It's been a while now, I haven't stopped gaming, just writing! There's quite a few titles to mention, but I'll have to start somewhere. I want to talk about two games I've played through recently in this update. The newest shooter from Carmack & id Software and the newest version in the much loved EA snowboard series, SSX.
Released: 2010
Every engine id Software and its man behind the label, John Carmack, has made, has been significant for the gaming industry. Wolfenstein 3D was the first true FPS game, Doom revolutionised the genre with it huge worlds and its amazing gameplay, which still feels great to play to this day, Quake gave the genre polygons and a game engine that not only spawned two incredible sequels but also an engine that would dominate first person shooters the world over.
Review
Played on: Xbox 360Released: 2010
Every engine id Software and its man behind the label, John Carmack, has made, has been significant for the gaming industry. Wolfenstein 3D was the first true FPS game, Doom revolutionised the genre with it huge worlds and its amazing gameplay, which still feels great to play to this day, Quake gave the genre polygons and a game engine that not only spawned two incredible sequels but also an engine that would dominate first person shooters the world over.
Call of Duty used the Quake engine too, as did Medal of Honor and even the critically acclaimed Half-Life series incorporated Quake code and still does to this very day in its famous source engine. It would take the third Unreal engine to finally beat its rival to dominate the current generation of games. Id Software fell behind by the release of Doom 3 in 2006, which sported a brand new engine. While the new engine served us detailed graphics and boundary pushing effects, it didn't hold pace against the open world and detailed FarCry engine or Half-Life 2's amazing physics engine.
Behold then, Rage, a brand new id engine and a new take on the FPS genre at that. Let's take a look.
Rage relies on the use of mega textures to illustrate its worlds. This technical wizardry gives way from some huge and highly detailed worlds. The engine also wipes away everything you don't see, focusing the graphics and textures on the visible ones. The technique really shines, as Rage’s leaves you breathless at times, while running at an impressive 60fps on consoles.
Behold then, Rage, a brand new id engine and a new take on the FPS genre at that. Let's take a look.
The downside however, is pop-in texture when turning fast and fairly rough look to the surfaces when you're close up. Regardless though, with its smooth framerate and scale, Rage is one of the real lookers in the genre. When I first heard about Rage, I wasn't intrigued to be honest, I thought it would be another post-apocalyptic, grey and brown coloured game.
However, after testing the demo, I was highly impressed and decided to jump in. I haven't regretted it since. The open world gameplay, combined with the classic, claustrophobic, corridor styled FPS, is a really good combo. It gives way for two play styles. Yes, get this: Rage is a racing game as well, and no, it isn't a tacky mini-game The driving is needed for traversing the dangerous territories between cities and hide-outs and the racing earns you money. Money to buy ammunition, equipment and better guns. What's more is that the racing really feels great to drive and is a major part in the game, making Rage a very varied experience. A remarkable effort in an overcrowded genre.
The variation continues with some strange, but very original, weaponry, complete with various types of ammo and upgrades. I also like the fact that junk you collect around the environments can be used to build turrets and robots to aid you in fire fights. It's easy to get into and very fun. Earning money is fairly easy and merchants let you buy parts you need to build these.
The variation continues with some strange, but very original, weaponry, complete with various types of ammo and upgrades. I also like the fact that junk you collect around the environments can be used to build turrets and robots to aid you in fire fights. It's easy to get into and very fun. Earning money is fairly easy and merchants let you buy parts you need to build these.
Gameplay feels amazing with the high framerate and the guns feel satisfying, packing a punch against some very aggressive enemies. In fact, the game is quite hard, but always rewards you for doing a good job. Like I mentioned, the driving feels great too, the cars have weight and drift in corners, giving way for a better feeling than even some standalone racing games. There are also a bunch of coop missions added for fun, they'll give you and a friend quite a challenge to get through!
There are downsides, to what could have been an incredible game though. The ending is terrible and explains nothing. It ends in such an abrupt and unexplained manner, I could hardly believe it was over, it loses a whole point of my rating for this.
Considering Rage being a more free roaming experience than a typical FPS, think of it as a cross between Fallout 3 and a traditional FPS, it should have included another main hub city. I honestly thought the third DVD was a singleplayer disc to expand it's playtime, but alas no.
Levelling and a XP earning system is also greatly missed and feels strange not to have been in a game built like this. The pop-in of textures and the more lazy graphical parts of the game could have done with more work too.
All in all, Rage is a different experience than most shooters. I love that Carmack and Co have taken a fairly daring jump with Rage and succeeded. It does, however, lack the final polish to make it a true classic. For that, it needs stronger storytelling, a less generic look and maybe just a little bit more work put into it's art style and characters, to add some more personality.
All in all, Rage is a different experience than most shooters. I love that Carmack and Co have taken a fairly daring jump with Rage and succeeded. It does, however, lack the final polish to make it a true classic. For that, it needs stronger storytelling, a less generic look and maybe just a little bit more work put into it's art style and characters, to add some more personality.
Still, though, this is a recommended pick up!
Released: 2012
If you ever owned a PlayStation 2 you most likely, and most certainly should have, encountered a SSX title through its lifetime. The first game was a strong launch title for Sony's last generation system and outdid itself with adding lots of tweaks and extras in the sequel, SSX Tricky. It went almost open world in SSX 3 and gave players a brand new, but equally incredible experience. It hit a strange art direction and messy layout with SSX On Tour, resurfaced slightly on the Wii with SSS Blur, then it went silent. Finally, here in 2012 and we have what this generation has needed, a SSX game!
