Not many games these days do humour very well. Hogs of War aimed to change that. It did.
User Rating: 8.1 | Hogs of War (Best of Infogrames) PS
Hogs of War just looks like another silly kiddy game. In fact, when I got this as a present, Small Soldiers and Worms sprang to mind. So I stuck in the PlayStation and gave it a spin. Boy, did I know the fun I was about to have... Hogs of War, admittedly, has a simple plot, that will not keep you playing on it's own. The army of hogs which you control are at war with Saustralasia to gain their meat and crops. It's seems stupid, but it works surprisingly well. Each time a level is completed, it shows reaction to it on the daily newspaper. An example of this is the 'Chopped Pork' headline. A classic. Hogs of War is based on humour, and, unlike a lot of games which try humour (Escape from Monkey Island, anyone?), Hogs of War is actually really very funny. The hogs squeal as they eat bomb death, they chant songs at their opponents, they even make fun of their opponents if they miss! The weapons are classical roar-with-laughter-items in themselves. Cow Launchers! Flame-Throwers! Mortars! It's all there. The effect of these weapons is seriously funny. There is nothing funnier than firing a Mortar into the middle of a group of hogs, or laying a Mine only for a Hog to stand on and get blown into next week, or even deploying the ultimate weapon: The Sheep! It's certainly guaranteed to provide some side-splitting moments. The weapons have to be good in a strategy game, and Hogs of War's are no different. The usual suspects are all there like Pistols, Uzis, Shotgun, Machine-Guns as well as melee weapons like the Bayonet and the hilarious Cattle Prod. Not so common things you'll find are the Kamikaze, a highly damaging explosion which is good if you feel suicidal, the Homing Pidgeon, which can fly around objects and explodes on Hog impact, the Banana Bomb, the banana - shaped bomb of Worms fame and so much more. If you're looking for a good arsenal, this is the way to go. The upgrade system allows players to choose their hogs path, whether it be Medic, Espionage, Heavy Weapons or more, they will all have different traits. Heavy Weapons will get the Mortars, Bazooka's and all the hard-hitting stuff. Espionage will get the Snipers, Invisibility and so on. What's so good about this system is the fact you can chop (no pun intended) and change until you find your favourite team and kick some pork. This is another way Hogs of War shines out from the (large) crowd. The Graphics in Hogs of War are good in the last era, but are rather lacking today. You will learn to disregard the graphics however, and they aren't terrible. Just don't expect graphical special effects every few seconds like Final Fantasy and Half-Life 2. In a sum up, the graphics are passable. Another great thing about Hogs of War is the fact you can buy it for about $5 in most bargain bins nowadays, which means that the value is through the roof. EB Games and other large chain game retailers won't stock this anymore, so you'll need to look online to get it, but when you consider the quality of this game, and the incredible price tag, it's worth it. Overall, Hogs of War is cheap little happy go lucky game. It provides lots of bang for your buck and will give you lots of memorable moments. Scout around your game stores' bargain bins' and hope that you find this. It's a little jewel. 
