Game Review - Hammerfight

Previously known as Hammerfall this Russian made game has been on my radar for a while now. I had great fun with the freely available Russian version and was pleased as punch when the full, English version appeared on steam. So let's review it.

The premise is this, you are in a world where the noblemen do battle not on foot or on horseback but on steam punk helicopter like vehicles which wield giant swords and maces which you swing around by maneuvering your craft to generate centrifugal force. This makes for a heavily skill based combat system as actually hitting your opponent requires timing and dexterity. There is also immense satisfaction in bringing down a heavy blow on a downed opponent, causing their craft to explode in a cloud of sparks and smoke. Let's break it down.


Gameplay: So yeah, the game play is not only utterly unique it is wildly satisfying and entirely skill based. There is also a large variety of weapons so you are in a position to modify your heli-thingy to fight in your own specific style. There are swords, scythes, hammers, flails and even ranged weapons. What's more you come into possession of a variety of jewels to modify your weapons with new abilities and you can buy single use items in a shop such as javelins and throwing stars. There's a lot of great game play to be had here.

Negative sides of the controls are that I do find it hard to control my craft sometimes and it doesn't always seem as smooth as it could be but it's never a huge problem. I can say that every time I died in this game it was my fault (apart from the situations I'm about to describe). I also found the hunting sections of the game to be a bit too long and not all that fun. Fighting bland worms and bees has nothing on facing the unique enemy pilots and it doesn't add too much to the proceedings apart from padding out the game.

Sound: Sound is a bit weak and takes the background for the most part. Weapon effects are a mixed bag with close combat weapons sometime sounding a bit on the wimpy side but ranged weapons do have a very satisfying bass-y quality. The music is very Russian and has a nice flavor but you won't be blown away. Sound doesn't annoy but it doesn't do too much to enhance the game either.

Graphics: This game looks really good, the little details really make it, like the way a skull hangs off your craft for every other pilot you kill. Enemy pilots have their own banners and weapon load outs and it looks really cool. As the game proceeds you'll have collected your own batch of customized weapons and shields and it's great to have your own look within the world. Particle effects also enhance the combat and sometimes sparks from the clash of metal even set banners and wood alight making for extremely epic spontaneous backdrops for fights.

Where the graphics let you down is that sometimes it is very hard to keep tabs on your craft, in a cloud of particle effects it's possible to get thrown from one side to another where it takes crucial seconds for you to get your bearings. It's an issue that is kind of unavoidable given the style they went with but it does hurt the game sometimes and increase the frustration factor.

Story: There's quite a good story here, it follows the last member of a destroyed family and return to fame and glory. It doesn't really have any effect on the game play but it gives a good backdrop to the fights. For example an early section has you enslaved and you must impress your owner like in the film gladiator. Sometimes you have the option of side quests but as far as I can tell it doesn't change the story, only the items you receive which is fine.

The story is fine but having played through most of it previously in Russian and not understanding a word, I don't find its inclusion makes much of a difference.



Conclusion: Hammerfight is a game you'll pick up and play for maybe half an hour at a time. You'll definitely enjoy the fights against other pilots but if you are like me will be bored by the grind fest when you are pitched against worms and bees.

This game can be difficult and you do need some dexterity to do well and that fact will make it a must-buy for some and one to avoid for others. If you are looking for a great pick up and play game with customizable weapons and skill based combat this game is for you. Also, it's really cheap.

80/100

Game Review - Company of Heroes

Alright, this is far from a cutting edge review I'm doing here but I have recently got back into this game and I'd like to write a bit about it. Company of Heroes is by far the best RTS in existence today. It's beaten everything thrown at it since it turned up in 2006.

I remember the first time I played the single player demo, the campaign mission featured the Normandy landings which I had already played to death in first person, how could an RTS format be nearly as frenetic and exciting as experiencing something from the eyes of one of the soldiers.

Well, it wasn't quite as exciting maybe, but the array of things available to you. Grenades, stealing enemy weapons, suppression, it was unlike anything I'd played before. Yes, there was actually some strategy here.

And that was all before I tried skirmish for the first time and got to play as the Wehrmacht, it was from that point that I was sold on the game and played the demo to death until I could get my hands on the full thing.



So, onto the full game. I never finished the single player game, that got old fast. Skirmish mode suffered the same fate, the AI opponents weren't the cleverest and even on the highest difficulty didn't provide much challenge.

No, you have to play against real people online to enjoy this game to its fullest. I played this game a lot online until I burned out. Americans Vs. Wehrmacht got old eventually, but I enjoyed every minute up until that point. (Apart of course for the age it took the matchmaker system to find me a game.)

It was at this point they had a perfectly balanced game in many regards. There were multiple strategies you could pull and a single game often had you changing tac back and forth to adapt to your opponent. It's as good as it sounds.

The expansion inevitably came out, called Opposing Fronts. This destroyed the game for a while, unfortunately, and made it almost unplayable online. My beloved Wehrmacht were reduced to a single plausible strategy against the new arrival army, the British. The Americans had similar difficulties with the new German army, the Panzer Elite. This was when I lost my taste for the game, it was either an uphill struggle to win or a simple steam roll, it wasn't fun.

A new expansion came out this year called Tales of Valor, I was tempted to buy it but decided against it due to the bad taste left in my mouth by the new armies. Recently however I bought the gold pack (the original two releases) and played some games online. Things feel balanced and yes, this is the best RTS experience available again. Even matchmaking is radically improved.

Essentially, if you are burned out on Dawn of War 2, try this out. It's a much more in depth game.



While not a "realism" game like, for example, men of war, this game does have some roots in reality. For example a rifle isn't even going to dent the heavy armor of a tank. Rocket artillery is good against everything and aggression is the name of the game, holing up in a corner of the map is going to make you lose.

Of course, you could write pages and pages on the mechanics of this game and everything possible in it so I will try to skim over some of it. If your guys have mp40s or sten guns you rush them up to close range. Snipers are best at long range.

Less obvious dynamics are that allied infantry kick ass at close range while Axis infantry are better at long range. (Not sure why this is the case, it's a balance thing.) Tanks need to be countered by mobile heavy guns that must be deployed before firing and defended by infantry AT weapons and mines.

Well, what I'm trying to convey here is that this is a game that encourages the use of combined arms. You won't win (or you shouldn't!) by massing a single a unit and attack moving them. This is a game where you have to think, and I salute that.

I haven't done my usual break down because its multi player is a unique experience and its worth buying it for that alone. Yes, it has great graphics, sound and the rest but all of that would be nothing without its excellent game play.

If you are looking for a modern RTS to play online. There is only one game to get.

100/100