TPU Game Reviews

[Kursah]

*Bump* It's been a couple weeks, just wondering if anyone's wanted to submit some test reviews, ideas, suggestions?

Any idea on when the GPU project will get rollin W1z? I know you're busy with other things primarily right now and GPU is set aside atm. Anything I can do to help?

 

[Jess Stingray]

I could submit a review probably, when I get a new game.

 

[Kursah]

I could submit a review probably, when I get a new game.

Doesn't need to be new, I just figured we could have some guys start posting reviews and try to figure out a decent layout that's easy to read, browse and understand. Hell do Doom 3 if you wanna! I just don't want to see this fade, we have something promising here.

 

[W1zzard]

gpuz is taking up all my time at the moment

 

[Kursah]

gpuz is taking up all my time at the moment

Yeah, I figured as much. Seems you're making some good headway on it though! I really like the utility and I think it'll be very useful for years to come!

I was just curious as to an idea of maybe a couple months? few months? year(s)?
And if there is anything I can do, again let me know, or if I'm doing too much, let me know. I know GPU is your deal, and I dunno if we have different ideas for it or if the direction I'm taking will do no good...

It's all good man, I suppose I'll just keep GPU to this thread until you decide to bring it forward.

 

[Jess Stingray]

Hell do Doom 3 if you wanna!

Ah good, that's actually the only game I have installed.

 

[Kursah]

Ah good, that's actually the only game I have installed.

That works! I figure it's a start! And I'm sure W1z will let us know if this is a good thing or not, and time will tell! But I still think we should stay active on this thread at least and support GPU from our side! I look forward to your review Ben. Thanks for your support!

 

[Jess Stingray]

Doom 3

Minimum System Requirments:

1.5GHz Processor
384MB RAM
64MB Graphics Card (DirectX 9.0b compatible)
Windows 200O/XP
8x Speed CD-ROM drive
2.2GB Harddrive space
100% DirectX 9.0b compatible 16-bit sound card

In the age of 2004, there wouldn't be many systems that could play this game, and some modern ones still can't. The graphics in the game are stunning, with dynamic lighting and advanced models. Though the game has bumpmapping, it isn't used to it's full potential indoors, making surfaces look like cardboard.

The game is set in the year 2145 on the Mars UAC research base. While the player is searching for a missing scientist, an experiment goes wrong, releasing hell into the base. Armed with only a pistol, flashlight, and your good ol' fists, you need to seaerch the base, acquire more weapons, and put a stop to the invasion.

Gameplay

After the invasion, I started off as "Yeah, OK", gradually going up to the phase where I genuinely panic for a moment when a zombie slaps you from behind. Sound also plays a major part in this, building up suspense during the first levels where you recieve constant bulletins on your radio, allowing you to hear the chaos around ypu. However, it can also spoil the gameplay when you stand infront of a door and you hear the imp snarl behind it. It sometimes gets a tad repetitive too.

Replayability

You only need to play Doom 3 once. There is a choice the player needs to make, but whichever one you choose, the ending will be the same anyway. However, for a challenge after playing through once, Nightmare mode will leave you frustrated.

Overall

Doom 3 is an OK game overall. Though it was somewhat disappointing on linear gameplay and repetitiveness, it's good for a quick play every now and then.

Graphics: 90%
Gameplay: 75%
Sound: 95%
Originality: 45%
Moddability: 100%

Overall: 81%

[Insert recommended logo here]


This is all I can come up witrh right now, I would obviously do a longer review if it was earlier in the day and I had more time.

 

[Jess Stingray]

Yeah... I suppose I should have added "Originality" (45%) and "Moddability" (100%) to it.

 

[Kursah]

Well keep editing it, and hopefully we can get suggestions from others to see what us as viewers would like to see in a GPU Game Review! Woot!

 

[Jess Stingray]

K, I edited. And russianboy, were'nt you banned? Just curious...

 

[JC316]

This is my review of Call of Duty 2 from Ashentech. It's the only PC game that I have reviewed.


This is kind of an older game, but it's the one that I just played and we can see how it stands up today. This is my first review, so be nice, if you see any way for me to improve, let me know.

First Impression:

A World War 2 shooter based on heavy combat and realistic, intense, sounds to thrill it's owners. Gone is the modified Quake 3 engine, it is replaced by Infinity Ward's own engine to give superb graphics and physics.

Graphics: 8/10

The graphics are most impressive, even by todays standards. Most notable of these graphics is the smoke effects, they are better than any game that I have ever seen. They react in a very realistic manner and it's implemented very well into the game by means of smoke grenades and explosions.

