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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REVIEW: Crimson Dragon

Crimson Dragon
Rail Shooter, Multiplayer
Xbox One

Crimson Dragon is a long awaited sequel to Panzer Dragoon, a game I never played but since the game is currently free with Games with Gold, I decided to try it out. I remember when it originally came out that it was one of the first games released for the system. I never got around to playing it until it became free and I am glad that I waited as it isn't much fun to play.

The graphics feel dated even though the game is only a few years old. Not sure if it is intentional but if you are one of the first games out of the gate on a new system, I would expect much more impressive and colorful graphics. The soundtrack is also sub par.

As a dragon rider capable of communicating with dragons, you take on various missions riding your dragon as you attempt to uncover a mysterious virus that is threatening the population of your new planet. As you enter the level you are on a preplanned route as you shoot down enemy dragons, missiles, and other threatening items. While that may sound fun, this game does a horrible job and takes the enjoyment out of a simple idea.



Making it worse is all of the micro-transactions. While the game is free, the ability to level up and attain an advantage in the game will cost you money. While you can level up normally, you are also able to do it through real money transfers. Something I avoided at all cost.

If you are looking for something new and won't cost you anything Crimson Dragon is a good choice; however, if you want something that will keep you interested and playing far longer than a few hours I would look elsewhere. Crimson Dragon is mediocre at best.

Overall 5/10

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REVIEW: Mind Zero PS Vita

Mind Zero
RPG, Dungeon Crawler
PS Vita

In the wake of Persona 4 Golden there are a few games that try to use the same winning formula, Mind Zero takes the real world where a few teenagers have found themselves in the middle of a battle between the police and entities known as MINDs and their plot to open a portal from their world to ours. The teens gain the ability to call upon spirits to help them in battle to help curb the tide of negative emotions that allow the MINDs to enter our world.

The game does a great job with the voice talent and the combat. The game uses turned-based combat and the teens can use spirits to help them in combat. Through the use unique combat cards that you can swap in and out gives the player several options during battles. One feature that I enjoyed was the ability to save the game during dungeons, I would play the game in short bursts so this feature was huge for me.



The weak point of Mind Zero is the plot. The story is mundane at best and it plods along as if it is walking in a bog. Slow and drawn out is a good way to describe the story. However, once you get past the cutscenes in the beginning things do pick up and the game is off to the races.



VERDICT

Mind Zero is said to be a Persona clone and in my opinion it is, but it is one of the best out there if you are looking for a new dungeon crawler this is a strong contender.

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REVIEW: Middle Earth Shadow of Mordor

Middle Earth Shadow of Mordor
PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC
Third Person, Action Role-Playing, Sandbox

Set in the Lord of the Rings universe some time between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, you play Talion, a Ranger of Gondor, who was slain along with his family by Sauron's army only to return thanks to the wraith spirit of an elf who is also seeking revenge agains Sauron.

The gameplay is a mash up of a couple of other successful games. The biggest comparison is the Assassin's Creed series. Throughout Talion's adventure he can unlock towers that allow him to fast travel to various locations on the map and shows where various collectibles and challenges are in the area, he also parkours around the various crumbling buildings and structures. Bushes also provide cover that work as long as the Uruks don't walk into them.



The other franchise it emulates is the Batman Arkham series, you slice and dice the enemies and see the parry icon above the enemies head letting you know that you need to push the button or your combo multiplier will be reset to zero. Through upgrades, your special takedown (assassination) will take less and less combos for it to be activated. I upgraded it to the point where once I had it, I was able to use it twice once it was available, which allowed me to mow down the enemies regardless of how many there were around me.

One feature that is all Shadow of Mordor is the Nemesis System, a system that affects the way you play the game. As you go against Captains and Warchiefs the game reacts to your outcomes. If you die or run away in the process of eliminating the Uruk, they advance in stature and may take over a higher position that you left open in the chain of command. The Uruk grows in power and the next time you meet they will harass you and mock you. However, if you use some of the intelligence gathered on your target, you might be able to turn the tide of battle before it even begins. Even random Uruk's that where a nameless enemy can become powerful if they kill you. In the later stages of the game you have the option to turn them to your cause and as you take out other Uruks to make space for your new troop leaders they can worm their way into even higher ranks and eventually become Warchiefs. At one point, I went back to the first map and turned every captain and Warchief to my side just because I loved the idea of having all of them under my command. When you dominate your captains you can have them send death threats to other commanders, giving you the opportunity to earn epic runes that are used to upgrade your weapons.

The collectibles are rarely something that I tend to go after in most games but the ability to earn points, which are used to upgrade your weapons made me search high and low for them. There are also weapons challenges for your bow, sword and dagger, which also give you the opportunity to earn points to upgrade weapons. The one downside to the collectibles is there is no real reward for unlocking the doorway glyphs. I felt that after scouring the countryside for them, it should have unlocked some reward beyond a trophy on PSN, achievements mean very little to me as I don't care how many trophies I have or how many points I earn on Xbox. However, for the completionist it should keep them going for quite a while.

Shadow of Mordor is a great game that keeps you playing until your controller's battery dies. There are plenty of ways to tackle the enemies and play your own play style. Regardless of your love or dislike of the classic books or movies, it should keep you entertained for hours and hours. It has quickly become one of my favorites and that was unexpected.

Verdict  9/10

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REVIEW: Velocity

Velocity
Puzzle, Shooter
PS4, PS Vita, PS3

Velocity is a scrolling game that involves navigating a Quarp Jet, a spacecraft that can teleport while it avoiding and defeating aliens. The main goal of the game is to rescue stranded ships. In order to do that you must shoot down shields and obstacles in order to reach stranded ships and rescue their crews. The puzzle portion comes when you must deactivate the shields in a specific order as well as other challenges.

Velocity is a cross buy, which means that it is available for both the PS4, PS3 and the PS Vita. I had a chance to play it on both the PS4 and the Vita and both are great ports. The Vita version feels natural, with the bombs using the the right joystick. The graphics are amazing as they use a variety of colors and the game is quite challenging as the levels ramp up the difficulty once you get a feel for the game.

