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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