Hey all!
With it being Halloween, I figured I’d take a little time to talk about horror games, my own personal take on what is and isn’t scary and some of the games I’d recommend to you if you too like to get yourself scared.
The Horror genre is easily one of my favourite genres of the gaming industry and has been for a long time now. I think that the first game that I played that could be described as a horror game was Resident Evil 2. Being only twelve at the time, I very much enjoyed the scares that the game provided. However, in recent years, having played various other games that use a similar format (Silent Hill, Dino Crisis, Alone in the Dark, etc.), it’s rather easy to just ignore the ‘jump’ scares that these games provide.
Of course, a scare that makes you jump, used in both movies and games alike, is a staple of the horror genre, has been for many years and will likely continue to be so many years to come. However, while these moments are scary, it hard to say that they instil a sense of fear from the game or movie. True fear and terror is something that’s hard to show in a movie, but the interactive media of games allows for a certain amount of it to trickle through the screen and into your mind, if done correctly.
So let’s think about what you really need, or don’t need as the case may be, to feel afraid. Well, firstly and most obviously you need a situation where you’re in some form of danger. The great thing about this point is that it’s something fairly easy to arrange. Most horror games are good at generating a setting where you’re trapped, alone and isolated. The idea that you’re totally alone, without the safety net of modern society to support you, is enough to make people worry and even panic. Even in real life situations this is true, especially so, because as a species we’re a social animal. Cabin Fever is a well-documented problem for people who become isolated for extended periods of time. So the first things you need to generate fear is a lonely, isolated location where you know that help won’t come. Secondly, and some would say most importantly, is something that hunts you. The idea that you’re totally alone is one thing, but the idea that you’re alone and that something is chasing after you is totally different. It taps into a primal part of the brain and generates a kind of fear that is rarely felt in today’s day and age.
Of course, the knowledge that ‘it’s only a game’ will always temper this fear. You don’t need to really worry about being killed if you can just reload an auto-save. And there’s other things that horror games do that can lower the fear value, the most common of which being the inclusion of weapons. A lot of horror games these days have weapons included (F.E.A.R., Resident Evil, Dead Space, etc.) and while it can be fun to wield a variety of weapons against your enemies, the knowledge that no matter what shows up you can deal with also dilutes the feeling of fear. Of course, because these kind of games often impose a limited amount of ammo in these games, that does make things more tense, constantly having to search out for every bullet you can find, hence why some games are called Survival Horror, rather than just outright Horror.
So really, what does Horror come down to? Well, different people react differently to different situations, so nailing down exactly how to make everyone afraid is very tricky, but for those of you out there who are thinking about making a horror game, always remember this basic rule: ‘Less is more.’ The less characters that you can interact with, the more isolated you feel. The less ways you have to defend yourself, the more frightening the monsters become. The less you see of a monster, the more you worry about when it will next show up.
Finally, I’m going to list a few games here that I enjoy playing in the Horror genre and listing why I think they’re scary, or not, as the case may be.
Alan Wake
I’ve already talked about this game before, but I’ll briefly say that while I don’t think that this game is outright scary, it does have a very good atmosphere, built up by an intriguing story, which helps to build a certain amount of tension regarding the events as they unfold.
Amnesia: The Dark Decent
The second game developed by Frictional games, who are a favourite company of mine, this is easily one of the scariest games you can play on. While the story is a little weak, the game oozes atmosphere and tension with every dimly lit corridor that you walk down. This one is a must if you like to be scared.
Dead Space (Series)
While the Dead Space series does from several horror faults, such as abundant weapons and overanxious monsters, there are a few good moments that can send a chill down your spine.
F.E.A.R
This game is definitely not scary. The main reason being that the game switches between blazing slow-mo gunfights between you and a host of military clones, and then suddenly delving into a short horror segment before going right back into the gunplay again. While the contrast between the two could have worded, the scare tactics employed aren’t really that good and most are often missed because you weren’t looking in the right direction at the time.
Metro 2033
This is a great title, and while it’s not as scary as it should have been, the atmosphere that the incredibly realised world exudes is makes the game alone worthwhile. While not really scary, it’s certainly creepy in all the right places, and is well worth adding to your game collection.
Nightmare House 2
Technically this is a game in the same sense of the other on this list. Nightmare House 2 is a single-player mod for half-Life 2: Episode 2, and a pretty damn good one at that. It’s actually one of the few games on this list that has weapons and yet still manages to be scary. This is largely because of the set-ups used; often making sure that you can’t actually do anything about the things scaring you. And the best part about it is that, being a mod, it’s free, and as long as you own HL2: E2, you can download and play it right now.
Penumbra
The debut game from Frictional Games, this game set down the platform that Amnesia was built on. While it’s a little rougher around the edges compared to Amnesia, I actually prefer it of the two, although that debate is likely to always be open. And as it’s been out for a while you can likely pick up all three parts cheap.
Project Zero (Series)
Some people think of Project Zero series, or Fatal Frame as it’s called in the US, as ‘Resident Evil with ghosts’, which is a poor comparison. While the first game in the series had terrible voice acting and rough gameplay, it’s the second game in the series that is the best. Improving upon the formula from the first game in every way, Project Zero 2: Crimson Butterfly is a terrifically scary game, with some great set-pieces, great location, and a very interesting story, it’s a must own. The third game in the series is also really good too, although it doesn’t quite have the wow factor of the second one.
Resident Evil (Series)
I doubt I need to talk about this series much, as most people would say that it’s the series that made Survival Horror as popular as it is today. Each game has its own charm, bringing in new ideas for the genre, and while the horror elements have been rather diluted in recent games, the original few can still bring the scares if you haven’t played them yet.
Silent Hill (Series)
I think that most people would agree that of all the Silent Hill games, the second game is the best, and I’m not gonna argue with that fact. The fog-bound town of Silent Hill is creepy in itself, couple that with the oddly shaped monster representing various parts of a person’s mind, and it makes for some creepy visuals. The games vary in how scary they are, but they all try their best to creep you out in their own ways.
Well, I hope that this was interesting for you to read and that I didn’t prattle on too much.
Let me know what you think
See you around!
Tuesday 1 November 2011
Tuesday 30 August 2011
I'm Back!
Heya all!
I know I’ve been rather absent from this little blog, but I’m going to try to keep at least a small flow of posts coming through here if possible.
I’ve decided that, rather than writing full blown reviews for games, which frankly can get tedious at times, I’m gonna give you a quick sum-up of my thoughts on a handful of games that I’ve been spending my spare time with over the last month or so.
Enjoy!
Alan Wake
While this game is quite old, I’ve only recently had the chance to play on it, having only recently invested in an Xbox 360. It’s unlikely that I can give you any new revelations about this game, so I’ll sum up quickly.
It’s a very enjoyable game. Gameplay is fairly simplistic. Shine a light on an enemy until its killable and then kill it with whatever weapon you’ve got handy. Where this game shines however is the story, which is an intricate part of the game itself. Telling the story of writer Alan Wake on holiday with his wife, after losing a week of his memory, and with a strong feeling that his wife is in danger, he goes on a desperate hunt though the rural forest of the Maine countryside, while dodging axes, knives and various other things that fly at you, as a relentless evil tries to find anyway it can to end your life.
The story is where this game shines, and if you can overlook the little gameplay niggles to get absorbed by it, you’ll have a really good time.
