Fallout New Vegas: First Impressions

Grab yourself a  NukaCola and some Iguana on a Stick because it's time for Fallout New Vegas!


If you've played Fallout 3 you'll know exactly what your in for when jumping into  Fallout New Vegas, the game play is instantly familiar making it easy to get right into the action. New Vegas has everything you loved about Fallout 3 plus a little more, such as an expanded array of weapons to play with, mini games such as the Caravan card game and improved interactions with companions through the companion wheel.


Other new features include a number of factions all with different intentions and views on each other, you'll get the chance to interact with them and do quests building a different relationship with each faction. The crafting element from Fallout 3 has been greatly expanded on, you can now breakdown ammunition into it's components to be rebuilt into another ammo type such as 9mm rounds parts used to make 10mm rounds using 10mm cases. There are also many survivalist style items to make too, such as drinks, food, and weapon repair kits. Such item creation is not a necessity for getting through the game (that I know of yet) but I expect it to be invaluable during hardcore mode. A mode I'm keen to try out next.


As for quests you'll find plenty of variety, so far I have come across some interesting quests that has given me a few paths to choose from that result in a different conclusion to the quest, and with some optional objectives to boot. But on the other hand I have also done a couple of smaller simple "go kill this or that" quests. 


A note on New Vegas bugs. I began playing after the first patch was installed via Steam and experienced two crashes to desk top in the first 2-4 hours of play but since then the game has been perfectly stable for me on PC. I'm now about 20 hours into the game and the only other bug seems to have been a quest bug during Booted, but was not game breaking or anything just a bit odd. Obsidian where quick with the first patch so I'm confident the next patch will fix any remaining issues.


One thing I do love about Bethesda games and New Vegas is no exception is the exceedingly detailed open world game play. I really admire the little things when exploring, such as stumbling across a wastelanders hovel tucked away among the rocks at the foot of a mountain, then seeing this wastelanders quirky nature just by looking at the way the items and junk in his make shift home has been arranged.


Now I think it's time for me to snipe a few more lakelerkers that stand in the way of my wasteland exploration. Check back soon for more Fallout posts.


Need a link? http://fallout.bethsoft.com/index.html






Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light: Review (single player)

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, is a very slick downloadable game, for a great price of only $14.99. It's not the Tomb Raider game we have all come to know and expect, but that's not a bad thing at all, it's something different and it works.


The first thing you will likely notice is the camera angle is a Diablo style isometric camera rather then the 3rd person view in all other Tomb Raider games. This is both a refreshing change and the biggest problem in Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. Lara's positioned in the centre off the screen and because the camera is somewhat zoomed in this leaves little room to see further ahead. You'll find your self wildly shooting at enemies of screen or dieing because you could hardly see more then a few feet in front of Lara as you attempt to traverse a multi trap gauntlet. You'll end up dieing a few time just to discover what exactly you have to jump and dodge your way through before your successful at passing through large runs of multiple traps. This has one very annoying side effect as each time you die you loose the points needed to unlock bonus weapons.


The other major game play change is the introduction of relics and artefacts that can be equipped for bonuses. Artefacts will give a passive bonus to your speed, weapon damage, bomb, or defence. Relics on the other hand determine a special power(s) that is activated when a power up bar is full, achieved by eliminating enemies without Lara taking damage. I like this as it helps give the already fun combat some depth.


Speaking of combat, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light dose it well indeed. Like in previous Tomb Rader games you can do crazy jumps and commando rolls to avoid enemy attacks wile blasting away with huge variety of weapons. You can have up to four weapons equipped at any one time, easily selected during real time game play with the number keys. The game make sure you always receive the weapons you need but there are plenty more to collect, such as high powered weapons and golden weapons.


Puzzles play a big part in this game, in fact a couple of levels are one massive puzzle that's solved by completing smaller puzzles. But don't worry their nothing that will give you a headache, the puzzles are actually very inventive. Some puzzles are solved with explosives and others by more traditional means.


The story for Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is as simplistic as you can get, it's a real shame as it could have been just a little more interesting. A character at the beginning of the game named Vasco stupidly sets loose an evil god, it's then up to Lara and the good deity Totec (the second player character in multiplayer) to put the bad guy back in his cage.


You'll find the graphics very pleasing to look at as Lara adventures through outdoor levels and tombs alike. I found my self admiring the depth of each level just as much as I admired the way plant life swayed as Lara runs past. Sound fx are on par with the graphics, you'll quickly be able to identify the different creatures by their sounds.


I'd recommend altering the controls before starting as the default leave something to be desired. You'll wont to have the bomb assigned to an easy to use key as it's use is often based on good timing.


Regarding my earlier first impressions post about Lara's new adventure I spoke about an inventory bug that would effectively freeze the game, this bug only occurred during the first two levels. Other then that I suffered only two crashes to desktop, it was only a minor inconvenience as the game has very regular auto saves.


