First Impressions: Unreal Tournament 3 demo

I've been a fan of the Unreal Tournament games ever since the first game that came out in '99 or something. Before that one, I hardly never played first-person shooters. A friend introduced the game to me and some friends. I hadn't heard of the game before that, so I was delightfully shocked to notice I liked the weapons and music, and later on even the maps of the game. Soon we started playing it at evenings, later on in clans. The interest faded a bit over time and Unreal Tournament 2003 didn't really revive the old classic. I did keep on playing the games though. But my history with the games aside, I've played the demo of the latest installment, Unreal Tournament 3, and have some opinions to share.

Back to the roots
UT2003 and UT2004 started taking the game away from its original style, and everything became a bit more mainstream. However, UT3 seems to be taking a tiny step backwards with some things.

The weapons seem more precise again, and while they feel slower, they also seem to be more deadly. The Enforcer pistol from the original UT also makes a comeback, though the secondary fire now shoots bursts of three shots, rather than being less accurate but faster firing mode. Rocket Launcher seems to pack a bunch again, though still fires only maximum of three rockets or grenades. Lightning gun seems to also be gone, with sniper rifle replacing it, like it was back in '99. Power-ups on maps are pretty much the same as before.

Movement is also slightly more restricted, although noticeably faster than before. You can no longer do a dodge plus jump for instance, though double jump, dodge and dodge from a wall is still possible. All in all though, it's still much closer to '03 and '04, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Game modes
As usual to the series, there's going to be a new game mode in the retail version, called Warfare, which is a combination of the Assault and Onslaught modes. Unfortunately, the demo doesn't show this mode in action, so I can't comment on it yet.

Assault mode will be gone. It never seemed to be a popular mode, even though it's much fun for a casual gamer. Onslaught will be there, along with Deathmatching and Capture the Flag, which by the way now comes with vehicles too. The same ones as in Onslaught mode. The demo features one map for this Vehicle CTF mode. The map is rather small, a suspension bridge crossing a river, so not all units have much use, such as the Hellfire artillery, which rarely can shoot in the places you'd need it to be able to shoot at. New in this mode is also the hoverboard, which seems to replace the translocator device from previous games. It's basically a floating board that you can move around with, with almost twice the normal speed. It's also the fastest way of carrying a flag alone. You can't shoot while being on the board though, and if you get hit while using it, you fall down, unable to perform actions for about 2-3 seconds. You can use it to grab onto friendly vehicles though, for even faster transportation.

Deathmatch seems pretty standard fare, though the maps also seem more open now. One of the maps in the demo also sports a bonus vehicle from the Warfare mode, a walking tripod, definitely inspired by War of the Worlds. If you get to ride this thing, it's got some neat powerful guns. Takes a good beating to destroy too, but definitely not too much to be overly powerful.

The things you see and hear
Graphics have been updated again. I personally like the change, though it could go to the direction of original UT even more. Aside from maybe a wee bit too much rounded items and general details, I'd say it looks really good, and runs very nicely even on a computer that doesn't have quite the latest hardware. Chances are that if you can play UT2004, you can probably enjoy UT3 as well, though probably with slightly reduced detail levels.

Music seems pretty standard fare, though I have to say, the theme music seems like a remixed version of the original, and I had these nostalgic chills running through my spine on a couple of occasions. The original UT just happened to be that special to me. It was the game that made me enjoy first-person shooters.

Final scoring
I like to score the initial impressions I have on games, and then review the final product later on. Although I'm a bit biased here, being a UT fan. The retail review could be total opposite, who knows.

Visuals: 9/10
I'd so love to give this a 10, but a few things could look better, mostly in the style department, but that's really a matter of taste. It's not perfect, though I like it a lot.

Audio: 8/10
Nothing special. Nice sounds, some nice music, sounds like UT alright.

Gameplay: 8/10
Movement seems good, except for vehicle handling, which ranges from overly free to almost inresponsive. It's not bad... but for maximum enjoyment, it could be much better. Game modes in the demo are nothing spectacular either, really.

Lasting Value: 9/10
I still like playing the demo. So if the retail has enough good maps on it, then we can expect a long life for this game.

Overall: 8/10
The game seems very promising, but that's also how I felt about UT2004. The initial fun rate was 10/10, but in mere couple of weeks, it fell down to about 7/10, and soon became more and more forgettable. I would like to give this one a 9/10 just because it's UT3, but wise from the previous title, I need to be prepared for a slight disappointment. the way I see it though, the game won't be a total failure if it runs stable and without major bugs, and if the game keeps evolving and growing, not just by hardcore gamers' needs, but casual gamers' as well.

The release date is set at the end of November at the moment, and it'll probably hold. Even with some bugs, they most likely want the game available by the time christmas sales begin.

First Impressions: Hellgate: London beta

About Hellgate: London
Those of you who haven't heard of Hellgate: London yet, it's basically a new Diablo-like hack'n slash game, originating from some of the creators of the original Diablo game(s). It's got a single player story, as well as multiplayer mode, both working in a rather standard MMO fashion. The location of the story seems to be in London, England, in a futuristic fantasy-type setting. You have machines and guns, but also spells and swords.

Hellgate: London beta
Having played mostly older games lately, I decided to place a pre-order for Hellgate: London, because the theme and genre interest me. Pre-ordering from certain retailers grants you an access key to the beta multiplayer game. The release date of the game is set at less than two weeks from now, and I can pretty much wager that it'll be postponed by at least a few weeks minimum. The multiplayer is technically up'n running, but buggy as hell. I'm not sure how much the testers are allowed to reveal things to the public (since I'm just like everyone else and don't read the agreement stuff upon installation of a game.), so I'll keep things brief, just to give a general idea of what I've witnessed in the short time I've played.

