Game Review: Warface

Crytek is an absolute behemoth of the video game industry with Crysis leading the way in graphics and CryEngine powering some of the best games in the industry. But can their new free to play shooter Warface contend with other FPS giants like COD and Battlefield?

The first thing about Warface that struck my interest was that it was a Crytek game. The guys who made Crysis, which was and is one of the best graphically looking games of all time. I mean for god's sakes there was probably more detail in Psycho's face in Crysis 3 than all of the Tell Tale Walking Dead games combined. Their games and their engine are amazing and they are very high on the dev food chain. So when I saw a free to play shooter by them on Steam, I had to get it. 

Now this may just be my experience, but the game was underwhelming. The graphics, even set to the highest settings (which almost crashed my PC BTW) looked less impressive than Battlefield 4. The rag doll effects and hit boxes are both a little off, which can make it frustrating to shoot a guy in the head several times before realising the hit box is smaller than the model for the head. The only noticeably different graphics I mentioned are that the environment isn't as high textured as the guns unlike other Crytek titles, which disappointed me. But I guess graphics shouldn't matter when it's free to play. That is another thing that grabbed my attention, there is no cost to buying Warface. There is however, special currency to buy rare items that costs real money. So that's a little B.S, I mean even Battlefield didn't have guns that could be purchased with real money- wait a minute. So yeah almost all shooters let you buy guns. but you don't then make special super items that only last a week. That's real low for them. However, attachments, weapons, and Armour can be unlocked with every level, having you choose which one you want to unlock when you level up when you start the mission, so that's fair. They do have the Crysis feature where you can open an attachment menu at any time with the press of a button and then just click (no controller support whatsoever buts that not an issue) on attachments to choose them and I like that a lot more than doing it in between matches.

The game play itself is really just mediocre, with co-op and PVP as choices. There are four classes to choose from. The Rifleman is Assault with a machine gun and ammo kits. The Sniper has a sniper rifle, pretty self explanatory. The Medic has a shotgun and both health kits and defibrillators. The engineer has an SMG with both armour repair and special land mines they place down. All classes have a primary, secondary, knife, two grenade types though some only have one unlocked, and finally their special which replenishes either armour, health, or ammo. The gun buying system is a little whack, with both timed items and durability for permanent items, meaning you need a lot of money to keep using your good guns. The game modes as a whole are bland. The co-op is just a PVE "clear out all enemies" sort of thing with a few optional objectives like killing a super heavy soldier (which is really OP and hard) or blowing up a helicopter with an RPG. There are only a couple maps and so the harder difficulty challenges just reuse maps with more enemies, tiring out the idea really fast. The A.I in co-op is pretty bad. All they do is rush you and try to melee you or try to snipe you from afar. Even on hard they have terrible aim, except the snipers which literally lock on to you no matter how fast you move. The PVP multiplayer is like Battlefield mechanics on a COD map, meaning slow game play but really the same as other shooters. No different game modes or anything. 

I'd normally talk about story here, but I'm not sure there is one. You are Warface, a ragtag military squad sent to stop the evil Blackwood. That's it. I'm serious, that's all they tell you. There aren't even any actual characters, like in Titanfall. There is no story. Which I guess there doesn't need to be in an FPS, but then why would they establish groups and settings. Why not just say "You are a good guy, kill the bad guys, GO!" Oh wait they did exactly that. It's just silly.

To sum up my opinion of the game would be that this game tries to be other games and does them worse. I would recommend buying an actually established FPS like COD or Battlefield instead of this. Actually just go buy Crysis 3, a good game by Crytek.

Game Review: Wolfenstein The New Order

Wolfenstein and Return To Castle Wolfenstein, known as some of the games that pioneered the way for the modern titles we have today, has recently had a sequel released called Wolfenstein: The New Order. Can the New Order continue the tradition of great games. Or do the old style of games not work in today's generation?

