Delta Force 2 mission walkthru [20:25:40 EST] by - Rush
The folks over at Tactical Planet have popped up the latest installment of their Delta Force 2 walkthru, this time covering the mission Blind Side in the first campaign. 

New Codename: Eagle shots [20:16:37 EST] by - Rush
Haven't posted one of these in quite awhile, but there are some new screenshots of Codename: Eagle over at GA-Source. This game looks similar to IllusionSoft's Hidden & Dangerous..

Rainbow Six game FAQ [20:10:09 EST] by - Rush
GameFAQs has put up a Rainbow Six Character and Equipment guide.. Very in-depth guide for those still playing R6.

Y2K poem [19:41:38 EST] by - Rush
Here's a little Y2K poem for ya.

’Twas the week after Christmas and all through the house, 
Not one PC was working not even a mouse. 
I turned on the power but nothing was working, 
I grab the computer and start banging and jerking. 
I laid out three grand for this big piece of junk, 
On January 1st, the darn thing went “kerplunk”! 
When I threw it out the window, it made such a clatter, 
My neighbor just called to see what’s the matter. 
I turned on the TV, the cable is down, 
My microwave oven is making weird sounds. 
My new VCR is as dead as a rock, 
Not one light is blinking, not even the clock. 
It’s twenty below, the peak of snow season, 
The furnace won’t work, the pipes are all freezing,
This couldn’t have happened at a worse time, 
I think I have frostbite on my behind! 
I laughed for a second and thought it all funny,

Then a call from my bank in regards to my money. 
“We managed your pension and savings with care, 
But for some odd reason, your money’s not there. 
We were Y2K ready, we’d thought we’d be heroes, 
But regret to inform you your balance is.. zero”! 
I drop the receiver, to the bathroom I rush, 
I push down the handle, the toilet won’t flush! 
I turned on the faucet, not one drop hits the sink, 
I head out the door to the pub for a drink. 
I jump in the car, turn the key in the switch, 
It only goes “click” I scream, ”son of a b-ch!” 
A computerized ignition has just sealed my fate, 
Not set up for the “2000” date. 
I twitch like a madman this cannot be true, 
No car, heat, or money what the heck can I do.
Shouting obscenities as I ran out of sight, 
Happy Y2K to all, it’s been one heck of a night!

Have a safe and happy New Year's Eve!

Anyway, the gang over at Snipers Alley have put up a real quickie review of NovaLogic's Delta Force 2, giving it an 8 out of 10. Nothing to snip, so head on over to check it out. Thanks to SuppressiveFire for the news.

SWAT3 review [19:14:19 EST] by - Rush
I saw over on VoodooExtreme that GibWorld has posted a review of Sierra's SWAT3: CQB, giving it a 86%. Here's how they sum it up:

All in all, Swat 3 is a tense action game with considerably more depth than other games in the tactical genre. Its mix of AI and detailed maps creates an atmosphere that I have not experienced for a very long time. If it had multiplayer from the box I would have ranked it higher, but at the moment it is simply a brilliant single player game that will eventually become tired. I hope Sierra honor their promise and give this game multiplayer functionality, so that it can take its rightful place next to Rogue Spear.

Good review and cool screensnaps.. Check it out.  

With all the 'free time' I've had during this holiday, I've been replaying the SWAT3 and Rogue Spear demos.. While neither is my 'type' of game really, (I go for the outdoor, non-CQB stuff more, ie. Spec Ops, DF, and H&D), I'd have to say I like RS a tad better.. I think its cuz SWAT3 is just a bit too procedural, with having to handcuff guys, and keep reporting in to HQ and such. I may just see about picking up RS now.. Now all I gotta do is learn all the damn keyboard commands for RS..

Hope ya got all the tactical shooters that were on your Xmas list! 

'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF
PLASTER AND STONE.

I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.

NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT
CAME THROUGH MY MIND.

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.

THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED
A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.

WAS THIS THE HERO
OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,
THE FLOOR FOR A BED?

I REALIZED THE FAMILIES
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE
A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

I COULDN'T HELP WONDER
HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.

THE VERY THOUGHT
BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
AND STARTED TO CRY.

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED
AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
"SANTA DON'T CRY,
THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;

I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD,
MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS." 

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER
AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,
I CONTINUED TO WEEP.

I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE
ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR
SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA,
IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."

ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,
AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND,
AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."

The 2 verses in bold are my favorite.. def great stuff.

SWAT3 review #413 and counting... [02:24:26 EST] by - Rush
While over at SuppressiveFire, checking out their cool holiday snow effect, I noticed that GoneGold has put up a review of Sierra's SWAT3 as well. They give this bad boy a solid 90. Here's a snip on the different play styles you can go at:

Next comes the on-site briefing. If you've never stood around a big black van in the middle of the night, adrenaline pumping through your veins, you've missed out on one of life's more exhilarative pleasures. After the briefing, you choose your point of entry into the structure as well as make the decision to go 'stealth', or 'dynamic'. This is a big decision, and not one to be taken lightly. Do you sneak in slowly and cautiously, or blow open every door, and throw flashbangs, in an attempt to take your suspects by surprise? It's up to you.

Another good review for SWAT3.. Check it out!™

SWAT3 review #412 [02:05:48 EST] by - Rush
Johnny B. from GA-Strategy let me know that they've put up their review of SWAT3: CQB, giving it a mighty 97% overall. Here's a snip from the intro to whet your appetite:

"Go, Go, Go! Any day guys" - The familiar sound of a SWAT team breaking and entering a crime scene. A scary thought, to say the least. Take your rifle, knock down the door, and proceed to neutralize anything that stands in your way of completing the mission. The way of life for a SWAT agent as we know it, and now the way of life for any hardcore gamer who loves tactical shooters, as Sierra has brought to our computers the next best thing to a SWAT experience: SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle. With jaw-dropping graphics, stellar sound effects, and superb gameplay, this game is one of the best of its kind.

Very in-depth review. Do check it out.

Off Topic: Lands of Lore 2 [01:59:11 EST] by - Rush
Ok, I know this is way way off topic, but has anyone ever played Lands of Lore 2: Guardians of Destiny? I'm sorta on a kick to finish up all the games I have installed, but half-played.. I've had LoL2 installed for awhile now, but never finished it. But no matter what I do, I can't beat the last level. I've gotten a few walkthru's off the 'net, and even in following them to the letter I can't seem to beat the last boss. Two of the walkthru's said something along the lines of "after an easy fight..." but I've tried for like 3 hours straight (and what must have been 45+ tries!) to beat the sucker but to no avail! (Which is why I stopped playing it in the first place!)

So, if anyone has any old save games from it, or knows of any cheats or trainers, please let me know!!! (I already tried the one from Avault, but it doesn't work with my version..)  Thanks!

The motions and AI of your fellow officers are fantastic. They are very fluid and incredibly life like. Sierra Studios really surprised me with this little touch. If an officer or suspect is hit, he'll show the injury. They will limp about and, fairly often, the suspects will even surrender if they know they will lose. The cunning computer can kill you any day, but instead will sometimes opt to surrender if you call out to him. If you want to capture a suspect alive, you can arm your officers with beanbag bullets. It's a non-lethal alternative, but be warned -- if the suspect is crazed, bean bags will have no effect and lethal force will have to be sanctioned.

Delta Force 2 patch info [15:35:37 EST] by - Rush
Here's what's new in the DF2 1.04.14 update:

New Voice-Over-Net Feature
We’re excited to introduce hands-free Voice Activation (VOX) to Delta Force 2. You can enable VOX in the VON settings menu screen. Now your mike is always live and the push-to-talk key is push-to-mute.

