What if Aliens was a top down shooter? It would look and play a hell of a lot like Valve's free co-op shooter Alien Swarm. The basic concept is very simple: a team of four space marines must battle their way through hordes of aliens using an array of different weapons, including flame throwers, automated sentry guns and auto-targeting machine guns. The various alien foes come thick & fast, and clever team work is a must if the marines are to survive.
Alien Swarm began life as a mod for Unreal Tournament 2004, and it was on the basis of the mod that the team behind it were hired by Valve a few years ago. Now, it has been recreated on the Source engine, and released for free download via Steam. Even without making any allowances for the blank price tag, the graphics, sound and production values are all of an excellent standard.
Just like Valve's other co-op game Left 4 Dead, Alien Swarm is multiplayer-focused. There are four classes of marine to pick from, each with their own unique abilities: the Officer, the Weapons Specialist, the Technician, and the Medic. The Officer grants a passive bonus to nearby teamates, the Weapons Specialist uses high-yield weapons to mow down aliens, the Tech hacks computer systems to open doorways, and the Medic heals fellow marines. The most effective teams are the ones that bring a balanced group, and solid team work is of critical importance at higher difficulty levels – players who run off to play Rambo will rarely last very long.
There is a wide range of weapons and gadgets to be unlocked by levelling up; the starting equipment is however perfectly respectable, lacking only in variety. One of the most important phases of a round of Alien Swarm is the pre-game loadout screen, where the team must decide on what pieces of equipment they will bring with them on the mission. Each player has three inventory slots, two for weapons and one for special items such as armour, health packs, damage amplifiers, welding tools or night-vision goggles. Quite apart from picking a balanced group of classes, it is also important to bring a balanced selection of equipment – you don't want to get two-thirds of the way through another bug-hunt only to run out of ammunition because everybody in the group wanted a backup shotgun instead of a spare ammo pack.
There is only one campaign, which features seven fairly short levels - it is very well put together but ultimately will become repetitive. Valve have released an SDK for the game though, so the stage is set for an influx of fan-made maps and mods, which could extend Alien Swarm's lifespan significantly.
Valve could quite justifiably have charged money for Alien Swarm, such is its quality. The appeal of it is simple: it's you and three other marines, covering each other's backs and blasting apart vicious space bugs. It works very well, and bar the lack of campaigns, has no real shortcomings.
3.5/5
PLUS
-It's free
-Simple, fun design
-Good production values
MINUS
-Only one campaign
Friday, 6 August 2010
Thursday, 29 July 2010
Top Gear Senna Tribute
This Sunday the BBC's Top Gear ran a fifteen-minute tribute to the great Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna. The piece was fronted by Jeremy Clarkson, who showed that despite all his buffoonery he is quite capable of displaying a sombre edge. A major focus of the film was the awe with which Senna frequently viewed by his contemporaries and fellow racing drivers.
As Clarkson mentions in his presentation, the record books will show that Michael Schumacher is the most successful driver in the history of F1, but that tells only part of the story. As the film showed a clip of Schumacher tipping Senna as F1's number one driver, it brought to mind the moment in the press conference following the 2000 Italian Grand Prix, when the victorious Schumacher was overcome with emotion after being told he had equalled Senna's tally of 41 wins.
That outburst says a lot about the respect which many drivers hold for Ayrton, especially drivers of Schumacher's generation. Formula One is a competitive business, and is, much of the time, dominated by drivers who must have tremendous confidence in their own abilities. For one driver to be as celebrated by his peers as Senna, it takes something a little out of the ordinary. In the history of the sport, it's really only the names of Fangio and Clark that are uttered with quite the same reverence by those who raced with them. Senna's legend is of course aided by the recency of his death, and by the circumstances of it, but behind the hype there is a genuinely fascinating story, and a tremendous talent.
It was a very well done piece, and as any discussion of Senna ought to, it did not gloss over his ruthless approach to competition. In particular, it recalled his most famous on-track misendeavor, his purposeful collision with championship rival Alain Prost in 1990. Equally, the film highlighted Senna's charitable work for children in Brazil, and his concern for driver safety; as Martin Brundle says in the film, Senna was in many respects something of a paradox.
The clear highlight of the film was watching Lewis Hamilton drive the dominant McLaren MP 4/4 which Senna piloted to his first World Championship in 1988. As a fan as well as a driver, it was obviously dream come true for Lewis. It was great to see, and Hamilton's star power will certainly have helped give the piece a little perspective for those who may not have heard of Senna before.
Top Gear is today a general entertainment program, with a motoring theme. Of all the great drivers in the history of Formula One, Senna is surely the best suited for a celebration on a mass-audience show – first and foremost because he is remembered as much for his passion for racing and his unique character as for his spectacular driving. Could you make a similar piece about Alain Prost, for instance? It would be a more difficult task. I would like to see the Top Gear team give the British double-champion Jim Clark a similar treatment, however.
As Clarkson mentions in his presentation, the record books will show that Michael Schumacher is the most successful driver in the history of F1, but that tells only part of the story. As the film showed a clip of Schumacher tipping Senna as F1's number one driver, it brought to mind the moment in the press conference following the 2000 Italian Grand Prix, when the victorious Schumacher was overcome with emotion after being told he had equalled Senna's tally of 41 wins.
That outburst says a lot about the respect which many drivers hold for Ayrton, especially drivers of Schumacher's generation. Formula One is a competitive business, and is, much of the time, dominated by drivers who must have tremendous confidence in their own abilities. For one driver to be as celebrated by his peers as Senna, it takes something a little out of the ordinary. In the history of the sport, it's really only the names of Fangio and Clark that are uttered with quite the same reverence by those who raced with them. Senna's legend is of course aided by the recency of his death, and by the circumstances of it, but behind the hype there is a genuinely fascinating story, and a tremendous talent.