The game also adds a side scrolling section that puts our heroine on foot and dashing through barriers, solving puzzles that advance the game. While most games that take you out of the main game would feel disjointed, the on foot action feels like a natural extension to the game.

With all the triple a titles vying for your attention, Velocity is a game that shouldn't be missed as it is a new twist on an old theme and it is done exceptionally well. Velocity is free until 7 October when October's Playstation Plus games switch. So act fast if you want to experience it.

VERDICT

7/10

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REVIEW: AirMech Arena

AirMech Arena
Arcade, Multiplayer,
PC, Steam, XBox 360, Android

One of the best free to play games on the Xbox 360 is AirMech Area, a game that has you piloting a large pantheon of aircraft that can transform into a giant robot as you fight for control over a map. The graphics really remind me of the 80's Saturday morning cartoons as the maps are colorful and the units are drawn well, but simple.

When you first start AirMech Arena you are to choose between three pilots, all with a positive and a negative ability/stat. (IE: speed but no armor, or armor but no speed). After choosing a pilot you are subject to a long tutorial, which does gets a little long in the tooth, which teaches you how to take over a control point and order various units from your base.

Your Mech is able to carry your bases troops and other units and drop them all over the map and you can issue orders to your troops as they are being generated at your base or you can create them, pick them up, and send them into the fray.

The action is quick and the game is fun as there are over 60 units to choose from to help you conquer your enemies. I found the best option is to defend your base first by building turrets, once you have adequately set up your defense, you can then set out conquering the rest of the map without worrying about being over ran. I also took over other bases to expand my empire before going for the heart of the enemy. A lot of preparation goes a long way and makes for quicker matches.



While the game is free to play, there is an option to visit the publisher's store where you can purchase upgrades and new skins; however, as you play through the game you earn points called Kudos, which will help you along the way and allow you to purchase new pilots and units without spending any money, unless you are impatient, in which case you will head straight for the store.

VERDICT

AirMech Arena is one of those games that will make the top ten list every time as it is a unique game that pairs real time strategy with tower defense games all wrapped up in the feel of a cartoon.

Overall 9/10

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REVIEW: Destiny

Destiny
Single Player, First person RPG
Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS 4, PS3, PC


Destiny is an online multiplayer, first-person, open-world shooter set in a science fiction setting in Earth's future.

I have had the opportunity to play for several days now and have hit the opening ceiling, level 20. While I will continue to play the game, this is my review based on the first half of the game. Roughly 20 hours into it.

GAMEPLAY

Anyone who has played the Halo franchise will quickly feel like they are at home. The controls are very similar. The game has several missions that are played linearly but as you progress through them the game allows you to try different planets and jump around; however, you will need to complete all of the missions at some point in order to finish the game.

By opening up your ghost you are able to find side missions on every planet that range from kill x amount of enemies to collect items from killed enemies. There is also the occasional scan an area that you must navigate the entire map to stand in one place for a few seconds and then the mission is complete. They are all rather easy and provide a decent amount of experience points helping you level up. The best way to ensure good experience points is to do bounties, which range from kill 100 enemies without dying in the campaign to benchmarks in the crucible (the PvP arena).

Two other modes are Raids, Strikes. These put you up against bosses after fighting your way to them in 3 person fireteams. I have only done a few of them and they are most helpful once you hit the 20th level and want to continue leveling up your toon as they have a better chance of dropping "light gear."

The Crucible is the final play mode currently. For anyone who wants to pit themselves against other players there are a few modes to play where you can also win gear that will help you in the main campaign. I strongly recommend using an auto rifle as the single shot gun had me at a disadvantage for those that play this type of game a lot.

The problems that I have with the game are that it is a very short campaign. After roughly 18 hours I had completed the game and was only a few XP points away from hitting level 20. Once I hit level 20, I grew bored. The reason that I grew bored was because the game is very repetitive and monotonous. Once you have done it, you have to do it again and again. The loot that drops is far and few between. While the drops improved as I reached level 20 they still took forever to get and weren't all that helpful as they weren't much better than what I was already equipped with and didn't boost my stats enough to make the mission worth it. Destiny does use Loot 2.0 where the loot you see is yours and yours alone, which makes it so that you aren't fighting over drops. But it is only for your toons and you can only share between the characters you have created. It is disappointing as you come across things that could be useful to your online friends, it would be nice to be able to give it to your friends to help them on their journey, maybe in a patch.

another complaint is that the enemies are just new skins on Halo enemies. Their guns are very similar as well as their "classes." The differences are in looks only and it is disappointing. The loading times are annoying. It loads to get to the destination screen and once you have picked a location you will wait for it to load again, perfect for restroom breaks or grabbing a snack. Trust me, you have time.

Finally, I played as a warlock and one of the powers is to glide, while a cool power it does make it difficult to get to higher locations on the map. A hunter is able to double and later triple jump making it easy for them to reach hidden chests and places, where I was stuck making several attempts to reach a ledge. While my buddy and I would laugh about the whole ordeal, it was frustrating to say the least.

Very early in the game (on launch day) I took part in an in game event as a giant Sputnik like satellite fell to Earth and my friend and I tackled the event alone. I figured on launch day hundreds of people would rush the scene and take part in the event but alas, my buddy and I did it by ourselves. Not sure if the game ramps up the difficulty as more players join in but it wasn't all the difficult to do with just two people. Since then, I haven't seen an event. While the game, Defiance wasn't all that great, one thing they did do well was in-game events and it is a model that Bungie should model themselves after.



GRAPHICS

If there is one thing Destiny does well is how beautiful the game looks. Sitting for a few minutes to watch time pass in the game will reveal a stunning horizon. The guns are modeled well and the enemies are rendered well.

