Kirby is a really fun game especially with Friends and Family. The Levels are clever, music in really good to listen to, story is simple and most importantly the gameplay is fun. High Replay Value
Finally a worthy Party Game on the Nintendo Switch. Party Planet features 30 party games for up to 4 players. It's a game for family and friends of all ages. More than half of the games can be played with your friends while the other half is 1 Player games. I enjoyed the local multiplayer games and most were really fun. I personally Enjoyed Mystical Totem where you play as an Eskimo and your goal is to chop your way to the top while avoiding freezing to death and being hit with the sides of the Totem. What I liked about Mystical Totem is how fun it became when playing with friends and family especially after they learn how to play it . The fast paced Frosty Hockey mini game is also fun especially 2 VS 2 matches where you have to coordinate together to beat the opponents. Party Planet has a wide Variety of games that you can play. Games include Running, Climbing, Jumping, Sailing, Shooting and a few memory games. More games are unlocked by scoring higher points in any game, for example some games are unlocked if you achieve 2 stars while others are unlocked when you achieve 3 stars. Thankfully I managed to unlock them all. The graphics are simple, you don't need more for these mini games and the sounds are spot on. With the portability and versatility of Nintendo Switch, players can turn just about any location and venue into their own personal party for friends and family! Overall Party Planet is a perfect game for the Nintendo Switch and there is no better feeling than playing simple mini games with friends and family
10Tons have done an incredible job releasing their games on the Nintendo Switch and Sparkle Unleashed is their final game to be released on the system in 2017. Sparkle Unleashed is a very similar game to Sparkle 2. It is an overall fun and addictive game Both games are very similar, each representing a variation of the popular marble shooter match-3 action puzzle genre. The Main difference is that Sparkle 2 features rotating marble shooter gameplay, while Sparkle Unleashed features gameplay based on a marble shooter moving along the bottom of the screen so it depends on which game style you prefer. Sparkle Unleashed is a match-three marble shooter puzzle game where you need to line up and shoot the marbles to make matches of three or more like colors. These Matched marbles disappear, taking you a step closer in clearing the level. The different Powerups also add to the overall experience and each of the 18 Powerups can give you an advantage in clearing the level If you don't have Sparkle 2 on the Nintendo Switch then Sparkle unleashed is a nice quick game that you can take on the go. If you are looking for a game with high replay value then Sparkle unleashed does a good job with its 100 Plus challenging levels
Having played many games throughout the years from all different genres, I was really looking forward to Spellspire because it wasn’t like anything I had previously experienced before. Spellspire is an interesting game that mashes word game puzzles along with an action role playing game. . I have played nearly every 10Tons Game and I enjoy how simple yet addictive their games are and Spellspire is no exception You play as a Wizard who has to get past all sorts of levels in a Tower while defeating various monsters. The goal is to pick letters from a grid made out of 10 letters to spell different words and shoot them from your wand as magical spells to defeat the enemies, the longer the word the bigger the attack power What I appreciated most in Spellspire is that it made me think and challenge myself to create various words in a limited amount of time before the enemy hits me back. 3 Letter words is the minimum to cause damage on an enemy and I found myself constantly at the edge of my seat, trying to create longer words to inflict more damage. Spellspire also has challenging bosses to beat after completing a couple of Levels. You will need to be quick because each of those monsters have different attack times and health. It was fun creating words to destroy those monsters and I enjoyed the variety in the enemies throughout the game. The RPG elements in Spellspire are what shine the most. After each kill, you are rewarded with coins which can be spent in the shop. Buying and upgrading different items such as Hats, Robes and Wands is key to successfully beat the game because each item has its own advantages and disadvantages against the countless enemies you will be facing in your adventure. These items have different powers such as wands that create fire and Robs that allows you to deal more damage. I spent a good amount of time in the shop trying out different combinations of items to take along on my adventure With 100 Levels in the Tower, 10Tons have delivered a game with plenty of content and replay value. Spellspire is a wonderfully simple game to pick up and play
10tons Ltd. is an independent games developer based in Tampere, Finland. They have a great collection of unique titles. My personal favorite is Crimsonland, an intense and addictive game that I enjoyed playing with friends. JYDGE is there latest game, a futuristic top-down Cop Shooter. The first thing I noticed about the gameplay is how smooth everything runs, you really feel the love and care that 10tons Ltd put into the game with small details that added to the overall experience. Your job is to eliminate crime in the City of Edenbyrg and rescue the hostages with any means necessary. The game starts simple, by introducing you to its mechanics, Mood and setting. The more I played, the more I appreciated how deep the game is. Each Chapter is divided into 5 sections separated across the map. Before each mission, you are given different objectives that you can complete. Rescue the hostages, loot all the containers and Exit in 20 seconds are just some of the objectives that I came across. The objectives are fun, and they never felt repetitive. The more objectives you complete the more medals and money you earn. The amount of customizing is impressive, your weapon is called the Gavel and it is filled with different configurations that you can equip. Special weapons such as a Rocket Launcher will help you destroy larger enemies but they have limited use per level so you have to use them wisely. Fire Mods comes with countless bullets to unlock and choose from such as Shot Gun Shells and Plasma with each having its own strengths and weaknesses. Everything within the Gavel weapon can be upgraded to the Max with the money you make by confiscating containers from each level. Upgrading the Gavel always felt satisfying. You can also choose between countless cyberware Items on your suit and equip any that fits your strategy for each level. For example, Shadow Blend allowed me to sneak in between dark areas to take out enemies while Liam the Laser Drone helped me destroy enemies faster. The amount of choices you have before starting a mission are countless. You will encounter challenging enemies during the game, especially boss battles. Planning ahead is key to beating them. You will die a lot in this game but the more you play the better you become. I enjoyed the music in JYDGE because it suited the futuristic setting, the cool music blended well with the action and the over the top gameplay. The controls were easy to use and responsive which is great for a game like this that requires a fast response from the player The Graphics in JYDGE are good, most enemies look different especially the bosses and the City of Edenbyrg looks imposing due to the small touches of each level. The dark, gritty mood is felt here and you could really feel the tension while completing the mission The replay value is high, once you finish a chapter, you unlock Hardcore difficulty and replaying the missions again on hardcore mode earns you more medals to unlock new levels. The endless customization options in your weapon and gear will keep you coming back for more to try out newer, more creative techniques in a mission. Teaming up with a friend and playing co-op adds a further layer of depth in the game. I enjoyed coordinating with my partner. Do we move in unnoticed? Or do we blast our way in and complete the level in 30 seconds? Those were fun decisions to make. Over all I enjoyed the game but I would have enjoyed it more if there was more emphasis on the story. JYDGE is a fun, vibrant action packed game with tons of replay value that deserves attention
The Nintendo Switch has great games so far and every month more indies and exclusive games are released. The Nintendo Switch still lacks some top down shooters and that's where Neon Chrome comes in. Neon Chrome is one of 10Tons best games released on all systems. This is the first time I play Neon Chrome and thankfully i can now play this game on the go with the Switch. Neon Chrome is a cyberpunk top-down shooter. Your mission is to stop the Overseer oppressing the people living in the gigantic Arcology. The story is simple yet interesting but what kept me coming back for more was the gameplay. The levels are procedurally generated and even if you die, all the characters stats, upgrades, unlocks, and credits are kept safe for your next character. Stats such as attack, luck and health can be upgraded with money you collect during missions. Every time you start a mission, you can choose between 3 characters with different abilities and weapons such as the Assassin who is invisible in dark places and the Hacker who can pirate some chests and computers. You will also face tough boss battles at the end of each floor, these bosses are well designed and each requires a different approach. Completing missions feels rewarding due to the many secrets you can find and new perks to unlock. The music blends well with the action packed game and it never is boring. I also enjoyed the sounds of the explosions and gun fights. The graphics however, are outdated which is a big shame and the level of depth in each level isn't what i expected. More attention to detail could have added to the overall experience. The Replay value is high because the game is made in a way that motivates you to come back and unlock more weapons and upgrades. Playing the game on the Nintendo Switch is a big plus and i found my self playing it table top mode most of the time. Over all, Neon Chrome certainly has its moments, and it can be a lot of fun, especially if you bring some friends along. At the same time, I feel like there could have been so much more. Playing JYDGE before Neon Chrome, I could tell that JYDGE surpasses it in every way. Neon Chrome offers a nice spin to the top-down shooter but the overall experience does lack some essential elements. The increase in difficulty is intriguing but Neon Chrome doesn't have variety to the levels and obvious grinding can put off many. For gamers who enjoy top-down shooters and want to try something new then Neon Chrome is a perfect fit for the Nintendo Switch and since we don’t have many Top down shooters on the System, this is the best place to start. Let’s hope JYDGE will also be released on the Nintendo Switch since it is the better game of the two
SPARKLE 2, an impressive marble shooter developed by 10tons is now on the Nintendo Switch. Even though i own Sparkle 2 on the PS4, i felt its best played in Hand Held mode and that's what the Nintendo Switch Excels at. Gameplay-wise, fans will quickly feel right at home with Sparkle 2 on the Switch. Players will have to match three marbles of the same color by charging it with the marble shooter. Your goal is to make sure that you take out all the marbles before they reach the exit. Taking out marbles rewards runes, which players can take advantage of to move on to the next level. The Levels start out simple but the difficulty increases which makes each completed level feel rewarding. The are also different types of weapons that you will be rewarded with such as weapons that changes the colors of the marbles that it hits. There are other weapons as well and this adds to the overall experience of the game What i enjoyed most is that the levels always felt fresh with their own challenges. The vibrant colors pop-up, the music is simple yet nice to listen too and the cute story is interesting . Sparkle 2 is a fun game to pick up and play and now you can take it on the go with the Nintendo Switch which is a big plus. Sadly no major additions on the Nintendo Switch, it is basically the same game you played in other consoles. Overall, Sparkle 2 is aesthetically pleasing to play and presents a nice challenge for players of all ages. If you like puzzle games and looking for something fast then Sparkle 2 on the Switch might be for you
10tons Ltd. is an independent games developer based in Tampere, Finland. They have a great collection of unique titles. My personal favorite is Crimsonland, an intense and addictive game that I enjoyed playing with friends. JYDGE is there latest game, a futuristic top-down Cop Shooter. The first thing I noticed about the gameplay is how smooth everything runs, you really feel the love and care that 10tons Ltd put into the game with small details that added to the overall experience. Your job is to eliminate crime in the City of Edenbyrg and rescue the hostages with any means necessary. The game starts simple, by introducing you to its mechanics, Mood and setting. The more I played, the more I appreciated how deep the game is. Each Chapter is divided into 5 sections separated across the map. Before each mission, you are given different objectives that you can complete. Rescue the hostages, loot all the containers and Exit in 20 seconds are just some of the objectives that I came across. The objectives are fun, and they never felt repetitive. The more objectives you complete the more medals and money you earn. The amount of customizing is impressive, your weapon is called the Gavel and it is filled with different configurations that you can equip. Special weapons such as a Rocket Launcher will help you destroy larger enemies but they have limited use per level so you have to use them wisely. Fire Mods comes with countless bullets to unlock and choose from such as Shot Gun Shells and Plasma with each having its own strengths and weaknesses. Everything within the Gavel weapon can be upgraded to the Max with the money you make by confiscating containers from each level. Upgrading the Gavel always felt satisfying. You can also choose between countless cyberware Items on your suit and equip any that fits your strategy for each level. For example, Shadow Blend allowed me to sneak in between dark areas to take out enemies while Liam the Laser Drone helped me destroy enemies faster. The amount of choices you have before starting a mission are countless. You will encounter challenging enemies during the game, especially boss battles. Planning ahead is key to beating them. You will die a lot in this game but the more you play the better you become. I enjoyed the music in JYDGE because it suited the futuristic setting, the cool music blended well with the action and the over the top gameplay. The controls were easy to use and responsive which is great for a game like this that requires a fast response from the player. The Graphics in JYDGE are good, most enemies look different especially the bosses and the City of Edenbyrg looks imposing due to the small touches of each level. The dark, gritty mood is felt here and you could really feel the tension while completing the mission The replay value is high, once you finish a chapter, you unlock Hardcore difficulty and replaying the missions again on hardcore mode earns you more medals to unlock new levels. The endless customization options in your weapon and gear will keep you coming back for more to try out newer, more creative techniques in a mission. Teaming up with a friend and playing co-op adds a further layer of depth in the game. I enjoyed coordinating with my partner. Do we move in unnoticed? Or do we blast our way in and complete the level in 30 seconds? Those were fun decisions to make. Over all I enjoyed the game but I would have enjoyed it more if there was more emphasis on the story. JYDGE is a fun, vibrant action packed game with tons of replay value that deserves attention Fox View Channel
I really Enjoyed this Game A Very emotional Story and the world just pulls you in because it is so beautiful. It is a calm game and unlike anything else this generation. Over all, Good story, memorable characters, lovely environments, calm music A Must buy for PS4 Fans
A Fantastic game that needs to be experienced. Graphics are truly detailed but what I liked most is the story and the memorable characters that I will never forget. The communication between them makes you care for them. The world is really big and motivates you to explore its hidden secrets. Solid fighting mechanics, interesting story, a beautiful world and memorable characters make Final Fantasy XV a must play game!
