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.

  

Rocket League

Rating: 8.5

Happy Price: 9.99

Gameplay

Destruction derby meets arena soccer is the best way to describe rocket league. It's physics based gameplay adds unpredictability and awesome gameplay moments. The player has the ability to alter the angle of their car and change speeds fluidly which creates many different ways to attack the ball. Fly in the air with your rocket booster, hit balls out of the air with the tail of your car, and or just bump straight into it. Depending on your skill, the game will be played differently.

Driving

Driving mechanics are pretty simple, but the advanced part takes time to get skilled at. On ps4 its R2 to accelerate, L2 to brake, X to jump, X twice to double jump, and X twice quickly to leap or dodge in the direction desired. You can jump in the air and use turbo to rocket boost, but physics make this difficult to master. Once its mastered, you will undoubtedly be the best player in a session as you will have many more opportunities to hit the ball.

Strategy

Teams that work together usually win. Most of my affairs are fairly one sided. The team that works together always seems to prevail. The best teams usually have one guy hanging back and keeping the ball in play, and two wing players that attack the ball. The goal is to center the ball at a low velocity, this allows the defender to rush in with a great angle, or the other attacking player to have a shot on goal. Teams that usually fail are the ones that have all three players attacking the ball. Strategy is simple. 

Physics

The physics of a car hitting a round object make this game what it is. Players hitting the ball at different velocities at different angles at the same time cause for the ball to pop up in the air open for any player with the right skill to attack and score, or completely wiff and open the whole side of the field for an inferior player to score. There is a huge risk and reward theme and this game, and most players go for the risk. I tend to capitalize on other's mistakes and take advantage of easy scores, and that is completely fine with me. I've had multiple MVP's and hat tricks playing that way. The game also operates at 60fps but usually runs at 40 fps on the ps4.

Customization

This is what keeps me playing. Unlocking new cars, paint, decals, and all the other good stuff rewards me for having fun. There isn't criteria for unlocking these things that are made known to the player, they are just unlocked for playing and its usually a pleasant surprise. The ability to make your car unique and show off different hats that are probably earned for doing difficult things (but nobody actually knows) adds an element to the game that isn't necessary for it to be fun, but is essential to keep the player from turning the game off.

Some of my footage

Conclusion

If you're bored and short on cash, definitely a game that should be picked up. There is a season mode if you don't like playing online. Online play is insanely fun and simple. Not a must buy, there are much better games out there. Currently my time is split between this game and Witcher 3 depending on how my day is going. At times I find it to be more fun than Witcher 3, but not necessarily a better game.

Batman: Arkham Knight

Rating: 9.4

Happy Price: 59.99

Gameplay

Gadgets, hard hitting fists, and the Batmobile are the elements that make up the core mechanics of this iteration of Batman. The shift has gone from stealth in Arkham Asylum to the use of the Batmobile in this version. Most of your time will be spent driving around and in action packed battles

Combat

Different enemy types pose different problems for Batman, and force the player to make strategic decisions before going into battle. Most of the time you will be perched from above so you can make calculated decisions on who to attack, such as the bat would do in his world. Two men might be armed, one may have electric batons, and there may be a brute. Who to attack first, and what gadgets to be used will make the battle successful or a failure. Combat stays the same for the most part using the FreeFlow engine, but is definitely more difficult than previous games. The variety of ways to take down enemies and the use of the environment makes each encounter different and interesting. The pacing is great as well, as the fights become harder and harder as your skills also grow as a character and player of the game.

Batmobile

Gotham is plagued by an occupation that forces the evacuation of the city. There are tanks all over the streets and this must be countered by the batmobile which is equipped with a machine gun and a 60mm cannon. The car has a "battle mode" feature which allows guns to be shot and the vehicle can strafe allowing for evasive maneuvers while firing shots. Against enemies outside of vehicles, the batmobile shoots stun bullets due to Batman's policy of not killing. The transition between battle mode and car mode is smooth and its really fun to go full speed in car mode then quickly switch to battle mode, then switch back and take off. The controls are not tight so it does take some getting used to, but this isn't a racing sim. However you spend ample amounts of time in the batmobile and I wish they spent more time on the design of the city making driving around a little more fun. At times you move so fast in a compact, dark environment it forces you to always feel a step behind when turning around corners.

Story

The story is one of the best I've played in a video game. The two main villains in this game are the new character "Arkham Knight" and Scarecrow. There is a struggle between the two villains as Scarecrow wants Batman to suffer, while Arkham Knight is hellbent on revenge and wants Batman's head ASAP. Scarecrow seems like a disappointing character at first, but as the plot unfolds you begin to respect him and his abilities much more. The Joker definitely makes his presence, but not in a way you'd think. As the story progresses the Arkham Knight impresses with his knowledge of Batman and both you as a player and Batman become highly curious as to who this person is. The reveal is perfect when it happens.

