aXs Gaming - Professional Gaming : Eurogamer 2011 .. the Lurker's Escape! PART2 - aXs Gaming - Professional Gaming

BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY will start us off.


By their own admission Rocksteady Studios was not bringing anything new to the party at Eurogamer so I can only give you a report based on gameplay that has been reported on before. As usual with this franchise the graphics are of the highest quality. Rocksteady had a good basis to build on after Arkham Asylum but they have still stepped up their game. The controls have been kept the same and there was in-game hints to help the new players along. Saying that you might think that it is just a rehash of Arkham Asylum ... that would be doing a big injustice to the game. Generally the gameplay looks and feels more indepth and not as linear as before. You feel that your are able to explore more and still complete the various missions thrown your way. In my small opinion this is a solid game worthy of anyone's $s. Just a word of warning though make sure you have your thong on if you play as catwomen as the developers could not have made her outfit anymore skintight if they tried!!

Onwards and Upwards! ACE COMBAT: ASSAULT HORIZON by Project Aces


OK I have been slipping as this is the first review of a war based game in this blog but bear with me as it does get better

This is the latest installment in the Ace Combat series and the differences between this and Ace Combat 6 are astounding. The graphics are sharper, the gameplay smoother, the variety of aircraft on offer to you has increased dramatically. Project Aces have always prided themselves on high resolution planes but Assault horizon takes all they have learned and applied it to the landscape as well. Anyone who has played any of the Ace Combat series will say that although the landscapes are photo-realistic from a high altitude once you tried low level flying everything just became 16 bit blocks of colour. Assault Horizon just brings this contrast into a sharper focus with the new dog-fighting mode. Gone are the days of fire and hope with close range guns now you can actually lock onto a target and enter into a full-on dogfight. You might take this over land or sea depending on the mission but it really comes to life above the cities as you chase your quarry between the skyscrapers flipping your plane on its wingtips to negotiate the narrow spaces. Yes you can run away and try to bring all targets down with missiles but from the brief gameplay I experienced I believe you will soon run out of ammunition in the later missions. This is a game for new and experienced players alike so I have to give it a

GHOST RECON: FUTURE SOLDIER


Is the next on the list. Ubisoft have given time to the developers before releasing this game and it shows. The graphics are smooth and sharp and the gameplay is polished. This is the most realistic game in the series with limited running through open spaces punished by alert guards. Having to work your way cautiously to the objectives always looking for cover ... chose the wrong spot and have to move to far out to get a bead on your chosen target and you will be punished. The third person viewpoint can become a little disconcerting especially if you are running low towards cover and suddenly topping as the camera tracking jumps up and down a bit. Try to look down an ACOG scope quickly after getting to cover and you are thrown from third person into first person and I found that disconcerting but I am sure after playing for longer it is something that a player will get used to. The aiming and hit detection is very good although with an assault rifle it still took a few shots to down an opponent even with clear headshots which is what most players of first or third person shooters really want. Thank you Ubisoft as you have done the series proud with this latest offering

Bethesda Game Studios THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM


This is a step away from the shooter genre for a second. This is one of the most eagerly awaited games and I can vouch for that with people queuing for over 2 hours just for 15 minutes of game time. This is a step up from Oblivion whilst still remaining loyal to the series. The non linear gameplay is still the main part of the game allowing you to develop your character in numerous ways. The graphics are impressive and it can be seen through these that Bethesda has given their Game Studios a larger budget and workforce to hone the game. 15 minutes of game time was not enough to give a full impression of the game but that is a good thing as this is a role-playing game you don't want to sit down and beat as fast as possible. Definitely wqell worth parting with your hard earned $s for.

FINALLY ROUNDING OFF WITH THE BIG HITTERS OF THE EVENT!!

BATTLEFIELD 3 is the first up of the heavyweights....


I was limited to playing Metro on this but if the rest of the game comes anywhere near as good as this on multiplayer all I can say is I want, I want , I WANT!!! enough of my mad ranting.
From an objective view the graphics were up to the usual high standard that we have come to expect from the Battlefield series and the new Frostbite2 engine looked to keep everything well under control with good movement and very little or no frame lag regardless of the high level of detail. The Metro map is a good map and is a step away from what we saw in Battlefield 2 with very limited opportunity for snipers. This is a major plus for those of us that like to run and gun. I didn't have an option to use any vehicles but there seemed enough cover to protect anyone wanting to play as infantry. The targeting was well above average, almost to the point of perfect and was only matched with the hit detection. The Metro map is relatively small compared to most Battlefield maps but still offered challenges with plenty of places that you could work your way through and a plethora of opportunities for close-range and mid range weapons. I was fortunate enough to be able to play both xbox and pc versions and I must say that graphically there is not much to chose between them. OK the colours on the consoles were more vivid with grass the colour of a kids painting and the shadows harsh but then I am comparing it to the pc version which was sponsored by nvidia at the event so I would assume that the pc graphics were set to ultra. This is definitely a game that should be on everyone's shortlist to buy if they are a fan of the fps genre. If you want the full experience then opt for the pc version as you have larger teams and a high resolutions graphics wise but I am sure that even if you went the console route you will not be disappointed. Check out the demo coming out on 09/29 and decide if you agree

Now time for the competition MW3


Once again I can only give you a very limited review here as Activision decided at the last minute to join Eurogamer and as always they wanted to keep their cards close to their chest. Only offering 2 person co-op spec-ops to play. Infinity Ward have borrowed some ideas from black Ops for this and before you all run screaming to the hills hear me out. They have taken the CoD credit system and utilised it in a novel way. The map that was on offer was Paris but it could have been anywhere apart from the faint outline of the eiffel tower at the start. Generally the graphics were very good and the gameplay really pushed the limits of the Unreal engine but there didn't seem to be a dropping of frames. I didn't know what to expect when it came up with Spec-Ops as my experience on MW2 was limited but I was pleasantly surprised. Think Zombies but with hostiles that shoot back! The gameplay was based on a Wave system, which is to say that once you and your buddy were ready the first attack begins .. nice and easy at the start which is good as the only weapon was a pistol and knife. Clear that Wave and it's time to re-supply. This is done by using any credits that you have accrued that round then once both players have acknowledged they are ready then Wave 2 starts more hostiles to contend with and they are more agressive. And so the game progresses the more CoD credits you accrue the more opportunity you have to upgrade your weapon and buy killstreak rewards. There was a couple of surprise ... Doggies made an appearance, which scared the c**p out of me when I turned a corner and one launched itself at me and once you had worked your way to a high Wave then you had to contend with attack choppers, UAVs and even airstrikes. So the gameplay looks good and plays well. Now onto the slight negative ... the hit detection still appears to be off as you find when you have to empty a pistol clip to down a hostile even at close range but it is still far better than MW2 or Black Ops.

Now the difficult decision ... I f I could only have one of these games which one ... Battlefield 3 appeared to be a solid game with plenty of action. MW3 Was a solid game too with some nice touches. I would have to chose Battlefield 3 ... purely personal choice but talking to other gamers and even the activision reps the general consensus was that Battlefield 3 was the better game. Saying that, eventhough I swore I would never buy another CoD title, I have to say that i am very tempted with MW3.

Keep your eyes open for updated trailers on both games and enjoy the demo for Battlefield 3 on the 29th but keep your options open.

That's all from me for now and I can see the other Staff and Mods have found me and have the straight-jacket ready so it looks like I will be back to lurking in my corner again. Feel free to come by and say Hi and please ignore the do not feed sign

Thank you for bearing with me on this long Blog and HAPPY GAMING