RAWZ95

Unless you played Fallout in third person mode, you wouldn't associate an RPG with this play style. Alpha Protocol is not entirely an RPG and not entirely a third person shooter, but it has managed to find a niche in between. As well as being the game's title, Alpha Protocol is the name of the agency which you, Michael Thorton are employed by. That is, until you are betrayed by this organisation and forced continue your mission as a rouge soldier. This mission consists of investigating different locations throughout the world to uncover the truth and prevent a third world war from breaking out. The strongest point of Alpha Protocol is it's storyline. It is compelling and feels as though it could have been taken straight from the pages of a best-selling novel. The great thing is that it would take you around three times longer to complete this game than to finish reading a best seller. Unfortunately, the A-grade plot is not done any justice by it's voice acting. The acting from some characters is respectable but from the majority it is bland and unsuited to the current circumstances taking place. This often mocks the mood of a serious in-game event in a comedic way. In addition, the game's sound design is very mediocre. Weapons sound soulless and the music drags and is uneventful most of the time. It seems as though the sound was tacked on at the end of development. There are also some more technical issues with Alpha Protocol which will arise throughout the course of the game. The levels may be set in quite interesting and uncommon locations, but they are very linear. The level settings will force you to use a lackluster cover system whenever the camera doesn't get in your way and the AI is below average for a shooing game. They are, in fact, so incompetent that you will most likely find yourself passing a level using only melee attacks and a few bursts from your assault rifle. The amount of equipment at your disposal is unessential. You will have little need for EMP charges and incendiary grenades when you could just as easily kick an opponent to death as hurl a grenade at them. Bearing some sympathy, Obsidian got the RPG theme right with Alpha Protocol. In every conversation, you are given a dialog tree with a selection of responses which can dramatically effect the outcome of the game depending on how you act to certain characters. You can also customise your loadout before each mission with different weapons at attachments from the "Clearinghouse" online arsenal. These features add up to create an interesting experience and manage to cover up the problems that the game bears. Alpha Protocol could have potentially been an excellent game, but unfortunately was let down by some distinct errors. It is not by any means a bad game, in fact it should be praised for it's ambitious efforts, but it is not a game which will be highly regarded in the gaming industry.

Few games are able to deliver an immersive, action-packed and original game concept and still be an excellent experience. Bulletstorm is one of the small selection of games that has managed to pull this off with flying colours. Make no mistake, first person shooters are rapidly reaching their use-by date and it takes a fresh and original concept to make gamers still want to enjoy them. Bulletstorm does this not by its spectacular graphic or sound design, but by the ability to make a serious game but at the same time, let the player have a ridiculous amount of fun in its world. You play as Grayson Hunt, the leader of a disbanded squad that has crash landed on a foreign planet. You've set yourself the task of killing the ignorant man who used you and your team to murder civilians. You'll have to fight a wide range of enemies through a constantly collapsing world in order to reach him. But don't worry, you'll get plenty of weapons to help you do just that. Though the weapons are far fetched, the amount of fun that they can bring far exceeds that of a current-time based firearm. There is something for everybody, including an accurate assault rifle, a quad-barrelled shotgun and even a remote controlled sniper rifle. There is also your leash, which will instantly become your best friend as its power to devastatingly melee enemies in slow motion possesses you. Combining the power of the leash, melee and weapons is the key to success and is where there is the most fun to be had. The sequences in the middle section of the game can get slightly repetitive but the gameplay quickly regains interest and leads up to a breathtaking climax. Whilst delivering big with fun and action, the storyline is memorable and has a very serious element to it. Aside from the hilarious quotes and humorous, colourful atmosphere, the story of the game remains strong and the acting from each of the characters is to be commended. It is difficult to pull off so much diversity in the average game these days, but Bulletstorm is none of the sort. As if the very lengthy single-player campaign wasn't enough, there is plenty to do elsewhere. There is a very robust "Echoes" challenge mode as well as a well-structured and addictive multiplayer mode. Also, with downloadable content on the way, you'll surely get your money's worth out of this game. Bulletstorm is destined for multiple sequels and serves as a reminder that Epic Games is one of the most powerful, ambitious and successful game developers around today.

