Rage Review

Rage is the new shooter from id, for those of you who don't know who id are; they are the company that invented the first person shooter. Their newest venture has been compared a lot to Fallout and Borderlands, and even slated for it, but I don't think this comparison is fair.

Story: The story is big, really big. However is doesn't feel fresh, I never felt like I was doing something that had not been done before, but this doesn't take away from the overall atmosphere of the game. Characters don't seem to have distinct personalities (with a few exceptions) and enemies don't vary, but there is never a sense of dejavu when moving through the game's many 'dungeons'. The only thing that was enough of a problem to make me lose some interest in the game is the ease of acquiring the weapons at the start of the game. Aside from that the story is polished and well written, even though the player is never properly motivated to finish. 6/10

Graphics and Sound: This has to be the best looking shooter I have seen in my life. Everything from the huge backdrops to the detail on armour looks perfect. There has been a massive amount of work put into varied textures and character models and this does not go unnoticed. The sound is what really immersed me into the game, from every different gunshot to engine noise all the way to the sounds of the mutants, all creates an amazing atmosphere. 10/10

Gameplay: This is where rage really gets noticed in the post apocalyptic crowd. Weapons may not be as varied as the competition but ammo types really feel like they make a difference, especially in how you work through particular situation, plus other things like sentry turrets and bomb cars make all the difference. Everything you do causes a reaction from enemies: if you start laying down heavy fire from your assault rifle, enemies will stay in cover, making pop shots at you at every opportunity, if you're sniping mutants they will duck and weave while moving towards you as fast as possible, this is the point where rage excels more than any other. 9/10

Multiplayer: I was so disappointed when I found out that the coop was in standalone missions and not the campaign, that really put me off, especially when one of its competitors offers 4 player coop through the whole campaign. These missions are fun but feel like something to mess around in rather than do seriously, which is not necessarily a bad thing, it just doesn't feel right for me personally. The competitive multiplayer pleasantly surprised me, the vehicle combat is addictively fun and races are a great time killer. 8/10

Overall: Rage is a fantastically polished game which, technologically, exceeds all its competition. Playing the game however, falls short of the mark, I quickly lost interest in the campaign but there didn't feel like anything else to do. To be quite honest, playing this game immediately made me want to go play borderlands, which isn't a good sign for long life. I'd say this is the perfect game for those who enjoy RPGs and have ran out of games to play at the moment, but for anyone else it seems like a bad option. Im not saying don't buy it, Im saying wait till the price drops and you have nothing left to play. 7/10

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is a remastered version of the original Halo, to celebrate Halo: Combat Evolved's 10th Birthday!

The game will be released on the 15th of November in the UK.

You will now be able to play the full original campaign in full HD with stunning next-gen graphics and new advanced audio, but you will also be able to switch to "Classic Mode" at any time to play the true original version if you so wish. You will also be able to play the story on Xbox Live, for the first time on Combat Evolved you will be able to join forces with your friends to truly get the most out of the Halo storyline.

Multilayer will also be getting an update too, six of the most enjoyable halo maps will be getting remastered in the Halo: Reach engine. These maps are included on the Halo Anniversary disc, so you won't need the Halo: Reach disc to play. But if you are looking forward to this game, I would guess you own all of the series already.

It will be developed by 343 Industries, alongside Saber Interactive and Certain Affinity. And shall really bring the original campaign up to date and hopefully get more people into the halo storyline. This game looks really exciting as it resurrects a really memorable and fun game for a whole new generation to enjoy.


Master Chief is also getting an upgrade, he's getting brand new armour, whick looks sleeker and much more like the Halo: Reach player models.

We hope to bring you a full review on Halo Anniversary as soon as possible and any news on Halo 4 at a later date.

CLOUD GAMING DOESN'T SUCK!!!

On live has been around for a while now, but it has gone almost completely unnoticed. The idea was perfect: high-tech gaming for the masses, all you need is a computer and the internet. But would this really be able to come to life? We've been playing it recently, and we can gladly report it does. Perfectly.

I downloaded On Live a couple of days ago and it instantly ran smoothly, even with my poor internet connection and dated computer. Graphics depend on the level of computer you have, but adjust according to your connection in order to keep the game running smoothly.

Game demos are a brilliant idea, you can play the first half an hour of a game completely free! but this does mean that games like dirt 3 are a little pointless buying, why would you buy it for a few more things when you can just mess about on it for free?

