Dark Souls 3: An Old Friend Returns To Destroy Your Soul Once More! :D
Developer: From Software
Publisher: From Software and Bandai Namco Entertainment
Release Date: March 24,2016
Price: 59.99$
Platform: PlayStation 4
You know , if you would've told me that I would be playing Dark Souls 3 about 5 years ago and that I'd like it what would I say? Well first I'd be freaking out over a future version of myself but once I got over that I'd say how stupid that sounds. I never once thought I would be into this soul-crushingly hard series ( pun totes intended) but here I am with a character over 70 hours plus deep into this spectacular game. Let's get into the details of why this game is so well-made and immersive as heck!
First things first I have to say that the overall intense difficulty level isn't as bad as everyone says. So many people hold the Souls series in such a high regard of being the most difficult thing to ever exist. Once you actually give it a shot and learn how enemies and attacking works it isn't that bad. The game only punishes you for not being prepared for the situations you find yourself in. I enjoyed it the most in this iteration of the franchise. The way this game is set up as far as how combat works and how the new ember system works makes this difficulty all the more fun. I had a blast encountering new enemies and bosses and having to contend with their unique combat tactics and movements. It's also such a relief and great sense of accomplishment once you finally beat that one strong enemy or boss.
Another great thing about Dark Souls 3 is how the overall gameplay has changed here. Now your player character is known as the Unkindled One and must consume Embers to retain high health and the ability to summon other characters and players. The great thing here is unlike Hollowing in past games there are no drawbacks to being Unkindled besides a bit lower health and not being able to summon. Gone are the days of lowered health and looking like beef jerky roadkill. One thing to note here is you can actually become Hollowed to gain levels if you choose. No negative effects either. This new systems of using embers is actually quite fun and brings a lot of fresh air to the series.
One thing that couples well with the Ember system is how combat and weapon leveling has been updated. Combat is very similar to past games but eaves a lot more room to explore move sets and combos. There's also a new third gauge that's introduced besides health and stamina known as Focus Points or FP. This is needed to perform magic and also to pull off different moves with the multiple unique weapons available. Some of these moves are quite impressive such as a flurrying sword combo possible with the Dancer's swords and many others. It's a blast to use magic and weapon movesets in this way. This truly updates and invigorates the gameplay overall.
I also absolutely love the overall level and boss designs in this entry of the franchise. Each place has such character and life breathed into it that it's hard not to just stand around in awe of how it all looks. In one instance you're making your trek through a desolate graveyard and then in the next you're inside of a grand castle facing off against giant knights and creepy, sharp toothed boxes! Each boss in the game is quite impressive as well. They range from ore humanoid rivals to others that are...uhhh...less human. I was blown away by some of the bosses such as the Dancer of The Boreal Valley and the Abyss Watchers. This is of course always complimented by an awe-inspiring soundtrack that pumps you up for battle and also intimately suits each and every boss. Seriously though Dancer is bae fo sho :D Another thing to note here is how From Software has clearly taken some design influence from Bloodborne into the primary Souls series. Most bosses have multiple forms now and fight uniquely between these forms. This requires a lot of effort on the player's end to tackle these challenges and make the most of what they have available to them. Most times you have to change tactics mid-fight just to barely scrape by.
Yet again story is a bit of hit or miss portion of the game. It is truly there and once you delve into it it can get quite deep but to get there can truly take ages. I know certain YouTubers like Vaati have gone into vast detail on this but i couldn't fully immerse myself in the story as much as other titles I've played. This actually did not detract from my overall experience actually. What little story bits i did get were enough to keep me going.
Overall I must say that Dark Souls 3 is an absolute blast to play start to finish. There are some cracks here and there with difficulty spikes near the end that nearly demand co-op play and a story that is mostly hidden to the average player but it's quite the rewarding experience to finally conquer this titan of a game. I loved my time with this game so far and if the upcoming DLC is as great and hard as it should be then Dark Souls 3 will be around in my library for a while. I give Dark Souls 3 a 9.5/10. Now let me get back to being maimed by giant fire demons and church women with spiked maces please, jeez!
Developer: From Software
Publisher: From Software and Bandai Namco Entertainment
Release Date: March 24,2016
Price: 59.99$
Platform: PlayStation 4
You know , if you would've told me that I would be playing Dark Souls 3 about 5 years ago and that I'd like it what would I say? Well first I'd be freaking out over a future version of myself but once I got over that I'd say how stupid that sounds. I never once thought I would be into this soul-crushingly hard series ( pun totes intended) but here I am with a character over 70 hours plus deep into this spectacular game. Let's get into the details of why this game is so well-made and immersive as heck!
First things first I have to say that the overall intense difficulty level isn't as bad as everyone says. So many people hold the Souls series in such a high regard of being the most difficult thing to ever exist. Once you actually give it a shot and learn how enemies and attacking works it isn't that bad. The game only punishes you for not being prepared for the situations you find yourself in. I enjoyed it the most in this iteration of the franchise. The way this game is set up as far as how combat works and how the new ember system works makes this difficulty all the more fun. I had a blast encountering new enemies and bosses and having to contend with their unique combat tactics and movements. It's also such a relief and great sense of accomplishment once you finally beat that one strong enemy or boss.
Another great thing about Dark Souls 3 is how the overall gameplay has changed here. Now your player character is known as the Unkindled One and must consume Embers to retain high health and the ability to summon other characters and players. The great thing here is unlike Hollowing in past games there are no drawbacks to being Unkindled besides a bit lower health and not being able to summon. Gone are the days of lowered health and looking like beef jerky roadkill. One thing to note here is you can actually become Hollowed to gain levels if you choose. No negative effects either. This new systems of using embers is actually quite fun and brings a lot of fresh air to the series.
One thing that couples well with the Ember system is how combat and weapon leveling has been updated. Combat is very similar to past games but eaves a lot more room to explore move sets and combos. There's also a new third gauge that's introduced besides health and stamina known as Focus Points or FP. This is needed to perform magic and also to pull off different moves with the multiple unique weapons available. Some of these moves are quite impressive such as a flurrying sword combo possible with the Dancer's swords and many others. It's a blast to use magic and weapon movesets in this way. This truly updates and invigorates the gameplay overall.
I also absolutely love the overall level and boss designs in this entry of the franchise. Each place has such character and life breathed into it that it's hard not to just stand around in awe of how it all looks. In one instance you're making your trek through a desolate graveyard and then in the next you're inside of a grand castle facing off against giant knights and creepy, sharp toothed boxes! Each boss in the game is quite impressive as well. They range from ore humanoid rivals to others that are...uhhh...less human. I was blown away by some of the bosses such as the Dancer of The Boreal Valley and the Abyss Watchers. This is of course always complimented by an awe-inspiring soundtrack that pumps you up for battle and also intimately suits each and every boss. Seriously though Dancer is bae fo sho :D Another thing to note here is how From Software has clearly taken some design influence from Bloodborne into the primary Souls series. Most bosses have multiple forms now and fight uniquely between these forms. This requires a lot of effort on the player's end to tackle these challenges and make the most of what they have available to them. Most times you have to change tactics mid-fight just to barely scrape by.
Yet again story is a bit of hit or miss portion of the game. It is truly there and once you delve into it it can get quite deep but to get there can truly take ages. I know certain YouTubers like Vaati have gone into vast detail on this but i couldn't fully immerse myself in the story as much as other titles I've played. This actually did not detract from my overall experience actually. What little story bits i did get were enough to keep me going.
Overall I must say that Dark Souls 3 is an absolute blast to play start to finish. There are some cracks here and there with difficulty spikes near the end that nearly demand co-op play and a story that is mostly hidden to the average player but it's quite the rewarding experience to finally conquer this titan of a game. I loved my time with this game so far and if the upcoming DLC is as great and hard as it should be then Dark Souls 3 will be around in my library for a while. I give Dark Souls 3 a 9.5/10. Now let me get back to being maimed by giant fire demons and church women with spiked maces please, jeez!
Ratchet and Clank for the PS4: An HD Reboot done right for a change! Finally!
-SPOILER ALERT-
Developer: Insomniac Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release Date: April 12,2016
Price: 39.99$
Platform: PlayStation 4
I never thought I would ever be playing a new Ratchet and Clank game on PS4 based on a movie based on the first game.....wow that's a mouthful there. This series is one of my all time favorite game franchises and it's due to the buttery-smooth controls, awesome platforming, insane guns and well thought out story and clever writing. I was a bit skeptical about the idea of making the franchise into a movie franchise. I was worried they would make things too kid oriented or just drastically different. I haven't yet seen the movie but if this movie-tie in reboot game is any indication there's nothing to worry about.
First off I wanna talk about the overall storyline presented in the game. It's basically the same story of the duo's first adventure but better connected in terms of narrative structure. An example is the mayor of Novalis being the uncle of Skid McMarxx. This better connects the story of each planet and makes the characters more than just mindless NPC's that give you your next quest. I really enjoy this aspect of the storyline overall. Throughout Ratchet and Clank's adventure story threads come together and better tell an overall narrative rather than feeling as though you're simply traveling from plot point to plot point on each planet. The team at Insomniac also bring in certain elements introduced in the other games as well. Things such as the inclusion of Dr. Nefarious and other elements helps to not only set up a better universe for the characters but also get things ready for a sequel if the movie and game do well. They also present things better such as having Ratchet working with a mechanic on Veldin and wanting to become a Galactic Ranger and make his own destiny. This works better than the unexpected hero story we get in the original.
I will say there are some things I did not like in the overall storytelling department. One thing was that some characters don't get quite as much depth as they should have. Case in point is the character of Cora. She's presented as a level headed and strong-willed member of the Galactic Rangers that Ratchet joins but she never gets much time to be expanded on. She's from Novalis and when it's inevitably destroyed during the game she reacts to it but only for a minute or two. I understand there will be more characterization within the actual film for things like this but it still bothered me. She comes off as another meaningless character like the villain Victor Von Ion. Victor is a warbot working for Drek who becomes a nemesis of sorts for Clank. The only thing is he's just evil to be evil. There's nothing more to him. This issue comes up a good amount with characters like these. It doesn't make me dislike the game but I found it strange as the original game had more than enough time to characterize our heroes and villains.
Spoilers for the end of the game but Captain Quark's fall and eventual turn back to good felt underwhelming. In the first game he was willing to take out our heroes to retain his fame and fortune. He didn't care much for their survival and it led not only to his failure but to his becoming the villain for the second game as well. Here he's just jealous of Ratchet and tries to ally with Drek and Nefarious to somehow get back at him....I think? My main gripe here is that his fall has no real weight behind it as he turns back to good so easily. This will make adapting the second game's story much harder as Quark seems to be a good guy at the moment. In the original he was a has-been and a fake and it showed. Here, not so much.