June to November marks the most difficult part of the year for the gaming industry. E3 has been and gone and it seems like an eternity to wait for the top releases. If you're bored and unlucky enough, you may find yourself playing Damnation. The "Steam punk" genre is rarely visited in gaming and Damnation is one of the few that has gone there. The start of the campaign reveals the first flaw of the game, not enough information is given. After playing the game for a few hours, you pretty much believe that it is set in the 1800's, but details should be given first rather than have the player assume the setting. The basis of the story is that a crazed man, known only as Prescott, has developed an army of super soldiers using an unstable and somewhat radioactive drug called PSI Serum, hence the name of the army, PSI. This insane army is attacking helpless cities so that they can eventually control all of America. Yep, you guessed it, that's where you come in. You play as "Rourke", a stereotypical bad-ass who's history is unknown. You've banded with a group of rogue warriors and are single handedly fighting the menace that is PSI. Another notable downside that should be mentioned is the hideous graphics and textures that the game utilises. These are more than noticeable and you can tell that the developers tried to hide this in areas such as the driving sequences, where they don't expect you to actually stop and look around. If the graphics **** have to be hidden, then the game should not not be released until it can be perfected. It is obvious that Damnation was a low-budget game. The frame rate and in-game loading screens are an absolute eyesore and should have been looked over before the game's release. The game almost crashes when too many enemies are present and it will completely stop at any random moment when it feels like loading a part of the level. There is also an abundance of glitches in this release. The whole game just doesn't feel very smooth and could have used a lot of work in this area. Also, the enemy AI are just disgraceful. The shooting sections are not fun, but rather pointless. Damnation really could have used some help in the sound department too. The voice acting is below average and will make you more annoyed rather than get you into the mood of the game, and the weapon sound effects are pitiful. It is sad to see a game get released with this amount of problems. With all these bad points being put forward, the game can offer some features that make it bearable. The climbing and leaping across buildings can be quite fun, and the length of the campaign is commendable. There are some intriguing puzzles in the game that will have you thinking and most probably make you curious as to know what the answer to it is. It would be fair to say that Damnation has tried to recreate the experiences of some of the most well known games out there today. The mood, music, shooting sequences, controls, chapter layout and overall feel of the game is very similar to that of the famed "Gears of War" series. The climbing sequences feel like they have had most of their emphasis from "Assassin's Creed". In essence, this game doesn't do much that is new, original or revolutionary. This game is destined to be overshadowed by many other successful ones and will be considered as a kind of grey area by the developer, a game that they'd rather just forget. The basis of it was very good and could have been successful if more time had been used in the developing stage, or even had a different developer completely. Rent this game, see what you think and take it from there, but it is a certainty that it will be forgotten in the very near future.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

We all know that there are FPS action games that take the trophy with every release in their series and anything which tries to copy is rarely recognised as being an ambitious and inspirational game. "Blacksite" is no exception. This game will allow you to take on the alias of "Pierce", the sergeant of a small squad of elite soldiers which you will become acquainted with for the duration of the game. The beginning of the game takes place in Iraq, where you and your squad are looking for WMD's in a large Taliban base. Whilst carrying out the mission, you'll find more than you bargained for. After the Iraq prologue, the true enemy reveals itself as some kind of alien species and it's your job to stop its invasion of US soil, as well as find the culprit behind it all. The first thing you'll notice about the technical side of this game is the graphics. Blacksite was built on a modified version of the Unreal engine, allowing for more realistic looking textures and player models. However, these graphics aren't nearly enough to compensate for the amount of bugs and glitches that this game holds. At first, you'll excuse most of them, but over time they will definitely add up. The little things, such as guns and ammunition floating in mid air will quickly annoy you. This, coupled with glitch filled and predictable environments and slow frame rates, will be just enough to make you want to get the game over with. Blacksite doesn't get any better in the gameplay department either. The AI are predictable and lackluster, and the lack of variety in levels will make for a mediocre playing experience. Also, the idea of commanding a squad isn't nearly as cool as it sounds. They are, at many times, utterly useless except for the increasingly annoying times when you have to get them to open doors for you, because apparently you're too good for that. On top of these gameplay issues, Blacksite is far too easy. An annoying crosshair will always eliminate any challenge that even comes close to you, regardless of whether you aim of not. These issues could have easily been fixed if the game's development was not so rushed and more time was allowed for the developers to identify its flaws. In summary, the fans of big popular FPS's such as "Call of Duty" and "Battlefield" will not make a good impression, but will be respected for its effort and lengthy campaign. Don't expect this game to be great, but give it a go and see what you think.