Welcome to The TPS Report, home to video game blogs, mix sets and even the odd piece o' 3D art.

Broke arse student, freelance games reviewer and rambling obsessive that I am, I currently seek work in mags and web sites throughout the world. If you're in a position to make that happen - and like what you see around here - let me know. I've published work with the likes of IGN and Gaming Steve.

-Matt/Diggler

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Future Plans For the Site
28/7/2012 22:31

Preview Time! Games to Look Out For in 2011
8/1/2011 5:54

2010's Games of Shame
6/1/2011 22:47

My Fave Games of 2010!
6/1/2011 20:12

StarCraft II Review - Dig Loveth the RTS!?
7/11/2010 12:48

10 Must-Have iPhone Games
2/6/2010 18:09

A Little Hotlink to An Article I Stuck Up On GiantBomb
21/4/2010 15:01

Aliens Vs Predator is Here! Woo! Oh, Hang On...
6/3/2010 20:58

iPhone Games!
6/3/2010 20:40

The Top 30 Games of an Obscenely Packed 2009. Shit Gets Epic
7/1/2010 20:09

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If interested in discussing writing opportunities for on or offline gaming publications - either UK based or abroad - please contact me via E-Mail. Sparkling CV available on request

 

 

Hands On With Men of Valor For the PC & Xbox
Posted by Diggler - 5/10/2004 15:53

Click to enlarge
The jungle graphics are impressive on PC, but absolutely horrible on the Xbox
Having played the Xbox single player demo for Men of Valor, the phrase "bitterly disappointing" sprung to mind. Remember the guys behind this are 2015 - the original developers of Medal of Honor, at least those who didn't get swallowed up by EA and Infinity Ward. I was just expecting so much more from it.

That first demo failed to impress me pretty much across the board. The look of the thing is apalling even for a console title, coming off as incredibly cartoony and jagged - a far cry (no pun intended) from all the other fantastically detailed jungle games we've seen in recent times.

From what I saw, playability wise it also seemed to add absolutely nothing new as a single player game. Just ploughing through that one demo level was an absolute chore - made all the more tougher as it broke my heart more and more with each passing moment.

Charlie Don't Surf

Click to enlarge
Street battles are suitably tense online
As with many games of this type though, the PC was always gonna be the more ideal platform for this one, and with that in mind I'm a lot more impressed with the new multiplayer PC demo. It's not perfect yet, but there's a heck of a lot more going for it here.

The multiplayer demo comes with two maps; the obligatory jungle setting, and a much more interesting city map. Playing modes include standard deathmatch, team deathmatch, and the best of the bunch, a territorial warfare mode. I haven't come across any round based modes at this point though, which since Counter Strike exploded, has always been my style of choice. The realism and tension is just elevated hugely when you can't respawn after every death, and it's the way all good clan games should be played in my opinion. Whether Men of Valor includes such a mode on launch or not though, we'll have to wait and see.

Really there's nothing we haven't seen here before. You pick your class and you run around shooting the other team, pretty much as you've always done. Much like Allied Assault however, it just has such a pleasing feel to the controls and the weapons that makes it such a breeze to play, and subsequently it's damn hard to put down.

Technicalities

Click to enlarge
Player models fail to impress
Graphics are a mixed bag. The foliage and architecture are simply brilliant and oh so exquisitely detailed. The player models however, feel terribly cheap in comparison, and a little out of place against such solid backdrops.

Sound is a little flaky in places, with a few of the guns lacking the punch needed to bring them to life.

There's also some interface problems; I detest the overly large console style text which feels oddly juxtaposed against the pin sharp precision of a PC game. Not to mention the on-screen attacking waypoint which is horribly large and intrusive, as well as impractical in that it gives away the position of your attackers immediately.

You Climb Obstacles Like Old People Fuck

Never the less, I don't mean to rip on this one as much as I am - at the end of the day the game's fun to play and a huge improvement over that first Xbox demo.

I remember back when Vietcong came out, a game I was incredibly entertained by, it was proclaimed average by the rest of the world. Indeed many spoke out how we'd be waiting for Men of Valor in order to finally get a decent Vietnam game. I hope these people are ready to eat those words, because as a single player experience, Vietcong truly urinates all over this from what little I've seen.

I only hope that by the time the final game rolls around it delivers a much more gritty and cinematic experience than what was hinted at in the single player demo, and that my ill will towards it was more to do with a sloppy Xbox port as opposed to the quality of the game itself.

Either way, as a multiplayer game, Valor has some decent potential. It's enjoyable enough at this stage, but the real question might be whether there's any more room for yet another standard online shooter in the market which brings very little new to the genre.

