Hjem Blogg Side 432

EA to make more Mass Effect

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As a result of Mass Effect: Andromeda’s cold reception, rumours has spread about EA killing of the series. Luckily the publisher gives us a hope that not all is lost. In an interview with Gamereactor, EA’s Executive Vice President Patrick Söderlund had this to say;

«Well I think, my personal opinion is, I think that the game… I usually don’t do this, but this is one of those places where I feel like the game got criticised a little bit more than it deserved. I think the game is actually a great game. Yes, we have to acknowledge the fact that there were some things that maybe we could have done better, absolutely, but as a whole, if you go in and you buy the game today with everything that’s in it today, I believe that that’s a game worth buying, personally.»

“So that’s the first thing I’ll say. The [second] thing I’ll say is, for Mass Effect as a franchise, that has such a big fanbase, and you know I’ve seen people saying ‘Oh, EA’s not making another Mass Effect’. I see no reason why we shouldn’t come back to Mass Effect. Why not? It’s a spectacular universe, it’s a loved [series], it has a big fanbase, and it’s a game that has done a lot for EA and for BioWare”

Keep in mind that the studio behind Andromeda, BioWare Montreal, has been severely reduced staff-wise according to reports. As a result it will in all likelihood be BioWare Edmonton, the studio behind the original trilogy, who’ll take over production of the next game.

The Disney Afternoon Collection – Review

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“The kid in me exploded of joy when I heard that 8-Bit Ducktales theme”

 

Name: The Disney Afternoon Collection
Developer: Digital Eclipse
Publisher: Capcom
Released: 18, April 2017
Platforms: Digital only on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC
Reviewed on: PlayStation 4

 

 

A true classic of a game was born for almost 30 years ago. Little did they know that this game and some of the future ones would be legendary in video game history. There might be a lot of these games, but I’m talking about a few Disney classic’s.

 

Capcom has released an all new collection of six remastered classic’s such as, Ducktales, Talespin, Chip’n Dale Rescue Rangers and Darkwing Duck. Does these six games uphold its legacy and is this “Afternoon Collection” worth your time and money? Let’s find out:

 

The Disney Afternoon Collection (Everything else)
This collection also adds more content besides the games. Such as added game modes, music collections, digital artwork and more. It sure can feel like an digital museum but I love it. The kid in me exploded of joy when I heard that 8-Bit Ducktales theme.

The biggest addition might be “Boss Rush” and “Time Attack” with online leaderboards.

In “Boss Rush” you can play against every boss you can encounter in a game without playing everything between. “Time Attack” encourage time based gameplay and also provides a online leaderboard that will track the fastest time on each game. “Rewind” feature can make the games for fun for newcomers, with the option to rewind time and try again.

 

The manuals added in each game are easy to locate and read, it does not forwarding you to an external site and that is very appreciated.

 

Ducktales and Ducktales 2

 

Ducktales was original released back in 1989, and the sequel arrived in 1993.
This game might hold the least linear experience in this collection, or even the least linear platform game created. Ducktales features an “open world” feeling but in 2D platformer gameplay. Every map are full of mysterious twists, deadly turns or alternate paths there is even a few secret areas.

 

The sequel had a few improvements than the first game, such as Scrooge’s cane might feels a little easier to control.   


Chip’n Dale Rescue Rangers and Chip’n Dale Rescue Rangers 2

Chip’n Dale Rescue Rangers and the sequel original released in 1990 and 1993.
The first game might feel a little short of gameplay time, the best time I got finished the game was around 30-40 minutes. But this isn’t a bad thing, because every minute of this game feels perfectly made, there is nothing that you can blame on if you fail a level besides your own skillset.

 

The sequel in another hand might be one of the rarest NES games today, but even though that the games works perfectly as the first one the levels are more uninspired. But the option to play both these games with a friend on the same screen keeps me coming back for more.  


