REVIEW: Styx: Master of Shadows

Styx: Master of Shadows
Stealth
Xbox One, PS4

When I watched a development trailer for Styx: Master of Shadows several months ago I was hooked. While the latest Splinter Cell game went back to using stealth mechanics more. Styx relies on stealth in order for you to succeed in the various levels.

In Styx you play as a goblin bent on stealing the heart of the World-tree inside a giant tower guarded by man. It is up to you to use the shadows and a few magical abilities to navigate around the soldiers as you will always lose in straight up combat. One of the reasons that I enjoy the game is that you really have to learn the patrol routes of the guards as a straight up confrontation will lead to your death. In most cases you can attack from below or behind in order to get past them.

When I first started to play the game I made it my mission to eradicate every soldier I encountered. I soon learned that while I can do that, it is better to eliminate only those that I absolutely had to and to leave behind the ones I didn't. This made it so that their patterns remained the same and I could continue my plans without taking more time to learn the new arrangement. I still use sand to take out nearly every light I encounter but the small adjustment made for an easier time.

Make no mistake, Styx is a stealth game one slip up and you will pay for it. Those looking for a game where you play an assassin who can dish it out with a group of enemies should look elsewhere as you want to keep your confrontations one on one and as quiet as possible. The object of the game is not to be scene. When it comes to assassinating enemies you have two choices; silently or quick and loud depending on how you plan to negotiate the remaining enemies in the area. You also have the option of using a clone but unless I needed them to slip through some bars to flip a switch, rarely did I bother using it. Instead I would choose to use Styx to do my dirty work.



Another positive is the voice acting. The script is really good. Styx knows just when to drop an F bomb at the appropriate time. That said, the game does have some language that may not be appropriate for some.

While the game is enjoyable, there are a few issues: Combat is clunky. Several times I would sneak up on a lone guard preparing to dispatch him quietly only to have him turn just at the right time and be faced with a face to face confrontation, which makes the combat a painful experience.  The parry/attack system is awful. Another issue is the control. Many times I would be silently navigating ledges and walls only to fall near guards and die, losing the slow and steady path I had carefully selected to move through the level. The game also has a lot of repetition. After many hours of sneaking around you never get past that initial play style.

Styx: Master of Shadows is for the hardcore stealth gamer. It is a game that requires attention to detail and a slow and steady hand that knows that in order to get from point A to point B you will have to be patient. Styx is not a perfect game but it is one of those great games that has snuck under the radar.

Overall 7/10

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REVIEW: Far Cry 4

Far Cry 4
Action Adventure, First Person Shooter
Single player, Multiplayer
PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, PC

Last generations Far Cry 3 was one of my favorite games of all time. Far Cry 4 takes everything that was amazing on FC3 and adds to it to give the series a boost now that it is on the new generation of consoles.

This time you play Ajay Ghale the prodigal son returning to his place of birth,Kyrat, to deliver his mother's ashes only to be taken captive by the insane leader of the country, Pagan Min, a sinister individual that deals in opium to keep the country afloat. The opening scene has the opposition, the Golden Path, rescue Ajay and sets up the story of winning back his birthplace by waging war against Pagan Min and his vast military.

As with the last installment, Far Cry 4 has a very large open map that contains collectibles, side missions and random events. As you liberate bases and check points from Min's army, you unlock other events such as hunts, hostage rescues and other missions that will add to your karma meter and experience. As the karma meter, various missions and towers unlock you gain access to new items and weapons. The hunt missions allow you to skin rare animals to increase the amount of ammo, money and items you can carry. In Far Cry 3, as with Assassin's Creed, there were some people who didn't care for the hunting aspect of the game and I can see why they would have an issue with it as I wasn't fond of hunting some endangered animals. However, it is a video game and it isn't likely that I am going to go on safari to hunt anything endangered so I just enjoyed it for what it is. While the animals were a pain from time to time in the previous game, in Far Cry 4 the animals are a real pain in the arse. You will quickly learn that eagles are jerks. The animals have been ramped up to 11 as they are all very aggressive. Just when you line up that perfect shot in your reticle, a clouded leopard will come out of no where and attack you. You have to think quick to dispatch the animal while keeping it quiet in order to not alert your original target.



Far Cry 4 adds a new wrinkle in the game by giving you the opportunity to play with a friend. I took full advantage of that and played nearly every side mission with my good friend. One player hosts the game and what you do in the game is saved for you but not for the invited friend, which means that you will need to take turns hosting the game and repeating missions in order for both players to complete everything. The one thing that we both didn't care for was that the campaign was not playable. You can do the side missions and capture radio towers, checkpoints, and fortresses together but you can't play the main campaign, which would have been great to do with a buddy.

The campaign starts out with you in the south and once you have done about 3 hours worth of missions takes you up to northern Kyrat for about another 3 hours or so. However, for the completist there are hours of discovering locations, grabbing every chest, hidden masks, and much, much more.