Final Fantasy 13
Having been a longstanding fan of the Final Fantasy series, this was one of the first games I got when I got myself a 360. Of course, with the game having been out for over a year now, most people will have already formed their opinions of the game. After playing it myself, I can say that I’m actually very surprised. I’ll get right down to it and say that yes, the game is very linear. While everyone else sees this as being a bad thing, I can say that it honestly doesn’t bother me in the slightest. In fact, I actually enjoyed a game that focused more on the story and characters then trying to ‘wow’ us with expansive areas and branching gameplay. Without getting too much off topic, I sometimes find that games like Fallout 3 or Mass Effect, while both being great games in their own right, often sacrifice the focus on the story for the ability to explore wherever you wish. Final Fantasy 13 doesn’t have this problem, the linear gameplay allowing us time to get to know the characters and delve deeply into the story. In fact, a lot of things feel simplified and a lot more straightforward in this game. Rather than giving you an endless stream of stats that you need to juggle, you only get 3 you need to work with. Even levelling up those stats is simplified. That’s not to say there’s no depth to the game, but because everything is simple and easy to grab a hold of, it allows you more time to play the game rather than spending all your time trying to manage it.
While I’ll admit that the linear nature of the game may be off-putting to some people, I personally like a game that tries to go against convention and do things its own way. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable game that no RPG fan should be without.
From Dust
Can a game be made purely to show off a great physics engine? Why, yes. Yes it can.
For those who don’t know, From Dust is a ‘God Game’ when you control a glowing…snake…thing. Yeah, ok, that part isn’t exactly made clear, but basically you play this glowy-snake-thing with the aim of keeping a small group of tribal people alive as they move through several areas with increasingly problematic landscapes. While this does beg the question of why they’re doing this in the first place, the game focusses on you and your ability to move around Sand, Water and Lava, being able to pick up large section of the stuff and dump it elsewhere in the level, the aim of which being to redirect a river or lava flow so that the tiny little people can populate all the villages in the area. By and large, you’ll barely even remember that there are tiny little people running around the landscape as you mess about with the frankly awesome physics used to allow the water and lava to ooze and flow over the landscape. While not a huge game, I think that it chose wisely not to be too expansive as it does fell like it’s tried all the tricks it can on you by the time you reach the end of the game. It’s a great little game to pass the time with and while the AI on the little people isn’t really the best, if you can put up with them, you should enjoy the game a lot.
The Tiny Bang Story
I got this little gem in the Steam Summer sale. While I was originally expected an average point-n-click game along the lines of Myst or The Longest Journey, I was actually pleasantly surprised to see that it takes a new approach to the point-n-click genre. Taking a form similar to a treasure hunt, you have to scour the area, collecting all the items to complete puzzles. To give a more direct example, at the beginning of the game you find a broken ladder, which need 6 rungs in order to fix. After clicking it, it’s added to your ‘search list’ on the side of the screen, and you then have to search through the map to find them, hidden in various places, some more obvious than others. Mixing these items quests into with a variety of other puzzles, it creates a short but very sweet and stylised trip to fix Tiny Planet.
The game isn’t perfect, and I personally felt that it could have gone on for longer, but what’s there is very sweet and real good fun, and certainly worth a look.
Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale
This game was a very pleasant surprise. Another little game that I acquired in the Steam Summer Sale (I do like it when Steam has a sale on); this surprise hit of a game was very enjoyable. Combining the running of an item shop with simple RPG gameplay, it’s creates a fun and surprisingly addictive little game that’ll easily swallow your spare time. Taking the role of Recette, you’re thrown into the world of owning an item shop when your father leaves and you’re left holding the bill of his hefty mortgage. With the help of Tear, a small fairy from the loan company, you have to supply and run a successful business in order to stop yourself becoming homeless. While this may seem a rather silly excuse for a game, the game itself is very well structured. Being able to choose between staying in your shop to buy/sell goods, head into town to buy/sell items from the various markets, or hiring an adventurer to accompany you into the wild world to explore, fight enemies and gather items to sell, it invokes a feeling of Pikmin as you have to manage your time carefully and make sure you’ve gained enough money before the debt collectors come calling.
While being far from perfect game, it’s a great little pastime and is really just good harmless fun. While some might argue that the RPG element to the game is rather minimal when compared to big-name RPGs such as Final Fantasy, as it only encompasses one half of the game, and for those who’ve always wanted to run an Item Shop, your dream will come true.
Minecraft
Somehow, I doubt I can really tell you anything new or amazing about Minecraft that you don’t already know. Having swept across the internet, its sandbox building gameplay has made it one of the most played games in the last year. For those who don’t know, Minecraft is a game where you play in a totally cuboid world. There’s no aim or goals for you to compete, (or at least not yet) which makes your aim whatever you want it to be. Most people use it for building various buildings, citadels or even pictures.
Of course, it’s worth mentioning that the game is still in Beta, and is getting updated every once in a while. It’s also worth giving yourself an idea or project to work on before delving into that game, and have the Wiki on standby for when you need to work something out.
Basically, Minecraft is a great little game for killing some time and while it can sometimes feel a little unfocussed, it’s certainly worth looking into.
Also, only a slight side-note, if you’re interested in looking at some of my Minecraft Creations, you can have a look here:
http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/507334-hourglass/
http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/516355-i-got-mugged/
That’s all for now.
See you around!
I know I’ve been rather absent from this little blog, but I’m going to try to keep at least a small flow of posts coming through here if possible.
I’ve decided that, rather than writing full blown reviews for games, which frankly can get tedious at times, I’m gonna give you a quick sum-up of my thoughts on a handful of games that I’ve been spending my spare time with over the last month or so.
Enjoy!
Alan Wake
While this game is quite old, I’ve only recently had the chance to play on it, having only recently invested in an Xbox 360. It’s unlikely that I can give you any new revelations about this game, so I’ll sum up quickly.
It’s a very enjoyable game. Gameplay is fairly simplistic. Shine a light on an enemy until its killable and then kill it with whatever weapon you’ve got handy. Where this game shines however is the story, which is an intricate part of the game itself. Telling the story of writer Alan Wake on holiday with his wife, after losing a week of his memory, and with a strong feeling that his wife is in danger, he goes on a desperate hunt though the rural forest of the Maine countryside, while dodging axes, knives and various other things that fly at you, as a relentless evil tries to find anyway it can to end your life.
The story is where this game shines, and if you can overlook the little gameplay niggles to get absorbed by it, you’ll have a really good time.
Final Fantasy 13
Having been a longstanding fan of the Final Fantasy series, this was one of the first games I got when I got myself a 360. Of course, with the game having been out for over a year now, most people will have already formed their opinions of the game. After playing it myself, I can say that I’m actually very surprised. I’ll get right down to it and say that yes, the game is very linear. While everyone else sees this as being a bad thing, I can say that it honestly doesn’t bother me in the slightest. In fact, I actually enjoyed a game that focused more on the story and characters then trying to ‘wow’ us with expansive areas and branching gameplay. Without getting too much off topic, I sometimes find that games like Fallout 3 or Mass Effect, while both being great games in their own right, often sacrifice the focus on the story for the ability to explore wherever you wish. Final Fantasy 13 doesn’t have this problem, the linear gameplay allowing us time to get to know the characters and delve deeply into the story. In fact, a lot of things feel simplified and a lot more straightforward in this game. Rather than giving you an endless stream of stats that you need to juggle, you only get 3 you need to work with. Even levelling up those stats is simplified. That’s not to say there’s no depth to the game, but because everything is simple and easy to grab a hold of, it allows you more time to play the game rather than spending all your time trying to manage it.
