It’s rare for games from Europe’s Eastern Bloc to receive as much attention as games from the West and the Far East. The most successful titles from this region have been the Serious Sam and S.T.A.L.K.E.R series, but there’s always been something oddly appealing about this particular “genre” – if you can even call it that. Their storylines are typically fairly unique while the developer’s ambitions spread far and beyond the technical limitations that befall them. These games may have their fair share of flaws and system crashes but you’re almost always guaranteed a gaming experience unlike any other. Metro 2033 has surprisingly seen a fairly substantial promotional push, elevating it from the realms of obscurity most Eastern Bloc titles are condemned to. This may be due in no small part to its Western influences, opting for a more linear, scripted experience; but there’s no denying that signature Eastern European flavouring is still there, whether that’s a good thing or not.

Metro 2033’s setting is definitely inspired by the region, not just because of its obvious Russian backdrop within the city of Moscow, but also because it takes place after a nuclear apocalypse. The famous streets of the Russian capital have become a desolate wasteland; the air is toxic to breathe and the freezing cold weather ravages anything and anyone in its path. The last remaining survivors have taken shelter in the city’s sprawling underground metro network, using train stations as towns and small mine carts to travel between them. It’s a bleak way of living; the dark, cramped and grimy underground is no place to lead a healthy life and it really hits home when you hear kids talking about the sky as though it’s some kind of supernatural myth that only a few people have ever seen. The only rays of light are the lone guitar player strumming a sombre mix, or the laughter emitting from the make-shift bar as the locals drink their sorrows away. It’s a depressing environment and Metro 2033 does an exceptional job capturing the atmosphere, both in the stations and outside where many dangers lurk beneath the eerie shadows.

Because while this metro life isn’t anything special, at least it’s something. Outside the safety of the stations are numerous mutated creatures, strange anomalies and even Nazis; though it’s the mysterious “Dark Ones” that pose the biggest threat to this underground community. You play as Artyom, a unique person in that he can somehow resist the supernatural powers of this dangerous foe. With the whole metro in danger he’s sent on a mission to warn the others and try to put a stop to this threat. It’s an interesting premise with plenty of intrigue, and as the story begins to unravel you’ll meet a multitude of enjoyable personalities as you venture deeper into the metro and even emerge topside. The pacing is a bit off towards the end, but the story and atmosphere will keep you coming back until you reach the final credits.

Though if you want to get there you’re going to need some heavy weaponry and the relevant equipment. You can only carry one type of each weapon at a time (pistol, automatic and heavy), with the ability to use throwing knives and different types of grenades as well. Your starting weapons are fairly poor, and the opening few hours of the game can lead to some frustrating moments as you deal with the inaccurate and inconsistent shooting. Any sort of long range attacks are futile, and even at close range you’ll find shotguns are pointless, even against other human opponents. It can take four or five shots from point blank range to down certain enemies, while at other times it will only take one or two. It’s too inconsistent to be of any fun and I found myself using the revolver more than anything. Some will find it a refreshing change of pace since you’d imagine these old weapons would be rather worn down and unwieldy, but it can negate the gameplay at times and turn off any newcomers.

However, if you stick with it things eventually improve as you find and buy more improved weaponry. The shotguns remain poor throughout, but getting your hands on some powerful assault rifles opens up the gunplay and it’s much more enjoyable as a result. Most of the weapons will still feel a tad inaccurate, even with scopes, but it really makes you plan each conflict, especially when you need to make each shot count due to the sparsity of ammo available. Metro 2033 presents an interesting dynamic with its in-game currency, using actual bullets as money. You’ll find a range of worn-down, homemade bullets throughout the game, but it’s the shiny, military-grade equipment that’s worth the big bucks. You can choose to use your top quality bullets in any of the game’s towns to buy more low quality bullets and even new weapons. But if you want you can even use these bullets to deal out some extra damage. It provides some unique dilemmas as you debate whether you want to risk using your currency as a means to deal out extra damage or save it to buy more low quality ammo in bulk. The only problem with this system, and Metro 2033 in general, is that it doesn’t really explain the mechanics. The shop menus are confusing with all the different types of low and high quality ammo, and it’s never really explained that you can use both types in your current firearms. It could have done with some extra tutorials and explanation.

Of course, if you do find yourself outnumbered and outgunned with little ammo to spare, you can take the stealth route. It’s not a necessity, but Metro 2033 certainly provides the means to be quiet, with silent throwing knives, silenced weapons and the ability to turn off light sources and lurk in the shadows. When done right it can be extremely satisfying as you silently take out guys unbeknownst to their friends in the next room. However, more often than not the stealth mechanics are a lot like the shooting: inconsistent. At one moment missing with a throwing knife will go unnoticed, while at another time it will alert every enemy in the area. It’s tough to pull off stealth when one mistake will alert every guard to your position, even if only one enemy saw you for a split second before dying. There’s no general area for them to search, they just know where you are and there’s no way of hiding again.

