Sniper Elite Nintendo Wii Review
There have been a lot of similar themes of shooters and shooting games available online and the sniper elite is a welcome addition to these World War II games. Similar to the other WWII games, you play an elite American sniper disguised as a soldier, who was sent into the dangerous conflict that mushroomed between the Russians and Germans.
The mission you have to accomplish is to thwart Stalin from gaining into the nuclear research, which will be used by Germany to produce the atom bomb. This game is considered as one of the most realistic shooting games to date, as it takes advantage of the Nintendo Wii's precise control system where each gesture, attack, and movement, are perfectly timed.
The game features training on sniper techniques that is specialized and weapon selections shown in details. It can be played singly or in pairs where challenges vary from third person, binocular or sniper modes. It comprises 28 action-packed missions and you can choose from 4 difficulty settings namely Rookie, Cadet, Marksmen, and Sniper Elite.
Sniper elite Wii takes another method in the struggling scramble of fighting along the beaches and combating the Nazis. Being a sniper who is a professional shooter does not simply mean coming out of the war-torn area wearing the wrong colour of uniform but someone requiring a more skilled stance.
This game necessitates one to have a lot of patience because you are an elite sniper and not just an ordinary warrior. If you are one dedicated marksmen in this game of war, you will gain a lot of satisfaction from this long but challenging campaign.
The WWII game Sniper Elite happened during the close of war in the year 1945, focusing on the conflict between Russia and Germany fighting for power over Berlin. The NKVD, which is the secret service of Russia, is presently in town about to take the atomic-bomb technology away from the hands of the German Army.
Your mission is to put a halt to this, because once the nuclear weapon technology is taken by Stalin's forces, this will mean danger for the whole world. Because you are a trained sniper of the American OSS, you are expected to be the best one to stop the NKVD operations at all costs while masquerading as a German soldier.
The single-player campaign is long as it involves 28 missions in a variety of different though very similar settings of war. The missions include killing high-ranking officials, taking away secret documents, liberating captured allies, and murdering the bad guys.
This will take about 12 hours or more to complete and after finishing all the optional objectives by taking time to set up all your shots instead of shooting recklessly, the game will easily take up as much time.
When it is played carefully, a single level can take more than an hour to complete. Stealth actions are well executed and the game does a great job of building up the sense of tension from the snooping around and picking of at the enemy grounds. The tension will fade into monotony making you wish you could move on as soon as possible.
The Best Wii Games For Teens and Adults
Wii is the best video entertainment system to keep your whole family healthy, fit and entertained for hours every day throughout the year. It has games and activities for adults and teens. Wii Fit encourages you to get out of your comfort zone and try out new exercise routines or sports related activities that you haven't done before. I started off doing the cycling adventures all the time because that's what I was comfortable with in real life. After I had conquered cycling I tried snowball fights and Houla Hoop, just for fun. Now that I've almost mastered these I've moved on to yoga poses and Birds Eye. There's a huge variety of challenging activities of varying skill levels to keep teens and adults interested.
Wii Fit offers you a choice of a male or female personal trainer who gives you fitness tips and keeps you motivated to improve your form. Cycling on the Wii program involves moving your knees up and down (the sensor tracks your movements) as if you're riding a bike but without the pressure. You steer by tilting the remote control to the left and right. The aim is to find the shortest route to the finish via all the check points. The Wii trainer keeps a running total of the time you've spent exercising and the calories burnt every day. Your daily progress is charted and your personal best scores for each game is recorded.
I enjoy games or activities that use a variety of skills and actions. Snowball Fight involves using your balance skills to dodge incoming snowballs. As well you use hand-eye coordination to shoot/throw snowballs at the snowmen. Obstacle Course involves running along elevated platforms, jumping across gaps and over moving logs, and dodging swinging objects to make your way towards the goal. Birds Eye involves flapping your arms like the wings of a bird to fly towards targets, then you use your balance and coordination skills to land in the middle of the targets to receive bonus points.
Wii Band Hero is similar to karaoke but more. Teens enjoy this game because they can sing along and beat out the tunes to popular songs on the drum kit or guitar as they watch themselves playing on the TV screen. When we have family gatherings the adults and teens participate together for hours.
