Halo 4 War Games, Simple Tips for Improving in Multiplayer

War Games refer to a collection of game types in Halo 4 in which you play competitively against other human players. These battles are training simulations performed by Spartan IVs onboard the infinity, which they use to improve their abilities for Spartan Ops. There are no computer controlled enemies in War Games; every single ally and enemy is a real human player.

War Games offers an interesting dynamic to Halo 4 quite different from either the Campaign or Spartan Ops. Because you are playing against real players, you get an opportunity to fight enemies much more intelligent than those in the Campaign or Spartan Ops. Therefore, some of the strategies that I provide for the Campaign do not work nearly as well in War Games. There is no single "best" strategy, so experiment with many different tactics and choose one that best fits your strengths and play style.

Leveling System

In War Games and Spartan Ops, you receive experience after completing each game. This experience is used to level up your Spartan IV character. As you level up, you unlock new equipment (such as weapons, armor abilities, and perks) and new armor. Each level requires more experience to unlock, so you will level up quickly at first and slowly later on. After you reach level 20, you will have unlocked all equipment, and any levels past that will have little effect on your gameplay.

There are 3 ways to gain experience. The primary way is to complete games in either War Games or Spartan Ops. After each game, you will be rewarded a fixed completion bonus and a much smaller bonus based on your success during that game. In general, you will receive around 2500 experience from shorter games (slayer, oddball, etc.) and 3000 experience from longer games (Spartan Ops, Big Team Battle, CTF). The second way to gain experience is by completing challenges. There are an assortment of War Games, Campaign, and Spartan Ops challenges that you can complete to gain extra experience, with rewards ranging from 1000 to 20,000 experience depending on the difficulty of the challenge. Challenges come in many variations, such as killing a certain number of enemies in a certain way, winning a certain number of games, or completing a certain campaign mission on a certain difficulty. New Challenges are added periodically. Finally, you can gain experience by completing commendations. Commendations are similar to challenges, but they have no time limit and new ones are never added. There is a large assortment of over 100 commendations, each with between 5 to 7 stages of completion. Every time you complete a new stage of a commendation, you receive a certain amount of experience. You can also gain new armor and weapon skins by completing the highest stage of certain commendations.

After you reach level 50, you can choose from 8 different Spartan specializations. Each specialization requires 10 levels to complete, and you unlock new armor with each level. After completing the final level of a specialization, you unlock a new perk. While these new perks only have a minor effect on gameplay, they do offer useful bonuses such as more experience per game, faster assassinations, or longer overheat times on vehicles. Once you complete all 8 specializations and reach level 130, you have completed the leveling progression and will no longer level up.

Throughout the leveling process, you will unlock numerous pieces of armor, all of which can be accessed from the "back" menu. This allows you to customize the way your Spartan IV looks in both Spartan Ops and War Games, but has absolutely no effect on gameplay. You unlock new armor by reaching new levels, completing commendations, and completing armor-specific challenges.

Loadout

Unlike in the previous Halo games, you can create your own loadout in Halo 4. Each loadout consists of a primary weapon, a secondary weapon, an armor ability, a grenade type, and two perks. You can have 5 different loadouts at one time, allowing you to develop different combinations for each situation. These 5 loadouts are used in both Spartan Ops and War Games, so I suggest that set allocate 2 loadouts for Spartan Ops and 3 for War Games.

Below, I discuss which equipment to use in your War Games loadouts. However, these are only my opinions; you should develop a loadout that fits your play style the best.
Primary Weapon: I highly suggest that you use a headshot weapon as your primary weapon, as headshot weapons have a much longer range and kill enemies faster than any of the assault weapons. I suggest that you use either the DMR, Battle Rifle, or Light Rifle. Of these Options, the DMR is the most accurate, the Battle Rifle deals the most damage when not zoomed in, and the Light Rifle deals the most damage when zoomed in.

Secondary Weapon: You should always use the Plasma Pistol as your secondary weapon, no matter the situation. Although the Plasma Pistol and headshot trick does not work very well against human players, you can still use the Plasma Pistol to stun and jack vehicles and to remove peoples shields and melee them. The Magnum is inferior in damage and accuracy to the headshot rifles, and the bolt shot does not deal enough damage to be worthwhile.

Grenade Type: I suggest that you use the Frag grenade as your grenade type. You can bounce Frag grenades around corners or up gravity lifts, allowing you to kill players that are out of your line of sight. When used in combination with Promethean Vision, this can be a very effective tactic. However, if you are very good at sticking your opponents, you may wish to use the Plasma grenade.

Armor Ability: In my opinion, Active Camouflage and Promethean Vision are the two best armor abilities for War Games. Promethean Vision allows you to see your opponents before they see you, allowing you to get the first shot and the element of surprise. It also allows you to easily see players using Active Camouflage. Active Camouflage allows you to stay hidden while snipping or sneak up on enemies, which is especially useful when using shotguns.

Perks: There are a large assortment of perks that provide minor bonuses. You should choose whichever perks complementing your play style the best. Some of my personal favorites include extra ammo, more frequent ordinance drops, and faster armor ability regeneration.

