Call of Juarez Gunslinger REVIEW

Welcome to the wild, wild west
Call of Juarez is back. Call of Juarez Gunslinger returns the series to the wild west, packing a new, cell-shaded look and a cleverly woven story. Although some parts of Gunslinger are better than others, the overall experience leads to one of the most unique and memorable shooters in recent years. 

Gunslinger tells a violent tale of revenge and redemption. A tale that is narrated in-game, by a bounty hunter called Silas Greaves. Greaves is a great character. He's not only a legend of the wild west, but he's also a great story-teller. Well, kind of. You see, Silas Greaves has aged a bit since his endeavors and that has taken a slight toll on his memory and his story-telling. Greaves may for example, remember that the attacking Apache warriors were actually Cowboys - causing the scene to change as you play. This makes for some of the most memorable moments in the game. Greaves is essentially painting a canvas with his words. Objects pop out of nowhere or materialize right before your eyes as Silas Greaves narrates the story in real time. Gunslinger's comic-book art style adds to the overall experience. It feels like you're playing through a moving wild-west comic-book. The only downside to Gunslinger's story is that it gets a little bit repetitive after a while. Gunslinger's story levels essentially play identically to one another. Players are thrown into the world, fight a bunch of baddies and then face off with a boss at the end of the level. On the plus side, Call of Juarez's levels look fantastic. 

A new, cell-shaded, comic-book art style gives Gunslinger its own, original identity and makes it stand out among a lot of other contemporary shooters. Every object in the game has a crisp, black outline that makes everything pop. When you combine that with some of Call Of Juarez's beautiful and atmospheric settings, the game really shines. At times it actually blew me away. When you play a big AAA title, there are always expectations, but Call of Juarez Gunslinger is a little different. I did not expect this game to look as good as it does. That's why I was blown away a lot of the times. It proves that you don't need the most powerful hardware or the best graphics engine. What you need is a talented team of artists. 

You'll hardly have time to take in the sights, because it doesn't take long for bullets to start flying in Call of Juarez Gunslinger. Bullets ricochet off objects and whiz past in a spectacular fashion. It's not just the same old run-and-gun gameplay that you may be used to from other first person shooters. Gunslinger has a few tricks up its sleeve. A concentration mode allows you to slow the action down to a halt and a new "Sense of Death" feature allows you to dodge, an otherwise fatal bullet, in quite a spectacular fashion. Whether you're blasting your quick shooter from the hip or taking a carefully aimed shot at your enemies' skull from long distance, Gunslinger's action is fast and brutal. The game features a leveling up system, which will allow you to upgrade Silas' skills depending on your playstyle. If you want to duel wield pistols and run into the action guns blazing then the Gunslinger class will be the most suited to you. If you're the sort of player that prefers a rifle, then you'll like the Ranger class. The Trapper is for those players that enjoy a good old fashioned double barelled shotgun. Upgrading the trapper class will eventually allow you to duel wield two sawn offs, causing brutal damage in close quarters. Once I discovered the Akimbo option in the settings, I was in love. On default Call of Juarez uses the left trigger to aim when duel wielding weapons. With Akimbo, you fire each weapon independently, with the left and right trigger buttons. Although it's not always the most efficient way of taking down foes, it's certainly the most spectacular. Not to mention how satisfying and badass it feels! 

Although there are no multiplayer modes on offer, there are many reasons why you will want to replay Call of Juarez Gunslinger. The main reason, simply being , because the game is a lot of fun. Seriously the first thing I did when I finished the story, was start a "new game plus" mode that allowed me to start a new game, along with everything I had unlocked in my previous run, on a harder difficulty . Part of replaying the game a second time around, made me want to explore the game world and find all the hidden collectibles. The collectibles feature historical information that put Gunslinger's action into a real world context. You'll find factual information about the outlaws you're up against and the game world. Once you've had enough of the story , there's an Arcade mode that focuses on stringing together combos, racking up that score multiplier and posting high scores on leaderboards. The Arcade mode is super addictive and a lot of fun. A Duel Mode allows you to face off with the iconic characters from Gunslinger's story.  It's you versus 15 legends of the wild west. Although this is the weaker mode of the three, it's not as bad as some reviewers may lead you to believe. 

