WEEKEND WASTER - SWAT 4

Weekend Waster is back! And this week I present you with... SWAT 4. Coincidently another masterpiece penned by Ken Levine (no, not the underwater one). This is as common as muck on budget right now and you can get it off Amazon here for a measly 6.480000 English pounds.

THE GAME

Fear is discovering that you forgot to reload your taser when you’re only inches away from an armed terrorist’s face. Fear is also finding the graves of small children in the basement of a deranged religious cult with a penchant for assault weapons. But mostly fear is when, after taking a round in the leg and chest and losing three of your men, you are required to clear the last room of a building. Knowing you don’t have any grenades and knowing that you shouldn’t have a chance in hell, but ordering your last man to open the door regardless and limping inside. Not only that, but as the perps within raise their rifles and take aim, still having to consider: is there a chance I could make them surrender? Could I take them alive?

Gameplay in SWAT 4 comprises of continual split-second decision making. It doesn’t let up. If you’re not quick enough then you’re dead. If you don’t cover your back then you will be shot in the back. And each decision you make has to be perfect because there are no savegames or second chances within the scenarios. Yes, it is possibly the most intense game ever created, not only for the reasons mentioned above, but because the thought is always in the back of your mind: People actually do this for a living?

SWAT 4 is a masterpiece of design and a game that I never expected to get much value from initially, but it sucks you in and the scenarios are fascinating snapshots of American suburban living gone hellishly wrong. In short, it's brilliant. In long, it's jaw-droppingly f**king amazingly brilliant. Buy it now.

WEEKEND WASTER - The Longest Journey

The game this week that will kindly relieve you of your Saturday and Sunday (and possibly the rest of the month) is The Longest Journey.

It was released eight years ago, but you should still be able to find it in your local game shop. I picked it up recently, re-packaged in the Dreamfall Limited Edition release, but it's also sold alone on budget for just under a fiver, so that's your best bet and a cracking deal to boot.

I know the original release had some problems with XP, but the one on Amazon looks like it's compatible. Alternatively, if you already own a copy that's been gathering dust for too long then the official site has a few suggestions on how to make things all better.

THE GAME

April Ryan is, perhaps, my favourite video game character ever. She's not too pretty, not too confident and not too well-endowed. In fact, she's just... average. I appreciate the subtlety in her moods and expressions and her position is something many people will instantly relate to, that of a student struggling to pay the bills and wondering whether she is really on the right track in life. I adore her cynicism and uncertainty and it's a joy to watch the character evolve as the game progresses.

The story is set in a techno-hip future Earth. It's a world built around science and industry. Venice, where you begin the game, is a sprawling mass of rusted metal and dingy back alleys. It's a threatening, dystopian environment, filled with corrupt corporations and flying cars.

All this sounds very typical of a sci-fi setting, but alongside this genre standard is a great deal of personality and depth. There is much that the player will recognise: a student life filled with nights out and lazy mornings, meeting friends at a local haunt and struggling with coursework... It's beautiful and fascinating and predicting the next direction the story will take at any given time is pointless.

If you watch the trailer on the left, you'll get a feel for what the game is all about. Without giving too much away, there is obviously more to this vision of the future than meets the eye and, as you begin to explore April's life and her circumstances, you will also come to understand more about the world and the true nature of its existence.

If there is one problem with The Longest Journey, it's the insane difficulty level. In true adventuring style, the game is packed with baffling puzzles and inventory-combining tosh and being a bit of a dim-wit, I've never entirely enjoyed that sort of thing. If this turns you off then I urge you to play the game hand-in-hand with an internet walkthrough in case you get stuck, because its too easy to desert the game out of sheer frustration.

Trust me, it's worth it. PC Gamer magazine weren't kidding when they called it the "pinnacle of classic, point-and-click adventure gaming". In terms of game mechanics there's nothing new here, but if you are hungering after a rich, involving and often amusing storyline with characters that you can deeply care for, this is the game to play.

WEEKEND WASTER - System Shock 2

Each Friday I'll be recommending a game that will provide you with a weekend of solid, life-destroying fun. There's no dipping in and out here. When you start playing these suckers, you're in it for the long haul. You'll wake up on Monday morning, still in the pants you were wearing on Friday, wondering how the hell you'll manage to go cold-turkey at work. It's like crack, only messier.

On offer today is System Shock 2, one of the all-time greats in terms of both the survival-horror and RPG genres.

To be honest, I don't think you'll be able to pick this one up on the high street any more and checking Amazon.co.uk reveals some ludicrous secondhand pricing, but it's worth trawling through bargain bins and eBay for a copy. Alternatively, Home of the Underdogs will provide you with all you need to scare yourself stupid. If you have any problems running the game in XP, Windows 2000 compatibility mode should knock it into shape.

THE GAME

Right off the bat, System Shock 2 draws you in. The initial setup for the game is innovative and refreshing, starting in the army recruitment offices with a choice of careers between the navy, marines or psi-ops. As a general rule, navy hack computers, marines shoot things using their guns and psi-ops shoot things using their minds. After this you'll be sent on a career path in which you will choose three years of past experiences. It's a great way of sculpting your character history and adding attributes without destroying the immersion of the game.

Before you know it, you're on the good (space)ship Von Braun and everything goes horribly wrong. This is where it's up to you to figure out what's going on and how to stop it, utilizing the help of a surviving crew member, Dr Polito.

In terms of gameplay it's almost second to none. When it comes to problem-solving, the options available to you are numerous and thinking on your feet is crucial. Due to ammo and supplies being particularly thin on the ground, you'll find yourself running away and avoiding confrontations just to stay alive and this works to heighten the tension without becoming annoying.

SS2 is no looker, that's for sure. It was built using Thief's Dark Engine which, even in it's day, was the runt of the pack. Considering this, I find it incredible that the atmosphere and horror of the game still hold up despite wooden animations and ugly character models. Regardless, the tortured moans of the hybrids are perfectly clear, the hum of the ship is still as haunting as it ever was and Xerxes' monotone is exactly as I remember it.

If you haven't played System Shock 2 before then you have no excuse not to now. Even if you played it years ago, it's worth a revisit, if only to remind yourself how games should be made.