Friday, 25 November 2016

Is Dishonoured 2 any good

Is Dishonoured 2 any Good?


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Corvo and Emily
Dishonoured 2 is the sequel to dishonoured. Dishonoured 1 was a critically acclaimed action/ adventure, stealth game in which you play Corvo Attano, the royal protector. The reason that the general consensus was that Dishonoured was a good game was the amount of choice it gave the player. Odds are that if you have a tough time sneaking through a part of the game there is a better way to do it if you explore the world. Exploring the well fleshed out world that Dishonoured provided was a joy as well as the powers you received for doing so. Dishonoured 2 is not revolutionary in the way that the first one was, in fact it is more of the same. However this might not be all bad considering how good the first game was, if it isn't broken don't fix it. Dishonoured 2's biggest change was in your ability to chose which character you play. This choice is presented to the player incredibly early and is final, however this is a game that warrants more than one play through so pick whatever your gut tells you. If you played the first game you are going to be instantly familiar as not much has changed in the world of Dishonoured. Corvo has the exact same powers as the first game, however with upgrades, all his powers pale in comparison to his blink, blink is his mobility power. Emily is the opposite her far reach mobility power is incredibly weak however her other powers make up for it's lack of power.  Just like the first game there is the lethal and non lethal play style giving you different endings.

Platform

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Two Grand guardsmen on patrol
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Emily's childhood drawings
Dishonoured 2 has a terrible PC port. This is evident in the low frames the sluggish mouse. The port is so bad in fact that I can't recommend this game as of right now for PC. There are no such issues on console and I wholeheartedly recommend the game for console. There are several patches being rolled out on PC which may fix the issues although it may not considering it is running on the void engine which is a modified id tech 5 engine with several problems. Overall keep your eye on the game if you are interested but only have a PC.

Conclusion

Dishonoured 2 is more of a good thing. It has improved various systems though in small ways. Dishonoured 2 is not innovative at all, however it is at it's core a good video game. It is compelling to play both play styles and has a compelling story with different interesting tidbits depending on which character you play. 

Friday, 18 November 2016

Is Diablo lll ROS any good?

Is Diablo ROS 3 any Good

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Choosing a class
Recently I've come back to what was at launch Blizzard entertainment's biggest disappointment in my eyes, however it has changed a lot since it's initial release. Diablo 3 is a dungeon crawler hack and slash. At launch the hacking and slashing wasn't much fun, however since release they have released new more interesting enemies that enhance the experience from what it once was. Not only this but the loot system has been made better with more interesting drops making the game overall more satisfying. The classes are Barbarian, Crusader, Monk, Wizard, Witch Doctor and Demon Hunter. While people will have their opinions as to which is best I believe they are well balance. Lately the content updates have been getting less common however the developers have recently renewed their support for the game and large updates are on their way in the coming months.

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Later on the game fight

Platform

Diablo 3 was harshly criticized for being less like the dungeon crawlers of old of which it inspired. It should also be mentioned that the most recent content, the Diablo 1 dungeon is not very good, I don't believe that it is a sign of what is to come but it should be mentioned. While this remains true it is less so and the hack and slash that it has adopted in its most recent iteration has gotten more fun. As a staple series of the dungeon crawler genre it does not have as much innovation as it should although I admit I am holding it to a higher stranded considering the previous games.

Conclusion

Overall Diablo is a much better game than it was on launch is slowly clawing it's way back to life through the determination of Blizzard. It has made vast improvements since its launch and I believe is worth a try if you enjoyed Diablo 2 or other dungeon crawlers but are OK with a somewhat more casual experience.
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Maltheal angel of death

 

Sunday, 6 November 2016

Is Warhammer: End-times Vermintide any good

Warhammer: End-times Vermintide

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The playable characters
Is Warhammer: End-times Vermintide any good? As an overall game yes as of late, no. Vermintide is a game that takes the Left 4 Dead formula and uses a Chivalry style combat system. This means that there are four players mowing down in this case Scaven with special enemies on the prowl. Chivalry style combat gives it the first person melee combat that is how you will be using to mow down the vast majority of the enemy. You can play as one of six characters, The Waywatcher, Dwarf Ranger, Empire soldier, Bright Wizard and Witch Hunter. They all have different skills and abilities. Whether it be the many guns of the Witch Hunter, the flames of the bright wizard or the shield of the Dwarf Ranger they all play relatively balanced and different. The melee combat is meaty in that when you hit a vermin it feels as though you truly crushed them. This all sounds well and good, however the developer ,Fatshark has put little content into the game since launch. 


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Some game play
Platform
The loot system is core to the game. Most of the loot is interesting in how it changes the players play style depending on the type, more rare items have more interesting effects. Overall Vermintide is a good game however it does falter in the area of new contents and the loot system.




Conclusion

 Overall Vermintide is a good game however it does falter in the area of new contents and the loot system. If you are the type of person okay with grinding and like the left for dead formula this game is for you.


Tuesday, 25 October 2016

Is Elite Dangerous any good

Is Elite Dangerous any 


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Large battle
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Small portion of the map, each dot is a planet
Elite Dangerous is a open world space simulator. Elite Dangerous simply presents you with a universe and says to make your own fun. With a map that to this day is still being explored by many many players Elite Dangerous is a game that goes incredibly in depth in its rich world building. There are political factions with different leaders within that all contend for power in a way that you can effect simply by being part of the universe. Something you must understand about Elite dangerous before you buy it and that is that it is very much like an MMO, in fact it is to a certain extent. No matter what you are all in the same universe and can effect various things ex: Political power in an area, key events, wealth of an area and what is valuable in an area. However should you choose you may play only ever seeing or being seen by AI ships. Elite is a game that provides in depth ship building that must factor various aspects in. When you begin playing you are taught the basics of how to fly and are thrown into a vast universe that is at the beginning near impossible not to get lost in. Elite is a game that you must truly love space and all things surrounding that, you must also be willing to fully dedicate yourself to the game in a way that most games do not let you do.
Platform
Elite dangerous is a game where you start with nothing but a spaceship and a universe to explore. From that point you may do as you please, however there is a high barrier to entry that could easily turn you off. I can't stress enough that you should be willing to be lost and confused when you first get this game.

