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Sunday, August 31, 2014
Getting back into blogging with great new deals~
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Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Sniper Elitism 3
If you like sniping games this is probably high on your list of games to play. Even if you aren't a sniper lover this should still be high on your list. Next to a few others like Battlefield, Sniper: Ghost Warrior 1/2, etc... Well coming along now is the 3rd game in the Sniper Elite franchise and by god does it not disappoint. The game is rife with beautiful levels, intense objectives, and amazing mechanics. Let's pick our rifles, aim down our scopes, and hold our breaths because we're about to dive into one helluva review.
Story: Your generic gruff man pre-modern military power trip. It's nothing particularly new, but the narration style keeps you entrenched enough to enjoy the game. Really don't care much for the protagonist as he's too forgettable. But, this isn't really the main focus of the game either. Props for not recklessly throwing out a half assed story. But, by no means am I impressed either. 7/10
Gameplay: I had quite a lot of fun and although I'm what people would some likely call a sniping amateur I was still able to enjoy this sniper enthusiast game. How? you might ask? The game offers multiple modes, the hardest setting "Authetntic," stating that you either have to be a sniping purist or a masochist to attempt. I'm inclined to believe them since I've already had trouble with the normal "Marksman" difficulty. The title gives you lots of options to play with in game as well and most times it involves more stealth than actual sniping.(Great for people who enjoy stealth games) There's also the choice to go Rambo and light up the enemy AI, but ammunition for everything but your rifle is limited and it's something you'll probably want to avoid. Kill cameras are highly satisfying and there are sweet rewards for advanced sniping and impressive shots over long distances. The game isn't perfect however, Enemy AI tends to be dumb as rocks unless alerted and when alerted they stop at almost nothing to have your head. This is a problem only compounded by some awkward camera angles for this third person shooter. All in all a good effort by Rebellion and deserving of an 8/10.
Graphics: My oh my this is fantastically done in my opinion. The environments are both rich and satisfying. Every gory shot was also made personable by the fantastic kill cam and its ability to capture all of the bullet physics without faltering. My frames rarely ever dropped below 60 and most of my settings were turned to high with shadows being turned to medium for faster DPI. Character models are on point for the era and not only historically accurate, but well applied. There are some concerns regarding the fact that this isn't a new generation game. But reviewing it with last-gen in mind the graphics are quite well polished. There is one problem and I'm not quite sure where it stems from, but playing this game makes me queasy like with Bioshock and a few other titles. I can't tell if its camera sway, the unpolished graphics, or maybe the gory kill cam. But, for whatever reason I cannot stomach more than 1-2 hr sessions of this game at a time. 8/10 for Decent graphics and exceptional environments.
Sound: Perhaps the most impressive part of this game. The soundtrack and Sound FX reel in this title is absolutely stunning. I got addicted to listening to the ping of the M1 Garand's clip popping out. It's almost therapeutic how good this game sounds in comparison to other shooters. The guns actually sound like guns, both powerful and commanding. Splatter, cracking, etc... are all pretty on point as well. No, sound is left unchecked and unpolished and thanks to that this game's Sound earns a 10/10 in the ears of an audiophile.
If you haven't picked up this game already and you're looking to pass time. Definitely get it. You can either download it off Steam or pick it up here through my Amazon link.
Story: Your generic gruff man pre-modern military power trip. It's nothing particularly new, but the narration style keeps you entrenched enough to enjoy the game. Really don't care much for the protagonist as he's too forgettable. But, this isn't really the main focus of the game either. Props for not recklessly throwing out a half assed story. But, by no means am I impressed either. 7/10
Gameplay: I had quite a lot of fun and although I'm what people would some likely call a sniping amateur I was still able to enjoy this sniper enthusiast game. How? you might ask? The game offers multiple modes, the hardest setting "Authetntic," stating that you either have to be a sniping purist or a masochist to attempt. I'm inclined to believe them since I've already had trouble with the normal "Marksman" difficulty. The title gives you lots of options to play with in game as well and most times it involves more stealth than actual sniping.(Great for people who enjoy stealth games) There's also the choice to go Rambo and light up the enemy AI, but ammunition for everything but your rifle is limited and it's something you'll probably want to avoid. Kill cameras are highly satisfying and there are sweet rewards for advanced sniping and impressive shots over long distances. The game isn't perfect however, Enemy AI tends to be dumb as rocks unless alerted and when alerted they stop at almost nothing to have your head. This is a problem only compounded by some awkward camera angles for this third person shooter. All in all a good effort by Rebellion and deserving of an 8/10.