Wii Fit has also encouraged me to focus upon my posture, do yoga poses and strengthen my core muscles through the various games and activities available. I thoroughly recommend Wii for teens and adults, the fit and not so fit. All the games are low impact as you follow the actions of the real sports but you don't have the same pressures and weights to bear. It keeps a record of your weight every day and enables you to set weight loss targets as well as calorie burn targets. The Wii trainer ensures you have the best Wii Fit experience as you have fun and keep fit at the same time.
Mass Effect 2 Arrival DLC Review: Shepard Strikes Out
Let's not beat around the bush here, the Reapers are coming and come Mass Effect 3, they're going to hit the human race hard. With that said, let's take a quick moment to talk about Arrival, the latest and final DLC installment to Mass Effect 2.
The Final Chapter
At the behest of good ol' Admiral Hackett (damn that sexy voice), Shepard embarks on a solo mission to save Dr. Kenson, an Alliance deep cover agent, from the clutches of the Batarians. Upon Kenson's liberation from her captors, Shepard learns of the impending Reaper invasion and of the doctor's plans to ram a meteor into a mass relay to hinder the Reaper's progress.
Skeptical of Kenson's plans, Shepard accompanies the good doctor back to her project base, only to learn to his dismay that Kenson and her staff have all been indoctrinated by a Reaper artefact. Shepard, being the absolute bad ass that we all know him to be, battles against anything and everything Kenson and her team manages to throw in his path. The DLC culminates in the destruction of the Alpha relay and an ominous holographic confrontation between Shepard Harbinger himself.
The Falsely Paved Highway To Mass Effect 3
Before we get into the thick of anything else, let's have a bit of a rewind.
Back when Lair of the Shadow Broker was first released, Bioware mentioned that it would be the first piece of DLC that would serve to expand the Mass Effect universe in preparation for the epic conclusion of Shepard's story, Mass Effect 3.
Now, LotBS was awesome and is, hands down, my favourite Bioware DLC to date (across all franchises) despite a number of minor shortcomings. I don't know about you, but I was definitely expecting a good 3 to 4 more DLCs. However, with the onset of Arrival being the final chapter/DLC for Mass Effect 2, it kind of begs the question as to whether Bioware might have stretched the truth a little on their plans to bridge the gap between ME2 and ME3.
Going Solo Doesn't Impress Me
Arrival attempts to set itself apart from its ME2 DLC compatriots by featuring Shepard as a lone combatant. Essentially, due to the sensitive nature of this assignment, Hackett insists that Shepard works alone. In truth, it isn't all too big a deal, considering how Shepard seemingly excels at any given class, at given time (we received a dose of solo-Shep during the final leg of the Project Overlord DLC).
The DLC itself won't take players more than an hour to complete, which in itself is pretty disappointing. Moreover, Arrival doesn't exactly break any new ground whatsoever. It doesn't boast anything new in the manner of gameplay, interaction, situational challenge, enemy variation or mob distribution. Based on the previews I read prior to playing Arrival, it seemed to me that the whole Very simply put, Arrival struck me as a short story that needed to be told, cheaply packaged into a sorry excuse for 'game content'.
In truth, the entire DLC felt like one of them OPTIONAL N7 Assignments that players pick up as they go probe-dropping around the galaxy. Was it really worth having such mission packaged and priced as a DLC? I don't think so.
Arrival's Positives, For What They're Worth
Materialistically, there's nothing inherently new about Arrival. Shepard receives a mission, Shepard punches it in the face, Shepard flies away victorious (sort of). However, I will credit Arrival for being able to invoke a mood that speaks of claustrophobia, urgency and in some cases, panic, notions that so aptly characterize the impending arrival of the Reapers.
In terms of level design, a couple of things do come to mind. I've noticed that Arrival features content that takes place in either very closed quarters or seemingly open areas that are dimly lit and cluttered with props. Simply put, there is a very maze-like quality to Arrival's level designs, which, as mentioned, effectively invokes a sense of claustrophobia.
