Toronto Thumbs

REVIEW: Crysis (Multiplayer mode)

Developed by Crytek and published by EA for PC.

By now you’ve all heard about Crysis, Crytek’s follow up to the 2004 surprise hit Far Cry, published by Electronic Arts. Much hyped and eagerly anticipated, it was the premier title for PC gaming in 2007. Quite possibly the best looking video game to date, it reviewed very well and offered something for everyone: free roaming jungle gameplay for those that prefer open world games, and an action packed roller coaster ride for those who like their games more scripted. I’m not going to say any more about Crysis as a single player game as it’s been covered to death; it was simply great. What hasn’t been talked about much is Crysis’ multiplayer mode. Yes, the folks at Crytek not only set out to make a great single player game, but their ambition was to also make a triple ‘A’ calibre large-scale team-based multiplayer shooter: large maps, lots of vehicles, lots of players, and a game in the same vein as the Battlefield series.

To be quite honest, I was more excited about Crysis’ multiplayer than I was the single player campaign. Battlefield 2 is over two and a half years old now and there really hasn’t been a game released yet to fill its aging shoes. Sure the online shooter sector has Team Fortress 2 and Call of Duty 4, but while both are incredibly successful, neither targets the “large-scale team-based shooter with vehicles” space. It was looking like Enemy Territory: Quake Wars would be the spiritual successor to Battlefield, however it just didn’t “spark” with gamers as the individual combat wasn’t satisfying and the gameplay structure was too rigid. Unreal Tournament 3, while not quite the same category as it’s more of a frag/twitchfest, also hasn’t caught on with the public so far. Looking ahead we have the upcoming Frontlines: Fuel of War from Kaos Studios (the same people responsible for the hugely popular Desert Combat mod for the original Battlefield 1942), but it remains to be seen how well that one will do. Right now though, we have Crysis multiplayer and with it the hope to revitalize this largely dormant part of the multiplayer shooter space.

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Posted in PC, Reviews | No Comments »

Bionic Commando Gets Hi-Def Treatment

Running and gunning, the old-fashioned way, in Bionic Commando Rearmed.

The Nintendo Entertainment System classic Bionic Commando is the latest game to be getting the Hi-Definition revamp. Although videogames themselves have changed drastically over the 20 years since its original release, core game engines such as the 2D side-scroller have continued to flourish thanks to the ubiquity of handhelds like the Gameboy Advance and DS as well as the accessibility of free Flash games.

These familiar play mechanics will likely never go away and will continue to attract newcomers, both young and old, to gaming. Bionic Commando Rearmed continues in the tradition of good, old-school, side-scrolling action. Sure, the graphics and sound have been redone like you wouldn’t believe (lighting effects, destructible environments, and a re-worked score, to name a few upgrades), but the main attraction, after all the flying sparks have faded, will be that the original Bionic Commando is still a fantastic game.

Bionic Commando Rearmed hits this spring as a digital download on Xbox LIVE Arcade, the PlayStation Network, and on PC. Check out the screenshots below or visit the game’s official site for more information.

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Posted in LIVE, News, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | No Comments »

REVIEW: Hellgate London

Developed by Flagship Studios for PC.

It’s confession time again. My name is Adam, and I’m addicted to Hellgate London.

Oddly enough, I was never able to get into the Diablo series despite really wanting to. Everyone was playing it, everyone was loving it, and I felt like I was missing out on something big. I wanted to be wearing out my mouse, too! But the combat just didn’t do it for me. It just felt too far removed from the action and too much like standard RPG fare where you are merely controlling the character and not that you actually are the character.

Enter Hellgate London, developed by Flagship Studios (which consists of many ex-Blizzard Entertainment employees who worked on the original Diablo games). It was originally billed as the spiritual successor to Diablo but with a twist: in full 3D and with first-person controls. The first-person perspective is something I am intimately familiar with as shooters like the Half-Life series are some of my all-time favourite games. So Hellgate London definitely sparked my interest in that respect. In traditional Blizzard style, prerelease high-quality CG trailers were shown to set up the backstory of the game: a future Earth is invaded by demons. Humanity is left hiding underground, waiting for the right time to fight back. The story looked interesting and the trailer provoked an actual emotional response, which is a rarity in video games.