WARNING: SPOILERS AND STUFF

Bethesda and id Software are two names  of the industry that are both known for amazing games. I mean, id Software MADE the video games of today a reality. Doom and Wolfenstein completely redefined what video games were. They both pioneered a now multimillion dollar industry and then they improved it and made it fun. Bethesda, on the other hand, made the Elder Scrolls series. They also adapted and made the Fallout series their own. Both series are considered some of the best games of this generation. So you can clearly see the hype and expectations that were loaded on to the Wolfenstein sequel. This game was to be nothing less than perfection. Playing this game, I can say that this game was amazing. I found very little in this game that was bad or even mediocre. The game deserved the hype.

The graphics of this game are astounding. It runs at a very smooth 1080p 60fps. And I can say those specs are amazing. Every other game in the world right now is trying for those specs and Wolfenstein just waltzes on in like "Sup bitches! 60fps! 1080p! Later!" and then walks out as the intro to CSI plays. This game looks beautiful and plays great. The art style is very nice and seems both real and gory at times and funny and silly at times. The game knows what it is and what it is is blowing away robot Nazi's with duel wielded shotguns, then coming being forced to choose which friend you save from being dissected alive. The game knows how to be itself and it does it in a way that no other game *cough* Duke Nuke 'Em Forever *cough* could pull off. The only issue is that it takes some getting used to the models because they all look very Source Engine reminiscent, specifically old Counter Strike looking hand models, but that might just be me.

The story of Wolfenstein could either be the best written story ever or the worst one depending on how seriously you take it. Like I said, the game is both incredibly stupid and incredibly smart in the way the game presents itself. You play as the hard as nails William Joseph Blazkowicz, or his nickname B.J/ Blazko. He was the main character of Wolfenstein 3D and almost every Wolfenstein after that. As a main character in today's generation, B.J is actually pretty three dimensional and has faces and emotions like a normal human being. He also walked the thin line to saying the kick ass and chew bubblegum line the entire game. Consistent theme with this game, ain't it? The story of the game is that it is an alternate reality where technology in the 40's was much more advanced  and robots and lasers were invented in a very steam punk fashion. In this reality, B.J is an air force troop sent to kill Hitler's lead commander, Deathshead. In this reality, you are forced to choose between two of your friends on who you save. This immediately splits the main story into different "alternate realities" and adds replay value to the game. I personally chose the Fergus storyline first, so that's the one I'll review the story on. After choosing to save Fergus, you and him try to escape before an explosion blasts both of you out into the ocean. You then reawaken, only to find yourself paralysed and in a mental home. You spend the next fourteen years watching the owner's of the home and your caretakers be hassled by Nazi's and you eventually see the mother and father of the girl who personally looked after you be murdered in cold blood and the home destroyed before you regain control of your body and fight your way out of the home. You save the girl, Anya, and find out that the Nazi's won World War II and took control of the world, stomping out resistance. This is the story of the game. And I love it. It is very serious and has very adult overtones and themes. Yet, the game adds humour regularly and has almost too much cheesy 80's jokes. But the two sides of the coin that is this game's plot seem to blend perfectly for an amazing experience. 