Take that sense of claustrophobia and couple it with the very subtle time limit (i.e. finish the job before the asteroid crashes into the relay) that Arrival imposes on its players nearing the end of the DLC's content and you've got a sure-fire formula for a quick and cheap dose of adrenaline (effect might vary). If you make it, Shepard gets to live and fight another day. If you, somehow, can't get past the damnably lenient time limit (or if you simply choose to fail for the heck of it), you get treated to a little video depicting the Reaper's unbridled wrath.
Now, while I wasn't so much affect by the time limit per se (seriously, the game gives you MORE THAN ENOUGH time to complete final strings of encounters), I will say this, there were a couple of moments during the DLC's climax, where I thought, Oh shit, Shepard might just die again, notably during that bit where Kenson lets loose that hand grenade. I attribute this to the overall ambience that the level and content design manages to induce. The synergy is far from perfect, but it gets a pretty strong message across.
On a slightly comedic note, if ever anyone doubted how much of a badass Shepard really is, well, Arrival is the DLC them sorry non-believers. I couldn't help but chuckle at the manner of which Kenson repeatedly browbeats her lackeys into confronting Shepard, only to have them cower in fear over the PA system, citing Shepard's overwhelming prowess and resilience. That definitely served as a wee bit of an ego boost.
Detachment
One thing that bothers me most about Arrival is the sheer detachment it portrays from the rest of the game, storyline and characters. Regardless of when players choose to complete the DLC, we need to take into account the magnitude of Shepard's actions. Effectively, Shepard had a hand in destroying a mass relay and an entire system, along with a good 300,000 or so Batarians. You'd think that someone, ANYONE at all would have something about it.
From where I'm standing, it all seems to point towards one thing, cutting production costs. Pity.
Arrival's Come And Gone
I'm not going to lie, Arrival was pretty damned disappointing.
To be fair, it boasts a decent amount of action for its overall length (though not exactly epic on any scale), has good ambience, is lightly peppered with amusing dialogue and for what it's worth, it's a moderately enjoyable and straightforward 'dungeon-crawl' backed by a decent enough story.
However, there's really isn't much to be had in the way of interaction or choice which, for modern RPG content, creates a pretty stale experience altogether. As I've mentioned earlier as well, the DLC doesn't feel very special for all the hype it received and its billing as ME2's final chapter, passing off as little more than a quick solo mission. Again, to reiterate another point here, Arrival simply struck me as a short piece of Mass Effect lore conveniently packaged into a buyable DLC.
I'm sure many gamers and even fans of Mass Effect will agree that Bioware doesn't exactly have that successful a track record with DLCs. To date, across all of Bioware's franchises, I'd have to say that the only DLC worth its weight in money and quality thus far has to be Lair of the Shadow Broker. In other words, Arrival definitely tanked, for me at least.
The Reapers Are Still Coming
Come holiday season 2011, the Reapers will hit Earth with everything a massive fleet of sentient dreadnought class battleships can muster (it'll hurt). Mass Effect 3 stands as one of my most highly anticipated games for 2011. However, given Bioware's recent seemingly weak showing with both Dragon Age 2 and the Arrival DLC, I'm starting to feel a wee bit queasy for what is to come.
Game Review : Bulletstorm
PS3 Games)
Bulletstorm strikes me as quite possibly the most supremely epic mannishly manly game for manly men. Released in February 2011, the seemingly non-traditional first-person shooter has enjoyed it fair share of commercial success and highly positive reviews despite having been heavily critiqued and scrutinized for containing 'inappropriate' content.
GRAYSON'S STORY
Bulletstorm is an outrageously goofy and violence riddled science-fiction 'epic' (sort of) set in the 26th century. The game primarily follows the story of black-ops operative turned space pirate, Grayson Hunt, and his rebel crew. Following an alcohol induced and ill-fated attempt at revenge against his former commanding officer, General Sarrano, Grayson ends up stranded on Stygia, a planet formerly colonized as an interstellar resort now overrun by mutants. With half of his standing crew lost to the aftermath of his drunken recklessness, Grayson embarks on a desperate search for a means to leave the forsake planet, all the while enduring the perils that Stygia has to offer.
