Showing posts with label Game Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Game Review. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Bioshock Infinite Review
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Tomb Raider Review
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Release Date: 3/5/13
Review Date: 3/20/13
Platforms: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Length: 15+ hr
Reviewed by: Roger Havens
Developer Crystal Dynamics has returned once more to bring us another entry in the Tomb Raider franchise. The last time we followed Lara Croft on an adventure was more than 4 years ago. The developer has come a long way since then and brings us the origin story of Lara. The story has her on her first voyage as a young woman, looking for adventure. She is on the ship Endurance with her fellow friends and deck hands searching for the lost Japanese kingdom of Yamatai. It is said to be once guarded by a queen who held mystical powers. Well one thing leads to another and Lara and crew find themselves shipwrecked on an island and then separated from each other. This quickly thrusts young Lara into a character arc as she must come to terms with her situation and choose how to survive. The sense of dread she experiences as she kills her first attacker or hunts her first deer are quickly dismissed as she continues on her quest to rescue her friends and discover the islands secrets. The island has a Burmuda Triangle feel to it. Once stranded, it seems almost impossible to leave, and by the looks of things, they aren't the only ones stuck there.
I was surprised about how this game made me feel. It in some ways did not feel like a Tomb Raider game and in other ways it did. I would say that there is a lot less of a focus on platforming as in past titles. There is plenty of it for sure, but it was paced nicely with the games combat. Some of the best times I had were trying to figure out how to get up to a higher ledge to find hidden collectibles. Climbing and shimming along walls has never felt more polished. The days of leaping to your death by accident are gone because the controls are so smooth and responsive. The game features several action set pieces much like in Uncharted 3, but they are all unique and don't feel forced. The set pieces are based on the events that are happening around you and they are thrilling.
Now, the combat in this game is superb. Not only is shooting enemies and countering their melee attacks way better than they have ever been, but they rival games like Uncharted. The guns all feel accurate and powerful and performing a head shot with the bow feels so rewarding. All of your weapons can be upgraded a few times as you collect salvage. This gives them new abilities and alternate fire modes to give more spice to the combat. But to be honest, the bow is so darn fun and effective, that I had to keep reminding myself to try out other weapons. As you find some of the game's many collectibles and get kills you earn XP which you use to upgrade your abilities. You learn new dodging moves and melee counters which keeps the combat fresh and enjoyable all of the way through. Playing the game on normal difficulty was just right. The enemies were not too easy, nor was it too difficult and I feel that playing the game on the hardest setting will give quite a challenge.
I beat Tomb Raider in about 15 hours. That may seem short at first, but the game is rich in content. The story is designed to guide you down a path of separate areas. Each new environment is large in size and offers it's own challenge to engage the player. Tomb Raider is jam packed with collectibles. You can find relics, GPS caches, old letters, journals and even plants. Most areas have optional tombs which you can explore for extra rewards. These are the games "dungeons" as they represent a puzzle for you to overcome and then reward you with a treasure map. This map will highlight some collectibles in that area so they are easier to find. While most of the puzzles were clever and unique, you won't find anything too challenging. I never spent more then 10 minutes on a puzzle and that was it. Once it's solved there is no more exploring as the treasure is right around the corner. So the tombs are nothing too special, but offer a nice distraction for the rest of the game. Each area also has its own unique challenge like finding hidden posters or destroying land mines along a beach. Having a lot of collectibles is very good in this game because it never feels tedious. It felt as if I was always finding something new, and you get rewarded with XP when you do so it is a win-win. The game encourages you to go back to old areas to fully explore them and gather all of the collectibles. Without having the story pressing you forward, you can really enjoy the massive levels and enjoy the beauty of the game. Many collectibles are left inaccessible to you until later on when you have upgraded weapons and new abilities. This helps to add more depth to each area as well.
