Assassin'S CreeD III

Another epic Release from Ubisoft and developed by Ubisoft Montreal , Assassin's Creed III is one of the best games that the gaming industry had ever witnessed till time . Making use of the new Game engine ' Anvil Next ' the game's environments looks stunning and real time when compared to its predecessor versions.  First time there will be a change in the weather as you move around in the game with rain , snow , lightning , and cloudy areas . The game was supposed to be in production from 2010 as soon as the AC II got released .

The entire story take place during the American Revolution from 1753 to 1783 . Players take the role of
Ratonhnhaké:ton aka Connor and also start the game with Haytham Kenway who later on becomes the leader of the Templars. Connor is a half English and Half Mohawk who is born to Haytham and Ziio of the native tribe. The present story takes place from where Revelations left off with Desmond Miles and his team in finding the Temple which houses the mechanism to prevent the end of the world by 2012 . In order to make the mechanism to work Desmond requires a key and to find which he goes into the Animus and bleeds into the life of Haytham Kenway whose blood line is then continued by Connor .

Desmond Miles Above Stadium

Contrary to the belief you start the game with Haytham ,whom you will think will be your player character and who will get to don the Assassin Outfit after some time as we saw with Ezio .But whoa you will get the shock of your life when he turns out to be a Templar . I mean even the game title pops up with the dramatic music when Haytham enters into America for the first time ..Sheesh . But later you will get to know its actually his half blood son who will become the Hero of the story. 

But it will take a long time to reach that . Haytham is so smooth in his words and refined that you will start to miss him after sometime , because Connor will be the exact opposite of him. Who is young and foolish that he rushes off into all things without even thinking it through . There is no grace in his speech , atleast tats what I felt . Ezio rocks when he says  'Rest in Peace ' everytime he kills off a guy . But Connor says something in his foreign language that will start to get irritating after sometime.

Gameplay ::

Young Connor running on a tree 

So coming to gameplay . Anvil sure is the next level engine in this game . I mean there is a fluidity in your character movements that was somehow lacking in the older versions of the game . The way that Connor moves is so smooth and easy with lithe gracefulness , that you will spend half of the game admiring his running :D. Not to mention the tree Parkour you now get to execute . My god . Being a native Connor is graceful while moving in trees as he was with the ground movements .It will be difficult at first to get a knack for moving from tree to tree without falling down , but once you get the hang of it , it would be the best . It looks so cool when he rests with a pose on the tree when you leave yourr character perched on the tree without moving him for sometime.

Running between crowds had never been easy wit AC due to the stumble and real time effects that was implemented in your character . But Connor can be easily made to move without hitting people at all through the crowds.

Fighting Style :: 

Another major aspect of the game which had seen a remarkable change is the fighting style of Connor . Introudcing for the first time is Tomahawk , traditional for Native tribe. Connor looks so cool wielding it that it becomes your most favorite weapon as soon as you go along . A new parry system is introduced which will successfully deflect attacks coming from every direction . But in order to successfully hit your enemy you must do a perfect counter when the enemy attacks . But not to worry the game displays a red icon above the head of the enemy who is above to attack you and when you counter correctly the game dramatically slows down during which you get to decide what form of attack you can use on the enemy  . After a successful counter if you press B you will throw your enemy in the intended direction , if you press X , then you will finish him with the actual combo which is for the particular weapon . and if you press Y you will use whatever secondary weapon you have in your selection to destroy the guy.

The chain quick kills is also present in this game where when you successfully execute a counter kill you can chain the quick kill to the enemy close to you by simply pressing the direction and X. One of the coolest things in the entire series of AC.

 1) Tomahawk ::

You will get to use the Assassin's special one or a blunt one or a native one . But the movements of Connor is absolutely ravishing to look . Especially the way he spins the weapon in air when you take it out of your sheathe . So cool. Each attack looks deadly with this weapon and when you take down the last enemy the camera slows down with a dramatic slow mo.

2) Hidden Blade : :

Hidden Blade - Concept Art

The most famous and awesome weapon of AC series , This time it has been a little upgraded from the previous version. You still have the dual blade in both of your hands . But the hidden blade now can be rotated and used in normal fights as if you are handling your short knife.  I still remember trying to get a counter kill in the previous versions with the hidden blade . Which would be so hard to accomplish that if you don't time it perfectly you will be slashed open by your enemy.

Hidden blade - Very useful against Predators in Wild

3) Bow and Arrow ::

The traditional Bow and Arrow of the native still makes an appearance this time . Gone is the cross bow and throwing knives but now we have the silent but lethal Bow with the quiver with you every time . It is more powerful than the cross bow if used correctly and can be used mainly to hunt animals silently.

Connor taking aim at a deer

4) Rope Dart  ::

A new weapon which has been introduced  this time which executes so coolly and awesome to master. Connor throws a dart which is attached to a long rope . When you stand at a higher position most probably a tree branch you can throw this at the enemy below you and then then jump on the other side thereby pulling your enemy effectively up by his neck and leave him hanging with the other end tied to the ground. It will be the coolest entry when you want to battle a battalion of soldiers.

5) Musket ::

The traditional English Musket with a sword at its end that can be used to fire a shot . When a group of soldiers aim at you to fire you can usually use a enemy who is nearby as a human shield in order to escape unscathed. U can use them as melee weapons too.

Another fluid movement that has been introduced is the ability to jump through open windows and run through the household in order to escape from the visibility of the guards who are chasing you .It will be so cool and most effective because simply running will not be enough to escape from guards who are chasing you . That is the one aspect of the game which I found out to be very difficult in this game.


6) Hand Combat ::

Hand to hand fight has been improved a lot in this game . I mean the usual counter disarm is there . But now Connor executes some special moves that looks  exactly like WWE moves :D .It will be so cool to look at . But i never got to experience it that much . Still it was enticing to look at .

Counter attack has also been upgraded , Like when more than one guy attacks you at the same time and if you counter it successfully Connor will execute his own stylish and dramatic takedown of all the three guys without receiving any kind of input from you guys .It will be so awesome to look.

