L2-shoulder aim/zoom, Start-pause, RS-camera, X-sprint/vault. roll, Square-cover, O-reload, Triangle-interact, R3-bullet-time, R1-shoot dodge and R2-fire.
Let me just say first that Max Payne 3 has some of the most satisfying action packed gunplay in any game this gen. It doesn’t necessarily do anything new or groundbreaking however, shoot dodging and shooting in Bullettime while laying on your back in a full fluid 360 degrees makes a strong case. The aiming is superb along with each and every gun whether you’re dual wielding Uzi’s or using a SPAS 15. Every action you make on the gamepad fluidly controls Max like he is a ballerina performing gun ballet like a Chow Yun Fat flick. The sprint button really isn’t much of a sprint, more like a light old man jog. Max doesn’t run in this game. Sprint in multiplayer actually makes you run. I must give Rockstar props on the controls for Max Payne 3, at times I was blown away from what I was doing controlling Max in the heat of battle. I could use cover then jump over a desk then use shoot dodge to jump and bullettime shoot a bad guy in the head while bullets wizzed by Max.
When writing game reviews I like to write about a game’s atmosphere if its worth it. Max Payne 3 like it’s counterparts has a fabulous atmosphere marred with visceral enthralling gameplay. I don’t know what magic dust Rockstar uses but so far this gen most of they’re games have been solid in the atmosphere department. Max Payne 3 has a gritty but colorful atmosphere. The older games had a very dark setting with minimal sunlight. Max Payne 3 mostly takes place during daytime settings with a few dark nostalgia sequences I will get into later. All in all Max Payne 3′s presentation delivers a rich world that takes place in a gritty reality of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Hey gamers, I was one of those guys that questioned Brazil as a setting and why Max was bald with a bad shirt on when I first saw the photos for Max Payne 3. I won’t ever question Rockstar again I shall leave it at that.
Max Payne 3′s strong point regarding its presentation was its pacing. Sure you have many in-game cutscenes and were all pretty good for the most part fleshing Sao Paulo. Since I am an old school gamer I love nostalgia and the Hoboken flashback sequences really played to my heart since I have completed the first two Max Payne games. Action set pieces were plentiful but not overly done and implemented gameplay that uses Max Payne’s biggest attribute that being Bullettime. There were a few really good on-rails sequences spread throughout the campaign to break up the cover shooting gameplay. Diversity in gameplay and settings can explain Max Payne 3′s presentation in a nutshell.
Story: Max Payne 3 starts off near the end of the game then backtracks accordingly throughout. The story is a noire filled with intrigue, plot-twists, betrayal, tragedy and loss. It centers around, you know it, Max Payne. Due to a shoot-out which killed a Hoboken mob boss’s son and left Max being hunted, Max excepted a friend’s (Raul Passos) invitation to work for a security detail for Rodrigo Branco. The rest of the people Max was suppose to protect were Fabiana Branco, Marcello Branco, Giovanna (Fabiana’s sister) and Victor Branco. In Chapter 1 Something Rotten In The Air and Chapter 2 Nothing But The Second Best kidnapping attempts by hired thugs targeted Fabiana. So pretty much the first couple of chapters story-wise was centered around Max trying to locate Rodrigo’s kidnapped wife Fabiana.
In Chapter 3 Just Another Dat At The Office you try and a make a deal for Fabiana’s release with 3 million dollars only to be intercepted by a group of Para-Military hired soldiers. The mission fails. In Chapter 4 Anybody Can Buy Me A Drink you see Max Payne back in Hoboken (flashback sequence) drinking at his favorite watering-hole. You also see how Raul Passos hooks up with Max. The flashback sequence shows why Max took the Brano security detail job Raul offered him. Max had to leave town since the Jersey Mob Boss was after him for killing his son. Chapter 5 Alive If Not Well takes place back in the present where Raul and Max are tracking down a lead for Fabiana. This sequence takes place at night near and around a swamp that culminates into a chase scene on boats where Max almost saves Fabiana.
In Chapter 6 A Dame A Dork And A Drunk Max must defend FabricoBranco Headquarters from invading AUP forces. In the attack Rodrigo Branco was executed in his office mysteriously. The latter would mark the start of the real story behind Max Payne 3. Chapter 7 A Hangover Sent Direct From Mother Nature takes Max to the ghettos Favela of Sao Paulo. Now Max wears a shave head and bad-looking colorful shirt. In this chapter Max tracks down Wilson De Silva in a sex club inside a rough area of Sao Paulo. Max would learn where Fabiana, Marcello and Giovanna are and make his way up a hill leaving dead thugs in his wake as he makes his way to them. When he finally finds the small rangely shack he makes his move but gets Fabiana killed by thugs in the process. Marcello and Giovanna escapes.
Chapter 8 No Reprievement Gonna Be Found is another flashback sequence with Max visiting the grave of Michelle and Rose (wife and daughter). This chapter you fight in a dark snowy cemetary and make your way through a morgue and church. All the way fighting hired mob hitman. The latter sequence shows how Max and Raul made it out of Hoboken alive. Chapter 9 Here I Was Again, Halfway Down The World. Max gets his barings and looks for Marcello and Giovanna amidst a murder squad attack on the Favelas. Come to find out later in the story these raids were funded by Victor Branco and Becker to fuel their political stance on crime and make money harvesting human organs on the side. Victor Branco was in cahoots with a curupt police force, thugs and PMCs and had his brother killed for money and power. Sarano who was one of the thugs you hunted down earlier in the game was kidnapped also.
By Chapter 10 Its Drive Or Shoot, Sister Max manages to save Giovanna while Marcello wasn’t so lucky. Max learns that Giovanna is pregnant by Raul Passos which makes Max more determied to keep her alive. Much of this chapter is centered around protecting Giovanna. There was a nice gas station shootout an on-rails bus sequence during Chapter 10. Chapter 11 Sun Tan Oil, Stale Margaritas and Greed is another flashback sequence that take place in Panama detailing Max and Raul’s first job together under Branko. The job was to protect Daphne Bernstien and Marcello. Big shootouts on a yacht with AUP soldiers and helicopters above. You also get to fight around and inside the Panam Canal which was fun. After this Chapter Max has questions surounding Raul and where his loyalties are.
