slumpy

For the uninitiated Rise of the Dark Spark is the third installment in the War/Fall of Cybertron series originally developed by High Moon Studios. Upon hearing the news that HMS would no longer be behind the helm of this particularly game I was a little hopeful. "But slumpy" you may ask "you loved those two games, why would you wish that?" To which I would answer: Because HMS made terrible ports to the PC, quite frankly, they did not seem to care much at all about that particular platform. The result was a REALLY good multiplayer game (the campaigns are decent in both games, but for me, it was all about TDM) mired in a buggy mess, never to be rectified because HMS abandons their games the minute they're released. War/Fall of Cybertron are both disastrously programmed for the PC, communities infested by hackers (one of few legitimate cases of the hacker infestation reputation actually being true) and hopelessly half assed match making systems that are just as likely to fail as they are to find a game.... And yet... A community, a strong one surrounded those games. As bad as they were, I quite loved them, played them extensively and remain a player in FoC to this day. So it saddened me when I discovered that Edge of Reality were removed the competitive multiplayer modes and instead focusing only on the campaign and escalation game types. Well, the campaign, just isn't as engaging as the first two games, and frankly, it doesn't look nearly as interesting as FoC's campaign. There's nothing terribly wrong with it, per se, but it doesn't stack up, making this, ultimately, a disappointing title... With not much to offer in the Multiplayer department, I can't give this game more than a 4.

People who are too emotionally invested in their purchases are artificially raising this game's score by giving it an entirely undeserved 10 (which I now feel compelled to counter balance by giving it a zero, even though I think it probably deserves a 4 or a 5). If you want an accurate portrayal of what Rome 2 is really like (yes, even after "Emperor Edition"), I'd check the original's Metacritic page. ****

THE BAD Movement can sometimes feel clunky, for example, when running and stopping it almost feels like you're on ice, slipping around. There's just something that doesn't feel quite right. However, for the most part, the controls are as responsive as they need to be to make an enjoyable game. The animations are pretty rudimentary, not very detailed and generally look awkward. This is more forgiveable on the zombies, because, well, they're zombies. However, some of the animations on the player models could use more than a little work. I'm not sure where the Contagion devs stand on this and whether or not animations are at all on their "to do list", and to be perfectly honest, I can live with the animations as is, but some improvements would make for a more immersive experience. The worst offender in this case is trying to board up windows and doors where the animations will bug out almost every time and don't seem to play correctly, ever.. It doesn't stop you from actually boarding anything, however, so its not game breaking, just immersion breaking (I leave it to the reader to decide how egregious that is, I'm not necessarily looking for an immersive experience with games like Contagion - I recommend Day Z for that) . Some of the maps... to be perfectly frank, are just boring. Rananoke PD being (my opinion) the worst offender. It's just so bland and uninteresting, though I honestly couldn't suggest how to make a Police department interesting, and it is a location you would expect to find in this setting for any discerning zombie survivalist. I think, in an attempt to address to the "blandness" of this map, the Contagion devs decided to expand on its concept by making it a virtual prison, complete with tiers and mess halls. I'm not sure how accurate that is of real life as I understand most jails are actually independent of any police station. It also doesn't do much except add to the length of the map. Sound effects... Are just not that great. Especially the guns, with the possible exception of the m4 and AKM, are not what I would call stellar. Not much music to speak of, I think the only track is the menu music, though this game, arguably, doesn't really need much in the way of music anyway. It sort of adds to the deadness of the atmosphere and the idea that man's time on earth is potentially up. However, that could just be this authors bias presenting itself as I quite like this game. THE GOOD - game play. Besides the sometimes clunky movement is really, really good. It emphasizes teamwork and punishes lone wolves (usually with a horrible, bitey death). Even on lower difficulties, without care, you can find yourself in a sticky situation. The emphasis on headshots (a la Romero "head shots only" zombies) and primarily slow moving zombies and the necessity to conserve ammo make for a more interesting and deep cooperative experience than contemporaries, like, say L4D1/2. Attempts to take on the zombie horde lone hero will more than likely result in death. In fact, if you can avoid the zombies altogether, that's usually the better option, again, unlike L4D where you are essentially forced into killing every single zombie that gets in your path. In this way it makes somewhat of an attempt to make it more realistic, ammo is scarce, so don't waste it on a slow moving target across the map that will never catch up to you. - Taking ques from its predecessors. This game is, in no doubt, highly influenced by popular games such as Left For Dead. It not only takes into consideration that things it did right, but the things it did wrong as well. Contagion, while similar in many ways, has also carved out its own unique niche, making it a distinctly different game. "Special infected" are handled much like L4D's "uncommon-common infected" such as the riot gear wearing zombies in some campaigns. These make an appearance in Contagion as well, and for a disorganized team, can mean total disaster. In many ways when you see these types of zombies it's more of an "oh **** moment because they are actually hard to deal with. In L4D coop modes I (and most other people) can solo anything without so much as a second thought. Tank? Molotov and run the timer down. There's no such easy options in Contagion, however. Sure, you can run from it, leave it behind, but chances are you're back tracking through that same area meaning you'll have to deal with this fully armored zombie eventually. Annnnd I'm running out of space (stupid 5k word limit!), so I'll cut to chase: If you like L4D, you'll probably like this game, especially if you like a challenge and a more "realistic" environment. I would give this game a full 8/10 if it felt finished, but it doesn't... And that's probably because its still under active development with content coming at a fairly regular pace. Recommend it to any zombie fans!

