Battlefield 3 – Back to Karkard expansion was released during the week; giving you 4 of the most popular maps from Battlefield 2 and some new weapons. Having played Battlefield 2 I was expecting great things from this but sadly in true EA style they have managed to stuff up a few too many aspects of the game.

Let’s get the problems out of the way first, there are new glitches in the game including;

• Available kit unlocks disappearing when you join a game. Joined a game last night with Lostagent2 and EnergiserX and we were all hit with this glitch.
• Simultaneous kills are back; having clocked in over 88 hours of online game play I have not had this occur until the release of the expansion.
• Resetting your kit preferences; this had happened a number of times since the game update; your preferences on your kit deploy resetting back to no unlock or just changing the primary weapon to the one before your preferred option.

But the update has given us a few changes that have improved the game including;

• Added round duration and ticket summary at end of round screen
• Grenades now drop to ground if you get killed while attempting to throw it
• Being able to spot explosives i.e.; C4, Anti-Tank Mines, Claymores
• Claymores no longer disappear almost immediately after you die; they now stay in game until replaced by others or blow up.

Now onto the new things; well kind of new things. The Back to Karkard expansion gives you 4 maps from Battlefield 2 remastered with the Frostbite 2 engine including;

• Golf or Oman
• Strike at Karkand
• Sharqi Pennsula
• Wake Island

This is great but my favourite of these maps; Wake Island just isn’t the same. The rush is only half the map and the conquest the American side doesn’t start on the aircraft carrier. It could be the fact that on console the games have half the number of players but the map just doesn’t seem as epic as is used to be.

Also included are 10 additional guns that were also in Battlefield 2; these are unlocked by completing certain opjectives e.g. 10 Revives, Destroy 1 enemy vehicle with Repair Torch, Arm 10 MCOMs.

If you have Battlefield 3 you will have either had the expansion free when you purchased the game or you will have to purchase. As it’s just new maps and guns it’s going to be part of the game and you will need to get this update. But let’s hope they look at fixing a few of the new bugs they have introduced.

Also if you want to join me and my friends, come join the Neo-Terran Front Platoon (NTF) – www.neo-terran-front.com.

Here is the release trailer for the Back to Karkard expansion;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyN_Zjw4l-s

Battlefield 3 was released last week and I’ve been a little busy shooting everyone to get around to making a post. This is the latest release in the series and I think it might be their best yet, taking the best aspects from the last few modern combat games of the series and add it all together, plus some.

A given with any Battlefield games it seems, there is always multiplayer server issues and this is still the case but from their twitter feed, constant server upgrades and the newly created status page (http://www.ea.com/servers/battlefield3) they seem to be right on top of it. The online is like any recent previous version but for the console the addition of server browser which is a standard feature for the PC version. They have added just straight deathmatch in the team and squad versions, this addition to Rush and Conquest game modes means that any first person shooter fan will be able to find something they like. The new unlock system that now unlocks special additions per kit, weapon or vehicle means that you have even greater control over the type of weapon you use and what your kit has. The only thing I’ve found with this that just doesn’t work for me is that there is limits to what your kit can have, e.g. Engineer Kit you can have rockets and repair tool, rockets and mines but you can’t have mines and repair tool. This is the case across all the kits that as open to choose your options there is still some major limits to what your 2 kit options are.

The recent addition to a complete single player campaign mode to Battlefield games has been a nice extra this one gives you a great feel of everything of all the different gameplay you can experience in multiplayer and the story line isn’t that bad either, not as fun and light hearted as the Bad Company’s campaign but still entertaining enough.

A new addition is the 6; 2 person CO-OP missions with set objectives like campaign but designed for the players to work in unison. Once again a diverse selection of game types giving you and a friend a great experience of gameplay and working as a unit. Now I have said you and a friend as some missions require you to work as a single stealth unit and that just can’t be done with just anyone even though the option is there for an open game. These missions have been designed for 2 player but Battlefield has been designed around the 4 man squad and that’s something I would like to see be added to the CO-OP options in the future.

Another addition is the new Battlelog site (http://battlelog.battlefield.com/), the social network for Battlefield 3 this site gives you real-time events for you and your friends check full stats and upcoming unlocks. It also gives you the option to join a Platoon (clan), be sure to join the Neo-Terran Front (NTF). This is really just Facebook for Battlefield 3, so check it out.

