Battlefield: 2142 preview

The demo is out! This means that I can now write an effective hands on preview!

The first thing I notice about the game is its sleek look, the menu is even nice a functional, it may not have a pretty picture in the background, but it gets the job done. Another note, if you want to run this game on a higher graphic setting, make sure you have a monster machine, Im running an old FX 5200 and I had to turn all the settings to minimum (except view distance). Once you find a game it feels exactly like BF2, which is good and bad. Good, because you can easily jump into the gameplay, but bad because some naysayers may say that its the same game but set in the future. I would agree if not for one thing, Titan mode. Titan mode is one of the most exciting game modes ive ever played, you see at first it plays similar to a conquest map, you take control of missile silos, which damage the enemie's titan (a massive floating ship) shields, simple right? Well once the shields are down things change. Once your enemie's titan shields are down, you have to either A. Get inside and blow apart its vital systems, or B. Continue to hammer it with missiles. The fighting inside the titans is intense, it really allows you to get down and dirty with 2142's very entertaining weapons.But a new game mode isnt worth 50 bucks, luckily, the new maps are quite original (if the demo is any indication) and the addition of walkers is a fun add on. There are also tons of unlockables, 40 in all, dispersed over 43 ranks! So if you grow bored of BF2, the persitence is there in 2142. Finally, if the mod community gets involved in this game,there are some exciting things which could be done, as this game would more easily fit, im aleady thinking mods for things like Mech Warrior or Warhammer 40K. Final word, if you like Sci-FI and you want the large scale battles of the battlefield series then this is a title for you. If you are still playing BF2 without being bored, then let this one drop in price before you pick it up.

Video Game Violence

UGR is back after a hiatus with an article that touches on the hot button issue of video game violence.

This topic has been debated intently for years, one event that kicked off this issue was the columbine school shootings, in which anti-video game activists claimed that the popular shooter, Doom "made them do it." Over the years this battle has raged on, with games like GTA becoming extremely controvorsial. I myself think its the parent's responsibility to monitor their kid's behavior and purchases. People like Jack Thompson claim that since there are no laws in effect regulating the sale of M rated games to children, it makes it hard for parents to do so. What Thompson obviously hasnt done, is try to buy an M rated game as a young person, a Gamestop employee can be fired for selling an M rated game to someone under 16. Recently on one of my favorite shows, Attack of the Show, Jack Thompson, Mark Freidler and Adam Sessler discussed Rockstar's upcoming game, Bully. For those who dont know, Bully is an action game in which the player controls a 15 year old boy attending a prep school. The game allows you to live out the character's life, whether you choose to be a bully, nerd, prep, jock or anything in between. Many activists claim that the games schoolyard violence will encourage real schoolyard violence, as in the game you can get into fight and play pranks on other children. In the AOTS interview, Thompson immediatly comes out and gives a statistic saying that studies have shown that as video game sales have risen, so has violence levels. But lets consider this, video game sales arent the only thing rising in America, Unemployment, health care issues, a war in Iraq and poverty are all serious issues. Imagine for a moment that you are a 16 year old teen who just lost a family memeber in Iraq, now whats gonna make you want to start fights more, a tongue in cheek, almost cartoony game, or the extreme sense of loss? Interestingly enough, Jack Thompson's statistic was countered by Kevin's stat that said that its also shown that violent people like violent images, then the problem becomes a which came first issue. Adam Sessler proceeded to passionately defend his side, clearly defeated, Thompson attempted to throw in a report from last year that said that you would be able to beat your teachers with cricket bats, something that is most certainly NOT in the game (rockstar themselves has denied this). The comclusion that I have reached through all this is that it is the PARENTS responsibility to control what their children play, not Gamestops'.