Game Review- Ryse: Son of Rome

          Back during E3 Crytek unveiled their gorgeous next-gen brawler known as Ryse, a game set in ancient Rome during the barbarian uprising and the reign of Emperor Nero. Everyone was wowed by the level of visual fidelity that the game offered, but unimpressed by it's over-reliance upon spamming quick-time events. Now that the final product is out alongside the Xbox One, does this gruesome adventure justify the purchase of Microsoft's new console? Let's hack away at the chaff as we unveil the truth in Crytek's Centurion simulator!

One of the few surprisingly clean sections where everything isn't coated in blood.

Story

          The story of Ryse is one of its strongest features, alongside its impressive graphics and gory combat. The game opens with Rome under siege from the roaming barbarian hordes, with you taking the role of Marius, a Centurion in one of Emperor Nero's legions. As it begins you are immediately thrown into all out chaos and flung into the game's cinematic combat system as you clear groups of enemies along the path towards Nero's palace. Once inside you and the Emperor hide inside a secret entrance as you await reinforcements, giving Marius a chance to recount the tale of how he came to be. If anyone here has scene Rome or Spartacus, then you will know exactly what to expect: Grand journeys waylaid with danger and traps, loads of slow-motion executions upon foreign invaders, a slight dabbling of the supernatural, and a healthy dose of fickle Roman politics and intrigue. The characters throughout the game are very well acted and are very convincing, though the writers seem to have greatly altered the actual history of the Roman Empire for the context of Ryse. Marius is a strong and likable character immediately, a humble soldier burdened by extraordinary circumstances beyond his control. The tale of greed, lust, deception, and bloodletting is one that still sticks with me even after having long completed the single player portion, and ultimately that is exactly what I wanted. Ryse is a deceptively smart game under all the layers of dried blood and bone fragments, with a wonderful script and lively characters that really help to flesh out this time period. Once the credits have rolled you will likely yearn for the next installment like I am, if only for another taste of the gory combat and complex political machinations that ran rampant through Rome's greatest years.

Just one of the many unlockable executions on display here.

Graphics

          Crytek have crafted a visual masterpiece, just like they did with the Crysis series. Ryse is all about wowing you with its scope and high-polygon counts, being exceedingly good at doing just that. Environments come alive with tons of little details like fog lit by torches, grass and leaves swaying realistically in the wind, water dribbling off of large stone buttresses in an immense rain storm, and a huge variety of other effects. Character models are similarly fantastic, with even individual hairs on arms, chests, and heads being easily distinguishable. Armor gleams in the sunlight, light sources play off several layers of furred armor and hide, and severed limbs spew blood in a disturbingly realistic fashion. Another thing I must praise is the fantastic facial animations at work here, these are even better than L.A. Noire and further increase the immersion factor of Ryse to a new level. It really is something wild to perform these flashy executions on a foe and see the excruciating agony painted across his face as your blade carves through his flesh and spills his well-rendered blood. Realism can be disconcerting and shocking. The game runs very smoothly at almost all times with only minimal slowdown occurring when high-res fire effects are spammed onscreen. One thing I really must nitpick about is the strange lack of different enemy skins, as most enemy types come in only one or two flavors of hairy man and more armored hairy man; giving the impression the player is fighting barbarians with cloning abilities. That might make for an awesome sci-fi premise, but it does somewhat hurt the game's atmosphere when these beautiful environments are populated by soldiers who have the exact same face as the guy standing next to them. Now putting that aside, Crytek have managed to show us how great a launch title can look on the Xbox One, which bodes very well for the visual fidelity of the next wave of games we have yet to see. The future looks gorgeous here.

Another batch of soldiers won't be collecting their health benefits it seems.

Gameplay

          Ryse is a button-masher first and foremost, its combat systems designed to allow battles to flow as smoothly as possible. Hacking away at your opponents is simple enough and blocking works wonderfully, the addition of heavy attacks and shield bashes only adds more variety to the many skirmishes you face; but the real star here is the gloriously hyper-violent executions. Once an opponent has been significantly weakened a little icon will display above their head, signifying their weakness to an execution attack. Once initiated you will be locked into a set animation where you must match your button presses to a color corresponding with either your sword arm or shield arm. There are different ranks of executions and the higher you score on one the greater the health, experience, and focus gain shall be. While many complain the game is extremely repetitive, I instead see an effort by the developers to see you master these systems to become a truly ferocious fighting force. Most enemy encounters usually involve being surrounded by different classes of opponent, but some allow you to man miniature ballista turrets to fend off against massed waves of barbarians. These sections are mainly meant for you to admire the scenery and revel in the slaughter of your foes, but they do provide a nice little distraction from the near constant executions you will be doling out. Every now and then you will be able to shout at the Kinect to control your fellow Romans, who can be tasked with defending certain areas, providing helpful arrow volleys, and forming a Phalanx formation to advance on a heavily fortified position. A would loved to have seen this better fleshed out and used for more tactical instances, but one can see that Crytek is testing the waters of hopes to be a better implemented feature next time around. There are many collectibles to find throughout the campaign, though the focus is still mainly on the well-crafted combat system that never hesitates to throw you back into the bloodletting. I honestly would have liked more weapon variety as you are really only given a shield, gladius, and a pillum; though this complaint is rendered somewhat moot in the multiplayer section that I will cover later. For a launch title Ryse is impressive to behold and almost equally fun to play; however its over reliance on scripted events and linear pathways will no doubt miff some gamers.

The blue outline is your cue to use your gladius.

Sound

          Crytek's audio artists really had a blast with this game, as the music and ambient sound effects are almost exactly what you would expect to hear in war-torn Rome. Swords clang off another, shields crack against skulls, blood splatters messily as it impacts the ground, the roar of unchecked fires rage as they spread, and the cries of hatred and anguish almost become music of their own in the heat of battle. There is no weak voice acting throughout the campaign from what I can tell and it seems you need only go a few paces before someone is shouting at the top of their lungs and displaying acts of bravado. Marius is a strong character and having a strong voice only lends further credence and believability to his role as an unmitigated badass. The music is your typical ancient Roman affair with a fare share of trumpets, horns, and orchestral tracks to keep your blood racing. It really is a treat to experience when the music itself improves the overall gaming experience.

Such ghastly possibilities await.