Kill Count Fix
We’ve fixed a counter-rollover problem on the kill count. The counter no longer rolls over after 255 kills.

New Network Code
We’ve worked on the network code to get rid of problems caused by lost or late packets.

Screen Resolution
We have removed 1024 x 768 resolution from the menu selection, but this option is still available for Power Users via the config file.

Proxy Server Support
We now have limited Proxy Server support. If you’re running with a proxy server to the internet, all of your computers should be able to play on NovaWorld. You can even host behind a proxy server. But at this time, your additional computers cannot join a host that is behind the same proxy server.

Good list of fixes... Maybe one day they'll get those fixed gun emplacements working!!? 

Delta Force 2 patch [00:01:31 EST] by - Rush
BluesNews has the latest word on the Delta Force 2 patch just released, so here's the blatant rip:

The latest Delta Force 2 patch is available through the auto-update feature in the game, or via direct downloads here and here (4.4 MB). This brings the version number to 1.04.14 (thanks DF2-Base.de for this bit), and the changes include additional Voice-Over-Net features and "some animatics for the fixed gun emplacements, however you still cannot use the emplacements" (thanks Maagic for that one). This accounts for the patch being about 1 MB larger than the previous version.

The other complaint that I have is that the enemy AI is pretty weak and sporadic. There were times that I would kill one guy on peripheral guard duty and the entire base would wake up and be on alert for me, but other times I could shoot a guy standing next to 3 others and they wouldn't react when their buddy went down in a spray of blood. Maybe they owed him money of something.

The biggest stretch of unreality that is pervasive during the game (or it might be some super-secret delta force toy) is that you can see every enemy on the mini-map at all times, as long as one of your team can see them.

Great review, and one that I agree with all the way. Give it a look!

SWAT3 review [22:51:39 EST] by - Rush
GamesFirst has put up a review of Sierra's SWAT3: CQB. Here's a bit on the great in-game audio:

There is nothing like the sound of a highly trained SWAT unit breaking down a door, bursting into the unknown to take out the terrorists and save the hostages. All of this and more is brought to life in the game. The gunfire is very realistic, as is the fact that all of your orders to your team are voiced over the radio, as are their responses. This helps to draw you deep into the game world. Your control is not limited to your team, however; you can also communicate with the outside. You can radio for a team to come in and evacuate a hostage, take away a “perp”, or call for an “evac” team to pull out the members of your team that were gunned down by the bad guys. In fact, just about everyone in the game talks to you, including terrorists, hostages, and other police.

Good read, check it out.

Spec Ops 2 review [22:33:17 EST] by - Rush
I seem to have missed this before, but while at GameProWorld, I noticed they had a review up of Zombie's Spec Ops 2. Here's a snip off the top, so you know what to expect:

Zombie VR Studios started the tactical shooter craze with Spec Ops. Since then, a slew of competitors have run with the genre. So when development for Spec Ops II began, Zombie should have taken a hard look at the competition. While SO2 is significantly better than its predecessor, it doesn't hold a candle to Rogue Spear or Delta Force 2.

At least they got it right that SO1 started the genre...

Tactical Shooters article [22:26:58 EST] by - Rush
I noticed over at SuppressiveFire that GameProWorld has put up an article called Tactical Shooters: The Second Generation, which is basically a comparison of Delta Force2, Rogue Spear, Spec Ops 2, and SWAT3. Here's how they start it off:

The tactical shooter (as distinct from the standard first-person shooter) usually involves a team of commandos operating in real-world situations. They tend toward the "one shot, one kill" model. They usually don't have power-ups or energy shields and rocket jumping just don't exist. Tactical shooters are about finesse, teamwork and keeping a cool head.

Such a straight-up comparison of these games is kinda pointless tho, as each game is really pretty different from the others, and excels in different areas.

Spec Ops contest WINNERS [22:09:22 EST] by - Rush
...and the winners of the SpecForce Spec Ops Contest are:

Grand Prize: Spec Ops 2: U.S. Green Berets -- Brett Cole
Second Prize: Spec Ops: Ranger Gold -- Andres Cuervo

Congratulations to you both, and thanks to everyone that participated! Winners: Please send me e-mail ASAP to confirm your address!

Spec Ops contest [19:38:22 EST] by - Rush
The winners for the Spec Ops contest will be announced later tonight.. Stay tuned!

Spec Ops 2 and Voodoo cards [16:29:30 EST] by - Rush
AndOne from SuppressiveFire has posted a way to get higher screen res on Voodoo cards using the newest 3dfx drivers. Head on over for the info. 

(Just as an aside, I'm pretty glad I got away from the 3dfx chipset.. I have none of these problems. I'm getting real close to buying a GeForce soon, so maybe even DF2 will play smoothly. :) I just upped my memory to 256MB, so I should be all set!)

Spec Ops 2 review [16:00:01 EST] by - Rush
CGO has put up a review of Zombie's Spec Ops 2. Here's a snip on the snazzy new features:

There is quite a bit of attention to detail—blood in the snow with footprints, the simulation of how far you can twist your torso free-looking before your aiming view is jarred as you re-adjust your body appropriately. You have a slightly lower firing field when pressing your eye to the scope of a sniper-capable rifle, and the game models the problematic mechanics of firing on the move. You lose any leftover bullets in a clip when you reload (a nice touch of realism). Combined with the effective experience model and the soldier controls, this game is almost exactly what Spec Ops fans have been waiting for.

Good, honest review, but they gave it only 2 and a half stars out of 5. :(

In reality, what Devil's Bridge offers is a lot more of the same great realistic gameplay and innovative mission design found in the original, and it includes a lot of improvements and expands the product's best qualities. Those who didn't care for Hidden & Dangerous should reinvestigate, and for those who found Hidden & Dangerous to be the best the tactical combat genre has to offer, Devil's Bridge looks to be as close to ecstasy as a gamer can find. What I've learned from playing with the add-on so far is that never have I been more convinced that this is currently the best product in the gaming industry. I am hoping that they somehow implement another level of easier difficulty to the U.S. release so initiates won't be put off by the steep learning curve, and they should concentrate on adding in a training campaign, since Hidden & Dangerous is vastly different from its competition. But even without those things, I'm confident Devil's Bridge will satisfy completely.

Looking good... Should be released the last week in January 2000.

SWAT3:CQB review [00:50:12 EST] by - Rush
GameSpot has put up a review of Sierra's SWAT3: Close Quarters Battle, giving it an 8.3 out of 10. Here's a clip on the game's great AI:

But SWAT 3's most impressive feature has to be the amazing artificial intelligence employed by friend and foe alike. The terrorists in the game are a formidable bunch who react to all manner of situations. Some will come running at the sound of gunfire, while others will go look for help. Others will investigate blood spots on the floor or opened doors - but each acts differently from the rest. The same goes for your squadmates, who act according to their uniquely predefined personality setting. Some will rush headlong into danger, while others will proceed with caution. And regardless of their style or orders, the computer-controlled troopers in SWAT 3 are easily the best and most effective teammates you could ever hope to have on your side. They carry out your orders efficiently and oftentimes better than you could. You'll still see the occasional logjam on stairways in this game, but nothing that halts gameplay for very long and certainly no mission-ending catastrophes caused by bad pathfinding.

Def a good read. Check it out.