It was a very well done piece, and as any discussion of Senna ought to, it did not gloss over his ruthless approach to competition. In particular, it recalled his most famous on-track misendeavor, his purposeful collision with championship rival Alain Prost in 1990. Equally, the film highlighted Senna's charitable work for children in Brazil, and his concern for driver safety; as Martin Brundle says in the film, Senna was in many respects something of a paradox.
The clear highlight of the film was watching Lewis Hamilton drive the dominant McLaren MP 4/4 which Senna piloted to his first World Championship in 1988. As a fan as well as a driver, it was obviously dream come true for Lewis. It was great to see, and Hamilton's star power will certainly have helped give the piece a little perspective for those who may not have heard of Senna before.
Top Gear is today a general entertainment program, with a motoring theme. Of all the great drivers in the history of Formula One, Senna is surely the best suited for a celebration on a mass-audience show – first and foremost because he is remembered as much for his passion for racing and his unique character as for his spectacular driving. Could you make a similar piece about Alain Prost, for instance? It would be a more difficult task. I would like to see the Top Gear team give the British double-champion Jim Clark a similar treatment, however.
Thursday, 10 June 2010
Metro 2033 Review
Oh, you'll be wintering in Moscow? Have you got a gas mask? What about a gun? You'll need them: the winter is very dangerous, and it lasts all year round.
It's 2033, and it's been twenty years since a nuclear apocalypse blasted the Earth, leaving the surface a barely habitable wasteland. Under the city of Moscow, survivors of the catastrophe scratch out a difficult life in the stations of the metro network, sheltering from the frozen, irradiated surface and battling strange, aggressive creatures. For many sunlight is a faded memory; for others it is better known through photographs and stories than first-hand experience. This is the setting for Ukrainian studio 4A Games' Metro 2033, a tunnel shooter based on a novel of the same name by Russian writer Dmitry Glukhovsky.
The bleak setting is a critical part of Metro 2033, much like the STALKER games. This is no surprise, as 4A Games was formed by employees of STALKER developer GSC Game World who left prior to the release of STALKER Shadow of Chernobyl. However, despite a strong tonal similarity, the core game play of the two is quite different: whereas the STALKER series is characterised by wide open areas in which the player is free to roam about, Metro 2033 is a strictly linear, tightly scripted progression from frozen, irradiated point A to frozen, irradiated point B.
The player takes on the role of Artyom, a young man who has lived almost his entire life underground in the metro. In his shoes, you'll creep through dark, dank tunnels, venture up to the hazardous surface, fight alone, fight with allies, run, sneak, shoot, avoid traps and scavenge for supplies such as gas mask air filters and ammunition. Artyom's journey follows a regular pattern – the main action is punctuated by visits to friendly stations where you can soak up a bit of the atmosphere and trade weapons & ammo before heading back out into the dangers that lurk beyond the safe enclaves.
The stations which shelter the struggling remnants of the Moscow population are one of the highlights of the game. They are packed with NPCs, hanging around or tending to their business: trading, cooking, drinking, begging, tending to wounded. Only snippets of a greater society are glimpsed, but it's very evocative nonetheless.
Metro 2033 does a lot to pull the player into the setting – almost the entire heads-up-display is integrated into the game world. Objectives are written down on a clipboard that Artyom carries with him at all times, and he keeps a lighter handy to illuminate the board in dark environments. A watch on Artyom's wrist keeps track how much time it will take for the filter in his gas mask to degrade, and also displays how well lit he is via a set of red, yellow and green LEDs, for stealthy purposes.
Supplies are short in the post-apocalypse economy. Crucial gas mask filters are desperately rare outside of a few trading spots, especially in the latter sections of the game, and there is a dearth of quality weaponry and ammo as well.
To start with, you'll have to make do with low-grade, handicraft guns cobbled together in the metro, though you will get Artyom's gloved hands onto some more effective gear as you progress. Most of the bullets in the metro aren't much cop either – the most common rounds are low-gunpowder cartridges with low stopping-power. There is a reserve of pre-blast military-standard rounds in the metro however, and you can load these into your gun in order to pack a little more punch into your shots. Military-grade rounds are rare and precious though, and they have more than one function in the post-blast metro – they can also be used as currency.
Vodka and chips? That'll be a bullet. A new revolver? Twenty bullets. Escape to paradise? Haha. It's a mechanic that stems from the game's fiction, and it creates a curious dynamic: do you shoot the more effective rounds in combat, or spend them in trading posts?
It's hardly a winter wonderland in post-apocalypse Moscow then. 4A Games have created a world which feels genuinely dirty, desperate and constantly threatened. Bullets and gas mask filters are constantly in shorter supply than you'd like, but critically the game is very well paced: the next safe zone is never completely out of reach for the Muscovite who moves quickly and shoots accurately.
The arsenal of weapons is made up largely by an array of FPS standard issues – revolvers, shotguns and assault rifles fill out the bulk of the roster. There are also pneumatic weapons which must be pumped up before shooting, and throwing knives which can be used for stealthy take downs (of course no-one ever makes a sound when they are struck by a flying knife). Flame throwers make an appearance or two.
Battles against human enemies tend to be more tactically interesting than fights against monster hordes, but both are exciting in their own ways: you're always a little more desperate to get that shotgun reloaded when there is a vicious, toothy predator about to pounce. The NPC opponents have an odd habit of repeatedly running between pieces of cover, but otherwise display a sound tactical sense that makes fire-fights against them decent fun. They will, if you are quiet and stick to the shadows, lose track of your position as well. In a few sections this makes sneaking past groups of enemies possible for the patient or ammunition-challenged tunnel-rat.
Inevitably given the setting, most fire-fights take place in dark, confined spaces with little room for maneuver, but the action is mixed up regularly enough that it never becomes outright repetitive. Trips to locations on the city surface provide a change in scenery, and the different sections of the game each have some unique aspect that marks them apart from other chapters.