Ordinance Drops

In order to obtain non-loadout weapons in War Games, you will need to rely on Ordinance Drops. Ordinance Drops are a new game mechanic implemented in Halo 4, replacing the previous system of weapon spawns. Weapon crates are dropped onto the battlefield from above, and can contain either a weapon, a power-up, or two grenades. There are two types of Ordinance Drops, and they are as follows:

Map Ordinance Drops appear throughout the map at the start of the game, and redeploy after a certain amount of time. These drops usually contain a tier 2 (Shotgun, Saw, etc.) or a tier 3 (Rocket Launcher, Binary Rifle, etc.) weapon, though they can also contain grenades or power ups. Any player can access a Map Ordinance Drop simply by walking up to the weapons crate and pressing x, just like swapping with a weapon on the ground. When you are near Ordinance, it will show up as an icon on your HUD. This icon displays your distance from the drop and what equipment is in the drop, so it is a useful tool for judging if it is worth taking the Ordinance. Drops of higher value take longer to redeploy.

Personal Ordinance Drops are rewards given to players after they score a certain number of points in a game. These drops are somewhat similar to "Kill Streaks" in the Call of Duty games. After you score a certain number of points (from kills, assists, objective completions, etc.), an option to call in Ordinance will appear at the top of your HUD. You will always have 3 options, which you can choose by pressing the corresponding direction on the D-pad. The middle option will offer a power up, the left option will offer a grenade or weapon, and the right option will offer a weapon. On larger maps, you are more likely to receive tier 3 or "power" weapon options. After you call in your Personal Ordinance, you will begin working towards your next one, though each subsequent drop requires more points. There is no limit to the number of drops you can receive in a single game, though realistically, you will usually receive between 1 - 3 drops in a typical game. After you call in a Personal Ordinance Drop, you can obtain your equipment by walking up to the weapons crate and pressing x. If you ever try to "steal" an enemy's Personal Ordinance, you will need to hold down x for approximately 3 seconds.

Ordinance Drops also introduce power ups to War Games. Each power up provides you with some type of advantage for a set period of time or until you die. The Speed Boost power up allows you to move, throw grenades, reload, and punch twice as fast. It lasts for a long time and is very useful for carrying the flag in CTF or reaching objectives in other objective-driven game types. Damage Boost doubles all forms of damage that you deal (weapon, grenade, and melee) for a short period of time. This means that you can easily kill an enemy with a single melee, or kill them with two body shots and a headshot with a headshot weapon. When combined with more powerful weapons like the Saw, Beam Rifle, or Fuel Rod, you will become nearly unstoppable. Over Shields provides you with triple shield capacity, displayed as a second green bar covering your blue shield bar. This extra level of shields will not regenerate, and it will drain slowly over time.

Tips and Strategies

General:

- If you are playing particularly badly one day, try playing a few games of Spartan Ops. This way, you can warm up against easier opponents and return to War Games once you are up to speed.

- If possible, try playing War Games with a large group of friends. Even if your friends are not great, you can communicate and execute group strategies, giving you an edge against teams of individual players. This is especially useful when playing objective based games.

- In general, I do not suggest that you use the Plasma Pistol/Headshot tactic in War Games, as most players can easily dodge the Plasma Pistol blast. Rather, you should reserve the Plasma pistol for stunning vehicles or for using against players at near point blank range, where they will be unable to dodge it.

- On larger maps, you will find a large assortment of vehicles. If you are on foot, I suggest that you stay out of the large open areas so that enemy vehicles will leave you alone. However, if you see a lone enemy vehicle with no other enemies nearby, you can use your Plasma Pistol to stun the vehicle and either jack it (for Ghosts and Banshees) or plant a grenade in it (for Wraiths, Scorpions, or Mantises). Never try to stun and jack/destroy a Warthog with a gunner, as the gunner will still be able to shoot while the vehicle is stunned. After you jack a vehicle, be sure to boost away immediately so that the driver cannot re-jack you.

- If you are a weaker player, do not try rushing towards the tier 3 (power weapon) Map Ordinance Drops at the beginning of a game. In general, many players will rush towards this point at once, and you will most likely be killed before you can reach the drop.

- If you ever see a red laser pointing at you, this means that a player is aiming at you with either a Spartan Laser or a Binary Rifle. Both of these weapons can kill you with a single shot, so it is vital that you run for cover immediately. Jump around sporadically as you run to make yourself a harder target to hit.

- Always avoid walking into large open areas. You will be very exposed to enemies wielding long range weapons, and you will be unable to take cover quickly

Loadout Weapons (Headshot Rifles):

- When using headshot weapons other than the Light Rifle, try to avoid using the scope unless the enemy is very far away. Using the scope does not increase weapon accuracy, and it will block a large amount of your peripheral vision. This will make it easier for other players to sneak up on you.

- When using the Light Rifle, zoom in whenever possible. The Light Rifle deals more damage when you are zoomed in.

- When sniping with any headshot weapon, do not always engage an enemy as soon as you see them. Rather, wait until they run out into the open and away from any cover. As soon as you start shooting them, they will begin sprinting for cover, so it is vital that you can both remove their shields and kill them with a headshot before they can reach safety.

- When using a headshot weapon or a fully automatic weapon at close range, try jumping and moving sporadically to make yourself a harder target to hit. However, only do this if you can still hit your target consistently.

- When you first see an enemy up close, it may be your first reaction to throw a grenade at them. However, in the time it takes for you to throw the grenade, you can deal more damage by simply shooting the enemy. Therefore, your first reaction when you see an enemy should be to shoot them, and only use grenades to bounce around corners when you do not have a direct shot at them.

