General Features
Call of Duty 4 Technology – Built using the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare engine, Call of Duty: World at War utilizes a bedrock of technology that delivers jaw-dropping visuals, while empowering players to employ elements like fire to affect the dynamics of the battlefield. Players that attempt to harness the power of new weapons, like the flamethrower, will find themselves capable of burning away environmental elements that give cover to a camouflaged enemy, leaving a charred battlefield – and their foes – in their wake
Coordinated Assault and Support – For the first time in the franchise, Call of Duty: World at War introduces co-op, bringing fresh meaning to the No One Fights Alone mantra. Call of Duty: World at War co-op features up to four-players online, or two-player local split-screen, allowing gamers to experience harrowing single-player missions together for greater camaraderie and tactical execution. The title also incorporates traditional multiplayer components such as challenges, rankings and online stats into the co-op campaign for deeper re-playability and advanced gameplay
New Theaters of Operation – Players fight as U.S. Marines and Russian soldiers facing enemies – some new to the Call of Duty franchise – that employ lethal new tactics and know no fear, no mercy, nor the rules of war. Epic conflicts are fought on multiple fronts, playing through the climactic battles of WWII in the grittiest, most chaotic and cinematically intense experience to date
Innovative Multiplayer – Multiplayer builds from the success of Call of Duty delivering a persistent online experience for more squad based interaction. New development with party systems allows an intimacy with squad based combat never before seen in Call of Duty. Combined infantry and vehicle missions add a new dimension to the online warfare and offers more PERK abilities
Cinematic Quality Graphics and Sound – Treyarch's award-winning sound department returns with effects that add to the already immersive cinematic intensity of the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare game engine.
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/927/927055p1.html......
If you are new to the series, Need for Speed is a cat-and-mouse racing game notorious for its police pursuits and adrenaline-fueled action. With generations of Need for Speed under EA's belt, the newest installment in the series, called Undercover, has some new tricks up its sleeve that will either make or break it.
Own the Open World
Need for Speed: Undercover now allows you to tear through three cities that are connected by a highway system. Joy riding through town, it's easy to get carried away racking up property damage, but keep a watchful eye out while committing random acts of chaos! NFS: Undercover comes equipped with smarter, angrier cops who aren't afraid to bust your ass by any means necessary. If you find yourself in a bind, there is a new hope in the form of "pursuit breakers" which are various traps that you can trigger by running into them. These breakers vary from billboards to piping that instantly disable cops and competitors alike, immediately giving you the upper-hand.
When you finally decide to stop hassling cops and give in to the constant nagging of the on-screen reminder that there is an event with your name on it, you'll find yourself front and center to a bevy of races. There is one feature that makes maneuvering through traffic and ahead of competitors easier, though, and that is a matrix-esque slow-motion camera that can be activated at any time during a race. This allows you to execute the impossible.
Each job thrown into your lap gives you a certain amount of street cred that positions you deeper into the underground game of high-speed, street racing and closer to the crime syndicate. After dominating each experience, as the game so elegantly puts it, you are automatically awarded "wheelman points" that boost your car's performance. If that isn't enough incentive, enduring events also rewards you with live-action, theatrical cutscenes of the infamous Maggie Q at her best.
The GPS map is your new best friend when in search of events or auto shops. Stopping by an auto repair shop for a quick adjustment won't do you wrong, as you're now able to dynamically fine-tune your vehicle to accommodate your driving style. This becomes a must when you begin acquiring the 50 some-odd available cars such as the Porsche 911 GT2 and my personal favorite, the Lotus Elise.
It appears EA is returning to its roots this time around, mirroring the gameplay of NFS: Most Wanted in this upcoming installment set to release across all platforms November 17.
Own the Open World
Need for Speed: Undercover now allows you to tear through three cities that are connected by a highway system. Joy riding through town, it's easy to get carried away racking up property damage, but keep a watchful eye out while committing random acts of chaos! NFS: Undercover comes equipped with smarter, angrier cops who aren't afraid to bust your ass by any means necessary. If you find yourself in a bind, there is a new hope in the form of "pursuit breakers" which are various traps that you can trigger by running into them. These breakers vary from billboards to piping that instantly disable cops and competitors alike, immediately giving you the upper-hand.
When you finally decide to stop hassling cops and give in to the constant nagging of the on-screen reminder that there is an event with your name on it, you'll find yourself front and center to a bevy of races. There is one feature that makes maneuvering through traffic and ahead of competitors easier, though, and that is a matrix-esque slow-motion camera that can be activated at any time during a race. This allows you to execute the impossible.
Each job thrown into your lap gives you a certain amount of street cred that positions you deeper into the underground game of high-speed, street racing and closer to the crime syndicate. After dominating each experience, as the game so elegantly puts it, you are automatically awarded "wheelman points" that boost your car's performance. If that isn't enough incentive, enduring events also rewards you with live-action, theatrical cutscenes of the infamous Maggie Q at her best.
The GPS map is your new best friend when in search of events or auto shops. Stopping by an auto repair shop for a quick adjustment won't do you wrong, as you're now able to dynamically fine-tune your vehicle to accommodate your driving style. This becomes a must when you begin acquiring the 50 some-odd available cars such as the Porsche 911 GT2 and my personal favorite, the Lotus Elise.
It appears EA is returning to its roots this time around, mirroring the gameplay of NFS: Most Wanted in this upcoming installment set to release across all platforms November 17.
The Godfather II is a mixed bag of goodies. On one hand it's an action game and the other a strategy game. The action is similar to the first Godfather game including such elements as hand-to-hand combat, shooting, and the ability to grab people, head butt, knee, or choke them out. This all ties into a "weakness" system explained in a bit.
The strategy elements are what make you feel like a Don. You strategize what kind of mob specialties, such as arson, medicine, or demolitions, your "family" will have, how many goons will protect your "rackets," and where you'll strike next. Many of the strategy actions can be managed from the new "Don's View" map screen, but picking family members with certain specialties is done on the streets.
Expand your mafia family with arsonists, medics, and demolition experts.
All in the Family
At the beginning of the game, Don Michael Corleone appoints you head of the New York crime family, and your first job is to start writing in the family tree with new blood. A new feature in The Godfather II allows you to welcome seven "made men" into your family. These guys will fight by your side throughout the game, and each have certain specialties that enable them to rig cars with explosives, revive fallen family members in the heat of battle, and burn down rackets.
