Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare didn't receive anywhere near as much hype leading up to its release as its sequel has. That's a given considering it was the first in the Modern Warfare franchise and the first Call of Duty game to move onto the modern battlefield. We all knew it was going to be great, taking the series to all new heights with more advanced weapons and a great online experience. But it blew up. It went crazy. Halo 2 may have defined online gaming for consoles, helping make XBOX Live the great online service it is today, but COD4 seemed to redefined it. It was able to attract an all-new market of gamers to not only the genre, but also to online multiplayer gaming.
That's why to this day COD4 is still one of the most played games online, two years after its release. That's pretty amazing considering it's had to go up against the likes of Killzone 2, Grand Theft Auto IV, Gears of War 2, Resistance 2 and Halo 3: ODST in that time-frame, all of which have strong online communities.
What's even more amazing is that even after the release of the next Call of Duty sequel (prequel?) in World at War, COD4 still stayed in the top few games with online activity. As great as WaW has been online, it always seemed to be that little step behind COD4, no matter how much content Activision threw its way.
That's not without saying that WaW has its following, and, especially on XBOX Live, you'll find that many COD4 fanatics often switch between the two because they each offer an outstanding online experience.
But why will Modern Warfare 2 stand out? Why is it so special? If COD4 was so great, why didn't WaW receive as much hype? The obvious answer is because WaW took a "step back" to World War 2, an act many gamers and COD faithful deemed to be an actual step back in quality for the franchise.
It definitely didn't lose any quality and the final product was great, but it's the brilliance of COD4 that ultimately shifts the attention to its direct sequel. Modern Warfare 2's predecessor seemed to bring gamers of all walks together, creating one unified market that has grown substantially over the past two years. The closest thing we've seen to MW2 hype this generation was Grand Theft Auto IV hype, and even that title didn't seem to generate a united front from every specific type of gaming culture.
Reports are coming in that Modern Warfare 2 is breaking pre-order records all around the world. It might be some genius PR spin, something the unified gaming heavyweights in EB Games and GameStop have conjured up to increase product awareness. But that's doubtful. If that's not obvious from the attention this game has gotten on gaming forums around the world, then it's from the fact that pretty much every person you know that owns either a XBOX 360 or Playstation probably has a pre-order for the game somewhere. If you don't believe it, go and ask. Now. We'll wait.
So now the question is put forth to you: Have you pre-ordered Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2? Why? And is this game your most anticipated game ever? Why/Why not?
05/11/2009
Written By Stephen Heller
It’s inevitable that each year we hit some form of games drought, but it seems to be a much longer and harsher drought in 2009. Maybe it’s due to the lack of quality releases early in the year, perhaps the endless delay messages we are hearing on larger titles, pushing them back into 2010. Whatever it is we have completed this guide to help you survive the harsh drought until the pre-christmas rush is upon us.
Time To Catch Up
The gaming drought is a perfect time to finish up all those loose ends that you have left over from busier periods in the year. Never got to the end of Mirrors Edge? Still stuck on that infernal puzzle in Braid? Well now you have times on your hands to finish off those games you never quite finished. I know when I look at my shelf I have a good five or six games I still have to finish!
Nostalgia Strikes Again
While you are waiting for that next big game to hit perhaps now would be a good time to get back to your roots and kick it old school. Dig out that N64 or SNES and play some of your favourite classics. You’ll be surprised at how challenging they are after so many years, and might even be surprised at just how well they have held up against the hands of time.
Live Dangerously
Are you one of those gamers who stick to one format only? Perhaps you are a racing nut? FPS are your bread and butter? Now is the perfect time to live dangerously and try something new. Had a game on your mind you’d like to try but just never had the time? Go do some research and pickup something you normally wouldn’t play. It could really pay off and open yourself up to a great adventure.
DLC
There are plenty of great games that are cheap and easy to download from the PSN, Xbox Live or Wii Ware services. Some of these games are rated higher than full fledged games and offer some great gameplay experiences. Do some research and choose a game that suits your needs. Some outstanding titles that come to mind are Braid, Bionic Commando: Re-Armed, World of Goo and The Dishwasher.
Hopefully this guide will help you stay afloat with quality gaming until the drought is lifted for the pre-christmas rush. What are your plans to survive these tough times?
27/07/2009
Return of the Adventure?
Written By Stephen Heller
Adventure games dominated the PC gaming scene in the early 1990’s. Their complex stories, memorable characters, uncanny ability to sit on the edge of clever dialogue and puzzling challenges seemed to be the formula for success. Companies such as Lucasarts and Sierra On-Line ran ahead of the pack releasing what are still today, some of the greatest adventure games of all time.
With the ever increasing popularity of the First Person Shooter with the phenomenal successes of Wolfenstein 3-D, Quake and Doom, and of course the continuing increases in home console development and market share, Adventure Gaming seemed to be a dying art by the end of the 90’s. Lucasarts pulled out of the race entirely, closing up their adventure department and cancelling popular series sequels such as Sam & Max Freelance Police which left fans of the genre with a sombre outlook on their beloved genre.
Yet the past few years have seen an ever increasing buzz in the world of adventure gamers, and now with the release of a new Monkey Island series one has to wonder, could we be seeing the return of the adventure?
Telltale Games have become the front runner with their largely successful Episodic adventure games, already releasing two seasons of new Sam & Max adventures, a series of Strongbad titles, Wallace and Gromit and now a return to an old Lucasarts classic Monkey Island. Gamers across the globe have revelled in the nostalgia value of continuing on with a beloved character in Guybrush Threepwood, and newcomers alike are loving Telltale’s new series so much they are wanting to sink their teeth into the previous titles in the series.
