CLUB PENGUIN: ELITE PENGUIN FORCE

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version.

GAMEPLAY


GRAPHICS

SOUND


VALUE FOR MONEY

OVERALL

CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR (2008) REVIEW

Unattractive, unnerving and unpleasant for all the right reasons.

PS3 version reviewed.

Call of Duty: World at War is a first person shooter published by Activision and developed by Treyarch for the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS and PC.

What I really liked about this game was how it was so far against depicting war as glamorous, down to the unwelcoming dark title screen and music to the gruelling and gruesome campaign. The game held nothing back in showing how horrible war can be and how it should never have to be a viable option.

GAMEPLAY
Multiplayer maps are a lot more open than in Modern Warfare, but I couldn't help but feel how well made some of the maps actually were. Outskirts may be one of the best Call of Duty maps ever with the variety of ways you can come out on top in it. Most of the DLC maps are outstanding too, the most noteworthy for me being Battery and Breach.

Guns in multiplayer are for the most part well balanced, while the sub machine guns are generally the best and useful in all the maps, there are some maps that will be won and lost over snipers or shotguns. As you can guess maps really vary in size too, which is a nice change from the tighter Modern Warfare designs, World at War even found room to put tanks in some of them.

I really enjoyed the new War game mode in multiplayer, with the momentum and things in certainly brought something a bit new to the table and a welcome break from the usual death matches, even if that's where you'll still find most people.

The campaign was very good, although I do wish there was a western front setting, as it seems a bit strange to call it one of the definitive WWII games when it doesn't feature one of the major places of conflict (Although apparently the PS2 counterpart Final Fronts does).

The unexpected zombies mode was a nice feature, and looking back in retrospective probably the biggest idea Call of Duty came up with since the franchise's inception.

STORY
While the story might not be anything complex, the atmospheres the game creates are fantastic

GRAPHICS

The game looks fine and the performance seems good.

Seeing people loose limbs or watching them turn into burnt husks is both horrifying and gruesome, and Treyarch deserve some credit for not daring to shy away from how graphic war can be. It really isn't nice to watch and may even make you contemplate why you're playing the game, but that's exactly how they want you to feel.

SOUND
At first I didn't like Sean Murray's soundtrack because I found it dark and unnerving, thinking it wasn't really something I would want to listen to again. I must have been a bit stupid because that's exactly what this soundtrack is supposed to bring across. This game isn't supposed to be about happy times we like to remember, but rather a time we'd like to forget but know we shouldn't. The soundtrack fits the bill perfectly and is a complement to the games gritty and odious direction.

VALUE FOR MONEY
Worth the price for the campaign as well as multiplayer and zombies mode. Props to Treyarch for making all the DLC free on PC too.

OVERALL
This could be the definitive World War II game. If you're a fan of the setting or the genre this is definitely worth picking up.

THE LEGEND OF SPYRO: DAWN OF THE DRAGON (2008) REVIEW

Might be the best of a pretty average trilogy.

PS2 and PS3 versions reviewed.

The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon is an action adventure game published by Activision and developed by Etranges Libellules for the Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS.

GAMEPLAY
Being able to fly is kind of cool, but not as cool as it sounds as most levels will restrict where and how you can fly. I'd even go as far to say that most levels could have worked without the flying, although flying certainly feels nicer than trying to move around on the ground in this game.

A lot of people like to complain about the chain keeping the two characters together, and while it can be annoying in some segments I thought they used the mechanic in a somewhat interesting way, making players have to swing around each other to complete certain objects, or even one hang in one location while the other comes in as a wrecking ball to smash a wall down, dare I say at times I actually found it quite fun.

The PS2 version had a few rare minor bugs, such as Spyro or Cynder getting stuck in something, or running along walls instead of grabbing vines.

Hit combos are a nice little addition, as well as finally being able to select levels and the addition of far more collectables including things like armour with different bonuses. Why Krome were so opposed to adding these in TEN I still don't know.

I also think it's worth mentioning how loose the combat feels, if anything it can feel a bit floaty and awkward at times. I wouldn't describe it as bad, or even unsatisfying as combos can feel good, but there's some element to it that just makes it feel a bit strange at times.

STORY
While the other two stories weren't anything spectacular they at lead managed to hold up, sadly Dawn of the Dragon's story is bit messy. There are plenty of plot holes and miss-consistencies, some of the things I can understand, changing developers meant some characters were going to look different and things like that are fine, but some things don't really makes sense (Cynder was a fire dragon in ANB yet is now instead a wind dragon, Spyro's lack of dragon time, just to name a few).

GRAPHICS

It looks fine on the PS2 but looks fantastic on the PS3, I'd go as far to say it's one of 2008's best looking games.

SOUND
It's ironic really, that so much money was probably spent on the voice actors in the game, when it's actually the music that stands out. I've said it twice already, and I'll say it yet again, Rebecca Kneubuhl and Gabriel Mann's score is fantastic. The whole trilogy sounds wonderful and if anyone can take any real positives out of this reboot then it's the fact we got to hear their brilliant efforts with the soundtrack. Guide You Home is one of my favourite pieces of music ever.

I've heard the opinion that the game could have been better if they spent more money on the actual development, and less on voice actors, and I think it's a really valid point. I mean sure, keep Elijah Wood, Gary Oldman's fine too, and it's a shame they didn't keep David Spade as Sparx, but did they really need to change Cynder's voice actor to a big name, did Hunter have to have a big one too? What's the point of getting Mark Hamill in only to distort his voice beyond recognition?(At 2:07 in this video you get to hear how amazing he sounded without distortion)

VALUE FOR MONEY

The story should take around 7 hours and probably an additional 3 to find all the collectables and things.

OVERALL
I'd say this is probably the best game in the trilogy, even if that perhaps isn't the biggest accolade. If you're up for an action or adventure game then this one might be worth a look, just don't expect anything too fantastic. If you have the option I'd definitely get the PS3 version over the PS2 as it looks better and seemingly has fewer bugs.