Fighting never had been such a pleasure with Connor's stylish and graceful moves .


Eavesdropping ::

This never was this much difficult in the previous versions. But now they have upped the talent required for this . Because most of the time you have eavesdrop on moving targets which is the most hardest . These guys are so sharp that they they will easily recognize you . And your blending technique will work only at some places while the other places you have to hide by trying to hide behind a box or wall and peeping out ( another new feature). Although this will prove difficult only when you are trying for 100 % synchronisation while playing the mission. If you don't consider the optional objectives then the game won t be a challenge at all.

 That full sync option in AC series has always attracted me . Instead of compelling the players to play in the only way designed by Developers, Gamers are given a choice to choose between their own clumsy way of doing things or The Real Assassin's way of doing things .Hats off to the team for that .

Naval Battles ::

Connor will get to commandeer and ship for the first time . A ship which runs on sails and wood . Breadth taking to experience when the we have to battle against Rogue winds and rocks in the sea projecting out. Not to mention enemy ships who start firing with cannons . You have to align abreast to them in order to give an order to fire from your side Cannons . You also have a small slingshot gun for taking down smaller and more maneuverable vessels which acts mostly like a precision shot.The way you use your full sail and half sail matters a lot when it comes to quick turns and proper navigation in rough seas. Quite enjoyable experience  .When the enemy fires at you , you can give a command to duck which protects you and your crew as well as the ship from taking any kind of damage. The ship which Connor has in Davenport Homestead is Aquila which will be available always for travel.

You will get to experience the real Historic battles which occurred in the american History . Like the , battle of Bunker Hill, Naval battle Chesapeake bay which had happened in real time. When they said AC series is a better teacher of History I scoffed at the idea . But experiencing the battles I have to say that I was astounded. You will get to meet Benjamin Franklin , George Washington and other major Epic Historic Characters who have been brought back to life , thanks toUbisoft Montreal developers .

Anvil Next engine takes our breadth away in the reality based movement of Grass in Frontier and Davenport . Not to mention the snow which makes your journey harder like hell while moving through layers of it . Make sure u stick to your path when you travel the forest regions because not only the path will be difficult but you will come to face to face with wolves or bear or other kind of predators that roam the wilderness.

A quick look at the Anvil Next Engine Capability ::

Hunting ::

Another new aspect of the game that has been included in this game and which had come around remarkably is the Hunting talent . Since Connor is brought up from wild , he has the ability to hunt animals for food . Smaller animals are very hard to catch before you get the Hidden blade . Without the blade you have to rely entirely on your hunting skills to capture the pray.

1. Bait : 

You can use bait to attract deer or small animals like Rabbit or Foxes to come closer to you as you hide in Overgrown bushes . When the target gets too near you can hit them with a blow from your blunt weapon to get them down. Although you have to be careful because if you are too close to the bait then the animal will get spooked by you and will take off in another direction .

2. Snare : 

A small trap which can be combined with the bait to capture an animal. If you can t find any animal nearby , you can analyse a clue that can be a near by plant which has fruits which forms the major food item for Rabbits . Once you get to know that all you have to do is lay down your snare and after sometime you will find a prey snared into it . The main use of hunting animals is to Skin them . As their coat and Venison can get you a good price in Shops. Although you have to be a little careful . Because neatly killed animal coats will fetch you a larger price than the one  which had been mutilated beyond any saving .

Young Connor Setting up a Snare  

3. Analyse Clue :

Connor also amazing talent to track enemies or prey by analyzing clues that are found . You will first come to know of this when Connor plays hide and seek with his friend when he is little . Quite interesting and useful talent to lay a snare for Deer or another animal that nearby .

You can also use your Bow and Arrow to hunt animals . You will come across bears , wolves , Elks and deer , rabbits , foxes . Out of which I found Wolves as the dangerous ones . Because these guys travel in packs and as a result if you fail a QTE with your hidden blade when a wolf pounces on you , your life will almost be gone . Another failed attempt by its friend and Vola , you will get desynchronised .So watch out for these guys when you cut through the path next time.

Connor skins a Deer

The story of the game is good and even has its epic moment in it but the climax of the game was a little disappointing when compared to the awesomeness of the gameplay which you had experienced . I mean the last fight was too simple and the fight with Haytham was such a pathetic attempt .I don't know why they did that . But I felt that the end of the game was too choppy and abrupt .

Connor and Achilles -Mentor 

Character wise I found Haytham Kenway more interesting and felt proud to play with him than I felt with Connor. Haytham is the perfect Brit who has a roguish , good looking face with a superb drawl of the Brits . You will love the way he talks. And I found out that his views and ideals were mature when compared to Connor . Who acts just like a child and his voice too is a little simple . Ezio was awesome in it . I  don t know why but I didn't like this guy very much when it comes to his voice.

Haytham and Charles Lee

You would be amazed at the enormity of the open world that the developers have provided for this game .You have the city of Boston and New York to travel and explore , Frontier that acts as a path way to the different regions you can enter. Davenport Homestead , home of Achilles and where you get trained with you Assassin skills .The game really is huge . I mean it took me a solid 8 hrs to complete just the main missions .When you take the side missions and quests into account its going to provide you with another solid 8 hrs of gameplay for sure .

Pro's  ::

1. Its Assassin's Creed III , yeah baby :D ..That excitement will always be there when you open the game everytime .
2. Connor moves so slickly and gracefully that you will just play the game just to watch him run and slash through his enemies with his Tomahawk.
3. Epic Historic Battles will be shown with detail and you will get a chance to experience them first hand.
( AC series was always a better teacher of history than what the real teachers in classes did  :P )
4.Get a chance to navigate a real ship and awesome sea battle that can never be rivaled with the before games.
5. Anvil Next Game Engine helps a lot to make the environment look stunning and awesome with changing weather conditions.

