Darkmatters Review: RESISTANCE 3

Resistance 3 (18) PS3 Exclusive

Developed by Insomniac Games

Reviewed by Matt Adcock


Ah August, 1957… I still remember that fateful time…. It was yesterday…

America was lost to the Chimeran scum, we humans had been toasted on the battlefield, enslaved and even converted into freakish monsters – monsters who existed to hunt and kill the last humans left alive.

Sentinel Joseph Capelli had given up fighting the alien fiends after his dishonorable discharge from the army but now when his wife and son are threatened he must draw together the remnants of humanity left in the aftermath of the brutal Chimeran invasion. And try to form a new Resistance…

Insomniac Games’ are pretty darn tasty when it comes to working on the PS3 – Resistance 3 is their fifth-generation engine and it really shows. The graphics sparkle, the controls are immediately second nature and the levels to fight through are living, breathing masterpieces of cunning design. Resistance 3 is so full of win that it beats the living daylights out of the first two games. Everything has been refined, improved and machine tooled to give you a hair-raising, spine tingling blast-em-up par excellence!?

You get to ‘be’ Capelli as he fights for survival, packing new (and returning but now upgradeable) weapons, each is a joy to wield from the meaty human staples of magnums, shotguns, machine guns, rifles and snipers through to the energy bolt firing, see and shoot through walls alien weaponry. And if you think it’s fun using the lovely spread of weaponry in single player campaign (which can be co-oped) – just wait till you go up against your mates in multiplayer deathmatch with them!!

So yes, Resistance 3 is undoubtedly the best in the series to date, and it redeems the slightly less fun Resistance 2 which failed to cement the games as classics – if you only ever play one Resistance game, 3 is the magic number! I’m not kidding when I say that Resistance 3 is up there with Killzone 3 and Gears of War 3… This is a good year for ‘3’ games with Uncharted 3 and Mass Effect 3 still to come!

It’s not like there is a shortage of first-person shooters out there either (and with Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 arriving soon – more quality ‘3’ games) it looks like this is a golden era for making virtual warfare.

"Wow - what big teeth you have..."

I was lucky enough to face the Chrimera in person at the ‘And Darkness Descends’ live action prequel event in London – which was a great way to set up the plot of Resistance 3. But even if you’ve never played a Resistance game before and didn’t get to the ‘darkness’ event – R3 is so welcoming that you’ll feel like you’ve jumped straight into a brand franchise – and it will be one of your very favourites!!

And for those who like their shoot-em-up in 3D, Resistance 3 is an absolute beast in that it really gives Killzone 3 a run for it’s money in terms of how slick and immersive it feels. Yes it also packs the option to use the nifty PS3 Move Gun attachment too – so for those who like to pull a real trigger rather than a controller button – step right up!


Resistance 3 is an awesome game, anyone who likes to shoot stuff (especially sci-fi fans) will find hours of pleasure here. Don’t deny yourself a slice of superb fun – everything about Resistance 3 is pure class, the PS3 is kicking all sort of ass this year!!

"essential kit!"

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

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(5 - PS3 keeps the good times coming!!)...

Check out the official site

UNCHARTED 3: BETA IMPRESSIONS

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception BETA (PS3)

Developed by Naughty Dog

Reviewed by Matt Adcock


Once in awhile a game comes along that redefines expectations – something so new, so spine tinglingly delightful, executed to perfection and megaton in levels of invention, gameplay and sheer awesomeness…

The Uncharted games on PS3 have so far both been key examples of the above – so the pressure is on developers Naughty Dog to come up trumps with their third game in the series.

Now having been playing the Uncharted 3 BETA for 2 weeks solidly (it knocked every other game off our PS3) I’m delighted to report that Uncharted 3's multiplayer is a serious beast of shootin, climbing, treasure collecting and beating the crap out of your enemies… And it rocks!!

"character customisation allows for some good variation"

In a Call of Duty style there are plenty of perks and badman weapons to unlock – plus outfits for your character and taunts etc. It’s a god system and it really adds to the gamplay experience as you’ll find yourself risking life and limb dashing into fierce crossfires in suicidal dashes to grab a key piece of treasure.