After we run 20-40 anti-armor infantry soldiers through 2 weeks of training we give them an opportunity to get live fire familiarization with the M2 50 caliber machine gun, Mk-19 automatic grenade launcher and the TOW missile weapon system.

Check it out! I guess these guys live Spec Ops!

Counter-Strike beta 5 [22:00:21 EST] by - Rush
I did see this tidbit of news over at EvilAvatar, on the upcoming Half-Life mod, Counter-Strike. Here's the rip:

I actually own Half-Life (got it as a gift), so maybe I'll re-install it and check out this mod when its released, which should be Jan 2000.

Slow site = Rush is B U S Y [21:54:20 EST] by - Rush
I haven't had much time at all in the past few days to update the site, let alone even touch a computer!! We've been doing a bit of holiday partying (friends, family, work, etc.), and when not doing that, I've been pretty much working non-stop. (Getting the big bucks, yeah! )   News has been a bit slow anyway, which is a good thing. :)

Spec Ops contest [21:42:50 EST] by - Rush
Just a reminder: Today is the last day to enter the Spec Ops contest! Winners will be chosen on Monday.

Each SWAT mission begins with an informative pre-assault briefing detailing the elements of the crime scene. An operative voice from SWAT discloses crime information, events, locations and deadlines among other imperative information helpfully to you. During gameplay, voices from mission headquarters send clues-"armed suspect has stepped onto the balcony," notifying you the whereabouts of shady individuals providing a nice realistic touch. Use them to plan your entry and takeover strategies.

SWAT 3 is basically a first-person shooter with 16 missions that can be played individually or as a campaign. The placement of characters and mission objectives is randomized each time you play, so for a game with "only" 16 missions, there's considerable replay value. In the campaign, the missions gradually reveal an insidious terrorist plot in Los Angeles. The briefings before each mission are a compelling form of storytelling. Red Storm's Rainbow Six games tried to do something similar, but their stories were embedded in chunks of tedious text. In SWAT 3, the story unfolds in a series of urgent bullet points that you get on the way to the scene: "OK, this is why you're here, this is what you have to do, these are the stakes, now go!" The authoritative voice work here and during missions deserves kudos.

Thanks to SimHQ for the news.

SWAT3 review [16:41:27 EST] by - Rush
I noticed via SuppressiveFire that GameGuru has put up a SWAT3 review, giving it a healthy 4 out of 5. Here's a bit from the "Presentation" section of the review:

Although the menus of this game might not contain too much content, they are presented in a wonderful and enlightening manner. Before each mission, you will be presented with a mission menu giving you information relating to the mission, the possible suspects involved, the hostages that need to be rescued, and the possible ways of preceding. Although this may not seem like such a big deal, the creative and innovative way the information is presented is pretty neat. For example, rather than showing a name or picture of the suspect involved, they’ll show a blurry picture of him that they pulled of a security cam; rather than show a computerized map of the complex that pertains to the mission, they’ll show a dusty old blueprint. Little things like this give SWAT 3 a good sense of aesthetic charm.

Sounds spiffy to me! :)

Delta Force util again [01:51:39 EST] by - Rush
Delta-Force2.com has posted that there's been an update to the IP4DF2 program bringing it up to v1.51, so click here to grab the latest version!

Spec Ops 2 commentary [01:40:00 EST] by - Rush
The always opinionated Evil Avatar, from EvilAvatar.com, has posted a nice commentary on Spec Ops 2. Besides my own review (), this is about the most accurate commentary on Spec Ops 2 I've seen to date.. Here's the whole thing:

As long as we are talking about Fanboys, I picked up a copy of Zombie VR Studio's Spec Ops 2: Green Berets last weekend and sat down to play it last night. The game has been getting scores in the 50% range, with most people complaining about poor performance, lack of AI, and tough to use controls. Despite reading these reviews (many from sites that I trust), I picked up the game because I'm a fan of the series. I own Spec Ops, Ranger Team Bravo and I even sprung for the Gold edition of the game so that I could have a copy that included all the patch files. When it comes to Spec Ops, I'm a fanboy. Being a fanboy gives you a wonderful outlook on games. 

After installing the game, I jumped through a couple of the training missions and I was surprised and happy to see that the graphics are fantastic and on my system, the performance is top notch. The early demo of SpecOps2 that came with the Gold Edition of the game ran choppy as all heck on my system, but the full version of the game runs as smooth as glass. (I didn't try the 2nd demo that came out.) It supports 3dfx Glide or Direct3D and I'm naturally running it in Glide mode. The environments in the two training missions I played were varied and well designed, a military style shooting range and a boot camp style obstacle course. In the 3rd person mode your character model looks good. It might not be Quake III Arena quality, but it is still a very well done player model. I also played the first of the Antarctic missions and the environment in that mission is fantastic. Think of a frozen TRIBES landscape and you will get the idea. How are the controls? They are tough to get used to. The 3rd person camera isn't as smooth or easy to use as it was in SpecOps and the auto-targeting is gone, which really eliminates the need for a 3rd person POV. When you run, your character points his gun at the ground, then when you stop he brings it back up. This can leave you kind of wondering where exactly your gun will be pointing when you stop. It might be realistic, but it doesn't make for good gameplay. The partner AI is kind of suspect. They follow you along pretty well, but they get killed so quickly that it would be nice to have the option to play the missions without them, or with just one partner like in SpecOps instead of the default four man fire team. 

Overall, I would say this is a pretty good product that you can really enjoy if you just take a little time to configure the controls to your liking and get used to the way the 3rd person camera swings around. It might not be Rogue Spear, but it doesn't seem like it deserves the 50% score I have seen most sites giving it. 

IP 4 DF2 is a new utility, created by FraNtik, that allows DF2 players to connect to servers directly through IP, rather than being forced through the NovaWorld servers.

This is seen as a small victory over Novalogic, who so far have refused to implement a direct IP multiplayer option in DF2.

Great news for all you DF2 MP players out there. Grab it here.

SWAT3 review [06:59:06 EST] by - Rush
More SWAT3 news in the form of a new SWAT3 review over at GamersDepot. Looks like they liked it, and gave it a 5 out of 5. Here's how they kick it off:

When I first learned of what SWAT3 was to become, I thought to myself "Not another Rainbow6 Clone", and must admit I was extremely skeptical about whether or not Sierra could pull this off. Well to my delightful surprise they have created one of the best first person tactical combat simulations I have ever had the joy of playing. The close-nit team element and the actual use of tactics that I have been longing for in games like Rouge Spear, has finally been realized. Sierra is able to create deadly accuracy with their interpretation of what being a LAPD S.W.A.T. officer is all about. Honor, courage, loyalty, and above all, the utmost regard for human life. These elements are the basis of what makes SWAT3 such an enjoyable game to play.

A bit on the fluffy side, but a good read, and some nice screensnaps to boot.

SWAT3 FAQ update [06:32:26 EST] by - Rush
Sierra has updated their official SWAT3 FAQ with new info on system requirements, general hints & tips, and even a nice section on the design and development of the game.  

Also updated was the Troubleshooting Page, so scope that if you're having any trouble.

Great info all around. Give it a look..

On the same subject Tactical Planet also has some FFF screenshots in the queue for you to check out.

Spec Ops 2 walkthru [19:48:12 EST] by - Rush
The folks over at CombatWorld have put up a fairly lightweight walkthru of Zombie's Spec Ops 2. Give it a read if you're stuck in a particular mission.

I'm working on a Player Guide myself.. look for that soon..