Talespin

Talespin original released in 1991, it is basically a shoot em up game. I’m really sorry to say this, but Talespin might be one of the worst games in this collection. The game isn’t a bad game per se, but the mechanics and a novel attempt on adding a re-adjust shooting direction. But the game runs very slowly, even for the NES era. But the game is fun to play and worth a spot in the afternoon collection.


Darkwing Duck

Darkwing Duck original released 1992 and I will say that this game could almost compare with another game called Mega Man. Not exactly the same, but it is close. And Capcom does deliver us the same nostalgic feeling now as they did back then.

The Verdict

The Disney Afternoon Collection holds the true nostalgic feeling of these six NES games, despite that these games are almost 30 years old. All the digital add ons such as music, artworks and more keeps this collection an interesting piece of work besides the games. This is truly worth your time and money, all of the games deserves to be played but Ducktales and Chip’n Dale stays as the strongest games in this collection.
8/10
+ Nostalgic feeling
+ Added game mods works perfectly
+ “Digital Museum”
– Have to restart the collection for closing up an ongoing game session.
– Minor hiccups / bugs

Skyforge – PlayStation 4 Review

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My first impression including a verdict

 

Name: Skyforge
Developer: Allods Team, Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher: My.com
Original Released: 16, July 2015 (PC)
PlayStation 4 release: 11, April 2017

 

Many MMORPGs are being re-released on the PlayStation 4, for example Neverwinter and Warframe. But there aren’t many of them that is worth your time, so does Skyforge fulfill my lust to play an mass multiplayer online role playing game? (MMORPG)

 

I’ve tried the game a little when it first launched on the PC back in 2015, and I also got the early access for the PlayStation 4 release. And I must say that I’m impressed by the improvements they have done in this game. Not just the graphical improvements as visuals and animation overhaul, but they also fixed a few things on the core system, such as the battle system, added new campaign, the classes are actually playable and many other small issues has been improved.

 

Graphics and Story
The cinematics and environmental graphics are impressive in Skyforge, even the textures and visuals are strong for an free to play MMORPG game. The colours are bright and beautiful and it will keep your eye engaged for a while.

 


But as always, almost every games especially MMORPGS comes with it’s flaws. Skyforge is no exception, character customizations, buildings, arts etc are truly set in high science fiction / fantasy setting. But sadly everything feels “boxed” there is no personality in either level design, animations, or even in the setting itself.

 

The storytelling in Skyforge isn’t quite good, as it seems like they expect players to already know the lore of this universe before starting to play. Script and voice acting is at it’s core basic, not bad but it’s not good either.

 

 

Gameplay
It’s in here Skyforge shines and difference from the other MMORPG’s out there. The combat system is excellent and fun to play, it’s fluid and easy to learn even though it might feel over the top. Unlike the others Skyforge uses another system like a action beat em-up. Evasion tactics, challenging combos, lock-on tactics and so on might feel a little difficult in the beginning, but it’s easy to learn. All of the 13 different classes comes with unique skill set and combos, so you better start playing if you want to play through them all.

 

The user interface or UI as it is called, might feel a little different from the PC version. But that is for the better, because the UI has not been any better as it is now. Easy to maneuver, and players are introduced to this massive system and mechanics easily.  

 

But the biggest question lays in since the game is in “Free to Play”, is it pay to win?

This question is a little hard to answer, because I want to say Yes and No. This depends on what your definition of pay to win is. Some games forces you to pay money so you can proceed in the game, Skyforge is nothing like that. I’ve played Skyforge for a while now, and I haven’t spend any money on the game yet, and I do not feel that I need to pay for more content, armors, weapons etc. But on the other hand, if you really are in a hurry and wants to play with the big league or even join phantoms ( guilds / clans ) the option to buy your power up is there. Overall the game is still fun to play even though that the pay to win factor is there.  

 

The Verdict

Skyforge PlayStation 4 port does not look like to break any records, but the game is gorgeous to look at and with a fluid and strong combat system. The pay to win factor is there, but not a problem. It is worth mention that there is always room for improvement, so that means that upcoming updates might fill some holes in the gap in this game. Overall it’s a fun action packed MMORPG game.  