Con's ::

1. Story's ending was a little abrupt.
2. Connor's character and Voice was a little disappointing .


A game which  ought not to be missed by anyone especially Gaming enthusiastic.

Rating  : 9.3 / 10

Regards
Ram

Medal Of Honor Warfighter :

Danger close games brings us an awesome sequel to the Franchise reboot of MOH 2010 . The team has used Frostbite 2.0 engine of BF3 fame and have managed to capture the richness and quality which was depicted in the previous game .The visuls which pop up between look exactly similar in quality to the one in BF3 that its like playing a BF4 :D .

Voodoo and Stump's Intro :D

The story picks up after the end of the prequel . With preacher and Mother working as a team which comes in flashback . Voodoo leading a team MAKO along with the new protagonist ''Stump" . Dusty of the previous game operates in the background instead of being in the field and provides us Intel through out the game . Story wise the game is not that much rich . Its the usual terrorist threat , but tis time with the explosives known as P.E.T.N . The team finds out the explosion was caused by a unknown substance and track the same and finally ends up in finding and killing the persons responsible .

Gameplay has not been improved that much , Its the same aim and shoot tactic . Developers have tried a new peek and shoot from cover technique which fails miserably because , most of the times you will realize that you are out of the cover only when you die from enemies bullets .Guns are lethal and deadly with a few of them carrying a deadly precision . The satisfaction of pulling an head shot is huge in this game , bcos each time you pull off one ,  a marker gets displayed in the top with the shot in the middle of the head :D Hell yeah !! moments of the game for sure .

Another thing which has to be appreciated is the breach techniques which MOH was famous for . It returns in this game too, but this time they have added a little flavor to the technique . Each time you breach and take down the guys in slo-mo with a head shot you will be rewarded with new techniques to breach . You have the basic Kick the door and throw grenade in type  or blow off the lock with shot gun type , attach charge to door type , charge tape or charge pack to door . Breaching method wont change but only the way you breach the door is different . It looks quite cool when they give us an option for that . I liked it .

Dynamic Door Breach with option to select.

Another aspect of the game which is cool/new and dramatic are the two missions in which you are asked to drive a car with dashboard view . It somehow gives out the realistic version of action and chase much better than the third person view did . I mean the mechanics and the handling of the car were on par to tat of NFS  :D .Really , I enjoyed chasing down that guy , while swerving against oncoming traffic while driving on roads or through bazaar and market places , mushy grounds where your windshield gets muddied ( Phew thank god we had a viper  :D ) . I mean , it really was cool as hell to look at . And the other mission where you kidnap a guy in your boot of the car and have to escape from his security guards .That was one hell of a rush . You need to make use of hide spots and all at one place in order to escape from a neighborhood. That was really thrilling and awesome to experience . Not exactly what I was expecting from a FPS game , SO have to say that I was surprised :D

Hot Pursuit in Car 

You will get to ride a boat through a swamped country too . Quite cool but again , nothing dramatic in it . You just have to go through the motions .. tats all .

Boat Ride Thru Hell 

Grenades , you have only fragmentation type with you . Not like other games where you will be having a huge arsenal of grenades that you wont know what to choose . You will get an opportunity to use them very rarely  . Another thing which was worth mentioning is the scope change you will be provide with every gun . Each and every gun you are provided with has two scopes wit them . The usual red dot / snipe zoom or something new . It was quite cool to use your gun both as a assault rifle as well as sniper to pull off a head shot at long distance targets. The recoil of the guns are pretty realistic too. So it will take some time for beginners to get used to them . You will get a sniper Mission too in this game , but it would be so simple that you wont the feel the thrill of it at all.

Dusty in Action 

The hud looks quite new and fresh and the way they get refreshed with a blur adds a WOW look to the game . The same way subtitles in the game gets refreshed . Cool!!. Gameplay was quite easy to even play in normal difficulty level . Maybe the veteran level will pose a challenge I hope . But games nowadays are so weak that I doubt that would be the case .

A look at Frostbite 2.0's amazing realistic animations ( Preacher )

One thing which I hated in this game was the enormity of the bugs and glitches which was found in this game . I mean you will be pissed off when the game suddenly stops with a blacks screen , Pssh !! . Later had a look at a forum and found out that it was being addressed by developers and they would soon come out with a patch fix for it . I mean the bug I faced was really game stopping . After you complete a mission and the video runs its course , instead of proceeding to the next mission the game just hangs with a black screen for sometime and crashes to desktop. The workaround which I found to work , after banging my head over it for sometime , was to play the last checkpoint again in Windowed mode. When the game again hangs in the windowed mode , it gets refreshed somehow and gets back to the next mission. I faced this in 3 missions , but other were literally smooth. It was mentioned in a blog that it was caused due to the color differences that occurs between videos and the actual gameplay.

Preacher and Mother

The missions in the game include ,

Mission 1 : Unintended Consequences
Mission 2 : Through the Eyes of Evil
Mission 3 : Shore Leave
Mission 4 : Hot Pursuit
Mission 5 : Changing Tides
Mission 6 : Rip Current
Mission 7 : Hat Trick
Mission 8 : Finding Faraz
Mission 9 : Connect the Dots
Mission 10 : Hello & Dubai
Mission 11 : Old Friends
Mission 12 : Shut it down.

Pro's :

1. Experience once again the beautiful world which has been created by Frostbite 2.0 engine .
2. Realistic sounds and explosions with cool military Jargon.
3. Awesome driving experience in two missions .
4. Effective usage of Guns .
4. Ending Video of the game is quite emotional and inspires patriotic feel to heart .

Cons ::

1. Repetitive Aim and shoot missions.
2. No dramatic gameplay , its just a drag.
3. Story is so boring after sometime that you will start skipping the videos and plunging directly into the game.
4. Numerous bugs and glitches which are found through out the game with a major of them being a game-stopper .

If you are interested in Milatary Games , then I assure you this is going to be a treat for you ..Apart from that nothing special in this game . Just another Shooter .

