FIFA 14 Review

       

          It’s probably worth pointing out that while there are many titles coming to the Xbox One in the very near future, which are sure to act as genuine jaw-dropping showcases of all that the new generation consoles can deliver, FIFA 14 is unlikely to be one of them. Not that it’s an ugly port of the 360 version, of course, it’s just that it has obviously been developed alongside its more restrained counterpart and could be seen as being more of an enhancement to what’s gone before.

          That said, the changes made to this ‘gen 4’ version of the game are more than enough to transform it into a completely different experience, bringing new life and immersion to a franchise that was already pretty healthy on both counts. All that’s new may be merely aesthetic and expected improvements of a new console but, though it may lack that ‘wow’ factor of a new Halo, to play FIFA 14 on the Xbox One is to feel like you’re playing a whole new ball game.

          This latest offering is essentially the same as it is on the 360, with all the same game modes, features and content, but it’s been created using EA Sports’ Ignite engine, purpose built for the next-generation consoles. This impacts upon the game primarily in terms of physics and animations, along with player AI and far smoother presentation.

          The visuals on their own aren’t a huge step up and we’d wager that player models are shared across both platforms, albeit with a few new layers and degrees of detail added, but the combination of new and more varied animations, coupled with fully 3D crowds responding to the action and a new real-time ‘Match Flow’ engine creates an incredible, lifelike experience.

          Whereas before there were two or three animations for a simple pass, there are now maybe five or six. Players can use the outside of their foot, chest balls off to a teammate or drill crossfield passes with beautiful ease. There are newly created animations for through-balls and the like, more angles for players to move or pass within and simply a greater variety of options on the ball and animations to link everything together.

          Enhanced AI gives players greater positional awareness and anticipation, and they’re now capable of using their bodies to keep possession rather than you having to resort to shielding on the left trigger, while the improved physics system gives everything a far more realistic grace than ever before.

          One key improvement is the new Match Flow presentation that enables you to follow matches in real-time. From the moment players walk out of the tunnel before kick-off to them leaving the pitch basking in glory or wallowing in defeat, the game can be a single, seamless experience. If the ball goes out for a goal kick, you can watch as the keeper fetches it and the other players jog back to their rightful positions, while the new in-game director interjects replays and player close-ups, just as if you were watching a real match on telly.

          It’s all skippable with a tap of the A button (and the in-game clock stops during these links), but being able to play in a match that doesn't cut away for substitutions or jump players into position for a throw-in is a hugely impressive feat and ensures your heart and mind are always on the pitch. And if you do choose to skip ahead, the absence of anything close to a loading screen is another bonus of the nextgen tech whirring away underneath the hood.

          The presentation is helped greatly by the 121 camera angles now in place (including rail-cams and those neat sky-cams you see at World Cups), which ensures a much improved variety of broadcast-quality coverage, with great tackles or sweet skill moves given close-up replays. The enhanced visuals also mean that players now have a much more detailed range of reactions and facial animations that show the contrasting sense of joy or anguish at recent events.

          Some of the likenesses are still pretty generic outside the major international stars, but the power of the Xbox One at least gives them far more personality than seen in the 360 version, while added effects such as grass flying up and spray from a damp pitch, or shirt textures that flap and twist realistically add to the impression that you are watching something real.

          The new crowds add to that as well, now looking far more lifelike and less cutout than their 2D predecessors, with fully rendered 3D supporters reacting to the action. There remains a slight awkwardness to them when seen up close, and you will still see noticeably cloned characters (well, you can’t expect 90,000 individually animated fans, can you), but there is a far more realistic contribution to the game from them.

          Some will stand up in anticipation when you burst clean through on goal, while the finish itself will be celebrated in different ways (contrasting with the slumped demeanor of the conceding team’s fans). The overall result is that crowd has now become part of the action rather than just a backdrop for it – to the point where the default camera setting has been lowered so that you can constantly see part of the stadium in the background.

          It’s this degree of detail that makes the Xbox One version a more than worthy upgrade to the xBox 360. It may be basically the same game in a slightly shinier skin, but it looks and (more importantly) feels like a completely different experience. Between the in game director showcasing relevant clips within the real-time game play and the game now being smart enough to react to your choices (drop your star player and it will be commented on), the next-gen FIFA 14 is no longer constrained within the same sequences and prescripted events of old, and is now free to become a living, reactive and beautifully seamless world.


