I really quite enjoyed my time playing R6: Vegas 2. What I enjoyed most was the change in gameplay style from most other FPS games I've played. Normally I find myself employing the run and gun style of play throughout most other FPS games but in this one it is totally different. You find yourself moving from cover to cover, not taking too many risks out in the open and planning your every move. It takes some getting used to but most importantly it becomes fun.
It is also the first squad based FPS game I've played. I was worried that the controls wouldn't be adequate or the AI wouldn't be good enough either. I need not have worried on both counts. Issuing commands to your squad is a simple as pressing the D-Pad and the AI in your teammates is surprisingly good. So good in fact you can send them in to clear a room and they will do a very good job everytime of taking out the bad guys. Only a couple of times during the game did the AI fail and they got stuck behind a box or a doorway.
There is a large online component to this game, which is good because the single player experience is quite short. There are the usual deathmatch and team deathmatch modes, plus the fun terrorist hunt modes. I've experience no lag and find it easy to get into a match. One of the best features of the game is the way that as you build up your characters experience points in single player the points are carried over to your online character too and vice-versa. I like having this persistent character as you feel as though you are accomplishing something with every game.
There are a few major points about the game that put me off. The story is the first major strike I have against the game. Firstly let me say that I've never played R6: Vegas 1 so I don't know what happened in that game storywise. It appears as though Vegas 2 picks up the story. I had no idea what was going on. There is no recap so to me it seemed as though I was just going from complex to complex, room to room clearing it of bad guys. No explainations and no real feeling of progression. It actually started to feel a little repetitive after a while. I think there was a twist in the game but as I don't know the characters this fell flat for me. Another bad point is in the way in which the enemies would spawn. If you die and have to redo a section the enemy will be in exactly the same spot each time. Therefore if you play a section enough times you know when and where an enemy will pop up and you'll be ready. It takes away all sense of tension from the scene.
One other thing that annoyed me was the choice of locations. The game promises Vegas but it isn't the Vegas we all know. There is one Casino based level but the others take place at such bland locales as convention centres, oil refineries and a college campus. No shoots outs along the strip or in famous casinos. Extremely disappointing.
A good solid FPS game but hampered by the issues mentioned above.
Graphics
In an age where we have COD4 the graphics aren't overly impressive. Some nice character models and animations but lacklustre backgrounds and textures let the visuals down.
Sound
Very good sound in this game from the great sound effects to some good music. The only complaint is that sometimes the talking is very low and hard to hear.
Controls
Simply superb. It is so easy to issue orders to your squad and taking cover and firing from cover is simple.
Verdict
A good solid FPS game but severly let down by a good narative. The great sound and controls make up for average graphics. There is also plenty of fun to be had in the online section of the game.
It is also the first squad based FPS game I've played. I was worried that the controls wouldn't be adequate or the AI wouldn't be good enough either. I need not have worried on both counts. Issuing commands to your squad is a simple as pressing the D-Pad and the AI in your teammates is surprisingly good. So good in fact you can send them in to clear a room and they will do a very good job everytime of taking out the bad guys. Only a couple of times during the game did the AI fail and they got stuck behind a box or a doorway.
There is a large online component to this game, which is good because the single player experience is quite short. There are the usual deathmatch and team deathmatch modes, plus the fun terrorist hunt modes. I've experience no lag and find it easy to get into a match. One of the best features of the game is the way that as you build up your characters experience points in single player the points are carried over to your online character too and vice-versa. I like having this persistent character as you feel as though you are accomplishing something with every game.
There are a few major points about the game that put me off. The story is the first major strike I have against the game. Firstly let me say that I've never played R6: Vegas 1 so I don't know what happened in that game storywise. It appears as though Vegas 2 picks up the story. I had no idea what was going on. There is no recap so to me it seemed as though I was just going from complex to complex, room to room clearing it of bad guys. No explainations and no real feeling of progression. It actually started to feel a little repetitive after a while. I think there was a twist in the game but as I don't know the characters this fell flat for me. Another bad point is in the way in which the enemies would spawn. If you die and have to redo a section the enemy will be in exactly the same spot each time. Therefore if you play a section enough times you know when and where an enemy will pop up and you'll be ready. It takes away all sense of tension from the scene.
One other thing that annoyed me was the choice of locations. The game promises Vegas but it isn't the Vegas we all know. There is one Casino based level but the others take place at such bland locales as convention centres, oil refineries and a college campus. No shoots outs along the strip or in famous casinos. Extremely disappointing.
A good solid FPS game but hampered by the issues mentioned above.
Graphics
In an age where we have COD4 the graphics aren't overly impressive. Some nice character models and animations but lacklustre backgrounds and textures let the visuals down.
Sound
Very good sound in this game from the great sound effects to some good music. The only complaint is that sometimes the talking is very low and hard to hear.
Controls
Simply superb. It is so easy to issue orders to your squad and taking cover and firing from cover is simple.
Verdict
A good solid FPS game but severly let down by a good narative. The great sound and controls make up for average graphics. There is also plenty of fun to be had in the online section of the game.
No comments:
Post a Comment