In conclusion Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is a refreshing game that can be a lot of fun, but can also be a little frustrating at times because of the camera's lack of an ability to zoom out to get a wider view. It unfortunately suffers from casual game syndrome as it's story is almost non existent plus the game only takes about 12-14 hours to play and that's being generous. But with clever level design, innovative puzzles, fun combat and the soon to be online co-op there is plenty to like about Lara's new adventure.


PC Gamer Guy Score: 7/10


Need a link? http://www.laracroftandtheguardianoflight.com/



Dawn of War 2: Last Stand Strategy Guide - Space Marine

This is the second part of my Last Stand Strategy Guide, this time I'll take a look at the Space Marine Captain.


The Space Marine acquires a varied mix of war gear giving you the option to focus on ranged or melee play style. Below I have detailed what I have found to be the most effective war gear combination.


Weapons: Master Crafted Bolt Pistol + Power Axe


Armour: Artificer Armour


Accessories: Jump Pack + Rite of the Tireless Crusader + Rite of Fortitude


Commander Item: Dreadnought Drop Pod


Powers: Assault Jump + Revive + Call Dreadnought


Traits: Armour Piercing (ignore up to 100 armour value)


Comments:


The weapons load out is a balance of health regeneration and offensive damage, you might be tempted to exchange the Bolt Pistol in exchange for the more offensive Plasma Pistol but I find the health regeneration from the Bolt Pistol invaluable. The Power Axe dose great damage and it's armour piercing will help you take on the big guys such as Wraithlords.


I could hardly pass up the Artificer Armour with it's good armour value as well as +50 health and +25 energy. This armour will help keep you in the fight for much longer, plus it looks damn good!


As for the accessories the Jump Pack is a favourite of mine it gives the otherwise slow Space Marine the ability to get around the arena fast. You can use Assault Jump to get into battle with a bag or get out of a bad situation fast! Rite of the Tireless Crusader is a great item, when a team member falls you can revive them instantly with full health and temporary invulnerability, but it dose have a high power cost so its best used only when things are getting desperate otherwise conserve your energy for Assault Jumps. Last on the accessories list is Rite of Fortitude that gives you +75 health, giving the Space Marine a total of 225 health.


It's good to have a Dreadnought, that's why I have chosen to equip a Dreadnought Drop Pod as the commander item for this load out. The Dreadnought is as you can imagine a very handy ally to have in battle, you can also drop the Dreadnought onto your enemy for some extra fun. 


Closing Comments: This load out for the Space Marine Captain is a good balance of combat stamina, offensive melee and support for your team.


Need a link? http://www.dawnofwar2.com/us/home



Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light: First Impressions

So I picked up Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light from Steam for a very affordable price of $14.99 USD a few days ago, and so far I'm impressed with Lara's new play style.


The game is played from an isometric view ie: top down at an angle. Although the view has changed this is still very much a Lara Croft game in the way that you will still explore hidden Tombs, solve puzzles and jump around with guns blazing. But in this new adventure there is less climbing and more action. The puzzles are inventive, the weapons are cool and combat is easy to learn but maintains a good level of depth.


I have encountered one unfortunate bug that occurs seemingly randomly when accessing the inventory screen, it's rare but when it dose happen your greeted with a blank inventory screen and no way out. You can Ctrl+Alt+Del, the game will reaper immediately after selecting task manager so hit the windows key to get back to desktop, then you can end task the game. Luckily the game is always saving your progress so you wont loose much if this dose happen.


I'm only the first few levels in playing the single player mode, but I plan to post a full single player mode review when I'm finished the game.


Need a link? http://www.laracroftandtheguardianoflight.com/

Dawn of War 2: Last Stand Strategy Guide - Farseer

I've spent a lot of time playing Dawn of War's multiplayer mode Last Man Standing, so I thought I'd share my strategies for the various characters you can play as, starting with the Farseer.


The Farseer is a melee spell caster and in typical Eldar fashion it can be challenging to get your Eldar tactics right, but very rewarding when you do and the Farseer is no exception. Below I have put together what I found to be the most effective war gear load out for the Farseer.


Weapons: Pistol of the Warseer + Witch Blade of the Crone


Armour: Armour of Vaul


Accessories: Runes of Evasion + Runes of War + Runes of Vigour


Commander Item: Spirit Stone of Illusion


Powers: Veil of Tears


Traits: Combat expert (+30% Damage) Swift (+25% speed) Fearless (immune to suppression) Evasive (30% chance attacking enemies will miss the Farseer) Combat master (+40% damage) +0.3 Energy regeneration


Comments: As a spell caster you might be tempted to load up the Farseer with as many powers as you can but this will result in a fragile character, and that's not too good in a survival situation like Last Stand. This load out builds on the Farseer's melee ability and adds some survivalist traits mixed with one power.


