Heroes of Newerth Review

While S2 has delivered a genuinely superb backend to HoN, the core DotA gameplay it sets out to so directly emulate is both a blessing and a curse. Each hero from the amazing 62 on offer has four unique abilities which they gain and improve on as they earn experience. The types of abilities are very wide-ranging, going from stun hammers to invisibility spells. Because of this wide variety each hero has a completely unique way of playing and this is where the problem arises; there’s just too much to learn.

While the game offers a brief tutorial on the basics and even has a practice mode for you to tinker with in safety, there’s little substitute for heading online and playing against some real human opposition - this is a multiplayer game, after all. As such, you need to have a through understanding of what heroes you might be about to face and exactly how best to counter them - is a shield spell going to hold out against a horde of summoned skeletons or would you be better of creating a mirror image of yourself as a distraction?



A learning curve steeper than the north face of the Eiger would usually be enough to damn a game to the bargain bin; after all, at an average game time of 45mins you’ll need to play close to 48 hours of HoN just to try each hero once. The thing about HoN, and DotA before it, though is that when you finally get it together and have some experience under your belt then it's fantastic, intricate and almost obsessively fun. That first time you lure an enemy hero into a team ambush or the first match where you’re the one racking up the kills; the satisfaction and thrill of HoN is on par with the very best multiplayer games.

Once you’ve gotten the hang of things, HoN’s longevity can really shine too. While the game format means there’s just one 5v5 map (and a 3v3 map in beta), the massive amount of hero and item combinations available means you’ll never play the same game twice. The map is merely the blank canvas onto which the players can make the game and there’s huge variety in approaches as to how to play particular heroes. Do you build for pure damage items, or pick up extra disable abilities? Save for expensive kit or minimise the risk by buying cheaper gear? There’s plenty of licence to stamp your own style onto each hero.

8/10

Modern Warfare 2 Game Review

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was, in a word, superlative. Fawned over by critics and rabidly defended by its massive fanbase, the game was an instant blockbuster that topped sales charts and spawned an online community the likes of which are rarely seen outside of timeless classics like Counter-Strike and StarCraft. Developer Infinity Ward is aware of the microscope that Modern Warfare 2 is under. Only a few flaws show up under even the greatest scrutiny, though. Modern Warfare 2 is an unqualified triumph.

MW2 takes the concept of action-packed first-person combat, plops a live grenade at its feet, and mows down its friends with an incendiary minigun. If you have time to breathe, it’s because you’re being flanked. Every reload is a tense few seconds of unwelcome defenselessness. Each enemy dispatched yields a surge of adrenaline that soon gives way to fear as his allies eagerly unload in your direction.

To excel, you have to master the use of various tools, starting with smoke grenades, thermal vision, Claymore mines, and Predator drones. It’s extremely helpful to familiarize yourself with each weapon class; assault rifles, LMGs, SMGs, pistols, and explosives all have vital roles. In the co-op Special Ops mode (and the single-player campaign, to a lesser extent), even more diverse skills come into play. Targeting allied support units like Stryker APCs, defending hardpoints with sentry guns, and directing the overwhelming firepower of an AC-130 or helo-mounted minigun are all necessary.

Modern Warfare 2’s competitive multiplayer offering is the soul of iterative design. New ideas arise like third-person play and death streaks, but nothing substantially affects the core gameplay. On the other hand, the tweaks are almost uniformly great. Weapon-specific unlocks, cosmetic titles and callsigns, and upgraded “pro” perks contribute to a dramatic increase in the depth and breadth of persistent progression. The strategic variance of each map invites hours of study and experimentation. Included due to the mountain of feedback, the playlists (preset rotations of maps and modes for groups to play through) offer delightful bouquets of varied-yet-similar gametypes for all tastes.

7 /10

David davidson?

does anyone know who davidson is?

but on a more serious note.

Not sure what i'll make this blog about. At this stage it will just be a regular blog, all about me and how pro i am and stuff. Planning to eventually get my DIY projects up on this site and keep everyone updated even with tutorials on how to do all of this at home. When i get enough followers i'll get it updated with some more tutorials on how to do things. Untill then, it's all about me.

im also a training computer technician and will upload tutorials on a few things soon.....

 plus im also an avid gamer, so i will be reviewing games and posting them up :)

cya next time.