Just Cause 3

Rating: 8.7

Happy Price: 49.99

Gameplay

Just Cause 3 is an action packed 3rd person shooter that uses unrealistic concepts to create the "extreme" feel, opposed to a game like GTAV which has a more simulation type of feel. The player has access to countless vehicles, explosives, and weapons to destroy bases in a variety of ways.  Access to this arsenal is easy with the Rebel Drop mechanic that allows a cargo plane to drop off whatever the player needs. Missions are regularly repetitive, so creating your own fun with the variety of weapons will determine how fun of a game this is for you on a personal level.

Vehicles

There are over 80 accessible vehicles including cars, boats, planes, helicopters, tanks, and utility vehicles. During my 40 hour experience I spent a lot of time in helicopters, they had the ability to rapidly shoot heavy missiles which would obliterate bases in a relatively short amount of time. The only real defense against a helicopter is a SAM anti air weapon, but those can be avoided or even hacked prior to taking down a base. Because there wasn't any real reason to use a boat in a situation, or a tank in another, taking down bases was not as fun as it probably could have been. The typical course of events for me went destroy as much stuff as possible with a helicopter until it blew up, then finish it up with a tank. After that, do everything on foot, and repeat. So even though I had 80 accessible vehicles, I tended to only use three or four consistently. There was no real reason to use a valuable rebel drop for a Volkswagen Beetle or a slow city bus, unless I decided it would be fun to try and take down a base in a bus. Let's make one thing clear, driving around in tanks and helicopters is fun, and this game gives the platform to do that as much as you'd like.

Story

The narrative is similar to previous iterations of the series. You play Rico Rodriguez and are a borderline rebel superhero causing millions of dollars in government damage and initiating a revolution. This time around the evil dictator has developed a nuclear weapon infused with Bavarium that is more powerful than your standard nuke, which is suppose to make this small island into a superpower. Taking down this dictator will not only save the world, but also the oppressed people of Medici. As unrealistic a plot this is, the writing itself does not lend itself to this being a real scenario either. Rico Rodriguez as a character is far too casual and cocky to make it feel like anything is really at stake. He carries an attitude of "this will be easy, nothing bad will happen" which does not create much tension. To add, finishing up a main campaign mission does not end with an upgrade or access to new upgrades. This is all done outside of the main campaign. Doing main campaign missions seemed to be more of a chore, as I'd prefer to have a reward after doing something difficult like taking down a large military base to unlock a better helicopter

Weapons

Having 80 vehicles, I expected to have a much larger range of weaponry at my disposal. There are only a couple variations of pistol, assault rifle, shotgun, LMG, and heavy weapon. With 40 hours of gameplay, I wanted more. The assault rifles had four distinct and predictable types of specs. There was the fast shooting low damage, slow shooting high damage, 3 shot burst, and one shot burst rifle. I felt very constrained having only able to pick one main weapon, one sidearm, then a heavy. With as much variety, I want to flip between shotguns, assault rifles, LMG's, and heavy weaponry quickly. This element of only being able to hold two weapons contradicts the cartoony nature of the game. At times I felt very under-powered using even the most powerful assault rifle. Multiple head-shots to enemies or unloading an entire clip for them to die.  Whenever I was outside of a vehicle, I typically would parachute around throwing grenades and using my heavy weapon, until I could hijack a vehicle. Most of the time is spent using the grapple hook escaping gunfire and running for your life, which isn't really too fun. 

Progression

The flow goes as follows, liberate a base, then get access to a variety of challenges to obtain "gears". Gears are the currency to upgrade Rico. These challenges include: car races, boat races, plane races, shooting ranges, skydiving, and few others. This was the most fun part of the game. Liberating a base, then your favorite type of challenge is unlocked. There are leaderboards attached, and you get to compete against friends all the while working to upgrade yourself. Doing well in car races allows for upgrades to be unlocked for said type of vehicle. Doing so does not necessarily feel like you are progressing in the game, but makes things feel more convenient. For example, instead of grenades doing more damage, you get upgrades like "can hold more grenades". Having more grenades that do more damage doesn't really help me that much, I just don't have to find a resupply point as often. If you really wanted to, the entire game can be beaten without upgrading yourself. The game can likely be finished in 15 hours, but it would take hard work to do so. Because I spent time doing the challenges, I didn't have to constantly resupply myself with valuable ammo to keep my reign of havoc going. Spending hours doing challenges only to have a max heavy ammo be increased from 5 to 11 did not seem justified. For some reason though, I had fun doing the challenges and wanted my experience to be more convenient. Having double turbo in my helicopters made navigating the 400 square mile space much faster.