The physics engine is also excellent, unlike some games with the havok engine, it givis REALISTIC rag doll effects, rather than the overly floppy corpses that I am so used to seeing. The bodies aren't flopping about like a rubber chicken when a grenade strikes home, which is an extremely welcome addition.

The texture work is above par, but it's still blurry up close. Who is really looking at that in a shooter like this anyway?

The engine itself is quite versatile requiring very little graphics power to run smoothly. You can easily run this at 1024x768 and high settings with an X850 pro without any slowdown to speak of.


Sound: 10/10

The sound has to be the single most impressive thing about the game. It's so good that within 30 minutes of play, you will be able to tell an MP40 from a Thompson and a pineapple from a potato masher.

It can be really scary at times too, when there is so much action going on, it causes panic due to all of the screams, explosions, and gunfire. You actually don't know which way to go and often you will run RIGHT into the enemy, not many games can make me do that on sound alone.

I found no glitches, reused audio files, or reason to complain about it, which is why it gets such good ratings.

Gameplay: 7/10

Ah, the all important gameplay. You can have the best graphics and sound in the world, but have a crappy game due to it's gameplay and enjoyment factor. I am glad to say that this game delivers the goods in all aspects.

The gameplay here is extremely intense, it is designed to create a sense of panic and unknowing. It fully implements the graphics and sound to give you a truly awesome experience.....in the liner path that they give you.

The shooting, moving, and level design are all top notch. You will frequently find yourself going into and out of buildings, through open areas and into trenches. Alas it suffers from the same problem that ALL WW2 shooters have, the inability to choose your own path. Many times, for no reason other than a set path, there will be barbed wire fences or mines in an area, forcing you along their set path.

To me this is unacceptable, you should be able to bypass areas to make your life easier, like a real soldier would. This can get particularly frustrating when there are MG42 sub-machine gunners blocking off the only choke point.

Speaking of the MG42 gunners, there is another gameplay glitch, the fact that they are snipers in there own right and ALWAYS aim for you!!!! In several missions, I was ready to smash my keyboard because I was hiding, in a building, with 5 teammates and 3 MG42 gunners spot me from well over 100 yards and they all shoot directly at ME. As an added bonus, your teammates are little more than cannon fodder, wandering aimlessly in front of the open window and getting killed, thankfully, they constantly respawn.


Final say: 8/10

All in all, it's the best WW2 shooter that I have ever played, even for it's age, there is nothing out there better. It has it's annoyances about it, but I can't think of a single game that doesn't. If it weren't for the linearality and small problems, it would have gotten a solid 9 from me. As it stands, I highly recommend it for any fan of a FPS, it's not quite a masterpiece, but it is certainly worth the $29.99 price tag thats on it right now.

JC316 recommended.

 

[Jess Stingray]

Nice JC... you'd make a good reviewer.

 

[JC316]

Nice JC... you'd make a good reviewer.

Thanks. I also reviewed Gears of War and Halo 3, but those are for 360 and this is for PC.

 

[Jess Stingray]

For GPU, I recommend moving demos and patches from here to over there. I can also provide demos, I always play demos...
And a console section, for those reviews.

 

[Kursah]

Thanks. I also reviewed Gears of War and Halo 3, but those are for 360 and this is for PC.

Well GPU is about games! Those are games! Consoles will definately be a part of GPU, it wouldn't be right to have just PC games, then it'd have to be PC-GPU or something like that...and wouldn't be nearly as cool.

 

[Jess Stingray]

Agreed. Also, will GPU have separate forums to TPU? I'm guessing yes...

 

[JC316]

First Impression:

Halo 3 is the conclusion to the massively popular Halo series. It's designed to be a well rounded FPS with a heavily story driven campaign and team work.


Graphics: 9/10

One of the pretiest Xbox 360 games that I have seen to date. The color choice really makes you feel like you are there, it's not bland like the last Halo's, or Gears of War. The textures are very nicely done, with very little bluring, even at closer distances and I rarely saw any jagged lines. It does have some Oblivion like vegitation "fade in", but I personally don't care about that.

The lighting is MUCH better than the previous Halo's, the flashlight is actually NEEDED and WORKS and there are dark areas to the game. Alas, it it does suffer from some slowdown especially in the last mission. It looks great in 480i or 1080i.

Sound: 10/10

As always the sound and musical score is beyond impressive, I actually get cold chills at some of the music. Everything, from the Brutes barking orders, to the gunships landing, to the terrified screams of the grunts and the explosion of a frag grenade immerses you completely into the game.

The music is always perfect for the mood and whats happening on screen. All of this is begging to be heard on a 5.1 surround setup, but still manages to sound good on the single TV speaker of a cheap TV.

