Games, Gore and more!
Previews, reviews and news of all the hottest games by SGM's very own gaming guru Chris Barclay
F.E.A.R (First Encounter Assault Recon) was released in November 2006 to better than average reviews. Due to its Christmas release date it got caught up in the Christmas deluge of games that came out at that time and although I always meant to pick it up I never quite got around to it. This didn't deter me from F.E.A.R 2 though and with a much more consumer friendly February release date this time around I was hoping this game would give me some hours of blasting fun during what is traditionally a slower period for games being released.
F.E.A.R 2 : Project Origin is a first person horror shooter and storyline wise begins around 30 mins before the end of the first game. This means you are playing as Michael Becket and not Point Man from the original. Becket is a delta force operative being sent in to secure personnel and lead them to safety. Of course Becket is about to have a very bad day.
The fact that you are playing as a new character means that Becket knew as little as I did around what was going on. This made the searching out of files and information interesting as every little piece of the puzzle Becket finds increased his knowledge as well as mine. This worked for me as I hadn't played the first game and gave me a good background of the previous events. Even for players who have played FEAR I suspect the various files and records you find would serve as a welcome reminder to events from the first game.
The game world is crisp and the environments are well realised. Well the ones you can see anyway! Being a horror game several of the areas are barely lit and in some cases the only light is coming from a small hand torch connected onto the barrel of your gun. This helps build the atmosphere as you investigate through the game world. The lighting effects are rock solid with light not invading into dark corners it shouldn't which does help the game build atmosphere as you creep through dimly lit rooms and corridors.
Although the game world is graphically excellent its also here the first problems with the game start to materialise. There is little doubt the environments look great but they are generic and uninteresting. Environments include the research facility, a school, a broken down subway system and a secret underground facility. No apologies for the reveal of the "secret" underground facility as quite frankly gamers will see it coming from a million miles away after playing through the other generic levels.
One of the original games main selling points was the use of a slow motion type "bullet time" which gave the player a major advantage over adversaries. This has been retained in the second game and gives you a similar advantage, especially when you are tackling 3 or 4 at the same time. While it levels the playing field when fighting multiple opponents it does have an unexpected side effect of also making the game quite easy. For this reason I played the game through on the hardest setting first time through and although an experienced gamer I was shocked at how easily I defeated F.E.A.R.
Another slight annoyance was the lack of variation in the adversaries you come up against. The majority of the game pits you against generic soldiers and while their A.I is passable (they will tip over scenery and take cover behind it) there is still an overwhelming feeling that they try to take you down by weight of numbers rather than attempts to flank your position and force you from behind cover.
Going into the game I also expected to be fighting more than just marines and while the mutation/supernatural count starts to slowly increase the further through the game you go every level falls back on armies of soldiers to take you down with occasions of mutation/monsters along the way.
The game tries hard to be a psychological thriller and FEAR's main protagonist is Alma a teenage girl of immense psychic power who can bend the minds of those around her and manipulate the environment around her. As she stalks you through the game this mainly takes the form of killing the supporting cast in a variety of interesting ways.
Talking of the other characters they serve as little more than cannon fodder for Alma and the occasional introduction of a new supernatural enemy. This isn't a great loss to the game though as the supporting characters are never fleshed out and so you don't feel any particular attachment to the rest of Delta squad nor other people you meet along the way.
So is FEAR 2 scary? Well the honest answer is no. The game tries hard to build up the tension by making your little torch flicker for no reason in the pitch black, ramping up the creepy music and having ghosts flick around the corners of your vision but somehow it just doesn't work. Which is a shame because underneath the clich�d settings is a perfectly good first person shooter just screaming to get out. Don't get me wrong the game is good and will pass the time. It just lacks that something special which would make it great.