AUDIO

Bungie recycled a lot of the audio from Halo and fans will notice it quickly. The voice acting, while it features the very talented Peter Dinklage as your ghost companion, is not very exciting and in my opinion appears to have phoned in his lines and then cashed his check.

Some of the upcoming events before the planned DLC in December:

VERDICT

While Destiny has a lot of things going for it and has many events planned soon (see below) it is very monotonous and repetitive. The fact that the campaign is short, only 18 hours or so strikes me as very short sighted. The lack of directions on what to do after reaching level 20 is disappointing and while it could be fixed with a little tweaking, the loot drops are far and few between make for a lot of unnecessary grinding.  With that said, Bungie does seem very committed to game and we should see some positive changes very soon. I am not all that impressed with the game but look forward to seeing how the game develops over time and improves. It has a lot going for it and I am hoping for improvements to make this game last as a rotating title in my playlist.

6.5/10

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REVIEW: Max: The Curse of the Brotherhood XBOX ONE

Max: The Curse of the Brotherhood
Platformer, Puzzle, Side-scroller
360, XB1, Windows


Max arrives home and is quickly annoyed by his little brother, Felix. A quick internet search on how to get rid of your brother leads to a portal opening up and a hand grabbing Felix right in front of Max. Worried what will happen when their parents get home, Max quickly jumps into the portal in order to save his brother. Thus begins the adventure.

GAMEPLAY

The core of Max: Curse of the Brotherhood is a 2 1/2D side-scrolling puzzle game with a cinematic camera. Like the predecessors before it, you must navigate pits, animals and enemies while using ropes, vines, and pillars to navigate the world. Very early on you receive a "magic marker" that grants you the ability to manipulate the environment. You can raise platforms, erase items that help Max on his journey to recover his brother.

While there are plenty of puzzles, there are also enemies that you must work around. At times if feels like the successor to the old 8-bit Mario games that I have fond memories of.



GRAPHICS

Right off the bat, you can see that Max is a beautiful game. The colors are rich and the environments are stunning. The characters are drawn in a very Pixar way and will find fans quickly.

AUDIO

While the audio is great and works well within the game, it isn't all that memorable. As I write this review, I can't even recall the music. I know that it works well within the levels and helps you become immersed in the game but that it doesn't stick with you the way other in-game music would.

VERDICT

I happened to pick this up with XBox One's Games With Gold program and enjoyed it for several hours; however, that said I am not all that sure that I will ever manage to finish it as it gets old quickly and it never really grabs at you the way some games do. If you are looking for something new and visually stunning then pick this one up. It just won't keep you all that interested for very long.

OVERALL 6/10

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REVIEW: Diablo 3 Ultimate Evil Edition PS4

Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition
Action Role player, Dungeon Crawler, Online Multiplayer, Single player
PS3, PS4, 360, XB1, PC, Mac

Diablo III Ultimate Evil Edition has finally hit shelves for the consoles. I played Diablo III when it first came to computers and enjoyed it even with its lackluster launch. When it came to the Xbox 360, I gave it another go and loved it on the system and now it is available for the new current gen platforms with the first expansion Reaper of Souls.

The game is centered around the demons of the world and the angels and other guardians that safeguard the walls against them. In Diablo 3 the demons are once again on the rise and attempting to take over the world. You are the chosen one to return the demons to their realm and set things back on track.

As the player there are several classes to choose from:

The Barbarian, the staple melee character.

The Witch Doctor, the successor to the previous Diablo's Necromancer.

The Wizard, the hard-hitting damage dealer from afar. The successor to the Sorcerer.

The Monk, a quicker melee character.

The Demon Hunter, a ranged power house.

New for the Reaper of Souls expansion, The Crusader, a mid-range class that relies on shields, flails and spells.

Regardless of you class choice characters are able to use almost all of the weapons that drop from your enemies.

GAMEPLAY

It seems as if Diablo III was designed for the console as the game works really well. The combat system works exceptionally well and attempting to go for slaughtering large groups of enemies is satisfying. While the equipment management can be daunting at times, it only takes a little bit of time to get the basics down and start really making a dent in the enemy hordes.

Aside from combat and loot management, there are plenty of other skills to learn. Teaching your blacksmith new skills and patterns, leveling up your gem crafter to help augment your loot, and with the expansion you can also level up the artisan, who will change an items augmentation allowing you to pick and choose what qualities your kit contains.

What makes Diablo III Ultimate Evil Edition so great is that it has been released 2 years after the initial release and all the patches and hit or miss tweaking to the game have already been done so it is as polished as much as it can be and it is impressive.

I have been playing the game almost non-stop whether it is going at it solo or with friends. The addition of Adventure Mode has you traveling to different acts within the game to gather bounties. Some of the bounties range from killing a certain number of enemies to going after certain bosses. Completion of the list of bounties allow for a large collection of loot that can be worth it.

Another added mode is Rifts, in order to open up the rifts you are required to have 5 rift keys, which are obtained through bounties. The monsters in Rift Mode are varied and have a higher chance of dropping legendary loot.

There is also a Hardcore Mode that you can select after leveling a character to level 10. In Hardcore Mode the player is unable to resurrect so if the created player dies, that is it.



GRAPHICS

The game runs at 1080p on PS4 and Xbox One with a staggering 60 FPS (frames per second), which is absolutely gorgeous on any TV you are playing on. The colors are rich and the atmosphere palpable.

AUDIO

The voice acting is impressive, many of the characters have deep resonating voices that are absolutely perfect for the game. The mood is also set with the music in the game.

VERDICT

Diablo III Ultimate Evil Edition is nearly perfect. It takes everything that was perfect with the game and adds to it. The ability to jump in and out of friends games is great and now that level 70 is no longer the zenith of your career the game has a long lasting appeal. Even if you don't get addicted to it like I have, it is still the perfect game to hold onto and play intermittently as it is very engaging.