The gameplay in this title is some of the most entertaining and fun the series has been until this point. This game feels like an amazing remix of everything great from the series. We get weapons upgrading from the second game and raritanium upgrading from into the nexus with weapon designs from each title. Everything here just plainly WORKS. The controls are easy to master and the weapons are a complete blast (pun def intended) to use. The ones we get here are a great mix of ones from throughout the series with a few new ones to even things out. My favorite so far has to be the Pixelizer. This is a shotgun type weapon that actually turns them into 8-bit version of themselves with delightful old-school sound effects to boot. The platforming and puzzles associated are also ingenious. The gameplay of this franchise is just such a blast to experience. You can easily soar along the ground, smack an enemy with your wrench and blast the next one behind it with your blaster before they have a chance to react. This makes playing the new game an energetic and frantic experience.
I also enjoyed the leveling system here for weapons and health. While fighting enemies you gain experience for your weapons and health. Once a weapon levels up it becomes stronger or gains more ammunition. These weapons can also be modified through the awesome raritanium upgrading system introduced in Tools of Destruction and perfected in Into The Nexus. This system allows each weapon to increase aspects such as firing rate and blast radius. If the player is able to fill up cells surrounding question mark cells they'll unlock a secret upgrade for the weapon that can drastically change how it's used. Since the weapons are the bread and butter of the franchise it was a relief to see how well they were designed and utilized here.
A few small things I didn't like had to do with one particular end game weapon and armor. In this game you have to find new collectibles called holocards. Each one is part of a set and when all of them are found you gain a buff. One set has to do with the RYNO weapons from throughout the franchise. Once each one is found you get this game's RYNO.....except it's just a re skin of the RYNO IV, This was underwhelming to me because they could have easily redesigned the original RYNO or came up with a new design. The weapon is fun to use and basically makes the game a cakewalk but it's design could have been better. I also found issue with the fact that there's no armor to buy in the game. You get your Galactic Ranger armor but it never changes or is allowed to upgrade at all. This was strange to me as many of the other games had multiple armor types.
The presentation of this title is also something to marvel at. Each game in the series has attempted to mimic Pixar quality graphics. This game definitely does that and even goes a bit beyond. Everything from Ratchet's movements and animations to the graphical quality to the sound design is top notch here. I also enjoyed how some planets were presented. Some are combined with others or expanded upon. This leads to some of the best level design of the series to date. One example is the combination of war-torn Batalia with the snowy Hoven bomb factory. This leads to a gorgeous snowy level with elements of an attacked fortress.
This game is absolutely fantastic regardless of the few negatives I've spoken about here. It's an awesome reboot of one of my favorite game franchises of all time and truly honors it's roots. Everything from the gameplay to the story to the design is amazing here. It's not perfect but it's definitely worth it for veteran fans or newbies alike. I love this franchise and I wish the movies the best of luck! Hopefully this game and the film will draw in new fans. I plan on playing this series for many more years to come. I give Ratchet and Clank for PS4 a solid 9.5/10.
-SPOILER ALERT-
Developer: Insomniac Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release Date: April 12,2016
Price: 39.99$
Platform: PlayStation 4
I never thought I would ever be playing a new Ratchet and Clank game on PS4 based on a movie based on the first game.....wow that's a mouthful there. This series is one of my all time favorite game franchises and it's due to the buttery-smooth controls, awesome platforming, insane guns and well thought out story and clever writing. I was a bit skeptical about the idea of making the franchise into a movie franchise. I was worried they would make things too kid oriented or just drastically different. I haven't yet seen the movie but if this movie-tie in reboot game is any indication there's nothing to worry about.
First off I wanna talk about the overall storyline presented in the game. It's basically the same story of the duo's first adventure but better connected in terms of narrative structure. An example is the mayor of Novalis being the uncle of Skid McMarxx. This better connects the story of each planet and makes the characters more than just mindless NPC's that give you your next quest. I really enjoy this aspect of the storyline overall. Throughout Ratchet and Clank's adventure story threads come together and better tell an overall narrative rather than feeling as though you're simply traveling from plot point to plot point on each planet. The team at Insomniac also bring in certain elements introduced in the other games as well. Things such as the inclusion of Dr. Nefarious and other elements helps to not only set up a better universe for the characters but also get things ready for a sequel if the movie and game do well. They also present things better such as having Ratchet working with a mechanic on Veldin and wanting to become a Galactic Ranger and make his own destiny. This works better than the unexpected hero story we get in the original.
I will say there are some things I did not like in the overall storytelling department. One thing was that some characters don't get quite as much depth as they should have. Case in point is the character of Cora. She's presented as a level headed and strong-willed member of the Galactic Rangers that Ratchet joins but she never gets much time to be expanded on. She's from Novalis and when it's inevitably destroyed during the game she reacts to it but only for a minute or two. I understand there will be more characterization within the actual film for things like this but it still bothered me. She comes off as another meaningless character like the villain Victor Von Ion. Victor is a warbot working for Drek who becomes a nemesis of sorts for Clank. The only thing is he's just evil to be evil. There's nothing more to him. This issue comes up a good amount with characters like these. It doesn't make me dislike the game but I found it strange as the original game had more than enough time to characterize our heroes and villains.
Spoilers for the end of the game but Captain Quark's fall and eventual turn back to good felt underwhelming. In the first game he was willing to take out our heroes to retain his fame and fortune. He didn't care much for their survival and it led not only to his failure but to his becoming the villain for the second game as well. Here he's just jealous of Ratchet and tries to ally with Drek and Nefarious to somehow get back at him....I think? My main gripe here is that his fall has no real weight behind it as he turns back to good so easily. This will make adapting the second game's story much harder as Quark seems to be a good guy at the moment. In the original he was a has-been and a fake and it showed. Here, not so much.
The gameplay in this title is some of the most entertaining and fun the series has been until this point. This game feels like an amazing remix of everything great from the series. We get weapons upgrading from the second game and raritanium upgrading from into the nexus with weapon designs from each title. Everything here just plainly WORKS. The controls are easy to master and the weapons are a complete blast (pun def intended) to use. The ones we get here are a great mix of ones from throughout the series with a few new ones to even things out. My favorite so far has to be the Pixelizer. This is a shotgun type weapon that actually turns them into 8-bit version of themselves with delightful old-school sound effects to boot. The platforming and puzzles associated are also ingenious. The gameplay of this franchise is just such a blast to experience. You can easily soar along the ground, smack an enemy with your wrench and blast the next one behind it with your blaster before they have a chance to react. This makes playing the new game an energetic and frantic experience.
I also enjoyed the leveling system here for weapons and health. While fighting enemies you gain experience for your weapons and health. Once a weapon levels up it becomes stronger or gains more ammunition. These weapons can also be modified through the awesome raritanium upgrading system introduced in Tools of Destruction and perfected in Into The Nexus. This system allows each weapon to increase aspects such as firing rate and blast radius. If the player is able to fill up cells surrounding question mark cells they'll unlock a secret upgrade for the weapon that can drastically change how it's used. Since the weapons are the bread and butter of the franchise it was a relief to see how well they were designed and utilized here.
A few small things I didn't like had to do with one particular end game weapon and armor. In this game you have to find new collectibles called holocards. Each one is part of a set and when all of them are found you gain a buff. One set has to do with the RYNO weapons from throughout the franchise. Once each one is found you get this game's RYNO.....except it's just a re skin of the RYNO IV, This was underwhelming to me because they could have easily redesigned the original RYNO or came up with a new design. The weapon is fun to use and basically makes the game a cakewalk but it's design could have been better. I also found issue with the fact that there's no armor to buy in the game. You get your Galactic Ranger armor but it never changes or is allowed to upgrade at all. This was strange to me as many of the other games had multiple armor types.
The presentation of this title is also something to marvel at. Each game in the series has attempted to mimic Pixar quality graphics. This game definitely does that and even goes a bit beyond. Everything from Ratchet's movements and animations to the graphical quality to the sound design is top notch here. I also enjoyed how some planets were presented. Some are combined with others or expanded upon. This leads to some of the best level design of the series to date. One example is the combination of war-torn Batalia with the snowy Hoven bomb factory. This leads to a gorgeous snowy level with elements of an attacked fortress.
This game is absolutely fantastic regardless of the few negatives I've spoken about here. It's an awesome reboot of one of my favorite game franchises of all time and truly honors it's roots. Everything from the gameplay to the story to the design is amazing here. It's not perfect but it's definitely worth it for veteran fans or newbies alike. I love this franchise and I wish the movies the best of luck! Hopefully this game and the film will draw in new fans. I plan on playing this series for many more years to come. I give Ratchet and Clank for PS4 a solid 9.5/10.
,
Free update Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows piles on the charm and the challenge!
Developer: Yacht Club Games
Publisher: Yacht Club Games
Release Date: September 17,2015
Price: Free Update
Platform: PlayStation 4 (Reviewed on), Xbox One, 3DS, PC
Bomb’s Away!
Shovel Knight has quickly become one of the most popular and beloved games of the last two years since its initial release. This is due mostly in part to its charming NES sprite art style and Mega Man/Mario inspired gameplay. It’s one of my all-time favorite games and now an all new free update has been released. This update entitled Plague Of Shadows sets a new standard for how free DLC should be developed for games in the future.
The best part of this new adventure is the fact that it is an entirely new game separate from vanilla Shovel Knight. This is not a simple pallet swap of Plague Knight for the main character of the original game. This is an entirely new experience for playing as Plague Knight. His abilities are quite different in that he utilizes different types of bombs to fight enemies and bosses. This completely changes how the game is made and some levels are even redesigned to accommodate his changes to gameplay.
An Alchemist’s Tale
The story involves Plague Knight trying to steal the essence of each member of The Order Of No Quarter. He plans to use these all to create “The Ultimate Potion” gaining him more power and fame. What’s great here is we get more characterization for one of the knights from the primary game. That swift and witty dialogue is at work again making every scene pop with Plague Knight on-screen. His journey to steal from others and also gain the love of his assistant Mora is very cute and well executed. His dialogue is filled to the brim with humor and witty comebacks to most everything said to him. One of my favorite scenes involves a fight with Shovel Knight that shows what it would be like if you defeated him instead of the other way around.
Another interesting tidbit is that some parts of the game are completely different as you’re playing as the villain now. The primary village of the main game is inaccessible as you’re seen as a menace. A few moments later you find yourself in an underground black market that serves as a place to buy and try out new bomb upgrades. You can also collect music sheets to give to Percy who will award you with gold and throw them to Oolong who plays the songs. This delighted me as I loved seeing how a villainous character would work differently from Shovel Knight. We also get a pretty good amount of insight into his character which was not as strong with Shovel Knight.
There’s also a humorous takeover of the original Armor Outpost that happens later on. These scenes along with others showing your path weaving in and out of Shovel Knight’s gives the game a fun and new feeling overall. Even though I’d visited this world once before it felt completely new for the most part.
Prepare Your Potions
Yet again gameplay is top-notch here yet again. Plague Knight uses bombs to attack and these can even be augmented and customized to your liking. There are three parts; the casing, fuse and the powder. Each piece changes how the bomb behaves drastically. This allows a pretty deep level of customization as you unlock and try out new set ups for your growing arsenal. You can also hold the attack button to use a bomb on yourself to fling your character in a direction. This simple change makes Plague Knight a hassle then eventually a dream to control. You can combine this ability with your double jump to reach new heights that would be impossible before.