Some people were disappointed with Tomb Raiders multiplayer, blaming it for being generic and bringing nothing to the table. It's hard for me to be disappointed with something that was not expected nor needed. The multiplayer has 4 game modes which are pretty generic. There are options to customize loadouts and unlock new weapons. There is definitely nothing wrong with Tomb Raider's Multiplayer, nor is there anything that makes it stick out above the rest. If the campaign had suffered as a result of adding multiplayer, then I would feel much differently. Heads up trophy lovers: you have to prestige 3 times in order to platinum this game. At least we can be greatful that there was some thought put into the player loadouts and upgrade system. You might as well enjoy your journey since it will be a long one.Tomb Raider is an excellent game, with brilliant story telling, jaw dropping beauty and heart racing combat. If you're a fan of Lara Croft or just want to play a high quality action adventure game, look no farther than Tomb Raider. This game doesn't need multiplayer to keep gamers from trading it in, the rich campaign and enjoyable replay-ability is more then enough to hold onto this gem for months to come.
Review Score: $55 out of $60.
Follow on Twitter
Roger Havens- Tech Fixation Editor
Tweet
Monday, March 4, 2013
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Friday, March 1, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Review
Publisher: Namco-Bandai
Developer: Level 5
Release Date: January 22, 2013
Reviewed on February 19, 2013
Platforms: Playstation 3
Written by Dexter Jaekel
I want so desperately to like this game. It has everything that I would love: classic JRPG fighting styles, classic corny Japanese characters, and fun Anime styling. I'm not saying that Ni No Kuni is a bad game, but I just cannot get myself to like it. Let's back up for a minute and explain a little bit about why I, of all people, should love this game.
I've been a fan of JRPG games since 1997, not nearly as long as some people in the gaming industry, but that's still a very long time. I cannot count on one hand the number of times I've beaten Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII. I've also spent numerous hours playing Final Fantasy IX and X. I even tried to stomach Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy XIII. When I first saw videos of Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, I was ecstatic. The idea of a classic JRPG game being made with full force had me so intrigued and the fact that Studio Ghibli was behind the animation had me even more excited. I was ready to lose myself into this wonderful, simplistic, childlike world and have fun battling the evils that oppose me. Unfortunately, whenever the game came out it just fell so flat in my eyes.
Don't get me wrong, I make it sound like it's a terrible game but it's not. There is so much here to do and so much to fall in love with, but something about it just isn't striking me the way I would like it to. Let me explain to you all the things that there are to love about this game and I will stop ranting about the things that I don't like.
The Story
Oliver is not your typical JRPG Protagonist. He doesn't wield a giant sword, he is never brooding, his stature is small, and his confidence is low. Oliver is essentially the opposite of a standard JRPG hero. This is one place where Ni No Kuni stands out. Oliver's ultimate strength comes from his infinite compassion and kind heart, he just happens to be able to fight using magic and familiars.
Battle
Everyone knows the most important part of a JRPG is the battle system. Ni No Kuni combines elements from several different games, the most notable being Pokemon. Oliver and his friends don't fight enemies directly most of the time, they command familiars. As you travel the world and battle creatures, you will have the opportunity to capture ones that you like. You use them in battle to level them up, and evolve them to make them stronger.The battle system is active and not turn based. Every action you perform has to cool down before you can us it again, but you can use any other action immediately. You move your character around the battlefield during all this, trying to avoid damage and looking for weak spots on your enemies. At anytime you can switch familiars and characters. If your character gets K/Oed, you automatically switch to one of the others. The beauty of this system is that it can be very simple, but you can bring a lot of depth into it if you so choose.
Gameplay
Playing through the story is very straight forward (like a classic JRPG) but the meat of the game is in the side quests. It will take you about 40 hours to beat the game, and almost 80 hours to do everything and achieve a platinum trophy. The side quests are divided into 2 basic types, errands and hunts. Hunts will send you out to find a specific monster and kill it. Luckily these monsters are displayed on your world map and are usually easy to track down. Another nice feature is that you are allowed to take on multiple Hunts at a time, so it's easy to sign up for several hunts and then execute them as you are brought through the map during the story. The Errands are just like they sound, "I forgot where I left this, can you find it?", "I'm in need of this, bring it to me", and so forth. In addition to these errands, there are missions to help fix people's broken hearts. In order to do this, you must identify what part of their heart is missing, find someone with extra, and bestow it upon the broken hearted. The pieces that are missing can be anything from "Love" to "Enthusiasm." The unique reward for these side quests is Merit Points. Earn 10 merit points and you can turn them in for awesome benefits that range from extra experience to making it easier to capture monsters.Graphics
The visuals of this game are stunning. This is to be expected since Studio Ghibli did all the artwork for this game. Think of Studio Ghibli as the Disney of Japan, they make wonderful kids movies that are both enthralling and thought provoking. I have to say that Ni No Kuni has the best cell-shaded graphics in any game that has been made. Everything is expertly crafted and imaginative. The landscape, characters, creatures, and magic effects are all dazzling.Sound
Conclusion
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is NOT a bad game. Despite some of the harsh words I have used in this review, it is fun and brings a lot of value for your dollar. Hearing what others think about Ni No Kuni, I know that I am in the minority with my feelings on it. It does so much good, I just have a difficult time overlooking this pet peeve of mine. Ni No Kuni is worth your time. I think this would be a perfect game for introducing your children to the genre, I know that my kids will be playing it in a few years.