FIFA is playing it safe every year, even though the games are fun to play it just feels less interesting after playing Pro Evolution 2015+2016. Pro Evolution manages to provide this extra special touch that FIFA still cannot. Scoring a goal in Pro Evolution just feels more satisfying, yes FIFA beats Pro in the presentation but who cares about the presentation when all that matters is the gameplay? I Enjoyed this game but Pro Evolution takes the crown again this year.
I enjoy watching horror movies because they are always fun to watch especially after a hard day’s work and I always wanted a special horror game that combined all the best elements from horror movies. Thankfully, Until Dawn succeeds in doing so. Eight friends gather together in a remote cabin on top of the mountains. Things start of well with each of the characters trying to have a good time; however, little did they know that they are not alone; something or someone is watching their every move. Panic escalates when the group suspects that they are being hunted so they start helping each other to find out the mystery behind all of this Until Dawn is a survival horror game that focuses on quick time events, each of the characters will face different situations throughout the game and you will have to control each of them by taking choices and tough decisions that will affect how the game plays out for each character’s. The choices and difficult decisions I had to make kept me at the edge of my seat because of how smartly they were done. I had to stop and think for a while on what choice is best. From the relationships between the characters to the shocking deaths, everything you do means something. Would you take a short cut and avoid the risk of falling or would you play it safe and follow the footsteps? The choices are endless. I liked how the characters interacted with one another; each one has his or her own personality traits that helped in making them feel unique. My personal favorite was mike, a funny and brave character. The controls are simple, choosing your actions were straightforward and the sensitivity controls worked perfectly especially by adding tension in climax situations. Throughout the game, you will collect totem prophecies which foretell a possible future event. How you play will determine whether or not the prophecies come true. Collecting clues is important as this will help in solving the mystery The details of the facial expressions are impressive and the overall eerie environments along with the good camera angels successfully give you a sense of loneliness The main campaign took me around 8 hours to complete but the replay value is high so you will find yourself going back and playing the game many times to try different things. I enjoyed the progression of the story. After a series of strange events the characters find out that a psychopath is after them and the suspense and tension rises. The psychopath reminded me of Michal Myers and Jason, the way he walked and stalked you was scary. Until Dawn never felt boring I just wanted to keep on playing and find out what happens next. Until Dawn is like watching an awesome horror movie, the creepy music and countless number of scares were awesome. The clever story is filled twists and turns and I never expected anything. This game is one of the biggest surprises this year. a truly engaging game and a great homage to horror mvoies.
Batman was always my favorite super hero. A legend and larger than life character who will stop at nothing to save Gotham from the unspeakable evil. In 2009 Rocksteady shocked everyone by making the most beautiful comic video game, Batman Arkham Asylum and now, batman is back in the final game which is bigger and better than ever, Batman Arkham Knight. The opening scene starts out strong and is one of the best I have seen in a video game this year with the scarecrow making a big impact. Batman Arkham Knight picks up after Arkham city. The stakes are higher now than ever and the people of Gotham have evacuated the city because Scarecrow has threatened to detonate a chemical weapon. The city is now filled with all kinds of gangs causing chaos and it is up to our hero to save the day. Gliding over the city of Arkham was an awesome feeling. The first thing you will notice is just how impressive the world around batman is. The world is divided into 3 islands, Bleake Island, Founders Island and Miagani Island, each with its own landscapes and unique setting. Everything is done with detail, from the dark sky, huge buildings to the gang filled streets that feel more lively. I appreciated the attention to detail such as the rain drops falling on batman’s cape. The graphics are also very good, I did not notice any frame rate drops or loading times during my gameplay. Loading times happens only when batman dies. One of the main strengths of the batman series was the fighting mechanics. The combat system is more refined than before making every hit, grapple and environmental take down rewarding. The combinations are impressive. Every fight felt different because you get to use the gadgets as well which helps you improvise the best approach and strategy on enemies. I liked the addition of the fear takedowns because if done successfully, you will be able to take out multiple enemies simultaneously. The excellent level design allows you to approach enemies in different ways by silently taking them out, luring them to where you want or going all out on them. There will be a lot of gadgets at your disposal each having its own strengths. My favorite gadget was the remote controlled batmobile that allows you to control the batmobile remotely. The most important addition in Batman Arkham Knight is the powerful batmobile. The first in the series and it plays a big part of the whole game because you will use it to travel from point to point and to take out enemies. You will spend a lot of time with the batmobile. Controlling it is smooth and turning around tight corners feels satisfying. I liked how destructible the environments around me were and hearing the gangs scream out when they notice the batman is a nice touch. With just a press of a button you can call the batmobile from anywhere and hope into it. You can propel batman up into the sky while driving which is very cool to pull off. Switching the batmobile into a tank is easily done, you can use the tank to take out multiple enemies, solve puzzles, and control it in hard to reach places. I enjoyed the addition of the batmobile but it does get tiring especially at the end of the game where it feels forced. There is a well-balanced progression system in which you collect XP to upgrade your gadgets skills, batsuit, combat, and batmobile. Every character in the game felt rich with lots of dialogue and performances by the Joker and Scarecrow were memorable. You will come across many characters throughput the main campaign. Such as Penguin, Face Off and Poison Ivy. All are there for a reason which adds to the overall experience. Seeing the Catwomen and Robin again was great. There will be missions where you will be teaming up with them. The game is challenging and unlike previous instalments where most of the enemies looked the same, here you will encounter many groups of enemies with their own skills. It took me around 13 hours to complete the main campaign. The story is the most focused in the series. It is more personal and batman is in for the biggest challenge yet. The pacing of the story is very good with a lot of twists and turns. The variety of missions and the clever puzzles are intriguing. Replay value is high and there will be plenty of reasons to come back for like the side missions, AR challenges, Riddlers missions and solving murder cases. Batman Arkham Knight is a bench mark for superhero games. It is an action packed game with great music, voice acting, characters, and fun gameplay that will entertain you from start to finish. Batman Arkham Knight is one of those games that successfully makes you feel that you are the batman.
Hearing the broken bones, skulls and watching the most over the top fatalities done by some of the most iconic characters in gaming history again is an awesome feeling. Mortal Kombat X is finally here and it looks and plays better than ever. The game starts of by introducing you to the new faction wars mode in which you will be given 5 factions to choose from. Lin Kuei, Black Dragon, Brother Hood of Shadows, Special Forces and White Lotus. I chose the White Lotus, A secret organization with powerful martial artists formed by Raiden and Shaolin. Faction wars is an online experience in which everything you, do whether it is in the single player or multiplayer will earn you faction points, rewards and will improve your leader board position. The first thing you will notice is how beautiful the graphics are. The fighters themselves look impressive while small touches such as the sweat, blood and the way they move makes the fighting feel real. The varied of levels are done with a lot of care. Everything around you is moving. Each of the 13 levels is like a theme of its own such as the Kuatan Jungle and the refugee camp in which you fight as caged refuges helplessly watch. You can use your environments to your advantage such as throwing an innocent person at your opponent or using objects to jump to the other side. Getting to know each level will give you the advantage. Mortal Kombat X is filled with content. The single player includes the story mode, towers, single fight and test your luck mode. Test your luck is one of the most entertaining challenge modes where 1 to 7 of the countless modifiers can be chosen such as dashing disabled, infinite timer, and lighting strike that will force you to use different strategies to beat your opponent. This mode is so exciting that I just came back for more because each fight felt different The traditional towers are back; however, what I spent most of my time on was the living towers that are divided into 3 sub modes. Quick towers, is like the classic towers from previous Mortal Kombat games but with extra conditions that improve on the experience. These conditions are always updated, so each fight might have different conditions than the previous fight. Daily tower changes every 24 hours and offers new challenges and then there is the premier tower that offers the most challenging fights. I enjoyed playing the living tower mode because it added tons of reply value. The Krypt mode makes a return. The more you fight the more koins you earn which allows you to unlock rewards and secrets. When it comes down to the gameplay, Mortal Kombat X does a great job. I was impressed by how solid and deep the game mechanics are. You get to choose from 3 variations for each fighter. Each variation has different abilities and attacks. This helps in choosing the strategy you prefer depending on your opponent. For example, choosing Ninjutsu for Scorpion gives him deadly swords that he can use during battle. You will fill up a super meter that is located on the bottom left every time you execute a normal attack or special moves on your opponent. The better you perform your combination the faster the bar will get filled. The first bar is the EX bar that allows you to do powerful moves when activated. Once the super meter is filled the X-ray becomes available. The X-ray is the strongest and most devastating move in the game. Learning the different techniques during a fight is key because each move counts. Delaying your character to get up after a knockdown is a useful technique as it confuses your opponents timing. There are also training rooms to do fatality practices and improve your skills. The controls are easy to pick up to perform all sorts of combinations and fatalities. The story caught me by surprise it was like watching a big block buster that kept me entertained and wanting more the whole time. The story spans 25 years following the last game and it is split into chapters that are filled with fights. Each chapter focuses on a single character. For example, chapter 1 focused on Johnny Cage, chapter 2 on Kotal Kahn and so on. It was interesting to see how the story unfolded; you really get to learn more about the characters as you feel each one has a unique personality. The elders have lost power to Kotal Kahn and it is up to our heroes to take back control. During the journey, you will come across many characters from previous games and you will also be introduced to new ones as well. The cut scenes are very good with many quick time events that allow you to interact with the game. The cut scenes were a bit long but I never felt it dragged on as they were entertaining. I was hoping that the main campaign would be longer as I completed it in only around 5 hours. The roster features 25 old and new characters so far, each of them feels different with their own personalities. The new characters such as D’Vorah and Erron Black are great but my personal favorite was Ferra/Tor; 2 different characters but fight together during battle. Ferra is the small warrior who sits on the back of Torr, a beast who shows no mercy. The fatalities are back and more blood and gory than ever. There is something special about performing a fatality, it just feels satisfying. There is a new easy fatality feature that allows players to do a fatality much easier. With good soundtracks, and excellent gameplay Mortal Kombat X reminds us of what made the series so captivating in the first place. Whether you are a veteran or a new comer, Mortal Kombat X will give you a great time.
