I always find it hard to judge independent releases, knowing the huge amount of time, work and dedication needed to run such an enterprise. Indie developer Exotypos is already at its second racing title, after No Brakes: 4x4 Racing. More than three years in the making, their latest game is called X Motor Racing and went live on September 28, 2007. Unfortunately the gaming industry revolves around competition and money, thus the 19.99$ price tag on X Motor Racing demands an objective evaluation of the game.

You’ll find the game running in a native 1152x864 resolution which can’t be customized to fit your own needs. In fact, the lack of customization will haunt you for the rest of the X Motor Racing experience, with no controls to rebind or graphical and sound properties to alter. It all comes “as it is” and runs from the start in its tight specifications, not unlike a console port to PC.

Once X Motor Racing starts, a particularly interesting option got my attention and that’s the car physics tab. Where can I begin? One mouse click away lays the possibility of altering each and every aspect of the way your car responds to controls, pretty much like a real live simulation used within a car factory. You can manually change common car aesthetics, mass, aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, steering, brakes, engine, suspension, engine transmission and tire response, each in a separate tab with over 10 attributes to modify. It can get so complex that you’ll soon feel like running your own virtual garage and customizing the super car you never got the chance to buy in real life. If there’s one thing special about X Motor Racing, then these extra options are it.

It’s not all numbers though, because the time spent tweaking your race car will reflect in its street performance and the overall fun level when steering it on virtual roads. Exotypos developers modeled in game vehicles to resemble Fiat Palio, Skoda Octavia, Audi A2, Audi A4, Audi TT, Chrysler Viper, Mitsubishi 3000 GT, Porsche Doxster and Porsche 911 Turbo. Unfortunately, even with the help of such a developed customization tool, models do not respond to controls as the original counterparts as they’re similar in shape and form only.

As most recent racing games accustomed us to, the interface is quite simple and shows utility over eye candy or useless statistics. While playing the arcade mode you will be able to somewhat steer your car properly with a keyboard, yet the experience is not exactly fulfilling. It beats the purpose of X Motor Racing to try it on anything less than a driving wheel setup, thus the simulation mode is recommended. The game doesn’t show detailed backgrounds, nor does the car smash into little pieces on impact so the reality factor is poured somewhere else. It’s a bit frustrating to notice that every little obstacle along the road will not slow you down, but instead bring you to a full stop or send you flying into the grass. At some point the control selection tool tip lets us know that X Motor Racing was designed for the driving wheel and that’s where the game strong points are, as shown in the trailer. It’s a lot easier to maneuver the car that way and you can perform some pretty impressive tricks if you’ve got the skill.

There are three game modes and a training track available. The Highway Race is suitable for quick and blood pumping sessions, the perfect place to try greater speeds. It’s not a bad idea to try this when first getting acquainted with the way controls respond and try a few easy turns before going into the fray. Then we have an off-road mode which I find more challenging simply because the camera angles shift in relation to the road. If the road is bumpy, you’ll find yourself in the awkward position of not seeing exactly what’s ahead of you and driving by guessing which way the road will turn next; not exactly professional, but fun none the less. Driving blind has the advantage of a more realistic simulation, as off-road races usually are incredibly bumpy and drivers often enough find it difficult to keep steering the right way. You can improve your best lap time in the Hot Lap mode. As for training, that particular track is the standard square box where you can just roam freely and test what your newly customized model can dish out in terms of speed, mobility and control response, your very own sandbox testing unit.

I particularly enjoyed one aspect of the simulation part, namely when I was going up a hill and I stopped the car for whatever reason. To my dismay (and quickly ensuing panic) I found out that my racing car was steadily descending in reverse, under the influence of its own weight. It seems the gravitational pull is better than my driving skills as I had to pull off my car from the bush. In the end, you can press the insert key and reposition your race car back on the right track. Transmission is automatic or manual as you choose, and page up/down will up the gears or eventually get you in reverse to back away from unwanted positions. In the end, X Motor Racing is not exactly targeted at casual gaming due to its high customization eccentricity and highly demanding control scheme.