Visually, Metro 2033 is impressive for the most part. The use of dynamic shadowing and lighting looks fantastic in the gloomy tunnels of the metro, and it really complements the frightening atmosphere achieved with the mixture of supernatural, survival horror effects and howling sound design. Topside, things aren’t as impressive with some poor, low-res snow and ice textures. While the character models, particularly in the faces, are substandard with awkward animation and lifeless eyes. Some of the best moments come from your time spent using gas masks, whether it’s on the toxic surface of Moscow or trudging through a radiated tunnel. The frantic breathing of Artyom, mixed with the steaming up of the mask, and even the crackle of the glass after an intense battle is fantastic and really adds to the tension as you begin to run out of clean air. The use of air filters never really plays into the gameplay if you loot enough, but the effect really adds to the game’s terrific atmosphere.

And it’s this atmosphere that makes Metro 2033 worth experiencing. The metro tunnels might not have the art deco of Rapture or the vast, desolate wastes of the Capital Wasteland, but the underground world 4A Games have created is truly spectacular in its bleak outlook and frightening circumstances. Its mix of survival horror and an intriguing narrative will propel you on, it’s just a shame the shooting and stealth mechanics aren’t always on the same level. There’s no doubt the gunplay improves later on in the game, but a frustrating moment is never far off as you deal with weapon inaccuracy and annoying bullet sponges where there should be none. It’s certainly an impressive debut title and one of the best games to come out of the Eastern Bloc, but its basic mechanics could have done with some extra polish.

Competition is always healthy. After dominating the realm of multiplayer first person shooters for so many years, DICE’s Battlefield series has been overtaken in recent times by the surging emergence of Call of Duty and its Modern Warfare brand. The firstBad Company was a step in the right direction, offering a substantial multiplayer package whilst also showcasing the Swedish developer’s first attempt at a dedicated single player campaign, complete with memorable characters and an actual plot.Battlefield: Bad Company 2 looks to refine that single player experience whilst also setting a new standard for squad-based multiplayer shooters, offering a healthy alternative to the Modern Warfare 2 juggernaut.

The boys of B-Company are back yet again, though Bad Company 2 is a much more serious tale than its predecessor’s Three Kings style hunt for gold. A mysterious WMD has fallen into the enemy’s hands and Sarge, Sweetwater, Haggard and Marlowe have been drafted into a special-ops unit to help put a stop to this weapon and the threat it poses to the US. It’s a fairly simple military tale more in tune with any number of recent modern shooters than the more novel concept of the first game. You can expect plenty of Generation Kill lingo, large set pieces and obvious plot twists as you head for the anticlimactic ending. It’s not great but it serves its purpose, moving events from Alaska to Bolivia and beyond as B-Company traverse the globe with the simple objective of stopping this super weapon.

However, what Bad Company 2’s narrative may lack in originality and intrigue it more than makes up for with its returning characters. These are real, living, breathing people with more personality than the protagonists of any other shooter on the market. They may not be the most complex bunch, but in this war-torn scenario there’s no group I’d rather spend more time with than B-Company and all of their flaws, humour and daft political comments. Whether they’re discussing their favourite scene from Predator, pondering why Afro-American’s call 50 Cent “Fiddy” instead of “Fifty” or taking a friendly dig at Modern Warfare 2 (“Snowmobiles are for pussies”), the dialogue always feels completely natural and consistently hits the right comedic notes. It certainly keeps the downtime entertaining and ends up being a highlight of the six hour campaign as you get to know this rag-tag bunch of regular Joe’s (albeit one’s with exceptional military talents) as they’re thrust into an unimaginable situation.

The rest of the single player campaign is fairly uneven, starting off slowly before eventually opening up and picking up the pace during the last few hours. You’ll fight your way through many different locales, most notably freezing cold mountains, dense jungles and expansive desert towns. The art design in each is sublime, showcasing some awe inspiring vistas reaching as far as the eye can see, while the weather and surrounding environment can also cause distractions you’ll need to adapt to. From snow obscuring your vision and sand being swept up and covering enemies in its murky browns and golds, the climate and visuals actually have an important effect on the gameplay. However, Bad Company 2 doesn’t have the same sort of scale as the first game, instead funnelling players down a fairly linear path in order to extort even more grandiose set pieces. It works well for the most part and there’s definitely some leeway to tackle situations from multiple angles, but if you enjoyed the large scale environments from the first game you may be a little disappointed that they rarely show up here. It can also be pretty tough in places, so you’ll normally end up relying on rote enemy placement memorisation to get through particular areas. The rest of B-Company are always with you along the way, and while the AI does a good job of keeping up with the action and looking busy, they’ll rarely ever kill anybody, leaving you to deal with the waves upon waves of rushing enemies. It’s not a large issue but it’d be nice to get some help every now and then.