 

7/10
+ Environmental Graphics
+ User Interface
– Animations
– Story

Rain World – Review

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Name: Rain World
Developer: Videocult
Publisher: Adult Swim Games

Released: 28, March 2017
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC
Reviewed on: PlayStation 4

 

Rain World is a harsh world for our little protagonist. In this 2D action platformer, our cute little creature called “Slugcat” loses his family and has to survive on its own and find the way back to the family. One thing is certain when you start playing Rain World, prepare to die a lot.

 

 

Gameplay

We travel around in this obscure world by combining strategy, stealth, survival and even some sorts of self defence. We can pick up stick and stones to throw at our enemies, but I deeply recommend that you run. (I tried to hide multiple times, but got eaten every time)

Mainly our objective is to survive and finding our way back to our family, but the harsh environment makes thing a little difficult for our little Slugcat. Everyday we have to find shelter for the deadly rain, food so we don’t starve including exploring the world day by day.

 

There is not anything that suggest where you go to or explore, everything is up to you. The controllers is easy to learn, but might get frustrating as things isn’t always doing what you want it to do.

 

The different kinds of enemies that you can encounter have their own behaviour. Let’s call two of them disco lizards, as they look like lizards and disco party music always appears when they are close. Green ones can’t climb, but the pink ones can. They have patterns they follow, so keep an eye out on their patterns.

 

You will enter new regions for progression on your journey, but you need to hibernate in chambers to both survive the rain and save your progress. There is a lot to learn in Rain World, you only learn how to eat, hibernate and pick up stick and stones, the rest is up to you. One thing is for certain, everything in this game can kill you.

 

This game is not for everybody, as the first few hours of gameplay might be a little slow. Controllers a little slow, jumping and fighting are basically useless. But that isn’t bad game design, it pretty much realize for you that this is harsh world and you are not meant to survive it.

 

The Graphics

Rain World’s ecological catastrophic theme interest me, what happened here?
The details of this obscure but very detailed architectures, textures, animations and so on fits perfectly. It’s weird looking and beautiful at the same time, might just be that Rain World is going on my list of best looking 2D games.

 

The Verdict

Rain World makes you think and improvise your tactics. It’s beautiful environment, animations  and even the frustrating controls makes this game unique in a good way. If you do have patients this game is for you, as things can’t be rushed.

 

7/10

+ Unique graphics
+ Gameplay Experience / Replay Value
– Controls

Troll and I – Review

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*Maybe the Troll should’ve stayed under the bridge?*

 

Name: Troll and I
Developer: Spiral House
Publisher: Maximum Games
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, NIntendo Switch ( Coming Soon )
Reviewed on: PlayStation 4

 

Troll and I is based on Scandinavian folklore and truly had me intrigued at first. A new video game where you can play as the troll beneath the bridge. (ref. Three Billy Goats Gruff )

But has Spiral House done a great job creating a game based on a myth? Let’s find out:

 

Story
Deep down in the Nordic wilderness, a teenage boy named Otto is forced to flee his home after a group of hunters rip his hometown apart in the search of a mythical creature rumored to inhabit the forest. Otto and his mother gets separated and her condition is unknown to Otto, so his journey back to his village begins. Along the journey he befriends Troll who also got separated from his family. together they embark on a mythical journey plagued with different enemies who are natives to the forest also known as “Ahky”. Including fighting off the Ahkys and finding the way back home, they must run away from the hunters as well.  As they have been employed by a man to collect this mystery creature.

 


Launch Trailer

The story itself isn’t the main problem with Troll and I, yes the story is pretty basic. A young boy loses his friends and family and got rescued by a Troll. Together they have to fight off evil men and creatures, which results in them becoming friends. But the story is pretty much badly presented to us, cinematics have issues with framerate and visual drops. But the lack of details and production value is clearly visible.

