Reviews - TheReviewer

Republic At War: "Begun the Clone Wars Have"

War, the Old Republic is crumbing as the Confederacy of Independent Star Systems launches it's aggressive separatist war against the unprepared Jedi and Senate. Right off the bat, Republic At War at war captures this desperate spirit with an expansive campaign set at various eras of the Clone Wars.

From a design perspective, the new ships, units and and planets are superb. They capture the look and feel of the Clone Wars universe, from the menacing Invisible Hand to the plucky ARC 170s, each asset is carefully crafted and looks excellent on screen.

There are some issues with balance, especially for those playing as the Republic and many players will find themselves fighting a desperate war of defense until they are able to tech up sufficiently to meet the Separatist Threat. However, neat little nods to the movies include executing Order 66 (as a final way to advance to Tech V for the Republic) and engaging in conflicts such as the Outer Rim Sieges.

Seven years on from it's release, work is still being done to patch bugs, fix glitches and update graphics. It's great to see a dedicated modding team still maintaining this.

Pros:
-A true "total conversion", if you wanted to play Empire at War but during the Clone Wars, this is for you/
-Great new art assets and a challenging campaign.

Cons:
-The early game Republic is truly punishing and new/casual players may not cope.

Prophesy of Pendor 3.9: Mount and Blade Modding At It's Finest?

Arguably one of the most popular MnB mods on the web, Prophesy of Pendor throws the player into the fantastical world of Pendor, a Medieval Realm fractured by war and infighting. The map is dynamic and ever changing, as armies of marauding invaders, mercenary adventurers and capricious Noldor stalk the land, preying on the weak or unprepared.

Five new Kingdoms have been introduced, each featuring their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Looking to skewer your enemies with volleys of arrows? Sarleon will give you the means to do so. Perhaps you like to engage hard and fast on the ground, then the Fierdsvain are the faction for you.

Numerous art assets have been created for PoP and each Kingdom looks and feels unique, from the exotic D'Shar assassins to the grim Knights of Ravenstern. Each army requires the player to figure out the best way to utilize their forces and for much of the game, some level of tactics will be required to triumph (no more 100 horse stack armies).

However, as prophesied, you the player is not expected to remain loyal to one of the Realm's "pretender kings" for long. Launch your own campaign to unite the disparate realm and take advantage of customizable Knight Orders, a dynamic political system and your own unique Army. This is when PoP shines, giving the player a great amount of control over how they want their Kingdom to operate.

Like all mods, PoP suffers from the occasional game breaking bugs (I had all the NPC's disappear on my 700th day!) and it is definitely recommended that a player keep multiple back-ups of saves. These are however few and far between, making PoP one of the most polished MnB mods out there.

Pros:
-A dynamic world that will challenge you at all levels of gameplay.
-Hundreds of side-quests, NPC's and events to keep things different.

Cons:
-Occasional bugs that can break the game.

Tiberius Crisis ***: The Mod We Have Been Waiting For?

It's rare that some of the gems of the vast Chinese modding community get full translation and it is indeed welcome in this case. Tiberium Crisis' scope is ambitious, intending to bring elements from Tiberium Wars and CnC Twilight (hold your booing for the end) onto the Yuri's Revenge Engine and credit is definitely due.

The game features three completely revamped factions in the form of GDI, Nod and The Scrin Invaders. The design of these factions is largely base on their Tiberium Wars equivalents, each featuring sub-factions and a plethora of new art assets and units. Many of these new assets are well made, however they can look a little out of place alongside pre-existing Tiberian Sun and Red Alert graphics.

One of the most welcome additions to this mod is the campaign, which utilizes videos and sound files from other previous CnC titles to make a very enjoyable experience. However the quality of some missions does vary and difficulty spikes are common, with some missions taking dozens of attempts (the lack of a save feature on this Ares build contributing to difficulty).

The multiplayer is fun and the variety of factions and sub-factions gives the mod a high degree of replayability. Fight the invading Scrin across blasted Tiberium wastes, burn Nod holdouts from ruined cities, or spread the Word of Kane across GDI's precious "Blue Zones". The inclusion of the Soviets and Allies as a player faction in Skirmish is a neat add-on.

However a whopping 6 gigbytes, some players may struggle to download this monster of a mod and a "videoless" version would be a welcome addition. For those struggling with installing, there is no shame in looking for online tutorials (I know I had to!).

It must be said that this mod is really a breath of fresh air and it is great to see that big Yuri's revenge mods are still being made. Anyone interested in a fun story-driven experience will welcome this with open arms.