But despite the single player’s flaws the shooting mechanics are tight, intuitive and enjoyable enough to keep the campaign engaging as you begin collecting more and more weaponry for your arsenal. Bad Company 2 loves its guns so much that finding them all will unlock rewards and Achievements, skipping past something like hidden Intel in favour of encouraging you to seek out and find the good stuff. There are tons of distinct assault rifles, shotguns, submachine guns, light machine guns and so on, with different variations of certain guns and multiple attachments for each. The majority of the weapons are fantastic fun to use and you can start each mission with a different loadout to customise the game to the way you want to play. Each gun and weapon type has a significant feel, and when fighting across long distances you even have to consider gravity in the equation. There’s nothing more rewarding than sniping someone from one hundred metres away with a perfect headshot, the bullet dipping downwards as it reaches the target. The single player may be fairly lacklustre at times but the shooting mechanics are second to none so you won’t mind too much.

Plus, most of those added weapon attachments, like grenade launchers, offer a multitude of additional explosive action. Like its predecessor, Bad Company 2’s main pull will always be its destruction, and this time around it’s been improved upon. Destruction 2.0 is the name, and while it doesn’t really change too much you can certainly marvel at its technical wizardry. Before, a grenade launcher would blow a hole in any sort of scenery, usually to expose a group of enemies holed up in a house, create a new path through a level or make you highly cautious of your surroundings and cover. In Bad Company 2 that same effect still takes place, but blow up enough walls and the foundations will begin to crumble as the whole structure comes crashing down. It’s never really utilised since it takes time and ends up being easier to just shoot the enemy, but once you’re in the driving seat of a tank or flying one of the explosive UAVs, it can become a useful and enjoyable tactic, both in your hands and the enemy’s as your cover is literally blown away.

And this carries over to the extensive multiplayer package. Conquest is on the agenda, as usual, with two teams vying for control of three bases spread across the map. Rush makes a return from the first Bad Company (then called gold rush) that has two teams taking it in turns to attack and defend targets, while squad rush sees a smaller version of it and squad deathmatch rounds things out. Maps vary in location not too dissimilar from those seen in the single player campaign, meaning you’ll need to deal with the same kind of weather and particle effects. Add to this dynamic geometry and terrain, dense foliage, multiple destructible structures and expertly positioned objectives and you have some of the most finely balanced and varied maps available. Not to mention their spectacular scale, often stretching far and wide to provide some of the most open and tactical battles rarely seen in multiplayer shooters.

Some are suited to the plethora of vehicles on offer with tanks, jeeps, armoured trucks, the powerful but extremely-hard-to-control helicopters and even zippy quad bikes, but most of the time you’ll be on foot utilizing various classes and squad tactics. Each class, be it assault, engineer, medic or recon, comes with its own set of weapons, gadgets and specialisations. Performing well and earning points in Bad Company 2’s progressive ranking system will unlock certain gadgets, ranging from gun attachments like smoke grenades, more powerful RPGs and C4, to the more squad friendly medi-packs, defibrillators and ammo boxes. Meanwhile, specialisations focus on scopes for your weapons, extra body armour, grenade vests or extra ammunition and vehicular improvements among others. The ranking system is as terrific as ever, constantly rewarding the player with new weapons and items, and the customisation available for each class is significant, allowing you to build up each class with particular strengths far reaching the most apparent.

However, Bad Company 2’s most defining feature is its tactical awareness and focus on teamwork. If you want to win you’ll need to be a team player, working together to earn kills and attack and defend objectives. Even if you’re just a recon, sitting back and sniping, you can help the team – besides the obvious killing – by “spotting” enemies so that they appear on the radar and screen for your whole squad to see. This can be done with any class at any time, so if you don’t think you can get the kill you can hit a button and you’ve successfully pinpointed an enemy, making him a far easier target for the rest of your team. Then, of course, you have the medics who can drop health for people; the assault class can drop ammo and the engineer who fixes vehicles on the move. There’s nothing more exciting than defending a structure with your whole team working in tandem, “spotting” enemies for each other, resupplying and healing, and even bringing them back to life. These moments may depend on who you’re playing with, but so far the community seems especially adept at dealing with all of the nuances of Bad Company 2’s multiplayer.

Although if you’re new to the series it may be a tough introduction. The single player campaign has a fairly generous aim assist that is absent from the multiplayer, and the game doesn’t do a particularly good job of teaching you the ropes. Attempting to pilot the helicopters without training is suicide and basic skills that you might not know even existed are never revealed. It’s only a slight flaw, but if this is your first Battlefield and you’re looking to go online you may want to scour the internet for any tips before entering the battle.