The story escalates at a fast pace, from the opening minutes right up to the finale, and Artyom is constantly moving, going from one challenge to the next. At about ten hours length, Metro 2033 is a tight experience and no given section is stretched out beyond tolerance. There are a lot of thrills to be had along the path: creeping past a patrol of enemies, flash light off, gas mask on, with the sound of Artyom's stressed breathing breaking the silence; exploring dilapidated Soviet facilities along side a group of allies as one of the troop rings off a series of bad gallows-jokes; blasting monsters and scrambling to reload before Artyom gets his face chewed off. It's is confidently executed and for the most part well crafted.
There are slips ups however – it is all too easy to switch from the cheap dirty rounds to the valuable military grade ammo by holding down the reload button for too long. Without intending it, you may very well blow half your cash reserve into the faces of a few monsters; not always a wise financial strategy.
The game also uses a check-point based save system – if you die, or for whatever reason you cannot spend the time to make it to the next check point, then you will have to replay sections you've already finished in order to progress. The check points are not especially generously spaced, either, generally falling in line with story beats. It can be a pain. Furthermore, the default field of view is terribly narrow, giving a 'zoomed in' feeling when playing with a PC, sat close to the moniter.
And there are quick-time events - at a few spots, the game will play a first-person cut scene, and demand that the player hit buttons on the keyboard at exactly the right time in order to advance. There is effectively no gameplay interest in these moments, and the requirement to tap away at the keyboard serves mainly to distract you from whatever is happening on the screen.
Moscow 2033 then - frozen, irradiated, and crawling with hostile monsters; the nightlife is quite something. Not exactly picture-postcard stuff, but looking in through a monitor, it's not a bad place to visit. And it is the place - more specifically the mood of the place - that's the major attraction of the game. The stations of the metro network, the dangerous tunnels, and the desolate, ruined surface; every locations on Artyom's path is wonderfully atmospheric.
What's more, the action itself is not an unwelcome distraction from the guided tour: the core FPS game is solid and the encounters through the game are often thrilling, if not on the same superlative level as the environment and sense of place. As scripted shooters go, Metro 2033 is up with the best.
*Tunnel shooter!
4/5
PLUS:
-Fantastic atmosphere
-Outstanding graphics
-Solid gunplay
MINUS:
-Check point saves
-Quick time events
-Narrow default field of view
It's 2033, and it's been twenty years since a nuclear apocalypse blasted the Earth, leaving the surface a barely habitable wasteland. Under the city of Moscow, survivors of the catastrophe scratch out a difficult life in the stations of the metro network, sheltering from the frozen, irradiated surface and battling strange, aggressive creatures. For many sunlight is a faded memory; for others it is better known through photographs and stories than first-hand experience. This is the setting for Ukrainian studio 4A Games' Metro 2033, a tunnel shooter based on a novel of the same name by Russian writer Dmitry Glukhovsky.
The bleak setting is a critical part of Metro 2033, much like the STALKER games. This is no surprise, as 4A Games was formed by employees of STALKER developer GSC Game World who left prior to the release of STALKER Shadow of Chernobyl. However, despite a strong tonal similarity, the core game play of the two is quite different: whereas the STALKER series is characterised by wide open areas in which the player is free to roam about, Metro 2033 is a strictly linear, tightly scripted progression from frozen, irradiated point A to frozen, irradiated point B.
The player takes on the role of Artyom, a young man who has lived almost his entire life underground in the metro. In his shoes, you'll creep through dark, dank tunnels, venture up to the hazardous surface, fight alone, fight with allies, run, sneak, shoot, avoid traps and scavenge for supplies such as gas mask air filters and ammunition. Artyom's journey follows a regular pattern – the main action is punctuated by visits to friendly stations where you can soak up a bit of the atmosphere and trade weapons & ammo before heading back out into the dangers that lurk beyond the safe enclaves.
The stations which shelter the struggling remnants of the Moscow population are one of the highlights of the game. They are packed with NPCs, hanging around or tending to their business: trading, cooking, drinking, begging, tending to wounded. Only snippets of a greater society are glimpsed, but it's very evocative nonetheless.
Metro 2033 does a lot to pull the player into the setting – almost the entire heads-up-display is integrated into the game world. Objectives are written down on a clipboard that Artyom carries with him at all times, and he keeps a lighter handy to illuminate the board in dark environments. A watch on Artyom's wrist keeps track how much time it will take for the filter in his gas mask to degrade, and also displays how well lit he is via a set of red, yellow and green LEDs, for stealthy purposes.
Supplies are short in the post-apocalypse economy. Crucial gas mask filters are desperately rare outside of a few trading spots, especially in the latter sections of the game, and there is a dearth of quality weaponry and ammo as well.
To start with, you'll have to make do with low-grade, handicraft guns cobbled together in the metro, though you will get Artyom's gloved hands onto some more effective gear as you progress. Most of the bullets in the metro aren't much cop either – the most common rounds are low-gunpowder cartridges with low stopping-power. There is a reserve of pre-blast military-standard rounds in the metro however, and you can load these into your gun in order to pack a little more punch into your shots. Military-grade rounds are rare and precious though, and they have more than one function in the post-blast metro – they can also be used as currency.
Vodka and chips? That'll be a bullet. A new revolver? Twenty bullets. Escape to paradise? Haha. It's a mechanic that stems from the game's fiction, and it creates a curious dynamic: do you shoot the more effective rounds in combat, or spend them in trading posts?
It's hardly a winter wonderland in post-apocalypse Moscow then. 4A Games have created a world which feels genuinely dirty, desperate and constantly threatened. Bullets and gas mask filters are constantly in shorter supply than you'd like, but critically the game is very well paced: the next safe zone is never completely out of reach for the Muscovite who moves quickly and shoots accurately.