Conclusion
Overall I would say that Elite Dangerous is a good game if a little confusing at times. Playing with friends is great fun especially if they know what they are doing and can teach you how to play.

Friday, 7 October 2016

Is Battle fleet Gothic: Armada Any Good?

Is Battlefleet Gothic: Armada Any Good?


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Upgrading ships between missions

Battlefleet is a sci-fi RTS set in the Warhammer 40k universe. For the purpose of this format I will not be including the DLC. Warhammer. If you have never played an RTS before Battlefleet is a great introduction and it has a masters degree in the rule of cool. This means that destroying a ship feels like you really did something that mattered, taking down a battleship actually feels like you just destroyed a true Goliath and taking down ships that you are bigger than is a serious power trip. However if you are a veteran RTS player and not a fan of the universe there is not much here to offer compared to some other RTS in the early game especially. The campaign takes place on a campaign map where you will respond to various threats. Whether that be the traitorous chaos forces or the Ork pirates you don't want to lose planets. Should you not respond to a threat in the campaign map or lose the battle when you do respond you lose the planet. This will do things from increase the cost of everything by 1% or maybe you will lose access to something entirely. Either way the campaign is a downward spiral. For completing missions to certain factions within the  Empire. This will give you powerful favours. They can easily define a ship whether that be the Adeptes Astartes making boarding actions more powerful or the inquisition being a powerful reconnaissance ship.

Platform
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Main antagonist Abaddon the Despoiler
 Battlefleet is effective at showing grand scale and making you feel like a sci-fi admiral. You truly feel as though you are doing something huge commanding capital ships their moves are very deliberate and while you have the ability to go faster it is limited and you can still be made to regret using your boosters, however it can be incredibly valuable as no ships have the ability to shoot backwards making them vulnerable to a flank. There are many strategies that work for the different factions I would recommend a beginner start with the Imperium as they have the most standard fighting style, grinding down the opponent and taking good engagements. I can't stress enough that the art is amazing in this game adding to the overall battles. Ork pirate ships look as though they are about to fall apart, Imperial ships have cathedrals looming overtop and the ever mysterious eldar have sleek magic sailboats.

Conclusion
Battlefleet Gothic: Armada is a fantastic game combining both the players ability to manage risks with turn based strategy and real time strategy. All this comes together blending into what is one of if not the best Warhammer 40K game of 2016.
 

Is Sid Meier's Civilization V Any Good

Civilization V


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How turn one looks
Civilization is the epitome of a 4X game. Likely if you have know what they are you know what Civilization is. Explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate, that is what 4X games are about. You start the game with a settler and a simple warrior and begin your civilization, but I'm getting ahead of myself let's start with that you load up the game and press play. You will be shown a list of leaders throughout history. Each and every one of them has a unique perk.  This can be overwhelming, as a beginner I would just pick whatever looks cool and as you play you will learn what they mean. The game does a pretty good job of explaining itself, but I would still recommend watching some videos on how at least the beginning of the game. The soundtrack fits the theme of the game very well but it does get annoying after a while. The biggest appeal to this  game in my opinion is not just that it has cool moments like medieval knights bombed by WW2 bombers, but that you get a feeling of either being the underdog or being a vast empire depending on how good you are at the game. However without the Brave new world and gods and kings expansion this game is regressive from the last game.

Platform
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Later game
When you play a game of civilization you are in for a wild ride but you must be willing to wait a long time and play a game that will go on for a very long time. To cut down on the wait either play single player or pit boss mode.

Conclusion 
Civilization V is a must have for anybody that is a fan of the 4X genre and is good for anybody wanting to learn how to play 4X games wholeheartedly should you get both DLC's. In conclusion Civilization V is good if you have the DLC

  

Is Undertale any good

Is Undertale any good

Your best friend Flowey

Undertale is the game that I would recommend to anybody whether they play video games or not. Obviously if you play video games you will get more out of Undertale. Undertale is a love letter to old school RPG's, specifically earthbound and the mother series. It also has meaningful choice in the form of the mercy system. Undertale has many unique and innovative systems, including the combat system which is a combination of classic JRPG and modern bullet hell's. Undertale also has; an amazing soundtrack, a touching story, good pacing and a to die for sense of humour. It has a story that makes you think about you as the player and the way that you affect the world around you with your choices in a revolutionary way. Undertale is a game that makes you think about things that might otherwise go unnoticed. It makes you care about the characters and realize that you not your character you looking at your screen are something more sinister than any enemy in the game could ever be.


Platform
The beginning of your journey
Undertale is perfect for the video game format. What is special about Undertale is its use of you as the player that other forms of media could not achieve do to their lack of participation. Yet that's no all. It manipulates you as the player and subverts your expectations whether that be how to defeat enemies or use of the AI  Undertale is perfect for the video game format. How is the pacing? While it doesn't outstay it's welcome and respects the value of your time, which many if not all games in its genre do not do, it does slow down at some points for what feels like a lore dump.



Conclusion
In conclusion I would say yes Undertale is a fantastic game if you have any interests in old school RPG's. Do to it's inspirations being in the Mother franchise it does have a very similar feel and if you don't like games like Earthbound you won't like Undertale. Other than that I wholeheartedly recommend Undertale and to get the most out of it go in blind and be familiar with genre tropes.