The four lowest members of your family are called soldiers and only have one specialty. But later in the game you can upgrade their skills, such as marksmanship and melee combat, or promote them to Capo rank and grant them another specialty. For example, you could have a medic that is also a demolitions man.
The strategy elements are what make you feel like a Don. You strategize what kind of mob specialties, such as arson, medicine, or demolitions, your "family" will have, how many goons will protect your "rackets," and where you'll strike next. Many of the strategy actions can be managed from the new "Don's View" map screen, but picking family members with certain specialties is done on the streets.
Expand your mafia family with arsonists, medics, and demolition experts.
All in the Family
At the beginning of the game, Don Michael Corleone appoints you head of the New York crime family, and your first job is to start writing in the family tree with new blood. A new feature in The Godfather II allows you to welcome seven "made men" into your family. These guys will fight by your side throughout the game, and each have certain specialties that enable them to rig cars with explosives, revive fallen family members in the heat of battle, and burn down rackets.
The four lowest members of your family are called soldiers and only have one specialty. But later in the game you can upgrade their skills, such as marksmanship and melee combat, or promote them to Capo rank and grant them another specialty. For example, you could have a medic that is also a demolitions man.
Gears of War 2 for Xbox 360 Preview
At its Xbox 360 Spring Showcase 2008 special event today, Microsoft and its game maker partners unveiled a number of Xbox 360 game titles that will ship this year, including Fable 2, Ninja Garden III, Too Human, Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise, Banjo-Kazoole: Nuts & Bolts, and Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode One. None of that matters. Because developer Epic also unveiled details about the campaign version of Gears of War 2, due in November. GOW2 is, of course, the follow-up to the best-selling original game from 2006 (see my review and multiplayer review). From what little we've seen so far of the sequel, it looks at least as good as the original.
As a quick reminder, the single player campaign from GOW is still among the best single player experiences ever made for any game system (take that, Bioshock). However, GOW's multiplayer experience is still among the absolute worst of any shooter I've ever played. Hopefully, they'll fix that for GOW2, and the developers at Epic seem to at least be aware of the problem, promising this week that GOW2 multiplayer will be "bigger and better" and "incredibly robust," and will include "lots of multiplayer maps, lots of modes." But the best comment I've seen so far has come from GOW creator Cliff Bleszinski, who said, "We'll have the multiplayer functionality that gamers have come to expect this day and age." I take that to mean it will be nothing like the original GOW and that someone at Epic is at least aware of the criticisms I and others have levied against GOW's incredibly poor multiplayer.
But back to this week's announcement. What we've gotten is a glimpse at a single player level called "Assault," in both screenshot and video form. (See the shots below.) The graphics look incredible, and even better than those featured in the original GOW, though clearly of the same type. It's nice to see some blue sky for a change, too: One of the few graphical complaints I've made about the original GOW is that the game's palette was largely made up of different types of gray. Here, finally, we see a few colors peeking through, including some appropriately dark red blood spattered on the virtual camera lens. There's also a lot more going on in this demo than we see anywhere in the original GOW: In one scene, a decent-sized army of baddies is marching up a hill below a huge moving truck during a battle between humans and airborne Reavers and monstrous Brumacks.
There are a few new capabilities shown too. Later in the same scene, our hero, Marcus Feenix, picks up a fallen bad guy and uses him as a shield, later snapping his neck and toppling him off the top of the huge truck they're riding. The mini-chainsaw sees some new bits as well, including an attack from the rear and a nice duel.
OK, it's not much. But GOW was a big enough deal--it did sell about 5 million copies, after all, and was easily the best game of 2006--that it's hard not to look forward with some excitement at the sequel. I just hope they get multiplayer right this time.
From the publisher Here's some GOW2 information direct from Microsoft and Epic:
"Gears of War 2" is the highly anticipated sequel to the 4.7-million-selling blockbuster third-person tactical action game, one of the most popular Xbox 360 games in history. "Gears of War 2" picks up six months after the events of "Gears of War," and thrusts players back into a deep and harrowing story of humankind’s epic battle for survival against a nightmarish force of underground creatures known as the Locust Horde.
"Gears of War 2" is developed by Epic Games exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system. Players continue the story of Marcus Fenix, a reluctant war hero, as he leads Delta Squad on a series of perilous and adrenaline-pumping missions. "Gears of War 2" blends a best-in-class third-person shooter with unsurpassed high-definition visuals, all layered on top of an engaging story of survival, loss and retribution.
Features:
Bigger, better and more badass gameplay. "Gears of War 2" builds upon the gameplay of the first title in every way. First, the scope of the action is bigger. New characters, more weapons, nastier enemies, bigger vehicles and grander locales offer players more action, more emotion and more thrills. Next, every major aspect of the game has been refined to create heightened, more immersive experiences. Finally, the overall tone of "Gears of War 2" is more badass — replete with new weapon-specific executions, chain saw duels and shocking boss fights.
Jaw-dropping visuals. "Gears of War 2" raises the graphics bar for next-generation games through its breathtaking visual effects, which are made possible through advances in Unreal Engine 3. New visual effects in "Gears of War 2" include ambient occlusion, dynamic shadows, improved character lighting, the ability to render hundreds of on-screen characters simultaneously, improved water physics, additional blood and bullet decals, advanced destructible environments, new weather effects, and the introduction of fluid objects. When combined with the sweeping vistas and evocative locales in the world of Sera where the "Gears of War 2" story unfolds, these additions help make "Gears of War 2" the most gorgeous game available this generation.
Gripping story that pulls you in and won’t let go. "Gears of War 2" continues to push deep, immersive storytelling in video games to greater heights. Humanity’s epic battle for survival is felt on both personal and epic levels as players explore multiple story arcs that introduce new characters and flesh out the histories of familiar ones.
Unparalleled Xbox LIVE competitive and co-op action. "Gears of War 2" takes full advantage of the industry-leading Xbox LIVE service. Xbox LIVE, which is home to millions of gamers, is a robust online entertainment network, and allows gamers to enjoy "Gears of War 2" either competitively or cooperatively. Enhanced competitive multiplayer gameplay over Xbox LIVE will introduce new modes and weapons, and a multitude of new maps.2 Also new to "Gears of War 2" is the ability for gamers to drop in and drop out of the co-op campaign at any time, while playing at their own difficulty setting. Enjoying the visceral thrills of "Gears of War" has never been easier.
