Shattered Horizon PC Review

Shattered Horizon PC Review


By Wedgeh on 14 Dec 08:05 PM

So, in the not so distant and quite plausible future, Mankind have been taking advantage of the Moon's natural resources - mining minerals, searching for the existence of the Clangers and hosting I'm a Lunar Celebrity Beam Me Up Scotty! When suddenly the Moon explodes due to a catastrophic disaster in one of the mining facilities, scattering millions of tonnes of debris into space, most of which settle in orbit around Earth. A conflict opens up between two factions, the MMC and the ISA which brings us dear players into the picture by choosing which side we wish to play as in this 32 player, Multiplayer only, Zero Gravity FPS title from the fine chaps at the Futuremark Game Studios.



If you have read my previous previews of the games here and here, then you should be familiar with the concepts of the game, however if you haven't then I shall provide you with a brief summary.

Shattered Horizon is the first of what I hope to be many titles to appear out of the doors of FGS, utilising a modified engine which powered 3DMark Vantage so you can expect outstanding visual effects bursting onto your screen in this game.



It's worth noting while not having a ridiculous set of minimum requirements to run this game, it does however require Direct X 10 or higher which simply means if you're still on Windows XP then I'm afraid this game is a no go area for you.

As I mentioned before the game is a FPS title set in space, this means you have complete freedom of movement along any axis you so wish to zoom along. Now, what Futuremark have managed to create, via I can only assume is some form of witch craft, is a completely intuitive method of controlling your character in this zero gravity environment. The vast majority of FPS gamers will instantly pick up the basics of movement, they will quickly adapt to the momentum of your character after shooting themselves off a rock into space and in no time at all they will be swooping and looping and doing other manoeuvres that end in "ooping" to evade their adversaries in order to get themselves into that optimal position to strike.

You have a number of game modes, ranging from straight team deathmatch, capture and hold and attack & defend over the currently available four maps. Now you may think this is a small number of maps, and I would agree but the fellows at FGS are constantly creating new maps and offering them to the community as DLC content.



Upon firing the game up you notice that everything is nice, pretty and shiny making you go "Oooh Ahhh, That's Nice", you'll also be like this throughout the game as there's lots of views in the game that make you just stop and admire the lighting or the artwork or a combination of both, which will inevitably leads to you being shot.







Lighting plays a huge part in this game, the glow from your thrusters, the flash from your rifle, even the glow from your rifle display, the natural light casting shadows over the environment, it's all been lovingly designed to be pretty yet an inherent game mechanic. You see, these pretty glowing lights is generally your visual give-aways to enemy positions, that muzzle flash on the horizon, the trail from your thruster exhausts shooting across the map, all of these things will give your position away to the enemy.



However you may activate silent running mode, this will shut down all your suit's systems bar life support while you slowly drift through space as you sneakily try and flank the enemy without giving away any visual clues to your whereabouts. While this sounds like an appealing tactic, you must remember that you will have no external audio, you're in space and no one can hear you scream therefore your suit simulates the sounds of the environment. Also, no radar or thrusters to help movement so it's down to your eyes to spot something worthwhile attacking before rebooting the system to blast back into combat.







Additionally, when you're spotted by your opponents, your position then becomes visible on every member of that teams' radar, pop silent running and you disappear quicker than being shot with Barry Scott's Cillit Bang. My only reservation would be that while it's a nice system to evade people, I don't think it's enough to shake the hardcore players from launching a volley of bullets with pinpoint accuracy into your helmet causing you to depressurise which inevitably leads to your death.







So the weaponry in the game is rather limited.... Well you only get one weapon, the trusty assault rifle, equipped with a scope and a under-barrel grenade launcher with a four round capacity and three different grenade modes. While this puts everyone on a level playing field in regards to the weaponry, it can be detrimental to the longevity of the game if there's no variation for the player. However you are an astronaut in space and the last thing you want is a multitude of weapons dangling across your back while you fly through the stars.



Perhaps a compromise may be having a selection of weapons at your disposal yet only allowed to wield one at a time, switching out after death like switching between classes in Team Fortress 2 or the Battlefield series, or even just the addition of a side arm would have been nice too, either way I hope Futuremark address this issue or the game could become stale for players which would be a shame.





The game very kindly tracks your own stats and generates a performance page for yourself so you may keep tabs of how you are progressing online which is a nice touch but simply boils down to pure e-peen waving between the cream of the crop, though the main plus point for me is that they stuck to using dedicated servers.