Gameplay: 9/10

Ah, the good old Halo gameplay. The controls are one down from a keyboard/mouse combination, making the transition from PC to Xbox fairly easy. I do have to gripe about the changing of the action button though, I cussed more times because I deployed a bubble shield when I meant to reload, but after doing that a few times, you get the hang of it.

The AI is MUCH better on this installment, the grunts are aggressive and use terrain advantages, they also flank your position and are generally a pain in the ass. The brutes juke and jive unlike any other AI that I have seen, I would actually prefer to go one on one in an open space with them, rather than in a jungle enviroment. You will see the occasional AI brain fart though, when a brute will deploy a bubble shield, just to make a kamakazi charge at you.

The aiming system is a problem, Bungie decided to add an auto aim feature that can REALLY mess you up at times. It's an annoyance that CAN be helpful, but should be disabled on the higher difficulties, because 9 times out of 10, it gets in the way for an experienced player.

Take all of this and throw in co-op and you have a Game of the Year Contender.

Final Score 9.9/10

This is the best game of the year so far and is certainly worth the $60 that they want for it. It grabs you from the start and doesn't let go until you have a friend pry the controller from your hand after the last mission. Three words GET THIS GAME!!!!!

 

[JC316]

First Impression:

Gears of war is a hugely popular Xbox 360 3rd person shooter. It's designed to make you out think your enemies and to make you use cover.


Graphics: 8/10

The graphics are quite simply stunning. Everything from rubble to corpses is rendered beautifully and implemented into the game quite well. The textures are top notch, I rarely note anything that is blurry or looks out of place. They have original designs on most of the characters and enemies as well as original enviroments.

The reasoning behind the lower score is that, while beautiful, it's not reactive. It is sorta like the pre-rendered backdrops in the Resident Evil remake on the gamecube. All in all, it's the pretiest 360 game that I have ever seen, but they could have pushed it a bit further for the sake of immersion. The colors are also very bland in my opinion.


Sound: 9/10

The sound here is very well done. The voice acting it top notch, hollywood quality at times. The gun effects, enemy sounds, footfalls and explosions are exactly how they should be. It's not impressive enough to make you go "WOW", but it's still great for this game.

Gameplay: 9/10

The gameplay here reflects the rest of the game, NICE. The cover systems, shooting mechanisims, enemy AI, and level design are top notch. There are multiple paths to choose from to break up the linear-ness of it, which is a welcome refreshment from most "One path shooters".

The action button can be annoying at times, since it controls the sprint, cover, move from cover, and leap over cover actions. I have meant to go OVER cover and instead went to different cover. It gets old at times when that happens. Your teammates are acceptable and can usually hold thier own, there were only a few frustrating places where my teammate actually DIED and I had to restart.

The grenade and weapons system actually WORK as does the cover systems. Add in a nice split screen co-op mode and you have a DAMN FINE game.

Alas, with most DAMN FINE games, it's short as hell. I completed it in just under 8 hours of game time, but it was some of the best 8 hours that I have spent on a game in a long time.


Story: 5/10

Well, they say it's like a porn flick, a story is nice, but not necessary, this game holds true to that. All action and no story to speak of. It doesn't matter, becuase you don't bother asking questions, you just enjoy the game and be done with it.


Final thoughts : 8.5/10

This is the example of a VERY well done game. It's polished, there are no bugs to speak of, it has good graphics, and great gameplay. The story is lacking, but who gives a damn? More games need to take a lesson from them, Halo started the greatness of shooters on Microsoft console, and Gears of war is continuing the legacy.

 

[Jess Stingray]

Again, another good review... kinda makes me wish I had an XBOX...

 

[Jess Stingray]

Metal Gear Solid

Platform: PS1

The third game in the series of Metal Gear, this is the first to feature 3D graphics.

Graphics:

Obviously, being on PS1, the graphics won't be too good. But they're good enough for the platform.

Sound:

The music was a nice touch, adding quite a bit to the atmosphere. However, weapon sounds were too quiet in contrast. Vocals were clear, and there is no interference to be heard. Sound effects are also good.

Gameplay:

You start by being dropped off with no weapons, and you have to go theough the base to find Metal Gear REX. You don't get a weapon until you reach the first major fight, where you batlle multiple guards. Another nice touch is the Soliton radar on your screen, giving you an edge, and allowing you to plan tactics, which the game is about. You also have a CODEC, which come sin useful in many circumstances.

Scores:

Graphics: 75%
Gameplay: 85%
Sound: 95%
Originality: 95%

Overall: 90%

Recommended.

 

[joinmeindeath417]

Review : The Darkness

Game : The Darkness..