They have also taken the dogtags up a notch with the option to customise both the front and back of them, with unlocks through playing the game or special pre-order options. Check out http://actofvalor.com/bf3/ for some more free tags.

Now the big debate between Battlefield and Call of Duty (COD) this is something that has split the first person online shooters for many many years. From this post and pervious posts you can tell I’m a Battlefield fan. I never got into any of the COD’s which has had a similar timeline although longer and more games. But personally I find the Battlefield games to be a more solid build and a better multiplayer to be played with friends, which is something that is important to me. So check it out; here is a gameplay trainer if you are still unsure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zw8SmsovJc

Duke Nukem Forever after 14 years of development has finally been released. The game that was considered folk lore to most in the gaming community, has changed games engine more often than the ones underwear and bankrupted its original developer. And from what I’ve played so far it’s been nothing but a disappointment. The only thing it has going for it, is it’s the sequel to the Duke Nukem 3D game.

So all the bad points; the engine is on the Unreal engine that bought us Unreal Tournament 2004 so its 7 years old and graphics have come a long way since then and when you are “admiring” yourself in the mirror, it doesn’t look much better then then the original.
Having purchased this on the Xbox360 I would like to know if the very poor interaction with the environment and control response is as bad. The interaction with the environment is a little moody, at times it works fine while at other times you have your crosshair in the same place and it won’t allow you to do the required action. This includes shooting. If the crosshair isn’t red for the enemy, it doesn’t matter if you are hitting it or not, you will not do any damage to it. So when the pigcop is jumping at you and normally you would stop that with a point blank shot form the shotgun, more often than not you will somehow miss the thing even with it taking up your entire screen.

Ok let’s end on a high note and say all the good things about Duke Nukem Forever. After 14 years the only thing that’s changed for Duke is he’s older, still the same the macho, misogynistic, wise-cracking character. He’s still spouting some great one liners throughout the entire game and having every girl fall to their knees just to please you.
The actual story is a nice change to the current games in the genre using a more classic first person shooter design; but with a game 14 years old what would you expect?

Can I recommend this game to anyone? Well sadly no; this is a game that anyone who has been a fan of Duke Nukem should play but with the new release price tag it’s just not worth it. So when you see it in the cheap bin at your local game store that’s when you should think about buying it. Till then here’s the trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVuuyRGB_BA

Ok this is yet another post about Battlefield Bad Company 2 but can you blame me when they keep releasing new features to the game? This time it’s a completely new game play using the games engine to take you back to the Vietnam War.

Battlefield Bad Company 2 Vietnam is set in the 1960s war between the communist north and the Americans with all new period weapons, maps and vehicles. This expansion was released at the start of December and had just had its first new map release. Now in past posts I’ve complained about system lag and I’m not sure if EA have been updating their servers again or if there isn’t as many playing the expansion or those who are have better net connections but I haven’t had any lagging issues yet while in the Vietnam expansion.

The new maps for this expansion are exactly what you expect; battle damaged, close quarters and a lot of foliage to hide and run into. The look and feel of the maps is exactly how you would expect them to be in any game set in the Vietnam War.

The weapons choices are only ones that were available for the Vietnam War and what you would expect but the new addition that just says cool; the Flamethrower though not as good as you would expect is still fun to let the ignited petrol loose onto anyone in front of you and see them remain on fire after they have been hit with the stream.

In conclusion this is a must to any who have been playing Battlefield Bad Company 2 and has enjoyed the game. Yes there is a price attached to this expansion I think it’s well worth the money. If you want to have a look check out the trailer below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOG4y9L81r0

The latest in the Assassins Creed series Assassins Creed Brotherhood was released just over a week ago. For those who don’t know about them, it can be hard to explain the full game but simply Assassins Creed Brotherhood is set in Rome during the early 1500’s you are an assassin out to fight for what is right and killing many people along the way.

The story which is the biggest part takes the previous titles and takes them to the next level in game play and abilities. Though some of the controls can at times be hard especially with the 3^rd person view and when the game changes the camera angle mid jump. That being said this is defiantly the best so far in the series with the new option of recruiting assassins to help you though the game and the ability to send them on their own missions.

