Twin Caliber

Title: Twin Caliber
Developed by: Rage
Released: 2002

Twin Caliber is zombie apocalypse 3^rd person shooter featuring weird and interesting set of controls and camera angles.

Shortly before their defunct, Rage developed this twin-barrelled shooter in which you have a choice between two characters: Sheriff John T Fortman and his old adversary, Valdez; a maximum security prisoner.

The gameplay is high score and continue based, much like an arcade game, and features both characters on the same screen at all time. However, this game doesn’t really shine until a real-life person takes control of the second character. The bespoke control method is unorthodox to say the least. The characters progress on their own after all targets have been eliminated, much like time crisis, but the controller is split into two. The left analogue stick aims your avatar’s left arm, with L1 to fire that weapon and L2 to reload. The right analogue stick controls the right arm / weapon with R1 and R2 firing and reloading that side. The face buttons control other functions, such as locking arms so that only one stick can control both weapon aims; TNT throwing and auto reload. The schizophrenic controls take a little getting used to but work really well.

The Camera angle leaves a little to be desired. Occasionally you will find yourself shooting at the enemy who is off screen and the camera movement can disorientate you enough to the point where you will accidentally shoot your team mate. The slow motion death cameras are a nice touch but they can happen a little too often, so much that the novelty can wear off quickly. During the first mission especially, I found that even though my HUD was on the right, my character mostly stayed to the left of the action. This was a bit weird and a little disappointing that this wasn’t calculated or presented better.

This game can be found very cheap these days and is worth every penny if you pick the right person to play it with. You can surely laugh at the voice acting and the bizarre bosses together. The graphics may be a little dated but it’s fun as hell.

  6.1

Yawhg (Quick Review)

Title: Yawhg

Released: 2014

Developed by:  Damian Sommer , Emily Carroll & Damian Sommer

Yawhg is a multiplayer role playing game with turn based mechanics. The aim of the game is to prepare yourself for the incoming Yawhg in an adventure book style. Against 4 other players, you have 6 weeks, 6 turns, to prepare.

The preparation is skill and stats based (physique, magic etc) and is based on where you are within the game’s village: Staying in the alchemy will increase your magic skill or hiding in the brewery will get you drunk a lot.

The game is simple enough and is easy to get into, especially if you like adventure books and statistics. 5.7

Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes

Title: Metal Gear Solid Ground Zeroes

Developed by: Kojima Productions & Konami
Released: 2014

10 years after the release of Snake Eater, we once again delve into the world of Big Boss in a main platform release.

Even before the release of Ground Zeroes, it had been riddled with complaints on how it is a demo due to its short story length. The released was later plagued by people claiming they had completed it within 6 minutes speed running. The following are my suggestions for these people:

1.       Learn to read for when it says 10% complete after you have “Completed” the game;

2.       Jump off the bandwagon because you obviously didn’t play or understand the other games, Tanker mission in Sons of Liberty or the Virtuous mission in Snake Eater?

3.       You’re an idiot, stop being an idiot.

Besides playing Big Boss again, the game feels like an entirely different franchise. The burned-in system of the window item and weapon selections have gone; the enemy no longer have cone vision and the codec screen is now a button, like a radio!

Snake’s movements are incredible in this reimagining of the series. Stance transitions are seamless and aiming or moving while prone doesn’t seem like you’ve a turn table on your belly. Sticking to a wall is now semi-automatic and can cause issues close to corners or if you wish to travel along the wall in a different direction than at first: It feels like Assassin Creed Liberations’ but with less glue. Who could also forget … Where is the roll and the cardboard box‽

From SOTP, it is hard to believe that future cutscenes in the Metal Gear Saga could get any better, way to prove us wrong again, Kojima!

Though sporting a short story, theres much fun testing the dynamic AI and taking different routes through the game. The other missions are okay and even feature saving a certain character … *Spoiler* Hideo Kojima. .

 All in all, the game served its purpose as an MGS5 introduction, much like MGS2’s Tanker mission and it is amazing in its own right though a little short for the price and what Kojima fans expect.

7.1

Infamous 2 (1.5)

Title: Infamous 2
Platform: PlayStation 3
Developed by: Sucker Punch productions
released: 2011

Infamous 2 is a sequel to the original Infamous and all its shock value. You play as the re-voiced character from the original (as per today’s craze), Cole, who throws you into a battle with a giant beast within a world tormented by conduits and plague.

Besides the better graphics and the different voice actor, the game remains the same as the last. I did notice some environmental damage that was a nice touch and added a little mechanic to falling objects kill enemies; I say small because it seems sporadic and unnecessary. You are given the same choices as before: Do you want to be a good guy or a bad guy? Most game mechanics remain the same and often you find yourself powering up electrical devices to progress through the game.

If you liked the comic book style of Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker, and never just saw it as a compromise due to its mobile platform, then you might enjoy Infamous 2’s increase in comic use for the story telling compared to the first. The comic style does change often so I feel it lacks any real comic immersion and appears to be more of a lazy way to tell a story, one step above in-game collectable books. However, the comic vibe relates nicely to the now comic-book-coloured visuals this time around, even if they are disjointed somewhat. Sadly, much like in Peace Walker, the constant change in visuals is conducive of me losing track of the plot and just playing a game rather than through a story; I’m a story-time kind of guy.

All in all, this is a fun game and has improved on the first. To me however, it is more of an Infamous 1.5 than a 2 due to its lack in developments, hence why the gameplay isn’t mentioned much within this review.

If you hadn't picked up the first, I can't say you had missed much after buying this one. In fact, it feels more of a choice between the two if you are after your money's worth, (get this one).

7.1