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| Source: http://game-insider.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/ModernCombat.jpg |
Platform: Playstation 3 (PSN Digital Only)
Release Date: January 18, 2011
Genre: Tactical First-Person Shooter
Pros:
-Incredibly affordable deal, even by digital distribution standards
-Clean graphics, decent audio, solid gameplay
-Compatible with Playstation Move
Cons:
-Must reach certain levels in order to use more weapons
-Limited to 5 Maps in all multiplayer maps
-Lots of waiting for load times, intermission, and spawning
It's such a big surprise to see the company that has been adamant about their work with digitally sold software on handheld devices come out with a game for consoles. Releasing at a time where Call of Duty: Black Ops is at its prime among other big name titles such as Battlefield Bad Company 2 and upcoming games such as Brink, Bulletstorm, and Homefront, the handheld game makers take a risk and sells their first real, big-name title on the Playstation 3's digital download market for a measly $8. For a company that's so well known for mimicking countless games in the past, can they offer something in Modern Combat Domination that other companies can't?
Source: Youtube Channel gameloft
Graphics
The graphics were very impressive coming from a company who has worked with low-resolution models and handheld devices for so long. The user-interface is clean, straightforward, and has a nice futuristic flair to it. It does feel good to see the colored money score each time a player gets a kill. It's a very small detail, but adding that bit of small praise to the player keeps them interested. Some of the textures do look a bit outdated, but the color schemes make it very comfortable to look at and play in. It does get a bit dark in some areas and impede on the ability of the player to aim accurately or spotting an enemy. The level designs, atmosphere, and theme looks and feels a lot like Counter-Strike with close-quarter combat, mid-range firing and long range sniping all accessible in different parts of the level. The visuals itself is very welcoming and feel inviting. Graphics: 8/10
Audio
The sound effects aren't anything special; however, the recording for all of them are clean (I don't like the muffled sound that gunfires have in some FPS games I've played in the past). The programming for the directional dynamics is spot on and plays a very important role in the game like it does in Counter-Strike. The sound of the bullets whizzing by does sound a little funny, as if they were laser beams. For an FPS, it's pretty standard quality sound effects of gun fire, bullet ricochet, and bullet contact (honestly, I think creating the sound of getting shot is very difficult). I do admit that the little uprising tone a player gets from scoring points and getting kills is very satisfying to hear. The music is forgettable, but not very important for the game at all. It does help to have good recording (or simulation) of gunfire for most FPS nowadays, and I think Modern Combat Domination does a decent job of it. Audio: 7/10
Controls
I apologize that I can't really give feedback about the controls for the Playstation Move as I don't own one myself. The game is compatible with Playstation Move and still gives the option of using a controller as I suspect most players will be using. The movement and aiming is very tight and gives the player a lot of control as expected for a modern FPS. The game controls feel a lot like Call of Duty and will be easy to adjust to for those who play the series. Since the game is "tactical" orientated, the level designs are set up to play that way and (if I remember correctly) utilizes the leaning system where the player is capable of peeking out left for right of a corner (I apologize if I remembered incorrectly). The aiming do take a bit of adjusting to since it feels a bit slower when aiming down sight compared to other FPS games. Firing and reloading is pretty standard and shoots more accurately when aiming down the sight. All in all, the controls are solid for a gamepad. It'd be interesting to try out the Move controls with the game. Controls: 8/10
Gameplay
The game plays like a mixture of Counter-Strike's purchase system in the beginning of each round with Call of Duty's leveling system where more weapons and items are unlocked as the player gains levels. The game consists of 8 versus 8 players round based matches across 5 maps and 6 game modes. 5 Maps does seem a bit limited, but the level designs are built with different strategies in mind and accounts for replay value. The 6 game modes are typical game types available in most FPS such as Team Death Match, Blow and Boom (Counter-Strike style), Domination (capture points), etc. It's suited for different play styles. Team Deathmatch is the most standard is most fitted for most players with the main objective of each team getting the most kills. If the player is looking for tactical gameplay with team-based objectives, one of the other 5 modes are pretty good for realistic gameplay with some of them with no respawn until the next round starts (a la Counter Strike). It's interesting to have the purchase system like they did in counter-strike to reward players who are doing well in the match. Some players will hate the system because players who do well will always have enough money to get the better weapons while players who keep dying will end up going in with a pistol. On the other hand, it's pretty satisfying to go in with a pistol and headshot someone wielding a pimped-out assault rifle that the player can steal and use (I was able to do that once). Loading the game takes quite a while, so that's troublesome. Modes that are round based like Blow and Boom are designed really badly in terms of loading. First the player has to load the map, and then they have to wait for the round to be over before respawning. When the player dies, they have to wait for the round to be over. The loading of the next round can take quite a while. So there is a lot of passive waiting for those who aren't doing as well in the match. But game modes like Team Death Match can be really entertaining and good for players who just want to go in and kill or mess around. The spawning is a bit weird (have people spawned directly in front or back of you) and there is occasionally a little bit of lag, but it's smooth gameplay for the most part. Those 72 levels will be a bit difficult to climb through, but working for it is half the fun. Gameplay: 9/10
Overall
For $8, I can't recommend this enough to those who are looking for an affordable FPS that will keep them entertained. Even if you end up hating the game (try the demo before buying), it's the cost of lunch rather than a whooping $60 price tag. It would've been nice if Breach had the same price (check previous day's post for the review on that). The gameplay is solid, the presentation is decent, and the price is pretty hard to beat. I'll probably stick to Team Death Match more than often just because I don't like the amount of waiting I have to do in the round based matches that require lots of loading time. Again, the game isn't for everyone and those who religiously play Call of Duty: Black Ops may not see much that it can offer, but the game's a good distraction from the usual CoD shenanigans and gives a slightly different experience for gamers to enjoy. Overall: 8/10
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