While I’ll admit that the linear nature of the game may be off-putting to some people, I personally like a game that tries to go against convention and do things its own way. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable game that no RPG fan should be without.
From Dust
Can a game be made purely to show off a great physics engine? Why, yes. Yes it can.
For those who don’t know, From Dust is a ‘God Game’ when you control a glowing…snake…thing. Yeah, ok, that part isn’t exactly made clear, but basically you play this glowy-snake-thing with the aim of keeping a small group of tribal people alive as they move through several areas with increasingly problematic landscapes. While this does beg the question of why they’re doing this in the first place, the game focusses on you and your ability to move around Sand, Water and Lava, being able to pick up large section of the stuff and dump it elsewhere in the level, the aim of which being to redirect a river or lava flow so that the tiny little people can populate all the villages in the area. By and large, you’ll barely even remember that there are tiny little people running around the landscape as you mess about with the frankly awesome physics used to allow the water and lava to ooze and flow over the landscape. While not a huge game, I think that it chose wisely not to be too expansive as it does fell like it’s tried all the tricks it can on you by the time you reach the end of the game. It’s a great little game to pass the time with and while the AI on the little people isn’t really the best, if you can put up with them, you should enjoy the game a lot.
The Tiny Bang Story
I got this little gem in the Steam Summer sale. While I was originally expected an average point-n-click game along the lines of Myst or The Longest Journey, I was actually pleasantly surprised to see that it takes a new approach to the point-n-click genre. Taking a form similar to a treasure hunt, you have to scour the area, collecting all the items to complete puzzles. To give a more direct example, at the beginning of the game you find a broken ladder, which need 6 rungs in order to fix. After clicking it, it’s added to your ‘search list’ on the side of the screen, and you then have to search through the map to find them, hidden in various places, some more obvious than others. Mixing these items quests into with a variety of other puzzles, it creates a short but very sweet and stylised trip to fix Tiny Planet.
The game isn’t perfect, and I personally felt that it could have gone on for longer, but what’s there is very sweet and real good fun, and certainly worth a look.
Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale
This game was a very pleasant surprise. Another little game that I acquired in the Steam Summer Sale (I do like it when Steam has a sale on); this surprise hit of a game was very enjoyable. Combining the running of an item shop with simple RPG gameplay, it’s creates a fun and surprisingly addictive little game that’ll easily swallow your spare time. Taking the role of Recette, you’re thrown into the world of owning an item shop when your father leaves and you’re left holding the bill of his hefty mortgage. With the help of Tear, a small fairy from the loan company, you have to supply and run a successful business in order to stop yourself becoming homeless. While this may seem a rather silly excuse for a game, the game itself is very well structured. Being able to choose between staying in your shop to buy/sell goods, head into town to buy/sell items from the various markets, or hiring an adventurer to accompany you into the wild world to explore, fight enemies and gather items to sell, it invokes a feeling of Pikmin as you have to manage your time carefully and make sure you’ve gained enough money before the debt collectors come calling.
While being far from perfect game, it’s a great little pastime and is really just good harmless fun. While some might argue that the RPG element to the game is rather minimal when compared to big-name RPGs such as Final Fantasy, as it only encompasses one half of the game, and for those who’ve always wanted to run an Item Shop, your dream will come true.
Minecraft
Somehow, I doubt I can really tell you anything new or amazing about Minecraft that you don’t already know. Having swept across the internet, its sandbox building gameplay has made it one of the most played games in the last year. For those who don’t know, Minecraft is a game where you play in a totally cuboid world. There’s no aim or goals for you to compete, (or at least not yet) which makes your aim whatever you want it to be. Most people use it for building various buildings, citadels or even pictures.
Of course, it’s worth mentioning that the game is still in Beta, and is getting updated every once in a while. It’s also worth giving yourself an idea or project to work on before delving into that game, and have the Wiki on standby for when you need to work something out.
Basically, Minecraft is a great little game for killing some time and while it can sometimes feel a little unfocussed, it’s certainly worth looking into.
Also, only a slight side-note, if you’re interested in looking at some of my Minecraft Creations, you can have a look here:
http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/507334-hourglass/
http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/516355-i-got-mugged/
That’s all for now.
See you around!
Friday 18 June 2010
Fly me to the Moon and let me find the Power Stars...
Hi all!
I know that I haven’t updated this thing in Month, but it’s actually been a long while since I’ve had anything to really talk about here.
But with the release of Super Mario Galaxy 2 last week, I’ve finally managed to get a review out for you all to enjoy.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
After Super Mario 64 on the Nintendo 64, and Super Mario Sunshine on the Gamecube, tradition seemed to be continuing itself with Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii. Just one Mario game per console. Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, Nintendo go and announce Super Mario Galaxy 2, taking most of the Nintendo fanbase completely by surprise. So, the question then remained as to whether the sequel could upstage the original...
Swinging On A Star
So, I’ve played the game for a short while and have acquired my first Power Star. Having played the first game, I was able to get through it with very little problem, all of the controls being the same, offering a good sense of familiarity to the proceedings. The intro section actually plays on a 2D field in the style of the original Mario game, with ? blocks and such, and it's also framed with a book-like top/bottom to give it a proper story feel. And it slowly opens up as you move forward, going to flat 2D, to having a little bit of room to move back and forth, to going fully 3D and allowing you to run around the area. The dive into the first level progressed well too. There’s actually very little explanation. No having to cater to some mysterious woman or whatnot. Peach is kidnapped and you just race off after her. It has a much better feel and flow to it, and somehow feels grander compared to the first game. This is partly because there are next to no tutorials. You can stop and talk to signs and Luma’s if you wish, but if you’re familiar with Galaxy’s way of doing things, then you can dive right into the game and get to it. One boss defeated and one Power Star collected later, and you’re given control of your ship and allowed to start exploring the world map, where in the next level, you meet an old friend.
Setting A Pace
Right from the beginning of the game you’re given this almost relentless feeling of speed, of everything flowing much quicker than it did in the first game. Gone is the central world hub, with its constant back-and-forth gameplay. Now, all you do it stand on a button and you zoom out to the overhead map that you can easily zip around and choose your level. In many ways, it has a very old-school feel to it, and that doesn’t just count for the map screen. Many parts of the game are played on a 2D plane, and it really feels as though Nintendo have reached back to their glory days and stuck it back up in front of you for you to enjoy again. And despite the fact it’s a sequel, everything actually ends up feeling fresher than it did the first time. Looking back on the first game after playing this, you can’t help but feel that the original games was just going through the motions, whereas this game is actually doing something of it’s own.