The arsenal of weapons is made up largely by an array of FPS standard issues – revolvers, shotguns and assault rifles fill out the bulk of the roster. There are also pneumatic weapons which must be pumped up before shooting, and throwing knives which can be used for stealthy take downs (of course no-one ever makes a sound when they are struck by a flying knife). Flame throwers make an appearance or two.
Battles against human enemies tend to be more tactically interesting than fights against monster hordes, but both are exciting in their own ways: you're always a little more desperate to get that shotgun reloaded when there is a vicious, toothy predator about to pounce. The NPC opponents have an odd habit of repeatedly running between pieces of cover, but otherwise display a sound tactical sense that makes fire-fights against them decent fun. They will, if you are quiet and stick to the shadows, lose track of your position as well. In a few sections this makes sneaking past groups of enemies possible for the patient or ammunition-challenged tunnel-rat.
Inevitably given the setting, most fire-fights take place in dark, confined spaces with little room for maneuver, but the action is mixed up regularly enough that it never becomes outright repetitive. Trips to locations on the city surface provide a change in scenery, and the different sections of the game each have some unique aspect that marks them apart from other chapters.
The story escalates at a fast pace, from the opening minutes right up to the finale, and Artyom is constantly moving, going from one challenge to the next. At about ten hours length, Metro 2033 is a tight experience and no given section is stretched out beyond tolerance. There are a lot of thrills to be had along the path: creeping past a patrol of enemies, flash light off, gas mask on, with the sound of Artyom's stressed breathing breaking the silence; exploring dilapidated Soviet facilities along side a group of allies as one of the troop rings off a series of bad gallows-jokes; blasting monsters and scrambling to reload before Artyom gets his face chewed off. It's is confidently executed and for the most part well crafted.
There are slips ups however – it is all too easy to switch from the cheap dirty rounds to the valuable military grade ammo by holding down the reload button for too long. Without intending it, you may very well blow half your cash reserve into the faces of a few monsters; not always a wise financial strategy.
The game also uses a check-point based save system – if you die, or for whatever reason you cannot spend the time to make it to the next check point, then you will have to replay sections you've already finished in order to progress. The check points are not especially generously spaced, either, generally falling in line with story beats. It can be a pain. Furthermore, the default field of view is terribly narrow, giving a 'zoomed in' feeling when playing with a PC, sat close to the moniter.
And there are quick-time events - at a few spots, the game will play a first-person cut scene, and demand that the player hit buttons on the keyboard at exactly the right time in order to advance. There is effectively no gameplay interest in these moments, and the requirement to tap away at the keyboard serves mainly to distract you from whatever is happening on the screen.
Moscow 2033 then - frozen, irradiated, and crawling with hostile monsters; the nightlife is quite something. Not exactly picture-postcard stuff, but looking in through a monitor, it's not a bad place to visit. And it is the place - more specifically the mood of the place - that's the major attraction of the game. The stations of the metro network, the dangerous tunnels, and the desolate, ruined surface; every locations on Artyom's path is wonderfully atmospheric.
What's more, the action itself is not an unwelcome distraction from the guided tour: the core FPS game is solid and the encounters through the game are often thrilling, if not on the same superlative level as the environment and sense of place. As scripted shooters go, Metro 2033 is up with the best.
*Tunnel shooter!
4/5
PLUS:
-Fantastic atmosphere
-Outstanding graphics
-Solid gunplay
MINUS:
-Check point saves
-Quick time events
-Narrow default field of view
Saturday, 22 May 2010
Ashes to Ashes Final Episode
The episode was brilliant! I'm glad that they had the resolve to go with the bittersweet ending for Alex, rather than have her be re-united with Molly. It made sense in the context of the show, and was a pleasingly mature way to finish Alex's story. Of course, we still got an upbeat note to go out on, with the new arrival to the Gene Genie's jungle.
They played the religious angle about as hard as they could without explicitly declaring the situation - I said before the episode that I'd prefer it played down, but I'll admit error on that. It worked perfectly! Daniel Mays' over-acting in the part of Jim Keats (was he the Devil?) was great, if a little too manic given he was trying to tempt the gang into going with him. And the poor old Quattro! At least Genie got a swish new motor to replace it. It was a fantastic way to put an end to the show.
They played the religious angle about as hard as they could without explicitly declaring the situation - I said before the episode that I'd prefer it played down, but I'll admit error on that. It worked perfectly! Daniel Mays' over-acting in the part of Jim Keats (was he the Devil?) was great, if a little too manic given he was trying to tempt the gang into going with him. And the poor old Quattro! At least Genie got a swish new motor to replace it. It was a fantastic way to put an end to the show.
Friday, 21 May 2010
Ashes to Ashes – Final Theories
Ashes to Ashes – Final Theories
With Ashes to Ashes about to conclude and finally wrap up the story of Gene Hunt, now is the time for the last theories on just what the deal is: who is Gene Hunt, and why did Alex and Sam end up in his world? Most people who have followed the series have developed their own suspicions and theories; these are mine.
Gene:
Gene is dead. He is the ghostly young police man with half a face that has appeared throughout the third series.
Gene was once a young copper looking forward to a bright future in the force: this is why young PC Hunt is all smiles in the photograph that Alex finds in Gene's desk in episode 6. But, it didn't work out for Gene – he was killed, perhaps in the line of duty, before he could make anything of his career. This bitterly disappointed him, and when he crossed over to the 'other side', he could not accept his death. He didn't want to be dead; all he wanted was to be a good copper – he felt robbed of that chance.
So, instead of going on to the afterlife, Gene somehow ends up in a fantasy world, suspiciously similar to a TV police serial. Here, Gene could prove himself, at least in his own mind, to be a great copper. Either he has been made to forget this, or he has become so absorbed in the fantasy he's forgotten, or, and this is less likely in my mind, he is keeping it a secret.