Other Reviews:

WRC FIA World Rally Championship
Battlefield 4: China Rising
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
Batman Arkham Origins
Air Conflicts: Vietnam

What Would You Like To See A Review On Next? Please Make Your Comments Below.

Your Request Must Be: Top 25 List, Or On A List Of Best Sellers Under The Following

Categories, Electronics, Computers, Gaming, Gaming Consoles, and Video Games.

Air Conflicts: Vietnam

          With this upgrade to the Vietnam conflict adding Huey's and a whiff of napalm to the morning, you can forgive us for expecting slightly better things from Air Conflicts: Vietnam. Which only makes it all the more disappointing that the game actually seems to be even more low budget, rushed and painfully flawed than its predecessor.

          This time around you are given a central character in Joe Thompson, a rookie US Navy pilot destined to be at the heart of many major events from the war that spawned an awful lot of good films. As before you’ll have a squad supporting you, with the ability to switch between pilots (and subsequently, different types of aircraft) on the fly, handy for when you’re running low on health or ammo – but you’ll need to make sure Joe gets back alive or it’s Game Over.

          The addition of helicopters to a reasonably impressive array of aircraft should really have added a lot more to the mix, as the notion of swooping through valleys in a UH-1 Iroquois (or “Huey”) or a CH-47 Chinook, with guns blazing and missiles shattering the environment as classic Sixties rock blasts out of the speakers (Vietnam really did have the best soundtrack) is enough to get us tingling. But while the music just about does its part, the rest is nowhere near as exciting or fun as it should be.

          We’ll start with the visuals, which looked dated back in Pacific Carriers and clearly haven’t been upgraded here. The aircraft models are pretty good, but the environments, cut-scenes and everything else look ropey as hell, with backgrounds visibly loading up in the distance – and it’s barely an exaggeration to say we’ve seen better on the PS2. That said, we can live with a few square edges or explosions that look less realistic than in South Park as long as the game play can keep us immersed, but Vietnam seems to be intent on dragging you out of the action as often as possible.

          There is a decent selection of bombing runs, dogfights, rescues and the like, taking in various land, air and sea backdrops. Every mission is split into numerous check pointed sections, but the system is woefully used. Just when you’re getting into things, you’ll be dragged out to another terrible cut-scene with some bland dialogue explaining the situation, before being dropped back close to where you left it – only now the game has changed and you may suddenly find yourself under heavy fire or facing the wrong direction and miles away from where you need to be.

          We reached a point where we died within five seconds each time we restarted and had to begin the entire mission from scratch – this kills any sense of involvement with the action and makes it feel more like a sporadic mix of occasional fun and fragmented tedium at best.

          Simple things like making you choose a starting plane for your next mission, without actually explaining what that mission is – and therefore what aircraft would be handy to use – remain from Pacific Carriers. There are also invisible ground troops that you can do nothing about, just so the game can unavoidably drain your health, presumably with the intention of making things a little more exciting, but in fact this just makes it all the more annoying; Ground troops you cannot control or see?

          Pretty much everything smacks of a low budget title that can’t have been play tested outside the development team. Actual gamers would have pointed out that the escort missions where you have to kill all the enemies yourself (because there is no AI attached to your squad as far as we can tell) within a short period of time really aren't as much fun as developers seem to think they are.

          Even the squad system that we liked in Pacific Carriers has been toned down in Vietnam. There’s still the same leveling up of all your pilots, with ratings boosted by their performance, but it feels a lot more detached than before and we really did not care for their well being like we used to. A few pointers taken from XCOM certainly wouldn't have gone amiss, but nothing about the game seems to have improved or moved forward over the past year.

          There is some enjoyment to be had, especially when you jump into the cockpit of a F-104 Starfighter or A-4 Sky hawk and get into dogfights (with a lock-on system replacing the WWII ‘leading’ targeting) or start raining down bombs and missiles on enemy ships and installations. But these moments feel too few and far between, while the helicopters handle rather awkwardly and it’s all just constantly interrupted by reminders of the game’s obvious limitations. As a Live Arcade title we might be more willing to accept them, but certainly not for £40.