Review by Chris Barclay
F.E.A.R 2 : Project Origin - 6/10
Developed by Monolith Productions
Published by Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment
Depending on your point of view swearing is either a blight on the language of the world or a useful tool in your vocabulary to emphasise meaning or curse at the idiots of the world. If you're in the camp that doesn't like swearing then you had better stop reading just now because House of the Dead: Overkill (HotDO) just isn't for you. For everyone else though who can appreciate a good curse prepare to be blown away by the sheer amount of over the top swearing throughout the game. Overuse of expletives is a hard thing to do and still be funny but HotDO nails it perfectly and the dialogue between the two main protagonists Agent G and Detective Washington is a highlight while you shoot your way through the mutants of Bayou City.
HotDO is lightgun game (think arcade machines with mounted guns) from Sega for the Nintendo Wii and to be honest after suffering the almost insufferable cuteness of Wii sports and Wii fit coupled with your Mii's its a welcome relief to put on a game which relishes in flying limbs and blood filled explosions of mutant heads as you pull off another head shot. It's played with a normal Wii remote pointing at the screen and although you can buy the Wii zapper accessory to slot your remote into to make you feel you are holding a gun I played the game through with only the remote so the zapper is very much an unnecessary optional extra.
The game is presented in an over the top B movie style (and who doesn't like B movies?) which also accounts for the previously touched upon outrageous script and one liners. The writing for the two characters is unusually good for a game and the banter between Agent G and Detective Washington as you blast your way through the levels is genuinely funny at times. The game is split into 7 short episodes and when you complete one episode it is forever unlocked meaning you can go back and try and beat your high score or simply replay your favourite levels with a friend. I particularly liked the short scenes at the beginning and end of each episode which sets them up and while they provide a short respite from the blasting they also brought a fair few chuckles along the way.
A special mention must go to the supporting cast of the game. Papa Caesar, who is the villain of the piece, is obviously based on Burt Reynolds character from Boogie Nights. It is also fair to say Varla Guns more than lives up to her name!
The biggest complaint I have about the game is that it's running length is quite short and any semi competent person will blast through the game in around 3 hours. Being an arcade game though completing it is only half the story. As you complete each episode you are given a grade based on amount of head shots, accuracy, civilians saved and pick ups found. This is what gives the game its replay value as you replay levels trying to get the highest score possible and see how long you can stay in 'goregasm' mode. Combos are awarded for successive hits without missing and 'goregasm' represents the highest combo score possible but bearing in mind you need at least 20 successive shots just to reach goregasm the amount of time you spend with this rating tends to be measured in seconds.
Completing the game also unlocks a directors cut mode which lets you play through again with extra scenes, more enemies and limited continues and probably represents the hardest way to complete the game but as it then unlocks dual wielding the effort is well worth it. As good as the game is playing alone with two remotes you can also play through the episodes with a friend which tends to just double the fun as you play through the game and compete for the best score.
There are also a series of mini games to play outside of the main episodes which involve a target practice game in which being precise is key, a survival game which just throws waves of ever increasing enemies at you, and finally a civilian rescue game where you try to protect civilians from the mutants. All of which increases the replay value of the game.
Graphically the game has a deliberate grainy feel to it due to its B movie setting which to be honest suits the game perfectly. The mutants are well designed and the animation is smooth as they amble or run towards you. Limbs fly off in a suitably bloody explosion which is satisfying to behold. Blowing of arms slows the mutants down, blowing off their legs will have them pulling themselves towards you in a realistic fashion. Of course what you really need to pull off is the head shot which decapitates the mutants in an even more satisfying blood filled explosion of brains and skull. The gore is handled in an over the top fashion like the rest of the game and isn't out of place.
The biggest complaint I have against the game is the small number of mutants you end up shooting and by the end of the episode 7 I would have liked some more variation of the mutant models but with the game being fairly short anyway it's a minor complaint. Similarly the mutant intelligence is non-existent with the only difference in their behaviour being whether to walk or run towards you and you quickly learn which mutants are likely to run. But again it's a minor complaint as lightgun games aren't renowned for smart mutants.
The game is widely available for less than �25 and for that price the game is a bit of a bargain. Next time you have a party let the kids tire themselves out playing Wii sports and Wii play. After they go to bed bring out HotDO and let the adults have a blast!