Men of Valor Multiplayer Demo

Untitled Document

The Polynomial. Like playing a rave

Untitled Document

Game
Fallout 3

Enjoying a fully modded out re-visit. Wow

Film
The Road

Pretty much due to the above

Show
Breaking Bad

Already shaping up to be the best season yet

Tune
Explosions in the Sky

Easing the pain of living in a post-Friday Night Lights world

Untitled Document

Forums

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NeoGAF
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Gaming Shows

The 1up Radio Network
1up.com's collection of weekly gaming podcasts, the pick of which would have to be ListenUP, full of juicy rumors and interesting banter week in, week out

Area 5
Formerly The 1up Show, since losing their jobs the old video editing team have continued doing what they do best, in an independent internet-based TV show, covering whatever upcoming games they can get their hands on, and various other bits and pieces

Fully Ramblomatic
A hysterical gaming blogger posting what he calls "zero punctuation" video reviews that have to be seen - and heard - to be believed

A Life Well Wasted
Freelance journalist Robert Ashley's internet radio show, with a far more interesting and professional demeanor than your typical podcast. Interviews, fast-paced editing and catchy tunes abound

On the Spot
The humongous gaming site known as Gamespot broadcasts a video show each week, in which upcoming games are demoed live on air, and viewers are invited to send in questions to find out more

The Hotspot
Gamespot's audio-based companion to On the Spot, in which site editors cover the week's news while simultaneously poking fun at all that is gaming

Gaming Steve
A more mature podcast, hosted by a long-time games industry professional armed with a ton of insider info and loads of interesting opinions. The Dig's been known to post articles and stories on here from time to time

Consolevania
Quick-fire internet-based TV show with console reviews and comedy sketches. Funny as hell

Major Nelson
An interesting "blogcast" hosted by a Microsoft employee, featuring stacks of exclusive behind the scenes news and interviews relating to all things Xbox 360

The Kojima Productions Report
Official podcast from the team of Hideo Kojima, creator of the much-loved Metal Gear franchise. Full of news and interviews relating to all things Metal Gear, it's probably one for die-hard fans only

Pure Pwnage
Mockumentary series on the life of a pro gamer. Episode five is possibly the funniest thing on the internet

Other Sites

Kotaku
What you could call gaming's homepage. Constantly updated news and links on the entire industry, from minute breaking headlines, to funny arse viral vids

Game Trailers
Easy to use multimedia-rich web site offering official trailers, video demos and sneak peaks at all the upcoming releases

Game Videos
Sister site to 1up.com, focusing on game trailers, video interviews and even the odd documentary

Gamespot
The Gamespot front-end, and the gaming equivalent of the Internet Movie Database. Includes detailed reviews and extensive video features on pretty much all systems and games ever made

Giant Bomb
Speaking of Gamespot, the controversial "letting go" of editor Jeff Gerstmann resulted in him starting up this new venture with fellow former writers of the site. Great podcast in particular

1up.com
Discounting the audio and video shows mentioned earlier, 1up's main site is also worth a visit in its own right. Not only bustling with quality gaming articles and extensive developers' blogs, it also doubles up as a massive friends network, ideal for meeting fellow gamers and joining like-minded communities

Live Marketplace Feed
The most up to date and reliable way to keep track of all the new Xbox Live Marketplace content, from new weapons and map packs, to movie trailers and game demos

Xbox Reloaded
360 backwards compatibility can be a minefield. This blog attempts to shed some light on the issue by playing original Xbox games for you and reporting back the results

GameFAQs
The ultimate resource for walkthroughs and cheats

Disposable Media
A wonderful (and free) E-zine, full of reviews and articles on gaming, movies, music and TV. Puts most high street mags to shame

X-Fire
A must-have for all PC gamers, X-Fire is a buddy list and communications tool that keeps constant tabs on what games both you and all your mates are playing, on or offline

Steam
A contender to the X-Fire throne that has pretty much overtaken it straight out of the gate. Valve's Steam client contains friends lists, downloadable games, Live-style achievements and plenty more to sink your teeth into

MyGamerCard.net
Convert your Xbox Live gamercard into an image, for use on forums and web sites for free. That's mine further down

Ain't it Cool News
The latest news, gossip and spy reports from the world of movies, TV and (occasionally) video games

Smodcast
Writer, director and actor Kevin Smith - he of Clerks fame - records a monthly podcast in which he and fellow pals discuss everything from trying to felate oneself, to the time his dog got covered in ejaculate. Riveting stuff

 

Matt Robinson, 2011

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