One Small Nag
A lot of this feeling comes from the Power-Ups and other things you find in the game. While ones such as Boo Mario and Spring Mario do make a return, they’re actually played down quite a bit, as are some of the new ones, such as Cloud Mario and Roller Mario. And also, the level design is a lot better than it was in the first game, and so moving through the world feel more fun and less arduous. As I’ve already said, many of the games sections are played on a 2D plane, and this is really where my only really gripe with this game comes from. While it’s very fun to play the game in an old-school fashion, I did occasionally find the controls in this section rather irksome. As you’d expect, left/right is still in place when you’re standing on the bottom floor, but when you circle around something to the side, you have to press up/down to move Mario. While this does make sense, and doesn’t really impact the gameplay too much, I did cause a few deaths as I got used to it. Of course, that’s really the only gripe I had with the game, and considering how much is in the game, that’s pretty good going.
There And Back Again
All in all, this game just feels like it’s doing everything right, even more so than the first one did. Of course, even with all the newness that the game brings up, there’s a lot that remains the same. The basic controls as the same, with Mario’s triple jump, back-flip, long jump, all in place, and the pointer collecting up the Star Bits. The graphics are the same, bright and colourful, and the music is just as nice to listen to, with a few classic Mario pieces having been given a nice remix. And, as you’d expect with a Mario game, there’s a whole set of secrets and minigames, but I won’t go into that too much, as it’s more fun to experience them firsthand. Just trust me when I say that this game’ll have you back on a near constant basis.
Summary
Gameplay: 10/10 – The familiar gameplay of the original is brought back with a few small tweaks and a big overhaul in the level design department, making every level brim with creativity and fun.
Sound: 10/10 – Beautiful classical scores and remixes of old classic tunes makes for some great piece of music that compliment the levels well.
Graphics: 10/10 – Just as colourful and vibrant as the last game, nothing else needs to be said.
Lifespan 10/10 – While you can see the ending fairly quickly, trust me when I say that this game’s gonna take you hell of a long time to finish 100%.
Final Score: 10/10
And so, there you have it. The unexpected sequel has completely trumped its predecessor, and showed us that Nintendo can be original even when sticking to the tried and tested formula set down in Super Mario 64. If you liked the original then this is a must buy, and if you didn’t like the original then you should pick this up anyway. This is definitely the kind of game that everyone should own.
I know that I haven’t updated this thing in Month, but it’s actually been a long while since I’ve had anything to really talk about here.
But with the release of Super Mario Galaxy 2 last week, I’ve finally managed to get a review out for you all to enjoy.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
After Super Mario 64 on the Nintendo 64, and Super Mario Sunshine on the Gamecube, tradition seemed to be continuing itself with Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii. Just one Mario game per console. Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, Nintendo go and announce Super Mario Galaxy 2, taking most of the Nintendo fanbase completely by surprise. So, the question then remained as to whether the sequel could upstage the original...
Swinging On A Star
So, I’ve played the game for a short while and have acquired my first Power Star. Having played the first game, I was able to get through it with very little problem, all of the controls being the same, offering a good sense of familiarity to the proceedings. The intro section actually plays on a 2D field in the style of the original Mario game, with ? blocks and such, and it's also framed with a book-like top/bottom to give it a proper story feel. And it slowly opens up as you move forward, going to flat 2D, to having a little bit of room to move back and forth, to going fully 3D and allowing you to run around the area. The dive into the first level progressed well too. There’s actually very little explanation. No having to cater to some mysterious woman or whatnot. Peach is kidnapped and you just race off after her. It has a much better feel and flow to it, and somehow feels grander compared to the first game. This is partly because there are next to no tutorials. You can stop and talk to signs and Luma’s if you wish, but if you’re familiar with Galaxy’s way of doing things, then you can dive right into the game and get to it. One boss defeated and one Power Star collected later, and you’re given control of your ship and allowed to start exploring the world map, where in the next level, you meet an old friend.
Setting A Pace
Right from the beginning of the game you’re given this almost relentless feeling of speed, of everything flowing much quicker than it did in the first game. Gone is the central world hub, with its constant back-and-forth gameplay. Now, all you do it stand on a button and you zoom out to the overhead map that you can easily zip around and choose your level. In many ways, it has a very old-school feel to it, and that doesn’t just count for the map screen. Many parts of the game are played on a 2D plane, and it really feels as though Nintendo have reached back to their glory days and stuck it back up in front of you for you to enjoy again. And despite the fact it’s a sequel, everything actually ends up feeling fresher than it did the first time. Looking back on the first game after playing this, you can’t help but feel that the original games was just going through the motions, whereas this game is actually doing something of it’s own.
One Small Nag
A lot of this feeling comes from the Power-Ups and other things you find in the game. While ones such as Boo Mario and Spring Mario do make a return, they’re actually played down quite a bit, as are some of the new ones, such as Cloud Mario and Roller Mario. And also, the level design is a lot better than it was in the first game, and so moving through the world feel more fun and less arduous. As I’ve already said, many of the games sections are played on a 2D plane, and this is really where my only really gripe with this game comes from. While it’s very fun to play the game in an old-school fashion, I did occasionally find the controls in this section rather irksome. As you’d expect, left/right is still in place when you’re standing on the bottom floor, but when you circle around something to the side, you have to press up/down to move Mario. While this does make sense, and doesn’t really impact the gameplay too much, I did cause a few deaths as I got used to it. Of course, that’s really the only gripe I had with the game, and considering how much is in the game, that’s pretty good going.
There And Back Again
All in all, this game just feels like it’s doing everything right, even more so than the first one did. Of course, even with all the newness that the game brings up, there’s a lot that remains the same. The basic controls as the same, with Mario’s triple jump, back-flip, long jump, all in place, and the pointer collecting up the Star Bits. The graphics are the same, bright and colourful, and the music is just as nice to listen to, with a few classic Mario pieces having been given a nice remix. And, as you’d expect with a Mario game, there’s a whole set of secrets and minigames, but I won’t go into that too much, as it’s more fun to experience them firsthand. Just trust me when I say that this game’ll have you back on a near constant basis.
Summary
Gameplay: 10/10 – The familiar gameplay of the original is brought back with a few small tweaks and a big overhaul in the level design department, making every level brim with creativity and fun.
Sound: 10/10 – Beautiful classical scores and remixes of old classic tunes makes for some great piece of music that compliment the levels well.
Graphics: 10/10 – Just as colourful and vibrant as the last game, nothing else needs to be said.
Lifespan 10/10 – While you can see the ending fairly quickly, trust me when I say that this game’s gonna take you hell of a long time to finish 100%.
Final Score: 10/10
And so, there you have it. The unexpected sequel has completely trumped its predecessor, and showed us that Nintendo can be original even when sticking to the tried and tested formula set down in Super Mario 64. If you liked the original then this is a must buy, and if you didn’t like the original then you should pick this up anyway. This is definitely the kind of game that everyone should own.
Friday 12 March 2010
This is not the Silent Hill you may remember...
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
After the success of the Resident Evil series, Silent Hill quickly followed suit in the Survival Horror genre, but quickly separated itself from the main pack by adding in far more psychological elements to the game. While the series itself has always gone on something of a rollercoaster in terms of how well it was received, it never stopped the madness running, and now we’re returning to where it all began, going back to the beginning to re-examine the roots of the series.
So, how does it compare to the rest of the franchise? Well, let’s find out...