Review by Chris Barclay
House of Dead: Overkill - 8/10
Developed by Headstrong Games
Published by Sega
Anyone that has taken the time to have a quick read over the new gaming section here at SGM will know that I only have good things to say about Dead Rising so it is with some excitement I can report that Capcom has now officially confirmed Dead Rising 2 for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.
The new game is set several years after the events in Williamette (Dead Rising) and unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your point of view) the Zombie outbreak was not contained within the town and has now spread unchecked across the United States. Whether this is because of the infected foster children Carilto claimed to have planted across the country at the end of Dead Rising or because of some other nefarious series of events isn't known at the moment.
The new game takes place in Fortune City and early screenshots suggest Fortune is just Las Vegas by another name. This should allow for plenty of themed environments as your character moves into differently themed casinos, assuming of the course the game isn't set in one individual location like Dead Rising was.
One of the major selling points of the first game was the amount of Zombies it was possible to get on screen at one time and it never failed to impress as you made your way across the mall being chased by literally hundreds of Zombies. Dead Rising 2 promises tens of thousands of Zombies which should dwarf the originals count of 53,594 Zombies which represented the entire population of Williamette!
Although details are sparse at the moment we do know that events will directly follow on from the events of Dead Rising, however, you will not be playing as Frank West who was the protagonist of the first game. Frank wasn't necessarily a likeable fellow but I hope Capcom gives us an idea of what his fate is during the narrative of the new game.
The wide variety of weapons and ways of dispatching the Zombies was also a major selling point of the original and Capcom are promising a whole new array of weapons and ways of dispatching the undead in DR2. Personally I always enjoyed decapitating the Zombies with a scythe so I hope there is a hardware store on the Las Vegas strip!
Capcom already has a winning formula with Dead Rising and with some minor tweaks Dead Rising 2 has the potential to be a gaming great. Your Guru will keep an eye on its progress over the coming year.
DEAD RISING 2
Release Date: TBC
Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC
Developer: Capcom�
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Buthchers Bay was an unexpected hit on the original Xbox. Its sequel will be coming to Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Games for Windows on April 7th. Expect a full preview the next time the site is updated, in the meantime check out this video to wet your appetite!
You should all have read the full Dead Rising: Chop till you Drop preview by now (If not scroll down!). Check out these three websiodes from Capcom which gives more detail on how the Wii motion controls will be utilised in the upcoming Zombie bashing title.
Dead Rising "Chop till you drop" Webisode 1
Dead Rising "Chop till you Drop" Webisode 2
Dead Rising: Chop till you Drop Webisode 3
The demo for Resident Evil 5 landed in the Xbox Marketplace on the 26th January giving players a much-anticipated first play of what is widely expected to be the first big title of 2009. The demo is good fun but for players expecting a reinvention of the series like Resident Evil 4 there is going to be some disappointment.
The demo opens to the Resident Evil 5 logo and a prompt asking the player to hit "start", as the screen fades to black you hear the now familiar deep throated "Resident Evil" as the front-end menu loads up. As a fan of the series I was expecting it anyway but it still brought a large smile to my face (it's the small touches which make the overall package) as I eagerly awaited my first play of the game proper.
The demo gives you the option of playing the game on your own or co-op either split screen or online just like the game will on its release in March. The demo then gives you two scenarios to play through which are "public assembly" and "shanty town".
Public assembly drops you into a sealed off compound where you witness the beheading of some poor fellow who has obviously fell foul of the local infected populace. Just after his beheading you are spotted by the leader of the infected which prompts a five to ten minute battle for survival while you await backup in the form of a helicopter to blow away the gates to the compound.
Shantytown is a more traditional Resident Evil section where you investigate the back streets and houses of the town looking for clues as to what has happened to the townsfolk while collecting ammunition and healing herbs. This section culminates in a battle with a chainsaw wielding local who wears a burlap sack over his head. Strangely, while I was battling him I couldn't shake the feeling I was actually fighting the Scarecrow from Batman Begins. The two scenarios are designed to give players a feel of how the game proper will play and as I alluded to my previous preview the game will be set around open exploration (Shanty town) and set pieces (Public assembly) for you to simply survive.