This game is a first person shooter, as we all know. And as most of you know, id Software invented first person shooters. So with my whole heart and no regrets, I can confirm that this game may be, no IS the best FPS for the foreseeable future. Your character has no powers, and no supernatural elements. B.J just has lots of guns and the knowledge to use them. And with just guns, this game has some of the best and most fluid, seamless, and brutal combat I have played at least until I wrote this review. I love it when I'm a bad ass, and respect it when I die. It is solid and wholesome and I love it. The mechanics are actually very simple, but the combinations and variety are what make it great. The game play in a nut shell is this: You have both health and armour, health regenerates but only to the closest 20% margin unless you pick up health, and once you are at full health, you can still pick up health to overcharge your health, which keeps giving you more health, but it slowly decays until you are back at your max health. Your armour is simply yet another health bar that does not regenerate or overcharge. You pick up health from health packs, meals, or even dog food (callback to OG Wolfenstein) from fallen enemies or around the map. The gun play is that you have a gun and you shoot it at guys who drop ammo and guns. When you pick up another gun, you can duel wield the guns which removes aiming but doubles damage. The guns also have different fire modes and attachments like burst fire and silencers to switch from or attach. You also have a melee, which is an instant kill and a stealth kill if the enemy doesn't notice you. If you pick up another knife, however, you can throw it for a stealth kill. The stealth in this game seems almost forced, yet spotty as to if it will work. You almost never have to sneak in this game, yet there are some clear areas where you would be better off sneaking, which is easy, but there is no clear indicator as to if someone sees you, and sometimes they can notice you when you lean out of cover, or won't notice you when you are clearly in their vision. And then the melee is very iffy. You have to be directly behind someone, at the same height as them (which is only a problem at stairs) and then the prompt shows up to instakill. Or else you simply shank them and break stealth and then have to spam them with melee to kill them, at which point every one in the level knows exactly where you are. Kinda bad, but you can play the whole game just fine without it, which is really what makes me forgive them. Another thing in this game is the perks system. By completing certain in game goals, you unlock perks, which boosts one of your stats or gives you a new ability. It is just a perk system though, and they're all the same. Though it was cool that you only unlock perks relevant to how you play, meaning that you only get better at skills you will actually use. The combat in the game feels especially smooth with the big, wide open level designs that allow several ways to complete the level, or several paths to get to your objective. The game feels nice. It feels goddamn amazing actually. I loved every minute of it. Also I just have to point out that there are some areas where you have to run from something and you have no control just to move the plot forward, but I didn't mind, so yeah. There were also collectibles in this game (did you like my butter smooth transition there, yeah you did) There were a lot collectibles, so much so that there were extra modes you unlocked by collecting these enigma code things in each level. I was going to praise how the game modes boosted replay value but I couldn't even collect all the enigma codes in a chapter so I couldn't unlock them yet. But I bet they're just twists like dying in one hit or unlimited ammo or unable to look up and down, things like that. But that aside the game was my favourite next gen game so far unless Destiny blows me away but until then, Wolfenstein takes the cake. Go buy this game, it is super good and well worth 60/70/80$ or whatever it costs. Go get it.

Hey, the game had some problems for me so here's me rambling about it. 

Ahem.

The game had a five gigabyte day one update and that apparently fixed the bugs but without the update the game crashes frequently and has clipping problems and huge graphical issues and stuff. Once you update it's fine so... cool. Now go buy this game and sing its praises. Do it. 

(Also there was a bonus secret where you play a level of Return To Castle Wolfenstein and that's cool)

App Review: QuizUp

Quick summary of why I did an app review instead of a game review. I went on vacation and didn't have access to my PC, only my phone. There, now the review. Keep in mind it will be a shorter review because it is only an app. Also sorry it's a day late, didn't have internet. Whoops

Made by Plain Vanilla Corp, which is another dev I only really know from one game, QuizUp is a very neat little trivia app for iOS and Android that has tons of categories and a very clean style. It is very well made and there are next to no glitches or problems. It is online with leader boards and I'm addicted to it. But can it make a name for itself in the over saturated market that is the app store?

Honestly, coming into this game I heard it from another reviewer who just happened to mention it on his podcast, so I expected it to be at least fun. The game is very professionally made, yet it stays modest. Whereas other trivia games boast about how many categories they have, QuizUp just puts its cards on the table and leaves them there, it never shoves promos or In App Purchases down your throat. In fact, there are IAP's and I didn't know about them for the first couple months I played this game. It handles itself professionally, never whoring itself out for rates and purchases. I liked that part a lot. The second thing you notice about this when going to get it is that it is free. No money to download it. The In App Purchases are all XP multipliers which you never need to progress. I've been 5th in the world in Games: General category and never paid a cent. This is maybe the best part of QuizUp.

The graphical style of the game is simple, which makes it much more appealing and easy to play. It is mostly text on screen but the font is nice and the animations of text showing up and disappearing is fluid. Any pictures that show up are mostly high definition and the preset character avatars are simple and funny. The statistics page for your play time and win/loss ratio is all pie charts and it makes it look much nicer than just plain numbers. The whole game looks nice and is very consistent with the art style.

I normally save game play for last in my reviews because it is the longest section but because this is a trivia game there is little to talk about. It is a competitive, timed multiple choice game. So the way it works is you and your opponent are asked seven ABCD type questions in a round based system where each question is it's own round and you are given ten seconds to answer. If you answer correctly, you get ten points plus however many seconds left on the timer when you answered. The round ends after both people answer or the timer runs out. The seventh question is worth twice as many points and then the game decides the winner based on who got more points. You can score up to the maximum of 160 points and if both you and your opponent have the same amount of points it is a tie. You can then challenge them to a rematch or continue playing other people. During a match if you feel outmatched you can also surrender, instantly making the opponent the winner but not giving them points for the questions not asked yet. 

