Run & Gun - Episode 5 - Homefront commentary feat. Gamefreakblog

Hey guys, thanks for popping by my wee corner of the interweb again.

Today, if you haven't already watched it on my youtube channel, i'm bringing you a guest commentary that I had the opportunity to do this week. It's for a great Youtube/Twitter buddy of mine called Mattshotcha. He has a great channel where he puts up some absolutely killer Homefront videos. You remember Homefront don't you? It's that great game that everyone ignores over anything to do with Call of Duty.

One of Mattshotcha's series is called Run & Gun, where he goes into some fantastic detail about how to play on certain maps, weapons, spawn details....it really is one of my favourite series on YT, and he has some great montage videos in his Grindhouse gameplays as well.

So please, check out the commentary I did for him, and of course let me know if you enjoyed it, I appreciate all feedback.

And you can check out Mattshotcha's Youtube channel right here!

Gamefreak Favourites: Call of Duty 4: Modern warfare "Death from above"

Hey peeps, thanks for popping along to my blog again. Another Gamefreak favourites, another epic level. This time, as you can no doubt tell, it's the "Death from above" level from COD 4, where you give gunner support to Cpt. Price and the S.A.S team from an death-laden AC-130 gunship circling above.

It's a live commentary from the AC-130 gunship itself.....you wouldn't believe how roomy those planes actually are......comfy chairs too.

Enjoy!

Homefront vs Call of Duty vs Battlefield.....a gamefreak perspective.

Hey guys, thanks for tuning in again. Sorry it's been a short while....i've had boring things to do...such as the dishes, building shelves, and general boring life tasks. But have no fear, i'm back.

Due to some of the recent announcements at this years E3, and some other stuff iv'e heard people saying while i've been on some forums/twitter and certain vids on Youtube, I just thought I would give my own quick perspective on the big 3 military shooters out there, Homefront, Call of Duty and Battlefield. It's in no way an exhaustive commentary on the games, I could probably do half an hour on each game, which would bore the tits off of you. Rather, this is just a brief look at the single player and multiplayer modes of each, where I look at what I like and what I don't about them all.

As I say in the video, the comments I make are MY OWN PERSONAL COMMENTS! By all means leave a comment on here or youtube, send me a mail or get in touch via Twitter letting me know what you think about the games, but don't just say "doh...you're wrong....Homefront is shit".....because it will just make you out as foolish as you probably are. If you have a genuine beef, at least make a back up point for your claim.

Anyhoo.....enjoy the video, and as always, your thoughts are appreciated.




*Awaits comments saying they agree with everything I say*

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Reveal Trailer

Well, i'm probably a few days late to the party, but here is the mew trailer for COD: Modern Warfare 3, due for release In November. I'm sure we will see a whole lot more fo the game when E3 arrives in a couple of weeks, but feat your eyes. Looks good, but also a bit Michael Bay as well, which I guess the others did too, but hey, i'm being bitchy this morning!

Let me know your thoughts.

COG Modern Warfare 3 is due for release on November 8th, 2011.

Live Action Nazi Zombies

Very, very well done. -10pts for lack of Danny Trejo.

Inside Xbox: Featured Video: Call of Duty: Black Ops Escalation Zombie M...

George Romero? Sarah-Michelle Gellar? Danny Trejo? In a Call of Duty game?

Count me in!

Gamefreakblog Call of duty: Black ops game no.3 Average somehow plays ok...

Just another quick post, another slice of average Call of duty gameplay. This was me earlier playing domination, which all in all I didn't do too bad in.

Well, at least I didn't say cunt in this video.

Have a great Easter people!

I'm still here......

Sorry about the lack of updates over the last few days you guys, i've just been spending some quality time with mother nature. When the weather is nice, the sun is shining and life is breezy occasionally.....VERY occasionally gaming takes a back seat. I'll be back with a vengeance this week however.

