As I promised, I would help showcase the powerful Chrome Engine when i had a chance to show you just what this beast was capable of.
There are no words. Just sit back and enjoy the breathtaking, pure, ungodly powerful engine at work...
http://www.firingsquad.com/news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=21844
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
0001 : Call Of Juarez - Bound in Blood
Ah, Call of Juarez. A fun little romp through what is the old west and failure in optimization combined. Do not be fooled! That is the first game.
Call of Juarez - Bound in Blood is a prequel to the first game, and it is stunning in so many ways.
I expected a lot of action out of this game, and I sure as hell got it.
Finished it in a nice, round sitting in about eight hours, taking my time, looking for secrets and enjoying things.
Let's dive into it, shall we?
Notes : The game features 2 unique, playable characters, Ray and Thomas McCall whom offer distinct playstyles.
GAMEPLAY :
This is an FPS, and it plays like one. Your guns are standard wild west fare with some interesting solutions to them. Changes to the standard FPS formula include "Concentration mode". If and when you have killed enough bad guys, a timer will go down from 1 minute. It is this one minute time frame that lets you use your special ability to eliminate certain on-screen foes with deadly accuracy. Ray is the stronger of the two, though he is athletically impotent, he takes more damage than Thomas does and he certainly deals a whole lot more damage!
RAY : Dual wield pistols, dynamite, clearing blocked paths. Concentration Mode ("CM") slows anything on the screen to a crawl, enabling you to mouse over enemies and shootable objects. You have about seven seconds to highlight all the targets on your screen, and when the time is up or the highlighted targets reach the maximum bullet capacity of your two current pistols, Ray will open fire and absolutely destroy whatever was highlighted. He has a more direct, "I will go through you" playstyle and route to him.
THOMAS : Thomas is the younger brother and the more agile of the two. He also seems and sounds a bit smarter than Ray, if only because he sounds less bitter and dark. His ability lies in stealthier gameplay, should you wish it. He can throw knives that silent kill enemies, use an also silent and painfully accurate bow - the bow has its' own 3-4 second slow motion sometimes), and use the lasso to navigate obstacles and roadblocks with ease. He also helps his lumpy brother Ray up certain blockages throughout the game. Stealth is preferred but not a necessity, thank god. His CM power is unique in many ways. It makes time almost stop as enemies are highlighted and targeted for you. All you have to do is hold LMB and pull back on your mouse, as if you were cocking and firing a real western gun. The enemy promptly dies in one shot - this goes on for as long as time runs out or your bullets don't run out.
Difficulty : The game offers 3 initial difficulty modes. I'll be frank, I started the game on easy, since the last one was ridicilously hard due to some game-stopping bugs interfering with it. This game is fairly challenging on easy, as enemies are sometimes all too giggly about logging a stick of dynamite at your feet. The indicator for where said stick of dynamite lands seems wonky and inaccurate, but that is just one of the many quirks. In general, the game feels like "normal" difficulty under easy. After you progress through some levels, someone will duel you for some reason. Like on the wild west of the movies, you have to draw.
Why is that under difficulty? Because the first 3 or so duels are counter-intuitive and you will fail atleast once, but it's that nice failure of "Oh I get it now". The latter enemies are just unfair, even on easy they will simply obliterate you unless you go cheap and exploit something like I ended up doing.
Basically, opponents 1-3 fall easily but the rest are ridicilously fast. I have tried and used cheat engine to slow the game down to 20% of its' original speed at the final duel to win it. And guess what. Even with five times more time to react, the game BEAT ME.
TL;DR would be : Game is fun, duels suck.
STORY :
The Story in COJ:BB is actually fairly straightforward, with some twists and turns here and there. Most things are obvious, and some....not so much. Nevertheless, you follow the brothers' quest as they desert the army, hoping to find the titular Juarez treasure - a ransom for Montezuma - in order to rebuild their home. That's basically chapter 1 I just spoiled for you, but it's mostly a tutorial anyway. The story isn't going to win and oscars, but it's filled with so much deception that you have to squeal happily at it sometimes.