- At very close range, headshot weapons deal a lower damage per second than fully automatic assault weapons. Therefore, you will usually lose if you encounter an enemy with an assault weapon at close range. Always try to pick off the enemy before he can get close.

- If you have been hit by an enemy multiple times with a headshot weapon and they are still full health, do not try to engage them with your headshot weapon. Unless you get very lucky, you will undoubtedly lose. Rather, run for cover and engage them once your shields regenerate.

Ordinance:

- If you already have good weapons when you receive a Personal Ordinance Drop, consider choosing a power up. Power ups are even more effective when combined with powerful weapons. In particular, Damage Boost will make you nearly unstoppable when combined with a powerful weapon.

- Do not try to call in Ordinance when enemies are nearby and can see you. They may try to kill you and steal your Ordinance before you can grab it.

- Call in your Personal Ordinance Drops as soon as you can find a safe place to do so. If you wait to call in Ordinance, any points you score will not be counted towards your next drop.

- Consider using Speed Boost in combination with short ranged weapons like the Saw, Shotgun, or Scattershot. This will allow you to come within range of the enemy faster, so they will have less of a chance to pick you off from a distance.

- Both Damage Boost and Over Shields last for a very short period of time. Therefore, to benefit most from these power ups, play much more aggressively when you are using them. Try rushing into the enemy base or into the center of the action; although you may die, you should get quite a few kills before doing so.

Melee:

- You can melee much faster than usual when you have a pistol drawn.

- If you choose to melee the enemy, be sure to time your attack carefully. Wait until they have roughly 30% of their shields remaining, at which point you can kill them with a single attack.

- When you are in a close-quarters indoor area, you can use a Plasma Pistol and melee combination to quickly take down a single enemy. When you know that an enemy is approaching your position, begin charging your Plasma Pistol and wait behind a doorway or corner. As soon as the enemy steps through the doorway or corner, shoot him at point blank range with the Plasma Pistol and follow with a single melee attack. This tactic is especially effective because you melee faster with the Plasma Pistol drawn.

- You can perform a tactic similar to the one explained above with the Magnum as well. Wait behind a doorway or corner as an enemy approaches and melee them as soon as they step in front of you. This will fully remove their shields, allowing you to finish them off with a quick headshot. Once again, this is especially effective because you melee faster with the Magnum drawn.

Grenades:

- You can throw grenades much faster when you have a pistol drawn.

- Promethean Vision is especially useful when bouncing grenades, as it allows you to see where enemies are hiding behind cover and around corners.

- You may consider creating a grenadier class, in which you choose the perks that give you extra grenades and make your grenades deal more damage. You can then use this class in close quarters indoor maps, where grenades are the most useful. Be sure to use Promethean Vision with this loadout.

- Do not throw grenades when you have a clear shot at an enemy; this wastes precious time that you should spend shooting them. Rather, use Frag grenades to bounce around corners or cover if the enemy tries to take cover or run away.

- With a little practice, you will find that it is very easy to bounce frag grenades around obstructions. To do this, simply think of the frag as a bouncy ball, and throw it at the angle at which you would throw a bounce ball to reflect around a corner. Keep in mind that the grenade will roll slightly after landing.

- Frag grenades are the most effective in tight hallways, as they will not roll away from their target before detonating.

- Many player's first instinct is to run around a corner and hide when they are injured. However, if you can properly bounce a grenade around the corner, you can kill the player before their shields regenerate. If possible, make the grenade roll slightly past the player so that they will instinctively run back around the corner towards you, where you can then finish them with your weapon.

Ordinance Weapons:

- When using the Sniper Rifle or Beam Rifle, consider engaging enemies at medium or close range without zooming in. This way, using the weapon feels a lot like using a headshot weapon, and in my opinion, makes it a lot easier to use. Kill the enemy with either a headshot or two quick body shots. It is easier to do this with the Beam Rifle, as it retains near perfect accuracy when fired without zooming in (while the Sniper Rifle does not). You will get 20 points instead of 10 for every kill, even if you don't get a headshot.

- The Binary Rifle is one of the most powerful weapons in War Games, as it allows you to kill infantry with a single body shot. The Binary Rifle is very inaccurate when not zoomed in, so I suggest that you always zoom in. I also suggest that you only engage enemies from a distance, as it will be easier to hit them and they will have a harder time shooting you back. Notice that the Binary Rifle emits a red targeting laser at all times, so enemies will know when you are aiming at them. Therefore, you need to act fast and shoot them before they can run to cover.

- When using a rocket launcher (such as a Fuel Rod, Rocket Launcher, or Incinerator Cannon) against infantry, always shoot at the enemy's foot. All three of these weapons will deal enough collateral damage to kill a full-health player with an indirect hit. This way, they will not be able to dodge the missile, while if you fire directly at them, they may be able to dodge it. Furthermore, I suggest that you jump just before shooting to give the rocket a more downward angle towards the enemy's feet. This will make you less likely to miss.

- Although it is only a tier-2 weapon, the Rail Gun is an extremely effective weapon in War Games as it can kill an enemy in only one hit. As you charge it up, make sure that you are aiming at the enemy, as it will allow you to achieve a lock-on. That way, the projectile will home onto the enemy as you fire, making it nearly impossible to miss. When charging the Rail Gun, realize that it has a much shorter charge time than the Spartan Laser.