At its Xbox 360 Spring Showcase 2008 special event today, Microsoft and its game maker partners unveiled a number of Xbox 360 game titles that will ship this year, including Fable 2, Ninja Garden III, Too Human, Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise, Banjo-Kazoole: Nuts & Bolts, and Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Episode One. None of that matters. Because developer Epic also unveiled details about the campaign version of Gears of War 2, due in November. GOW2 is, of course, the follow-up to the best-selling original game from 2006 (see my review and multiplayer review). From what little we've seen so far of the sequel, it looks at least as good as the original.
As a quick reminder, the single player campaign from GOW is still among the best single player experiences ever made for any game system (take that, Bioshock). However, GOW's multiplayer experience is still among the absolute worst of any shooter I've ever played. Hopefully, they'll fix that for GOW2, and the developers at Epic seem to at least be aware of the problem, promising this week that GOW2 multiplayer will be "bigger and better" and "incredibly robust," and will include "lots of multiplayer maps, lots of modes." But the best comment I've seen so far has come from GOW creator Cliff Bleszinski, who said, "We'll have the multiplayer functionality that gamers have come to expect this day and age." I take that to mean it will be nothing like the original GOW and that someone at Epic is at least aware of the criticisms I and others have levied against GOW's incredibly poor multiplayer.
But back to this week's announcement. What we've gotten is a glimpse at a single player level called "Assault," in both screenshot and video form. (See the shots below.) The graphics look incredible, and even better than those featured in the original GOW, though clearly of the same type. It's nice to see some blue sky for a change, too: One of the few graphical complaints I've made about the original GOW is that the game's palette was largely made up of different types of gray. Here, finally, we see a few colors peeking through, including some appropriately dark red blood spattered on the virtual camera lens. There's also a lot more going on in this demo than we see anywhere in the original GOW: In one scene, a decent-sized army of baddies is marching up a hill below a huge moving truck during a battle between humans and airborne Reavers and monstrous Brumacks.
There are a few new capabilities shown too. Later in the same scene, our hero, Marcus Feenix, picks up a fallen bad guy and uses him as a shield, later snapping his neck and toppling him off the top of the huge truck they're riding. The mini-chainsaw sees some new bits as well, including an attack from the rear and a nice duel.
OK, it's not much. But GOW was a big enough deal--it did sell about 5 million copies, after all, and was easily the best game of 2006--that it's hard not to look forward with some excitement at the sequel. I just hope they get multiplayer right this time.
From the publisher Here's some GOW2 information direct from Microsoft and Epic:
"Gears of War 2" is the highly anticipated sequel to the 4.7-million-selling blockbuster third-person tactical action game, one of the most popular Xbox 360 games in history. "Gears of War 2" picks up six months after the events of "Gears of War," and thrusts players back into a deep and harrowing story of humankind’s epic battle for survival against a nightmarish force of underground creatures known as the Locust Horde.
"Gears of War 2" is developed by Epic Games exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system. Players continue the story of Marcus Fenix, a reluctant war hero, as he leads Delta Squad on a series of perilous and adrenaline-pumping missions. "Gears of War 2" blends a best-in-class third-person shooter with unsurpassed high-definition visuals, all layered on top of an engaging story of survival, loss and retribution.
Features:
Bigger, better and more badass gameplay. "Gears of War 2" builds upon the gameplay of the first title in every way. First, the scope of the action is bigger. New characters, more weapons, nastier enemies, bigger vehicles and grander locales offer players more action, more emotion and more thrills. Next, every major aspect of the game has been refined to create heightened, more immersive experiences. Finally, the overall tone of "Gears of War 2" is more badass — replete with new weapon-specific executions, chain saw duels and shocking boss fights.
Jaw-dropping visuals. "Gears of War 2" raises the graphics bar for next-generation games through its breathtaking visual effects, which are made possible through advances in Unreal Engine 3. New visual effects in "Gears of War 2" include ambient occlusion, dynamic shadows, improved character lighting, the ability to render hundreds of on-screen characters simultaneously, improved water physics, additional blood and bullet decals, advanced destructible environments, new weather effects, and the introduction of fluid objects. When combined with the sweeping vistas and evocative locales in the world of Sera where the "Gears of War 2" story unfolds, these additions help make "Gears of War 2" the most gorgeous game available this generation.
Gripping story that pulls you in and won’t let go. "Gears of War 2" continues to push deep, immersive storytelling in video games to greater heights. Humanity’s epic battle for survival is felt on both personal and epic levels as players explore multiple story arcs that introduce new characters and flesh out the histories of familiar ones.
Unparalleled Xbox LIVE competitive and co-op action. "Gears of War 2" takes full advantage of the industry-leading Xbox LIVE service. Xbox LIVE, which is home to millions of gamers, is a robust online entertainment network, and allows gamers to enjoy "Gears of War 2" either competitively or cooperatively. Enhanced competitive multiplayer gameplay over Xbox LIVE will introduce new modes and weapons, and a multitude of new maps.2 Also new to "Gears of War 2" is the ability for gamers to drop in and drop out of the co-op campaign at any time, while playing at their own difficulty setting. Enjoying the visceral thrills of "Gears of War" has never been easier.
Crysis Beta Review
From Wombycat -
"Crysis is absolutely awesome. The diverse ability of the individuals interaction with the surrounds is amazing. No longer are you restricted to hiding behind a wall or walking crouched so you are silent. Now you can literally be invisible, super fast, super strong and super durable (not at the same time). You can customize your character to suit your style in a FPS instead of adapting your style to suit the FPS. This is only the game play, the graphics are something else. No DirectX 10 in the multi-player beta but you can run DirectX 9 graphics through DirectX 10 which gives a considerable performance boost."
From NovaPrime -
The physics are prodigious, I still can not get over how unreal shooting through foliage is, something that other games can only dream of. I've seen some people have trouble with the vehicles, I think mostly just driving in dumb places, but combined with the amazingly realistic environment and graphics, driving a pick-up truck around the map feels very real (until you hit the booster and run up a dirt ramp to jump over base defences).The tanks are also very sweet, not many players have really experienced tanks much but in a recent game I got myself a battle tank, it's roughly a medium conventional tank, a good all-rounder. I was driving back to the tank depo to get some more ammo when down the road I saw a pick-up speeding towards me. I wasn't sure if it was friend or foe, so I lined him up until he was within range of the player icon to appear on him. When the icon didn't show up he must have realised I wasn't friendly and started turning away. I fired, and missed because he changed course, my tank shell hit the ridge beside him and the shockwave blasted his truck up in the air into a spiralling trajectory into the fence on the other side of the road. Now, not only is that fun as hell to watch, but it's just as fun to be the driver when that happens. I almost feel compelled to run my vehicles as fast as I can towards an enemy base just so their rapid fire rocket launchers send me spinning as my screen is filled with a blurred vision of realistic explosions as my HUD is covered with dirt, and soon blood.
