CD Projekt

Hard Reset Review

Martyn Zachary Leave a comment

Disclaimer: Blade Runner was not harmed in the writing of this review.

For those potentially coming fresh off Deus Ex: Human Revolution, the cyberpunk action-adventure of the moment (also included on our list of recent cyberpunk titles), Flying Wild Hog’s début throwback FPS Hard Reset might take some getting used to. After all, the game’s name could and should be taken in reference to its status as an earnest homage to “all those forgotten Dooms, Quakes, and Painkillers” 1)http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/action/hard-reset/news/6326099/hard-reset-qanda-whats-old-is-new-again?sid=6326099&mode=previews&tag=topslot;thumb;2.

What the ex-members of CD Projekt RED, People Can Fly, City Interactive and Metropolis do is literally drop the you onto a dank, bleak futuristic alleyway, with barrels and crates strewn across the street, glowing power-ups beckoning. Efforts to interact with this architecturally impressive scene will prove much in vain, however, with items merely bumping, bouncing and rolling about; If you discover an explosive barrel or a glowing transformer, you can rest assured its only function is to act as a stationary tool for tactical destruction.

Stuff blows up. Big time. End of story?

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The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Martyn Zachary Leave a comment

…has, with the most recent batch of screenshots from the game, confirmed what CD Projekt RED senior producer Tomasz Gop boldly stated in a March 2010 developer preview, that The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings would be “the best-looking RPG you’ve ever seen.” 1)http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcph86_the-witcher-2-dev-diary-0-the-begin_videogames, 4:39

Above, the detailed greens of the grasses contrast against the charred, smouldering red hues of a battlefield partially shrouded by smoke, together with the dynamic silhouettes and tense poses struck by soldiers and burned-down tree trunks standing in the horizon, creates one of the most beautiful low fantasy vistas that I have yet to behold. Despite all the aforementioned detail, a great degree of visual clarity and readability remains, seemingly in large thanks to a lighting scheme that accentuates the characters scattered on the battlefield.

If graphics alone do not make The Witcher 2 seem like a must-buy, what really seals the deal is how Gop revealed earlier this month that CD Projekt RED have, in their implementation of the game’s combat system, “been inspired [by Batman: Arkham Asylum]. I’m not hiding this. We have.” 2)http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-11-25-the-witcher-2-were-not-afraid-of-dragon-age-interview?page=2

Like Red Dead Redemption before it, The Witcher 2 seems to be really pushing forward the art of functional and cohesive visual design in video games. The only question that truly remains now is how to best acquire the forthcoming Collector’s Edition – and if you’re a collector spirit like us, find that suitable spot for the cheesy Geralt bust that comes with the whole dang shebang.

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