Final Words About Air Conflicts: Vietnam

          Air Conflicts: Vietnam is a painfully low budget title that somehow manages to be a backward step on last year’s half-baked Pacific Carriers. While there’s some fun to be found jumping into the cockpit of a fighter jet with a classic soundtrack doing its best to lift your spirits, the wealth of flaws manages to suck most of the entertainment out of things. Pacific Carriers is a better game, Ace Combat a better air combat game than that, and there are far, far better ways for even the most ardent flight fan to spend their money; So what do you think? Air Conflicts: Vietnam worst game of 2013?

Other Reviews:

WRC FIA World Rally Championship
Battlefield 4: China Rising
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
Batman Arkham Origins
FIFA 14 Review

What Would You Like To See A Review On Next? Please Make Your Comments Below.

Your Request Must Be: Top 25 List, Or On A List Of Best Sellers Under The Following

Categories, Electronics, Computers, Gaming, Gaming Consoles, and Video Games.

Batman: Arkham Origins Review

         

          There are differences between this game and the last game, of course, which can be argued as being improvements. Arkham Origins is set not just during a bleak snowy winter, but specifically on a particularly bleak snowy Christmas Eve, which excuses few references to that fact going untapped; from the world’s most terrifying tune, Carol of the Bells, chiming its ostinato of impending doom across the soundtrack, to the bright and gaudy decorations that clash beautifully with the gothic meets- art-deco design of the bigger and more open city, now it is time for a bat villain beat-down.

       

          Set design is excellent throughout, and all very Batman Returns, though Batman’s suit could do with not looking quite so serious and ‘Christopher Nolan’, and certainly not so gunmetal grey. It’s just immediately noticeable that there are significant similarities, despite the fantastic job done in giving many of the same locations far more gorgeous detail and complex verticality to play with, and plenty of other, smaller touches. Setting the story five years before the events of Arkham Asylum explains why no-one has yet thought it prudent to make their lair Batman-proof by welding ventilation shafts shut, using screws of a higher quality or by rebuilding broken walls properly, using sympathetic materials and not just making do with cheap plasterboard from Wilkinsons.  Batman Arkham Origins Game + Pass

          As will happen in the future (twice), most locks are electric and can be remotely accessed, which means that our hero again spends a great deal of his fight against an insane level of crime pulling off grills so he can gain access to air conditioning vents, destroying weak walls with plastic explosives and kneeling down to use his Cryptographic Sequencer – because it’s that heavy and requires an extreme level of concentration. But hello – sometimes you might need to get a password from another location first, or have to zap a junction box with a Disrupter blast. This, in some way, is progress.

     


          Then there are nine tertiary villains whose trails are encountered on the periphery of the main investigation. They’ve all done something that requires you to either destroy a certain number of thematic objects, collect a certain number of thematic objects or get to locations within a time limit and destroy thematic objects before you get to deal with them – on the very same night that Black Mask has hired eight of the world’s greatest assassin’s to kill The Bat.

          For the previous two years Batman has been battling petty, small-time crooks and Origins is about this initial introduction to the more eccentric type of criminal – presumably they only come out to play en masse every other winter. There’s certainly a great deal more to do, at least, but there’s very little mystery to it, when this should be the first time Batman has encountered such super freaks. The table just gets steadily laid out and you get to eat your fan service, course after course after course, and nothing really feels like pudding or, indeed, an entrée.

       


Remember Arkham City’s Victor Zsasz side-missions, in which Bats needed to get between public phones within a tight time limit or Zsasz would kill someone, horribly? It was a bit Die Hard With a Vengeance or, if you prefer, Dirty Harry. But now, instead of hearing a phone ring while you’re out and about and then answering it and having to peg it to another one, and so encountering such missions almost accidentally, you can simply visit one of Anarky’s accomplices, as roughly marked on your map, who will tell you where an Anarky bomb is located without even having to be threatened.