Of course, this also means that players are going to do some of the obvious things - come running at you with max strength enabled and go for the punch, use the cloak to hide in the bushes with a precision rifle, and my favourite - run at you with a light vehicle. I'm a big fan of the last one, I love people who try it. If I see it coming I just stand there and wait for them to get me nicely lined up. I suppose at this point there are a few things I could do. Cloak, step to the side. Put max speed on and run for it, but my favourite has got to be enable max strength then jump over them just before they run me over. The next part is fun, run up to the baffled driver and smash his vehicle onto it's side with a max-strength punch. Crysis won't be the best deathmatch game around. I'll leave that to UT3, Crysis will take the place of Battlefield and Quake Wars style play but for the first time do it properly. Quake Wars took Battlefield 2/2142 and duplicated it, just in a better engine. Well Crysis made it's own damn play mode and removed all the flaws from the existing game style. No longer is running across the map to the objective a hassle. Fighting is all over the map, and you have a series of good ways to get to near by objectives quickly, max speed or grab one of the plentiful vehicles at every spawn. Often you wont even want to go far, you can choose where to spawn and what location to attack, so many times you will spawn, grab your gear (either buy each item or select a template you can make), customise it - put a scope, silencer, grenade underslug, etc on your rife and off you go. I'll generally do a quick sprint and jump in the bush, get a feel for where the action is going on then go jump on a roof or something, where I can jump down a sky-light onto my (hopefully) unsuspecting enemy. Also unlike BF2/ETQW combat doesn't mean insta-dead when the first person shoots. Your suit gives you a variety of different ways to fight, you can use the suits energy to give you armour, when you get low (generally around half a clip from the enemy will deplete your suits energy on armour mode, depending on the weapon) you could make a run for it, jump out of line of suit or hide (cloak, bush, etc). There are plenty of ways of staying alive, if you have the creativity to think of one. Health regenerates when you are out of combat. Something I haven't heard anyone speak of, probably because it seems so insignificant compared to the rest, is the cool amount of toys you get. I'll also explain that you get "Prestige" by accomplishing objectives and killing people and you always spawn with a minimum amount based on your rank I think. You rank up like ETQW. So, with your prestige you can buy your weapons, add-ons, nades, ammo, etc. You can also buy "equipment" (pfft, "toys"), such as anti-tank mines, directional proximity claymores, armour repair tools, remote detonation explosives, scanners,.. parachutes.. No need to be a specific class to get any, you just buy what you want. Not many people set up traps, but placing a claymore in the right place can be very helpful.In "power struggle" mode, the map has two special locations you can fight for, I'll start with the tank depo. A good point to fight for, when your in control of it you can build heavy vehicles. From technicals (pickups with guns on em) to infantry combat tanks (one of my favourites) to good ol' fashion heavy tanks. Getting yourself a tank is a good thing, normal weapons cant do squat to em. And no, max-strength cant knock over a tank (else there would be little point to them). Tanks have area damage, but can be repaired simply by pointing a welding torch at them for a little. To counter tanks, you need either a bigger tank, which you are not likely to have, since there is only 1 tank depo (in the beta) or fight manly, set up land mines or buy disposable rocket launchers. The RL's come with 3 rockets, you can guide them and you cant buy more. They are good against infantry at range, but a costly option. 2 rockets will take out light armour but you need about 4 to get the bigger tanks. The disposable RL's cost half as much as a medium tank. Next is the research facility, and the whole point to the power struggle mode. Also on the map are a bunch of power locations. When you take control of these they do nothing except charge up the research facility when you are in control of the facility. When the research facility reaches 50% power you can start buying high-tech weapons, such as mini guns, an alien version shard heavy machine gun (like a better minigun) and a really cool freeze gun, which can literately freeze you in spot. I've been frozen by it but haven't figured out how to use it myself. Once the power reaches 100% a cute female voice says "Reactor power at 100 percent".. wait for it.. "weapons of mass destruction are now available". Now how can that not make you smile? Now you can buy tanks with similar guns, a black hole thingy which makes anything in it's path cease to exist or my favourite - the TAC tank. The TAC tank I have already shown you. It's much a heavy tank that, well, shoots nukes. You need either a TAC tank, a handheld TAC launcher or the singularity tank to destroy the enemy base with, once you do that, you win the round. So even know I'm thinking of cool new ways I can approach things. The other day I realised I could just "jump" out of the US submarine instead of climbing up the ladder, things I'm not used to being able to do. I also realised that on one side of the sub there are boats much like the ones in FarCry, the boats on the other side aren't actually boats, they are hovercraft! Woo!
From Wombycat -
"Crysis is absolutely awesome. The diverse ability of the individuals interaction with the surrounds is amazing. No longer are you restricted to hiding behind a wall or walking crouched so you are silent. Now you can literally be invisible, super fast, super strong and super durable (not at the same time). You can customize your character to suit your style in a FPS instead of adapting your style to suit the FPS. This is only the game play, the graphics are something else. No DirectX 10 in the multi-player beta but you can run DirectX 9 graphics through DirectX 10 which gives a considerable performance boost."
From NovaPrime -
The physics are prodigious, I still can not get over how unreal shooting through foliage is, something that other games can only dream of. I've seen some people have trouble with the vehicles, I think mostly just driving in dumb places, but combined with the amazingly realistic environment and graphics, driving a pick-up truck around the map feels very real (until you hit the booster and run up a dirt ramp to jump over base defences).The tanks are also very sweet, not many players have really experienced tanks much but in a recent game I got myself a battle tank, it's roughly a medium conventional tank, a good all-rounder. I was driving back to the tank depo to get some more ammo when down the road I saw a pick-up speeding towards me. I wasn't sure if it was friend or foe, so I lined him up until he was within range of the player icon to appear on him. When the icon didn't show up he must have realised I wasn't friendly and started turning away. I fired, and missed because he changed course, my tank shell hit the ridge beside him and the shockwave blasted his truck up in the air into a spiralling trajectory into the fence on the other side of the road. Now, not only is that fun as hell to watch, but it's just as fun to be the driver when that happens. I almost feel compelled to run my vehicles as fast as I can towards an enemy base just so their rapid fire rocket launchers send me spinning as my screen is filled with a blurred vision of realistic explosions as my HUD is covered with dirt, and soon blood.