Crashing Start
After seemingly watching a home movie, and then witnessing a car crash, the first real piece of gameplay comes in the form of a Psychiatrist’s meeting. Fans of the first game will recognise Dr. Kaufman, although his role is certainly a lot different this time around. One quick form and some head shaking later, and we’re whisked back to Silent Hill, where Harry awakes from his car crash to find his daughter, Cheryl, missing. Then you’re finally in control of Harry himself, and are quickly introduced to the rather simple control system. All you can do is walk, run, point your flashlight about, and zoom in on things to maybe get a reaction. You quickly realise that there’s no inventory screen, no health bar, and most notably, no weapons. A few simple puzzles and some phone jiggery-pokery later, you find that the world is changing before your very eyes, twisting and freezing over. And it’s heading your way...
Over Simplified
Ok, maybe less of the cliffhangers and more of the description, right?
Well, it can certainly be said of the transition from the normal world into the frozen hell of the nightmare world are certainly something to see. Done completely in real-time, you can move your character and look are as the area changes around you. As unsettling as it is however, you’ll quickly come to dread these transitions for another reason, but more on that later. As already stated, you’ll quickly come to realise that this game is very different from most survival horrors. With no weapons and inventory screens, it can feel rather bizarre, and a little worrying as you wander through the snowbound streets of Silent Hill, waiting for the first enemies to show up. However, this feeling really doesn’t last long, as you’ll quickly realise that the monsters only show up in the nightmare world, and that as long as things aren’t frozen over you’re free to explore as you wish. To a point anyway. By and large, you’re led down a fairly linear path, following the only route that’s available to you. You’ll occasionally come across the odd puzzle, but most are very easy, some really only need you to cross a room to find a key. While long-time Survival Horror fans might cringe at the almost laughably easy puzzles, it does give a certain reality to the areas you explore, and the puzzles don’t feel like they’re just shoehorned in to add minutes to the gameplay.
Below Zero
Of course, that’s how gameplay works in the normal world. Once things switch over to the nightmare world, the gameplay changes. Rather than allowing you to proceed at your own pace down a linear path, you’re now confronted by the game enemies, and are forced to run through an area to find the exit, so that the nightmare will end. While I think that the idea for this section was for it be a tense run through the dark, while creatures nibble at your heels, it really just becomes an effort in patience, as you try to work your way through the maze-like halls and corridors of the frozen nightmare world while occasionally being stopped when a monster grabs you. This can quickly become annoying as the monsters can ran just slightly faster than you can, and so they’ll always catch up with you in the end. While doors and ledges are given a bright blue glow to aid you in pelting through the area, you’re only ever given a vague direction in which to go, and as your map can only ever be accessed in real-time, when you’ve got monsters right behind you, stopping to check your map is not a good idea. Of course, there are also time when you can hide, but these are never useful either, as the monsters can find you far to quickly, so just continuing to run is often more productive. On the brighter side though, quite literally, you can sometimes find flares on the floor that will give you a temporary reprieve from their attacks. These are few and far between though. As always said, I think the idea was for it to be tense and nerve-racking, but it really ends just as just being annoying.
All In The Mind
The other side of the game though, is the mental aspect. Throughout your adventure in Silent Hill, you’ll find yourself whisked away to Dr. Kaufman’s office, where you’ll be given a series of mini-games of a sort, where your actions and answers will affect the game. Some are blatantly obvious, and some are subtler. In fact, some are so subtle, that I didn’t even realise it until I looked back on what I’d just done. By and large though you’ll probably not notice the changes that these test bring on the game, although they do have a secondary purpose that I can’t go into due to major spoilers.
Missing, Presumed Lost
One of the biggest surprises was the relatively short length of the game. While this stopped the simplistic gameplay getting old, and the nightmare world section from getting too annoying, it still game as quite a surprise when the games ending seemed to leap up at you. Especially when comparing it’s locations to the original game. While there is certainly incentive to replay the game, including collectables and multiple endings, you can’t help but feel that it ended far too soon.
Summary
Gameplay: 7/10 – While the controls work very well, there isn’t really a whole lot to the gameplay in terms of depth. Simple puzzles, and rather annoying nightmare world section, but still reasonably enjoyable.
Sound: 7/10 – By and large, the background music is mostly forgettable, and is also unnecessary for the most part.
Graphics: 8/10 – Pretty good, although probably not the best you’ll get on the Wii. Still, by and large it looks quite good.
Lifespan 7/10 – The game was a lot shorter than I was expecting, and while there’s certainly incentive to go back for multiple runs, you can’t help but feel it ends all too soon.
Final Score: 7/10
While it’s enjoyable while it lasts, there are a lot of annoyances in the game that would throw traditional Survival Horror fans off. While fans of the series would be able to point out the differences between this game and the original’s storylines, of which there are many, this alone might not make up for the annoyances of the nightmare world. But all in all, if you like horror games, you should consider giving it a look, as there’s a lot of fun to be had if you can look past the bad.
After the success of the Resident Evil series, Silent Hill quickly followed suit in the Survival Horror genre, but quickly separated itself from the main pack by adding in far more psychological elements to the game. While the series itself has always gone on something of a rollercoaster in terms of how well it was received, it never stopped the madness running, and now we’re returning to where it all began, going back to the beginning to re-examine the roots of the series.
So, how does it compare to the rest of the franchise? Well, let’s find out...
Crashing Start
After seemingly watching a home movie, and then witnessing a car crash, the first real piece of gameplay comes in the form of a Psychiatrist’s meeting. Fans of the first game will recognise Dr. Kaufman, although his role is certainly a lot different this time around. One quick form and some head shaking later, and we’re whisked back to Silent Hill, where Harry awakes from his car crash to find his daughter, Cheryl, missing. Then you’re finally in control of Harry himself, and are quickly introduced to the rather simple control system. All you can do is walk, run, point your flashlight about, and zoom in on things to maybe get a reaction. You quickly realise that there’s no inventory screen, no health bar, and most notably, no weapons. A few simple puzzles and some phone jiggery-pokery later, you find that the world is changing before your very eyes, twisting and freezing over. And it’s heading your way...
Over Simplified
Ok, maybe less of the cliffhangers and more of the description, right?
Well, it can certainly be said of the transition from the normal world into the frozen hell of the nightmare world are certainly something to see. Done completely in real-time, you can move your character and look are as the area changes around you. As unsettling as it is however, you’ll quickly come to dread these transitions for another reason, but more on that later. As already stated, you’ll quickly come to realise that this game is very different from most survival horrors. With no weapons and inventory screens, it can feel rather bizarre, and a little worrying as you wander through the snowbound streets of Silent Hill, waiting for the first enemies to show up. However, this feeling really doesn’t last long, as you’ll quickly realise that the monsters only show up in the nightmare world, and that as long as things aren’t frozen over you’re free to explore as you wish. To a point anyway. By and large, you’re led down a fairly linear path, following the only route that’s available to you. You’ll occasionally come across the odd puzzle, but most are very easy, some really only need you to cross a room to find a key. While long-time Survival Horror fans might cringe at the almost laughably easy puzzles, it does give a certain reality to the areas you explore, and the puzzles don’t feel like they’re just shoehorned in to add minutes to the gameplay.
