HALO 3 BETA TEST (Xbox 360)

When first-person shooter Halo 2 made its commercial debut for the original Xbox game console in November 2004, it became an instant smash hit.
Incredibly, the game generated more than US$125 million in sales in the first 24 hours, breaking almost every gaming sales record in history.
Following the unprecedented success of Halo 2 and the release of the seventh-generation console the Xbox 360, it didn’t take long for the game’s developer, Bungie Studios, to announce it was in the development stage of Halo 3, promising it would rival anything on the market in terms of stunning high definition graphics and intense gameplay.
Earlier this year, Bungie and Microsoft Games Studios announced a worldwide launch date for Halo 3 - September 25 - and expectations are high for the final chapter in the groundbreaking Halo trilogy.
To wet the collective appetite of the gaming community, Bungie then released a beta version of the game (a work-in-progress edition), that could be played over Xbox Live in a multi-player format.
To gain access the Halo 3 Beta, players were given the opportunity to download it by purchasing a copy of the popular FPS Crackdown, which would act as a key for gamers to participate.
While not only giving gamers the opportunity to play three of the new levels, the Beta was also designed to provide valuable data and feedback that Bungie could use for the continued development of the game.
The Halo 3 Beta went live on May 16, and will run through to June 7, with more than 400,000 copies already downloaded worldwide.
While Halo 3 itself will continue where the Halo 2 storyline left off, the Halo 3 Beta features three multi-player maps, an assortment of weapons and vehicles, as well as a wide variety of differing scenarios in which to participate.
Across each map, players will be able to play a number of team-orientated multi-player games - rumble pit, team slayer, team skirmish and big team battle.
Rumble pit is all-out single player action - a last-man-standing scenario, with you pitted against everyone else.
In team slayer, you can enter alone or in a small group and you’ll be matched against another team of equal size, up to a maximum of four players per team.
Team skirmish is a team-based scenario, with a differing array of objectives - from capture the flag, through to territory capture with a maximum of four players per team.
Team battle is just what it suggests - big teams pitted against each other on big maps. Team sizes vary from five to a maximum of six players.
The weapons available in the beta are limited, about eight to 10 in total, but there is enough firepower on hand to complete any objective.
Bungie has already said that the weapons available in the Beta are just a small snippet of those that will be available in the full game.
The overall look of the Beta (and remember it’s just that - a beta) is already a marked improvement over its predecessor, with stunning backgrounds and highly detailed player visuals.
Unfortunately, there are no single-player campaigns - the Halo 3 beta is purely an online multi-player game.
That said, and despite its limited scope, the beta is a highly addictive and entertaining environment in which to test out the new game.
Overall, if you’re a Halo fan, or simply a first-person shooter fanatic, then you won’t be disappointed with the Beta release.
Far from it, in fact.
Roll on September 25.
Halo 3 Website

STALKER Shadow of Chernobyl (PC)