Warface is quite possible a case study of how to achieve complete and utter mediocrity. Nothing about the game is bad per se... But nothing about it is very good either. You can also expect the typical "f2p" fair. Micro transactions that aren't very micro. Best items locked behind a pay wall. Any and all aesthetic customization locked behind a pay wall. Disconcerting elements of "pay to win" (but admittedly you can compete with any gun). The game feels and plays like a Call of Duty game (nothing wrong with that, despite the legion of idiots who use it as their go to "bad" comparison) mixed with the "classes" of the Battlefield series (for the kids, it's much more like RTCW; only... Not good). Skill is... Not so much a requirement. Every single map is so claustrophobic that you can expect to pretty much spray and pray your way to 2.0 kill/death ratio (which I did). The classes are negligible as the game moves so quickly there is really no point in stopping to revive a fallen teammate, which is more than likely going to get you killed in the process than perform a valuable function for your team. Further, because the maps are fairly tiny you can expect most games to quickly devolve into grenade tossing fests. The graphics are okay, I guess. They're stunted by having to deal with cross-platform gameplay but the game moves so fast you won't have time to stop and look anyway.

As is typical of Metacritic, most reviews are excessively negative or positive. This game does not deserve a 0/10 and it certainly does not deserve a 10/10 either. Divinity: Original Sin is an homage to the top-down RPG's of old, taking major hints from the Bioware hits Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights. But does it really measure up? If you ask me, it comes damn close but misses by a thread's hair. Let's break it down: Maps. The maps are huge and there is no loading in between interior and exterior environs. The graphics, for this type of game, are great. Probably the best I have personally seen in this genre. They don't just look good, but they're really well designed as well. The terrain has a natural flow to it, it's up and down, not just flat surfaces like you would find in the previously mentioned RPG's. Music. Is great. It's thematic, it of high quality and all around just works. The sound effects are likewise done well. That's all I really have to say about that. Story? Well, let's just say the story isn't winning any points in originality, the setting itself is your standard high fantasy fair. It actually sort of reminds me of the "rift" universe. In aesthetics, design and theme. As suggested by the title of the game there are underlying religious tones (it's got the typical Tolkien inspired "good vs ultimate evil" story) though I am not far enough in the game yet to make a real judgement. The writing is good, GOOD. But the game is not winning a Pulitzer (or even a Hugo). Dialogue is generally well written, if a little clichéd. It's more or less what you'd expect to find in a fantasy themed MMO (yes I realize this game is not an MMO, I'm just comparing the dialogue). There are only voice-effects for ambient dialogue, entering into a conversation is text only, so I hope you like reading (luckily, I do!) or mashing "1" to get through the dialogue options as quickly as possible. Exploration is highly encouraged and rewarded, in both items and experience. Seeking out every lonely corner of the map to search for treasure and baddies to kill is a must if you want to find the gear to outfit your party. Gameplay - Generally, aside from a few nit picks, the game play is decent. It doesn't really contain anything I haven't seen done (better, in some cases) in other games but it's solid and pretty fun. The only real downside is the excessive "difficulty" and I put difficulty in quotations for a reason. It's difficulty stems largely from the fact that you are always at a disadvantage, and usually, it's an artificial disadvantage. Certainly the AI does not seem to have the same limits on action points and thus each "unit" tends to be capable of doing more / turn than your party. But generally the fights are exciting and you never really know which way they will go. There were many times I thought I had a fight in the bag only to be thwarted by having my healer focus fired and decimated. The AI doesn't seem fabulous, but it's not riding the short bus either (*cough* Rome2 *cough*). The game tries to develop relations between characters (a la Dragon Age), however, none of the characters - That I have found - really have much of a character and those that do are stunningly simplistic. The only real PC I have come across that seems to have much in the way of a personality is the Warrior Madora.... Who only stands out because of the illogical and excessive bigotry this character seems to have towards anything and everything for reasons that are so far completely unexplained. The party social interactions sort of miss the mark, in my opinion. Dragon Age was such that the characters were fully developed, each had their own idiosyncrasies and background you could delve into through conversation. Personally, I grew attached to certain characters in Dragon Age and hate others. Dragon Age, in my opinion, was a break through in player immersion. The social/romance options and the fallout that came from them were, in a way, revolutionary. This was definitely helped by the fact that, true to Bioware standard, every line was voiced. You could hear the passion (or lackthereof), the cynicism and positivity of the characters according to their personalities. Divinity tries to accomplish this in various ways but falls disappointingly short. Anyone like me, who will take immersion over gameplay will feel this aspect of Divinity is a little lacking. Given that this is by an indie studio, however, this is perfectly understandable. They obviously don't have the resources of Bioware. Overall? I'd recommend this game to any fans of NWN / BG. It's good, it's fun, it has a lot going for it... But it's not the epic perfection that the Metacritic reviews make it out to be.