- Because the Spartan laser has very limited ammunition and takes a long time to charge, I suggest that you save it for destroying vehicles. The Spartan Laser emits a targeting laser as you charge it up, so your enemy will have plenty of warning before you fire. This makes it very difficult to use against infantry. On the other hand, due to its immense damage output, the Spartan Laser is great against vehicles, and can kill most in a single shot.

- When using short ranged weapons such as a Shotgun, Energy Sword, or Scatter Shot, take cover behind doorways and corners and wait to attack the enemies until the cross the doorway/corner. When combined with Promethean Vision or Active Camouflage, this technique can be even more effective.

- When using the Saw, notice that it has incredibly short range, and should be used similarly to a shotgun or melee weapon. Get as close as possible for maximum damage, and stay in close-quarters areas to avoid being picked off from a distance. The Saw is especially useful when combating multiple enemies at once surrounding an objective.

Minecraft (XBOX 360)

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last couple of years, I'm sure you've heard of the mega-successful title Minecraft. Just this past year there's been a marketing frenzy with all sorts of Minecraft toys, posters and T-shirts. Minecraft has now become a household name, similar to Pokemon and Skylanders, much to the dismay of plenty of confused parents. The experience has been pretty odd for the casual gamer as well, since Minecraft was first in an open beta for the PC and you could actually pay for the game while it was still in development. Finally, developer Mojang and creator Markus Perrson aka Notch released the fully finished game on the PC in November of 2011. The game was released to Xbox Live Arcade last summer and finally in June of 2013 it had a full retail disc.

What confuses people the most about Minecraft is what it is exactly, but just imagine a survival based LEGO type sandbox. You'll face off against monsters; utilize a deep and robust crafting system and most of all the have the ability to make any structure your heart desires... or that you have the time for. There have been plenty of times in my experience with the game (from way back in the beginning of 2011) that have left me in awe. I've seen a range from custom cities to famous landmarks like the St. Louis Arch or the Empire State Building. It's embarrassing to say but my friend and I even recreated the raid dungeon Karazhan from Blizzard's World of Warcraft (nerds!).

But before you start any of this you'll first want to learn the basics. Luckily, with the Xbox 360's version of the game they've included a very helpful and intuitive tutorial level before you start your own world. It will cover the basics of digging, growing, combat, structures and even the basics about lighting to ward off potential enemies of the night. If you've never played Minecraft, I highly recommend you start here. Heck, I found it helpful as a veteran of the PC version just because the controls on the Xbox 360 controller takes some time getting used to.

As you finally start the beginning of the game you'll find yourself stranded and very alone. It's literally a race against time to gather materials to build your first house and get situated before nightfall. Once the moon and the stars are out, you're in for a long night. Monsters such as Spiders, Skeletons and even Zombies come out to play and harass the player. This adds up to a very harrowing adventure as a player and more times than not can feel very rewarding as you set up your first home base.

This doesn't make you helpless though. You can craft weapons of various quality to combat the creatures. Take for instance a sword, you'll need to chop down wood from trees to craft a crafting table, then collect various supplies to either make a low quality wooden sword or a basic stone sword. The beauty of the game is that there are so many options and choices available to the player. Just don't expect the combat to be as refined as say Elder Scrolls: Skyrim.

As the title suggests, you can dig and mine various materials. In fact I would say this is where a majority of the beginning of the game will play out. The best crafting materials are often underground, such as the pivotal Diamond that is the Holy Grail of any Minecraft player. I will say that if you can't stand doing the same thing over and over again, this can be an uneventful part of the game. Though if you're lucky or steadfast you'll eventually uncover a rare crafting material or a lost cavern to explore.

That's what the great thing about Minecraft is: even the most mundane or boring parts of the game can lead to something extraordinary. With such a vast area to explore (though the Xbox 360's version of the game's map is indeed smaller, yet still gigantic) you're bound to find something to do. One of the best part of the Xbox 360's version of the game is the split-screen Multiplayer. You can have 4 people on one screen all at the same time. Sure, it might be hard to read certain text on the TV but it's still fun to have your friends over and share the experience with you, or heck, even online.

If you've played the game on the PC there's no real reason to pick it up on Xbox 360. The various things exclusive to the PC game do make it superior, such as free character skins and quicker updates but that's not to say the Xbox 360's version is a black sheep. It's highly rewarding and an incredibly different game than any you've played before. Again, if you've somehow avoided playing this game for this long get off the computer and immediately purchase this timepiece of a title.

Disney Infinity Brings Characters to Life!

Disney Interactive's upcoming Disney Infinity video game, a physical/game world split-reality platformer being developed by Avalanche Software for release in mid-August later this year, will offer players a unique Disney/Pixar spin on the concept of action figures using Near Field Communication (NFC) integrated within video games. Following the groundbreaking success of the Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure toys-and-game model, Disney Infinity will feature its beloved characters and exciting new ways to play and create.

Into Infinity

Each copy of Infinity comes with a three-pack of collectible physical toys, modeled after popular properties from the Disney/Pixar library. Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean, Mr. Incredible from The Incredibles, and Sully from Monsters Inc/University can be placed two at a time on the included "portal" board, which reads radio-frequency identification (RFID) in the figurines to bring them into the game.