Multiplayer

          Ryse takes a somewhat more conservative approach to multiplayer than most other triple A games. There can only be two human players fighting in an arena at any given time, with plenty of A.I. opponents to provide as fodder and challenge. Using such a minimalistic player count is definitely bold, and it allows the developers to create an atmosphere of brotherhood between the two gladiators as they fight their way through randomly selected arenas that literally pop out of the depths of the colosseum. With no one else to rely on other than your lone ally, the two of you will be heavily encouraged to cooperate and combine your divine gifts in order to proceed forward. A myriad of objectives await you in each environment, even some randomly generated ones are thrown in to spice things up as you hack and slash your way through the barbaric tides. The combat system is almost exactly the same as it is in the single player portion with only one key difference: Divine gifts. Before you both plunge into the action, you will be asked to choose from one of four Roman gods. Each of these gods provides a powerful ability that can be activated for a heavy Focus cost, changing the tide of a battle quickly. They can range from calling down bolts of lightning, exploding flame novas, a gust of powerful winds, and a blinding flash of light. Each of these abilities triggers a temporary passive boon, so use it at your discretion and do not waste them. Once you've beaten enough rounds with a particular god you will unlock a special item that can be equipped in your inventory screen. These items are unique and contain stat boosts that you won't find until much higher tier items, so commit to one god before moving on to another later. Remember that putting in your time will result in greater rewards later! Speaking of rewards, each completed round nets you experience and gold. Experience levels you up and allows you access to greater item bundles, whilst gold enables you to purchase said bundles for random loot! This system is very similar to that employed in Mass Effect 3 and is a great way to get players hooked, speaking from experience. Once you reach tier 4-5 items your gladiator will look incredibly pimped out and powerful, but this does require a significant time sink in order to achieve, so its up to you to decide how long you wanna stick around in the arena. Overall I'm impressed with Ryse's unique approach to multiplayer in its first outing, it takes a lot of risks and provides an exceptionally enjoyable online experience.

Rome has never looked so damn good...and ruined.

Conclusion

          With an engrossing story and enough blood to satisfy almost any gorehound, Ryse makes a strong first impression on gamers looking for a bloody good time. Though hampered by its own repetitive nature, the interesting characters, bombastic story, and purely addictive multiplayer component definitely gives this game teeth to compete against other launch titles. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I can't wait to see what direction Crytek takes their newly established franchise in the inevitable sequel. 8.5/10 (Xbox One)

Game Review- Killzone: Shadow Fall

          Since I decided to kick off the launch of the PS4 with the review of one of its indie games, I believe its time for me to tackle one of the heavy hitters. Killzone: Shadowfall is one of the larger FPS series in the Playstation's legacy, starting out as a hyped "Halo-killer" on the PS2 and turning out to be an above average shooter. Then Killzone 2 hit the PS3 and wowed everyone with its visuals but frustrated them with its clunky controls. Killzone 3 was one of the best Killzone games I had played up to that point, as it combined everything I had loved about the series while bringing only a few of its own problems. Now Shadowfall has landed on the next-gen system and we can see how a new generation of video games commences. Join me in delving into this darker tale of Cold War-ish politics and a world divided by two warring factions.

A much more vibrant color palette is used in Shadowfall than in previous Killzone games.

Story

          Shadow Fall opens with you playing the role of Kellan, a young boy living life in the slums of a Helghast controlled city on the planet Vekta. Kellan and his father are refugees on the run from the Helghast patrols, because the Helghast have proven to be nothing but hospitable towards civilians in previous games. The opening level is effective in establishing the horrific life that most people struggle through on a planet that is shared by two hostile forces, with civilians being rounded up left and right and ferried off to parts unknown. Life on Vekta is rough, but Kellan is soon recruited by a Shadow Marshall named Sinclair, who sees potential in him to rise above. What follows is a very brief cinematic detailing Kellan's Shadow Marshall training, which feels nothing short of rushed and tacked on. The devs had an opportunity to allow us to see what the rigorous training rituals of the Shadow Marshalls was like, but either due to a lack of funding or time they instead opted to have Sinclair explain just how well you've done. Barring that extremely weak cinematic, you are given missions to suppress the Helghast forces within certain areas and keep the VSA controlled territory safe. As a Shadow Marshall you are given access to a variety of technologies that your enemies could not even begin to prepare for. Throughout the game you are accompanied by a drone called the Owl, which can be extremely handy for getting you out of tough situations. The Owl adds nothing to the plot, though it does show how privileged special VSA operatives are, adding further to the notion that perhaps the VSA are changing in a way detrimental to the establishment of peace between both sides.  Its clear that the developers had some great ideas when it came to the script, as the mission progression feels much less decidedly schizophrenic than in Killzone 3, where you could go from being dropped into an alien swamp to arriving in a snow-blasted wasteland all in the span of an hour. Shadow Fall's settings and missions make sense and are much more tangible this time around, with plenty of plot twists involving super-weapons and political intrigue to keep you entertained. I won't spoil much, but along the way you meet a Helghast operative known as Echo who really opens your eyes as to why her people behave the way they do. The Helghast are definitely painted in a different light in Shadow Fall, with the VSA seeming more like Bond-esque villains this time around. The long spanning genocide is becoming more fanatical and desperate, something that this game captures the feel of almost perfectly. War is hell, and Shadow Fall isn't afraid to show you the ugliest sides of it.

You will stop to gawk at the graphics...a lot.

Graphics

          Sony really threw the money at Guerrilla when they told them to make Shadow Fall look flashy. The game features a near limitless number of dynamic light sources, soft particles, soft dynamic shadows, high-res textures, depth of field, per-object motion blur, god rays, parallax occlusion mapping, impressive shaders, etc. The game looks damn good, and is a fine way for Sony to show off the power of their new machine whilst Guerrilla exercises its technical wizardry. The game runs in 1080p at an uncapped 30 fps in single player, and I have to say I never noticed any slowdown whatsoever. The game is very well optimized and is but a taste of things to come as we pass years into these consoles lifespans. The color palette has also been expanded and is more vibrant than ever, really bringing the levels to life and adding extra levels of immersion. One niggling little concern I have is the pop-in problems this game seems to have, these should be nearly non-existent given the massive amount of memory the PS4 contains. Expect to see shadows, small objects, and even some level geometry materializing on the spot as you make your way through the game. While a small complaint, it is nevertheless valid and blemishes what is otherwise an astoundingly gorgeous title.