Coming up on gamefreakblog will be a veritable cornucopia of gaming goodness. I'll be looking at the Gears of War 3 beta, looking back at some old games, including a double whammy of Star Wars goodness, more Call of duty average gamer footage, a couple of requests in the form of some Mass Effect 2 missions and some reader requests, some of which i'm not looking forward to at all.

Remember, this is YOUR blog just as much as it's mine.....I can't do anything without you lovely people reading my ramblings, so please keep the requests coming. If you want to hear my take on a certain game, let me know and i'll do a review (system permitting). Check out the vids on Youtube, and by all means if you have a channel let me know and i'll give you a shout out.

So remember to tune in tomorrow for the skinny on the Gears 3 beta and the first "Gamefreak revisits" of this week.

Your thoughts, as always, are appreciated.

The Call of Duty king reporting for duty........

You read that headline right......the Call of Duty master, the big cheese, le grande fromage, the beast of the east, the cunt of Monte Cristo, the alpha and omega of Call of Duty is here!!

Unfortunately, he's just popped to the shops for some ciggys, so you'll have to put up with me instead. And a little video i've made for your perusal.

I make no secret about the fact i'm quite average on the Call of Duty games. I rarely come first in a game, and I rarely appear at the bottom.....I kind of lurk around in the middle of the scoreboard, occupying the no-man's land between being a hopeless numbskull who can't get to grips with the basics of a controller and the twitchy-fingered, eagle-eyed player that could shoot a virtual cigarette out of your avatar's mouth from across the map....arseholes that they are.

I couldn't give two shits about my kill/death ratio....and people that do are the ones that put me off playing the game. They bleat on about it down their headsets, shouting about how they are on "X Kill death ratio blah blah fucking blah" like there is a virtual Jenna Jameson listening in on the conversation ready to give them a great big virtual suck of their microscopic cocks the higher that ratio was. No, I don't care. I don't even know where to look for my kill death ratio i'm that bothered about it. And I don't want to know, so PLEASE don't get in touch telling me where to find it, i'll just ignore you.

However, I have had a few of your friendly lot ask me to do a Call of Duty vid. Probably just so you can laugh at my complete lack of skills, but anyway, you take your time out to read what I have to say, so fuck it, i'll do it.

Down below you'll find my first recorded game on COD Black ops. I joined into the game with expectations of what may happen, and my instincts didn't let me down. What we have is the same as what thousands of players the world over experience on a daily basis.....being pretty average at the game. I talk more in the video, so I don't want to waffle on too much, but rest assured if it's excitement, a score of over 80+ kills and adoration at my skill that you're looking for, check out some of the other 192, 483, 038 Black Ops videos that are on youtube.

However, I give you my word. I'll take the plunge, get the wallet-crippling DLC for the game and upload videos on a weekly basis. You may see some improvement in my skills, but I doubt it.

So, enjoy the vid. It's just down there.....




So there you go....a completely average game on Black ops. If that didn't bore the living shit out of you, like the vid, leave a comment and if your skills are somewhat on a par with mine, please feel free to drop me your gamertag or send me an invite so we can be decidedly average on the game with a crap team.

Your thoughts, as always, are appreciated.

Ace combat returns.....and it looks amazing!

Well, this slipped under my radar!

I've always loved the Ace combat games. I've played them since they went under the original name Air combat. My biggest moan about the games is most of the time you're just firing missiles at pixels two miles away on screen. All that is about to change with the new "reboot" of the series, Ace Combat: Assault horizon.

The devs showed off a promo video of the game at the recent Gamescom event, and it's epic! Showing off several new features to the game, including "close range assault" and something called "steel carnage". Basically instead of missiles at dots on the horizon, the new system allows you to get up close and personal, so you'll see the enemy planes peppered with holes and fall apart when you unload on them. Missile fire is also shown with a floating camera, so upon launching a missile the camera will follow right through to your target.

Apparently the developers are big fans of the Call of Duty series, and from the trailer you can see a wee bit of the Modern Warfare influence. They have a military adviser on hand to make sure everything is authentic, and from the trailer you can see that the game will be set in multiple theatres of war all across the globe. There will be a shed load of new planes to unlock, and for the first time helicopters will feature in the series.

