TheBoldman

I really enjoyed this DLC - plenty to do on the island and many interesting characters to meet. There is a diverse range of quests and side-quests. Some enemies can be very challenging so ensure that you are of a high level before taking the trip to the island. This is what DLC should be as you get many hours worth of content and a fairly large new map with a dense amount of locales. My only gripes would be that some of the quests are very straightforward/simple and that the puzzle section in the DLC is an unwanted distraction from the main game.

I feel that Blood Stone is a very underrated James Bond game. 007 games tend to vary from the excellent (GoldenEye) to the awful (007 Legends). Blood Stone certainly does not hit the heights of GoldenEye, but it does have a very atmospheric James Bond experience. This is helped by the game design I like it when 007 games look to emulate the feel of the movies by incorporating items such as a credits sequence, a theme song, Bond "moments" and real actors to do the voiceover. Daniel Craig and Dame Judi Dench really elevate the game with their voiceover work. Joss Stone is a welcome addition to the Bond universe being both sexy and talented. The title sequence closely emulates the new design direction of the Daniel Craig era and is a very good standard for a videogame. The 3rd-person shooting is fairly formulaic. However, Bond can action some awesome takedowns (which reminded me closely of The Bourne Conspiracy) and these give you "Focus Aims" which allow you to dispatch enemies quickly with a single headshot. The game is fairly easy to complete anyway so these are not massively useful, but do help to make you feel like James Bond in that you can wade through enemies quickly as he might do in the movies. You can make use of scenery to help dispatch enemies for example, shooting a lift so that it falls and kills the occupants. The usual explosive barrels make their 974th appearance in a videogame since Doom! The story interested me. I enjoyed the ride. Of course, don't expect a story as complex as those in recent movies. But it's enough to keep you playing until the end. Bond visits some very interesting locations around the world in this mission. The driving sections of the game were excellent. You will drive a car and a boat at different points in the story and the handling felt good. The speed of these sections was also good. They felt exciting and probably the best realised driving sections in any James Bond game, including 007 Racing! The multiplayer is the game's weakest offering. Like many modern games, publishers and developers seem to believe that a multiplayer option is a desirable section to the majority of gamers. I don't believe this is the case. I would much rather that developers spent the time enhancing and extending the single-player experience. Let GoldenEye do the multiplayer experience, Blood Stone is strongest in the single-player experience. The game is not long, and it does have its limitations. However, if you are looking for a game to perhaps play between longer AAA titles and you are just looking to have some fun for a few hours then Blood Stone is a game I would certainly recommend. I enjoyed the ride with James Bond. Roger Moore would certainly raise an eyebrow at that!

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

After purchasing my Bioshock Infinite season pass, I was very much looking forward to the first piece of DLC. Unfortunately, what I received was best described as filler. In the modern videogame world, AAA developers seem to be obsessed with multiplayer additions to games where it is completely unnecessary. Tomb Raider is one such example. I was very pleased when Bioshock Infinite was released without any multiplayer options. Clash in the Clouds feels like a multiplayer addition, without actually being a multiplayer game. The competition is not on a face-to-face basis, but over leaderboards. I play Bioshock games for the interesting storylines, incredible characters and varied single-player combat mechanics. So this doesn't interest me in the slightest. Well... I say that, but Irrational Games have done something very clever here. And that is the ability to buy collectibles voxphones, statues, artwork which will complement and expand the storyline from the original Bioshock Infinite single player experience. As that is my focus, does this mean that I will be "grinding" through this DLC to unlock them all? Possibly. But under duress. To me, Bioshock games are fantastic single-player experiences with just the right difficulty level for those gamers that adore storyline and cleverly-crafted backdrops over getting sniped by a 14 year-old from two miles away on COD. Having to fight two handymen and a patriot on the same map, at the same time, feels more like the latter, I'm afraid. A chore that must be endured if you want to unlock all of the collectibles. Can't wait for Burial at Sea.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Having completed Season 1 of The Walking Dead, I was very interested to play 400 Days to experience these new characters. On the whole, I enjoyed this DLC, although it did seem very short. Stories are very mixed with some seeming longer than others, and some appearing to be mostly dialogue. The character I liked most of all was Wyatt because of the clever (and funny) dialogue in his story. The most frustrating element of 400 Days is the addition of random (luck) choices. Without spoilers, in one episode you play a short game which will decide the course of the story. Unfortunately, I experienced the same outcome in the next playthrough, and the checkpoint is quite a way prior to this game taking place. This is very frustrating if you are interested in branching storylines and would like to see how alternative choices play out. Additionally, there is an achievement linked to this game which achievement hunters may find frustrating to get if they are not lucky. Overall, I enjoyed this DLC. However, given the ending, I am wondering how relevant the time I have spent with some of these characters will be to Season 2.

