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Platform Filters:   All Platforms  Xbox   GameCube   PlayStation 2   PC   Game Boy Advance   Site Sections:   Updates  News   Games   Publishers   Developers   Reviews   Previews   Release Dates   Editorials   Glossary   Contact Us		Review:       23rd December 2003: Hardware: Online Arena  Jeeps and tanks, a broadband connection and 15 other people. The recipe for disaster or for a classic? Let us tell you... Posted by Chris Barnett - PlayStation 2 - UK and Europe Since we trust games so much these days, we can rest assured that they have already told us the future state of society. So many games tell us of how people will fight for their lives in vehicles with mounted guns on both barren and futuristic landscapes that we can start training now. And Hardware: Online Arena is one such game, but with a little more accessibility than most games of its type. It is indeed a car based multiplayer shooting game, but with little emphasis given to plot and maximum given to action, it has a balance that is unusual in any genre of games these days. Think about it, when was the last time that you played a game and thought about how the game was much more action packed than it was scenario driven? Well Hardware is just that, and it is very much better because of the fact. Of course, as the title insists, the game is designed for online play. The only mode available offline is a sort of tutorial with bots (in any one of the five arenas that feature in the online mode), so it is really not a game without the online features. So do not buy it unless you have the broadband adapter, it's just common sense, okay? With that out of the way, if you are online you will probably be familiar with the kinds of modes offered by multiplayer combat games. That is the modes of Death Match and King of the Hill. Both feature in Hardware, in single player and in team modes. Since the game only has these four modes it needs to excel in them. And it does for the most part. To keep things simple, you select one of the eight vehicles (four of them are jeeps and four are tanks) and then take it into one of the five massive arenas. These arenas are varied and each has their familiar locations and features. In fact, the learning of the qualities of each arena is essential to success (there is an explosive temple in one where you can use the fact as a trap) and adds a more thoughtful element to the gameplay. Scattered around the arenas are weapons and health/armour pick ups to allow in battle upgrades, adding an aspect of 'trolley dash' mechanics to proceedings. This simplistic gameplay may sound limited, but with a little mastery of the more complex controls, movement and firing becomes a skilful pursuit. Each of the vehicles has a gun turret on it that can be moved independently, even when moving in a different direction. The mastery of this firing method takes a long time and really is something to be proud of once you grasp it. A master of this game truly is a master, shown by the way in which they will exterminate the rest of the field with ease in an unbalanced battle. The only problems with the game do actually lie with the differing skills of players. A true master will beat amateurs hands down, but this is to be expected of any competitive event. The thing that really spoils things is the ranking system (which has nothing to do with actual gameplay), which takes into account the ranking of players too severely. It is such that a player's whole ranking can be altered by one simple defeat (such as if a really skilled player is killed by a first-timer), meaning a hefty slog through a few games to regain place. But this is the same for everyone so you must decide whether the risk to play with unskilled players for easy points is worth it (as opposed to playing with players level or above yourself). This really is a minor problem, but it is more annoying than this description suggests. Aside from the ranking problem, the gameplay itself is quite accomplished. The controls are responsive and detailed enough to allow you to get everything you need out of your vehicle and the locations are varied enough to allow strategy to be used effectively. The graphics are also suitable, they are nothing to shout about, but they are certainly on par with the current generation of PlayStation 2 games (the area in which it really spites Twisted Metal Black). Quite simply, this game impressed us as we were expecting a game similar to Twisted Metal Black, but the gun turret control adds a whole different aspect to the game. The responsiveness of the controls is pleasing and the simplicity of the battles (in their goals that is) is what makes the game so addictive. And the word addictive should be taken to heart, as this really is an addictive game. Once you start to move in the rankings you will want to climb. Then when you fall (maybe through the problem discussed earlier) you will want to reclaim your place. All this adds to make this the best online vehicle combat game on any console, which is more than enough to warrant a purchase. Chris Barnett             Latest Images:		Review Scores:    Graphics:   Sound:   Gameplay:   Length:   Overall: Click here for our Review Score Guidelines.  Review Summary:  A true eye opener, we were not expecting this to excel beyond mediocrity but were pleasantly surprised. Once the controls are mastered the game becomes a memorable and addictive experience that can be labelled as the best online vehicle combat game on any console.  Related Games:  Hardware: Online Arena for PlayStation 2  9  Screenshots  1  Review Click here for All Game Information.
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