It all looks spankingly good!! It's going to be released on the xbox 360, and happily a return to the PS3 as well after the exclusivity of the last game in the series. The developer won't commit to a firm release date, but promises it'll be here in 2011.

Check out the promo video below and let me know what you think. The second video features a short interview with the producer and executive director of the game, Kazutoki Kono.





Interview:

Live action Call of Duty!

Ah this is great!

I'll have to admit, i've never heard of this guy, but i'm going to keep an eye out for more from him....this is hilarious!

A guy called Freddie Wong and some of his mates have made a live action take on the multiplayer featured in the Call of Duty games, and it's great. Comes complete with some great guns, sniping campers and of course....teabagging!

Go ahead and have a look. It's very well done!




Left 4 Dead next please, Freddie!

Click here to look at some of his even more amazing videos on his youtube channel.

"Walkin' in a winter wonderland........"

Snow eh? Well, depending on where you are in the U.K, you're probably getting some kind of snow. Down south or up north, it's pelting it down. And depending on if you're a light-hearted soul, or some Scrooge-type miserable bastard, you're either taking advantage and having fun, like my lady friends over there on the left, or moaning about the gritters aren't out, or it's the same every year....blah blah blah.

Anyhoo. I love the snow. Especially when i'm inside with the heating turned up to nuclear levels. So, what better time to look at some of the best snowy moments in gaming. This isn't a list of the best games featuring snow, and the list is in no particular order, it's just ten of what I consider to be the best snowy levels or settings in videogames. So....sit back, get your woolly hats and mittens on, crack out the mulled wine and have a look.

(Just as a quick disclaimer, depending on the video, you may have to bump it forward a minute or two to get to the bits I mean. I'll try and get it right first time, but if you're too fucking lazy to scroll over a bit well....god help you!)

#1. Goldeneye.

Goldeneye was a great game. You don't need me to tell you that. I remember playing it like it was yesterday. But one of the levels that stuck with me was the surface level. The one where you had to power down the communications dish and gain access to the underground bunker. I loved this level. It stuck with me more than most in the game. The N64 used to get its fare share of grief about the draw distances in games, but this was one level where the "fog" problems that permiated most N64 titles actually improved a level. The bit where the radar dish slowly emerges out of the snowy horizon left me with a huge smile on my face. I replayed the level again and again just so I could see it!



#2. Lost Planet.

Well, it kind of almost had to be on the list, what with being set on a snowy planet and all that. The game itself was pretty cool, essentially old school in it's stylings, but battling monsterous Acrid over snowy wastes never really got old. Some of the boss fights were epic, and the snowy wastelands, in places, are a thing to behold.



#3. Diddy Kong racing.

I love DKR. In my opinion, and that's the only one that matters, it batters the N64 version of Mario kart (yes it does.....YES IT DOES!). I spent hours and hours on the game, and one of my favourite levels is Frosty Village. Just hearing the music gives me a huge Christmassy feeling, and the level, with it's snow caves and villages lit up with decorations is beautiful.

And i'll say it YET AGAIN....it's a better racing game than Mario Kart. The end.



#4. Super Ghouls 'n' ghosts.

One of my favourite games of all time. Hard as nails, but so, so good to play. If you have never played it....well....kill yourself. Seriously. If you have played it, you probably remember the snow level. A REAL bastard of a level to finish, just down to the impared vision of the snow and those huge snow cat creatures with a severe case of ice halitosis.



#5. Super Mario 64.

I remember when I first got my N64. I lined up outside Virgin Megastore at 12 midnight. They were doing it on a first come, first served basis, and I was second in line. Hours later, with my new console in hand I shot straight home and settled down to play Mario 64, arguably still the best game on the N64. One of the levels that stuck with me was the snow level. Rescuing the little penguin, racing the big one down the big steep slope....just a complete excercise in fun, something some games these days should remember.



#6. Call of Duty 2.