If you do decide to jump in prepare to be amazed by the spectacular sound. Each and every weapon sounds sublime with the noise changing depending on your position. Fire across a large distance in an open space and it will reflect that; fire in a tight corridor at close range and the acoustics will adapt perfectly. Explosions sound different depending how far or close your proximity is, muffling from close range and deafening as your ears start ringing. Battle chatter is exceptional in single player and multiplayer as your squad communicate, signalling out enemies and adding their own unique chatter to give everything a natural feel. War is Hell and Bad Company 2 does as good a job as any reflecting that in its sound design. You know when it’s time to cover as bullets whizz past your ear and a tank blows apart a house, the broken brinks crumbling all around as injured teammates go down in agony.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 thrives on these moments of war-torn chaos. Its brand of epic, large scale, squad based multiplayer is rarely seen on consoles, taking what was great about the original Bad Company and Battlefield 1943 and refining it with a substantial amount of engaging game types and phenomenal map design to create one of the best multiplayer experience available. The single player is a bit of a letdown as it’s obvious DICE spent the majority of their time working on the online, but the core gameplay is enjoyable enough and the characters memorable enough that it’s worth one playthrough, at least. The overall package might not topple Modern Warfare 2’s throne, but the multiplayer might have just surpassed it. Competition is always healthy.

Zombies, zombies, zombies; they’re everywhere. In our games, our movies, our books; whether they’re the classic slow moving kind, the crazy sprinting kind or even those that aren’t technically zombies, though we all know they really are (you’re not fooling anyone Resi 5). It seems we can’t get enough of the brain-hungry undead, even when they’re becoming about as stale as their own decomposing bodies. As a result, it’s a surprise to see Borderlands take the zombie route and come out of the other side with a completely unique and refreshing experience with its first piece of downloadable content, The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned.

Bioshock 2 has long been bemoaned as the sequel that was never needed. The original Bioshock captivated gamers with its thrilling narrative and cast of fantastically eccentric characters; dealing with philosophical ideals, moral choices, a society driven to insanity and the complexities of free will in an underwater utopia gone wrong. Rapture was the star of the show; an atmospheric city built deep below the waves. Its 1930s art deco architecture housed by the criminally insane minds of the smartest people in the world, and the mysterious Big Daddies and Little Sisters that harvest the gene-altering substance that drove a perfect city to melting point. Bioshock’s story might have left little room for expansion but Rapture is a city worth revisiting for a second time.

Even if it is a little worse for wear these days. Set roughly ten years after the events of the first game, Bioshock 2 sees you back in Rapture in the hefty shoes of a Big Daddy prototype, referred to as Subject Delta. After a prolonged opening you awaken to discover you have the new-found ability of free will, only your Little Sister has now gone missing. This is a bond greater than most because being away from her for too long will gradually shut down your body, sending Delta into a coma. If you want to make your escape from Rapture you need your Little Sister safely in tow. Unfortunately, getting to her is going to prove rather difficult considering she’s the daughter of Sofia Lamb, the new leader of Rapture now Andrew Ryan is out of the picture. She houses the same kind of warped philosophical intent as Ryan, and you being alive complicates any of her attempts to kick-start the Little Sister project to use the ADAM for her own needs.
This basic premise sets up your journey through the deepest bowels of Rapture, and the story is intriguing enough to hold your interest throughout. You’ll meet a wide variety of characters, each with their own motives and views on the current state of affairs, whether it’s in person or via the audio logs spread across the city. Each one reveals a little bit more about the mysterious goings on from myriad points of view. They’re not as interesting as those in the first game, but the fierce debates between Ryan and Lamb are definitely a high point. The only gripe is that Lamb feels shoehorned in as this protagonist towards Ryan’s power, almost ignoring Fontaine despite his large relevance to the first Bioshock. Lamb is never mentioned in the first game so the story here feels rather disconnected, like a side-story rather than an expansion on the main fiction. There’s still a degree of fan-service but the story doesn’t hold the same weight and sense of purpose in the overarching narrative.
The gameplay, on the other hand, is an improvement. Being a Big Daddy doesn’t substantially change much. You’re still a prototype of the very first so you don’t have a heavily-armoured suit or anything like that, so you’re still susceptible to the same kind of punishment as in the first game. However, you will get your hands on some new weapons and plasmids, including the deadly power drill. This works as a melee weapon, allowing you to get up close and personal with any Splicers foolish enough to venture your way. It’s satisfying to use and the rest of the weapons are a huge step-up from the first game as well. Bioshock 2 offers a completely different arsenal with new weaponry like the rivet and spear guns, and retooled shotguns, machine guns and grenade launchers, among others. There are various ammo types for each gun and augments for specific weapons, often providing a chance for extra damage, whether it’s setting enemies on fire or electrocuting them. And you can also find weapon upgrade stations to improve damage, clip size, accuracy and so on. The basic shooting mechanics haven’t really changed from the first game, but each weapon is a lot more fun to use, especially when combined with the different plasmids.