 Art

When creating assets for a space the size of Rhode Island, I think shortcuts are expected. However they are not easily pointed out. Surprisingly the terrain always had purpose. There were flat areas that were cleared of foliage, then areas that were heavy with foliage, but all of these locations made sense and had a great flow. Enemy outposts and bases are placed in strategic locations that are surrounded by canyons with small entry points. Then randomly there will be ruins from some ancient South American civilization. It's fun riding around in a plane or helicopter and seeing these ruin sites, and then hopping down to check them out. Turns out doing this will add a collectible most of the time, which is a nice reward for exploring your curiosity.

The color palette was very bold and uplifting which played nicely into the feel of the game. Vehicles and weapons are very detailed with fine details like different axel behavior in an indy car from the rest of the other cars in the game. Explosions are some of the best I've ever seen in a video game, too many on screen can cause frame rate issues, but most of the time it was in extreme cases of blowing up five gasoline storage containers or something along those lines. The main characters had unique attributes like burned faces or scars, and the facial expressions during cut scenes we're very good, some of the best I've seen in a video game. The expressions reflected each characters personality beautifully and was the best part of the campaign. 

Summary

The first 10 hours or so are very addicting, but it tends to get repetitive after that point. It took many play sessions to complete the game, as I would play for about one hour and then get bored. It's every easy to pick up and put down, and I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not. After about 24 hours of not playing, I'd get the urge to blow some stuff up, but then it goes away, and the process repeated itself for about a month. There are many good games out there, but if you need something that isn't going to conflict with your social life, this game is for you. 

Star Wars: Battlefront

Rating: 7.3

Happy Price: 29.99

Gameplay

A first or third person shooter that plays entirely online and is PvP or PvE. There are a variety of game modes that focus on: heroes, vehicles, traditional deathmatch, and all three of these combined. Despite the characters, weapons, and environment at your disposal it is a very underwhelming experience.

Level Design

The maps are huge and open. Cover is sparsely placed which makes it extremely difficult to get anything done. Far too often does a player spawn, with nothing but an open area ahead, and then shot by an opposing player without having a chance to defend themselves. It is frustrating when trying to head to an objective without a safe path to get there. The player should have the choice of sprinting out in the open to get somewhere fast, or taking the smarter approach by utilizing cover. This choice is not available unless playing on smaller maps designed for 8v8 or 6v6. Navigating through the different levels feels very desolate and is not immersive. This would be ok if vehicles were readily available at all times creating a place that allows for free flowing vehicle warfare. Unfortunately vehicles are a rare occurrence that are acquired via tokens placed in the battlefield. The maps should have been designed for vehicles or players on foot. It seemed all of them had vehicles and aerial battles in mind. Unfortunately that rarely happens. So there are these huge maps designed for vehicles that have a bunch of players sprinting around on foot. It does not tie together and the maps just are not fun.

Game Modes

At the time of this review there are ten different multiplayer PvP game modes. I tried to get into all of them, tried as hard as I could to find the fun in them, but did not have any success. The two that stand out were fighter squadron and hero hunt. Fighter squadron is the dogfight game mode with X-wings and Tie fighters. It is a fun mode for a limited amount of time, but in my opinion is the most immersive. It would have been even better if all players were locked in first person mode. If one player is in third person and the other in first person, the player using third person view has an advantage. Sometimes too much choice is bad. Heroes vs Villains is my favorite, but feels different when in a party or with random people. It is a 6v6 match that has 3 players on each side using a hero from either the Rebel Alliance or Imperials. It's round based, so everyone gets a turn to play as a hero. It is very engaging and requires the most strategy of any game mode. Maps are small, full of cover, and allow for teamwork.

Progression

The progression system is terrible. It is very strange when you achieve a score of 4,396 but then at the end of the game the score gets rolled down, right before your eyes, to a measly 440 experience. Why was I given the points in the first place? It makes no sense to give the player 10% of their score to be the exp earned for that round. What can you do with those points? You can buy different heads. I'm not kidding, for 1,000 exp you can buy a white guy, with a grey beard and black hair. It's predefined, you can't just purchase an asset like a hairstyle or a different color uniform. Weapons are very expensive and none of them seem to be better than any other. They have fixed stats across all weapons. What I mean is the Shotgun weapon will have a damage rating of 80. Then range = 6.67, rate of fire = 6.67, accuracy = 6.67. Then the blaster will have damage = 30, range = 30, accuracy = 20, rate of fire = 20. Another blaster will have those same stats but mixed around. Nothing feels more powerful than another, which doesn't make you excited about progressing. 

Art

When it comes to the models, they are very well done. Extremely detailed across the board when talking about the ships, vehicles, and character models. Everything feels authentic and true to the movies. It's one of the aspects of the game that makes it worth playing and really gives you a drive to continue to play. The problem is, artwork in games isn't suppose to do that. It's suppose to support gameplay, but not drive it.  I had a problem with the textures of the ground at times, where they felt flat and not up to next gen standards. Also animations of the blasters, there were none. I would want some sort of bolt action recoil on my blaster that makes it feel like I'm actually shooting a gun.

