• Format: PS3 (version reviewed), PC, Xbox 360
• Unleashed: Out Now
• Publisher: Electronic Arts
• Developer: DICE
• Players: 1 + Online Multiplayer
• Site: http://www.battlefield.com/battlefield3

EA have hyped Battlefield 3 up as the Call of Duty killer that will topple Activision from the top of the FPS tree. Early gameplay videos showed the game as something truly special, with astonishingly realistic graphics and impressive destructible environments. However, this footage was taken from PC gameplay, with nothing being seen of the console version of the game. So does the game live up to the early hype or does the hype work against it?

The graphics are very realistic, even on the ageing consoles.

DICE are well known for their superb multiplayer games but haven’t managed to translate this into the single player campaign, with Battlefield Bad Company 2 having a pretty bland single player experience. Battlefield 3′s Campaign takes the tried and tested Call of Duty single player template, which contains a plot involving terrorists, Russians and stolen nuclear warheads. The game sees the protagonist Sergeant Blackburn being interrogated by the CIA, who want to find out why he shot his CO in a mission to capture one of the head PLR terrorists. The story unravels in flashback form, as Blackburn tells his interrogators what happened, with each mission playing out as one of Blackburn’s memories. The campaign features levels set in Iran, Paris and New York as you attempt to stop the PLR blowing up nuclear warheads in Paris and New York. Sadly the campaign lacks the bombastic set pieces the Call of Duty series is known for, and the player is herded from one setting to the next rather than being let loose in the battlefield to achieve the objectives however they see fit. We can’t help but feel that DICE missed a trick in not using the multiplayer game as a basis for the campaign, with larger maps, and more open-ended missions.

Battlefield 3 also contains a co-op mode, with six seperate scenarios to take on with a friend. Unfortunately it is limited to two players and there is no split screen option, which is disappointing. These co-op levels are good fun with a friend, but are a bit of a missed opportunity. With only six missions, we felt the Spec Ops mode in the last two Modern Warfares offered a lot more, and we can’t imagine players spending a lot of time on them.

Hopefully he's wearing his parachute!

Now everyone knows that the Battlefield games are all about the multiplayer, and Battlefield 3 ups the ante considerably from Bad Company 2. The nine levels you initially get with the game are all packed full of destuctible scenery, which the new Frostbite 2 engine does a great job at rendering. The graphics are obviously stunning on a top spec PC, but the PS3 does an admirable job of rendering them on six year old hardware. Scenery can be chipped away with your guns, or blasted to pieces with a tank or RPG. In the Paris levels you can blow huge holes in the sides of buildings, which then throw debris onto the unsuspecting enemies below. The maps are mostly fantastic with Operation Metro being perhaps the weakest addition with a tight linear level, which panders a bit too much to the Call of Duty crowd. The addition of fighter jets adds another dimension to the gameplay, although getting kills with them can be a tough task at first. Again there are lots of weapons, gizmos and perks to unlock for the four classes in the game (Assault, Support, Engineer and Recon), which will keep players occupied for months.

The game has the staple Team Deathmatch and Squad Deathmatch, where you need to reach a set number of kills before the other team. Rush and Squad Rush are returning favourites, where you need to attack or defend M-COM stations. Also returning is Conquest, where key flags need capturing to deplete enemy tickets. These modes require teamwork, which is crucial to achieve victory, and communication is vital. This is where the game hits some problems on the PS3. The voice communication is very patchy at the moment, and sometimes it sounds like your teammates are gargling with Listerine. It can get quite frustrating when for instance, you try to let your squad know about a sniper on the building above, but it all comes over as a garbled mess and your team mates end up being picked off. However DICE are aware of the problem, and are working around the clock to fix it, so hopefully by the time you read this review it will have been fixed. There is also a problem with input lag, on the PS3 at least, which makes aiming a bit imprecise at the moment, but again DICE are apparently working on a fix.

Some of the maps are absolutely massive, and a vehicle is a must if you want to get back quickly into the fray.

There are some new features in Battlefield 3. Battlelog is to Battlefield what Autolog was to Need for Speed, and lets you know what your friends have achieved. Although it is quite limited on console at the moment. If it gave more incentive to beat your friends score then it could be a crucial feature. The ability to go prone is welcome and opens up new tactical options, and suppressive fire can be used to blur an enemy player’s vision and stop their health regenerating, so a team mate can make the kill. This is a good way of racking up extra points. The best thing about the game is that even modest players can reach the top of the leaderboard, with teamplay being encouraged and rewarded. You don’t have to be a Rambo one-man-army to rack up points, and just capturing objectives or dishing out medi packs or ammo, or repairing vehicles can take you to the top of the leaderboard.

Battlefield 3 is game of two halves, the single player is a disappointing diversion, but the multiplayer is quite possibly the best we’ve played. It’s a polished tour-de-force that will keep you entertained for months, if not years, with every game being unique and packed full of the hilarious and ridiculous ‘Battlefield Moments’ that the series is renowned for. Surely that’s worth the admission price alone?