Hearing the broken bones, skulls and watching the most over the top fatalities done by some of the most iconic characters in gaming history again is an awesome feeling. Mortal Kombat X is finally here and it looks and plays better than ever. The game starts of by introducing you to the new faction wars mode in which you will be given 5 factions to choose from. Lin Kuei, Black Dragon, Brother Hood of Shadows, Special Forces and White Lotus. I chose the White Lotus, A secret organization with powerful martial artists formed by Raiden and Shaolin. Faction wars is an online experience in which everything you, do whether it is in the single player or multiplayer will earn you faction points, rewards and will improve your leader board position. The first thing you will notice is how beautiful the graphics are. The fighters themselves look impressive while small touches such as the sweat, blood and the way they move makes the fighting feel real. The varied of levels are done with a lot of care. Everything around you is moving. Each of the 13 levels is like a theme of its own such as the Kuatan Jungle and the refugee camp in which you fight as caged refuges helplessly watch. You can use your environments to your advantage such as throwing an innocent person at your opponent or using objects to jump to the other side. Getting to know each level will give you the advantage. Mortal Kombat X is filled with content. The single player includes the story mode, towers, single fight and test your luck mode. Test your luck is one of the most entertaining challenge modes where 1 to 7 of the countless modifiers can be chosen such as dashing disabled, infinite timer, and lighting strike that will force you to use different strategies to beat your opponent. This mode is so exciting that I just came back for more because each fight felt different The traditional towers are back; however, what I spent most of my time on was the living towers that are divided into 3 sub modes. Quick towers, is like the classic towers from previous Mortal Kombat games but with extra conditions that improve on the experience. These conditions are always updated, so each fight might have different conditions than the previous fight. Daily tower changes every 24 hours and offers new challenges and then there is the premier tower that offers the most challenging fights. I enjoyed playing the living tower mode because it added tons of reply value. The Krypt mode makes a return. The more you fight the more koins you earn which allows you to unlock rewards and secrets. When it comes down to the gameplay, Mortal Kombat X does a great job. I was impressed by how solid and deep the game mechanics are. You get to choose from 3 variations for each fighter. Each variation has different abilities and attacks. This helps in choosing the strategy you prefer depending on your opponent. For example, choosing Ninjutsu for Scorpion gives him deadly swords that he can use during battle. You will fill up a super meter that is located on the bottom left every time you execute a normal attack or special moves on your opponent. The better you perform your combination the faster the bar will get filled. The first bar is the EX bar that allows you to do powerful moves when activated. Once the super meter is filled the X-ray becomes available. The X-ray is the strongest and most devastating move in the game. Learning the different techniques during a fight is key because each move counts. Delaying your character to get up after a knockdown is a useful technique as it confuses your opponents timing. There are also training rooms to do fatality practices and improve your skills. The controls are easy to pick up to perform all sorts of combinations and fatalities. The story caught me by surprise it was like watching a big block buster that kept me entertained and wanting more the whole time. The story spans 25 years following the last game and it is split into chapters that are filled with fights. Each chapter focuses on a single character. For example, chapter 1 focused on Johnny Cage, chapter 2 on Kotal Kahn and so on. It was interesting to see how the story unfolded; you really get to learn more about the characters as you feel each one has a unique personality. The elders have lost power to Kotal Kahn and it is up to our heroes to take back control. During the journey, you will come across many characters from previous games and you will also be introduced to new ones as well. The cut scenes are very good with many quick time events that allow you to interact with the game. The cut scenes were a bit long but I never felt it dragged on as they were entertaining. I was hoping that the main campaign would be longer as I completed it in only around 5 hours. The roster features 25 old and new characters so far, each of them feels different with their own personalities. The new characters such as D’Vorah and Erron Black are great but my personal favorite was Ferra/Tor; 2 different characters but fight together during battle. Ferra is the small warrior who sits on the back of Torr, a beast who shows no mercy. The fatalities are back and more blood and gory than ever. There is something special about performing a fatality, it just feels satisfying. There is a new easy fatality feature that allows players to do a fatality much easier. With good soundtracks, and excellent gameplay Mortal Kombat X reminds us of what made the series so captivating in the first place. Whether you are a veteran or a new comer, Mortal Kombat X will give you a great time.
Being a Dragon Ball fan, I always wanted that special Dragon Ball game that made me feel like I am a part of its beautiful universe. Thankfully Dragon Ball XenoVerse succeeds in doing so. The game starts off with creating your character and you can choose between 5 different races, the Majin, Saiyans, Earthlings, Namekian and the Freeza clan, each with their own strengths and weakness. I chose the Saiyans who are low in health but have high attack powers. Working carefully on your created characters appearance is important because it does affect your performance in battle. For example, if you increase the height, then your attack power will increase but your speed movement will be slower. I found this attention to detail in Dragon Ball Xenoverse interesting as it makes you want to create other characters as well. Once done, you will have to choose the fighting style that you find most suitable. The story will begin after you complete your character. You are chosen by Shenron to join the time patrol, a group of warriors led by Trunks to defend history. Trunks will introduce you to TokiToki city which is where you will spend most of your time in. Your mission is to find out who has been distorting the history of the Dragon Ball universe and changing its events. So you will go back in time through different parts of the Dragon Ball events and return history to its original course. I found the overall story to be pretty cool as it is a change from previous Dragon Ball games which is good to see. Watching Raditz dodge Piccolos deadly beam instead of the original scene where Goku sacrifices himself was fun to watch. Mastering Dragon Ball Xenoverse’s fighting mechanics will take some time but the tutorials does a good job in giving you all the necessary information you will need during battle. The more fights I participated in the better I got. The fighting mechanics are very good and executing special combos and powers is fun. The controls are straight forward with the normal attacks, heavy attacks, flying and locking on to your opponent. The battles themselves are deep and you will need to use different strategies depending on which character you choose. The most important things to keep an eye out for are the two bars on the left of the screen; the top bar is your Ki bar which is used for Ultimate attacks and the bottom bar is the bar that governs how many teleports you can do and shows you how long you can block an ultimate attack. Exploring TokiToki is fun; however, the city is small and I felt that more details could have been added to make the city livelier. Knowing what accessories, clothing or items to buy is key. For example if you leave your character shirtless, you will take more damage and if you buy the correct clothing you will incur less damage. I Enjoyed the RPG elements and the progression system. You can talk to all the characters in TokiToki and even have the chance to recruit some to join your team. There will also be many decisions to take such as Raditz asking you to join him to attack Goku and choosing your mentor who will teach you valuable skills. The progression system is done well and makes time invested into your character worth it. The more fights you participate it whether it is during the story line or side quests, offline or online the more experience points you gain to level up and spend on the characters attributes like health, defense and attacks. Parallel quests are like side quests that you can take part into level up. Playing if offline or online is a blast especially the 3 VS 3. Having a buddy with you and playing online is very fun. Using the scouter during parallel quests will help you in finding hidden items and also to see the strength of your opponent. The graphics are very good; characters are just like the Anime and small details such as the blast feels brighter than before. Exploring the world and flying around never felt better; however, I expected more environmental destruction during fights. The story took me around 13 hours to complete and there is tons of replay value in the online multiplayer and upgrading your character. Dragon Ball XenoVerse is a smart challenging game and in my opinion one of the best Dragon Ball games to date. It has the perfect combination of RPG and fighting. With over the top characters and exciting battles, Dragon Ball Xenoverse is a game that will entertain you
Being a Dragon Ball fan, I always wanted that special Dragon Ball game that made me feel like I am a part of its beautiful universe. Thankfully Dragon Ball XenoVerse succeeds in doing so. The game starts off with creating your character and you can choose between 5 different races, the Majin, Saiyans, Earthlings, Namekian and the Freeza clan, each with their own strengths and weakness. I chose the Saiyans who are low in health but have high attack powers. Working carefully on your created characters appearance is important because it does affect your performance in battle. For example, if you increase the height, then your attack power will increase but your speed movement will be slower. I found this attention to detail in Dragon Ball Xenoverse interesting as it makes you want to create other characters as well. Once done, you will have to choose the fighting style that you find most suitable. The story will begin after you complete your character. You are chosen by Shenron to join the time patrol, a group of warriors led by Trunks to defend history. Trunks will introduce you to TokiToki city which is where you will spend most of your time in. Your mission is to find out who has been distorting the history of the Dragon Ball universe and changing its events. So you will go back in time through different parts of the Dragon Ball events and return history to its original course. I found the overall story to be pretty cool as it is a change from previous Dragon Ball games which is good to see. Watching Raditz dodge Piccolos deadly beam instead of the original scene where Goku sacrifices himself was fun to watch. Mastering Dragon Ball Xenoverse’s fighting mechanics will take some time but the tutorials does a good job in giving you all the necessary information you will need during battle. The more fights I participated in the better I got. The fighting mechanics are very good and executing special combos and powers is fun. The controls are straight forward with the normal attacks, heavy attacks, flying and locking on to your opponent. When you hold R2, it will bring a small menu to the right that gives you a list of special moves to quickly perform and when you hold both L2 and R2, the ultimate attack list will appear. The battles themselves are deep and you will need to use different strategies depending on which character you choose. The most important things to keep an eye out for are the two bars on the left of the screen; the top bar is your Ki bar which is used for Ultimate attacks and the bottom bar is the bar that governs how many teleports you can do and shows you how long you can block an ultimate attack. Exploring TokiToki is fun; however, the city is small and I felt that more details could have been added to make the city livelier. Knowing what accessories, clothing or items to buy is key. For example if you leave your character shirtless, you will take more damage and if you buy the correct clothing you will incur less damage. I Enjoyed the RPG elements and the progression system. You can talk to all the characters in TokiToki and even have the chance to recruit some to join your team. There will also be many decisions to take such as Raditz asking you to join him to attack Goku and choosing your mentor who will teach you valuable skills. The progression system is done well and makes time invested into your character worth it. The more fights you participate it whether it is during the story line or side quests, offline or online the more experience points you gain to level up and spend on the characters attributes like health, defense and attacks. Parallel quests are like side quests that you can take part into level up. Playing if offline or online is a blast especially the 3 VS 3. Having a buddy with you and playing online is very fun. Using the scouter during parallel quests will help you in finding hidden items and also to see the strength of your opponent. The graphics are very good; characters are just like the Anime and small details such as the blast feels brighter than before. Exploring the world and flying around never felt better; however, I expected more environmental destruction during fights. The story took me around 13 hours to complete and there is tons of replay value in the online multiplayer and upgrading your character. Dragon Ball XenoVerse is a smart challenging game and in my opinion one of the best Dragon Ball games to date. It has the perfect combination of RPG and fighting. With over the top characters and exciting battles, Dragon Ball Xenoverse is a game that will entertain you.