Another Spec Ops 2 review [19:30:47 EST] by - Rush
TeleFragged has posted their review (and screenshots) of Zombie's Spec Ops 2. Not too flattering overall. Here's a snip on the AI:

The Artificial Intelligence employed by both friends and foes whilst not spectacular isn't all that bad. Enemies will generally open fire on you the moment that they notice a member of your squad, they will also hide to avoid being shot at. It is an annoying trait of your team members that whenever they notice an enemy they will open fire, no matter what orders they are given, this has been fixed to a certain degree in a recent patch however it should have been instigated straight out of the box. This raises another issue, orders. Orders are given to your team via a pop-up menu that is triggered by a click on the right mouse button. The problem here is that the button needs to be held down in order to choose your plan of attack, if one was to quickly click the button and then let go you may have inadvertently given your soldier an order to go and demolish a building that would just give your position away to the enemy. Not all the gameplay is bad though, at times it is very cool to be immersed in a run and gun battle or just a plain shootout. Opposition are extremely hard even in the easiest mode which makes it hard for beginners but once you've played for a little while you start to get the hang of things.

Hmm, you'd really have to right click and move your mouse before you 'inadvertently' gave an order to demolish a building, and he'd have to be carrying a satchel charge too (which tend to weigh a lot, and therefore I rarely equip them unless I know I need them for a mission.) Usually, a mistaken right click will just order buddy #2 to return to you, and nothing more...

Spec Ops 2: Green Berets review [18:46:19 EST] by - Rush
Third for today, InsaneGames (with their extremely hard-on-the-eyes orange background color) has posted a review (and some nice screenshots) of Spec Ops 2. Here's a sniperoo:

Though the controls are difficult to master, after some practice and a customized setting, the controls are somewhat easy to use. The missions on the other hand, are very difficult. I found very little difference between Private (easiest mode) and Commanding Officer (hardest mode). Either way you end up dead. No matter how many enemies you kill, you will still lose.

I tried the settings on for no enemies and some of the levels I still couldn't beat! It's not that I am awful at playing these games, I consider myself an average first person shooter gamer, but it didn't help me much. The settings are too difficult and need to be changed.

Couldn't beat the levels with no enemies?! Ah, there's the proof right there; he's an "an average first person shooter gamer".. Yet another reviewer who didn't "get" the game at all, and just bashed the game at every turn (either that, or he's 12 years old..) Blah!

Spec Ops: Ranger Gold review [17:52:10 EST] by - Rush
Next up, is a review of Spec Ops: Ranger Gold over at MultiPlayer Online Gaming (MPOG). Here's a snip on the multiplayer aspect:

The other games are the real draw. In Team vs. Team DM, you choose someone to be your partner, and find teammates with their own partners. You then battle it out against a similar team. Not amazingly interesting, but having an assigned partner is always fun. The Team vs. Team Mission games are just like the Deathmatch team games, except you play the missions from the game. Having objectives is the best way to ensure teamplay. The Cooperative Missions are probably the best of the bunch. You get a partner and some other teams of partners, and play against the computer on the missions. This is the best game mainly because the frustration factor is limited, but the AI is less than stellar, so it can get old.

Delta Force 2 review [17:40:22 EST] by - Rush
Proving the old adage that 'if ya snooze ya lose', there have been quite the slew of reviews released yesterday and today. I was feeling a bit under the weather and wound up sleeping for most of day. I feel much better now tho!

Anyway, GamesDomain has posted a review of NovaLogic's Delta Force 2. Here's a clip on the shooting:

In this game, sniping is an art form. Each mission requires careful surveillance of enemy positions and pinpointing the locations of enemy soldiers. Once their locations have been observed or inferred, you have to devise the best method of approaching the enemy by studying the mission map. From there, it's simply a matter of following through on your plan of attack and picking off enemy soldiers one by one. This is actually one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game. There's nothing quite like the feeling of lining up a terrorist's head between your gunsight and then squeezing the trigger. Tap tap. Usually you're too far away to even hear the man's scream, and the sight of a body slumping over or the hint of a red mist upon impact is the only indication of a successful hit. One problem that I noticed, however, was that you didn't need to hit targets in the head to kill them. In fact, you could shoot an enemy in the foot and he'd still fall over dead. Must be some special bullets.

Good review, and very accurate. Check it out.

[Update 00:49]: Ack! Seems its FIGHT for Freedom! Thanks to Sty for the correction!

The moment I started up a game of Delta Force 2 I though to myself "Comanche graphics!" It looks very similar to Comanche and at first I thought to myself why the hell NovaLogic would use this apparently dated system. Well, when I actually started to play I soon found out why. Making use of voxels instead of polygon-based graphics enables you to do things inside a game you have never before done in a game. How many of you have ever played a game where you were crawling through tall grass, sneaking towards the enemy with your trusty knife in your hand. If you have done that in a game before, it's likely to be Delta Force 2 cause I don't know any other game that takes care of the environment this well.

Ha, guess the reviewer never played, um, Delta Force 1?

The variety of missions is probably one of the best features of this title. One comment was made to me recently that titles like R6: Rogue Spear had too many hostage situations, which ultimately lead to somewhat dull missions. SWAT 3 admittedly has hostage situations, but they are appropriately peppered through the title. Some missions involve simple arrests, while one of my favorite missions involved my squad entering a dark construction yard to locate suspects and surface to air missile launchers which had recently been firing at planes arriving at the local airport.

Good review.. give it a look.

Delta Force 2 review [18:23:27 EST] by - Rush
While doing a little surfing over at Delta-Force2.com, I saw that GamePower has put up a review of NovaLogic's Delta Force 2. Looks as if they liked it. Check it:

Virtually every facet of the original game has been revamped and improved, beginning with the hot new 32-bit Voxel Space graphics engine. In fact, the new terrain engine is absolutely stunning, containing, among other things, tall grass for the player's character to skulk about in and smoother-looking hillsides to hide behind. The remake also includes a dazzling array of indoor and outdoor environments, from the booby-trapped-filled jungles of Southeast Asia to the sprawling oil refineries of Central Africa.

Rogue Spear review [18:16:13 EST] by - Rush
I noticed by way of SimHQ that CrackedNuts! (ouch) has put up a small review on RSE's Rainbow 6: Rogue Spear, and some nice screen snaps to boot. Here's a snip on the graphics:

For a game like Rogue Spear to work the game play must be smooth and fluid, and fortunately the designers included tons of graphic options to assure smooth frame rates. If you have the power (Pentium 300+ with at least a 16mb graphic card) you will not be disappointed with the graphics. Dynamic lighting and weather effects, beautiful landscapes, and detailed characters and structures add to this magnificent game. Unfortunately, like most first person shooters, you can still find a fair amount of clipping (i.e. characters dead on the stairs appear to be suspended in mid-air when looking up from below and characters killed behind a wall sometimes fall right through the wall). These are minor annoyances, however, and do not detract from the gameplay.

SWAT3 video review [05:09:30 EST] by - Rush
AGN has posted a real-video review of Sierra's SWAT3. Check it out here.