Of course, this also means that players are going to do some of the obvious things - come running at you with max strength enabled and go for the punch, use the cloak to hide in the bushes with a precision rifle, and my favourite - run at you with a light vehicle. I'm a big fan of the last one, I love people who try it. If I see it coming I just stand there and wait for them to get me nicely lined up. I suppose at this point there are a few things I could do. Cloak, step to the side. Put max speed on and run for it, but my favourite has got to be enable max strength then jump over them just before they run me over. The next part is fun, run up to the baffled driver and smash his vehicle onto it's side with a max-strength punch. Crysis won't be the best deathmatch game around. I'll leave that to UT3, Crysis will take the place of Battlefield and Quake Wars style play but for the first time do it properly. Quake Wars took Battlefield 2/2142 and duplicated it, just in a better engine. Well Crysis made it's own damn play mode and removed all the flaws from the existing game style. No longer is running across the map to the objective a hassle. Fighting is all over the map, and you have a series of good ways to get to near by objectives quickly, max speed or grab one of the plentiful vehicles at every spawn. Often you wont even want to go far, you can choose where to spawn and what location to attack, so many times you will spawn, grab your gear (either buy each item or select a template you can make), customise it - put a scope, silencer, grenade underslug, etc on your rife and off you go. I'll generally do a quick sprint and jump in the bush, get a feel for where the action is going on then go jump on a roof or something, where I can jump down a sky-light onto my (hopefully) unsuspecting enemy. Also unlike BF2/ETQW combat doesn't mean insta-dead when the first person shoots. Your suit gives you a variety of different ways to fight, you can use the suits energy to give you armour, when you get low (generally around half a clip from the enemy will deplete your suits energy on armour mode, depending on the weapon) you could make a run for it, jump out of line of suit or hide (cloak, bush, etc). There are plenty of ways of staying alive, if you have the creativity to think of one. Health regenerates when you are out of combat. Something I haven't heard anyone speak of, probably because it seems so insignificant compared to the rest, is the cool amount of toys you get. I'll also explain that you get "Prestige" by accomplishing objectives and killing people and you always spawn with a minimum amount based on your rank I think. You rank up like ETQW. So, with your prestige you can buy your weapons, add-ons, nades, ammo, etc. You can also buy "equipment" (pfft, "toys"), such as anti-tank mines, directional proximity claymores, armour repair tools, remote detonation explosives, scanners,.. parachutes.. No need to be a specific class to get any, you just buy what you want. Not many people set up traps, but placing a claymore in the right place can be very helpful.In "power struggle" mode, the map has two special locations you can fight for, I'll start with the tank depo. A good point to fight for, when your in control of it you can build heavy vehicles. From technicals (pickups with guns on em) to infantry combat tanks (one of my favourites) to good ol' fashion heavy tanks. Getting yourself a tank is a good thing, normal weapons cant do squat to em. And no, max-strength cant knock over a tank (else there would be little point to them). Tanks have area damage, but can be repaired simply by pointing a welding torch at them for a little. To counter tanks, you need either a bigger tank, which you are not likely to have, since there is only 1 tank depo (in the beta) or fight manly, set up land mines or buy disposable rocket launchers. The RL's come with 3 rockets, you can guide them and you cant buy more. They are good against infantry at range, but a costly option. 2 rockets will take out light armour but you need about 4 to get the bigger tanks. The disposable RL's cost half as much as a medium tank. Next is the research facility, and the whole point to the power struggle mode. Also on the map are a bunch of power locations. When you take control of these they do nothing except charge up the research facility when you are in control of the facility. When the research facility reaches 50% power you can start buying high-tech weapons, such as mini guns, an alien version shard heavy machine gun (like a better minigun) and a really cool freeze gun, which can literately freeze you in spot. I've been frozen by it but haven't figured out how to use it myself. Once the power reaches 100% a cute female voice says "Reactor power at 100 percent".. wait for it.. "weapons of mass destruction are now available". Now how can that not make you smile? Now you can buy tanks with similar guns, a black hole thingy which makes anything in it's path cease to exist or my favourite - the TAC tank. The TAC tank I have already shown you. It's much a heavy tank that, well, shoots nukes. You need either a TAC tank, a handheld TAC launcher or the singularity tank to destroy the enemy base with, once you do that, you win the round. So even know I'm thinking of cool new ways I can approach things. The other day I realised I could just "jump" out of the US submarine instead of climbing up the ladder, things I'm not used to being able to do. I also realised that on one side of the sub there are boats much like the ones in FarCry, the boats on the other side aren't actually boats, they are hovercraft! Woo!
About GTA IV...
Niko Bellic, the main character.
In Grand Theft Auto 4 you take on the role of Niko Bellic, an immigrant from Eastern Europe with an ominous past. Persuaded by his cousin's promises of a fresh start and a better life, Niko relocates to Liberty City, USA -- the worst place in America. After making the move to Liberty, however, Niko quickly realizes that his hopes of "living the American Dream" may never come to pass... and that things here may not be so different after all.
Although Liberty City may not differ greatly from Niko's homeland, being different and standing out is definitely a major theme with Grand Theft Auto IV. While GTA: Vice City and GTA: San Andreas were considered to be part of the GTA III trilogy (same graphics engine, similar characters, similar mission style, etc.), Grand Theft Auto IV is considered a fresh start for the GTA series, focusing more heavily on realism and storytelling than in previous titles. This is why it's been dubbed GTA4 and not GTA6 (as many had originally anticipated), even though it's the sixth major title in the series.
GTA IV follows the release of the hugely successful GTA: San Andreas (which was released for PlayStation 2 in 2004, and then later for PC and Xbox during 2005) and also marks the 10th anniversary of the Grand Theft Auto franchise. With Grand Theft Auto 4 being the milestone that it is, Rockstar Games has been working overtime on perfecting the game. According to Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey -- a financial consultant for Take2 Interactive -- approximately 150 developers worked on GTA 4.
The Unveiling of GTA IV
Grand Theft Auto IV was announced on May 9, 2006 at Microsoft's E3 press conference. Peter Moore (who was Corporate Vice-President of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business division at the time of the announcement) rolled up the left sleeve of his t-shirt to reveal a GTA4 tattoo on his arm. He announced that GTA 4 would be available on Xbox 360 in 2007, and revealed that Microsoft and Rockstar Games had formed a strategic alliance in order to provide exclusive episodic content for Xbox Live, giving the community ever-expanding gameplay experiences.
