FPS Games - PC Top 3

The Short and Sweet

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Best overall game for Single player and Multiplayer

Plus Side
Infinity Ward pulled out all the stops in creating this COD title. The developer returns to offering great game play and non player character AI. The single player offering is short but the action is some of the best played on the PC or console to date.

Bad Side
The only real detraction is the use of enemy spawning. Enemy spawns detract from some strategic maneuvering such as flanking. You must clear out enemies in succession or you'll never clear a point. This is a minor point given that the game overall offers great overall story and game play.

Unreal Tournament 3

Plus Side
The game at its core is reminiscent of the original UT title. Very frenetic game play with plenty of visual visceral carnage unleashed from explosive weapons. Weapons feel right and the player motion and speed just feel right.

Vehicles also feel right. This could have gone horribly wrong, but Epic has engineered a level of balance in game play that makes using vehicles effective without being overpowering. The use of hover boards for those choosing to be foot soldiers is ideal for larger maps and culminates into some very intense CTF and VCTF matches.

Bad Side
Epic/Midway released the game too early to meet the holiday sales. It's clear and evident that the enemy AI is not always doing what one would expect. Excellent AI is one of Epics hallmarks, but in UT3, they dropped a few points.

No single player game worth noting. Single play can best be described as a group of training levels with silly war/battle explanations for CTF. C'mon its capture the flag.

Epic also has reduced the User Interface to a sub standard level that limits customization. It is definitely "consolized". Epic has said they will rework it but it is unknown when.

Sadly UT3, is in need of some patches. Even though the core is solid, the game falls short in content and a polished delivery.

Crysis

Plus Side
Crytek the developer of Crysis has upped the ante once again. If you have a PC that can play Crysis, you will be treated to some exception visuals and physics not see in PC gaming before. Crysis is big step above what Far Cry showcased years ago. Single play in the jungle environment is top notch as most every element in the game has physics applied to it.

There are some huge levels of action, where combat is stellar and I found myself reloading these levels just to see how they would play differently.

Bad Side
In the end, Crysis plays more like a visual upgrade than anything else. It fails along the same lines that Far Cry did. Once you enter a closed environment, the appeal is somewhat lost and the story starts to unravel losing any potential to keep the player riveted.

Multiplayer not unlike Far Cry is more a less a visual appendage to the single player campaign. Much of the physics and destroyable elements are locked into DX10 servers and players. Needless to say, few people have bought into Vista as a gaming system so we are treated to basic multiplayer gaming with nothing to write home about. Considering the hardware needed to run Crysis, its no wonder the sales haven't broke the 100.000 mark.

Jeff Gerstmann - Vindicated?

Eidos Rewrites Reviews for Kane and Lynch

Ok it's a given. The video game industry is too big and the stakes too high to be honest.

Still on the warm heels of Jeff Gerstmann's firing, word comes out that Eidos has been caught "rewording" or simply making up reviews to save their game.

"It's not like the relationship between Kane & Lynch and review scores wasn't messy enough. But now this? Visitors to the game's official site will notice, once the page's flash intro is done, that two review scores for the game are flashed for your perusal. One from GameSpy, one from Game Informer. Both look positively glowing!"

Read more here at kotaku.com

Unreal Tournament 3 (High Detail)

All Things Considered...

Having read through my share of forums regarding the apparent low resolution models being utilized in UT3, I though I would give it a go with some of the more bristly creatures in the game.

UT3 utilizes an impressive light and detailed shadow scheme at full detail. I'll note that the characters are self shadowing which surprised me after I made the screen grabs. Theres allot going on in different parts of every map and having a variety of characters running about has not impacted my frame rates.

With that said, I will note that the game is a pretty faced paced game which in the end does not lend itself to gawking at the details less one doesn't want to lose their head.