It's still probably my favourite of the Call of Duty games....well, a toss up between this and Modern Warfare. The story, the sound effects, and when the game was first release I though graphics would never be as good....(how wrong I was eh?). The mission, where you start off training with the Red Army, which then descends into chaos as you have to go and attack the German forces, still stand out to this day. I really think they nailed the weather in this level. You can imagine how cold the Russians feet must be.



#7. Uncharted 2.

Uncharted 2 must take the crown for the most realistic snow in a game. Ever. Just look at it! It is, for all intents and purposes real snow. Apart from it's not cold. And it's not real. But in the videogame world it's real, and that's good enough for me.



#8. Virtua Fighter 5.

The best fighting game ever. Well....best 3D fighting game ever anyway. And one of my favourite levels? You got it, the snowy mountain stage (well...it would be, what with this being a snow themed article and all.....doh!). Why is it so good? Well, to me, it actually feels cold. Even though it's a glorious sunny day, seeing the fighters breath just shows you how cold it must be. And I love the way the snow gets kicked up and spread around as the fighters switch positions and kick.



#9. Metal Gear Solid 4.

Mateal Gear Solid 4 had it's haters....namly the people that couldn't be arsed to sit through a 90 minute cut scene....no matter how amazing that scene was. Me? I lap anything Metal Gear related up, and I loved every minute of MGS4. One moment in particular that is one of my favourite moments in gaming is the return to Shadow Moses, the setting of the first MGS game. Not only was it the flashback to the first game as you travel there in the helicopter, not only was it the haunting music that starts as soon as you go over the crescent and see the entrance to the facility, it was the snow. A real blizzard of a snowstorm, sneaking past the mechs, getting covered in snow and having flakes hit the screen and melt in front of you literally made my tummy banana stir.

(Jump to around 2.45 in the video....unless you want to see the awesome PS1 flashback at the start!).



#10. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

The FPS equivalent of Marmite, you love it or hate it and i'll be the first to admit that the games story is as confusing as using the same organ to both piss and have sex with, but I love MW2. Partly because it's got the S.A.S in, and I taught then everything that they knew. Partly because of Captain Price and his awesome moustache, but I love it mostly for the following level. Yourself and Soap infiltrate a base, starting with a hazardous mountain insertion, you make you way through the base, silently taking down any enemies you come across using the blizzard for cover. The snow though, and weather conditions in general, such as the freezing breeze rippling your clothes that make the level a standout. It's a blinder of a level, literally in places, and it's one of the reasons I love videogames. Enjoy.



So there you go. Gamefreaks top ten snow levels in videogames. Please feel free to leave your comments, and of course if i've missed what you would consider to be a better one, don't bother getting in touch....you won't beat mine.

(just teasing....)

Call of Duty: Black ops review.

Well, it's here. The big one, le grande fromage. Call of duty: Black ops, the latest release from developers Treyarch, has already reached staggering hieghts sales wise, with reports already coming in that the game has made $360 million in North America and the United Kingdom alone in the first 24 hours of its release. So is the game a return to form for Treyarch, or is it just retreading of old ground? Let's have a look.

The plot:

Based on Black ops in and around the sixties, player take the role of Alex Mason (voiced by Sam Worthington of Avatar fame). Whilst being interrogated by an unknown group, we are sent in via flashback to certain operations that Alex was involved in, as the interrogator wishes to find out information Alex has, but he cannot remember. This takes us on missions that sees Alex and his squad take on missions in Cuba, Vietnam and other such theatres of war, while the story of political intrigue and conspiracy weave their narrative in the background.

What I liked:

Firstly, I loved the story. It's still pretty complex due to the multiple character and story threads running through it, but it made a whole lot more sense than Modern Warfare 2. The gunplay is very tight, as is usual with the Call of Duty series. Several new weapons are introduced, such as the rape-machine like minigun and a crossbow with explosive tipped arrows. Graphically I thought the game was amazing. Several levels, such as the one where you have to disrupt a missile base can be pretty much summed up as "stunning", with some gorgeous lighting and sunsets. The game mixes up the levels very well. You'll be storming a base one minute, piloting a Blackbird the next, and then steaming down a river in Vietnam with your squad in a gunboat, raining down carnage with 50.cal machine guns and rocket launchers whilst the Rolling Stones play in the background, the highlight level in the game for me.