The animations shine when using a hero though. Playing as Darth Vader and doing a force choke is extremely rewarding. The rebel scum will float in the air holding their necks, and its a great feeling. Light saber melee action and laser deflection was done to a tee and is my favorite thing to do. Its what EA focused on during marketing, and is likely what drove anyone that bought the game to purchase it. Unfortunately those moments are rare and don't happen quite enough to keep me playing.

Sound

The strongest aspect of the game is the sound design. When Darth Vader enters the battlefield, you get the classic Imperial theme and the whole game knows that Vader is here. It is also announced on your personal radio "Vader has entered the battlefield". The same thing happens when Luke Skywalker or Han Solo enters. The whole field heres the Star Wars theme and the imperials broadcast it over their radio. The constant sound of laser blasters and ships flying overhead create an experience that feels authentic. It helps that EA has licensed the soundtrack from the original films so the team had a ton to work with. Playing the game reminds the player of the joy of watching the movies, subconsciously bringing back moments that brought great joy. Unfortunately the rest of the world doesn't support it. 

Summary

Despite the good art and great sound, the level design and progression system don't create a fun game. Its a desolate experience that is not addicting nor immersive. It's one of those games you can play for about 8 hours, work all the nostalgia out, and then put down. With all the other great games that came out in 2015, I can't justify purchasing it. Waiting for the price drop on an online game has a negative impact on gameplay, so when it comes down to it, I wouldn't buy this game. However, I'm having hard time putting it up for sale or trading it in.

Fallout 4

Rating: 9.1
Happy Price: 59.99


Gameplay

Fallout 4 combines the first person shooter, RPG, crafting, and open world genres into one package. In addition to that there is a focus on handling each situation in a unique fashion, which makes violence an option in most cases. The player is often presented with critical decisions at certain points of the game which will determine the ending, making every person's playthrough unique to one another.

Shooting

In previous iterations of Fallout, shooting guns always lacked the punch other first person shooter games had. They fixed it in Fallout 4 adding hit markers and more physical feedback to the player. An example is shooting a super mutant charging, each blast with a shotgun will cause the super mutant to be knocked back for a split second. It's a very rewarding feeling when a super mutant is holding a melee weapon and the player targets the legs with a shotgun. As the legs start to wear down the super mutant can't charge as fast, and eventually his legs will get blown off after a few shots. Less powerful enemies like Ghouls can be taken care of with a few shots to the leg with pistols and have the same effect. This allow the player to handle enemies different ways with different weapons. One thing I learned though, is taking out the legs on any enemy will usually have a good effect. There are some robots however, that will self destruct when that happens creating a nuclear explosion, so watch out! Below is some gameplay footage of me running around with an explosive shotgun, a very fun weapon.

Crafting

Adding crafting and base building was a great feature to add in the Fallout series. In previous iterations it never felt like anywhere was truly "Home". The player now has the option to make home anywhere. It can be an island paradise or a heavily fortified castle ruin. The player can live alone, or invite a bunch of settlers to create a small town. Crafting is expanded beyond just structures for settlers and yourself. Weapons and armor can also be crafted. The degree of depth to which weapons and armor can be crafted is dependent on how skill points are allocated. Melee weapons, laser weapons, ballistic weapons, and armor all have separate builds. This makes the player choose how they want to play the game, it's an important decision because upgrading certain types of weapons has a large impact on your success. However grinding can always make up for a regrettable decision.

Crafting homes and structures however, can be a painful experience. Items like floors, roofs, and walls usually lineup relatively well. There is a class of items called prefabs though, and these usually don't line up well with one another. An example is making the "Large Shack" prefab which essentially builds a two story shack with a couple rooms. Adding a staircase or wall to this structure gets annoying, and it doesn't seem like adding on to these structures was an intended use of the crafting mechanic.

Building settlements is a large part of the game, since your main goal is to retake the commonwealth from Super Mutants and Raiders. To do that, resources are needed. What used to be deemed as "junk" in previous Fallout games now carry properties that are needed to create important things like turrets and water pumps. Never have I been so excited to take TV dinner trays (aluminum) or desk fans (screws, oil) so I can add to my resource pool. I would often find myself debating which junk I should take when I was carrying too much weight. Do I grab this desk fan or this legendary 10mm pistol? Meh, I have enough pistols, better grab the fan.

The Open World

The Main storyline is optional, which makes this open world the best one in gaming. I spent hours roaming the wasteland finding my own things to do and dealing with side quests. The game starts the player in the north west corner of the map. It becomes obvious after some time that the further south you go, the harder enemies get. I racked in tons of XP by discovering hundreds of locations, raiding them, and returning back home to deposit all the junk and weapons I've acquired. I discovered all the factions and did those side missions too, making my decision on which one I identified with most. By the time I actually decided to do the main mission, I had the best weapons and armor, and full companionship with four different people. I was obsessed with finding places and going inside them, to see what stories they had to tell. Every location had something going on. Seeing two people playing chess in skeletons, a skeleton in the stall with some Jet, or the remains of two people in bed together. These little things had me asking, "what will I find next?". Every location had a purpose and I personally appreciate the effort in creating a detailed world of this scale. Below is a place called Libertalia, a town created out of floating ships with a legendary Raider at the top of the half sunk freight ship.