APB:reloaded; the promise and shell of great beginnings seldom finished. You can almost see the diamond in the ruff here... Unfortunately it falls several feet short of actually hitting the mark. THE GOOD - Graphics, are pretty decent, especially for a game advancing in age running on an older version the Unreal 3 Engine. - Customization, hands down the best I have ever seen in any game, ever. - Game play is decent, like every kid's game of cops and robbers made into video game form. So, it's not bad, if a little repetitive. THE BAD - despite the graphics being somewhat decent the old engine they use does not support many common features, such as dynamic lighting. Which often leave the game feeling a little too.... "plastic". Not really a big deal, however. - Most of the customization is locked behind a pay wall. - Outside of extended character and car customization the monthly "premium" fee does not grant the customer anything of value. - One trick pony. Quite simply once you've been through one series of missions, you've been through every mission you ever go through in APB. - P2W one of the few legitimate cases of there actually being a culture of "pay to win". Many veterans will assert that these weapons are simply convenience "side grades" which, if true, really begs the question why every premium player rocks non-stock ARMAS (in game store) only weapons. - Matchmaking is nonexistent. Although players are separated into three main brackets (Gold, Silver, Bronze) and several sub-brackets in each "league". At least that's the official story. In practice the matchmaker seems to match anyone and everyone for no apparent reason regardless of their league bracket. this mainly results in "Golds" farming silver shards and using the excuse that "their are no gold districts" -- Which, mind you, is true, but only because (literally) every gold is farming silver districts. basically their arguments fall flat on their face. Also be prepared for the fact that most people in the gold league are clans operating in 3 to 5 man premades "PUG"stomping silvers. This, in my estimation, is the games biggest downfall as it breeds resentment amongst newer players as they are mercilessly stomped by these "PUGstars". Many will cite the frustration of fighting against far better equipped and much more experience opponents as their primary reason for leaving the game. - Hacking. Is reportedly quite a prevalent issue in the game. granted, most "hackusations" (as the community likes to put it) are the result of particularly skilled players running all over PUG's. However, there are and will always be readily available hacks to anyone who cares to look for them. They are not hard to find. I have no idea just how widespread the hacking issue is -- But my impression is that it's not that bad, though by no means a total myth. - Server stability. has long been an issue, long before G1 took the reins. Unfortunately this has not changed since then and is unlikely to ever be "fixed". - Dwindling population. This game is hemorrhaging players like a hemophiliac stuck through the gut with a long sword. Ultimately this results in mainly the PUGstompers lingering around while newcomers quit for greener pastures. CONCLUSION: The games base shows a lot of potential, however, G1 has shown little interest in realizing that potential. Opting, instead, to use APB as a platform with which to sell clothes for people to play virtual dolls. That said, it boats a truly impressing and outstanding character customization system that puts even the best MMRPG's to shame. If there's one feature in APB that will keep you coming back, its designing your character and cars. I simply cannot extol the awesomeness of this system enough. Gameplay is decent enough, and the game is worth a romp considering its pricetag ("F2P"). I would recommend checking it out simply because it is free. It will definitely take a week of your life before you grow bored of it.