You can also find the same relics from the primary game. Once found they’re denounced as junk by Plague Knight and can be sold to the amazing Chester the salesman to acquire Arcana magic attacks to use. These serve as the new abilities and relics for this game. They range from a summonable vat of goo to stand on mid-air to a smoke screen that once passed through allows our new hero to walk across spikes for a limited time. The number of health vials to add to your total health and overall magic bar size can be upgraded as well.
What truly baffles yet excites me about this DLC is that the innate challenge from the original game is not lost at all. On the contrary you’re actually challenged to relearn how the game works using the new character. Gone is the ability to bounce on enemies or other objects to make it across that huge chasm. Now you have to fling yourself over using a bomb and a bit of luck to make those precise moves.
Another thing that works here really well is the controls. It takes a bit of adjusting but once you get used to Plague Knight’s flighty control set up it’s an absolute blast and deep challenge to play as him. I beat the original game twice on the PS4 and 3Ds yet still had trouble with this campaign. This is the most fun and challenge I’ve had in a game in quite some time.
Verdict
Plague Of Shadows weaves its own narrative and deftly balances challenge with its own unique style that places it above the original game in my mind. It’s weird how a free update for a game can be so unique and fun to play as this title. The overall charm of the art style and dialogue is back and better than ever here. My only small gripe had to do with the added challenge of fewer checkpoints. Combining this with getting used to the controls all over again and you get quite a few consecutive deaths. What’s great though is that each death feels deserved as you do have a good amount of control over your actions. I would have liked to see more checkpoints and possible some added boss characters or new levels also. This is one of my favorite games as of now. I give this title a 9/10. Check it out and give the villain a chance to become a hero!
Free update Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows piles on the charm and the challenge!
Developer: Yacht Club Games
Publisher: Yacht Club Games
Release Date: September 17,2015
Price: Free Update
Platform: PlayStation 4 (Reviewed on), Xbox One, 3DS, PC
Bomb’s Away!
Shovel Knight has quickly become one of the most popular and beloved games of the last two years since its initial release. This is due mostly in part to its charming NES sprite art style and Mega Man/Mario inspired gameplay. It’s one of my all-time favorite games and now an all new free update has been released. This update entitled Plague Of Shadows sets a new standard for how free DLC should be developed for games in the future.
The best part of this new adventure is the fact that it is an entirely new game separate from vanilla Shovel Knight. This is not a simple pallet swap of Plague Knight for the main character of the original game. This is an entirely new experience for playing as Plague Knight. His abilities are quite different in that he utilizes different types of bombs to fight enemies and bosses. This completely changes how the game is made and some levels are even redesigned to accommodate his changes to gameplay.
An Alchemist’s Tale
The story involves Plague Knight trying to steal the essence of each member of The Order Of No Quarter. He plans to use these all to create “The Ultimate Potion” gaining him more power and fame. What’s great here is we get more characterization for one of the knights from the primary game. That swift and witty dialogue is at work again making every scene pop with Plague Knight on-screen. His journey to steal from others and also gain the love of his assistant Mora is very cute and well executed. His dialogue is filled to the brim with humor and witty comebacks to most everything said to him. One of my favorite scenes involves a fight with Shovel Knight that shows what it would be like if you defeated him instead of the other way around.
Another interesting tidbit is that some parts of the game are completely different as you’re playing as the villain now. The primary village of the main game is inaccessible as you’re seen as a menace. A few moments later you find yourself in an underground black market that serves as a place to buy and try out new bomb upgrades. You can also collect music sheets to give to Percy who will award you with gold and throw them to Oolong who plays the songs. This delighted me as I loved seeing how a villainous character would work differently from Shovel Knight. We also get a pretty good amount of insight into his character which was not as strong with Shovel Knight.
There’s also a humorous takeover of the original Armor Outpost that happens later on. These scenes along with others showing your path weaving in and out of Shovel Knight’s gives the game a fun and new feeling overall. Even though I’d visited this world once before it felt completely new for the most part.
Prepare Your Potions
Yet again gameplay is top-notch here yet again. Plague Knight uses bombs to attack and these can even be augmented and customized to your liking. There are three parts; the casing, fuse and the powder. Each piece changes how the bomb behaves drastically. This allows a pretty deep level of customization as you unlock and try out new set ups for your growing arsenal. You can also hold the attack button to use a bomb on yourself to fling your character in a direction. This simple change makes Plague Knight a hassle then eventually a dream to control. You can combine this ability with your double jump to reach new heights that would be impossible before.
You can also find the same relics from the primary game. Once found they’re denounced as junk by Plague Knight and can be sold to the amazing Chester the salesman to acquire Arcana magic attacks to use. These serve as the new abilities and relics for this game. They range from a summonable vat of goo to stand on mid-air to a smoke screen that once passed through allows our new hero to walk across spikes for a limited time. The number of health vials to add to your total health and overall magic bar size can be upgraded as well.
What truly baffles yet excites me about this DLC is that the innate challenge from the original game is not lost at all. On the contrary you’re actually challenged to relearn how the game works using the new character. Gone is the ability to bounce on enemies or other objects to make it across that huge chasm. Now you have to fling yourself over using a bomb and a bit of luck to make those precise moves.
Another thing that works here really well is the controls. It takes a bit of adjusting but once you get used to Plague Knight’s flighty control set up it’s an absolute blast and deep challenge to play as him. I beat the original game twice on the PS4 and 3Ds yet still had trouble with this campaign. This is the most fun and challenge I’ve had in a game in quite some time.
Verdict
Plague Of Shadows weaves its own narrative and deftly balances challenge with its own unique style that places it above the original game in my mind. It’s weird how a free update for a game can be so unique and fun to play as this title. The overall charm of the art style and dialogue is back and better than ever here. My only small gripe had to do with the added challenge of fewer checkpoints. Combining this with getting used to the controls all over again and you get quite a few consecutive deaths. What’s great though is that each death feels deserved as you do have a good amount of control over your actions. I would have liked to see more checkpoints and possible some added boss characters or new levels also. This is one of my favorite games as of now. I give this title a 9/10. Check it out and give the villain a chance to become a hero!
*Image rights above to Sony*
Bloody Brilliant: BloodBorne is a white-knuckle, dark and dreary ride full of visceral combat and immensely engaging challenges
Developer: From Software
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Price: 59.99 (Much cheaper online)
Platforms: PS4
From Software is known as a developer that doles out punishment in their games. Most games have controls that are easy to understand and tutorials for how to play. This is absent from most games released by From Software.
Demon's Souls, Dark Souls and Dark Souls II are immensely challenging but somehow fans love them. Are people just plain masochists ready to be destroyed by difficulty? In a sense, yes, but attempting the Souls series is a lot of fun. They present a real challenge not yet seen in today’s market of games. "BloodBorne," released March 24, is the newest in the long line of difficult games from this developer. Let’s see how it stands against its older brothers on the PlayStation 4.
The game is set in the Victorian styled city of Yharnam. The city is plagued by a disease that turned the citizens into bloodthirsty monsters. The player creates a character that must navigate the city in search of a cure. They’re known as hunters who take down the horrifying beasts that have taken residence in the city.
It’s a good enough set-up to play, but it doesn’t give much in terms of narrative structure. Bits and pieces of knowledge are given about the world that shed light on some things. This adds to the horror of the game because the player is unsure of what is truly happening. I enjoyed that the story was not as in depth as most other games. I think this would have distracted me from the amazing gameplay.
The player is given a firearm in their left hand and a weapon in their right. The right hand weapon can be transformed into a secondary form. The threaded cane starts out as a cane, but it can become a deadly whip. My character utilized the saw cleaver that starts as a smaller, jagged cleaver but can extend into a longer saw-like weapon to cut down my foes. You can lock on to enemies by clicking R3.
In this game there aren't any more defensive options except for a joke wooden shield. Gone are the days of Dark Souls where you could slump around in Havel’s armor taking hits like they were nothing. There is no real armor in the game save for some different outfits that effect your different stats.
The true strength of the gameplay in BloodBorne comes from its speed and visceral feel. The player has to read enemy movement and react accordingly. This makes for a much faster paced and tactical way of playing the game compared to previous From Software titles. I loved this aspect. The combat feels great and you as the player feel amazing finally taking down that one enemy that killed you before.
Death plays an intriguing part in the gameplay as well. When players die they lose their blood echoes, which are used to level up. Unless these are recovered they will be lost forever if the player dies again. This punishing gameplay element makes for a careful gamble. Do you try and get your echoes back and risk losing what you’ve gained on the way back? Or do you go another route and leave them behind? These questions pull at you as you play the game.
Players are able to enter “The Hunter’s Dream” through lamp posts strewn throughout Yharnam. Here they can warp back to the dream and level up their character. The player must have insight to level up, which can be obtained from killing or losing to a boss, or by finding the Madman’s Knowledge item.
They can also modify and buy weapons. Another merchant shows up later in the game who allows players to purchase clothing based off certain boss characters. This system of traversing the city, finding a lamp post and then leveling up and doing it all over again is very satisfying. I can’t count how many times I searched hastily for the next lamp post to spend my echoes before I died at the hands of the next horrifying enemy. The difficulty of the enemies makes the game scarier.
Gameplay is also spurred on by how enemies react to the player. If they swing a weapon at you, you can fire your sidearm. Pull this off correctly and you can do a visceral attack with the R1 button that instantly kills enemies and greatly damages bosses. I remember distinctly pulling off a visceral attack on the first boss, the Cleric Beast. It felt wonderful and I even cheered out loud at my accomplishment.
BloodBorne looks absolutely stunning on the PlayStation 4. The city is enormous and well detailed. Each building is well designed and the shortcuts between areas are expertly hidden and utilized. Each enemy has waterfalls of blood pouring from them upon defeat. The sound design is also amazing. The sounds of enemies and weapons are electrifying, and the music is haunting but it propels the player forward. The presentation helps to immerse the player as soon as they enter the world of Yharnam.
I’ve played the game for about 100 hours so far. I’ve nearly beaten every boss and had a blast doing it. I’ve also created multiple characters to play through as. Co-op makes everything better. If the player has PSN friends they can use bells within the game to summon each other. The players must be within about 10 levels of each other to co-op unless they use a password.
They also must set their network settings to worldwide and have the same exact password. Make sure to be near the same spot in the game world to make this work. This ensures co-op runs smoothly. I have played through four bosses with a friend and it was the most fun I’d had playing multiplayer in a long time. Once you defeat a boss together the player must leave your session. This stops people from completing the game too quickly or easily.
The new game plus mode makes enemies and bosses harder to fight the second time through. Players can repeatedly complete the mode for more echoes and extra added challenge. The chalice dungeons are optional areas that can be accessed from the Hunter’s Dream. They offer enemies to fight and items to find. These extend the replayability factor tenfold compared to the already nearly 40 hour or longer single-player campaign.