  

Bugs

I wish I could rate this game a 10. I think it deserves it, but there are too many instances were buggy behavior would make things take much longer than they should have. There are two notable bugs that occurred during large missions. One of them required me to board a vertibird for the brotherhood of steel. The vertibird would never show up, but I kept thinking I did something incorrectly. It took me about 45 mins of running around before I went online and found out a bunch of other people had the same issue. The other was building this object for the MAIN STORY. You will know what I'm talking about when you get there. In total, I probably lost about 5 hours because of bugs. One because I got stuck while in power armor and had done a bunch of stuff, but did not quicksave. I got so angry I had to stop playing, and returned the next day because I lost about 45 minutes of time that I had to redo.

Art

Fallout has never pushed the edge on graphics, and this installment has improved since the last, but is still underwhelming. I must say the lighting and environment usually look amazing, but characters are lackluster. Ghouls and Super mutants look flat and plasticy (not a word), instead of organic. Maybe it is the radiation causing the skin to appear more like leather and it's intended, but it seemed like I wasn't running a Xbox One game on full settings. There is a significant improvement when it came to voice animations and facial expressions during dialogue. Considering previous games did not have this, it was a pleasant surprise this feature was added

.

During combat was when the art really shined. The weapons firing, explosions going off, and limbs flying everywhere was a real treat. Firing a Fat Man is one of the most fun things to do because of the mushroom cloud that appears afterwards, rewarding the player for using a precious mini-nuke. Another rewarding action is using a single shot rifle in V.A.T.S and having a 64% chance to headshot, but when it hits the targets head flies off and blood flies eveywhere with the rest of the body in a ragdoll state. These touches give Fallout 4 its character as an ultra violent game fused with dark humor that appeals to the slightly deranged hardcore gamer.

Summary

I think it takes a certain person to enjoy the Fallout games. The fan base is devout, and it does not appeal to everyone which is a shame. Despite the bugs, this is probably the most fun game I've played this year. I could not wait to get home from work to play, which gave me a feeling I haven't had since I was a child. The game is that good and addicting. I put 87 hours into my playthrough, but I can easily put in more. I'm currently debating on starting a new game with a focus on Melee and heavy armor, just to see what that is like. This game is a must buy and is too fun to pass up.

The Witcher 3

Rating: 9.2

Happy Price: 59.99

Gameplay

40 hours into The Witcher, and it feels like I haven't even put a dent into the game, yet I've done so much. This is both the beauty and flaw of the game. The amount of content in the game is endless, but the universe isn't compelling enough to stay inside it for players like me who are interested in many types of games. The Witcher 3 is that pretty girl everyone has a crush on, and you yourself can see she is pretty, but don't feel that attraction toward her.

Pacing

The Witcher 3 struggles most with pacing. True open world games like this will struggle with pacing due to the nature of the world being open. However I can't deny it is frustrating yet fun to run into some strange monster that is 7 levels ahead of you while exploring. There is an "oh shit" moment where you essentially run for your life when that happens, and then you find yourself surrounded by a pack of low level wolves that will provide some raw meat to stock up your health. The player can go from overwhelmed to underwhelmed in a matter of 20 seconds. 

This also happens when trying to get through the main story. It seems that to progress through the story, you have to do many side quests to level up, but at times there are no side quests available at your level. This forces the player to enter these dead moments where they have to figure out what to do on their own. Like search out a bandit camp just to level up a bit. Witcher contracts are sporadic, you can enter a pub and talk to the locals, only to be offered a witcher contract for level 24 players when you're at level 16. The difference of 8 levels is enormous and that witcher contract has to wait. Leveling up can take hours so that contract will sit in the queue for days on end.

Combat

Combat has to be approached as a true professional, just as the game states. Health does not regenerate automatically, and the player has to stock up on food items to replenish health. The cost of losing health is great. Approaching enemy types like low level bandits can usually end up in an awesome fight of heads being chopped off and bodies chopped in half, but they can easily go south and leave the player depleted of resources if not careful. The player has to constantly be aware of their position and try to isolate enemies when taking on multiple enemies at once. The mix of magic powers and the power of the sword will always help with this.

Approaching Witcher contracts is different. The player will typically be presented with one enemy, and will have to actually READ the game's codex to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy, like a true professional. Not taking the time to read will cause an indefinite struggle. Enemies in witcher contracts will be powerful, have unique abilities, and different rhythms to their attacks than other enemies. This creates an environment where the player has to learn quickly how to defeat this enemy, and it may not apply to anything else for the rest of the game. The best part about Witcher contracts is the large EXP gained and the money acquired after.