Survival isn't going to be that easy though because before you battle the infected, chainsaw wielding guards, and massive axe wielding executioners to name but a few of the enemies you will have to do battle with a main character who can't run and shoot at the same time, nor run and reload your gun. The story goes that during development for Resident Evil 4 Capcom removed the ability for your character to strafe left and right because it made the game too easy. The ability not to strafe was irksome but it didn't break the game as evidenced by its many awards and critical acclaim. To be clear you have never been able to move and shoot in any Resi game but in the 4 years since the release of Resi 4 players have been playing Gears of War 1 & 2, Grand Theft Auto 4 and many others that allow full movement when shooting or reloading. By not revamping the controls many players are going to be frustrated as they are taken out by an infected while stopping to reload. Fans of the series will argue that the controls aren't new and add to the tension of the game but I suspect most players will feel frustration rather than tension and inevitably the outdated controls will cost Resident Evil 5 some points when it comes to review scores.
This is a shame because control issues aside there is plenty in the game to like. Graphically the game looks great with the animation smooth and no noticeable frame rate issues even when there are several enemies on screen at the one time. The Shantytown in particular I liked with the town looking exactly like I imagined it should. The only thing missing being some celebrity in the background with a red nose looking for a donation.
Killing the Zombie infected is also highly satisfying graphically as heads explode into a visceral mess of bone and brains when you hit a successful headshot, and that's with the pistol! Using the bigger weapons like the shotgun enables you to take out more than one at a time and there is a satisfying splattering of blood and limbs and you discharge into a Zombie crowd. This Guru never gets bored of heads exploding whether it is the start of the game or into the final levels!
Everything in the game now happens in real time, so no more pausing the game to select a bigger weapon or indeed to reload your current one. A quick inventory system is introduced by assigning items to the D-pad which allows you to quickly switch between your weapons or healing items in real time which greatly adds to the feeling of panic as you try to heal in the midst of the Zombie attack.
Resident Evil games in the past have been about conserving ammo and saving your better weapons and ammo for the inevitable boss fights. Resi 5 moves away from this by necessity and the sheer amount of Zombie infected you are up against. The infected drop ammo as you take them out and this introduces you to another main aspect of the game. Micro management of your inventory and splitting the loot between you and your companion Sheeva. On my first play through I played the game as I would any other (I call it the magpie approach), if it's shiny, can go in my gun or looks interesting then its mine. I didn't care too much whether Sheeva had any ammo or not. This, in retrospect, was a bit harsh as she saved my ass a few times by taking out a Zombie which had shambled up behind me or resuscitating me shortly before my untimely death. In fact she resuscitated me many more times than I had to save her.
Although sorting out your inventory may not sound like the most fun players will find themselves trading items between the characters at quiet points in the game to ensure preparation for the next Zombie onslaught. This even extends to what ammo you pick up on the battle field for example if you know Sheeva has the rifle and you don't you will find yourself leaving it lying and alerting Sheeva to its presence with a quick button press. Of course if you're playing it co-operatively then Sheeva will be controlled by a friend and you're more likely to tell them the location as you work your way together through the levels.
I am pleased to say that Sheeva when being controlled by the computer isn't quite the liability I expected her to be. A.I controlled characters are notorious for having the intelligence of a drunk monkey and so I had real fears about Resi 5 when I realised I would be lumbered with Sheeva for most of the game (yes this Guru plays alone, screw the co-op). Thankfully during the demo she seems relatively intelligent and didn't fall behind as I made my way around the areas, in fact in the several times I played the demo she only died once and this was more to do with my magpie approach to picking up inventory. It will take an extended play of the full game to make a judgment on her effectiveness but early indicators are good. If she has half the personality of Alyx Vance from Half Life then this Guru will be a happy fellow.