The BETA brings three levels – an airstrip, chateau and Yemen – all are rich environments packed with really inventive features, e.g. the airstrip level begins with a mad chase of a fleet of lorries all after a cargo plane which is racing down a runway trying to take off. You start either on the plane or one of the trucks and have to leap between the moving vehicles shooting and scrapping as you go. The moving vehicles is a feature rarely scene in multiplayer maps (one notable exception is the Killzone 3 train set level) and it shows just how ambitious Naughty Dog are in bringing something new to this run and gun genre.

The Uncharted games have always had a brilliantly cinematic single player experience – definitely the nearest thing yet to actually starring in your own action flick but it looks like this time the multiplayer experience will be every bit as amazing. Shooting game fans are in for a massive treat when Uncharted 3 hits this November – this really is potentially the game of 2011 and that’s not a claim to make lightly as we have Battlefield 3, MW3 and Gears of War 3 all clamoring for shooting supremacy.

"take a trip to Yemen - love the scenery - try not to get shot..."

Graphically Uncharted 3 is head and shoulders above the excellent standard of even Uncharted 2 – the rich colourful settings and absolutely brilliant character models who move convincingly whether climbing, rolling or fighting… it is breath-taking stuff.

Of the two levels the chateau is a broken down mansion flanked by two serious turrets and has a zipline down which you can fly whilst unleashing hot lead death from above. The airfield (after the plane has taken off) is dominated by a large warehouse with metal walkways and multiple lines of sight, plus cargo containers – any of which could hold a hiding enemy… Both environments are tense, paranoia inducing and seriously good fun!

The weapons of Uncharted 3 are nicely balanced with the AK47 being the standard rifle, plus old favs from Uncharted 2 such as the Dragon Sniper and Sass shotgun – plus RPG (which can be accessed via in game medal collection) and grenades, handguns (got to love the machine pistol) etc. There is a good variety and most games seem to have a decent amount of give and take as the teams are balanced by player ranks.

The kickback bonuses such as RPG are nicely diverse too to suit various play styles with a smoke bomb e.g. that allows you to escape from battles, or a boost of never ending ammo for a certain time… These can really help swing the tide of a fight and gives you real incentive to keep collecting medals which you get for pulling off various kills, stunts and feats.

So as the BETA hits open PSN access this week – get ready to Team Deathmatch your heart out, rip it up in 2 vs. 2 vs. 2 co-op death match or just lose yourself in hours of gunslinging action multiplayer action…

"you don't get to do this in Call of Duty multiplayer"

Nothing comes close to delivering the pure adrenalin thrills of Uncharted 3 – if you’ve yet to download the BETA, stop whatever you’re doing and go get it now. This is the future of multiplayer, if you don’t currently own a PS3 this is the game you’re going to need to buy one to play!!

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööööö

(5 - PS3 + Uncharted 3 = most awesome gameplay available)...

Darkmatters hearts MOTORSTORM APOCALYPSE!!

MotorStorm PS3

Developed by: Evolution Studios

Reviewed by Matt Adcock (A version of this review is also available at Frank The Monkey!:)

AAHhhhhh my butt is on fire!

Welcome to MotorStorm: Apocalypse, the third PS3 game in the MotorStorm franchise which has been tearing up Sony’s powerhouse machine with a uniquely balls out flavour of racing since it launched. ‘Apocalypse’ brings a new level of insane destruction to the mix – the races this time are not just off road, but off the scale awesome as the urban landscape itself is torn apart by a massive earthquake.

Ah yeah, the earthquake, well that didn’t work out so well for the makers as MotorStorm: Apocalypse was due to be released just when the real world earthquake had just hit Japan. So the game was quite rightly delayed for a few weeks to literally "let the dust settle".

So if you’ve played any of the previous MotorStorm games then you’ll know what to expect racing wise – full throttle arcade thrills, where ramming opponents is actively encouraged and boosting over the winning line on fire is part of the experience. Apocalypse recaptures some of the original’s spunky attitude which had been toned down for the last outing, it is also a darker take on the genre with passers-by and spectators fair game to become road kill if they get in the way!?