Story wise, while Bulletstorm isn't exactly simplistic in nature, there isn't a whole lot of substance to be had beyond Grayson's journey and motivations. For the most part, the over-arching plot devices are pretty typical, predictable even at certain (if not most) junctures. On a slightly positive note, the story does occasionally shine with a handful of epic, surprising, deeply engaging and outrageously funny moments, especially so when accentuated by the personalities of Grayson's companions (the remote controlled dinosaur segment made me 'lol).
Given the seemingly light-hearted nature of the game, the shallowness of Bulletstorm's overall plot seems oddly appropriate. The games tells a story that is no-nonsense, no-frills and ultimately straightforward, not to mention violent. For all its one-dimensionality, it very aptly plays on notions of survival, vengeance and redemption, notions that anyone, gamer or not, can easily relate to.
NOT YOUR TRADITIONAL SHOOTER
Unlike most (if not all) leading titles in the genre out on the market today, Bulletstorm isn't exactly what one would strictly consider a traditional first-person shooter.
For starters, Bulletstorm is heavily and creatively stylized, so much so that the trend of realism in modern mainstream shooters doesn't quite apply to the fullest extent. For example, as a combatant, Grayson can soak in an astonishingly inhuman amount of futuristic lead, which, when coupled with the sheer destructive potential of Grayson's armory, renders tactical movement and cover somewhat of an afterthought. Suffice to say, taking into consideration the fact that your companions don't actually 'die', it takes quite a bit to fail at this game.
Grayson's armory definitely takes offensive and violent gameplay to the extreme. As the game progresses, players have the option to outfit Grayson with weapons spanning the likes of quadruple barrelled shotguns, sniper rifles that fire homing explosive rounds, portable launchers that fire cannonballs and explosive chain flails, not to mention his pair of physics defying gravity boots and energy leash. Very excessive, very violent, and all the more fun for players willing to temporarily suspend themselves in the action packed spirit of the game.
With all that in mind, it has to be said that Bulletstorm isn't a game that requires much in the way of deadly accuracy or situational/tactical awareness. Rather, for all its crudeness and violence, Bulletstorm is a shooter that encourages speed, wanton destruction, and more importantly, innovative killing methods, which brings us to the topic of Skillshots.
SKILLSHOTS
The skillshot mechanic is essentially Bulletstorm's primary selling feature and a key gameplay element that sets the game apart from its FPS compatriots. With each passing kill, Grayson chalks up skillpoints (SP). These skillpoints serve as in-game currency and may be used to purchase weapons, upgrades and ammunition from dropkits scattered across Stygia.
The number of skillpoints Grayson receives per kill is predominantly based on the method by which players take out their adversaries. To start with, a simple run-and-gun strategy will likely net players a measly 10 points per assault rifle kill. However, players will sow kills of exponentially higher skillpoint value should they creatively dispatch their enemies while adhering to certain conditions. Killing an enemy while intoxicated or by kicking an enemy into an electric fence for example nets 100 and 500 skillpoints respectively.
Skillshots add a great deal of dynamic and entertainment to Bulletstorm's already aggressive, fast-paced and combative gameplay. For the most part, skillshots are immeasurably fun to experiment and wrought destruction with, especially so at the expense of Grayson's many varied opponents. It is a mechanic that is very player dependant, visual and provides instant feedback. It is, in my opinion, a creatively clever mechanic that was designed to be undeniably necessary in order to succeed and yet extremely fun to work with.
On a slight downside, as players progress towards Bulletstorm's mid to end game, skillshots begin to lose their novelty as the game begins to increase in challenge, leaving little room for creative experimentation in favour of speed and efficiency, leading to repeated use of the same set of weapons and skillshots. Additionally, by mid to end game, skillpoint usage is somewhat limited as once players upgrade all aspects of their weapons, there isn't much else invest your 'hard-earned' currency in besides ammo-refills. In a sense, it may leave players thinking, 'Alright, it looks cool, but what's the point?'