Below Zero
Of course, that’s how gameplay works in the normal world. Once things switch over to the nightmare world, the gameplay changes. Rather than allowing you to proceed at your own pace down a linear path, you’re now confronted by the game enemies, and are forced to run through an area to find the exit, so that the nightmare will end. While I think that the idea for this section was for it be a tense run through the dark, while creatures nibble at your heels, it really just becomes an effort in patience, as you try to work your way through the maze-like halls and corridors of the frozen nightmare world while occasionally being stopped when a monster grabs you. This can quickly become annoying as the monsters can ran just slightly faster than you can, and so they’ll always catch up with you in the end. While doors and ledges are given a bright blue glow to aid you in pelting through the area, you’re only ever given a vague direction in which to go, and as your map can only ever be accessed in real-time, when you’ve got monsters right behind you, stopping to check your map is not a good idea. Of course, there are also time when you can hide, but these are never useful either, as the monsters can find you far to quickly, so just continuing to run is often more productive. On the brighter side though, quite literally, you can sometimes find flares on the floor that will give you a temporary reprieve from their attacks. These are few and far between though. As always said, I think the idea was for it to be tense and nerve-racking, but it really ends just as just being annoying.
All In The Mind
The other side of the game though, is the mental aspect. Throughout your adventure in Silent Hill, you’ll find yourself whisked away to Dr. Kaufman’s office, where you’ll be given a series of mini-games of a sort, where your actions and answers will affect the game. Some are blatantly obvious, and some are subtler. In fact, some are so subtle, that I didn’t even realise it until I looked back on what I’d just done. By and large though you’ll probably not notice the changes that these test bring on the game, although they do have a secondary purpose that I can’t go into due to major spoilers.
Missing, Presumed Lost
One of the biggest surprises was the relatively short length of the game. While this stopped the simplistic gameplay getting old, and the nightmare world section from getting too annoying, it still game as quite a surprise when the games ending seemed to leap up at you. Especially when comparing it’s locations to the original game. While there is certainly incentive to replay the game, including collectables and multiple endings, you can’t help but feel that it ended far too soon.
Summary
Gameplay: 7/10 – While the controls work very well, there isn’t really a whole lot to the gameplay in terms of depth. Simple puzzles, and rather annoying nightmare world section, but still reasonably enjoyable.
Sound: 7/10 – By and large, the background music is mostly forgettable, and is also unnecessary for the most part.
Graphics: 8/10 – Pretty good, although probably not the best you’ll get on the Wii. Still, by and large it looks quite good.
Lifespan 7/10 – The game was a lot shorter than I was expecting, and while there’s certainly incentive to go back for multiple runs, you can’t help but feel it ends all too soon.
Final Score: 7/10
While it’s enjoyable while it lasts, there are a lot of annoyances in the game that would throw traditional Survival Horror fans off. While fans of the series would be able to point out the differences between this game and the original’s storylines, of which there are many, this alone might not make up for the annoyances of the nightmare world. But all in all, if you like horror games, you should consider giving it a look, as there’s a lot of fun to be had if you can look past the bad.
Monday 15 February 2010
Moving On...
So, yeah, I know it's been a loooooong while (Longer than I thought) since I last posted here.
I haven't abandoned it, just been busy...
...No, really...
Oy
I haven't abandoned it, just been busy...
...No, really...
Oy
Go Team Sea Slug!
Bioshock 2 Review
Bioshock was one of the most entertaining and enjoyable FPSs to come out in recent years, and so a sequel was never really much of a surprise. And so, this hotly anticipated sequel has finally been released. There was much talk and debate as to whether it could better its predecessor, and if playing as a Big Daddy was a good idea or little more than a gimmick...
So, does life still linger in this city, or has the party come to an end?
Diving Right In
As with the previous game, you’re treated to a pre-rendered scene that serves as your introduction. While longer than the first, it serves its purpose well, sticking you in the lumbering diving suit of Subject Delta. From there, you’re thrown into the game right off, deep in the bowels of Rapture. Unlike that first game, which threw a mysterious lighthouse and a beautiful cityscape at you in the first few minutes before throwing enemies your way, Bioshock 2 jump almost right into the action, with you meeting your first Splicer only two rooms away. This helps to differentiate from the first game where, instead of introducing you to a mysterious city, it lets you get to grips with fighting, using your new Drill and duel-wielding Plasmids. A smart move, as most people already know what Rapture is about. After bashing a few Spicers, and running after a Big Sister, you get swept into the water that entraps the city, showing off one of the advantages you have as Delta, and only then do you see a cityscape of Rapture in all it’s destroyed glory...
Welcome Return
For anyone who’s played the first Bioshock, you’ll find that not a great deal has changed in terms of gameplay, and those things that have changed, have been tweaked for the better. The most obvious and biggest change is the ability to duel-wield both your Weapon and Plasmids, and mechanic that allows fights to go smoother, without the constant switching between them. Also including is that you have a standard Melee button that works with all weapons, meaning that you don’t have to switch to your Drill every time you want to whack someone’s face off. The weapons themselves, while being different in look and name, pretty much serve the same purposes as they did in the original game, the only real new addition to your selection being the Remote Hacking Tool. And, of course, there are other returnees in the form of Audio Diaries, Sentry Bots, Turrets and Vending Machines. Although there is a noticeable lack of the U-Invent machine, meaning there’s no random objects either.
For Better Or Worse
While a lot of things remain the same, giving the game quite a comfortable feel when you first dive in, there are some things that have changed. As previously mentioned, you have a Remote Hacking Tool that allows you to hack machines at a distance, which allows for more strategy during fights. Hacking itself is much improved upon, now taking place in real-time with a far simpler mini-game replacing the slow pipe-switching game for before. Another change is the way you equip Gene Tonics. Gone are the three sections for Combat, Engineering and Physical, instead replaced by one large section where you can equip whatever you want. Assuming you’ve got enough slots, of course. Which brings us to the Little Sisters. A lot of people worried that the game was going to turn into the final area from the original Bioshock, with you having to constantly safeguard your Sister, but keeping her safe only really comes into it when you set them down to harvest Adam, and even then they can’t die all that happens is that they get slowed down, the Splicers constantly coming at you until she’s done. While it’s an interesting mechanic, it does get a little laborious at time, but thankfully there aren’t as many sisters in this game as in the previous one, so by the time you’re starting to get fed up with it, you’re pretty much done with them.
Let’s Get Together
One of the major downsides to the single player is that its length is quite shorter than the original game, and while it’s good fun while it lasts, you can’t help but feel that they were likely running low on ideas to stretch out the story. Of course, your ‘Goals’ such as they are, are fairly standard lengthening tactics. Such as needing to find a key on someone who doesn’t want you to have it and so on. And also, it’s likely that it was trimmed down to make room for the Multiplayer. While I would likely use this space to tell you all about it, I’m not a Multiplayer person, so you’ll have to go elsewhere for a Multiplayer review.
Sounding Off
Of course, rapture still gives off a creepy vibe due to the music, or lack there of. While you’ll more often than not be listening to people or the returning Audio Diaries blabbing in your ears, when they’re not, you’ll be able to drink in the atmosphere of a city still destroying itself.
Not All There
For those who’ve kept up with information on Bioshock 2, there is likely to be a few surprises with regards to content. The Big Sister was supposed to have appeared randomly, but her appearances are easy to predict as it’s always once you’ve dealt with all the level’s Little Sisters. Also, the Ghost Sequences were supposed to have returned (they were even in the trailer) and were supposed to have shown the fall of rapture, however they don’t even make a single appearance. While this does raise some questions about what may have been cut out of the game, on the whole what was said to be in the game compared to what is missing isn’t that much of a big deal, and the game itself is still enjoyable, if a little less unpredictable for it.