Click on the images below

Unreal Tournament 3

High Resolution Hijinx

The long anticipated Unreal Tournament 3 (UT3) has finally made its debut and much of the reviews of the game (PC) have been positive. (It's also released on the PS3).

Before I get into the game, I'll write about the much hyped detailed levels and characters that Epic released during UT3 development over the past few years. The demo released a few weeks back was met with equal praise and dismay. Something was amiss as the level of detail vs. the steep hardware performance requirements.

As many have noted there is deep connection with console development this time around which is very evident in the dumbed down user interface. Epic has since noted the anemic design and plans to update it to more PC centric arrangement of old.

Beyond that, game world wise - it's arguable just where the load on performance is. Any way you look at it, the game is either poorly optimized for the PC, or there are ini tweaks for performance that need to be delved into.

I have three copies running on Intel Quad and two Dual Cores. 3.2 and 3.4 GHz respectively. All are running 8800 Series cards GT and two GTS. 2 Gig Ram in XP Pro. With minor GameEngine.ini optimizations I am getting 1280x768 with High settings with appreciable frame rates.

Be Forewarned

People with AMD dual cores are experiencing apparent issues with peak performance. This may be a vocal minority but it's better to view the hardware conflicts and solutions on Epics forums before laying down your money for this title. There are a number of issues with this release and its better to see how and what Epic is working on to resolve them. UT3 Troubleshooting Forum

Forcing ini tweaks can lead to instability and crashing. As with all previous Unreal games, overclocked systems are suspect unless they have been rigorously tested for memory stability. This game is no different. Just because you can run other games OC'd, does not ensure that UT3 will run problem free.

Classic Game Play Wins Out

Given the steep hardware requirements, if you have what it takes to run UT3, you are in for some great game play. Even though the visual dynamics are hit and miss, the balance in the maps and vehicles is about as good as it can be on this release.

Epics much lauded bots are back but not without some issues this time around. As good as the bots can be, there are times they uncharacteristically lose it. Shooting at walls, piloting vehicles into obstacles, or going in odd directions. Hopefully Epic tweaks these errors and brings this much appreciated consideration into working order.

I can't say enough about the vehicle arrangements. These are fairly well balanced given the difference between the two side. A high note goes to the Dark Walker which is straight out of War of the Worlds. Quite a site to see even when its the enemy. They cast a bright death ray that is instant death equaled only by its counterpart the tank (Axon Goliath).

Vehicle Capture the Flag is definitely a new favorite. Getting to use the hover board to maneuver through troops on foot and firing vehicles will get your blood racing. No more trudging on foot across lengthy maps with little hope of making it. Using a link gun on a hover board to link with a fast vehicle adds to the tactics of team play.

Game Modes and Maps

Game modes are reduced and maybe for realistic reasons. As much as I liked Assault, I know I didn't play it as much as much as other types. Warfare is a combination of sorts with a new way way to win control points. Again, the wise use of Hover Boards with accompanying vehicles can really help organized teams better lone wolf tactics. That's not to say that lone wolf methodology isn't warranted or useful; it is. As individuals acting as scouts can snipe out defenses. UT3 is hardly a class tactic game, but played in roles its easy to see how individuals can be as beneficial as team players.

Immediate Tips for Stability

I initially had OpenAL audio enabled for my Creative X-Fi systems. After disabling that, I have had zero crashes or glitches.

Don't force settings in the ini files if you don't have to. Unfortunately the sliders appear locked to setting variables in the UTEngine.ini. If your system is high spec and you have the GPU with 512MB or more memory - set the detail sliders to their max. Test run a map from each game type to check stability. Some maps are more system heavy than others. If you want to push your luck and tweak the ini file further, make sure to back up your file. For right now at least, the game appears to want to adhere to a tight group of settings.

If you have an overclocked system, do a Prime95 (single core) or Orthos (Dual Core) to stress test your rig. As mentioned earlier, the UT series is very particular with hardware overclocks. Memory errors are the first sign of OC issues.