In a split of a second, it was all a blur

Back folks!

First off, I’d like to say that I totally fucked up my gamer profile through a USB transfer and I deleted it. Good thing for me the “recover gamertag” option worked fine, however, all my save games are gone. I’m so glad I finished Final Fantasy 13 before I made the mistake! My Call of Duty 2 save seemed to be intact, more impressions on that below.

E3 is just over and it’s been kind of an underwhelming show for Microsoft. There are a few titles to look out for though, the new Call of Duty Spec Ops, Gears of War 3 and a new back-to-the-roots Driver game! Medal of Honor has shown off, with some great multiplayer footage. It actually looks like what made Call of Duty 4 multiplayer great, without all the shitty perks and knifing!

What impressed me the most on E3, however, was the Nintendo 3DS. 3D gaming done right, without some stupid glasses and the need for an expensive new TV!


Review

Played on: Xbox 360
Released: 2005

After my playthrough of Call of Duty Classic, the console port of the very first COD,  I decided to pick up Call of Duty 2 from a bargain bin on the and play through it. I have played it before on PC, but I lost my save back then and never got to finish the game. COD2 became synonymous with the Xbox 360 launch, offering a truly next generation jump for console first person shooters and excellent multiplayer support.

I was happy to see that the graphics held up quite well for a launch 360 game and it ran in smooth 60fps! Sure it's a little rough in parts, but it goes to show that the focus on a responsive and smooth framerate pays off when going back to old games. Coming from newer sequels of the series, it's easy to get into and you realise how early they were on to a great formula when it comes to control, satisfying gunplay and cinematic moments.



Apart from the endless spawning of enemies and the insane levels of grenades they throw, this was a fun replay. There are some epic moments and the variation between playing as the Russians, Brits and the Yanks give it an edge over other WW2 games. There are some spectacular scenes with famous battles in WW2 and, of course, a vehicle section to wreck havoc in a heavily armoured tank.

Great reunion and a lengthy game at that. If you're craving some of the best WW2 gaming moments, check this out!



I like racing games, no wait I LOVE racing games! The last month saw the release of two seemingly uninteresting arcade racing games, namely Split/Second Velocity and Blur.

For me, both the demos of the games seemed underwhelming, but I realised I just hadn’t played them long enough. I bought Split/Second and have played lots of Blur at a friend’s and they're great!


Review

Played on: Xbox Series X
Released: 2021

Another release from Black Rock Studio, the team behind the excellent ATV racer Pure also released by Disney, this time it's a racer with a twist. Split/Second feels and drives a lot like Burnout or the Ridge Racer games, with the drifting style turning and sensitive steering. The aim is to win the race of, but drifting, knocking out other cars and drafting, will earn you points to fill an action meter. this action meter, cleverly shown as a half circle beneath your car, is what makes Split/Second unique.

When this meter is full, you can trigger events happening along the side of the road to knock out opponents. One blue segment will trigger smaller accidents, be it a helicopter dropping a bomb, or gas pipes blowing out, two blue segments will grant you more major accidents like a ship rolling down on to the track or large explosions. The third and red segment, though, will trigger a massive event, be it a whole building crashing into the race circuit or a train derailing. 

At first, these original mechanics of triggering accidents, explosions and environment changes, seem only for the show of it, but as you progress and learn the tracks you realise you can trigger some very tactical accidents to get ahead of the other cars. The fact that you can change the whole racetrack layout from one lap to another really brings in variety in the race circuit layout!



Split/Second is one of those racing games where timing is key and you really need to learn each track perfectly. One thing is mastering the racing, especially the drifting, another is knowing when to change the track layout and trigger accidents to mess up for the other drivers. Believe me, when you trigger a airplane crash, a train derailment or send a cruise ship into the side of the track you will simply smile and be amazed!

There are cool, and as a refreshing change, unlicensed cars to choose from, although I never really felt they were that different to drive other than the speed. There's a healthy amount of race circuits, environment styles and cups to enter too. the structure is very typical an arcade style, where gold medal in events will unlock later events and so on.



Visually it's nice game to look at, a little too heavy on the contrast and camera lens reflection effects, but the star of the show is the massive amount of destruction it throws into the race. Roadside detail is high, with detail far into the distance that is impressive considering it's interactive nature when you trigger events, utilising them.

All in all, I really like Split/Second, its rubber band A.I. can get very annoying, brutally so on later races, but it keeps you on the edge. It's one of those games were getting ahead of the pack really isn't an option.

A pure arcade racer that blends in a very original idea of combining it with action movie effects!



Review

Played on: Xbox 360
Released: 2010

Blur then, how is it? My first look at Blur disappointed me, I think in the back of my head I wanted the developers to make a new Project Gotham Racing. When I let this idea rest, and picked up Blur again with a free mind, I really enjoyed it.

The singleplayer is fairly standard arcade layout, with lots of races to unlock and boss battles against certain pro racers. However, the multiplayer is where the game really shines. It's basically a Mario Kart with real life cars and a realistic look. The weaponry is simple and doesn’t get confusing, less is more for racers with weaponry in my eyes.

The handling g of the cars is well done, simplified from the PGR series, but still retaining a little focus on actually handling the car properly. Each car model is fairly different from each other.

I liked the neon coloured weapons and effects, combined with a visual style reminiscing and bringing strength from the excellent PGR games. Especially city race circuits shine, I enjoyed the visuals and the artstyle a lot.

I played this mostly in splitscreen multiplayer and it works great, it brings out the worst in people when it comes to dirty tricks while racing! The online mode is also great, with a fast and good net code. It actually delivers up to 20 cars in one race. You gain XP and can choose perks to fit your style of racing too.

I'd recommend Blur mostly for the multiplayer aspect and you’ll spend many hours online fighting it out. The splitscreen offers a great way to battle it out with friends back home, it even supports up to four players!



To sum the two racers up, I would recommend Split/Second for the action filled singleplayer and Blur for the competitive multiplayer!

Well, that’s it for now. I’ll update you over the summer with some small tests of games and bits of news.

Cheers!