Summary
Gameplay: 9/10 – The gameplay from the first Bioshock is tweaked for the better. Although there’s not a lot that’s directly new, the changes help it to flow better, and while some things feel a little tacked on, it’s still a lot of fun.
Sound: 9/10 – Classical scores combined with 50s music and decent voice acting.
Graphics: 8/10 – If you liked the look of Bioshock then you’ll like this, as there isn’t a whole lot of difference.
Lifespan 7/10 – Unfortunately the Single Player campaign is shorter than the first game, and it feel shorter too. Of course, this also means that it doesn’t outstay it’s welcome.
Final Score: 8/10
While the return to Rapture is a whole lot of fun, you can’t help but feel that you’ve seen it all before, and even the few tweaks and changes can’t help to disguise this fact. But in the end, Bioshock 2 is well worth picking up if you’re a fan of the first game, or a fan of FPSs in general, as we may have seen it before, but that doesn’t make it any less fun.
Bioshock was one of the most entertaining and enjoyable FPSs to come out in recent years, and so a sequel was never really much of a surprise. And so, this hotly anticipated sequel has finally been released. There was much talk and debate as to whether it could better its predecessor, and if playing as a Big Daddy was a good idea or little more than a gimmick...
So, does life still linger in this city, or has the party come to an end?
Diving Right In
As with the previous game, you’re treated to a pre-rendered scene that serves as your introduction. While longer than the first, it serves its purpose well, sticking you in the lumbering diving suit of Subject Delta. From there, you’re thrown into the game right off, deep in the bowels of Rapture. Unlike that first game, which threw a mysterious lighthouse and a beautiful cityscape at you in the first few minutes before throwing enemies your way, Bioshock 2 jump almost right into the action, with you meeting your first Splicer only two rooms away. This helps to differentiate from the first game where, instead of introducing you to a mysterious city, it lets you get to grips with fighting, using your new Drill and duel-wielding Plasmids. A smart move, as most people already know what Rapture is about. After bashing a few Spicers, and running after a Big Sister, you get swept into the water that entraps the city, showing off one of the advantages you have as Delta, and only then do you see a cityscape of Rapture in all it’s destroyed glory...
Welcome Return
For anyone who’s played the first Bioshock, you’ll find that not a great deal has changed in terms of gameplay, and those things that have changed, have been tweaked for the better. The most obvious and biggest change is the ability to duel-wield both your Weapon and Plasmids, and mechanic that allows fights to go smoother, without the constant switching between them. Also including is that you have a standard Melee button that works with all weapons, meaning that you don’t have to switch to your Drill every time you want to whack someone’s face off. The weapons themselves, while being different in look and name, pretty much serve the same purposes as they did in the original game, the only real new addition to your selection being the Remote Hacking Tool. And, of course, there are other returnees in the form of Audio Diaries, Sentry Bots, Turrets and Vending Machines. Although there is a noticeable lack of the U-Invent machine, meaning there’s no random objects either.
For Better Or Worse
While a lot of things remain the same, giving the game quite a comfortable feel when you first dive in, there are some things that have changed. As previously mentioned, you have a Remote Hacking Tool that allows you to hack machines at a distance, which allows for more strategy during fights. Hacking itself is much improved upon, now taking place in real-time with a far simpler mini-game replacing the slow pipe-switching game for before. Another change is the way you equip Gene Tonics. Gone are the three sections for Combat, Engineering and Physical, instead replaced by one large section where you can equip whatever you want. Assuming you’ve got enough slots, of course. Which brings us to the Little Sisters. A lot of people worried that the game was going to turn into the final area from the original Bioshock, with you having to constantly safeguard your Sister, but keeping her safe only really comes into it when you set them down to harvest Adam, and even then they can’t die all that happens is that they get slowed down, the Splicers constantly coming at you until she’s done. While it’s an interesting mechanic, it does get a little laborious at time, but thankfully there aren’t as many sisters in this game as in the previous one, so by the time you’re starting to get fed up with it, you’re pretty much done with them.
Let’s Get Together
One of the major downsides to the single player is that its length is quite shorter than the original game, and while it’s good fun while it lasts, you can’t help but feel that they were likely running low on ideas to stretch out the story. Of course, your ‘Goals’ such as they are, are fairly standard lengthening tactics. Such as needing to find a key on someone who doesn’t want you to have it and so on. And also, it’s likely that it was trimmed down to make room for the Multiplayer. While I would likely use this space to tell you all about it, I’m not a Multiplayer person, so you’ll have to go elsewhere for a Multiplayer review.
Sounding Off
Of course, rapture still gives off a creepy vibe due to the music, or lack there of. While you’ll more often than not be listening to people or the returning Audio Diaries blabbing in your ears, when they’re not, you’ll be able to drink in the atmosphere of a city still destroying itself.
Not All There
For those who’ve kept up with information on Bioshock 2, there is likely to be a few surprises with regards to content. The Big Sister was supposed to have appeared randomly, but her appearances are easy to predict as it’s always once you’ve dealt with all the level’s Little Sisters. Also, the Ghost Sequences were supposed to have returned (they were even in the trailer) and were supposed to have shown the fall of rapture, however they don’t even make a single appearance. While this does raise some questions about what may have been cut out of the game, on the whole what was said to be in the game compared to what is missing isn’t that much of a big deal, and the game itself is still enjoyable, if a little less unpredictable for it.
Summary
Gameplay: 9/10 – The gameplay from the first Bioshock is tweaked for the better. Although there’s not a lot that’s directly new, the changes help it to flow better, and while some things feel a little tacked on, it’s still a lot of fun.
Sound: 9/10 – Classical scores combined with 50s music and decent voice acting.
Graphics: 8/10 – If you liked the look of Bioshock then you’ll like this, as there isn’t a whole lot of difference.
Lifespan 7/10 – Unfortunately the Single Player campaign is shorter than the first game, and it feel shorter too. Of course, this also means that it doesn’t outstay it’s welcome.
Final Score: 8/10
While the return to Rapture is a whole lot of fun, you can’t help but feel that you’ve seen it all before, and even the few tweaks and changes can’t help to disguise this fact. But in the end, Bioshock 2 is well worth picking up if you’re a fan of the first game, or a fan of FPSs in general, as we may have seen it before, but that doesn’t make it any less fun.
Monday 9 November 2009
To prove that I'm not dead...
...just busy with other things, here's another review.
Borderlands
Borderlands takes you to the wasteland planet of Pandora in search of ‘The Vault’, a mysterious alien storehouse is said to house ‘something’. While some believe it exists, many don’t. As a Vault Hunter freshly arrived on Pandora, you’ll be scouring every inch of the planet for clues to the location of this mystical place
Well, kinda...
I’ll point out now that I’ve only had the chance to complete the game solo. I’ve not had that much chance to get online to play the game, so the review and my opinions are based solely on the single player campaign.