Gene isn't the only police officer to end up in Cop Limbo, of course. Sam and Alex have both ended up there as well – in fact I'd suggest that quite a few of the characters in Cop Limbo are dead or dying police who feel that they still have something to prove. Most of them forget where they have come from, however; possibly this is part of the process of crossing over from Cop Limbo to the afterlife proper. Gene's role in Cop Limbo is to help other dead police prove themselves as cops.
Keats:
Clearly more than he seems – Keats is not really a simple pencil pusher, aggressively investigating Fenchurch East CID. He is in fact some cog in a great ghostly bureaucracy, sent to find Sam Tyler and find out why he has not showed up the in afterlife despite apparently dying in Cop Limbo. He also helps bring dead cops from Cop Limbo to the afterlife; hence his involvement in the two major deaths of the series thus far – both of whom were police. Possibly Keats is something of a rogue – trying to hurry the dead cops out of Cop Limbo before they are ready, hence the sinister aspect of his character. Or maybe he is there to try and put an end to Cop Limbo altogether?
There has been some hellish imagery and connotations associated with Keats. Thordy's cell looked unusually warm and red-lit after Keats was speaking with him in episode 6, for instance, and the picture of Viv at his funeral in episode 7 was overlaid with flames as the shot faded. Further, the two characters whom Keats cradles in his hands as they die, Viv in ep 6 and Louise Gardiner in ep 4, have both done wrong; sinned, if you like. He also can remember a lot of the Bible - in episode 1 he quotes from the holy book and comments that this 'comes with his up bringing.' I'd prefer it if the writers kept the religious angle to a minimum, but the hellish implications around Keats are something to note. Maybe he is an agent of the Devil, or - gulp - the Devil himself?
Alex:
Alex is dead. I'd guess she died at the start of the series, or at the end of the last one - this is the reason she has stopped receiving messages through her television and so on. This is also why she had the coffin-nightmare in episode 3. I don't think she will get back to Molly, sadly.
Ray, Chris, Shaz:
Ray, Chris and Shaz are, of course, dead police, just like Sam and Alex. They have come to Cop Limbo so that they can, at least in their own heads, finish their worldly business and move on. The video tapes that Keats makes in ep 7 will show each of the trio the truth, as well as the circumstances of their real world deaths.
Sam:
Sam figured out the mystery behind Cop Limbo – he realised what was going on. But, he didn't want to move on, so with the help of Gene he faked his death in order to slip through the fingers of the system. But now Keats is on the case, searching for him in an attempt to tie up the loose end, as it were. I'd be thrilled if John Simm made an appearance in the final episode, but I expect he won't.
Thordy:
Thordy is a mystery that I suspect the writers will leave open. It ruins the fun if they answer everything! However, I don't think Thordy was, as he claimed, Sam Tyler. He did have some inkling of the truth, however, most likely from his contact with Sam; Thordy was Sam's last arrest. As a con man, he tried to convince Alex that he was Sam as a way of gaining her trust and finding out more of the mystery, of which he has only bits and pieces of the answer to.
The Stars and the Lancashire Grave:
I don't have any strong ideas about the significance of the stars, possibly the reason that Alex, Chris, Ray and Shaz have seen them is that they have lingered in Cop Limbo for too long? As for the body in the Lancashire grave, I'd guess that it's the body of Gene Hunt.
-
That's the broad stroke of what I think the mystery of the show is. I'll be pleased if I turn out to be right, but I'd prefer to be surprised!
Whatever the answers turn out to be, I'm sure the final episode will be great - as long it doesn't turn out that the gang are just living out some virtual reality fantasy on a space ship voyage to Mars.
With Ashes to Ashes about to conclude and finally wrap up the story of Gene Hunt, now is the time for the last theories on just what the deal is: who is Gene Hunt, and why did Alex and Sam end up in his world? Most people who have followed the series have developed their own suspicions and theories; these are mine.
Gene:
Gene is dead. He is the ghostly young police man with half a face that has appeared throughout the third series.
Gene was once a young copper looking forward to a bright future in the force: this is why young PC Hunt is all smiles in the photograph that Alex finds in Gene's desk in episode 6. But, it didn't work out for Gene – he was killed, perhaps in the line of duty, before he could make anything of his career. This bitterly disappointed him, and when he crossed over to the 'other side', he could not accept his death. He didn't want to be dead; all he wanted was to be a good copper – he felt robbed of that chance.
So, instead of going on to the afterlife, Gene somehow ends up in a fantasy world, suspiciously similar to a TV police serial. Here, Gene could prove himself, at least in his own mind, to be a great copper. Either he has been made to forget this, or he has become so absorbed in the fantasy he's forgotten, or, and this is less likely in my mind, he is keeping it a secret.
Gene isn't the only police officer to end up in Cop Limbo, of course. Sam and Alex have both ended up there as well – in fact I'd suggest that quite a few of the characters in Cop Limbo are dead or dying police who feel that they still have something to prove. Most of them forget where they have come from, however; possibly this is part of the process of crossing over from Cop Limbo to the afterlife proper. Gene's role in Cop Limbo is to help other dead police prove themselves as cops.
Keats:
Clearly more than he seems – Keats is not really a simple pencil pusher, aggressively investigating Fenchurch East CID. He is in fact some cog in a great ghostly bureaucracy, sent to find Sam Tyler and find out why he has not showed up the in afterlife despite apparently dying in Cop Limbo. He also helps bring dead cops from Cop Limbo to the afterlife; hence his involvement in the two major deaths of the series thus far – both of whom were police. Possibly Keats is something of a rogue – trying to hurry the dead cops out of Cop Limbo before they are ready, hence the sinister aspect of his character. Or maybe he is there to try and put an end to Cop Limbo altogether?