Anyway - this video shows you exactly what to expect:



The racing dynamics are tight and highly satisfying, boosted by the addition of some wicked new vehicles including supercars, superbikes, hot hatches, muscle cars and choppers. The urban setting makes a refreshing change from the mud, sand (and ice if you count the PSP ‘Artic Edge’) and the feeling of driving a suped up supercar through a dust cloud of pure destruction as the whole track literally collapses around you is a buzz that no other racing game to date has managed to deliver. It dwarves the efforts of Split / Second which was the closest to it in terms of urban racing / destruction and sets a new benchmark for total hard core arcade racing fun.

The MotorStorm Apocalypse city where the ‘Festival’ of racing takes place gets ravaged in real-time as you race - bridges can buckle and twist, buildings collapse and rifts open up beneath the vehicles as they drive, it’s awesome. You can also tinker with the look of your vehicles this time with vinyls, parts, and modified stat changing ‘perks’. It gives you a good affinity with you vehicles and lets you set them up in the style you want to race – combative, pure speed, defensive etc.

MotorStorm fans know just how important using the boost is – and letting it cool down is a key part of winning races. Driving through water is one way to cool / recharge the boost but here you can also let the air cool you down by performing some crazy big air jumps.
The city (or what’s left of it) is still home to some folks – and they can effect the race by doing things like firing missiles onto the track… This interference adds another element to the races and keeps it unpredictable.
You begin as a ‘Rookie’ and can work your way through ‘Pro’ through to ‘Veteran’ – it doesn’t take too long to progress if you’re any good and there are plenty of achievable trophies to grab along the way.
So the Festival is the main single-player mode and has a storyline which is new to the series – told through fun graphic novel like cut scenes. MotorStorm: Apocalypse – of course keeps and improves on the excellent brutal online multiplayer racing too – complete with Call of Duty alike perks to unlock.

"I feel the need, the need for - oh wait, not that game, this is MOTORSTORM!"

MotorStorm: Apocalypse is a great game which delivers a unique and fun to play racing experience that kicks the ass of any other off road racer on any system. If you like racing games then this is a must buy – don’t deny yourself the sheer excitement that awaits.

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:


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(5 - Awesome shock and awe on wheels)...

If MOTORSTORM APOCALYPSE was a girl it would be recently named by Esquire Magazine 'sexiest woman alive': Katrina Bowden
 

"tipped for big things by Darkmatters in 2007"

God of War: Ghost of Sparta

God of War: Ghost of Sparta (PSP)


Developed by: Ready at Dawn

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

This is SPARTA!!!! – in the palm of your hand!

Warriors behold, a glorious new blood soaked reality awaits you – take hold of your trusty PSPs and charge forward into the fight. God of War: Ghost of Sparta sees Sony’s portable handheld PlayStation deliver something over and above what anybody might have hoped for. This is a ‘real’ God of War game, a meaty, violent and supremely satisfying ‘slaughter-em-up’ which shows just what the PSP is capable of.

If you’ve ever wanted to feel the adrenalin rush of intense battle, you might not expect a handheld game to be the best new place to find that testosterone overload focus of pure carnage which will make you feel like a MAN (whatever sex you are!? God of War III showed that when it comes hard bastard heroes, nobody comes close to Kratos – you can keep your space marines, soldiers and RPG fantasy warriors – this guy is the real deal – for behold – he is the God of War.

The Ghost of Sparta plot sees you as Kratos seeking answers about your past and finding out interesting developments such as your brother, Deimos needs saving form none other than Thanatos - God of Death. This cues up an excellent rampage of biblical proportions as you Leviathans, Gods, Kings and a whole host of angry legendary creatures. When Kratos is finished with them however, even the mightiest are left as crumpled bloody dismembered heaps because he is one action hero that doesn’t mind getting down and dirty with his huge upgradable weapons.

If you’ve ever played a God of War game, then you’ll be immediately home – chop, hack and stab enemies, reaping their green (health) and red (upgrade) orbs, Battle insane bosses where you’ll need fast reactions to employ the satisfying mini game take downs. Unleash magical attacks to rip through hordes of enemies or decimate hold as nail opponents… It’s all good!