BloodBorne is easily one of my favorite games on the PlayStation 4. I never used to be a fan of overtly difficult games, but this and the Souls series has changed my mind entirely. This game is a messy, terrifying, and hard as nails ride from beginning to end. I loved every second of having my character ripped to shreds multiple times throughout.
Once you begin to learn the ins and outs of combat and how enemies work, the game becomes a beautiful and challenging experience. They’ve also recently updated the game to have much better load times and fixed multiple issues. I give BloodBorne a 9.5/10. Excuse me while I execute a few werewolves for some Molotov cocktails please.
Bloody Brilliant: BloodBorne is a white-knuckle, dark and dreary ride full of visceral combat and immensely engaging challenges
Developer: From Software
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Price: 59.99 (Much cheaper online)
Platforms: PS4
From Software is known as a developer that doles out punishment in their games. Most games have controls that are easy to understand and tutorials for how to play. This is absent from most games released by From Software.
Demon's Souls, Dark Souls and Dark Souls II are immensely challenging but somehow fans love them. Are people just plain masochists ready to be destroyed by difficulty? In a sense, yes, but attempting the Souls series is a lot of fun. They present a real challenge not yet seen in today’s market of games. "BloodBorne," released March 24, is the newest in the long line of difficult games from this developer. Let’s see how it stands against its older brothers on the PlayStation 4.
The game is set in the Victorian styled city of Yharnam. The city is plagued by a disease that turned the citizens into bloodthirsty monsters. The player creates a character that must navigate the city in search of a cure. They’re known as hunters who take down the horrifying beasts that have taken residence in the city.
It’s a good enough set-up to play, but it doesn’t give much in terms of narrative structure. Bits and pieces of knowledge are given about the world that shed light on some things. This adds to the horror of the game because the player is unsure of what is truly happening. I enjoyed that the story was not as in depth as most other games. I think this would have distracted me from the amazing gameplay.
The player is given a firearm in their left hand and a weapon in their right. The right hand weapon can be transformed into a secondary form. The threaded cane starts out as a cane, but it can become a deadly whip. My character utilized the saw cleaver that starts as a smaller, jagged cleaver but can extend into a longer saw-like weapon to cut down my foes. You can lock on to enemies by clicking R3.
In this game there aren't any more defensive options except for a joke wooden shield. Gone are the days of Dark Souls where you could slump around in Havel’s armor taking hits like they were nothing. There is no real armor in the game save for some different outfits that effect your different stats.
The true strength of the gameplay in BloodBorne comes from its speed and visceral feel. The player has to read enemy movement and react accordingly. This makes for a much faster paced and tactical way of playing the game compared to previous From Software titles. I loved this aspect. The combat feels great and you as the player feel amazing finally taking down that one enemy that killed you before.
Death plays an intriguing part in the gameplay as well. When players die they lose their blood echoes, which are used to level up. Unless these are recovered they will be lost forever if the player dies again. This punishing gameplay element makes for a careful gamble. Do you try and get your echoes back and risk losing what you’ve gained on the way back? Or do you go another route and leave them behind? These questions pull at you as you play the game.
Players are able to enter “The Hunter’s Dream” through lamp posts strewn throughout Yharnam. Here they can warp back to the dream and level up their character. The player must have insight to level up, which can be obtained from killing or losing to a boss, or by finding the Madman’s Knowledge item.
They can also modify and buy weapons. Another merchant shows up later in the game who allows players to purchase clothing based off certain boss characters. This system of traversing the city, finding a lamp post and then leveling up and doing it all over again is very satisfying. I can’t count how many times I searched hastily for the next lamp post to spend my echoes before I died at the hands of the next horrifying enemy. The difficulty of the enemies makes the game scarier.
Gameplay is also spurred on by how enemies react to the player. If they swing a weapon at you, you can fire your sidearm. Pull this off correctly and you can do a visceral attack with the R1 button that instantly kills enemies and greatly damages bosses. I remember distinctly pulling off a visceral attack on the first boss, the Cleric Beast. It felt wonderful and I even cheered out loud at my accomplishment.
BloodBorne looks absolutely stunning on the PlayStation 4. The city is enormous and well detailed. Each building is well designed and the shortcuts between areas are expertly hidden and utilized. Each enemy has waterfalls of blood pouring from them upon defeat. The sound design is also amazing. The sounds of enemies and weapons are electrifying, and the music is haunting but it propels the player forward. The presentation helps to immerse the player as soon as they enter the world of Yharnam.
I’ve played the game for about 100 hours so far. I’ve nearly beaten every boss and had a blast doing it. I’ve also created multiple characters to play through as. Co-op makes everything better. If the player has PSN friends they can use bells within the game to summon each other. The players must be within about 10 levels of each other to co-op unless they use a password.
They also must set their network settings to worldwide and have the same exact password. Make sure to be near the same spot in the game world to make this work. This ensures co-op runs smoothly. I have played through four bosses with a friend and it was the most fun I’d had playing multiplayer in a long time. Once you defeat a boss together the player must leave your session. This stops people from completing the game too quickly or easily.
The new game plus mode makes enemies and bosses harder to fight the second time through. Players can repeatedly complete the mode for more echoes and extra added challenge. The chalice dungeons are optional areas that can be accessed from the Hunter’s Dream. They offer enemies to fight and items to find. These extend the replayability factor tenfold compared to the already nearly 40 hour or longer single-player campaign.
BloodBorne is easily one of my favorite games on the PlayStation 4. I never used to be a fan of overtly difficult games, but this and the Souls series has changed my mind entirely. This game is a messy, terrifying, and hard as nails ride from beginning to end. I loved every second of having my character ripped to shreds multiple times throughout.
Once you begin to learn the ins and outs of combat and how enemies work, the game becomes a beautiful and challenging experience. They’ve also recently updated the game to have much better load times and fixed multiple issues. I give BloodBorne a 9.5/10. Excuse me while I execute a few werewolves for some Molotov cocktails please.
GTA V: A Three-Man Chaotic jaunt through the high definition sights and sounds of Los Santos
Developer: Rockstar North
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Price: 39.99$
Platforms: PS4 and Xbox One
Recently Rockstar released a next gen version GTA V for PS4 and Xbox One, and it’s quite the spectacle. They added in some new features I’d like to highlight. Here are my insights on arguably one of the best games in the franchise and of this console generation.
The first thing to notice is the immense graphical boost. Everything looks and feels much better than it did in the last generation version. It runs at a buttery smooth 1080p and 30 frames per second. The textures are much smoother, the lighting is much more realistic and vehicles and character models have all been completely revamped. They developed this version with the immense power of the PS4 in mind and it shows.
I found it quite difficult to transition between playing the PS4 and PS3 versions because of this. The environments have improved, and it truly shows when the trees sway in the wind and grass and other vegetation do not pop in if you drive too fast. The draw distance has been improved and this helps with the problem of buildings and things popping in and out of view.
Another great part of this revamped version of the game is the new attention to detail. There are now more animals such as deer and cats. There’s also new breeds of dogs. This makes the experience much more immersive than it previously was. Driving through Los Santos and Blaine County is much livelier now that more animals crowd the streets and dirt roads.
Rockstar also included a new dynamic weather system that helps create more realistic weather situations such as rain and puddles on the road. I actually found myself stopping to look at the sunset every now and then. It looked much better than what was possible on the PS3.
The biggest feature added to the game is first person mode. This may seem strange to veteran GTA fans but it actually works well. Implementation of this mechanic required Rockstar to completely remodel the interiors of all vehicles to show off this feature. Each vehicle has its full dashboard with blinking lights and a radio that works in real time. The radio even switches display based on the station you’ve chosen.
The first person mode does a lot to help change the game in its entirety. You can walk, run, punch, shoot and drive all within this mode. The new animations and more detailed models for guns help this first person mode. Each weapon has been designed in detail to show off this new mode at its’ finest. However it can definitely be disorienting to use for a while.
It’s jarring when you’re thrown from your vehicle for the first time in this camera mode. Compare this with the camera swerving and spinning in the direction the characters’ head would naturally move, and you have an entirely new way to play the game. I loved this addition and hope to see it continued whenever the next installment drops.
Other additions to the game include new vehicles, missions, weapons and songs for the different radio stations. Some highlights include the return of the Dodo airplane and a railgun. There’s also a murder mystery that Michael can play through. This also helps to truly differ this version of the game from the PS3 version.
I absolutely loved the story Rockstar wrote for GTA V. The game centers on three main characters, a first for the series. This was a huge selling point of the game and does not disappoint. Michael is living large in Los Santos with his unfaithful wife, Amanda, and two disrespectful children, Jimmy and Tracey. Trevor is a psychopathic pilot, who has a history with Michael, and is the violent and chaotic embodiment of GTA as a franchise. Finally there’s Franklin, a two bit gangster described by some as a gangbanger in a post-gangbanger world. The three come into contact with each other throughout the storyline, and decide to pull of heists in order to pay off debts and make it big in the sprawling city of Los Santos.
I loved these characters from start to finish. Each one is flawed in their own way and grows exponentially by the time the credits roll. The goal of these three men is to pay off their debts to corrupt government agents and finally get that big score. They each feel extremely fleshed out and believable. Michael takes the cocky wise cracking role, Trevor takes the insane but loveable mad man route, and Franklin is the cool and collected gangster. The story this time around was very well written. There are a few twists in the plotline that threw me for a loop. The tragic history between Michael and Trevor takes center stage but Franklin never feels left out. Each character gains something and suffers losses by the end of the game. The story in “Grand Theft Auto V” is some of Rockstar’s most well written stuff to date.
I was blown away with the many gameplay enhancements in “Grand Theft Auto V.” The intuitive aiming and shooting controls along with character swapping took center stage. Many fans were unhappy with the shooting mechanics and aiming in GTA IV, and it’s changed drastically. You’re able to take cover and blind fire this time around. You can also pop in and out of cover by auto aiming at anyone unlucky enough to be caught in your crosshairs.
Each main character is able to switched to on the fly. Although you can’t do this from the very start of the game, it isn’t very long before you’re off and running. Rockstar also implemented different paths to take on certain missions depending on who you choose to play as. If you choose Mike and you’re shooting government agents on your tail. Choose Trevor and you’re flying a plane to pick up your comrades, and as Franklin you’re sniping reinforcements on their way. This is definitely the way a Grand Theft Auto game is meant to be played. Playing this version brought back memories of my times with CJ in the original PlayStation 2 San Andreas title.
Each character has their own special ability activated by clicking the sticks together. Franklin slows down time while driving, Trevor goes into berserk mode and deals out double damage while taking little to none. Michael slows down time on foot to make precise shots on your enemies. Each character feels unique from one another, yet familiar. They each play very well and have a cavalcade of remarks to spew once in a wild firefight.
Another high energy event added to the game is the inclusion of heist missions. These range from robbing jewelry stores to a jaw dropping gold depository heist late game. Each heist is loads of fun to play, and offer multiple ways to. The game is riddled with customization and property purchasing as well. By the end of the game, all three of my characters owned at least one business and a fleet of decked out vehicles.