Another feautre is that there is also a leader board system that has global and country specific leader boards based on all time and monthly levels. You level up by winning and playing matches where you get XP equal to your points in the match. Another cool feature is the way you can play friends. You can send friend requests and be friends with people, then challenge them to games exclusively. You can play a normal match or if they can't play at the moment, you can play by yourself and when they accept your challenge they will play your ghost. It is pretty cool. The only other thing to do after getting bored is you can earn titles and achievements. Titles are earned every ten levels in a category up to level 50 and are different each category. They are displayed below your name in any place your name is displayed. Achievements are earned by completing special tasks and are really just to feel a sense of completion because you can't use most of them as titles. And that is the game play of QuizUp. The only bugs or cheats I encountered are that you can close the app in the middle of a game and instead if declaring a winner, the game will say you disconnected and will stop the match, so there are people with a record of no losses that cheated to get that. 

So in light of having no PC access, I played this game a lot, and I recommend it to anyone who plays phone game's and would like to test their knowledge. With a huge category list and short rounds, QuizUp marks one of my favourite mobile games. 

Game Review: Contagion

So I bought this game on Steam recently, and in the drought of games before August I thought I'd review it. The game was made by an indie company called Monochrome and it is a Source engine game based on Left 4 Dead but with a lot more realism. But can this little indie game make a name for itself in the world of DayZ and Left 4 Dead?

The first thing that grabbed my attention was the fact that this is only a source based Left 4 Dead mod, because the menus and graphics are at a base level the same. The graphics themselves aren't too impressive or spectacular, but running the game at the highest settings it looks like a newer title, which in it's self is impressive for a small indie dev. The art style on the other hand, was a little different in it's approach, changing from the Left 4 Dead almost comic book style to a simple film grain effect and a lot less light. This does achieve a much more creepy vibe when you are walking down a dark hallway with your flashlight off so you don't alert a horde.The HUD itself is different from L4D2 with just a small health and stamina bar in the top right corner and a four slot inventory on the left. You do have a phone that sends you texts for objectives or useful tips. The items in this game are much more subtle, with ammo and guns only glowing with a corresponding color when your cross hairs are directly over them and you can interact with them. Things like melee weapons and interactable objects like doors that do not open without a key don't glow at all and you have to be observant in order to not miss them. This adds a level of difficulty that boosts the limited supplies difficulty immeasurably that if it kept the L4D2 art style and objects glowed through walls, the game would be immensely easier, but with the combination of dark rooms and subtle item drops, you need to actually explore and be brave in order to survive. This is one of the reasons this game is wonderful.

The second thing that struck my interest was that there is no "story" to Contagion. There are singleplayer and multiplayer missions and game modes, but none of them have a narrative or plot other than, "You are in a zombie infested neighborhood/prison/medical facility, ESCAPE!" And I'm surprisingly OK with that. There doesn't necessarily need to be a story to a good game, especially in one with game play that makes you immersed right away. You feel like the playable characters, each with a short back story on how they survived. And then without a story, you feel more interested to hear your character say "I'm more scared of my ex wife than you," because it both gives you a little hint of back story while also stating emotion. There is no story to this game, but there is still emotions.

