Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit

A car game that cements its position as one of the most relevant for the Xbox 360.

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit allows played to play as both street racer, or the cops chasing them. This diversity in play makes the game far more enjoyable, and allows for some excellent online action.

Taking on the multitude of course within the Seacrest area, players will find the road vary enough to make the game enjoyable, but not so much that you need to be an expert racing driver to play them. The challenges for racers include simple time trials, duel races, as well as 8-car races, gauntlet runs against the police, and hot pursuit with a plethora of technical weaponry that makes the game feel like a cross between GT5 and Mario Kart. For the cops, the challenges are the same, only working as the chaser rather than the chased. The weapons are slightly different, including road blocks and helicopter support. The spike strips and Electronic Magnetic Pulses (EMPs) are a lot of fun.

The most impressive aspect of this game is the cars! They are awesome. So many great names, and stylish looking models, it is a car fanatics wet dream. Players can choose different colours for most models, allowing for a personalised ride.

Online capabilities are extensive, allowing you to play against friends and randomers alike, as either a cop or racer. Your NFS friends will be able to see your career race times, and you can compete against each other. You can also share dreamshot photos of your races at any point, such as victory against the police or a massive crash, posting them online on your wall.

This is an entertaining game, that offers a decent variety for gamers, and a different experience from your usual racing simulator.

Red Dead Redemption

Rockstar games produce a worthy successor to the GTA series.

Set in the wild west, this gun slinging action-sandbox game was one of the most talked about releases of last year. It follows the journey of John Marston, as he tracks down members of his old gang in the hopes of turning them over to the FBI. He is being forced to do this by the authorities who have his wife and son held hostage. John must come face to face with his peers and risk being killed from a multitude of enemies as he takes on the villainy and lawlessness of Texas and Mexico.

It is an undeniably great game, filled with exceptional characters, a great storyline, and missions that will entertain any level of gamer. One can follow the main plot, taking on the gang members, and the other characters who reveal themselves along the way, as well as undertaking minor tasks that John will find during his stay. Included within this are many side games such as poker, blackjack, liar's dice, and many more which provide some light entertainment for those not wanting a hardcore session.

The graphics are worthy of a Rockstar game, and the scenery is sublime. Sometimes gamers may find themselves tranquilly travelling across the landscape without any sense of direction, just to enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Animals are aplenty, and available to hunt: from small rabbits and birds, to grizzly bears and snakes. These can also be skinned and the products can be sold for profit.

Two criticisms must be raised. Firstly, there is a lot of riding around on a horse, it is inescapable. You may find yourself paying for stagecoach rides because you cannot stomach another ten minute ride across the country. While the scenery is immense, if you are in the flow of doing missions, the amount of travelling involved can be laborious. The second issue I found with the game, was the music. It is repetitive and often irritating during moments where you are not within the storyline and just perusing the towns and bars. Although, it is important to mention that the song at the very end of the game is stunning.

Mainly, however, Red Dead Redemption is one of the best games or recent years. It has so much detail and entertainment that one can't help but love it. The online capabilities could be better, but they are still fun. If you love GTA or Saints Row, or any other sandbox game, Red Dead will offer you an immense experience in the wild west.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2

With the immense success of the Call of Duty series, it is not surprising to see a bounty of other warfare style games aimed at the modern gamer. Battlefield is a worthy rival to the COD games, with excellent game play, characters, weapons, locations, and functions.

From the outset, it is an action packed thrill ride, taking you through many different worldwide battlefields, in search of a mysterious new weapon that has been developed. The team are filthy-mouthed operatives of a secret division, who maintain a low-key presence that is highly skilled, and highly dangerous.

Brilliant game with plenty to do outside the main story line. The online capabilities are impressive, with plenty of coop games to work through against your friends and other online gamers. The story mode is simple but effective, no long-winded cut scenes, or pointless journeys, just cold, hard war with all the necessary trimmings.

Assassins Creed

Finally jumping on the medieval bandwagon, I have become a player of the Assassins Creed series, completing the first game recently. It is a rich and fulfilling game with plenty of objectives and characters to keep one entertained for days. The historical context of Assassins Creed allows for an even more involving storyline, whilst playing fast and loose with events.

The game is split into two areas, one set in the future, with a pair of scientists and a subject patient. The patient is believed to have been an assassin in his former life, and the scientists have a machine that will allow him to travel back, relive his life, and learn the secrets necessary for the present. The other area of the game is within the animus, the time travelling machine where gamers will spend the majority of their time.

Within the animus, the main character is Altaír, who lives among the Brotherhood as an assassin. His job is to maintain peace and order throughout the land, as a secret mercenary who eliminates anyone who threatens the peace. When Altaír falls out of favour with the Brotherhood, he must begin at the bottom of the assassins ladder, and prove his worth by carrying out seven separate missions. Spread across several large holy cities, the assassin travels on horseback between the cities and amongst the people, hiding in shadows and on rooftops, stalking his prey. As Altaír advances through his quest, the hidden reasoning behind the targets reveals itself to him, and loyalties are put at risk.

An exceptional game, with stunning graphics, locations, story lines and side plots.

Welcome Gamers

In the series of Olson Review Blogs, welcome to the new Gaming Blog.
Here I will review and share the latest games and gaming equipment that I play and try.
I hope to hear your comments on my views, and that you keep it mildly clean.

PEACE