Rating : 8.0 / 10

Regards
Ram

Need For Speed : Most Wanted - A Criterion game

 


 Most Wanted is Back ...When I heard this at first last year  , I was like " Please god , dont mess up the series name ". When the first sneak peak Trailer was released my interest was piqued. The first trailer made me to wonder ' Can it be good as they show ? ...' ...E3 demo Gameplay was ablsolutely breadth taking that I  thought I was wrong and hasty to jump to the worst conclusion . OMG , Awesome , Excellent were the words that were coming out of my mouth . Especially the gameplay where they use the Reinflatable tires after your car runs over the spikes , I was literally jumping up and down on my chair.

Oct 30th the game was released , As soon I grabbed the copy I was so excited that I was finally going to be playing the game . Hell !! I even thought of bunking office next day . Game opened with a un-skippable video that you had to watch , and I was like ' wait a sec...wat the ..' Because first thing you notice is that the there was no story mode in this . Most Wanted 2005 was most praised and made famous because of the story mode they introduced with the game.Well thats ok , lets see , I thought . Car controls were a little bzzzzzzz , I dont know ..It felt some what different . But chill every game has its won set of unique controls that one must master before  he starts blasting the game .

So I started the first race and the first thing you notice about the game is the breadth taking attention they have give to the imaginary city of " Fairheaven". I was like ' huh not bad ', When suddenly I realised ,WHOA were is the track ??? i Was way out of the track and at the last position in the game . Thats right . Forgot to mention . This is a sandbox style game , so there are no racing lines to guide you to make a turn . You just have to get through checkpoints as fast as you can without getting smashed. I mean literally there are no check points . You just have only your map to guide you to make the turns . Well that was really challenging while playing Sprint races .


The crashes were quite cool and WOWWW to look at initially . But as you progress through the game you will be like ' ya ok , i get it, i crashed , get me back to the game quickly ' and finally pushes you over the edge .And believe me they can be really frustrating like hell . Especially when the cops are on your trail . You will be fast moving through the city in order to get away out of the pursuit circle , all it takes is one sec  for your eye to track the map to see if you have gone out of the circle. But hell tats all it takes to crash into a freaking barrier in the middle of the road or the side wall which have projections which can atleast stop you from top speed to 0 within seconds. And by the time the crash simulation ends the Police will be right on your asses and all the lead you have worked to get will be gone in a jiffy.

Easy Drive :: 

Like the autolog which was introduced by Criterion , this is another new thing which has been introduced here . Its like accessing a PDA to get ur objectives. Its just there on the top left corner blinking if it has got anything new . You can customize the car on the fly while driving , jump to different races , or mark the destination for a race , connect to autolog for your friends , check out the most wanted Racers and their criteria to race against them. Quite cool. It adds up the advantage of playing a real Open world Sandbox style gameplay :D .Hats off to Criterion for this feature . It really has to be appreciated.

Ok coming to races . You have the usual Sprint , Speed Run ( Speed Trap), Circuit Races , Ambush ( Lose the cops withing 2 minutes ) .You have a beautiful collection of cars from the beginning . No need to battle racers in order to get possession of their cars. (Well there goes the challenge right out of the window) . I mean think about it . If you have an option to drive a Lamborghini or a Range Rover Evoque , What the hell will you ride . Of course you are going to opt for the better car .

Aerial 

Sprint Races are the best challenge one can get in this game . Becos 1. You don t know where the hell the route takes a 90 degree turn unless you keep a constant eye on your map . (like real world street races huh . Quite cool by the way ) 2. The Traffic is awful . I mean seriously these guys take out the exact position to bar your way just when you are in the lead , or making a beautiful drift turn around a U turn in the road or a blind corner . God they are cruel and most irritating stupid idiot ass&*#@@$* i can ever think of . But hey tats the challenge of riding in a city huh :D

Circuit races are like the second best . Just when you think you have mastered all the turns and are about to cross the finish line in the lead position , BAMM, another player hits you from behind and makes you go out of control and get crashed . F*#$@#  huh ;). and you have to play the Damn Race all over again..

Speed Run is exactly like Speed traps . You have to maintain an average speed while crossing the checkpoints in order to emerge victorious within 90 sec.Believe me getting a first in this is no easy joke . Its hell.

Ambush :: Is exactly like the same where you have to escape the cops within two minutes to get a 1st and within 6 min to get a 2nd . There is no third here in this game . Even for other races.But what makes this difficult is to get away from these guys . Remember what  we used to do in the old series . Pursuit breakers . Hell yeah , I loved the police chases where you can lead a pack of cops and if you time it right , can take down the whole pack with single breaker .awww ! heaven :D . But Noooo , this is 2012 not 2005 . So remove them . It makes them too easy must have been the thought of Criterion developers when they thought of creating this race.It sure does make it one hell of a ride in order to escape from them . You need to know the city if you want to escape from them easily . Because all you can do is to find all the Off Road areas like sewer , construction sites etc.. and hide, praying like crazy when you enter cool-down, that you are not spotted  . When you enter repair shops while entering cool down can also help you to escape the pursuit easily .

Cool down spots are pretty hard top find in this game and unlike the old game they don't pop up in the maps once you have entered cool-down . You have to find these spots in free roam first in order for them to pop up in your maps .Quite innovative another perk to make the game difficult .