Seems you've stumbled into the snipers' nest.

Gameplay

          Long time veterans of the series will be happy to hear that Shadow Fall does not stray too far away from the Killzone formula or shooter mechanics in general. For their first next-gen title, Guerrilla seem to largely be playing it safe here, with just enough different to entice newcomers and keep fans entertained. The main change here is the addition of your own personal attack bot, the Owl. Using the motion sensor in the middle of the controller, players can instantly give orders to the Owl or change its different operating modes. This little baby is vicious and can be set to detonate an EMP, unload at full auto as a distraction, provide combat stims for a time dilation effect, revive you, and create a temporary shield of impenetrable energy for you to hide behind. The Owl does not revolutionize the series, but it adds an extra layer of depth and tactical polish to the combat. A few hours into the game and the swiping controls became second nature, sending my drone out to harass enemies camped behind objects with a cruel glee. The shooting mechanics have been improved and feel highly reminiscent of Killzone 3, with intelligent A.I. making your life hell at every opportunity. To combat the adept A.I., you are given access to a myriad of new guns and toys to lay with. Many of the weapons now feature a secondary fire mode, with your signature Rail SMG being unswappable for another weapon. One thing that irked me is the two weapon limit, it would make much more sense to have three weapons for added variety in tactical situations. I get it Guerrilla, you are trying to make a realistic space opera here, but sometimes realism subtracts from the fun a player has with your product. I don't appreciate having only one swap slot for a weapon, it forces me to seek discarded munitions if I want to swap things up on the go. Going back to that Rail SMG I mentioned earlier, you will likely be in love with that thing from the moment you use it. This is the Shadow Marshall's signature weapon, a multipurpose mid-longe range powerhouse capable of spraying hundreds of energized rounds or transforming into a rail gun that outputs a single, devastating chargeable shot. It works great in a pinch if you are surrounded too, and I have to applaud the devs for making such a great gun. Throughout the game you will come to several zero-g and free fall sequences, small sections that break up the combat. The zero-g areas are very well done in my opinion, almost perfectly capturing the feeling of weightlessness as you drift your way through the airless environments and abandoned space stations. The free fall sections on the other hand are just damn annoying, with one area in particular having forced me to reload my checkpoint no less than ten times before I fully understood just what the hell I was supposed to do. Environments are huge in this game, leaving plenty of room for exploration and collectible-hunting after clearing the zone of defenders. I must say there really is something eery about walking around a place that was in the midst of combat just moments earlier. These are the moments that actually stuck with me more than the combat itself, the symbology of it all palpable. The fighting, so ferocious and fast, over in mere seconds, only to be replaced with a lingering feeling of isolation and guilt as you gaze upon the spilt blood and broken bodies of your enemies, spent bullets and empty magazines scattered about like so much refuse. If Guerrilla was trying to teach a lesson here, then it was not lost in translation.

Better hope that shield holds.

Sound

          The music in Shadow Fall is pretty much par for the course for the series, its a more sombre affair aurally than its oft bombastic predecessor. While the music is your typical sci-fi fair, the sound effects really stand out in this game. Weapons sound spot on, the environments are alive with ambient sound effects, the voice acting is very well done, and enemy chatter is more vibrant than ever. Echo and Sinclair are the standout voices in Shadow Fall, with your main character sounding a bit more reserved than in other games. Overall though Guerrilla delivers a great experience in this department, which can only be further enjoyed with a great surround sound system to really bring the battles to life.

This is one of those "Oh shit!" moments you don't want to find yourself in.

Multiplayer

          Oh look, its my first Multiplayer section in my gaming reviews. Woo, progress! Shadow Fall's multiplayer component is quite a bit different than that of the previous Killzone games, though the mechanics are still mostly the same. Levels have been shrunk down to encourage a more focused and frantic experience, two classes were removed, the mechs and jetpacks from the third game have been taken out, loads of attachments for weapons have been added just to name a few changes. The smaller nature of the war-zones ensures that you will never be wandering around too long before you run into an enemy and encourages players to group up and travel in groups as they tackle objectives. I must say I do miss the aforementioned mechs and jetpacks, though I'm sure the devs will come up with something crazy for the inevitable sequel. The three classes available are the Scout, Assault, and Support. Each of these classes has a bevy of weapons and abilities to pick from that are unique to that sole class. Scouts typically use sniper rifles and even a big ass gun that fires electrified slugs, along with abilities such as teleportation, active scanning, cloak, etc. Assaults are the heavy hitters and so have access to assault rifles, shotguns, and even a minigun whilst their abilities include speed dashing, deployable shield walls, etc. Finally the Support class has access to a number of SMGs and lighter build weapons, though their list of abilities outweighs each of the other classes by a long shot. Expect to see Support players utilizing drone companions, calling in assault drones, deploying spawn beacons, you name it. All three classes are designed to support each other perfectly if played right, adding loads of tactical variety. This time Guerrilla gives you the option to thoroughly customize your own Warzone in nearly any way you see fit; tweaking options such as respawn delay, max health, starting ammo, usable weapons, class availabilities, abilities, map rotation, and much more. This kind of freedom can lead to some truly bizarre matches, such as an entire team of Supports calling down waves of drones versus a team of Scouts all equipped with cloaking and heavy caliber sniper rifles. I mainly played offline with the bots, as after a recent patch all the attachments became unlocked, allowing me to experiment upon competent A.I. players more than willing to match my tenacity. The experience has been silky smooth, with the framerate running at a near constant 60 even when things became hectic with grenade spam and loads of particles. The multiplayer has an odd issue with pop-in, same as the campaign though to a much more noticeable degree. It still looks gorgeous, though the smooth framerate does come at a cost, however these issues will likely be patched out in the future when Guerrilla has a better grasp on the PS4's hardware and capabilities. Another strange issue I ran into was the ridiculous divide between bot difficulty levels, with Easy bots being borderline braindead while their Normal counterparts could prove a match even for human players. On Easy I lost the number of times I found my team mates standing back at base and running in circles when a particular objective became active. Now granted, I did notice this happening sometimes to Normal bots, though a lot less often. Seems to be mostly a path-finding issue that hopefully gets fixed. The multiplayer is an excellent addition to this game, and the large map count and dynamic objectives will keep players coming back for more of the brutal combat they so crave.