Combining the two together is now much more fluid and enjoyable as a result. In Bioshock you had to switch between plasmids and weapons, only being able to use one at a time. In Bioshock 2 you’re essentially duel-wielding, allowing you to better combine plasmids and weapons together. It’s difficult to imagine it any other way since it works so well; shooting bolts of electricity from one hand whilst the other uses the speargun to pin an enemy to a wall. It’s extremely satisfying and unlike combat in any other shooter. There’s a lot of fun to be had experimenting with what plasmids and weapons work well together, especially when you begin to combine multiple plasmids like incinerate and insect swarm or decoy and cyclone trap with a peppering of bullets from any number of weapons.

And all of this experimentation will come to fruition during the protection sequences. After defeating a Big Daddy you can now choose to harvest the Little Sister then and there, or, since you’re now a Big Daddy yourself, you can adopt it. Adopting a little one will allow them to lead you to any dead bodies flowing with ADAM – the valuable resource used to upgrade and purchase new plasmids and tonics – so you can earn more before deciding to harvest or safe them. Of course, putting her down to abstract ADAM with her oversized syringe will attract any nearby Splicers hungry for the stuff. You don’t want to disrupt the process and get yourself killed at the same time so it becomes imperative to lay down a few traps to slow down the horde. You can utilize trip wires, proximity mines, mini-turrets, plasmids and so on, and positioning traps becomes an important strategy that must be mastered to avoid being overwhelmed. Laying down mines in each nearby corridor before setting up a circular death-zone around the Little Sister and getting into a defensive position all become viable strategies, and every person will tackle each protection situation in a completely different way. A premise that sounded unappealing due to the lacklustre section in the original Bioshock becomes one of the standouts in Bioshock 2. It shakes up the fundamentals of the gameplay and allows for experimentation and strategy to shine.

Especially when you go up against some of the new enemies. The Splicers have largely remained the same with regular foot soldiers, Spider and Hoodini Splicers, only now there are also Brutes. These tough new guys work like tanks, throwing objects at you from afar before charging up close with exceptional force. You’ll need a different strategy to beat them and they offer a fun alternative to the Big Daddies. However, the Big Sister’s offer the most substantial challenge, even in their reduced role. They were touted as being a constant menace but they only really appear once you’ve dealt with every Little Sister in an area. There’s plenty of warning before they show up so you will need to prepare for their arrival. The Big Sister’s are definitely the toughest enemies in Bioshock 2, using phenomenal speed and a mixture of ranged and close quarters moves to disorientate and damage. The best way to deal with them and any other enemy type is to research. Bioshock used a still camera to capture pictures to reveal damage bonuses with certain weapons and plasmids, but Bioshock 2 opts for an easier approach, handing you a video camera. Now you can record a battle, using as many different attacks as you can to record and earn multiple damage bonuses. It works pretty much the same as in the original but it’s been simplified and works much better here.

Visually, Bioshock 2 is an improvement on the original. Rapture has taken a beating over the past ten years so there’s plenty of detail in the cracks. Everything looks great, although, as is usually the norm with Unreal Engine games, the textures sometimes take a while to load in which can zap you out of the immersion. The sound design is also terrific, from the voice acting and general creepiness of an underwater city. Your heavy Big Daddy footsteps are suitably loud and water pinging off your helmet is a nice touch, and the sweeping orchestral score is brilliant once again.

But with a game so focused on an immersive atmosphere and narrative, it’s odd to see multiplayer included in Bioshock 2. Featuring different variations on common multiplayer game types, like team deathmatch and capture the flag, there’s a nice degree of variation here with a unique Bioshock twist. You’ll be capturing Little Sisters and even hopping into the suit of a Big Daddy for an explosive bonus. And even the different turrets and research come into play. After killing an opponent you can hold down a button to fill up a research bar and earn extra damage against that person until they kill you. It’s a cool feature that maintains Bioshock’s personality in a multiplayer suite very similar to Modern Warfare 2 in its progressive levelling system. You can even choose different layouts for weapons, plasmids and tonics so there’s a certain amount of customisation. It might not disrupt the dominance of the biggest multiplayer games out there, but Bioshock 2’s effort is surprisingly enjoyable and well thought out.