Cops in this game are pretty easy to take care of once you know how. They can be easily taken down with slams ( Shunt take-down, T-bone , slam .. ). Although hitting a cop who is right behind your ass may need some expertise . Because you don t have the speed breaker here which helps you in correcting your position while barging in on roadblocks or taking down a cop or escaping from SUV's coming straight at you from front .Cops have different levels , a tolal of six . Have power cars like Crown Victoria , dodge charger and SWAT TRUCK ..Hell yeah tats a new addition in this game  :D. One thing that was missing apart from the speed breaker was the Heli . I don t know why the hell they removed it . I mean the cover picture had it . But without the heli the chase is at a loss , dont u think. He sure knows how to create chaos and confusion and mist and obscure the road fully. Just when you are in the bridge of escaping that guy finds you or may drop a spike strip in front of you around a blind turn .I missed it  :(

Swat Truck -mean beasts with one helluva stopping power :)

Upgrades:: 

No need to fret like you did in NFS Pro street . Because as soon as you finish a race first or second and win a mod , the system will automatically ask you whether you want the mod to be applied to your car or not . And it also gives you a clear cut idea of which part the mod influences like Acceleration , Top Speed , Impact resistance , Chassis,control and handling etc . Again no need to freak . For amateurs If its just green while applying a mod then its fine , but if its red think before applying . No need to worry even if u did u can easily change it back to your previous one provided you remember it ;-) You have mods like

a) Off - Road Tyres : Gives you a better grip and control while driving your car off-road , that is while exploiting awesome shortcuts or while police chases


b) Reinflates : These are the best feature in this game that one can really appreciate . I mean I still remember how when you run over a spike strip in 2005 then, u will be busted for sure .Well here they have changed that , as soon as you run over a spike strip and all your tires are mince meat with sparks flying off from your Rims ( u still have a good control of your car , its just the speed tats low) you just open up the easy drive , customise car - -> Tires --> Reinflates and voila , you are up and running away from the cops again with ' ha , see ya bitches ;-)' . One of the best features in this game that i enjoyed most :D..Although accessing easydrive while driving can be pretty tricky and may need some time to get used to.

Most Wanted Racers ::

This guys surely do require a mention. I mean talent wise these guys are not that good . its just that they have good cars which have superb control and top speeds than us . Even we have it too . Only advantage is that they are clumsy as us too. I mean they don t really pose that much of a threat at all while racing . You have got only one race against them  , Sprint. And depending upon the number in the most wanted list the heat level may vary .You can easily beat up these guys , provided that you don t get smashed up more than 3 to 4 times. Whenever you smash , the other guy just waits for us to catch up to him :P. I mean its really funny as hell to look . As soon you beat him in the race , you just need to take down his car (which is not at all demanding like what they had in NFS Undercover ) . It would be over in a second :D Apart from the cars these guys are nothing , And even after beating them you just get the stock car of the one they had (minus the mods which they might have used). WTF ..Hell guess we just have to roll with the punches ...

The only thing that is worth mentioning are the intro videos that you get before you race each one of them . It s quite cool and different to look at .And the ones you get in some races are so silly that you end up laughing at them.

You have a beautiful collection of cars which can be found just scattered throughout the city . Here is a list of all the cars that can be found

Link:: http://nfs.wikia.com/wiki/Need_for_Speed:_Most_Wanted_(2012)/Vehicles

Every car has its own unique way of handling . You just need to master it in order to find control. Out of these I personally liked Superlight R500 and Ariel for its superb handling Mclaren F1 and Pagani Huyara for its speed and Concept model BAC Mono and Lamborghini Aventator for its looks .

watch out for the spikes- wat the hell , I have got reinflates :P

Hell , they could have just named it as another sequel to Burnout Paradise . You can find a lot of similar things between those two . I mean like the way you have to start a race by finding them first or tracing a destination path to them and then pressing accelerator and brake ( BURNOUT )at the same time. And the Repair shops which you just pass through for the car to come out all shiny and repaired with no amount of time lost . I mean that was useful in Burnout where it is nescessary for the car to be repaired if you want to make it to the finish line without getting totllaed . Here you use it only for changing the color of your car and to make it look shiny .

A look at 2008's Burnout Paradise

Even the sprint races feel the same . Paradise and Fairhaven may not look similar . But ultimately its the same streets and tight corners , with barricades and pillars right in the middle of the road for you to get smashed into.Only the take down races were missing in this . If it was there then it really would have been a burnout game .

A quick look at 2008's burnout .see for yourself

As far as I am concerned they never should have taken up the series for reboot . It can not even stand near the old version of Most Wanted . There is definitely no feel in this when you become the most wanted finally .I mean Its like ' ya ok I am No.1 , so wat now ' instead of ' hell ?Yeah !! .I am the most wanted ...F@#$ the Police :D' . 


So finally one can sum it up as

Pro's ::

1. Explore the Beautiful city of Fair Heaven with its tight corners and turns.
2. Mind blowing Graphics and real time car sounds and crashes.
3. Reinflates and easydrive .
4. Beautifully designed real world cars with awesome aerodynamics clearly depicted.
5.Only place where you can drive a Lamborghini or Bugatti and get it crashed without having a ounce of guilt :P

Cons ::

1.Repetitive races where you have to drive the same routes again and again with different cars and   opponents of the car's class.
2. No pursuit breakers which can make the pursuit hell to escape and no helicopters too.
3. Track music is awful and boring .
4.Easily beaten Most wanted Racers , no challenge at all .
5. Speed Points can be easily got by driving the same races again and again. no need to play endless amount of cop time to increase your bounty .(just 4 to 5 hrs you can finish the entire game )

So finally it all comes to this .Is this game a tribute to the best game of  2005 ? Has it held atleast 5% of the older game's Appeal . I would say that It definitively is not the case.

Most wanted : A Criterion Game should have been more Aptly named as Burnout : Fairhaven 


Rating :: 8.8/10

Regards
Ram

  

Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart - Oct 2012

You can use this hierarchy to compare the pricing between two cards, to see which one is a better deal, and also to determine if an upgrade is worthwhile. I don’t recommend upgrading your graphics card unless the replacement card is at least three tiers higher. Otherwise, the upgrade is somewhat parallel and you may not notice a worthwhile difference in performance.

Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart
GeForce	Radeon	Intel
Discrete: GTX 690
Discrete: GTX 590	Discrete: HD 6990, 7970 GHz Ed.
Discrete: GTX 680	Discrete: HD 7970
Discrete: GTX 670	Discrete: HD 5970, 7950
Discrete: GTX 580, 660 Ti	Discrete: HD 7870
Discrete: GTX 295, 480, 570, 660 Go (mobile): 680M	Discrete: HD 4870 X2, 6970, 7850 Mobility: 7970M
Discrete: GTX 470, 560 Ti, 560 Ti 448 Core	Discrete: HD 4850 X2, HD 5870, HD 6950 Mobility: 7950M
Discrete: GTX 560, 650 Ti Go (mobile): 580M	Discrete: HD 5850, HD 6870 Mobility: 6990M
Discrete: 9800 GX2, 285, 460 256-bit, 465 Go (mobile): 675M	Discrete: HD 6850, HD 7770 Mobility: 6900M
Discrete: GTX 260, 275, 280, 460 192-bit, 460 SE, 550 Ti, 560 SE, 650 Go (mobile): 570M, 670M	Discrete: HD 4870, 5770, 4890, 5830, 6770,  6790, 7750 Mobility: HD 5870, 6800M
Discrete: 8800 Ultra, 9800 GTX, 9800 GTX+, GTS 250, GTS 450 Go (mobile): 560M, 660M	Discrete: HD 3870 X2, 4850, 5750, 6750 Mobility: HD 4850, 5850, 7870M
Discrete: 8800 GTX, 8800 GTS 512 MB, GT 545 (GDDR5) Go (mobile): GTX 280M, 285M, 555M (GDDR5)	Discrete: HD 4770 Mobility: HD 4860, 7770M, 7850M
Discrete: 8800 GT 512 MB, 9800 GT, GT 545 (DDR3), GT 640 (DDR3) Go (mobile): 9800M GTX, GTX 260M (112), GTS 360M (GDDR5), 555M (DDR3)	Discrete: HD 4830, HD 5670, HD 6670 (GDDR5) Mobility: HD 5770, HD 5750, 6600M/6700M (GDDR5), 7750M
Discrete: 8800 GTS 640 MB, 9600 GT, GT 240 (GDDR5) Go (mobile): 9800M GTS, GTX 160M	Discrete: HD 2900 XT, HD 3870, HD 5570 (GDDR5), HD 6570 (GDDR5) Mobility: 6500M (GDDR5), 6600M/6700M (DDR3), 7730M
Discrete: 8800 GS, 9600 GSO, GT 240 (DDR3) Go (mobile): GTX 260M (96), GTS 150M, GTS 360M (DDR3)	Discrete: HD 3850 512 MB, HD 4670, HD 5570 (DDR3), HD 6570 (DDR3), HD 6670 (DDR3) Mobility: HD 3870, HD 5730, HD 5650, 6500M (DDR3)
Discrete: 8800 GT 256 MB, 8800 GTS 320 MB, GT 440 GDDR5, GT 630 GDDR5 Go (mobile): 8800M	Discrete: HD 2900 PRO, HD 3850 256 MB, 5550 (GDDR5) Mobility: HD 3850
Discrete: 7950 GX2, GT 440 DDR3, GT 630 DDR3	Discrete: X1950 XTX, HD 4650 (DDR3), 5550 (DDR3)
Discrete: 7800 GTX 512, 7900 GTO, 7900 GTX, GT 430, GT 530 Go (mobile): 550M	Discrete: X1900 XT, X1950 XT, X1900 XTX
Discrete: 7800 GTX, 7900 GT, 7950 G, GT 220 (DDR3) Go (mobile): 525M, 540M	Discrete: X1800 XT, X1900 AIW, X1900 GT, X1950 PRO, HD 2900 GT, HD 5550 (DDR2)
Discrete: 7800 GT, 7900 GS, 8600 GTS, 9500 GT (GDDR3), GT 220 (DDR2) Go (mobile): 7950 GTX	Discrete: X1800 XL, X1950 GT, HD 4650 (DDR2), HD 6450 Mobility: X1800 XT, HD 4650, HD 5165, 6400M Integrated: 6620G, 6550D
Discrete: 6800 Ultra, 7600 GT, 7800 GS, 8600 GS, 8600 GT (GDDR3), 9500 GT (DDR2) Go (mobile): 7800 GTX, 7900 GTX	Discrete: X800 XT (& PE), X850 XT (& PE), X1650 XT, X1800 GTO, HD 2600 XT, HD 3650 (DDR3), HD 3670 Mobility: X1900, 3670 Integrated: 6520G, 6530D	Integrated: Intel HD Graphics 4000
Discrete: 6800 GT, 6800 GS (PCIe), 8600 GT (DDR2), GT 520 Go (mobile): 7800, Go 7900 GS, 520M, 520MX	Discrete: X800 XL, X800 GTO2/GTO16, HD 2600 PRO, HD 3650 (DDR2), Mobility: X800 XT, HD 2600 XT, 3650 Integrated: 6410D, 6480G
Discrete: 6800 GS (AGP) Go (mobile): 6800 Ultra, 7600 GT, 8600M GT, 8700M GT, 410M	Discrete: X800 GTO 256 MB, X800 PRO, X850 PRO, X1650 GT Mobility: HD 2600 Integrated: 6370D, 6380G
Discrete: 6800, 7300 GT GDDR3, 7600 GS, 8600M GS Go (mobile): 6800, 7700	Discrete: X800, X800 GTO 128 MB, X1600 XT, X1650 PRO Mobility: X1800, HD 5145, HD 5470 (GDDR5)
Discrete: 6600 GT, 6800LE, 6800 XT, 7300 GT (DDR2), 8500 GT, 9400 GT Go (mobile): 7600 (128-bit)	Discrete: 9800 XT, X700 PRO, X800 GT, X800 SE, X1300 XT, X1600 PRO, HD 2400 XT, HD 4350, HD 4550, HD 5450 Mobility: X800, 3470, HD 5470 (DDR3), HD 5450, HD 5430, 6300M Integrated: HD 6310, HD 6320	Integrated: Intel HD Graphics 3000
Discrete: FX 5900, FX 5900 Ultra, FX 5950 Ultra, 6600 (128-bit) Go (mobile): 6800 (128-bit) Integrated: 9300, 9400	Discrete: 9700, 9700 PRO, 9800, 9800 PRO, X700, X1300 PRO, X1550, HD 2400 PRO Mobility: X1450, X1600, X1700, 2400 XT, X2500, 3450 Integrated: HD 3200, HD 3300, HD 4200, HD 4250, HD 4290, HD 6250, HD 6290
Discrete: FX 5800 Ultra, FX 5900 XT Go (mobile): 6600, Go 7600 (64-bit)	Discrete: 9500 PRO, 9600 XT, 9800 PRO (128-bit), X600 XT, X1050 (128-bit) Mobility: 9800, X700, X1350, X1400, X2300, HD 2400	Integrated: Intel HD Graphics (Core i5-6x1), 2000
Discrete: 4 Ti 4600, 4 Ti 4800, FX 5700 Ultra, 6200, 8300, 8400 G, G 210, G 310 Go (mobile): 315M	Discrete: 9600 PRO, 9800 LE, X600 PRO, HD 2300 Mobility: 9700 (128-bit), X600, X1300 Integrated: Xpress 1250	Integrated: Intel HD Graphics (Core i3 5x0, Core i5-6x0)
Discrete: 4 Ti4200, 4 Ti4400, 4 Ti4800 SE, FX 5600 Ultra, FX 5700, 6600 (64-bit), 7300 GS, 8400M GS, 9300M G, 9300M GS	Discrete: 9500, 9550, 9600, X300, X1050 (64-bit) Mobility: 9600	Integrated: Intel HD Graphics (Pentium G)
Discrete: 3 Ti500, FX 5200 Ultra, FX 5600, FX 5700 LE, 6200 TC, 6600 LE, 7200 GS, 7300 LE Go (mobile): 5700, 8200M, 9200M GS, 9100 Integrated: 8200, 8300	Discrete: 8500, 9100, 9000 PRO, 9600 LE, X300 SE, X1150 Mobility 9700 (64-bit)	Integrated: GMA X4500
Discrete: 3, 3 Ti200, FX 5200 (128-bit), FX 5500, Go (mobile): 5600, 6200, 6400, 7200, 7300, 7400 (64-bit)	Discrete: 9000, 9200, 9250 Mobility: 9600 (64-bit), X300
Discrete: FX 5200 (64 bit) Go (mobile): 7200, 7400 (32-bit) Integrated: 6100, 6150, 7025, 7050	Discrete: 9200 SE Integrated: Xpress 200M, Xpress 1000, Xpress 1150	Integrated: GMA X3000, X3100, X3500
Discrete: 2 GTS, 4 MX 440, 2 Ultra, 2 Ti, 2 Ti 200	Discrete: 7500	Integrated: GMA 3000, 3100
Discrete: 256, 2 MX 200, 4 MX 420, 2 MX 400	Discrete: SDR, LE, DDR, 7000, 7200	Integrated: GMA 500, 900, 950
Discrete: Nvidia TNT	Discrete: Rage 128	Discrete: Intel 740