     


    Then you have a short time to get there so you can beat up some anarchists (now reconnected to look like Anonymous-style social activists, which is fair; Anarky was based on V, of Vendetta fame), before defusing the bomb… by punching it in the face. Seriously. Doors are hacked, but these bombs are punched. And if you fancy finding out more about Anarky, the new database that should be full of such facts won’t even tell you the year and issue of the comic he first appeared in. Oh, but Joker’s hair colour is green by the way. Slow. Hand. Clap. Ok Bad guys, its time to kill the bat, and just for fun, his friends too.

     

We could go on at further weary length down this rather negative path and mention the ridiculousness of a prototype Riddler who has again been all about town, accessing areas that only Batman can get to using his very specific gadgets – areas often located deep within the hideouts of super villains. Or groan at how instead of ice bombs, you get glue bombs that are so similar you’ll also use them to block steam pipes and create rafts made of frothed-up glue. Or the electric gauntlets that do at close range what the Remote Electrical Charge did at distance (but at least can be used more effectively in combat). Then there are the moments when Batman gets all drugged up and has hallucinations, as he so often does, and the art department is allowed to go crazy. Batman: Arkham Origins For PS3

   

    Above all, we could query whatever the reason is that Gotham City’s streets are deserted of everyone but cops and criminals, on the night before Christmas when it should be at its busiest. A curfew has been enforced; apparently martial law has been put into effect. But why? As far as we could tell, because the weather had taken a turn for the worse and Gotham was put under lockdown due to the wrong kind of snow. So how come the police department is empty when it’s returned to after the main campaign and about 20% of the game has been completed? Arkham City used a fun Escape from New York conceit to explain the demographics of its sparse population. Origins offers more of the city, keeps it just as empty of other people, and doesn’t even really try to justify the situation. This extreme weather doesn’t even make Batman’s cape flap much, for goodness sake.

          So then, that’s the bad news. The good? The Arkham series still, for the most part, provides the finest representation of Batman and his world outside the comic books. And although it, too, is often confusing and nonsensical, Origins certainly is no plummeting graph like the one The Dark Knight Rises represents. It’s more of a flat, prettier, fatter, slightly droopier line.

          Although seemingly a very basic excuse for a series of eight boss fights, the core story is actually a bit more cunning than merely being about defeating eight killers, one after another. And although ridiculous even by Batman gadget standards, the remote grapple that can drag enemies together, or string them up from a gargoyle or pull a fire extinguisher into their face is a lot of fun to use, while the new and more in-depth investigations of crime scenes are undoubtedly a big boon and would have done well to be featured more than they are.

       

  There are neat touches that offer some subtlety, such as when you notice a very basic corkboard in the Batcave used for investigations and stuck with newspaper clippings about Red Hood, or meet a young Barbara Gordon. Further and heavier nods are made towards Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke and visual references to Brian Bolland’s artwork are there to enjoy.

         

          Gaining the trust of James Gordon, fighting with corrupt cops, stalking rooftops and taking down criminals one by one without being noticed, and even unlocking an ability that provides a knockout counter when combating knife fighters, all add to the positive. Actually being Batman and hunting your prey is as enjoyable as ever and then there’s the new online multiplayer modes to consider. If you want more of what Arkham City provided then you won’t be disappointed – well, not much.

          Standard fights against re-filling rooms of men, one after another, can feel like padding, as do certain boss encounters that are repeated and weren’t enjoyable the first time round. Then, lastly, there’s an absolutely hideous use of a cocker-knee accent to contend with, which sounds like a female Dick Van Dyke auditioning for a Guy Ritchie film: “Now there’s a proper naughty geezer – proper naughty!” A man dressed as a flying mammal zipping about on some thread and fighting crime we can accept, but there are limits that, when reached, ruin everything for… well, a good hour or two.

Conclusion: 

          If you’ve been warming up for the release of Arkham Origins by playing through or even finally completing Arkham City then, yeah, you probably shouldn’t have done that. This latest Bat adventure is still a decent entry in the finest line of superhero games ever made and certainly includes a lot of content, but not only does it feel overly familiar, it also seems over fed. Overall quality is high, there are a couple of sweet touches and it’s still worthy, but it’s a bit like seeing the same magic trick again and again. You can’t deny the skill, but we can’t help but have wished for a slightly different outcome.

Other Reviews:

WRC FIA World Rally Championship
Battlefield 4: China Rising
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
Batman Arkham Origins
Air Conflicts: Vietnam
FIFA 14 Review

What Would You Like To See A Review On Next? Please Make Your Comments Below.