Grand Theft Auto V is also one of the most visually stunning titles in the franchise to date. It’s easy to see this as Rockstar trying utilize the system to its fullest capabilities. The game brings players back to the sunny streets of Los Santos and the desert trails of Blaine County. Although, San Fierro and Las Venturas aren’t present. Los Santos is a titan in terms of sheer depth and detail. The city and its surrounding desert are filled with loads of people, vehicles and even animals (taking a cue from Rockstar’s incredible cowboy story “Red Dead Redemption”).
The environments range from city streets and buildings, to golf courses, to offshore government facilities and the wooded and desert areas. The world you play in actually feels alive and thriving. San Andreas has never looked this good before. I thought that GTA IV and Red Dead Redemption were huge in terms of map size but they all pale in comparison to the majesty that is San Andreas.
There’s also the inclusion of a very well thought out and produced soundtrack for the game. Whether it’s hearing the dulcet tones of Aesop Rocky or the talk show stylings of Lazlow, the music does not disappoint one bit. There’s even bits here and there clearly parodying current American trends. One such parody is the use of your phone to take selfies, and a radio advertisement for a book that sounds very similar to a certain hot topic book about the color grey. The inclusion of this into the overall feel of GTA makes it loads of fun to play through. I literally found myself pulling over during missions just to soak in a hilarious advertisement or billboard. This coupled with the overall expanse of Los Santos is a once in a lifetime experience for gamers.
This title also has an exorbitant amount of replay value and longevity present. Every mission has a ratings system that allows for repeat playthroughs to get that gold medal rating. You can also participate in a plethora of side missions ranging from helping random people on the street to bringing unsuspecting civilians to a cannibalistic cult for money. There’s also the inclusion of cheats that have gone back to the old school button press fare. This brought an instant smile to my face and I’m sure the faces of many players once the cheats were made available.
There’s also the inclusion of GTA Online which allows players to create a character (down to what their parents and grandparents look like) and to take part in missions, car races, parachute races, deathmatches and eventually heists in Los Santos once Rockstar updates the game. You’re able to make money in this mode and even buy clothes, vehicles, houses, weapons and masks to truly make a mark on the world. The player can choose to join a crew and do missions in tandem with crew members for added fun and reputation points. These points level up your character and allow them to unlock new weapons and modifications. I’m a testament to the fact that GTA Online is extremely well crafted and a blast to play for hours. My level 109 Fox mask wearing maniac in a red suit coat and sporting a blue scarf comes to mind.
Grand Theft Auto V is Rockstar’s magnum opus in terms of scale, gameplay, story and plain old fun. It’s a blast to race through the streets of Los Santos after nearly nine years of being away. I give this a definite 10/10. This is how you make a sequel that’s not only fun to play but a true testament to the power of consoles. Here’s to you, Rockstar. Now please release those online heists.
Developer: Rockstar North
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Price: 39.99$
Platforms: PS4 and Xbox One
Recently Rockstar released a next gen version GTA V for PS4 and Xbox One, and it’s quite the spectacle. They added in some new features I’d like to highlight. Here are my insights on arguably one of the best games in the franchise and of this console generation.
The first thing to notice is the immense graphical boost. Everything looks and feels much better than it did in the last generation version. It runs at a buttery smooth 1080p and 30 frames per second. The textures are much smoother, the lighting is much more realistic and vehicles and character models have all been completely revamped. They developed this version with the immense power of the PS4 in mind and it shows.
I found it quite difficult to transition between playing the PS4 and PS3 versions because of this. The environments have improved, and it truly shows when the trees sway in the wind and grass and other vegetation do not pop in if you drive too fast. The draw distance has been improved and this helps with the problem of buildings and things popping in and out of view.
Another great part of this revamped version of the game is the new attention to detail. There are now more animals such as deer and cats. There’s also new breeds of dogs. This makes the experience much more immersive than it previously was. Driving through Los Santos and Blaine County is much livelier now that more animals crowd the streets and dirt roads.
Rockstar also included a new dynamic weather system that helps create more realistic weather situations such as rain and puddles on the road. I actually found myself stopping to look at the sunset every now and then. It looked much better than what was possible on the PS3.
The biggest feature added to the game is first person mode. This may seem strange to veteran GTA fans but it actually works well. Implementation of this mechanic required Rockstar to completely remodel the interiors of all vehicles to show off this feature. Each vehicle has its full dashboard with blinking lights and a radio that works in real time. The radio even switches display based on the station you’ve chosen.
The first person mode does a lot to help change the game in its entirety. You can walk, run, punch, shoot and drive all within this mode. The new animations and more detailed models for guns help this first person mode. Each weapon has been designed in detail to show off this new mode at its’ finest. However it can definitely be disorienting to use for a while.
It’s jarring when you’re thrown from your vehicle for the first time in this camera mode. Compare this with the camera swerving and spinning in the direction the characters’ head would naturally move, and you have an entirely new way to play the game. I loved this addition and hope to see it continued whenever the next installment drops.
Other additions to the game include new vehicles, missions, weapons and songs for the different radio stations. Some highlights include the return of the Dodo airplane and a railgun. There’s also a murder mystery that Michael can play through. This also helps to truly differ this version of the game from the PS3 version.
I absolutely loved the story Rockstar wrote for GTA V. The game centers on three main characters, a first for the series. This was a huge selling point of the game and does not disappoint. Michael is living large in Los Santos with his unfaithful wife, Amanda, and two disrespectful children, Jimmy and Tracey. Trevor is a psychopathic pilot, who has a history with Michael, and is the violent and chaotic embodiment of GTA as a franchise. Finally there’s Franklin, a two bit gangster described by some as a gangbanger in a post-gangbanger world. The three come into contact with each other throughout the storyline, and decide to pull of heists in order to pay off debts and make it big in the sprawling city of Los Santos.
I loved these characters from start to finish. Each one is flawed in their own way and grows exponentially by the time the credits roll. The goal of these three men is to pay off their debts to corrupt government agents and finally get that big score. They each feel extremely fleshed out and believable. Michael takes the cocky wise cracking role, Trevor takes the insane but loveable mad man route, and Franklin is the cool and collected gangster. The story this time around was very well written. There are a few twists in the plotline that threw me for a loop. The tragic history between Michael and Trevor takes center stage but Franklin never feels left out. Each character gains something and suffers losses by the end of the game. The story in “Grand Theft Auto V” is some of Rockstar’s most well written stuff to date.
I was blown away with the many gameplay enhancements in “Grand Theft Auto V.” The intuitive aiming and shooting controls along with character swapping took center stage. Many fans were unhappy with the shooting mechanics and aiming in GTA IV, and it’s changed drastically. You’re able to take cover and blind fire this time around. You can also pop in and out of cover by auto aiming at anyone unlucky enough to be caught in your crosshairs.
Each main character is able to switched to on the fly. Although you can’t do this from the very start of the game, it isn’t very long before you’re off and running. Rockstar also implemented different paths to take on certain missions depending on who you choose to play as. If you choose Mike and you’re shooting government agents on your tail. Choose Trevor and you’re flying a plane to pick up your comrades, and as Franklin you’re sniping reinforcements on their way. This is definitely the way a Grand Theft Auto game is meant to be played. Playing this version brought back memories of my times with CJ in the original PlayStation 2 San Andreas title.
Each character has their own special ability activated by clicking the sticks together. Franklin slows down time while driving, Trevor goes into berserk mode and deals out double damage while taking little to none. Michael slows down time on foot to make precise shots on your enemies. Each character feels unique from one another, yet familiar. They each play very well and have a cavalcade of remarks to spew once in a wild firefight.
Another high energy event added to the game is the inclusion of heist missions. These range from robbing jewelry stores to a jaw dropping gold depository heist late game. Each heist is loads of fun to play, and offer multiple ways to. The game is riddled with customization and property purchasing as well. By the end of the game, all three of my characters owned at least one business and a fleet of decked out vehicles.
Grand Theft Auto V is also one of the most visually stunning titles in the franchise to date. It’s easy to see this as Rockstar trying utilize the system to its fullest capabilities. The game brings players back to the sunny streets of Los Santos and the desert trails of Blaine County. Although, San Fierro and Las Venturas aren’t present. Los Santos is a titan in terms of sheer depth and detail. The city and its surrounding desert are filled with loads of people, vehicles and even animals (taking a cue from Rockstar’s incredible cowboy story “Red Dead Redemption”).
The environments range from city streets and buildings, to golf courses, to offshore government facilities and the wooded and desert areas. The world you play in actually feels alive and thriving. San Andreas has never looked this good before. I thought that GTA IV and Red Dead Redemption were huge in terms of map size but they all pale in comparison to the majesty that is San Andreas.
There’s also the inclusion of a very well thought out and produced soundtrack for the game. Whether it’s hearing the dulcet tones of Aesop Rocky or the talk show stylings of Lazlow, the music does not disappoint one bit. There’s even bits here and there clearly parodying current American trends. One such parody is the use of your phone to take selfies, and a radio advertisement for a book that sounds very similar to a certain hot topic book about the color grey. The inclusion of this into the overall feel of GTA makes it loads of fun to play through. I literally found myself pulling over during missions just to soak in a hilarious advertisement or billboard. This coupled with the overall expanse of Los Santos is a once in a lifetime experience for gamers.
This title also has an exorbitant amount of replay value and longevity present. Every mission has a ratings system that allows for repeat playthroughs to get that gold medal rating. You can also participate in a plethora of side missions ranging from helping random people on the street to bringing unsuspecting civilians to a cannibalistic cult for money. There’s also the inclusion of cheats that have gone back to the old school button press fare. This brought an instant smile to my face and I’m sure the faces of many players once the cheats were made available.
There’s also the inclusion of GTA Online which allows players to create a character (down to what their parents and grandparents look like) and to take part in missions, car races, parachute races, deathmatches and eventually heists in Los Santos once Rockstar updates the game. You’re able to make money in this mode and even buy clothes, vehicles, houses, weapons and masks to truly make a mark on the world. The player can choose to join a crew and do missions in tandem with crew members for added fun and reputation points. These points level up your character and allow them to unlock new weapons and modifications. I’m a testament to the fact that GTA Online is extremely well crafted and a blast to play for hours. My level 109 Fox mask wearing maniac in a red suit coat and sporting a blue scarf comes to mind.
Grand Theft Auto V is Rockstar’s magnum opus in terms of scale, gameplay, story and plain old fun. It’s a blast to race through the streets of Los Santos after nearly nine years of being away. I give this a definite 10/10. This is how you make a sequel that’s not only fun to play but a true testament to the power of consoles. Here’s to you, Rockstar. Now please release those online heists.
Is The Order: 1886 too cinematic and what does that mean for the games industry at large?