The weapon load out with Runes of War is second in damage only to the Singing Spear but with one not so obviously useful trait - Swift. With extra speed in combat you can out flank the enemy and get to those annoying ranged attackers, dodge grenades and my favourite use is when your comrades have fallen you can lure the enemy to one side of the map and then run around to the other side and revive your fallen team.


The armour load out will increase your survivability with a high armour rating and prevent you from getting suppressed, a situation that can easily become a death sentence if you have no ability to teleport or jump jet away.


The accessories I have chosen are to boost the Farseer's damage, energy regeneration and survivability. Evasive is a trait most players are likely to overlook in favour of Ward but consider this, Evasive is always active so has no energy cost and when your up against the larger powerful enemies with their slow rate of attack Evasive helps a lot.


For the commander item I chose the Spirit Stone of Illusion that gives your Farseer the power Veil of Tears a beefed up version of confuse. It might be overlooked for the more flashy Eldrich Storm but I prefer it for two good reasons. Firstly it has no casting time, it's effects are immediate. Secondly there's no need to aim as it will effect half of all the enemies on the map cussing them to fight each other making it very disruptive. The best time to use this power is at the hight of a wave when you and your team are likely overwhelmed by numbers, it's even more effective when your enemy are bunched up together. The other time this power will come in handy is in the later stage of a wave when a team member has fallen and you need to distract attacking enemies as you revive your friend.


Closing Comments: This load out will make for a speedy melee warrior that can hold up to some heavy attacks and with good timing can disrupt the enemy at those critical moments.  


Need a link? http://www.dawnofwar2.com/us/home



Mount & Blade Warband: Diary Post 01

If you have never heard of this game before and you like me love the medieval based RPG and/or action games then your going to wont to read on. Warband is all about fun game play with it's balanced mix of RPG elements such as character creation and levelling, with a simple yet flexible and rewarding combat system. It's rewarding because it's not just a simple "point & click" as you can maximise your attack by riding your warhorse into infantry, increasing your damage in melee by ensuring you get a full swing at your enemy or getting your timing right with archery to increase your accuracy.


My main character I play as is a Mongolian style warrior named Temudgin, focusing of course on mounted archery! My weapons of choice are Khergit bow and arrows with shield and scimitar. This gives me a perfect balance in ranged attack, combined with the more defensive melee option.


So my rampaging Mongolian style character is so far a fair way into the game at level 30 at this time of writing. I have joined The Khergit Khanate (a Mongolian themed faction) and have been fighting for them for some time now. Although I have made some friends among the nobility and married into a Khergit nobile family my king has thus far failed to reward me with new fiefs. (other then the little village I start with) I now know why other NPC Lords get discouraged and leave their faction for another. My long term goal is to start my own kingdom, all I need is a little more right to rule points, a slightly larger army total and at least one castle before I take a town as my capital. That's the way this game plays out you make your own objectives, you don't need to be a king to win the game but as Mel Brooks in Robin Hood once said "It's good to be the king!"


During my last play through the Khergit Khanate was at peace with all other factions, but in Warband this doesn't mean boring. There are always bandits to hunt down for money and experience. But peace time offers a good chance to take advantage of Warbands trade economy as all Towns will open their doors to you, giving you the freedom to sell goods at the highest price. And for my horse ridding Mongolian an opportunity to build a larger war chest, as war is never faraway.


I also jumped online for a bit of team death match fun. Warband online is a bit like counter strike but with swords and spears. If you find yourself on a server with no lag this game is a hell of a lot of fun online. I played as a real sneaky bugger taking out my enemy from behind cover with a crossbow, while other players favoured the melee style one player had a death wish by running around half naked wielding a two handed sword! (there's one in every game!)


Need a link? http://www.taleworlds.com/



 

Lets Get Started!

Hi there and welcome to my new blog all about PC gaming and gaming in general. This will not be just another blog with the latest video game news but rather my experience as a gamer and I plan to throw in some helpful tips, strategy guides and reviews along the way. Seeing how this is my first post I'll give some background info about my past as a gamer.


My PC gaming started with a 486 computer and some classic dos games such as Cyber dogs, Test Drive, Bubble Bubble, Jet Fighter and Space Invaders. Ahh yes the classics, fond memories indeed. But things soon got better when I got my hands on games like id Software's Wolfenstine and Doom, Bethesda's SkyNet, Westwood's Command & Conquer and BioWare's Baldur's Gate 2.


I have not always been exclusively a PC gamer, I did own an original PlayStation, well still do in fact it's gathering dust five meters behind me as I type this now. So why do I still have it? Well it's hard to let go when three of my old all time favourites were on that little chunky grey box. Namely Tomb Raider 2, Metal Gear Solid and one of the best RPGs I have ever played Final Fantasy 7.


These days for me it's high end PC gaming at it's best, so come back often to get an insight into various games I play, any tips, guides or reviews I can share.