Multiplayer seems like more of the same. I have to admit i've only stuck a few hours in, but the wealth of options is impressive. All the usual modes are there, free for all, team deathmatch etc. There is also a multiplayer bot mode, where you can go and play the multiplayer maps with AI bots, so you can get used to the maps and modes without taking a battering online. Other modes, such as wager match, have you wager points on the outcome of battles, and having suceeded you're awarded with points to spend on equipment and kit outs etc. On top of all of this is the theatre mode, where you can record that killer game to show off to all of your friends. All in all, a pretty comprehensive package.

What I loathed:

Well, not a great deal. The most frustrating thing is once more the appearance of respawning enemies. There are STILL bits in the game where until you cross that invisible line in the level, the enemies keep respawning. In this day and age it's lazy and inexcusable, and puts a tarnish on the good work Treyarch has done with the game. Certain set pieces have you die again and again as it's not quite sure what you have to be doing, until the advice prompt at the top flashes up and says things like "you need to sprint to get over the gap". Thanks....you could have warned me BEFORE I plummeted down the ravine and smashed my face to bits on the rocks beneath. Multiplayer still has it's fair share of glitches....i've had a few games where someone had the infinate care package glitch, so the game descended into napalm strike, rocket strike and helicopter strike every two seconds. Hopefully a patch will be released to sort this out.

The verdict?

After all the problems with the death of Infinity Ward, Treyarch have stepped up and made an extremely polished and solid game. Not without it's problems in both single and multiplayer, the game still manages to shine, and throughout the single player campaign not once did I ever think about putting the controller down (and indeed I didn't, I played it through to completion). Multiplayer seens like more of the same, but since Modern warfare the COD games have almost never been out of the top three games played online, and there's a reason for that. A compelling story, sympathetic charcters with excellent voice work from the cast (including Ed Harris and Ice Cube) made this edition of Call of Duty one that you really need to play.


Rating: 8/10
(Xbox 360 version reviewed)

Medal of Honour review.

Well, it's been out for a while now, and i'm guessing you have either forked out for the game, or you're still sitting on the fence, what with Black ops just around the corner. I held out, but after a while I buckled, the temptation to see what EA have done with the first Medal of Honour game for the current gen systems. So here we go with gaming freaks review.

The plot:

Getting politics out of the way, the plot, like Modern Warfare 2 before it, is basically a confusing mess. I couldn't really tell what was going on from mission to mission. You follow both Tier 1 operatives, essentially the special forces, and Marines in and around the middle east conflict zones. I think it has something to do with chasing certain suspects, and there are a few rescue missions to rescue captured team members. Still in this day and age, we have storylines in games that feel like they are written by what a 12yr old kid would consider being a cool story. Where is the story in this game? Missing in action, from what i've seen.

What I liked:

Firstly, the sound. EA are known for their high production values, and this game does not disappoint. From the constant chatter of your teammates, to the cracks and bangs of allsorts of ordinance going on all around you, we have to give the devs kudos for the quality of the audio in this game. Playing it through a surround system is something to behold. The game controls well, not too far removed from the Call of Duty series. There are some great set piece levels, from the level where you are controlling the weapons systems of an Apache gunship, to using a sniper rifle to decimate the enemy from miles away, to storming through cave systems using your night vision scopes to negociate the darkness, there is never really a moment where the game goes stale or drags. Online is fast and furious, and veterans of the Battlefield series will feel right at home.