Bioshock 2 has been faced with adversity since its conception and come out on top. The story feels disconnected and isn’t as strong as its predecessor but the gameplay has been improved upon for a much more enjoyable and fluid combat system. The art of protecting the Little Sister’s is a fantastic new element that encourages tactics and experimentation, and Rapture is just as fun to explore as before. There’s a sense of déjà vu despite the all new environments, and it doesn’t have the same variety the luscious greens of the Botanical Gardens or the dizzying lights of Fort Frolic had, but Rapture is still a beauty to behold despite its rigorous destruction over the past ten years. If you wanted more Bioshock then Bioshock 2 delivers with aplomb. You just might not realise how much you missed it until you go back.

Are you bored of modern shooters and their emphasis on the latest high-tech weaponry, Middle-Eastern conflicts; the brutality of war and plot twists you can see coming from a mile away? Well,Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter might just be the game for you. There’s no story, no characters to care about and most certainly nothing that could be considered sophisticated. The emphasis is purely on shooting as many things as possible with as much absurd weaponry as Sam “Serious” Stone can handle.

It hails from the run-really-fast-backwards-whilst-shooting school of game design. A throwback to classic first-person shooters like Doom and Wolfenstein 3D; only the craziness has been turned to 11 and the tight corridors have progressed to vast, open spaces crammed full of respawing enemies. The foes Sam will come up against have no other attack pattern other than to shoot you, charge at you, or both. Their character designs are completely nonsensical, from screaming suicide bombers with no heads to six-armed monsters and giant scorpion-men equipped with mini-guns – there’s no rhyme or reason to any of it. As a result, gameplay is consistently hectic and nerve-wracking as enemies jump at you from all angles as you make a desperate dash for that last health vile. The amount of wacky foes Serious Sam HD can throw at you at any one time is staggering, although this does lead to some slowdown in the latter stages when the character count must be near the hundreds.

Of course, if you want to survive against such mind-numbing odds you’re going to need a hefty arsenal of weaponry. Sam’s come prepared with myriad shotguns, rocket launchers and machine guns as well as some more explosive firepower, like a handy laser gun and a cannon that fires giant cannonballs. Shooting is satisfying with enemies exploding into red paste upon death, and the controls feel tight and intuitive despite the jump from mouse and keyboard to controller. The level design is nothing to write home about, often locking you in an area and spawning enemies until you’ve defeated them all. Their basic attack patterns and your constant need to run backwards and fire eventually get tedious, despite the games short playtime. It’s still fun, but the frenetic pace and monotonous shooting is rather tiring, especially when you’re killing the same character types over and over again. You can draft in three friends for co-op but this strains the frame rate even further, and the competitive multiplayer options from the PC version have been removed here.

The new and improved HD visuals don’t add all that much to the original 2001 game. Weapon details are improved and everything has a nice new sheen to it, but a lot of the textures are still fairly poor with shadows often flickering in and out. On the sound side Sam’s plethora of cheesy one-liners are hilariously good, and the heavy metal soundtrack is as enjoyable as ever if that’s your thing. Its the sound effects that come out on top, though. A lot of the enemy noises are essential to knowing where they are and what kind of foe you’re up against. It’s surprising for a game like this to place such a big emphasis on sound when it comes to gameplay, but it works fantastically well.

In the end, Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter doesn’t warrant its 1200MP price point. There aren’t enough new features to cater fans of the series and the gameplay just doesn’t hold up for newcomers. It can still be a lot of fun, with large scale battles against multiple foes being a highlight, but the old school game design is showing its age, if it was even relevant to begin with. There just isn’t enough variety in the locations, enemies and basic gameplay to really recommend it.

Activision have such fun releasing sequels each year that they’ve even coined their own term for it, annualisation. Shocking, I know; but because of this, development on Call of Duty has been split between both Infinity Ward and Treyarch, allowing for a two year development time for each team. Infinity Ward had massive success with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare last year, so now it’s time for Treyarch to step up and deliver after the disappointing Call of Duty 3 two years ago.

Enter Call of Duty: World At War, a game heading back to World War II afterCOD4’s venture into modern combat.

For some, this is an extremely strange decision. COD4 reinvented the series, attracting a mass market, bored with the numerous WWII shooters before it. But Treyarch know what they’re doing, having earned experience with their work onCOD3. They’ve taken the ever so familiar war into unfamiliar territory, focusing on the Russian’s final push into Berlin and America’s battle against the Japanese in the Pacific; two battles rarely seen in video games before.

So it’s interesting that World At War shares more similarities with Modern Warthan the other WWII games in the franchise. By using the COD4 game engine we’re treated to the same gameplay we all know and love; with massive set pieces, fun and accessible shooting, and the high octane, explosive combat that has become the series’ trademark. But depending on who you are this can be a good or bad thing. On the one hand the gameplay is superb and you can’t wait to get more of it, but on the other you might be bored with it, so a game that’s more of the same might not suit your needs.