So problems with the controls aside the game is still looking really good. I still have it on my must buy for 2009 list and March 13th is still down for the day off work to pick the game up (unless the nice folks at Capcom want to sent me a review copy) and spend the day with the curtains drawn and the sound pumped up for a day of survival horror. Expect a full review to follow soon after.
Dead Rising was originally released for the Xbox 360 in September 2006. In it you played the part of Frank West, a freelance photojournalist who is dropped off in a shopping mall looking for the scoop behind some strange reports coming out of Willamettee, a fictional town in Colorado. Unfortunately for Frank the mall and town is infested with Zombies and the game became a 3 day battle to stay alive and rescue (or kill) the other survivors.
Its well noted that the game draws some of its influences from George Romero's films most noticeably Dawn of the Dead due to its shopping mall setting. So much so that a lawsuit was filed against Capcom for copyright infringement by the MKR group who own the rights for both Dawn of the Dead and the more recent remake. Thankfully this was thrown out by an American judge who agreed that the concept of "humans battling Zombies in a shopping mall" was a "wholly unprotectable idea"
So what about the game? The 360 version was critically well received. At the time the idea of having 100's of individual, independent enemies on screen at the one time was unheard of in the previous generation of consoles and quite rightly the original Dead Rising is still considered one of this generations first "next generation game". The setting of the shopping mall was well realised and as you play a photojournalist you don't arrive armed to the teeth with the arsenal of a small county in your back pocket. Nope, you arrive with a camera and whatever weapons you can find in mall. This leads to some fun experimentation as everything can be picked up and used as a weapon from a cream pie from the food court, to an umbrella, to a lawnmower, to even using a bowling ball to bowl your way through a crowd of zombies!
It has to be noted that while the game has its tense moments (think being stuck with clothing rail as a weapon and 100 zombies between you and your objective) it isn't a true horror and doesn't seek to scare. There is plenty of blood on show but even if you manage to acquire a sword limbs (both yours and the zombies) tend to stay attached. The object is exploration and ploughing through as many zombies as you can and in as many interesting ways as possible. This reviewer hadn't had as much fun for ages.
So what about the port to the Wii then? Its no secret that the Wii is the least powerful of this generation of consoles so the Wii isn't capable of the glorious HD graphics of the 360 version but as the game is being built using the Resident Evil 4 graphics engine there can be little doubt the game will look less shiny, but just as good on the Wii. The hated save system from the original has been cut and a new improved system will be introduced along with a slight change in gameplay mechanic. In the original the game happened in "real time" with Frank being stranded for 3 days awaiting pick up. For the Wii this has been ditched and a more traditional level system will be employed.
Of course being on the Wii the control system needs to be reimagined to ensure Dead Rising will take full control of the Wii's motion controls going so far as to let you aim, swing, shoot and shake zombies off when you are captured. If utilised correctly this should draw the player closer to the action than was possible on the Xbox 360. The only small gripe I have at the moment is after watching the gameplay trailer there is a lack of Zombies on screen when compared to the 360 version Hopefully that is because this is an early trailer as opposed to limitations of the Nintendo Wii.
The original was both a commercial and critical success and so this reviewer is looking forward to replaying the game on the Wii with the added level of interaction that will be available via the Wii's unique control system. Roll on winter 2009!
DEAD RISING: CHOP TILL YOU DROP
Release Date: 27th February
Platform: Wii
Developer: Capcom�
Think Survival Horror and the vast majority of gamers will automatically think of the Resident Evil series of games made by Capcom. Although Resident Evil coined the phrase it was by no means the first horror game available for consoles and in fact the original borrowed heavily from "Alone In The Dark", that being said there can be little doubt that the original Resident Evil was the first critical and commercial success for the genre and paved the way for the "Silent Hill" series.
