Sablcious

Star Wars Battlefront is N-O-T-H-I-N-G like its predecessors. I thought that needed to be gotten out of the way from the get-go. Beyond its visuals (nice - maps - but inconsistent - character models / animations) and audio (thanks, Mr. Williams), this game could be any given, B-list, low budget shooter. E.A. ("Ebolaids") clearly had only one intention with this game: TO FLEECE SAP CONSUMERS WITH A DLC RACKETEERING VEHICLE THAT RIDES THE COAT TAILS OF THE FILMS' HYPE TRAIN. The game is a full RRP'd glorified demo, in every sense of the term: (as of writing) four(4) maps only; six(6) heroes; no space battles; restrictive map layouts; same-y weapons / weapon effects; boring, casualised gameplay (*lock-on aiming is not filterable in online play); silly token system to unlock the insultingly meagre content (e.g., normie skins and generic weapons); no split-screen online play; shallow, cursory offline split-screen implementation... Whichever angle you come at E.A.'s SW:Battlefront, you cannot help but see its shortcomings. This game IS NOT worth its RRP -- at launch, it had "season pass" (i.e., stripped content) DLC worth as much as the base game itself! This game is barely a demo. It's... shameful. This game should be boycotted; not only for the sake of the integrity of the license, but also for the sake of the future of the video gaming pastime. For if games like this become staple for the industry, the pastime is surely dead. 4/10 -- poor / pirate it.

Horribly casual, good-looking game. ACIV pretty much typifies what's wrong with the pastime of video gaming today -- über casual, semi-interactive gameplay layered under pretty visuals. Only recommended for gamers who got into the pastime around the time the Nintendo Wii appeared. For anyone else, get your friend(s) to play it while you watch, drunk!

A nice third-person stealth game based on a real life British-Hungarian WWII assassin. The atmosphere of the game is what probably stands out most. The level design is unfortunately very linear and the gameplay overall is 'okay'. The protagonist is appealing, in that she's a 'she'! Recommended for WWII / historically theme game fans.

A decent open-world romp WITH A FRIEND. The game nedds to be played in co-op, otherwise it's just another open-world clone. The game has a good level of destructible environments, but this doesn't save it from repetition when play alone. (NB: The servers for the PC version of the game have been shut down by EA and the game is only playable in online mode. However, there is a sever emulator for Mercs2 available online for free that does work (tested). So, the co-op functionality is still applicable for the PC version of the game.) *Rating based on co-op play.

I nice-looking but inordinately shallow third-person adventure game / 'platformer' (*term used loosely). The platforming in the game is very disappointing, even if it weren't a TR game. The game suffers from the infamous modern day video gaming cancer known as "accessibility". Due to the shallow, hand held environment traversal, the game boils down to little more than linear progression through what's meant to be an open world environ, with ho hum shooting segments interspersed throughout. The fully automated cover system destroys any semblance of tension, as it enters cover whenever an enemy is in the vicinity; irrespective of whether they're within the player's view or not. The game is also hampered by overuse of the dreaded 'QTE's' and too many cut-scenes. The violence depicted in said cut-scenes is also way overkill for the TR franchise -- patently done in order to attract a broader [American] crowd. If you want to play Tomb Raider for what made it a fan favourite - platforming, puzzles and exploration - don't play this 'junk food' title. Stick to early Lara Croft adventures. For Tomb Raider 2013 is little more than one cut-scene followed by another linear TPS segment until the end credits. (NB: I did not play the online-only, arena-based mutiplayer component of the game due to the scathing reviews it received.)

God Mode is an 'arcade style', team-based, co-operative third-person shooter game with high fidelity visuals and solid firearms-based gameplay. The game can be played in single-player or co-operatively with three(3) other players (online or LAN). The game is fun, has a decent weapons (upgradable) and character customisation set; although the choices aren't particularly outstanding. The game is enjoyable in single-player mode in short bursts, but becomes quite repetitive. You're tasked with moving from arena to arena killing the demonic hordes it spawns, usually culminating in a boss fight. The game has 'mutators' that are randomly generated before each arena that lend the game some variety. The game is certainly best played co-operatively. It's worth noting that the difficulty does scale with the increase in player numbers. There are four(4) difficulty settings (fully updated game), six(6) different maps with four(4) arenas per map. The enemy variety is very good for a game of this kind. The gameplay tends to reflect realism more than arcade gameplay (slower reloading and evading animations); which can be a good or bad thing, depending on one's tastes. I recommend this game for those intending to play it with at least one co-operative partner. The game resembles the third-person arcade shooter game 'The Club'.