While you’re wondering how to pronounce HF-2 (“Is it HF-HF or HFF?”), I suggest you take a look at what I made of the HF-1. The two models are largely identical, the main differences being firmware related. For those of you who can’t be bothered to click the link – that’ll be all of you, I imagine – a brief summary of most of the basics:

Based on the design of the official Xbox 360 joypad, the analogue sticks on the HF controllers are positioned differently from those on the DualShock, and feature concave tops. There are only two regular shoulder buttons, as L2 and R2 are FPS-friendly triggers. The ‘flipswitch’ on the underside of the pad swaps the functions of L1 and R1 with L2 and R2, allowing you to make the triggers the default ‘iron sight’ and ‘shoot’ buttons for most FPS games.

There’s a Turbo function if you’re into that sort of thing, and the controllers work by bluetooth – no dongle required. The main body of the HF unit is sturdy (but light) and comfortable to hold, even for gaming sessions that go on longer than they should. If you want to play wirelessly, you’ll need two AA batteries; though you can use the HFs as wired controllers if you wish. Okay, that’s you lazy tykes mostly up to speed, but wait! There’s more to come.

There were three problems I had with the HF-1. One was that the nubs which give the top of the analogue sticks the appearance of reticules would sometimes dig into my large, powerful thumbs when pressing and holding L3 or R3. This I found easy to forgive, as it wasn’t a constant problem and there was plenty to like about the controller (plus, eventually, my thumbs got used to this gentle abuse like an awkward teenage boy mocked on a regular basis by a beautiful girl).

Another, much more serious problem was that the bluetooth connectivity would sometimes become unreliable – or would stop working completely – for no apparent reason, especially when playing Black Ops (I never found out exactly why). I’m happy to report that I’ve not experienced this problem even once with the HF-2, despite having tested it under the same conditions as the HF-1. I can only presume that, by accident or by design, this is due to the aforementioned fiddling with the firmware (more on which shortly).

The third problem, and the greatest irritant for me personally, related to the shoulder buttons (L1 and R1 without using the flipswitch). Unlike the DualShock equivalents, they are set into the unit at an angle. Not a problem in itself; but for whatever reason, you can not guarantee that your input will be registered unless you press these buttons at the point where they are raised from the unit the most. This point is opposite the end aligned with the trigger (L2/R2 without using the flipswitch).

What this means, basically, is that if you pull your finger back in a straight line from (for example) R2 and then press R1, there’s only a 50/50 chance that the joypad will grudgingly admit that you’ve pushed the button. You need to re-educate your gaming instincts to presume R1 to be a few centimetres to the right of R2 and, yes, this same problem is present in the HF-2. Also as with the HF-1, each of the buttons requires exactly one smidgen of extra pressure (compared to those on the DualShock) in order to work. This, thankfully, is only noticeable on the rarest of occasions.

The flipswitch. Use it!

The way the HF-2 really distinguishes itself from the HF-1, however, is its ability to interact with something called ‘the internet’. This interaction is twofold but before we get onto that, let’s start at the very beginning. First, you’ll need the relevant software for your Windows PC. This is not (as you may expect) on a CD packaged with the controller, but must instead be downloaded from Gioteck’s website. Here’s a direct link to the page you need. The good news is, the software only requires a negligible amount of hard drive space, and is incredibly easy to use.

The bad news is, physically connecting the controller to your PC isn’t as straightforward as you might expect. I plugged one end of the USB cable provided into the HF-2, and the other end into my PC. I thought that was all that was required of me. Oh, what a naïve young(ish) fool I was! The HF-2 program refused to admit that my controller was there, and it wasn’t until carefully examining the page I downloaded the software from that I found out why.

Quote: “Whilst holding down R3 and SELECT insert the mini USB connector into the mini USB port of your HF2”. Yes; press R3 and Select simultaneously, and then plug in the USB cable while still holding down both buttons. It was a vaguely amusing, though somewhat unexpected, challenge. I felt a bit like somebody auditioning for Britain’s Got Talent. You know; one of the ones with no hope of going through, but making enough of a fool of himself to justify brief inclusion in the TV broadcast.

With that job done (a small pang of disappointment in my heart that nobody was present to witness my triumph), I sat down to the firmware updater itself. The HF-2, you see, is the first third-party controller to be future proofed against PS3 firmware updates. It works perfectly fine with the latest firmware at time of writing, so no update is currently available/necessary; but it’s nice to know that the option’s there.

Purdy.

The second function of the firmware updater is to adjust the thumbstick sensitivity. You have a grand total of… er… two settings to choose from. ‘Normal’ (the default setting) and ‘High’. Thumbstick sensitivity is all down to personal preference – plus virtually all FPS games nowadays allow you to adjust it in-game anyway – but personally, I found the higher setting to take advantage of the HF’s superior sticks much more.