The contents of the Grand Theft Auto IV special edition.
Take2 Interactive then issued a press release which announced that GTA IV would be released simultaneously for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in October 2007. However, the game was delayed on August 2, 2007, because some elements of the development were proving to be more time-intensive than originally expected. On January 24, 2008, a worldwide release date of April 29, 2008 was announced by Rockstar Games.
It was announced on May 21, 2007, that GTA 4 would be available as a special edition on the same day as the regular edition. It is presented in a customised Grand Theft Auto metal safety deposit box, and includes the game, a limited edition duffel bag, an exclusive keychain, a selected soundtrack CD, and a Grand Theft Auto IV Art Book, featuring never-before-seen production artwork from GTA4.
The PC Version
Grand Theft Auto IV was announced for the PC during August 2008, with the release date being set in late November. This was later delayed however (hey- it wouldn't be Grand Theft Auto if it wasn't delayed!) until early December. The game was released on December 2nd and December 3rd, in North America and Europe respectively.
The PC Video Editor feature.
In terms of content, the PC version contains some exclusive material which the other versions do not provide. Firstly, it contains a customisable MP3 radio station called Independence FM, which you can add your favourite songs to. Secondly, the multiplayer (which features a maximum of 32 players as opposed to 16 in the other versions) includes a Custom Match feature which enables you to search for online sessions which fulfill specific criteria (such as number of players, game mode, location etc.). And thirdly, a selection of new clothing items are available in multiplayer.
Also exclusive to the PC version is the Video Editor feature, which enables you to record short replays and then combine them later into a video, with the option to add filters, transitions, custom camera angles, music and text overlays. The footage can then be exported to your hard drive or shared with the Rockstar Social Club community via Social Club TV (which is basically Rockstar's version of the popular video site YouTube).
In addition to all this, the PC version provides stunningly detailed, high resolution graphics (with multiple options to customise your experience) and of course the potential for modding. The GTA modding community has grown considerably since the release of Grand Theft Auto III on the PC in 2002, as players look to prolong their interest in the game by adding new weapons, missions, vehicles and maps.
Main Features
GAMEPLAY
Niko can use a mobile phone to recieve calls and phone his contacts in order to arrange missions. He can also use it to call taxis and purchase weapons. The options presented on the phone's LCD are Phonebook, Messages, Organizer, and Camera. The phone can also be used to access multiplayer.
Pedestrians perform realistic actions. They smoke cigarettes, read books and newspapers, drop litter, talk on mobile phones, walk in and out of buildings, and generally act like any normal pedestrian in a real city would.
Mobile phones are a big part of Grand Theft Auto IV's gameplay.
GTA IV features fifteen multiplayer modes, which can be accessed through the mobile phone. Multiplayer supports up to sixteen players, and the game modes include Deathmatch, Mafiya Work, Cops n' Crooks and Free Mode.
It is possible to surf the internet in GTA4 via internet cafés. It is available from any computer in the game, and provides a hub for all sorts of interactivity within Liberty City. There are over 100 in-game internet websites.
In GTA IV, you will gain a police wanted level for any crime that you commit, providing there are witnesses present. The police can only chase you if they know where you are, and they need to see you to know where you are. If you escape the search area marked on the radar without being spotted, your wanted level will disappear.
In terms of scale, GTA IV is about the same size as GTA: San Andreas, but the map size is considerably smaller. This is mainly due to the fact there is no desert or countryside in Liberty City. Liberty City in GTA4 is the biggest single city that R* have ever created.
GTA4 contains fifteen multiplayer modes, supporting up to 16 players.
In GTA IV, the line between on- and off-mission has been blurred, and the story is less linear. It is also possible to do more than one mission at a time. For example, some missions take place over several days and may involve waiting for phonecalls or attending interviews, and you are free to carry out other business during the waiting period.
The story can be told in a number of different ways. Rockstar are trying to give people greater freedom and sense of control over their destiny. You now have a lot more choice in what you want to do.
Niko has the ability to climb and descend telephone poles, and exterior fire escapes.
Every street in Liberty City contains a street sign with a name on it.
Cars feature GPS navigation systems, which identify the best routes to take during missions, and highlight them on the radar.
Developing relationships with characters is an important aspect of the gameplay. Maintaining good relationships will provide different rewards to Niko. Niko can socialise with other characters in order to maintain a good relationship, for example they can go bowling together, they can go to the cabaret, go to comedy clubs, and go drinking together.
TECHNOLOGY
Grand Theft Auto 4 runs on Rockstar's proprietary next generation game engine, R.A.G.E., allowing for an unprecedented level of realism and interactivity.
New sunlight and weather effects which give the city a whole different appearance as the time of day progresses.
New volumetric lighting effects are evident in this screenshot.
Volumetric lighting effects allow sunlight to stream realistically into dusty interiors. Police spotlights will likely benefit from this effect as well when helicopters kick up debris.
Normal (bump) maps will provide much more detail in models than the underlying polygons, as well as giving materials more texture and depth.
Road and building textures are more varied than in previous GTAs. On some roads you will find potholes, metal plates (etc) where the road has been dug up.
Modern pixel shaders give water, glass, cars, etc.. more realistic reflections and shininess than the earlier games.
In cars, you can see real reflections on the rear and side-view mirrors.
There are no load times in GTA4, not even during exterior-interior transitions (and vice versa.)
GTA4 uses euphoria, a fully procedural animation package created by NaturalMotion. The core technology is the Dynamic Motion Synthesis (DMS) system.
Characters have the ability to hang on to the back of vehicles.
Variations in the terrain are met with realistic changes in the walking animation.
Unique game moments. Animations are created on the fly, so each player's experience will be unique. Gamers are no longer subjected to pre-recorded animations.
Characters will react realisticaly to being hit with gunfire, cars, and melee weapons or fists.
Players will be able to push people out of the way, rather than "floating" past them as in older games.
Falling/thrown characters will react as in real life- They won't simply be limp, lifeless ragdolls. Nor will they use a canned "super hero" animation like before.
Characters (and players?) will be able to hang on to helicopters and trucks, which will swing them around as the vehicle moves.
Niko Bellic, the main character.
In Grand Theft Auto 4 you take on the role of Niko Bellic, an immigrant from Eastern Europe with an ominous past. Persuaded by his cousin's promises of a fresh start and a better life, Niko relocates to Liberty City, USA -- the worst place in America. After making the move to Liberty, however, Niko quickly realizes that his hopes of "living the American Dream" may never come to pass... and that things here may not be so different after all.
