Review: Trainz 2010

Genre: Simulation

            The simulation genre includes a great variety of games. Today there are flight, train, boat, farm, and life simulators just to name a few. Though it may not appear to be entertaining at first glance, train simulators can be very relaxing and enjoyable.  

Gameplay

            In Trainz 2010 you drive trains across a variety of landscapes across the world. Controls are fairly basic and the complexity of them can be controlled through the options. You choose to play certain preset missions such as transporting goods to one town to another or make stops at certain stations to pick up people. When doing this, you must watch your speed limit, stop for other trains, and stop the train slowly so passengers don’t get upset. At times you’ll find yourself doing nothing, but it is ok since the passing scenery is entertaining to look at.

            Besides from driving trains in this game, you can also create your own railroad tracks along with its surrounding environment. Though it takes a great amount of time to make a few miles of rail, the tools provided allow you to make almost any type of land you want. The only problem here is that the interface is tedious to navigate, since you need to scroll through large lists to find the items you want to place.

Graphics

            Trainz 2010’s graphics are varied. The train models themselves are wonderfully modeled and have sharp textures while the land, trees and surrounding buildings look fairly ugly. This however is partially needed for a smooth running game, but the option for better looking scenery would be appreciated.

Conclusion

            Train simulators are not for everyone. If you think you might like this game, then definitely pick it up because it has a great range of very long tracks, fun scenarios, and realistic trains. Graphically this game is lacking, and the interface sometimes is clunky, but these issues aren’t enough to keep you from having a good time.

Gameplay: 7.5

Graphics: 6.5

Lasting Appeal: 8.5

Overall: 7.3

Review: Half Life 2

Genre: First Person Shooter

            Half life 2 is everything a great shooter should be. It manages to really stand out with its engrossing story, memorable characters, and solid puzzles. Though its shooting mechanics are basic compared to other games, it is still very rewarding and rarely gets tiring.

Gameplay

            Half life 2 is a single player first person shooter. You start out as Gordon Freeman, a physicist working with rebel forces to rid the planet of a recent alien domination of the planet. You follow a linear path, meeting many new interesting characters on the way. As you progress, you encounter various easy yet entertaining puzzles that you will need to solve in order to continue on your way. These are very fun and take full advantage of the game’s realistic physics engine.

            Shooting in Half life 2 is in simple first person aim with no ability to look down the barrel of your weapon. This detracts from the experience somewhat, as this sometimes results in a lack of accuracy. However, these weapons alone are still highly enjoyable.

Graphics

            Released 7 years ago, Half Life 2 still looks very good in today’s standards. Some textures appear blurry up close, but not enough to complain about. Effects such as lighting and explosions are basic, as expected from a title this old. All of the environments, which range from the beach, to sewers, to abounded villages and run down dystopian cities are all well crafted and feel unique.

Conclusion

            Half Life 2 may only take you about 12 -15 hours to complete. Though this is a relatively short game, it is always fun to play it over. In addition, there are hundreds of mods created for Half Life 2, most of which are free, that add countless hours of gameplay. If you like first person shooters and haven’t played this already, you owe it yourself to check it out.

Gameplay: 9.5

Graphics: 8.7

Lasting Appeal: 9.0

Overall: 9.3

Review: Team Fortress 2

Genre: First Person Shooter

           Team Fortress 2 is what you would expect to get if Pixar was to create a first person shooter. Its beautiful art style, unique characters, and fun cooperative gameplay really make this game a fun experience you may never get tired of.

Gameplay

            In Team Fortress 2, you choose one of two teams, attackers or defenders, and attempt to either capture or destroy the enemy base. This is done through various checkpoints, whether you are capturing a point or pushing a train of explosives. In order to accomplish these tasks, you will need to kill the enemy team trying to stop you.

Before you begin, you can choose from the nine classes available. These roles are what you would expect in the average class based shooter, but there are enough variations here to keep things fresh. For example the spy and engineer are fairly unique to Team Fortress 2. Other classes include the medic, heavy gunner, sniper, demolition man, and a few others.