Being a Dragon Ball fan, I always wanted that special Dragon Ball game that made me feel like I am a part of its beautiful universe. Thankfully Dragon Ball XenoVerse succeeds in doing so. The game starts off with creating your character and you can choose between 5 different races, the Majin, Saiyans, Earthlings, Namekian and the Freeza clan, each with their own strengths and weakness. I chose the Saiyans who are low in health but have high attack powers. Working carefully on your created characters appearance is important because it does affect your performance in battle. For example, if you increase the height, then your attack power will increase but your speed movement will be slower. I found this attention to detail in Dragon Ball Xenoverse interesting as it makes you want to create other characters as well. Once done, you will have to choose the fighting style that you find most suitable. The story will begin after you complete your character. You are chosen by Shenron to join the time patrol, a group of warriors led by Trunks to defend history. Trunks will introduce you to TokiToki city which is where you will spend most of your time in. Your mission is to find out who has been distorting the history of the Dragon Ball universe and changing its events. So you will go back in time through different parts of the Dragon Ball events and return history to its original course. I found the overall story to be pretty cool as it is a change from previous Dragon Ball games which is good to see. Watching Raditz dodge Piccolos deadly beam instead of the original scene where Goku sacrifices himself was fun to watch. Mastering Dragon Ball Xenoverse’s fighting mechanics will take some time but the tutorials does a good job in giving you all the necessary information you will need during battle. The more fights I participated in the better I got. The fighting mechanics are very good and executing special combos and powers is fun. The controls are straight forward with the normal attacks, heavy attacks, flying and locking on to your opponent. When you hold R2, it will bring a small menu to the right that gives you a list of special moves to quickly perform and when you hold both L2 and R2, the ultimate attack list will appear. The battles themselves are deep and you will need to use different strategies depending on which character you choose. The most important things to keep an eye out for are the two bars on the left of the screen; the top bar is your Ki bar which is used for Ultimate attacks and the bottom bar is the bar that governs how many teleports you can do and shows you how long you can block an ultimate attack. Exploring TokiToki is fun; however, the city is small and I felt that more details could have been added to make the city livelier. Knowing what accessories, clothing or items to buy is key. For example if you leave your character shirtless, you will take more damage and if you buy the correct clothing you will incur less damage. I Enjoyed the RPG elements and the progression system. You can talk to all the characters in TokiToki and even have the chance to recruit some to join your team. There will also be many decisions to take such as Raditz asking you to join him to attack Goku and choosing your mentor who will teach you valuable skills. The progression system is done well and makes time invested into your character worth it. The more fights you participate it whether it is during the story line or side quests, offline or online the more experience points you gain to level up and spend on the characters attributes like health, defense and attacks. Parallel quests are like side quests that you can take part into level up. Playing if offline or online is a blast especially the 3 VS 3. Having a buddy with you and playing online is very fun. Using the scouter during parallel quests will help you in finding hidden items and also to see the strength of your opponent. The graphics are very good; characters are just like the Anime and small details such as the blast feels brighter than before. Exploring the world and flying around never felt better; however, I expected more environmental destruction during fights. The story took me around 13 hours to complete and there is tons of replay value in the online multiplayer and upgrading your character. Dragon Ball XenoVerse is a smart challenging game and in my opinion one of the best Dragon Ball games to date. It has the perfect combination of RPG and fighting. With over the top characters and exciting battles, Dragon Ball Xenoverse is a game that will entertain you.
The original Resident Evil released back in 1996 is still one of the scariest survival horror games I have played to date. The impact it gave us through its dark atmosphere of the mansion is unforgettable. A successful remake was later released in 2002 on the GameCube and added new areas such as the grave yard and additional sub-stories. After 13 years since the remake, Resident Evil is back and prettier than ever with an HD re-mastered version. The story talks about members of Racoon City’s special Units S.T.A.R.S heading into the mountains to discover the mystery behind the repeated reports of murders in the area. Their helicopter loses contact with everyone and they are now left all alone in the middle of nowhere. The team is in shock after they are attacked by mutated dogs that chase them all the way to an eerie old mansion. Revisiting the old mansion brought a lot of good memories. At the beginning of the game, you are given an option to choose between Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield. Each has their own weakness and the story will play out a bit different deepening on who you choose. The remakes visuals were impressive back in 2002; however, the up scaled HD makeover is lovely with 1080P and a wide screen option. The shadows and lightning effect adds to the creepiness of the mansion and every room and corridor is filled with great detail that sets the mood perfectly. The atmosphere is rich, giving you the feeling that you are never alone. Resident Evil HD is a tough game where you need to think about every step you take. The game is well balanced with horror and many puzzles that are intense and offer a lot of variety. Solving the challenging puzzles felt rewarding. Patience is key because you will have to do a lot of backtracking to solve some puzzles and look for a specific item. There are a couple of powerful weapons at your disposal and my favorite was the shotgun but aiming is not very easy and it will need time to get used too. Ammunition is limited and should be used only when necessary. Item management has always played a major role in the old Resident Evil games. You will be able to carry up to 6 or 8 items depending on which character you chose. Knowing what to carry is vital. Will you carry that herd? Or will you leave it behind hoping to find ammo along the way? You will have to choose wisely. The Zombies look terrifying and move around slowly in a realistic manner. They are tough and might come back even after you kill them. So it is always safer to burn them with your kerosene and lighter or by shooting them in the head. Others will mutate into a much faster zombie called Crismson and the bosses are unique with each one requiring a different strategy to defeat it. The sound effects are impressive and the moans of the zombies and thunder sounds give you chills. The camera angels are fixed in a way that adds a lot of tension and the only place you will feel a sigh of relief is when you are next to a printer to save your game. The old controls are still an option for diehard fans, who want to experience it in its original form, but I preferred using the new control option; however, you can only shoot forward, up or down and the control messes up sometimes. There is a lot of reply value with multiple story paths to take and unlocking all the extras is worth it. For the people who played the GameCube version then this is basically the same game with crispier graphics and for the people who only played the original back in 1996, then you will notice a lot of differences. This game is more challenging and longer. Resident Evil HD is the best version to enjoy the classic game
I was quite skeptical about how this game will turn out; however, my feelings changed when I found myself along with my friends all night challenging each other, battle after battle. Nidhogg is a side scroller one on one sword fighting game. Each arena, with its own style and feel is divided into sections and your main goal is to defeat and run past the opponent to reach the final section where a flying dragon eats you; however this won’t be an easy task as the battles are tough. Quick reflexes to defend and attack with full precision are important because one false move and a single attack will kill you. Once you make a kill, you will have to quickly run forward towards the end of the arena and benefit from the couple of seconds you have before the enemy respawns again in front of you for another battle. Defending properly is key in battle because a well-timed counter will disarm the enemy for an easy kill. Nidhogg is all about focusing and mastering your fighting skills. The more you learn how to properly attack and defend the more you see how deep and well balanced the game is. The controls are simple with the basic attack and jump button. There are 3 main strikes; high, medium and low. You can also do a jumping attack or even a quick role to go in for a kill and you can also throw the sword at the enemy for a nice surprise. Every attack can be countered and successfully pulling of a counter attack feels rewarding. Sadly the modes in Nidhogg are very limited with only 4 arenas to choose from and the single player has no story, only random fights against strong AI bots that are challenging until you reach the final. There is an online mode as well which I found smooth and if you have a Vita, you can play against PS4 owners as well; however, finding online players wasn’t easy. What truly makes this game shine is playing it locally with a friend. Inviting friends over to play a tournament is a blast as it will test your skills against each other. The battles are very tense, which keeps you at the edge of your seat. Some rounds went from 5 minutes while others went on for 30 minutes. The retro graphics suit the feel of the game and the sound track is lovely adding to the overall experience. Sometimes games take us back to a time, back to a time where graphics didn’t matter; a time where what mattered most was the gameplay. Nidhogg is a beautiful game with a very good combat system and unique gameplay style that succeeds in doing exactly what it was meant to do, being fun.