Telltale Games have succeeded in creating a new type of game. An interactive story where characters, dialogue and decisions take precedence over the hand-eye co-ordination required of gamers in FPS or racing games. The puzzles are fairly simple and are successful in some, but not all, of the episodes. However, the storyline is fantastic and elicits rare emotion from gamers. The whole season is a rollercoaster ride of emotion and leads us to an ending that is brave and thought-provoking.

Season 1 of The Walking Dead ends as a real triumph for Telltale Games. The branches of the storyline tie together well. Decisions become even more heart-wrenching. Our favourite characters are put in even more danger. The ending itself is worth a 10. Rarely have I felt so much emotion in playing a videogame or even watching TV/movies. There is also a silent conversation within the episode that is laced with tension and proves that decisions you made previously WILL come back to haunt you! However, I have scored this episode an 8 for two reasons. Firstly, I felt that some of the decisions that certain characters made were a little bit out-of-character particularly when they may be sacrificing something to save other members of the group where there were prior tensions or even hatred. Secondly, the episode felt short. This is positively an interactive movie with very few puzzles, some simple real-time events, and the ending seems to come across you quickly. This may possibly be due to my earlier decisions in that characters had died? There are more huge decisions to make. One decision, made towards the beginning of the episode, helps to prove the notion that some outcomes are fate, and the helplessness of the situation will promote the strongest emotions in the player. One quick thought on the ending. Without spoilers, ensure that you wait until after the credits as the "true" ending is shown then. I was very disppointed with the ending. I suppose that Telltale had to keep it fairly ambiguous as different players would have made vastly different decisions. However, my recommendation to Telltale for season 2 will be to develop a more satisfying ending. They may need to produce a number of alternative endings to fully satisfy, and conclude, the branching storylines.

Telltale Games have really perfected the blend of story, puzzles and action here. The characters are still real and believable, and you become more and more attached to your favourite characters. Even so, the game's story still has the potential to really shock you. One such moment occurred in this episode and made me rethink all of my strategies for the remainder of the episode and the next. The writing is superb but, even so, don't consider these games as puzzle-adventure games they are interactive stories with superb characterisation and branching storylines.

This was one of my favourite episodes of season 1 of The Walking Dead. The tension between the characters and the shocking events that follow really takes the player along on a rollercoaster ride. I don't remember a game in recent memory that has been so successful in making me feel for the characters involved. I should quickly congratulate the voice-actors who have done a fantastic job in making the game more believable. I also thought the puzzles were at their best in this episode. Another thing I like about The Walking Dead games is that there is very rarely a "perfect answer" to many situations you HAVE to choose between various options which may mean losing a group member that you have become fond of. Also, intense situations can lead to tragedy, heat-of-the-moment decisions are made by certain characters that will have important ramifications later in the story.

Episode 2 builds on the tension in episode 1, not just the tension that the player feels, but also the tension between the characters in the game. The puzzles seem more interesting and the story is tight. Without giving any major plot points away, the group find an oasis in the middle of the horrific world they live. However, the player constantly feels that something is not quite right with the situation and the final outcome is both shocking and exciting. Telltale Games are really hitting their mark now.

A great start to the series with some really interesting characters. The urgency of a world infested with the undead is instantly imposed on the gamer with the use of QTEs and having to choose conversation options within a defined time-limit. Some may find the puzzles too easy, but this is more about the journey, the characters and the story. Treat it as an interactive story and you won't be disappointed. Some decisions are truely heart-wrenching and have long-standing consequences throughout season 1.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]