Open world games struggle with integrating side quests into the narrative, but this game does it very well. As you are hunting down Riddler, Two-Face, Penguin, and others, the player is consistently reminded of what is going on in Gotham. Everyone is taking advantage of Scarecrow's new plan, and as you take down the villains one by one the player can feel the difference in the world. Side missions and quests gain significant amounts of XP so it becomes very fulfilling to do them.

Animation

Don't be fooled when the game begins, the animation seems really quick and its difficult to see what is going on during combat. It's as if the animation was done at 30fps but the game is running 60fps and its 2x as fast as it should be. Before you know it, Batman gets a new suit that allows you to hit harder and take more damage. After that, the animation settles down and looks normal. Since there is such a high focus on the story, the acting is very important. Rocksteady knew this, and did a great job with facial expressions and body language during cutscenes that drive the story. Many times in games animation can hurt the story, but in this instance it's pivotal in making it better. 

Conclusion

 There are many open world games out there right now. I would not say this is a must buy, but it is definitely worth 60 bucks. If you like Batman, you will enjoy this game. I think the Witcher 3 or GTAV offer more than this game, but don't provide the novelty of playing as Batman or such a good story. 

Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition

Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition

Rating: 9/10

Happy Price: Full Price on PC ($25 on Steam), $40 on PS4/XBO


Overall:
It's Devil May Cry 4, but with a couple extra cutscenes, 5 playable characters, a couple additional features and a new difficulty - Legendary Dark Knight. For a game that was released back in 2008, this sounds pretty underwhelming. Instead of outrage, I am absolutely hyped for everything they've done with this game. Along with Nero and 'Uncle Dante' comes the combination of Lady and Trish, as well as bringing Vergil back from the dead (or maybe they're just telling events that happened ages ago, it's honestly not clear).

The game is just as smooth, if not smoother than it was all those years ago. And though the bonus characters may seem strange at first, they all feel so good to play that it almost feels like cheating. Not to mention the bonus irony of finally getting to play as Lady and fight Dante, while also re-taking control of (a much faster/stronger) Vergil and once again laying down the law on Dante.

Standout points:
In this portion, I will actually talk about the new characters since their different abilities and how they play are rather significant.


-Lady/Trish

When I started playing as Lady, it was strange. Relying more so on guns than swords, since Lady's devil arms (non projectile) moveset is terribly limited. Didn't like it, but as I obtained more moves, I couldn't help constantly getting SSS stylish rankings. Her gameplay style is essentially easier than Nero, though some technical skill is necessary to beat the game. And then switching over to Trish, she's like Dante lite. Her moves are fast, the gunplay is limited, but the things she can do with physical combat are vast. Enemies too far away? Make Sparda snatch them towards you into a spinning bird kick-esque attack. Trap enemies in a Raikousen loop and then continue to wail on them with Sparda. It's easier to get into using techniques like jump cancelling for combos using Trish, but you can't be as overly creative as you can with Dante's multiple styles and weaponry. Overall leaving a lingering note for me wishing more of the characters, even though it was utterly satisfying once I got the hang of their movesets in respect to the rest of the cast.

-Vergil

Vergil's campaign is essentially only him. He has an interesting mix of Nero/Dante in his moveset and therefore is the most complex of the whole cast to play as. To start, vergil doesn't have guns, which means he can use projectiles while using his sword. While at first, his moveset can be overwhelming and easy to get a false sense of "Mash and win," you then have to come to grips that Vergil is a calculated combatant. Each move has to connect, no energy expended, you have to focus along with Vergil. Which brings us to his gimmick. Vergil has a focus meter, which builds on being close to an opponent as well as each connecting attack. If you whiff, get hit or spend time away from enemies, you lose meter. The meter determines how much damage Vergil deals to foes. So the closer and clean you are in your fighting, the easier time you'll have with Vergil, though you still have to be stylish - which is where challenge comes in. Plus since Vergil doesn't have guns, the traditional Devil May Cry "hovering in the air by gunfire" may give newer players a spot of trouble in certain parts of the game. He's the most technical and precise of the characters, since you're actively punished for whiffing attacks as opposed to Dante (even though Dante is probably actually the most technical of the cast.

Conclusion:
Would I buy it?
I love the Devil May Cry series, so...

Should you buy it?
YES!

Yes, the same problems from before exist where you're backtracking halfway through the game. That's why it's not perfect. It's an amazing introduction into the Devil May Cry experience and with so many characters to play as, it's definitely worth the price.

As far as playing through the game, I would say start playing as Nero up until they switch off to Dante. Then play as Lady and Trish, then Dante, then Vergil. That way you build up the use of utilizing tech, understanding of bosses and certain play-styles and then display an ultimate mastery of the game's mechanics.

Hatred

Rating For This Game: 4.5/10
Happy Price: $19.99 (On Steam)

This is the game that garnered so much controversy last year with all of its senseless violence, and it fits in perfectly with all of the stereotypes that the older generation dislikes about video games where it is destroying the youth. Ever wanted to know how it feels like to murder countless amounts of unarmed civilians, police officers, and military personnel? Ever wanted to know how it feels like to be an active shooter? Then this is the game for you!