The original Resident Evil and indeed Resi 2, 3 and to a lesser extent Veronica all used static pre-rendered backdrops and fixed camera angles for traversing the game world. Although this gave the games a distinct look and feel which Capcom used effectively to build the tension and give the player scares (anyone who played the original Resi remembers their first brown pants moment as the dogs burst through the windows) it was also responsible for the weakest part of the series which was knowing a shambling Zombie or fast moving Licker was just off screen (but in the same room) and the wait for them to move into your screen to allow you to take aim. When you were fighting Lickers this usually involved them jumping on top of you and a sizeable chuck of health being lost!
Then came Resident Evil 4 and Capcom took a risk and effectively reboot the franchise. Out went the fixed camera angles and pre-rendered backdrops and in came a proper 3 dimensional game world with the camera fixed just over the shoulder of your character which moved with you. As well improvements with the environments and the camera the protagonists were also overhauled and no longer would enemies shamble aimlessly towards you, they now had a survival instinct would dodge your attacks, and run towards you as opposed to the easy to pick off Zombie shuffle. The reboot was critically well received and there isn't a best game award that it didn't win. Well worth picking up a copy for the Nintendo Wii that has been sitting under the TV for a few months gathering dust now the initial excitement of Wii sports has worn off!
The next game in the franchise is due to hit the shelves across the world on March 13th this year and its fair to say ill be taking the day off work, closing the curtains, ramping up the sound and immersing myself in Capcom's latest production.
Resident Evil 5 is set this time in Africa and so while previous iterations of the game has had you fearing the shadows the game dynamic should be completely different in the searing heat and brightness of the African landscape.
In the game you will play the returning Chris Redfield who was the hero from the original Resident Evil and also Resident Evil : Code Veronica and he will be joined this time by a new character Sheva Alomar. Sheva will play as either a completely A.I controlled character or, in a first for the series, Sheva can be controlled Co-Op either on-line or as split screen for local play.
Previous games in the series have always been a lonely affair, and although you could at different times select another character for plot purposes or be accompanied for a short period of time the emphasis has always been on exploration and single player gameplay. With the introduction of co-op play the game has been designed with this in mind and many of the games set pieces will revolve around how you and Sheva interact. While this shouldn't be an issue when playing with a friend (unless your friend is particularly mince at games) Capcom will have a job on their hands ensuring Sheva isn't a liability for players who will be playing the game alone.
The E3 trailer which gave many their first view of the gameplay suggests large set piece battles being waged against the infected, with these battles raging across African desert as well as tight African shanty towns. The trailer, for me, projects a sense of scale and gives a glimpse of some of the locations you will be visiting from the African desert (which a major battle appears to be being waged across as you try and escape the infected), to African towns, mines and even what appeared to be ship.
It would appear Resi 5 will also completely do away with shambling Zombies to be replaced with a more intelligent 28 days/weeks later type infected which should make battles a frantic affair with emphasis more on escape than standing toe to toe with your enemies.
All in all Resident Evil 5 does appear to be shaping up quite nicely. The demo will hit the Xbox Live marketplace on January 26th at which point ill be able to supplement this preview with my first thoughts about the gameplay mechanics and whether Resident Evil 5 will be the first must buy game of the new year.
Release Date: March 13, 2009
Platform: PS3, Xbox 360
Developer: Capcom�
For a long time EA has been something of a pariah in the gaming world drawing lots of criticism for milking its "cash cow" franchises year on year. Think of the many FIFA, Need for Speed, Tiger Wood's Golf iterations to illustrate the point. In a change of company strategy EA has made it clear they want to create some brand new IP's (intellectual properties) to supplement the yearly updates for its sport titles. The end result of this was the release of the quite simply excellent Dead Space late last year and the flawed but original (and well worth a play) Mirror's Edge.
Continuing in this vein EA has now announced Dante's Inferno, a brand new IP from the team behind the previously mentioned Dead Space. Dante's Inferno is a third person action adventure adaptation of the medieval epic poem The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. The poem is widely considered to have defined the western worlds contemporary conception of hell and purgatory. It's split into three parts Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The game will seek to tell the story of Inferno and Dante's travels through the nine Circles of Hell to rescue his lost love Beatrice.
