Game Reviews

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Games

Track Mania Sunrise
Pariah
Unreal Tournament 2004
Warhammer 40000 - Dawn Of War

Name: Track Mania Sunrise
Type: Virtual Racing
Publisher: Digital Jester
Age Rating: PEGI 3+

I am not really a big fan of racing games, moving a car around a track all day gets pretty repetitive after a while, manoeuvring around corners and changing gear. That however is a thing of the past with the New Track Mania, Sunrise.

 

Game play:
The game play on TM Sunrise is exciting and compelling, you do not have a second to take your fingers off of the keyboard otherwise you will end up upside down, spinning around. There are a series of cunning ramps, jumps and power ups in each level which will have you flipping, dipping, crashing and tripping. The anger such events create only leads to an increased fun factor. Each series of maps is more inventive than the last, meaning that even the most experienced racing gamer will never get bored.

Graphics:
The graphics on this game are not overly done, the creators have reached what in my opinion is a good balance between the graphics and the requirements for the game, which enables even gamers with the lower spec machines to play TM Sunrise with minimum lag and crashing. Some of the maps within the large number available are visually stunning, combining typical scenery with a fresh burst of colour, ramps, car engines and oil.

Sounds:
Sounds for a typical racing game are not usually great, the constant hum of the engine gets pretty annoying after a while, like the crazy frog ring tone playing over and over. However TM Sunrise beats this hands down. The sound of the engine is combined with some stunning road sounds, such as horns, tyres screeching on tarmac and the whack of a bumper as it hits a bend barrier. The sounds are all very realistic and allow you too feel as if you were actually in the car.

Controls:
The controls on must Driving games without a steering wheel are usually quite bad. Dumming down your skill and causing stupid mistakes. However TM:Sunrise does not have such a problem, I played for my whole experience using a keyboard with no problem at all. The keys are customisable and allow you to change them to suit your own needs.

Playability:
I could see myself playing this game for quite a few hours at one time without getting bored. This definitely isn't one to be put away into a cupboard after a few hours of game play. A clever timing and medal system allows you too go back over the tracks you have completed and better your time. It will even save your friends scores so you can gloat when you beat them!

Multi player Capabilities:
The hours of spending time alone sat at your computer are a thing of the past, with TM Sunrise you can join your friends over a Local Area Network or the Internet, which has the makings for a lot of fun, crashing and cursing. This multi player option adds an extra dimension to the brilliant gaming experience that TM Sunrise promises. Setting up a game on both is as easy as pie and within a few minutes you will be racing to your hearts content.

Overall:
I would have to say that after playing Track Mania Sunrise, although apprehensive at first I was on the whole very impressed. I believe it is part of the next generation of Racing games as the designers have done so an excellent job. Due to its low age restrictions people of all ages can enjoy it, adults and children alike. I highly recommend this game is you are an avid racing gamer and even if your not!

Recap-Good points
-Multi player Capabilities
-Customisable Controls
-Brilliant Graphics
-Compelling Tracks.

Dark Pegasus (June 2005)

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Name: Pariah
Type: FPS (First Person Shooter)
Publisher: Digital Extremes
Age Rating: PEGI 16+

The game that I am reviewing today is Pariah and it is the latest from the FPS genre.

Graphics:
The graphics on this game are average at best from what I have seen of games out these days. The weapon Animations are good but nothing special. The character animations are also pleasing to for the eyes but still not great. The environment is impressive and they are I reckon to be the best graphics in this game.

Game play:
The game play is interesting at most and I feel that it takes a lot of ideas from other games. Some of those games I believe to be are Halo, Halflife2 and Unreal Tournament. The story line is compelling in some parts but the consistence of the cinematic and placement of the automatic save points become very annoying because in at least one part if you die you have to watch a 5 min cinematic and you cant skip them (very annoying).

Sound:
The sounds are really well done for this game and suck you into the game more then the graphics do I think. The weapon sounds are awesome compared to the other parts of this game and really suit the weapons they come from. The environment sounds are good but I have heard better and the people that made this game I believe could of done better.