Story:
The game doesn't really have an overall story. You are just one dude armed to the teeth just wanting to release all of his anger at the useless "sheep" in the world by depopulating it en-masse. Other than that there is not much else. The voice acting and scripting is nothing to really get excited about. It is just bland.

/*Insert generic speech about how I hate the world and everyone should die here*/

Gameplay:
The game plays as a top-down third person shooter. The player's goal is to kill as many people in the map as possible. The player can do this by throwing molotov cocktails, grenades, shooting up gas canisters, and by just shooting people. The early maps in the game are very destructible which can create some pretty hilarious moments when you unleash your destruction. The player does get damaged from explosions, civilians with guns, cops/military shooting the player. The only way the player gains health back is by executing people. This occurs when an NPC is wounded and the player walks up to them and does an execution with a button press. Later on in the game, the player gains body armor which provides a health boost as the player fights more military.

Overall:
Overall, the game itself is just pretty much bland and doesn't really add anything new to the genre. The destructible environments are fun to mess around with, but there is nothing much else. The gameplay is very repetitive and could get boring pretty quickly. Repetitive gameplay ranges from performing the same executions over and over again to let's just shoot everyone. There aren't any puzzles where you are supposed to stop and think. Also the AI in the game are pretty much dumb and just act casually when you are mowing down their fellow bots. In the end, for so much controversy this game has created during its marketing phase, I felt pretty let down with having just this bland top-down third person shooter.

Mortal Kombat X

Rating for this game: 9.0

Happy Price: 59.99

Story Mode: Netherealm has once again created an awesome story experience. Rendered cutscenes seamlessly turn into matches, which is something I've never seen before. The story is engaging, and has a good ending. The focus has shifted from Liu Kang to the Cage family, which is a nice change of pace. I was impressed by how much kombat there was in the cut scenes, its an action packed cinematic experience that would rival a production value film. The story experience is the same as MK9, where you get to play as a number of characters throughout the story. The game is worth buying for the story alone.

New Characters: I have put in hours trying out all the new characters. In total there are 8. Here is the rundown. Kotal Kahn, the brother of Shao Khan and ruler of outworld. D'vorah, the insect queen that serves Kotal Kahn as a bodyguard. Erron Black, the gunslinger from Earthrealm that acts as a mercenary for Kotal Kahn. Ferra Torr, large brute that Kotal Kahn controls. Cassie Cage, child of Sonja Blade and Johnny Cage. Jacqui Briggs, daughter of Jax. Kung Jin, cousin of Kung Lao. Takeda, son of Kenshi, pupil of Scorpion. 

The strongest of these new characters is between Cassie Cage and Kung Jin. The most fun to play with is the gunslinger Erron Black. Despite adding new characters, the strongest characters in the game are still in the classics. I currently main Mileena and Ermac, but I see a lot of Scorpion and Sub-Zero when I play online. 

New Modes: There is a new element called Factions. The first time you boot up the game, you will be prompted to select a faction. There are random events that happen that will influence how well your faction does as a whole. Every player in the world is in a faction, so there is an ongoing battle between your faction and the rest of the world which is a cool element. You can enter new modes called faction towers and defeat faction bosses to increase the standing of your faction. When playing online against a rival faction, the faction fatality is enabled. These are unique for each faction. For example, my Lin Kuei fatality allows for Smoke to come out of nowhere and finish off my opponent with a fatality. Winning 5,000 koins or so for winning a week long faction battle though, doesn't really feel rewarding. I typically don't participate much in faction related battles.

See my personal footage here

Variations: The variations are a great addition to the game. I've spent hours trying to figure out which character I like best, then finding which variation suits me best. It's very time consuming but fulfilling at the same time. You can play with the same character in multiple ways and it keeps the game feeling fresh. When you first start the game, it feels overwhelming to have all these options, but at the same time it feels like there is so much to do. Characters are easy to grasp but difficult to master, which makes for a great fighting game.  

Online: I have only participated in 1v1 versus and ranked matches. I've noticed most of the players I play against have yellow or red ping values. I'm not sure if the people that buy this game have crappy connections or the WB servers Netherealm utilizes are only in select locations. This does effect matches online which can be annoying. I'd rather have matchmaking find me someone with a closer ping value to reduce lag. Even though Netheralm has done a good job creating a balanced roster, most of my opponents consist of Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Cassie Cage, and Kung Jin. I main Mileena, so this is good for me. I pulled a 13 game winning streak the other night because I'm getting used to playing against these characters. I did not have this experience when playing Injustice, and I have played 800 ranked matches in that game.

Conclusion: The best part about this game is that no character feels more powerful than any other. I feel like if I put the time in, I could be great with any character. Mileena just tends to suit my style and I like her attitude. If you like fighting games, this is a must buy. After the story mode, head to training, find your character, then tackle players online. The game has consumed hours of my life and will for a while.