Pros:
-Diverse range of factions to choose from.
-A challenging campaign that brings the mod's story to life.
-Lots of multiplayer maps and a fresh new client.

Cons:
-Some art assets don't blend well with the game's environment.
-The current Ares build doesn't allow for save games.
-Some campaign missions are currently bugged and require work.

Red Alert ****: A New Review for a New Mod:

It has been six years since Red Resurrection was initially released to the public and so much has changed since then. Red Resurrection has really shaped an identity of its own during its continued development, boasting six unique factions and a campaign mode that adapts the classic Red Alert 2 story to fit with it's new universe.

By adopting the Ares Engine, Red Resurrection really allows for these new factions to differentiate themselves and offer a unique style of gameplay. If you prefer a more slow and ponderous style of attack, then the European Federation is your go to. However if you prefer to harass your opponent and control the battlefield, then the Latin Confederation has you covered.

The mod is also host to numerous high quality infantry and unit assets, a mark that really separates great Yuri's Revenge mods from the rest of the pack. A strong AI also offers a genuine challenge, though more casual players may struggle on any difficulty above easy. The new client allows for easy matchmaking and a plethora of new game modes and maps allows for high replayability, a definite improvement on earlier builds.

Overall Red Resurrection is shaping up to become one of the best mods that the venerable Yuri's Revenge community has to offer and it is exciting to see where the developer will take things next.

Pros:
-Great visual assets.
-Unique factions and gameplay.
-Adapted campaign mode!
-A strong client and easy online support.
-Epic new soundtrack.

Cons:
-AI can be a bit tough for new or casual players.

Black Mesa Source: **** "Good morning Doctor Freeman"

A mod that personifies the phrase "Patience is a virtue", Black Mesa Source was well worth the eight year wait. For those who have been living under a rock in the modding community, BMS had the ambitious goal of bringing Half Life onto the Source engine and the development team has delivered in fine style.

Right from the start, BMS delivers on it's promises and the player will immediately notice the detail and work that has gone into re-representing the Black Mesa research facility in all it's monolithic glory. The textures and level design are simply stunning, with the engine clearly being pushed to new and exciting limits.

The next thing the player will notice is the quirky and fun little additions, which help to connect the Half Life to it's successor, such as the infamous Magnusson casserole incident and Dr. Kleiner's meeting of Lamar. These small details go a long way into breathing new life into a classic game. The addition of new voice acting was a bold choice but once again the team rose above the rest, most dialogue sounding convincing if a little cheesy at points. Special mention must go here Kleiner's voice actor, who puts on a brilliant rendition of the old Doctor.

In terms of gameplay, BMS is solid and fluid, maintaining much from Half Life 2 in terms of mechanics and functionality. Things you fire at or smack around can be reasonably expected to die without hassle, and vice versa.

Like all mods still in development however, BMS does suffer from the occasional hiccough with textures failing to load at some points, AI bugs and scripted events sometimes failing to initiate. The mod is also still unfinished, the final mission ending as Gordon makes his trip to Xen (pending new content).

Despite these minor flaws, BMS is a brilliant reconstruction of Valve's classic, the finished product resembling a professionally made experience that every fan of the Half Life series should get their hands on.

Tiberian Sun 3: *** Welcome Back Commander:

There have been numerous re imaginings of Tiberian Sun, a game which is arguably the most popular title in the Tiberium series. Mod for it range from the massively ambitious, to the simple but effective. Tiberian Sun 3 falls into the latter category and like mods of it's class, adds new units, maps, gameplay features and graphics.

The first thing a player will notice, is the new cameos for units in the sidebar. These new images are simple but far more eye-catching than that of Westwood. New units have also been introduced for both factions, but people who are familiar with most Tiberian Sun mods, will not be surprised by the additions of snipers, stealth infantry etc.Graphically, some units look a little out of place and some graphics on some tanks are quite pixely.

The tech system has been updated, with both factions now having three tiers of technology which they need special buildings to access. This helps as it ensures that players have to work hard to gain access to powerful units and adds an interesting gameplay dynamic.

The AI in Tiberian Sun 3 is probably one of the more well programmed mod AI's out there and it is evident that the creator has not gone for the typical spam approach that most "advanced" AI's have. Enemy units attack intelligently and it is refreshing to see that there are clear differences in "Easy", "Medium" and "Hard".

Tiberian Sun 3 however, is a relatively simple mod and is akin to an expansion pack, featuring balance tweaks, new units and slightly new gameplay. For those familiar with Tiberian Sun, who are looking for just that little bit more, this is the mod for you.

