Read + Write + Report
Home | Start a blog | About Orble | FAQ | Sites | Writers | Advertise | My Orble | Login

PC - Gaming Life

Left 4 Dead Review

December 3rd 2008 10:21


Left 4 Dead is a video game that we've seen the same or similar storyline concept in a number of movies. Basically, you and up toe three other survivors must battle a zombie apocalypse with a simple goal in mind- to survive. The differnce between Left 4 Dead and all the other movies and video games with similar concepts, this video game feels to be more of an experiement with gameplay that is near out of this world.


The game is built around a multiplayer concept, but Left 4 Dead offers singleplayer mode that lets you go through the game with bots, but that is more of practice for the real thing because the bots lack dynamic play, interaction, interplay, and the social aspect of co-op play. The game is jsut so much better playing with real people.

Ok, so basically Left 4 Dead has the seemingly trendy zombie apocalypse storyline with a small handful of humans that are immune to the zombie virus. You are one of them. Other characters that are immune include Zoey, Bill, Louis, and Francis. You will be armed with real and makeshift weapons that you must use to battle your way to survival.

In each of hte scenarios, you must battle your way to various safe houses that lead to your rescue point. You can either play with three other people, and you each control one of the characters, or you can play with the bots, but the AI not as good about killing the zombies and they are passive.

Each scenario is presented like a movie, which is pretty cool, and only adds to the overall gameplay enjoyment. If you manage to survive, the credits will roll with who inflicted the most headshots, how many zombies were killed, and who delivered the most friendly fire.


The zombie horde is based on fast zombies that don't shamble. They sprint at you with inhuman speed, scale fences, and bust down doors to get to you. These horde zombies aren't smart, but they are dangerous in their numbers.

The real danger comes from the special zombies are more dangerous. You'll encounter the following special zombies:
* The hunter who can leap across large distances to pin a survivor.
* The smoker who has a frog-like tonge that can grab survivors by the throat.
* The boomer who vomits or explodes to spray survivors, which will temporarily blind you but it will drive the horde zombies nutes.
* The tank who can take enormous amounts of damage and dish it out just the same.
* The witch who can take down a survivor with just a single swipe.

The overall game is paced perfectly so that you are always pushed to the edge and running on low health or ammo.

As for avaialable weapons, you will have access to shotguns, assault rifles, submachine guns, pipe bombs, and loads of makeshift weapons.

A concern with Left 4 Dead is that there are only 4 scenarios, which if you play on the easier difficulties, may only take 20 to 30 minutes to complete. But, on the harder difficulites, it will take much longer as you will die more often.

But, at the same time, you can play the Versus mode, where you play as the zombies against the humans, instead of the humans against the zombies, which makes things a little interesting. The Versus mode plays out with each team alternating between zombie and human, and you take turns to see how far you can get in each level.

When playing as the zombies, you'll notice that you need a good bit more coordination in order to work effectively.

The graphics may not be as cutting edge as other games, but there are a variety of environments that are packed with detail andclutter. The lighting system is awesome; for example, you'll find yourself i na dark room with the only light coming from the flashlight on your gun. You'll also notice that the facial animation is excellent as you can see soi much emotion on the faces of hte survivors.

The game runs well on the xBox and the PC versions. You will find that the PC version will look better on higher resolutions, and there are some loading lags with the xBox version but nothing that is a serious concern.

The audio is very stong, with realistic sounds and special effects.

Overall, the game is probably one of the better social video games that has been released in a long time. It's definitely worth the gameplay.



33
Vote
Shared on
Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Whitney - Category: Review, Action, PC, Xbox 360
   


Tomb Raider: Underworld Review

November 28th 2008 00:12


Lara Croft is one of the most known game icons in the world. She is by far the most popular heroine that you will find, as she explores various ruins, fights human and supernatrual threats, and solves numerous puzzles while she becomes one of the best and greatest archeologies in gaming.

Tomb Raider: Underworld is another game in the Tomb Raider series with Lara Croft, and with the most recent addition to the series, there are more hopes for expansion.

For the most part, you will find that Underworld is a continuation of the original storyline. There will be a quick summary and recap of the players as a refresher from Legend. But, Underworld will start as Lara Croft explores the coordinates that lead her to the Mediterranean Sea. She will investigates, she makes an interesting find.

The storyline of Underworld is pretty good, so if your a gamer that enjoys a good story, you'll find Tomb Raider: Underworld entertaining, to say the least. And, you'll find that the blend of cutscenes and exploration will keep the game moving fast.