Gwent

Gwent is the card game that many merchants play in this world. It is a simple game but is one of the most fun things to do in the game. Anyone that sells things usually plays, and when they are beat the player can acquire their powerful cards. There are instances when beating a player in gwent will result in some other reward, like a favor or discount on an item. I found myself searching for merchants selling Gwent cards so I could build up my deck and compete in tournaments or win side quests related to Gwent. It's setup similar to magic the gathering where you have 4 deck types. In the beginning of the game you will be asked which starter deck you want, and then naturally build out that. If resources are plentiful, you can build out another deck but it's costly.

Art

Environment/Level Design

The environment is huge but the regions have character. When navigating the world via horseback, your start to recognize areas and have a sense of where you are in the world. When I hit a certain swampy spot with toxic gas, I know to expect drowners soon and am on high alert. As large as the world is, there are spots all over the place that seem to tell a story. Something has happened here, and you can imagine what it was. There might be an abandoned house with a diary entry there, so you go from thinking of what happened to discovering what happened. This happens all over the world, and can even end up as a side quest. The fine details of the placement of trees in the forest or bedrooms in houses is appreciated, and makes each place feel unique. 

Characters

There are some fierce beasts, elegant phantoms, and everything in between. The design of these characters takes you back to when games were full of imagination and character. You get the full creative stimulation that the character designer wished to invoke in the player. There are familiar interpretations of enemies such as golems or ghouls, and then completely original ones like drowners. Each character has a strength and weakness, and the player has to approach each character differently based on how the skill tree is built out. Have a strong fire attack, sure approach this enemy with confidence. If lacking fire skills, stay away from certain ones. The attention to detail is appreciated and the sense of passion to create something from ones imagination is felt through gameplay.

Conclusion

This is a superb game, but its not for everyone. I wouldn't buy it if swords, magic and horses are not your thing. If they are, and you enjoy a challenging game, then you can easily spend 100+ hours in this world. The depth is endless, and can sometimes be overwhelming. It comes down to how invested you are in the game and how much time you have to play and commit to it.

Undertale

Happy Price: 9.99

Rating: 8.5

Gameplay

Undertale is a narrative driven RPG with a unique battle system that allows the player to fight or negotiate, most of the time. There are several different outcomes to battles and a short campaign that encourages replay ability. It combines classic elements of top down 8 bit games and modern gameplay storytelling which creates an experience of it's own.

Battle System

I was very excited to play this game and not kill any enemies. The first couple of battles consisted of me talking and enjoying the writing, often laughing out loud. I noticed however I was not getting XP or gold and not leveling up, surely I was doing something wrong. I then started to fight and kill my enemies, which allowed me to level up and get large amounts of gold. This is surely the path to go, and that's what I ended up doing, because it felt right. I did not really understand why the system was created like this. I wanted to experience the dialogue, and not kill anything, at the same time be rewarded for it to upgrade my character. To me, this is the most addicting part of RPG's. 

The player can select what they want to do via JRPG style battle screen. When the enemy responds with an attack, a dodging or other small mini game type is enacted. Quick reflexes are needed to get through each battle. The best part is, each character has a different attack which invokes a different mini game for each battle. The game in this sense does not feel lazy and very "craft brewed". There is a lot of thought and personality brought into this, and Toby Fox put a great deal of effort to make all this feel like it was thought out in a detailed way. I just wish exploring all the writing was rewarded with a conventional progression system so I felt like I was doing the right thing.

Story

The story is the main reason to play this game, which is rare for a video game. The best part is there aren't any cut scenes, the story is told through battles and level design. The art style is very simple and there isn't any voice acting, but the subtle facial expressions in the dialogue window convey the emotions just right. I was able to tell when a character was being devious, the designer knew I could tell, and when I made a decision based off of all that, I WAS CONFRONTED ABOUT IT, it was the best. I just thought to myself, that was done so well, I felt smart about doing one thing, but the designer in a way outsmarted me. I'm used to those things not really mattering, but in this case it did. I don't want to spoil anything, but things like this occur in the game.

Sound

The voices are distinguished by different tones and beeps that are mixed together. A fat character will have a set of machine tones that are low, lazy, and have bass. As dialogue runs across the screen, these tones will play and it sounds like the character is talking, which adds humor to the whole thing. I thought it was a great way to convey dialogue with limited resources. The soundtrack of the game is great. There are unique scores for each area of the game and even battles. All of which are addicting and make the experience pleasant. It's reminiscent of LISA, where I just loved the soundtrack, and it created a great mood for each area of the game. 

Art

For the most part, the quality of the art can be ignored. At times it appears lazy, but it doesn't really matter with the amount of depth that went into the writing and soundtrack. Nothing is really going to impress you, and honestly, I didn't really want anything to. I liked how I was focusing on the soundtrack and narrative. The downside is I never really looked around much, I was always trying to find the next story point or battle. I had no reason to stay in one area and examine my environment, because it wasn't really that appealing and I wanted another section of my brain to be activated as quickly as possible. Hopefully if there is a sequel, the same art style can be used, but more details and backdrops will be used. I think it will create a more pleasant environment for players to navigate and explore.

