General Discussions

I've played lots of games in my time and figure I have a good base on whether a game sucked, was good or truly great...and of course there are those rare occasions when a true masterpiece comes along.

Everything from the modern day 360 to the outdated N64 is up for grabs, hell even the Genesis...lol. So take it for what its worth, however you deem my judgement of a game doesn't really matter to me, I'm here just to give each game a fair shake...or a stiff shot to the head In the end really what you think counts, not some reviewer here or on IGN.

Reviews thus far-

Grand Theft Auto IV 9.8
Mario 64 9.7
Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 9.5
Frontlines: Fuel of War 8.5
Turok 7.0
Turning Point: Fall of Liberty 5.0



Alright, first up...

Turning Point: Fall of Liberty

I played this a few months ago, being a WW2 nut and crack WW2 gamer I was very excited to play this one and see things from a different point of view...basically if the Nazis won the war and the inevitable invasion of the US. Because lets face it, if Hitler had done things right and a few small things went his way in an alt universe this very well could've happened. That's what made this game so interesting and head over heels any other WW2 game on the market...

Problem is Spark had a interesting story idea but forgot to add the gameplay, I felt like I was playing Call of Duty: Finest Hour (which was a very poor game in itself). And while I thought it intreging at first to be a regular joe thrown into a war I got to thinking just how was this guy able to start shooting random weapons (reloading and such) and priming bombs (with no demo experience) on a whim like he'd been trained for years to do so...you talk about a linear storyline *ouch* this one takes the cake. To the WW2 buffs like myself it was kind of interesting to see the advancement of Nazis technology, like the MP50, the Zeppelins and a handful of other minor additions...but even so, this wears off pretty quick from "wow, cool" to "this just plain sucks".

I know critics were hard on this game as well but its hard for them not to be...I mean if your coming out with a radical new alt version of WW2 (which is pretty bold in itself) shouldn't you have solid gameplay to back it up or at least average gameplay, this one has neither. In the end if your like me and gotta play every WW2 shooter that comes out than I guess you should try this one to at least see the interesting alt version of WW2 but if your a casual gamer or just plain not that much of a fan of the WW2 genre than by all means stay away from this game...


Final Verdict (Turning Point: Fall of Liberty)-

An interesting idea gone terribly wrong due to lackluster gameplay and a very linear storyline. Maybe worth a rent if you're a WW2 gamer but nothing otherwise, I feel sorry for the one's who actually paid for this. I wish there was more but the first sentence pretty well says it all.

5.0 (Not Good, and that's being generous)

Generally Not Recommended.


Feel free to question or comment, another review to come...

[Edited by Jackal, 7/7/2008 1:57:13 AM]

[Edited by Jackal, 1/21/2009 9:30:47 PM]

[Edited by Jackal, 1/21/2009 9:34:31 PM]

The PC version is a disgrace, but I've heard the console versions are better.

well this is the game with horrible mistakes again.
i can't understand why they make games just about ww2.
isn't there any other subject?

I completely agree, i was quite excited about this title from the trailers and all the hype that surrounded it. I bought it on PC and was greeted by a number of small issues that flooded into what eventually became a terrible game.

Codemasters are known, in my opinion, for being very 'hit and miss' with their titles. Games like Overlord seem to be instant misses while Lord of The Rings Online was an instant hit. Unfortunately it seemed TP:FOL joined overlord on the podium of failure.

A few things I noticed that started to turn my expectations of greatness around on the pc version begins with the fact that you can not change the graphics settings, although it may not sound like much this essentially means that low spec systems will not be able to run this game and high spec systems will not be able to make this game look good, this immediately places the game within the boundary of adequacy. The second thing I noticed was how unexplained the storyline was and how I really couldn't care less about the outcome of the scenarios I was placed in, the concept of the game alone is a mere extension on a previous game called freedom fighters, of which was a great game for its day. The game was linear, boring, restrictive and frustrating to play, this is amplified through the catalogue of superior fps' released prior and during it's release.

My score would look more like 4/10 instead of 6 but i agree with everything Jackal said, great review.