Oh Lord have mercy, how I loathed Infinity Ward after they announced the decision to move away from dedicated servers for PC play for Modern Warfare 2, in favour of some hideous match making system. So yes, you can happily play on dedicated servers feeling relieved that little Billy McNoobsworth won't rage quit the game and halt the flow of combat as he was the sessions host after being shot in the face for the 17th time in a row and making everyone call him every name under the sun while the game searches for a new host.







For a very reasonable price on Steam, oh yes that's right I forgot to mention the game is Digital Distribution only, Shattered Horizon is a decent first attempt into the gaming market, it's not without it's minor flaws but I'm sure FGS will take on board the feedback in order to possibly make changes or just to reference to it in the future on a possible second game from them. However I do feel it is a game that should grace your gaming collection as it does offer a unique multiplayer experience.

Official Mw2 Monster Energy!

Activision teams up with Monster Energy next month for special Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2-branded packages, with the chance to win free stuff packed right in.

Modern Warfare 2 Review

http://www.federalassassins.com/
 the multiplayer for mw2 just to let every one know off the bat. You can only play up to 18 players online and there are no game server other then that the single player is 5*****stars story mode is realy good but the muiltiplayer lacks for the PC seems like is more of as xbox port game like we have been geting now and days =\ but other then that online is awsome I am levl 70 xD..

here are some screen shots I took in game.

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising Review

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising doesn't have save points, it uses checkpoints. Whoa there, hold on a minute. Don't go slouching off, grumbling about consoles and whatnot. It's not that bad. These checkpoints actually work. They don't always work, but they do the job better than the solitary save game in the first game did allowed. This is one game you'll actually finish before your hair falls out and you start looking longingly at cardigans in shop windows. If you want to keep it real and are into masochism, you can always just the game on Hardcore mode and not have any saves at all.

For those of you who are baffled by the words I've just written, let me elucidate. Dragon Rising is a game where you get to play as a US soldier in the liberation of the fictional island of Skira. The people you're booting out are the Chinese People's Liberation Army, who've decided that the oil reserves contained underneath Skira are worth killing for. They plonk their troops in, Russia gets angry, the US is called in, and Uncle Sam proceeds to kick some PLA ass.



Your first mission is essentially a tutorial, although it never once drags you by the pubes down certain routes. There's also no patronising "Press W to move forward, left-click to fire" either. It errs too much on the 'let the player get on with it' side of things, telling you the name of the command you need to issue, but not which key that corresponds to. A quick scan through the key commands list will sort you out, but it does interrupt the flow a little. This doesn't happen a lot, though, so it's more a minor little quirk than anything else. Nearly everything in the game is intuitive and easy to get to grips with, except perhaps the radial command menu.

This will probably get the most attention from irate fanboys. The deal is that you press Q and a radial menu appears. You then press one of the WSAD keys to pick a subsection, and so on. It's clearly designed for an analogue stick and can be a bit clunky, especially when you're bogged down in combat and all you want to do is tell your guys to defend a position or engage an enemy. A small number of commands can be issued on the map, but generally, if you want to tell your guys what to do, you'll use the radials. It takes time to get used to where certain commands are and how to get to them quickly, but once you do getting your comrades to do what you want is easy. Usually.

This is a game that relies heavily on AI, but sometimes it'll fall over. However, it's nowhere near as bug-ridden as its rival ArmA II was on release. There aren't amusing/frustrating moments like finding your CO's mangled corpse under his desk at the beginning of a mission for no reason. What'll happen instead is that maybe one of your guys won't duck down quick enough behind a wall and get his head blown off by a lucky shot.



Certainly, it's annoying, but unless you're playing on Hardcore mode, they'll get revived when you pass through the next checkpoint.

Unrealistic this might be, but it does mean your frustration levels won't boil over if your guys do something a bit dumb. It might offend some people's sensibilities, but it sure beats going back miles back to the last checkpoint.

Perhaps the best thing about Dragon Rising is how you feel challenged by a difficult game, yet never so frustrated that you throw the mouse down in anger and hurry for the uninstall button. Sometimes you'll get killed by a great shot from an enemy soldier, which'll force you to repeat a significant section of a mission. Yet instead of frustrating you, it makes you think of new ways of approaching that mission. If you're getting pinned down by tanks or vast numbers of soldiers, perhaps when you do it again you'll approach the situation from a different angle to see if that makes a difference.

This is a game of exploration and options, where the solution isn't just "go this way or not at all". It's challenging and hardcore, but always accessible. You'll almost certainly make mistakes and be cursing either luck or ineptitude (either your own or your allies') but you'll also be learning all the time, thinking about new ways to achieve the goal, and because it's virtually all driven dynamically with very few scripted events, each time the outcome will be slightly different.

