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: 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: 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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