$50/$60
9/10
Images Courtesy of Level 5
Written by Dexter Jaekel
Editor-in-Chief of TheTechFixation.com
Tweet
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Dead Space 3 Review
It's been over 5 years since the original Dead Space was released, and in that time we’ve seen the vision of Visceral Games and EA for the IP come to fruition. I loved Dead Space’s new approach to survival horror, the marketing campaign that had a trailer edited by James Wan (the director of Saw), the tied in films and novels, and the expectation that they would be creating sequels. Dead Space 2 came about two and a half years later bringing some changes to make the game more action focussed but still keeping the tense atmosphere of the first, and doing a lot to deepen the story and history of the game world. And in between these we’ve had Dead Space: Extraction and Dead Space: Ignition (an on rails shooter and a digital comic/puzzle game, respectively) that are used to tell other characters tales without the need for the main protagonist being present. Now Dead Space 3 has arrived almost two years after the second and has been preceded by a lot of press coverage, and not all of it complimentary, so is it worth your money?
We’re back in the suit of Isaac Clark, the unlucky engineer who survived the original necromorph incident on the USS Ishimura; was experimented on, tortured and almost driven insane by Earth Gov; then forced to deal with a second necromorph outbreak on the Titan Sprawl whilst avoiding the Unitologists who seem intent on killing him. This time out is a little different with Isaac being coerced in to joining an expedition to rescue his ex-girlfriend Ellie which continues the theme of the “everyman” reluctant hero. The destination is Tau Volantis, the supposed homeworld of the mysterious markers that Clark dealt with in the first two games, and rumoured to hold the secret of destroying them for good. Trying to stop Isaac throughout is the severely misguided Unitologist Jacob Danik (voiced by Simon Templeman, Kain from the Blood Omen series) and adds a set of human enemies in greater numbers than the previous games (and I still can’t shake the feeling Unitology is a thinly veiled dig at Scientology).
We’re back in the suit of Isaac Clark, the unlucky engineer who survived the original necromorph incident on the USS Ishimura; was experimented on, tortured and almost driven insane by Earth Gov; then forced to deal with a second necromorph outbreak on the Titan Sprawl whilst avoiding the Unitologists who seem intent on killing him. This time out is a little different with Isaac being coerced in to joining an expedition to rescue his ex-girlfriend Ellie which continues the theme of the “everyman” reluctant hero. The destination is Tau Volantis, the supposed homeworld of the mysterious markers that Clark dealt with in the first two games, and rumoured to hold the secret of destroying them for good. Trying to stop Isaac throughout is the severely misguided Unitologist Jacob Danik (voiced by Simon Templeman, Kain from the Blood Omen series) and adds a set of human enemies in greater numbers than the previous games (and I still can’t shake the feeling Unitology is a thinly veiled dig at Scientology).
 |
| Isaac Clark - unluckiest engineer ever |
The game seems to be running on the same engine as the last two installments, which does an excellent job. Everything is crisp and clear at all times, the cutscenes are the same quality as the in-game footage, there is no screen tear or slow down, and the environmental details are fantastic with a lot of credit going to the designers who’ve given the locations a visual style that can convey history simply by looking round a room. There are a variety of environments encountered from cities to space, which we’ve seen before, but the biggest addition is the world of Tau Volantis. It is a snow and ice planet and realised very nicely with weather alternating between blizzard conditions with zero visibility and clear, unobstructed impressive vistas of environment, and in contrast to most areas it is usually bright daylight for the outdoor sections. Also like the last two games, the sound is a key piece of the game design and it gets the full Dolby Digital 5.1 treatment so that you can use it to pinpoint when you’re being attacked from multiple directions whilst it builds the right atmosphere for each situation. Strategic dismemberment is still the order of the day for dealing with the necromorphs, and as you'd expect it works effectively on humans too (YAY! for plasma cutting tools).