This is probably true of most open-world games, but I don't think I've ever felt it as strongly, as innately, as I did when playing Dragon Rising. This same freedom of expression continues into the night missions, not all of which involve special operation types and silenced weapons. Indeed, the first one you embark upon is particularly tricky due to the fact you really have to keep that trigger finger in check. One shot and the whole place lights up and, given that the area is swarming with PLA troops, not to mention the deadly threat of patrolling gunships, it is crucial to be sensible in your choices. Going in all guns blazing will not only make you fail your secondary objective (don't be seen) but will result in your quick demise.



You might be able to bandage your wounds if you take a non-lethal hit, but that's not easy to do in the middle of a field with bullets kicking up dirt around your prone body. Speaking of healing, you've also got a medic as part of your squad, someone who can help in patching up your AI squad mates or just giving you a shot from a magic syringe. This replenishes the blood you've lost and is another attempt to make the non-hardcore experience a little less unforgiving. Again, if you crave realism, stick it on the Hardcore mode.





Missions themselves are reasonably varied, both from the start of the game and in how they develop. There are the aforementioned stealth missions where you'll have to secretly blow up a fuel dump or some anti-aircraft guns, plus you've also got rescue, beach assault and capture-and-hold-location missions. They all involve shooting a load of PLA troops, of course, but often you'll be sufficiently intrigued by the objectives of the next mission to bring in the whole "one more go" factor.



The military fetishists out there are going to be a little disappointed with the range of guns, weapons and so on that are available. While there are enough different types of gun or vehicle to keep a layman like myself satisfied, those who have an interest in military ordnance, ArmA II has the edge.



And you can't be a sheep or a cow in Dragon Rising either. The mission editor won't be as comprehensive as the ArmA II modding toolset Bohemia recently released (which is on this issue's DVD, in case you're interested), but there's certainly sufficient depth, especially when you start getting involved with the LUA scripting language to create elaborate scenarios. Whether you'll be able to create those amazing night battles so prevalent on YouTube, we'll just have to see.



Another direct point of comparison with ArmA II is performance and issues thereof. Because Dragon Rising is, to be blunt, more of an game than Bohemia's effort, it also runs a hell of a lot better. Let's face it, awe-inspiring in terms of depth and complexity ArmA II might be, it sometimes forgets it's actually a piece of entertainment, not a military training simulator. Dragon Rising never once forgets that it's ultimately meant to be fun, but any issue of it being dumbed down can be dismissed by all but the most obsessive realism nuts. Indeed, it's actually difficult to see how this game will succeed on the consoles.





Concessions are made to the use of pads - radial menus, checkpoints that revive your comrades, and so on - but if you're willing to look past these things, it's a difficult game. This is a game that requires patience, a quality most console gamers, it's fair to say, don't have in abundance. This isn't just your PC snob talking here: Dragon Rising never really feels like it has been co-developed for any armchair gamer - whether on the PC or a console - unlike so many big-name games released nowadays. It's a great relief to be able to write those words as so often we're left pandering to the perhaps-unfair belief that console gamers can't handle anything remotely complex, having to suffer the lukewarm button-mashing tedium-fests that are sloppily ported over.



Also Dragon Rising doesn't crash (at least, it didn't for us). Even running on maximum graphics setting - one gripe would be the lack of advanced graphics settings to tweak - we never ran into any frame rate or performance issues. The graphics are good without being anything spectacular, so it should run well on the majority of reasonably specced machines.

The original Operation Flashpoint had a reasonable multiplayer element. While it wasn't great, it was fun for a while. It was also bollockingly hard. Dragon Rising's take on this should be better. As we're playing the game before the game goes out on sale, nobody else has a copy of it, so trying out the multiplayer function is effectively out of the question. We'll take another look at it in a future issue, once the game is out on general release and the multiplayer servers are populated.

What we can tell you about is the campaign co-op. This is superb fun. We all know playing with other people is great and Dragon Rising doesn't buck the excellence trend. It's pretty much exactly the same as the single-player experience, just with the added bonus of idiot human players mucking about.

While ArmA II had the potential to be superb Dragon Rising actually is, because it doesn't suffer from all the technical issues of the former game. Helicopters don't land on your head, they don't refuse to land if you to do something a little out of the ordinary, and you don't have to chase important NPCs over several kilometres because they got spooked by a bit of gunfire. (All of which we've seen happen when we've played ArmA II.)

The only problem you might have is an AI driver (of any vehicle) not having great pathfinding if you're in the commander's seat giving move orders. Usually they're fine, and this applies to the single-player as well. But sometimes trees can confuse drivers a bit, so they ignore the plants and plough through.