Far Cry 4 doesn't disappoint in the latest edition to the series and while the game occasionally has a glitch here and there it usually isn't anything that detracts from the game. I encountered an eagle that was stationary and yet flapping it's wings right on the ground. I shot it with an arrow and tried to hop on it's back but nothing I did affected it. I racked it up to one of the oddities of the game as it didn't crash the game or ruin my gameplay. It was just one of those strange hiccups that happens as you play. While many of the big releases have had their issues, Far Cry's minor problems don't do much to ruin your experience.

Overall 8.5/10

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REVIEW: Mario Kart 8

Mario Kart 8
Wii U
Racing, Multiplayer

One of Nintendo's flagship games returns to the Wii U. While the game itself hasn't changed much the graphics are (much) improved. As with previous incarnations of the game, you play as one of Nintendo's famous characters racing around various tracks while using power ups to either enhance your way around the track or to hinder the competitors.

making a return to the game are motorcycles, underwater racing and gliders. While anti-graving racing is new to this installment. When you drive over electric blue platforms, you have the ability to transform your go-cart into a hovering cart allowing you to race on the walls of the racetrack. A carefully timed bump as you hit another racer gives you a quick speed boost. There are also a few new characters and items: Pink Gold Peach, Koopalings, Baby Rosalina. New items include a boomarang flower allowing you to throw at other players, a piranha plant that eats racers, coins and power ups, the crazy eight, which allows the racer to have eight different items, and the super horn, which knocks racers off their game and allows you to get disrupt and pass anyone in the immediate area. The best part of Mario Kart 8 is that up to 12 players can play together in a various tracks. Games can be set up for world wide play or privately.



It has been a while since I have played anything on a major Nintendo console and this was the first game that I picked up and I haven't regretted the purchase as it is great fun and something that even my spouse enjoys playing. The controls are simple and easy to learn so that someone like my wife can sit down and instantly feel comfortable. She is not a video game person and to be able to play with her and have her feel as if she is just as good as I am means that we are both happy and entertained.

If you have played a previous installments of the game then you know what to expect, Mario Kart 8 is just the latest and greatest incarnation of the series.

Overall 9.5/10

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REVIEW: Sunset Overdrive

Sunset Overdrive
Open World, Third Person Shooter
Xbox One

When Microsoft and Insomniac Games announced that they were bringing Sunset Overdrive to the next gen console, I was excited. I loved the Ratchet and Clank games and knowing that it was a sandbox shooter made me even more excited to see what they came up with as I knew it would be mental.

Sunset Overdrive starts out with you as an employee for FizzCo. During the release of their new beverage, Overcharge Delirium XT's release party the beverage begins to turn the drinkers into ODs or mutants. It is your job to survive the ODs while taking them on with a large assortment of weapons and abilities. For instance, you can grind rails or jump and climb up buildings. The game relies on what it calls Agile combat, what that means to you and I is that as you combat the horde of mutants you earn combos and abilities if you can chain your actions with various stunts and items found in the world.



Due to Sunset Overdrive's open world environment there are plenty of collectibles and events that you can try. One thing that I had a love/hate relationship with was the cooking of amps, which require you to protect the cooker as it attracts the ODs to the cooker and if you don't protect it you have to start over. The amps can be used to enhance your weapons. There are plenty of weapons to choose from and you have to be wary as you can run out of ammo if you aren't careful. Some of the weapons are ridiculous. For instance, there is the TNTeddy bear launcher, that launches explosive teddy bears or my favorite named Flaming Compensator.

While Sunset Overdrive has a lot going for it, I was quickly bored and felt that the hype for the game far outweighed my enjoyment. Sunset Overdrive is fun to play for a little while but the plot was quite thin and the game play was not as challenging as I felt it should be. I have to give it some praise as it is definitely a unique game but due to its shortcomings listed above I quickly found myself playing some of the other newly released titles.

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REVIEW: Assassins Creed Unity

Assassins Creed Unity
Action-Adventure
PS4, Xbox One, PC

For the seventh game in the series we head to France during the French Revolution. You play the character Arno Dorian, a young man whose father was murdered at an early age and upon sneaking into your step-sister's secret birthday party witness his guardian murdered. He is arrested for the murder and meets and assassin who sets him on a course for revenge and to seek the truth about his both murders. Along the way he meets various historical figures that help him on his quest.

I have always enjoyed the Assassin's Creed franchise. I still feel that the controls could be better as I often find myself stuck on a barrel or not climbing when I should be. The parkour system still hasn't ironed out every little bug. And while many people are reporting strange bugs and glitches within the game, I have yet to experience anything.

One huge improvement for Unity is that the map is massive. I thought that Black Flag had plenty of things to do and Unity surpasses it. When you first open up your map it is covered in various activities and collectibles. One thing that I enjoyed was that the room puzzles have returned. I felt as if there weren't many puzzles in Black Flag but very early on you have to navigate a room in order to unlock its secrets.

While I haven't had much time playing Unity as I would like, what I have played has been positive. What updates they have made really improve the game, but combat still feels the same and the parkour control system still has its issues when your need it to be flawless.