A major new feature is the introduction of a multiplayer mode, where you are an assassin hunting fellow players while being hunter yourself. his I personally think is a little wasted that could have been used to add more into the single player as Assassins Creed has always been about the single player. I have player it and although it isn’t as bad as I expected, I found that at times it can be hard to find enough players or when you have the time for all players to be ready takes longer than the 10 min game session. While in the area it isn’t as slow as you would think but it can be very slow and the controls don’t always work as quickly as you would like.

In summary this is a great game and is definitely the best in the Assassins Creed series but I’m still not yet convinced about the multiplayer. This is a must to anyone who likes something a little different to your standard action games.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzNs4-kRLaE

Halo: Reach was released the other week, I know I’m a little late but even with picking up my pre-ordered Limited edition on release date I didn’t get a chance to play till the weekend. This is the latest release in the Halo Universe from Bungie, set in the build up to the original Halo game, and this is the pinnacle of all that is Halo. Including all the best in the multiplayer from all the previous releases including a new game type you can’t get any better than this from Bungie.

Ok let’s get the only bad thing about this game out of the way, like Halo 3: ODST you don’t get to play as Master Chief Petty Officer John-117. Ok with that out of the way, let’s start with the campaign, not as long as some of the previous games but still very entertaining and the fun of flying in space adds bonus points.

Now for the multiplayer, this has grown with game types over the releases and damn if you can’t find a game type you like there is just no pleasing you, from the free for all to team based mode of slayer, objective, the revamped Firefight or the all new invasion.

List of most of the multiplayer game types:

• Slayer – All in kill everyone who gets in your way
• King of the Hill – Hold the designated section the longest.
• Team Objective – A random collection of objective based game types e.g. Capture the flag variations.
• Big Team Battle – Large teams battling it out in both slayer and Objective based game types
• Headhunter – Players drop skulls upon death, which other players can pick up and deposit at special zones for points.
• Stockpile – Has teams race to collect neutral flags, holding them at capture points every minute for points.
• Generator Defense – Pits three Spartans against three Elites. The Elites’ objective is to destroy three generators, while Spartans defend the installation.
• Invasion – Is a six versus six mode with 3 squads of two on each team. The gametype pits Spartans against Elites
• Invasion Slayer – Where both teams goal is to reach a certain number of kills in the allotted time.
• Firefight – A version of which originally appeared in Halo 3: ODST. In Firefight players take on increasingly difficult waves of foes (AI) in a game of survival.

Well if you haven’t guessed I am a Halo Fan Boy and a really do believe this is the best Halo game from Bungie to date. This is a must to anyone who likes a good first person shooter or has ever enjoyed playing a Halo game before.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9ez7iNjoVg

Ok this is my 4^th post on Battlefield Bad Company 2, so you might be getting a little over me have a bitch about the game. Well I’m here again for the same reason. Battlefield Bad Company 2 new game type is Onslaught, its great alternative to normal online play but don’t playing a public game if you want to kill anything.

Onslaught mode is the new game type for Battlefield Bad Company 2 it’s a cross between normal multiplayer and single player. A human squad of 1 to 4 players attempts to assault positions against an army of AI’s units. It’s great it allows for you to play similar to online play in the squad mode but allowing different options of numbers and difficulty. I have so far enjoyed it, myself and EnergiserX played through all the level the first weekend it was released and enjoyed the change in game play and strategy.

Now for the bad part, since that time I’ve played some games with Lostagent2 a few private games without a problem (can’t wait to get all 3 of us going together) but when I’ve joined in some public sessions with Lostagent2, problems exist with not lag like in normal online play but instead the AI’s have an almost god mode enabled, that I’ve unloaded clips into an enemy without causing any damage, walls from buildings destroyed and the AI hiding behind unaffected by the explosion. Although from my experience not all players in a public game are affected by this at the exact same time but it is intermittent and a death does not fix the problem.

So once again I find myself saying EA fix the problem with lag and poor servers with over 5 million copies sold across 3 platforms there should be something being done and quickly!