GRAPHICS :
Optimization in heaven. When I started this game with my current setup (In my profile), I was expecting hiccups or low-medium settings...but to my surprise, it ran on the default settings stunningly well, the only hiccups I got was when autosave kicked in for a second. The game looks absoluzely marvellous, Chrome Engine 4 does it GREAT JU...sorry.
As of yet, there are no youtube videos of this excellent engine up for view. I can assure you, it will flawlessly and seamlessly render MASSIVE gaming environments that look and feel incredibly realistic. Many times, I have watched our two anti-heroes stand on perilous cliffs, looking over a sprawling canyon, in dense indian-filled forests with lush greenery and sparkling blue water.
Graphics are a plus for me, but if you are a maniac of graphics, you will appreciate this game.
SOUNDS :
The voice-acting is mostly above average, and in the case of our two brothers, many little lines and quips have been thrown in. Often times you will clear a room as your brother reloads , only to hear him complain that you left none for him. Other times, if you get smacked around , while hiding behind cover, if your brother shoots someone in the face, you often hear him smugly announce he saved your ass. Of course, you usually get similar replies back, they are like friendly assholes with eachother, it all feels too right in this game's world.
CONTROLS :
Obviously, since I'm reviewing the PC version, I can't tell you about the other ones. For the PC version, it's standard, uncomplicated FPS fare. My only initial complaint is that the controls seem far more sensitive than they should be compared to your windows settings, but you can quickly get used to that. A note here is that they are far less responsive in duels compared to fighting in the game, which again tricks you in an unpleasant way.
SOUNDTRACK :
Memorable...or perhaps not. The music is, however, enjoyable. It sets a certain mood and pace as you go along. I found the preachy-hearty song that sometimes plays to be quite beautiful. But alas, I am a sucker for piano. Still, i have no complaints about it, it accompanies the action or sappy romance quite nicely.
SUMMARY :
Good : Pure awesome action. Brothers have hilarious back-and-forth dialogue sometimes. Weapon upgrade possibilities. A LOT of secrets to find. Play as the Agile sniper\assassin Thomas or the brute battering ram Ray - pick your style and kill some stuff! Incredibly well optimized - it will run just fine on slightly less-than-stellar machines. The brothers' story is intriguing. Amazing visuals with breathtaking, detailed environments.
Bad : Dynamites are as frustrating as COD grenades. Duels are ridicilously hard \ luck based after chapter 3. Some "Sneak and kill the sniper" missions are scripted so you may not even survive one bullet from the sniper. Just a tiny bit on the short side. William. Horse handling is fine and fluid...and yet hilariously broken. Can be way too hard on normal.
FINAL RATING :
92\100.
Explanation :
I beleive this game is a critical step forward from the last one, it has a powerhouse presentation and a very distinct, yet softly oozing "style". It never gets overbearing, but it does remind you about the game world. The characters are somewhat relatable as they go, react to storyline changes as normal people would. The game runs very nicely, and even though William's incessant nagging, bible-quoting and those infernal duels will make you want to pick your own tonsils with a fork, the game blows those nitpicks away with all the western action you can possibly handle. The simple, yet enjoyable story, coupled with properly western-styled soundtracks and era-true weaponry, including cannons, makes absolutely sure you can take a nice, wild romp and for the most part, enjoy it.
RENT OR BUY :
Depends on the price tag in your country. The game has replay value in playing as the other character, using other routes, finding other sets of secrets, so I'm leaning towards buy here. If for nothing else you can pass the copy to friends after you are done so they get an accurate taste and then buy it themselves. You have to experience this game.
Call of Juarez - Bound in Blood is a prequel to the first game, and it is stunning in so many ways.
I expected a lot of action out of this game, and I sure as hell got it.
Finished it in a nice, round sitting in about eight hours, taking my time, looking for secrets and enjoying things.
Let's dive into it, shall we?
Notes : The game features 2 unique, playable characters, Ray and Thomas McCall whom offer distinct playstyles.
GAMEPLAY :
This is an FPS, and it plays like one. Your guns are standard wild west fare with some interesting solutions to them. Changes to the standard FPS formula include "Concentration mode". If and when you have killed enough bad guys, a timer will go down from 1 minute. It is this one minute time frame that lets you use your special ability to eliminate certain on-screen foes with deadly accuracy. Ray is the stronger of the two, though he is athletically impotent, he takes more damage than Thomas does and he certainly deals a whole lot more damage!