So far so good, but what’s new? This is where we get in to the controversial elements that upset the gaming community before the demos were even out. First up is the addition of drop-in/drop-out co-op. Parallel to Isaac’s story is Sergeant John Carver’s who acts as the 2nd player character whenever you have a co-op game. What upset people was the thought of a Sheeva-esque situation from Resident Evil 5 where you were stuck with bad AI unless someone joined and that it would reduce the tension for the whole singleplayer campaign. This isn’t the case, Visceral have delivered on their promise that you can play the game fully on your own without feeling like there are bits missing. If you opt for the co-op game then Carver is present in cutscenes where it was only Isaac before and has pieces of additional dialogue so that you know there’s a companion there, but it doesn’t feel shoe-horned in or forced, it’s a very natural experience either way. I need to throw out a thanks to @FOX8810 for being a willing partner, and the only one on my PSN list who’s also got the game.
 |
| Clark & Carver chillin' between choppin'. |
There’s the addition of weapon crafting to add to the engineers skill set this time around. You’ve got the usual pickups of health, ammo and stasis packs, but there are also drops for resources that can be used to build items and weapons. Blueprints are available for quite a variety of weapons, most with primary and secondary fire modes, though you can skip this and build them yourself from the components collected, or build these components from raw resources. We’re not on the same scale as Borderlands here for the sheer number of different weapons but it does give you scope to come up with something fairly unique. Once you’ve created a weapon you can save it as a blueprint for future construction, and share with your co-op partner. A quick note, the “team favourite” weapons listed under blueprints are powerful and after building Pitch Black 392 I didn’t use anything else, though I was three quarters through the game before I could afford to make it.
 |
| Excellent options in building weapons, this makes good use of a precision rifle and grenade launcher. |
Back to the controversy, you can buy additional resources ingame with real money from the PS/Xbox/PC networks. Most of the bad press was the result of this announcement and people began slamming EA for forcing micro-transactions and limiting functions unless you pay up, and it’s a definite case of overreaction. If you want to buy more resources and weapon parts it’s entirely up to you, the menu option is unobtrusive, there are no prompts to do it from in the game, and the game even gives you “ration seals” that can be spent on the additional resources instead of real world cash. Ration seals are farmed through sending out scavenger bots that disappear for about ten minutes and return to the workbenches with whatever they’ve found. Laying out your own money on the extras is a personal decision for people who don’t want to spend the time collecting, and the learning for all the EA bashers is to actually play a game before flaming the design decisions and features.
The final new feature is the inclusion of optional missions. These pop up occasionally when you pick up certain items or progress through various areas, and are not necessary to complete the game. However, they are definitely worth doing because of the equipment and resources they yield, and the backstory they reveal. There are 6 optional singleplayer and 3 co-op specific missions, and all can be reached through the chapter select screen if you’ve completed the game and want to go back. These are on top of the 19 story chapters that will probably take you 15 hours to get through (I spent 18 hours in total, making sure I did all the optional ones), and then there’s new game +. When you finish the game you’ll get the option to:
- replay with your existing haul and equipment, then pick up anything you missed the first time round;
- play in Classic mode which only lets you use the original Dead Space weapons (obtained by blueprint only) and sets the game to hard;
- play in Pure Survival mode that means all items have to be crafted from resources and on hard difficulty, nothing is dropped by enemies;
- or play in Hardcore mode where the game must be completed on hard without dying, death will reset the game to start at the beginning (though you can save to the menu so you don’t have to do it in one sitting).
 |
| Isaac: "Aaarrrgghhhh!" |
What I thought could have been improved is the story itself. I’ve read the books and seen the films and still got a little confused with what the markers are supposed to be, and who created them. This may be a result of several years of gaps between the different pieces of media, but it made me think that if you’ve not experienced the Dead Space universe before you could quite easily get lost. Don’t let this last comment put you off though. If you’re looking for a tight and slick gameplay experience that plays to its strengths then you can’t do much better.