Yes the HF-2, as (of course) with the HF-1 before it, has analogue sticks that are a huge improvement on those of the DualShock. The dead zones and physical quality of the sticks themselves gave me much more confidence in aiming and moving, to the point where I was happy with higher sensitivities. In fact, after spending so much time with the HF units, I literally can not go back to the DualShock for FPS games. Sony’s official option now feels… wrong to me. The continued lack of SixAxis support, not to mention the continued problems with the shoulder buttons, means it’s still not suitable as a permanent replacement across all genres though.

If there’s ever an HF-3, I really hope they sort out those shoulder buttons. SixAxis support would be nice, as would a rechargeable lithium battery. As it stands however, the HF-2 is a great choice for anybody looking for an FPS specific PS3 pad.

Just bear those damn shoulder buttons in mind.

Gioteck have gone from strength to strength over the past twelve months, seeing their market share double and walking away from the prestigious MCV 2011 Industry Excellence Awards clutching a trophy to strike their enemies down with. After a strong showing at E3, they have a range of new products on the horizon – including the HF-2 controller for PS3.

Designed specifically for FPS games, It looks remarkably similar to an Xbox 360 controller. In case you were wondering, yes, there is an HF-1; and it looks identical. The HF-1 allows for wonderfully precise aiming, but unfortunately is not without its problems. For a full review, see what we made of it here.

The two most notable differences with the HF-2 require the assistance of your trusty computer. Firstly, you’ll be able to adjust the thumbstick sensitivity; and secondly, it will be the first third party controller to be future-proofed against firmware updates, as users will be able to download patches from the official Gioteck website if and when required. This will be a comfort to many; but does the HF-2, due for release this summer, address the problems of the HF-1? All will be revealed in the Critical Gamer review, which you should be watching out for over the next couple of weeks…

As anybody who owns all three machines knows, Sony’s PS3 DualShock – while a perfectly good joypad – is a few small steps behind the Xbox 360 and Wii controllers in terms of precision. This is only really noticeable when playing FPS games, and as such, various companies offer FPS-specific alternatives. Joe’s already given you the lowdown on the Eagle Eye mouse & keyboard adapter; who’s next?

Wave coyly in greeting at Gioteck’s HF-1 controller for PS3.

Many gamers will fall in love with the HF-1 before they’ve even tried using it. It’s Bluetooth (though you can use it as a wired controller should you so desire)? Ace! Triggers for L2 and R2? A ‘flip switch’ that gives you the option of swapping the L1 & R1 functions with those of L2 & R2 (thereby making the triggers the default fire & aim buttons for most games)? Proper analogue sticks? Oh look, the tops are even shaped like aiming reticules, bless! And it’s been given a lick of camouflage paint. Hmm, the sticks are positioned differently; you know, it kind of looks like…

Yes, the military flavoured elephant in the room here is that the HF-1 seems to have been modelled on the official 360 controller. The fact is however that Gioteck are happy to admit this, as they know full well that even diehard PS3 fans (so long as they aren’t disturbingly zealous) grudgingly admit that the 360 has the better joypad, especially for shooters. However, while the HF-1 certainly looks like a 360 controller – despite the ‘turbo’ button guiltily lurking between Start and Select – it doesn’t feel like one.

Flipswitch; the switch that flips.

Gioteck’s offering is slightly bigger, for one; chunkier than either the official Microsoft or Sony options. If you have freakishly large hands, then a) send us a photo, and b) you’ll find that the HF-1 is more comfortable to hold than the DualShock. It’s been lovingly curved in such a way, however, that it’s still comfortable for those who have no trouble with the standard option. Unfortunately, it’s not quite all smiles and sunshine in terms of comfort.

Looking at the indents on top of the analogue sticks, you’d expect them to soothingly cup the ends of your digits like some kind of thumb bra, wouldn’t you? Okay, so you probably wouldn’t use the thumb bra simile, but anyway. If you have impressively manly thumbs like me, you’ll find that in actual fact, the small nubs that give the reticule appearance to the sticks press into your thumbs most of the time you play. Surprisingly perhaps, this isn’t usually a problem; but if you hold down either L3 or R3 while moving (most likely by running in Call of Duty), it can soon start to become uncomfortable.

I for one was willing to forgive this, because the sticks are otherwise better than those on the DualShock. While not quite as lovely as the 360 pad, the dead zones and general ‘tightness’ of the sticks are noticeably superior to those of Sony’s controller. In fact, such was the difference, I felt confident enough to significantly increase the stick sensitivity for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 from that which I’d settled on since release.

There is, however, a slight issue with the face buttons; which require a little more ‘oomf’ than those on the DualShock. Ninety nine times out of a hundred there’s no problem, as you hit the buttons harder than you might think in the heat of the action anyway. That one time in a hundred however – when you hit the button a millisecond too quickly and/or apply 99.9% of the required pressure – is frustrating. This is most likely to happen for actions where a quick tap is all that’s normally required, for example reloading. You do adapt to this, but you shouldn’t really have to.