And that’s essentially what World At War is; more of the same. Even some of the missions have striking similarities to those seen in COD4. Early on there’s a sniping mission that can easily be compared to the infamous All Ghillied Up – it’s not quite as good, but has its own memorable moments – and there’s also a level aboard a giant gunship, flying over the Pacific sinking ships and shooting planes. It hits all the right notes and ends up being one of the most exciting missions in the game.

It’s moments like this that make World At War its own game; those stand-out moments that separate it from the comparisons with its predecessor. It may be World War II all over again but there are plenty of new gameplay additions that keep things fresh. Being in the Pacific we have a new enemy in the form of the Japanese. They present new threats that are guaranteed to keep you on your toes; Banzai soldiers charging like madmen, prepared to die, jumping out of the grass and trees to surprise you in every skirmish. It adds a new dimension to the combat that has been previously unseen in the COD franchise.

Luckily there are plenty of new firearms to fend off the wave of attacks, the stand-out being the flamethrower. If you’ve played any amount of shooters you would have used a flamethrower before, but none as effective or enjoyable as in World At War. Think back to the opening D-Day scene in Saving Private Ryan where a solider uses a flamethrower to burn the Nazis out of their bunkers. That’s exactly what it’s like here.

And on the whole the campaign offers the same satisfaction. The two sides of the campaign have their own memorable moments and they’re varied enough to keep it from getting stale. If you’ve played COD before, you know what to expect. You’re sent down a linear path, there is no exploration, it’s all about getting to the next set piece, all while using plenty of authentic firearms to stop anyone getting in your way. It’s a tense, exhilarating experience, and there’s no reason to change it when it works this well.

The story, on the other hand, is a mixed bag; with most WWII shooters it’s hard to build up an engaging story like what was done with COD4, purely because we all know how it ends. World At War uses historical footage and narration to move the story along, with the capable hands of Kiefer Sutherland and Gary Oldman providing the voice work. The presentation in these sections is great, using highly stylised effects – reminiscent of the opening to the 2007 film, The Kingdom – to show the footage along with statistics of how brutal this war was.

And the brutality of war is ever prominent in World At War. It’s the most visceralCOD to date, with bodies being ripped apart, limbs flying about the place; blood pouring out, covering the battlefield, the stark crimson red of it standing out above the murky colours of the environment. It’s extremely gory, and does an excellent job of showing how soldiers felt in this war, especially with the Russians. Their anger shines through more than anything, constantly shouting at their foes, condemning them to hell. You can feel the emotion, and it really adds a new layer to the combat and narrative.

Strange then, that after completion you unlock Nazi Zombie mode. A new addition where hordes of the living dead hunt you, and three other buddies, down. It takes place in a rundown house full of boarded up windows to stop these flesh eaters from gaining access. It starts with your run-of-the-mill zombies – slow movers that are pretty easy to handle – but as you move up levels they’ll eventually get a lot faster and stronger. To counter their attacks you’ll need to earn points by killing them, and then using these points to buy better weaponry and ammo, as well as fixing your defences. It’s a good mechanic that encourages headshots and teamwork; and just like Gears of War 2’s Horde, it’s an outstanding new addition that should provide hours and hours of fun. It’s just an odd choice when you consider World At War’s focus on the visceral, brutality of war.

Of course, the rest of the multiplayer is COD’s big pull, and it’s no different here. But, once again it’s COD4 all over again, good or bad depending on your view point. If you like it then there’s obviously a lot to love here. The gameplay is largely unchanged so it’s just a case of adjusting to the old weapons and new power ups. In COD4 earning different kill streaks would allow you to call in reinforcements for the cause; three kills for a UAV, five for an air strike and seven for a chopper. In World At War these stay similar, but they need to apply to the large jump back into the past – most notably the helicopter being replaced by attack dogs. These little mutts comes in large packs, jumping up and killing you just as easily as they can in the single player. Luckily you can fight back with a couple of bullets or a quick swipe of the knife, but more often than not there’s just too many to handle, giving a big smile of glee to whomever got enough kills to send them out.

And it’s this system for rewarding the player that makes World At War as addictive as COD4 once was. The level based system is back, and there’s still all the same challenges and perks as before – with a couple new additions. Vehicles on some of the maps differentiate situations a bit more, but essentially, and I hate to say it again, this is COD4 but in WWII. It’s fun, but it would be nice to see a little more originality.

For that, you can always head over to co-op. Not original, I know, but it’s new forCOD and ends up being one of the best modes in the game. You can play through the campaign with up to four players, and a scoring system adds a sense of competition to proceedings.