On April 26, 1986 at 1.23am, reactor 4 of the VL Lenin Memorial Nuclear Power Station went into meltdown, spewing radioactive material over a massive area of the Ukrainian township of Chernobyl.
It was the worst nuclear accident in history (as far as this game is concerned anyway), killing and seriously injuring thousands of people, and leaving generations of families maimed and disfigured.
In the new first-person shooter S.T.A.L.K.E.R. from Ukrainian developer GSC Game World, some 20 years later a second incident occurred - an explosion within reactor 4 during a seemingly routine clean-up operation, contaminating an even larger area and spreading even more toxic radioactive waste across the entire Eastern European continent.
But instead of killing thousands of people, it had a much greater, deadlier after-effect.
Creatures more hideous than could be imagined were spawned, and strange paranormal phenomenon has been reported across a widespread area now known as The Zone.
In S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow Of Chernobyl, you play as the Marked One, a heavily armed mercenary, suffering from a severe case of amnesia and somehow trapped inside the deadly exclusion zone that has been set up around the Chernobyl nuclear power station.
You job is simple - to survive, somehow, and regain your memory while making it out of The Zone in one piece - or close enough to it.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is an incredibly immersive first-person shooter, set amongst the backdrop of some of the most breathtaking scenery ever featured in a game of this genre.
To survive and complete the single-player campaign, Marked One will rely heavily on his wits, forging alliances with other stalkers and armed factions, and a seemingly unending supply of weaponry in your fight against mutant beings, wild animals and many other rather unpleasant non-playing characters.
And if your campaign is to be a successful one, you will also have to master the art of scavenging almost anything that isn’t bolted, glued, fixed or melted down - including replacement weapons, ammunition, health packs, food (yes, you will need to eat and drink), radiation antidotes and other various items that you can trade for money or other more necessary items and equipment.
The game engine itself is highly impressive, and one you’ll be required to master it efficiently and expediently. Good coordination between keyboard and mouse is essential to success.
The game’s AI is also a strong-point, with other human enemies and creatures taking full advantage of their surroundings during combat, as well as a fair degree of teamwork and tactics.
Visually, the game is spectacular. The in-game graphics and backgrounds are as exceptional as any RPG on the market.
The audio soundtrack is similarly dazzling, with the wind rustling through the fields and the cries of anguish and terror from distant beasts and creatures alike enough to send shivers down the spine of any hardened gamer.
The Russian and Ukrainian dialogue spoken by all the characters, smattered with snippets of broken English, gives the game a unique feel.
But fear not, the English subtitles add a nice touch.
The atmosphere created within S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is first-class, while the gameplay is undiluted excitement at every turn.
What sets S.T.A.L.K.E.R. apart from other RPG-cum first-person shooters is its ability to break away from the customary linear gameplay. There are no set paths to take, no storyline that must be followed to complete the overall mission and any number of extraneous missions that come your way.
The player is free to roam unimpeded throughout the entire game world, and interact with anyone or anything at any time.
It’s not an simple, straightforward game by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a rewarding experience for gamers looking for a unique and demanding game experience.

WE RATE IT
Graphics: 9
Sound: 9.5
Gameplay: 9
OVERALL: 92%

LOST PLANET: EXTREME CONDITION

In the world of sci-fi shooters, Halo has always ruled the roost.
Then Capcom’s LOST PLANET came along and set a new benchmark on the new seventh-generation console machines.
It added depth to the genre, and it also set a new point of reference for how hooters should look on the Xbox 360.
Now, Capcom has added its world-class filly to its PC stable with the release of LOST PLANET: EXTREME CONDITIONS.
The storyline remains the same as before …
Mankind, through his own misgivings, has been forced to look to the stars for other planets to call home., and
And E.D.N. III looks like the best possible option so far.
While it‘s not paradise, mankind believes he has found a planet that could one day sustain life.
There’s just one small problem _ it just happens to be inhabited by giant flesh-eating creatures known as the Akrid.
The solution _ send in a team of soldiers to eradicate these killers so that the NEVEC Corporation can begin its top-secret plan to terraform the planet for colonisation.
The battle against the Akrid has been hard and taken many lives, including that of Wayne Holden’s father, who was killed by the legendary Akrid known only as ``Green Eye’’.
After surviving the fight against Green Eye, Wayne wakes some 30 years later, his frozen body found by a small band of Snow Pirates, led by brother and sisters Rick and Luka.
By joining them, you take the role of Wayne in a bid to uncover the secrets of the evil NEVEC Corporation, and take revenge on the Green Eye, who killed your father many years ago.
For all-intense-and-purposes, the PC version of Lost Planet is a direct replica of its Xbox360 brother. It looks the same, it feels the same … it even sounds the same.
Dang, if you use an Xbox360 Controller for Windows, rather than the clumsy option of using the mouse and keyboard, it even plays the same.
In fact, by taking full use of a real-time loading system, it runs better on the PC than 360.
So why isn’t it as good as its console cousin?
Put quite simply, its live-only play is its Achilles’ heel - you can’t play Lost Planet: Extreme Condition without being linked to the game server via the internet.
While it doesn’t sound overly problematic, consider that any drop-out, reduction in bandwidth from your machine to the server (if you ain‘t got broadband, forget about it), or power failure and you cannot play the game.
That said, it’s still a wonderful game, with stunning backgrounds, visually appealing graphics, and thoroughly enjoyable missions and skirmishes against some of the most diabolical creepy-crawlies you will find anywhere.
Overall, some hard-core gamers may find the 11 missions somewhat restrictive, but an extended multi-player system that can now connect PC gamers with Xbox360 gamers over Xbox LIVE service allows for almost unlimited gameplay.
If you don’t own a 360 and enjoy a decent shooter, then Lost Planet: Extreme Condition may be the answer you’ve been looking for.

WE RATE IT
Graphics: 8.5
Sound: 9
Gameplay: 8
OVERALL: 85%