Breach Impressions

At PAX, I had an opportunity to play Breach, by Atomic Games, and I was not impressed, to be honest. Breach is a first person shooter, based in a modern warfare setting. There are five classes which you can choose from, but only three were playable at PAX, the Rifleman, the Gunner and Recon. The Rifleman was similar to a sniper, but was more mobile and wasn't crippled in closer combat. The Gunner is your standard heavy weapon class, with a machine gun and grenade launcher. The Recon class is almost like a scout, with a little more weaponry. I was able to play all three classes, and wasn't overly impressed by any of them.

I am not sure Breach offers anything more than Counter Strike: Source or the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series. The developers at PAX were saying that the entire world was destructible, they said to the point where you could remove a single brick and use it as a whole for sniping, I didn't see it. I attempted to shoot at walls, and nothing happened, I fired grenade and there was little or no destruction. There was one wooden structure that was able to be destroyed, but it seemed to be the only thing. There was an archway where the other team would tend to hide, I attempted to drop it down on them, and nothing happened. I am not sure if it wasn't working, I was doing it wrong, or it just can't happen, but either way, it does not speak well for the game, since this was their big selling point.

The game is set to cost fifteen dollars, which is not bad at all, but I feel like they are making sure that everyone knows the game is fifteen dollars, they had a fairly prominent sign at PAX. I feel like they were trying to distract from a incomplete or sub par game by making sure that everyone knew it was much cheaper than similar games. If I was looking for a cheap game, I would still go with Counter Strike: Source over Breach, minus the "destructible" world Breach offers nothing more than Counter Strike. If you are looking for a current game, and willing to pay for it, there is no reason not to get Modern Warfare 2 or Bad Company 2. I feel like Breach attempts to cash in on the Modern Warfare trend, but it doesn't offer anything new, and Modern Warfare is a better game. I see no reason to purchase this game, to be honest, and I do not understand the hype it is getting. Though, keep in mind, the game is still currently in the very early alpha stages, so we could see much more in the way of improvement.

Joe Danger by Hello Games

This weekend, Egan and I were able to enjoy the full three days of PAX EAST 2010. The Penny Arcade Expo is touted as the convention for gamers. Games at all stages of production are available to be played. One of the games Egan and I got a lot of hands on time with was Joe Danger. Joe Danger is a motorbike stuntman and in the first game developed by The U.K.’s Hello Games, Joe Danger must race down a track in any number of game modes. One of the first things that caught my eye about the game demo at the Hello Games booth was the friendly and enthusiastic developers showing the game. There were no pitches, no fast talking, just a couple of guys that are very proud of the game they created and were eager to show off. The vivid colors of the game got my attention while watching other people play the game. All the games were running on HDTVs via PS3 or Xbox360. The colors were crisp, fun and very cartoon like. The art direction is just as cartoony and fun. Sprawling desert landscapes with ghost town saloons, big wooden boxes to drive through and big totem poles all try to hinder Joe Danger from proceeding down the track. The sound made me feel like I was in a giant arcade, lots of chimes and bells, fun music, other sounds that are played when bonus points are gained help drive home how rewarding well executed sound design is.

The game is a 2.5-D race from left to right down a track with obstacles. Any gamer would immediately compare it to Excitebike on NES right off the bat, similar ramps, jumps, speed boosts and the 3 or so lanes to race down, however Joe Danger brings some more elements to the classic formula. The player is able to control Joe Danger in air and perform stunts that increase the score, the player can also duck or bunny hop over obstacles. The player also can lean back while riding, allowing for a wheelie that links and chains stunts together in a combo system. There are a few different game modes, time trials, races vs. AI, a mode where there are bull’s-eyes on the ground and you score more points for landing on them.

Joe Danger will also support online leader boards when it comes to PSN, XBLA, and PC as a down loadable title. There is also a track editor players can work on and collaborate together by sending the files back and forth. No plans to have a space for maps to be uploaded have been announced at the time of PAX EAST; however tracks can be shared with players on each other's friend list by sending the file directly.

I am eager to check out a final version of this game when it is released sometime later this spring. The game has a lot of heart and is a wholesome fun time. The game had an excellent learning curve to accommodate the skill level of any player. The player could race through a level dead straight, or step it up and score extra points by trying stunts. If there was a race that was not completed in time, the option to try again was a button away. I know if I had this game on my PS3, I would start playing it and realize that I let 8 hours go by. Joe Danger definitely has the hook that keeps you wanting to play “just one more game, and then call it a day” about 200 times. Keep an eye out on the PSN, XBLA and PC and find out more at the Hello Games site http://www.hellogames.org/