I was quite skeptical about how this game will turn out; however, my feelings changed when I found myself along with my friends all night challenging each other, battle after battle. Nidhogg is a side scroller one on one sword fighting game. Each arena, with its own style and feel is divided into sections and your main goal is to defeat and run past the opponent to reach the final section where a flying dragon eats you; however this won’t be an easy task as the battles are tough. Quick reflexes to defend and attack with full precision are important because one false move and a single attack will kill you. Once you make a kill, you will have to quickly run forward towards the end of the arena and benefit from the couple of seconds you have before the enemy respawns again in front of you for another battle. Defending properly is key in battle because a well-timed counter will disarm the enemy for an easy kill. Nidhogg is all about focusing and mastering your fighting skills. The more you learn how to properly attack and defend the more you see how deep and well balanced the game is. The controls are simple with the basic attack and jump button. There are 3 main strikes; high, medium and low. You can also do a jumping attack or even a quick role to go in for a kill and you can also throw the sword at the enemy for a nice surprise. Every attack can be countered and successfully pulling of a counter attack feels rewarding. Sadly the modes in Nidhogg are very limited with only 4 arenas to choose from and the single player has no story, only random fights against strong AI bots that are challenging until you reach the final. There is an online mode as well which I found smooth and if you have a Vita, you can play against PS4 owners as well; however, finding online players wasn’t easy. What truly makes this game shine is playing it locally with a friend. Inviting friends over to play a tournament is a blast as it will test your skills against each other. The battles are very tense, which keeps you at the edge of your seat. Some rounds went from 5 minutes while others went on for 30 minutes. The retro graphics suit the feel of the game and the sound track is lovely adding to the overall experience. Sometimes games take us back to a time, back to a time where graphics didn’t matter; a time where what mattered most was the gameplay. Nidhogg is a beautiful game with a very good combat system and unique gameplay style that succeeds in doing exactly what it was meant to do, being fun.
Far Cry 4 is one of those games that give you a living, breathing and engaging world. The story talks about our hero protagonist Agay Ghale, an ex-pat who returns to his parent’s homeland of Kyrat to accomplish his mother’s wishes by scattering her ashes. Ajay’s father was a well-known figure in Kyrat and the family name is considered very important to the locals. Shockingly, he finds Kyrat filled with political unrest. The village is now led by Pagan Min, A smart and ruthless cold blooded killer. The introduction of Pagan is very strong but sadly he vanishes of screen for a surprisingly long time which causes his character to become weaker and less of a threat when he comes back later in the game. Ajay then joins a rebel group called the Golden Path led by Sabal and Amita to destroy the Regime. The first thing you will notice is how impressive the Himalayan nation of Kyrat is, large mountains, beautiful tropical forests, ancient ruins and people living their daily lives. The huge world is intimidating with great little touches in the details that are highly appreciated and I did not notice any loading times throughout the game. The character animation is very good and you really do feel the suffering of locals through their expressions. The political stakes are high between the Golden Path leaders Sabal and Amita. Both have solid performances throughout the game. Each of them wants to destroy Pagans Rule but have their own vision of doing it. Both visions are logical but you will have to make a tough decision between the two which will affect the future of Kyrat. The 32 missions are interesting and don’t feel repetitive because they vary depending on whose side you chose. The world is filled with activities to do apart from the main story like races, controlling sections, assassinations and hostage missions. You will gradually unlock more side missions the more outposts you control. The more you take over outposts the weaker Pagan’s army becomes and infiltrating them this time around is more fun because each one needs a different strategic approach by either going full force or stealth without anyone seeing you. After you control an outpost, it will become your safe house and you will have access to first travel. Liberating radio towers early in the game is important because it unlocks various weapons and will open parts of the map that shows new landmarks and animal locations. The AI is smarter this time around, the enemies will guard their area well and if they lose their outpost, they might return at a later stage and fight back. The gun mechanics are solid with a lot of weapons at your disposal. Wild life in Kyrak is vast and diverse; some will run away when they see you while others such as the eagles, bears and tigers will attack you if they find an opportunity. Most of the animals are tough and attack surprisingly. One time I was on a mission when all of a sudden a Rhino attacks me from the side, luckily I had a C4 equipped and took him out quickly. You can also use some animals to your advantage to turn the tide of battle in your favor by letting them out of the cage for them to attack or by riding an elephant and destroying everything that crosses your path. Hunting wildlife for their skins will be used for crafting all sorts of things such as wallets, loot bags, and explosive bags, while collecting plants will allow you to create syringes. You can also earn karma by performing good tasks for the locals or by killing an animal with your arrow instead of a rocket launcher. This rewards you with experience points to improve your skill. Traveling from point to point is fun and there are numerous vehicles that are available; however, some worth noting are the return of the hang glider which allows you to see the beautiful world from above. The wingsuit, a cool suit that is activated after a high jump. My personal favorite was the Buzzer, a small helicopter which you can also use to attack the enemies from above. There are some new mechanics in the game; you can now shoot while driving and the grappling hook that is mainly used for hard to reach places. fter you complete Act 1, you will unlock co-op. I found co-op very fun to play because it added to the overall experience. Taking over an outpost with a buddy never felt better. Far Cry 4 has a 5 on 5 multiplayer mode. You can either be the Golden Path who are heavily armed or the Rakshasa, a stealth group equipped with a bow and arrow. The multiplayer is well balanced, but I didn’t enjoy it much like other multiplayer games and didn’t find much reason to go back. The overall story wasn’t very strong and you most probably won’t remember the main character after you complete the game. The lack of Pagan Min throughout most of the game is a letdown because his character could have done so much more. What truly shines is the fun gameplay and gorgeous, unpredictable world. Yes, there are a lot of similarities to Far Cry 3 but this isn’t a bad thing because Far Cry 3 was a good game. Far Cry 4 is a significant step forward for the series and worth checking out.
A beautiful game with a strong story. I really enjoyed playing The Walking Dead: A Telltale Game Series on my vita, i noticed some frame rate drops but it doesnt affect the gameplay at all. If you have not played the game yet, then playing it on the Vita is worth it
My all-time favorite game on the PlayStation One is Metal Gear Solid and I have finished it countless of times. It is a shame that most games these days can’t compete to how well Metal Gear Solid was, from its very good voice acting, excellent stealth mechanics, interesting soundtracks, to its beautifully written deep story. Metal Gear Solid is a master piece that never gets old
Resident Evil 2 elevated everything the original Resident Evil did with a better story, gameplay and better graphics. I always was at the edge of my seat while playing Resident Evil 2 because of its tense, well-made puzzles and satisfying gameplay.
A beautifully well written game that has missions split between heavy action and stealth. The weapons were varied and it was a thrill making my way through its tense and challenging levels. Let’s hope that we receive a new Syphon Filter game in the future.
Silent Hill is still one of the creepiest games I have played to date. It was a psychological horror with a disturbing and dark atmosphere. There were so many different set pieces that always kept things fresh and scary. The game follows our main character Harry Mason searching for his missing adopted daughter in a town called Silent Hill
Bringing the Crash Bandicoot characters into a cart racing game was awesome news back then. I spent countless hours on Crash Team Racing. It was a very cool addictive karting game with tight controls and fun weapons to blast through the opponents. This was in my opinion, one of the best racing game on the PlayStation One.
Sheep Raider was one of the most memorable games I have played on the PlayStation One. The Looney Tunes setting was lovely with most of its characters making an appearance, but what made me love this game were the beautiful puzzles that were challenging and fun. The main objective of each level is to steal sheep from Sam Sheep Dogs herd without him seeing you. You will then have to bring the stolen sheep back to a specific area.
It is hard to follow up with good sequels; however, this was not the case with Crash Bandicoot 3. Everything from part 1 and 2 are here but with extra touches that improved the overall quality of the gameplay. The game was varied and bosses were challenging. Crash Bandicoot Warped was very fun to play and had a high reply value
Being a big fan of Metal Gear Solid games, I was quite skeptical about how this game will turn up. To my surprise it was actually a very good game. It borrowed Metal Gears controls and stealth mechanics and added its own personality. Chicken Run is a movie licensed adventure and I really enjoyed how each chapter played by mainly focusing on searching the farm for items to be used for your escape plan without being seen by the owners and guard dogs.
Sadly, we don’t see a lot of good horror games coming out these days; however, after hearing that creator of the original Resident Evil and Resident Evil 4 Shiniji Mikami was behind The Evil Within, it instantly became one of my highly anticipated games. The Evil Within is a 3rd person survival horror video game. Our hero protagonist detective Sebastian Castellanos along with his partners receives a call to investigate a mass murder at a mental hospital. He is shocked at the horrific bloody scene but is then knocked out by a mysterious person who appears from behind him and drags him into another unknown world. Sebastian wakes up and finds himself hung upside down. The introduction is strong as you are quickly immersed in an Evil atmosphere. Your first encounter is with a disfigured butcher who will stop at nothing to kill you. It is a psychological horror and your main goal is to escape from this nightmare. The world of The Evil Within is dark with rich environments that are detailed and varied from mansions to deserted farms. Graphics in general don’t use the next gens full potential and I did notice some frame rate drops during my gameplay. The sounds are creepy and done well giving you the feeling that you are never alone. Light effects are immersive especially when Sebastian is carrying the Lantern which creates a truly eerie experience. The creatures are varied and encounters with them are tense. One type of creature worth noting is the invisible kind because you can only know where they are, from moving objects. Focusing in the game is important because the environment is filled with traps and deadly dangers. Thankfully, you will have a lot of options to approach each fight. Ammo is scarce so you will have to rely on the environment to use to your advantage by luring the creatures into traps. Playing stealthy and sneaking behind an enemy for an instant kill will save you a lot of precious bullets and burning their bodies by using matches will insure that they don’t get back up. There are various weapons that can be found from a sniper, to a powerful shotgun and grenades; however, my favorite weapon was the agony crossbow that has different bolts such as the explosive bolts which is useful for large groups of enemies, freeze bolts that can freeze enemies for a short period of time and flash bolts that blinds them for a while. Bolts can be crafted from trap parts or found in the environment. The overall stealth mechanics could have been better, you are able to hide in closets and under the bed but I found myself rarely using them. You can run and if you reach your limit Sebastian will just stop running to catch his breath instead of slowing down. This was a nice touch as it added tension especially if a monster was chasing you. There is an eye on top of the screen that lets you know if enemies see you, but I faced cases where they would see me before the eye opening. There are auto saves and manual saves. In the manual saves, you will come across save mirrors which transport you back to your asylum room for a few minutes of relief to save your game; however, it also doesn’t feel very safe with dark rooms everywhere and a creepy nurse walking around. I didn’t find the auto saves well balanced and since you will die so many times during the game, repeating some set pieces all over again is frustrating. In your Asylum room, you will also be able to upgrade your abilities such as health, ammo capacity and weapon power. This is done by collecting green liquid on corpses and jars scattered throughout the environment that gains you points that will be used to upgrade. Choosing wisely on what skill to focus on is key because the green liquid isn’t very common to find. The well designed bosses in the game are tough and unique. Little clues are provided so you will have to find out your own strategy by using the environment to take out the bosses. This will lead to a lot of trial and error as it will take some time to figure out how to kill them. There are 15 total chapters which will take you around 19 hours to complete. The pace of the game is made well and I did not feel any repetitive gameplay during the main campaign because of the many different set pieces that it throws at you. Sadly, the overall story is weak and forgettable. Nothing seems to be clear right from the beginning. Main character Sebastian is a very dry character that you won’t relate too and little is known about the remaining cast as well which leaves little reason to care about any of them. The Evil Within could have been a great game if it weren’t for the boring story and uninteresting characters. It is a challenging game even on casual mode and horror fans will enjoy the fun ride because it brings back memories from Resident Evil 4.