The pace of the game is caused by a few adjustments and refinements in the game's mechanics. Where in Legend, you were given a large amound of flexibility with a lot of freedom for your agility and speed, it is pretty retained in Underworld. Althouth, you can still manipulate Lara's acrobatics and scale walls, the creators attempted to build on the basics with the gameplay.

The creators fof Tomb Raider Underwold removed the quick time elements and replaced them with Situational Adrenaline, that will give you the feeling that you need to react in order to avoid a particular threat.

They also made minor adjustments to combat. Where Lara Croft still retains her agility for tumbling and firing, she now has the ability to aim and fire at two enemies at the same time, which is rather useful if you are taking out swarms of bats or other creatures. But, at the same time this new ability hampers the progress of other enemies that attempt to close in on you and perform melee attacks.

In Underworld, Lara Croft has sticky grenades that go off in a specific location, which cuts down the frustration that was in Legend.

You are able to trigger the adrenaline at any time throughout the game, which will slow down the actions of your enemies and make your shots stronger. ou are able to store your adrenaline until you've maxed out your holding, to which you are then able to get close to any enemy and bounce off of them in attempts to a one-shot kill.

There is one main concern with the adrenaline system. It makes a large number of the battles way too easy because you are constantly refreshing your adrenaline, which allows you the ability to move quickly, giving you an edge over your opponent. You can still alter the game's difficulty.

Lara Croft comes with a sonar map that will guide you anywhere in the game, which allows you a 3D picture of everything at all times. This is pretty cool, I guess.



You will also find that Underworld has Field Assistance where if you find yourself stumed, you can access hints through your PDA. This is a nice feature for those who have problems visualizing where they need to go.

The game has slowdown and framerate drops that happen a lot throughout the game, which sucks as it is rather distracting. Although, the point is to be a little distracting to get you out of the visual and aural presentation, but the level of them just pop in and snap into place with odd shadows and flickers of light.

Another of the main concerns with the game is that there are a number of clipping and object detection issues. Lara Croft will frequently move into or through walls or blocks, which will sometimes force her into an animation loop as the game attempts to reconcile movements and areas that she shouldn't be in.

And of course the camera is a pain becuase as you move through the environment, the camera will zoom, pan, and tilt on its own accord without your instruction or direction. Normally, this wouldn't be that big of a concern, except the camera will stay in place making it hard to figure out the right jumping angle or location to move.

You will find taht the Xbox has downloadable ocntent, which you won't get with the Playstation 3, which gives the Xbox a slightly better edge.

Oh, and if you're wondering about the graphics and sound quality.... They are pretty good. The animations are well done, and the voices are pretty good.

The game is an average action game, that Lara Croft fans will probably get some good gameplay out of, but personally I find there are a good number of technical concerns with the game.

Check out just a few of the scenes that you will encounter.





44
Vote
Shared on
Comments (1)Comments (1) Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
   


OCZ Neural Impulse Actuator Gaming Headband

November 14th 2008 19:58


Ok so this contraption may not look like much, but this gaming headband is supposed to work off of your brainwaves to deliver the best gamin experience. Well, it really doesn't. Instead the gaming headband uses the muscles of your forehead instead of the actual brainwaves.

Basically, the headband is supposed to help you play your game and create for more intense and pleasurable gaming. Basically, if you raise your eyebrows and keep them raised, your character will move forward.

If you want to do something more dramatic, you can fire a gun or jump by a more sudden action like clenching your jaw or blinking really hard.

You can assign up to 3 events per brain spike, but they can also be controlled by any keystroke or mouse click. You want to set it up where Event 1 occurs with little activity, Event 2 a little more activity, and Event 3 with the most activity, making Event 3 occur the least often.

It will take a lot of training to make yourself better at using the gaming headband versus your keyboard or mouse, and you'll probably get frustrated a lot in the beginning, but the gaming headband is a rather interesting concept.

Personally, though, the price needs to come down a bit, as it's currently $140.



16
Vote
Shared on
Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Whitney - Category: Other, PC
   


Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Review

November 9th 2008 18:41


The first Madagascar was probably one of the better animated films of the year, but with the second film, it's not as great, if you ask me, but anyway, we're all here about the Madagascar Escape 2 Africa video game, not the movie. Although, if you are looking for a purely entertaining family friendly movie, Madagascar Escape 2 Africa is definitely it.

As for the video game, this is a likable and action packed romp through Africa with fun and larger than life characters that you can't help but love.

Throughout the game, you'll encounter diverse and interesting gameplay that will offer enough fun and contentment to keep you busy for a while. Although, if you are looking for serious action and thrilling scenes, Madagascar Escape 2 Africa probably isn't going to be your game of choice.