Spec Ops 2 vs. Delta Force 2 [04:46:50 EST] by - Rush
Hmm, this ought to be interesting.. I saw over at SuppressiveFire that GamingChronicle has put up a Spec Ops 2 vs. Delta Force 2 comparison. Really, its just a review of both, and I guess they decided to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, and review them simultaneously, and compare them while they were at it. Here's a snip on the graphics section:

The graphics of SpecOPS 2 use the Viper 2 graphics engine, which is an in-house engine created by Zombie. The game engine allows for up to 1280x1024 resolution and 32-bit display mode. The environments of SpecOPS 2 have a high level of immersion with many trees and other little additions that make the locations seem very realistic. The original SpecOPS was good at this, and with SpecOPS 2, the immersion graphically is definitely improved. The night vision has changed this time around as well. It does not cover the entire screen but instead is more of a large circle in the center, which feels more like you are wearing goggles as opposed to your having night vision eyes. While playing the game I had trouble seeing enemies with night vision, because everything was green and they were well hidden. This is probably realistic, but it can get very annoying when all 4 of your team members get mowed down by some guy that you can’t see who turned out to be a 20 feet away; however this is more of an AI issue.

Delta Force 2 uses Novalogic’s own Voxel Space 32 engine. This engine has some advantages, but carries with it a lot of inherent problems. The good thing is that the long distance rendering does not “pop” in and out of view. You really feel like your running around in a very large area, and you are. The maps in DF2 are very large, and the distance rendering of the Voxel 32 engine helps this. Another addition is the individual blades of grass. Due to the fact that the game includes high-grass, you can hide yourself in it, making it very hard, if not impossible, for your enemies to see you. The problems with this engine follow. The graphics do not look very sharp. At long distances, the mountains are great looking. However, when you close in on areas, buildings, vehicles, and men, the graphics get pixilated and pretty ugly, really fast. The other thing that bugs me about the Voxel Space 32 engine is that it is really, really slow, and its hardware rendering only works with 32-bit cards (sorry 3dfx users). This was a bad idea considering how many people sport 3dfx cards in their computers. The hardware rendering speeds the game up a bit, but does not make the graphics look much better. With the slowness of the engine, 3dfx users are going to wish that DF2 supported their cards. I am running a 450, 128mb RAM, and a G400 MAX. I can run the game in 640x480, and when I get into the high-grass, the game crawls along. I can’t run the game higher than 640x480. I have seen other reviews where the authors stated that they needed 500mhz and above P-IIIs armed with GeForce to get 800x600…That’s pretty sad. If you are not running a robust machine, DF2 is probably not worth your money.

Wow, I'm impressed, the comparison actually worked out quite well, as the reviewer clearly knew both games. Def give it a read.

I was happy to hear that SOII would incorporate a first person perspective. Although the 3rd person perspective worked fine for the first version I was expecting a more enjoyable experience in the sequel with first person. Let me tell ya, it just ain’t so.

The first person perspective seems to point out the faults of Spec Ops’ intent for realism. The clunky, bounding movements of your soldiers in 3rd person makes for an unsettling experience in the first person view. While this may be considered ‘realism’ by some, I found it to be far from real and more of a hindrance than a feature people will embrace.

While moving you cannot bring your gun to bear on a threat. You must stop to bring up your aiming marker and fire. While I understand Zombie’s intent on bringing more realism to this game I find it infuriating that they would force you to stop to fire.

Standing still makes you an easy target for the enemy AI, which has much better aim than your own AI squadmates. And bringing your aiming marker to bear becomes a chore. In the real world troops do fire on the move, not necessarily accurately but lay enough lead down and you’ll at minimum keep the enemy’s head down.

Hmm, clunky movements? Never noticed. Must be just me. And let me again point out that you CAN run and fire, but there's really no 'suppression fire' modeled in the game, so running and firing tends to be more Quake'ish (and DF2'ish), than anything else.

I have to admit tho, the reviewer went to great lengths to cover all aspects of the game, and to be very fair in his assessment. The included pics were not from the retail version of the game, so the game does look a bit different as from what's shown in them.

But at the end they give it a 68 overall. Check out the full review for the rest.

Spec Ops 2 and Delta Force 2 reviews [05:10:37 EST] by - Rush
The January issue of PC Gamer magazine has reviews up of both Zombie's Spec Ops 2, and NovaLogic's Delta Force 2. They gave Spec Ops 2 a harsh 26%, and DF2 scored better with a 74%.

<rant>
SO2 was reviewed by T. Liam McDonald, who rarely seems to like any games he reviews. I have been a long-time subscriber to the mag, and noticed that awhile back. He just seems overly critical of everything, be it a flight sim, tank sim (he gave Armored Fist 3 a 43% in the same issue), or what have you..  He makes some valid points throughout, but a lot of it came down to personal preference I think. 

He called clipping "horrendous". Sure there's clipping, but many, many games these days have clipping. DF2 clips, Tomb Raider clips, PoP3D clips.. practically every 3D game in existence clips to some extent. But horrendous is just a bit too strong in this case..

He calls the GUI "grotesquely cumbersome", which again I just can't see. I think he just likes using big words.. Just point, and a quick slide of your mouse has your buddies covering your back, or blowing up objects. Nothing could be easier aside from doing it yourself.

About the 1st or 3rd-person views he says "first gives you a limited angle and third is useless for fighting." Huh? He doesn't back up that statement with any kind of explanation at all.. I never noticed a "limited angle".. It looks like any other FPS out there.. And granted I don't play in 3rd-person anymore now that SO2 has a 1st-person mode, so I can't really comment on 3rd-person mode. I do use 3rd-person mode occasionally to get a wider view of the surrounding area, but then pop back into 1st-person again and continue on my merry way. He also offers no explanation for his statement that "the overhead map gives you a pretty nice view of the game area, but conveys precious little mission information." Again, big words, but nothing to back it up. Exactly what info is he looking for the map to show? Your current position is shown, as is your squad, and your objectives, if you're close enough. I suppose he wants a map like DF2's, which isn't too realistic with showing enemies on it, and even which way they're facing... That's Hollywood folks.. He notes the "GPS" is really a compass. Ok, score 1 for Mr. McDonald. But how minor of a point is that?!

Again, it seems the reviewer just wanted to focus on (perceived) negative aspects of the game. He doesn't mention the dynamic lighting, bullet holes, awesome sound effects, footprints, ejecting clips, IR scopes, NVGs, the huge weapon selection, being able to shoot out lights and windows, multiplayer, or hell, even the cool mission design.

And what I have the most trouble with is his "Lows" statement: "Horribly buggy, clunky interface, terrible AI, copycat." And calling it a "low-rent Rainbow Six clone" in the "Bottom Line" statement. Those statements just show his ignorance. 

As for "horribly buggy", I have yet to have one lockup or crash while playing, which is what I consider "buggy". The 2 patches released so far for the game have been more of the 'tweak' variety, rather than having to patch game-crippling bugs. I liked H&D a lot, but that game had show-stopping bugs; Spec Ops does not. 

"Clunky interface" is a matter of personal opinion. I have no problem with the interface. I can control my on-screen persona to do what I want, and he does it, and I move on.. Simple as that.

"Terrible AI" is subjective as well. Admitted, the AI does need work, but again, many game's AI needs work. Nothing new there. It is perfect? Nope. Is it better than Spec Ops 1? Yep (which is all Zombie promised.)

As for "copycat" and "Rainbow Six clone", this is where he totally gets it wrong. Spec Ops created the modern squad-based tactical shooter genre on the PC platform, and Spec Ops 2 is the natural progression of the game as seen by Zombie; it isn't copying anyone but itself. Rainbow Six, Delta Force, Hidden & Dangerous and the like are the copycats. That said, I have no ill-will towards any of them (which is why I cover them all at SpecForce); there's plenty of room in the market for them, and really, they're all different enough from each other to justify their existence. But know a game before you review it! Jeez!
</rant>

Comments? Hit the forums!