Overall 9.5/10

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REVIEW: Dragon's Crown PS Vita

Dragon's Crown PS Vita
Side Scroller, Action Role Player
PS Vita, PS3

Dragon Crown first made waves with its rather "interesting" depiction of its female playable characters. Particularly the Sorceress, who is a little top heavy to say the least. While I admit that it was the reason it ever made it on to my radar initially; it wasn't until I actually went and purchased a Vita and was looking for some of the top rated games that I ended up purchasing it and recalling that the two were the same.

The plot revolves around a legendary relic, the Dragon's Crown and the quest to retrieve it. A mysterious coven of magic-users with influence in even the highest levels of government seek the treasure and have used their sorcery to link together long forgotten ruins, dangerous labyrinths and many other areas together in order to search for it.

GAMEPLAY

Dragon's Crown starts out with you picking your hero. You have six classes to choose from with varying degrees of difficulty: Warrior, Amazon, Wizard, Sorceress, Elf, and Dwarf. Each of the classes offers you a different attack from close quarter combat to ranged and spell attacks each with their own strengths and weakness. However, which ever class you choose they all are fun and engaging.

As you play the game you find yourself in various locations and hunt for loot and points to upgrade the characters skills as you would in any RPG. As you progress you have to really plan out your upgrades as there is no way that you can unlock every attribute of your character. So careful mapping of the way you play your character is a must.

The game also allows you to play with up to four friends. I didn't get a chance to put this mode to the test but while I played the game, I couldn't help but wish that I had someone else to play the game with as it would have been a great way to tackle some of the harder levels.

When I started the game, I chose to play as a Wizard. After a quick level tutorial I was off on my grand adventure. My second play through, I played as the Amazon and while the moves were different, the overall tutorial was similar. But there is definitely a strong replay value in the game as the classes play with a notable difference.




GRAPHICS

Dragon's Crown is very colorful and the visuals make for an appealing game. The female characters are drawn from the mind of a frustrated teenage boy with a wild imagination but after the novelty of bouncing busts, the level design will take over and will impress you.

AUDIO

The sights and sounds are impressive but the soundtrack is where Dragon's Crown really shines. My complaint in the audio is in the voice work. It tends to grate on you and I found myself turning it off and relying on subtitles to progress the story when interaction was needed.

VERDICT

Dragon's Crown is a winner. While the plot and voice acting are weak, the gameplay, visuals, and soundtrack make up for it. It is also free until the end of the month (August) through Playstation's Plus program and shouldn't be missed. Dragon's Crown should be reminiscent of the old school side scrolling action combined with a great RPG element. I would say that if you are a hardcore RPG player or just the Average Joe looking for something new, Dragon's Crown will win you over as it is easy to get into and provides enjoyable and long-lasting gameplay. Something that is rare to find these days.

OVERALL 8.5/10

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REVIEW: THE Amazing Spider-Man 2

The Amazing Spider-man 2
3rd Person, Action-adventure, Open-world
iOS, Android, PS4, PS3, 360, XB1, Wii U, Windows

The game starts out with a flashback of Peter Parker leaving the store that has just been robbed and Peter refusing to help, leading to the death of his Uncle Ben.  Two years later, Peter is hunting for his Uncle's killer. As he closes in on the man who murdered his Uncle, he finds his body and the initials "CK" at the murder scene. "CK" stands for The Carnage Killer, it is up to Spider-man to bring the Carnage Killer to Justice. Along the way he meets up with many of Spider-man and Peter Parker's icon allies and enemies.

GAMEPLAY

Like all of the recent Spider-man games, The Amazing Spider-man 2 is a sandbox game where Spidey can webswing to his heart's content. As you swing around the city there are occasional events that you can either choose to ignore and lower your hero rating to menace or choose to help and raise your hero rating. This moral system looks good on paper but doesn't really matter in the end. As the game progresses I found myself forced to help stop petty crimes so that the drones don't attack me and slow my overall gameplay down.

The webswinging is attained by the left and right triggers. There is no single button allowing you to swing about the city. While many reviews found this to be a new twist on the game, it wasn't anything to really tout as great in my opinion. When you are tasked with saving an individual and are to bring them to the local hospital, you end up only using the right trigger as your left hand is busy holding on to the injured person. Many times I found myself getting into a rhythm only to crash face first into a building as I made a turn down a main street. The new webswinging is more gimmick than anything else.

Combat is a bit wonky. Spidey's moves are similar to the Arkham games; Spidey punches and kicks and when his spideysense goes off you have the option to dodge or counter-attack. As you upgrade Spidey's abilities his attacks become quicker and stronger. While it works, it doesn't work as well or as smoothly as Arkham. It also becomes very old quickly. After each altercation there is a short news break cutscene that slows down gameplay. The enemy AI is also extremely predictable.

There are also mini challenges found within the game; collecting comic book covers from rooftops and audio logs in an attempt to unlock various costumes from Spider-man's past. Each suit has its own abilities that can be leveled up the longer you wear it.

Another addition to the game is the ability to walk around town as Peter Parker. While playing as Peter you are in detective mode, searching for clues or interacting with Stan Lee and his comic book store in downtown New York. You also can return to Peter's home and change costumes or replay previous missions.



GRAPHICS

While an obvious improvement over the last generation, it is not a huge step forward. The frame rate seems much to low considering the speed of the new system and there were a significant amount of glitches during gameplay.

AUDIO

I can't really think of any issues with the audio. The voice acting was decent and the sound effects were on par with previous games and the movie.

VERDICT

The Amazing Spider-man 2 has a weak storyline and a lot of glitches that could have been avoided had the game not felt so rushed. The game could have been a lot better if they spent a little more time polishing up the final product. While swinging around town still holds a certain thrill, the game itself is a dud. As a huge fan of Ol' Webhead, this game was a huge letdown. Unless you are really desperate for a Spider-man game, I would advise against purchasing this one.

OVERALL 5/10

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REVIEW: MLB14 : The Show PS4

MLB 14: The Show PS4
Sports
Single-player, Online multiplayer
PS3, PS 4, PS Vita

While the new current generation of consoles are still trying to add to their game libraries one series that I knew I had to pick up was Playstation's MLB series. It is a console exclusive and every incarnation of the series always receives high marks, and for good reason.