You naughty, naughty thing.

Of more concern are the shoulder buttons (L1 and R1 by default, but the flip switch changes that). The angle that they’re set at, and the way that they slope, mean that you need to press them at the outer edges (where they’re raised from the body of the controller the most) to guarantee that your input is registered. In short, they don’t always work, and you can’t just let your finger naturally slide straight back in a straight line and press down as you can with the DualShock.

Now, if you’ve researched the HF-1 elsewhere, you may well have come across a veritable legion of criticism; mostly from consumers, sometimes from site reviewers as well. The vast majority of this criticism is centred on the dead zones and laggy input. After testing the HF-1 at length, I don’t doubt that these people are telling the truth; but I suspect that most – possibly all – of them relied on Black Ops to test the controller.

Black Ops was in fact the first game I tested the HF-1 with. All was fine and dandy to begin with; but after 30-40 minutes, the analogue sticks suddenly decided that they found me terribly boring, and wanted to do their own thing. Input lagged terribly, or didn’t seem to correspond with what I was telling the controller to do. My only choices were to a) turn the controller off then on again to reset the sticks, b) use it as a wired controller, which seems to eradicate the problem, or c) switch back to the DualShock. I encountered this issue every time I played, both online and offline.

I have a 60gb PS3 and so, curious at this bizarre software compatibility issue, I tried a PS2 FPS (No One Lives Forever). Same problem; everything fine for about half an hour, then both analogue sticks became mischievous little scamps.

Just in case you didn't know how a USB cable works.

A few hours after writing what I thought was the final draft of this piece, I experienced exactly the same problems in Modern Warfare 2 – despite several lengthy play sessions where the controller worked perfectly. It would seem that in order to guarantee consistent performance across all games, you’ll need to resign yourself to a USB lead – rendering the wireless option somewhat pointless. Presumably, it’s the fact that the HF-1 uses bluetooth rather than infra-red that’s causing the problems.

Finally, it’s important to note that the HF-1 does not feature sixaxis control, making it unsuitable as a permanent replacement controller for all games. There are thankfully few FPS games at time of writing that force you to make use of sixaxis, and certainly none that I’d urge you to run out and buy. The only two I can think of that I’ve played are Killzone 2 (sorry, I just find the Killzone games boring) and Resistance: Fall of Man, which told me to shake my controller like an angry child when my character was set on fire.

If the DualShock is a dowdy yet reliable & ever-loving lady/man, then the HF-1 is their sexy, flirty sibling. You’ll want to get hands-on with HF-1 as soon as you see it/him/her; but be prepared for this dirty flirt to slap you often – and not always in a nice way.

The HF-1 was tested with PS3 firmware version 3.60. It requires two AA batteries (not included) for wireless play; two mid-range alkaline batteries will last roughly half as long as a fully charged DualShock.

Update: Following the screenshots a gameplay trailer has also been released. The environment looks similar to that in the screens, and the gameplay itself looks to be taken from the campaign mode.

The long awaited sequel to 2005’s Battlefield 2 is getting the under slung torch lights shone around its edges with a new batch of screenshots posted on BF3Blog today.

In this selection of screens we get to see a military ruckus in an urban environment, with plenty of guns blazing and close ups on army personnel. It is not clear if this is campaign or multiplayer being shown off, but either way it looks damn pretty.

Could the screens be showing us New York, Paris or Tehran – the three confirmed locations that the game is set in? Or maybe it’s a sneak peak at a new area?

There is still a lot we are yet to be told about the game which is due out on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 this autumn. You can check out the new screenshots here.

These screens follow previous news that the PC version of the game is getting special treatment compared to the console versions, with up to 64 person multiplayer confirmed for computer players. As a penalty however, stubborn Windows XP users will have to upgrade their operating system as Frostbite 2.0 – the game’s new engine – won’t support DirectX 9.

• Format: XBLA (version reviewed), PC
• Unleashed: Out Now
• Publisher: Atomic Games
  
• Developer: Atomic Games
  
• Players: 1-16 (online only)
• Site: http://breachgame.com/

The long awaited Sussex life simulator has finally landed! Your avatar trawls the streets of Breach, West Sussex in search of newsagents, old ladies with small dogs, and somebody who can give you directions to East Grinstead.

Of course not. Breach is an online-only military flavoured FPS, closer to Battlefield than CoD. This is due to the large open maps just as much as the emphasis on destructible environments. Breach does plenty to stand out from the crowd nonetheless; though unfortunately, not always in a good way.