Chapter 12 The Great American Savior of The Poor is the darkest Chapter in Max Payne 3. Here Max frees hostages who where about to have bodyparts stolen from them by a Doctor. Max cleans house and gets C4 planted on all structural beams bringing down the building that the organ thieves used to keep prisoners and execute them. By now Max understands that Victor and Becker are behind everything. Max has a small talk with Raul and clear the air. Raul did come back to save Max before the building crumbled. Chapter 13 A Fat Bald Dude With A Bad Temper starts Max’s attack on Becker and his police station. Max destroys Becker’s police force. Near the end of the Chapter you fight Becker’s second hand man. You shoot tiles on top of him then pop him in the head once to finish him. The bossfight was pretty weak but not a game breaker either. Becker squeeks away along with Victor to the airport where Max hopefully tracks him down for the final showdown.
Chapter 14 One Card Left To Play is the final Chapter in Max Payne 3 and one of its best. Here you chase down Victor and Becker through Sao Paulo’s airport. Along the way Max takes out police forces. A great on-rails monorail sequence takes place before the showdown with Becker and Victor. Becker’s bossfight had waves of soldiers coming in at Max from jeeps and police vehicles. Off in the distnace you cn see Victor’s plane getting ready to take off in the hanger you’re fighting in. Shooting Becker’s grenades in air over him a few times ends the bossfight. You can either execute Becker or let him die on his own. Next is a fabulous plane sequence where Max and de Silva (dirving the car) race down Victor in his plane before he escapes Brazil. Max takes out armored vehicles and jeeps with his grenade launcher before shooting the plane a few times. Plane explodes, Victor Branco crawls out. Max was about to execute him but De Silva talked some sense into him. Max breaks Victor’s leg as a reminder.
Gameover at this point folks. We see Max in Baha relaxing. On the news station Max learns of Victor’s suicide while in jail. Some believe it was prisoners who wanted revenge and murdered him. When it was all said and done Max Payne, the gringo drunk saves the day. The story portion of my review was more of a brief walk-through if anything. I believe Max Payne has an over average story. It kept me glued the entire game and never got drab. I would go as far to say this was the best story out of any 2012 release I have played at this point.
Visuals: Rockstar did a fantastic job at bringing Max Payne 3′s gritty world to life. The textures along with the color palette created some breathtaking vistas most notable being in Chapter 8 during the favela sections. Draw distance was clear and expansive. In-game cutscenes were impressive with nice skin textures along with animations on the model’s faces. Lighting effects along with explosion effects were impressive and dramatic. Water was beautiful in chapters that had it. Bullettime and sparks and created a visceral setting. Fire was impressive during the scene when FabricosBranco was burning down. The latter scene easily rivaled Uncharted 3′s Chateau burning sequence. Every in-game NPC even had detail. Max Payne 3′s visuals are balanced. No one person or object stood out visually. With every game there are blurry textures and Max Payne 3 is no exception. Get close on walls and floors and you will see washed out textures.
With that said, this is the best looking Rockstar game that I have played on my Playstation 3. As for the animations? They are quite possibly some of the best in gaming. Max’s feet pivots and hips turn realistically when running and gunning. Reloading animations were even impressive. The way you are in cover and hit R2 to break the glass above you with your fist before shooting through it was pure detail. Shooting from cover while blindfiring looked pretty realistic. Rolling was ginger and appeared accurate. The way Max would hold a bigger gun under his left arm while holding a pistol in his hand well you get the picture. Every action Max Payne did in this game was fluid and believable. Impressive work by the animation department. Overall the graphics and setting really delivered.
Sound: The voice acting was phenomenal by all actors and actresses in Max Payne 3. The production values are solid when analyzing the sound design for this game. The music was a mix of fast beats and mellow dramatic tunes that fit the mood perfectly. I would say the last Chapter as you make your way down the airport lobby that song was probably the best in the entire game. Too bad I don’t know its name. Every gun had a distinct sound along with explosions. My surround sound system got a hell of a workout during my playthrough and I loved every minute of it. Each Chapter had distinct believable sound. It didn’t matter if I was in a swamp setting or the Favela, the sound was crisp, distinguished and atmospheric.
Gameplay: Max Payne 3 at its essence is a third person shooter. Filling up your “Bullettime” gauge lets you wreak havoc on bad guys in slo-mo till the gauge depletes. Killing enemies refills the gauge. In Max Payne 3 when you get knocked out by a enemy’s bullet but can redeem yourself by targeting him as your falling slowly and shooting him. You then find yourself laying on your back with the ability to shoot at a full 360 degree (its awesome). There is no health regeneration in Max Payne 3 just like in the previous games. No worry popping some Painkillers will get you back on track. I never ran out of Painkillers playing through the campaign on normal difficulty. I must admit however that I did die quite a bit during my play-through which says more about the game’s difficulty more than anything.
During each chapter you can search maps to find Golden Gun collectible pieces. Pieces usually range from 2 to 4 parts and unlocks a special Golden Gun in-game. I unlocked a few but used the Golden LMG, Sawn-Off and M4 Super 90. There are a few different Golden Guns you can collect for each level. You can also collect Clues which range from all kinds of objects that relate to the chapter in play. Story Grinds are a culmination of all collectibles in Max Payne 3 as well XP unlocks like “Bullet River”: 25,000 rounds fired and “Pharmacist”: 250 painkillers are typical Grinds. Each portion of Max Payne 3′s gameplay has its own Grinds associated with them including Arcade and Multiplayer, not just the Story Mode.
I wouldn’t do Max Payne 3′s gameplay justice if I didn’t mention the cover mechanic. Cover gameplay while not Max Payne 3′s core function worked like a charm. You can slide into cover, vault over it etc. What I found more intriguing was how cover could break apart fast if the material wasn’t solid. Many times enemies would flank so you would have to leave cover as well. The cover system was really good. Its up there with the Uncharteds and Gears of Wars in my opinion. Gameplay was a blast when you add up all of the ingredients I listed. This game makes you feel like the odds are stacked against you but you will find a way “with style” to get out of the most chaotic situations. Max Payne 3′s gunplay is exhilerating, visceral and dramatic. The bullet and killcams are gory and makes you feel each shot whether its you or the enemy on the receiving end.