 

One of the biggest moments in the game, where the troll gets revealed isn’t a “wow factor”, the whole sequence isn’t a surprise and is done in seconds. Every voice actor from NPC’s and even the protagonist Otto sounds bored, monotonic and badly scripted lines. Sometimes it was so bad that I had to calm myself down from either anger or sadness. Because I think I can see what Spiral House have tried to do here, but performance wise is way to bad.  

 

Graphics and Gameplay

 

Gameplay

Troll and I supports cooperation through the “old way”. Nowadays it’s called couch-play but in my childhood days it was called something easy as “Split Screen” or maybe the nickname
“DO NOT LOOK AT MY SCREEN!”. And it is here where Troll and I shines at its best. Playing locally and cooperating with a friend, figuring out the puzzles and battle through Ahky. One thing I have to mention is Otto and Troll’s haircuts, it is the same!
Maybe it is coincidence or maybe it is just laziness from the developer. Even though it is still funny to look at.

 

Playing as Otto brings out the crafting and stealth mechanics of the game, Otto can hunt animals, gather different kinds of rocks and berries and more to gain crafting materials for weapons and healing. There is also different skills to upgrade, not as big as an skill tree though. Playing as the Troll might feel like controlling a giant, like you might have done in the PlayStation 2 game “War of the Monsters”, crushing and swiping enemies. Troll also stands to help out Otto in difficult places, either to reach out up to ledges or even Troll has to carry an airplane wing to create a bridge for Otto. There are a few times where the feeling that the need for Troll is there, like when Otto isn’t able to clear out hordes of enemies, clearing out gaps and more. But that is pretty much it, playing as the Troll in split screen requires a lot of patient. As Troll has to wait for Otto to finish up different tasks and levels, so that Troll can continue.

 

UlvePlay – Troll and I – Split Screen Gameplay + OST Cutscene

 

The combat system is pretty basic, nothing advanced about it. That might be a good thing, if the game is supposed to be for kids. Easy learned controllers, no fancy combos, crafting system or skill tree. Everything is pretty much basic, but then again. If the game tries to reach out for the hardcore gamer, well then this game is not for you as it is too simplistic.

 

Graphics
Had this game only released during the end of PlayStation 2 or the beginning of PlayStation 3 era, could this game be fantastic graphics and visuals. But that is not the case here, the standards for this generation of games are quite different from PS2 / PS3 era. The visuals, animations, acting, game design in general are in low quality. Sometimes the game feels unfinished some places, there is a lot of bugs in the game and texture drop.


The Verdict

Troll and I is a fun action adventure game playing with a friend on split screen, especially if you play with your child. But then again, the game in general has a lot of flaws and feels unfinished, bad voice acting and script keeps the story boring to follow. And that is truly a big bummer, as I was looking forward to this game. The mainstream of hardore gamers won’t probarly want to get this game, but if you are looking for a easy game to play co operatively with your child or others. Well then this game might just be fine to cover those needs.

 

5/10

+ Split Screen Gameplay
+/- Easy to learn, might be too simple for some

– Feels unfinished
– Visuals, textures and animations

The Elder Scrolls Legends – Review

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Turn based card game based on the lore from The Elder Scrolls

 

Name: The Elder Scrolls Legends

Developer: Dire Wolf Digital
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Released: 9, March 2017
Platforms: PC (Tablets and Mobile Phones coming soon)
Reviewed on: PC

 

Released versions:
PC – Released 9, March 2017
iPad – 23, March 2017

Android Tablets – April 2017
Mac OS – May 2017
Mobile Phones – Early summer 2017

 

There are a few CCG (Computer Card Game) games out in the wild now. Like the very familiar game from Blizzard Hearthstone, or even a more famous one Magic the Gathering..
So how can the Elder Scroll version of an CCG game stand out from the rest, and is it any good?

 

Story
The main story in Legends isn’t very good at all, it does serve it’s purpose to give us a entrance or tutorial to the game’s mechanics. The rewards giving in story mode by gaining different premade decks, learning different strategies and so on is worth your time in this mode. Just look aside the bad voice acting and script.