Overall:
Overall I believe that Pariah has some good and some bad points but does mix a lot of those together. These create an average game altogether, but dose have a compelling storyline that I think is the highlight of this game. So over all I give this game a 6/10.

Mail_Man (May 2005)

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Name: Unreal Tournament 2004
Type: FPS (First Person Shooter)
Publisher: Atari
Age Rating: PEGI 16+

When I first started to play this game I was really impressed by the graphics and the speed at which it is played. I my self like fast paced games and this is one fast game if you aren't fast on your fingers you die a lot.

Game play:
The playability of this game is tremendous, but I do have to say that this is really an on-line game so if you want to play it do it on-line. If you aren't any good at these type of games try out the single player missions as well, they are well thought out for Noobs (beginners) and give you a good place to start from for learning the game and its weapons.

There are over 13 weapons with all alternate forms of fire so there is a range of weapons to kill your foes with. There are loads of different sorts of game modes for people to have ago at like Capture the flag, Team death match, Normal Death match, Assault, last man standing and a lot more.

If you are a beginner and wish to go on-line for the first time try I recommend doing ether Assault or Team Death match as they are both team orientated and your team mates can help you out.

Graphics:
The Graphics for this game are good enough on high but on low they could run on even the worst machine out there. So there is a big difference in detail and if you got a new computer I recommend having them on high but if you got an old one medium to low.

The engine for the game has some really good points on it for instance the models on high look smooth and like the gun or person should be.

I wouldn't recommend putting this game on a machine with less then 512MB Ram and a graphics card older then 2 years.

Sound:
The sounds for this game are really good but they could have been a little more realistic, as in the Pulse rifle I think the sound for that should have been different to the one that is on there now, but I still wouldn't change the sounds on this game. The explosives sounds for this game are very good as it makes you feel like they really are happening to you (if you are the one getting hit with a rocket). I recommend getting a surround sound system for this game. It would help a lot as you would be able to hear people following you, and where people are shooting you from.

Overall:
Overall I would recommend this game if you like fast paced, high explosive and very destructive weapons. But if you don't like at least one of these stay away from this game.

So in the end I give this game a 9/10 because this is what a first person shooter is meant to be.

Mail_Man (May 2005)

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Game: Warhammer 40000 - Dawn Of War
Type: RTS (Real Time Strategy)
Publisher: Relic
Age Rating: PEGI 16+

The first time I heard of Dawn of war (DoW) coming out I thought that it wasn't going to be very good and just be like all the other games that Games-workshop has made in the past. However I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome of the game.

Game play:
This is the part I like the most. There are a wide variety of things to do; yet unlike some other games such as Empire Earth 2 it is easier to handle a lot of commands at once. For example Empire Earth 2 where there was so many upgrades and troops I just didn't know what to do. Finding upgrades and troop creation is simple; clicking on a building will uncover a selection of things to do relating to that building. The campaign itself was well made and unlike many other games, it was challenging and lasted for some time. In total it took me 2 days to finish it with non-stop playing.

Graphics:
The graphics of this game are not one of the best out at the moment but I would also say it is not the worst. The unit animations I believe to be the best I have ever seen in a game. The units can actually do what the cinematic looks like say for example they do a hit combo in melee combat they also do that as a finishing move when they just killed a unit. The intro is so well thought out as well as some of the best graphic for a cinematic I've seen for some time. There are no in game cinematics which I thought was disappointing but the in game cut scene are made very well and put together cleverly as well. The graphics card that I know it looks good on is the Nvidia Geforce 5000 series and beyond.

Sound:
There really isn't much to say about the sound of this game except that its just like any other game you have music and you have unit sounds. As well as some background sound which I feel makes the game that much better with all the firing in the background and explosions that isn't happening by your own troops. The music is good but could be better. The unit sound can get annoying after a little while of continual unit selecting.

Overall:
The game itself is really good and all aspects of the game have been put together flawlessly. Making this game I believe to be one of the best out there at the moment and shall stay as one of the best for some time as you can keep playing it over and over again. So as an overall result I\u2019ll give the game an 8/10.

Mail_Man (May 2005)

p.s

My first Review....

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