The best thing I downloaded from the Store after the last update was Battlefield 1943. If you've not seen it, it's a first-person shooter set in World War II. You play in one of two teams. One being America the other being Japan (perhaps other nations are represented in the full game!) The objective is to secure bases, much like the "Zones" type of game in Warhawk. The simularities to my favourite online game don't end here. It's also possible to man turrets, drive jeeps and tanks and even fly planes. Each vehicle is controlled either in first-person perspective or in third-person if you prefer (which I do). I've not played the game for long. My free trial has expired :( I had chance to play a few rounds but I never got the hang of flying the planes. There are only a few of them scattered around the map. When you get chance it's well worth giving it a try. Flying the planes is not going to be for everyone though as it's tough! You need to use both sticks and a shoulder button to fly the sucker, with a keen grasp on your pitch, roll, yaw and throttle. It's very challenging and I think that's what's drawn me into this little game.
The game is very well presented. It has an arcade feel to it with bright and crisp graphics that look simple at first glance. A closer look (for example at the folliage) reveals a bit more detail. It's not Killzone 2 but looks pretty good. Interaction with the surrounding environment is excellent. Trees and buildings can be used for cover yet just about everything is destructable. So there's no hiding from tank fire inside a building for example. Shoot a tree with a heavy machine gun or a rocket and have the satisfaction of watching it toppel to the ground! Bridges over valleys and such can be destroyed making it more difficult for the enemy to access your base in vehicles.
All in all a great little game and I'll probably buy it next time I've got a spare tenner.
[reakt]
By the way, the Ghostbusters demo is worth checking out. It was better than I had expected - pretty good graphics and and camera angle (although I did notice a little screen tear - no doubt absent from the 360 version). Anyway, not my cup of tea. Maybe if it had come out 20 odd years ago eh! Anyway, maybe somebody else wants to write something about this one. A lot of people I've spoken to are really enjoying this game. For the nostalgia factor? who knows!
ReplyDeleteOh yeh, I also downloaded the Red Baron Arcade demo as well. That one's been on the store for a week and a half now. I'd been looking forward to playing it but to be honest it was a huge disappointment for me. The graphics are so drab and dull and I found the gameplay to be frustrating with a map too small to follow and the flying experience not what I had hoped for.
" it's a first-person shooter set in World War II"
ReplyDeleteAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
mind you i have some friends that would just lap that game up, i thought , for some reason , that it was a third person game, maybe i wasn't paying enough attention :\
ReplyDeletescreen tear, hmmm, funny how we all used to jump up and down and rant about that but now we just accept it as part of the whole 'next gen' experience. at least in SR2 you can actually lower the frame rate to stop it. maybe in a couple of years when they have got to grips with the PS3 we'll be ok.
I got the full Battlefield 1943 and I've spent a few hours with it:
ReplyDelete(a) it owes a LOT to Warhawk
(b) NOT newbie friendly, you get pasted quick
(c) seems to be 2 maps only, but they are good
(d) not clear how to properly fly planes, more luck than judgement at the mo.
(e) could do with an update to fix the matching, no quit option after a round is a bit stupid too
Overall - yeah pretty cool but Warhawk is a much better experience to this day.
@Jimmy - great to hear you have Battlefield! I'm defo gonna buy it now. It'll be a laugh to play you online sometime. I agree it's not newbie friendly and that's where it really differs from Warhawk - take the planes especially - in Warhawk you can hover, making it very easy to land! In Battlefield I haven't actually been able to land anywhere except head first into the ocean! I actually had to play Warhawk for the first time in ages the other day. Yes, it's a better experience but some of the graphics and animations look a bit dated now. Plus the devs spoiled it for me by releasing all those new map packs which aren't as good as the original ones (and then force you to play them by having them as the maps used on a lot of the official servers). Anyway, what we need is a Warhawk 2!
ReplyDelete@Tone - yes, it's first person but remember all the vehicles can be played in third-person. If the actual troop shooting was in third-person as well then I think this game would be too close to Warhawk.
I like to support the devs - DICE as I remember these guys when they were just digital illusions, makers of Pinball dreams / fantasies that kicked ass on the Amiga and then way before that in the Amiga scene days they were "The Silents".
Thanks for the link to our webstream :)
ReplyDeleteTom
(Station Manager, Future Radio)
Cheers Tom! keeping it Lo-Cal - got you running on the works stereo as i type.
ReplyDeletelove the 'Dave and Confused' show on fridays :D