The most immediate difference from ‘the big two’ in the genre is Breach’s cover system. Hit the button when next to an appropriate piece of scenery and the view changes to third person while you’re tucked behind or around it, a la Rainbow Six. Cover in many online shooters can seem a superfluous addition, as a head or hand pokes out leaving players just as vulnerable. This can still happen in Breach; but a little common sense makes your enemies’ fields of vision clear. Realising and exploiting this (and remembering that some cover can be destroyed) makes the difference between a surprise attack and a humiliating death.

"Lucky you're hiding behind the indestructible bit of wall!"

Each of the five game types, also available in Hardcore (of course) are team based. You have Team Deathmatch both with and without respawns, Capture The Flag and Domination modes – and Convoy. Here, the defending team must transport the eponymous convoy (consisting of just two vehicles, which is more of a buddy movie road trip really) from one end of the map to the other before time runs out. So long as at least one defending player is near, the convoy slowly trundles along by itself (though each vehicle has a mounted gun). The trucks must be repaired if they take too much damage, and there are occasional roadblocks which must be dealt with by planting a charge. It’s a neat idea which works very well and is one of the most popular game modes.

There are only five maps which means that they all become familiar very quickly, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The maps are brilliantly designed, with plenty of flanking and ambush opportunities; you must be aware of every corner and angle if you wish to succeed. It’s also one less advantage experienced players will have over newer recruits.

Each class starts out with one primary weapon, one secondary, a knife, two ‘breach’ charges (timed explosives) and… that’s it. One class – Recon – isn’t even available at first. Perks and gadgets such as extra health, new weapons, more stamina for running, and even grenades must be unlocked and ‘bought’ with XP – which is much harder won than in other shooters. Earning more XP for killing higher ranked players is a nice touch, but the system still seems a little unfair.

Sticky grenades which look like cans of baked beans (which ironically can’t be ‘cooked’) and glide through the air in a disturbing manner aside, the graphics are perfectly competent. There are few complaints.

Until you get disconnected for the third time in twenty minutes.

"Wow, I never knew my clarinet could do THAT!"

On the 360 at least, Breach currently suffers horrendous connection issues. People are being kicked out of games constantly; and when the host goes, there’s a chance that everybody else will lose XP during host migration. Sometimes, a ‘join game’ attempt will fail completely.

Breach is great fun to play. As it stands however half or more of your games will be cut short, or suffer from crippling lag; and this brings the experience as a whole down considerably.

There have been so many videogames set during the second world war, it’s quite likely that you’ve played at least one or two. Thanks to the painstaking attention to detail and hunger for historical accuracy, you may even have learned something new about the conflict without realising; the weapons used, the important battles fought, the dates of important events. Be thankful that our children do not rely solely on videogames for their education on such matters for if they did, they would be completely unaware of the Holocaust.

Approximately six million men, women and children were murdered – often literally worked to death – simply because they were Jewish. Millions more were persecuted and killed by the Nazis including (though not limited to) homosexuals, Romani, people of various faiths, and the disabled. A horrific systematic slaughter on an unimaginable scale, it was arguably the most important event of the twentieth century in terms of influence on social and political development. The word ‘genocide’ was not even in use until 1944 (though its author first coined the word in 1943), when the Polish-Jewish legal scholar Raphael Lemkin named and defined it (“the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group”) in his published work ‘Axis Rule in Occupied Europe’. The human race being what it is, genocide has been perpetrated time and again in places such as Bosnia and Darfur; but the horror of the Holocaust has served to increase worldwide disgust at, and determination to punish and prevent, such actions further than ever.

Though the full extent of Nazi persecution of the Jews was not made clear until the end of hostilities, more than enough was known about this (in addition to Hitler’s megalomania, of course) during the war to mark the fascist Nazi party out as a force that must be stopped at all costs. With the benefit of hindsight, the people of today are able to pore over every last detail, which makes the second world war that rarest of things in our eyes – an undeniably necessary conflict.

So why do few – if any – videogames set during this war mention or in some way refer to the Holocaust?

It’s easy to turn to dark and overly cynical theories, but the truth is most likely that developers are simply scared. They won’t go anywhere near the subject for fear of causing offence, knowing full well that just one mistake could trigger a global outrage. If this is the case, then it’s definitely an attitude I can understand and sympathise with – but not one that I can condone.

Even the surprisingly thoughtful Brothers in Arms games avoid the subject.

I haven’t played every single videogame set during the second world war, so there are perhaps a few that explicitly refer to the Holocaust. If so, they are undeniably in the minority. It should be noted however that there was one game which aimed to tackle the issue head on in an educational, tasteful way – and got shot down in flames before securing a release.

The title I am referring to is ‘Imagination Is The Only Escape’, a DS game that British developer Luc Bernard had developed and was hoping to have hit the shelves. The game was to combine a game world based on the fantasy world of the main character (a Jewish boy living in Nazi occupied France) with educational, historically accurate text. However, it seems that both Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Europe refused to allow the game a release – without even seeing it. Despite scouring the internet I was unable to find any information on this title dated after late 2008, so it seems that it will never see the light of day.