Day-Z Alpha:***: Paranoia Thy Name Is Day-Z:

Like many other mods out there, Day-Z for ARMA 2 seeks create a "realistic" zombie survival scenario. However, unlike many other mods out there, Day-Z has delivered this like no other. The product is an extremely immersible world that boasts 255skm of zombie infested environments to explore.

Set in Russia after an unknown infection sweeps the globe, turning much of the population in un-dead monstrosities, you take on the roll of a random survivor and from here, your path is whatever you choose. You can aimlessly wander the wastes of Russia, exploring and looting seemingly abandoned towns, you roam the landscape killing and pillaging other players, or you can join up with various groups, rebuild a car and travel in style.

On that note, survival is a major aspect of the game. You must find food, water, shelter as well as weapons in order to stay alive. Death is final in Day-Z, meaning that extra care must be taken in whatever you do, whether it be engaging a horde or climbing up a building.

Graphically, Day-Z is eye pleasing, using the simple graphics of the ARMA engine to it's full extent. Day-Z however frequently shows that it is in it's alpha stage as animation at times however, can be a little and on occasion player models will warp and distort themselves. There are also issues with spawning, where the player will lose all their travelling progress. Other problems such as losing all items if you fall in a body of water and a lack of melee combat (sadly due to engine limitations) also can cause some frustrating moments.

Despite these flaws, Day-Z's gameplay is solid and is something that zombie-survival fans have been looking for. The amount of work that has been put into Day-Z is extremely impressive and Day-Z is a must download for any zed-head out there and this reviewer looks forward to future releases.

D-Day "See You On The Beach" ****: An Invasion Ten Years In The Waiting

D-Day is a project that has been in the works longer than some players have been playing Yuri's Revenge. Since the time that D-Day began to take shape back in 2002, The West has completed it's "War on terror", an African American was elected as POTUS, the Arab World rose up in revolt and Social media sites took over our lives. Indeed the D-Day mod has been in the works for a long time, but finally through the hard-work of it's current developer, MigEater, D-Day has seen it's first public beta release.

D-Day offers the player the opportunity to play as one of the major power blocs from the Second World War, with the current release boasting no less than six different factions for the player to choose from. Gameplay is split up into different era's where units from different stages of the war are available depending on the year group chosen.

The first thing the player will notice when they enter a game, is the fantastic work that MigEater and others have put into the visuals. The cartoonish look of the Yuri's Revenge engine has been transformed into a gritty, dark, but ultimately beautiful representation of the Second World War. Every unit, building and infantryman has been carefully rendered and the results are simply stunning. Technically, the mod runs very smoothly, with only a few bugs or glitches in regards to the AI and path-finding.

D-Day is however, very much a beta still, with place holders standing in for many buildings, support weapons still disabled and naval units are not yet available. This is more evident in some factions (the French especially, who's buildings are all placeholders) and some players may wish to avoid playing with these factions so not to wreck the immersion. Maps are also few at this stage and gameplay is limited to skirmish, but the factions wide diversity and dynamic AI will ensure things don't become stale. Well worth the download.

Zero Hour: Shockwave Mod ****: -Insert shocking pun here-

Zero Hour Shockwave is a mod that seeks to add to the existing Zero Hour gameplay and implement features that EA games left out. Shockwave adds three new generals to the existing Zero Hour factions, each one complete with new units, new super weapons and new support powers.

Each new general has a completely new play-style, the USA gaining the armored fury of General Ironside, China the advanced units of General Ling and the GLA the devastating weapons of Momar Deathstrike. The existing generals have also been extensively reworked, each one feeling more in tune to their niche roles.

The new additions are extremely well designed and well balanced, and the mod offers literally hundreds of these well rendered and unique units to each faction and general. It does this without cluttering gameplay, a trap which many mods fall into. The AI has also been extensively reworked, but it will occasionally suffer hiccoughs and not attack or refuse to build a base.

Single player has also not been neglected, with the General's Challenges being reworked so the that the AI makes use of the new toys that Shockwave implements. Again, many mods ignore the single player aspect (aside from skirmish) and it is refreshing to see this area covered. The campaign has however been disabled (but replaced with a faction specific mini-game) which was understandable, but a little disappointing.

However, the pros of Shockwave, outnumber the cons by a massive margin. The addition of new tech structures is also worth mentioning, as they encourage more mobile gameplay which General's sometimes lacks (unless you're the GLA of course). Overall, Shockwave is a very well made mod, that brings that little bit more to Zero Hour. Extremely fun and highly worth downloading.