Rierson's Review

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Arsenal XA4

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I figure this is a LONG time coming.

Fuck it.

This is the first installment of...


RIERSON'S REVIEW!!!

Alright, here we go... As most of you know I'm love my alcohol. However sometimes I have to have something to enjoy my alcohol with, and I don't mean snacks.

I mean games.

I'm an avid gamer, mostly delving in handheld games but also arcade, retro platforms, and, when I can get one, next gen systems.

So to start we're going to look at the arcade Light Gun Game 'Razing Storm.'


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A spinoff of Time Crisis, much like Crisis Zone, the basic premise of Razing Storm is to shoot the shit out of anything and everything that's trying to shoot at you.

Like Crisis Zone your character, a soldier with an unnamed military Special Forces unit, carries a shield and a machine gun of unknown type.

Unlike Crisis Zone and Time Crisis said machine gun has the stopping power of a fifty cal.

I'm serious... Just ten seconds into the first level and I had what my team's gunship hadn't destroyed in the crash landing reduced to pebbles.

They were serious about the catch phrase, which is posted at the top of the machine's screen.

'Shoot Like Crazy, Smash and Destroy.'

As for a story... Well, it's pretty basic, although you forget very quickly why you're wasting hundreds of thousands of rounds of full metal jackets.

The premise is that you, Alpha One, and your team are supposed to support Bravo Team as they get a Laser Targeting system into place to coordinate a 'Laser Satellite' strike on a critical target.

Like I said, you forget the story very quickly.

VERY QUICKLY...

As the game runs on pretty much the same system as the Playstation 3 the graphics and audio are very clean and clear.

My only gripe was with some of the AI. See there are soldiers and insurgents. The soldiers take cover and pop out to shoot you. The insurgents...

Well...

The insurgents like to run up in groups and wave their guns around for a bit BEFORE they shoot at you. In the time it takes ONE to train a bead on you, you've already mowed through half of them.

On a scale of five, I give Razing Storm a Four out of Five.


Next on the list comes from the demo for the upcoming Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.


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Before I continue...

CAUTION/WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Peace Walker picks up a few years after Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, which picked up a few years after Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Big Boss, using the funds Gene gave him before conveniently dying in the end of Portable Ops, created the predecessor to Outer Heaven, Militaries Sans Fronteires.

Soldiers Without Borders.

His organization is approached by a pair of Costa Ricans who ask Big Boss to oust an armed group that has invaded the militaryless nation. Big Boss agrees to the op and deploys.

Now, those who have played Portable Ops will know that you can capture enemy soldiers and organize them into one of four four man squads.

That's not going to happen here.

Peace Walker has an emphasis on Ad Hoc team play. One player can use the binos to spot targets for a sniper while another can draw enemy fire for the others to flank the enemy.

To better accomplish this Big Boss has four uniforms to choose from.

Battle Dress Uniform: Heavy body armor with high load capacity and very low stealth index. This is the gear to use if you plan on killing everything you see, including tanks. Upon selection, Snake says 'Combat.'

Stealth: Bare bones armor and equpiment with a high stealth index, this is THE armor for those who prefer to play Metal Gear like it was intended. The Stealth armor comes with a Soliton Radar and a shield, which increases your survivability in gun battles, when they do occur. Don't rely on it the whole fight, though.
It'll break after it takes enough hits. And that Soliton Radar? Don't rely on it too much either. It runs on batteries and will die if you don't use it sparingly. Plus it hums, which can give away your position. Upon selection, Snake says 'Stealth.'

Survival: Remember how Big Boss looked in MGS3? This is it. Middle of the road gear with decent armor, equipment load, and stealth index. It comes with an SVD Dragunov and a Surround Indicator, just like Portable Ops. Upon selection, Snake says 'Survival.'

Naked: Rambo mode engaged. Barebones armor with high equipment load due to that lack of armor. Conveniently this loadout comes with an M-60 machine gun and has Snake with a belt of full metal jackets draped over one shoulder. This is the armor for those who want to have some fun. Upon selection, Snake says...

'Let's rock!'

Now for the graphics.

Peace Walker leaves something to be desired in the visuals department. It could be considered a dumbed down variation of MGS4. You have to remember the limitations of the PSP's hardware. However it is a step up compared to Portable Ops' cramped maps. You can actually look into the horizon in Peace Walker, as opposed to staring into a wall or a dead curve that supposedly leads to the jungle. That was a bit of a gripe for me in Portable Ops. I'm in Columbia. Why aren't I fighting in the jungle? Why am I fighting in a missile silo?

And the demo itself? Well, it wouldn't be a Metal Gear if you didn't take on an enemy twenty times your size.

In this case the final leg of the demo has you tangle with a T-72 Ural Main Battle Tank and infantry vanguard.

I've done it with all four armor types and quite frankly I have the most fun using Naked Snake.

Let's Rock indeed...

Peace Walker comes out next month.


Well, that does it for now.

This is Chief Rierson signing off.