Once the characters enter Play Set Mode on screen, only actual characters from the universe selected can interact with the story's game world. Sully, for example, can't enter Jack's Play Set. Every self-contained Play Set is unique to its source, and the gameplay draws from elements familiar to fans, such as the world of crime-fighting superheroes for Incredibles characters or pirate ships for Captain Sparrow to pillage.

Toy Box mode, on the other hand, is a wild free-for-all where any of the available characters and unlockable elements (trains, space ships, race cars) can interact in one space and create appropriate mayhem. Players can also customize their in-game world using "power discs", stackable chips that can alter the environment, add vehicles to the game, or boost character stats for an upcoming battle. In addition, players can even mod the game world using their own imagination and the creative tools available. Game rules and levels will be easy to customize, with players actually able to program how the saved game mode plays.

And Beyond

The highly collectible nature and cross-branded accessibility of the game extends to player-created levels published by Disney Interactive, which will be available across every gaming platform, even if created on one different from the end user. The game's name even hints at the future possibilities for what the publisher sees as a new content-delivery platform - with no end in sight to the massive popularity of the Disney/Pixar franchises, and more inbound, Infinity could live up to its name with new releases for the indefinite future.

Jason Forthofer is the owner of Disney Movies List which is a guide for Disney films and video games with a focus on Disney Infinity characters.

Killzone Mercenary: Beta Impressions

Everybody has a game or series that they just don't quite "get", something they have difficulty deciphering just what the fuss is all about. For me one of those franchises is the PlayStation exclusive first person shooter Killzone and, it seems I'm not alone in that view. I've always admired its universe, packed with striking World War 2 similarities and the powerful representation of a corrupt evil dictatorship lording over a civilization populated entirely by series antagonists the terrifying Helghast adorned in their instantly recognisable orange eyed uniforms. Regardless of my passion for the world developers Guerrilla Games had built the heavy trudging gameplay and somewhat stiff shooting mechanics failed to keep me invested for anything more than passing encounters with the series.

With that in mind it's unusual that like many PlayStation Vita owners I find myself eagerly anticipating the latest series entry Killzone: Mercenary. For the first time players will be able to take a full Killzone first person shooter experience on the go complete with a full deep competitive online mode. Killzone isn't the first FPS to come to Vita, the Sony owned Resistance series and Activision's colossal Call of Duty were both previously been released onto the hardware back in 2012 to a tepid response from fans and critics alike; both developed by the same company - Nihilistic Software. Owners of the powerhouse portable are hoping that it's Guerrilla Cambridge's first go at Killzone that will prove to be Vita's FPS saviour and buck the genres trend of disappointment on the portable. Sony seems confident in the game as PlayStation Plus subscribers were treated to an open beta of the online multiplayer earlier last week which I've spent some time with.

Allow me to start my impressions by saying how amazed I am that the 4v4 rounds run incredibly smoothly with little to no lag issues, through my time playing I've never seen a player disconnect once in play. The highest praise which I can impart upon Killzone Mercenary is how perfectly it emulates Killzone 3's gameplay; the engine has been ported to the Vita so sublimely it replicates the previous PS3 instalment to such a degree it's like playing a console quality game in the palm of your hand. Even with my qualms over previous entries gameplay I thoroughly enjoyed every round I played. Without a shadow of doubt if the beta is any indication Killzone could very easily be the FPS Vita has been waiting for.

Killzone Mercenary bears a stronger visual and gameplay resemblance to its predecessors than it does to upcoming PS4 launch title Killzone: Shadowfall. Locations accessible by players in the beta are awash with the series traditional war torn brown and grey palette. The controls are much tighter than expected considering the jump to a handheld; there's a slight adjustment period but players should acclimatise fairly quickly after which both aiming and movement feel responsive and precise. Mercenary controls undoubtedly and surprisingly better than any previous portable FPS thanks to the Vita's twin thumb sticks and happily feels as comfortable as playing on a home console like the PS3. Touch screen functionality is present but thankfully uninvasive - most touch inputs are also mapped to a button press allowing players to choose which they prefer. Only the intuitive knife kill inputs require swiping the touch screen, missing these touch QTE's allows enemies to counter or escape the attack adding extra level of skill to proceedings, whether this will simply become an annoyance however remains to be seen.

As previously stated all beta activity is restricted to one map named Shoreline that draws heavy inspiration from locales of Killzone past, it hasn't yet been announced how many maps will feature in the full retail release. Shoreline is well constructed with blend of sub terrain tunnels, open plan arenas and some strategic high ground for snipers - perfect for the 4v4 matches the multiplayer revolves around. Once the released the game will feature three competitive online modes: Mercenary Warfare, Guerrilla Warfare and Warzone - Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Objectives respectively. For the purpose of beta players are restricted to Warzone only. Within Warzone the two rival factions, ISA and Helghast, face off against one another attempting to fulfil alternating objectives before their rivals in order to score points.

Warzone matches consist of five rounds featuring four different types of alternating objective. The round kicks off with the first of the five objectives named bounty. In bounty players must face off against each other like a traditional deathmatch, though unlike a traditional deathmach players must also collect the bounty card rivals drop upon their defeat, meaning that sniping won't do much good unless you can swoop in to collect the reward. In addition to collecting defeated foes bounty card if team mates are quick enough they jump to the rescue and save a deceased ally's card before the opposing forces claim the kill. The objective is quick paced and engaging, it sets up the rest of the match perfectly guiding players to work as a team to ensure the successful collection of cards.