I’d pay £30 out of £40 for it ($46 out of $62) because simply I’m not going to take advantage of all the new game + modes, and the people on my friends list haven’t bought it so it rules out the co-op gameplay (you can play with random partners but I prefer it to be someone I know that I can abuse if they do something stupid). I really liked Dead Space 3, and whilst there have now been enough games to finish the series with this one, I wouldn’t be sad to see another pop up on the next gen systems.
Matt Holt, Tech Fixation Editor
@SyphiloidMonkey
Monday, January 21, 2013
DmC Review: Cry, Devil, Cry
DmC: Devil May Cry is my first Devil May Cry game. The Devil May Cry lore, which centers around Dante and has built up over the past four games, is all unknown to me. However, as a reboot and an introduction to the series, DmC does an excellent job of drawing new fans in, while still sticking to series staples that made the originals so great.
 |
| Vergil, Dante's twin brother |
The best part of the game, easily, is the music. With custom tracks made by Noisia and CombiChrist, the music strikes a perfect balance between dubstep and metal, which gives a great feel to the game. The music isn't always something you notice, but as soon as you do you think 'hell yeah' and dive right back into the game, which fulfills the perfect function of music in a video game.
The combat is very fluid, somewhat reminiscent of the fighting in the Arkham games, but still unique. You switch between Dante's sword, 2 different demon weapons, 2 different angel weapons, and 3 different ranged weapons in order to kill demons. That might sound a little intimidating, and it is at first. But, with a fully re-mappable control scheme and an impeccable training mode, you soon are hacking, slashing, and grappling with the best of them. The game really only has two buttons used for attack, a quick attack and a special attack, which makes the moves easy to master. Getting a SSS rating is all about switching your weapons, mixing up your fight style, and pulling off big, damaging moves flawlessly.
 |
| Dante with his guns Ebony and Ivory |
Another strong point in the game is the boss fights. The combination of the combat system and fresh concepts introduced in these fights make them the most memorable parts of the game. The different levels in DmC strike a wonderful balance between platforming and fighting, making the game's pacing impeccable. As soon as you're itching to kill some demons, some will pop up. When you want to watch Dante soar through the air and grapple from floating piece to floating piece, a platforming section will pop up. DmC does an excellent job feeding the player exactly what they want, while introducing awesome new elements throughout the course of the game.
The game does a good job of not punishing you for failing. If you fall off a level, you come right back with only a fraction of your health taken away. Even if you lose all your health, a game over screen only means that you are deducted some points at the end of the level. The games spawns you at the last checkpoint, which are frequent, and with full health, allowing you to jump back into the game quickly.
The game, however, is not without its faults. The item system in DmC makes it so that each time you buy an item, the price of it doubles, rather than staying at a fixed rate. This means that eventually, you'll be strapped for health and unable to do anything about it because the health item that at the beginning of the game was so affordable, is now way out of your price range. That can be incredibly frustrating, and generally just doesn't make any sense.
 |
| Kat, Vergil's assistant and resident witch |
Also, the game does a good job of teaching you to use your weapons in creative ways in order to defeat difficult enemies. However, the point at which they choose to reveal these to you is questionable. For example, one enemy in the game can only be attacked at a very certain place. About five levels after you're introduced and have been fighting that enemy however, a screen pops up saying that you can parry their attacks. Really? That would've been helpful, like, a while ago.
Other suggestions for enemies are near impossible to pull off. One enemy charges at you and if you can time it perfectly, you can uppercut them and stop their charge. However, in all my hours of playing the game, I attempted the uppercut maybe 100 times and maybe pulled it off 3. The window for opportunity for some of the moves are frustratingly small.
The replay-ability of the game seems a little stale. Your motivation to replay levels comes from wanting to get a higher score on the leaderboards, but with some people reaching 30 million points on a level you barely scratched 1 million on, hopes seem sparse.
All in all, DmC is an excellent game with some truly amazing parts, and other parts which just leave you scratching your head saying 'I wonder why the hell they thought that was a good idea.' I wouldn't pick up this game for $60, but at $45, it's a steal.