There are several game modes to choose from when you first start to play the game. From making a player that starts out in the minors and works their way up to the majors, "the Show," a homerun derby, or just going into a single random game, or playing against others online to name a few.

Perhaps the biggest strength of the game are all of the options. The game lets you pick and choose how you play the game. For example, you can mash buttons to swing the bat or use the joystick all with a quick change in the options menu.

Gameplay

MLB 14 straight out of the box is quite quick to pick up and play but takes quite a while to master. With the wide ranging options any player who picks up the game should be able to find a controller setup that enhances their experience.

My only two gripes about gameplay is the fielding and the micro transactions. I tend to play 3rd base and indicator for infield plays lags behind. A pop up takes a second to register and while it may not make a difference on making the play, the player is out of position at the beginning of the play. A line drive tends to fly right by my fielder even after hitting the jump/dive button, which could have ended the play but ends up having the opponent taking a base.

The other complaint is the micro transactions. MLB has the option of tricking out your created player in order to advance your abilities. When you start out in the minors it may take a long time to get your player to advance up to the majors and MLB gives you the "opportunity" to purchase skill points for real money in order to cut down that time. Before the days of micro transactions, you had to improve or they gave you enough points when you start out to be competitive but now it is an opportunity to rake you over the coals for more money.

Graphics

The Playstation 4's graphics are exceptional. At first glance, it is difficult to tell you are playing a game as the players look and feel real. Customization is also impressive as you can really narrow down your player's looks.

Audio

The sounds of the ballpark are alive and well in MLB 14 and with the options available you can even choose the genre of music they play when you come up to the batting box. When the ball makes contact with the bat it is realistically depicted. No complaints on this front. The announcers and play by play commentators do tend to repeat far often that I would like but that is expected in sports games as there is only so many canned responses that the can record for so many situations. However, it would have been nice to have had a few more to break up the monotony.

Verdict

MLB 14 is how you do a baseball game, with the myriad choices in customization and games styles it is a definite pick up for anyone who enjoys baseball, I am just a casual player and found myself really enjoying the game far more than I thought I would. It would be interesting to see their take on a football/soccer game like FIFA as the customization on MLB is very in depth.

Overall 8.5/10

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REVIEW: Infamous Second Son

Infamous Second Son
Action-Adventure, Third-person
PS4

I have enjoyed the Infamous series since it first came out on the PS3. When the Playstation 4 was announced I was happy to see that the series was going to continue. Unfortunately, it was the only game I really wanted when the console was announced and that game alone wasn't enough for me to go out and pick the PS4 up on day one.

However, I recently picked up the PS4 console and it was an instant buy before all other games were considered. Second Son takes place in my hometown of Seattle. We have left Cole McGrath behind and are introduced to a young Native American from the Akomish tribe named Delsin Rowe, he is a bit of a troublemaker and a constant pain to his brother Reggie, the reservation's sheriff. As the government's DUP organization is transporting a few Conduits that are deemed bio-terrorists, when their vehicle crashes and they escape. Delsin and Reggie see the events unfold and go to offer their assistance. One of the Conduits attacks and in the melee Delsin's powers are unlocked. Delsin has the power to absorb other powers. The DUP's commander arrives on the scene and confronts Delsin who refuses to tell the truth as to what transpired and the reservation is encased in concrete using her powers. Some of the tribe members are injured and dying. Reggie and Delsin choose to go to Seattle to confront the DUP head and hope to restore their home town and save their townspeople by having Delsin learn the power to control concrete.

Gameplay

The game is a sandbox type game and you can tackle many of the challenges in any order you choose, although there are linear levels that you need to complete in order to advance the story.  I found myself removing the DUP checkpoints from downtown Seattle giving myself breathing room while I found all of the power ups before taking on the story.

The combat system is similar to the previous games, only the type of power has changed. Instead of electricity, Delsin starts out with smoke manipulation and soon learns to use Neon and finally Video and finally concrete. Through the course of the game, I found myself still enjoying the smoke power best but enjoyed all of them for each of their own uniqueness.

There are various types of enemies and the DUP soldiers are all able to manipulate concrete to one degree or another allowing for more challenging combat compared to the previous games. The soldiers can hit like a ton of bricks or use the concrete to launch into the air and create perches to gain an advantage and snipe Delsin from above.

The game still uses a morality aspect and as you advance into the game you gain a area clearing power that you can use when you fill up the good/evil meter. With each new power you learn a new area of effect power. If you choose to be good, the citizens will cheer you on and take your picture as you walk or run by. If you choose the evil path they make rude comments as you pass them by. During certain levels you will also have opportunities to make choices that will affect the game.

Whichever side you choose to play you should find yourself enjoying your powers and abilities. Which helps as the combat seems to be flawless as you glide from place to place and never seem to lose your bearings.



Graphics

Being that the game takes place in Seattle, there is a lot of rain featured in the game and it allows the neon found throughout the game to reflect off the pavement. Other than that the graphics are quite clear and obviously next generation (current gen?) but it is not that far removed from where the series left off on the PS3. While everything has been boosted and enhanced it isn't a major leap forward.

Audio

The audio is amazing. it sounds like you are in the streets of the northwest. My only complaint is that when you pick up fragments the controller dings. A ding that isn't subtle by any means. I found it was rather unnecessary and did nothing to enhance the game.

Verdict

Infamous Second Son is a worthy successor to the franchise but the quick campaign is a disappointment. The new powers are an improvement and fans of the previous games should find themselves on familiar ground. Newcomers won't be disappointed either as story is new and they won't get lost. It is a title worth picking up and giving it a play through.