Hack'n Slash
I wasn't really quite sure what to expect from the game when I finally was able to login at the beta server. It's hack'n slash, and supposed to be Diablo-like, so that's what I was expecting. The game is hack'n slash indeed, but because of the rather World of Warcraft -like controls, it feels more like an MMORPG, than traditional hack'n slash games, which consist more of 'click-click' than movement key tapping.

I've only played worth about 6 levels with two characters, amounting to about 4-5 hours of gametime, probably. So far, the enemies have been easy. Too easy even. I've heard that the combat is more hectic in a party, as the amount of enemies and stuff increases too. I'm yet to try that out, but hopefully soon enough.

I started with an Engineer character, whose abilities include constructing/summoning bots and drones to support in the battle, while the player mostly uses guns to shoot from a distance. This seems to work rather nicely, and an upgraded bot can take a good beating while keeping most of the enemies away from the player(s).

As a second option, I chose a Guardian, similar to Paladin class in most fantasy games. Well armored, wields a sword and has protective and self-healing abilities. Since there's much more close combat battle than with the summoning classes, the character also takes more damage, though even so, I hardly ever had to manually heal the character.

London
The game seems to be set around underground tunnels of the city, basically meaning metro/subway stations, with various tunnels and even some famous locations as questing zones. The stations are kind of sanctuary locations, where players can do shopping, accept quests and gather a party. Once you enter an area with enemies, a random instance is created, and only you (and your other party members) can access it. So, you won't have random high-level people killing all the enemies or looting all the stuff ahead like in some other hack'n slash games, which is kind of a good thing, but also very lonely setting for online gaming. I like playing mostly alone, sometimes with a friend, so the requirement to have a party to experience intense action is a big minus, I think.

Barrels 'n Boxes
The instances are filled with barrels, boxes and chests, just like in Diablo, though this time around barrels are steel, boxes cardboard and chests metal cases, at least in the first parts of the game. You'll find lots of items during the game, many of them are equippable, but only a fraction for your class. The useless items can be sold, or broken into pieces, which you can use to upgrade or construct new items at stations. Cash is rarely a problem, as you find lots of it in the instances if you just bother to crack open everything.

Braaaaiinnnnnsss...
Enemies are mostly demonic stuff. Zombies, skeletons, demons, lizards, stuff like that. Some boss creatures show up every now and then, but so far I haven't found them very challenging myself. Hopefully the default difficulty is upped a bit for the final game. Otherwise lasting value is going to be rather low. I'm trying to stay optimistic though.

First Impressions Scoring:
So, what's the verdict for first impressions?
I'd say something along these lines:

Visuals: 9/10
Looks great for an MMO game. For a single player game, it's all pretty average.

Audio: 8/10
The little music there is works well with the theme. Sounds are pretty ordinary, guns could could make more noise.

Gameplay: 6/10
Buggy as what, but it's a beta, so this is expected. Controls seem pretty standard.

Lasting Value: 5/10
The game has potential, but if there won't be much changes, especially to the difficulty factor, then this is looking to be a game with rather short age.

Overall: 7/10
I'm not canceling my pre-order, but I'm not too ecstatic about the game either. Still looking forward to the final version though.

Last words... for now
In case I'll keep the pre-order, then expect to see a preview of the retail product later. ;) Hardcore MMO and hack'n slash fans should find this an interesting game, though time will tell how good the final build will be...

The birth of a new blog

Introduction
'ello everyone. I'm HitmanN. I made this blog to be a place where I can let out some of my thoughts and rant about things. I reside in Finland, Europe, and my views will probably occasionally reflect that.

If someone knows me by my nickname from before, then that's most likely because of one of two things. First, I used to run a web page called Unlimited Units, which was a place where I (and couple of other people) uploaded custom content for the PC game Total Annihilation. More probably you might know me from my galleries at both my website http://www.hitmann.net or my DeviantART acount. I mainly draw anime (japanese cartoon/comic style) girls, with the intent of making 'em look cute and sexy. It's not a thing for everyone, but it's what I enjoy doing, and I dare say I've progressed plenty in the 4-5 years I've been doing it. ;)

About this blog
Well, needless to say, since I have a website, and a DA account, I don't need a blog for talking about art. Instead, I want to dedicate this blog mainly to my secondary hobby, which is computer and console gaming. I might occasionally talk about totally unrelated stuff too though.

My current set of gaming platforms include a PC (recently upgraded), Playstation and Playstation 2. If I go and get a new console in the next year or so, it'll most likely be a Playstation 3. Or if there isn't enough good games for it by then, then possibly Xbox360. Time and budget will tell. ;) Nintendo hasn't been on my purchase list since SNES though, that I can say right away, though I'm still considering picking up a used GameCube to get to play a few games on it.

My favorite genres are as follows:
PC: Strategy, RPG, Shooters, Arcade
PSX: RPG, Arcade
PS2: RPG, Arcade, Racing

However, I do like trying games from genres too, though sports games are something I've never really caught on. Real-life simulations in general tend to not interest me much. A little imagination does good for a game, I think. ;)

Currently I'm playing the following:
PSX: Arc the Lad 3
PC: Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Unreal Tournament 3 demo

I also got a key for playing the beta of Hellgate: London, but haven't had a chance to experience it yet, with the servers being down.

Plans for future
So, what kind of stuff do I intend to talk about here then? Most likely my first impressions on games, opinions/reviews after finishing (or having played enough) a game, and possible random news I found interesting and want to share. As next article, I'll most likely type about something related to the games I listed a few lines above.