- written by John Schwartz, News Editor
Tweet
Saturday, January 19, 2013
DISCOUNT REVIEW: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Welcome to Discount Reviews. Reviews on games that are on the bottom shelf at GameStop, titles that are in the $5 bin. The great games that are still playable to the uber gamers of the world. Enjoy these games because the fun they include doesn't have an expiration date.
Developer: Bethesda Softworks
Platforms: PC, PS3, 360
Release Date: 11-11-11
[Played on 360][Reviewed on 11-19-11]
Skyrim boasts over 400 hours of gameplay but in fact the game never truly ends. You can continue to explore, guilds will continue giving you missions and assignments, caves and ruins will have newer enemies and denizens within them, and dragons are never-ending. The scope of Skyrim is awe-inspiring. The amount of work put into this game is astonishing. Bethesda has created a living, breathing, and functioning world. Escapism is what Skyrim prides itself on and it truly is a game of freedom.
PLOT and STORY
Bethesda’s invention of Radiant AI and Story-telling has opened up a plethora of options from deciding to stay on the straight path of the main mission or to neglect all your responsibilities as a “Dragonborn” to save the world from annihilation at the hands of mythic Dragons to pick flowers, snatch salmon out of the rivers, create potions, hunt wildlife, forge weapons and armor, mine for gold and silver, steal from houses, assassinate people of power, scour dungeons and crypts, and help your fellow Nords with their miscellaneous problems.
Bethesda gives you the challenge of choosing every single step you make. At the moment I have more than 35 active missions in my quest queue, but what do I do? I crawl around dungeons, raid pirate ships, fight dragons on the side of cliffs, steal and sell my merchandise, and enjoy the lovely scenery.
The plot throws you into a world full of turmoil as Dragons return to the province of Skyrim. Once thought extinct now they ravage towns and are trying to overthrow mankind, but you are Dragonborn; a warrior with the heart and soul of a Dragon able to wield powerful words of power that can take the shape of fire, frost, speed, sight, and fear. Only you can combat the Dragon horde, only you can save Skyrim, thus saving Tamriel.
SETTING and LEVEL DESIGN
Tamriel is the world of the Elder Scrolls. We’ve visited Hammerfell, High Rock, Morrowind, Cyrodil, and now we explore Skyrim; the home of the Nords. This cold, frigid, and unrelenting environment shows off the mountains and drastic weather changes that Bethesda has been able to show off with their Creation Game Engine.
Bustling towns, camps, cities, and taverns really immerse the player into the world and that fact that every NPC talks to you, acknowledges you, and interacts with the player creates a sense of reality that other games cannot match. Skyrim sets the bar high on graphics and real-time environments. Trees and plants sway with the breeze, waterfalls have adequate physics, and level terrain is drastically varied so that there is no dull moment.
In Oblivion dungeons, caves, and ruin became boring quickly. The same design was used in almost every blue-print for the underground levels. Now in Skyrim each crypt and tomb seem different, layouts are always changing, and the game will learn from your actions and play style.
Traps and puzzles are more prominent and the amount of detail in every wall, table, vegetable, weapons, and literature is amazing.
Bethesda has written over 250 real books for Skyrim and you can read then from page to page. What does this say about Bethesda, how about the other game companies how do not use this with their technology and games? The level of dedication to the lore and immersion make Skyrim stand out from all RPGs and all games period!
GRAPHICS and VISUALS
Simply put; Skyrim has the best graphics I've ever played with. It’s not that Skyrim has the best facial recognition (L.A. Noire takes the Cake) and Skyrim doesn't show off the best textures (Uncharted 3 has that Crown), BUT with the combination of how well everything fits together so perfectly Skyrim is ultimate gorgeousness.
Walking through town to see wood grain on a house, seeing grass grow up from the wood frames, as the breeze blows the hair of the Nord your talking to sways. Cave fungus that glows and reflects off the rocks, shadows that react to your location, and the Aura Borealis that’s near Windhelm is ridiculously mesmerizing!
The textures of books, ingredients, potions, weapons, and armor serves as a high point for any developer to admire and challenge. Bethesda shows off what kind of game they can create and says that they can still push out more power.