After Assassins Creed II things started to go stale for the series and last year’s Black Flag was a disappointment; however, I was still excited to see if Assassins Creed Unity could spice things up and bring the franchise back on track. The game is set throughout the French Revolution. During a gathering, our young hero Arno Dorian falls in love with a girl named Elise at first site and as he is heading back to his father, an assassin trying to make a truce with the Templars, he shockingly finds him murdered. Arno is then adopted and raised by Elise’s father until adult hood. One day at a party, he once again sees his second father killed in front of him. He is framed and sent to prison where he meets veteran assassin Pierre Bolec who trains him for many months. Arno then teams up with Elise to avenge both fathers. The first thing you will notice is how beautifully detailed everything is. The city is large and the buildings are set perfectly, making leaping from building to building smooth. Character animations are good and random weather effects with day-night cycle bring the environment life. Every detail feels great, which makes exploring rewarding, the densely populated crowds are some of the largest I have seen in games and it is lovely to look at because you clearly see each of them doing different things such as talking, dancing and working. You really do feel the city is in conflict because of how people react from riots to public executions; however, moving between the crowds doesn’t feel as fluid as previous titles. I also noticed some glitches, frame rate drops and a lot of loading time during my gameplay. The overall movement of Arno feels smooth from the way he runs, walks, climbs and you do notice small touches that resemble Assassins Creed II. There have been changes in the combat system which I found worse in my opinion. In the old games, you were able to go for an instant kill after a counter, this time it only un-guards the enemy which allows you to remove health. Using smoke bombs to get away when enemies attack in large numbers is a very useful strategy. There are some questionable missing mechanics in the combat system worth noting. You can’t grab an enemy and use them as a shield which also means the fun from throwing them of roof tops is gone as well. Killing an enemy with their own sword is no longer available and whistling is absent which is strange, so you will have to find different ways to distract guards. Many of the kill animations were familiar but the addition of blood flowing after a kill and the ability to sneak is a nice touch. Sadly you get away with easy kills and the citizens rarely react even if you stab someone close to them which is a shame because it removes some tension; thankfully, the AI is intelligent and more aggressive this time but using the last known sighting mechanic wisely will give you the upper hand. Completing missions earns you sync points that allow you to upgrade weapons, armor and unlocks new abilities. Money can also be made by opening treasure chests scattered across the game, downloading an app to participate in Uplay to unlock chests, looting bodies and completing missions. The money can be used to build your mission, weapons and clothing. I found the assassination missions the most exciting because they were numerous, varied and took place in large environments that gives you many options to tackle each mission. When you start an assassination mission, Arno will scout the area using his eagle vision to highlight clues in the area to use to your advantage. There are numerous side missions to do other than the story that are vast and enjoyable like searching for hidden collectables and helping people to solve many murder cases. Customization is very good; it allowed me to think a lot of what weapons or items to buy and equip for my strategy. From stun bombs, cherry bombs to poison gas, Assassins Creed Unity has variety of weapons including the phantom blade which is a weapon mounted on your wrist that is used to kill silently. There are some nice twists during the main campaign which takes around 16 hours to complete, unfortunately that doesn’t save the soulless story. The whole Templars vs Assassins is never fully clarified and main character Arno is a boring, unlikable character with no emotions. There is very little development in the relationship between Arno and Elise with no charm between them which leaves little reason to care about their love story. Side missions encourage corporative gameplay. I enjoyed my time playing the co-op as it was fun, but I preferred playing strategically with a friend which is a blast as playing with unknown players will leave you frustrated in most cases because they will just barge through the mission removing all the tension. You can take on many missions with up to four characters as well and if one of them dies then it will be game over so coordinating well is key and rewards are given depending on your performance individually. Yes, the graphics in Assassins Creed Unity are lovely but you can’t improve on the visuals only without improving the gameplay and story as well. Let’s hope that future Assassins Creed titles are more focused and interesting to play.
Watch Dogs is an open world action game developed by Ubisoft. The story takes place in Chicago Illinois, a detailed city that is hooked up to a big centralized operating system called the Corporate Controlled System (CTOS) that monitors everything. Main character Aiden Pearson participates in an electronic bank heist at a hotel that goes wrong and ends with unknown Hitmen retaliating against Aiden. His niece, Lena is hospitalized after the cross firings and dies after being in coma for 2 months. Watch Dogs has an interesting mechanic that’s main focus is on hacking. Aiden has the ability to access the CTOS and can manipulate his environment by using his smart phone that can hack into bank machines, security cameras, people’s phone calls and personal information such as occupation and salaries. The hacking also allows you to escape trouble by distracting guards and accessing their grenades. Your phone can also be used while driving by opening gates, raising bridges and blowing steam pipes from the underground. The driving wasn’t very realistic, but I liked the arcade physics which were fun; however, the lack of combat options while driving is disappointing because you can’t fire out of the car window so you will end up driving around and hacking things to get rid of the enemy. The shooting is solid but it is the stealth approach that is more rewarding as you can infiltrate secure locations filled with guards by accessing a camera in the building using your phone. You can then project yourself into another camera in the building within range. It is very important to connect with the main character; sadly this can’t be said about Aiden. I was surprised to see by how boring Aiden’s character was. His character was dry, forgettable and with no sense of humor, luckily the supporting casts are better. The main campaigns length is around 35 hours and there is a lot of content throughout the game with many things to do like slot machines, drinking games, and chess. The surprising multiplayer is engaging with many fun modes. I personally enjoyed intrusion mode where you spawn into another player’s game session and hack them without being noticed. Watch dogs had a lot of potential to be a great game, but the bland main character and weak story does affect the overall experience. Nevertheless, the game is fun with a lot of content for exploration and it cleverly mixes stealth, action and hacking that is entertaining.
Calls of Duty games have been stale for a while with no major changes in the yearly franchise. The multiplayer was always the true strength in the series while the main campaigns were always forgettable and I was excited to see if Call of Duty Advanced Warfare could step it up and make the series interesting again. The story is set in 2054; a world filled with drones, large machines and advanced weapons. The story talks about protagonist Jack Mitchel, a marine who is faced with a tragic event at one of his missions which leads to his discharge because of his injuries. During a funeral, we are introduced to Jonathan Irons, played by Kevin Spacey, a finder and COO of a private military corporation called ATLAS. The first thing you will notice is the addition of various high tech futuristic gadgets that are interesting because they change the flow of the game. One of them is the new exoskeleton suit that allows players to boost jump, dash in multiple directions while on the ground and air and invisibility which is used for stealth missions. The exoskeleton also gives you the ability to wall climb and you will have a grappling hook, a gadget which allows you to reach high places. Sadly, many interesting features are only limited to certain events during the campaign with gadgets such as the grappling hook are not even available in the multiplayer which is a big shame. The combat still feels very similar which isn’t a bad thing with the gunplay feeling slick and realistic making killing off enemies more rewarding. Some cool grenades worth noting are a tactical grenade which temporally stun and shows enemies through walls after exploding. And the smart grenade which is fun to use because once thrown it will fly into the air and towards an enemy. The main campaign is around 7 hours and you will be taken to several world locations each with its unique set pieces. From over the top action to some good stealth mission’s you’ll do all sorts of things from riding many vehicle, blowing things up with a talk to jet flying. The action a usual is very fun and even though the story is better than previous instalments, it is still an overall weak story. The only element that saves it from sinking is the addition of Kevin Spacey who makes Jonathan Iron a powerful and ambitious man into an interesting and entertaining character who steals the show at every scene. The fantastic voice work by spacey makes Iron stands out and believable. This alone makes you want to continue through the story to see the conclusion. The true star in COD is the multiplayer, with more than 10 game modes from domination to survival co-op and 13 different maps. The multiplayer has a couple of new modes and one of them that I found interesting is uplink, a fun mode that mixes a bit of capture the flag and basketball with guns. The addition of the exoskeleton in the multiplayer as usual adds more variety in the gameplay because you can customize it depending on your strategy and mastering it will surely earn you a lot of kills. The introduction of the supply drops is a brand new reward system that earns you items such as character gear for more customization and reinforcements that gives you boosts and perks which allow you to gain the upper hand during battle. Many people might have decided to take a break from the call of duty franchise as the last couple couple of games weren’t very good but Call of Duty Advanced Warfare is still an overall fun game that is better than previous titles and a step forward in the series
The Last of us is a 3rd person survival horror action video game created exclusively for the PlayStation and developed by Naughty Dog. It is set in the Post-Apocalyptic United States. The game tells a story of two main characters, Joel and Elie who will have to survive a tough journey filled with all sorts of dangers to find a cure for the deadly plague that has wiped out most of the population. The Last of Us is stunning visually. It took the PS3 to its limits, and now it looks even better on the PS4. The level of attention to detail brings the game to life. It now plays 60 FPS which makes the game a lot smoother; however, there is an option to switch it back to 30 FPS if needed. Many of you will surely spend a lot of time embracing the beautiful environments. One memorable scene has Elie and Joel watching peaceful giraffes passing by. It was a brief relief of feelings before going back to the games dark and unforgiving world. Luckily, you will now be able to take photos of your surroundings with many camera options to choose from which is a nice touch. The music is executed well when needed by simple yet effective tones **** that adds to the overall feel of the game. There is no dramatic difference in the gameplay and the AI remains true to the original. You will need to use your equipment and health supplies wisely to defend against hostile humans and infected creatures. There is a wide variety of weapons to choose from; however, ammunition is scare so you will have to play stealthy when possible. Collecting various items scattered all around the game can be combined together to create improvised weapons to stab the enemy and health packs for recovery. The Last of Us is one of the most memorable games from last gen. The voice acting, level design, music, character development and touching story all combine to give you a compelling and tense experience. For those of you who did not play the game yet then the Last of Us Remastered is highly recommended. As for the people who already played it, no major addition to the PS3 version were made other than the Elie focused Left Behind DLC, an option to play all cinematics together once unlocked and the extras in the multiplayer. If you want to play the Last of Us again, then this is the version that you should play.
