Battlefield 3 Video Game Review (PS3)

Battlefield 3

                Once again, my awesome girlfriend has showered me with her love by pre-ordering me the limited edition Battlefield 3 a couple of months back, today was claim day and I finally got my hands on this much awaited game! Along with the Limited edition in game freebies, I got a pretty cool free shirt too as a part of the package, too bad they only had medium, it's a bit too big but what the heck.

                Let's get to it! To anyone who has played games from the Battlefield franchise, you know that when comes to making awesome virtual warzones, Battlefield makes it to the top of the list, well, my list at least, but I’m sure many would agree. When I purchase a game, I consider 3 things, the campaign aspect, the multiplayer aspect and the replayability of the game.

                First off, let’s tackle the campaign aspect of the game, the story revolves around a conflict between the Middle-East, some Russians and the United States. Since I hate spoilers, I won’t discuss this one too much. It’s a short campaign where you are put into various scenarios with some dramatic events and effects which adds more flair to the well structured storyline, the scenes are acted out well too adding more life to the story. Although the main scenes are quite one dimensional, which kind of show similarities to Call Of Duty Black Ops (I won’t go into any more detail, buy the game and play it to see what I mean). I was a bit disappointed though because the wit and personality of the previous games in the series such as Bad Company and Bad Company 2 weren’t integrated, I think that these aspects would have given the campaign more strength.

                On to the multiplayer aspect, this is where the magic happens so to speak. There are two parts here, the Co-Op multiplayer and the real deal 12 vs 12 multiplayer. The Co-Op multiplayer is technically a two player online mission based experience, meaning you’re up against AI, yes, sadly it can only be played online and only 2 players can be utilized, and there are only 6 missions to play and replay, which are somewhat related to the campaign. To be honest, these missions are more challenging than some of the campaign missions, too bad there are only 6 to choose from. They also added a nice touch to it though, you can unlock weapons by earning points from the missions and the weapons you unlock can be used in Multiplayer. To unlock all weapons, would require multiple repeat playthroughs of the missions here. Now on to the icing on the cake, the real multiplayer, which I believe is the heart of this game. There are about 9 maps where the 24 player action can take place, each one varies in size and scenery as well, ranging from urban, industrial, military and more “nature oriented” locations. And one of my favorite parts of this game is the concept of destruction, which I first got introduced to in the Bad Company series. But in this game, it seems to have been enhanced and which makes it more awesome. Most of the structures can be damaged and destroyed using the various tools for destruction at a players disposal, this adds more dimension to a game because this can create new paths as well as remove locations to hide behind. This environmental manipulation is key in creating more strategic opportunities for you and your team and as we all know, it’s always good fun to just blow stuff up.

                Of course, one can’t forget the vehicular aspect of the game, this time around, there is more variety added and each map, may or may not have vehicles in them, each map will also have a different set of vehicles available for use. From Humvees to Buggies to Transport Vehicles to Tanks to Rafts to Helicopters and to the latest addition, Jets. Each vehicle provides a tactical advantage, if used properly and effectively, these can turn the tide of a battle in an instant. Sadly though, there is no way to practice Jet flight and Helicopter flight offline which is needed because these vehicles are one of the most complex ones in the game but once mastered, they prove very effective and useful but to the inexperienced (myself included) they prove frustrating and annoying or entertaining to the rest of the players when witnessing an out of control jet or helicopter plummeting to the earth or heading straight into a mountain or building.

                But I believe the most important aspect of the game is the one closer to the player, which is the class and loadout selection. It’s pretty much the same as Battlefield Bad Company 2 which is composed of Assault, Support, Engineer and Recon classes each having class specific loadouts. There are new items that have been added though such as the EOD Robot for the engineer which can arm charges and repair vehicles. There are class specific unlockables, including weapons and gadgets, as well as weapons specific unlockables that include accessories and attachments, you can also unlock specializations that enhance your classes, there are level specific unlocks as well. There’s one noticeable part of the multiplayer that is new and I find quite a fun challenge, it’s knife killing, in Battlefield 3, you can no longer just walk up to an enemy and slash him in the chest, it takes about 2 slashes or a sneak attack from behind which rewards you not just with the dogtag of your victim but a pretty cool short action sequence as well. Similar to the previous Battlefield games, the key to victory and progression is through the use of teamwork, because almost every teamwork related action is rewarded, from spotting an enemy to assisting in a kill. When your team is working well together, it provides an exciting and rewarding multiplayer experience.