Spec Ops MP maps [02:52:10 EST] by - Rush
I have posted 2 multiplayer maps for Spec Ops 2. One is of the Antarctica King of the Hill game. Ya barely need a map to this one, but hey, it never hurts. :)  The second map is from the Thailand Team vs. Team Deathmatch level. I marked it with some prime sniping spots as I've discovered in the game that work for me. Feel free to let me know of others and I'll add them to the map as well. The maps can be found in the Spec Ops file area, under the SO2 section, then "Maps", logically.. :)

More maps to follow.. If anyone has requests for maps they'd like to see next (SP or MP), let me know, and I'll try to get to those for ya.

Delta Force 2 demo #3 [00:50:25 EST] by - Rush
Seems that NovaLogic has released a 3rd (or is it 4th now?) demo for Delta Force 2. If ya just grabbed the last one, use the demo's auto-update feature to get the newest update. If ya need the full demo, grab it here or here or here. (37.3 MB)

The anti-terrorist raids are much sharper in SWAT 3 than in fellow anti-terrorist offering Rainbow 6. The environments are convincingly life-like, great use is made of lighting, and characters are well animated and look lifesize too. The atmosphere of these raids is enhanced by excellent sound too, with furious radio chatter when action breaks out, and the soundtrack is stepped up a notch, too. It's all geared to get the adrenaline going, and it works.

Pretty short review, and they again refer you to the Jan issue of PC Gaming World for more.. But there are some nice screenshots to go along with the article as usual. Check it out.

Spec Ops 2 multiplayer demo [22:08:22 EST] by - Rush
Tosev from SpecOps2.com sends word that Zombie has released another demo for Spec Ops 2, this time including multiplayer. Here's the info:

So grab the demo and get online for some seriously fun multiplayer action! And enter the SpecForce contest to win the full retail copy of the game.

There's a mirror on 3Dfiles.com.

Spec Ops 2 contest update [19:24:06 EST] by - Rush
Ok, maybe I made the contest a bit too hard, but so far I have only received one correct entry! (*hint*myreview*hint*) So if ya don't live in Miami, please re-enter if ya want to get in on the goods! I have also extended the contest until December 18th as well. 

SWAT3 demo first impressions [03:41:13 EST] by - Rush
Ok, this is a real rough first impression of the SWAT3 demo, after just one play. I couldn't wait till Tuesday night to install it, so I went ahead and installed it after I downloaded it, which was about 3am my time. :)

I did not read the Readme, and just booted the game. Once I got to the main menu, I picked the mission, and watched the small intro/briefing thingy. I then started clicking on all the options and accidentally started the mission, without getting a chance to read the briefing, or tweak the team's loadout. Ah well, I figured since I had already started the mission, I'd play it out to see what would happen. As I looked around the street some, I noticed the graphics were pretty good, but nothing like the screenshots I'd seen from around the 'net. My guess is the game was using my V2 board at 640x480, maybe 800x600..

All of a sudden my team sprung to action, and entered the warehouse, and had made the first suspect surrender. Hmm, I don't rather like it when my team does stuff without me telling them too! *I* like to be in charge. Call it a Napoleon complex I guess. :)  But, I got over it, and continued the mission. Red & Blue teams had now taken position at a doorway that was behind a room divider. As I approached it, I saw myself in a mirror that was hanging on the wall. Def nice touch there.. 

In reading a few reviews from around the 'net, I knew I had to point at various things and issue orders. So, I pointed at the doorway, and ordered Red team to Search & Clear, and ordered Blue team to cover. Off went Red team, thru the door, down a hallway, and up to another door. So, I again ordered Red team to Search & Clear, and thru the door, and down some stairs they went, and I heard lots of shouting, some shooting, and the announcement that the suspect was down, and all was clear. So I went down, and ordered blue team to follow. We were downstairs in a basement with all sorts of hallways, and passageways, and it was sort of dark, so I turned on my gun's flashlight (guessing it was the "F" key) to help me see better. I won't bore you with the play-by-play, but suffice to say that I ordered my team around, (by fumbling with the on-screen menu orders), and either shot or secured bad guys. Eventually, I found the hostage I was to rescue. All by trial and error, and some intuition on my part, I was able to figure out that the hostages had to be evacuated, and that HQ needed a status report on the guys that were shot. Eventually, I ran out of places to search, so I figured it was time to call for a successful mission. So, starting with the last guy I found, I notified HQ to evacuate them if they were still alive, or that they had been eliminated if they were dead. I worked my way back to street level, informing HQ as I went, and by the time I got to the first suspect, I had completed the mission successfully.

Two things stick in my mind now. One, I hope the missions get harder than this! Without any 'intel', and without reading any keyboard commands, etc., I was able to complete the mission successfully. Maybe I'm just super smart! :)  The second thing is that Sierra has done a wonderful job in making the game 'obvious' to play, thus I didn't need to read any docs.. This is in stark contrast to R6, where the commands didn't seem as intuitive to me.

Having said that tho, I don't think this is my 'type' of game. I just don't seem to like indoor, CQB games.. I do plan to re-play it a few more times, and hopefully I can find an options screen to let me try it at a higher res and in 32-bit color. Maybe it'll grab me afterall..

Spec Ops 2 review [03:10:22 EST] by - Rush
AndOne from SuppressiveFire let me know that GameSpotUK has posted a review (of sorts) of Zombie's Spec Ops 2. They don't really go into much detail, but at the end they tell ya to check out the Jan issue of PC Gaming World. Hmm, okay.. Here's a snip on the much-maligned menus:

When it comes to equipping squad members - you can choose from foot soldier, grenadier, machine-gunner, sniper, close-quarters maniac or demolition expert - there's a huge variety of weapons to choose from. But the interface for doing so is clunky and uninformative compared with, say, Rogue Spear. These reservations, by the way, extend to choosing graphics options. Each time you start a mission you're rather annoyingly presented with a Windows dialogue box to specify graphics adapter and resolution.

Psst! Its just for screen res.. and technically, ya only have to do it ONCE per gaming session. As long as ya keep playing in one sitting, it keeps the last screen res ya picked, so just slap [ENTER] and move on.. As for the menus, I really can't understand why so many have trouble with it. I have no trouble with the menus at all..

But they have a few nice screenshots worth checking out..

SWAT3 review [00:36:18 EST] by - Rush
AVault has posted another very well done review on SierraStudio's SWAT3: Close Quarters Battle, even giving it a 'reviewers choice' award. Here's a very tasty snip:

Understanding what SWAT 3 offers is almost as important as coming to terms with what it does not. As I mentioned earlier, there is no multiplayer component, and those looking for the current ultimate experience in online tactical warfare should consult the likes of Novalogic's Delta Force 2 or Tom Clancy's Rogue Spear. But if your interest is mainly piqued by the single-player aspect, then you'll be happy to know SWAT 3's solo campaign is about as good as it gets. It offers more advances in artificial intelligence than any product ever released and its mission design is on par with the best in its genre. While I'm not intending for this to be a comparison of SWAT 3 against its competition, stacking it up against Rogue Spear is unavoidable. Both titles boast similar achievements in technology, both offer a similar style of centric gameplay and both exist in a near future universe and thus use the same weapons and munitions. And on the surface, these comparisons are extremely valid, but a closer examination uncovers a multitude of differences. 