Your Request Must Be: Top 25 List, Or On A List Of Best Sellers Under The Following

Categories, Electronics, Computers, Gaming, Gaming Consoles, and Video Games.

Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag

     

  Pen-world sandbox games may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you have even a passing interest in the free-roaming genre then chances are that Grand Theft Auto V has taken pride of place in your disc drive for the last month or so. It’s a testament to Rockstar’s “it’s ready when it’s ready” approach that this generation has played host to just two GTA games. If the GTA brand was owned by a company like Activision or EA then you can bet your ass, bottom dollar and even the farm that Grand Theft Auto VIII would already be a cold-blooded reality.

          It’s a tad unfair to start an Assassin’s Creed IV review by praising its most staunch rival but, truth be told, Ubisoft has been turning out the sequels on a yearly basis ever since Assassin’s Creed II racked up over ten million sales. The result of this iterative ethos is a series that subtly adjusts the form and focus between installments without ever blowing us away with anything particularly revolutionary. It’s an approach to game design where the core template is polished and then infused with a few new features but, no matter how much the new setting and expanded story changes the placement, parts of the game will always feel like a well rehearsed recital.

 

        The game begins in the middle of a heated naval battle as Edward Kenway, the game’s roguish new lead, crosses swords with the crew of a military vessel as he and his fellow pirates pile into the melee. The carnage doesn’t last for long as, when a stray shot ignites a poorly secured gunpowder barrel, Edward is propelled into the sea alongside a man wearing an assassin’s cloak and, when the pair wake up next to each other on a deserted beach, words quickly turn to violence as Edward turns executioner on the would-be assassin. He then dons the familiar garb before making for the ocean.

          While Assassin’s Creed III spent hours showing you the ropes and padding out its origin story before

finally removing the training wheels and letting you get down to business, Black Flag gives you the freedom to wander off the beaten track far earlier. As soon as Edward acquires the Jackdaw, his modestly sized pirate ship, you’re free to hoist the anchor and go exploring. And while the last game had a habit of breaking the sense of immersion whenever you travelled between cities, Black Flag enables you to sail alongside one of the tiny Caribbean islands before seamlessly transitioning from deck to shore in one smooth motion.

          The fact that this review focuses on the Xbox 360 rather than the enhanced Xbox One version shows how far the Assassin’s Creed series has come since its 2007 debut. The inaugural game is often cited as a failed yet lavish looking experiment, while in comparison Black Flag eclipses all the previous games in terms of scope. The naval combat, in particular, builds upon the underdeveloped mechanics of the last game and transforms them into something far more intrinsic. You pull out the spyglass, identify a target that won’t immediately turn the Jackdaw into matchsticks and then proceed to plunder and pillage.

          The game would certainly benefit from a less scripted and more free flowing combat system like the one used in the Arkham games, but with four single-shot pistols thrown into the mix Black Flag can still make you feel like a killer captain. One place where you won’t be gunning down sailors, however, is the modern day setting that you visit as the story develops. This doesn’t centre on Desmond Miles but instead casts you as a silent employee of Abstergo Entertainment – a subsidiary of Abstergo Industries that specialists in entertainment sourced from the Animus. While the Desmond sections often felt like an unnecessary distraction in previous games, milling about the Abstergo offices feels much more complementary. It’s not trying to mimic the main game, as you can’t run and everything plays out in first-person.

   

      Instead, your objective is to hack the office terminals via a series of simple mini-games to uncover the fate of Desmond and the other Assassins. You can do the bare minimum to advance the present day story or, if you’re really invested in the series’ mythology, you can hunt down every recording to find out what the Templars have been getting up to. When weighed against the Caribbean setting and its colorful cast of salty characters, the office antics are little more than an optional extra. Edward is a hardened outlaw with a keen sense of camaraderie for his fellow pirates but, unlike Connor, his story isn’t motivated by revenge. He’s an opportunist who wants more than a life of hard labor for little gain and, as he meets the likes of Blackbeard, James Kidd and key members of the Templar and Assassin order, his desire to become more than just a cutthroat thief with a fancy boat comes to the fore.

