Review: DIRT 2 (PS3)

Posted on September 25, 2009 by geelw

Platform: PS3/Xbox 360

Developer: Codemasters (Racing Studio)

Publisher: Codemasters

# of Players: 1 (Online: 2 – 8)

Rating: T (Teen)

Score: A

Accessibility is the prime mover DIRT 2 uses perfectly to keep players of all skill levels coming back for more. Whether you’re a rally newbie interested in the sport thanks to the X Games or a grumpy veteran player shaking his or her fist at Codemasters for “Americanizing” the game in the past two installments, there’s definitely something for you (and everyone in between those two extremes. Stick a controller in your hands or sit in front of your expensive steering wheel setup, lock in your difficulty and take the phone off the hook – you’re not coming up for air unless it’s your virtual ride taking to the skies on an awesome jump. Fantastic visuals, near perfect handling and a solid racing experience await anyone looking for one of the best racers this year. A few bumps in the road keep this from sheer perfection, but the Joe Gamer crowd will barely notice the problem areas.

Continue reading →

Gallery: F1 2009

Posted on September 25, 2009 by geelw

Codemasters’ upcoming Wii and PSP exclusive licensed racing game F1 2009 is coming this fall, so here’s a look at some beautiful screens from the Wii version. I can almost heat the whine of those engines! It’s certainly great news to see the Wii is finally getting more realistic racers. PS3 and Xbox 360 F1 fans interested in this one may have to make the jump, especially with the upcoming $50 Wii price cut this weekend. If the game is as good as (or better than) Paradigm’s stellar F1 World Grand Prix back on the N64, Codemasters will have a hit among Wii-owning Formula 1 fans.

Of course, buying a console for ONE racer isn’t a smart idea. Thankfully, there are a load of other titles in different genres that you might like. go do some research after you ogle these screens – I’ll wait…

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising Goes Gold

Posted on September 25, 2009 by geelw

Just a little bit longer… Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising has gone gold and is set to hit retail on October 6, 2009. Naturally, Codemasters is going all out with a bunch of cool stuff happening on the game’s official web site. Peek below for a few screens, boogie on over to the game’s site and go pre-order what’s looking to be one of the best modern tactical military games to date.

Continue reading →

Update: Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising Challenge!

Posted on September 23, 2009 by geelw

I hate these darn coded messages. Either I get a rock thrown through a window here, a message-toting pigeon pooping on my windowsill or a big headache after someone conks me on the head and i wake up afterward with top-secret game info taped to my forehead.

Anyway, this latest dispatch came in from Codemasters. Yes, it was in code, and as I’m no master, I had to have some kid down the hall translate this. Cost me five bucks and when he found out I write a game blog, I almost went deaf listening to his whining for cheats and tips and such on games i don’t even play. Darn kids…

Continue reading →

Gallery: Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising Co-Op Screens

Posted on September 2, 2009 by geelw

With its October 6, 2009 release date rapidly approaching, Codemasters has unveiled a new set of screenshots as well as a game trailer for Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising’s Co-op mode. Lifelike visuals and animation? Check. Impressive audio effects? Check. Die-hard military simulation fans waiting with bated breath for the game’s launch? Check. Unlike other first-person shooters that rely more on the ‘one-man army’ approach to combat, Dragon Rising is (like the original game), a highly detailed simulation where trying to play Rambo will leave you and/or your team members dead in no time flat. The unforgiving nature of the game should weed out lazier players more used to regenerating health (not happening here), bulletproof AI allies (nope) and dumb enemies (don’t count on it). Scope out the press release below the box art for a bit more detail.

Continue reading →

Review: FUEL

Posted on July 22, 2009 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation 3/Xbox 360

Developer: Asobo Studio

Publisher: Codemasters

# of Players: 1 (2 – 16 Multiplayer)

Rating: E (Everyone)

Official Site

Score: A-

With racing games of all types zooming into game shops on every platform on a regular basis, there’s pretty much been nothing new under the sun other than prettier visuals, faster frame rates and the ability to use more and more expensive peripherals. Nevertheless, it’s actually quite hard to find games that not only work as racers, but do double duty as pure driving experiences. Welcome to FUEL, Codemasters’ and Asobo Studio’s groundbreaking arcade-style racer that offers up a whopping 5,000+ miles of outrageously fun racing and pure driving for the hell of driving in a single package. It’s got a few quirks here and there, but if the open road is your thing (even a post-apocalyptic open road), you’ll have a complete blast each time you pick up the controller. Continue reading →

Review: Damnation

Posted on July 18, 2009 by geelw

Platform: Playstation 3/Xbox 360

Developer: Blue Omega Entertainment

Publisher: Codemasters

# of Players: 1 – 2 (Co-op) 1 – 8 (Multiplayer)

Rating: M (Mature)

www.damnationthegame.com

Score: C

Codemasters’ latest entry into the action game genre certainly offers up some innovative gameplay concepts and an interesting mix of steampunk and western-inspired visual elements. However the overall execution falls short thanks to some major quality issues. Developer Blue Omega Entertainment has expanded its award-winning Unreal Tournament 2004 mod, Damnation: Hell Breaks Loose to a full game, but despite the updated elements it still feels more like a halfway decent Unreal mod rather than a top-drawer release. Problems aside, there is some fun to be had here provided you’re willing to deal or overlook with the game’s flaws. Like too many games of this console generation, most of these issues probably could have been addressed with a patch. But at this point, it’s hard to say whether or not this will ever happen.
Continue reading →