The latest instalment from Infinity Ward can be summed up in one word. BLOCKBUSTER!

The much anticipated sequel to the almighty Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare will leave you wanting more, more, more. The basic fundamentals of the first game are unchanged. The button layout, interface and gameplay remain basically as they were, which is a good thing. If it aint broke, don’t fix it…

Then what’s changed? Why should you bother purchasing the second title? Read on to find out…

The addition of Special Ops (mini missions) for a test of skill against the AI gives the player a little extra to do and a means to boost their COD ego. You can choose the difficulty and are rewarded stars for completion of each mission. Regular gets one star, hardened gets 2 and veteran will earn you 3. The special ops missions take place throughout various maps within the game and can be played on-line with a friend, making completion much easier. Some missions require 2 players, one of which sees a player control an attack helicopter from above whilst the other gets down and dirty in the battlefield.

The story will keep you captivated and is sure to shock you, with a twist no-one will ever see coming. New characters make their way onto the scene, Soap Mactavish has been promoted and you will be fighting with the Army Rangers with Taskforce 141 - The best of the best and more...

The new levels are what stood out to me in this game. One minute you are in the slums of Rio De Janeiro, being cursed out by rebels. Next, you are manning the Machine gun in a helicopter shooting the sh!# out of the Whitehouse.

The graphics and sound in the game are unbelievable! The spurt of blood and sound of tearing flesh as a bullet rips through an enemy makes killing even more fun! The AI has been stepped up a notch here too. Enemies will hide behind cover and shoot blind fire at you. If you clip a bad guy in the leg, he will crawl to safety and keep attacking. These little differences add an extra element to this already outstanding title.

The online component of this game offers players countless hours of hardcore gaming. Learning the levels is key. Knowing your weapons is key-er. Like the last game you carry a primary and secondary weapon. Unlike the last game, shotguns are now classed as secondary. That’s right, no-longer will you have to decide on the all purpose Assault rifle for the long shot or the powerful spray of a shotty to mess up enemies at close range…You can have both! A new addition is the Semtex, a sticky grenade that can actually be latched on to an enemy - gaining extra exp points of course. Old favourites like claymores and flashbangs are included along with the good old AK-47. The M16 was my gun of choice, a versatile triple burst fire, with good accuracy and high damage.

The addition of the care package and customisation of your kill streaks is a gamer’s delight. String a few kills together and a helicopter will drop a package containing either UAV's, Sentry guns, extra supplies, counter UAV's, Attack helicopters Stealth bombers and more to a location you mark with a flare. Some of these killstreak rewards actually let you bring death from above, putting you in the gunner seat of a helicopter or AC130…Truly AWESOME! What makes this even better is that you can steal other players' care packages, as they are visible on your map, but beware, these packages can be used as bait by the more cunning of you foes.

All in all this game is sure to please. Anybody with a passion for shooters will love it, those who are new to shooters will find a new favourite genre. Well done Infinity Ward, you have yet again raised the bar for first person shooters.

Graphics - 9.5
Sound - 9.5
Gameplay - 9
Longevity - 9.5

Overall - 9.5

NICK

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Uncharted 2 – Among Thieves

PS3 Review

For years, the console with superior specs and advanced blue-ray technology has failed to compare on it's flagship games against the 360 – until now. Finally, Uncharted 2 – Amongst Thieves is the defining moment for the PS3 – the moment where smug 360 users will for the first time, envy their PS3 cousins.

Uncharted 2 is one of the most polished games we have ever seen. Right from the outset when you're trying to save our hero Nathan from a train wreck, climbing up carriages as the train threatens to slide of a cliff, your heart is in your mouth. At the end of the first scene, you press pause, capture your breath and realise you're in for something amazing.

The terrain covered by Uncharted 2 is sublime. From snowy mountaintops, to lush green jungles and a number of urban backdrops, the scenery is always changing, yet equally beautiful. It's strength lies in the adventure it takes the player on; through the likeable characters; the beautifully choreographed scenes; and feeling of the journey the player is on. Uncharted 2 is laced with funny one-liners and a generally lite hearted overtone. It's more than Tomb Raider and smarter than Infamous - in fact, there is really no other game on the market like it. Thee action is intense, yet manageable; and the story is strong enough to keep you on the edge of your seat through the entire single-player campaign.

The game can be split into three parts – combat, puzzles and platform. The combat is a major improvement over its predecessor. It's very intuitive and indeed, logical. Stand in the open and Nathan will be shot dead. Take cover and shooting ain't so easy. The stealth mode which allows Nathan to sneak up and take out enemies is also a lot of fun. Taking control of Nathan just feels natural and apart from the sometimes cumbersome efforts to release Nathan from backing up against a wall, it's effortlessly superb.

The puzzles are more fun than irritating, which is a fine line many games walk badly. Nathan carries a journal with his notes and scrolling through these can often give clues on how to best pass a puzzle. Actually, puzzles can be a welcome pause in this game, given the player a chance to relax, catch their breath and rest their fingers after hours of intense combat.

The platform is very forgiving, Make a slight mistake trying to keep Nathan from falling to his death and the AI will usually allow Nathan to grab a nearby ledge and survive. Botch it up badly and Nathan is dead. If you get stuck in an area for a prolonged period of time, the “hint” indicator appears, whereby you push UP on the control pad and Nathan is given a hint on what to do next. The hint doesn't solve the riddle or get you out of your predicament, but intelligently points you in the right direction – usually giving you another aspect you hadn't considered.

The most incredible part of this game, is the feeling it gives the player that you are actually in the game – or more accurately, in a movie. The sound is faultless – the best ever of any console game. From the hilarious banter between characters; intelligent dialogue; sexy character accents; the thumping soundtrack; and overall cinematic feel … Uncharted 2 cannot be surpassed.