Developer: Ready at Dawn
SCE Sony Santa Monica Studio
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Price: 19.99$
Platforms: PS4
This title has received much criticism and backlash since its release on Feb. 20 exclusively for PS4. Many are pointing to the now infamous play time of five hours posted in a video on YouTube before the game released as a contributing factor. Others believe the game is much too cinematic for its own good. Other critics don’t like the mechanics and overall storyline. Here’s my take on this Victorian set supernatural journey.
The Order takes place in London and focuses on a group of soldiers tasked with keeping the populace safe from half-breeds. The Order itself is actually spawned from the original Knights of the Round Table from Arthurian lore. Members have taken a substance called Blackwater to extend their life spans and continue protecting people. The half-breeds are mostly werewolves or Lycans.
The player takes on the role of Sir Galahad, a knight who has seen much on the battlefield and feels like his current position isn’t suiting him anymore. He’s joined by Lady Igraine, a love interest, Marquis De Lafayette, a young knight who has recently joined, and Sebastien Mallory, Sir Galahad’s mentor and dearest friend. Each character has their actual name and an Arthurian title to distinguish themselves from others in The Order. There’s also the inclusion of Nikola Tesla who creates the high-tech weaponry and gadgets used throughout the game.
The story is primarily focused on these four knights working to stop a rebel force. They believe these rebels wish to kill the Queen and cause chaos and disorder. As the story plays out more is revealed on their reasoning for fighting. At first Galahad believes the rebels are simply standing up against the noble and rich families but this isn’t entirely the case. Once the player has finished the Order they’ll realize the truth of what is really going on.
I enjoyed the story overall. There are twists and turns, some predictable and some not, that make it worthwhile to play through for the most part. I enjoyed Galahad and his interactions with his fellow knights. They each felt very unique to one another, which was a huge plus. Galahad is more calm and collected but also quick to judge and jump to conclusions. Igraine is vehemently loyal to both Galahad and The Order. Lafayette is the quintessential ladies’ man and has a certain gravitas to the way he maneuvers the battlefield and his enemies. Mallory is the older father figure of sorts to the group and helps them come to conclusions. I liked this dynamic and was excited to see it play out throughout the narrative.
Gameplay-wise this title is a blast. You’re able to carry two different weapons with you at all times along with smoke and fragmentation grenades. Each weapon is steampunk in design. They range from the Falchion, that has an air blast that can knock enemies, to my personal favorite the coach gun, a large and immensely powerful shotgun that can blow limbs off your enemies. There’s also weapons created by Tesla like the Arc gun, which fires streaks of lighting at enemies, and the Thermite rifle, which bellows out clouds of metal dust which can then be ignited by pressing the R1 button. The player can also use melee attacks to subdue enemies.
Other portions of the game besides the shooting galleries involve stealth. The system is not perfect but is a welcomed departure from the rest of the game. Galahad uses his knife to take out enemies silently. The player must guide him around enemies’ line of sight to ensure survival. These sections weren’t necessarily breathtaking by any means but still fun in their own right.
Another potion of gameplay has the player contending with the previously mentioned Lycan enemies. These encounters are fun at first but can get frustrating very quickly. The reason for this is that they devolve into Lycan runs at you, you shoot the Lycan, he runs away and repeats until you can use the button prompt to properly kill him. It was interesting to involve supernatural enemies such as these but in hindsight these sections become more of a chore than anything else. I enjoyed the animations and overall look of the enemies but I was not intimidated by them as much as I anticipated.
In terms of overall graphical and audio presentation, this games looks phenomenal. I can safely say this title is the best-looking PS4 title to date. The design of Victorian-era London and the characters all look so realistic that a passerby may assume it’s a movie rather than a game. The lighting and effects for weapons and the different action set pieces are also a spectacle to behold. I found myself standing around and looking at the landscape and everything within it while I played.
Some reviewers and players think the game is too cinematic. I don’t quite grasp this idea. If a game is cinematic then that means its story is illustrated to feel like a film. What does a game being too cinematic mean? I mean sure there are parts where I wish I was the one doing the things in different cutscenes, but it didn’t make me hate it. This game does an amazing job of marrying cutscenes and gameplay together. There are portions where there is a scene and the player must press a button to continue on or go through with an action. This made me feel like I was part of the action. I actually enjoyed this portion that so many that have played the game seem to hate.
One major setback of this title is the overall length and replayability factor. It took me about eight hours or so to complete the game. This included inspecting different photos, papers, objects and phonograph cylinders throughout my playthrough. The phonograph cylinders relate story information that serves to deepen the narrative. That’s why I made it my mission to find them all. Others have said that they completed the game in five or six hours. How much fun did they truly have while playing? This short play time makes it seem like they rushed through as quickly as possible to add into the unwarranted hatred the game is receiving.
I will say that there isn’t much of a replayability factor here either. You can replay chapters to pick up more cylinders and inspect more missed items, but that’s all. There’s no skill progression system or upgradeable weapons. This holds back the title. I hoped it would be longer and have systems like these to flesh it out in terms of play time.
The Order: 1886 is not anywhere near as horrible as many are making out to be. It has its faults but these are far outweighed by the presentation and solid storytelling. The gameplay feels akin to "Uncharted" and "Gears of War" but that’s not a bad thing. If a developer is going to emulate another series then they should definitely emulate game series that do things right. I give "The Order: 1886" an 8/10. Give it a shot before writing it off as another overhyped triple A title that didn’t live up to expectations.
Developer: Ready at Dawn
SCE Sony Santa Monica Studio
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Price: 19.99$
Platforms: PS4
This title has received much criticism and backlash since its release on Feb. 20 exclusively for PS4. Many are pointing to the now infamous play time of five hours posted in a video on YouTube before the game released as a contributing factor. Others believe the game is much too cinematic for its own good. Other critics don’t like the mechanics and overall storyline. Here’s my take on this Victorian set supernatural journey.
The Order takes place in London and focuses on a group of soldiers tasked with keeping the populace safe from half-breeds. The Order itself is actually spawned from the original Knights of the Round Table from Arthurian lore. Members have taken a substance called Blackwater to extend their life spans and continue protecting people. The half-breeds are mostly werewolves or Lycans.
The player takes on the role of Sir Galahad, a knight who has seen much on the battlefield and feels like his current position isn’t suiting him anymore. He’s joined by Lady Igraine, a love interest, Marquis De Lafayette, a young knight who has recently joined, and Sebastien Mallory, Sir Galahad’s mentor and dearest friend. Each character has their actual name and an Arthurian title to distinguish themselves from others in The Order. There’s also the inclusion of Nikola Tesla who creates the high-tech weaponry and gadgets used throughout the game.
The story is primarily focused on these four knights working to stop a rebel force. They believe these rebels wish to kill the Queen and cause chaos and disorder. As the story plays out more is revealed on their reasoning for fighting. At first Galahad believes the rebels are simply standing up against the noble and rich families but this isn’t entirely the case. Once the player has finished the Order they’ll realize the truth of what is really going on.
I enjoyed the story overall. There are twists and turns, some predictable and some not, that make it worthwhile to play through for the most part. I enjoyed Galahad and his interactions with his fellow knights. They each felt very unique to one another, which was a huge plus. Galahad is more calm and collected but also quick to judge and jump to conclusions. Igraine is vehemently loyal to both Galahad and The Order. Lafayette is the quintessential ladies’ man and has a certain gravitas to the way he maneuvers the battlefield and his enemies. Mallory is the older father figure of sorts to the group and helps them come to conclusions. I liked this dynamic and was excited to see it play out throughout the narrative.
Gameplay-wise this title is a blast. You’re able to carry two different weapons with you at all times along with smoke and fragmentation grenades. Each weapon is steampunk in design. They range from the Falchion, that has an air blast that can knock enemies, to my personal favorite the coach gun, a large and immensely powerful shotgun that can blow limbs off your enemies. There’s also weapons created by Tesla like the Arc gun, which fires streaks of lighting at enemies, and the Thermite rifle, which bellows out clouds of metal dust which can then be ignited by pressing the R1 button. The player can also use melee attacks to subdue enemies.
Other portions of the game besides the shooting galleries involve stealth. The system is not perfect but is a welcomed departure from the rest of the game. Galahad uses his knife to take out enemies silently. The player must guide him around enemies’ line of sight to ensure survival. These sections weren’t necessarily breathtaking by any means but still fun in their own right.
Another potion of gameplay has the player contending with the previously mentioned Lycan enemies. These encounters are fun at first but can get frustrating very quickly. The reason for this is that they devolve into Lycan runs at you, you shoot the Lycan, he runs away and repeats until you can use the button prompt to properly kill him. It was interesting to involve supernatural enemies such as these but in hindsight these sections become more of a chore than anything else. I enjoyed the animations and overall look of the enemies but I was not intimidated by them as much as I anticipated.
In terms of overall graphical and audio presentation, this games looks phenomenal. I can safely say this title is the best-looking PS4 title to date. The design of Victorian-era London and the characters all look so realistic that a passerby may assume it’s a movie rather than a game. The lighting and effects for weapons and the different action set pieces are also a spectacle to behold. I found myself standing around and looking at the landscape and everything within it while I played.
Some reviewers and players think the game is too cinematic. I don’t quite grasp this idea. If a game is cinematic then that means its story is illustrated to feel like a film. What does a game being too cinematic mean? I mean sure there are parts where I wish I was the one doing the things in different cutscenes, but it didn’t make me hate it. This game does an amazing job of marrying cutscenes and gameplay together. There are portions where there is a scene and the player must press a button to continue on or go through with an action. This made me feel like I was part of the action. I actually enjoyed this portion that so many that have played the game seem to hate.
One major setback of this title is the overall length and replayability factor. It took me about eight hours or so to complete the game. This included inspecting different photos, papers, objects and phonograph cylinders throughout my playthrough. The phonograph cylinders relate story information that serves to deepen the narrative. That’s why I made it my mission to find them all. Others have said that they completed the game in five or six hours. How much fun did they truly have while playing? This short play time makes it seem like they rushed through as quickly as possible to add into the unwarranted hatred the game is receiving.
I will say that there isn’t much of a replayability factor here either. You can replay chapters to pick up more cylinders and inspect more missed items, but that’s all. There’s no skill progression system or upgradeable weapons. This holds back the title. I hoped it would be longer and have systems like these to flesh it out in terms of play time.
The Order: 1886 is not anywhere near as horrible as many are making out to be. It has its faults but these are far outweighed by the presentation and solid storytelling. The gameplay feels akin to "Uncharted" and "Gears of War" but that’s not a bad thing. If a developer is going to emulate another series then they should definitely emulate game series that do things right. I give "The Order: 1886" an 8/10. Give it a shot before writing it off as another overhyped triple A title that didn’t live up to expectations.
Your Wish Has Been Granted; DBZ fans rejoice with the release of Dragon Ball Xenoverse
Developer: Dimps
Publisher: Bandai Namco Games
Platforms: PS4, PS3, 360, Xbox One, PC
DB Xenoverse was released on Feb. 5, 2015 to much fanfare and appreciation. It uses pieces of the Dragon Ball Online game only released in Japan and many were ecstatic to see the new content. I was unable to locate a physical copy from five different stores due to the high demand for the title. I had to settle on downloading it from the PlayStation Store.