You, hanging with some bros.

Conclusion

          As a launch title, Shadow Fall hits all the major areas to create a worthwhile and engaging experience that shows off the potential of the PS4 system. Drawing from the series' strengths and experimenting with new ideas, this is surely a title that should be looked into by those looking to have a great experience with their new console. Gorgeous to behold whilst containing a lengthy single player portion and a bountiful multiplayer offering with oodles of variety, Shadow Fall is a great game to have in any shooter fan's collection. From here the future for the series only looks brighter, as the massive hardware upgrade now opens many new roads for Guerrilla to take their beloved franchise down. 9/10 (PS4 only)

Game Review- Resogun

          Since the new consoles have launched and I'm well into playing several of the launch games for each, I thought I might give a little break from reviewing the top tier AAA games and instead focus this review on the technically impressive indie title known as Resogun. From developer HouseMarque of Super Stardust fame, Resogun is a side-scrolling shooter very much in the same aspect as SS and Raptor: Call of the Shadows. What sets Resogun apart from its predecessor is just how technically marvelous it is and how well it takes advantage of the PS4's impressive hardware. While a tad on the light side when it comes to content, the game is absolutely free for any PS+ subscriber and is well worth investing time into. Join me as we delve into this insanely explosive, particle spewing shooter and take a look at what the future of indie games might look like for this next generation.

Prepare to lose track of your ship amidst the chaos.

Story

          To be perfectly honest, I have no idea what the hell this game is about. There is no background information given; you just pick a ship, pick a level, then blow up anything that gets in your way. From what I can gather you are some type of prototype ship charged with protecting futuristic cities from an alien invasion and rescuing imperiled humans. That's really all I can say about the story, as it is very minimal and second to gameplay. You likely will not yearn for much of a story from a game of this caliber, so everything is fine.

The vivid world of Resogun is easy on the eyes, unless you are prone to seizures..

Graphics

          Resogun is possibly one of the best looking indie games- when things start blowing up. Everything in the game world is crafted from voxels, your ship included, and destroying anything will send waves of the things tumbling onto the environment in colorful cascades. All of these particles and voxels are fully affected by physics, light sources, and are self-shadowed. Destroying huge swarms of enemies can cause literal tidal waves of particle effects and objects, something that screenshots fail to capture the beauty of. Resogun's varied color palette really helps to bring its neon-lit world to life, though all the different strobe effects, debris, and particles can clog up most of the screen in a heated skirmish. It is very easy to lose sight of your ship in the ludicrous amount of objects flying around, and unless you have shields then one hit is going to end you. This clutter can be alleviated by deploying a bomb, which wipes out everything in the level with a massive sweeping explosion. I was amazed that this game maintains a steady 60 frames per second at nearly all times, as so many effects and physics affected objects cloud the screen that this game would be impossible to run on last-gen hardware without making some serious compromises to its visual fidelity. Resogun's graphical design makes it stand out quite clearly in the PS4's launch lineup, showing that smaller indie titles can still make jaws drop.

Beat a level and watch everything explode. EVERYTHING.

Gameplay

          Resogun is an extremely simple and addictive game to play, yet mind-numbingly infuriating to master on the higher difficulty settings. Combat is fast, lightning fast to be exact. The entire flow of the level can be shattered in an instant if you happen to get hit by one enemy or projectile. You move your ship from either left or right through levels, blasting your way through and snagging upgrades as you go along. Each ship has a different main weapon and Overdrive duration length, so pick accordingly depending on your play style. Rescuing humans is achieved by destroying designated Keepers, releasing them from their prisons so that you can ferry them to an extraction point. Doing this gives you either weapon upgrades, more points, a shield, an extra life, or one more handy bomb. Bombs are of course extremely useful, as they clear the entire screen of any foes and obstacles. Their rarity though makes them a priority in preservation, which puts more focus on your next two abilities. Boost allows you to zoom across the level, tearing apart anything in your way for a limited time, perfect for rescuing any wandering humans before they get crushed and destroyed. Overdrive is essentially a massive boost for your main weapon, creating a continuous beam of energy that obliterates anything it comes into contact with save for bosses, excellent for extricating yourself from cramped quarters. Boost and Overdrive are both able to be recharged by collecting green orbs dropped by downed ships, so you can be a bit more liberal in their use. At the end of each level is a boss, which requires a good deal of grind to defeat. Each boss is quite different from the last, and depending on the difficulty they can be a real nightmare to face without a full Overdrive and a couple bombs. This is essentially all there is to Resogun, simplicity refined to near perfection.

Particles galore!

Sound

          Techno is the main offering here, along with the constant hammer of dozens of explosions. Care has been given to keep the soundtrack from growing too repetitive and it works surprisingly well, you'll even likely let the music guide your rhythm throughout the game. This department is kind of sparse, but a neat added effect is having the speaker on your controller shout at you whenever you nab items or if there is a human that needs saving. Overall the audio aspect is well-designed if mostly bare-bones. There isn't a lot here, but what they do have works perfectly well.

See where that green arrow is pointing? That little green dude is a human.

Conclusion

            Housemarque took on a lot of responsibility when they decided to make Resogun a launch title for the PS4, but the fruits of their labor are clear. Resogun was built to be nothing more than pure, unfiltered fun in game form. Everything about its design  to the way it plays oozes with style that comes from a developer that loves the game it is making. While offering little variety aside from three ships and several difficulty levels, Resogun nevertheless managed dig itself a nice little place into my heart and has proven to be a thoroughly entertaining experience. Now could you imagine what would happen if Housemarque made a full priced game like this? A triple-A version of Resogun is something I would love to see. 9/10 (PS4 version available only.)

Game Review- Batman: Arkham Origins

          Its been a while since we were graced with fresh Batman game content, and this time Rocksteady has handed over their beloved franchise to WB Games Montreal as they try and focus on other projects including a next-gen title. Many people loved Arkham City, myself included, and to have a developer transfer their precious franchise over to another studio can understandably rattle quite a few fans. Rocksteady love the Batman franchise and only want to do it justice, but can the same be said of WB Games? Don your cape and expensive gadgets, because we are diving into the streets of Gotham to find out!