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising has achieved the singular feat of being a military simulator that's actually fun to play on more than just a "Look how much stuff is here!" way. Codemasters have remembered that the most important thing for a game to be is fun. At the end of the day, if your CO disintegrates for no reason and you can't proceed with the mission, it doesn't matter how accurate the spark plugs are on the vehicle you're driving, you'll get fed up and sack it off. What you want to do is be given an objective, go there and shoot some baddies, without any weirdness occurring.

Dragon Rising makes this activity challenging but always pleasurable. It might be helping you out a bit too much at times with its life-giving checkpoints and magic syringes, but sometimes a bit of assistance isn't a bad thing. Some people will doubtless hate it, saying it's not a par on ArmA II, moaning about how it isn't realistic enough or that the PLA don't have accurate uniforms, but I advise you to ignore the naysayers and play the game. It's not perfect, there are little problems and niggles that can be found if you look for them, but none of them spoil the game or ruin the playing experience.

This might not be the proper successor to the original Operation Flashpoint, but as a game in its own right, it's a stormer. Read more>>

The War Between Halo and Call of Duty Fans Gets Thirstier

In an inexplicable and seemingly endless effort to connect violent first-person shooters with indigestible neon fluids, Monster Energy Drink has upped the ante with the brand-new Modern Warfare 2 Monster Assault Energy Drink. Yes, that's the name. Why a company would sell a consumable product with a word like "Assault" in its name is anyone's guess, but perhaps it's a baby step towards consumer honesty from the energy drink industry. Yeah, we doubt it. Read More »

A new zombi in L4D2

A new Left 4 Dead 2 zombi was introduced ----- The SPITTER



He shoot ..... or better spits from a safe distance on the survivors. That should separate them from each other. Because this you get syringes full of adrenaline (you´ll get a kind of rage) and ammo backpacks for a faster reloading.

The zombies arent the same on every map. On every map you get new groups of different zombies. Like the zombies in "The Parish" with the overalls should bring the Mud Men in "Swamp Fever" (second campaign) trouble upon the survivors.

Killu2 @ www.FederalAssassins.com

Wolfenstein Review

What's Hot:
Aside from a few graphical hitches the single player campaign looks great and runs almost flawlessly.
A nice tight control scheme is always welcome. Wolfenstein controls a lot like a Call Of Duty title.
A good variety of weapons, all with their own unique look and feel.
Quite a lengthy campaign, especially for a first person shooter.
Special power you unlock through story progression help break up the monotony of traditional shooters.
All weapons and powers are fully upgradeable.
There is a ton of hidden items and collectibles throughout the campaign, including gold needed to upgrade weapons, giving you ample reason to replay missions.
Almost every mission is started from various points in a central town, which provides an interesting take on the story progression.
Before finishing the game you will be able to replay previous missions to clean up hidden items ans such.
Multiplayer launches with eight maps, all of which offer something unique from the others.
Money you earn in multiplayer can be used to upgrade weapons, giving you incentive to continue playing



What's Not:
Voice acting is not very good.
The story is pretty standard fare, with only a few (predictable) plot twists thrown in.
Levels do start to feel similar towards the end of the campaign.
On the lower difficulties enemy AI is almost laughable.
Multiplayer only offers three game modes, two of which are almost identical.
No party system makes playing with friends difficult. Private matches are available, but no XP will be gained from them.
The graphics in multiplayer are a big downgrade from the single player.
While you might have fun for a while, the multiplayer doesn't offer anything special that would keep you coming back.




The Verdict - Buy:
Even though the multiplayer is nothing short of generic, the single player campaign makes up for the online shortcomings. The campaign in Wolfenstein is quite lengthy. I tried to rush through my first playthrough and I clocked in at around nine hours. You've got quite a few weapons, all of which you can fully upgrade to make them even stronger. Each weapon has it's only unique feel, giving you plenty of options when you need to clear a room full of Nazi's. Wolfenstein looks great as well. If you're squeamish this probably isn't the game for you, it's extremely gory. It's not uncommon to see an enemy grab his neck as blood gushes out like a geyser. Almost everything in the single player campaign is top notch. If you're in to collecting things, there's going to be a lot of replay value for you.

Where this game falls short is in the multiplayer. It's quite sad as well considering Wolfenstein has been a series people have played for years, and it's been because of it's great multiplayer. The biggest hindrance is the lack of game modes. You've got three options to choose from; Team Deatchmatch, Stopwatch, and Objective. Team Deatchmatch is self explanatory, but the other two modes are a little confusing. In Objective you have a piece of intelligence, which you either need to attack or defend. In Stopwatch, you have a location in a base, which you either attack or defend. If they sound incredibly similar it's because they are. So much so that it is difficult to distinguish between the two. Graphically the multiplayer is a huge step down from the single player campaign. In fact it almost looks like you're playing a different game. If multiplayer has any redeeming qualities it's the class systems that allow you to decide how you want to play across the eight maps.