Summary

This is a must play for any gamer that is looking for something fresh and new. The story is short, around 6-8 hours so it doesn't take a huge time investment. The writing alone is worth your time and money, and add in the gameplay elements and you have a great game. The is the underlying counter intuitiveness of an RPG that exists which bothered me, but I think for most people it didn't bother them. Many people love this game, I certainly liked it.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Rating: 10

Happy Price: 59.99

When all the parts are summed up, this is probably the best game that has ever been made. I'm not saying its the most fun game ever created, but when the elements of design, programming, sound, story, and writing are all put together, this game stands above them all. This game is truly the benchmark of what a AAA game should be, and we won't see anything compare to this for years.

Gameplay

Even though its touted as an open world game, it's more of a "do a mission any way you want" type of game. Open worlds usually have things to do other than the side missions or main missions on the map, Metal Gear doesn't achieve that. However there is more freedom to complete a mission than I've experienced in any other game.

Missions

Each mission usually consists of three main phases to be successful, but the player need not follow these if they don't like to. It goes Recon, Strategy, Execution. First thing that is suggested is the player get to a vantage point far from the enemy base. Use the special binoculars to tag all the enemies in the base, see their ratings across multiple categories, see who's wearing a helmet, and hopefully identify the main target to assassinate or save. The player must also know if there are communication relay outposts setup, resources to steal, and Anti-Air detection. These all play a factor on how the player will approach the mission. If all the communications are destroyed, the base can't call for backup. But if you are spotted while still active, there will be a world of trouble ahead if spotted.

The next thing the player has to do is figure out how to infiltrate or attack the weak point of the base, and using which weapon loadout. Are the anti-air and communications network close to one another? Can I C4 both of these at the same time and call in a gunner chopper? These are things the player has control over, and its great feeling like your intelligence can result in the success or failure of a mission. There are two main countries the game is played in. One has mountainous terrain while the other is more flat. The mountain terrain offered better vantage points but there were limited ways to infiltrate due to natural borders. There is usually the front door, back door, and then a secret way that must be found which had the best advantage. As the game progresses, it becomes more essential to find that secret way in order to successfully complete a mission. The more flat country offered poor vantage points but the player could attack a base from any point in which they like. Having both offered different ways to strategize and kept gameplay from becoming static.

Next comes the execution. At its core MGSV is a stealth shooter, but killing is optional and often not recommended. The entire game revolves around building a base, and kidnapping enemies is more efficient than killing them in order to build that base. Kidnapped enemies are "convinced" to join your cause once they reach base. An airstrike is not recommended, but as the game goes on you can unleash a cloud of sleep gas instead of a bombardment. This knocks out everyone that can then be transported to the base via kidnapping balloons. Researching different weapons, armor, and types of hand propelled explosives make each mission different. For example in an "eliminate" mission a confiscated tank and light machine gun would be the approach. In a hostage rescue mission, powerful tranquilizer would do the trick.

Base Building

The more the base is built, the more weapons and armor can be researched. This drives behavior during missions, because 90% of the time the player is trying to accrue assets so they can upgrade their stuff. This means temporarily stunning enemies with tranquilizer guns, sneaking up and choking them up, or shooting them with flat rounds. The downside to that, is if an enemy discovers a sleeping enemy they will wake them up, and the the victim will alert the base. Things must be approached where the player will knock an enemy out, then be in position to kidnap them and add to their base. Enemies have different ratings that range from: E, D, C, B, A, A+, S, S+, S++. Extracting an enemy with a higher grade and assigning them to a base platform raises that platform's level, allowing for new upgrades. Enemy mortars, anti-air, and mounted machine guns can also be stolen in order to build up the base's defenses. However, every time something is stolen it costs money to transfer that, so as money is accrued, it's also spent rather rapidly depending on how aggressive the player is in building their base. 

Story

It has been a while since I've played a game with such complex and developed characters. The narrative drives gameplay and assists in making it more immersive with cut scenes that deliver great voice acting and animation. The world is combined with an interesting mix of supernatural elements while also being very calculated and military. It's a strange mix that shouldn't work, and at times seems unbelievable. But then again, the motives of all the characters isn't always clear, so the viewer is forced to pay attention as things unfold in a unpredictable manner. The story is also told through level design and cassette tapes in case the player wants more narrative. It's a great approach because everything ties in together, and the world is more cohesive and developed. The main villain, Skullface, is a complex character that you can't help but secretly like. His motives, even though evil, have some logic behind them. If the viewer is as cold hearted and calculated, they can easily get behind the villain and appreciate his character. Although, the guy looks like a ghoul from Fallout.