The controls are kept simple with face button light and heavy attacks backed up with magic mapped to the D-pad. Special attacks can be brought into play with the triggers as well as using them for evading etc. It is a quality ‘pick up and play’ set up which is quick to feel like second nature and yet has a hidden level of depth once you start unlocking various combos etc. The PSP’s analog nub might not be the best joystick ever but it does the job and the developers have crafted the controls to be very responsive.

"meet my hot blades of death..."

For those who like to use a little brain power amidst carnage there are still some mild puzzle elements but these are not ones to stump you mid battle. Ghost of Sparta is wildly enjoyable, it is a standard bearer as to just what the PSP can deliver and it even has a sex minigame to enjoy…

If you plump for the download option (which I tried) then not only is the gameplay slick and looking gorgeous but there are virtually no loading to be done either… It seems like Ready At Dawn have mastered the PSP and totally made it their good time providing bitch.

If the PSP2 does launch next year, then this will be a very strong reason for Sony to include backwards compatibility… Although we can only dream as to what the next God of War on a more powerful handheld could bring – every PSP owner the world over should invest in Ghost of Sparta – because it is the crowning pinnacle of PSP perfection.

Overall: Darkmatters rating: öööööööö (9 stomping on immortal's gonads out of 10)

Darkmatters Review: Gamer

Gamer (18)

Dir. Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, who also made CRANK and CRANK: High Voltage

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

ONE WORD SUMMATION: shoot-frag-shag-em-up

If Sci-fi shoot em up Gamer is to be believed then the future of gaming consists of nano-cells... They’re real small critters, a thousand times smaller than dust particles... If you inhaled a cloud of them you wouldn’t even know until it was too late – they’d be replicating, spreading like a virus, multiplying in exponentials throughout your nervous system. In under just six months a hundred million people could be ‘converted’ and by that I actually mean ‘enslaved’. Yes, this is Gamer and we’re in a dystopian future where nano-cell infused people can be controlled by players and there are two big games featuring this incredible (if morally dubious) technology.

"kill or be killed..."

First up is ‘Society’, a Second Life like game that looks like a real life version of the PS3’s ‘Home’ just without any moral boundaries. Players pay to control real people – who get paid for letting themselves be controlled, and there don’t seem to be any limits as to what they can be made to do… Needless to say that this set up leads to a lot of stereotypical fat male gaming slobs perving as they make scantily clad hot females act out their fantasies.


"choose your plaything..."

Then there’s the even darker alternative game ‘Slayers’ which is where death row inmates are controlled by gamers in battle games that play out like real life Call of Duty or Killzone 2 levels. High powered weaponry and armour can be downloaded to the players for a price as can various mods (modifications to the players abilities). In a Running Man styled incentive, if a player survives 30 games, they win their freedom with a full pardon but no-one has yet achieved this goal.

Step up grizzled macho hero Kable (Gerald ‘300’ Butler) who has become a celebrity star of Slayers by surviving 27 games. Will he – controlled by his hotshot 17 year player Simon (Logan ‘3:10 to Yuma’ Lerman) – be the first to win his freedom? Could he even be the one to escape the Slayers game world, find and free his wife Angie (Amber ‘Transporter 2’ Valletta) who is being sexually exploited in ‘Society’ and generally save the world? Obviously there are some off the shelf rebels who try to assist Kable – led by rapper Chris “Ludacris” Bridges – who start to slip his player Simon some illegal mods such as one that allows him to directly talk to Kable in game. But the Humanz as the rebels call themselves feel a bit tacked on to the main one man against the odds plotline.


"Mr n Mrs 'sex n violence 2009...'"

Both the nano-cell based games are created by nasty media mogul Ken Castle (Michael C. Hall from TV’s Dexter) who seems to have plans to expand the games to the point where we are all being ‘played’… But Kable might just be the man to foil Castle’s dastardly plan – so he must be silenced at any cost…

Directors Neveldine and Taylor have carved out reputations for making films that kick ass first and ask questions later with the two Crank flicks. Gamer continues the dim witted hyperkinetic action elements of the Crank series but ups the firepower. Things get blown up in high definition, cars, helicopters and of course people get demolished in blood thirsty close up. Then for the ultimate sex n violence combo we have ‘Society’ which delivers pulsing babes and nudity to the strains of The Bloodhound Gang’s “The Bad Touch.”