Criminals should really just curl into the fetal position by this point.

Story

          Arkham Origins revolves around Batman's earliest days as a detective, when he was just starting to make a name for himself as the caped crusader we all know and love today. The entirety of the game takes place on Christmas Eve, with a city-wide curfew in place to dissuade any civilians from traveling outside due to heightened criminal activity. The main villain from the get-go is Black Mask, a mobster boss with a legion of armed thugs ready to do his bidding. He and Batman cross paths at a prison known as Blackgate, where the aforementioned villain has convinced Killer Croc to aid him. Things quickly worsen and Batman ends up with a $50 million bounty on his head. The world's most deadly assassins then converge on Gotham, including the series' regular Bane, in an attempt to slay the Batman and claim the prize. As the Dark Knight, you must survive the night and save Gotham from destruction on Christmas day as the plans of the Joker burst onto the scene. Batman will have his hands full in this game, as many different villains make an appearance and must be pursued if you wish to unravel more of the story. This is easily the darkest Batman game of the series, with the masked hero delivering a much more brutal, visceral form of justice and his enemies dealing out death left and right in a disturbingly casual manner. WB Games has crafted a story that stays mostly true to the source material whilst fully embracing the darker themes introduced in Arkham Asylum and City. Every twist and turn of the story on my journey was extremely well done, with nothing seeming too cliche or out of character. The Joker is an especially strong figure in this game, completely owning his role as an arch-villain and being instantly loveable. Batman, the Joker, Alfred, and Bane give their best performances in the series thus far, with carefully crafted fight sequences that reveals each characters' motivations and goals. Rocksteady's absence has done nothing to harm the plot and story of Origins, with a strong cast of characters and genuinely interesting mystery to uncover. You will be thinking about this game after you have beaten it.

Batman's amusing version of Whack-a-Mole!

Graphics

          WB Games Montreal have added a further sheen of polish to the graphical fidelity of the Arkham series by upping the detail of almost everything in the game world, including Batman himself and NPCs. The world is extremely well done and immersive, letting you truly believe you are a force for good as you perch yourself on a nearby ledge and eavesdrop on a conversation below between a few goons. The Physx effects are back and better than ever this time, with dynamic snow being a new effect added. Now every time Batman walks outside or interacts with a snowy environment, snow particles will drift and swirl around him realistically. The effect is so impressive that it can even distract you in the midst of a heated battle as whirlwinds of snow are kicked up from Batman's impressive acrobatics. The game can render in DX11, adding several benefits including TXAA and Tessellation. Tessellation is used to great effect here, especially on snow that deforms whenever a character makes contact with it. The performance is much better than Arkham City, the effects and engine being much more optimized this time around to provide a smooth experience throughout. Truly Origins is the best looking game in the series thus far, and I cannot wait to see what the next-gen iterations will look like on the Unreal Engine 4.

Seriously guys, stop trying to fight him. Gotham hospitals can only hold so many injured thugs.

Gameplay

          Getting into Origins, you will notice that a lot of key gameplay elements have either been left unchanged or tweaked. There is nothing innovative here, just layers of fine-tuning and polish on systems that work extremely well together and provide a stellar experience to the player. Origins is the most well-balanced Batman game in my opinion, refining your impressive array of gadgets whilst adding a few new ones to the mix and upping the challenge by including additional enemy types. This is not a clone of Arkham City, but there are so many similarities between the two that one could be forgiven for thinking that Origins was originally just an add-on. This is not the case, Origins is a lengthy game that will take upwards of 20 hours to beat, and that's not including doing all the side missions and Riddler challenges. The Free Flow combat system returns better than ever this time, with Batman arcing and flying between groups of thugs seamlessly as he delivers cringe-inducing amounts of physical trauma to the unlucky saps seeking to kill him. Increasing your combo meter grants you access to unlockable special moves that can easily turn the tide of a difficult fight, such as summoning a swarm of bats to stun foes or instantly snapping limbs to cripple an opponent. Getting into a large fight is exhilarating, as jumping from foe to foe to deliver some head-bashing goodness is spectacular to witness. New enemies such as Martial Artists and Armored Enforcers add variety to engagement scenarios, each new type displaying innate strengths and weaknesses you will not see in vanilla thugs. The Martial Artists are quick hitting, counter-happy melee experts with lower than average health but who still know how to dish out lightning fast strikes and counter your own moves. The Armored Enforcers are massive Titan replacements whose armor must be ripped off before you can actually damage them. Fighting these foes is great fun and really adds to the melee masterpiece that is the Free Flow system. Gadgets are mostly unchanged this time but they are nonetheless still extremely useful when initiating a fight with unwary enemies. All the gadgets are fully upgradeable via two upgrade trees that will turn Batman into an unstoppable force once fully maxed out. Melee, armor, gadgets are all enhanced through these trees with varying effects. The Batarangs for example can be turned into Tri-Batarangs, which launches out three homing projectiles which knock down foes. The Glue Grenade is a new gadget that replaces the Ice Grenade from Arkham City, and it serves the exact same functions: Encasing enemies in a sticky resin and creating blobby rafts to traverse water upon. Perhaps the best new addition are the Shock Gloves, large gauntlets powered by the kinetic energy generated from connecting hits to enemies. Once charged these babies can be powered on, adding a massive amount of additional force behind each blow, sending foes flying back with each hit. Like I stated earlier, nothing too new here, but what is here is very well implemented into the gameplay. Old Gotham is fully navigable, a bit larger than the area in Arkham City, with lots of its own sights and experiences to enjoy. Getting around is easy enough with the grapnel launcher and gliding, but you are also given access to the Bat Jet to nearly instantly travel to certain parts of the city. These areas must be first unlocked by disabling a Riddler tower, which can usually only be done with the right gadgets that you may not yet possess. I mostly ignored these towers and went about grapnel boost gliding around like a horrific night beast powered by the fear of bad people. There is plenty to see and do, with optional objectives to complete for certain villains who you will later fight upon completion, ensuring you are never bored in Gotham as you go about cleaning the city's streets of crime. The boss fights in Origins are spectacular, incorporating a much more cinematic feel with quick time events designed to capture the ferocity of the battles. The fights with Deathstroke, Bane, and Copperhead were by far the best boss fights I experienced, with each employing various tactics and tricks to usurp the Dark Knight. I won't spoil anything about the fights, just know that you will emerge feeling like a total badass. Overall Origins feels like an upgraded version of Arkham City, with enough new content to feel like its own game rather than a blatant copy.

