DAVO058

When i heard the news that Halo CE was being remade i was racked with nerves, fast forward to the last few seconds of the final level and consider those concerns obliterated. Clearly the focus here is technology updates coupled, in perfect harmony, with the pure Halo formula. The attention to detail is amazing given certain limitations with using 2 simultaneous game engines and is made many times more wonderful when combined with the ability to switch back and forth between old and new. Whilst i can count the amount of times i used the feature on both hands it is definitely a sight to behold seeing how far we've come in 10 years. The music, re worked and performed with clear respect by the Skywalker Orchestra not only gets you back in the mood as soon as those familiar Halo drums begin to beat, but also helps to make playing Anniversary a familiar yet new experience. Weapon sounds have been fine tuned and now firing the Assault rifle packs some serious punch. Of course our most beloved friend the Pistol is back and is as war winningly powerful as ever making me wonder why the entire UNSC wasn't equipped with them from the get go. Animations are tweaked in game with enemies still moving as they did back 10 years ago, which is evident if you are able to switch to classic mode in the heat of battle, however the focus here is on the cutscenes where characters act in a more fluid motion, if a little over dramatic at points. Facial animations are a bit weak and sometimes i found the voices to be out of synch with the mouths of the character but it didn't hurt my experience to a point of frustration. Character designs are in keeping with Halo Reach as UNSC Marines now bare the grey uniforms loaded with backpacks of gear to seem more like soldiers, and, to a degree, individuals. On a side note, and without spoiling anything significant, the Terminals scattered around Installation 04 offer a very special look into some Halo lore and even events that run parallel with the life of our Master Chief. From watching the videos from almost half of the Terminals around Halo, i am given the impression that 343 are very intent on spinning a yarn while still keeping players engaged at a gameplay level. Aside from the inclusion of the Anniversary Map pack there is almost no multiplayer to speak of besides co op campaign. Whilst a portion of gamers out there would have loved the inclusion of multiplayer, especially if it was using the same dual engine of the story, they sadly will have to survive with Halo Reach. I was not surprised by this exclusion and, to be honest, story was why i purchased this game and story is what i got. Co op however is included and it is a blast, marching through the Covenant infested zones with a buddy on legendary, hearing the cries for help from friends desperate for ammo or health never gets old. My only request here would be that some form of matchmaking would have been nice given the popularity of the game. Ultimately, with Halo CE Anniversary, i got what i payed for, the same brilliant FPS mixed with a wonderful story that follows our gaming icon Master Chief updated with all the wonderful technology that has been integrated into some of our most loved series outside of and including Halo. 343 Industries clearly cares a great deal about Halo and given the newly announced Halo 4 5 and 6 i a can safely say, through my eyes, that the series is in great hands. I am very excited to see what 343 can do from here on out.

DLC is so common that it can be hard to sift through the sludge to find content worth spending time and money on. Given how successful Epics attempts at fixing the Gears multiplayer have been, I was happy to purchase more content to fill my gaming plate. With more characters, more maps (despite at least one being a remake) and more gadgets to play with in Horde Mode, i was most pleased. One thing i found a little annoying was the character Bernie, i was super interested in playing as her but after a few games i began to notice that some sound bites for retro charging etc were borrowed from another Gears female, Sam, but that is a petty complaint and not deal breaking in the least.

Dragon Age 2 had its flaws, but i was able to overlook them as they were mostly cosmetic. Here, in Mark of the Assassin, a great deal of these issues, such as variety in environments, have been attended to. Felica Day is surprisingly competent in her role as Tallis. The new environments are much more varied and colourful. Combat is as fun as ever and Tallis is granted her own special abilities that fit in with the style of her character traits. For 800 points i feel i have spent my money wisely and i think this DLC is proof that designers, when they communicate with their audience as Bioware have, are capable of crafting an experience that allows them to maintain a creative flair as well as cater to the wishes of the public. This DLC is fun, has interesting characters and presents a story that helps expand the Dragon Age universe and its people. A solid 7. The only thing that holds this back from being an 8, for me, is that the stealth section here seems experimental and isn't quite as engaging as it could have been. Still, it doesn't drag on and it is not particularly difficult.

I'll be quick. This game improves combat for the better, the visuals are a step forward (in the dragon age universe at least) the story is much more..... focused (for lack of a better term) and the characters that bioware introduce to us never seem to feel annoying or useless to a point where you feel like murdering them in their sleep. There are flaws, but honestly, perfection is in the eye of the beholder and when a game of this scope manages to keep everything on track with little to no fat hanging over the side, that spells damn close to perfection in my books. This game is designed to add to the wrecking ball that sits between gamers and non gamers and it does a great job, a lot of super RPG nerds will feel let down and even be angered by the streamlining of the RPG mechanics and the game in general, but if you're like me and enjoy having a fun time and soaking in the story then look no further than dragon age 2. A side note... due to the 1-10 rounding system used here at metacritic it says a 9 for me but its much closer to a 9.3.