          In the end, Black Flag can’t escape some of the hallmarks that signify it as a yearly sequel. There’s just too much familiarity in certain aspects of the game design to set it out as anything more than an evolution. But at the same time, Ubisoft Montreal has done more to improve upon last year’s framework than some studios manage in double the time. Everything from the dramatically expanded ship mechanics to the evocative Caribbean setting has resulted in a gaming experience that leads you in with the promise of piracy before stealing your heart with its killer hooks. It’s not got the raw ambition of GTA V, but it’s still a damn fine achievement. Assassin's Creed: PSP 3000 Limited Edition Bloodlines Entertainment Pack, white.

My Final Words concerning Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag

     

  If familiarity breeds contempt then it’s fortunate that Ubisoft Montreal knows how to make the familiar seem less trodden. The last game switched things up by making its world more open and Black Flag follows suit by taking the best element of Assassin’s Creed III – undoubtedly the sailing – and turning it into a unique selling point. It almost feels like three separate games that have been generously married together. The grounded assassinations are the something old, the expanded cannonball ballistics are the something new and the Caribbean Sea is the something oh so very blue. We won’t make a piracy joke, but this is definitely worth getting sinking your hooks into.

Other Reviews:

WRC FIA World Rally Championship
Battlefield 4: China Rising
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
Batman Arkham Origins
Air Conflicts: Vietnam
FIFA 14 Review

What Would You Like To See A Review On Next? Please Make Your Comments Below.

Your Request Must Be: Top 25 List, Or On A List Of Best Sellers Under The Following

Categories, Electronics, Computers, Gaming, Gaming Consoles, and Video Games.

Battlefield 4: China Rising Review

Have you seen those Battlefield 4 adverts on TV? You know, the ones where a guy is sitting in a studio, talking excitedly about jumping out of a helicopter onto a tank or skydiving off a cliff? Well, they’re not very realistic. To say this launch has been a mess would be like saying the new Sim City was a ‘little misguided’. DICE and EA have conspired to create a game that’s quite wonderful in many ways, but launch it in such a state that it’s almost impossible to actually enjoy any of it. Since the game first appeared in late October, it has been impossible to see how many players are on a server.

This means there’s no way of selecting a map to play on, rendering the DLC packages pointless. If you do manage to get into a match, you’ll be wrestling with a bug that enables players to kill each other with one shot, randomly. You’ll be praying that it launches past the initial loading screen. And, most heinously of all, you’ll be battling in constant anxiety that your game is mere seconds away from crashing, and all your XP gain is lost forever. This would be bad enough on a ropey free-to-play game, but if you've laid down 50 quid on the Xbox One version (and another 40 for Premium) it’s downright criminal. And it’s getting in the way of such a cracking game. Even at the Xbox One’s irritatingly jaggy 720p, it’s still a lovely looking next-gen game, with DICE’s true vision for online warfare finally realized on a home console as 64 players run around like gold-tinged psychopaths looking for the nearest chopper to nick and spiral into a wall.

Of the four China Rising maps, three are actually new. Dragon Pass is a remake of Battlefield 2’s Dragon Valley, an unremarkable bowl of death that was once a classic but is now a relic. The rugged mountains of Gullin Peaks offer choke points that result in more death than Sparta’s Hot Gates, along with terrain that’s perfect for the reinstated dirt bikes. Playstation 4 Bundle, console, killzone shadow & battlefield 4.

Silk Road’s sand dunes promise even more dirtbike destruction, but combine it with a cramped, generic base in the middle that offers all the mediocrity of a bad COD map, with shotgun jousts being the order of the day. Lastly the snowy peak of Altai Range delivers something truly different, offering satisfying sniping from the icy summit that overlooks the frozen fields of cannon fodder below, demanding real coordination between teammates on each level. Tragically, none of the maps feature Levolution – we hate the term, but not as much as we hate the stages feeling like unloved leftovers from last year.

China Rising also adds five weapons, though none are worth shouting about, and the Air Superiority mode from Battlefield 3: End Game, but the aerial dog fighting feels more like a Mars bar plonked on top rather than the cherry on a well formed sundae. Still, scary planes aside, new maps are new playgrounds on which to enjoy games of death tag. The on foot action is the sharpest it has ever been, with clean, accurate gun-on-gun combat, and the divide between classes more distinct. Many will decry the loss of the medic (as revival now only awards 1/5 the number of points it used to), but it’s clearly an adjustment to decrease the power that one squad can have.