Become a billionaire and you could afford these too.

Sound

          To be honest I never really noticed the music in Origins, likely because I was too busy listening to the excellent dialogue or the visceral crack of bones breaking. The ambient sound effects are largely similar to Arkham City, given how similar the settings of the two games are. Voice acting here is top notch, with the Joker and Batman being the most noteworthy of mentioning. Other than the stellar performances by the voice actors, everything is par for the course here. Nothing is lacking in this area, though the music did fail to grab my attention but that was likely more to a design choice than anything else. Old Gotham is more immersive and beautiful than ever.

Maybe you shouldn't trail behind that guy Batman.

Conclusion

          Arkham Origins is a prime example that another company can in fact carry on the great works of another and even improve upon it. Origins may not have a lot of original content, but that doesn't meant it is an inferior product. It sticks with what works and adds more to the formula based on that principle. It is an amazing experience that any Batman or action game fan really owes it to themself to experience. With an interesting story, fantastic characters, perfect combat system, and multiple game modes, Akrham Origins gives you plenty of reasons to keep coming back even after the credits have long since rolled. WB Games Montreal has done Batman justice in this latest installment of the caped crusader's perilous adventures. 9/10 (PC version reviewed, multiplayer portion still being tested)

Brief Hiatus and Next-Gen Consoles

          Hello my fellow readers, this is going to be your notice that I am taking a short hiatus from writing game reviews for a bit. I've got a few games I'd really love to beat that have been sitting in my Steam library for a while that I've neglected too long, chief among those being Arkham City and AC3. My next review will likely be Arkham Origins, though my review of the game will likely be released within the first week of September. I would also like to announce that I will be upgrading to the latest consoles when they are released, which will effectively expand my review library and give me lots more games to play. I will still do reviews for Xbox 360 and PS3 after that, though the majority of my reviews will focus on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Hope to see my readers again soon, game on everyone!

Game Review- Shadow Warrior

          There are a rising number of remakes in the works, much to either the chagrin or delight of respective gamers. The gaming industry and Hollywood are becoming very similar, with more and more studios creating modernized remakes of classics whether anyone wants them or not. This time around the classic in the spotlight is Shadow Warrior, a game that featured more blatant racism, sexism, and violence that would likely be on par with the Saints Row franchise back then. It was a highly controversial game when released, and 3D Realms prided itself on that accomplishment. Now fast forward to 2013 and you have Flying Wild Hog on the scene with their remake of that old-school FPS by the same name. Created in close concert with Digital Devolver (Serious Sam series), the creators of the delightfully retro Hard Reset have given Shadow Warrior a new lease on life. How does this remake stack against fellow shooters and its old-school roots? That is a good question, but I have a better question. Who wants some Wang?!

This guy does!

Story

          Oddly this is one of Shadow Warrior's greatest strengths, something that the original plowed through in a drunken rage. The old SW was more concerned with absurd jokes, naked women, and plentiful amounts of gore, while the new one is absolutely no exception to that. This time however, SW has a rather intriguing storyline that plays out between levels via comic-style cutscenes. This method of storytelling is becoming more common in games lately, though it is effectively utilized here to weave a tale of demonic political intrigue that plays out in the Shadow Realm. You are Lo Wang, an assassin hired by a wealthy collector named Zilla, tasked with acquiring an antique blade known as the Nobitsura Kage. Things quickly go south as the blade's current master is unwilling to part with his prize, sicking his poor henchmen at you in large numbers. I referred to them as poor because they do not realize that Lo Wang is quite the badass and swordsman, easily chopping them to pieces like that mass fight scene in Kill Bill. Upon tracking down the owner Lo Wang finds that there are forces at play here beyond his comprehension, a realm that lies just beyond our own. Trapped, hunted, and forced to fight back against his extra-planar aggressors, Lo Wang is befriended by an Immortal known as Hoji who aids him throughout his lengthy journey. The dynamic between these two characters is extremely well implemented, often bickering and arguing like an old married couple as Wang slices, shoots, and blasts his way through trouble. Wang is not a very interesting character, but that is likely intentional as most of the focus seems to be centered on the different Immortals that he encounters. Hoji and his fellow Immortals are what stood out the most, as they had the most distinct and well-defined personalities. At certain points in the game you can access the memories of an Immortal, allowing you a glimpse into their backstory and motivations. This provides a nice reprieve from the ultra-violence that pervades each level, allowing the player to kick back and watch the unfolding drama before plummeting them back into the fray. I must really give props to the developer's here, they really excelled in the story department for a game that I thought was largely going to be a brainless shooter.

This looks like an ideal vacation spot.

Graphics

          Saying this game is a visual step up from the original would be a criminal understatement. This game looks fantastic on Ultra settings and will definitely test any single GPU rig in heated battles. Everything on display here has been made for the absolute best hardware in mind. Textures are extremely high res, SSAO is accurate to the slightest angle, parallax occlusion mapping gives uneven surfaces needed depth, loads of lights and particle effects assault you during encounters, tree leaves sway realistically and are self-shaded, and the list goes on. Hard Reset really showed what Flying Wild Hog was capable of delivering to the PC, and Shadow Warrior only further cements the fact that these guys are dedicated PC developers first and foremost. The ambient effects match the environments perfectly, creating a truly absorbing atmosphere that you can lose yourself in while slaughtering scores of Shadow Beings. Wang has never looked so good.

Yup, still beautiful.

