Gears of War

Developer: Epic Games/People Can Fly

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios

Gears of War was without a doubt the Xbox 360's first killer app so it makes sense Microsoft would want to publish its finest console game onto the PC as a means to promote the unpopular service Games for Windows Live, so with that said, is the PC version any good? Yes it is... but I honestly think someone intentionally sabotaged this release, why do I say that? Oh where do I begin.

After installing the game I was faced with a DRM issue that prevented me from playing it even though I have a legitimate copy. Turns out I had to set the Windows clock to June 2008 to get it to run (wut?). After that, I discovered the game would stop responding at random intervals, sometimes it would play for hours without any issues while other times I couldn't even play it for five minutes, I tried several methods to fix it, but none worked. But enough about technical difficulties, how is the game itself?

Well, for starters, it doesn't have much of a story to tell other than you're on some planet or other with a very 1950's art-deco style which is being overrun by a horde of underground creatures known as the Locust. These hulking, lumbering creatures of teeth, bone and pale skin seem to sprout up from the ground and random and now it's up to you and Delta Squad to deliver a latch ditch blow to your enemies.

Yeah the story is pretty lame and the characters are for the most part uninteresting, though I did like Baird, the guy is snarky as hell and he seems to be the only character who's good at something other than shooting.

Speaking of shooting, how is the gunplay? In a word: Awesome! All of the weapons feel worn and rusted out while still packing quite a punch, which is a good thing considering how much your average locust can bleed without being killed, my favorite weapon has to be the chainsaw Bayonet, it gives you the option to either shoot your enemies or slice them to pieces, you also have other awesome weapons like explosive crossbows and a laser satellite homing beacon.

Gears of War does give you a good enemy variety, though you wouldn't have guessed it from the first two chapters where it seems like you're fighting the same guys over and over again, luckily the rest of the game REALLY picks up, made even better by the fact the PC port has some extra levels not found in the Xbox 360 version so overall the campaign will likely last you 8 hours, depending on your play style.

On the multiplayer side of things, you'd expect the fact that the online is free would mean you'd find at least someone to play with, but alas, no such luck, whether it's co-op or competitive online play, the servers are all empty, the PC port also doesn't have split-screen co-op so if you want to play locally you'll need to set up a lan connection...lame.

Graphically the game is pretty good by 2007 standards, the characters models still look pretty by 2013 standards, but the animations and environments definitely look dated, I also noticed the game introduced too much blur and field depth for my taste, but there was no way to turn it off in the options, instead I had to hunt down the game's .ini file and turn it off from there, again... lame.

Overall, the PC version SHOULD have been the definitive version, but honestly between DRM issues, crashes and the lack of a proper graphical setting option I have to say I was somewhat disappointed, especially because at its core the game is a very fun romp, a slow starting romp, but a fun one.

Pros:

- Gunplay is awesome
- Campaign is very fun
- Nice Enemy variety
- Character models still hold surprisingly well

Cons:

- DRM issues, crashing issues and poor graphical options

- The first two chapters are pretty boring
- Multiplayer servers are empty
- Characters and story are pretty forgetful.

Final Grade: B-

I am not a fan of the cover, the color balance is fine and quite attractive, but how come Marcus is squatting out in the open with his back turned to the action? Is he trying to get himself killed? Even if we ignore his team mates on the background who are facing the opposite direction and clearly hiding behind walls, what is the point in showing us a close-up of a character who is just not the least bit interesting?

Inside you'll find two cards one is an ad for Microsoft Sidewinder gear and the other is a free month of GFWL (hahaha!) silliness aside, I do feel the color balance works even better in these small cards, but again, why is Marcus staring at us?

The game's manual is... surprisingly good it gives you some backstory, weapon descriptions, concept art for said weapons and they go into great detail on how to play the game and its multiplayer modes, supporting the text with either screenshots or more concept art. Kudos to the developers for crafting a good manual in this day and age.

Packaging Grade: B+

Thunder Blade

Developer: Sega
Publisher:  Sega

Thunder Blade was a helicopter SHMUP originally launched for the arcades, it boasted some very impressive sprite scaling effects giving it a pseudo-3D effect. Porting it to an 8-bit consoles seems like an odd choice, but despite limitations, the developers clearly gave it their best shot.

The game is separated into two segments, the first being a typical 2D shmup with all of the previously mentioned pseudo-3D effects removed. This mode is fairly standard for the genre, boasting some near perfect collision detection though I'd argue the player's hit box is a bit too big for my taste. It does add a twist though, you can only shoot ground units with missile, whereas air units are only hit by bullets. This style seems reminiscent of titles like Xevious ensuring the player is constantly shifting between air and ground based attacks. These vertical overhead levels are extremely hard as enemies keep coming at you from all directions and often sneak in a cheap hit or two. This is made even by worse by the fact that there are no power ups throughout the experience.