There has been some hellish imagery and connotations associated with Keats. Thordy's cell looked unusually warm and red-lit after Keats was speaking with him in episode 6, for instance, and the picture of Viv at his funeral in episode 7 was overlaid with flames as the shot faded. Further, the two characters whom Keats cradles in his hands as they die, Viv in ep 6 and Louise Gardiner in ep 4, have both done wrong; sinned, if you like. He also can remember a lot of the Bible - in episode 1 he quotes from the holy book and comments that this 'comes with his up bringing.' I'd prefer it if the writers kept the religious angle to a minimum, but the hellish implications around Keats are something to note. Maybe he is an agent of the Devil, or - gulp - the Devil himself?
Alex:
Alex is dead. I'd guess she died at the start of the series, or at the end of the last one - this is the reason she has stopped receiving messages through her television and so on. This is also why she had the coffin-nightmare in episode 3. I don't think she will get back to Molly, sadly.
Ray, Chris, Shaz:
Ray, Chris and Shaz are, of course, dead police, just like Sam and Alex. They have come to Cop Limbo so that they can, at least in their own heads, finish their worldly business and move on. The video tapes that Keats makes in ep 7 will show each of the trio the truth, as well as the circumstances of their real world deaths.
Sam:
Sam figured out the mystery behind Cop Limbo – he realised what was going on. But, he didn't want to move on, so with the help of Gene he faked his death in order to slip through the fingers of the system. But now Keats is on the case, searching for him in an attempt to tie up the loose end, as it were. I'd be thrilled if John Simm made an appearance in the final episode, but I expect he won't.
Thordy:
Thordy is a mystery that I suspect the writers will leave open. It ruins the fun if they answer everything! However, I don't think Thordy was, as he claimed, Sam Tyler. He did have some inkling of the truth, however, most likely from his contact with Sam; Thordy was Sam's last arrest. As a con man, he tried to convince Alex that he was Sam as a way of gaining her trust and finding out more of the mystery, of which he has only bits and pieces of the answer to.
The Stars and the Lancashire Grave:
I don't have any strong ideas about the significance of the stars, possibly the reason that Alex, Chris, Ray and Shaz have seen them is that they have lingered in Cop Limbo for too long? As for the body in the Lancashire grave, I'd guess that it's the body of Gene Hunt.
-
That's the broad stroke of what I think the mystery of the show is. I'll be pleased if I turn out to be right, but I'd prefer to be surprised!
Whatever the answers turn out to be, I'm sure the final episode will be great - as long it doesn't turn out that the gang are just living out some virtual reality fantasy on a space ship voyage to Mars.
Thursday, 8 April 2010
Battlefield Bad Company 2 Review
Battlefield Bad Company 2 is the first outing on the PC platform for DICE's Frostbite engine. Developed for the console-only Bad Company 1, the engine has a very cool party trick: destructible map elements. Enemy combatant ducked behind a wall? Switch to the grenade launcher and remove the wall. Buildings are no refuge either - apply enough firepower and they will come tumbling down into a mess of rubble.
The effects aren't underdone: blast the side of a building with a rocket or shell and the subsequent explosion will send bits of brick flying in all directions and fill the air with dust, leaving a convenient new entrance through the wall. It not a complete system - many objects, such as shipping containers, remain impervious to influence by explosive - but it is nonetheless quite something to play with: thrilling, and a tactical game-changer.
It's a big development in back-of-the-box features, and Bad Company 2 pulls it off with a flourish. But what of the rest of the game?
Bad Company 2 comes in two segments, single player and multiplayer - I'll be looking at the multiplayer with this review.
The multiplayer supports up to thirty-two players, and can be played in four different game modes: Conquest, Rush, Squad Rush, and Squad Deathmatch. Conquest is the Battlefield classic in which teams fight over flags, Rush is an objective-based attack/defend game, Squad Rush is the same played with eight-players, and Squad Deathmatch is a deathmatch mode where teams of four compete to be the first to fifty kills. Maps come in temperate, jungle, desert or snow enviroments, and are much smaller and tighter than maps found in previous PC Battlefield titles. The Rush maps especially have a quite corridor-like design, but they generally flow well, allow for some maneuver, and are attractively put together.
When you jump into a game, the first thing you'll have to do is to choose whether to play Assault, Engineer, Medic or Recon. Each class has it's own set of weapons and gadgets to unlock, and has a special ability: Assaults drop ammo packs, Engineers repair vehicles, or destroy them with AT weapons, Medics heal or revive fallen comrades, and Recons call in artillery strikes. The different classes' range of weapons and abilities mean that no one class will dominate outright, and each must rely on support from other classes to operate fully effectively. It's part of an over-arching design, including a squad system and a neat spotting mechanic, that encourages team-play over lone-wolfing.
It wouldn't, of course, be a Battlefield game if it didn't include drivable vehicles, and there is a decent selection of them to play around with in Bad Company 2 – APCs, tanks, quadbikes, boats, helicopters, and remote-controlled UAVs (but no planes!). Good use of vehicles can be the difference between victory and defeat, though the vehicles do not take as prominent a role here as they have in previous Battlefield games. Bad Company 2 is focused much more on tight infantry combat with vehicles complementing the action rather than defining it.
There are alot of cool moments to be had with Bad Company 2's multiplayer mode - you and a squad of buddies advancing towards an objective with support from a friendly tank, or scrambling through a gauntlet of enemy fire to revive a fallen team-mate, or dashing out of a building that's about to collapse. On the great minefield of the interwebs, it does not always come together, but when it does, it's alot of fun.
Graphically the game is on par with the best of this generation, but worthy of special mention are the sound effects, which are phenomenally good, especially in the slightly over-the-top 'war tapes' mode. With war tapes turned on, the entire sound-scape of the game becomes more punchy, intense and loud. Particularly in extra-chaotic games, it's a treat to listen to.