Sadly though, what we're delivered, may in its first opening hours seem incredible, but soon turns out to be incredible hard and disappointing end result. It doesn't take many horrible accidents by falling off the slopes, to be introduced to the "skip race" option in SSX's sloppy and unbelievably, underwhelming laziness that is its singleplayer.
Review
Played on: Xbox 360Released: 2012
If you ever owned a PlayStation 2 you most likely, and most certainly should have, encountered a SSX title through its lifetime. The first game was a strong launch title for Sony's last generation system and outdid itself with adding lots of tweaks and extras in the sequel, SSX Tricky. It went almost open world in SSX 3 and gave players a brand new, but equally incredible experience. It hit a strange art direction and messy layout with SSX On Tour, resurfaced slightly on the Wii with SSS Blur, then it went silent. Finally, here in 2012 and we have what this generation has needed, a SSX game!
Sadly though, what we're delivered, may in its first opening hours seem incredible, but soon turns out to be incredible hard and disappointing end result. It doesn't take many horrible accidents by falling off the slopes, to be introduced to the "skip race" option in SSX's sloppy and unbelievably, underwhelming laziness that is its singleplayer.
You're introduced to the main concept of SSX, being that it takes place on various mountains around the globe, but it doesn't take long to realise you can't choose a favourite character and you're doomed to fail initial races because your character isn't levelled up enough. Furthermore, being forced to swap to random characters to race with, doesn't help you sticking by one of them to level them higher either. The skip race option testifies that even the developers didn't have faith in the learning curve and that is really embarrassing.
I decided to leave the terrible singleplayer be, gone were the traditional SSX race events, gone was the idea of it all being a huge event. Instead, I was met with infuriatingly hard races and cheap as hell cutscenes with no meaning at all. Even SSX3’s DJ Atomika, the same guy that voiced Burnout Paradise, sounds like he's given up on life.
I decided to leave the terrible singleplayer be, gone were the traditional SSX race events, gone was the idea of it all being a huge event. Instead, I was met with infuriatingly hard races and cheap as hell cutscenes with no meaning at all. Even SSX3’s DJ Atomika, the same guy that voiced Burnout Paradise, sounds like he's given up on life.
I switched over to the mode that seems to have been the main idea all along by the by developers.
The global events mode. Here, I can constantly be informed about how my friends are doing in the slopes around the globe. It gives me the chance to try my best at beating their ghost records, rather than just racing the ghost of the gold, silver and bronze preset records. To get the most of SSX, you really should go online and add some friends, or else you're racing forever alone against computer ghosts with no geotags, markers placed by other players at difficult spots, to collect.
In fact, don't even bother with the game if you aren't planning on being social, because there isn't much else to motivate you through its unforgiving slopes.
The sheer size of SSX, combined with the really nice graphics, snow never looked better, is something to mention. However, in here lies its problem. There are over 150 slopes, that's right: a hundred and fifty. There are just too many and far too many annoying ones. More difficult slopes have holes and sudden drops to fall into, with no warning. Gone are the direction signs in bright colours from Tricky, which at least gave some indication to places you want to avoid sliding into.
The sheer size of SSX, combined with the really nice graphics, snow never looked better, is something to mention. However, in here lies its problem. There are over 150 slopes, that's right: a hundred and fifty. There are just too many and far too many annoying ones. More difficult slopes have holes and sudden drops to fall into, with no warning. Gone are the direction signs in bright colours from Tricky, which at least gave some indication to places you want to avoid sliding into.
There are even slopes inside pitch black caves with pitfalls in them. Pitfalls in the dark, like why?! That’s not mentioning the levels where you are constantly running out of oxygen. Or the ones where you need to keep in the sun to keep warm. SSX will truly test your patience. Truly.
Why did the developers not settle down with slopes without pitfalls and other stupid gimmicks, and rather use their design team for, less, more detailed slopes? Quality over quantity is a sheer understatement for this title.
You're left to compete on so many slopes you begin losing interest rapidly. Even worse is that when there are so many slopes, the whole global event mode loses is meaning as your friends records, that are fun to beat, are spread over so many slopes it feels redundant to try them all. Just make less, more varied and unique slopes.
There are some nifty ideas, regardless of my many complaints here. I love the wingsuit, it gives way for some breath taking moments. Although gimmicks like the solar panel are frustrating, they could have been used in more clever ways. Maybe allowing for shortcuts, rather than being a obligatory equipment to survive? Drop the survival part, but add cool stuff that's optional.
The first number of slopes are really good too and look beautiful. There's nothing like jumping out of a helicopter and catching speed down SSX’s white, luscious mountainsides before jumping off a cliff and releasing your wingsuit! Complete with an amazing soundtrack, EA flexing their audio prowess once again.
SSX ends up being more annoying than fun, and it's a damn shame, because it really stands out as a different type of experience these days. It screams the need for a better designed singleplayer experience, with a closer connection to the riders, SSX always had personality in them prior to this, and a reason for competing.
SSX ends up being a game for your social network, to compete against each other on the easiest and most fun slopes. If this doesn’t sound like your thing, avoid it.