The game play in Contagion isn't like the base game L4D2 as much as it's a smaller, more concentrated version of DayZ. The zombies are slow but hit hard, your character can't really run and you have stamina for it and melee weapons, and the resources are scarce. So scarce that on the hardest difficulty you almost have to pick up a melee weapon because there is little to no ammo anywhere. The actual gun play and combat is satisfying yet difficult, with normal zombies taking several hits to the body or one instant kill shot to the head making combat a lot slower than other games, you can't just pump bullets into zombies or you'll die immediately, you have to line up head shots and keep retreating so as not to get hit by zombies. it makes it very tactical. Sometimes using a gun actually hurts you, because the zombies rely on sound more than sight, so firing a gun attracts way more zombies than either sneaking past or luring them with melee weapons. And you sometimes can even use the environment to your advantage, luring zombies into fire or electrified water to kill them for you. the weapons you use are varied as in L4D2, there are several types of pistols and a revolver, there are shotguns and sniper rifles, there are even some machine guns for sticky situations. Most of the guns only have iron sights except for the crossbow and sniper rifles, but for the aiming with iron sights you can be very accurate, I have several times both hit a zombie from across a courtyard and missed point blank. You have to be calm to aim properly, and in turn survive.As far as actual game modes go, Contagion isn't that special. it has a couple PVP modes, one is survivor v. survivor, one is survivors v. players controlling zombies, and there is an escape type mode, an objective based mode, and a horde survival type mode. In a multiplayer server, 8 people can join and in co-op the usual amount is 4 people. in a cooperative game mode, especially on harder difficulties, you really have to work together with your resource management and communication skills. it is because you can pick up ammo for someone else's gun and you can really only have one of each type of special item with room for weapons, it really makes you have to decide who has a key for the locked rooms and who has a fire extinguisher for the flaming areas. it is a really hard thing to do as a team, and that makes it super rewarding when you beat a level. On the opposite end of the team spectrum, is the PVP aspects, which makes the game a lot harder when not only do you have to kill zombies coming after you you, but you have to be quiet on the most part so another player doesn't sneak up behind you with a handgun bullet to your head. To top off the difficulty, when a player dies, if there is still more than one player left, he or she comes back as a zombie with the ability to summon a horde, move faster than normal zombies, camouflage itself as a normal zombie, and track players. The multiplayer isn't actually about killing the others so much as surviving longer than they do.

The game is currently 20$ on Steam and while I would say it's worth it, I think it's a little pricey. if it ever goes on sale though, I'd snatch it up in a heart beat. If you do have money to spare though, get this game, it is very good and always has new updates. Plus if you use Tunngle or Hamachi, you can use a LAN server over the internet to play with distant friends online.

Game Review: Fez

So recently I got a PS4 with PS+, meaning I get two free games each month. Just recently one of these games was Fez, and since you can get it for free, I thought I would review whether or not to get it

Just a disclaimer, this game was made by Phil Fish, who is kinda crazy over certain games and while some people hate him for it. I'm actually totally cool with the statements he's made, but this review will not be biased based on the dev and I will not mention the things Phil's done. Anyway, the game was made almost single handedly by Phillipe Poisson or Phil Fish as he's known to his fans. I like the game, it's very nice and pretty and makes you think. The story of how this game came to be is actually pretty crazy and is included in Indie Game: The Movie. Phil Fish had to face very steep odds to make this game and I give the dude props. I do think this game is amazing. It is one of the best indie game's of all time and you can very clearly see why. The graphics are beautifully hand crafted pixel graphics, the mechanics and controls are tight and satisfying and the plot is both well written and something that makes you contemplate society which is something that rarely any other games do. Well let's get into it then

WARNING: CONTAINS MILD SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST LEVEL. DEAL WITH IT

The graphics of this game blew me away the first time I played it on PC, mostly because I had already heard that it was made by one guy. All of the textures are beautifully made and look like they were hand made, which they were. The textures are like snowflakes, there are no two that are the same. Oh, sure there are several graphics that are the same, but the atmosphere and music and animations make them feel individual and alive. The whole feel of the game is great. The happy, upbeat parts make you feel great and uplifting, and the creepy, lonely parts make you feel desolate and alone. The music only adds to this, with symphonic songs that draw you in and go perfectly with the stupefying visuals. This game just feels like it's a grand adventure. Not to mention that every time you rotate the screen (which is something I'll talk about later) you can just see how intricate and smooth every single block and pixel looks. Not to mention the whole 1080p 60fps thing, which most triple A games can't even do.

The premise of Fez is simple, yet at the same time has so many secret meanings and messages. You play as Gomez, a little pixel person (Human? I don't know)

who lives in a floating 2D village. The village elder requests to speak with you, and he tells you that the fez he wears allows him to see the world as it truly is, and he gives you a fez. This very special piece of head wear allows you to rotate the 2D world around you as it is actually 3D, but you can only see one plane at a time. Then, a magical hexadecahedron thing shows up, telling you in a non-understandable language that it is your friend and that it is looking to repair a special cube that will save the universe or some other cool thing. The pieces of the cube have been scattered all over the world and you must find them. You then set out on a quest to find them and that's that. The story is very good and one that will most likely stand the test of time.