Overall 7/10

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REVIEW: Wolfenstein The New Order

Wolfenstein: The New Order
First Person Shooter, Action-Adventure
PS4, XB1, PS3, 360, PC

It has been quite a while since I have played a Wolfenstein game. The latest foray into the world takes place 3 years after the adventure found in Wolfenstein (2009). In this alternative history, the Nazis have come up with a lot of new advanced technologies, which led to Germany conquering the world's superpowers. In a last ditch attempt to turn the tide, William "BJ" Blazkowski and Fergus Reid attempt a raid against a weapons labratory when they are captured. Blazkowski manages to escape but is put into an asylum for many years before snapping out of his vegetative state when a group of Nazis come to the hospital seeking patients for their experiments and he kills the interlopers and escapes with Anya, the young nurse from the facility to join up with the resistance.


Gameplay

The gameplay is quite easy to pick up the weapons wheel allows you to set two of your weapons for quick switches. and the game plays well. I only noticed a few glitches here and there that never deterred from the enjoyment of the game. While the alternative history may be something we haven't seen before, the Nazis controlling nearly the entire planet, the shooter aspect is something everyone will have seen before. The weapons may be slightly different but the overall gameplay is familiar territory.  However, where Wolfenstein excels is the visceral appeal of killing the bad guys. Many of the weapons have a duel-wielding option that to me was unnecessary. Although it did come in handy a few times early in the game when faced with two robots coming at you at the same time.

While Wolfenstein the New Order is a shooter, many of the levels depend upon stealth and the use of knives in order to succeed and progress through the level. I enjoyed stalking my enemies through rooms and corridors and once I had my hands on a silenced pistol, I continued to hunt them and take them apart one at a time leaving the rest unaware of their partner's fate. Hunting down commanders to avoid them calling in reinforcements helps avoid future conflicts. But I would have liked to have had better AI on the soldiers. Sometime they would encounter a body and not even bother to go on alert but continue to walk their patrol route making it easy for me to pick them off.

One thing that I did enjoy was how you unlock new abilities. By completing mini-games through the levels you unlock new abilities. The skills also have to be unlocked in order, which adds a nice layer of depth to the challenges.

The levels are all unique and subtly show Germany's dominance in the world. There is a space station, a junk yard and a capital city to name a few all adding to the mythology of this alternative history.

One of the downsides to the game is the very old feel of having to press 'X' every time you encounter health, ammo, and armor. It would have been nice to just walk over it and collect it. There is also a lack of NPCs, making the world seem a little less populated. There are a few points in the game where the learning curve is high. At one point you enter a sewer system and are confronted by an armored dog and there is no clue as to what you are suppose to do; attack it or run away. Only after trial and error do you find out the answer. There are a few situations like this that bothered me a little.



Graphics

While the game deals with a very dreary subject matter, the game is quite colorful. The swimming aspect and alternative history allow for some spectacular visuals. I found myself immersed into the world that MachineGames created. The glitches I mentioned above can be found throughout the game but do not deter from the game. They are minor nuisances that are so small that they are only jarring for a second.

Audio

The music is rather subtle. As I write this review, I can't even really recall much of the soundtrack. I did enjoy the voice acting. From Fergus' Irish humor to the sounds of the guns. They all added to a fairly fantastic game.

Verdict

Wolfenstein doesn't break new ground with their latest in the franchise but it is one of the better games currently out there. The PS4 and Xbox One are flooded with shooters looking to get your money and Wolfenstein The New Order is the one that should be getting it. It is a fun game dealing with some truly ugly events that really occurred. The fact that MachineGames can bring them to light without repercussions speaks loudly to how well they blended history with their alternative vision. The fact that nearly every level has at least two ways to approach it gives it some replay ability. The lack of multiplayer  is blessing as it is a great single player campaign.

Overall 8/10

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REVIEW: Conception II PS Vita

Conception II
Role-playing, Dungeon Crawler
Platforms: 3DS, Vita

In a world where the populace is under constant threat from monsters are formed from Dark Circles, a young man learns that he has the mark of the Star God on his hand, which allows him to attend a special school for people bearing the mark that gives them the ability to fight the monsters and defend humanity.

The protagonist, upon arriving at the school is tested and we quickly learn that he has a larger than average amount of Star Energy (the power to fight the monsters) and that he is the foretold "God's Gift." This title makes him an instant celebrity and elevates him to the elite branch of warriors. His power grants him the ability to fight inside the Dark Circles and bring a female companion. The female companions when "classmating" with God's gift can create Star Children, which can also go into the Dark Circles and fight the monsters.

Gameplay

Conception II is a dungeon crawler that uses a combination of turned based attacks and a 360 degree battlefield, split into four sections. Depending upon where you place your fighters around the monster, they may or may not be in harms way when it is the monster's turn to attack. Some attacks affect more than one of the four quadrants. The team can take on one monster at a time or you can split them up and take on up to three monsters at once. There are direct attacks and area of effect attacks.

When you are not in a battle you work your way through the various levels of the dungeon and can either evade them or attempt to take them unaware and gain an advantage in combat by attacking first.

When you are not in a dungeon, the game switches over to the academy where you can shop for items, change your Star Children teams (two teams of three), take on new quests, and interact with the various female companions in an attempt to increase your relationship status and conceive new Star Children.

The controls work rather intuitively. The right stick moves the camera and the left moves the hero. The buttons are clearly marked as you play through the game for each of the actions.

One complaint that I have is that as you work your way through each dungeon the first time, once you reach the final boss, the academy pulls you out forcing you to work your way through the dungeon again. The second play through has you now possessing an item that allows you to contain the boss and close the circle. While you can skip floors after working yourself to the next level upon your return, in order to level up your characters, it is best to start at the beginning of the dungeon and work your way back to the boss.



Graphics

While I am relatively new to the PS Vita (slim model), the graphics do look outstanding. The colors are bright and the characters are drawn well. The "classmating" portion of the game may be a concern for some but there isn't any nudity just glowing outline of the female's body, imply that the act may not just be holding hands. A rating of PG at best.

Audio

The music is what you would expect for a dungeon crawler and plays on an endless loop. It isn't great but it isn't bad.