Graphics are a bit off for a 2007 title as I don’t see enough eye candy and detail, coupled game engine limitations when it comes to small obstacles and the invulnerable car model. Music is decent enough but you can import your own. The most important sound you hear in a racing game is, understandably, the sound of your engine. In X Motor Racing it’s a bit unrealistic and disturbing which cuts off a fair bit of gameplay pleasure.

As a conclusion, if you’re a racing games fan go try the demo before engaging in a purchase. X Motor Racing soundtrack set, graphics editor and tools are available for download on the official site so that you can create your own track or car and add them to the game. The price will be 19.99$ until the end of the year so I suggest you make up your mind fast, because you might find less value for you money when paying the full 39.99$ afterwards.

<-125x125 Button - left->Interesting choice for a name, that is what I said as well when I installed the original game. Extraction Point is a follow-up story that happens right after the events from the end of the first adventure. The same characters come into play again like Paxton Fettel and the “little girl” Alma. In this story the girl in a red dress will play a changed role and there will be a taller older girl, just as mysterious but with no good intentions. What did you expect, cheers and flowers? This is supposed to be a “horror” game.

the beginning

The levels are well anchored within the game plot and each of them brings new areas of shooting-action, under various environments, such as buildings, metro stations, sewers and water filled areas. There are 6 “intervals” as the levels have been called, and the whole purpose of the small missions is to reach the final area where is the extraction point, at the roof of Auburn Hospital. As hardware requirements, 1 GB of memory is required, at least a 2GHz CPU (for a smooth rendering), 3.5 GB of storagespace and a DirectX 9 video card with 256MB video RAM memory.

The game story starts in the helicopter where “the ghost girl” makes an appearance that makes everything go blurry, after which there’s a crash… Our hero barely makes it out alive from the burning pieces of metal and glass and heads out to a point where he can reach the 2 members of the FEAR team. There are some “spawned” soldiers out there of Paxton Fettel (who has been brought back to life by Alma probably). However, they are not moving for some reason (like statues) and they pose no threat. Moving on ahead as a player you will see a church. When you enter and reach the altar, you will see Fettel with his soldiers. He brings them back to life and the bullet-time show begins. The soldiers will have to be neutralized as soon as possible, and they will literally vanish in smoke and ashes.

Next, the player will find out that Kwon (the female member of the team) has been captured by Fettel but she manages to escape while she was transported through the subway. She starts her own journey towards the Auburn Hospital. The player meets Holiday, another member of the F.E.A.R. team, and they both go through a warehouse. Holiday gets killed by the sneaky monsters and thus, the player has to go alone through the metro stations.

gameplay

While trying to reach out for an exit the player will see Alma (in a younger version), the “little” girl in red dress clearing the path for him by removing the Replica soldiers. But these soldiers become desperate at one point that they are starting to plant demolition explosives in the hope that our hero will just fall into the trap and die under the pressure of a heavy wall. At first, there’s a rate of success on dodging the explosives by either destroying them or by making the Replica forces blow them by accident. The final explosion thrusts the player from the tunnels into a parking area, from where he heads straight towards the hospital.

The mission was to find Jin (another F.E.A.R. team member), but he is found dead into a room from one of the floors above, with ghosts flying around him. Now the only hope of Point-Man, our hero with super-powers, is to reach the roof as soon as possible, and there’s even Kwon telling him on burst radio transmissions that she needs help and backup in fighting against the Replica forces. Here’s when things go wrong again – there’s a power outage and the player must find a way to restore it. In the basement, Point-Man has some hallucinations of Alma’s victims from the previous game and in the end, the young Alma reunites with the old one under a blue light. After that there’s no more blood on the walls of the hospital at return, and the player proceeds to the roof area, where he has to “dispatch” another squad of trigger-happies. As soon as the Blackhawk helicopter lands, Paxton Fettel destroys it through unknown methods and renders the Point-Man in an unconscious state. Fettel’s words at the end are “a war is coming, I've seen it in my dreams”.

epilogue

The sound in the game is enhanced by ambiental music which contributes to the state of the player, especially when hallucinations occur. There is also some action music this time, yes, I actually noticed it when compared to the one from the original game. The red-laser gun is not very loud, but definitely my favorite for its effectiveness. The developers must have worked pretty hard for the sounds effects of the ghosts – they’re quite scary.