Darkmatters Verdict:

Gamer isn’t actually as big or clever as I suspect the makers were secretly hoping it to be but it does deliver some tasty wham bang action, gratuitously sexist titillation and interesting conceptualisation as to what the future of gaming holds. If the next generation of consoles come with a head chips to insert, it might be wise to stick with the trusty PS3!?
All in all it’s a perfect Friday night romp.

Darkmatters final rating of: öööööööö (8 – if you see one game based film this year)

Darkmatters quick reference guide:

Action 8 (intense combat action in bursts)

Style 7 (frenzied future freakshow)

Babes 7 (Amber Valletta a major babe)

Comedy 6 (moments of fun)

Horror 8 (nasty in places)

Spiritual Enlightenment -3 (soul sapping)


"the future is short shorts..."

Film Review - Max Payne

Max Payne (15)

Dir. John Moore

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Max Payne says: “I don’t believe in Heaven, I believe in Pain…”

Video game to big screen adaptations are invariably hit or miss affairs, critics tend to hate them, fans of the game get upset if plot details are changed and even the actors rarely seem to ‘get’ the character they are playing… Having been an avid gamer since the days of Pong and ZX Spectrum, and having played and enjoyed both Max Payne (on PS2) and the follow up (on PC) I was really hoping that the filmmakers and Mark Wahlberg would do Max justice.

The Max Payne games were multiformat cult classic run and gun mysteries that implemented an impressive ‘bullet-time’ slow down (as opposed to frame rate drop) which was completely borrowed from The Matrix but worked so well that it never failed to put a massive grin on my face when I’d kick open a door, and shotgun blast each of the adversaries before they’d even had time to draw their weapons. Oh and there was a dose of Norse mythology fused into the noir detective storyline that made it much more interesting than a simple shoot-em-up.

Twentieth Century Fox picked John Moore (who already has a debt to Satan for making The Omen ’06 so average) to direct the film; he’s a guy who adheres to the ‘style over substance’ school of film making and that is how he tackles Max Payne. The hard-boiled noir look of the film is a stunning achievement – hypnotic hyper-stylised snow swirls in a constant poetic backdrop, the city is a wonderful bleak metropolis a la Sin City and Wahlberg’s constipated frown is a dead ringer for the videogame Payne. Production values are high across the board and even the slightly wacky hallucinogenic visions of Norse Valkyrie demons are rendered effectively. Then there are the babes, sultry but bad ass assassin Mona Sax (Mila Kunis), and a sizzling cameo by new Bond girl Olga Kurylenko who wears a mean red dress (and seems to have a thing for videogame movies as she was in Hitman last year). So far, so good…

But there’s always a downside and here it’s the plot which brings the payne (sorry). The movie is a mish mash mostly ripped straigh from the game and then padded out, remixed and jubbled togther without much care for consistency or dramatic endeavor. We find Max struggling with his guilt and rage over the death of his wife and child at the hands of drug addicted scumbags. Three years he’s been hunting the killer and now an outbreak of grissly murders looks to be linked to his family’s deaths. The join the dots linkages between scenes are liable to insult even the most retarded of teen gamers but at least there’s the tasty gun action right? Sure, there is some and when it eventually kicks off it looks very good – even working in some effective bullet-time moments, but it feels slightly muted and overly sanitised which goes against everything the original games stood for. I can see that the studio wants to make this available to as wider audience as possible (in the US it got a PG13 rating) but when trying to stand alongside similar ‘feel’ movies such as Sin City or The Crow, Payne wimps out. Maybe if the audience had been dosed up with the film’s experimental performance enhancing drug called Valkyr – they might have gotten into it more?