Although Liberty City may not differ greatly from Niko's homeland, being different and standing out is definitely a major theme with Grand Theft Auto IV. While GTA: Vice City and GTA: San Andreas were considered to be part of the GTA III trilogy (same graphics engine, similar characters, similar mission style, etc.), Grand Theft Auto IV is considered a fresh start for the GTA series, focusing more heavily on realism and storytelling than in previous titles. This is why it's been dubbed GTA4 and not GTA6 (as many had originally anticipated), even though it's the sixth major title in the series.
GTA IV follows the release of the hugely successful GTA: San Andreas (which was released for PlayStation 2 in 2004, and then later for PC and Xbox during 2005) and also marks the 10th anniversary of the Grand Theft Auto franchise. With Grand Theft Auto 4 being the milestone that it is, Rockstar Games has been working overtime on perfecting the game. According to Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey -- a financial consultant for Take2 Interactive -- approximately 150 developers worked on GTA 4.
The Unveiling of GTA IV
Grand Theft Auto IV was announced on May 9, 2006 at Microsoft's E3 press conference. Peter Moore (who was Corporate Vice-President of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business division at the time of the announcement) rolled up the left sleeve of his t-shirt to reveal a GTA4 tattoo on his arm. He announced that GTA 4 would be available on Xbox 360 in 2007, and revealed that Microsoft and Rockstar Games had formed a strategic alliance in order to provide exclusive episodic content for Xbox Live, giving the community ever-expanding gameplay experiences.
The contents of the Grand Theft Auto IV special edition.
Take2 Interactive then issued a press release which announced that GTA IV would be released simultaneously for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in October 2007. However, the game was delayed on August 2, 2007, because some elements of the development were proving to be more time-intensive than originally expected. On January 24, 2008, a worldwide release date of April 29, 2008 was announced by Rockstar Games.
It was announced on May 21, 2007, that GTA 4 would be available as a special edition on the same day as the regular edition. It is presented in a customised Grand Theft Auto metal safety deposit box, and includes the game, a limited edition duffel bag, an exclusive keychain, a selected soundtrack CD, and a Grand Theft Auto IV Art Book, featuring never-before-seen production artwork from GTA4.
The PC Version
Grand Theft Auto IV was announced for the PC during August 2008, with the release date being set in late November. This was later delayed however (hey- it wouldn't be Grand Theft Auto if it wasn't delayed!) until early December. The game was released on December 2nd and December 3rd, in North America and Europe respectively.
The PC Video Editor feature.
In terms of content, the PC version contains some exclusive material which the other versions do not provide. Firstly, it contains a customisable MP3 radio station called Independence FM, which you can add your favourite songs to. Secondly, the multiplayer (which features a maximum of 32 players as opposed to 16 in the other versions) includes a Custom Match feature which enables you to search for online sessions which fulfill specific criteria (such as number of players, game mode, location etc.). And thirdly, a selection of new clothing items are available in multiplayer.
Also exclusive to the PC version is the Video Editor feature, which enables you to record short replays and then combine them later into a video, with the option to add filters, transitions, custom camera angles, music and text overlays. The footage can then be exported to your hard drive or shared with the Rockstar Social Club community via Social Club TV (which is basically Rockstar's version of the popular video site YouTube).
In addition to all this, the PC version provides stunningly detailed, high resolution graphics (with multiple options to customise your experience) and of course the potential for modding. The GTA modding community has grown considerably since the release of Grand Theft Auto III on the PC in 2002, as players look to prolong their interest in the game by adding new weapons, missions, vehicles and maps.
Main Features
GAMEPLAY
Niko can use a mobile phone to recieve calls and phone his contacts in order to arrange missions. He can also use it to call taxis and purchase weapons. The options presented on the phone's LCD are Phonebook, Messages, Organizer, and Camera. The phone can also be used to access multiplayer.
Pedestrians perform realistic actions. They smoke cigarettes, read books and newspapers, drop litter, talk on mobile phones, walk in and out of buildings, and generally act like any normal pedestrian in a real city would.
Mobile phones are a big part of Grand Theft Auto IV's gameplay.
GTA IV features fifteen multiplayer modes, which can be accessed through the mobile phone. Multiplayer supports up to sixteen players, and the game modes include Deathmatch, Mafiya Work, Cops n' Crooks and Free Mode.
It is possible to surf the internet in GTA4 via internet cafés. It is available from any computer in the game, and provides a hub for all sorts of interactivity within Liberty City. There are over 100 in-game internet websites.
In GTA IV, you will gain a police wanted level for any crime that you commit, providing there are witnesses present. The police can only chase you if they know where you are, and they need to see you to know where you are. If you escape the search area marked on the radar without being spotted, your wanted level will disappear.
In terms of scale, GTA IV is about the same size as GTA: San Andreas, but the map size is considerably smaller. This is mainly due to the fact there is no desert or countryside in Liberty City. Liberty City in GTA4 is the biggest single city that R* have ever created.
GTA4 contains fifteen multiplayer modes, supporting up to 16 players.
In GTA IV, the line between on- and off-mission has been blurred, and the story is less linear. It is also possible to do more than one mission at a time. For example, some missions take place over several days and may involve waiting for phonecalls or attending interviews, and you are free to carry out other business during the waiting period.
The story can be told in a number of different ways. Rockstar are trying to give people greater freedom and sense of control over their destiny. You now have a lot more choice in what you want to do.
Niko has the ability to climb and descend telephone poles, and exterior fire escapes.
Every street in Liberty City contains a street sign with a name on it.
Cars feature GPS navigation systems, which identify the best routes to take during missions, and highlight them on the radar.
Developing relationships with characters is an important aspect of the gameplay. Maintaining good relationships will provide different rewards to Niko. Niko can socialise with other characters in order to maintain a good relationship, for example they can go bowling together, they can go to the cabaret, go to comedy clubs, and go drinking together.
TECHNOLOGY
Grand Theft Auto 4 runs on Rockstar's proprietary next generation game engine, R.A.G.E., allowing for an unprecedented level of realism and interactivity.
New sunlight and weather effects which give the city a whole different appearance as the time of day progresses.
New volumetric lighting effects are evident in this screenshot.
Volumetric lighting effects allow sunlight to stream realistically into dusty interiors. Police spotlights will likely benefit from this effect as well when helicopters kick up debris.