Publisher, Developer: Vivendi Games, TimeGate Studios, Sierra
Official site: http://www.whatisfear.com
Buy: $29.95

Developer Zoetrope Interactive and publisher Lighthouse Entertainment just released a demo version for Darkness Within: In Pursuit of Loath Nolder, their upcoming quest/adventure thriller due for retail by Halloween 2007. With a short yet powerful introduction by the words of horror master H. P. Lovecraft, I wonder who can resist the temptation of a quick sneak peek. “Men of broader intellect know that there is no sharp distinction betwixt the real and the unreal.”

Read on for an abyssal journey at the edges of human comprehension.

Story

<-125x125 Button - right->The story unfolds as you take up the job of a police detective investigating the murder of a wealthy man involved in the occult. Highly experienced private eye Loath Nolder is the prime suspect and it’s your to confront your idol and learn the truth. It seems Loath Nolder abandoned his last case five years ago and mysteriously disappeared. Some say he was seen on several exotic locations, pursuing shamans and sorcerers when suddenly he makes another appearance here. Your quest begins in an old mansion shrouded in the rumors of old. There is talk about its elder inhabitants, things that linger in the depths of nightmares, as the nearby building predates the rest of the village by several hundred years.

Concept and Gameplay

Darkness Within: In Pursuit of Loath Nolder is a 360 degree point and click photographic experience that relies on your ability to discover hidden niches and combine clues in order to advance the game plot. Rich textures and surreal ambient music make up for an in depth experience, while hunting for your next clues. I had no problems completely submerging myself into the eerie game world and starting to feel, act and think as my character would. At several points throughout the game you can see cut scenes depicting your avatar voicing out his fears and ideas, in a continuous motion which hardly ever makes the transition uncomfortable. For instance, while entering the last room available in the demo I found myself stuck in a dark room, nowhere to go and with the flashlight fading. It was then that my character started panicking and tried to run back the way he came once the musty cave walls began to shake menacingly. The graphics and overall feeling are consistent with the whole of Lovecraftian lore. Darkness Within: In Pursuit of Loath Nolder is filled with mysterious creatures powered by our imagination and a seed of the uncanny.

In the beginning puzzles aren’t that hard to decipher. Not too hard, not too shallow, there’s mind candy for everyone with extra focus on the storyline and less on mind twisting dead ends. At some point, I had to combine five clues to set up a complex symbol, acting like a key. I was intrigued at first as to why won’t my contraption work, but it soon became apparent I wasn’t using the information provided by all of them. In this regard there is a subtle sense of achievement that drives the player to delve deeper into the game.

Some events are scripted so that you need to fulfill certain prerequisites before triggering them. You can tell there is another room beneath the floor when you knock on the wall and then again on the floor, noticing the difference in echo. Only then can you push the wooden cabinet away and pull the rug off to discover a secret passage. In the same fashion, you’ll be able to pick up a flashlight once your advance will be halted by the impenetrable darkness of a distant room.

All alone in a haunted mansion, down in a cave below, it’s only a matter of time until the next step will be your last. I find the demo ending quite intriguing, on par with the Lovecraftian ethos where nightmare-breed creatures come to life and devour the very mind which created them. I can’t wait to see more when the full game gets released.

Sound and Graphics

This fully single player experience wouldn’t be the same without the flurry of dark ambient sounds capes designed to infiltrate your soul and prepare it for the great fear to come. Effective to the very last note, I felt right at home stepping in the shoes of our intrepid detective, exploring every corner of this imposing mansion. It’s not so much about the music as it is about the 3D sound positioning and the vivid surprises which wait at every turn. I particularly enjoyed the ruff cut cave textures which simulate reality very effective, contrasting the clean and highly detailed images from the well lighted rooms above. Darkness and shadows will often enough play tricks on your vision. Darkness Within: In Pursuit of Loath Nolder lives up to 2007 standards and you won’t feel wronged in your choice by the visual elements at no time during gameplay.