PlayStation 4 exclusive Infamous: Second Son is a super hero open world adventure game and is the 3rd instalment for the Infamous series. The story takes place 7 years after the events of the second game. Things are worse now and a new organization called the DUP lead by villain Brook Augustine capture and imprison all individuals with super powers called conduits labelled as bioterrorist and do experiments on them. After a truck carrying 3 conduits crashes, two of them escape while the third comes into contact with Delson Rowe, the main character of the game who is a graffiti artist and a Native American. Delson learns that he is also a conduit that can absorb power from other conduits. His main mission, with the help of his brother who is a police officer is to go to Seattle, to the main headquarters and absorb Augustine’s powers to save the tribe from dying after she used her powers on them. The world of infamous: Second Son is visually impressive. This time, you will be exploring with new powers. Unlike before, you will get the powers by absorbing what is closest to you. This new system adds to the diversity in the gameplay as you will have to adapt quickly to the changes while battling. Smoke power is gained by absorbing chimneys and flaming fire. Neon Powers from neon signs and video from television. Each power can be upgraded by collecting shards scattered around the map creating even bigger powers which is a lot of fun. The city of Seattle has a lot of small nice details; however, the enemies aren’t varied and sadly, there weren’t enough boss battles. The main campaign is around 12-13 hours and the side missions get repetitive after a while with little to no difference in the difficulty. The mortality system is back and very straight forward. You can be either good or bad and nothing in between. Even though the morality system plays well with the story, the choices this time around have no real impact. The game would have had a more meaning full connection with the player if the obvious red and blue color were removed and more options were added to create some tensions while choosing, leading to surprises instead of it being clear what you will play as from the very beginning. I found the characters in this game to be enjoyable especially the main villain, Brooke Augustine who plays brilliantly adding to the overall suspense. Infamous: Second Son is a good game but it could have been better, let’s hope a sequel can fix some issues and let the game reach its true potential. The story wasn’t memorable and the morality system was weak; however, the action and fun gameplay make up for this and creates an overall enjoyable game.
NBA is back and this year it manages to add even more magic to improve the overall quality of the experience. Shooting a 3 pointer after a tight game never felt better. Team work is key in NBA 2K15 and carefully planning your attacks after playing good defense and knowing the strength of each of your players is the key to victory. The movement of the players feels smooth and the attention to detail in how players react in dribbling and shooting like Michael Jordan is like the real thing. The player’s personalities are unique as they will show emotions depending on the situations of the game. Controls are solid with varied skills such as dunks, layups and fakes being easy to execute. The shooting is easier this year as there is a shooting bar shown under your player which shows you if you released the ball too early or too late and knowing where to shoot with each player will give you the upper hand. Playing well as a team is crucial, and this year, being able to effectively control your defender will be the key to winning games. Good spacing is one of the tactics that should be mastered as you need to know how far to be from the opponent. You shouldn’t be too close nor too far but just the right distance to block shots and dribbles; however, it is quite challenging when defending against big physical players as they will most probably score. Collisions are realistic and you do feel the impact between the players which adds more depth to the game. The AI is more aggressive and scoring on them won’t be an easy task, they will work together nicely to open up the game to score points. Watching a game feels like a televised match. The player animations, fans, and courts make the games more lively. The atmosphere adds to the overall realism which is enjoyable and if you are ahead of a home town team, then the arena will be quiet with some fans leaving the arena near the end of the game. If you are playing at your home town then the fans will erupt when you make a comeback. This feeling is great as it connects you to the game. The music is well chosen and the commentary is very good. The addition of Shaquille O’Neal and Ernie Johnson is welcome as they share nice feedback about the situation of the game during loading time. You are now able to scan your face using the camera; however, I tried it a couple of times and the results weren’t satisfying. The menu layout is simpler than before but there is a lot of loading time in between. There are different game modes. In my career, you can use your created player or scanned player and begin as an undrafted player with a dream of making it. You begin with a try out game and if the performance is good, then you will earn a 10 game contract. There will be a nice cinematic story with lots of dialogue that is voiced well. Training the skills of your player and taking him from rookie all the way to Hall Of Fame is your main objective. My park is a street ball mode that can be played 2 on 2 or 3 on 3. There is more space here between each character which allows you to practice on your techniques; however, the server so far isn’t very good and I faced a lot of lagging. In my GM, you will take the responsibility **** Manager and you will be following up on everything from checking if players are happy, reviewing finances, drafting to releasing team members. Finally, My Team mode is a card game that allows you to auction players and working on your line ups strength by playing games to unlock rewards. It is great to see how far the NBA 2K series has evolved and the good thing is that it never lost that magic touch that made it so special. NBA 2K15 is a game that you will spend countless hours of fun on because of its entertaining and detailed gameplay.
Pro Evolution Soccer is a series that had a lot of ups and downs. It was the king for a very long time but started losing steam after FIFA improved their gameplay. I always enjoyed how dynamic and unpredictable pro evolution was. It had this special touch, that special magic formula that no other soccer game had. It connected you to its competitive gameplay for hours nonstop; however, after the sloppy 2014 game, I was worried that Konami might have forgotten what the fans really loved about the game. After playing the game for several hours, I can confidently tell you that this is the best of the series and that the glory days of Pro Evolution are back. The overall atmosphere in the game is smooth and the crowd reactions are good with fans erupting when a goal is scored which adds to the intensity of the game. The face animations are spot and you can see how players react to different situations clearly. Focusing on your midfield is crucial and moving the ball effectively by working on your formations and using your players to open up the gameplay to allow goal scoring opportunities is your key to victory. Playing as a team and passing the ball correctly throughout the field gives you the upper hand. It is an exciting feeling when you have to slowly work your way through the match trying to find weak points of your team to beat them, this makes scoring the goals feel like an accomplishment. Controlling top players like Christiano Ronaoldo and Messi is unique because they have their own playing styles. Goal keeper’s responsiveness this year has improved and they act smarter with some very nice saves. The passing, collisions and shooting is well developed and executing the techniques for each player is easily done. Scoring a goal never felt better and the interesting celebrations add to the experience. The AI this year is tough especially on higher difficulties and they will work together in covering loose ends making scoring harder. Mid fielders are more tactical and will open up the game more to create goals for their attackers, that is why it is important to use your formations wisely such as counter attacking when the lose the ball. There are a couple of new features such as the fluid formation. When it is enabled, your player’s formations adapt depending on if your team has possession or not, for example, if you don’t have the ball, your team will become more defensive and attacking when you attack. The role control idea allows players to take control of a certain unit in defense, midfield or offence. This is a unique addition as it allows you to focus on these players’ tactics depending on their unit. The menus are better than last years and are simple to navigate through, but there is still room for a lot of improvements. The commentary as usual is still forgettable, which is a shame because this has been a big weakness in the series for many years and the official license teams are still missing. The Master League is back and here you create your character and you will start your career as a manager with your contract being renewed yearly. Choosing wisely, from searching for talents and negotiations are some of the missions that you should accomplish. Become a Legend allows you to create your player and improve his skills through matches and taking him from rookie all the way to Legend. Pro Evolution is a carefully designed game. Everyone keeps talking about how lacking the license are which is true but the power of Pro Evolution 2015 is not its presentation, but by its solid and satisfying gameplay.
Finally, the intelligent and merciless killer is back. Alien: isolation is a survivor horror video game inspired by the first film. You play as engineer Amanda Ripley, the daughter of Ellen Ripley. The game is set 15 years after the original Alien. Amanda is looking for the whereabouts of her mother and she is informed that a flight recorder from the Nostromo space station her mother was on is in another space station called Sevastopol and she accepts to go and retrieve it; however, little did she know that this will end up being her worst nightmare. The plan doesn’t go as expected, and everyone is separated. You are now all alone and in the middle of nowhere and right from the beginning the game gives you a sense of isolation. The pacing of the game slowly builds up until your first encounter with the unforgiving Alien. From that moment it becomes a game of cat and mouse and the only thing that you will be thinking about is escaping the deadly space station Encounters with the Alien are unscripted. It moves dynamically and you will never know when and where it will appear. You will hear it as it moves through the ventilation and hear its footsteps when it is near you. The Alien moves slowly and runs when it hears a sound to check where the noise came from. It will sometimes appear in front of you and your only option is to hide before it is too late. The Alien's unpredictability is scary. If you are hiding in a closet for example, you will have to hold your breath when it is near, one wrong move and its game over. The Alien will evolve slowly and becomes smarter, if you throw a lot of noise makers, then it will search where the noise came from. You’re the prey the whole game and your only option is too hide and even though you feel you have to run, you can’t and therefore moving slow is the only option. The game is very tense and there were times were I just wanted to hide and not go out. Patience is key in this game and you will spend most of your time hiding and crawling. The tension is built up slowly and you will gradually have access to other items such as the motion tracker which is the game’s most useful item. The motion detector will beep to notify you when anything is near. There are other dangers in the space station, androids and hostile humans. The androids are hard to kill, their vision isn’t very good and are slow, while the humans aim good so it is better to avoid them. You will collect various items to craft smoke bombs to noise makers. Ammo is scare and you will have to make every shot count. The flame thrower is effective against the Alien to scare it off for a while. The main campaign took me around 16 hours to finish; however, i felt that some parts do drag a lot. There are no check points, only save points spread across the station. The overall story isn’t that interesting but the dark and lifeless atmosphere is just so immersive that you really won’t mind the story. The characters should have been stronger and more charismatic. Instead, we are left with irrelevant characters that are forgettable. The station is very detailed but I did find some frame issues during cut scenes. The PS4 camera has a nice touch as you can move your head around corners and if you make a sound in your room then the Alien will hear you. This is the Alien as it should be. Alien Isolation doesn’t have the jump scares; however, what it gives you is a tense experience that is very faithful to the mood of the movies.