Normal (bump) maps will provide much more detail in models than the underlying polygons, as well as giving materials more texture and depth.
Road and building textures are more varied than in previous GTAs. On some roads you will find potholes, metal plates (etc) where the road has been dug up.
Modern pixel shaders give water, glass, cars, etc.. more realistic reflections and shininess than the earlier games.
In cars, you can see real reflections on the rear and side-view mirrors.
There are no load times in GTA4, not even during exterior-interior transitions (and vice versa.)
GTA4 uses euphoria, a fully procedural animation package created by NaturalMotion. The core technology is the Dynamic Motion Synthesis (DMS) system.
Characters have the ability to hang on to the back of vehicles.
Variations in the terrain are met with realistic changes in the walking animation.
Unique game moments. Animations are created on the fly, so each player's experience will be unique. Gamers are no longer subjected to pre-recorded animations.
Characters will react realisticaly to being hit with gunfire, cars, and melee weapons or fists.
Players will be able to push people out of the way, rather than "floating" past them as in older games.
Falling/thrown characters will react as in real life- They won't simply be limp, lifeless ragdolls. Nor will they use a canned "super hero" animation like before.
Characters (and players?) will be able to hang on to helicopters and trucks, which will swing them around as the vehicle moves.
October 21, 2008 - After spending somewhere around 25 hours getting through Far Cry 2's single-player campaign, there was one question I couldn't quite answer: why is this game called Far Cry? The sequel, developed by Ubisoft Montreal, retains nearly nothing from Crytek's 2004 original or from the Xbox and Xbox 360's Instincts and Predator derivations. The story doesn't carry over, the characters aren't the same, there's no mention at all of Jack Carver, there are no mutagens, no feral powers, and no Trigens. Instead, it's a struggle between warring factions, called the APR and UFLL, in an unnamed African nation. The game also doesn't give players a pre-determined protagonist. Instead, you select a character to play as, and the rest of the cast appear in the game world around you as friendly NPCs, called buddies, who you can choose to work with. Things begin with a simple tutorial section, introducing you to basic first-person shooter controls and the game's premise. Your main goal is to find The Jackal, a menacing character that supplies weapons to the APR and UFLL to keep lit the fires of conflict. The point is, with this kind of setup, it's odd that the Far Cry name was even used at all, other than for its obvious name recognition value. Pushing that issue aside and accepting that this is basically a totally different game, you'll find there's quite a bit to like
For instance, there's no inventory in the game, just four weapon slots. There's one for your machete, one for a sidearm or accessory, one for a primary weapon (assault rifle, SMG, sniper rifle, shotgun), and one for a special weapon (rocket launcher, mortar, flamethrower). All these weapon types aren't available at the game's beginning; you must unlock them by performing side-quests for weapons vendors located around the world. Much of the game works like this, letting you unlock little bits and pieces here and there to make your journeys across the grassy plains, mountains, and jungles of the world more convenient, and make the process of killing a little easier. Also, unlike S.T.A.L.K.E.R., there's no real quest log. Instead, you basically have one 'active quest' at a time, though the single quest can veer in several different directions. Main quests are most often delivered through the APR and UFLL headquarters, and most of the time, the mission you pick up is predetermined. In other words, you can't pick between APR and UFLL missions every time you go to get a new mission connected to the main quest. There are choices to be made, some fairly major ones too, but those are intermittent and mostly don't crop up until the end of the game. Because of this, it's difficult to care at all about the story, setting, or characters in the game for the first few hours. In all likelihood you'll be distracted by exploration and testing out the boundaries of the game world, but it's quite some time before the story starts to gain any real momentum.
Far Cry 2's magical map.Outside of main quests there are several types of distractions for you. You can do the weapon vendor quests, which always involve hunting down a convoy and disabling it. The rewards are good, as you get access to more weapons, but the quests themselves can get repetitive. There are also quests you can get from buddies you find around the game world and assignments from ominously garbled voices transmitted over electrical towers. Ultimately, they all boil down to pretty much the same thing: go to a location and kill a guy, blow something up, steal something, or force someone to do something they don't want to and then kill them. And if you're particularly obsessive compulsive, you can spend plenty of hours tracking down the multitude of hidden briefcases which contain varying quantities of diamonds. You'll also occasionally have to quest for medicine since, surprise, your character has malaria. While the premise of a sick protagonist seems like it could have had some interesting implications, the way it's implemented here makes it seem like more of a nuisance than anything else. Some of the main quests can be fairly interesting, but usually only if you choose to work with an NPC buddy. Whichever buddy you've unlocked that likes you best will give you a call after main missions are acquired, offering an alternate method of completion. Sometimes it screws over the faction you're working for but ultimately involves the same infiltrate / kill mechanic used in most of the other quests. More rarely you'll get to do something totally different, like using a warhead to drop a bridge on a barge instead of having to infiltrate the barge and killing a target on it. Using buddies like this to complete missions in different ways is also to your benefit, as it gradually upgrades all the safe houses in the game world with ammo stashes, health supplies, and eventually vehicles.
Far Cry 2's magical map.Outside of main quests there are several types of distractions for you. You can do the weapon vendor quests, which always involve hunting down a convoy and disabling it. The rewards are good, as you get access to more weapons, but the quests themselves can get repetitive. There are also quests you can get from buddies you find around the game world and assignments from ominously garbled voices transmitted over electrical towers. Ultimately, they all boil down to pretty much the same thing: go to a location and kill a guy, blow something up, steal something, or force someone to do something they don't want to and then kill them. And if you're particularly obsessive compulsive, you can spend plenty of hours tracking down the multitude of hidden briefcases which contain varying quantities of diamonds. You'll also occasionally have to quest for medicine since, surprise, your character has malaria. While the premise of a sick protagonist seems like it could have had some interesting implications, the way it's implemented here makes it seem like more of a nuisance than anything else. Some of the main quests can be fairly interesting, but usually only if you choose to work with an NPC buddy. Whichever buddy you've unlocked that likes you best will give you a call after main missions are acquired, offering an alternate method of completion. Sometimes it screws over the faction you're working for but ultimately involves the same infiltrate / kill mechanic used in most of the other quests. More rarely you'll get to do something totally different, like using a warhead to drop a bridge on a barge instead of having to infiltrate the barge and killing a target on it. Using buddies like this to complete missions in different ways is also to your benefit, as it gradually upgrades all the safe houses in the game world with ammo stashes, health supplies, and eventually vehicles.
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