While Borderlands is billed as an FPS-RPG, it’s very different from last years Fallout 3. Although they are both games played in the First-Person, they play very differently. Fallout 3 was very much a shooter with RPG elements, whereas Borderlands is an RPG played as a FPS. In Fallout 3, you could pretty much handle anything that came your way; regardless of it’s level, as long as you were careful and had enough ammo for your gun of choice. In Borderlands however, you quickly realise that if you’re a level lower than the enemy you’re trying to kill, you’re going to have trouble. If he’s 2 or 3 levels higher than you, you’ll likely have the floor wiped with your face. In large part due to the fact that damage you do being limited on higher-level enemies. But I’ll get into that more later.
Graphics – 7/10
The graphics are quite nice, with a cell-shaded style, giving the game a nice look. But the world as a whole seems a little bland, and while some of the last few areas are a little different, once you’ve seen the first area’s arid desert style, you’ve pretty much seem them all. Of course, with Pandora being a wasteland, that’s to be expected, but there was still the potential for more varying scenery. Even so, areas can be vast and the fact that they’re all created randomly without looking like similar bit and pieces cobbled together differently, is very well done.
Sound – 7/10
A modest selection of music ranging from peaceful and quiet to upbeat and fast-paced depending on the situation. Most of the time you won’t even pay to much attention to it, and it’s mostly forgettable. The only two that really stand out of the songs on the intro and credits, but only because they have lyrics. But at least it’s not bad enough to take notice of it.
Gameplay – 9/10
As stated, this game is very much an RPG played as an FPS. Your enemy level determines how much damage you do to them and vice-versa. Higher-levels taking little to no damage from you, while lower ones can be taken care of in one or two shots. And in typical modern RPG style, you’re given missions of varying style. There’s the usual array of ‘go here and kill X’ or ‘Go here and find X’. All of them are fairly standard RPG missions, and are really just excuses for you to go places and kill things to gain levels. Character customisation is pretty limited, being only able to change the colour of your characters clothes. Although seeing as you never really see your character, this makes sense. And you’ve got the usual deal of equipable weapons and items. Although, don’t believe the hype of the game having ‘a bazillion guns’, all it really means is guns with varying stats and element types. Your weapons selection is also fairly standard FPS fair; being pistols, shotguns, machine guns, etc. The game itself moves rather slowly, in part due the limits your current level allows, and the fact that you have to do a lot of side-missions to gain enough experience to move on. That’s not to say the game is dull. By RPG standards, the game moves as a good speed, but by FPS standards it can be quite dull.
Lifespan – 10/10
It took around 30 hours to reach the end boss on my first playthrough. And seeing as you get 4 different characters to play as, each with their own skill-set and style of gameplay, a 2nd playthrough mode where you start from the beginning with enemies being at higher levels, and the fact that areas are randomly generated, there’s a lot of replay value to be had. And that’s only talking about the single player campaign, as the multiplayer allows for co-op play and duels, giving the game very good potential for a long lifespan.
Final Score – 8/10
So, there you have it. Borderlands is a very different game in many respects. If you go into it thinking it’s a shooter, like Fallout 3, then you’ll quickly learn the hard way that’s it very much an RPG at heart. But if you go into it with the right mindset, there’s a lot of fun to be had, both online and offline.
Buy or Rent?
Unless you can really bomb through the game, you’ll likely need more than one rental session to really get the most out of this game, and so you might as well invest in your own copy. Of course, if you’re not sure about the gameplay, and it is quite different, then a rental is definitely recommended. As I said, it’s a very different game, and might not be to everyone’s tastes.
And with that, I’m off.
Oy
Borderlands
Borderlands takes you to the wasteland planet of Pandora in search of ‘The Vault’, a mysterious alien storehouse is said to house ‘something’. While some believe it exists, many don’t. As a Vault Hunter freshly arrived on Pandora, you’ll be scouring every inch of the planet for clues to the location of this mystical place
Well, kinda...
I’ll point out now that I’ve only had the chance to complete the game solo. I’ve not had that much chance to get online to play the game, so the review and my opinions are based solely on the single player campaign.
While Borderlands is billed as an FPS-RPG, it’s very different from last years Fallout 3. Although they are both games played in the First-Person, they play very differently. Fallout 3 was very much a shooter with RPG elements, whereas Borderlands is an RPG played as a FPS. In Fallout 3, you could pretty much handle anything that came your way; regardless of it’s level, as long as you were careful and had enough ammo for your gun of choice. In Borderlands however, you quickly realise that if you’re a level lower than the enemy you’re trying to kill, you’re going to have trouble. If he’s 2 or 3 levels higher than you, you’ll likely have the floor wiped with your face. In large part due to the fact that damage you do being limited on higher-level enemies. But I’ll get into that more later.
Graphics – 7/10
The graphics are quite nice, with a cell-shaded style, giving the game a nice look. But the world as a whole seems a little bland, and while some of the last few areas are a little different, once you’ve seen the first area’s arid desert style, you’ve pretty much seem them all. Of course, with Pandora being a wasteland, that’s to be expected, but there was still the potential for more varying scenery. Even so, areas can be vast and the fact that they’re all created randomly without looking like similar bit and pieces cobbled together differently, is very well done.
Sound – 7/10
A modest selection of music ranging from peaceful and quiet to upbeat and fast-paced depending on the situation. Most of the time you won’t even pay to much attention to it, and it’s mostly forgettable. The only two that really stand out of the songs on the intro and credits, but only because they have lyrics. But at least it’s not bad enough to take notice of it.
Gameplay – 9/10
As stated, this game is very much an RPG played as an FPS. Your enemy level determines how much damage you do to them and vice-versa. Higher-levels taking little to no damage from you, while lower ones can be taken care of in one or two shots. And in typical modern RPG style, you’re given missions of varying style. There’s the usual array of ‘go here and kill X’ or ‘Go here and find X’. All of them are fairly standard RPG missions, and are really just excuses for you to go places and kill things to gain levels. Character customisation is pretty limited, being only able to change the colour of your characters clothes. Although seeing as you never really see your character, this makes sense. And you’ve got the usual deal of equipable weapons and items. Although, don’t believe the hype of the game having ‘a bazillion guns’, all it really means is guns with varying stats and element types. Your weapons selection is also fairly standard FPS fair; being pistols, shotguns, machine guns, etc. The game itself moves rather slowly, in part due the limits your current level allows, and the fact that you have to do a lot of side-missions to gain enough experience to move on. That’s not to say the game is dull. By RPG standards, the game moves as a good speed, but by FPS standards it can be quite dull.
Lifespan – 10/10
It took around 30 hours to reach the end boss on my first playthrough. And seeing as you get 4 different characters to play as, each with their own skill-set and style of gameplay, a 2nd playthrough mode where you start from the beginning with enemies being at higher levels, and the fact that areas are randomly generated, there’s a lot of replay value to be had. And that’s only talking about the single player campaign, as the multiplayer allows for co-op play and duels, giving the game very good potential for a long lifespan.
Final Score – 8/10
So, there you have it. Borderlands is a very different game in many respects. If you go into it thinking it’s a shooter, like Fallout 3, then you’ll quickly learn the hard way that’s it very much an RPG at heart. But if you go into it with the right mindset, there’s a lot of fun to be had, both online and offline.
Buy or Rent?
Unless you can really bomb through the game, you’ll likely need more than one rental session to really get the most out of this game, and so you might as well invest in your own copy. Of course, if you’re not sure about the gameplay, and it is quite different, then a rental is definitely recommended. As I said, it’s a very different game, and might not be to everyone’s tastes.
And with that, I’m off.
Oy
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