 The great selection of unlockable weapons adds to gameplay depth. Random items become available just by playing the game for a certain amount of time. This is true also for collectable hats. This incentive of unlocks is a good reason to keep playing but nevertheless the gameplay itself is enough to keep you entertained.

Graphics

            Team Fortress 2 really looks like no other game, except for imitators of course. The art style is very cartoon-ish with a slight 50’s theme. Colors used are mostly variations of blue and red. Maps in game look very nice and are well varied. Textures are clean and lighting is well done.

Conclusion

            If there is one shooter you play, make it Team Fortress 2. Its incredible art style and gameplay are rare to find in games lately. In addition, it is very funny with it’s over the top characters and announcer. Amazing atmosphere aside, gameplay here is very solid. Even when you grow tired of the game itself, which will take months, there are many user-created alterative game modes that are very entertaining.

Gameplay: 9.4

Graphics: 9.7

Lasting Appeal: 9.5

Overall: 9.8

Review: Mass Effect

Genre: Role Playing Game / Third Person Shooter         

         How many times have you started a game and found yourself skipping through the walls of text popping up on screen. It’s not everyday we come across one that has a deeply engrossing plotline with its set own unique and very believable characters. Mass Effect combines fun strategic gameplay with a highly detailed and rich story that you won’t forget any time soon.

           

Gameplay

            In Mass Effect you play the role of Commander Sheppard, an agent who is entrusted with protecting and maintaining peace in the galaxy. You have your own space ship and can fly to and from different planets and star systems as you please. As you progress through the main story and side quests, you gain new weapons, armor, upgrades, and squad mates. The range of these items is fairly limited, with many of the same items looking exactly the same.

            With each new place to visit, there are new people to meet, many of which being of alien races. Each of the individuals you meet has their own personalities, and all of them are extremely well voice acted. When interacting with them, you have different choices for dialogue. One of the most entertaining parts of playing Mass Effect is deciding on how to communicate with others. For the most part, you can either decide to be nice, neutral or mean, yet the choice is not always clear. This dialogue system also changes your path in the main story, as you can decide how to do certain missions and handle situations.

            Combat in Mass Effect, which includes third person shooting and some a magic system, is decent, however, many other games have done better. In general, moving around can feel a bit clunky and aiming can be inaccurate at times. Also, in some parts, mostly when navigating planets, the vehicle you control has a very limited range of aim, making for some frustrating moments. In general though, combat is entertaining and is very fun at times.

Graphics

            The world of Mass Effect is what you would expect from a science fiction game, though it does feel distinct. Nearly all of the environments are well constructed and nice to look at, except for the barren planets you will visit. On a technical level, everything looks very sharp and clean. Effects such as explosions and certain magic attacks are fun to look at. Character animations are very smooth and realistic looking.

Conclusion

            Chances are, even if you never really cared about a game’s story or its characters, you will care about Mass Effect’s. After you win the first time, you most likely will want to play again just to see how else the story could have turned out.  With its decent combat paired with its amazing story telling and character interaction, Mass Effect it a very entertaining 20 – 30 hours you won't forget.  

Gameplay: 9.2

Graphics: 9.0

Lasting Appeal: 9.2

Overall: 9.4

Review: Mount and Blade: Warband

Genre: Role-Playing

            Mount and Blade: Warband is a shining example of just how amazing games from an independent producer can be. Though visually it has the technical equivalence to that of a game made over five years ago, its engaging combat system is just as good as or better than any other role-playing game out today.

Gameplay

           

            In Warband, you can either play the single player campaign or multiplayer. In single player you gather and army and fight a range of enemies from bandits to armies of enemy kingdoms. Your goal overall is to control the most amount of land, which is almost always done by force. The majority of the game is spent fighting, and this is where the game is most enjoyable. What makes combat so fun is that you control every movement of your character from blocking to attacking. You also must choose which direction to attack or block, which can be very difficult if you aren’t paying attention to your enemy. At times, you may have a hundred or more people at a time engaging in battle, and it is these hectic times where you really need to think ahead in order to win.