Replayability: The single player campaign will last you much longer than 10 hours. After the single player you can play some chapters over in Score Attack and New York Minute. Score Attack is just that, score the highest score on a given chapter from the campaign. Its addicting trust me. New York Minute is a time attack mode where you try to see how fast you can complete a given chapter from the campaign. Just like Score Attack New York Minute is addicting as well. There are global leaderboards for both modes if you want to compare scores. You can also pick from many different Max Payne skins to use. I plan of going back through the campaign on Old School mode. I have delayed the Multiplayer enough it seems for this review. Multiplayer in Max Payne 3 is really reallygood. Gamemodes are Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Payne Killer and Gang Wars. Payne Killer and Gang Wars are the most enthralling gamemodes in my opinion.
You can create custom avatars and loadouts. You can buy guns and Bursts for your loadouts as well for your character clothes as you level up with money. Initial Classes include, Soldier, Snitch, Dealer and Lookout. It didn’t take me long only a few matches of deathmatch before I unlocked Lookout class and the other locked gamemodes. You can play competitive matches with either free aim or Soft Lock on. You can loot fallen enemies which nets you XP. The matches are fun and gameplay addictive. Bursts are perks that unlock in-game when you play well. The powers are varied but useful. What can I say, Max Payne 3 has a very solid foundation for content and replayability. There is also a $30.00 season pass which means a lot of DLC is on the way.
Final Verdict: Max Payne 3 is the synthesis of gunplay and great story telling centered around corruption, betrayal and redemption. BUY IT!!
9/10
Max Payne 3 – Multiplayer Review
Max Payne 3 has a multiplayer folks. Then again, what game doesn’t these days. Times have changed. I would have never believed a Max Payne game would have a competitive multiplayer. Well it does. And below is my review. Due to the fact you have to complete Grinds to unlock all of the playmodes I wasn’t able to play Payne Killer, Gang Wars, Large Deathmatch or Large Team Deathmatch. I wanted to get this article up at a respectable time so I can finish the single player campaign and write the final review. Remember there is only one guy playing and writing about all the games you see on Video Games Source so it can take some time. Thanks for understanding my dilemma.
When you select Multiplayer from the title screen your then able to see the following menu tabs: Playlists, Private Match, Arsenal, Grinds, Crews and Multiplayer Controls. As far as controls go the only real difference is a “Burst” button you can activate in matches. Otherwise the controls are the same as in single player.
Playlists
Lets start with the matchtypes in Max Payne 3. The matches that I listed in the intro paragraph details the locked matchtypes when you first log into Max Payne 3′s multiplayer. Unlocked matchtypes include Rookie Deathmatch, Deathmatch, Rookie Team Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch. I actually like this structure for a few reasons. 1. It teaches all players how to play the multiplayer on an even scale. Keep in mind you can select Soft Lock or Free Aim to add or decrease difficulty in matches for yourself. 2. By the time you unlock the complicated matchtypes like Gang Wars or Payne Killer you won’t be a noob at all.
The unlocked matches are 8 players big while the locked matches can goes up to 16 players depending on which gamemode you play. Maps are not big at all in Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch. In a 8 player Deathmatch on Tiete River Docks I got 32 kills and 20 deaths. If I had to pick a early favorite matchtype it would be Deathmatch. Deathmatches in Max Payne 3 are fast, frantic, brutal and fun. The maps are intimate and give you plenty of opportunities to rack up fast kills (just lock-on to enemies) and activate Bursts. I can unlock the Trigger Happy Burst at least three times per match which got me a few more kills. Team Deathmatches are fun also but requires you to use teamwork in bringing down your enemies. At this point many of the gamers on Rookie playlist are still noobs. Its ok, we were all noobs once.
Arsenal
In Max Payne 3 Arsenal is your character’s hub section. Here you have Loadouts, Avatars and Titles. Loadouts are classes and your Avatar is how your character looks which can be customized by you. Titles are just simple tags you can unlock. Pre-set loadouts cannot be modified for the record. Only Custom Loadouts can be modified.
Loadouts: In Max Payne 3 you can create up to 5 separate loadouts. However the standard Loadouts include Soldier, Snitch, Dealer and Lookout.
Soldier – Light Body Armor, PT 92, 38. Revolver, AK-47, Frag Grenade and Trigger Happy Burst. The classic noob class and easiest to get kills due to the AK-47 and Trigger Happy Burst. I was able to rack up a lot of kills with this class on open maps. This class isn’t the best in close quarters style maps.
Snitch - M10, Sneakers, Flash Grenade and Intuition Burst. If you’re playing on a close quarters, small map pick this class. If you don’t, prepare to be killed by somebody who uses this class on small, close maps. I was owned by a few Snitches on Branco Headquarters map.
Dealer – PT92, M500, Ammunition Pouch, Frag Grenade and Big Dog Burst. Due to the shotty this class is also suited for close range combat. I was also owned by this class on a Deathmatch on Branco Headquarters. Shotguns are deadly powerful in Max Payne 3′s multiplayer.
Lookout – Mini 30, 38. Revolver, Flash Grenade, Sutures and Trigger Happy Burst. The Lookout class is for guys/gals who want to sit back and take shots at enemies from long range. The Lookout is better suited for larger maps.
Avatars
Avatars are what your character will look like in Max Payne 3′s multiplayer. Some Avatars are locked as well some customization items. Avatars are broken down into different street gangs, para military and police options. You have Commando Sombra, De Marcos, UFE, Tropa Z (locked), Punchinellos (locked), Cracha Preto (locked). For each Avatar you choose male or female and modify their head, hair, hats, torso, accessories, load-out items, hands, tattoos, legs and shoes. Each section has multiple items and options to choose from with a few locked here and there.
Grinds
Grinds are the life blood and adds longevity and reason to keep playing Max Payne 3′s multiplayer. Every player starts off having to complete Training Grinds which include 100 kills to unlock Standard Playlists called “Standard Playlists Unlocked”. When you get 5000 kills Hardcore Playlists unlock which is called “Hardcore Playlists Unlocked”. There are also Grinds like Flexible Killer and Raise the Stakes. I do like Grinds since they add value outside of unlocking simple items and weapons. Grinds unlock more of Max Payne 3′s multiplayer as a whole. Grinds are the definition of competitive multiplayer replay value. Because without them, this multiplayer would be short lived in my opinion.
Maps
Hobokan Alleys – A throughback map from Max Payne 1. Snow, nighttime, abandoned buildings that look like crackhouses. A deserted mechanic’s shop and lots of indoor and close quarter fighting. I played a Team Deathmatch game on Hobokan Alleys and thought the map had a nostalgic Max Payne aura about it. The map’s design was decent since you could fight on rooftops as well on the ground. Good map for snipers and shottys.