Call of Juarez Gunslinger is a fantastic game. The game's western setting comes to life with satisfying combat and unique visuals .  The first person shooter genre is largely dominated by military shooters and having said that, Gunslinger is truly a breath of fresh air. You'll experience shootouts in Saloons, fight it out during a train-robbery and explore the wilderness, occupied by Apaches. There's something magical about walking through a lush forest, preparing for an ambush that could come at any moment by screaming Native American warriors. Gaming is about immersing players in believable game worlds and creating memorable experiences. Gunslinger's comic-book-like wild-west looks gorgeous and combined with the cleverly narrated story, makes for one of the most unique and memorable shooters I have played in recent years. 

8 - Fantastic 
+ Great looking cell-shaded graphics
+ Awesome storytelling 
+ Lots of fun
-  Long load times
-  Repetitive story structure 

MUD FIM Motocross World Championship Review

Time to get muddy!

The racing game genre is largely dominated by car racing games. It's always refreshing when a new racing game that focuses on motorcycle racing is released. MUD FIM Motocross World Championship is an officially licensed motocross racing title that features the FIM MX1, MX2 and the 2011 Monster Energy Motocross of Nations championships. Although there is fun to be had and the licence may be appealing to fans of the sport, MUD doesn't do enough to encourage most players to strap on for the ride.

The first thing that's going to grab you when you fire this game up are the menus. MUD's menus look like something straight out of a comic book. It's a shame that the art style doesn't stay consistent when it comes to the actual gameplay. The game's tracks often feature lots of impressive details like giant, inflatable Monster Energy cans and other cool track side scenery, but overall , the graphics are a little bland. I couldn't help but wish that the game used the comic book style throughout the game. It's a bizarre design decision. On one hand you have these great menus that come to life with tons of personality , and then you have the in-game graphics , which are basically the opposite. The soundtrack is not going to be to everyone's taste either. MUD features a fairly small track list, comprised of screechy, emo acts. Most players will likely turn the music off as it gets pretty dreary, fairly quickly.     

MUD is split into three game modes - an "Official Mode", "MUD World Tour" and "Multiplayer".  The Official Mode features all the real riders and teams from the FIM MX1, MX2 and the Monster Energy Motocross of Nations championships. You can jump into a quick race or start a championship with your favorite rider. While motocross fans and enthusiasts will likely enjoy taking to the track with their favorite riders, there is not a lot on offer here for gamers that aren't  familiar with the sport. There are no bios or any other information about any of the riders. Other than a star rating out of five, if you don't know who these guys are, you're on your own. The multiplayer allows you to pick your favorite rider and race up to 15 other players online. You'll have a hard time finding any multiplayer matches and there are no local or split screen multiplayer options.Luckily, that's where MUD's World Tour mode comes in.

MUD World Tour is where you are going to be spending most of your time. You start the MUD World Tour by selecting one of four "heroes". It's not so much a career mode, as it is an events mode. You earn coins by completing different events and then spend them on upgrading your rider's talents, buying new motocross gear and unlocking new events. The events can become a bit of a grind after a while, as you need to buy new events in order to make progress. MUD's World Tour includes standard races, checkpoint races, head to head races, elimination cups and trick battles. There's also something called the "Monster Energy Trick Battle". In essence, a freestyle motocross bonus that allows you to ride around a number of small arenas, pulling off tricks and setting high scores. It could have been a nice distraction from the racing, but awkward physics and the fact you only start with a handful of tricks spoil the overall experience. Like everything else in the MUD World Tour, tricks have to be brought and can be very expensive. The bikes lack any sense of weight in this mode making them feel more like a shoe that has been tossed in the air, rather than a 100kg dirt bike. Spending coins on customizing your hero can also be a little counter-productive. Buying new helmets, for example, offers no incentives for the player.The only customization in terms of motorbikes is in the form of different liveries. There are no other visual or performance upgrades available. It would have been nice to pick from different motocross machines and be able to customize them.