Platforms: Xbox 360 and PS3

First Impression:

The Darkness is based on a comic book series by Top Cow, It for itself is a stunning comic book series and definitely wraps you into the world of The Darkness. My First impressions of this game where exactly that of the comic book, a dark and gloomy New York City with the Mafia at an all time high and a guy by the name of Jacky who at the age of 21 realizes he has a gift...

Graphics: 8.5/10

The graphics in this game are stunning and very real to life as much as possible, at times this game pushes the systems limits as far as hardware goes. Character models amazing the art behind the game is stunning they really knew where they wanted to go with this game and I'd say they went there and beyond. The Subway looks completely identical to New York City's Subway (which is where you spend most of your time). When you tranfer back and fourth from "hell" and new york city the transitions are amazing. once sense your in new york city the next your in hell with a world war 2 like atmosphere and baddies that just wont die with regular guns.



Sound: 10/10

The Sound is the best part of the game the actors sound like they are acting they don't sound like they are being under paid to do this script amazing cast of mafia like accents.
The ambiance is great it gives the atmosphere a lot more depth, the voice of the darkness is creepy enough to give you goose bumps as you play through the game. Jacky is well played and the actor handles his character well. Usually in games like these the main hero does not talk..not in this game

Gameplay: 9/10

The gameplay of the darkness works right off the bat but not as you would think it does. it is NOT your standard FPS type of game.. a matter of fact you have to get use to the way you handle the guns the auto aim is not as giving as most games. Controlling the darkness is fun especially summoning demons to do your bidding they attack baddies and they do what you tell them to do wither it'd be to kill someone crawl in a vent unlock a gate and they are very humorous. The A.I is one of the downfalls sometimes enemies are found staring at a wall and do nothing as you walk right past them other times if they hear you they don't hesitate to shoot, so the A.I is a pretty weak part of the game but since its passive and it doesn't happen too much the game is still very enjoyable. The environments are a little tacked on as well i mean you cant blow up a vehicle 5 guys are using for cover which would've made the game a little more exciting, if your dakling's are surrounded by light for too long they die so you can shoot out any type of street light that is hurting your darkling's that helps and "The Darkness" acts as not only a very very destructive weapon but also some make shift night vision so you can see where you are going. After you venture through the game and get your darkness powers for the most part your weapons are useless compared to this creature. when traveling to and from hell "The Darkness" is use mainly to rip hearts out of victims which in turn makes it grow and it also stops the baddies in hell from resurrecting (they don't just die if you shoot them gotta eat that heart to stop em')

The game is rather short though it is a very in depth story line well told and well played there is really not much back tracking so the game is straight forward you can do lots of little side missions or stick to the main ones but all in all this game can be beaten between 6-8 hours. but even for only being so long you feel like you've seen enough and done enough to keep you satisfied.

Story: 10/10

the story is what makes this game shine, it is well told with excellent dialog and flashbacks to make sure you understand what is going on. it doesn't leave you with that taste in your mouth like there could've been something more. You find out why you have these powers how it all started why you are the last one with them and what to do with them. probably one of the best told stories of an FPS and the dialog makes it that much more exciting.


Final Thoughts : 9/10

Personally , i score the darkness at a 9 out of 10 mainly for the fact that it follows the comic books fairly well and for transferring 2d into a 3d game it does what its suppose to. The graphics are stunning, the effect are excellent, the story is driven, and in the end you feel like you've seen a lot even if the game is only a good 6-8 hours long.


__________________


Multiplayer: 7/10

Not much to say it is tacked on but tried to change up the game alittle you can become a darkling in the Multiplayer modes but the fun only last a few times...its nothing worth bragging about but it is fun when you want it to be...it's something to do to get out of your typical "run shoot kill" routine instead its like "run transform stalk slash kill"


THANKS FOR READING SORRY IF ITS TOO LONG!

 

[Kursah]

Awesome guys! Keep em comin! Thanks for the support!

 

[Steevo]

I played Halo 3 for the first time tonight, 122" of ¿1080I? goodness, but sized down by the 360?






The controller still is crap, but gameplay was much smoother than in previous halo games. The mongoose driving was crap, one joystick for drviving some and two for driving that. ick.




8/10 is my rating after playing multi-player, and co-op. Good balanced default weapons for multi player and enough breathing room for co-op play.

 

[Kursah]

I like your style Steevo, you're blunt and to the point. If you could create something a little larger in that went into detail of things you liked, didn't like, how things worked in your opinion and such, I think you'd make a great reviewer. Someone who's willing to poke at one of the most hyped and money making games ever either hates the game or is brutally honest, I'm judging from the 8/10 you're more of the brutally honest type in your reviews!