 

Gameplay

 

We can build our own card deck from 50 cards and up, recommended that we stay on 50 cards so we have a better chance of getting our favorite card drawn during battle. We also have an attribute system in our “deck making”, there is a few classes we can choose from including a colour system as well. Where Red is “Strength”, Blue is “Intelligence”, Purple is “Endurance”, Green is “Agility”, Yellow is “Willpower”, Grey / White cards are neutral. Each deck can only hold two attributes plus neutral, this means there can be tons of variations, combinations and so on that could affect the gameplay.

 

Same as in Hearthstone in each battle both players start off with 30 health points, but with a few things different. As the health points and magicka points are not capped as we say, that means the points won’t stop adding up on a certain point. Also there are two lanes of battling instead of one, this is something that sets Legends apart from the rest. A field lane on the left, and a cover lane on the right. When you play a card on the cover lane, that card stays cloaked during your opponent’s next turn. That means it cannot be attacked by any enemy creature on that turn.
I’ve played a lot of Hearthstone, but this lane system in Legends really gave me more to think about during my battle. I got to rethink my normal strategy.

 

We also got runes on our health bar, set on 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25. So if our health goes below on each five points a rune breaks and gives us a new card to our hand to give us a second chance of getting back in the game.

  

 

Gameplay Video

 

The effort done in detailing each card and its attribute / buffs are very well done in Legends. Speed, high attack power, much health is the key in Hearthstone to win a match. But here in Legends this isn’t the case, each card has it’s purpose just like in Hearthstone. But here that is way more complicated so we are forced to think before you act. So think twice while building your deck, so you can get that really powerful combo.

 

This is an free to play game, and like Hearthstone you can buy packs with cards with ingame coins or real money. Microtransactions is something I’m very much against and afraid off. But Legends is very generous when it comes to rewarding you by playing either in PVE (Player versus Environment or AI as we can say) or PVP (Player versus Player). I got a few legendaries to my custom made deck very fast by playing in either Arena or competitive. But then again there are a lot of cards, including legendaries. And like Hearthstone, each pack that we can buy ain’t cheap.

 

The Bad

What I really miss in Legends are better design of characters on the cards, menus or user interface as it is called. Hearthstone created their game based on the World of Warcraft universe, and that is being shown very well in their design. Legends isn’t even close to being​ even with the visuals or sound design. Fans of The Elder Scrolls might feel welcome here as the game is set true to it’s lore and characters.  


The Verdict

What Legends lacks of visuals, graphics and story mode makes up in the gameplay experience. The new mechanics and a few familiar game modes are unique and fun to play. Even though it is a free to play game it gives me the feeling of getting righteously​ rewarded when it comes to rare or even legendaries cards. The design in attributes and buffs in each cards are for now fairplay for those who choose not to use a lot of money buying packs.
7/10
+ Card attributes / buffs
+ Gameplay mechanics
+ Fairplay when it comes to the issue of “Pay to Win”
– User Interface
– Visuals
– Sound Design

Bandai Namco and Dontnod Entertainment announces partnership

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Bandai Namco has announced a partnership with Dontnod Entertainment, developers of Life is Strange. The partnership will include the creation of a new IP, based on a new narrative adventure.

Dontnod Logo
Dontnod

More details about the game, such as a release date and platform(s) will be announced during 2018, but Bandai Namco has said it will take place in a fictional US city, and that it will include “a fair bit of investigation”. The game has been in development since 2016.

The story in the game is still being finalised, but development will not affect Dontnod’s probably most anticipated title, Life is Strange season 2, as the new title is developed by a separate team of developers.

Hitman – Season One Review

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Disclaimer, this is an old review from our previous site, that we have tried to «remastered» to be a bit more up to date.
Name: Hitman
Developer: IO Interactive
Publisher: Square Enix
Released: 11, March 2016 – 31, January 2017
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Linux
Reviewed on: PlayStation 4

I was surprised as many others when IO Interactive and Square Enix announced that the next Hitman game will arrive as episodes instead of one complete game. This review of Hitman is quite overdue regarding when the first episode released up till the last episode in season one. Does an episodic Hitman game deliver?

