Hey everyone! I am extremely bored and have decided to do a quick write-up/review of the last few games I've played and beaten. These are going to be relatively short, but I hope you enjoy! Feel free to comment and get into a discussion!
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Batman: Arkham Origins (PS3)
I know I'm in the minority here, but I absolutely HATED Arkham Asylum. I felt that you were extremely confined the entire game, and nearly every room consisted of cycling around the gargoyles and scooping up guards. I don't know, I just didn't like it at all. I appreciate what it did in terms of revitalizing the superhero genre, but I couldn't score it above a 7.
However, Arkham City was a GOTY candidate for me. I absolutely LOVED what they did with the world, and although it wasn't the liveliest or most-open world, it still made traveling around very fun, and I enjoyed the plethora of villains they threw at you, and the new combat/gadget options. When they announced that Origins was being developed by a different studio, I was a tad nervous. But I saw Rocksteady was overseeing it, I felt pretty safe that it would be decent. Boy, was I wrong.
Combat wise, the game is still fun. The fighting system has been, and still is, the Arkham game's strong points. But other than that, and one boss fight, this game was a huge disappointment. I know this was a prequel, but this game felt like it could have been RELEASED before Arkham City. Also, this isn't much of an "origin" story (I beat this before the DLC game out with Ras ah Gul). Nothing about this game said "2013 PS3". Lifeless city, meh visuals, and copy/paste gameplay (barely any innovations), among other things.
My biggest gripe, however, came with the story and the bosses. The idea of 8 different Assassin's is
in cool, but the fact that 3 of them dont show up in the main story, and that a majority of the fights are pretty boring, is a huge letdown.
SPOILERS FOLLOW
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SPOILERS!!!!!
The Deathstroke fight was easily the highlight of the game, one of the more intense fights I've done in recent years. I am, however, bummed that it came so early. This fight would have felt much more epic later in the game.
While the Electrocutioner fight was hilarious (for those who havent played, you knock him out in one hit), when they said he escaped, I was happy. "Ok cool, a new enemy who I just embarrassed will come back later for an epic battle." ....ORRRR, he's going to get killed in a cutscene...by the Joker....I was very letdown by this.
Also, while we're talkin about the Clown, as great as the Joker is, I was not happy to have him be the main antagonist....again. They had a chance to do a story with a new main enemy, but returned to familiar territory. Troy Baker did a great job as the Joker, taking nothing from him, but I would have much rather seen Black Mask in an extended Role.
END SPOILERS
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While I can't in all conscience score this extremely low, as it is still a decently fun game. This 6 hour romp with Batman is easily his worst in the series, and leaves much to be desired. I just hope the next Rocksteady installment makes me forget all about this! (PLEASE ADD IN THE BATMOBILE AND BATPLANE!)
6.0/10
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Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (PS4)
I know it's going to seem like I'm starting off each review by bashing a previous installment, but HOLY SHIT DID I HATE ASSASSINS CREED 3!!!! 6-7 hours of boring tutorials followed up by boring missions with a boring main character. Good lord. I couldn't stand this game. Amazing ideas, but poor poor execution. I wasn't even going to bother with Black Flag, but with the next-gen coming out, I wanted to see how a Sandbox game would be. And I couldn't be HAPPIER that I picked this game up. If this game had better/more "set-piece" main missions, this easily could have been my GOTY.
This game really didn't need to be called Assassin's Creed, but that's fine by me, The incredible world has so much to do, and it looks great the entire time. I played the crap out of the game, ending with 95%, only because I didn't do the optional objectives in the missions. I collected EVERY chest, EVERY fragment, found EVERY item in EVERY city, and took out those 4 (5) sons-of-bitches that occupy the corners of the map. (I think I did 97/100 Abstergo challenges, for those wondering)
Along with looking great, this game is fun as hell. Fighting is very smooth, both on sea and on land, but it's the naval battles that steal the show. Your variety of weapons keeps fighting from getting stale, and with the benefits of boarding the enemies ships, it makes the battles worth your time. One of the reasons I gave Far Cry 3 my GOTY 2012 is because it made sense and well worth your while to do the side activities, and ACIV seems to have taken from that. Hunting is worth it because you can upgrade packs, boarding ships gets you more materials and can give you ships for that dumb minigame (which is boring, but gets you tons of $$), getting viewpoints and exploring new towns gives you fast-travel locations, and so on.