SOUND, MUSIC, and DIALOGUE
Running through the snow with a fire spell at the ready never felt so good when you’re having ambient Nordic chanting in the background. Sneaking through caves to hear your footsteps, your breathing, and the hint of whistling from the cracks in the walls could send chills down your spine. The music of Skyrim is just as motivating as Oblivion’s was. Listening to a full male choir chanting the Dovahkiin name makes you seem invincible…until you attempt to take down a giant and get thrown away like a used XboxLive code.
Dialogue is completely improved; now NPCs will walk, work, and keep the conversion active. Mouths still don’t always follow the audible words but the way the body language of the characters move it adds to the immersion that you’re there and not just looking at a NPC stand there and stare at you.
GAMEPLAY and CONTROLS
Bethesda always have problems in the movement department. Games like Brink, Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas, Oblivion, WET, and Hunted: Demons Forge have had problems with controller lag, action mechanics, and just all-out hobknobbery. Skyrim is no different although a patch to improve problems and bug is releasing the week after Thanksgiving 2011.
Players are still able to be trapped inside pieces of the environment such as boulders, houses, trees, and in some extreme cases the ground itself. Remember people; game design is extremely hard, time consuming, confusing, and very hard to master. Even the pros mess up sometime. It’s part of the atmosphere and adventure so don’t hate on a game just because it may have some hiccups.
Combat is greatly improved with the addition of Dual-Wielding. Now characters can wield a sword and a frost spell, Two different spells for added damage, two daggers, a mace and a short-sword, a war axe and a shield, two magical staffs, the combinations are up to you! Fighting sometimes have cinematic finishing moves seen from a 3rd person’s perspective and are entertaining to watch; especially when giving a Dragon a curb stomp.
The sneak action is a bit annoying. In Morrowind and Oblivion the player could easily stand up and return to crouched with no lag or hesitation, but in Skyrim there is a minuscule amount of lag between hitting L3 (xbox360) from a sneak position to standing straight. This may seem like splitting hairs but I need to be agile and on my toes while I’m an assassin and thief.
Climbing hills and mountains is still a challenge and a headache every player has to endure. The Elder Scrolls series has always had hard to traverse terrain but Skyrim takes the cake. Huge cliffs and bluffs that make the player have to shimmy his/her way from left to right up a sheer wall of rock and snow to reach the peak.
Conversations, smithing weapons, enchanting armor, mining silver, lock picking chests, and notching arrows are simple, easy to understand, and very RPG heavy in the customization aspect. Leveling up has improved with the addition of perks and added boosts to skills. Every level will give you a new perk and will never let you down to entertain you and keep that controller in your hands.
DIFFICULTY, REPLAYABILITY, & ENTERTAINMENT VALUE
Skyrim never ends. Even after the 400+ hours of gameplay you can still steal for the Thieves guild, assassinate for the Dark Brotherhood, cave dive, and explore the world. Missions will still appear and people will always ask for your help.
The difficulty of Skyrim has levels but the game itself evolves how you play. If you decide to use Heavy Armor and a huge Claymore sword the game will pick on your weakness and send enemies that attack from a distance. If you’re a bow-wielding thief the game will give you harder locks to pick and change the way enemies attack you. Enemies are leveled to you and will progress and get stronger when you do. Remember to save often and NOTE that in the settings you can use the auto-save feature to save at different intervals for you; I chose every 5 minutes.
Replayability is extremely high. Players are unlikely to even try to see everything there is to see in Skyrim let alone experience every mission and task. You can be an Orc, Nord, Breton, Argonian, Kahjiit, Redguard, Dunmer, Bosmer, or Altmer and you can completely change up your play styles and weapon favorites.
Entertainment Value is monumental. There is no limit to what you can do in Skyrim.
Skyrim gets 5/5. The best game I've ever played.
Downloadable content
Dawnguard
On May 29, 2012, Bethesda announced Dawnguard, the first downloadable add-on for Skyrim. The Xbox 360 version of Dawnguard launched in English-speaking territories on June 26, 2012, and in France, Italy, Germany and Spain in mid-July 2012. It was released on Windows (via Steam) on August 2, 2012. Due to performance issues, the PlayStation 3 version of Dawnguard has been delayed indefinitely, and Bethesda has expressed concern that future Skyrim DLC may not be able to be added to the system as well.