Next up on the playlist is hacker, this objective type pops up in list twice as both the second and fourth rounds. In this mode VAN-guard capsules are dropped onto the map, within these capsules are special temporary power ups, players who hack them are randomly assigned a boon, which include but aren't limited to air-to-surface missiles, a personal stealth generator and an arc launcher that zaps foes in close proximity into submission. Claiming the booty within these capsules takes a good amount of teamwork as hacking one requires the hacker to take part in a mini game of matching symbols, whilst doing so they become vulnerable to fire becoming reliant on allies to cover them. The mini game is simple enough to be an intuitive twist on the usual opening animation and timer without becoming a nuisance; additionally rewards skilled players who will be able to claim the prizes with more ease.

Smack in the middle at round three is interrogation. The goal in interrogation is to sneak up on rivals and dispatch them using Mercenary's violent knife attacks. These strikes use the previously mentioned touch screen QTE's making killing a group of foes in quick succession impossible, instead they need to be isolated; picked off one at a time. The round makes for an exciting diversion from the wonderful gun play forcing combatants to switch up tactics to get the drop on foes. This is the lowest scoring round in the stack of challenges as in many games I played combatants continued to simply shoot each other rather than attempting to interrogate with knife kills making point scoring difficult.

After a fourth round consisting of another go at hacker players are treated to a more traditional closing round - body count. With body count the teams are pitted against each other within normal team death match rules, points are awarded to each side whenever a rival combatant is slain by an ally. The mode doesn't take much more describing than that and is a delightful way to close the mayhem. Since most players seem to play this way 90% of the time it's where the points are made up and losing teams can make miraculous come backs. Overall the Warzone mode is a good laugh and strong indicator of the strength of Killzones gameplay. The final round body count simply makes me excited to play a standard team deathmatch.

Like most online shooting titles every "positive" action awards players with experience, actions like: kills, head shots, picking up ammo and completing objectives etc. Experience in Killzone also doubles as credits, the in game currency used to buy new weapons, armour and items that help tailor your character to your preferred play style. When the game launches actions from the single player will also allow the collection of credits adding a cross mode value to the currency giving player a choice of how they earn. Online the credit approach is a friendly system that allows players to advance along the paths they desire rather than a pre-determined system that locks players out of upgrades depending on their level. Speaking of which.

Although players are assigned ranks and levels in a traditional sense Killzone also features an additional indicator of skill. Remember the bounty cards that need to be collected in the first round of the Warzone? Well these are tailored to represent players skill level combined with their play style. Each card is represented by a card from a traditional deck, players earn a rank from 2 to Ace depending on how much money they earned the previous day, the more credits earned the higher the representation. The suit is awarded depending on which weapons players scored the most kills with the previous day. Collecting the cards earns players awards and gives them incentive to kill as many types of players to collect their cards as possible. Additionally the card is a better indicator of current skill than a level.

In the end the small slice on offer in Killzone Mercenary's beta exudes hope for the title, the fact Sony allowed the game to go to open beta a few weeks before launch should be a strong indicator that they feel confident; with good reason. What's available to play is a well-polished tightly controlled engrossing multiplayer experience littered with a good variety of exciting game modes. The unique bounty card system feels right at home on a portable system where players may not get a chance to play every single day. I wasn't a Killzone fan going to to Mercenary but it's slick fun gameplay won me over now I'm eagerly awaiting the release. Open Beta is now available for all Vita owners who want to check it out. Check back soon for a full review.

Free To Play: Fad Or Future?

There's only one move left, hastily skimming the field I discover there is no path to victory on the board - painfully then with a singular swipe across the screen I take the final step towards the inescapable loss of my final life. As the input is complete the newly aligned brightly coloured trio of candy exuberantly bursts against the backdrop of defeat as the stage expectedly fails to clear - immediately a window splays itself across my phones display. Chirpily full of itself the box informs me for a small price I can buy a few more lives and have another go; alternately I can gloomily spend 20 minutes moping whilst I wait for them to replenish themselves. If you haven't guessed yet I'm of course referencing the mobile free to play phenomena, Bejewelled inspired, Candy Crush Saga.

Even a short few years ago the idea of downloading a game like Candy Crush for completely free was a mostly unheard of practice. Today a plethora of titles particularly Massively Multiplayer Online games and those released on to mobile platforms offer themselves up for free electing to sell players optional extra's later via micro transactions - a sort of extended demo, the so called Freemium pay model. Freemium's growing usage is thanks in no small part to the rise in popularity of social networks like Facebook and smartphone platforms where they thrive. Even monolithic publishers like EA have begun experimenting with free to play mechanics applying them into home console releases; recent titles including Dead Space 3 and Mass Effect 3 have included optional micro transactions. Despite its success the movement has found itself the victim of harsh critical backlash from traditional gamers, the group that is least partial to straying from traditional onetime payment models.