The mechanics of Fez are really simple, but are executed perfectly. It is a platformer and Gomez can jump from platform to platform and climb vines and ropes. But the really cool thing is rotating the world 90 degrees. If a platform is unreachable or you need to align two platforms up to go somewhere, you can rotate the world until you can get the platforms aligned. It is very nice and while you master it quickly, there are puzzles that make you have to use your skills to their max to solve them. I loved it ,mainly because even though there are no enemies, there is a very present danger and a feeling of challenge that only very good games can get right. I loved it.

So in summation, this game is amazing and worth the ten dollars it's being charged for. But for free on PS+ for the month of August really seals the deal and I recommend this to anyone who likes platformers or art games. I do have to mention that there are bugs that glitch the game if you save at waterfalls or black holes, but I didn't experience any of them. But yeah, this game is good and amazing for an indie game. And I would say anyone that buys this game should go watch Indie Game: The Movie because it's very inspiring and just a good story.

Game Review: Watch_Dogs

Made by Ubisoft, well known for Assassins Creed and Far Cry and a whole bunch of amazing games. Will Watch_Dogs be added to their hall of fame?

Before the actual review starts I would like to say I'm playing this on PS4 and this is the only game I actually have on PS4, so until I get another game I'll review games on other platforms. So now that that's over it's review time!

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MILD SPOILERS SO SUCK IT UP BUTTERCUP

So when I first saw this game, all I thought was "It's Assassin's Creed in the future and you play an assassin!" Well unless there is an Easter egg somewhere that I haven't found, the game is not that. At least not in a story sense. The main character, Aiden Pearce does know parkour, as well as how to sneak around and silently take people out, though not to the extent of the assassins of AC. The game play is similar though, with a dumbed down version of free running included. You can only climb objects just taller than you are, and falling off them causes fall damage. Still you can slide over low objects or jump off a wall to scale high ones. The game makes it fluid too, by making you hold a button whilst running to free run. The combat of this game is very fluid as well, now that I'm on the subject. Going from shooting someone in cover to vaulting over and performing a take down is very easy and smooth yet if your not careful you can be killed quite easily. The weapon's are all OK, with a one to five star rating on all of them telling you which ones are better than others, yet there are no real unique weapons or weapons that would cause much chaos as in GTA. The roaming around sandbox parts of Watch_Dogs is very entertaining as well... most of the time. The hacking is neat and allows you to hack your environment to make things explode or cause a car crash. And you can hack people to listen to their phone calls or steal their bank accounts. The most of the time bit before was the fact that blowing things up or killing cops is actually frowned upon, taking away your good rep and replacing it with bad rep, which in turn affects the way civilians react to you in the over world. This sucks, because I came into the game thinking if I got bored I could do what I did in GTA and just blow shit up, which I couldn't unless I wanted to ruin my in game rep. Speaking of GTA, the number of people comparing these two games is astounding. The only thing I can say is that GTA is meant to be fun when you are just messing around and crazy things happen. That's why there's rag doll and random events and such. Watch_Dogs is meant to be fun when you are doing something specific, like a mission or side objective. The game is built around constantly feeding you little morsels of enjoyment because the over world starves you. Whereas GTA's over world is very filling, and the morsels can be enjoyed more because they add to the experience. In Watch_Dogs, they are the experience. That is the difference and frankly is why the replay value is far lower than GTA's. 

On a graphics standpoint, Watch_Dogs looks better (at least on PS4) than most sandbox games I've seen. The glitch aesthetic gives it a very cool theme as well. The one glaring problem I had was the frame rate drops that happened. On a console that is not OK. Maybe on a low end PC but this is a PS4 I got literally one week before this review came out, so frame rate needs to be fixed. Admittedly it happened when a lot of explosions or details where on screen at once, and happened fairly infrequently, but guess what? IT'S CONSOLE THE FRAMERATE NEEDS TO BE CONSISTENT! I mean I'm fine with 30fps if I'm given 30fps, but dropping to 10fps is not acceptable to me at all. Other than that though the game looks good. I really thought the augmented reality theme was cool as well, with the profiler mode you can see civilians or enemies names, jobs, ages, and anything special about them. It was a really nice touch.