If you're only in it for the multiplayer, Wolfenstein is not the best choice. However, the single player is a whole lot of fun with a good length and plenty of reason to play through more than once. If you're looking for a good single player FPS, pick up Wolfenstein, you won't regret it. Just don't expect a lot from the multiplayer.

http://www.sanctuary4gamers.com

Section 8 Review

This generic-looking shooter may not turn the genre on its head, but it has enough dynamic objectives and satisfying combat to entertain.
The GoodDynamic combat missions add a dose of unpredictability Weapons are well balanced and fun to shoot Bots are intelligent and formidable. The BadAwful vehicles Generic visual design.
Far away from the prying eyes of the war-fearing citizens who make up the bulk of peaceful society, a battalion of armor-clad soldiers stages needless battles in desolate environments. Section 8 is a generic look at the struggles futuristic space marines will have to go through, but despite its uninspired trappings, the intergalactic fights are unpredictable and chaotic, and the diverse array of objectives gives more thoughtful players a chance to help their team in ways other than unmitigated destruction. There are a few missed opportunities in Section 8, such as vehicles that are all but worthless and environments that are too large for their own good, but the main elements are enjoyable, though not quite gripping. With a dull aesthetic and heavy reliance on gameplay techniques found in other first-person shooters, Section 8 struggles to stand out from the pack, but the engaging matches and satisfying gun battles make this online-focused game worth playing.


Although the focal point of Section 8 is the 32-player online conflicts, there is a single-player campaign that goes slightly beyond mere training levels. The story surrounding your feats is entirely forgettable, but the levels themselves are generally well designed, offering a fun alternative to the online warfare. The maps in the campaign are the same as in the online mode, but they're structured differently, and their vast size mimics a real-life siege as you slowly gain ground, complete objectives, and push the enemy further and further back. Whereas the multiplayer versions of these maps are completely open as soon as matches begin, the single-player offerings have walled-off areas that open only once you reach certain checkpoints. Because its levels are structured in an easily digestible fashion, Section 8 is able to introduce you to this world without overwhelming you with sprawling levels and an overabundance of objectives.

The only match type in Section 8 is called Conquest. Here, two teams strive to earn victory points by killing other players, capturing control points, and completing dynamic combat missions (DCM). There is no way to choose just team deathmatch or a capture-the-flag variant, but the different objective types are all rolled into this mode, making for an ever-changing, unpredictable experience. To capture a control point, you have to find either a neutral or enemy-owned computer and hack it by tapping a button. Once it's in your possession, you earn the accompanying turrets and other defensive structures, making it difficult for the other team to steal them back. Every few minutes, teams earn points for the number of control stations they possess, and victory is awarded to the team that reaches the designated number of victory points first.

Although the tug-of-war aspect of capturing control points can get tiresome before long, the dynamic combat missions do a good job of keeping matches fresh. You earn feats by completing certain tasks, such as killing two players with a knife or destroying one tank, and once you earn enough feats, a DCM is automatically triggered. There are six different mission types that can be initiated, and these diverse objectives add a lot of excitement to the matches. You have only a limited amount of time to complete these, so it makes for frantic action as you try to beat the clock while your opponents attempt to halt your progress. Not only do you get more victory points for successfully passing (or thwarting) these missions, but you earn other bonuses that make victory easier to achieve. For instance, if you can successfully steal intelligence from within your enemy's base, you can see your opponent's positions across the entire map. Because of the importance of these mini-missions, teams usually go full throttle trying to complete them, which makes for exciting combat sequences.



read more

Project Natal: What does it mean for game industry?

Moments ago at E3, Microsoft showed off it’s upcoming motion sensing system. Project Natal - that’s codename - will work with every 360 when it launches and will be available on all the new systems. It has full body motion control by tracking 3D movement. Plus it recognizes voices, and totally immerses the players into the game. You can use your own gear like a skate board and such. Basically it kicks the Wii’s ass in the interactive gaming field. That is if the system works as well as the Microsoft video shows.
We have two questions: when and for how much?
Update: It seems that the pricing might have been revealed early by Brier Dudley at The Seattle Times. His post, which went up 45 minutes before the press conference, states that the price will be around $200. Who knows where the number came from so we’re labeling this one as a rumor for now.
Update 2: Added a quick video demo after the jump. More to come.
Update 3: The official video is finally online. Enjoy it after the break.