Conclusion

I’m glad that a game such as Darkness Within: In Pursuit of Loath Nolder still surfaces the gaming world, because quests and adventure games are a dying breed. Such rare bird is not to be ignored regardless of your current gaming affiliations. I for one am a bit nostalgic and will enjoy the title to its fullest. Its crippling dark atmosphere, the strong Lovecraft references coupled with complex mind candy and a good storyline provide great value for your money. Darkness Within: In Pursuit of Loath Nolder is scheduled to be the first in a series of three installments, ready for release this Halloween. Until then, I suggest you take a most enlightening look at the demo and see if you share my opinions.

In the mainstream gaming world the MMORPG is a treacherous mistress, acting like a double edged blade which strikes mercilessly where she once healed a woe. Publishers often prioritize financial gains over the creation of sublime beauty and the fight for popularity raises a heavy toll; the scene quickly becomes saturated by numerous weak and unpolished releases. There is also a hint of hope, a prophecy of redemption to bring promise to the lost. Being developed by NHN Games studios, one of the biggest names in the Korean MMO scene, ArchLord set out to be a strong pretender to the throne of online role playing goodness. The title is free to download and free to play at the moment. Codemasters handles publishing and distribution rights for the western lands with a world wide release on August 17, 2006. ArchLord - false prophet or redeemer? Find out for yourselves in the following review.

Story

The history of the magical continent of Chantra is long and detailed, available for anyone to read on the official site. Tens of pages unfold the story of the land, way too much for anyone to grasp after just one reading session. Unfortunately the game sees only a small fraction implemented into its quests and NPCs rarely talk about game lore.

Gameplay

<-250x250 Square - left->The number of characters you can sustain at any one given time on a single server is limited to three. Humans, orcs and Moon Elves fight for the title of ArchLord, with predetermined class and gender options. The eight archetypes are race specific incarnations of the warrior, the bowman and the spellcaster. Thus Humans can be male archers and knights, or female mages. Orcs are male berserkers and hunters or female sorceresses. The moon Elves are exclusively female to play, sharing their love for rangers and elementalists. As far as appearance customization is concerned, players can change the haircuts and faces of their avatars but nothing more. I found the whole process to be quite limiting in terms of freedom in role playing and class availability. Classes act pretty much on the same principle and no dedicated healers are in sight.

Fresh to the city of Golundo, this stranger set out to make a name for himself and Berserker Orcs everywhere. Surprisingly there are no quests to be had yet, something that only adds to the frustration that you can’t scroll through NPC text. I guess ArchLord is based on a highly intuitive interface where you have to guess both quests and storyline. I was a bit disappointed to learn that my first skills can be acquired at level 4, so off I went, trying to persuade unsuspecting critters to level me up. Stat-wise you have hit points and mana points, complimented by strength, agility, intelligence, wisdom, charisma and power. Unfortunately there are no tool-tips for any of them so my interpretation could be subjective at best. Skills are bought from trainers and feature different ranks that increase in power with level. Each skill costs mana so a warrior type would eventually take a hit in effectiveness due to the lack of a higher mana pool. There are potions to supplement this shortcoming. At least one out of three monsters will drop either a health of mana potion, being the game’s way of minimizing downtime.

Quests aren’t basically imply killing off a specific number of creatures bearing the same description or hunting drop able items via grinding. It bothers me that players need to place extra clicks to start, acknowledge, and finish quests. I find the “you’ve just accepted a quest” textbox to be highly useless, hinting that developers think quests to be something incredibly rare events that deserve 1000% of our attention. As I said, they are neither epic nor complex and the rewards are not worth the time involved in completing them. At least that’s the case for the first few levels of the game. Overall, ArchLord is the kind of game where you need to grind creatures for hours and hours in order to advance.

Funny enough, the text for adding a character to either your friend list or ignore list is the same. On occasion you won’t be able to tell the difference, especially when lag hits and that click might have gone either way, but you know what they say, love is just as strong as hate. Speaking of which, playing in a party will probably get you to express either of them. The main advantage of playing in groups is that buffs get automatically shared between characters. Since fighting monsters is usually a passive act that does not require a lot of micro and skill usage, buffs and equipment is what you’ll desire for quick boosts of power. Creeps are usually displaced over small areas, thus a party could successfully take over a spawning place and grind there for hours and hours. I always disliked the idea that I have to race the 10 other players in the vicinity for my next kill. This basically encourages people to camp spawning spots without switching areas and exploring the game world. I feel this takes away from the fun of playing a MMO, being a hit in gameplay.