Verdict

Conception II is a decent role playing game that has a interesting storyline but isn't as dramatic as Persona 4 Golden, a game that is considered the best RPG for the system, which is well deserved. Conception II offers a more light-hearted experience that combines the dating sim and dungeon crawler well. While there are many floors that you need to fight through in order to close them, the game goes by quickly and is a decent game if you are looking for something to fill in the gap P4G has left you after completing it. I for one, enjoyed all of the games aspects and while it doesn't break any new ground like it.

Overall   7/10

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REVIEW: Sniper Elite III Xbox One

Sniper Elite
Third Person, Tactical Shooter
Consoles: PC, PS3, PS4, X1, Xb360

Sniper Elite III is the first next generation title for the series. Still fighting the Nazis, this time in Africa (or Afrika if you prefer), we have our hero, Karl Fairburne, a sniper for the OSS or Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to the CIA where he learns of a super weapon the Nazi's are developing to turn the tide of the war.

Gameplay

The shooting mechanics are very similar to the controls found in Sniper Elite V2 only slightly improved. The most noticeable improvements are in the size of the maps. The majority of the maps are huge and allow the player to choose various ways to reach their objectives.

The stealth mechanics use a eye icon where a fully opened eye means you are out in the open and a squint is used when you are undetectable. While it is a nice feature, I found myself mainly using the awareness icon above the soldiers head. Yellow meant that they can see you but don't know what or who you are and are moving to investigate and as they become more alert it will start to turn to the color red, a full red circle means you have been identified and engaged. This system gave me enough information to move into the shadows or behind an obstacle, which would make them check the last place they saw you and allowing you to ambush them.

Loud sounds are still used to mask your shots and I found that the majority of the soldiers could be taken out using this method. In the later levels the machines you can interact with become less and less making you try to maneuver around and taking the enemies out by silenced pistol or with a takedown to clear a path to the objective.



The high point of Sniper III is the kill cam. Sniper III improves the kill cam by adding the cardiovascular and muscular system. As you take your shot the kill cam shows the bullet traveling to the target and if a soldier, just where the bullet enters the body and the damage it does. Vehicles can also be targeted but the majority of vehicles require two shots on the same panel/weakpoint in order to destroy it.

There is one mission where you and a spotter go out and look for the enemy. Not sure if it was a fluke in how I approached taking out the soldiers or a flaw in the level design but after he spotted the first soldier my spotter became completely useless. I would have loved to have had more levels where your spot points out more enemy scouts and you have to take them out but it was not to be. Perhaps in future games we will see more use of this feature. I would love to see Sniper Elite move on to the Korean War, a war that has yet to be used in video games.

Sniper III also has a new feature where you can start a small fire in order to gain the attention of patrolling guards. I used it a few times but just like the option to throw a rock to gain their attention, it had mixed results. You have a few other items at your disposal: grenades, trip wire explosives, and pop up explosives. They work once you have recognized the patterns that the soldiers walk and they can help take out a few people here and there. I used them sparingly and only used the vehicle mine to disable them and then pick them off from afar.

Graphics

The graphics are a huge improvement now that the game is on the next gen consoles. the kill cam looks sharper and the maps are bigger than previous versions of the game. Overall it isn't much different than Sniper Elite V2 but it does look impressive.

Audio

The game sounds great, the bullets coming out you ping and  shriek by and while there isn't a lot of talking in the game the characters feel authentic.

Verdict

Sniper Elite III is a great addition to the franchise that continues to improve with each new iteration. I happened to pick up the Collectors Edition, which included a deck of playing cards, a cabaret poster, range target and bullet pen, dog tags and a few blueprints, as well as some DLC. For the additional ten dollars it isn't a bad deal.

As for the game itself, the campaign is shorter than I would like and once you reach the end of the game finally eliminating your adversary is not as satisfying as it should have been since the whole story is chasing him down. Had the campaign been a little longer and the final confrontation been a little more emotional, I would have given the game a higher score. That said, it is a lot of fun and I look forward to the next one in the series.

Overall  7.5/10

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Assassin's Creed Black Flag XBox One

Assassin's Creed Black Flag
Third Person, Action Adventure Game
Console: Wii U, PS3, PS4, Xbox360 X1

Assassin's Creed Black Flag is the sixth installment in the Assassin's Creed franchise, this time featuring the pirate Edward Kenway (grandson to the protagonist of Assassin's Creed III). Kenway doesn't start out as part of the assassin's guild but is instead a man seeking his fortune when he stumbles into the ongoing fight between the the Templars and the Assassins.

Anyone who has played any of the Assassin's Creed games knows that there is plenty of world to explore as you climb up towers to unlock and uncover treasure and points of interest. What sets Black Flag apart from its predecessors is that the world is massive and that there are more points of interest than any of the games that came before it.


Gameplay

While controlling your character has always had its minor difficulties, Black Flag does a very good job of rectifying some of the previous complaints players had regarding the control of the character. I also felt as though Edward was able to navigate better than Assassin's Creed III; however, it still can be glitchy when trying to fine tune Edward in the direction you want to go.

Combat is also still quite easy, the ability to wait out your opponent and wait for the counter move is still the best strategy when faced with unfavorable odds. No matter what weapon you choose (guns not included) it is easy to just block and then attack. The heavy enemies are nearly just as simple by kicking them to break their attack and then going for the kill. While I am a person who enjoys the stealth aspect of the game, the straight up fights were just as entertaining as you could take on a large group and come out unscathed and then return to stealth gameplay.

While the heart of the game is still an Assassin's Creed game, it does tend to stray from the expectation as you don't start out as an Assassin, or their ally. Rather you slowly work your way into the fold and work along side them. The game is more pirate game then anything else as you upgrade your ship, the Jackdaw, and build up your fleet in order to build up your coffers and assist your online friends in their enterprises. You also have a private base that I didn't feel was fully explored. You have the option of building stores, taverns and brothels and a few new items for your mansion but it could have been something more.