Bad Company 2 is not a game without problems, however. The server browser, bandied about so much by DICE following the revelation that Modern Warfare 2 would use an auto match-making system, is only adequate. It takes a long time to refresh, does not allow filtering of servers by location, and forgets previous filter settings every time the game is restarted. It is also not viewable in-game, which is a nice convenience in games such as Team Fortress 2.
Further, there is no way to see at-a-glance the current spread of classes on your team, no way to find the name of the current server outside of loading screens, the context-sensitive comm-system offers no quick way to thank another player, and there's no way to tell how many team-mates are riding in an APC or tank without attempting to enter yourself. Little things.
The worst of Bad Company 2's sins however, is the auto-balancer: it doesn't auto-balance. It is inert, inactive, passive - it does nothing. Compounding the problem is the well-intentioned limit on team-switching, which prevents you from switching teams too often. If you have already switched once in a match, switching back to even out the numbers will often not be allowed. As a consequence, 18 on 11 steam-rolls are not an uncommon occurrence. Presumably, this *will* be patched, but for the time being it is quite frustrating.
Overall, Bad Company 2 is a blast; a fantastic pseudo-realistic shooter in a distinguished line of such games. It has problems, but, encouragingly, they are almost all of the sort that can be patched relatively easily – hopefully DICE will deliver.
4/5
PLUS:
-Brilliant sound effects
-Top-line graphics
-Team-focused game play
MINUS:
-Adequate-at-best server browser
-No LAN support
The effects aren't underdone: blast the side of a building with a rocket or shell and the subsequent explosion will send bits of brick flying in all directions and fill the air with dust, leaving a convenient new entrance through the wall. It not a complete system - many objects, such as shipping containers, remain impervious to influence by explosive - but it is nonetheless quite something to play with: thrilling, and a tactical game-changer.
It's a big development in back-of-the-box features, and Bad Company 2 pulls it off with a flourish. But what of the rest of the game?
Bad Company 2 comes in two segments, single player and multiplayer - I'll be looking at the multiplayer with this review.
The multiplayer supports up to thirty-two players, and can be played in four different game modes: Conquest, Rush, Squad Rush, and Squad Deathmatch. Conquest is the Battlefield classic in which teams fight over flags, Rush is an objective-based attack/defend game, Squad Rush is the same played with eight-players, and Squad Deathmatch is a deathmatch mode where teams of four compete to be the first to fifty kills. Maps come in temperate, jungle, desert or snow enviroments, and are much smaller and tighter than maps found in previous PC Battlefield titles. The Rush maps especially have a quite corridor-like design, but they generally flow well, allow for some maneuver, and are attractively put together.
When you jump into a game, the first thing you'll have to do is to choose whether to play Assault, Engineer, Medic or Recon. Each class has it's own set of weapons and gadgets to unlock, and has a special ability: Assaults drop ammo packs, Engineers repair vehicles, or destroy them with AT weapons, Medics heal or revive fallen comrades, and Recons call in artillery strikes. The different classes' range of weapons and abilities mean that no one class will dominate outright, and each must rely on support from other classes to operate fully effectively. It's part of an over-arching design, including a squad system and a neat spotting mechanic, that encourages team-play over lone-wolfing.
It wouldn't, of course, be a Battlefield game if it didn't include drivable vehicles, and there is a decent selection of them to play around with in Bad Company 2 – APCs, tanks, quadbikes, boats, helicopters, and remote-controlled UAVs (but no planes!). Good use of vehicles can be the difference between victory and defeat, though the vehicles do not take as prominent a role here as they have in previous Battlefield games. Bad Company 2 is focused much more on tight infantry combat with vehicles complementing the action rather than defining it.
There are alot of cool moments to be had with Bad Company 2's multiplayer mode - you and a squad of buddies advancing towards an objective with support from a friendly tank, or scrambling through a gauntlet of enemy fire to revive a fallen team-mate, or dashing out of a building that's about to collapse. On the great minefield of the interwebs, it does not always come together, but when it does, it's alot of fun.
Graphically the game is on par with the best of this generation, but worthy of special mention are the sound effects, which are phenomenally good, especially in the slightly over-the-top 'war tapes' mode. With war tapes turned on, the entire sound-scape of the game becomes more punchy, intense and loud. Particularly in extra-chaotic games, it's a treat to listen to.
Bad Company 2 is not a game without problems, however. The server browser, bandied about so much by DICE following the revelation that Modern Warfare 2 would use an auto match-making system, is only adequate. It takes a long time to refresh, does not allow filtering of servers by location, and forgets previous filter settings every time the game is restarted. It is also not viewable in-game, which is a nice convenience in games such as Team Fortress 2.
Further, there is no way to see at-a-glance the current spread of classes on your team, no way to find the name of the current server outside of loading screens, the context-sensitive comm-system offers no quick way to thank another player, and there's no way to tell how many team-mates are riding in an APC or tank without attempting to enter yourself. Little things.
The worst of Bad Company 2's sins however, is the auto-balancer: it doesn't auto-balance. It is inert, inactive, passive - it does nothing. Compounding the problem is the well-intentioned limit on team-switching, which prevents you from switching teams too often. If you have already switched once in a match, switching back to even out the numbers will often not be allowed. As a consequence, 18 on 11 steam-rolls are not an uncommon occurrence. Presumably, this *will* be patched, but for the time being it is quite frustrating.
Overall, Bad Company 2 is a blast; a fantastic pseudo-realistic shooter in a distinguished line of such games. It has problems, but, encouragingly, they are almost all of the sort that can be patched relatively easily – hopefully DICE will deliver.