Engineers are still the most useful class on the field, with instant access to a rocket launcher (although it’s a bit of a pea shooter) and the always useful repair tool that enables a well drilled team to run riot with a chopper or a tank. Snipers (or Recon) now have access to C4, making them a little overpowered, while Assault’s large machine guns and ammo boxes do seem a bit lacking when they don’t have the explosive firepower that they used to.

Thankfully the classes morph and evolve more than before as you level them up, making Battlefield 4’s longgame more of a journey than a grind. And even on these lacklustre maps, it’s still a journey well worth taking… that is, when you can actually get it to work.

And this is it: when Battlefield does work, when it clicks, when it flows, it is unbeatable – which is why it’s a damn crime that it’s in the state it is. This is a premiership video game. A 20-million seller. It simply cannot be allowed to remain in this state and we cannot support anything that outwardly treats its loyal fanbase like this. Sort it out, DICE. New Playstation 4 Bundle w/a PS4 Console, Madden NFL 25 & Battlefield 4 

Conclusion:

It could have been more complete and more coherent, but China Rising still gives you more bangs for your Battlefield bucks. And when it all works, it’s pretty much peerless – but those words are crucial: when it works. At the time of writing, Battlefield 4 is an unacceptable mess; a nightmare of broken matchmaking, hard crashes, lost progress and instant-kill bugs. DICE has vowed to fix it all but, until that happens, it’s hard to recommend spending any more money. And even if it does get fixed, is it all too late?

Other Reviews:

WRC FIA World Rally Championship
Battlefield 4: China Rising
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
Batman Arkham Origins
Air Conflicts: Vietnam
FIFA 14 Review

What Would You Like To See A Review On Next? Please Make Your Comments Below.

Your Request Must Be: Top 25 List, Or On A List Of Best Sellers Under The Following

Categories, Electronics, Computers, Gaming, Gaming Consoles, and Video Games.

re: WRC FIA World Rally Championship 4 Review

Where We’re going, We don’t need roads

It’s something of a shame that the majority of the racing genre has gone all ‘Need for Speed’ over the years and frequently puts spectacle before performance. Forza has been doing fine things, of course, but it doesn’t seem like very long ago that if you really wanted to test your driving skills, you’d jump into a Colin McRae game. It probably says a lot about how much we miss those rally titles that we were genuinely excited by the off-road add-on to Forza Horizon –and why we’re happy to accept WRC 4’s limitations and simply revel in the pure and simple rallying experience it delivers. Why not search for your favorite WRC Game now?


There are no frills, no bombast, no neon or nitrous boosts; just a straightup  WRC experience that features every stage of every rally, in the closest thing to a rally sim that you’ll find on console. Milestone has even dropped the arcade-style mini-games from WRC 3 to focus purely on delivering what racing fans want, and that’s a superbly balanced handling system matched only by the demands of the terrain you’ll get to hammer down. It’s a bit of a shame, but we can fully understand its thinking that there’s only one serious part of the package worth perfecting.

While we’re looking for easy reasons to knock WRC 4, the game isn’t much of a looker, either. The authentically recreated settings (albeit scaled-down versions of the real thing) are packing more detail than before, and there’s a great contrast between them, with a mixture of snow-capped mountains, thick forests and dusty, open deserts.  However, even though there are some sweet vistas to soak up, if you can tear your eyes away from the track in front of you long enough to enjoy them, the visuals and overall presentation can appear somewhat old and dated in comparison to the majority of the modern mainstream.

Although that may be a problem for a title based on style over substance, for WRC 4 it’s merely a passing disappointment as the game is all about the racing. All 78 stages of the 13 rallies (as well as all the cars and drivers) from this year’s championships are in there, and in the Career mode you’ll get to work your way up from wildcard entries in Junior WRC, through WRC 3, WRC 2 [ps3] and finally to the big guns of the WRC. And besides a few multiplayer options, that’s about it – but if you’re into rallying then this should be plenty.  As you’d expect from a Milestone game (the dev also makes the SBK series), the handling is mostly spot-on throughout. At times you’ll think the cars feel a bit light or unduly slippery but that’s only until you find the limits of each vehicle, as the progression from your standard Ford Focus through to the likes of a Mitsubishi Lancer and the scarily fast cars of the WRC, such as Sébastian Loeb’s Citroen DS3, is noticeably different in response and performance. You’ll constantly need to push each car to its limit, but at the same time it’s about knowing when to ease off.