What little was known of this game was intriguing, and it seems to be a real shame that Nintendo killed it off. The false start of Bernard’s title is no excuse for others however, as (a) WWII games were being developed long before 2008, and (b) in all honesty, it would have been more surprising if the family oriented Nintendo did approve a game that directly addresses the Holocaust, especially one for the DS.

If you think that games are art – and if you’re a developer, you probably do – then you shouldn’t for a second be thinking ‘games should stay away from the issue of the Holocaust’. I’m not saying that there should be a game about the Holocaust (though I believe this is possible), but the world of videogames has a duty to at least recognise the fact it happened. There are countless examples of other forms of entertainment handling the subject. For example, the story of Oskar Schindler – the German industrialist who went to great pains to protect his Jewish workers, who numbered well over 1,000 – has been adapted into a novel (Schindler’s Ark) and a film (Schindler’s List). Staying with cinema, we should look to a more recent release for a glimpse of how a videogame acknowledging the issue could successfully be made.

Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Inglourious Basterds’ does not deal directly with the Holocaust itself. The beating heart of the film is Nazi persecution of the Jews however, which drives every moment of the movie. The rage and lust for revenge which fuels the Basterds leads them to kill and torture with gusto, visibly enjoying every moment. In fact, as the film progresses, the viewer may well start to question just how much higher on the moral ground the Basterds are than the Nazis whom they hunt.

As anybody who has seen the film will know, this shot captures perfectly what Inglourious Basterds is all about.

During one brilliant and extremely tense sequence, we are teased with finding out whether or not the leader of the Basterds will keep his word and show mercy to a young, solitary Nazi soldier. When the moment of truth arrives… well, you’ll have to watch the movie to find out.

The point is this: Inglourious Basterds is identifiably a Tarantino movie, and one that you can ‘enjoy’. There are traditional action sequences, and a dark humour runs throughout the entire experience. This is all wrapped up in stylish direction and glossy production values. Does this sound a million miles away from the basic premise of several action games released over the last few years? All that’s missing is one thing; the skilful integration of Nazi persecution of the Jews.

There is of course one very important factor which distinguishes videogames from books, movies, plays etc. which I have yet to acknowledge – interactivity. Yet this is a strength to be played to, not a weakness to fall back on. Games including (though certainly not limited to) Bioshock, Okami, Flower and GTA have shown us very different ways in which videogames can offer a compelling, utterly unique experience. Why not use this vision and skill to handle a serious and important subject that must never, ever be forgotten?

I was going to detail The Milgram experiment here, but instead urge you to investigate the matter yourself. Please do – it is fascinating, and disturbing, in and of itself. You will see why I encourage you to research it in relation to this article.

How best to introduce the Holocaust and/or Nazi persecution of the Jews into the world of videogames? Unfortunately for me, I have neither the skill set nor the experience of a videogame developer. If pushed however I (and many others) could easily come up with rough ideas for those who do. What might they achieve on their own, if only they would try?

I believe that videogames not only could, but should make a concerted effort to look this subject straight in the eyes. There is no precedent – but just because something has not been done before, that is not to say that it can not be done at all.

• Format: PS3 (version reviewed), PC, Xbox 360
• Unleashed: Out Now
• Publisher: EA
• Developer: DICE
• Players: 1 (offline), 2-24 (online)
  
• Site: http://www.battlefieldbadcompany2.com/vietnam

Battlefield Bad Company 2 was our favourite FPS of 2010. Its team based gameplay with destructible environments and wide variety of vehicles to commandeer was by far the best fun to be had online, and the destructibility and vehicles bring many ‘Battlefield moments’ that other online shooters can’t compete with. This new map pack brings the Vietnam era to Bad Company 2, but is this a step too far?

The flamethrower creates a sense of panic as flames engulf you.

This Vietnam expansion contains five new maps for the online multiplayer. Four were initially released with the fifth map, Operation Hastings being unlocked around the new year. The 1960s Vietnam War setting brings with it a new selection of weapons and vehicles including a flamethrower, an American Huey helicopter, and most amusingly a tuk tuk. The lack of ACOG scopes and the like is quite refreshing, and you really need to adapt your game to suit; as combat is much more close quarters. The Hueys are also great fun to pilot, especially with the added 1960s soundtrack. Who can resist listening to Ride of the Valkyries or Fortunate Son while raining hellfire upon everything in your path?

The napalm-scarred Hill 137 is a highlight of the new maps.

Each of the maps have their own distinctive characteristics, and most of them are absolutely massive. But it’s not empty space, with plenty of bridges, jungles, tunnels and hills to traverse. The only one that feels a bit unbalanced is Rush mode on the map Vantage Point. The start of the level has a tight valley that attackers need to get through. There are only two routes here that attacking players can take; once you get out of this valley however, the level opens up with a narrow bridge and some high ground that snipers can take advantage of. Phu Bai Valley takes place in a flat rice paddy field, with Huey helicopters and other vehicles being well utilised. Cao Son Temple is a struggle through dense jungle with a Vietnamese Temple as its centrepiece. All the maps are superbly well designed.