            Multiplayer in Warband is just as fun as in single player, but also is far more challenging. It is recommended that you play through single player before you play online just to get familiar with all of the weapons and fighting strategies. Though multiplayer is very fun, it lacks any incentive for you to stay and continue playing like many other online games. There is no progression between games, you always start with the same standard choice of equipment each new game, and this definitely detracts from the experience.

Graphics

           

            You might be a little surprised to discover that Warband was released in early 2010 because of its lacking graphics. Though it is very basic looking, it isn’t horrible and many of the castles and stretches of land look nice. However, some areas tend to look a little too bland and barren, such as desert areas and forests. This doesn’t hurt the game too much since the main focus is combat after all.

Conclusion

            Poor visuals aside, Mount and Blade: Warband is an excellent game with a long lasting single player and challenging multiplayer. It is a good change of pace from the usual role playing game and anyone interesting in in-depth medieval combat should pick this up.

Gameplay: 9.0

Graphics: 6.0

Lasting Appeal: 8.5

Overall: 8.9

Review: Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Genre: Horror Adventure

            Real gripping horror is hard to come by in games. Usually most that claim to be scary offer short lived instances of shock or minor feelings of uneasiness. Amnesia however shows us how terrifying games really can be.

Gameplay

            In Amnesia you control your character in a first person view. The entire game takes place in a very large seemingly endless castle. You go through the castle solving various puzzles while avoiding getting killed by some unknown monsters following you. If you encounter one, the only thing you can do is run and hide. Your lack of any defense can really make you feel paranoid and uneasy throughout the game. Amnesia could benefit from more game mechanics other than running, hiding, and puzzles, but at least they work well here.

Graphics

            Amnesia is a dark game, a very dark game. You have a lantern however, but only a limited amount of fuel. The little light the lantern gives off combined with the dark halls of the castle make for a very creepy feeling. The castle itself is nicely decorated with nice rays of moonlight shining through windows. On a technical level, Amnesia looks good, but compared to other games out today it certainly isn’t near the best.

Conclusion

            Chances are Amnesia will scare you, and it will scare you often. The whole experience will last you about 10 hours with little to no chance of replay. Though it may feel repetitive at times, its amazing atmosphere and fun puzzles make Amnesia a great game that any horror fan should pick up.

Gameplay: 8.0

Graphics: 8.0

Lasting Appeal: 6.5

Overall: 7.9

Review: Sim City 4

Genre: Simulation

            Like its predecessors, SimCity 4 is a game of creating and managing your very own cities. You control ever part of your town from where roads go to how high taxes are. Though the formula hasn’t changed from SimCity’s initial release, SimCity 4 offers great new changes to the series that creates new levels of depth.

Graphics

            SimCity 4 is not spectacular looking. For a game made in 2003, it is decent with sharp textures when zoomed out a distance. However when zoomed in the game tends to look a little blurry. Regardless of this cities look nice with their good variety of buildings and vehicles moving around. It would be better if you were able to see the city in more than four viewing angles, but then again this is an older game.

Gameplay

            Basically you create a city in SimCity 4, big surprise. You start out with empty land and a set amount of money. You create roads, power plants, water facilities, parks, zones for people to build buildings, and what ever types of buildings you find in the average town. The strategy involved here is what to build where and when. Each area in town has certain desirability to it which relies on factors such as crime rate, pollution, and education. Rich people are not going to want to move into your city if you create zones for them to build near garbage dumps. Also, high tech industries won’t build anywhere near you if all of your citizens have an IQ of 50. The fun in SimCity 4 is managing all of these constantly changing demands and eventually creating the largest city you can.

Conclusion

            SimCity 4 can easily be played for hours on end. It can get frustrating at times, especially in large city scenarios where you are trying to expand more. Frequently it is nearly impossible to manage transportation and jobs at this point unless you think everything ahead completely. In any case though, SimCity 4 is an amazing city simulator that really tests your micromanaging skills.

Gameplay: 8.6

Graphics: 7.0

Lasting Appeal: 8.8

Overall: 8.7