No, there aren't any other subjects. American history begins in 1941 and ends in 1945.

Ah, you forgot that it magically regains concusness after the Cold War.

To tell you the truth though, I didn't even bother renting Turning Point cause I heard such terrible reviews about it.

Next up...

Frontlines: Fuel of War

I don't know if many played this one but I tried it out a few months ago and was pleasantly surprised, walking into it I was expecting a sort of Ghost Recon type game. Thankfully it was much, much better and had a killer storyline...which made it that much more enjoyable and above all believable. In a nutshell the story takes place in the not too distant future with the world in the midst of an energy crisis with the supplies of worldwide gas and oil drying up. The inevitable result is a full-scale war with the worlds superpowers the East (Russia and China) against of course the West (US and Europe). What made this game standout from the beginning was this all too realistic problem that ignited the conflict, because lets face it...under the right circumstances in the future this could very well happen. We all know how everyone is suffering at the gas pumps...imagine it in 16 years.

Along with this all-too-real story arc Kaos did an excellent job with the combat gameplay, putting the player on the frontline of this modern day futuristic conflict was a very nice touch...well they wouldn't call it Frontlines if you weren't on the frontline were you lol. But I can't say enough about the gameplay, like I said I was very surprised at how good it was, it wasn't perfect but overall for a FPS solid, even with the veichles. I loved the little mini-games with the Drones and such too, controls weren't ideal but still fun, plus the maps are very wide open with multiple ways to persue your objectives, big but real, it really looks like an actual battles going on. Unfortunetly though story and gameplay aside not all the specs were ideal, there putting you on the frontline of a futureistic war, okay, then why does it seem like I'm playing a series of bot matches moving from objective-to-objective. As enticing as the story arc is it never really feels like a natural war campaign, at best maybe a Middle Eastern, Gulf War type skirmish...

And I know that Frontlines is bred from the Battlefield franchise and they don't focus heavily on the character-driven story but let me say it certainly would've helped add a bit more flair and realism to your experience as the player and engrossed you more into the campaign. But with that said there obviously shooting for the gameplay with this title and it delivered with a decent campaign and 'home hitting' story arc...so now lets delve into the multiplayer, to my surprise most gamers who are veterans of the franchise skip the campaign and get right to the multiplayer. Well all I can say is if your a fan of the online mutiplayer experience then this games definetly for you, its 50-player mutiplayer will have you and your friends hooked for weeks...lots and lots of fun to be had.

In closing the graphics are tight with a few instances of hiccups and glitch problems. Everything from the gadgets, guns, veichles, soldiers, environment look realistic in this futuristic warzone...overall from the story to the look its believable, that's all most gamers need with a game like this I suppose. Despite the campaign issues I had lots of fun with this modern/futuristic shooter, call me crazy but I enjoyed it even more than Call of Duty 4...the story was much more realistic and the gameplay (in my opinion) was better, and lets be honest, COD4 was a little overated. I'm a WW2 nut and not much of a fan of modern combat so selling me on this game was what really impressed me.

Final Verdict (Frontlines: Fuel of War)-

An exciting FPS that throws you right on the frontline of a realistic, perhaps not-too-distant futuristic war that does a good job selling the player...could've been better but still done pretty well. For some maybe too generic but for other war crazed gamers and veteran FPS this one you should definetly check out. Yet another one of those FPS that are good but a slight distance from great.

8.5 (Very Good)

Definetly Recommended.

Again feel free to question or comment, another review to come...

[Edited by Jackal, 7/5/2008 12:25:52 AM]

You can still comment on any of the other reviews if you choose...our next review takes us back a few years.


Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30

When I first heard about this game I was of course excited to play (being a WW2 shooter) but had mixed feelings about the gameplay, I honestly never thought it would work, not in a WW2 shooter anyway...walking into this one I was definetly skeptical, well I'm glad to say I was wrong, dead wrong. But first for the lepers lets explain this one, Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 is 'based on a true story' about the events that took place to the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment during the 101st Airbournes drop into Normandy on (D-Day) June 6th, 1944 and their progress afterwards, namely taking Carentan and defending it from Hill 30. You take on the role of Sgt. Matt Baker commanding a squad of a dozen or so soldiers being dropped behind enemy lines during these operations.

