Review: AirRivals (2006 - PC)

Operating System: Windows XP/Vista/7 
Price: Free 
Website: http://www.airrivals.net/


AirRivals is an online futuristic combat aircraft-based MMORPG by Gameforge4D. Set in the future, players are challenged to become fighter aces, fighting for one of two futuristic unions, either 'Bygenou City United' (BCU), or 'Anti-Nationalism Influence United' (ANI). 


The in-game graphics are now somewhat outdated, as they do not support particularly good filtering, so textures and object boundaries can appear sharp, and low-quality. Also, the textures used are fairly low resolution, and so can appear pixelated when the player is close to them. The settings dialogue is also terribly laid out, making it hard to navigate and change a particular setting. 


Generally, the gameplay is good, featuring achievable targets, while being challenging at points. The interface is generally well laid out, and the game controls are well explained in the tutorial. 


The storyline is somewhat hard to follow and understand, but is a good attempt for an MMO. Also, the storyline is supported by many in-game events, for example players are invited to attack enemy ships in certain maps. 


AirRivals is a somewhat old 3D MMORPG, sporting a good number of interesting features, however it's outdated graphics and storyline gives the impression of a game towards the end of it's life. 


Storyline: 6/10 
Graphics: 6/10 
Gameplay: 8/10 
Online Multiplayer: 8/10 
Overall: 7/10

Review: Halo 3 (2007 - Xbox 360)

Operating System: Xbox 360
Price: ~ £30 
Website: http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/games/overview/halo3


Halo 3 is the final game in the Halo trilogy, produced by Bungie and licensed by Microsoft. The game is set in the year 2552, the player being a genetiacally modified supersoldier John 117, more commonly known as the Master Chief, a product of the SPARTAN-II project, developed by humans. The scene is set in the midst of a war between humans and the covenant - an alien race that set out to destroy humanity. The Halo 3 storyline starts directly after the final scene in Halo 2, in which the Master Cheif is seen on a forerunner vessel headed for earth. At the end of Halo 2, the elites (A high-ranking covenant race) split off from the main covenant group, and join the humans. The brutes take the elites' place in the covenant hierachy, serving as the main tools for the Hierach (Another alien race) prophets. 


The graphics in Halo 3 were built to harness the power of the new Xbox 360 console, that, although a great improvement on those in Halo 1 and 2, is comparitively disappointing compared to those seen now in Halo: Reach, and other games like Call of Duty and Battlefield 3 that harness the power of the new Frostbite 2 engine. The online multiplayer takes a long time to find a match, although the general gameplay is acceptable. 


The player starts the campaign straight from where the player left off in Halo 2, the Master Chief is seen plummeting into a forest, before joining up with Sgt Johnson and destroying a base completely overrun by covenant. The player then fights their way through covenant installations around New Mombasa, before the covenant open a portal to the Ark, and the flood, a parasitic race who aims to infect all sentient beings in the galaxy arrive. The player must then fight this off before travelling to the Ark. The player must then neutralize the threat from the hierachs and the flood. 


Overall the storyline feels somewhat empty, but it does resolve the Halo trilogy fairly conclusively. Overall, although the game is good, it could have been so much better, which may leave some Halo players wanting more. After the campaign, playing online can be a very painstakingly slow experience. The matchmaking system is slow and even playing online with friends can cause issues. 


Storyline: 8/10 
Graphics: 7/10 
Gameplay: 8/10 
Online Multiplayer: 6/10 
Overall: 7/10

Review: World of Tanks (2011 - PC)

Operating System: Windows XP/Vista/7 
Price: Free 
Website: worldoftanks.eu 


World of Tanks is the first in a series of third-person-shooter type MMO games set in and around the WWII era for PC developed by Wargaming.net. It was released in Europe in early 2011. The graphics are excellent, especially for a free-to-play game, and the gameplay isn't bad either. When you first start the game, you begin with tier 1 tanks from the 4 factions (Currently Germany, USA, USSR, and France). The game requires a large amount of system resources to play, but in the end, the graphics largely compensate for this. 


When you enter battle, the server will place you with a group of online players at around your current tier, the aim to either destroy all of the enemy team, or capture their base. Once you play a couple of games, you should have enough experience to research the second tier, where there is an opportunity to buy different types of tanks; namely SPGs (Long-range artillery), TD's (Ambush tanks with large guns), Light tanks (Faster scouting units), Medium tanks (The main fighting force of the team), and eventually (at around tier 4-5), Heavy tanks (Extremely large armour and guns, but generally slow). There are a large number of tanks and components to research, so you don't get bored too quickly. Once you begin to get to higher tiers, however, the rate at which you can research and upgrade your tanks slows, and you can spend weeks on the same tier. 


The balancing engine online is not perfect, and you are often pitted against tanks that you won't be able to defeat, however you can often assist your team by scouting for them. Obviously, being an MMO, the game does not have a storyline, however this is not really required, as the gameplay is generally immersive and enjoyable. Also, the game, being in it's beta stages, is regularly updated, often adding new tanks and maps for you to enjoy. 


To conclude, World of Tanks generally has excellent graphics and enjoyable gameplay, however you do need a fairly high-spec system to play with any decent FPS, and around the higher-tiers, the gameplay can get boring, but otherwise, the game is a good, free online MMO. 


Storyline: N/A 
Graphics: 9/10 
Gameplay: 7/10 
Online Multiplayer: 8/10 
Overall: 8/10