Graphics: My oh my this is fantastically done in my opinion. The environments are both rich and satisfying. Every gory shot was also made personable by the fantastic kill cam and its ability to capture all of the bullet physics without faltering. My frames rarely ever dropped below 60 and most of my settings were turned to high with shadows being turned to medium for faster DPI. Character models are on point for the era and not only historically accurate, but well applied. There are some concerns regarding the fact that this isn't a new generation game. But reviewing it with last-gen in mind the graphics are quite well polished. There is one problem and I'm not quite sure where it stems from, but playing this game makes me queasy like with Bioshock and a few other titles. I can't tell if its camera sway, the unpolished graphics, or maybe the gory kill cam. But, for whatever reason I cannot stomach more than 1-2 hr sessions of this game at a time. 8/10 for Decent graphics and exceptional environments.
Sound: Perhaps the most impressive part of this game. The soundtrack and Sound FX reel in this title is absolutely stunning. I got addicted to listening to the ping of the M1 Garand's clip popping out. It's almost therapeutic how good this game sounds in comparison to other shooters. The guns actually sound like guns, both powerful and commanding. Splatter, cracking, etc... are all pretty on point as well. No, sound is left unchecked and unpolished and thanks to that this game's Sound earns a 10/10 in the ears of an audiophile.
If you haven't picked up this game already and you're looking to pass time. Definitely get it. You can either download it off Steam or pick it up here through my Amazon link.
Monday, July 14, 2014
Man that was some break
Man that was some break right guys? Well I'm back from my temp job. I'll be returning to my daily routine soon. I should have the next review out by tomorrow look forward to it! Sniper Elite 3 being reviewed before attending the Destiny Beta Phase. Will give you my first impressions of that when it comes around.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Mario Kart 8 Unboxing
Mario Kart 8 Unboxing is up live on youtube. Sorry but youtube wouldn't let me edit the video this time so we've got unfortunately a thin aspect ratio video.
In other news I finished unlocking everything and playing all the modes/ matches just yesterday I'll have a review up for the game soon enough :)
In other news I finished unlocking everything and playing all the modes/ matches just yesterday I'll have a review up for the game soon enough :)
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Watchdogs (PC)
Hmmm... What to say about this game? I mean it was fun. But, is it really up to par? My standards overall were far from met and the "next-gen" was lost by try to appease to cross-gen again. Ubisoft even took some slacker approaches in design and I'm not particularly happy with that. Whether it be budget or time constraint. Both of which I highly doubt were the case due to a delayed release. So what went so horribly wrong with Watchdogs and for that matter what did they do right?
Story: Eh, pretty generic, albeit well written. I can't give them any points for creativity on this one. It's a revenge plot and a very generic one at that. However, mechanically its told both through environment and well coordinated characters. Characters, unfortunately feel rather shallow, they're non adaptable and generally only feature one main trait that is fleshed out; given how much openness the world possessed and how much opportunity was lost in developing the characters. There's no reason for this bland story given the extended development time and unfortunately I can't give them any big points in this category because of this. Watchdogs's story receives a 7/10 for being solid but nothing past ordinary.
Gameplay: Perhaps where the game shines most and also fails most. I have a lot of issues with mechanics here. Especially for the PC version. Driving is horrendously implemented. It reminded me of the Mako from Mass Effect. Steering is utterly horrible in the pc version. Acessing weapons will make you want to cry. Changing between the squares on the weapon wheel while fleeing an enemy or driving a car is a deal breaker. You also can't run while shooting like in the old Resident Evils and can't use anything other than blackouts and jams while driving a car. The weapon switching is probably alleviated in the console versions, but for PC players like myself, navigating the UI is just head-bangingly difficult. For a city there's an abysmal amount of people, it's like the apocalypse struck and all we're left with is the survivors; forget hiding amongst the crowd in online modes or fooling people by fleeing when other people panic too, Stealth in this game is a sad joke. Even though its one of the most highlight mechanics throughout the game. While I don't have any particular complaint about how hard the police are during the chase. It is a bit of a headache to lose people in this game. It's neither easy or fun and with controls that are unresponsive it can be difficult at times. However, I'd like to highlight where it's not all doom and gloom. Online modes are fun (when working). Hacking and controlling the city is an interesting mechanic, perhaps one that was overly emphasized. Skill trees are well developed and entice the player to work in the online mode as well. Fixer contracts and side-missions are plentiful and a vast array of pistols keep you pretty occupied for a while. The Digital Trips are perhaps the best mini-games I've played in a while. For a host of problems and success, I had to give Watchdogs a 6/10.