Branco Headquarters - Talk about tearing a nice looking office up! This map has you fighting in close quarter office spaces on top and bottom levels that has a huge fountain. So much glass on this level I thought I was gonna get cut. Branco Head quarters is a small close quarters map that is ideal for shotguns. The map was nice to look at until we destroyed it. I played a Deathmatch game on this map.
Tiete River Docks – Nightime map in a abandoned boat yard. Water in the lower sections of the map with lots of catwalk shooting areas. I racked up 32 kills my first Deathmatch game on this map as a Soldier. This map was nice to lock-on enemies with a assault-rifle.
Nova Esperanca – First map I played on Max Payne 3. This map looks like a shanty town with a bunch of buildings you can go inside. Some buildings are big but mostly small ones are scattered about. Lots of small alleyways so running and gunning is a good strategy. I never camp (I don’t know what that is). The map looks pretty good from a visual standpoint and design adds some diversity compared to the other smaller maps.
Sao Paulo Bus Depot – Till now all of my matches were online. These I checked out via setting up Private Matches. This map takes place in the heart of Sao Paulo in daylight at a big bus station. Big indoor parking lot structure and big yards filled with busses makes up the bulk of this map.
Rooftop of the Moderno – This map takes place on a rooftop overlooking the city of Sao Paulo. Its the most dazzling looking map out of the bunch since its a nightclub. There are qite a few areas for close quarters combat despite the map being on a roof.
Crews
By signing up to Rockstar Games’s Social Club you can join Crews that gives the player benefits like XP Bonuses and wear custom Crew Tags and Emblems. You can also feud with Rival Crews in-game. If you’re a real social gamer I say go for it! The menu screen in the Crews’s section consist of Rockstar Crews, Friends Crews and Invitations.
Other Stuff
Max Payne 3′s multiplayer isn’t anything new lets just get that out of the way. With that said it does have a semi freshness about it. Its intimate and a third person shooter that uses bullet-time with perk style gameplay. There is a cover system in the multiplayer as well. After spending time with the multiplayer on its first day it doesn’t appear to be polished which is understandable to a certain degree. I have experienced a few disconnects and freezes during a few matches. When action gets chaotic it seems hit detection gets really sketchy and getting kills isn’t as “clear” as it should be. Max Payne 3′s multiplayer is niche like Assassin’s Creed and Dead Space. It will have a following eventually. To be fair and in the game’s defense I have not played every gamemode or unlocked everything yet. For what its worth I have had consistent fun and the gameplay is addictive. Thanks for reading.
Saints Row: The Third – One Hour Demo Review
Thanks to my subscription to Playstation+ I was able to spend a good one hour with Saints Row: The Third. It didn’t do me much good in the end only being able to play for one hour since this game is off the hook. One hour just wasn’t enough time for me to spend on this over the top satire filled sandbox action game. The developers for Saints Row: The Third are Volition Inc while the publishers are THQ. The game originally released back on November 15, 2011 for the PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. As you know for all intensive purposes for this Video Games Source article I played it on my Playstation 3.
As far as my Saints Row history is concerned I have beaten Saints Row on my Xbox 360 and played a one hour demo of Saints Row 2. Although I haven’t played through the full game of Saints Row 2 I have beaten the first and judging from the one hour I had with Saints Row: The Third its the best Saints Row out of all of them (in my opinion). I know you probably think I am crazy for saying a one hour demo can be better than a full game but it is. The main title screen shows Campaign, Co-Op Campaign, Whored Mode, Downloadable Content and Extras. Navigating and finding matches in co-op and Whored Mode was a cinch thanks to the streamlined menu layout.
I started up the single player campaign first which opened up with a Star Wars style satire detailing how The Saints are on top of the world with huge advertising campaigns and whatnot. The badguys are called the Syndicate and they want to knock the Saints off the number one spot and run Steelport. The story from what little of the campaign I played was funny as and filled with pure cheese. I am not saying its bad. I would say its a good bad if you can relate. The beginning of Saints Row: The Third’s prologue has You, Johnny Gat, Shaundi and Burke about to rob a bank.
You walk into a bank with giant Johnny Gat bobble heads on. You sign a few autographs and some funny voiced dialogue ensues next. All hell breaks out as your in a big shoot-out in the bank. You take out groups of SWAT style soldiers repelling in from helicopters. I noticed I took very little damage when getting shot in the prologue. You soon make your way onto the roof where a helicopter fight ensues with you hanging on and falling around a huge cargo box being lifted by a helicopter. Explosions and fireworks all over the screen till your brought down and wake up in a jail cell. As for the “feel” of this game from a shooting and maneuverability standpoint its nothing like Grand Theft Auto. The shooting is more like Gears of War or Uncharted. The controls for the most part felt really accurate and the default button layout was good.
Getting back to the single player campaign, in the next major cutscene you meet the Syndicate. All cutscenes are in-game and were fairly entertaining. The Syndicate proposes to buy Steelport from the Saints. Of course a huge shootout ensues when the Saints choose not to accept. Did I mention this gameplay scenario is on a flying plane? when the gameplay ensues your taking out groups of thugs on a flying plane. You end up getting sucked out of the plane where you shoot enemies while falling above and below you as your skydiving. I told you this game is wild and this is just ten minutes into the single player campaign. There is a point where you fly back through the plane as its flying and rescue Shaundi who was free falling the entire time.
Once you and Shandi make it back to earth in one piece I learned about the Saint’s bank account being depleted. You go on a mission to find weapons and deal with the Syndicate next. Using phones and marking your destination on your map didn’t take long to use. I then proceeded to raid a weapons depot/bunker with Shaundi. The mission was the first in the game and wasn’t a problem. The radio had some funny programs on it as well good music. The sandbox world seemed alive and vibrant. At this point I spent almost 30 minutes on the single player campaign. I still needed to play the Co-op campaign and Whored Mode.
