Greg Hastings Tournament Paintball MAX'D
Yeah, we thought the title SUK'D too. But don't judge a game by it's title.
Published: October 16, 2006
Paintball is one of those sports that seems perfectly suited to video game form. It's largely non-violent, offers the ability to introduce strategy into matches where normally there is none, and at least in tournament situations, offers a simple set of building blocks for arenas. Best of all, it's the sort of game that you can take online with little to no effort. Greg Hastings Tournament Paintball MAX'D does all these things, and does them surprisingly well. There's not a lot of flash to it, but what's there is certainly worth the entry cost -- if you're into paintball.
That's the key distinction here, though: you really do need to at least like the idea of paintball if you're going to appreciate the simplicity of the game, because while what's there is entertaining, sure, it's also rather bare bones in the approach, and it drags on. A lot. Online play helps mix things up, but there's no denying that you'll be neck deep in Career Mode games that all sort of mix together after a while, and a love of the strategy and possibility of ultra-quick matches is what'll keep you hanging on.
Let me rewind a little. MAX'D basically gives you the same options you'd see in most shooters; a one-off series of matches, online play and career mode. All three play more or less identically, but it's in the Career Mode, where you'll earn store credits and experience points that help you move up the leaderboards, that the bulk of the offline experience lies.
After creating a basic male or female character, you're slowly spoon-fed the bits and pieces of the complete tournament experience. You'll play solo matches, then slowly feed in more teammates that you can hire according to position. As the game progresses, you'll take on more experienced players to aid you and slowly work you way up the leaderboards. I know it sounds like I'm skimming over things there, but that really is the approach; make a character, play a couple matches, recruit, play a few more, and eventually you're playing full matches.
Two things help add a little depth to things; the Breakout Manager, which allows you to pick exactly where your players will go, and then tweak those starting points with routes and more advanced maneuvers, and the game's impressively complex (yet fairly intuitive) control scheme, which allows you to hold cover yet still allows an impressive amount of firing options as well as some basic team control. The former doesn't really need much more explanation (it's simply a top-down pre-planner and you don't technically have to follow it, though you'll get chided by teammates if you dash to their bunkers on the break).
The controls, however, probably could stand a little more description. Because paintball is effectively a one-hit-kill-style sport, using cover effectively is paramount. While completely standing, the game allows you to kick on a turbo sprint with a tap of Triangle, and from a standing or kneeling position, you can dive into a prone one with the Circle Button. X will allow you to switch hands (if your gun -- sorry, marker -- is hit, you're out, and since it's made of metal, the odds of this are very good indeed) and opens things up for a few cover-based tactics. By using the shoulder buttons' analog functionality, you can peek up above objects by pressing in on L1 or peek left or right (snap) out from cover, keeping your marker as concealed as possible.
That's the key distinction here, though: you really do need to at least like the idea of paintball if you're going to appreciate the simplicity of the game, because while what's there is entertaining, sure, it's also rather bare bones in the approach, and it drags on. A lot. Online play helps mix things up, but there's no denying that you'll be neck deep in Career Mode games that all sort of mix together after a while, and a love of the strategy and possibility of ultra-quick matches is what'll keep you hanging on.
Let me rewind a little. MAX'D basically gives you the same options you'd see in most shooters; a one-off series of matches, online play and career mode. All three play more or less identically, but it's in the Career Mode, where you'll earn store credits and experience points that help you move up the leaderboards, that the bulk of the offline experience lies.
After creating a basic male or female character, you're slowly spoon-fed the bits and pieces of the complete tournament experience. You'll play solo matches, then slowly feed in more teammates that you can hire according to position. As the game progresses, you'll take on more experienced players to aid you and slowly work you way up the leaderboards. I know it sounds like I'm skimming over things there, but that really is the approach; make a character, play a couple matches, recruit, play a few more, and eventually you're playing full matches.
Two things help add a little depth to things; the Breakout Manager, which allows you to pick exactly where your players will go, and then tweak those starting points with routes and more advanced maneuvers, and the game's impressively complex (yet fairly intuitive) control scheme, which allows you to hold cover yet still allows an impressive amount of firing options as well as some basic team control. The former doesn't really need much more explanation (it's simply a top-down pre-planner and you don't technically have to follow it, though you'll get chided by teammates if you dash to their bunkers on the break).
The controls, however, probably could stand a little more description. Because paintball is effectively a one-hit-kill-style sport, using cover effectively is paramount. While completely standing, the game allows you to kick on a turbo sprint with a tap of Triangle, and from a standing or kneeling position, you can dive into a prone one with the Circle Button. X will allow you to switch hands (if your gun -- sorry, marker -- is hit, you're out, and since it's made of metal, the odds of this are very good indeed) and opens things up for a few cover-based tactics. By using the shoulder buttons' analog functionality, you can peek up above objects by pressing in on L1 or peek left or right (snap) out from cover, keeping your marker as concealed as possible.