Visually the COD4 engine has done it again; World At War looks stunning. The smoke and explosion effects are as good as ever, blowing you away however far or close you are to them. The varied environments all have their own qualities, and textures look great, especially in the lush scenery of the Pacific jungles. Elsewhere the rain and water effects are superb, combining with clothing to create a damp, shiny look to what are already heavily detailed character models.

Sadly, Treyarch haven’t fully wrapped their heads round the engine yet. The AI is laughable at times, with Japanese Banzai soldiers sometimes running straight past you as if you weren’t even there. If they do they’ll normally attempt to attack your comrades, but they’ll even fail at this, often standing next to each other, doing nothing. It’s comical and does detract from the experience. A disappointing aspect.

“Clocking in at around five to six hours it’s a very short but sweet experience.”Call of Duty: World At War offers a lot of content. The campaign is short but it’s as good as any other shooter on the market, and the multiplayer has proved to be a big hit already with COD4. But that’s the problem: it’s too much like its predecessor. For a lot of people this will be a great thing, whilst others may find the formula wearing a bit thin. It’s an enjoyable experience but may leave you wanting something more. It doesn’t have that same feeling of awe as when you first popped COD4 into your disk tray. I’m sure it’ll be a big hit, but for those already heavily invested in COD4, it might be best to stay there, for now.

Another World War II game? Most people grudgingly sigh when they hear “World War II first-person-shooter”.  For all of the great experiences had in games like Call of Duty and Medal of Honor, there have been a slew of horrendous games just trying to cash in on the lucrative formula.  One of the more successful franchises in the shooter genre are the Battlefield games, which have a robust online community that keeps the games strong years after they’re released. Battlefield 1943, the latest installment in the franchise is a game that deserves your attention. As the true-sequel and a homage to the classic PC shooter Battlefield 1942, this game is fast-paced, addicting, and a superb value at $15.

Battlefield 1943 got off to a rough start. The Xbox 360 version in particular had server outages which did not allow many people to play through the first weekend after the game’s release. In addition, the game’s voice chat features and squad systems seemed glitch ridden. Yet DICE worked diligently to add more servers and correct some other problems joining matches with friends. Upon sitting down to play the game it seemed as though it finally gained some momentum.

Battlefield 1943 keeps the formula pretty simple—three classes and maps all built around one gameplay variant.  Players will play conquest matches as members of the Japanese Imperial Navy or US Marines on three of the most iconic battlefields from the Pacific theater of World War II. Wake Island, Guadalcanal, and Iwo Jima were sites of intense fighting during the war and are all compromised of vastly different topographies.  What Battlefield 1943 is missing in numbers, it makes up for in diversity and substance. Wake Island’s unique boomerang shape, Guadalcanal’s hills and valleys, and Iwo Jima’s fortified Mount Suribachi (the site of the iconic flag raising) all play differently enough that player’s strategies will have to be significantly amended from map to map.

Strategy comes through choice of classes and vehicles. Players can choose from infantry, scout, and rifleman classes. All of the different classes have their strengths and weaknesses but certain classes seem to be a bit stronger than others. Unbalanced classes are not overwhelmingly apparent but I found that the sniper rifles and machine guns were weaker than the rifles. Players take a lot of damage before they are killed regardless of which weapons are utilized, something that leads me to believe that lower powered weapons were a design choice. This design mechanic creates a game that plays differently from other more realistic shooters but doesn’t dilute the enjoyable aspects of the game.

Where the game has a more arcade feeling among the shooting elements, the vehicles often time feel like a complicated simulator. During a loading screen, the game warned me that the planes were incredibly hard to use, something you discover immediately after takeoff. The game uses a very complicated control scheme for flying planes which will result in many unintentional suicides.  Practice makes perfect but after the flying has been mastered the underpowered explosives replace the controls as the most frustrating element. Planes and tanks have explosives as one would expect, however, they are enormously underpowered when facing soldiers. The explosives small damage radius is the problem. In order to kill an enemy with explosives you have to hit them almost directly, an almost impossible proposition when facing a fast moving target.

It is important to realize that these problems do not ruin the fun. This is because there’s an entertaining experience to be had regardless of what role you take on your team. One quickly realizes that not everyone is going to be an ace pilot or sharpshooter but that every player will find a position that’s fun even if it’s derived from defending a flag. Although reviews tend to highlight the negative sides of games, I want to stress that Battlefield 1943 is one of the most enjoyable and addicting online games I have played of late. Of course, some of my enjoyment of the game is because I was a fan of Battlefield 1942 (I have to admit that I got goosebumps after I heard the theme music again) but the beauty of downloadable games is that everyone can try the trial. There are some bugs within the games, particularly in the Xbox360 version’s graphics and leaderboards, but the underlying entertainment value is not diminished.  For a $15 downloadable title, Battlefield 1943 is an amazing value which will definitely provide hours of entertainment and hopefully be supported by additional downloadable content.