Game Review: Shadow Of The Colossus

To counter some recent newer games I've reviewed, I thought I might review a classic PS2 game, Shadow Of The Collossus.

WARNING: THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

1) Plot

Team Ico, makers of Ico, are well known for memorable stories. With dialogue in a made up language and almost no other characters other than your horse, the plot  is amazingly well told. The "narrator" tells you of your missions really well in riddle form.  Wander, the main character, may not talk during the game very much, but he does convey emotion really well. Sad moments are sad and moments of victory are gratifying. And the wasteland and nothingness between collossi feels like a weathered and rough landscape, beaten down by these great beings. The battles are memorable and quite sad when you see this majestic, peaceful creature, that did not mean you harm, fall, dead to the ground. The game leaves a lasting imprint and the end is very mysterious. The game itself is open to interpretation about the end, but one thing is for certain. This game is a classic

2) Graphics

The old PS2 graphics would make anyone cringe, but SOtC pulls it off with stunning light effects and camera work. The game looks amazing on PS3 with redone textures and better lighting. The vast landscape is gorgeous and the collossi are detailed and vivid. Although its not Battlefield it is good looking.

3) Mechanics

The mechanics and controls of this game are very early Playstation and triangle as jump and holding R1 are actually pretty good. You feel like Wander, holding on for dear life. I love the use of your horse, Agro, because the map is HUGE. The different ways you have to use things to defeat collossus does make the game more of a puzzle than an action game. It makes you think and be strategic, using your landscape to your advantage, from making one attack a peice of stone ground to break its weapon, to making one run into structures to stun it. The game pits you against superior opponents with only your wits and your sword. 

All in all, the game is amazing and I love it. I believe if you own a PS3 you should play this game. $9.99 and it is a very good deal. It is good enough I have no negative comments for it. This short and sweet review sums up a short and sweet game.

9.6/10

Game Review: Call Of Duty Ghosts

The new FPS by Infinity Ward, makers of the original Call Of Duty, and the Modern Warfare series lives up to the name of it's predecessor. But will this new title break new ground, or has COD finally sunk it's battleship?

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

1) Campaign

Call Of Duty has always been known for it's ridiculous, over-the-top campaigns, and Ghosts does not disappoint. With the first mission going straight into the action the campaign blows previous Call Of Duty's out of the water. But that might just be the problem. With Modern Warfare, the campaign had an arc that was really well thought out. It had a rise and fall that was really solid and escalated in a way that made me want to play the next games. With Ghosts there is such a high stakes campaign that seemed to only escalate, there is really no where to go from there for a sequel. And the end of the game does end on a cliffhanger just begging for Ghosts 2. From going to the outer atmosphere to hijack a space station, to going deep sea diving to destroy a battleship, the campaign is amazing and left me in awe at how gorgeous the environments were. The maps are thought out really well and compliment each mission to a tee. The new mechanics and gameplay sections, such as playing as Riley, your personal attack dog, to controlling a remote sniper to thin out enemy numbers, the new segments are a very nice break from shooting guys to open a door leading to a room filled with more guys to shoot. A single problem is that the game is very short with less than 20 missions of which are only around 10-15 minutes long. While in a game like Portal this is very nice, but in an FPS shooter, the shortness just makes me want to explore and enjoy the view, but you can't most of the time when you are forced forward by gunfire and explosions.   Even with some slight annoyances, I love the campaign and think it is a must play for Call Of Duty fans. It is short and sweet, beautiful and action packed. I believe it is a very good addition to Infinity Ward's FPS Roster.

2) Graphics

On the brink of the new consoles, games are looking amazing. Ghosts is no exception with stunning environments and smooth design. The cutscenes look very unique in that they are loading screens and key plot moments. I do love the art style and sleek design of the weapons as it goes well with the fast paced action. The one complaint I would have is that in Multiplayer, which I will cover, there are perks (SitRep) and certain accessories like the Tracker Sight and Oracle system that do not flow smoothly with the new and revamped graphics, as the yellow outline or glowing orange C4 disrupts the visual significantly. Even with that in mind, the game is beautiful on PS3, which is my preferred console, and holds up well as a last hoorah for our generation of gaming. 

3) Multiplayer

Yes, here we are, the real reason why we all bought Ghosts, the multiplayer. The multiplayer is very close to Black Ops, except with new perks, new kill streaks, and a new squad system introduced to amp up gameplay signifigantly. But still there are pros and cons, so here they are.

PROS:

The new killstreaks, like attack dog and LOKI systems really amp up gameplay and make it a challenge to stop a killstreak, which gives a very nice feel to whistle for a dog after 5 kills or to utterly destroy the map with LOKI. My favourite addition is SAT COMs. One will reveal enemies you see on the minimap, Two and three will ping enemies, and a fourth will show all enemies on the minimap and the direction they are facing. For three kills it really adds a new strategic layer to gameplay. Maps having dynamic events like a mortar strike or satellite falling is a really nice break of gameplay, where instead of running around, everyone runs for cover and hides. The new and brought back perks like Resilience and Quickdraw make gameplay diverse, as you can create classes based around running, sniping, or suppressing. Another new addition is the squad system, where each squadmate that you purchase is its own and levels up individually. This is nice as you can create different looking squadmates, and even different genders and races.

CONS: 

One problem is that the killstreaks are unbalanced, seeing as the dog has more health and is harder to hit. And I have rage quit many a time because of one hit doggies ripping my throat out after I thought I killed it. Other problems like a care package landing on a roof happened as well. The instant death killstreaks always seem cheap too. A lot of perks can be cheap with certain ones, like Quickdraw being combined with sniper rifles for devastatingly cheap quickscopes.

Other than the obvious cons, the multiplayer is really solid, combining fast paced action with strategy and teamwork. All in all the game stands up really well to Battlefield 4 and other FPS and I do really like it.

8.7/10