Left 4 Dead 2 Hands-On Preview

The world of zombie-related media is often full of nods, homages and references. Despite a lawsuit claiming plagiarism the initial moments of Dead Rising, a human dropped by helicopter into a shopping mall filled with zombies is quite obviously a reverent bow to George Romero’s dawn of the Dead. The house defending scene from Resident Evil 4 felt like

something from the original Night of the Living Dead or any number of other horror films.
Not to be outdone, the folks developing Left 4 Dead 2 have put in their own loving tribute, but this time to a far more modern piece of zombie lore: Shaun of the Dead. No, you won’t be hurling records at the shambling corpses, but you’ll have the far more satisfactory crunch involved with pounding on them with a cricket bat. The efficiency of this weapon is yet to be announced since Valve are keeping a tight lid on things, but whether it takes one or a hundred whacks with this simple implement to dispatch a zombie, every swing will be full of glee. I’m guessing once the game comes out the number of virtual cricket bats in use will far exceed the number of real cricket bats being employed.

Left 4 Dead 2
Our current favorite game is getting an undead sequel. According to uber-developer Valve, Left 4 Dead 2 ($60) "takes place at roughly the same time as the original, and leads four new survivors through the southeastern region of the U.S., from Savannah, Georgia to New Orleans' French Quarter." L4D2 adds melee combat (chainsaws, frying pans, axes, baseball bats, etc.), a new group of survivors, new zombies and creatures, co-operative campaigns, more Versus campaigns, maps for Survival mode, and more. Find it for Xbox 360 this November.

The Godfather II Review

The Godfather II Review

Forget the fact that the original was nothing more than a poor man's GTA; ignore The Godfather tag and the fact it's loosely based around one of the most iconic films in movie history; look beyond the woeful presentation, shoddy driving and gunplay. Provided you can manage this, then you may just find that The Godfather II offers a surprisingly enjoyable insight into the tactical demands of being a Don and mafia life.The ties to Francis Ford Coppola's essential sequel are tenuous at best. Following an arrival in Cuba between the various families, the fictional protagonist from the first game, Aldo Trapani, is killed and it's up to you to take control of the Corleone's operations and expand them across New York, Miami, and Havana.From the first mission any optimism for a semi-decent open world action title is quickly thrown out of the window. Despite the fact that The Godfather II has been developed specifically for the Xbox 36o, PS3 and PC, the game looks as though it's still based on the original game engine which was compromised by last-gen formats. As a result, The Godfather II looks terrible and is far from the usual gloss we've come to expect from an EA title.The experience isn't helped by the thoroughly unremarkable shooting action and unrefined driving gameplay, which is bland beyond belief and shows very little signs of advancing the format from the open world genre's early days. The Blackhand combat system makes a return allowing you to punch, headbutt, and stick a few well placed knees to the nether regions to force people to submit with flicks of the right thumbstick and pulls on the shoulder triggers. Although we're loathe to praise the game's presentation or direction, the ability to throw punches and force a surrender while cutting to cinematic camera views is a neat touch. We're also quite fond of the cop system, which places the emphasis on the location in which the incident took place and eye-witnesses instead of instantly narrowing in on you .Fortunately, EA's decision to ditch many of the original's blueprints and concentrate on a concept that stands on its own merit is commendable. This is all tied to the implementation of the 'Don's View', which although not exactly profound, does at least steer The Godfather II away from being just another GTA wannabe. The concept takes the idea of taking over businesses, crime rings, and rackets of the original, but does it in a much more effective manner. Simply hitting the start button swoops the camera to a birds-eye perspective of the various cities featured in the game, providing the perfect vantage for carrying out a mobster's dirty work.Amassing your family of made men and gradually taking over crime rings and rackets is the formula for success. Made men specialise in a variety of different skills, such as safe cracking or demolitions, which in turn provide the means to taking over rival businesses. Gaining control of each of the businesses in a certain crime ring not only provides a daily income but also endows you with various bonuses, such as bulletproof vests and brass knuckles. By taking over all of a rival family's businesses you can begin to track down the members of the family, marking them for assassination before ultimately taking down their compound and wiping them off the map for good.Once control over a business has been established you'll need to shore up its defences, either by keeping a made man present or allocating a number of guards - although obviously this incurs a cost against your daily income. This constant flow of attack and defence is at the heart of The Godfather II, and the very reason why it's vastly superior to its predecessor and worthy of standing on its own in the open world action genre. There's an element of the best gangster films in its portrayal, with strategies such as sending a group of made men to bomb an opponents business to serve as a decoy to a genuine takeover attempt of another premise.Of course, anybody who's watched a mafia film or seen an episode of The Sopranos will know the importance of favours. Carrying out tasks for various individuals, from random people on the streets to the upper echelons of the CIA, will in turn provide numerous benefits, from locations and details on rival family's made men to other benefits such as calling off the cops, putting a rival made man behind bars, or rebuilding a bombed business. The way in which the various rewards are tied to progress in the game serves as a satisfying gameplay dynamic.Despite its qualities, there are problems. Certainly when trying to take over the larger premises, hunting down the owner is exacerbated by the main character's inability to interact with the environment. It can all bit a bit long-winded and you're constantly bemoaning aspects such as why the character can vault over certain obstacles, but is unable to save himself five minutes and nip over a ledge. This stilted main gameplay does a lot to detract from the qualities EA has managed to introduce. If EA could have offered a higher level of primary gameplay with the visual quality of Dead Space, then The Godfather II could have been an unstoppable proposition. We'd also suggest that the game's pace tends to lag towards the middle sections as you become embroiled in the game of cat and mouse. The lack of any standout scripted gameplay events hinders the overall flow, and we feel that the odd occasional sequence could have dramatised the standard gameplay a little.