GRAYSON AND COMPANY
Stygia's plethora of mutants notwithstanding, Bulletstorm features a handful of key plot characters that, at different storyline junctures, accompanies Grayson on his trek across the forsaken planetary resort.
Between the game's leading NPCs (Ishi, Trishka and Sarrano), I can't quite profess to distinctly liking one character over another (Trishka is pretty hot though). As a whole, the game's characters (GraysonMoreoever, not only do they provide a good measure of character contrast next to Grayson's gruff beer-chugging alpha male persona, they contribute a great deal to enhance Bulletstorm's storyline, which is in itself rather uninspiring.
On a related note, I personally found that given Bulletstorm's setting and overall, the NPCs' sarcastic comments and heated cussive exchanges, while not welcomed by some players, greatly add to the crude and gritty nature of the game and aptly depict the frustration and desperation of Grayson's immediate conundrum of surviving and escaping Stygia.
GRAPHICS
Where Bulletstorm strays from or lacks in photo-realism, it makes up for with stunningly beautiful landscapes and dystopian and futuristic architecture of epic scale and design. The game's art direction may be heavily stylized but generally well executed, boasting and distinctly contrasting color scheme (almost pseudo-cartoonish) and great attention to minute details, ambient lighting and 'special effects'.
If anything, for an over-the-top goofy, crude and excessively violent space adventure that doesn't take itself all too seriously, Bulletstorm's graphics are as photo-realistic as the game will allow it to be.
CONTROVERSY
As I've mentioned, Bulletstorm has been heavily scrutinized for featuring what some (or many) may deem as 'inappropriate' content, namely it's crude language, excessive depictions of violence and blatant use of sexual innuendo in its game mechanics (skillshot names).
From where I'm standing, I find no issue with Bulletstorm in those respects. I agree that the game pushes some boundaries with content that may seem intense or risqu to some, but taking Bulletstorm as an entire package experience into consideration, the overall vibe exuded by the game and its characters, while over-the-top, feels very aptly put together.
IN EPIC CONCLUSION
Bulletstorm provided me with a gaming experience that I've not had in a good long while. It intrigues me in the sense that while it was largely enjoyable, it is innately a pretty 'stupid' game, what with its never-ending stream of toilet humor and generally brash attitude. And yet, everything (well, most things) in the game's design seems to have been pretty well put together. In a manner of speaking, it's one of those games that encourages you to leave your brain at 'Startup' and further invites you to simply dive in and lose yourself in the sheer violence.
The story isn't too deep. It's straightforward and predictable enough to keep players on track with a clear goal in mind. Still, while I understand that as much as the game wishes to keep itself somewhat ironically light-hearted, the story still felt disappointingly typical. Very frankly, if it weren't for the performances by its supporting characters, Bulletstorm's story would have easily fallen flat.
Overall, gameplay was enjoyable, definitely engaging, but it was far from brilliant. As a whole, the game doesn't offer much in the way of precision of tactical 'challenge'. Instead, it simply offers a long string of action-packed combat encounters riddled with disappointingly low-AI enemies that, coupled with its skillshot system, is extremely good, sadistic fun to destructively stomp through. Towards Bulletstorm's end however, the process of killing does get rather monotonous, even with skillshots in hand, and doesn't quite invoke any sense of achievement by the game's conclusion (largely in part due to the anti-climactic closing to the story). De-sensitivity or bad content and pacing? I'd place fault on a little bit of both.
Before I wrap up, I made mention as well at the start of this review that this game struck me as extremely manly, and honestly, I say that for good reason. I mean, come on, the game is chock full references to alcohol, violence, guns; pretty much anything that is stereotypically 'male'. If anything, it pretty much adds to the goofy excess that is already so prevalent in this game. Go figure.
Now, if I were to sum Bulletstorm up, I'd describe it as a 'small dose of highly concentrated adrenaline'. I wouldn't place it anywhere close to a masterpiece, but it definitely struck me as undeniably epic, was an all-round memorable (and loony) gaming experience despite certain shortcomings and came across as a bit of a gaming paradox. Great stuff.