Delta Force 2 update info [18:33:36 EST] by - Rush
NovaLogic has updated their Developers Notes page with what's new with the 1.03.09 release (which is now available via the game's auto-update feature.) Here 'tis:

Version 1.03.09 Update

IP Hosting
We are aware that some Delta Force 2 players would like the ability to use direct IP connections for multiplayer games. We are taking a very aggressive approach to addressing the issues that lie at the root of requests for IP support. A slow integrated web browser, the multiple steps required to return to an ongoing game, and proxy server problems that keep some players from accessing NovaWorld are issues that might be solved by adding direct IP hosting; however, we prefer to devote our time to finding solutions that will ultimately be more transparent and convenient for all DF2 players than IP hosting would be.

To start, we're taking steps to make NovaWorld's interface faster and easier to use. When you exit a multiplayer game, you'll notice that Delta Force 2's browser now takes you back to where you were in the NovaWorld lobby before the game started, eliminating the need to spend precious gaming time surfing back to your favorite server. We've also implemented new NovaWorld code that decreases the time it takes to deliver lobby information, which should make each lobby page load faster. In addition, look for mission names to appear on NovaWorld alongside the game names -- and let us know which missions you particularly like. We'll be introducing more improvements in the future.

FlagBall and Four-Squad Games
FlagBall and Four-Squad games, which have been available to players hosting Public or Private games, are now part of the mix of dedicated NovaWorld games.

Overall SWAT 3 offers a gaming environment that should be experienced by any action-oriented gamer who might appreciate realism and nail-biting tension ahead of gung-ho respawn-oriented frag-fests. SWAT 3 at times mirrors the eerie quiet of Thief, yet it poses the need to think tactically in the same way a squad-level strategy game does, but when the bullets start flying you'll need the reactions and accuracy required of any action-oriented shooter. The pace and tempo of the action swings as each mission unfolds. If you dare to play on the harder difficulty setting, it's a real challenge, perhaps too challenging. Yet it remains fun, even in that split-second when you realize that one bullet has just spoiled your day.

As the same in Hidden & Dangerous, the Devils Bridge addon allows you to command 4 SAS commandos during World War II. The commandos run into 9 trickier missions spread throughout 3 campaigns. You move your commandos against the advancing German forces in Northern Poland and France, deploy your troops to counter enemy communist guerillas in Greece, and rescue hostages and break enemy supply lines.

Good stuff, check it out!

Off Topic: Rush Magazine [07:20:44 EST] by - Rush
Ha, I just had to post this. Seems there is a Rush Magazine out there. No, its not about the Canadian rock trio Rush (from which my nickname comes), or about me (a-hem!), but its a webzine geared to men's interests, which means articles on entertainment, men's fashion, music, sports, and pictorials of very hot women. :) 

Yummy! She can be on my squad any day! :)

SWAT3 review [06:15:27 EST] by - Rush
PCArena has put up a review (and tasty screenshots) of Sierra's SWAT3: Close Quarters Battle. Here's a snip on how SWAT3 differs form other games in the genre:

Gamers familiar with the other games in this genre know that upon contact of a hostile element, quick neutralization is often the rule of thumb; taking hostile grunts back alive is not usually a priority in a professional soldier’s mind. Not so in SWAT3, since you are a law enforcement officer. You deal with "suspects", not "tangos", and you are bound by protocol to resort to deadly force only as a last resort. This translates into "do not fire unless (almost) fired upon”. Unfortunately, your men tend to err on the side of correct police regulation and get themselves shot at too often. I’ve had to step in many times to incapacitate an obviously dangerous suspect before he brought half my team down.

Overall, the whole review had a slightly negative tone, which is pretty rare for a review of SWAT3, which have all been positive as far as I've seen, but at the end, they gave it a 4 out of 5! :)

Spec Ops 2 review [05:59:07 EST] by - Rush
GamePower has put up a review of Zombie's Spec Ops 2. Here's a snip on the gameplay (which they liked):

On to gameplay. At first, all those start-up troubles seem worth the hassle. It's clear that Zombie has put great stock into creating a challenging game, fashioning admirably intelligent enemies who more often than not react to the sound of gunfire, circle you, and approach from behind and force you to be on your toes at all times. From this standpoint, I found myself far more wary and frightened than I did playing Delta Force 2, where enemy soldiers remain motionless even with gunplay all around them and die with but a single shot to the ankle.

No, in Green Berets it'll take more than a flesh wound to bring down a foe. The game doesn't deal with wind or gravity particularly well, but it does utilize such factors as distance, targeted body part, degree of armor, and type of weapon. While a smartly placed grenade will hurtle your suddenly lifeless target high in the air, several glancing Uzi blasts into a bullet-proof vest might just piss him off.

The review seemed to run hot and cold tho, sometimes being (IMHO) overly critical, and sometimes lauding the game lavish praise. But, they kept on mentioning bugs and lockups, which I've never seen at all after many hours of gameplay.. Perhaps its the Glide version they were playing? Honestly, I don't know, but the D3D version is ROCK SOLID for me.. 

Ha, they again slap the menu design, and keyboard default keys (which can be changed, but does lack a 'reset to default' option as they note, which would have been nice..) But again, these are pretty minor things.. They mention both your buddies and enemy AI getting stuck on the scenery, but I've seen that in R6 and DF as well.. 

Still, it was a very well-written review, and the review makes many valid points. Do check it out.. They've also got a pretty cool video online that shows off the gameplay in action.

Audio/video reviews at AGN [01:14:37 EST] by - Rush
AGN has put up 3 audio/video reviews of interest in their "240 seconds of gaming" section.

Grr, there is no way I can link to each one individually, so hit the main link and browse from there. Another reason why I'm not a fan of these audio/video reviews. Thanks to SuppressiveFire for the news.

SWAT3 demo! [00:14:03 EST] by - Rush
The long-awaited demo of SierraStudio's SWAT3 is out! (43.9MB) Here's the PR:

Set in the year 2005, SWAT 3 will take you into the depths of a volatile, politically unstable Los Angeles as you command a 5-person SWAT team through 16 missions. Your job will be to rescue hostages, serve high-risk warrants, take on barricaded suspects, and protect international dignitaries from terrorists.

SWAT 3's missions can be played in any order, with each mission being a standalone experience, or in career mode, in which the outcome of each mission affects the overall story. Developed in conjunction with former L.A.P.D. police chief Darryl F. Gates and active L.A.P.D. SWAT officers, the game gives you a wide range of tactical movements and formations to choose from, including basic, stealth, and dynamic techniques. SWAT 3 features more than 150 motion-captured characters, and a multitude of L.A.P.D. weapons, including the Heckler & Koch MP5 and the Benelli Super 90 M1. There are also various armor and gadgets to aid you in your mission to return peace to the L.A. streets.

In this demo, you must use real-world SWAT weapons and tactics to rescue the kidnapped Turkish Ambassador from a large export warehouse--a known meeting place for insurgent members of the Kurdish People's Party. The system requirements for this demo are a Pentium-233, 32MB of RAM, and 44MB of disk space.

> Spec Ops 2 review

Spec Ops was a huge departure because it took place entirely outdoors, and there wasn't a switch or elevator in sight. Also unique was the fact that traveling with you throughout the level was a computer-controlled 'buddy'. Thus, the 'squad-based, tactical shooter' genre was born, and I've been a fan ever since.

Fast forward to today, and the release of the Zombie's Spec Ops 2: U.S. Army Green Berets. SO2 is quite an improvement over the original Spec Ops. Shortcomings of the original have been addressed, and many new & cool features have been added. The game gives you various missions to perform throughout the world, in such places as Antarctica, North Korea, Pakistan, Thailand, and Germany.