My favourite online mode is the deathmatch, where you join a group of either heroes or villains with the sole aim of killing the other team. I haven't had this much fun in a deathmatch since Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64 (yep, that does hint at just how old I am).

Make no mistake – this is the best PS3 game to date.

Graphics 9.5/10

Simply incredible. Finally the PS3 gets a chance to show it's potential. The cinematic sequences are lifelike. The attention to game detail is unheralded.

Sound 10/10

The voice acting is superb. The varying characters accents make you feel like you are in this movie, not just playing this game. The characters feel so real. Action sequences are filled with suspense due to the amazing sound this game delivers.

Gameplay 9/10

Whilst the control of a 1st person action game is lacking, Uncharted 2 plays as well as any 3rd person action game. Solid controls, an excellent balance of calculated movement and combat.

Longevity 9/10

The single player game offers several days of entertainment. However, it's the online multiplayer where the real longevity kicks in. The death-match alone is so addictive, players will be glued to their PS3s for months to come.

Overall 9.4/10

SENSATIONAL. Finally a flagship PS3 game to bring it into the same playing league as the 360. Game on!

In my grandfathers day we invented recorded music
In my fathers day we invented subwoofers
In my day we invented little purple flames that make music?

Sounds crazy but its true, I like to think I'm up to date with all the happenings of technology but in the midst of all thats new I stumbled across a somewhat old technology that is being perfected for new use.

 
The Plasma speaker is an electronic discharge between 2 points that creates an arc which produces sound; in amazing quality. Albeit the flame mainly produces high end frequencies but it does that with ease due to the fact that it has no real threshold like that of a traditional speaker design which is limited by the excursion of the cone due to the foam surround. These speakers are not yet in commercial production (most likely due to the inherent fire and electrocution dangers!) but there are certain companies now looking at high end consumer electronics market for possible purchasers. The technology behind this speaker dates back nearly 100 years to the singing arc created by William Duddell. 
 
I find it very exciting to see a genuinely new technology emerge with promise of changing the way we do things. So on the topic I thought I'd seek out some other groundbreaking designs and see what's in store for us!

The first of these I found was the LASER TELEVISION: Australian company Arasor International and US partner Novalux announced what they claim to be the world's first laser television. Its meant to be twice as clear, half as much and extremely energy conscious in comparison with the current LCD/Plasma systems. For all those people who have just bought a new oled plasma or lcd this could be heartbreaking as laser technology seems to be the way things are going to go!
 

 
Microsoft Surface: Getting on a bit now but still worth a mention as it really is a great idea, even if incomplete.
Think about a coffee table sized Ipod touch with multi touch, bluetooth and wifi, that can be installed into any flat surface you can find. In use its practicalities make sense, imagine a coffee shop with one in every table so you can sit down, throw your phone on the table and drag your photos onto your friends phone, then as soon as the table feels that your glass is no longer cold it could ask whether you want another drink and let you pay by credit card, all right there on your table!
 

Amazing really. Check it out at microsoft.com

With all this excitement it can be easy to overlook how much we rely on technology and how it's killing us through obesity, but I just can't get over the new apps I just got for my iPhone!

Live Long and Prosper!
 
ADAM G

RECAP: Game Of 2009 - MW2 vs Uncharted 2

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360/PS3) vs Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)Uncharted 2 has taken the title of the best game of 2009 by most. But, does THISIS720 share that view? I’ll begin by saying that when I reviewed Uncharted 2 back in September 2009, I called it PS3’s best original game of all time – and I will still stick to that claim. It has the most realistic graphics ever seen on a console, taking full advantage of the Sony’s blu-ray technology (for those non-geeks, PS3 discs can hold up to 7x more information that Xbox 360 discs and 14 times more than Wii discs).

The sound score in Uncharted 2 is perfect – the accents fit the characters perfectly and gamers get to experience the full extent of digital sound. The story mode is faultless, mixing action and strategy in an edge-of-you-seat thriller. All this puts U2 up there with Xbox’s Gears of War 2 as the best 3rd person shooter of all time.

However, gaming isn’t just about how good a game looks and sounds. It’s about how a game feels. Modern Warfare 2’s gameplay is faultless. The characters you control move like you want them to move. The gunplay is tight. Enemies behave like intelligent enemies should – unpredictably. You feel like you are actually there.

When your screen turns blood red after you have been shot, your heart starts racing uncontrollably. You find yourself physically ducking when you want you character to duck for cover. The experience is pulsating and so real. So in one corner we have the prettiest, most polished game of all time, a game that PS3 can hang their hat one. In the other corner, we have a gritty, raw experience that has no equal.

And the winner is … Modern Warfare 2 … just. As a reviewer - I appreciate artistic merit & perfection on screen; but as a gamer, there is nothing like the feeling of being an actual part of world the game brings you.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Review

Graphics: 9/10

The presentation of MW2 is simply breath-taking. The animations are the best we have seen on a console. There are no frame rate issues. The level on visual complexity in every character, machine and scene in unheralded.

Sound: 9.5/10

The soundtrack compliments MW2 perfectly. The voice acting is solid. Explosions sound meaty. It’s nice to have instructions told to you when you’re stuck or a little slow to respond.

Gameplay: 10/10

Just like Gears of War being the engine all 3rd person games should be built on – MW2 should set the foundation for all 1st person games. Tight gunplay – responsive controls make MW2 a pleasure to play 

Longevity: 9/10

Limitless hours of online gameplay make MW2 the most popular online console game ever made. However, the minority who are only looking for a fulfilling single campaign game will be slightly disappointed. I completed MW2 in a touch under 5 hours.

Overall: 9.4/10

Aside from its short single player campaign, MW2 is the flagship first person shooter. Graphics and controls are the best we’ve seen to date..

Pavli