Upon reaching the halfway point of each stage, the perspective shifts to a Pseudo 3D style (as seen in the image). Here we are graced with some impressive graphical effects considering this is running on a Master System. Unfortunately, is also moves at low framerate ensuring players are given little reaction time to dodge incoming fire. Upon reaching level two, players are also expected to dodge environmental hazards, but these pop up at such an intense rate that soon Thunder Blade becomes a frustrating experience. The lack of a proper depth perception means you'll be crashing into objects and bullets that you thought you'd be able to easily to dodge.

Graphically the 2D style is pretty standard for a Master System console, with the real eye candy being reserved for these 3D segments. Some might feel these haven't aged well and to a certain degree they would be correct, but from a technical standpoint, Thunder Blade is nothing short of impressive considering it's running on a Master System! The PSG music ranges from forgettable to annoying, the issue being further exacerbated by unsatisfying sound effects. 

You can tell the developers gave it their best shot, but this is a case of the Master System simply biting off more than it could chew. Yes the 3D looks impressive but it's not very playable whereas the 2D sections look drab and boring without the Arcade's scaling effects. I suppose they could have added power ups, but then there would hardly be any similarities with the original Thunder Blade.

Trivia: Did you know this game is compatible with the Master System FM-Synthesizer? Of course, in order to take advantage of it, you need either a Japanese Master System or to install a sound chip mod on your western console.

Pros:

- 3D graphics look pretty cool
- 2D sections can still be fun and challenging

Cons:

- Although cool looking, the 3D segments suffer from poor depth perception and low framerate making them nearly unplayable

- Could have used power ups in the 2D sections
- The game is simply too hard

Final Grade: D

 (Excuse the glue residue folks)

I have to say, the boxart looks awesome, it's the sort of cover that you'd expect from some 80's action flick while browsing a videostore, definitely eye catching.

Unfortunately though, I don't own the manual so I can't compile a full packaging review.

Packaging score: N/A

Universe at War: Earth Assault

Developer: Petroglyph Games
Publisher:  Sega

Universe at War has a bit of a misleading title, when I first heard about the game, I thought you'd pick from several alien factions and then duke it out throughout the Universe. Well I got the first part right, but you only get to fight on Planet Earth despite the Humans not even being a playable faction (huh?).

The campaign progresses in a linear fashion as you take control of the stealthy but underpowered Novus, the amazingly awesome and devastating Hierarchy, whose production facilities also double as giant walking mechs of death and the Masari, who are the more traditional RTS faction, I definitely enjoyed playing as the last two, but I got the feeling Novus' stealth abilities don't really make up for how weak their units really are.

I was also not a fan of the campaign, didn't care for most of the plot or the characters with the exception of Orlok, a battle weary Hierarchy General, the missions themselves weren't too interesting either, with the exception of the final stage for each faction, I always felt like the skirmishes were too small in scale.

Universe at War features cross-platform multiplayer, meaning you can play the PC version against  Xbox 360 players, I'd love to see how well implemented this is, but unfortunately the servers are completely empty, so no luck there. At least you have the usual single player Skirmish options as well as Scenario mode, which places you in a map similar to "Risk" as each player takes turn in taking over territories for bonuses, that mode was pretty fun.

Overall, I have to say, there's no real point in getting this game, the campaign is pretty dull and the online servers are empty and while the Hierarchy is pretty fun to play, it alone can't save the rest of game's shortcomings.

Trivia: Did you know that a lot of the developers behind Universe at War were also involved in the creation of Dune 2?

Pros:

- Three very distinct factions
- Playing as the Hierarchy is awesome
- Scenario mode is pretty cool

Cons:

- The Campaign is pretty boring

- Online servers are completely empty
- I'm fairly certain the Novus are underpowered

Final Grade: D+

I remember buying the game, staring at the box art and having no idea what the heck I was looking at! Is this an alien? A Reactor? A Power Core? After finishing the campaign I now know that it's Kamal Rex, one of the bad guys from the Hierarchy, but still, I really have to wonder how could anyone think that this was a good cover?

 The Manual itself is pretty decent by RTS standards it tells you a little backstory, and gives you some small stats for your vehicles, overall the information is not terribly deep by RTS manual standards, but it does its job fine I suppose.

Packaging score: C-