If you ever wanted to play a wave mode with BDSMs, purple dildos, tanks, zombies, little soda can enemies, huimvees with turrets, chainsaws and rocket launchers look no further than Whored Mode. Whored Mode menus break down as follows: Single Player, Online, LAN Play and Co-Op Options. I choose Online and was paired with one other player. Only two players can engage in each match. My first run we made it up to Wave 9. Let me just say Whored Mode is crazy fun. You have wacky enemies, vehicles and super powerful and perverted weapons. I’ve seen some crazy stuff in my gaming lifetime but Whored Mode takes the cake seriously. The waves do not last that long and take place in a small cutout section of Steelport. You can pick multiple characters to play with.
Next up I played some cooperative campaign online. The system Saints Row: The Third uses is simplistic. You can jump into a person’s game no matter where they are and start playing immediately. The game ran smooth on PSN. Although the host was much more powerful but the gameplay remained balanced in my favor. The co-op is fun and seamless. We were completing missions and driving around with our wild vehicles and taunting pedestrians. When you join a co-op game the game lets you know if the person is using cheats or not which was nice to know.
As far as presentation goes Saints Row: The Third is awesome. It doesn’t pull any punches with its delivery which is outrageous. The visuals could have been better but were not bad at all considering the game is a real sandbox. The game actually looks good when your playing my gripe is more about the cutscenes. As for the sound design and music in Saints Row: The Third is concerned its top notch stuff. No matter what type of music or TV shows you watch you can find something worth listening to while driving around Steelport. The content as you know is decent with Whored Mode and co-op. There are quite a few DLC packs also. I’m not selling myself on this game trust me, I know what its about and I plan on purchasing a copy soon. The balls in your court gamer.
I don’t actually rate demos on Video Games Source. However I can say this demo was the bomb, it was insane, outrageous and a damn blast to play. Now I see why so many of my friends raved about Saints Row: The Third.
Awesomenauts – Review
Published By: DTP Entertainment & Ronimo Games, Developed By: DTP Entertainment & Ronimo Games, Genre: Action, Release Date: May 2, 2012, Rating: T, Systems: Playstation 3, Xbox 360.
Presentation: Awesomenauts in its purest form is a arcade style 2D co-op multiplayer game centered around a fun imaginative sci-fi world. I was pleasantly shocked to find out how fun this game was. Its true the game doesn’t have loads of content or maps, characters and upgrades. What it does have is a solid foundation regarding gameplay, visuals and sound design. Awesomenauts is a multiplayer-only game. There is no single player in this game. The only time you play by yourself is in the tutorial, which was actually a good tutorial. As far as technical issues are concerned I didn’t notice any standout problems. No glitches, stuttering or connection issues on PSN. I forgot to mention the atmosphere in Awesomenauts is really fun and it all comes together to create a strong sturdy presentation for this litlle 2D co-op game.
The title screen menus included: Battle, Quick Match, Private Match, Practice, Leaderboard and Help & Options. As you can see you can set up a private room or a practice room in order to get the hang of the protect/destroy Drillcore gameplay that Awesomenauts employs. The default button layout is from the Dual Shock 3: LS-move/aim, D-pad-commands, Select-scoreboard, L1-commands list, R1-teleport back, Start-pause menu, Square-shoot, X-platform skill, Circle-special skill 2, Triangle-special skill 1. Controls are solid. Each character performs different animations and attacks, they even jump differently. Using specials and giving orders was seamless in-game. You do have to use a plethora of buttons in Awesomenauts however the experience was seamless.
Story: The year is 3587 and the galaxy is in the midst of a Binary War involving the Red Droid Army. The story revolving around Awesomenauts is more for fun and fluff. Its all over the place but yet simplistic. The story also has something to do with miners trying to drill planets. Sheriff Lonestar is trying to create order so the miners can drill. Well, that is how I interepeted the story which was a simple opening cutscene that leads to the tutorial. The stars of Awesomenauts are the characters you play with such as Sheriff Lonestar, Clunk, Froggy G, Yuri, Voltar and Leon all had strong personalities of their own and came with a nice opening song for each character. Awesomenauts exudes fun and the characters that you unlock go a long way into making the game a blast to play.
Visuals: Awesomenauts uses a bright engaging graphical artstyle. The characters all had a very bold look and stood out individually. The sci-fi atmosphere was really good. Some maps featured big worm-like monsters that would come out of the ground. The texture work was impressive along with the framerates. Enemies such as the Droids and Creeps featured good art direction.
Sound Design: From the opening “Awesomenauts” music to each individual character’s music, this game delivered. The music is all custom for the most part designed for Awesomenauts. The voice acting albeit cheesy was fun regarding the characters. The sounds of the enemies, space weapons and one liners your character spews out in-game keeps the fun rolling. The sound design and music were big contributers as to why the atmosphere for this game was so fun.
Gameplay: Awesomenauts’s gameplay is all about protecting your Drillcores and turrets while destroying your enemies. You earn XP from practically everything you do wether its killing enemies, destroying cores and turrets. You also earn Solar Coins in matches which are used to buy upgrades in the store. Stores are on every Awesomenuats map near your Drillcore. When you play well in matches and collect coins and XP the game expands. You can expand your character’s abilities and customize thier loadouts in the menus before the match starts. The upgrades carry over to the store that you can unlock in-game providing you have the swag. As far as the co-op is concerned its legit. You must know what you’re doing or else you won’t win. Your team must protect turrets and the Drillcore while you or somebody else attacks the enemy’s. I played the attacker quite often.
Taking down Turrets and Drillcores takes a lot of hit points. Good thing is you can send droids to attack or defend markers on the map. The map is always on screen and you can see the position of alleys and enemies along with Turrets and Drillcore locations. The maps aren’t big so getting lost shouldn’t be a problem. I was able to navigate maps fast using special launch platforms which shoot you far distances. You can drop down levels as well making moving up and down this 2D platformer seamless. Make no mistake gamers, Awesomenauts is fun, competitive and addicting. I was pleasantly surprised how good this game turned out from a gameplay perspective despite its lack of content.
Replayability: Only one type of gamemode, no single player campaign. Maps have no real imagination. Upgrade trees not very deep. Not a lot of unlocks. Not a very deep game in general. It is what it is, its a small, fun co-op competitive multiplayer game wrapped in a nice 2D setting.
Final Verdict: Awesomenauts took me by surprise. I did not expect this game to be as fun and addicting as it was. The strength is this game’s presentation atmosphere and world. Its fun and beautiful. Its true there is only one real gamemode and no single player campaign. However I would still advise you to buy this game especially if you’re into co-op competitive multiplayer with 2D arcade style settings.