The cast are average at best, Beau Bridges hams up his role of Payne’s former partner like his family will be killed if he in any way manages to look convincing, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges shows that he should stick to rapping as he sleepwalks around looking confused and Chris O’Donnell, Donal Logue, and even Nelly Furtado round off the oddball assmebled ‘talent’.
You know you’re in trouble when two nameless junkies get some of the best lines e.g.:

Junkie 1: Hey man, see that dude with the watch? Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

Junkie 2: He could tell us what time it is?

Junkie 1: No you idiot! We could steal the watch, sell it, and get more drugs!

Junkie 2: That's a brilliant plan! I have a gun!

Junkie 3: Man, what if he has a gun too?

Junkie 1: You idiot, law-abiding citizens aren't allowed to have guns here! How do you think we'd survive if they did?

Junkie 2: Let's go f**k this guy up!

Screenwriter Beau Thorne doesn’t seem to know quite how to bring all elements together effectively, so he sacrifices coherence *cough side kick just happens to turn up and save Payne’s ass twenty stories up in a secure corporate tower? Huh? *cough and hopes that nobody is paying enough attention to notice.

Yes the Max Payne movie is slick and good looking, and is so nearly a great blast of crime mystery peppered with some decent fights but it trips itself up and in the end probably won’t please enough people to warrant a sequel. If you do find yourself buying into this, there’s a tease for a possible follow up after the end credits (but even this is in not in the same league as Iron Man’s Nick Fury post credit introduction).

My biggest problem with the fim version when compared to the game though is that for a climactic showdown, the ‘end boss’ is simply no challenge, whereas anyone who has played the game will attest otherwise!? The usual action movie double standards are writ large when Payne can take a point blank clip of semi-automatic machine gun to the chest whereas the enemy falls to an unsatisfying single round.

If you’re prepared to let a fairly dull plot wash over you whilst you enjoy the visual stylings and occasional flash of action then step right up, otherwise Payne is simply going to be another ‘failed’ videogame adaptation. Perhaps a PS3 Max Payne 3 might redress the balance because it would be a shame for the film to have taken Max to a watery grave…

DARKMATTERS RATING SYSTEM (all ratings out of maximum 10 but '-' is bad whereas '+' is good):

Endorphin Stimulation: öööööö (6)

+ Norse mythos helps a bit

Tasty Action: öööööö (6)

+ The action is cool but very sparse!

Gratuitous Babeness: öööööööö (8)

+ Mona Sax and Olga Kurylenko are suitably hot

Mind Blight / Boredom: öööööö (6)

- Why so slow and ponderous?? WHY???

Comedic Value: ööööö (5)

- limited wise cracking

Arbitrary final rating: öööööö (6)

I'm a sucker for cool stylish noir films but Payne only just passes muster

Liable to make you:

"get a Norse tattoo or go back and play the games again"

DM Poster Quote:

“Bring the Payne!?"

Unreal Tournament III - PS3 - review

Unreal Tournament III – PS3

Epic games

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Prepare yourself for the fastest, most brutal online combat you’ve ever witnessed. Be ready to cry with joy if you’ve ever enjoyed games like Gears of War or Call of Duty 4… Nothing can really prepare you for Unreal Tournament III not on a PC, but on the PS3… “This is living” as the advert says and boy they aren’t kidding!

If you like shooting stuff (especially other players) with some of the finest and most well balanced weaponry ever conceived – Unreal Tournament III is liable to make you wet your pants. You don’t even need to have played any of the previous Unreal games as this comes as a stand alone story but in reality (or unreality) it’s just a training ground for the real (or should I say ‘unreal’) meat of the game. Unreal Tournament III is a born and bred – best of breed online shooter, it lives for the glory of the death-match, it licks it’s lips at carnage around capturing an enemy flag and it gets hard thinking about seriously large firepower packing vehicles.

Playing your way through the stunningly gorgeous single player levels gives you ample opportunity to find your way around, try out different weapons and stop occasionally to take in the amazing scenery. The A.I bots that you’ll be up against are fast, clever and they make smart choices – whether that be working as a team to flush you out or just play dead in order to lure you into a trap, It’s compulsive stuff and addictive too. Be prepared to face some of the most compelling ‘just one more go’ urges you’ve ever encountered.