From the start they do a great job on both fronts in setting up the story/characters (namely Baker) to adapting you into the strategic gameplay...as you advance from mission to mission you eventually gain control of two squads, one to pin down and one to flank. Driving home the simplistic WW2 combat of 'fix and flank' or as Patton would say "Grab 'em by the nose and kick 'em in the pants!"...at first it definetly takes some getting used to but after awhile you'll find yourself setting up your attacks with pinpoint precision and quickly forget about the fast paced run-and-gun tactics of every other WW2 shooter you've played. This is where the overhead map really helps, it gives you the chance to scope out the battlefield and decide the best way to advance (cover and such)...and before you say "hey that's not real combat" well before each operation Paratroopers had the distinct advantage of an already scouted battlefiend with the enemies location. The enemy AI is top notch too, if your not quick in getting in on the enemy you'll soon find that your the one being flanked and overun, so be on alert because your enemies acually have 'brains' and make sound decisions on most occasions.

Moving on now to the story let me say that I was simply blown away by how emotionally entagled you get with the story, you'll actually start to find yourself caring about your squad of characters and think twice about sending them to their certain deaths. From your drop into Normandy to the defense of Hill 30 Brothers in Arms is an undeniably authentic experience. The weapons, gear, tanks, environment, everything has been gone through with a fine tooth comb...in fact Gearbox did such an authentic job that they actually went to the locations you fight in in the game designing the environment based on their findings...wow, you talk about actual being there. Realism is the key word here, even your squad will follow you around with their eyes making smart remarks on why your staring at them lol. Here's an example- After you've shot an enemy wait by his body and amazingly it will start to twitch, eventually four or five seconds later it stops confirming what you already know...unbelievable. What really drove it home for me though was when I shot an enemy in the head I got a clean wound, but when going for the chest its like a ketchep bottle exploded.

The graphics look very WW2, dirty and rustic but blending in well with the atmosphere around you, you'll even get rain falling on the screen...plus the sound does an exceptional job at engrossing you with the sounds of war. Bullets whizzing over your head, mortars exploding all around, the sound of your weapon churning out rounds and the all too hellish scream of a German soldier being cut down. But now comes its faults...the controls may be well setup and easy to learn but more times then not you end up killing your guys when ordering supressing fire, this happens alot in tense, quick decision battles. Plus while most of the script is well done Bakers dialogue post mission is anything but emersive, sounds like he's trying out for The Thin Red Line which doesn't work for him or on selling the player. There's a few glitchy problems as well...one I'm sure everyones run into is the stuck clattering of the Thompson (which you'll have to endure for the rest of the mission), very irratating, you'd think they'd of caught that one in testing. Also this game is hard, it will take a really patient gamer to play this one, the enemy at first will probably school your ass and leave you frustrated beyond belief, so you must be willing to learn from your mistakes. One last thing I should note is the language, while I'm glad they didn't dumb anything down (blood, gore language) there's quite abit of swearing in the game, so if your underage there's a reason why this one's rated M.


Final Verdict (Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30)-

Gearbox does an unbelievable job showcasing the real events of WW2 in the boots of a Paratrooper. The locations, the combat, weapons, everything...the detail is amazing. While there's a definte breaking in period the strategy based gameplay is done very well and drives home the reality of real WW2 combat. If your a fan of WW2 in any way, shape or form you have to try this one, they've give a new meanining to WW2 combat...its debatable whether this is the best WW2 franchise now on the market but with it's stunning attention to detail and engrossing story and gameplay its certainly deserving. Don't get me wrong I still love playing the MOH or Call of Duty franchises but now I realize those games are great if you just want to run around and kill Germans left and right, but if your looking for authenticity and realism then there's no other WW2 game on the market like the Brothers in Arms series...the perfect blend of history and fun!

9.5 (Outstandingly Excellent!)

Strongly Recommended.

Feel free to question or comment on this or any of the reviews I've done thus far...

[Edited by Jackal, 7/8/2008 5:11:04 PM]