No matter what mode you decide to play, there is fun to be had. MUD plays like an arcade game. Simple controls, an emphasized focus on performing scrubs and a boost function in the form of "energy drinks" make up the core gameplay mechanics. The bikes don't slide around, you don't have to worry about clutch or changing gears and you don't even have to manage the rider's weight. There are no independent front and rear brake buttons. Right trigger button for gas, left for brake. That's it. The simple controls may disappoint motocross fans as controlling the dirt bikes is incredibly easy and straight forward. For everyone else, the controls make MUD really accessible and easy to pick up and play. 

The biggest problem with MUD, is that it doesn't cater to its audience. The game feels too arcadey for die hard motocross fans, but doesn't feature enough content to suck new players into the world of motocross racing. Inconsistent physics and presentation also hurt the overall experience. MUD does offer a sweet spot that can be a lot of fun, if you are the sort of person that gets excited by the thrill of racing dirt bikes around. 

5 - Okay
+ Official FIM MX1, MX2 and MEMoN licence  
+ Pick up and play arcade controls
-  Bland visuals
-  Awkward physics 
-  Limited content 

This review was kindly provided by www.FreestyleXtreme.com 

KiwiGam3r's New and Revamped Review Score system

Kiwi Gam3r is getting revamped in the coming weeks and will include a new review system. We are currently reviewing a handful of titles and will be bringing those to you in the coming weeks. In the mean time, get familiar with the new scoring system.

10 - Excellent ( A flawless 10 will be achieved only by the best games that truly blow us away)

9 -  Amazing ( Almost perfection )

8 -  Fantastic ( Fantastic!)

7 -  Great ( Games that have great production values , but are maybe lacking originality or something else)

6 -  Good ( It's good , but could be better )

5 -  Okay ( A game that is okay is exactly that - it's okay )

4 - Average ( Some okay ideas, but lacking the execution )

3 - Bad ( These will be games that are likely buggy and feel unfinished )

2 - Terrible ( Painful to play and really not worth any of your precious time )

1 - Awful ( Let's hope there aren't any games this bad )

0 - Garbage ( Pretty self-explanatory )

That's the scoring system in a nutshell! Basically, anything above a 5 is a good game. Anything below a 5 probably isn't worth your time or money . There won't be a decimal system, so no 7.5's or 8.5's.

Forza Motorsport 5 Reveal vs Drive Club

Forza Motorsport 5 has been unveiled and will be available as a launch title for the all new XBOX One. Microsoft unveiled Forza 5 during its press conference via a short trailer. A few months ago, Sony also unveiled a racing game during their unveiling of the Playstation 4. Drive Club will be a Playstation 4 exclusive and will be available upon launch of the Playstation 4. How do these two racing games stack up from our short impressions? 

For starters, Sony's press conference was held much earlier than Microsoft's. With E3 only a month away, there's no doubt that Microsoft is saving a lot of the news for the biggest gaming event of the year. Still, a trailer is made to get people excited and while a new Forza racing title will no doubt be exciting for XBOX racing fans, the trailer just wasn't as exciting as the announcement of Drive Club. 

Let's break the Forza Motorsport 5 trailer down. We have the iconic McLaren F1 racing the car that is set to replace it in the near future, the McLaren P1 on the tight, narrow streets of Prague, Czech Republic. At one point of the trailer the camera zooms in on the P1 hypercar to show off all of its shiny bits. Carbon fibre skirts, finely detailed tyres, you name it, it was there and it looked fantastic. While it may have looked great, it certainly didn't blow me away. I mean we kind of expected the next gen Forza to look fantastic didn't we?There was nothing unexpected teased here. The Forza 5 trailer didn't raise the bar for graphical standards or my expectations. Come on! This is the next generation of Forza on a next generation console and sadly, there was nothing next generation about the trailer. 

When I first saw the short clip showing off Drive Club, my jaw was basically on the floor. This is how to do a trailer for a next gen racing game right! You have incredible detail everywhere. Fantastic looking interiors, perfectly modeled engines and even the rainbow effect you get on waxed glass. This fanatical level of detail is what I expect from a next gen racing game. It wasn't all pretty graphics though. Drive Club showcased its immense social capabilities right off the bat. Everything you do in the game is recorded, tracked and pushed to your friends. You form car clubs and compete with other car clubs or individuals to compete anywhere, anytime. There was also a whole lot more on offer during Drive Club's unveiling. More variety. We were shown more cars, more locations, more everything. 