What I lothed:

Firstly, the campaign length. Ok, it's exciting, and as i've already mentioned some levels are just stunning to both look at and play....but, and it's a big one, most FPS veterans will go through the game in an afternoon. I clocked in completion of the campaign at around 4 hours, and it's pretty disappointing when you're just getting into what the game has to offer and then bing.....end credits roll. For the money that gamers are forking out for a game it's pretty inexcusable. At least give me a single player game that will last arouund 10 hours or so! The game in parts is essentially a fair ground ride.....you'll play the same levels again and again and the enemies will spawn in the same places, perform the same actions etc etc. It basically takes you out of the reality that they are trying to create. Gun play is fine, but due to the canned animations of the enemies you'll find in places that the bad guys just soak up bullets as they go through their pre-canned routines. Online play is very good, but it almost feels like Battlefield "lite", as you just don't have the depth and breath of that titles online modes. Maybe with a bit more play it will show some varity and depth, but from a few hours it won't make any converts of the Battlefield crowd.

The verdict?

EA have taken steps to bringing Medal of honour back, and may have won some fans in the process. Stellar production values and some genuinely exciting missions have their sheen removed by awful enemy AI, canned animations and criminally short campaign time. Even though I really enjoyed my time with the game, I can't recommend it at the current full whack at retail. Here's looking to the inevitable sequel to remedy what was troublesome with this game.

Rating: 6/10
(Xbox 360 version reviewed)

COD: Black ops campaign trailer.

Well, here is the new Call of Duty: Black ops trailer, which shows some of the theatres of war you'll be entering in a few weeks time.

I'm purposely dodging ANY footage from now on, so this will be the last post (barring any international incidents) that i'll make regarding Black ops.


Call of Duty: Black ops is due for release on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC on the 9th November, 2010.

Medal of honour details and videos.

The new Medal of honour (yes....I refuse to use the American way of spelling it) is almost upon us.

It's the first Medal of Honour game for the next gen consoles, and its release has been met with both excitement from fans of the series (such as myself), and controversy as well. It started off with the games creators saying that the Taliban would be included as the enemy, which met with shouts and cries about how this was disgusting, chief of which was the U.K defence secretary Liam fox, who called for retailers not to stock the game. EA soon bowed down to the controversy, and said that the Taliban would no longer feature in the game, and the enemies would now be called the "opposing force".

Anyway. That's all done and dusted now. We have a week until the game is now launched, and i've been deliberately dodging all videos about the game....until now that is.

Have a look at these two videos below. There are two videos here from a series that EA have made for Youtube called "the MOH experience". I've picked these two firstly because they are the only two I have looked at and, and secondly, because they are absolutely incredible to watch.

The first video i'd like you to look at is Part 2, "Gunfighters". This features a level where you take control (or maybe part control) of an Apache gunship helicopter, laying waste to an insurgents base of operations.



And the second video i'd like you to watch is part 4, "Friends from afar". This one has you starting in a sniping position which then goes to hell in a handbasket.



What do you think? I think the game looks pretty fantastic. Say what you like about EA, but one thing that you have to give them is that their production values are usually always off the scale, and from looking at this they seem to have taken them up a notch. From the sound effects, such as the crack of the sniper rifle and the chatter over the radios, to the explosions and even the second or so delay in the bullet from the sniper reaching it's target, it looks as solid as a rock. If EA can get the gunplay and pacing right, along with a story that makes some kind of sense (yes, i'm looking at you, modern warfare 2), then this game could be a serious challenger to the Call of Duty crown.

As always, if you have any thoughts then just post them up here!


Medal of Honour is due for release on PS3/Xbox 360/PC on October 15th, 2010.

Call of Duty: Black ops snow level.

As everyone and his dog knows, the new Call of Duty: Black Ops hits us this year.

Some of the promo footage is already doing the rounds, and i'm sure you've all watched it and made up your mind of you're going to get it or not already. If you are, and i'm one of those people, have a quick look at this video. It's pretty damn cool.

Starting off as a pilot in a SR-71 Blackbird, you direct the troops on the ground before zooming to the squads point of view in the mission. Cue crossbow killings and a mighty impressive window breach and clear!

If Treyarch can keep up this much excitement and levels of detail throughout the whole game, it may not leave such a sour taste in the mouth as Modern Warfare 2 did for quite a few gamers.


Call of Duty: Black Ops is due for release on 9th November, 2010.