F.E.A.R. 2 Special Edition

So i was on a Fear 2 site and I see that the F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin PC GAME Exclusive Special Edition Contains:

Steelbook packaging
F.E.A.R.: full game
Fear 2: full game.
Exclusive skins

So does this mean we get Fear 2 Skins For the old Fear?

Or is this just [WB] trying to make more money real quick off the game?

If u ask me, "A Big update is way overdoo for this game".

FEAR 2 New Skins?

Monolith's games are always richly multi-layered and F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is no exception. Different game types- intense action, puzzle solving, horror elements- are seamlessly blended together and enhanced by intelligent level design, brilliant music & sound effects, smart AI and the controversial story. Every aspect is worth a separate praise, but F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is more than the sum of its parts- it's very creative & inspired Art.

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is the sequel to F.E.A.R.: First Encounter Assault Recon (2005). It starts shortly before the first ended- half an hour before the explosion of Auburn. But this time the protagonist isn't Point Man- you're playing as Michael Becket, member of a different military unit. But don't relax- Alma is back. And she's meaner and more powerful than ever before...

Plot Overview

From the very first seconds F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin dives you into the universe of Alma- she walks you through a dreamlike vision of ruined city's fires, so you would feel like being led by Beatrice in the modern version of Dante's Hell. Though, this hell was ignited at Armacham laboratories and mastered by their raging victim- Alma However, the new protagonist Michael Becket doesn't know that yet- neither does the peaceful city of Ausburn. His squad's task is simple- to take Genevieve Aristide, head of Origin Project, into protective custody. But you won't be enjoying her posh penthouse for long- Armacham Corporation sends in their own black ops. And like it wasn't enough, strange visions and even apparitions of Alma don't leave you for long. Finally Becket finds Aristide, but their conversation is short- explosion of Ausburn (F.E.A.R. Point Man detonates reactors of Origin labs) changes everything.

And from here all hell breaks loose. Armacham's forces are eager to 'clean-up' the mess from all evidences and witnesses. Becket has to fight them and escape the secret background hospital, but on surface he encounters additional enemies- the reactivated Replica troops. Like it wasn't enough, the liberated Alma is also constantly pursuing Becket and his comrades. And they die one by one in this blood bowl, where edge between reality and nightmare becomes thinner with every your step.

Undead remnants with paranormal psychic powers, super-quick almost-invisible assassins, the haunted school with ATC research labs in its basement, Still Island- all these and many more other odds will stand between Becket and Alma. And she really 'likes' him. But you even can't imagine how much Alma will like him in the end

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is a genuine horror game and it does everything to make your pants wet. That's a difficult task if to consider that most of the game is a first person shooter and you get not only the most powerful weapons, but also the famous 'reflex time' skill (consider it as 'bullet time'). The action is truly cinematic and even epic, especially when you're operating Elite Powered Armor (EPA) with mounted rocket launchers and chain guns and devastating the remains of Auburn. Also you better don't use a shotgun in short ranges, otherwise your visors will be all covered in blood :)

There're few nice'n'easy puzzles in F.E.A.R. 2 too- otherwise it wouldn't be a Monolith's game, would it? And you'll be grateful for them- they give you some little cool down time from otherwise intense (and very, very bloody) game.

Horror

As I mentioned before, F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is heavy on action, but the game is definitely not for easily heart-fainted. There are many moments that will make even 'horror veterans' jumping (I confess- I did, though generally I'm horror-immune). I don't want to start spoiling, but better get ready for a few surprises from Alma :)

AI & Game Difficulty

The vast majority of F.E.A.R. 2 the gameplay is pleasingly balanced and very hooking thankfully to smart AI and brilliant level design. Those, who are complaining about the game being too easy, wait till the last levels- that's where F.E.A.R. 2 shows off its true teeth. AI and level designs create genuine survival experience- waves of smart Replica Soldiers and other 'experiments' will force you to become really careful with ammo and health. And the amazing thing is that Monolith managed to avoid cheap tricks: everything's fair- that's just you and good AI.