My only problem is that a majority of the main missions consist of tailing someone or infiltrating some base. However, there are a few set-piece missions that stand apart from the rest. It also helps that the story is strong, and there are some decent plot twists. The ending is a bit abrupt, though. Needless to say, this game renewed my interest in the series, and IMO is a must have game, especially for next-gen.
9.75/10
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Shadow of the Colossus (HD Version)
I have been a huge gamer my entire life, and it is rare that I miss out on a critically acclaimed game. But SOTC is one that I never played. I am 24 now, and I remember back in 05 hearing about the game, but never getting around to do. All I kept saying to myself during my playthrough was, well, two things....
"How the hell is this a ps2 game?"
and
"I wish I played this back in the day...this would have easily been one of my favorite games."
Ho..Lee....Shit. I absolutely LOVED this game. After fixing the ridiculous camera controls and figuring out what to do, I was hooked. Each colossus is so unique and gorgeous, and finding out how to take them down was a great game mechanic. This is as much a puzzle game as it is a "fighting" game. If I was to describe this game in one word, it would be epic. The setting is perfect, a desolate landscape with only 16 beasts inhabiting the vast world. And the music!! Good god. One of the best scores I've ever heard.
Obviously, the main draw of the game are the boss battles, and they do not disappoint. Yes, each battle involves figuring out the enemies pattern/weakness, and then stabbing the hell out of their weak spots, but the fights are so different and varied that it keeps from getting stale (except for those 2 stupid lions). IMO, Colossus #13 was BY FAR the best. DAT JUMP DOE!
And I was a huge fan of the story and feel of the game, especially the "moral ambiguity" that came with killing the Colossi. Yes, you were doing it for the best of reasons, but you literally just invaded their world and stabbed the shit out of all of them for your own benefit. Not cool Wander, not cool.
If you have never played this game, PLAY IT NOW! If you have, then you already know how amazing it is.
KEEP CALM AND AGROOOO!
9.5/10
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Killzone: Shadow Fall (ps4)
PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS JUST FOR THE SINGLE PLAYER! I AM NOT A FAN OF ONLINE SHOOTERS
I was pretty excited for this game. As I stated, I don't play shooters online, but I do enjoy a good single player campaign, and with this being a next-gen PS4 exclusive, and having enjoyed the previous games, I figured i'd pick it up. I wasn't expecting too much, as most launch titles are forgotten within a year, but I was hoping the campaign would be decent.
And that's exactly what it was....decent.
Visually, this game kills it. Absolutely beautiful, from walking down a hallway to being in a plane watching a building collapse, Shadow Fall looks great the entire time. It also plays pretty damn well too, with the gunplay being fun enough to never get stale, and the touch-pad innovations with the OWL never felt too gimmicky and always responded fluidly.
However, this game is EXTREMELY linear, something I was pretty bummed about. I was really hoping they would make the game open-area, ala Crysis, to allow another layer to their single player. I got a false ray of hope when I saw that one of the OWL's features is Zipline (gimme a Shaka brah!). I figured you would be using this badboy to zoom about the map in the heat of combat....nope. The only times you use this is when the story prompts you, or you're at a part where there is no other way to continue. I feel like that could have had a ton of potential.
The story is decent, but nothing noteworthly. The campaign is definitely fun, except for ONE STUPID HANG GLIDING MISSION. The beginning 1/3 of this mission is SO BROKEN, I died a good 20 times before getting to the first "checkpoint", after which I cleared the rest of the mission no problem. For the uninitiated, you're hang-gliding through a crumbling city (which looks amazing) but with the shittiest control scheme and a terrible sense of where the hell to do. Frustrating doesn't even cover it.
All in all, KZ:SF's single player is worth a playthrough, especially those who love "graphical darlings" but not worth the 60 bucks. I know the online is its stronger aspect, so maybe that would better warrant a purchase new, but I'd recommend this as either a rental or a used game buy.
7.5/10
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Hope you guys enjoy! If I get positive feedback, I'll definitely do another batch!