RAY : Dual wield pistols, dynamite, clearing blocked paths. Concentration Mode ("CM") slows anything on the screen to a crawl, enabling you to mouse over enemies and shootable objects. You have about seven seconds to highlight all the targets on your screen, and when the time is up or the highlighted targets reach the maximum bullet capacity of your two current pistols, Ray will open fire and absolutely destroy whatever was highlighted. He has a more direct, "I will go through you" playstyle and route to him.
THOMAS : Thomas is the younger brother and the more agile of the two. He also seems and sounds a bit smarter than Ray, if only because he sounds less bitter and dark. His ability lies in stealthier gameplay, should you wish it. He can throw knives that silent kill enemies, use an also silent and painfully accurate bow - the bow has its' own 3-4 second slow motion sometimes), and use the lasso to navigate obstacles and roadblocks with ease. He also helps his lumpy brother Ray up certain blockages throughout the game. Stealth is preferred but not a necessity, thank god. His CM power is unique in many ways. It makes time almost stop as enemies are highlighted and targeted for you. All you have to do is hold LMB and pull back on your mouse, as if you were cocking and firing a real western gun. The enemy promptly dies in one shot - this goes on for as long as time runs out or your bullets don't run out.
Difficulty : The game offers 3 initial difficulty modes. I'll be frank, I started the game on easy, since the last one was ridicilously hard due to some game-stopping bugs interfering with it. This game is fairly challenging on easy, as enemies are sometimes all too giggly about logging a stick of dynamite at your feet. The indicator for where said stick of dynamite lands seems wonky and inaccurate, but that is just one of the many quirks. In general, the game feels like "normal" difficulty under easy. After you progress through some levels, someone will duel you for some reason. Like on the wild west of the movies, you have to draw.
Why is that under difficulty? Because the first 3 or so duels are counter-intuitive and you will fail atleast once, but it's that nice failure of "Oh I get it now". The latter enemies are just unfair, even on easy they will simply obliterate you unless you go cheap and exploit something like I ended up doing.
Basically, opponents 1-3 fall easily but the rest are ridicilously fast. I have tried and used cheat engine to slow the game down to 20% of its' original speed at the final duel to win it. And guess what. Even with five times more time to react, the game BEAT ME.
TL;DR would be : Game is fun, duels suck.
STORY :
The Story in COJ:BB is actually fairly straightforward, with some twists and turns here and there. Most things are obvious, and some....not so much. Nevertheless, you follow the brothers' quest as they desert the army, hoping to find the titular Juarez treasure - a ransom for Montezuma - in order to rebuild their home. That's basically chapter 1 I just spoiled for you, but it's mostly a tutorial anyway. The story isn't going to win and oscars, but it's filled with so much deception that you have to squeal happily at it sometimes.
GRAPHICS :
Optimization in heaven. When I started this game with my current setup (In my profile), I was expecting hiccups or low-medium settings...but to my surprise, it ran on the default settings stunningly well, the only hiccups I got was when autosave kicked in for a second. The game looks absoluzely marvellous, Chrome Engine 4 does it GREAT JU...sorry.
As of yet, there are no youtube videos of this excellent engine up for view. I can assure you, it will flawlessly and seamlessly render MASSIVE gaming environments that look and feel incredibly realistic. Many times, I have watched our two anti-heroes stand on perilous cliffs, looking over a sprawling canyon, in dense indian-filled forests with lush greenery and sparkling blue water.
Graphics are a plus for me, but if you are a maniac of graphics, you will appreciate this game.
SOUNDS :
The voice-acting is mostly above average, and in the case of our two brothers, many little lines and quips have been thrown in. Often times you will clear a room as your brother reloads , only to hear him complain that you left none for him. Other times, if you get smacked around , while hiding behind cover, if your brother shoots someone in the face, you often hear him smugly announce he saved your ass. Of course, you usually get similar replies back, they are like friendly assholes with eachother, it all feels too right in this game's world.
