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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