But everything that comes on the Blu-Ray disc is just the beginning because Unreal Tournament III has another ace up its muscle bound sleeve – mods… Yes for the fist time on a console the makers have provided the gaming community with an ‘unreal’ play set with witch to create new levels (you’ll need the PC version to make your own levels, weapons or gameplay altering dynamics). So this is a game limited only by the hardcore geekiness of modders the world over and as soon as you’ve downloaded the mod created freeze gun, or played the utterly joyful level made completely of destructible Lego – you’ll never look back.


This

is

Lego Unreal living!!

The future might be violent, bleak and brutal but it’s also never looked or played quite as sharp – and now on the PS3, the reason has become clear (as Roxette might once have said) ‘it’s almost Unreal’!!

Overall ööööö (5/5 superb and infinite... buy it now!!)

My PSN gamertag is 'Cleric20' - come and find me online!!


"You remind me of my wife in the morning!"


"Big tanks are the shizzle..."

If you present day warfare instead (which is just as good) try COD4: http://darkmatt.blogspot.com/2008/01/call-of-duty-4-modern-warfare-review.html

If you prefer chopping enemies up with a sword... may I suggest you pick a Heavenly Sword: Matt's Heavenly Sword (review)

Call Of Duty 4 Modern Warfare - review

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3)

Reviewed by Matt 'Cleric20' Adcock

Report marine, you horrible little grunt…
This is the real thing – well as near to the real thing as is currently possible on any games console – so prepare yourself.

Activision are sending you and a crack squad of elite soldiers into a dangerous warzone where you’ll need razor fast reflexes, a strong strategic brain and most of all, a comfy sofa because this hop is so good that you're going to be playing for some time!!

If the words ‘explosive action’ make you excited, then Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare might just tip you over the edge. Kiss goodbye to your social life, family and friends (unless they have PS3's too – then join them online), because never before has a FPS (first person shooter) been quite so cool, playable, graphically impressive and downright fun – and yes I’ve played Halo 1-3, Warhawk and the Orange Box…

This game looks amazing enough in the cut scenes but you really will have to pinch yourself when you see this baby’s in game play running in high def glory – smooth – that’s the only word for it. Setting impressive new standards for physics-enabled effects and virtually photo-realistic gaming experience, the only bad news is that this might make other games in your collection look a bit duff in comparison (unless you only own COD4, Uncharted and Ratchet & Clank: Future which together form the current ‘holy trinity’ of beautiful shooters for the PS3 in particular).

The single player rocks – gone are those pesky Nazis and ‘played this a million times already’ WW2 campaigns, in come terrorist cells and paid mercenaries wielding tactical nuclear weapons and taking no prisoners. Suffice to say that the single player game is fun, frantic and rewarding, especially as you can unlock some great bonuses like an ‘arcade mode’ which makes replaying it for ‘points per kill’ a real treat. The plot is kinda Tom Clancy-ish and best experienced first hand rather than read about in advance.

Then there’s the multiplayer which I was introduced to by a work colleague – we’ve been shooting each other online ever since – cheers Robin! Building on the hit Call of Duty 2 online experience, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare sets the bar high for multiplayer by being the most addictive and accessible experience I’ve played online and remarkably it works for gamers of all levels. With a dizzying number of weapon options - assault rifles, machine guns, shotguns, sniper rifles, pistols, multiple types of grenades and some very nifty claymore mines, there is something for everyone, and best of all you can modify your soldier through ‘perks’. This is the role playing lite element which allows you to customise how you play e.g. more life bar or better aim? Self destruct option when shot or radar jamming device... there’s so much depth to this that you’ll be tinkering with your set up until you become the ultimate killing machine.

Accept no substitute – if you only buy one shooter and you value multiplayer over single player, COD4 is your new best friend.

Overall ööööö (5/5 warfare has never been as good)

My PSN gamertag is 'Cleric20' - come and find me online!!


"this is in game - look at the detail - look at the carnage!!"


If you prefer chopping enemies up with a sword... may I suggest you pick a Heavenly Sword: Matt's Heavenly Sword (review)