This video game is a happy go lucky game that is crammed with fun gameplay for even your youngest gamers.



You get to hope through canyons hunting monkeys, drive jeeps, play musical chairs, roll up garbage, and chase down runaway cubs, which all in a hour long segment of a middle level in the video game. You never know what all you will encounter thoughout the full game, but you will have hours of fun packed into one disk.

Just remember if you get bored or in a rut, you can always just swit to a different level for a break.

The one feature that you can't help but to enjoy is that the video game is designed to look just like the movie. But, unfortunately, the video game doesn't feature the same voice overs as the movie. The stand-in voices do the trick, but the it's just not he same, since your characters are spot on doubles from the movie.



Although, the video game is aged for 10 and up, you'll find that there are a few innuendos, gambling, and mild cartoony violence, that not all parents will want their 6 year old playing around with, but for the most part (as for the innuendos at least) the average child will miss them.

There are loads of mini games and even a four player tournament that the whole family can get involved in. So overall this is a pretty good video game that is packed with fun. Just remember if you're a hard core gamer, it may not be the game for you.

You can find Madagascar Escape 2 Africa at low prices, for the following game consoles:

Nintendo DS
Nintendo Wii
PC
PSP
PlayStation 2
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360

The IGN rating is 8.2


53
Vote
Shared on
Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
   


Fallout 3 Review

October 29th 2008 12:26
Fallout 3 is probably one of the newest role-playing games that offers full deliverance and a gripping, action packed game. The game paints a picture of the dstopian future where people are on the cusp of the atomic revolution in the 1950s, as seen with a sci-fi view in terms of if several thousand bombs were dropped on it. The game is dark and dreary, but it is filled with dark humor and desperation.

As Vault Dweller, you are a blank slate and write your own story. You'll start the game with your own birth, but quickly move toward childhood and various pivotal events via snapshots. But, since that would be a boring video game, you'll wake up at the end of your childhood with various alarms and mass confusion. You father has opened the vault and left, which has shattered the existence of the other inhabitants of the vault. You have to go in search for him.

As the story unfolds, you will be faced with survival of your own life, and the crumbling of the government's infrastructure. The pressure built can lead good men to do bad things, and bad men to do evil and take advantage of others. You'll need to decide your place in the world, but remember that karma's a bitch and the choices you make will have its consequences.

The conversations that you will have with various characters will range from disturbing to hilarious, which makes things interesting, and you'll get to hear everything that anyone has to say, but in this case you'll have to play the game at least twice in order to do that.

The overall story line of Fallout 3 is fantastic, coming together with all the pivotal points in a story, with lying, stealing, fighting, and more.

You'll find that there is a good deal of flexibility with the game, and each of the different routes can lead to hours of fun.

In addition to the main storyline, you'll have mini quests that can be useful to building your character and killing time.

Unlike Oblivion, you can't perform repetitive actions like swimming or jumping, and expect to advance your level. You'll need to combat and complete quests. It will be in your experience and skills that you will succeed.

Every time that you advance in levels, you will be able to choose a perk, which are always going to either give you a new skill or show you a location that you haven't visited yet. One perk that you may be interested in is Cannibalism, which allows you to feed on humans after you kill them, but remember bad karma...

Although, your skills and advancements is important, there isn't that much emphasis on leveling up, with a cap of 20 levels. Although, you won't be close to maxing out your skills or grabbing all of the perks, but it will encourage you to play again.

It is thought that maybe the cap will be released when downloadable content is released for Fallout 3.

Once you've beaten the game and completed all of the side quests, you'll still have a lot to do, so make sure to run through the game again so that you cover more ground and finish getitng all of the perks.



Just make sure that you see everything, which can take at least 100 hours of exploring. I mean, you'll get more XP points for every ruin that you find, as it will tell you a story of a former inhabitant. You'll be able to find cool weapons, but make sure to kill all the enemies before they get you.

As for the weapons, you'll find various states of disrepair and only have limited ammo, which is a tease, but you will find really cool weapons.

Overall, Fallout 3 is an engaging and fantastic video game that you'll love if you like role-playing video games. You'll find a few flaws and bugs, but for the most part, the flaws are easily fixed with reloading the game, so it's not that serious of a deal. You'll find wonderful and realistic graphics and animation, and the color contrasts are pretty basic with browns and grays dominating the screen.