As good an expansion as Vietnam is, it does have its problems. When we started playing we noticed our stats had been reset, and all our perks had disappeared – much to our distress! Thankfully the game did correct itself after a while. There are a few other annoying glitches that seem to have been imported from the main game. One is that the game sometimes tells you that your team has lost when you have actually won, and vice versa. Surely DICE could quite easily sort this simple glitch without too much trouble? There are also problems with team balancing, with some games starting with, say, ten players versus two! Although it is easy enough to start a new game. The ability to swap sides before a game starts would be welcome. These aren’t major problems, and don’t wreck the game – but they are annoying.

Even the tanks spew flames, leaving players to flee in a panic.

With Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam, DICE have again shown that they are masters of the online FPS, and we really can’t wait to see what they do with the forthcoming Battlefield 3. Until then though Vietnam will keep us very happy for many months. At  roughly£10 it really is much more than a map pack, and rather than being a simple extension to the main game, it feels like a brand new experience. If you’re sick of campers in Call of Duty and have a few friends to join you on the Battlefield, then give Vietnam a go. As we’re sure you’ll love the smell of napalm!

• Format: Wii (version reviewed), DS
• Unleashed: Out Now
• Publisher: Activision
• Developer: Eurocom
• Players: 1 (+Splitscreen & Online Multiplayer)
• Site: http://goldeneyegame.com/canvas/

Daniel Craig replaces Pierce Brosnan in the title role.

The original GoldenEye was the finest multiplayer game of its generation, and is fondly remembered by gamers of that era. EA sullied the name with the release of GoldenEye Rogue Agent in 2004. This re-imagining by developers Eurocom is an attempt to roll back the years and recreate the original’s magic. But does it attain double O standard, or is it left like a henchman floundering in a pool of sharks?

The Wiimote should be the perfect tool for the FPS genre but unfortunately developers have, for the most part, used the control method for simple on-rails shooters. This game redresses the thorny issue and if you aren’t quite happy with the default control scheme, then you have several customisation options to tinker with including the sensitivity of the Wiimote, and even the option to play with the classic controller.

The opening dam level is a loving re-imagining of the N64 original.

The single player campaign has been updated from the original James Bond movie, and you now play as Daniel Craig’s Bond, voiced by the man himself, rather than the original’s Pierce Brosnan. The plot has also been modernised to reflect the current economic climate, but it doesn’t stray too far from the original game’s formula. The opening level in particular is a perfectly pitched homage to the original, with Bond and 006 infiltrating the Dam complex. Your mobile phone takes the place of the N64 version’s watch gadget, and is used to hack computers and send intel back to MI6. Using your phone, you follow a way pointer which leads you to your next objective. In your way are several archetypal henchmen, who you can take down with your silencer equipped pistol, which is handy to avoid head on confrontations with the flood of heavily armed goons that follow. The AI of these enemies is, for the most part, pretty good, and they duck for cover quite realistically. Sometimes though they can be a bit predictable with the bad guy staying in one place and occasionally popping their heads up, which leaves them exposed to a head shot.

The game follows the plot of the film fairly closely, with several set pieces that are pretty faithful to the original movie (although they have been updated for a modern audience) and the action could almost have been taken directly from the Call of Duty series, with the gunplay being particularly similar. It’s obvious that the developers are trying to replicate the seminal shooter’s success on the Wii, and Eurocom should be applauded for their efforts.

Graphics are impressive with lots of nice effects.

There are several stand out levels in the single player including a nightclub shootout, and a brilliantly executed stage set in St. Petersburg – where you take a tank through the city, and cause plenty of destruction and carnage. Another level that impresses is a construction yard, which adds some innovative ways of despatching bad guys including fully destructible scaffolding to bring down on top of a squad of henchmen. A later stage, where you are trying to escape a burning and collapsing building also gets the adrenaline pumping, as you pick off the bad guys while trying to escape before your time runs out. It’s this diversity in the levels that makes the single player campaign such a joy to play through, and even though it’s not the longest game in the world it is perfectly adequate, and better value than some of the Call of Duty single player experiences that are over before you even break sweat.

Jaws is just one of many classic Bond characters that you can play as in multiplayer.