Thanks!
TheXMiz
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Batman: Arkham Origins (PS3)
I know I'm in the minority here, but I absolutely HATED Arkham Asylum. I felt that you were extremely confined the entire game, and nearly every room consisted of cycling around the gargoyles and scooping up guards. I don't know, I just didn't like it at all. I appreciate what it did in terms of revitalizing the superhero genre, but I couldn't score it above a 7.
However, Arkham City was a GOTY candidate for me. I absolutely LOVED what they did with the world, and although it wasn't the liveliest or most-open world, it still made traveling around very fun, and I enjoyed the plethora of villains they threw at you, and the new combat/gadget options. When they announced that Origins was being developed by a different studio, I was a tad nervous. But I saw Rocksteady was overseeing it, I felt pretty safe that it would be decent. Boy, was I wrong.
Combat wise, the game is still fun. The fighting system has been, and still is, the Arkham game's strong points. But other than that, and one boss fight, this game was a huge disappointment. I know this was a prequel, but this game felt like it could have been RELEASED before Arkham City. Also, this isn't much of an "origin" story (I beat this before the DLC game out with Ras ah Gul). Nothing about this game said "2013 PS3". Lifeless city, meh visuals, and copy/paste gameplay (barely any innovations), among other things.
My biggest gripe, however, came with the story and the bosses. The idea of 8 different Assassin's is
in cool, but the fact that 3 of them dont show up in the main story, and that a majority of the fights are pretty boring, is a huge letdown.SPOILERS FOLLOW
=================================================================================
SPOILERS!!!!!
The Deathstroke fight was easily the highlight of the game, one of the more intense fights I've done in recent years. I am, however, bummed that it came so early. This fight would have felt much more epic later in the game.
While the Electrocutioner fight was hilarious (for those who havent played, you knock him out in one hit), when they said he escaped, I was happy. "Ok cool, a new enemy who I just embarrassed will come back later for an epic battle." ....ORRRR, he's going to get killed in a cutscene...by the Joker....I was very letdown by this.
Also, while we're talkin about the Clown, as great as the Joker is, I was not happy to have him be the main antagonist....again. They had a chance to do a story with a new main enemy, but returned to familiar territory. Troy Baker did a great job as the Joker, taking nothing from him, but I would have much rather seen Black Mask in an extended Role.
END SPOILERS
===================================================================================
While I can't in all conscience score this extremely low, as it is still a decently fun game. This 6 hour romp with Batman is easily his worst in the series, and leaves much to be desired. I just hope the next Rocksteady installment makes me forget all about this! (PLEASE ADD IN THE BATMOBILE AND BATPLANE!)
6.0/10
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Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (PS4)
I know it's going to seem like I'm starting off each review by bashing a previous installment, but HOLY SHIT DID I HATE ASSASSINS CREED 3!!!! 6-7 hours of boring tutorials followed up by boring missions with a boring main character. Good lord. I couldn't stand this game. Amazing ideas, but poor poor execution. I wasn't even going to bother with Black Flag, but with the next-gen coming out, I wanted to see how a Sandbox game would be. And I couldn't be HAPPIER that I picked this game up. If this game had better/more "set-piece" main missions, this easily could have been my GOTY.
This game really didn't need to be called Assassin's Creed, but that's fine by me, The incredible world has so much to do, and it looks great the entire time. I played the crap out of the game, ending with 95%, only because I didn't do the optional objectives in the missions. I collected EVERY chest, EVERY fragment, found EVERY item in EVERY city, and took out those 4 (5) sons-of-bitches that occupy the corners of the map. (I think I did 97/100 Abstergo challenges, for those wondering)
Along with looking great, this game is fun as hell. Fighting is very smooth, both on sea and on land, but it's the naval battles that steal the show. Your variety of weapons keeps fighting from getting stale, and with the benefits of boarding the enemies ships, it makes the battles worth your time. One of the reasons I gave Far Cry 3 my GOTY 2012 is because it made sense and well worth your while to do the side activities, and ACIV seems to have taken from that. Hunting is worth it because you can upgrade packs, boarding ships gets you more materials and can give you ships for that dumb minigame (which is boring, but gets you tons of $$), getting viewpoints and exploring new towns gives you fast-travel locations, and so on.