8/10
Bloodforge – Demo Review
Bloodforge is a Xbox Live Arcade exclusive action hack ‘n slash video game developed by Climax Group and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The game is currently available for 1200 msp. If you played God of War, Dante’s Inferno or Darksiders you shouldn’t have a problem in regards to gameplay. However you will have a problem executing gameplay due to the horrid controls this game has judging from the demo.
The main title screen featured some good warrior music along with menu tabs of Play, Blood Forge, Blood Dual, Leaderboards, Challenges, Achievements, Help & Options and Download Full Game. All pretty much the normal stuff. Menus were all easy to navigate so no issues finding what your looking for. The controls are from the Xbox 360 gamepad as you would expect. LS-move, D-pad-select weapon, RS-move camera, X-light weapon, A-light attack, B-bow attack, Y-heavy attack, RB-berzerk/rage/rune selection, RT-shift attack, LB-item selection, berzerk/rage and Back-battle command. Heres the deal with Blooforge’s controls, they suck. The demo is unbelieveably short which didn’t help its case either. The controls are very wonky and sluggish. The default button layout simply doesn’t feel good when playing. To top it off the camera losses focus of the battle and Crom (protagonist) in particular. Once you get past the bad controls and game design I did have some fun hacking and slashing.
The beginning of Blodforge shows Crom who wears a animal skull for a mask. I know what your thinking and no this isn’t the God on Conan. The opening cutscene details Crom’s why as far as killing the bad guys is concerned. The story doesn’t seem fleshed out at all, its very vague judging from the demo. As for the gameplay its centered around you filling a blood gauge to unleash rage and berzerk attacks. The actual gameplay in the demo doesn’t even last 5 minutes. You fight a few grunt warriors followed by some mini boss warriors. Then a huge God-like boss grabs Crom. The end. The fighting is brutal and the finishers Crom performs are even more brutal. Its a simplistic hack ‘n slash, its not complex at all. The framerates are really bad in this game. The overall game has too many performance issues to warrent a good game grade even if it is a demo.
The visuals in Bloodforge are more art than good and look like they were ripped out of the movie 300. The dark visual style along with the art of the warriors and setting make this a decent looking XBLAG. One thing that does look ugly are this game’s animations. Whenever Crom ran, jumped and performed a brutal finisher I cringed inside a little. This game is what it is and that is rough around the edges with its presentation. The music was pretty good and fit the brutal warrior atmosphere of Bloodforge. I particularly enjoyed the menu screen music. The voice actors while not great, were serviceable. The demo was brutally short which doesn’t help this game in my opinion. There appears to be content such as Blood Dual and completing Challenges that could be interesting.
I din’t know much about Bloodforge before I played the demo. And after playing it it seems I know even less since its a 5 minute demo. The game needed a lot of work from a presentation standpoint before it was released. Thanks for reading.
Deep Black: Episode 1 – Demo Review
Deep Black: Episode 1 is a sci-fi action arcade game published by Blart Company and developed by 505 Games Srl. Deep Black: Episode 1 cost 800 msp and is currently right now. I immediately noticed the Dead Space design of the protagonist and the underwater cover gameplay reminiscent of Hydrophobia. The question is, judging from the demo of Deep Black: Episode 1, does the game stand on its own? Keep reading to find out.
Lets start at the main menu screen. Here we see Campaign, Xbox Live, Help & Options, Leaderboards, Achievements, Unlock Full Game and Exit Game. All pretty much your standard XBLA menus. The controls via the Xbox 360 gamepad: LS-move, D-pad-swap weapons, LB-harpoon (underwater), grenades (on ground), LT-aim/lock, Start-pause, X-reload weapon, A-take cover, B-use/pick-up/melee, Y-roll/boost (underwater), RB-secondary fire and RT-primary fire. One of the immediate thoughts after taking control of the protagonist was two things. One he looks like Isaac Clarke from Dead Space and two, he controls like Isaac Clarke from Dead Space. Its sort of a smart move for this static game actually. If the character looked different and controlled different it could possibly be a catastrophic event. All in all I do like the controls in Deep Black: Episode 1 even if they are ripped from another franchise.
The year is 2029. You work for the Global Strategic Alliance who is in charge of taking out terrorist organizations such as IHS. As far as the story goes and its writing its pretty “Hinky”. In other words not impressive and quite cheesy in a bad way. The level you get to play on if you choose to pass on the boring tutorial is Act 5 Decent to Antillia. Your mission in this sci-fi action game demo centers around infiltrating (by underwater) and extracting hostages. You never actually extract any hostages in the demo but instead fight underwater drones, PMC soldiers and avoid kamikaze mines.
The gameplay is a mash-up of on-land and underwater combat. The underwater gameplay is surprisingly decent. You can take cover and use your Harpoon weapon to take out guards stealthy and activate machines from a distance. You have jets on your boots so you can get past exploding underwater mines. The on-ground moments aren’t as engaging but features the typical cover system shooting gameplay. There is a shotgun you can pick up near the end of the demo. Otherwise you just carry a assault rifle and pistol. Deep Black doesn’t do or bring anything new but it does bring diversity from its underwater gameplay sections. Gameplay is just engaging enough to be called fun.
As far as the normal presentation elements are concerned regarding this game its rough around the edges. The visuals are washed out featuring blurry textures. The art design doesn’t show any real imagination. The sound design was horrid. I was laughing every-time I shot a soldier because the screams they emitted were ridiculous. The voiced dialog is horrendous. The animations are super stiff and robotic. There were a lot of clipping and framerate issues while I played the demo. This game isn’t up to snuff from a performance standpoint. The only redeeming factor is this game’s gameplay. I got the impression that Deep Black is trying to be a big game. It really isn’t and can’t be due to the game’s limitations of being a arcade title.
This is what I get from Deep Black: Episode 1′s demo. The gameplay is its best attribute clearly. The underwater gameplay being the best while engaging in a cover based fight. I did somewhat like the sci-fi vibe as well. Other than that everything else was sub-par pretty much. Apparently the game also has online multiplayer 2-8 players. It was locked in the demo so I can’t comment on that. Thanks for reading.
The Walking Dead: Episode 1 – Demo Review
Since I am a fan of The Walking Dead television show it was only natural that I download the demo off PSN of The Walking Dead: Episode 1. This move and click style adventure game was developed and published by Taletell Games. The Walking Dead: Episode 1 released this month and is available for the MAC, PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. For this particular article I played the Playstation 3 version.