To understand the success of free to play models and their current upward trajectory you must first realise that gamers; therefore the market, are split primarily into two very distinct audiences - the so called core and casual. The core are traditional gamers, typically opting for devoted gaming hardware like PC's and consoles as their preferred platforms; they rarely have more than a fleeting interest in either MMO or mobile. Regularly buying numerous games a year ranging from blockbusters to smaller indie titles they are the market whom publishers traditionally target. On the other hand are the casual, they're pretty much everyone else, those who don't devote tens of hours to exploring Skyrim. They primarily game on devices they own for other purposes, like smartphones, tablets or Facebook. This audience rarely buys devoted gaming machines unless they can offer something unique - like Wii's motion control, PS2's DVD player or Xbox360's Kinect. The two groups are polarised on almost every front: including free to play.

Free to play's rise in prominence is easily attributed to the increasing number of casual gamers - the relation is distinct. Years ago there was no casual audience, gaming was something only the enthusiastic core did - no one's mom bought a NES (*ahem* apart from mine). The advent of the internet and mobile phones changed that, suddenly games were accessible; anyone could play them as a mere side effect of owning another device. Even the ancient, by today standards, Nokia phones foretold this eventuality, after all who didn't play snake? Later still Facebook started offering up games, in unprecedented volumes people who'd never bought a console in their lives started playing Bejewelled against their friends online. What did these games have in common? They were all free as part of a device bought for other reasons.

They were free for an obvious reason too, because they had to be. Think about it, imagine trying to sell the average person a £40/ $60 retail game on top of a devoted video game console, it's a hard sell- yet, for core gamers that's fine. Now imagine they've already bought a smartphone for another purpose, following the traditional model selling them Candy Crush for £10/$15 would still be very hard. You could perhaps get them to buy it if you utilized a Trojan horse, say like offering it for free. Trojan horse tactics are powerful tools, just look at Nintendo Wii. Initially Nintendo targeted the core who showed the system to their casual friends and family, effectively allowing them to demo the Wii's capabilities for free. Afterwards if they wanted it they could buy it, which they did in millions. Nintendo effectively Trojan horsed their way into casual's lives selling them something they didn't know they wanted until they played it. Sound familiar? It should, free to play utilizes that same tactic, put it in their hands for free; they'll pay later.

Sadly Wii was doomed to the life of a fad, despite it's incredible hardware sales software sales began to slouch as disillusioned core gamers departed from the system and the casual failed to move a significant amount of software in their stead. Another similar story and, more relevant to the free to play experiences of today is that of one time immensely popular Facebook game Farmville. Farmville as you probably know was a farming simulator. Players grew their crops and harvested them on a real time clock. The game could be played 100% for free but players who didn't pay would start finding themselves at a disadvantage as their friends who did pony up cash farms expanded much quicker - exemplifying the worrying "pay to win" problem whereby those who pay are tactically better off resulting in free players being treat as second class citizens. Over the course of a year vast numbers paid for micro transactions earning billions for publisher Zynga - like Wii though the fad burnt out as quick as it lit and Farmville is largely forgotten.

Farmville pioneered the freemium model that is now widely used and, like all fads it raked in a phenomenal amount of money during its brief time in the spot light. Now that everyone owns a smartphone, iPad, tablet, android or has a Facebook account, getting an audience to pick up a free to play game is easier than ever and therefore the chances of being lucrative are increased. Saying free to play fads only last for finite amount of time is something of a null argument anyway. Traditional full retail games have a shelf life as well - a less prolonged one too, whereby on average approximately 80% of a games sales is done in the first week. Both free to play and the traditional onetime payment methods can only be sustained for so long - each just works better on one audience.

Unfortunately we live in a world where people need to be paid; games aren't made out of the kindness in developer's hearts. It's integral that both they and their publishers make back their investment and turn a profit so they can carry on producing the games we love. The decision to release a title using a freemium model or including micro transactions is a business one and when targeting a casual audience it's a wise choice. If only one in ten players pay the bite size amounts for optional content then you'll still be turning a profit thanks to the astronomical size of the market - in theory that's very appealing. Everybody wins right? Free games for players more money for the publishers. However, whilst entirely possible to complete a game like Candy Crush without ever spending a penny it's incredibly hard and time consuming to achieve.

It's not traditionally difficult mind, no rather free games tend to set up pay walls that players need to pay to overcome. In Candy Crush's case it limits the number of lives players have, after a couple of failures - a relatively small period of time - they're presented with a choice: buy some boosters or more lives for a small price or wait it out twenty minutes for them to replenish. To that end the game sells time and convince but, logically to sell convenience one must first accept inconvenience is a core pillar of gameplay design. How can you save the player time without first wasting it? The game appears to actively step in your way forcing you to break down and spend money. It's not irregular either in free games for it cost more to buy all the content than it would to purchase a one payment comparative retail version.

For casual gamers who'd never pay for a full game that's fine. For the core though this is a bit concerning, generally intelligent and notoriously difficult to trick they click on rather quickly realising the game is simply trying to make more money in small instalments than it could in one big lump up front. At best that's a deal breaker, like many core gamers feeling on Plants Vs Zombies 2, at worst it's an insult. Mostly the core would simply rather buy the game upfront never hitting pay walls or paying as they go, core games are a form of escapism; who wants to escape to a world where they have to think about real life money?