The GoldenEye multiplayer mode unsurprisingly takes its inspiration from the Call of Duty franchise. Players rank up in the usual way, and unlock an ever more impressive arsenal as time goes by. The addition of a split screen mode is a nod to the classic GoldenEye, and is a very welcome addition that other titles sadly neglect. Due to the Wii console’s limitations, there are only eight man online matches, and the lack of headsets is a bit of a problem. But the game is very impressive online, with no lag and plenty of game modes to choose from; including the usual deathmatches and capture the flag. Alternative modes like Golden Gun and GoldenEye are neat little twists on the formula. In Golden Gun all eight players search out the aforesaid weapon to wreak havoc on opposing players, which gives you a one shot kill – although the gun takes a while to reload. GoldenEye splits the 8 players into two teams, and each team has to take over stations on the map, to gain control of the GoldenEye satellite within the time limit. Paintball mode also makes a welcome return from the original game, and is a lot of fun. As you climb the rankings, you unlock additional gadgets and perks that you can use to gain an advantage as well as other game modes, and you can also play as classic Bond characters such as Oddjob and Jaws, which just adds extra value to this superb overall package.

GoldenEye is by far the best shooter on the Wii, which is quite sad considering the console should be the perfect home for the First Person Shooter genre. The pointing skill of the Wiimote is a lot more immersive than simply using a joypad, although you still have that option if you wish. This re-imagining is a loving nod to the classic N64 edition, and nostalgia permeates the levels like a fine Martini, shaken, not stirred obviously. If you can get past the last generation graphics and some AI issues, there’s a great game in here, that finally does justice to the James Bond legacy. Finally the Wii has a shooter that’s worthy of the double O insignia.

How do developers and publishers decide what goes into a sequel? Presumably it’s based on consumer and critical feedback, unused ideas, technical limitations and innovations, and narrative consistency. Bo-ring! What they should do is, as we all know, add one letter to the title of the previous game and go from there. That will produce some fantastic and innovative games, for example:

Fridge Racer

Race refrigerators at breakneck speeds around the world. Over 25 fully licensed teams including Smeg, LG, Whirlpool, Bosch, and Hotpoint. Pimp your fridge! Hundreds of unlockable decals (fridge magnets) plus spoilers and nitro attachments. Work your way up to the FFWC (Fridge Freezer World Championship) featuring notorious fridge pilots Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsey, and – as a sexy unlockable extra – Nigella Lawson. Also includes Vintage Mode, best viewed through rose tinted specs. Classic fridge pilots Rusty Lee, Delia Smith, Keith Floyd, and Gary Rhodes all lend their likenesses to the game.

Call of Duty: Black Cops

In keeping with the industry’s obsession with American movies and TV, Black Cops features plenty of African-American stereotypes. Dozens of black police chiefs who are harsh but fair, who become increasingly frustrated with their best detective; a white guy who Doesn’t Play By The Rules. The Black Cops are prone to raising their voices during conversation, usually because the DA is on their ass.

Gold of War

In which we learn the true reasons behind the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Satire!

No Morse Heroes

With Inspector Morse gone, Lewis is forced to strike out on his own. The solo show meets with a lukewarm reception; in a bid to increase ratings, Lewis is given a lightsaber and permission to decapitate shoplifters. He then goes on to dismember and disembowel his rivals, with the aim of becoming the number one TV detective. Bosses include Frost, Columbo, Poirot, Kojak, and Batfink. The endgame is a tense one-on-one with Miss Marple, who is trained in the ways of the ninja. In order to save the game, you must watch John Thaw going to the toilet.

"They want to motion capture me doing WHAT?!?"

Superb Monkey Ball

Which primate has the most impressive testicles? You decide!

Command and Conquers

School themed RTS that centres around turn – based conker combat. Also includes highly addictive versions of Dead Arm and 40 40.

The Simsh

Narrated by Sir Sean Connery.

Guitar Heron

Rhythm action game where all the characters are musically gifted wading birds. Over 40 licensed tracks from artists including The Birds, Wings, The Eagles, and The Pigeon Detectives.

Shilent Hill

Narrated by Sir Sean Connery.

Halon

Thrilling sci-fi FPS that takes you on a rollercoaster ride through the world of iodomethane, tribromofluoromethane, dibromodifluoromethane, and even tetrafluoromethane. SPOILER: Final level features surprise appearance from dibromotetrafluoroethane. Also fire extinguishers.

In - game footage

Fart Cry

Over 20 hours of gameplay, thanks to the two distinct game modes. In the first, your farts sound like you’re crying. In the second, when you cry it sounds like you’re farting. Winner of the N4G Game of the Year Award 2008,2009,2010.

Battlefield: Band Company

A lighthearted look at the horrors of war, as told by a military brass band. Soundtrack features the work of Glenn Miller.

Naughty Beard

Psychotic facial hair escapes from the chin of a startled biker, and goes on a murderous rampage.

Mental Gear Solid

Solid Snake loses it completely, declaring himself to be the emperor of cheese. He then goes on to call everybody he meets ‘Mr Bungalow’, and eventually marries a toaster.

Wouldn’t the games industry – nay, the world – be a better place if this were how sequels were designed? I feel confident when I say you would join me in buying each and every one of the games listed above. Don’t give us sport game updates where nothing changes but the kit and the haircuts; don’t give us identikit brown and grey shooters; give us games where we break sorrowful wind.

Are you listening, publishers?