The title screen holstered the following menu tabs: Play, Buy Game and Help & Options. Controls: LS-move, RS-move reticle, D-pad-actions, Square, Triangle, Circle and X-actions. I do not like the controls regarding the gamepad for this game. It feels awkward since you point a reticle on everything with the Right Stick then use buttons to select the object. This game would fit the keyboard and mouse much better. In essance The Walking Dead: Episode 1 is a point and click style game. Those types of games have found a home on the PC for many years because of the keyboard and mouse controls.
Episode 1: A New Day is the first chapter in the demo/game and where you witness Lee. Lee is the protagonist of the The Walking Dead game. He wakes up in a Atlanta suburb backyard with a badly injured leg and zombies closing in. Gunshots erupt and the zombies follow the sounds leaving Lee. Right away I noticed washed out visuals with decent art-design. Since I am a fan of the series atmosphere was important to me regarding this game. I’m glad to say the drab desolate, despair world of The Walking Dead is in this game. The music, sound design and voice overs provided a rich deep horrific world that the series is known for.
Next I took control of Lee (with the Left Stick). As I made my way around the background and inside the house I clicked on objects and investigated the answering machine which left a dreary message. The message was about Clementine a little girl who was left with the babysitter and in the house that Lee is inside. Soon your attacked by the zombie babysitter and QTE gameplay ensues. The gameplay is a mash up of QTEs when engaging zombies. After killing the zombie you meet Clementine who comes out of the tree-house that kept her safe. Lee takes Clemintine and chooses to protect her and get her to safety until she is reunited with her parents.
The Walking Dead: Episode 1 has a lot of cutscenes, QTEs and voice dialog. As far as the story goes your just outside Atlanta after a zombie outbreak. I have a lot of questions about the story early on which means its an interesting story. After rescuing Clementine you meet two guys and help move a truck with QTEs. Lee, Clementine and the two guys escape an incoming zombie swarm. The demo ends after that. The demo showed some good things. Choices and decisions you make while talking to NPCs can and will alter the story. The atmosphere does have a true The Walking Dead vibe just with different characters and story. I didn’t like the controls or visuals but they didn’t stop me from being interested in the game.
Overall I would say The Walking Dead: Episode 1 is a average game but does good fan service for fans of the series. If you’re a fan of The Walking Dead and like point and click adventure games with QTES, buy it.
Dragon’s Dogma – Demo Review
Dragon’s Dogma is a action adventure game that I’ve had my eyes on since 2010 Capcom Captivate. Finally a demo was released for this much anticipated (by me) game. Dragon’s Dogma was developed and published by Capcom with a release date of May 22 for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Whether or not the demo sold me on purchasing Dragon’s Dogma first day (was my initial plan). Keep reading to find out.
The Title screen of Dragon’s Dogma’s demo showed Prologue Quest, Character Edit, Countryside Quest and Options. The default button layout is for the Dual Shock 3: D-pad-pawn orders, LS-move (dash L3), RS-camera (press R3 to center), L1-secondary weapons, L2-draw/sheath weapon, R1-primary weapon skills, R2-grab/fire, Triangle-heavy attack, O-action, X-jump and Square-light attack. As far as controls go they were average. Ordering Pawns around and performing combos didn’t take long to master. To perform powerful sword techniques press R1+X, Circle etc. The gameplay is “messy” which is an entirely different issue with Dragon’s Dogma. The controls are ok and weren’t too much of a problem judging from the demo.
Character Edit
A nice feature about Dragon’s Dogma’s demo is the fact you can edit a character fully and upload that character into the full retail game for free. The Character Edit interface breaks down accordingly: Male or Female, Name, Moniker, Base Body (16 types and they look like various classes like Mages and Barbarians etc), Voice. You can stop here or you can continue to Detailed Edit options which include: Body (musculature, stature, etc). Next you can Edit Features like scars, wrinkles. Next you can choose to customize your Pawn (Pawns are AI teamates). That pretty much does it as far as customizing your character goes. Its not super deep but does have plenty of options to make a truely unique character to play Dragon’s Dogma with.
Prologue Quest
Prologue Quest centers around destroying a Dragon. You actually don’t get to fight a Dragon but do encounter it early in the quest. You start out as a group of two (Salde and Savan). You quickly learn the importance of light in Dragon’s Dogma by equipping a lantern as soon as the game pretty much starts. You can’t see if you don’t have the lantern equip. I then checked out the menu which had Curatives, Tools, Materials and Special tabs lined up nice to navigate. I couldn’t upgrade my character in this quest or the next one unfortunately. Much of Prologe Quest you make your way through ruins where you encounter a stone that magically gives you two more Pawns (Morganna and Quince.
As the team makes their way through the ruins you will encounter Goblins that pose little to no challenge. You also fight a few Harpees before engaging in a semi-boss fight with a Chimera. The combat dealing with each type of enemy was engaging and visceral except for Goblins. Using combos with Pawns adds a dynamic to Dragon Dogma’s gameplay. The Chimera was a fun boss fight. You had to cut off its snake much like in God of War 3 before killing it. You can climb on its back and attack it. The different classes of Pawns keep magic and healing in close proximity.
Either way you can call for help or have the Pawns attack. The AI of the Pawns were decent. They lead the way if you are confused as to where to go. They automatically heal you if your health is low. They also set up combos when attacking enemies that you can use to your advantage. One thing I noticed was how I could take off health from Pawns while hitting them. The main problem I had with this and the other quest in the demo was that they were too short in length. Other than that the Prologue Quest wasn’t all that bad.
Countryside Quest
This quest was dynamic. You along with Alexandra, Abby and Sid are in charge of taking down a Griffin in the countryside. The first quest you had a warrior with a shield and sword. In this quest you have a bow & arrow warrior who also has two daggers. I played this particular quest a few times and each time was different. If you take too long to kill the Griffin nightime sets in and you have to equip your lantern and keep fighting. You first attack a group of Goblins and use them as bait for the Griffin. As the beast swoops around you shoot it with arrows.