Bethesda released a trailer for Dawnguard on June 1, 2012, revealing that the add-on would focus around the return of Lord Harkon, the ruler of an ancient Vampire clan named the Volkihar. Harkon wishes to use the powers of the Elder Scrolls to blot out the sun, allowing Vampires to overwhelm Tamriel.
Players are given the choice to either join forces with the Vampires, or fight them alongside an order of Vampire hunters known as the Dawnguard. Depending on the player's choice, they will be granted access to one of two home bases, Castle Volkihar or Fort Dawnguard, respectively. New armors, perks and weapons, including a crossbow for the Dawnguard, have been introduced. Additionally, in the case of the Vampires, a transformation into a "Vampire Lord" is available, working in a similar way to the existing Werewolf transformation, with the exception that it may be used repeatedly, rather than once a day. The Vampire Lord has a new skill tree to level up, as well as a separate skill tree implemented for Werewolves, with both leveling up seperately from the regular skill trees.
New locations are featured in Dawnguard, including the player character journeying through a rift into a realm of Oblivion called Soul Cairn. A "face sculptor" character is introduced in The Ragged Flagon in Riften, allowing players to change the facial appearance of their character at will, unless the player character has chosen to become a Vampire. "Legendary" Dragons are also present in Dawnguard, appearing randomly throughout the environment, and can be slain by the player character and absorbed like any other Dragon. Three new Dragon Shouts have also been included, exclusive to Dawnguard.
Hearthfire
The second add-on for Skyrim, Hearthfire, was released on September 4, 2012 for Xbox 360 and October 4, 2012 on PC. The add-on allows the player character to purchase a plot of land and build their own home from raw materials such as lumber and clay, with the option of adding greenhouses, bee hives and alchemy/enchanting facilities. Hearthfire also introduces the option to raise a family by adopting children. Hearthfire received mixed to negative reception, due to a number of bugs that kept new gameplay elements from being unlocked, such as not being able to obtain the deed to Lakeview Manor because the seller is in a Dark Brotherhood contract, amongst others. There have been no patches announced as of yet.
Dragonborn
Dragonborn is the third add-on for Skyrim. It was released on December 4, 2012, for the Xbox 360; the PC version is scheduled for release on February 5, 2013 with the PlayStation 3 version also releasing in February. The DLC's first trailer, released on November 5, 2012, revealed that it will allow the player to ride Dragons, and that the plot will revolve around the return of the first Dragonborn/Dovahkiin to the island of Solstheim (previously featured in Bloodmoon, an expansion of Morrowind, the third game in the series). Solstheim is a Dark Elf territory, given to them after the eruption of the Red Mountain forced them to flee Morrowind. Players will have the chance to explore locations from Morrowind, such as Raven Rock, Fort Frostmoth and a village belonging to the Skaal, a wild tribe of Nords.
PS3 Players will finally get all the DLC, for 50% off on launch, in Feb 2013.
My Character Stats as of 11-19-11
Race- Bosmer
Level- 30
Time Played- 45 hours 54 Minutes
Locations Discovered- 114
Game Days Passed- 113
Gold Found- 105,835
Chests Looted- 486
Skill Increases- 382
Skill Books Read- 35
Training Sessions- 90
Quests Completed- 33
Misc Objectives Completed- 36
Thieve's Guild Quests Completed- 9
Dark Brotherhood Quests Completed- 9
People Killed- 212
Animals Killed- 193
Creatures Killed- 21
Undead Killed- 214
Daedra Killed- 8
Favorite Weapon- Ebony Bow
Critical Strikes- 248
Sneak Attacks- 183
Spells Learned- 18
Favorite Spell- Flames
Favorite School of Magic- Destruction
Dragon Souls Collected- 8
Words of Power Learned- 13
Times Shouted- 94
Favorite Shout- Fire Breath
Weapons Made- 3
Armor Made- 46
Potions Mixed- 97
Potions Used- 191
Poisons Mixed- 100
Poisons Used- 31
Ingredients Harvested- 263
Nirnroots found- 15
Locks Picked- 106
Pockets Picked- 25
Items pickpocketed- 132
Items Stolen- 840
Assaults- 48
Murders- 7
and I've killed 2 companions...
This review is old. I'm sure I've tripled those numbers by now.
-Daniel, Jedi Editor
daniel@thetechfixation.com
-Daniel, Jedi Editor
*171
Tweet
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