This has to be one of my favorite story lines in a Dragon Ball game. It involves Trunks using the dragon balls to wish for a fighter who can help fix the timeline. The player is tasked with going into certain parts of the Dragon Ball Z timeline to fix things that have gone awry. It would seem something is utilizing a dark force to break the timeline and sap energy from the characters. The player must stop this and fix the timeline before it implodes entirely.
This seems completely random for any other game. For a Dragon Ball game this feels right at home. It’s a blast to be a part of Dragon Ball Z history and take part in the different sagas. The story is simple but contain twists and turns. A group of villains was created entirely new for the game. They fit right into the mythos of the show and manga. I grew up with this show and being able to take part in its most pivotal moments is both an honor and hugely entertaining.
Gameplay is another huge strength of this title. The player can create their character from scratch. They can choose from five races: Saiyan, Namekian, Frieza Clansmen, Earthling and Buu. Each one has certain strengths and weaknesses. Dimps even added in the small details that made me smile like Saiyans being able to double their power if knocked out and revived, and Frieza Clansmen being insanely fast. Each race plays differently and works very well. I played through with a Saiyan male character and had an amazing time. There are even small bonuses attached to the male and female variants of the races. This makes the game much more robust and deep.
The game plays like an action RPG/ fighting game hybrid of sorts. When the player is in battle there are health bars and K.O.s but you can also train to level up and become stronger as well. They gain experience points from story missions and side quests. These help the player level up. They can then add to their attributes to help their character become stronger. The health, ki blast damage and other things can be strengthened for many unique results. Each mission end gives the player a ranking based on their performance and awards extra experience and money, known as Zeni, for doing well.
Players can buy and unlock many clothing options. These are not just for looks, however. They add bonuses to your attributes. This makes finding new clothes extremely fun because you see how they look and what they do. They range from pieces of outfits from the characters on the show and manga, to other newly created pieces just for the game. This adds another layer of depth to the game on top of everything else.
I truly felt like a fighter on the show. The player can use different super moves mapped to the face buttons and accessed with L2. When R2 is pressed along with a face button an ultimate attack is unleashed on your opponents. The moves span the entire show’s history of moves, like the Special Beam Cannon and the famous Kamehameha wave. These can be changed in the hub world Toki Toki City. The player can also unlock and buy new moves to swap in. The hub is used to access side quests, online and offline fights. Within this hub city other player characters worldwide can be seen and talked to. This makes the game feel huge in most respects.
Graphically, the title looks great. The power of the PS4 capitalizes on cell-shading for this title. Each character moves and fights like they did on the show and it’s a spectacle to behold. Each attack is beautifully rendered and brings the player back to the moments when they were first used. I geeked out when I finally unlocked the Super Saiyan ability and used it for the first time in battle. I remembered being young and seeing Goku transform for the first time against Frieza. That moment made achieving this goal for my character all the better.
The audio side of things is also really strong. All of the sound effects from the show are used. The developers also brought in the diverse cast of voice actors to reprise their roles in the game. This made me infinitely happy as a fan because these characters became iconic due to these amazing actors. Just hearing Sean Schemmel’s Kamehameha wave brought shivers down my spine along with his legendary transformation into a Super Saiyan. Another interesting tidbit is that the player can choose the “Ghost Nappa” voice from the popular YouTube series “DragonBall Z Abridged” for their character. Helpful hint: it’s voice option eight for male characters and it’s wonderful to listen to during battle.
There is an insane amount of replayability with this title. The main storyline can be completed in about 10-12 hours or more depending on the player. Side quests and grinding for more experiences points can extend playability. Some of the missions are quite difficult and necessitate strategy and quick thinking. There’s also the inclusion of nearly every single fighter from the entire show’s history who can be played. The cast ranges from Goku and his son Gohan to new fan favorites such as Lord Beerus and Whis. This makes playing certain missions and against your friends both on and offline truly entertaining. You can also gather the dragon balls and make a wish from a list of options. This gives the player access to new moves, characters and extra Zeni.
The main reason this game has near infinite replayability is online accessibility. You can play against other created characters. You can also play against ones from the show. There’s even ways to play against a friend in a versus match in the comfort of your own home.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse is an exhilarating title for me as a gamer. I grew up with the show and this game honors everything it stood for. The art design, to the audio, to the storyline and cast of characters make this game a well-rounded experience. I wish there was a way to play through story missions with friends. I also don’t like that certain moves lock the player in without a way to escape for the most part. This is mainly a fighting game gimmick I dislike, but it frustrated me while playing some of the missions. These are only minor gripes, though, that can be worked out in the sequel. I give “Dragon Ball Xenoverse” an 8/10 stars. Now get out there and find those dragon balls.
Developer: Dimps
Publisher: Bandai Namco Games
Platforms: PS4, PS3, 360, Xbox One, PC
DB Xenoverse was released on Feb. 5, 2015 to much fanfare and appreciation. It uses pieces of the Dragon Ball Online game only released in Japan and many were ecstatic to see the new content. I was unable to locate a physical copy from five different stores due to the high demand for the title. I had to settle on downloading it from the PlayStation Store.
This has to be one of my favorite story lines in a Dragon Ball game. It involves Trunks using the dragon balls to wish for a fighter who can help fix the timeline. The player is tasked with going into certain parts of the Dragon Ball Z timeline to fix things that have gone awry. It would seem something is utilizing a dark force to break the timeline and sap energy from the characters. The player must stop this and fix the timeline before it implodes entirely.
This seems completely random for any other game. For a Dragon Ball game this feels right at home. It’s a blast to be a part of Dragon Ball Z history and take part in the different sagas. The story is simple but contain twists and turns. A group of villains was created entirely new for the game. They fit right into the mythos of the show and manga. I grew up with this show and being able to take part in its most pivotal moments is both an honor and hugely entertaining.
Gameplay is another huge strength of this title. The player can create their character from scratch. They can choose from five races: Saiyan, Namekian, Frieza Clansmen, Earthling and Buu. Each one has certain strengths and weaknesses. Dimps even added in the small details that made me smile like Saiyans being able to double their power if knocked out and revived, and Frieza Clansmen being insanely fast. Each race plays differently and works very well. I played through with a Saiyan male character and had an amazing time. There are even small bonuses attached to the male and female variants of the races. This makes the game much more robust and deep.
The game plays like an action RPG/ fighting game hybrid of sorts. When the player is in battle there are health bars and K.O.s but you can also train to level up and become stronger as well. They gain experience points from story missions and side quests. These help the player level up. They can then add to their attributes to help their character become stronger. The health, ki blast damage and other things can be strengthened for many unique results. Each mission end gives the player a ranking based on their performance and awards extra experience and money, known as Zeni, for doing well.
Players can buy and unlock many clothing options. These are not just for looks, however. They add bonuses to your attributes. This makes finding new clothes extremely fun because you see how they look and what they do. They range from pieces of outfits from the characters on the show and manga, to other newly created pieces just for the game. This adds another layer of depth to the game on top of everything else.
I truly felt like a fighter on the show. The player can use different super moves mapped to the face buttons and accessed with L2. When R2 is pressed along with a face button an ultimate attack is unleashed on your opponents. The moves span the entire show’s history of moves, like the Special Beam Cannon and the famous Kamehameha wave. These can be changed in the hub world Toki Toki City. The player can also unlock and buy new moves to swap in. The hub is used to access side quests, online and offline fights. Within this hub city other player characters worldwide can be seen and talked to. This makes the game feel huge in most respects.
Graphically, the title looks great. The power of the PS4 capitalizes on cell-shading for this title. Each character moves and fights like they did on the show and it’s a spectacle to behold. Each attack is beautifully rendered and brings the player back to the moments when they were first used. I geeked out when I finally unlocked the Super Saiyan ability and used it for the first time in battle. I remembered being young and seeing Goku transform for the first time against Frieza. That moment made achieving this goal for my character all the better.
The audio side of things is also really strong. All of the sound effects from the show are used. The developers also brought in the diverse cast of voice actors to reprise their roles in the game. This made me infinitely happy as a fan because these characters became iconic due to these amazing actors. Just hearing Sean Schemmel’s Kamehameha wave brought shivers down my spine along with his legendary transformation into a Super Saiyan. Another interesting tidbit is that the player can choose the “Ghost Nappa” voice from the popular YouTube series “DragonBall Z Abridged” for their character. Helpful hint: it’s voice option eight for male characters and it’s wonderful to listen to during battle.
There is an insane amount of replayability with this title. The main storyline can be completed in about 10-12 hours or more depending on the player. Side quests and grinding for more experiences points can extend playability. Some of the missions are quite difficult and necessitate strategy and quick thinking. There’s also the inclusion of nearly every single fighter from the entire show’s history who can be played. The cast ranges from Goku and his son Gohan to new fan favorites such as Lord Beerus and Whis. This makes playing certain missions and against your friends both on and offline truly entertaining. You can also gather the dragon balls and make a wish from a list of options. This gives the player access to new moves, characters and extra Zeni.
The main reason this game has near infinite replayability is online accessibility. You can play against other created characters. You can also play against ones from the show. There’s even ways to play against a friend in a versus match in the comfort of your own home.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse is an exhilarating title for me as a gamer. I grew up with the show and this game honors everything it stood for. The art design, to the audio, to the storyline and cast of characters make this game a well-rounded experience. I wish there was a way to play through story missions with friends. I also don’t like that certain moves lock the player in without a way to escape for the most part. This is mainly a fighting game gimmick I dislike, but it frustrated me while playing some of the missions. These are only minor gripes, though, that can be worked out in the sequel. I give “Dragon Ball Xenoverse” an 8/10 stars. Now get out there and find those dragon balls.
Korra Fans Rejoice! A fun and intriguing game for the series does exist!
Developer: Platinum Games
Publisher: Activision
Platforms: PS4, PS3, 360, Xbox One
Finally someone has gotten around to developing a game based on Legend of Korra! There were some games based on Avatar: The Last Airbender back on the PlayStation 2 but they weren’t anything too memorable. The Legend of Korra is developed by Platinum Games and was released on Oct. 24, 2014. It’s a downloadable title on sale for 15$. Platinum is one of my favorite developers for their insane design choices and combat systems. Here’s what I thought of their foray into the world of Avatar.
The story for this title picks up from the end of season 2 of Legend of Korra. SPOILERS The spirit portal is open and Unalaaq and Vaatu have been defeated. Korra begins the game with a fun Pro-Bending match that’s fully playable. After this she is knocked out and kidnapped by a strange old man and his chi-blocking lackeys. She wakes up to find each of her bending styles blocked and unusable. Through venturing throughout Republic City and other areas she finds out this was all masterminded by a man named Hundun. He reveals to her that he once knew the Avatar in a past life over 1,000 years prior. That Avatar had done something to injure a loved one of his and he vowed to get his revenge someday. He retreated into the Spirit World to meditate and find a way to stop the Avatar once and for all.