The bow & arrow gameplay was seamless and fun. A teammate can throw you up on the Griffin while they shoot its wings bringing it to the ground where you pummel its head. You can also do the latter reverse where you throw a Pawn up on the Griffin and you shoot its wings. Depending on how you play the battle it can be short or long. I did enjoy the Countryside Quest more so than the Prologue Quest. Gameplay as a whole can get messy sometimes due to all of the enemies and Pawns on screen. There is a true XP system in Dragon’s Dogma. I earned XP whenever I killed an enemy or injured it doing combos etc. You cannot level up in the demo which sucked.
As far as presentation goes Dragon’s Dogma seems solid. There seems to be a lore and decent story behind Dragon’s Dogma with a full cutscenes and decent voice overs. The visuals were good and special effects are present throughout each battle. The gameplay like I said can get messy at times but its still fun and visceral.. The game seems like its a good game, just not a great game judging from the demo I played. The demo didn’t sell me on this game as being a first day buy. I’ll keep my money for Max Payne 3 instead. However if your really into dragons, warriors and action RPGs I say give this game a shot. Thanks for reading.
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier – Beta Review 2
In my second Ghost Recon: Future Soldier beta review article I will be detailing some basic Character Class information along with the Controls and Modifications. I finally played a few quality matches on Pipeline (my favorite map so far). Lastly I’ll babble about some stuff I noticed in the beta that you might or might not think is interesting. Ok lets get started.
Controls/Button Layout
Controls are for the Playstation 3 via the Dual Shock 3. Before each match you can see a Dual Shock 3 on the screen. Pressing buttons highlights what they do accordingly. Truth is you don’t have much time to go through every button and memorize them before a match starts. So I took the liberty and wrote down what everything does at this point for my characters. The problem gamers are having the most trouble with is melee. To melee in Ghost Recon Future Soldier Beta walk up behind someone quietly and press Square button. LS-move character, L3-change shoulder view, L1-zoom weapon, L2-use equipment/throw grenade, RS-move, R3-ironsights, R1-shoot, R2-coordinate dial, D-pad-select item, X-sprint (leave down), cover, Square-reload, melee, climb ladder (leave down), resupply cache-(leave down, Triangle-switch weapon, Circle-crouch, prone (leave down). Keep in mind operating gadgets and whatnot do have different controls like UAVs. Hope that helped.
Characters/Classes
Each class in Ghost Recon: Future Soldier has the same Loadout Structure of Primary Weapon, Secondary Weapon, Grenades and Equipment. There is also a Appearance tab for choosing unlocked headgear. The last part is the Progression Tree that I might or might not cover in a future article.
Rifleman
Primary Weapons include the ACR and MK48 (both default), 417 (level 20), TAR-21 (level 32), Stoner 96 (level 20), M60 ( unlock through Uplay), LSAT (level 32). Secondary Weapons: 45T, Stun Gun (both default), KARD (level 24), BLD-3 Flash Bulb (level 12). Grenade: Frag, Smoke, EMP (all default), Incendiary (level 28). You can’t mod grenades. Equipment: Camera (default), Ammo Box (level 16), Med-Kit (level 8). Appearance: Mich 2015 V1 (default), Fast-B Opt AV1 (level 14), Fast B Opt B V1 (level 30), IWH 2014 V1 (level 44).
Engineer
Primary Weapons: Goblin (default), M 12 (level 32), M1014 (level 20), L22A2 (level 32), PDR-C (level 20), M510 A1 (default). Secondary Weapons: 45T, Stun Gun (both default), KARD (level 24), BLD-3 Flash Bulb (level 12), MK 40GL Expl (complete campaign to unlock), MK 40 GL EMP (complete campaign to unlock), MK 40 GL Smoke (complete campaign to unlock). Grenades: Sensor (default), Decoy (level 16), Smoke (default), EMP (default). Equipment: Camera, UAV (level 4), Filed Computer (level 4), Sentry (level 40), UCAV (level 40), Med-Kit (level 8), Jammer (level 28). Appearance: Tac Cap Opt AV1 (default), Tac Cap Opt BV1 (level 14), Tac Cap Opt CV1 (level 30), Watch Cap V1 (level 44).
Scout
Primary Weapons: M110 (default), P90 (level 20), Vector (level 32), MSR Sniper-Rifle (level 32), SRR Sniper Rifle (level 20), MP7 (default). Secondary Weapons: 45T and Sun Gun (default), KARD (level 24), BLD-3 Flash Bulb (level 12), MK 40GL Expl (complete campaign to unlock), MK 40GL EMP (complete campaign to unlock), MK 40GL Smoke (complete campaign to unlock). Grenades: Smoke (default), Flash Bang (default), EMP (default). Equipment: Camera, Claymore (level 40), Stun (level 28), Augmented Camo (default), Med-Kit (level 8). Appearance: Watch Cap V1 (default), CWMask V1 (level 14), CBRN V1 (level 30), Hood V1 (level 44).
Weapon Mods
Modding your weapons by unlocking parts through XP is addicting and seamless not to mention deep in Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. You can do a quick Optimize by using your d-pad up, down, left or right to choose between Control, Maneuverability, Range and Power. The latter will optimize your weapon with a push of the button. You can perform the quick optimization on any gun while your in the modding section of the menu. I’ve been seting my optimization at Power for most of my guns with good results. Now lets look into Modification Points. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier has a rich mod system full of depth and seamless integration with simple navigation. When modding your weapon you can choose between Optics, Paint, Trigger, Magazine, Under-barrel, Gas System, Side Rail, Barrel, Muzzle and Stack. Each of those listed above break down into various parts (multiple parts for each). So you can see already each weapon can and does have a deep mod system. The good thing though is that its easy to implement each mod and you can easily keep track of which mods you unlock and which to apply.
Other Stuff
Second day of the beta no patches released yet. I believe Ubisoft did a good job of preparing this beta personally. I have had some performance issues during my time but I honestly expected more issues relating to freezing, stuttering and glitching. Getting into matches has sped up tremendously. Maybe it has to do with the fact more gamers playing. Pipeline has become my favorite map. I get quite a few kill-streaks each game I play on Pipeline so maybe that has something to do with it. Most people have mics and communicate really well in Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. Its fun so what can I say. I am really enjoying the LMGs that the Rifleman comes equip with. You can mow down an entire squad if you flank them. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier beta does have a daily Challenge System that I will write about in my next article. There is also a credit system assigned to both Ghost and Bodark factions that I’ll dig deeper into next time. Second day in Ghost Recon: Future Soldier’s beta and its pretty seamless. Thanks for reading.