The first episode released back in March 2016, but in January 2017 a physical copy with every episode in season one arrived. And that is what I’m going to talk about and review. It’s a late review I know, but I think it is important to get my opinions out on this game, if and I hope season two arrives.

hitman_runway.0Story

It is a little hard to talk about the story in the Hitman games since this hasn’t been the main focus. Excluding Hitman: Absolution, but that didn’t receive very good critics within its fan base. I myself liked it. But IO Interactive’s decision on delivering us an episodic murdering playground did hit me pretty positive. Finally a game like Hitman: Blood Money, only bigger and more options.

There is a thin red line as you say in the story, told in a few cutscenes between missions, different dialogues throughout the game and so on. But the main thing is you are Agent 47 and have a job to do, assassinate your target.

hitmanseason12Gameplay and Graphics

If you can manage to stop focusing on assassinating your target, and just enjoy the details IO Interactive has done with the level design, you would be surprised. Each of the six episodes that have been released so far, has had its gentle touch with level design, textures, lighting, little details and so on all the technical words available in the video game industry. There are some points where things are quite good, but we’re getting on that later on.

There are multiple ways to assassinate your target, explore your territory, listen to different conversations to unveil different opportunities, find disguises and so on. The options are almost endless, explode your target with remote explosives, drown him/her, poison your target, go guns blazing, fiber wire, lifeboat “accident”, pretend to be a model. The choices are massive, by therefore the replay value on each mission is huge. For each time you finished a mission, you will unlock new disguises, new starting positions, new weapons and more. And this is just the story mode, there also Escalation mode and Elusive Targets.
Escalation mode adds requirements when you’re about to assassinate your target or maybe multiple targets. For instance, assassinate the main chef disguised as and soldier and with a knife. And all of this in a set time limit.hitmangotyElusive Targets is timed mode who lets you go after special targets. This target won’t be seen on any map or highlighted and you have only one chance of success before the target is lost forever. This is something IO Interactive releases a few times between different time limits, players can also create something similar to elusive targets called contract mode. ( First used in Hitman: Absolution) where you can set a random NPC as a target with requirements of engagement and then share it with other players.

hitman-goty-review-3The Bad

I can’t quite figure out the logic on neutral NPCs and enemy AI sometimes. Even though I have the right disguise and no one is marked as “dangerous”, I’m still getting noticed. Accidentally bump into an NPC, or just standing in the crowd might set off the alarm. This is a little annoying, as some of the levels are packed. Not a big issue, as this rarely happens.
The biggest issue I have with this Hitman game is how enemy AI can recognize me. You can say they are a little slow. If you kill a person and an enemy see it, well after a long pause the bald guy with a barcode tattoo aren’t a suspect any longer.

hitman GOTY editionThe last big issue I got with Hitman, as many other games had during launch and changed later on ( Example Simcity) is the “always connected online” requirement. You will not be able to play the game, even though it is a solo game when the servers are down or you have no internet connection. This might also be the reason why the game has a long loading period sometimes.

Denne bildekrusellen krever javaskript.

Horizon Zero Dawn – Review

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A “must have” for PS4 Pro owners

 

Name: Horizon Zero Dawn
Developer: Guerrilla Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Released: 28, February (US) 1, March (EU)
Platforms:  PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Pro
Reviewed on: PlayStation 4 Pro

 

Guerilla Games have been developing games for PlayStation since PlayStation 2 era with Killzone franchise.I thought they maybe they was joking when they announced Horizon Zero Dawn during E3 two years ago. A new world with robotic dinosaurs at the top of the food chain, and “our world” (the futuristic metal world) has gone under on a mysterious way. This just had to be good, and my exaptations went up when it comes with Guerrilla Games graphics.

 

So how well did PlayStation’s new exclusive game go?   