Summary

There you have it folks; the best cards for the money this month. Now all that’s left to do is to find and purchase them.

Don’t worry too much about which brand you choose, because all of the cards out there are close to Nvidia’s and ATI’s reference designs. Just pay attention to price, warranty, and the manufacturer’s reputation for honoring the warranty if something goes wrong.

Also remember that the stores don’t follow this list. Things will change over the course of the month and you’ll probably have to adapt your buying strategy to deal with fluctuating prices. Good luck!




Regards
Ram

Dishonored : PC Released

For Gamers who are itching for a good  stealth game , Dishonored has just hit the streets . Reviews from IGN and Gamespot are fairly good with gamespot giving it a rating of 4.8(must buy ). Go soon and grab a copy . Tested it yesterday , looked pretty good to me . Unreal Engine does have its flaws but it was smooth working as far as the two levels I saw ..Will get back to you with a review of the game as soon as I am done with it . cheers!!

Regards
Ram

Darksiders 2

THQ is back with an amazing sequel . This time with a more deadly and terrifying Protagonist DEATH . Even the sound of his name can cause fear in the very soul of his enemies , Pssh !!  atleast tats what Crowfather tells in the beginning of the game :D.. So coming back to the game  , You follow the story of Death a fellow brother of War ( protagonist of the First Darskiders ) which occurs parallel to the prequel too .When War is accused of the destruction of Mankind by Council , Death rushes in to find the truth  .

4 Horsemen - Strife, Fury, War and Death with dust on his shoulder

His quest takes him to Crowfather who gives hime the ultimate challenge ( i.e) to find the Well Of Souls which is capable of giving life again and therby resurrecting Mankind. Thus begins Death's journey through the Land of Dead ruled by demons and his meeting with the King of Bones , Land of Angels and finally comes face to face with  the heart of the corruption ABSALON ,who was once Death's second in command of the Nephelim. In order to restore order of humanity and to matain peace Death commits geonicide by killing his own people . And thus commits himself to a life of sin .


What impresses one as soon as you start playing the game is the agility of this guy . I mean he is almost as bulky as Kratos but moves like the Prince of Persia  :D. I mean it really is cool to look . The acrobatics do seem similar to POP series and gameplay to that of God of War  . But hey those games are the starting point of everything . So you can t make a game without it getting reflected here and there :D. But still Darksiders 2 has its own unique style . Like the way you summon Oblivion from the depths of the ground is so cool to look at . You have dust with you who shows you the way whenever you are stuck at some place . Dust is binded to Crowfather and Death and as a result has a unique connection.

Movement , likes of POP :D

Gameplay is extremely good in the game that it makes you wonder that if you are playin a game or watching a movie . Another thing which I noticed was the difficultly level in the game was literally so hard even while playing in Easy mode . I mean the boss fights were dead easy , If you have patience and can detect a routine in his attacks you can easily defeat those guys without not even having to use a life portion . But when it comes to minions tats where the game really rears its ugly head  . OMG , these guys made  a meal out of me most of the time . Damn!! 