My only problem is that a majority of the main missions consist of tailing someone or infiltrating some base. However, there are a few set-piece missions that stand apart from the rest. It also helps that the story is strong, and there are some decent plot twists. The ending is a bit abrupt, though. Needless to say, this game renewed my interest in the series, and IMO is a must have game, especially for next-gen.
9.75/10
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Shadow of the Colossus (HD Version)
I have been a huge gamer my entire life, and it is rare that I miss out on a critically acclaimed game. But SOTC is one that I never played. I am 24 now, and I remember back in 05 hearing about the game, but never getting around to do. All I kept saying to myself during my playthrough was, well, two things....
"How the hell is this a ps2 game?"
and
"I wish I played this back in the day...this would have easily been one of my favorite games."
Ho..Lee....Shit. I absolutely LOVED this game. After fixing the ridiculous camera controls and figuring out what to do, I was hooked. Each colossus is so unique and gorgeous, and finding out how to take them down was a great game mechanic. This is as much a puzzle game as it is a "fighting" game. If I was to describe this game in one word, it would be epic. The setting is perfect, a desolate landscape with only 16 beasts inhabiting the vast world. And the music!! Good god. One of the best scores I've ever heard.
Obviously, the main draw of the game are the boss battles, and they do not disappoint. Yes, each battle involves figuring out the enemies pattern/weakness, and then stabbing the hell out of their weak spots, but the fights are so different and varied that it keeps from getting stale (except for those 2 stupid lions). IMO, Colossus #13 was BY FAR the best. DAT JUMP DOE!
And I was a huge fan of the story and feel of the game, especially the "moral ambiguity" that came with killing the Colossi. Yes, you were doing it for the best of reasons, but you literally just invaded their world and stabbed the shit out of all of them for your own benefit. Not cool Wander, not cool.
If you have never played this game, PLAY IT NOW! If you have, then you already know how amazing it is.
KEEP CALM AND AGROOOO!
9.5/10
============================================================
Killzone: Shadow Fall (ps4)
PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS JUST FOR THE SINGLE PLAYER! I AM NOT A FAN OF ONLINE SHOOTERS
I was pretty excited for this game. As I stated, I don't play shooters online, but I do enjoy a good single player campaign, and with this being a next-gen PS4 exclusive, and having enjoyed the previous games, I figured i'd pick it up. I wasn't expecting too much, as most launch titles are forgotten within a year, but I was hoping the campaign would be decent.
And that's exactly what it was....decent.
Visually, this game kills it. Absolutely beautiful, from walking down a hallway to being in a plane watching a building collapse, Shadow Fall looks great the entire time. It also plays pretty damn well too, with the gunplay being fun enough to never get stale, and the touch-pad innovations with the OWL never felt too gimmicky and always responded fluidly.
However, this game is EXTREMELY linear, something I was pretty bummed about. I was really hoping they would make the game open-area, ala Crysis, to allow another layer to their single player. I got a false ray of hope when I saw that one of the OWL's features is Zipline (gimme a Shaka brah!). I figured you would be using this badboy to zoom about the map in the heat of combat....nope. The only times you use this is when the story prompts you, or you're at a part where there is no other way to continue. I feel like that could have had a ton of potential.
The story is decent, but nothing noteworthly. The campaign is definitely fun, except for ONE STUPID HANG GLIDING MISSION. The beginning 1/3 of this mission is SO BROKEN, I died a good 20 times before getting to the first "checkpoint", after which I cleared the rest of the mission no problem. For the uninitiated, you're hang-gliding through a crumbling city (which looks amazing) but with the shittiest control scheme and a terrible sense of where the hell to do. Frustrating doesn't even cover it.
All in all, KZ:SF's single player is worth a playthrough, especially those who love "graphical darlings" but not worth the 60 bucks. I know the online is its stronger aspect, so maybe that would better warrant a purchase new, but I'd recommend this as either a rental or a used game buy.
7.5/10
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Hope you guys enjoy! If I get positive feedback, I'll definitely do another batch!
Thanks!
TheXMiz
