Red Faction Guerrilla (2009)

Title: Red Faction Guerrilla
Year: 2009
Red Faction Guerrilla is the third game in the series which started way back in 2001. Back then the main hype for this game was the Geo-Mod technology where when you can blow up rocks and buildings and it will create a hole as an end result. It was revolutionary back then but only worked at specific parts of the game.
The first two games were first person shooters with some vehicular combat.
This third game however, is designed as open world 3rd person shooter, made popular by the Grand Theft Auto series.

In this game, you play as Alec Mason, a new employee to the mining facility in Mars controlled by the Earth Defense Force (EDF). After his brother was killed, he vows to seek revenge by joining a group of rebels known as the Red Faction.

There will be two bars which you will need to monitor in order to progress. The first one is the EDF presence indicator. This should be lowered down to zero by accomplishing main missions and side missions which include rescuing hostages, destroying EDF property and raiding EDF bases. The second one is the morale of the people in Mars. The higher the bar, more reinforcements will help you to accomplish your mission objectives.

There are very minimal RPG elements involved in this game. Money can be earned by collecting salvage from scrap metal collected from destroyed buildings. As you progress, various weapons and armour will be unlocked for you to purchase and upgrade. Although here are the usual weapons such as Assault rifles and pistols, you will soon grow tired of it after obtaining the unique weapons such as the arc welder which shoots bolts of electricity. This can be useful for stealing vehicles without damaging it by electrocuting the driver inside first. Another unique weapon and is part of the main plot if the game is a gun which disintegrate anything it touches.

Probably the main highlight of this game is the amount of destruction that you can do to buildings and vehicles. The most common weapon that you will use in this game is the sledge hammer as it is powerful enough to destroy any building and it kills enemy soldiers instantly with one blow. Due to the top notch graphics, it will leave a smile on your face whenever you destroy a building and finally seeing it collapse. Another highlight of the game is when you get to control mechs known as walkers which is a big robot that can bring down buildings and destroying vehicles in seconds.

In short, this is one of the better GTA clones out at the moment and one of the best games of 2009. Don't miss it if you are a fan of GTA and/or science fiction.

Rating: 8/10

Pros: Stunning graphics, absorbing gameplay, bonus downloadable content included in the PC version.
Cons: Un-involving storyline, needs a powerful PC to enjoy its beautiful graphics.

Troubleshooting Tips:
1. If you are unable to save your progress even after creating an offline profile for Games for Windows Live, you will need to update Games for Windows Live.

2. To increase performance, run the game, then go to task manager (Ctrl-Alt-Delete) and under red faction set priority to low.

Resident Evil 5

Year: 2009
Recommended System Requirements:
Processor: Intel Core2Duo 2.4 Ghz Processor or better
AMD Phenom X4 or better
RAM: 1GB
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 8800GT series or higher
ATI Radeon HD 4850 or higher
VRAM 512MB or higher

Synopsis: Resident Evil hero Chris Redfield goes to Africa to investigate a Bio-terrorism threat.

Review: At last, Resident Evil 5 has arrived on the PC. Thankfully, it has native mouse support as compared Resident Evil 4 for the PC and does not feel like playing a rushed console port.The graphics has also been tweaked to match and/or surpass the console version. The game is played in 3rd person, just like its predecessor.

The game also introduces a number of new features. Apart from the updated visuals, you will be also introduced to an female companion who will assist you in accomplishing your mission. Unlike its predecessor where halfway in the game you have to "babysit" your rescued hostage, your AI buddy is quite capable of taking care of herself. She can also be quite helpful in rescuing you when you are nearing death. However, during some firefights it is best not to get in her way as she will shoot or give you her default melee attack if you are in her way.

A number of improvements have also been made. Most notably is the inventory system. No more looking for printer ribbons or treasure chests to store your loot and weapons like in the previous games in the series. All items can be bought/sold/upgraded before the start of every saved game/checkpoint.Once the game is completed, a number of new features are unlocked, further extending the replayability factor. Apart from unlocking an even harder mode in the single player campaign, you will also get to choose to play as the female character. There is also a mercenaries mode where you are given a time limit to eliminate as much zombies as possible. Way more intense than Left4Dead in my opinion.

In conclusion, fans of survival horror should not miss this highly anticipated game of the year.
Just do not expect a major overhaul to the gameplay like from Resident Evil 3 to 4 as it is just an update of Resident Evil 4 but with updated graphics and improved gameplay. Rating: 9/10

Pros: Gorgeous graphics, intense gameplay,
Cons: Cannot aim and shoot while moving. AI companion sometimes shoots at you during shootouts, unable to purchase ammunition, inventory management still needs improvement.

PC Game Review: Cold Fear

PC Game Review: Cold Fear
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Cold Fear can be summarized as a Resident Evil clone. You play as Tom Hansen, a US Coast Guard who was sent to investigate a Russian Ship

that has been mysteriously attacked by some unknown force. Eventually you found out that an alien lifeform was discovered by the crew and

has transformed the ship's inhabitants into zombies which you must kill by shooting it in the head.

Since I have played Resident Evil 4 before this, it is a little disappointing to find that this game lacks in tension and variety. There are

only 2 levels in this game: The Russian ship and an oil rig. I expected more as the developer's previous game, Alone in the Dark 4 has more

environments than this.

There is also too much backtracking and the lack of a map just lengthens the otherwise short game. There are also times where I have to

repeat a few sections of the game as there is no indication whatsoever of where will be the next save point.

There were also problems changing the resolution to fit my widescreen. It will not run the next time I want to play the game.

However fans of Survival horror such as Resident Evil 4 would not mind playing this until Resident Evil 5 comes out.

Pros: You get a few genuine frights.
Atmospheric music / soundtrack

Cons: Game is saved only at specific locations
Typical survival horror storyline
Too much backtracking
Short

If you like this game, try: Nocturne, Resident Evil series, Alone in the Dark series, Ecstatica I and II.