They are divided into Five classes like Fodder , Soldier , Elite Champions, Brutes and Bosses. Fodder guys are easy . It only when u meet the Soldiers and Elite Champions u will start getting smashed . I mean these guys use a deadly combo that one dodge when they attack you, is not enough . You need to keep dodging if you ever need to escape unscathed from their attacks .I  was frustrated with them so much that I literally groaned whenever the elite champions appeared on the screen .Grrr !! and combine them with brutes and fodder u wont even know what hits you before you use all your Health portion or end up dead.

Weapons are a of a major variety . You have the primary Weapon which is usually a scythe which can be coimbined together to form a big blade while using special combos or While attaining the Reaper Form . The secondary is a slow and heavy attack which can be switched from a hammer , axe and arm anklets like gloves made of steel , blades and bones . This attack is sometimes very slow that even before you can attack once, the minions would have already beld you to death .

You also get a gun to fire at enemies from distance or shoot at things and stones which are out of reach . Especially usefull while attacking small enemies like insect swarm or flies or scarabs and souls of dead enemies where your Scythe literally becomes ineffective . No upgrades for this . And reloads are a little slow which can be a little pissing off.. But apart from that they are great .

Death on Oblivion

The puzzles are huge and refreshing in this game that you will absolutely love then in this . Especially the ones with the constructs . Man they are good . Like giant robots, And especially , one place where you have to smash the construct in order to get the ball from it :D .Quite innovative :D

Construct with Death on top Riding it.

You have a skill tree which you use to skill up whenever you level up and are awarded with a skill point. The skill tree is divided into two
1.Harbinger 
2. Necromancer

Harbinger :: 

Usually skills which makes death even more powerful like Reaping and Harvesting and Teleport Slash.

Necromancer ::

This involves Summoning dead beings from underworld , Aegis Shield around you , Crow attack , Lightning storm etc. Out of which I liked the summoning thing very much . Half of the bosses and in overwhelming situation I used them exclusively to get a breadth of air . My god without this power Darskiders 2 would have been even more tougher than hell.

Wrath ::

U get this when you land successful blows on your enemies . Necessary if you want to use your Harbinger or Necromancer Skill sets .

U get to upgrade your armor , hand gloves , shoulder plates and even your secondary weapon . But not your primary weapon . Which can be switched only when a new one comes in . Based upon the armor and Scythe u use ,ur basic strength and defense is calculated. This is very important if you are going to survive in this world . Without upgrading you have no chance of even standing up against the minions.

Apart from the above skill sets you also get unusual powers but which are compulsary to get so that you will be able to traverse the game . Like Devil's hand which glows Violet in your right hand and is used to pull yourself across chasms while holding onto a ring or pulling a small enemy towards you or pulling yourself towards a bigger enemy . An essential when you fight Azrael.

PhaseWalker : 

Realm of King of Bones 

Used while traversing throught the Realm of Dead/Bones. U summon the dead Lords to make them float past gates and stand on a plates that activates a door .And also an updgraded version of which is used while in Land of Dead and you go to get the Demon Key . U use this version to traverse in and out of Past and the Future.( POP : Warrior Within , huh ;-))

Soul Spiltter :: 

Another innovative power which splits Death into two persons (one in violet and one in green ). And a stone Reaper Statue will be created once you deploy  the soul splitter which acts as an anchor for you to return to once ur job is done .This power is so cool when you realise how to use it and is quite essential to crack through some really innovative ideas of the developers. Awesome to look to :D..

Reaper Form ::  

Reaper Form

This is the power which you can use when the meter above your health bar increases gradually. During Which Death will attain the cloaked Form with a Big Scythe .Quite cool to look and is used mostly while Executing finishing moves on Bosses .

Crowfather with Amulet of Nephelim on his neck

After a long time a game which engrossed me so much and took up about 16 hrs of my time to complete it fully . Thoroughly enjoyed it to core . Don t ever miss it . If you can , please buy the game ..

A small teaser of wat u see in the game :D

Rating : 9.8/10

Regards
Ram

Bioshock 2

Another awesome sequel to a Solid game , Bioshock 2 really takes us back to the beginning stages of how an FPS should be . Be it the difficulty levels or the inhuman ways in which enemies just storm us , It grasps the basic FPS standards nicely . Story takes place about 8yrs after the events of the prequel in the under water city of Rapture . Players  take the role of a big daddy who is a special prototype in big Daddies .

Your daughter Eleanor is cruelly snatched away from you by Sophia Lamb by her hypnotising u to commit suicide . But Eleanor's power grows with her as she becomes a teenager that she re awakens you with her power and physcic connection between you and her .From then your journey starts through the remains of what Rapture once was . U meet Sinclair who acts as ur aide and guides you through out the game .

Big Sister 

 Like the first part your morality is also calculated through out the game depending upon if you kill little sisters by harvesting them or just rescue them. Based on this the end of the game changes a little . But the story entirely revolves around you and Eleanor . I dont want to be a spoil sport and tell what would happen in the end . Play the game throughout and find out :D..

Big Daddy with Little Sister

You have the usual Plasmids which you fire from your left hand while on the right you start with the Drill . But later you can switch to your usual weapons like machine gun , double barrel shotgun , Hack tool gun , Camera , Rocket / grenade launcher , Rivet gun and Spear Gun . Out of which only Rivet gun and Spear gun .are the most powerful ones which u will find u will be using a lot . Rocket Launcher is good but will have limited ammo so u wont be able to use it often . Machine gun is useful only when u need to keep on firing with less reloads , when a swarm attacks you .

Game surely has its horror filled moments and creepy music etc. But still Bioshock2 stands for its unique Story and ambience. A great game . An expected sequel of the game Bisoshock infinite is expected to come next year . Don t miss it .

Rating : 9/10

Regards
Ram