Community > General chatter
All-in-one Review thread
satty:
Well, time to make my review on MAG for the PS3. (sorry Marx, taking your outline too)
Story:
By 2025, armies of the world are limited due to rising costs, inefficiency, and the "Millennium Accord", preventing any army to leave the border of its country. In their place rise private military companies (PMC's), who can go anywhere for cheaper. In an unregulated global economy, the companies start using less-than-honest methods to compete with each other for contracts. After numerous mergers, bargains, and buy-outs, the remaining PMC's decide to use their power to full use, creating a worldwide "shadow war". Now, three PMC's, Valor Company, a North American-based PMC made up of people operating with equipment like those in the US Army, Raven Industries, a European-based company that uses the latest in combat technology, and SVER (Seryi Volk Executive Response), a Asian-based company that uses weapons made in the former Soviet Union.
Basically, it's an excuse plot, meant to make the setting of the game possible and to make the factions that anyone can play in. There's barely any depth to the story, but considering that MAG is an MMOFPS, the story is workable enough.
Score: 7.5/10
Graphics: Well, the graphics aren't on an Uncharted 2 or Modern Warfare 2 scale, but they are pretty clean and don't bother with the actual gameplay itself. The textures do look unique to each faction, from the carbon fiber of Raven weapons to the rust colored weapons of SVER.
Score: 8/10
Sound: Each faction has different music that plays whenever you first start a game or when you start killing a lot. And each fits the faction well, albeit a little out of place for a game such as this. As for battle, the sounds of guns firing, the boom of grenades, and the warning bells of a position being captured make it sound like a warzone, but the constant notifications of objectives can get annoying in a heated match.
Score: 7.5/10
Gameplay: There are 4 game modes: Supression, Sabotage, Acquisition, and Domination. They're nothing special, just variations of tried-and-true modes.
Supression: Team deathmatch with members from your faction.
Sabotage: King-of-the-hill with demolition
Acquisition: Capture-the-flag with vehicles
Domination: King-of-the-hill with demolition again.
The thing that makes these modes special, and the main selling point of the game is the number of players on each team. Other shooters usually have about 16-32 people max. MAG can hold up to 256 players depending on the game type. The game solves the problem of having a large number at one time of people by putting them into 1 to 4 platoons, each platoon comprised of 4 squads. Each squad can have as much as 8 people in them. There are also squad leaders, platoon leaders, and officers in charge, each with special abilities of their own.
In short:
-1-4 platoons
- 4 squads
-8 people
If you're looking for something like Modern Warfare 2, turn away. For one thing, there is no regenerating health system. Sure, there's medkits, but they have a charge time, so you cannot spam at will. No more instant respawning, either: there is a 20 second timer that is activated after you die. Another thing is that weapons are powerful enough that anyone charging in alone it is going to see a lot of deaths. Teamwork and communication is vital to winning a game, almost to the point that people say you need a mic to play the game well. Thankfully, people are willing to play as intended.
The controls are pretty standard, but using the L2 and R2 buttons to switch between weapons and equipment can be a bit confusing at first.
There is a good amount of customization that you can apply to your character, separated by trees. You use skill points, earned by leveling up. Better equipment is unlocked by investing in earlier equipment, and is marked by more skill points to earn it. Wish to be a sniper? Invest in the sniper tree. Want to get up close? Invest in the close combat tree. Wish to fight in the front while healing others? You can invest in both Assault and Medic trees. The choice of what to customize is yours.
In short, the game is more on the tactical than other shooters released for the PS3 and can be quite frustrating if not played right.
Score: 8.5/10
Balancing: While every side is the same, there are some differences. Valor weapons have a mix of accuracy and power. Raven has more accuracy at the cost of power, and SVER is the opposite. Some of the maps have issues in terms of attacking and defending. Case in point: SVER's maps are somewhat designed to have the bulk of the attacking force become bottlenecked and get bogged, although a good team can get through it. Raven and Valor's defensive maps are quite open for flanking and frontal charges.
Score: 8/10
Overall:
This game isn't everyone's cup of coffee, for sure. But for those who like tactical gameplay, this game won't disappoint.
Score: 7.5/10
(If anyone wonders, I'm in Raven)
Scotty:
Mass Effect 2 Review
It's good. Too good.
BT2:
--- Quote from: satty on January 31, 2010, 03:43:01 am ---(If anyone wonders, I'm in Raven)
--- End quote ---
*CoughValorRapidAssaultcough*
(If anyone wonders, I'm in Raven)
OverlordIX:
Recently completed reviewing the 1/144 HG Cherudim Gundam
http://silentstronghold.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/1144-hg-cherudim-gundam-review/
And its looking good. =)
RoninatorMarx:
Game: Akatsuki Blitzkampf
Created by a doujin group called SUBTLE STYLE in 2007. Unlike doujin fighter games released around the same time, Blitzkampf was noted for having an somewhat old-school gameplay, contrast to new, complex gameplays of BBB and EFZ.
Graphics: The design is one out of two things noteworthy about Akatsuki. Character detail is awesome. It's still as solid as what I'd expect from a good doujin fighter. No further comment on them. Background is beautiful without being too detailed (at least for my taste). Also, like Garou, it gives that 3D-ish effect when the battle comes. 9/10
Gameplay: As said earlier, it plays like old-school fighters. Three buttons (Weak, Strong and Heavy) and the D-pad. Pressing both Weak and Strong attack keys will launch the Grab move, while with the strong and Heavy, the reflector system, functioning similarly to the parry system. Supers here are performed by a directional command + Reflector command. By pressing all three attack buttons while you have max (3) power bars, you get to use a stronger Super Combo.
And if for one second you think this game is like the old games that has little-to-no combo system, a good beating from the AI will prove you wrong.
The thing about this game is, you can't play this game the same way with each character. The main hero Akatsuki is a shotoclone. Mycale and Anonym are ranged-based fighters, but Mycale can't perform the cliche weak-strong-heavy attack combo, while Anonym can pull this more or less with her (basic) melee attacks (which can be used when holding the directional stick backward/holding the backward key). And not everyone here can't pull off a combo similarly to how some others with theirs. This is the other distinct fact about Blitzkampf. Anyone who wanna main all the characters here will put their skills to the test. 10/10
Music: Music was great. You'd probably get that war feel when you fight. lol Themes are different by the player, so it seems. 7/10
Story and Plot: From what I understand: Main villain holds a powerful weapon, and everyone in the game is either on their way to stop him, want it because it's their mission, or for their personal gain, or he were somehow on the way. I'll consider Akatsuki's ending canon and all's well that ends well when he finally took out Murakamo and leaves with the mission finally complete. 5/10
Overall: Akatsuki Blitzkampf may not be something you can call "fresh and new" but with great designs, solid gameplay and skill-sharpening tricks you'd go to just to master (or at least play) all of the characters, this game is something you'd wanna try out. 31/40
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version