Red Dead Redemption

I never was a Rockstar fan, despite having barrels of fun blowing things up in GTA 4 with my friends (and even more so, my crazy @$$ brother. He blows EVERYTHING up!)

Red Dead Redemption might just do it for me.

This, among the many games of the year (2010) swept awards in multiple categories spanning across best soundtrack, best story and of course, the lovable John Marston.

Long story short, Red Dead redemption has done well across award events like the Youtube gaming news show of high reknown, Inside Gaming along with Electronic Game Monthly (EGM) and the Video Game Awards (VGA)

But how did it do it? Well, thats why I'm writing this. =)

For starters, Red Dead Redemption is set towards near the end of the Spaghetti West era with Industrialisation muscling its way in. We assume the role of John Marston, an outlaw trying to rebuild his life with his family and escape the past they lived. Apparently, the government somehow coerced John into hunting down his old gang and with his family at risk, John is forced to comply.

This sets the stage for a series of events that take us through a journey of redemption that unfortunately ends tragically. This started an outcry for an alternate ending to the game. How did Rockstar pull it off?

[SPOILER ALERT]

John Marston starts out as a typical outlaw but throughout the game as his character develops, we begin to feel for him as he betrays all that he once was and turns on who he used to call his mates in a bid to free his family and to start again, free from the past. WE end up feeling a true sense of achievement when Marston reunites with his family and the days that follow. The storyline is one of the aspects that make this a gem on my Xbox 360.

Combat in this game is a very integral part of the package and at first glance, everything feels right in place, from the animations displaying the right amount of weight per gesture and movement, right down to the authentic feel of the guns.

Combat on foot is coverbased and those who play third person shooters will feel right at home. Those who want to rush through can pick the easy way out with the auto-target assist. Even with that, some areas can be tough. Those who want a slightly more realistic feel can turn it off and manually aim. One thing weird is that Marston takes 4 or 5 hits to die while everyone else dies in one hit. Then again, Rockstar did it with L.A Noire and GTA 4 so I guess it’s their way of making the player feel near “God like” so to speak. Another issue is that all guns share the same reticule. Weird as it is, these small idiosyncrasies are gladly overlooked.

Combat on Horseback is a simple (or not so simple) point and shoot. Accuracy is a must over here.

Behind cover

Riding into the sunset

Mini games are present, from gambling  and five finger skillet to horse races, There’s always something to do when you’re bored mowing down bandits.

However, it is the towns that make this game feel truly alive. Random events are always happening where the player can pitch in to help (or not). That, along with how the npcs react around you puts the icing on the cake. This is one open world one will definitely be sucked in by the amount of depth put to it.

The soundtrack for the game is nothing short of amazing. You hear one piece from anywhere and you will probably know it’s from Red Dead Redemption. The sounds change according to the in game day/night cycle where you can even hear the crickets. Wow.

Even so, it doesn’t stop there. Reasons to keep on playing are present as well. Fashionistas will be happy to know that Marston can potentially gain multiple outfits through the game, earning of which are so by certain conditions. Fulfilling of which will unlock a new outfit, each with its own in game bonuses and effects, similar to the capes of Assassin’s Creed 2.

Graphics will get a small mention because the quality is there. Nothing needs to be said.

All in all,

Graphics: 9

Gameplay: 8.5

Storyline:  9

Soundtrack: 9.5

Overall, a solid 9/10 for me.

This is what I have to say about yet another masterpiece.

God bless you guys and see ya next time.

Stryke

Halo 3

September 29 2007, a month that will be forever etched in the minds of fans forever. Dramatic entrances aside, 

Halo 3 and it’s world wide launch event (A quiet one here in Singapore as well. OMG, why not bigger! Damned government.) was a first for many things that became a standard for all AAA hopeful titles to follow. Bungie studios fired the first salvo with multiple versions again, adding a third tier Collector’s Edition aptly named the Legendary Edition, in this case is a individually numbered (only 100000 were produced), scaled, and sculpt Master Chief Helmet case to store up to 4 Xbox 360 games.  

As a FPS, Halo does what it’s predecessors achieved before by sweeping world acclaim by metacritic. But fanfare aside, how did it work? Let’s find out.

Graphics

Halo 3’s graphics were a step forward from Halo 2 and stood out against the crowd at the time including Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare. Here are some screen comparisons

Plasma Rifle comparison

Gameplay comparison with Call of Duty 4 and Gears of War

Overall, Graphically, Halo 3 is beautiful, from UNSC areas to Covenant starship interiors right down to weapons and scenery, with a bonus for water effects, scoring a 9.

Sound

The soundtrack done by Halo veteran composer Martin O Donnell, is as usual amazing, fanboyism aside, the soundtrack is indeed beautiful, from every plasma bolt to metal round slug, up to foley. Background music and of course the main theme.

Martin always fails to disappoint. The iconic theme along with a secret soundtrack that is a bonus for Bungie fans alike. Every sound piece fits brilliantly and no complaints here. This scores a 9 because despite the fact that each soundtrack hits the spot, it doesn’t match up to true icons like Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 7 of which, the number of instantly recognisable tracks are in no need of explanation.