Graphics: What to say about this? Both impressive and unimpressive. Textures throughout most of the game are pretty fantastic, However, problems regarding the look of windows. Really detracts from the city environment. This is probably due to the size and scope of the game. However, it feels slightly inexcusable considering they had extended development time to fix this or at least make it marginally better. Aiden's running animation feels recycled. I can't confirm it but it reminds me almost exactly of the running animations from Assassin's Creed. In regards to that running style Aiden's pants physics were a deal breaker in the graphics department. Character designs were very limited. for the scope of the game. I think there's like ten different city character models total? Highly disappointing. Among the unique characters we do see none of them are impressive except for Clara, T-Bone, and Defalt. That's a pretty limited roster considering how many interactions we're given. Perhaps one of the more refined sections of the game, but it still doesn't come without its own set of problems and I can't give it full score for that. 8/10.
Sound: Hmm. I'm not entirely sure there's much to complain about here. I think my one complaint is that all recorded sound is really quiet. I have no idea why. I've played many other games on this computer all with my sound dialed extremely low. But, I can hear everything. Yet when I play Watchdogs I have to crank up my sound to 3/4 the full bar to even hear anything. I even have the master volume, voicing, and sound effects on max in the settings page. So I don't quite get what is going on regards to that. Combat sounds are well mixed and varied, soundtrack is suitable albeit overly reused, and voice overs are generally good. There are some points where lip movements don't sync with their designated voice overs but I can forgive that since the characters don't sound monotone and actually have some vocal inflections as well as emotion. I have to give the sound department a 9/10 for minimal faults and voice acting that doesn't leave me feeling absolutely empty.
If you haven't already purchased this game I'd say rent it. See if you like it before you buy it. I won't provide an Amazon link for this one since my expectations weren't met on this one. The overall score boils down to a 7.5/10 which is average but because Watchodgs promised to be so much more and had extended development time. I can't full recommend this "game changer" without asking readers to try it before you buy it.
Gameplay: Perhaps where the game shines most and also fails most. I have a lot of issues with mechanics here. Especially for the PC version. Driving is horrendously implemented. It reminded me of the Mako from Mass Effect. Steering is utterly horrible in the pc version. Acessing weapons will make you want to cry. Changing between the squares on the weapon wheel while fleeing an enemy or driving a car is a deal breaker. You also can't run while shooting like in the old Resident Evils and can't use anything other than blackouts and jams while driving a car. The weapon switching is probably alleviated in the console versions, but for PC players like myself, navigating the UI is just head-bangingly difficult. For a city there's an abysmal amount of people, it's like the apocalypse struck and all we're left with is the survivors; forget hiding amongst the crowd in online modes or fooling people by fleeing when other people panic too, Stealth in this game is a sad joke. Even though its one of the most highlight mechanics throughout the game. While I don't have any particular complaint about how hard the police are during the chase. It is a bit of a headache to lose people in this game. It's neither easy or fun and with controls that are unresponsive it can be difficult at times. However, I'd like to highlight where it's not all doom and gloom. Online modes are fun (when working). Hacking and controlling the city is an interesting mechanic, perhaps one that was overly emphasized. Skill trees are well developed and entice the player to work in the online mode as well. Fixer contracts and side-missions are plentiful and a vast array of pistols keep you pretty occupied for a while. The Digital Trips are perhaps the best mini-games I've played in a while. For a host of problems and success, I had to give Watchdogs a 6/10.
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| I don't own the rights to this image |
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| I don't own the rights to this image |
If you haven't already purchased this game I'd say rent it. See if you like it before you buy it. I won't provide an Amazon link for this one since my expectations weren't met on this one. The overall score boils down to a 7.5/10 which is average but because Watchodgs promised to be so much more and had extended development time. I can't full recommend this "game changer" without asking readers to try it before you buy it.
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