It should also be noted that in Unity the multiplayer has been overhauled allowing you and your friends to play together and take down missions and other objectives.

If you have enjoyed the previous incarnations of the Assassin's Creed series you will definitely enjoy this installment as they have kept what worked in previous games and made little tweaks to enhance gameplay. There is plenty to do and truth be told, probably too much to do. Assassin's Creed Unity continues the fine tradition of the series while providing a new backdrop in which to hone your skills. It would have been nice to be able to customize the sex of your character considering there are so many variations to your costume but it was not to be. Assassin's Creed is highly recommended.

Overall 8/10

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REVIEW: Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

Call of Duty
First person Shooter, Multiplayer
Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, PC

Every year we receive a new Call of Duty, this time publisher Activision has handed the reins to Sledgehammer for their latest entry. Advanced Warfare is set in the future where private military contractor and CEO of Atlas, Jonathan Irons, has the largest army in the world and has some of the most lucrative contracts around the world. Jack Mitchell is a Marine who served with Iron's son, Will Irons, when they push back the North Korean invasion of Seoul, South Korea when Will Iron's is Killed in Action. Mitchell loses an arm in the process and is given a second chance by Iron's Sr. to return to duty and finish what he started. Jack is given a prosthetic arm that enhances his combat effectiveness. As the story progresses, you learn more about Jonathan Irons, Atlas and the terrorist organization known as the KVA and their ringleader, Hades, that is threatening the world.

The campaign is short, which seems to be the norm for the series. It shouldn't take much longer than 6 hours to complete the game. There are very few twists and turns and within the first couple of missions the overall story arc is laid out in front of you and you should have things figured out. I knew immediately how the story was going to end and sure enough, it came to fruition just as expected. The biggest disappointment is that there is level that stands out. In previous installments you are the gunner in a SPECTRE gunship (Modern Warfare) or the ghillie suit. Advanced Warfare never had a mission or level where I wanted to replay it. The overall campaign is a flash in the pan.

The last entry in the Call of Duty series, Call of Duty Ghosts, left a sour taste in my mouth. The multiplayer would constantly have me respawn directly in front of the enemy causing me to respawn again in dangerous territory, creating a vicious cycle of unfortunate deaths. While not the best in multiplayers to begin with, the constant dying with little chance to turn the tide made for a very unsatisfactory game experience.  Advanced Warfare does a better job on respawn locations and very rarely do I find myself quickly dead. However, the game still hasn't found a way to limit the amount of campers and quick scoping that plague the series. The balance has improved but they are still very far away from making it perfect. The addition of exo suits give the game a little bit of a Titanfall feel to the game that does enhance the play ability but also feels more like a gimmick than anything else. Not every game requires a double or super jump.



I will say that graphically, Call of Duty Advanced Warfare is outstanding. Aside from Jonathan Iron's strangely dead eyes, the game is amazing and impressive. The guns are a bit lackluster but the addition of care packages that give you new weapons and items is interesting but not as exciting as I think the developers were hoping for. After roughly 5 days of multiplayer, I still have yet to receive anything that has me jumping from excitement in a care package. However, with that said Call of Duty doesn't do much to bring anything new to the table. It is a obvious improvement from Ghosts but that isn't all that hard to do as Ghosts was awful.

Overall, Call of Duty Advanced Warfare is an improvement from Ghosts but if you are stuck deciding between this title and something else that is coming out this holiday season, I would recommend grabbing something else. There just aren't enough improvements or changes to warrant the upgrade. Unless the next Call of Duty has some outrageous or ground breaking changes, I don't see myself picking it up. While I don't feel burned on this purchase, I am just getting tired of more of the same.

VERDICT

7.5/10

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REVIEW: Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon

Luigi's Mansion
Action Adventure
3DS

I recently picked up a 3DS and one of the first games I picked up, by recommendation, was Luigi's Mansion a game featuring Mario's brother. Luigi as a ghostbuster. Professor Elvin Gadd tasks Luigi with removing poltergeists from various mansions, tackling puzzles, and collecting coins.

While I enjoyed playing Luigi's Mansion for several hours, the controller scheme made the game less enjoyable. In each room of the mansion there are hidden coins and items and the single joystick made for a bit of frustration and took some of the enjoyment out of the game. The constant manipulations in order to capture all the items really took me out of the game.

The graphics are top notch considering the game came out so long ago (2001) and the puzzles are a lot of fun to solve. The ghost catching, while fun in the beginning gets a little monotonous very early on. The basic strategy is to weaken the ghost by using your light and then sucking them up with the vacuum cleaner. In order to suck up the ghosts you need to move your controller in a certain direction and then hit a button. While it seems simple, the ghosts put up a fight and create a challenge.



Luigi's Mansion is an entertaining title but the wonky controls and repetitive gameplay really tired me out and took some of the fun out of it. While it is perfect for younger gamers, older games may grow tired of it quicker. I know that it is a highly regarded game but for me it was a quick game that didn't have a whole lot of lasting appeal.

Overall 6.5/10

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