The game itself is passable, it's got some interesting concepts but does next to nothing new. it's just CoD with a new coat of paint. However, the abundance of 10/10 reviews are completely unwarranted -- And not to mention suspicious. Most of these posters have 1 review. one. For Titanfall... And many of them read suspiciously similar. But I digress. The bad: The major detraction of this game is its complete lack of content and misleading advertisement of a (nearly non existent) "campaign" which amounts to little more than a voice over during the pre-drop portion of the map. Otherwise it is the exact same as the MP. A measly three titans with no aesthetic customization and bare bones weapon/perk customization leaves a lot to be desired. The vanilla map rotation gets real old real quick as there simply are just not enough maps. A grand total of three Titans makes you wonder what exactly they spent their time doing. Surely it was not refining the concept and story. Over priced DLC and a a season-pass plan that are down right unscrupulous considering how LITTLE this game came with considering its 60 dollar pricetag. But this is a matter of opinion, and for many, not really a negative aspect. The titans themselves are okay. Although I'm not sure that the various classes of chassis (heavy, medium, light) actually have enough of a role to change their functionality. They basically all do the same things, have the same weapons, etc. Ultimately the differences come down to maneuverability and the differences in maneuverability between the three are negligible at best. The grahpics, I personally feel, are just fine, however many have cited this as something they take issue with. I believe this mostly has to do with the "next gen" tagline. I'm not sure what people expected in terms of graphical fidelity, but this seems fine to me. Some of the textures are grainy up close, but whatever. I can live with that. The truth is, the graphics are about where I expected them to be for a "next gen" console -- As a PC gamer, perhaps it is more forgivable as I realize "nextgen console" is really a "last gen PC". The good: The maps that are there are well designed for both pilots and titans, textures and graphics are decent (although many were disappointed when they heard that they were supposed to be "next gen" -- Unfortunately "next gen" consoles ultimately are the equivalent of "last gen" for PC's.) The gun play handles similarly to any CoD title you've ever played, making it accessible and fun. the "parkour" is great fun and adds another element to the typical shooter experience. Although perhaps not as innovative as Max Payne's "bullet time" system, it is, nonetheless, a nice change from your typical modern day / not so distant future shooter. Ripping pilots out of their titan with your own to finish them, is, quite simply, totally awesome. Although I do wish there were more animations for different styles of finishing moves. I also quite enjoy ripping the arm off the enemy titan and beating him to "death" with. it.

The game itself is passable, it's got some interesting concepts but does next to nothing new. it's just CoD with a new coat of paint. However, the abundance of 10/10 reviews are completely unwarranted -- And not to mention suspicious. Most of these posters have 1 review. one. For Titanfall... And many of them read suspiciously similar. But I digress. The bad: The major detraction of this game is its complete lack of content and misleading advertisement of a (nearly non existent) "campaign" which amounts to little more than a voice over during the pre-drop portion of the map. Otherwise it is the exact same as the MP. A measly three titans with no aesthetic customization and bare bones weapon/perk customization leaves a lot to be desired. The vanilla map rotation gets real old real quick as there simply are just not enough maps. A grand total of three Titans makes you wonder what exactly they spent their time doing. Surely it was not refining the concept and story. Over priced DLC and a a season-pass plan that are down right unscrupulous considering how LITTLE this game came with considering its 60 dollar pricetag. But this is a matter of opinion, and for many, not really a negative aspect. The titans themselves are okay. Although I'm not sure that the various classes of chassis (heavy, medium, light) actually have enough of a role to change their functionality. They basically all do the same things, have the same weapons, etc. Ultimately the differences come down to maneuverability and the differences in maneuverability between the three are negligible at best. The grahpics, I personally feel, are just fine, however many have cited this as something they take issue with. I believe this mostly has to do with the "next gen" tagline. I'm not sure what people expected in terms of graphical fidelity, but this seems fine to me. Some of the textures are grainy up close, but whatever. I can live with that. The truth is, the graphics are about where I expected them to be for a "next gen" console -- As a PC gamer, perhaps it is more forgivable as I realize "nextgen console" is really a "last gen PC". The good: The maps that are there are well designed for both pilots and titans, textures and graphics are decent (although many were disappointed when they heard that they were supposed to be "next gen" -- Unfortunately "next gen" consoles ultimately are the equivalent of "last gen" for PC's.) The gun play handles similarly to any CoD title you've ever played, making it accessible and fun. the "parkour" is great fun and adds another element to the typical shooter experience. Although perhaps not as innovative as Max Payne's "bullet time" system, it is, nonetheless, a nice change from your typical modern day / not so distant future shooter. Ripping pilots out of their titan with your own to finish them, is, quite simply, totally awesome. Although I do wish there were more animations for different styles of finishing moves. I also quite enjoy ripping the arm off the enemy titan and beating him to "death" with. it.

garbage game is still garbage. 10 patches later and it's still god awful. Nothing has been fixed. Not one. avoid this title. this is a waste of hard drive space (not to mention 60 bucks) and you are FAR better off playing Rome 1 or Medieval 2 for your TW fix. CA is clearly not the same company it once was and now seems rife with incompetence and under a publisher that does not give a single **** about the customer. I would not buy this game at even half its current cost. At most, Rome 2 is worth about 15-20 dollars if you're feeling particularly generous.