Other than a short preview trailer available there little is known about the game other than it being a third person action adventure. The game is likely to be similar to the Devil May Cry series or God of War which for me is no bad thing. The game being set in the nine circles of hell should provide at least nine levels of diverse landscape to explore with suitably themed monsters to battle. Think scantily clad Vixens when traversing lust, or big fat demons when traversing Gluttony. By having different themed levels and monsters the game should avoid the obvious pitfall and bore of fighting the same monsters level after grinding level.
Of course interesting environments will only be half the battle and for the game to succeed Dante is going to need an interesting array of weapons to battle the demonic horde and a responsive, dynamic move set to ensure the player feels connected with Dante as he traverses the nine circles of Hell.
There can be little doubt that EA as a company has had its critics but one thing they generally can't be faulted for is the quality of their titles. As Dante's Inferno is a new IP with potentially another two games to come in the series EA will want to ensure this is a quality title. Dante's Inferno has plenty of promise and ill be keeping an eye on its progress over the coming year.
Dante's Inferno
Release Date: TBC
Developer: EA
So with a bit of luck you have read through the previews I have written in the brand new gaming section here in SexGoreMutant towers and even more hopefully you haven't quite decided to avoid the new section like the plague!
As well as previewing and reviewing new titles it's also my hope to update you on any interesting bits of information the come my way and this update is the first "info" bite.
So I was playing Call of Duty 5 : World of Warfare at the weekend. Now it needs to be said that after the quite frankly excellent Call of Duty 4 which was set in the current day I did groan somewhat when I heard that the latest instalment was set back during world war 2. Seriously if I have to kill another Nazi on the way to the liberation of Europe then I could almost give up gaming completely.
In a slight twist on the genre the game has 2 scenarios, one as a Russian soldier during the battle of Stalingrad and the eventual sacking of Berlin and during the American Pacific campaign through the Japanese islands. The first level of the Russian campaign is of note for any one who has seen "Enemy at the Gates" which is the tale of two snipers. The game recreates moments from the film brilliantly and anyone that knows the story won't fail to get a kick out of this section of the game.
The other scenario battling the Japanese through the jungles of the Japanese islands is as authentic as it is frustrating. I am not ashamed to admit that at certain points through the levels you sit in awe of the Jap's as they materialise in front of you seemingly out of no where as they launch suicide attacks on you. They come out of tunnels, mimic the dead, and are masters of disguise. Seriously by the end of the game I defy anyone not to wonder why the Americans only dropped two nukes on the bastards!
Anyway I finally completed the game and sat back to watch the credits in the quiet satisfaction of winning the war again, at the end of the credits the screen faded to black and then came back up with me standing in what appeared to be a deserted farm house. Oh goody an extra level I thought.
The first thing I noticed was I appeared to be armed with a pistol, not knowing where I was or what I would be fighting my first thought was to ditch the pistol. Cue a frantic search of the house for a bigger gun. This was a fairly fruitless search to be honest although there were outlines (think American murder victim) of better guns on the walls there were also several windows, a blocked staircase and a locked door. And what the hell was that breaking wood sound?
Just as I registered the sound I turned around to be faced with a NAZI ZOMBIE!!!!!!
Actually several Nazi Zombies who had smashed there way through one of the windows while I ran about like a headless chicken. I died.
Lets face it what is not to like about Nazi Zombies, or at the very least about killing Nazi Zombies?
As it turns out when you complete the game it unlocks a survival mode which pits you in the house to defend against an onslaught of the aforementioned Nazi Zombies. The mode is broken down into levels and as you clear each level you will be faced with a bigger onslaught in the next. Each "kill" awards you points which can be traded for better weapons and opening the other areas of the house. But be warned, opening another area while allowing you access to better weapons also gives the Zombies more access points for the house.
It's fair to say the mode has been designed with co-operative play in mind and defending the house with 2 or 3 friends playing over Xbox live or side by side in the house will greatly enhance the fun to be had.
While I don't think anyone should be buying the game purely for the Zombie mode for anyone out there who enjoys a first person shooter they can do a lot worse than Call of Duty 5.