IGN RATING
9.5 Presentation - The atmosphere and style are everything you could ask for and more. A few bugs and camera issues keep things from perfection.
9.0 Graphics - The landscapes are wonderful. The character models and animations could be a lot better.
9.5 Sound - Excellent voice acting and a soundtrack that completely fits the game's mood. The sound effects aren't bad either.
10 Gameplay - A rare combination of excellent combat and deep role-playing.
9.5 Lasting Appeal - A more focused experience than much of what Bethesda has created in the past that begs to be played for hours and hours. This is one game you won't soon forget.
9.6 - Incredible OVERALL

You can purchase Fallout 3 for three different console versions:
PC
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360

Also check out the Fallout 3: Prima Official Game Guide


29
Vote
Shared on
Comments (2)Comments (2) Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Whitney - Category: Review, Role-Play, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
   


Spore Trailer

September 12th 2008 00:32
So I'm sure we've all seen the commercials for Spore. It looks fun, I'll admit. And the reviews sounds like the game is sweet. So anyway, here's the trailer for the game. Watch it. Love it.


[ Click here to read more ]
33
Vote
Shared on
Read MoreRead More Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Whitney - Category: Trailer, Strategy, PC
   


Spore PC Game

September 7th 2008 19:54
Spore is an enjoyable game that pulls off an interesting balancing act. On one hand, it lets you create a creature and guide its maturation from a single cell to a galactic civilization through an unusual process of evolutionary development. Because the tools used to create and revise this creature are so robust and amusing, and each creation's charms are so irresistible, it's hard not to get attached to your digital alter ego. On the other hand, this intimacy is abandoned in the long, later portions of the game, when you lead your full-grown civilization in its quest for universal domination. The idea sounds ambitious, though Spore isn't as much a deep game as it is a broad one, culling elements from multiple genres and stripping them down to their simplest forms. By themselves, these elements aren't very remarkable; but within the context of a single, sprawling journey, they complement each other nicely and deliver a myriad of delights.

You will need to put some creative energy into Spore, but if you aren't the artistic type or don't find the building- and vehicle-creation tools as interesting as those for your creature, you can use premade designs that ship with the game. Even better, you can utilize Spore's extensive community tools, inserting other players' innovations into your own game in progress. It's actually a lot of fun to sift through others' creations, if only to marvel at the remarkable amount of imagination on display. And you can do this from within the game proper using an online database called the Sporepedia. In Spore, community and gameplay come together in a fresh and user-friendly manner. In fact, to get the most out of the game, you should be online whenever you play. Not only will doing so give you access to the Sporepedia, but most of the other creatures, vehicles, and even entire planets you encounter will have been created by other players. The early release of the Creature Creator has already proven that community involvement is a core aspect of the Spore experience, and the sharing factor is poised to give the game remarkable longevity


[ Click here to read more ]
34
Vote
Shared on
Read MoreRead More Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Whitney - Category: Review, Strategy, PC
   


Orange Box Cheats and Achievements

July 12th 2008 02:13
When you purchase the Orange Box game collection, you are not only paying for one game, but 4. You want to make sure that you have all the achievements and cheats for all of the games, whether you are playing the Xbox 360 or the PC version. Check of the following achievements and cheats links so that you can have the full list at your finger tips.


[ Click here to read more ]
41
Vote
Shared on
Read MoreRead More Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Whitney - Category: Achievements, Cheats & Tips, Action, PC, Xbox 360
   


Call of Duty: World at War Release Dates and Trailer

July 8th 2008 23:28


Call of Duty 5 will be manufactured for DS, Wii, PS2, PS3, XBOX 360, and PC. As of now, the exact release date is unknown, but it's expected to be released by December 31, 2008. Although, that may not be the case, all Call of Duty gamers are hoping to see the game for a late Christmas gift


[ Click here to read more ]
51
Vote
Shared on
Read MoreRead More Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
   


Crysis Warhead Trailer and Preview

July 3rd 2008 23:06
Crysis Warhead is an offshoot of last years, Crysis. The game focuses on Pyscho, one of hte supporting characters from Crysis. Crytek promises more shooting, firefights, and explosions.

Warhead is supposed to address many of the problems and concerns that were uncovered with Crysis. The first being the storyline. Because the story is focused around Sergeant Michael Sykes, the gameplay will flow better, generally speaking


[ Click here to read more ]
51
Vote
Shared on
Read MoreRead More Add CommentsAdd Comments
[ Link ]
Posted By: Whitney - Category: Preview, Release Dates, Trailer, Action, PC
   


Next Page (11-20)



[ Gaming Life Home ] [ Create A New Post ]
Moderated by Whitney
Copyright © 2006 2007 2008 On Topic Media PTY LTD. All Rights Reserved. Design by Vimu.com.
On Topic Media ZPages: Sydney |  Melbourne |  Brisbane |  London |  Birmingham |  Leeds     [ Advertise ] [ Contact Us ] [ Privacy Policy ]