 Gameplay 

          It goes without saying that a new rendition of an old game should perhaps add a little modern flair to its gameplay formula. While staying true to its old-school roots, Shadow Warrior adds many new intriguing features that were not included in the original or included features that can be more properly utilized with a fresh engine. The primary focus this time is the flow of combat, which is leagues more chaotic than its predecessor. SW offers you many killing tools of the trade including a katana, SMGs, shotgun, rocket launcher, etc. All of these weapons can be upgraded by purchasing upgrades from a specific menu that can be accessed anytime in-game. Along with money that can be collected, the player will sometimes come across Ki crystals that can be used to improve certain powers. These powers range from creating stunning shockwaves, healing yourself, immobilizing area of effect attacks, and shielding yourself from incoming damage. While keeping the formula simple, they add much needed depth to the combat and provide reliable fallback tactics should you be overwhelmed. Be careful when using your powers, as they add a chance of causing demons to enter a raging frenzy when activated, increasing their health, damage, and movement speed immensely. To add even more complexity the developer's have added passive skills that can be unlocked and upgraded via collecting Karma by killing enemies and pulling off exquisite combat maneuvers. All these upgrades really give you a sense of progression and allow you to tackle the other difficulty modes after your initial playthrough. Melee combat is also a huge focus here and has been refined immensely; swinging your blade feels like it has real weight behind it, severing limbs and heads with disturbing ease. Best of all the game does not force you to change your style of play, you can stick to melee the entire game if you so wish or go guns blazing without giving your katana a second glance. I personally found myself switching it up after every major battle, keeping things fresh and investing in various upgrades. Engagements play out in waves usually, with weaker demons spawning first while the ranged and higher ranked monsters follow. Do not assume this is the same for every encounter though, this game will find ways to surprise you with its small but flexible roster of shadow denizens. Over the course of the game you will spill lakes upon lakes worth of blood and organs, which actually improves the amount of karma you attain. The more carnage you create, the better rewarded you shall be. Sticking to true retro standards, you will often be tasked with finding keys to unlock doors and progress through the level. What is nice about this throwback is that many doors in levels have padlocks and are entirely optional, containing loads of goodies and secrets to plunder. Shadow Warrior has an unusual emphasis on exploration, something that a lot of shooters today could benefit from. While being mostly linear in progression, there is always a hidden path to find that leads to greater rewards. Keep your eyes open, you will like what you find. Gunplay is extremely polished and works as well as you could hope for; mowing down demons and blasting them into gory hunks of meat as you continuously upgrade your arsenal. Everything here works as it should, providing a stellar gameplay experience that will stick with you whether you are on your first run through or your third.

Everyone want some Wang!

Sound

          This is one area of the game that actually did not stand out all that much to me, mostly due to how busy my eyes were with ogling the gorgeous visuals. Weapons sound great with the rocket launcher packing one hell of a "boom" that will rock your headset or speakers, with the other guns sounding pretty much exactly how you would expect them to. The dialogue between Wang and Hoji is brilliant and definitely made the lengthy campaign more enjoyable while the ambient sound effects do great jobs of selling the realism of the highly detailed environments. Enemy grunts, roars, and squeals are forgettable and rather generic; once you've heard one demon you've heard them all here. Overall this area of the game is passable; not remarkable, but passable. You will be too busy gawking at the visuals and too knee-deep in corpses to even care.

All villains need a lair like this.

 Conclusion

          I went in to Shadow Warrior expecting a mindless, nostalgic romp symbolic of the older days of gaming. What I got instead was a complex shooter with a bit of brains, style, and finesse. Best of all it didn't lose its sense of purpose. Flying Wild Hog knew exactly what they wanted this game to be and they made it so. Though the $40 price tag may seem steep, do not fool yourself into thinking this game is not worth the asking price. It is packed with content and a long campaign that switches to an Extended mode after your first playthrough, allowing the player to retain all of their weapons, powers, and upgrades. Shadow Warrior is a fantastic shooter that somehow manages to take itself seriously without seeming goofy, while at the same time delivering a heavy dose of dark humor to keep you entertained. Everybody needs Wang! 9/10 (PC version available only)

                              

Game Review- Splinter Cell: Blacklist

          I've never really been very into the Splinter Cell series until Chaos Theory came out on the Xbox. At the time I couldn't believe how gorgeous and immersive it was running on the dated hardware of an Xbox, it looked comparable to a high-end PC game. I loved Chaos Theory, it really opened up the stealth genre for me and introduced many different ways of tackling a mission. No other Splinter Cell game has managed to entertain me as much as CT did, until Blacklist showed up. This new SC seeks to deliver a captivating new experience with missions that reward a number of playstyles. Finally you can play a SC game how you want, even if your methods involve removing the silencer and letting fly a frag or two. Ubisoft have a lot to live up to in this new installment, as does the new voice actor for Sam Fisher. So how does this new SC stack up with the others? Well let's skulk around below for the answers.

Sam, as seen here not being very discreet.

Story

          In this SC the good ol' U.S. of A. has come under attack by a highly secretive society of terrorists known only as the Engineers. These jovial individuals have started a chain of events that they call a Blacklist, a series of timed attacks that will take place on U.S. soil unless their demands are met. With its hands full, the U.S. government brings in Sam Fisher and the Fourth Echelon organization to help alleviate the situation and make all villains forever fear the shadows lest a middle-aged, unusually limber man pounces upon them like a puma wearing night-vision goggles. Blacklist certainly tells an interesting story, with a few characters making a cameo from Conviction such as the eccentric arms smuggler Kobin. Along for the ride on Sam's globe-trotting adventure are Grim, a hardened woman with a very business-like personality, Charlie, the resident geek and hacker, Kobin, like I mentioned above, and Briggs, an operative with a shorter temper than Sam and a penchant for ranged weapons.Over the course of the story each character is given an appropriate spotlight moment where their particular set of skills really shine, even though these instances only take place in cut-scenes. Blacklist more convincingly fleshes out it myriad of characters this time than Conviction did, setting believable people in an unbelievable situation. Most of the game's missions are undertaken while aboard the Paladin, a fully upgradeable military plane that serves as an armory, HUB, jail, and lounge for those aboard it. This setting lends some urgency to Sam's story, as he is constantly on the move from one part of the world to another. The nature of the Blacklist attacks are pretty horrific as each one is centered around a particular theme that makes America strong, such as American Consumption or American Fuel. The true motivations of the Engineers is never really revealed, with the final mission ending on a monstrously tall cliffhanger that might leave more than a few people frustrated with the narrative choices. Still, for its faults, Blacklist still manages to tell a painfully convincing story that might make you wonder if attacks of this scale and expert organization would be possible on America. Scary to wonder.

You will quickly come to loathe these armored enemies if you aren't stealthy.