I know that both games are still a while away and there is no doubt going to be more information and gameplay videos released at E3, but from what I have seen so far, I do not care very much for Forza Motorsport 5. On the other hand, I can't wait to see more on Drive Club. It's not that I am being biased towards the Playstation 4. The developers of both games had equal opportunity to create trailers to get fans excited. One simply did a better job of capturing my imagination than the other. 

Call of Duty Ghosts Trailer Impressions

The all new upcoming Call of Duty title has been revealed. Titled Call of Duty Ghosts, its the latest addition to a long line of Call of Duty games from Infinity Ward. Except this one is a little bit different. Actually, it's quite a lot different, because for the first time in almost a decade, this Call of Duty is now running on an all new graphics engine.

You might remember that a while back, I wrote an article hoping that the Call of Duty series would go out with a bang on our current gen systems. The developers could have developed another Call of Duty game that would no doubt be very successful, but would likely disappoint fans of the series that were becoming all too familiar with Call of Duties yearly offerings. Luckily, the developers must have listened because this is by far the prettiest looking Call of Duty game to date.

The trailer is not action heavy, but the slow bits allow us to soak in all the new detail. Character models look considerably better than before and the world is populated with lots of little details that make things look very believable. Animations looked very fluid and natural and when you see a Ghost jumping out of the shadows, striking a blade into a guard and dragging him back into the shadows, you will be impressed at how real and believable everything looks. The game world looks just as good if not even better. Foliage sways believably according to the weather conditions. At one point in the trailer, a helicopter flies past some trees causing them to sway, shake and rattle in a very believable way. Little details like this should help immerse players into the game world and into the action.

There seems to be a lot of variety too. We've got underwater segments and running down the side of buildings, as well as your more familiar jungle type settings. There seems to be a stronger emphasis on stealth this time around, which would provide a nice change of pace. In previous Call of Duty games, stealth usually came into play at the start of a mission and then BANG you were forced to go guns blazing. It would be nice to see some more stealth sequences like the sniper mission in the first Modern Warfare.

This was the first time we have seen any gameplay from the new Call of Duty. E3 is just around the corner and we can't wait to see and hear more about Call of Duty Ghosts.

XBOX ONE Games Revealed

While the XBOX One conference wasn't quite as game-heavy as some would like, Microsoft has announced a handful of games that should get fans excited.

First of all, the all new Call of Duty. Call of Duty Ghosts will be coming to XBOX One and will receive exclusive DLC for a limited time. The new graphics engine makes this the prettiest Call of Duty to date and we can't wait to see more at E3.

Microsoft revealed that Forza Motorsport 5 would be available as a launch title. The trailer showcased the all new McLaren P1 supercar battling it out with its predecessor, the McLaren F1 on the streets of Prague.

EA Sports took the XBOX One stage and announced that FIFA 14, NBA Live 14, UFC and Madden NFL 25 will all launch on the new XBOX in the next 12 months.

We also got a glimpse of Quantum Wake, a new game from Alan Wake developers Remedy Games.


With E3 just around the corner, we can't wait to see more of all these games in action and more details on the XBOX One.

New XBOX Revealed

The new XBOX has been officially revealed. It's called XBOX One and it's Microsoft's platform for next generation experiences. I say experiences, because the XBOX One is no longer just a console to play games. Microsoft has focused on creating an "All-In-One" entertainment system for your living room.

Rather than opening the press conference with powerful hardware specs and technical information about the new console, Microsoft focused on the new types of experiences that the XBOX One will bring to your living room. The XBOX One is fully integrated with Microsoft's Kinect. Simple voice commands and hand gestures control your entire XBOX One interface.

You will now be able to watch live television on the XBOX One. The console now allows you to watch tv, movies, listen to music and play games. You can seamlessly jump into an internet browser from watching a DVD  or with the new "snap-mode", do more than one thing on your TV at a time.

The XBOX One will also allow you to Skype call your friends. You will now be able to Skype your friends and family in widescreen on your television with the Kinect camera. The XBOX One will also allow you to make group video calls on your TV.

You can check out a replay of the full conference on IGN and Youtube.

For more information on the XBOX One and all things next gen , keep reading KiwiGam3r.