Quantum of Solace - game review

Oh no not another badly made James bond game.. that’s what I thought too but I heard good things about it so I just had to find out for myself & honestly my expectations for this one were so low that I struggled with the idea of buying it in the first place but I’m glad I did! Bonds never looked or played better (yes I was a big fan of bond on the n64 but this is different) as you may have guessed it follows the movie by the same name but unlike the movie this is actually really good. It focuses mostly on the new movie but there are some great little moments where you get to play in the casino royale world, you don’t get to play the famous cards scene but the scene at the start where you are jumping from crane to crane chasing a terrorist that's here & it plays perfect. Another great sequence included in the game is the Miami airport one where bond has to prevent an airliner from being blown sky high but of course the game extends on the scene & adds little elements of stealth where you have to infiltrate certain areas of the airport. Its not all about sneaking around of course as this really is a first person shooter & it certainly plays like one, I was afraid they would stick in some awkward driving sequence that would take away from the game but they didn’t.

The controls are pretty nifty & easy to get used to so you wont be screaming at the screen every time you pick up the controller. There is a good amount of weapons & gadgets to make use of & they all feel different which is good because in the past most bond games all had a lot of weapons but they all felt identical. The graphics are stunning enough though at times they can be a little glitchy but its nothing serious, levels like the mansion at the start & the opera all make use of nice lighting effects but they are a little too linear for my tastes. The music or score is sharp & fit’s the mood perfectly, a nice little surprise was the theme song “when nobody loves you” by one of my favourite artists Kerli especially since I hated the theme song for the movie itself. If you want to go online with it you can & there are lots of game modes to choose from like bond vs./golden gun/team conflict/bond evasion & territory, points are awarded which can be used to upgrade various weapons & gadgets. So onto my final thoughts.. What I liked about the game was the level design really immerses the player into the world of bond/lots of enemies populating the levels/the lack of a vehicle section keeps all the action on foot which makes it more realistic/the graphics engine from call of duty 4 is incredible. Of course it was not all good, the game was a little too short/the online multiplayer was a little flat & could have done with a little more variety/hacking doors is annoying & its in there too many times/for a bond game there was a considerable low amount of weapons/there are not many achievements to get so it wont really inspire you to go back & play through it again. At the end of the day it’s a fairly balanced game & I did have fun playing it, it was a thrill to step back into the world of 007 & an even bigger thrill to realise that for once a movie inspired game (especially a bond one) had been made that was actually very good. Offline the game is a gem & if you are looking for a solid first person shooter then you cant go wrong with this one, even though it didn’t inspire to play through the whole game again I did find myself playing various little missions/scenarios again. I’m going to recommend this to not only bond fans but to fans of first person shooters too & casual gamers, its getting a well deserved 8 out of 10.

Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. - game review

Set in the near future h.a.w.x. (high altitude warfare experimental) is an air combat game with plays more like an arcade game than a flight simulator . You play as an air force pilot that leaves the air force for a PMC (private military company) the aim of course to provide military services for organisations & countries all over the world. There are about 20 levels most of which are fun to play but where the game really shines is the map design - using global satellite images the developers have modelled every level from actual real locations so when you are flying over Washington it really is Washington that you are looking at.. However it does get a little blocky if you fly too low to the ground but it is a nice little feature. So it’s a flight game so there are a lot of planes to choose from including classic fighter jets to modern planes like the F22 Raptor & all of them handle fairly realistically. There are a ton of planes to unlock & you can use experience points to upgrade each of them with different weapons/bombs/missiles etc.. now this might sound like a good idea & at times it is but I have finished the game on normal already & have half the game completed on both hard & elite but I’m still only half way up the ranks so really the rewards system is just too hard & I think that will put people off playing. The game uses a new feature known as ERS (enhanced reality system) which when used provides a gateway on your screen that can either lead you out of harms way or right into a fire fight.. I used this only when the game made me use it because it does feel kind of like cheating so avoid it when you can because it will really take the fun out of the game for you.

The missions can be fun but very tough at times & most of them involve dog fights/bombing runs & close air support ..but at times this can be a little repetitive & just when you compete your objective you seem to always bump into one last batch of enemy jets & this does gather rather tiresome. I did like this game & it did have its moments but the story was lacking a little & its no where near as good as other Clancy titles like EndWar, its very challenging if you want to climb the ranks & upgrade your planes but the fact it’s a tough game sets it apart from all the others. I’m not going to recommend this to everyone but if you do want to experience it I’d suggest renting it first because its not going to appeal to everyone & its really one of those games you might just want to play through once. If you want to know anything else about the game then drop me a line here & I’ll get back to you when I can, in the meantime I’m giving h.a.w.x. a 7 out of 10.. It was fun to play & very challenging but it has its problems.