                Going back to the 3 things I consider when buying a game, I’d say Battlefield 3 gets 2 ½ out of 3, multiplayer and replayability which is pretty good considering that the campaign isn’t too bad to play. Overall, I think that Battlefield 3 is worth the purchase, you are sure to have a decent campaign experience, then once that’s accomplished, you can move on to the intense and fun multiplayer aspect of the game or just start right there and play the campaign later on. Either way, the game holds a high replay value as well as a challenging and rewarding experience.  For those who enjoy a good first person shooter, intense multiplayer experience, I highly recommend this game, and as for veterans or fans of the Battlefield franchise, this is an automatic purchase.




Ranking:
Story: 8/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Graphics: 9/10
Soundtrack: 8/10
Overall: I think this game deserves a 9/10. The campaign is short but intense and exciting. The Multiplayer is really what makes this game shine.

                

Gran Turismo 5 Video Game Review (PS3)

Gran Turismo 5: Limited Edition

                Being  a Gran Turismo franchise advocate since the very beginning, I suppose it's safe to use the cliché "good things come to those who wait" because after 5 years in the making, various release date delays and weeks of waiting and resisting the urge to buy the regular version have finally paid off, I finally found a store that had a few stocks left of the Limited Edition version of Gran Turismo 5! (Sadly, I didn't get to reserve or pre-order on time for the release so all the Collector's Edition copies were off the shelves faster than a chicken on fire!) What came with this edition aside from the game of course was the Apex: Ultimate Car Guide book (pretty awesome), a DLC Redeem Code (plus a neat holographic card of the car you get, I got the Nissan GT-R GT500), a Gran Turismo decal set (various sizes and designs) and a poster. Not bad, considering the regular version and the Limited Edition only differed by a few hundred bucks (Philippine Peso).

                 Now, we have one nagging question in mind, was this game really worth the wait? I will do my best to answer this question as this review goes on.

                So upon running the game, I was prompted for a software update, naturally, I'd accept it, thinking it would simply take a couple of minutes, little did I know that the update was 608MB worth! I stared at the progress bar that seemed hopelessly frozen, after 20 minutes, I couldn't stand it, I cancelled the update and ran the game without it. As expected, Polyphony Digital and the rest of the developers will treat you to a quite long and beautiful intro movie (except for the music that didn't seem to go with it), I will not go into detail, but I will say that one may encounter a graphical overdose (trust me, this is one overdose you'd love.). After the movie, you are led into a simple menu screen. I decided to choose the Arcade Mode first to see what beauties they had to offer. I was pleased to see some very sumptuous vehicle choices, from exotics, to muscles, to supercars to daily drivers, to classics, to rally, to F1 and more, way more, real world automobiles.

                Aside from the vast vehicular selection, the game also has some new features:

1. My Home- This is the "main menu" for your career as a racer, in this area you can prepare for races, join various events, access your garage, tune your vehicle, visit the used car lot, practice, acquire licenses, etc. In this screen, you can also customize your GT Profile which is pretty much who you are in the Gran Turismo world, I liked the fact that they made it highly customizable, you can change the theme, color, wallpaper, profile photo of your GT Dashboard screen. This is where it all starts.

2. Level Up Aspect- For anyone who has played a Gran Turismo game, you know that in order to participate in certain events or have access to certain vehicles and events, you need to acquire licenses. Gran Turismo 5 has now decided to use an "experience" system wherein a player can gain experience points to level up, these in turn allow you to participate in events or purchase cars based on your level.