Gameplay (Single player)

Halo 3 introduces equipment, one time use items that grant an edge depending on the situation, from the protective bubble shield, the shield draining, vehicle stopping energy drainer to the life saving deployable cover (not present in multiplayer) equipment adds a new addition to Halo’s golden triangle of Weapon-melee-grenade, along with the already implemented dual wielding and vehicle jacking. Possibilities for carnage, near endless.

Bubble Shield

Power Drainer in action.

The campaign, although short is immensely satisfying, each with a high and low. Although some areas are as annoying as hell, for example, on Legendary, the Jackal snipers on the first level are a little TOO accurate, along with the menace that is drones, which is comparable to armed houseflies.

"I see you." (snipe)

Those aside, There are moments that truly will have you playing the level over and over again, for example,

Taking down a Scarab nope. 2. XD

And of course, the final warthog run

Although the main idea was to pay homage to the game that started it all, some areas feel a bit too similar, yet still satisfying in their own way. (above) Despite this, the campaign scores for fluid gameplay and adding satisfaction along with closure to the tale of Master Chief.

Gameplay (multiplayer)

Halo’s lifeblood, the core of any FPS, all the carnage from campaign has just been multiplied. Here we take a look at multiplayer workings and how it sustained for the length of 3 years like it’s predecessor.

Matchmaking

A Bungie initiative that added a more competitive feel to the mix, Halo 3’s revamped matchmaking engine does more than Halo 2’s engine including Filesharing for videos, screenshots and user generated content. The matchmaking engine also tracks statistics from standard kd to favourite weapon and even heatmaps to track where you kill and die the most. 

Matchmaking in action

Heatmaps to assess your tactics

Multiplayer ranks are earned by playing 2 specific playlists. A competitive playlist which decides which tier you earn, from Sergeant, to Captain, to Major and later on all the way to general, and all the other playlists which just adds to your overall exp. This allows those who don’t play as competitively to still earn a secondary branch of ranks. For example, a Major at 28 skill plays until he hits 600 exp and ranks up to Major  Grade 2 and 600 more to hit Field Major.

http://www.bungie.net/Stats/Halo3/RankHistory.aspx?player=Str1ke%20Ninja 

My own stats, as pathetic as they are. 

Weapons

Halo keeps it’s weapon rule where plasma based weapons score a bonus against shields and ballistics do bonus against unshielded opponents. Halo 3 includes just about every weapon ever shown in the Halo  Trilogy, with each weapon almost always having a counterpart. MLG selected certain weapons with specific traits to use in their official set, including the 1 headshot-kill Sniper rifle and the mainstay of any serious Halo 3 player, the Battle Rifle.

(Nerdgasm, please continue to next section to avoid rambling over a favourite weapon)

The Battle Rifle, 3 shots anywhere, 1 shot to the head. This weapon is a all round weapon, effective medium to long range in the hands of a pro. It’s counterpart, the Covenant Carbine, a semi-automatic weapon with an aggressive fire-rate scores a kill with 7 shots. Master these 2 along with a decent proficiency in the other weapons and almost any game is yours unless its against an MLG pro.

Battle Rifle

Carbine

Story

A solid plot that gives closure to the story of Master Chief and a resolution to the Covenant invasion. Short as it is, it still deserves a 8.

All in all, Halo 3 is a must buy for the 360, even years past its prime it is still a great game to play compared alongside to today’s heavyweights.

Graphics :9

Sound:9

Gameplay:9.5

Story:8.5

9/10

L.A Noire

Well, what can I say about this game?


Gta-esque controls combined with detective work in the time of the 40s in California, Los Angeles along with plot elements in the form of war time flashbacks. Win.

This 5 year baby collab between Rockstar and Team Bondi is famous not just for it's gameplay, but the Motionscan tech used behind it. This tech allowed for gameplay elements like lie symptoms which was integral for a heavy weight detective game.

The detective work along with the city itself is a beautiful representation of the 40s complete with legit cars. Action sequences with combat is akin to a third person cover based shooter with Weapons like the lovable M1 Garand, the Thomson and of course, the sought after M1911 Colt sidearm.

The flow avoids the repetition trap Assassin's Creed fell in by introducing new elements with every few cases, for example, After the first Act of the game, we are introduced to a moment where we can choose 1 of 2 victims to charge for murder.

Investegation itself involves evidence collection by either searching the crime scene, the living quarters of related parties, vehicles and even taxis that are free roaming around town.

Graphically, Need I say anything? Its a friggin console game. That aside, There are no issues of clipping, the vehicles look sweet and it's already there. 10

Gameplay lovingly replicates the style of detectives of the 40s. There is never a dull moment if you know what you're doing, despite some annoying moments when clues are hidden so well. 8

Sound meshes so well with the game it makes LA more alive. Hats off to Rockstar. 9

The overall plot is solid as more is revealed about Phelps through the events of the game. 8

8.6/10 (rounded up)

Till next time

This is Sam

Stryke