Free to play is a deceptively tricky beast though; although it can be done terribly it can also be done positively in a way the core can support. Planetside 2 is a great example a massively multiplayer PC FPS that puts players at no disadvantages for playing for free choosing to sell customisation options. Sure they're other options available but none feel like they're trying to steal money from you, rather they sell permanent content at a fair price. Valve's Team Fortress 2 is another example of free to play done right, once a full retail game it can now be played for free and players pay for customisation options - nothing more.

I started this article asking is free to play a fad or the future. The truth is it's a combination of both. During the time that publishers have tinkered with the model it has become crystal clear that whilst it benefits the casual audience it's less friendly to the savvy core that are more than aware of its Trojan horse ways and actively oppose the model. Regardless of the core's feelings free to play is a lucrative payment model that is inevitably part of the future - in fact I'd wager it will become the primary mechanism for making money on smartphones, tablet PC's and social networks - home of the casual - in a the very close future. Even with some good examples of free to play systems in core games it seems like it'll be a while longer before they'll be a force within the core market - as long as it takes for the core to get routinely good deals. Ultimately the core's uncanny ability to avoid being ripped off means they shouldn't feel threatened by free to play's success in the casual market affecting them. So is free to play the future? Casually, definitely. For the core? Expect to see free to play and traditional titles co-exist in the future, just not today.

Zelda As a Protagonist

I happened across an interesting article from Nintendo Enthusiast detailing a theoretical idea for a Legend of Zelda title; one where Zelda is the protagonist and player-controlled character rather than Link. The author was curious as to why it had not been done before, and was asking if Zelda was just an incapable character for leading a title of her own.

It isn't that Zelda is an incapable character on her own, far from it. Zelda's alter ego, Sheik, could definitely make for a rousing and interesting adventure. Even the princess herself is capable and has some interesting tricks up her sleeve, and of course as a member of royalty (supposedly) plays an important part in the politics and major events of the game world.

The problem is that this is a major Nintendo title.

People go to Nintendo the same way a child continues going to their grandparents house; for the sense of nostalgia and a place of loving stability away from the chaotic, noisy, and constantly changing world outside. It is a sort of slight reprieve from the "adult" world and allows for one to just kick back, relax and let grandma and grandpa tell their stories.

Imagine going to your grandparent's home one evening for a visit only to find out that grandpa got a sex change, and that grandma is hosting dog fights in the basement?

What? Don't look at me that way, it's original, isn't it?

Terrible analogies aside, this is a large part of Nintendo's appeal. People always know what to expect with Nintendo, and they go to them for that. If you want good old fashioned platforming, colors, some Mario, Zelda or Pokemon action, you go to Nintendo, who could be said to be the last big gaming company to be delivering a wholesomely unique "feel" and experience with their console.

Even worse is the fact that some of the best ideas that people can seem to come up with for such a game is at best a mild role-reversal between two or more of the main characters and at worst a mere fan-fiction-esque gender swap. No one wants to pay and play a $60 big budget title with nothing more than fan-fiction allure going for it. Unless it's a Super Smash Bros. title, in which case it's somewhat understandable.

They say that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Many people misconstrue this idiom as meaning something along the lines of "you can't try new things" or "old dogs suck, adopt a puppy." This isn't the real meaning behind it though. What it is actually saying is that after doing something the same way for so long, it becomes difficult to do something truly new or different with it.

Part of the problem with any of Nintendo's main titles is that they have been doing nearly the same things for so long, and have such a strong and cemented foundation in both their execution and what their fans think of their games. Because of this, any attempts to do something new or creative with these old IP's risks becoming or seeming like an obvious parody. This may have been part of what caused the overall (at least in comparison to Nintendo's other Zelda titles) poor reception of Wind Waker. The pirates and sailing and talking boat, Zelda turning into a rough and tough runaway and the cell-shaded style, it all gave off a vibe of parody, or at least a sense that it can't be taken as seriously as the other games in the franchise.

This is a shame because The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker is probably my personal favorite title in the series so far.

Perhaps a better way to approach this would be to, as many, many, MANY people have been clamoring for, go for a more mature angle. A game featuring Zelda as the lead should primarily only have Zelda/Sheik as the playable characters, in order to maintain a consistent narrative similar to previous titles. It would also work best by utilizing both aspects of her persona; both the regal and politically involved Zelda, and the nimble and combat based Sheik.

Another good idea might be to go for a sort of day/night mechanic, with the overall gameplay split into two conjoining segments:

During the day (a.k.a. working hours) you would play as Zelda, ruling over the kingdom, partaking in political intrigue, exploring the castle and town to chat with various citizens, and basically governing your empire. This would be where most of the world building and characterization comes into play, news of current events plays out, etc. etc. Here you could talk to Link from time to time, or try to, considering he;s a mute. Actually instead you could just give Link orders and hope for the best, like everyone else does.

During the night (a.k.a. clubbing hours) you would play as Sheik, taking part in faster paced combat and even stealth sections. Here the player would be more free to explore the world's more dangerous and exciting sections, fighting enemies or sneaking past them. This would be the more investigative aspect of the game and involve perhaps the more dangerous and significant parts of the story and development. Perhaps you could even assist Link in his ventures, with what methods you use to help him actually affecting his progress and even the story's progression.

Again, these are just a few ideas that I believe would help make a serious game of this type work. Feel free to leave your own thoughts.

GTA V

So, GTA V has recently been released, I plan on purchasing it for my PS3.