Pay attention: NPCs know how to use the environment for their advantage. They will flip tables to create covers (you can do that as well- in fact, there's even a dedicated achievement/trophie for that), they will crawl to get behind you and use different fight strategies.

Environments

Monolith Team listened to fans and put extra efforts into environments- maps are not only huge and diverse, but also awesome and mysterious. My personal top favourites are Outer Shell of ATC facilities and streets of the devastated Auburn. Most surprisingly, the much larger environments didn't loose the eerie and dreamlike feeling to them- I spent a lot of time just exploring and enjoying them. Falling debris from upper floors, beautifully rendered flames, dust & sparks in the air, rats running by your feet- all these details really help in creating very memorable experience.

Graphics
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is not a mega-billion-polygon game, but it's rather the true evidence that the polygon-count isn't everything. I really liked that the developers, instead of pushing geometry till processors are red, used instead many layers of cinematic visual effects like film grain, blur, motion blur and such. In this way, F.E.A.R. 2 looks much more organic and consistent visually. Well, that also helps to smooth a little bit compressed textures, but you wouldn't notice that anyway- neither Alma nor Replica guys will give you the time for that :)

Music

Soundtrack of F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin deserves a separate praise- it's so good. The music of Nathan Grigg is always subtle, yet very captivating and easily winning your attention. I would describe his music as 'alternative', though I think Nathan would disagree with me :) Nevertheless, it's a real shame that Nathan Grigg's music isn't available on separate CDs or on iTunes/Amazon.

Multiplayer

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is more about the story and Alma, but multiplayer is a great party too. The modes should be familiar to FPS fans: Deatmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the point. However, the fourth mode- Armored Front- gives Enhanced Powered Armors to players, so you could try the Hell Machine on your friends :) Plus, most of the trophies/achievements are earned from online games. My only nitpicking would be that getting into ranked matches takes sometimes too long

The Bottom Line

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is many times more than just a horror shooter with paranormal mysteries and over-the-top amount of blood. Monolith's consistent vision and creativity from the very details to overall Alma's tale brings you an unforgettable and very artistic experience. There's only one excuse for you not to play F.E.A.R. 2- it could be too scary for you. Otherwise, you don't want to miss this very special 'date' with Alma ;)

Mostly Multiplayer related

1. When server is full or otherwise rejects you, you should be dumped into the server browser instead of now the multiplayer meny, this would speed up the process of joining a server.

2. Automatic shotgun is not Automatic, it bloody well should be and theres already a key for alternating firing modes, making it auto would differiente it vs the Combat shotgun. Should also be done for Singleplayer

3. Proper mouse support so all buttons works, aswell mouse sensitivity to be lowered even further.

4. Ping should be shown in milliseconds not in green bars wich is utterly useless method of demonstrating ping.

5. Combat Shotgun, Automatic shotgun, Penetrator, Sniper rifle, Pulse, Rocket, Laser, Napalm and anyone I forgot should have their ammo restored in Multiplayer, ballance it some other way such as longer reload, but Dont mess with the ammo count.

6. Theres two things wrong with the proxy its sticky and it glows, on another note grenades could be more expensive.

7. Not being able to esc out at the end of round, id like to be bale to do more productive things at the end of a roudn than watch my score, say for example editing my loadout.

8. Autograbbing Bloody Ladders, is there anything more annoying than grabbing a ladder in the middle of a gunfight?

9. Seriosly fix the ASP, it shouldnt be best at Close Medium and Long range, defeat Light Medium and Heavy with ease, currently its a Shotgun, Penetrator and Sniper rifle...

10. Get rid of the black screen fade out when connecting to a server, since you cant even abot the connection attempt your left wondering of the game froze or not.

11. Sound is low and movments and gunfights are hard to triangulate by sound due to the low sound.

12.Silly amounts of everything must glow especially Proxy and Especially Penetrator, aswell enemies glowing while in slowmo in singleplayer. And WHY! do the assasins glow, arent they supposed to be stealthy? Because now they blind you with their radiant light.

13.Getting stuck on the smallest imaginable debris littering the ground, also its rather silly that your teammates can step in the way and completly block the movment of the EPA in armored front.

14. An armoured front map where you can pilot a REV6 or two.

15. LEANING!

16. quik saving, quik loading, manual saving and manual loading.

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