Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Thief 3 : Deadly Shadows (2004)

Its almost 7 years since the launch of the first Thief game, and 5 years since the sequel, the upper ups at Eidos finally decided to make a third installment. this new game is developed by Ion Storm, which is an affiliate of Eidos, after the closure of the previous developer Looking Glass Studios.
Ion Storm managed to keep the original excitement of the previous game, which Looking Glass successfully maintained.
you return as Garret, the master thief. after saving the world twice before, he is back to reluctantly save it again. in part, you are introduced to some new characters and enemies such as the Keepers, the Pagans, the Kurash, and some other minor characters, plus the previous characters such as the Hammarites, the Zombies, and the Guards.
the game features the regular mechanics but with a few modifications. now Garret is able cling to a far ledge and pull him self up, third person view, the ability to stick to the wall to avoid detection.
also, the interface have changed and improved, additional side quests, a more intense story.

the Pros.:
1- Better graphics.
2- a refined story line.
3- new items and utilities.
4- you can explore the city.
5- good A.I
6- the Lock-picking ability is simpler but more challenging.

the Cons.:
1- nothing new in the gameplay.
2- some objects appear the same as the older versions.
3- the Map can be confusing (there isn't a marker or something that could indicate where you are).
4- the game doesn't autosave at the beginning of each level.

Thief 3: Deadly Shadows is not for new players. it successfully delivers the same feeling that you had when you played the previous versions. sadly the game can be better. i hope they would do a forth game but with these comments in mind.








would you please comment.

would you please comment.

hay everyone,
i've noticed after two reviews that no one is commenting on the posts. come on people, i'm making these reviews for you, and for your pleasure. i need some feed back people.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Yet another review: FEAR (2005)

after receiving some nice words from Tareq-san regarding my review of NFS Undercover (though i was expecting more comments from other members), i was pumped up to review another game. this time i decided to review a some what old game, the game is FEAR (2005).

this game is published by Werner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and developed by Monolith and Sierra Entertainment.

although the game is considered old, it produces a very nice visual experience utlizing the Monolith Engine. the environment is nicely rendered and visual effects are top notch. the story is very strate forward; what makes it unique is its story line and continuous pace. the story line is some what new and unconventional that delivery fast playing, heart pounding experience.

and the beauty of this game is that its rated M (i think). there is alot of usage of bad language, explict scenes, blood & gore; and my opinion this contributed for a well built game. (nothing of "its not suitable for children" Crapp).

the Uplefts:
1- Very intense, unique, and strate forward story.
2- Good Visual Effects.
3- Nice veriaty of wepons.
4- the introduction of SlowMo (slowing time to take out the enemies).
5- The Usage of Blood, Vilonce, Gore, and Bad Language insure the delivery of a well-built game (nothing of this "not suitable for children" crapp).
6- controls are precise and simple.

The Downers:
1- Some minor details in the story were left unanswered.
2- the repeation of the same environment through out the game (Dark and Gloomy) gives a small feeling of boredom.
3- the environemt could have been detailed better.
4- some charcters feel like they were drawn in the 90s.
5- the game (is) short.
6- the game's ending wasn't that fullfilling.

in a knut shell, this game is filled with action and suspenss, and introduces a new idea to the gener (though this idea was implimented better in Time Shift), and i recommend going back and playing the game either on your XBOX360 or PC.

to check the game closely please go to www.gamespot.com

see the images below
ENJOY.


"Carnage any one?"

"Take That, and That and That...."

"Looks like its the Maid's day off!"

"Kaboom?"

"Mmmm.....Bloody"

Saturday, January 24, 2009

yeah, finally, NFS Undercover, reviewed.

yeah yeah, i know i've promised you all a review of NFS Undercover, but i didn't do it until now due to lack of time, and unwillingness to sit down in front of the PC and type!

however, i found some time, while at work :), and decided to write a few things about the game.

the game is a descent driving game, as you would expect of EA's Black Box branch. the cars are beautifully rendered, almost exact engine sounds, driving is relatively easy. in this game they have tried to combine between the highly acclaimed NFS underground 2 and the adrinallin pumping NFS Most Wanted, and some say they have succeeded in achiving a well balanced game.

the uplefts:
1- a new and improved graphics engine.
2- good career mode that follows the story very closely.
3- introduction of some new challenges such as (High way Battle)
4- Improved the GPS tracking system, now insted of following an Arrow pointing you where to go (which at sometimes can be very confusing) they have implimanted a line on your mini map that indicates where to go exactly and provides alternative routes in case of confusine.
5- Better layout of the city and increasing availability of obstecles to stop police in their tracks.

the Downers:
1- the availability of smaller cars (Suzuki Swift-Subaru Impreza-Audi A3-...etc).
2- the traffic can be very frustrating specially when you hit a car and blocks you.
3- No matter how powerful and fast your car is, the police's Jeeps can out run you and block you, i.e: even if you have a Bugatti Veron.
4- the game tends to slowdown some times causing you to crash.
5- the controls feels clunky.
6- you can't hear the game's tracks from the options menu like previous versions.
7- unable to choose the tunning company wich you prefere.

all in all, NFS undercover is a nice driving game but can't be compared to games such as Gran Turismo 4. it provides a adrinalin rush that rivales other games, but as a tradetion of EA, they never delever a will built game.