Many of the missions feel very repetitive and after a while you get tired of the same challenge. I especially grew bored with the tailing and eavesdropping missions, a feature I have heard they are looking to improve in the next Assassin's Creed game (Assassin's Creed Unity)

While previous Assassin's Creed games have you take over Templar buildings, this time you are required to successfully destroy a coastal fort and then dock and fight through soldiers and kill the officer in charge in order to safely navigate the sea.

They also added a hunting mini game where you must hunt on land and on sea in order increase the amount of pistols and ammo you can carry. I have mixed emotions on this as you do a fair bit of hunting. On one hand it is just a game and historically accurate (to a degree) and on the other we are killing animals in a way that glorifies it. Not sure why I am on the fence about this issue as I had no problems doing it when it was featured in Far Cry 3.

There is also an online component where you play against other players but I only played it briefly and found the game modes to be less than stellar. While it is a nice edition to the game, you really play Assassin's Creed games for the campaign.





Graphics

Assassin's Creed does a tremendous job of using the upgraded graphics on the Xbox One. While it may be hard to see while you are on land, the sudden tempest while at see is impressive as the waves slam into the Jackdaw. The island paradises that you visit are bright and colorful. I find the graphics to be absolutely stunning.


Audio

As a historical story, the music is brilliantly used by the crew of the Jackdaw as they take up song once you head out to plunder Spanish and British convoys. One of the mini games is collecting music that your crew then sing as you are underway. It is an ingenious way to add historical accuracy as well as bring a soundtrack to the game. Although I did get a lot of repeating songs that I can still hear in my head from time to time.


Verdict

Assassin's Creed Black Flag is an ambitious addition to the series that features a massive map to explore containing hundreds of mini games and collectibles scattered throughout the world. While at times it feels more like a pirate simulator than a Assassin's Creed game, it still one of the best games out on the system today. Hours of gameplay and additional content can be found via Download. The one thing I really do not like is the ability to purchase some of the unlockable items through a pay to play feature in the online store. It doesn't affect the online component of the game but it just seems like a waste of money as the unlockables are not that difficult to attain.


Overall 8.5/10

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Watchdogs Xbox One

Watchdogs
Genre: Third-person, open world adventure game
Console: PC, PS4,PS3, XB360, XB1

Watch Dogs - Xbox One

Watchdogs has been on my radar since the day it was announced. It was originally intended to be a Xbox One day one release. However, just days before the big two released their new consoles, Ubisoft announced that they would be delaying the game until the first half of 2014. I was disappointed to say the least.

Watchdogs is an open world, third-person adventure game where you play the role of Aiden Pearce, a grey hat hacker who attempted to steal from the wrong people and as a result your family has suffered. Now that you have a few clues that could lead to the people who wronged you, you set out on a personal mission to make them pay.



On May 27th 2014 Watchdogs was finally released for all of the systems and I attended the midnight release party. Once I was home, I waited for it to install and played for about an hour before heading off to bed. The next day I played off and on and then finally finished the game just last week. Here are my impressions:

Story

The story, as described above, is at the heart, a story of retribution, while uncovering the mystery of who sent assassins that lead to the death of your niece Lena. It is a very weak story and by the end of the first act, I was already tired of the story. While I know that you have to have some sort of character motivation, this was very loosely created to keep you moving from mission to mission.

While we are on the subject of missions, they get old quickly. You have mission where you intercept convoys, you have missing persons investigations and collectibles to name a just a few. They were boring to say the least. Although there are a few interesting missions, the gang hideout and ctOS tower puzzles are fun. The digital trips are also fun. Being the spider tank and causing all kinds of mayhem gives a perverse sense of fun. Watchdogs also features an online component where you can jump into other Watchdog players games and attempt to hack their data and then attempt to escape before being discovered or eliminated, even that feature gets repetitive.W

Game Play

The controls are very similar to GTA V and Assassin's Creed. Some people have complained about aiming issues but I never had a problem with aiming. I found the aiming mechanics to be quite good and while I had a ton of different weapons at my disposal, I found that I preferred the default silenced handgun over anything else available. I did switch to the Vector when I would find myself swarmed by enemies, but since I tried to play as stealthy as possible found the silenced pistol the only weapon I really needed.

I did have problems with the duck and cover and hurdle buttons. Often times I would find myself crawling over an object when I wanted to stay hidden from an enemy causing me to be seen and I would have to "go loud" in order to complete the objective.

Watchdogs does feature the worst driving mechanics found in a Triple A title in a long time. For a game based around the premise of having to lose people tracking you, I found loosing the police early on in the game nearly impossible as the cars in the game turn like bricks on a frozen pond. No matter what speed you find yourself driving your vehicle, you will never turn your car around a corner like you should. GTA V has some issues but in Watchdogs escaping from people chasing you is difficult until you unlock some of Aiden's skills. The ability to burst steam pipes in the middle of the street is very effective when trying to ditch someone. However, you still have to try and turn the care around corners. If I had to describe the driving mechanics in one word it would be dreadful.

Graphics

Just a few days ago it was reported that that PC version has the files needed to make the game look more impressive (better shading,brighter colors, etc.) like the first teaser trailers for the game back when it was originally released. While they are not accessible on the console editions, I do find the graphics to be just slightly better than the graphics you would find on the 360 or PS3. I don't think that they are a huge leap forward and don't show the abilities of the consoles.

Audio

Like GTA V, Watchdogs features a wide variety of musical choices. When you hack NPCs phones you occasionally receive a new music track you can access from the car you are in. In my opinion, the tracks you have available are all terrible. Every time I jumped into a car I would immediately turn the radio off. While it is a neat little feature to rip music off from the people around you, the music isn't worth having in the first place.

Verdict

While I am still a huge fan of Ubisoft's games, Watchdogs was a huge disappointment. Unless you are really hurting for a new title to play, I would advise skipping this one. The story is weak, the missions extremely monotonous and the replay value is minimal.

Score 6/10

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