The controls are cold stiff. Movement is based upon the W-S-A-D cross that controls forward and backward movement along with turning around. Although you can customize the keyboard mapping, the lack of strafing is notable. Be advised that you can zoom in and out with the mouse wheel, yet you can’t mouse-look and it’s of the utmost importance. The camera often enough changes the point of view into disturbing angles when turning and or running up a hill. Further camera view adjustments are made by using the arrow keys. Up to now you need three free hands to operate the 8 keys and the mouse at the same time, in order to properly guide your character on the adventure map. Avatars frequently change direction for no apparent reason and stop for a second in doing so, thus movement feels mechanical, somewhat as if you were experiencing lags. Although characters can fall small distances, from higher ground, they can’t jump and you’ll soon enough find yourself stuck in a rather insignificant obstacle like a wooden fence, or behind a house and the nearby hill. I can’t help but wonder how such horrible pathing will affect the seemingly fast and furious world of PvP. I can’t imagine how extensive PvP will be carried out as long as you can’t dodge, close in for the kill or run away for a strategic advantage.

Concept

ArchLord aims to impress through one fundamental difference that will shape both PvP and the in-game social structure of guilds. NHN developers have a great plot twist in mind. One player will be able to control the ArchLord, a supreme being able to directly influence through power the social workings of the land. Not only does he receive a full set of impressive new armor, he also has a giant arsenal of unique weapons at his disposal. Throw in the mix a fire breathing dragon for a flying mount and you pretty much have the cool factor covered, with major bragging rights. In addition, he can use all of his new found powers to impose a specific vision over the lands, including a tax rate over each player. It’s quite a responsibility; therefore developers prepared a special event in order to choose the most suitable characters for such a task, a continuous power struggle that gathers the six most influential guilds each month and pairs them in a game mode similar to castle siege.

In a timed battle, defenders are enclosed in a heavily fortified stronghold, while attackers have various siege engines at their disposal. Should the gates fall, the attackers must secure three out of the five objectives in order to take control of the castle. Only three guilds will remain, having to battle it out in a last-man-standing scenario. Each guild has an appointed ArchLord candidate who will eventually take charge of this destiny should his mates win the confrontation. Of course, losing guilds may very well challenge the power of the ArchLord head on in all-out war, but this may be harder than anticipated, considering the extensive list of powers available to the ruler. The ArchLord can summon up to 20 monsters or three powerful knights to aid him in battle, can change the weather and has access to very powerful spells.

Sound and Video

The music was recorded with help from the godly London Symphony Orchestra. I am not qualified to test such a claim, yet I can tell you that regarding musical composition, tracks lack the details and finesse compelling developers to use such finely attuned music weavers. None the less, music fits great with the environment, saving face in front of other various shortcomings. Voices are not that impressive though, as they see limited use and lack the undeniable immersion qualities of extensive professional voice acting.

For a next generation MMORPG ArchLord has quite outdated graphics. The poor geometry of the landscape design leads to a lot of rough edges, visible even on full detail and higher resolution settings. I’m not saying there are no complex buildings and special places that look good; I’m just observing that starting cities and the surrounding areas have a simple look about them. Trees are so far apart that one can’t be sure it we deal with a hill, plain, mountain or forest. Grass and tree branches both receive the same unnatural feel.

Multiplayer

Fighting for the ArchLord title has the potential to bind players together in a cooperative effort, or break alliances through into competitive skirmishes in grand acts of betrayal. I can’t say team PvP is frantic, even though NHN wishes to stage monthly worldwide events where players can bash themselves out in a controlled environment. Incentives to take battles out in the open lie solely within self motivation, because the game system punishes you for non-consensual PvP. Heavy healing potion usage is common, as PvP dominance follows the better geared characters when uncanny critical hits rank above human skill and timing. You can attack other players anytime after level 6 if you so desire. Throughout the world special creatures are to be encountered, whereas PvE cooperation is required. Characters can band together in parties and eliminate such powerful foes, for greater loot and experience rewards. I can’t say ArchLord is that massive in terms of player interaction; you will trade others for rare item drops, but that’s as far as player interaction goes.