3. A-Spec Events and B-Spec Events- This is a new addition, it's pretty much the main events of the game. By competing in either of these events, you will earn money and experience points. The A-Spec Races are your usual, straightforward, first place wins kind of race, from here, you work your way up until you unlock more events and vehicles as you level up. Now as for B-Spec events, this is a totally new concept, this pretty much a "hands free" event wherein you no longer have to drive the car. Here, you create/select a driver and then enter him in a race. You also earn money and experience points from these events. The drivers have certain types of "personalities" that bring with them various traits and abilities, these aspects will affect how the driver performs during a race. Once you have chosen your driver, you can now begin the race, the players only task here is to "coach" the driver with 4 commands that tell him to either lower his pace, maintain his pace, pick up his pace and overtake. Now this may seem simple enough, but there are things you need to consider, excessive commanding may cause your driver "lose focus" and end committing mistakes that may cost you the race.

3. Create A Race Track- Aside from just all out racing, the game has added a feature that allows players to create their own race track and upload it for the use of the gaming community. You can create the scenery of the track, the length, the sharpness of curves and turns and the weather of the track, this feature certainly adds to the replay value of the game.

4. Online Multiplayer- Now this is the first time this feature was included in the entire Gran Turismo franchise. The concept of multiplayer is quite simple, enter the Open Lobby on the My Home menu screen, find a room, look for a race (either Free Run or Shuffle Race) then hit the gas and enjoy! Another concept added to the online aspect of this game is being able to join the Community Area on the My Home menu, here players can view their online friends, post messages and give gifts (you can give away cars! O_o).

5. Special Events- Aside from the two main events mentioned above, this is another one where players can participate in, by earning experience points and leveling up, one will be granted access to various special events, such as NASCAR, Rally, Drifting Events and Go-Karting which is a pretty good add-in to the game.

6. The Concept of Vehicle Damage- This is one thing I've always thought was lacking from the Gran Turismo franchise, finally, they have added this feature, although it is nowhere near the damage modeling that Grid possesses, I'm very pleased that it has now been included. 

                Of course, with new features come the maintenance of the old ones, personally, I'm glad they maintained the License Test feature, this was one of the defining aspects of the entire franchise. For those who've never played any Gran Turismo game, the name of the feature speaks for itself, you go through a series of driving tests in order to earn a certain license, the degree of difficulty varies, it's quite challenging but still fun overall. Also, I liked that they maintained the Used Car Lot in the Career Mode because here lies the discovery of rare vehicles that are not offered in the Dealerships, always be on the lookout, you never know what you might find. O_o Also, the usual Arcade Mode, VS mode and Practice Mode has also been retained.

                Sadly, this game is not perfect and there are some things that did leave me quite disappointed. First off, the graphics aren't that amazing, for a game that was in development for five years, I was expecting a lot more. In all honesty, if you were to compare this game to Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, graphically, Need For Speed would have a slight edge. But I'm not saying the graphics of this game aren't superb, because they are, all I'm saying is that given the amount of time it took to make, I think they could have done better. Another minor detail that I wish was worked on was the fact that Porsche isn't included in the car list, sure RUF is the closest you can get to it, but Porsche is Porsche, most car enthusiasts would share the same sentiments I suppose. Haha.

                Overall, I think that this game is a must-have for every car enthusiast and racing gamer alike. For die-hard Gran Turismo game players such as myself, this purchase was inevitable, because not getting this game would be as foolish as challenging a Bugatti Veyron using a Kia Pride. Hahaha.

Ranking:

Story: 8/10- Very enjoyable career mode

Gameplay: 8/10- Physics could use a little work, but you'll get used to it

Graphics: 9/10- Pure beauty, simply amazing. @_@

Soundtrack: 8/10

*CARS: Very vast selection, you will not be disappointed! @_@

Overall: 9/10, a very satisfying game with a high replay value, blessed with tantalizing graphics and an insane amount of vehicle choices.