The only thing I can find wrong is the price of games, even though this method cuts out all the physical side of buying a game (e.g. boxes, discs, postage) the games are the same price as in store. Surely the price could be dropped slightly, even a couple of quid saved would be nice.

Overall though, On Live works incredibly well, and there is a console too, its only about £70 and its tiny! In the very near future this system will become serious competition for the major consoles, possibly overtake them completely. The "Micro-console" as On Live has branded it is perfect for using On Live on your full HD TV, it's simple to set up and comes with a free controller. But if you would prefer to stay on your computer, many conventional controllers work too, including wired xbox 360 ones.

Oh, one more thing, It's free. One small download to your computer and its yours, no one off payment, no mandatory subscription, all you pay for is your games.

Forza Motorsport 4 News

Forza Motorsport 4 is set to be released in Northern America on the 11th of October, Australia on the 13th of October and Britain on the 14th of October.

Forza Motorsport 4 is the fourth instalment of the Forza Motorsport series, a heavily respected series in not just racing, but gaming as a whole. The series began in 2005 and has evolved through the following two games, but can number four carry it on?

I have played the demo of Forza Motorsport 4 and all I can say is that I am very, very impressed with what I have seen so far. The graphics are incredibly sharp and in a completely different league from any other xbox 360 racer. They may even be better than GT5, which is one of the most impressive driving simulators on the market.

The game play on the demo also shows the behaviour and characteristics of a few cars, and so far the differences are great. The muscle cars look to actually behave like real muscle cars, having lots of straight line power but being very heavy on the steering, meanwhile the super cars are on the other end of the spectrum, only performing at their highest when feathering both the accelerator and brakes to maintain the perfect cornering speeds.

There also seems to be a scoring system on things such as cornering, drifting, overtaking and speed, in which you are marked between one and four (four being the best) just after you complete your manoeuvres, these don't seem to significant but are a nice touch.

The full game will boast 500+ vehicles from over 80 manufactures and of course the Forza customisation which is heavily used in the games. There will also be additions to the online community, including car clubs. Car clubs are clubs which you can set up with your friends where you can all share your vehicles with one another, i think this is a great addition to show off all your new cars and paint jobs.

Those of you interest in the limited edition will receive 25 bonus cars, a steel-book case and a book by top gear with all the facts about the included cars in the game. But I believe many, if not all, of the bonus vehicles will be available for download on the marketplace if you cannot get a limited edition copy of the game.

The game is soon to be released in all of it's glory and I  am immensely looking forward to it, both in career mode and online.

Battlefield 3: A Look At The Beta

Battlefield 3 is set to be released on the 25th of October in Northern America, 27th of October in Australia and 28th of October in the UK. But before its ever nearing release date we have been able to have a look at the Battlefield 3 Beta. After a fair bit of time on the Beta, Battlefield 3 looks to be a serious contender for  one of the best games hitting the market in 2011. Of course there is positives and negatives, as in any game, but considering this is only the beta, it is looking good for Battlefield.

I'm gonna start with the negatives, spawn killers, balance issues, annoying voice overs, flash-lights, not enough destruction, terrible servers, squads can't join the same game and more spawn kills.

These are all, as well as being incredibly annoying, just teething problems. It is worrying that it is so close to launch but I'm sure these things will be corrected, and when you set these problems aside, you'll be glad you did!

But the Beta does show some incredibly good aspects to the upcoming title, we get a taster of what is to come and so far things such as classes and maps look to be great. We are able to use four different classes and get a grip on some of the weaponry, play full Rush games on the map; operation metro and have a sneak peek at the ranking up system, which I believe works very well. It appears to be that you earn attachments for weapons through performance with a certain gun, not through rank alone, meaning you will be able to customize your favourite weapons with sights, suppressors and more.

All in all, from what has been seen in the Beta, Battlefield 3 looks to be a terrific game for both the casual and hardcore gamers among you. It has had a lot of hype over the months and has so far lived up to expectations, accept for a few problems, but that is what the Beta is there for.

With Battlefield 3, you'll find an incredible experience that feels more real than anything you've ever played before, it looks incredibly realistic, vaulting objects is a great addition, the sound is perfect, and the destruction works, it works from buildings falling to bullets hitting walls.

Battlefield 3 looks fantastic, and we'll tell you more about the full game as soon as we can.