Conclusion

The overall feeling of the game seems to be lacking, due to the poor implementation of otherwise generous concepts. For instance, emotes aren’t that bombastic in terms of character animation and speech is often enough childish. Coupled with repetitive gameplay, difficult control scheme and average graphics, I can’t help wondering what happened to the great PvP hype during beta testing. Starting January 4, 2007 Codemasters removed the standard monthly charge, turning ArchLord into a free to play enterprise, with in-game buffs available for real money. You can see for yourselves and experience ArchLord along with its first expansion Season of Siege now, through the official website.

<-125x125 Button - left->This week has been dedicated to shooter games, and the next in line for today is “The Hell In Vietnam”, where the player takes the role of a lieutenant from the American army and has to go through eight missions, full of adventures and plenty of objectives to achieve. To my knowledge, this is the first detailed review for this game on the web, so enjoy your reading.

The game story follows the memories of the fictional character of Col. Thomas "Deadeye" Coburn, from 1982, who remembers the training in Recondo, where the troopers were sent to acquire various points and to gain access to certain areas.

The war not just like the ones the soldiers were used to, the enemy was faceless, and without identity. The entire territory of the Vietnam was acting like the enemy against the American soldiers, and they learned some “rules of that world” while they were fighting for survival. It amuses me how Col. Coburn complains about the enemy who was nowhere and everywhere at the same time and that it was a hostile environment… Well, “Jack-of-all-trades”, you weren’t exactly fighting for your country, you were invading a foreign territory… What did you expect? Flowers and kisses from some Vietnamese girls? This shows exactly how ignorant and ridiculous was the way of thinking of the soldiers – but they are not exactly to be blamed – they were following orders.

Among the game’s features, the gamer will take part in a bloody conflict, the levels being organized into 8 missions, and there are presented detailed models of weapons from the US Army from 1967, with realistic uniforms, and good audio effects.

Game Trailer

The levels start with the first mission, “Baptism of Fire”, where you will have to clear out the path and shoot some “gooks” as the soldiers call the Vietnamese soldiers. Next, you will spend a “Day In The Country” side, in a village where there are soldiers but also villagers with machine guns who are waiting in the corners where you would least expect. This is where the mission gets interesting as you will have to place some explosives into key points in order to move on.

In the “Highway Patrol” you will have to place explosives again on the road to destroy a military vehicles convoy. After you destroy some big guns as well, you will go “Down by the River” with a military boat, and you will take charge of a big machine-gun turret, in order to bring down any military vehicle of the enemy showing up on the both sides of the river.

In the “Battle of the Hue” and also in “Buddha’s Smile” you will delve even deeper into the land of the enemy, and the artillery choices will vary and new items will be added, like the sniper rifle and the rocket launcher. You will notice however, that even if the game has just been released and it uses a new engine without having to “borrow” others like Unreal Engine, the graphics are not exactly state of the art – moreover they look like in the games of a few years ago. But this is not entirely a bad thing, as the game will run very smoothly on any decent or below standard computer configuration for Windows XP, so Vista-ready computers will definitely be able to run it very well.

In the “Fields of Destruction” you even get the chance to operate one of those machine guns attached to a helicopter of the US Army Forces, and you will gun down walking enemies or military vehicles in motion. On “The Journey Home” you will find yourself alone against a handful of “gooks”, an you will shoot left, right, up and down for every inch of the path towards the helicopter that comes to rescue you – if you don’t start feeling like Rambo by now, then you didn’t really understand the message of the game. With a bit of luck and some extra dodging you will make it safely to the place where you will be picked up.

The sound in the game tends to be very realistic and the music does seem to express the state of the action when you reach the battle grounds. The gun sounds have been really well implemented and I don’t recommend playing the game with headphones at max volume.

Digitainment mark: 5 out of 10 (outdated graphics!)
Producer/Developer: City-Interactive
Demo and other goodies from the official website page