If you ever played the 'Super Sprint' arcade games of the 80s, you likely enjoy Bang Bang Racing. The game embodies a lot of what made the former racers so addictive (in short bursts, admittedly) and intense. The game features up to 4-player local (split-screen) racing in most modes (inc. championships / cups, where unlockables can be opened), which is a real plus for a PC port--a platform notorious for stripped content / functionality when it comes to local multiplayer. The only negatives can be attributed to the unlockables (cars / skins / tracks) that are a tad onerous to acquire (given their basic nature) and that the player begins the game with only the barest of thus choices. But, overall, this is a very good title for a game of its type and, due to its relentless nature, reasonably challenging, even for adult players.

An excellent take on the tower defence / action genre. The game only falls short in the sense it really needs to be experienced coöperatively; and as this functionality is limited to online only (*no split-screen or LAN), the game suffers for it. The traps in OMD!2 serve only to 'soften up' the hordes and the bulk of the killing needs to accomplished by the player; something that grows more and more apparent as you progress through the game. As such, limited 2-player options do significantly hurt this game in the medium to long term. Summation: The best TD game mechanically, but the lack of coöp options adversely affects the game's longevity. For SP play only, it's hard to recommend unequivocally. For multiplayer, a must-buy for TD fans. 7/10

A very poor effort in the context of the Motorstorm series. Despite the plethora of options and vehicle customisations, the je ne sais quoi of the franchise is completely lost MS:A. They removed the good - natural themes, track deformation, beautiful vistas - added the bad - generic post-apocalyptic cities, tracks fraught with distracting 'junk', a half-assedly implemented 3D functionality (it doesn't work in split-screen and has copious 'cross-talk') - and exacerbated what already need fixing - the 'floaty'race physics, über cheesy AI, lack of coöp-able campaign play. All in all, this is a very disappointing MS game; although an okay-ish arcade racer in its own right. 4/10

MK2011 is a good game... but not a good FIGHTING GAME. The game promised to cater for hardcore fans but instead introduced a slew of causal orientated features that in fact dumbed the game down even further than its casual roots would have led you to believe would be warranted. Easy, timing devoid dial-a-combos, 'simple mode' super (X-ray) attacks at the mash of a couple of shoulder buttons (super moves you only gain access to after being pummelled!), 'secret' finishing moves listed in the game's menu... all make for one of the more casual friendly MKs ever. But the game's less than hardcore game mechanic isn't it's only or even biggest downfall; it's LIES are. Promised were robust offline content but only filler (Krypt) and blatant lies (Tower Challenge reward) were proffered; the AI being some of the worst (spammy / cheap / cheaty) in fight gaming. Intimated was a far more diverse roster; delivered, only cookie cutter teleport and dash attack spammers that even share certain normal attacks and have same-same-y X-rays, and the game's only unique characters, the bosses, inexplicably locked out from player use. Bragged about was the game's new fangled net-code that would make online play a sheer joy; instead you get arguably the worst online lag for a fighting game this console generation! What makes this latter aspect of the game even more of a fail, is the fact that there is an 'online pass' attached to the game's online functionailty. Meaning that if you do not have a valid code, you cannot play online unless you pay and extra $10 for, what in this game's case, is a very dusbious privilege. Thus, if you buy the game pre-ownded, you'll almost certainly be getting an incomplete product... and that's not even touching on the DLC ransoming to come. But that's not to say the game is all bad, as was suggested in this review's preface. The game's story mode is as fleshed out as you will see in a non SNK fighting game, taking around 6 hours to play through. The visuals of the game are quite nice. The backgrounds in particular are very detailed. however, the character animations are still somewhat stiff for a 2011 game. The audio is also top notch also, with every blow resonating powerfully and voice acting that, although corny, is on the mark for game set in MK universe. The 3D (Ps3 only) is a nice 'thought', but due to only the backgrounds being render thusly, and given in a fighting game your attention is solely on the the combat, the 3D effect is virtually completely lost while playing and only serves to strain your eyes. Overall, when you take into account MK2011 is a FIGHTING GAME whose play mechanic, online componentry, character diversity are paramount to its respectability in this genre, MK2011 sadly fails. They should have stuck with the MKvDCU model and refined it (removed the 3D movement) not tried to reinvent the MK wheel. Summation: For causals and completionists, a good buy. For hardcore fight gamers. especially those reared on 90s fighters, I'd steer clear at least until it's half price, if not until the inevitable MK2012 hits.