With that in mind Lucasarts are releasing a new “re-imagining” of the original Monkey Island sporting new graphics, with an option to go back to the original graphics of yesteryear. It’s a great concept, and Lucasarts have claimed that if it sells well, we can expect more to come.
With the recently released Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings gamers had the ability to unlock the ability to play through the classic point and click adventure Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. Is Lucasarts testing the water to see if they can make a comeback to the genre after abandoning it so long ago?
Just last week Lucasarts made an important announcement from the Twitter account, stating that they will be releasing their catalogue of titles across the STEAM platform for PC users. One of the first games available was Fate of Atlantis making this the second time it has been re-released this year alone!
Aside from the frontrunners there has been a slew of popular titles in the adventure genre lately with titles such as So Blonde, Zack & Wiki and A Vampyre Story which prove that the genre is really picking up the pace.
The world of adventure gaming has been abandoned for far too long, and with recent investments into old series such as Monkey Island, along with new adventures such as A Vampyre Story it begs the question is this going to be the return of the adventure!
13/07/2009
The Playstation 3 has been the sleeping giant of the current console war since its release in 2006, boasting features missing from other consoles, yet failing to really deliver games that made it stand on it's own aside from the Xbox 360.
Early titles Heavenly Sword and Uncharted: Drakes Fortune really set the bar high for what the Playstation 3 was capable of, what it was going to bring to us in the future, but the issue is that the time between these unique titles has been too long.
The end of 2008 saw the release of LittleBigPlanet and Resistance 2, both extremely high profile, large budget, and impressive exclusives for the console. Both games received praise, and both games have launched momentum for the PS3 to reach for the stars and really dominate 2009.
Followed up by the massive Killzone 2, which has truly raised the bar for what gamers can expect from their home consoles, and FPS in general, question is can Sony continue this momentum of top notch titles and continue to dominate in 2009?
With inFamous, MAG, Uncharted 2 and God of War III all slated for release this year, one would imagine this is going to be a huge year for Sony Playstation 3 owners.
Problem is that if the Playstation 3 faces another wishy washy year it could be over. The Xbox 360 has dominated the hardcore gamers collection for long enough now, and getting towards the end of the consoles lifespan, chances are Microsoft are going to be announcing a new console in the next year or so, which could see a decline in PS3 sales.
Will 2009 be the big year that Sony needs to propel it's console to greatness? What are your thoughts on the subject?
28/04/2009
Back in the early 90's PC gaming wasn't just all FPS shooters and solitare, many developers were taking charge of a genre known as Point and Click adventure games. Some of the major players in the genre included Sierra, and Lucasarts, who were responsible for bringing some of the greatest games in the genre to our PC's.
Lucasarts really ran away with the genre with successive hits in the Monkey Island series, Sam and Max Hit The Road, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Day of the Tenticle and their final swan song, Grim Fandango.
Many of these titles are constantly listed on peoples top games of all time, and rightly so. They intorduced us to memorable stories, zany characters and gameplay that required a little more than run and gun tactics.
As gaming evolved it seemed that there was no need for the genre any longer, and major developers dropped out of the race. Yet we are slowly seeing a resurgence of point and click adventure titles on not only the PC platform, but also home consoles.
Telltale Games are really leading the pack with a series of critically acclaimed titles which include the Sam and Max series, Bone series and most recently the release of the Wallace and Gromit series.
Does this mean that a genre that seemed all forgotten still has a place in this gaming world of ours. Could this truly be the beginning of another "Golden Period" in gaming, with more on offer than just your average FPS, RTS and Puzzle title?
Do you have memories from the old point and click titles? Have you been one of the gamers who have only recently had a chance to experience the genre?
Stay tuned for a Lucasarts Point and Click retrospective in the next few days
19/04/2009
For those who are old enough to remember, during the early 90's we witnessed one of the greatest console wars to date, Sega vs Nintendo. It was a brutal war, scathed with fierce advertising campaigns, constant battles over exclusive titles, and of course sledging between the two companies. It was unlike any other battle that we had seen, or had seen since. I remember as a kid getting beat up because I preferred a fat Italian plumber over a Spikey Blue Hedgehog...
But all good things come to an end and eventually Nintendo stomped out Sega towards the turn of the century and lord and behold Sega games started appearing on Nintendo consoles, I KNOW, I mean to think Mario and Sonic would star together in a game after so many years of turmoil was enough to make any gamer's head explode.
Since the launch of the Wii it's been the mind of the "hardcore" crowd that it's full of shovelware, and doesn't have enough games that appeal to the "gamer" crowd, but more than enough to entice those casual posers. Sure we've seen some glimpses of maturity there, Resident Evil 4, Manhunt 2 and Disaster Day of Crisis come to mind, but it's just not enough to warrant a purchase for many gamers.
Then along comes Sega, ready to say a proverbial "F-You" to the masses and they drop a bombshell with House Of The Dead: Overkill, one of the most enjoyable games I've had the pleasure to play this year. It's got everything a growing boy needs, violence, gunplay, swearing and more violence. Many will be of the train of thought "Violence doesn't make a game" and most occasions I'd say you are dead right. What House of The Dead does is make you feel like you are in a genuine Tarrantino flick, it's dialogue is deliciously cheesy, it's visual presentation is slick and looks amazing for a Wii game, and more importantly it's a whole bunch of fun.
Then Sega plan to follow this up very soon with Madworld, one of the coolest looking titles we've seen since XIII back in 2004. Madworld features so much violence and destruction, but once again in an environment that is begging for it.
Add The Conduit to this impressive lineup, a hardcore shooter that the Wii crowd has sorely been missing and you can't help but ask yourself, is it totally ironic that Sega seem to be bringing the fans what they want, for a Nintendo console....
24/02/2009