4/5
PLUS:
-Brilliant sound effects
-Top-line graphics
-Team-focused game play
MINUS:
-Adequate-at-best server browser
-No LAN support
Monday, 25 January 2010
Tropico 3 Review
El Presidente raises a hand and waves to jubilant crowds from the balcony of his palace - or does he? Perhaps he is actually signing a stack of 'special orders' giving the all-clear for the secret service to arrange some 'accidents'. Or is he? Maybe he is embroiled in a gun fight with rebellious guerillas? In Tropico 3, sequel to the original bananna-republic city-builer Tropico, it's up to you.
And not just figuratively either - one of the new back-of-the-box features is the little El Presidente avatar that can wander the island on your behalf, supervising building projects or giving speeches. Admittedly, it's not a crucial feature, and in most scenarios can be ignored completely with little ill-effect, but it's a fun addition nonetheless.
The meat (and bananas) of Tropico 3 is city-building: a typical scenario sees the player, as the new Presidente, taking charge of an under-developed Carribbean island-nation in the Cold War, with a set of objectives and a free hand as to how to achieve them. There are 15 different scenarios in the campaign mode, each with a different objective - export a certain ammount of oil for instance, or achieve a happiness rating above a particular threshold number. The campaign mode is complemented by a sandbox mode that lets the player try their hand at running an island without troublesome objectives getting in the way of El Presidente's afternoon nap.
Despite the potential to do otherwise with the historical setting, Tropico 3 takes nothing too seriously. All the proceedings in the game have a light, breezy tone, from the bright, appealing graphics to the upbeat latin soundtrack and over-the-top customisation options for your in game Presidente (dress as a pirate!). Building placement and other management options are easy to execute, and an array of lists, charts, and graphical overlays make understanding your island an easy task - with the glaring exception of road placement. Road placement in Tropico 3 is a bafflingly awkward and difficult process; roads frequently will not build in spots with no obstructive elements, for no apparent reason. Not a problem in open, flat areas, but infuriating in narrow passes.
Tropico 3 deviates somewhat from the standard city-building model in that it brings politics, both international and internal, to the forefront of the experience. Beyond the shores of your Caribbean isle, you must be wary of the United States and the USSR, both of whom will keep a beady eye on you throughout your rule, and both of whom can become a great help or a great threat, depending on your style of rule. Get in their good books and they will grant you monetary aid; annoy them, and they will send an invasion force to relieve El Presidente of his duties. In the earliest years of each scenario, when you are still working with limited resources, it can be a tricky balancing act to stay on the right side of both superpowers - the Soviets want good housing and healthcare, while Uncle Sam wants to see profits flowing from agriculture, industry, or tourism.
Domestic politics are modelled via factions with which islanders can be affiliated, and can support with varying degrees of intensity. Factions include capitalist pigdogs, pinko communists, militarists, and the religious. There are more, and they all have their own desires for the future of Tropico, their own likes and dislikes. Of course, the wishes of the factions can interelate and conflict. For instance the enviromentalist faction might really hate that oil well in the middle of the island, but the capitalists can't get enough of the money it brings in. Luckily for you, there are many more capitalists on the island than enviromentalists, so the well should ultimately bring in more votes than it costs in the upcoming elections - unfortunately for you however, many enviromentalists are rebelling violently, and you neglected to build up your military in favour of plowing oil money into tourist attractions.
Domestic politics are modelled via factions with which islanders can be affiliated, and can support with varying degrees of intensity. Factions include capitalist pigdogs, pinko communists, militarists, and the religious. There are more, and they all have their own desires for the future of Tropico, their own likes and dislikes. Of course, the wishes of the factions can interelate and conflict. For instance the enviromentalist faction might really hate that oil well in the middle of the island, but the capitalists can't get enough of the money it brings in. Luckily for you, there are many more capitalists on the island than enviromentalists, so the well should ultimately bring in more votes than it costs in the upcoming elections - unfortunately for you however, many enviromentalists are rebelling violently, and you neglected to build up your military in favour of plowing oil money into tourist attractions.
Such is Tropico 3 - a balancing act. At it's heart, Tropico 3 is all about balancing the demands of the superpowers and of your people, while shaping Tropico in your own vision and, of course, stashing away a little something for El Presidente's retirement as well. The trouble is, that after the first decade or so, it all comes a little too easily. Once you have established a booming industry of some kind, exporting cigars or oil for example, you will find it difficult to go wrong in Tropico 3. Threats will appear from rebels or elections or superpowers or events, but after the rough first ten years, you will in most cases have the resources at you disposal to deal with the issue. Religious faction getting uppity? Slap down a Cathedral, or perhaps issue a prohibition edict. Enviromentalists interupting El Presidente's evening meal with incessant protesting outside the palace? Well, if shooting or imprisoning them isn't for you, perhaps you could issue an anti-pollution edict? Or switch to gas-fuelled power plants instead of coal-fuelled ones. The point is, that once the money is rolling in, only very rarely will a genuinely threatening situation arise; in most cases, you will have the money available to deal with whatever issues present themselves.
The challenge in Tropico 3 then, doesn't come from attempting to win in a given scenario outright, but to win well - with a high score, or with a novel strategy; what if you focussed on tourisism as a source of income and never built any factories, oil wells or mines? Perhaps you can have some fun and play a ruler so paranoid that he would put Stalin to shame - arresting political adversaries or 'arranging accidents' for them, limiting the media and never calling elections? What about a religious fanatic, or hardcore communist? An uncomprimising nationalist eco-nut? All these approaches are there in Tropico 3 to be tried, and they all have the potential to be fun and interesting in their own right, each their own little tale of light-hearted Carribbean island development or dictatorship.
3.5/5
PLUS
-Pretty graphics, fun soundtrack
-Easygoing tone
-Political aspects a fun twist
MINUS
MINUS
-Difficult road placement
-No map editor
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