CONTROLS :
Obviously, since I'm reviewing the PC version, I can't tell you about the other ones. For the PC version, it's standard, uncomplicated FPS fare. My only initial complaint is that the controls seem far more sensitive than they should be compared to your windows settings, but you can quickly get used to that. A note here is that they are far less responsive in duels compared to fighting in the game, which again tricks you in an unpleasant way.
SOUNDTRACK :
Memorable...or perhaps not. The music is, however, enjoyable. It sets a certain mood and pace as you go along. I found the preachy-hearty song that sometimes plays to be quite beautiful. But alas, I am a sucker for piano. Still, i have no complaints about it, it accompanies the action or sappy romance quite nicely.
SUMMARY :
Good : Pure awesome action. Brothers have hilarious back-and-forth dialogue sometimes. Weapon upgrade possibilities. A LOT of secrets to find. Play as the Agile sniper\assassin Thomas or the brute battering ram Ray - pick your style and kill some stuff! Incredibly well optimized - it will run just fine on slightly less-than-stellar machines. The brothers' story is intriguing. Amazing visuals with breathtaking, detailed environments.
Bad : Dynamites are as frustrating as COD grenades. Duels are ridicilously hard \ luck based after chapter 3. Some "Sneak and kill the sniper" missions are scripted so you may not even survive one bullet from the sniper. Just a tiny bit on the short side. William. Horse handling is fine and fluid...and yet hilariously broken. Can be way too hard on normal.
FINAL RATING :
92\100.
Explanation :
I beleive this game is a critical step forward from the last one, it has a powerhouse presentation and a very distinct, yet softly oozing "style". It never gets overbearing, but it does remind you about the game world. The characters are somewhat relatable as they go, react to storyline changes as normal people would. The game runs very nicely, and even though William's incessant nagging, bible-quoting and those infernal duels will make you want to pick your own tonsils with a fork, the game blows those nitpicks away with all the western action you can possibly handle. The simple, yet enjoyable story, coupled with properly western-styled soundtracks and era-true weaponry, including cannons, makes absolutely sure you can take a nice, wild romp and for the most part, enjoy it.
RENT OR BUY :
Depends on the price tag in your country. The game has replay value in playing as the other character, using other routes, finding other sets of secrets, so I'm leaning towards buy here. If for nothing else you can pass the copy to friends after you are done so they get an accurate taste and then buy it themselves. You have to experience this game.
And so it begins!
Welcome to the virginity-taking first entry in what I hope will eventually become a geek hideout, a place of information and feedback as to the better and crappier games.
I will focus on putting out word of games to watch out for, while sometimes posting a rant about some of the "popular" games that are completely retarded in some way or another.
I aim to please and giggle, am open to constructive criticism and user input, but what I pursue in terms of warn \ rant \ recommend is my own decision.
Lastly, I feel I should tell you I am biased towards the action, adventure, rpg, shooter and FPS genres - I completely avoid sports and simulation (Minus sims, black and white...) , and "Hype" games. By "Hype", I mean anything the frothing internet fanboys regurgitate as the awesome of the moment and follow in a cultish fashion, disgracing the entire race they are a part of. The exception to this is when I actually try whatever they worship so as to have a valid reason to laugh at it. Basically, I will not badmouth things I haven't personally experienced yet, as that would be unfair and wrong.
Stay tuned folks. If you are a gamer, and have some gamer friends, feel free to toss the link of my blog around - I would greatly appreciate it.
I will focus on putting out word of games to watch out for, while sometimes posting a rant about some of the "popular" games that are completely retarded in some way or another.
I aim to please and giggle, am open to constructive criticism and user input, but what I pursue in terms of warn \ rant \ recommend is my own decision.
Lastly, I feel I should tell you I am biased towards the action, adventure, rpg, shooter and FPS genres - I completely avoid sports and simulation (Minus sims, black and white...) , and "Hype" games. By "Hype", I mean anything the frothing internet fanboys regurgitate as the awesome of the moment and follow in a cultish fashion, disgracing the entire race they are a part of. The exception to this is when I actually try whatever they worship so as to have a valid reason to laugh at it. Basically, I will not badmouth things I haven't personally experienced yet, as that would be unfair and wrong.
Stay tuned folks. If you are a gamer, and have some gamer friends, feel free to toss the link of my blog around - I would greatly appreciate it.
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