One of the most highly anticipated and hyped games of 2014 and with high expectations to meet. Destiny is a science fiction online first person shooter game. The story is about the Travel, a white celestial body that brought a lot of advancements and gifted knowledge and prosperity to mankind. This was known as the golden age and lasted for centuries; however, they were attacked by aliens known as the Darkness whom destroyed the earth and the remaining survivors of mankind are forced to live in a single city called the tower. You play as one of the warriors known as the guardian accompanied by a flying robot voiced by Game Of Thrones star, Peter Dinklage. Your mission is to fight back, awaken the traveler and rebuild the human civilization. You begin by creating your guardians race and appearance and you will have to choose between 3 classes, each with their own skills and upgrades. Titans are good for close range, Hunters are good for stealth and long range and WarLock have magical powers that can be used for offence and protection. Destiny has RPG and MMO elements. It is spread into 5 main worlds. The Moon, Mars, Earth, Venus and the Tower. Each world has its own enemies, interactions, materials, weapons and loots to collect. You will come across other players in the world that will help you if needed and you will gain experience points gained from the multiplayer that can also be used for upgrading your equipment, character and abilities on the main campaign. You start on the Tower before heading to other planets. The Tower is you Hub and is the place where you will come back for new weapons, items and to socialize with other players; however, it is a shame that the Tower has little interaction as it would have been a lot of fun if you were able to interact more. You will come across 4 different alien races that you will face. The Hive, Fallen, Vex, and Cabal and each of their armies have their own battle tactics. The 10 to 11 hour campaign can be played solo; however, to really enjoy the game, you will have to play with others. There is the Strikes which is designed for a total of 3 players were you will have to kill large waves of enemies and fight a boss at the end of the level and once you complete level 5, you will unlock the Crucible which is the online multiplayer that includes 6 game modes and competing in them unlocks rewards. The game is fun with solid game-play and good gun mechanics and the music does a good job setting the mood. The world of Destiny is huge and the attention to detail is beautiful with everything running smoothly. Leveling up and looting is addictive and the progression system is nicely done. The RPG elements weren't as strong as I hoped for and I felt that many missions were repetitive. The overall story didn't draw me in. It was dry and not emotional. The characters were weak and lacked personality and none of them were memorable; however. the fun and solid gun-play with a variety of weapons highly compensates. Destiny is an overall good game that is made to play with others. This is where the game shines and this is were you will have the most fun in.
Tolkien games have yet to reach their true potential; however, one of the biggest surprises this year was Shadow Of Mordor. Shadow Of Mordor is an action role playing game which is set between the hobbit and the lord of the rings and is developed by Monolith. The story explores characters not seen in the movies. The main character is called Talion, a ranger of Gondor responsible for defending the black gates of Mordor. Sauron, also known as the Dark Lord sends his army to attack, you and your family end up being slaughtered., you are then brought back to life with magical powers and this sets you out for revenge on Saurons army. Shadow of Mordor has immersive game-play. The fighting is similar to that of Batman and Assassins creed but feels fresh with its new mechanics. You will be using a combination of stealth to take out enemies unseen and melee combat. As you progress, you level up your character and weapons and you will have access to all sorts of abilities like stunning enemies, teleporting, and crushing an enemies skull with your hands. The world in Shadow Of Mordor feels alive. The game fully utilities next gen and the attention to detail is impressive. the true strength in this game is the new Nemesis system that is unique and one that i have not seen done before. all the enemies in the game move dynamically in the world with their own missions. The enemies are distinct, with different ways of fighting, speaking, physical appearance and name. If you injure an enemy while battling, they will remember you and taunt you when they see you again. All enemies in the game have the potential to turn into a superior boss. The Uruk army is always shifting and evolving while the Orcs don't rise up in the ranks. Enemies will level up and improve their skills while roaming in the world and they will change positions which means no two game-plays are the same. When you go into battle and a specific enemy kills you, then that soldier will move up the ranks and this increases his strength making him tougher the next time you face him in battle. They will also challenge each other to compete for the top spot and those that win, grow in power and advancing an unknown warrior all the way to legendary ware-chief. Each enemy will have their own weakness that you have to find out, and you can do this in numerous ways. Interrogating Uruks for info to learn more about the characters in Saurons army and when you earn more upgrades, you will earn the power to make enemies fight for you. Using the power wisely can change a lot in the battlefield. It is an exciting feeling when you watch an enemy that you faced before barge his way during a fight, This creates a lot of tension. Once you drain their power, you will have an option to kill them or free them, and once you gain power you will be able to summon an enemy into tasks such as taking out a warrior when the time is right. Some of the campaign missions aren't as exciting as they should be and there is no multiplayer; however, Shadow Of Mordor is a true next gen game that is fun with good combat and one that is worth your time.
The Original game didn't have a strong story and main character; however, it was an overall enjoyable game that delivered a lot of content and i was excited to see if the new DLC, Bad Blood could freshen things up and bring us a new perspective on things. Bad Blood is set after the events of the first game were you control Raymond Kenney, known as T-Bone. He was preparing to disappear of the grid after his final mission; however, he receives a desperate phone call from his former colleague, Tobias Frewar and T-bone agrees to help. T-Bone is a more likable character than Aiden and his relationship with Tobias is interesting as it gives us more depth into the characters. Bad Blood packs 10 main story missions that stick to the formula that worked well in the original and the campaign is around 6 hrs. T-Bone is equipped with a wrench and taser that are used for melee attacks, but playing him is very similar to Aiden and the skills and abilities are mostly the same. So upgrading doesn't feel very rewarding. There are a couple of new mechanics. You are now able to hack in to cameras equipped with guns to take out enemies. You will also be able to control an RC car that can be used for some missions. It is equipped with a camera and it can be used to infiltrate hostile territories for surveillance and hacking. Once updated, it can be used to stun enemies and can be detonated to take out many people at the same time. The story is average with nothing special; however, one of the main reasons to play Bad Blood is the highly addictive street pass missions that are very entertaining and are the highlights of the game. Missions ranges from neutralizing everyone one on sight, hacking in to target phones to destroying cargo. These missions include secondary objectives that are quite challenging. You can play solo or coop but street sweeper is much more fun if played with a partner as you will form strategies in approaching a mission from different angels. The overall DLC is enjoyable to play, with some memorable moments along the way and the interesting addition of the Co-op is high in replayabilty.
PlayStation 4 Launch title Resogun is a side scrolling shoot em up game, developed by house marque, from the makers of super Dust HD and super dust Deta. Aliens have invaded 5 planets and taken the last of the humans. Your mission is to destroy the aliens and save the remaining humans of each planet. The Levels are cylindrical, you move in circles through each stage which allows you to see what else is happening on other parts of the level. This is a refreshing approach that adds to the fun of the game as you will have to stay aware of your surroundings, such as keeping an eye on the humans that you will save, dodging falling debris from the galaxy and attacking enemies from all sides. The humans are locked in boxes and are only freed when you kill specific enemies called keepers highlighted in green. This frees the humans from the box, you will then have to pick them up and bring them back to safety pods which earns you points and upgrades. The controls are simple, you control your ship with the left analog stick and shoot with the right. you can only shoot left and right which fits perfectly for this type of game. The shoulder buttons are used for boosts , that speeds you through enemies, bombs that should be used only when necessary, and an overdrive power, which creates a powerful attack that destroys many enemies. The visuals are rich with many things happening at the same time without a drop in the frame rate, details such as the rain and lightning are impressive to look at while playing and the music fits well with the game play. The enemies are varied, with their own health and attacks. You fight a boss at the end of each level; however, not all boss fights are challenging. The multiplier system is engaging as you will have to keep your score up by firing at enemies to earn points. Not doing so for a couple of seconds brings your multiplier points back down, this system is tense and rewarding. It is a shame that Resogun is short because the game is addictive with a lot of replayability. You can even play the game coop offline and online. Resogun is a good game that succeeds in delivering a fast paced shoot em up that i worth your time.
Velocity 2X is a top down shoot em up and sci-fi plat-former that is a sequel that expands the experience from the first game, Velocity Ultra. The nice little story continues right from where the first game left off were main character lieutenant Kai Tena was left nearly dead. She is captured along with her ship by an alien race called the Vokh for experimentation so they could figure out the technology behind her teleporting ship. Thankfully Kai Tena manages to escape with the help of an alien prisoner, and in return she agrees to save the alien slave race while finding a way back home. The story is told in a well made colorful art style with small expressions that helps give the characters, especially Kai, a likable personality that was absent from the first game. The blend between shoot em up and plat former is cleverly done and you will receive tutorials at the beginning of each new mechanic. On the Jet, you will fly though vertical levels, destroy enemies, avoid obstacles, fight well designed bosses and rescue stranded allied ships by disabling the shields. There is a new tele-port mechanic that allows you to pass through walls and transforms you from jet to platform and vice versa to solve puzzles As a plat former, the controls will be similar to that of the Jet. You will move left and right through buildings on alien planets. You will be collecting pink gems, teleporting through barriers, skidding, boosting and firing 360 degrees with the canon.There are 50 main missions that are fun and challenging. The levels become harder and larger with various paths and puzzles and you will need to gain experience points to advance to later levels by replaying some stages again. Replaying each stage after you finish the game for the perfect score by completing the level fast, killing all enemies and collecting gems quickly without dying is addicting and rewarding. Velocity 2X has good music that is suited for the fast paced game play. It is a well rounded action packed shooter with high replay value. It is a cross-buy between the vita and the PS4; however, it felt more at home with the Vita. Even though the ending could have been better, Velocity 2X is worth your time and an experience that you will enjoy.
Wolfenstein: The New Order is an action adventure first person shooter game. The game takes place in Europe in the 1960's, an alternate history where the **** won World War 2. Once beautiful cities, are now transformed into a sad landscape guarded by robotic guards and **** troops.Returning protagonist William B.J Blazkowicz from wolfenstein 3D is back and after waking up from a coma, he meets up with a resistance group and the goal of the game is to over throw the ****. However, the stealth approach does expose some inconsistency within the AI. They were not very aware of their surroundings, such as not reacting to a dead **** guns were big, load and satisfying to shoot with. Nearly all of the weapons can be dual wielded and all of them come with upgrades. There is an exciting upgrade system that is achieved by accomplishing various mini missions that lure you to try out new things that you might not have thought off. Wolfenstein: The New Order has a solid plot that remains interesting through out its 15-20 hour game play. The characters are well developed with good writing and voice acting. There is no multiplayer in this game; however, the pleasing story elements and joyous game play highly compensates for this.Wolfenstein is a game that will entertain you from start to finish and i highly recommend it.
Trine 2: The Complete story is a side scrolling fantasy game that takes place years after the events of the first game. The story is simple, a group of 3 heroes are gathered together by a shiny artifact called the Trine and summoned on a journey filled with goblin and mysterious creatures and it is up to our heroes to find out why. The story is played out like a fairy tale book and there are 3 main characters that you could easily choose from. Amadeus, the wizard who can raise items and summon objects from thin air. Dontius, the Knight who is equipped with a shield, a sword for fighting, and a hammer for smashing objects and acts as a body guard. And Zoy, the Thief who has a bow and arrow to take far shots at enemies and has a grappling hook. Trine 2: The complete story has wonderful visuals that are rich and deep adding to the overall charm of playing. The game runs smooth on the PS4 with 1080 P and 60 FPS. It also has a 3D option which is a nice **** Music moves will with the pacing of the story campaign which is around 5-6 hours. The levels are imaginative and intriguing leading to a variety of challenging unique puzzles that are solved by using the different skills from each character. I found the game to be cheerful and lighthearted. It can be played both local or online coop. Trine 2: The complete story is a well made edition that has minor control updates and comes with the very good goblin Menace expansion story. If you enjoy fantasy platform games, then this game is highly recommended.