Art

Very bold colors and clean character models, while maintaining a very crisp 60fps frame rate that never went down ONCE. It was amazing the experience of having a piece of software that run on the xbox one that looked this good, without any issues. This is especially different when comparing to Fallout, which has inferior graphics and tons of frame rate issues. This is an example of technical excellence that any AAA game should follow. The only other game that compares is MKX, but that is a 2D fighter and doesn't have to deal with canyons, vehicles, helicopters, explosions, and all the other stuff in this game. The animations of the cut scenes were precise and conveyed emotion, it felt more like an animated theatrical film rather than a video game. I don't know how MGSV did not get the amount of hype it should have. 

Summary

Never have I played such a complete game end to end. It's nothing like any Metal Gear I've ever played, nor any game I've ever played. Combining the freedom of choice and large variety of weaponry creates a different gameplay style for everyone. While one person might go in with a tank, another might go in with a suppressed pistol. There is 100+ hours of gameplay in this masterpiece, and everyone should purchase this game at full price. Hideo Kojima puts his name everywhere in this game, but I think I would do the same. He created one of the best games ever produced and now the world knows it. 

SMITE

Rating: 9.5

Happy Price: 29.99

Gameplay

Smite is a third person MOBA where the player controls pagan gods of multiple cultures. It successfully blends the coordination needed to be successful in any third person game and the strategic nature of a MOBA. Having direct control over the success of a battle is a feeling I never experienced in a MOBA, where most of the time I feel outwitted or under powered as I try to navigate spaces with a mouse click. 

Variety

The character selection is huge, and every character feels different. There are multiple hunter classes for example, but Medusa and Anhur play differently in that respect. Your character builds will remain very similar per class, which is something I enjoy because the familiarity of my builds will translate to another character as I'm trying to learn them. Like in any MOBA there are tiers of characters, and even though over time you will main a god that suits your play style, there is no denying certain gods are just better than others. However Hi-Rez stays true to this by having gods like Thor and Zeus as top tier, as folklore suggests, they are indeed better than some other gods. Can Medusa defeat Zeus in a one on one battle? Sure, however, I would not partake in that battle solo as Medusa. Each character has similar magic powers that consist of one penetration beam power, an area effect, a concentrated attack, and the ultra which varies. Some characters don't follow this template, for example Zeus's powers have to be used in a particular order for maximum damage. The characters are easy to pick up, but take time to master, which is just the sweet spot any game developer is looking for.

Game Modes

There are multiple game modes that itch different scratches. There is The Arena which is just an open area that is 5v5 with minions that spawn. This is a great place to try out new characters since it's non stop action and support from teammates is all around. These game sessions last for about 15 minutes so in a short time investment you can see how a character pans out fully maxed with items and experience. Joust is a 3v3 one lane game mode that is action packed and has a short session time as well, about 15 minutes or so. The downside is depending on how the game goes, players will max out at around level 16 so you don't get your character to full potential. Conquest is the standard 5v5 game with 3 lanes. These games can range from 20-40 minutes but are the most fun since it follows the standard MOBA format of ganking, pushing, defending, and farming. I would not recommend using an new character in this format since players tend to be more serious about wanting to win, and expect you to have an idea of what you're doing. Other game modes like Arena or Joust are a bit more casual. 

Flow of Gameplay

Games usually begin with the usual dance of all level one characters at the beginning of any MOBA. The delicate dance of farming minions as the opponent is doing the same to yours, both tempted to attack one another. Both go in for quick jabs and escape, since an early death or kill will have major consequences as the other side will level up and have access to better equipment faster. Ganking is a little more difficult to do since it's third person and the lanes are larger in proportion to the player than other MOBA's I've played. However as the game goes on, communication becomes key. Listening to teammates when they suggest "retreat" or "go left" is imperative since the intuition of feeling in danger is very real in this game. Knowing when another player has an ultra ready can be a scary thing, and it can be calculated most of the time if a skirmish will be lost. I played a game where we had out killed the other team 37-24 and thought we had it in the bag. We just killed the entire enemy team and felt great. We were kind of doing our own thing but all pushing to the other base, but unknown to us the other team all spawned at the same time and pushed together, and ended up taking out our Titan. We lost that game in shock, but its moments like that which make me appreciate this game.

Community

SMITE has the best community for any MOBA I've played to date. When comparing to League of Legends or DOTA where making mistakes results in a lashing from teammates, that culture does not exist with this game. Rarely have I seen a teammate say "uninstall" or things of that nature. A lot of the time there are things like "lol" being said when someone does something stupid. Saving a teammate, awarding them health, or leaving them a damage buff will usually result in a "thanks" from them. Generally people don't feel entitled or have these mandatory predetermined objectives each player should do. If I'm playing Tank, I don't mind players telling me to tank an enemy tower if it makes sense to do so. Compared to other MOBA communities where they say "tank PLEASE" with tone suggesting they are frustrated with me, it's more of a "you should do this to help the team" tone. After games people tell each other good game and will reflect on what happened. I've also had tons of friend invites in the 35 hours I put into the game. It helps when you go 16-4 or have a penta kill, people tend to want to play with you.