The multiplayer aspect of the game was weird to say the least. You can enter races and the such, but in multiplayer, other players appear as regular citizens and they can hack you or tail you to fulfil missions, and when they do, you have to figure out where and who they are and then take them out. Or someone can invade your single player world in their multiplayer and try to kill you. It provides a steady amount of tension to just roaming around (you can turn it off in the menu) There is a mode where you have to race around the city while some on their real world phone  hacks your world and sends police after you to stop you. It's a nice tie-in and playing on your phone males you feel like a true hacker. 

Finally, the story. I will spoil the plot of the back story, but that isn't really a spoiler when they cram it down your throat every five minutes. You play as Aiden Pearce, a hacker vigilante who had a hit ordered on him after someone hacked him while he was on a job. The hit failed and instead killed his six year old niece, driving him to get revenge on the people responsible. The game's plot is good for what it is. The characters are memorable but I never really cried or laughed at the story. There are some plot twists and such, but the story stays along a preset track and the main villain is presented right away, which gives you a feeling of progression when you complete a mission. The overall plot is nice and I liked the ending.

If you are looking for a grand on rails experience where you play a stealthy bad ass hacker, I suggest buying this game. If you want an off rails free roaming game about chaos and pure fun, go buy GTA V. Honestly in my unprofessional opinion GTA V is a better game. Just sayin'.

Game Review: Always Sometimes Monsters

Devolver Digital. They made Serious Sam, Hotline Miami, Luftrausers, all of which are good games (some of my favourites). But does that mean they can pull off yet another masterpiece, or have they finally fallen?When first looking at this game, all I can see is the RPG Maker looking graphics, but much better made. I know that a game's graphics don't define them, but for an indie game developer to help Vagabond Dog create their dream, the graphics are pretty good, with custom sprites and menus. The graphics are very nice especially with environments and sunsets but I honestly didn't care. The story could have come in a text based adventure and I would still love the game. That's how much the story and other factors dictate what kind of game this is, an art game. 

On a gameplay standpoint, ASM is a sweet and sour experience, mixing both fun, easy to control segments, and difficult to control, frustrating segments. The game is an RPG, yet there is no combat, but more of an elaborate version of Mass Effect's dialogue options that doesn't give you a clear "good" or a clear "bad" option, but several inbetween one's that would mirror actual responses. The game's preset choices make you really feel responsible for your actions, because they define you. Say enough pro-recycling options your character will start to recycle sort of thing. It makes your character feel like a digital you. Especially with the creative character/partner/name select screen. Everything you do opens new options and different people will talk to you or give you different reactions based on your moral standings, which greatly increases the replay value. The buying food and drink and sometimes drugs or smokes idea allows for different options of what your character would even eat, which can also change your point of view. The game drives the idea of choices affecting you out of the park. On a world navigating and puzzle solving standpoint, the controls, especially with a controller, feels loose and sometimes frustrating that you can't rebind the off-putting control scheme.

The story of ASM will change based on many different variables and I don't want to potentially spoil it, so I'll give you a spoiler-free summary. You start off an aspiring writer who fell in love and moved in with your partner. Your partner leaves you and you live in a crappy apartment until you are evicted with no money left, simply told to get 500$ by the end of the night or sleep on the curb. To add insult to injury, you then recieve an invitation to your ex's (who you still love very much) marriage ceremony and with nothing left to lose you decide to head several towns over to win your love back by the end of the month. The story from that point on is different for everyone and I love it. It deals with the harsh realities of drug abuse, racism and homophobia, even the idea of suicide. The story perfectly captivates you for every moment.

So at the end of the day Always Sometimes Monsters is a really solid game that I recommend for anyone looking for an amazing story that tells of love and loss. And hell, with a soundtrack by Laser Destroyer Team, go buy it on Steam now. And remember, aren't we all Always Sometimes Monsters?

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