Graphics

          I had a feeling that the new Splinter Cell would be upgraded to the UE3 after the majority of the previous games were running on the UE2.5, but boy was I in for a surprise. Blacklist is in fact running on a heavily modified version of the UE2.5 that has been altered for DX11 compatibility. While it would have been a welcome change had they upgraded the engine to something a little more modern, what they have managed to accomplish here is nothing short of miraculous. Blacklist is undeniably gorgeous in nearly all aspects, a SC game that when put on max settings looks something akin to a next-gen title. All modern graphics options are proudly on display here from HBAO, SSAA(albeit a bit glitchy), tessellation, parallax occlusion mapping, advanced shaders, fantastic lighting effects, etc. Every location in the game feels unique and extremely well designed, with one particular mission taking place in a storm ravaged European city. Water was pooling and cascading off surfaces realistically; even light sources were reflected upon the water's surface. The ambient details here are astounding and it will be very easy for the player to lose themselves in this fantastically detailed world. Textures generally run the gamut from relatively low-res to impressively crisp, with character models being on the middle portion of the detail spectrum. If  Ubisoft Montreal can accomplish this on an old engine then I can only imagine what they could do with a UE4 SC. Yes there is certainly room for improvement here, but what is on display is no less impressive.

Sam, seen here admiring the level design.

Gameplay

          This new SC encourages players to try one of three distinct play styles when tackling missions, offering incentive to focus on one particular style then come back and replay the mission while focusing on one of the other two. Ghost awards those who go unseen and use non-lethal means of dispatching foes, Panther is focused on players who prefer to kill out of sight and use an array of non-lethal gadgets, whilst the Assault style is pure run-and-gun mayhem. I personally found myself mostly sticking between Panther and Ghost as I took on new missions, as I had invested money heavily in armor and equipment which focused more on stealth than protection from harm. Oh yeah, this time Sam can buy loads of gadgets, armor, and weapons aboard the Paladin now, offer a wider variety of ways to complete missions. There is still a heavy emphasis on sticking to the shadows and staying quiet, but the huge array of tech to choose from makes it nearly impossible for the player to not consider venturing into a mission in an alternative fashion. The new Tri-rotor is one new addition worthy of mention; a little robot capable of silent flight and stunning enemies with electrified darts. This little baby can be upgraded with a sonar that pings enemy locations around it, providing Sam with updated info. Weapons handling can feel a bit clumsy if you do not invest in armor that adds to that stat, as Sam's aim with even SMGs can be thrown clear off the mark on full-auto or even burst fire settings. You are given plenty of options for taking out enemies; from lethal weapons of all sorts to gas grenades, flashbangs, sticky shockers, proximity mines, and even an awesome little crossbow with various ammo types. Yes, Blacklist really wants to give you freedom in how you carry out your assignments, and it does a stellar job in offering the player new choices after every mission. Aside from the story there are many different optional missions which usually don't take longer than 25 minutes to complete. You can access these missions either via the S.I.M. interface or chatting up your fellow colleagues on the Paladin. These missions vary from fighting off waves of enemies, completing three objectives in a small level, advancing through checkpoints till you reach the end, or engaging in co-op missions with Briggs. None of these are required to reach the end and offer neat little rewards upon completion. Sam's signature goggles can be upgraded a number of times, each time making Sam a little more omniscient each time to the point where he can see sound sources, heat signatures, foot print outlines, and energy sources. Nothing will escape your sight with the fully upgraded goggles, that is if you can afford to dump hundreds of thousands of dollars into these puppies. In missions you are given a choice in how you want to silently take down enemies: Lethal or non-lethal. This affects the story and gameplay in no discernible way but will affect your overall playstyle score. You will also come across H.I.V.s during missions which can be captured and detained for a large bonus of credits if you so fancy. Hell, you can even find Dead Drops and Engineer laptops to hack, adding addition info and credits upon doing so. Again, this is all left up to the player, you can either focus on the mission at hand or take a few detours along the way. The A.I. is extremely intelligent when provoked and will hunt you ruthlessly and in groups, they are not the easily exploitable mannequins from Conviction. The new heavily armored enemies are nearly impossible to take down from the front without blowing off their helmets first before you can score a headshot, requiring the player to assess the situation and plan accordingly. There are even drone operators that will be thrown at the player, enemies who jam your goggles and deploy small RC-like bombs that will scan the area for you. Te difficulty has definitely been ramped up, and Normal mode will provide a solid challenge for stealth enthusiasts looking to test their resolve against the dead-accurate A.I. This really feels like the beginning of a more open-world start for the SC franchise, a change that I would definitely welcome considering the well-implemented HUB features of Blacklist. A definite step-up from Conviction in all aspects.

The shaders at work here are duly impressive.

Sound

          Sound plays a very important role in Blacklist, it is the indicator of a nearby threat or coming engagement. The music in Blacklist cycles between dynamic and ambient tracks depending on if the player has been located by enemies, creating an audio cue that helps alert the player to danger. The ambient sound effects are impressive, especially in levels with heavy rainfall. Just listening to water running off a building's roof adds an underlying level of serenity to the audio design. The new voice actor for Sam does his job well, though he does make Sam sound about ten years younger. Its a shame that Michael Ironside is no longer with this series, however Eric Johnson provides us with a more contemplative and subtle side of Fisher that was lacking in the others. The supporting characters are all believable, with my favorite being the gun smuggler Kobin, who is renowned for being a complete smartass aboard the Paladin. Overall the audio department has been improved over Conviction, with no apparent downsides to note. The gruffness in Sam's voice will be forever missed though.

The guy in digital Winter camo sure sticks out here.

Conclusion

          Measured by the sheer amount of variety and focus on different playstyles, some could consider this to be the perfect stealth title. Much care has been taken by Ubisoft in weaving this new adventure for Sam Fisher, essentially overhauling every aspect of the SC universe and retooling it for maximum enjoyment. While the conclusion of this may not be the jaw-dropper some were expecting, it certainly leaves the door open for more of Fisher's unseen antics. The multiplayer section will not be covered in this review, as multiple problems arose with hackers, rage-quitters, and various balancing issues that caused much frustration while trying to remain objective. Hope Ubisoft will fix the multiplayer soon, until then the co-op missions will have to suffice. 9/10 (PC version reviewed)