Art

Nothing is going to blow you away, I don't think that was the point of this game. The art style is very colorful and cartoony, without too many deep or granular textures to make anything look very real. Lighting is not very dynamic and there seems to be just one light tone throughout the space. The focus is on the gameplay, and I think implementing some of these things would interfere with bandwidth and accessibility. In some cases it would even effect gameplay depending on the color of a character and how they blended with the world. There are too many variables in this world to make art one of them. Everything is just good, I haven't seen anything that took anything away from the experience, and nothing art wise compels me to keep playing. It's on par with League of Legends and Dota and follows a similar art style.

Summary

This game shines on PC using the standard mouse and keyboard. Trying to play with a controller on the XBone was not too easy, and there was some loss in frame rate as well. I think there is some work to be done still for the consoles in that regard to make sure it feels as fluid as it does on PC. SMITE is free to play, but don't let that feeling suspicious of the quality. I put around 25 hours of gameplay in a matter of 3 days while I took some PTO. It's incredibly addicting and I would purchase the hero pack for 29.99 to support the developer.

God of War III: Remastered

Rating: 8.7

Happy Price: 39.99

Gameplay

This is a great blend of puzzles, platforming, and action intertwined in an excellent narrative that leads to a fantastic conclusion of the epic God of War. This is not a story, but instead an epic. The sense of rage inside Kratos and his enemies have been building since the first installation of the series, and the writing makes a point to address this. It creates a sense of immersion and emotion while gameplay is occurring.

Combat

The combat design is the focal point of the series, and obviously for this game. There are a wide range of weapons at your disposal that all have different purposes, but the control scheme for them is similar, allowing for quick mastering of combos and giving the player freedom to use different weapons against different enemies without the hindering feeling of not knowing how to use the weapon due to lack of experience. The animations associated with the attacks are viscous and every movement has this sense of rage and purpose behind it. The emphasis on this really makes you feel invested in Kratos and compliments the narrative perfectly. The strong emphasis on the particle trails and effects of special attacks with each weapon make them feel entirely different and unique. God of War still remains on top of the industry with its combat design.

Boss Battles

Each boss battle feels different and every boss requires a specific way to defeat them. There are three tiers of boss battles: Epic, Mini boss, and sub-boss. Epic bosses are the duels with the gods/titans themselves. These are hard and require the player to learn how to win. This is reminiscent of boss battles of the 16/32 bit era games. You die at first, but soon get the hang of what you're suppose to do. Playing a game that keeps this tradition alive is refreshing and I'm glad a studio is keeping this aspect of games alive. 

Mini bosses are more about coordination and skill. When introduced to a difficult character like a cyclops or a cerebrus for this first time is daunting and intimidating. It's usually a one on one duel at first, so the player can learn how the enemies behave. Typically it requires hack, slash, block, dodge, repeat for an extended period of time to win these. As you progress through the game, sometimes you might be introduced to multiple cerbri or cyclopi at one time (not sure if those are words). 

Sub-boss battles usually involve a few stronger than normal characters on screen at a time surrounded by grunts. For example three sirens that have a special power along with 7 or 8 grunts in a battle. These are difficult, you might die once or twice if not careful, but its a great way to introduce new enemies and keep things interesting. 

Artwork

Animation

The animation stays at a fluid 60 fps. This game plays beautifully. I never experienced any frame loss or a processing issue with too many enemies on screen. In the battle with Hercules, there are roughly 30 characters on screen, 20 of which are active enemies. Couple that with the complex environment and the AI, its an attribution to both the developer and power of the PS4 that it was able to stand up to that much data being passed. 

With the amount of enemy types in this game, there are hundreds of different animations going on. Grunts, cyclops, cerebrus, minotaurs, sirens, the list goes on and on. There are unique types of enemies which require completely different animation sets. There wasn't much cheating going on here as you see with some games, where they can implement the same animation data with similar model types. Each set is unique, because it had to be. 

Environments

The outside environments are gloom and dark, as it should be in an apocalyptic environment. The inside environments on olympus was grand and expensive, as they should be when you are navigating the living spaces of the gods. The environments are beautiful in their own way. There was a great attention to detail to things like gears moving and other mechanical mechanisms. There wasn't a detail untouched with the environment. I tried to look for things that looked lazy or time saving, but couldn't find anything. This is different than open world experiences where dungeons or other environments seem repetitive. This is the advantage of linear games, art can be planned properly and is done correctly.

Summary

If you've played this on the ps3 version, you don't need to spend money on this game. It's the same game, and even though the graphics are improved the game is the same and the fun level is the same. However if you did not play the ps3 version, this is a must buy. The series remains the best action platformer out there. Piggy backing off of greek mythology adds a great narrative that is immersive and interesting. It's a great game.