The tracks themselves tie into those choices, with the mixture of snow, mud, gravel and dust affecting grip, balance and slide. The icy surfaces of Sweden, for example, also include deep ruts down the side that will drag you into the snowy banks if you drift too wide, so maintaining a solid racing line becomes all the more important. Some corners can be cut, others need a precision handbrake turn to dig the nose into the apex of a hairpin and maintain speed into the next crazily tight turn. It’s very much balls out full throttle action, but with an overbearing sense of fear and respect for the environment.

The rewind feature remains to pull you out of any serious problems (though its use is limited based on your profile choices), which does prevent any frustrating last-stage rally-ending crashes, and the game itself isn’t too punishing if you don’t want it to be. But if you’re prepared to pit yourself against a worthy AI opponent then every second counts and you’ll soon know where a few tenths have been lost or when a section has been nailed – and that brings with it a sense of constant pressure and some incredibly satisfying rewards that you don’t get with too many racers these days. Looking for WRC 4 Online Game Code?

It’s by no means a perfect racing game, and the rather dated look might put a few people off in this dawn of next-generation consoles. However, if you’re after a pure (but not necessarily hardcore) racing experience, and one that brings a simple and straightforward rallying experience to your 360, then WRC 4 is so wonderfully dirty that you’ll be able to smell the mud on your fingers.

Verdict:

There’s not much to it in terms of style and variety, but rally fans looking for a pure and simple rallying simulation should be more than happy with what WRC 4 provides. With every stage of every rally condensed into one rather basic package, it could be said that there’s not a lot to it, but WRC 4 is about replaying every inch of every track over and over, perfecting your driving skills and ultimately becoming WRC champion against the best the game can offer. Or you can just blitz through it against easy AI and revel in your mud-soaked glory. It’s up to you, but we wouldn’t begrudge anyone for taking WRC 4 out for a spin; now it is time to slam the petal, and watch out for the ice and slick roads.

Other Reviews:

WRC FIA World Rally Championship
Battlefield 4: China Rising
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
Batman Arkham Origins
Air Conflicts: Vietnam
FIFA 14 Review

What Would You Like To See A Review On Next? Please Make Your Comments Below.

Your Request Must Be: Top 25 List, Or On A List Of Best Sellers Under The Following

Categories, Electronics, Computers, Gaming, Gaming Consoles, and Video Games.

You may believe that only children play video games. That assessment is wrong. Adults like their video games every bit as much as kids, if not more. The universe of gaming is quite broad, but the piece that follows includes lots of useful advice.

Be aware of how multiplayer works. If you are buying a game solely for its multiplayer, make sure you have everything you need for it. If you plan on playing against someone in your household, you may find that you will need two copies of the game to play against each other.

Know what game ratings mean. Today's video games aren't only made for kids, so you need to know whether or not it is family oriented. The rating system begins at EC for children aged 3 and older and ends at AO (Adults Only.) If you wish to get games for someone besides yourself, determine whether it is acceptable for their age group.

If you are playing a shooter, make each one of your shots actually count. Many novice players make the error of just squeezing that trigger and letting out round after round. Soon you'll be empty with nothing to show for it. Instead wait for a clear shot and practice patience overall. You'll be rewarded.

If you are purchasing a game for your child, look for one that allows several people to play together. Gaming can be a solitary activity. However, it is important to encourage your child to be social, and multiplayer games can do that. They allow siblings and friends to all sit down and laugh and compete with one another.

Children are not the only ones playing video games. The tips and techniques in the above article will help you learn everything you need to know about video games. Whether you enjoy playing shooting games, sporting games or something else, it's crucial that you know all you can about these games.

I am looking for the best products to review; Is there something in the top 20 of computers and gaming that you would like to see a review for? Don't be shy, just drop a comment, and you just may see that review.