Read the rest, and let me know what ya think. Post about it in the forums!

And don't forget to enter the Spec Ops contest.

Spec Ops 2 patch [20:20:10 EST] by - Rush
Avault has posted the Spec Ops 2 v1.1.1 patch (2.2MB). Here are the fixes:

There's also a mirror at 3Dfiles.com.

Delta Force 2 update [18:53:21 EST] by - Rush
Delta-Force2.com has word of exactly what the new 1.03.09 patch fixes. Here's the lowdown:

Principal improvements in Delta Force 2 v1.03.09 are to make NovaWorld a little faster and easier to use. There are some code changes that should let the NovaWorld lobby pages load faster, and it's been set up so that when you exit a game, the built-in browser returns you to the lobby page you were looking at when you joined the game, so you don't have to surf back to it every time....

Great stuff. Grab the update here:
ftp://ftp.novalogic.com/pub/patches/df2rev0/df2upd8.exe

Another Delta Force 2 review [18:19:02 EST] by - Rush
PCGameworld has put up a review of Delta Force 2, giving it an 83%, exactly matching the 83% they gave to the review of Spec Ops 2. Here's a snip on the sound effects:

The sound effects are pretty cool in this game. The wind howling through the valley, grass whisking in the wind as you lay in your sniper position, and of course the sound of a frag grenades' metallic ping off a concrete wall in an enemy barracks, followed by the sweet sound of victory! Sorry, I lost it there for a second. Seriously, the sound effects are very precise and well used. Also, the enemy speech in a foreign language adds to the realism of the country you are operating in.

Good review.. read the rest..

Delta Force 2 review [18:12:24 EST] by - Rush
I saw over at SimHQ that The Wargamer has put up a review of NovaLogic's Delta Force 2, giving it an 8 out of 10. Here's what kind of hardware you'll need to get smooth gameplay:

Fortunately, Delta Force 2 looks pretty good on a fast system. Even with the inherent blockiness of the voxel engine, the settings and characters look fairly lifelike. In fact, the gently rolling hills and impressive water effects make many of the maps quite beautiful, especially with 32-bit color enabled. Still, the frame rate was very choppy at 800x600 resolution on a 450-MHz Pentium II with a TNT2 card, though it looked fairly good and ran smoothly at 640x480. It took switching to a GeForce 256 card to make the game playable at 800x600.

I play at 800x600 on my P2-450, TNT1, and it gets pretty damn slow at times.. :) But I still like the game a lot.

Spec Ops 2 review [01:36:16 EST] by - Rush
MPOG (Multi-player Online Gaming) has put up a review of Zombie's Spec Ops 2, giving it 2.5 out of 5 stars. Here's what they said about the graphics:

Aside from the previous glitches with the graphics, the new Viper Engine brings substantial improvements to the world of SpecOps. The terrain, objects, and soldiers are now much more defined using a much higher polygon count. Bushes and trees are still 2D bitmaps but they look much better and don't pixelate when you get close to them. The animation and moves of your soldiers is fluid and interesting to watch, which is a good reason to play from the 3rd-person view.

> Spec Ops contest!

Spec Ops 2 review [14:27:54 EST] by - Rush
While doing my daily browsing of SuppressiveFire, I noticed that Gamezilla has posted a fairly lightweight review of Zombie's Spec Ops 2, and slam it with a 41%. Here, read his difficulty:

Can you say way, way too many keyboard commands? In order to play Spec Ops 2 you will have to be prepared to use 3/4 of the keyboard, which really takes away from the fun of the game. The entire mission set-up screen seemed poorly done, like it was the last thing added before the software went gold. You only have a choice of being four different soldiers, while at the same time you can only pick one main job, which is recon, demolitions, infantry, sniper, or CQB. That to me is very unrealistic because these soldiers cross-train in real life so if one of them is to die the others can perform his tasks.

Uh, that's just plain wrong. The Team Select screen is just a quick way to set default loadouts for your team that you can customize as you wish before the mission. There's nothing stopping you from giving a sniper rifle to your demolitions guy.. I guess he's used to a 'roster' of squad members which the game doesn't have (and doesn't need IMHO). But it seems like the reviewer just couldn't come to grips with the game at all. Poor graphics and sound? Hardly.. The Thailand levels are awesome, and the vehicles in the game are some of the best-modeled I've seen to date...

In all honestly, I have to say that Spec Ops 2 is a really great game; I totally love it! Some of the missions may be a bit uneven, but there are also many cool surprises as you play, and MP simply ROCKS!

Delta Force 2 review [15:56:27 EST] by - Rush
GameProWorld has posted a hard-hitting, but fair review of Delta Force 2. Here's a snip on some of the new features in the game:

Among the features new to DF2, I especially like the ability to shoot through certain surfaces--it's realistic to be able to nail enemies through wooden walls, tents and, indeed, other enemies-- and the use of tall grass and water for concealment. They look right--the water has a glassy shimmer and the grass fits in nicely with the voxel look--and they work, allowing enemy troops to walk right past by my character's location. These are tangible improvements that have an immediate, positive impact on the game's sense of fun and authenticity.

Gameplay was the core of DELTA FORCE and nothing has changed for this follow-up. It's really what this game is all about. Pure, simple and fun gameplay. If the slogan, "War has never been so much fun," wasn't already taken by the game "Cannon Fodder," that's the phrase I would use to describe DELTA FORCE 2.

The satisfaction you get when completing a mission is marvelous. The "One shot, One kill" gameplay gives the game a tension I haven't experienced with any other game.

The replay value is high, since the freedom of movement let's you try out new, exciting and inventive ways to finish the objectives of your favorite missions, ad infinitum.

Good review. Give it a look.

Misc. Spec Ops stuff [18:08:36 EST] by - Rush
Ok, I've nailed down the final details for the Spec Ops contest. All I have to do is whip up a contest page for it. Look for it tomorrow.

Still working on my Spec Ops 2 review.. Very close to being done with it. It will def be this week sometime!

Another SWAT3 review  [00:29:47 EST] by - Rush
DailyRadar also posted a fairly small review of SWAT3. Here's a snip on the enemy AI:

The adversaries in the game behave well across a wide spectrum of competence levels. Amateur criminals are either surrender easily, or are pure madmen that need a bullet, fast. The commandos you'll encounter in some missions are awesome, ducking and shooting from behind cover and equipped with assault rifles and body armor. They also showcased some oddities, like not reacting when they heard us talking to a nearby hostage, but they're good shots and dropped us a lot.

Chalk up another goodie for Sierra.

SWAT3 review  [00:12:19 EST] by - Rush
PC.IGN has put up their review of SierraStudio's SWAT3: CQB. Did this title fair any better than DF2 or SO2 did. Let's see. Here's a bit on the ballistics model:

Another thing that the team at Sierra did a great job with was the projectile physics. Bullet penetration is portrayed better than any shooter to date. Shoot through glass or a wooden door and your bullets will keep on going. Shoot at a steel door and you'll see sparks and hear the distinctive *ping* as your bullets ricochet. These realistic ballistics and physics makes it much easier to neutralize someone who is ignoring your commands and shooting wildly at you from around a corner. If he's behind a plaster wall, simply turn to face him and unload your clip. While it seems like an pretty self-evident concept, it's not something that's been in shooters until recently, and no one has gotten it as right as the SWAT 3 team. From now on, this will be the game by which all other realistic shooters are judged when it comes to ballistics.

Looks like they actually liked this one (mostly). Congrats Sierra!