I thought this was a pretty good premise to base the game around. Korra spends most of the game attempting to unlock her lost bending abilities whilst also trying to figure out why Hundun did this to her. I liked the story but it’s also a weak point of the game overall. It’s explained in parts during full animated cut scenes that resemble the show but it doesn’t really go anywhere. It serves as a device to half-heartedly explain why Korra lost her powers and that’s all.
My other issue with the story is that characters are not well described and characterized. Korra is ok for the most part but every other character from the show is weirdly absent. This is explained by Korra remarking that Republic City has been partially evacuated after the Spirit Vines took over at the end of season 2. I found issue with this as characters are one of the many strong points of the series. I also did not like the villain overall. I will say he is creepy and a capable fighter but his good traits just sort of end there. He never really explains in any great detail what was done to him and his reasoning for attacking the Avatar. The end of the game attempts to explain this but again I feel like it drops the ball.
The best part of this downloadable title is the gameplay however. I absolutely adore Platinum Games and this is definitely a Platinum game. The combat system and dodge mechanic both clearly have design inspiration from Bayonetta and other games the company has made before. Your bending styles are represented in the far upper left corner of the screen by four different symbols. You can switch between them at will by pressing the L1 or R1 buttons to cycle through. Korra’s health is shown here as well.
As the Avatar you eventually have access to all 4 bending styles. Earth, fire, air and water each behave differently as bending styles in the game. Waterbending for instance is very fast paced and has long range capabilities for far away enemies. Earthbending is slower but hits much harder. Firebending is another fast paced style that is better for fighting enemies close up.
Airbending steals the show in my book. It’s extremely fast and damaging to boot. I even had a tender geek-out moment thinking back to when Korra originally unlocked her Airbending at the end of book 1. This was the style I used the most throughout the game and I loved every second of it.
You can pull of normal attacks with the square button and heavy attacks with the triangle button. Combinations of these will yield quite impressive combos. You’re able to dodge with the R2 button and the L2 button can be used to block and counterattack against enemies and bosses alike. This made the combat and overall gameplay quite diverse. I never felt like I was running out of moves to use to defend myself. I also loved the fact that you could pull of combos that spanned different bending styles. Regardless of my qualms with the story this made me feel as though I was the Avatar.
The other portion of the gameplay introduces segments where Korra rides Naga the polar dog through different areas to reach an end goal. She can eventually use her bending to augment Naga’s abilities to help complete these sections faster and more safely. Outside of combat Korra can purchase equippable items and scrolls to learn new bending moves to use in combat. The items can then be equipped to one of the directional pad’s four buttons for use during normal gameplay. This is done in Korra’s room which is accessed by pressing the touchpad on the PS4 controller. The items show up in the bottom left corner of the screen so it’s easy to know what you have with you. You can also switch between different costumes in this menu as well.
One other gameplay element is the use of the Avatar state. This is a spiritual state the Avatar can enter to utilize all 4 bending styles at once. In game it does indeed make you feel powerful and like the Avatar. I loved the addition of this as I blew away enemies and even some bosses with my multi-elemental attack. You can’t use this form at will however unless you buy an expensive item that can only be used once before depleting. There is a meter in the middle of the 4 bending styles that fills as you fight. Once it’s full you press L1 and R1 together to enter ass kicking mode.
Enemies are well desgined for the most part. You face off against mostly different variations of chi blockers that are now following Hundun after Amon’s failure. They’re challenging to fight even though Korra can use her bending to fight. You also encounter Triple Triad gang members that have bending abilities as well. These are much tougher enemies that provide a fun challenge in comparison to the chi blockers. Other enemy types include Sato Mecha Suits and spirits fought within the Spirit World.
I thought there were an ok amount of enemies within the game overall. I didn’t like that you eventually fought recolored versions of these enemies as you progress through the game. It made them feel cheaper as a result. You can only fight a red, blue and greenish colored chi blocker a few times before they all start blending together.
The replayability and longevity factor of this game is actually pretty strong. This is a Platinum Games created title and along with that comes some crazy difficulty at certain points. This can be adjusted through different difficulty modes but each is challenging in its’ own right. Players will want to play again and again to try to gain higher scores for different fights and unlock all of the bending moves available. It took me about 7-8 hours to beat the game start to finish. There is 8 chapters that range in length and difficulty. This was strange to me as the world of Avatar is rich and full of content that could have been explored here. Although it’s shorter I still had a fun romp through Republic City and beyond.
I actually had a blast playing through this title. It’s a bit short and the story suffers somewhat but it is so much fun to bash enemies around as Korra. Regardless of this Platinum actually translated the feeling of being the Avatar and access to the different bending styles quite well to the confines of a game. I do wish the story had been longer and the game overall. I think some DLC or just more levels in general would have helped tremendously. I do understand the shorter nature though given that it’s a downloadable title rather than a full game. I love this series though so I say that anyone who’s a fan should at least give the game a shot if anything to knock around some guys with the elements. I give this game a 7.5/10. Now go out and bring balance to the world!
Developer: Platinum Games
Publisher: Activision
Platforms: PS4, PS3, 360, Xbox One
Finally someone has gotten around to developing a game based on Legend of Korra! There were some games based on Avatar: The Last Airbender back on the PlayStation 2 but they weren’t anything too memorable. The Legend of Korra is developed by Platinum Games and was released on Oct. 24, 2014. It’s a downloadable title on sale for 15$. Platinum is one of my favorite developers for their insane design choices and combat systems. Here’s what I thought of their foray into the world of Avatar.
The story for this title picks up from the end of season 2 of Legend of Korra. SPOILERS The spirit portal is open and Unalaaq and Vaatu have been defeated. Korra begins the game with a fun Pro-Bending match that’s fully playable. After this she is knocked out and kidnapped by a strange old man and his chi-blocking lackeys. She wakes up to find each of her bending styles blocked and unusable. Through venturing throughout Republic City and other areas she finds out this was all masterminded by a man named Hundun. He reveals to her that he once knew the Avatar in a past life over 1,000 years prior. That Avatar had done something to injure a loved one of his and he vowed to get his revenge someday. He retreated into the Spirit World to meditate and find a way to stop the Avatar once and for all.
I thought this was a pretty good premise to base the game around. Korra spends most of the game attempting to unlock her lost bending abilities whilst also trying to figure out why Hundun did this to her. I liked the story but it’s also a weak point of the game overall. It’s explained in parts during full animated cut scenes that resemble the show but it doesn’t really go anywhere. It serves as a device to half-heartedly explain why Korra lost her powers and that’s all.
My other issue with the story is that characters are not well described and characterized. Korra is ok for the most part but every other character from the show is weirdly absent. This is explained by Korra remarking that Republic City has been partially evacuated after the Spirit Vines took over at the end of season 2. I found issue with this as characters are one of the many strong points of the series. I also did not like the villain overall. I will say he is creepy and a capable fighter but his good traits just sort of end there. He never really explains in any great detail what was done to him and his reasoning for attacking the Avatar. The end of the game attempts to explain this but again I feel like it drops the ball.
The best part of this downloadable title is the gameplay however. I absolutely adore Platinum Games and this is definitely a Platinum game. The combat system and dodge mechanic both clearly have design inspiration from Bayonetta and other games the company has made before. Your bending styles are represented in the far upper left corner of the screen by four different symbols. You can switch between them at will by pressing the L1 or R1 buttons to cycle through. Korra’s health is shown here as well.
As the Avatar you eventually have access to all 4 bending styles. Earth, fire, air and water each behave differently as bending styles in the game. Waterbending for instance is very fast paced and has long range capabilities for far away enemies. Earthbending is slower but hits much harder. Firebending is another fast paced style that is better for fighting enemies close up.
Airbending steals the show in my book. It’s extremely fast and damaging to boot. I even had a tender geek-out moment thinking back to when Korra originally unlocked her Airbending at the end of book 1. This was the style I used the most throughout the game and I loved every second of it.
You can pull of normal attacks with the square button and heavy attacks with the triangle button. Combinations of these will yield quite impressive combos. You’re able to dodge with the R2 button and the L2 button can be used to block and counterattack against enemies and bosses alike. This made the combat and overall gameplay quite diverse. I never felt like I was running out of moves to use to defend myself. I also loved the fact that you could pull of combos that spanned different bending styles. Regardless of my qualms with the story this made me feel as though I was the Avatar.
The other portion of the gameplay introduces segments where Korra rides Naga the polar dog through different areas to reach an end goal. She can eventually use her bending to augment Naga’s abilities to help complete these sections faster and more safely. Outside of combat Korra can purchase equippable items and scrolls to learn new bending moves to use in combat. The items can then be equipped to one of the directional pad’s four buttons for use during normal gameplay. This is done in Korra’s room which is accessed by pressing the touchpad on the PS4 controller. The items show up in the bottom left corner of the screen so it’s easy to know what you have with you. You can also switch between different costumes in this menu as well.
One other gameplay element is the use of the Avatar state. This is a spiritual state the Avatar can enter to utilize all 4 bending styles at once. In game it does indeed make you feel powerful and like the Avatar. I loved the addition of this as I blew away enemies and even some bosses with my multi-elemental attack. You can’t use this form at will however unless you buy an expensive item that can only be used once before depleting. There is a meter in the middle of the 4 bending styles that fills as you fight. Once it’s full you press L1 and R1 together to enter ass kicking mode.
Enemies are well desgined for the most part. You face off against mostly different variations of chi blockers that are now following Hundun after Amon’s failure. They’re challenging to fight even though Korra can use her bending to fight. You also encounter Triple Triad gang members that have bending abilities as well. These are much tougher enemies that provide a fun challenge in comparison to the chi blockers. Other enemy types include Sato Mecha Suits and spirits fought within the Spirit World.
I thought there were an ok amount of enemies within the game overall. I didn’t like that you eventually fought recolored versions of these enemies as you progress through the game. It made them feel cheaper as a result. You can only fight a red, blue and greenish colored chi blocker a few times before they all start blending together.
The replayability and longevity factor of this game is actually pretty strong. This is a Platinum Games created title and along with that comes some crazy difficulty at certain points. This can be adjusted through different difficulty modes but each is challenging in its’ own right. Players will want to play again and again to try to gain higher scores for different fights and unlock all of the bending moves available. It took me about 7-8 hours to beat the game start to finish. There is 8 chapters that range in length and difficulty. This was strange to me as the world of Avatar is rich and full of content that could have been explored here. Although it’s shorter I still had a fun romp through Republic City and beyond.
I actually had a blast playing through this title. It’s a bit short and the story suffers somewhat but it is so much fun to bash enemies around as Korra. Regardless of this Platinum actually translated the feeling of being the Avatar and access to the different bending styles quite well to the confines of a game. I do wish the story had been longer and the game overall. I think some DLC or just more levels in general would have helped tremendously. I do understand the shorter nature though given that it’s a downloadable title rather than a full game. I love this series though so I say that anyone who’s a fan should at least give the game a shot if anything to knock around some guys with the elements. I give this game a 7.5/10. Now go out and bring balance to the world!