With the release of WordPress 3.0 and all the new features that are on offer, I needed a new theme to be able to take full advantage of these features. So based of the new standard theme for WordPress 3.0 I give you Neo Green by Nothing Inc.

This theme is based loosely off my old theme Ecologist by Theme Museum in style but built from the new standard theme Twenty 10. The biggest thing you will notice is the header image which is a standard feature in this latest version. So I had to design image that would go with the style and theme of my blog.

The image was designed in 3 simple layers.

1. The original colour image – Cropped and positioned into the required size
2. Then an overlay copy of the image that was gray scaled and given the effect of lens blur.
3. The crosshair placed over the image and merging of the other 2 layers inside the crosshair to have the colour and detail come through.

The image is originally from Battlefield Bad Company 2, a game that I have made a few posts about since its release early in the year (both good and bad).

Some of the new feature highlights for WordPress 3.0:

• WordPress and WordPress MU have merged, allowing the management of multiple sites (called Multisite) from one WordPress installation.
• New default theme “Twenty Ten” takes full advantage of the current features of WordPress.
• New Custom Menu Management feature, allows creation of custom menus combining posts, pages, categories, tags, and links for use in theme menus or widgets.
• Custom Header and Custom Background APIs.
• Contextual help text accessed under the Help tab of every screen in the WordPress administration.
• Ability to set the admin username and password during installation.
• Bulk updating of themes with an automatic maintenance mode during the process.
• Support for Shortlinks.
• Improved Custom Post Types and Custom Taxonomies including hierarchical (category-style) support. (Try the Custom Post Type UI or GD Custom Posts And Taxonomies Tools plugins to see the possibilities.)
• A lighter admin color scheme to increase accessibility and put the focus more squarely on your content.

So in all the new version seems good, I’ve still got some playing to go with all the new features and if you’re interesting in some more info about the new WordPress version check out the video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHKpJSjQr4U

Ok I’ve just had a gaming session with EnergiserX and Lostagent2 in Battlefield Bad Company 2, it’s been awhile for us and in that time there has been another update for the multiplayer and guess what? The lag has gotten worst, so bad in fact that it’s almost impossible to play.

I think the game is great and the multiplayer is one of the best for a war game I’ve played in recent years but the lag that we are experiencing is that bad it may cause me to stop playing the game.

Our theory for the increase in lag has come as a result that every update appears to have increased lag to the game. When the game was first released except the fact it didn’t have enough resources dedicated for all the players the gaming experience was smooth and had next to no lag. Over the few months the game has become worst normally after an update and even with the major increase of dedicated resources has not improved the problem.

During this session common lag experiences included:

• Moving through walls or other solid objects
• Fall through the floor both on the ground and upper levels or buildings
• Weapons not reloading correctly even with the reload animation completing
• Weapons swapping back and forth when changing weapons
• Dying many seconds after you have been shot
• Enemy’s not taking damage when shot.

All these work together to make a much less enjoyable gaming session which will cause gamers to stop playing the game and will give EA Games a bad reputation for poor quality of services.

So EA Games fix the damn problem!

Yes I know it came out a few weeks ago, I had it pre ordered with the extra unlocks but I was playing Alan Wake first and I wanted a good play though before I made my final judgement on the game. Red Dead Redemption is the latest from Rockstar Games in its ‘open world’ style play set in the year 1911 in the American Old West territory. And I must admit I really enjoyed it.

Rockstar Games is considered one of the best for this ‘open world’ style of play with the success of the GTA (Grand Theft Auto) series, but for Red Dead instead of trying to be a realistic and serious like in the latest GTA 4 its gone back to its older style that I believe is less serious and much more enjoyable game. Which I personally feel to be one of the best Rockstar ‘open world’ games to date.

This is a true western as it can be; you spend most of your day on horseback riding around the country side helping others or yourself from bandits and the at times some very dangerous wildlife. With your trusty collection of weapons including your sidearm rifle, knife, dynamite or even your lasso to catch or kill whatever is in your path.

The game play is good; though at times I found it to be a little slow for my controls with the action cut scenes but other than that I think this is a great game and a must buy for anyone who likes a good shooter with an even greater story or a Rockstar fan like myself.

If you’re not convinced check out this trailer:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDJj4Pmj8fE