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Posted in PC, Reviews | 1 Comment »

HEAD TO HEAD REVIEW: Kane & Lynch: Dead Men

Developed by Eidos for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.

Kane & Lynch: Dead Men has a reputation that precedes it and, consequently, a lot of hate aimed towards it. We won’t get into that at all, save to say that its reputation has somewhat tainted the otherwise open mind one might go into a game review with.

We were fortunate enough to receive two copies of this game. Jorge Figueiredo took the PC version while Shaun Hatton chose to review the Xbox 360 version. The PlayStation 3 version was not provided and is therefore not reviewed. Suffice to say, because both the PC and Xbox 360 versions share the same pros and cons, the same can likely be applied to the PS3 release.

At its heart, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men is doing its best at being a Tarantino or Guy Ritchie flick. The main character, Kane, was part of a mercenary group called The 7. After a mission gone wrong, Kane, it seems, was the only survivor. He escaped with the loot from the job only to be apprehended later and sentenced to death.

While en route to his execution, Kane is rescued, along with Lynch, by none other than The 7, whom Kane believed to be dead. Turns out, they’re back, they’re pissed, and they want what is rightfully theirs. The 7 give Kane three weeks to return what he took from them, and place Lynch in charge of keeping an eye on Kane. Problem is, Lynch is a huge idiot with issues of his own. Besides being terrible at combat, he has fits of uncontrollable rage where he blacks out. He also pops pills constantly to keep this condition in check.

Now Kane, with Lynch and a rotating cast of guest characters, must go through mission after mission to ensure they don’t killed. Thing is, they nearly get themselves killed in the process. Repeatedly.

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Posted in PC, Reviews, Xbox 360 | No Comments »

It’s a Good Time to Be a PC Gamer

Saitek’s Eclipse keyboard is a Toronto Thumbs peripheral of choice for PC gaming.

There are, essentially, two types of gamers: PC gamers and console gamers. Sometimes a gamer can be quite vehement about their platform of choice, often to the point of putting down the opposite camp. I’ve always been a PC gamer. But I’m a console gamer, too.

I enjoy playing good games regardless of the platform they appear on. That being said, I probably do more of my gaming on the PC, which makes me feel like a relative rarity/outcast these days. This is understandable, as there are some decent downsides to PC gaming when compared to the more user-friendly console market.

Gaming on a console is just easier. With the PC you have driver updates, hardware compatibility, copy protection, patches to deal with, and the increased cost of upgrades. Despite all that, I do enjoy PC gaming and the unique benefits it provides. Mouse and keyboard is the ideal setup for firstperson shooters (maybe I just suck on a gamepad for these games) and you really can’t underestimate the extra value you can get from being able to tweak your games and download mods. In many ways it can be like getting whole new games for free! Gaming on the PC just gives an extra level of freedom - which is something I enjoy.

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Posted in Editorial, PC | 7 Comments »

City 7: Toronto Conflict for Half-Life

Before the Combine invasion, TTC tokens cost $50 a piece thanks to mismanagement of funds.

Staff member Jorge Figueiredo has put us on to the City 7: Toronto Conflict mod for Half-Life 2. It’s a beautifully eerie representation of the city after Combine invasion, with sections of the city blocked off and destroyed.

From the mod’s official site:

It is believed that the Combine have created multiple citadels around the globe and human communication in the Americas has been cut off for years. However, Dr. Kleiner has just established communication with an old collegue (sic) residing in Toronto, Canada, now known as City 7. These communications lead to questions - What have the combine done with the CN tower? (a communication tower in core of Toronto) Was it destroyed or rebuilt? Did the CN tower serve a purpose during the alien invasion? Is there a rebel force in Toronto, and who will lead them?

Check it out here.

Posted in Canada, PC | 1 Comment »