 

Graphics

Let’s start off with the graphics in Horizon Zero Dawn, have in mind that i’ve played this game on the PlayStation 4 Pro. Guerilla Games does not disappoint here. The visuals are stunning through every frame the game can muster. I can easily say that this game is the most beautiful and take the most advantage of the PlayStation 4 Pro with 4K support and HDR. If you need a reason to buy a new 4K TV or maybe just the PlayStation 4 Pro, Horizon is your reason.

 

If you can manage to slow down your “speedrun” from mission to mission, and just enjoy the view. Than you will know what i mean, every frame is beautifully made with no details spared.
I really can’t find much negative to say about the graphics in this game, nor about the animations. You can see that Guerrilla Games have worked hard on the details, but this is something we already know from them with Killzone. Photographic AI’s and animations and much more.

 

Video from the first 17 minutes of Horizon Zero Dawn, notice the graphics in the background and on the AI’s

 

Story

But what about the story in Horizon? Killzone franchise have had it’s ups and downs when it comes to story mode. Horizon Zero Dawn’s background story is strong, but almost every character besides Aloy (the main character in the game) lacks of personality. And Aloy’s story for me does not interests me so much, but the background story on what has happened in this world is very interesting. Aloy’s story isn’t bad, a well scripted storyline and excellent voice acting does increase the quality of Horizon Zero Dawn.

 

But what is the story?
The main storyline follows a young huntress in a post apocalypse world. Grows up as an outcast from the tribe, but without spoiling to much of the story becomes a “seeker” for the tribe.
Aloy as our hero is called, searches the world of Horizon to learn more about her past and previous civilization.   


Gameplay

But for the most of us, gameplay is the most important thing in every video game. Graphics and story can be excellent or extremely bad, but if the gameplay is extremely fun everything else just vanishes.

 

Like I said earlier, Horizon’s performance is extremely good in every little detail. With so little flaws from launch comes Horizon in as an very successful video game. Controllers are easy to learn and feels natural, same goes with response time when you “push the buttons” [time the character respons after giving a command on the controller) A well builded skill tree to upgrade and gain experience, modifications for each weapon and armor. It might feel a lot to take in at first, but it doesn’t take long before you get the hang of it.

 

The world is big and you get the option to fast travel as many other open world games. But here in Horizon, that option is limited. You get “packages” to use for fast traveling, and this is a good thing. You need to think twice before you decide to rush your way through Horizon’s world. Every side missions you can do on your way for the next main story, is equally interesting. Sure the time between every main story mission can differ between 30 minutes to hours. But that’s the fun of it, and resources is something you deeply need for ammo, upgrades and so on. Side missions can be interesting in both background history or just a challenge in different hunting competitions. This will keep the player to return to Horizon for more.  Each type, both side missions and story missions.

One extra thing that I liked a lot about Horizon Zero Dawn is the combat system and gaining intel about enemies. For each robotic machine you encounter, you won’t be getting any tutorial on how you can defeat it. No here you have to study your enemy and learn by yourself. And this is one of the strongest aspect of this game. One small issue I have is something that also occurred in Killzone. I’ve have died a lot in Horizon, but that is because I’m stupid to go into a fight where i am outnumbered and “underpowered”, so that’s not the issue I got, but the lack of damage indication towards Aloy. It is hard to tell how much Aloy is taking “fire”, sometimes a hit does small damage and other times you fall to completely zero on the health bar on one hit.

 

.  

First encounter of a robotic boss

 

Verdict
I must say that Horizon Zero Dawn is much better than I expected, Guerilla Games has delivered a new fresh game that is extremely well done. The gameplay is rewarding, I’m eager to learn more about what has happened in this world and of course a compelling story led by Aloy.
For me personality is something that I wager on a lot in a game, especially when one of the biggest aspect of a game is story. ( Look at Uncharted 4 for example)

But those are small issues when it comes for an overall, Horizon Zero Dawn is a strong and beautiful game. I welcome you the PlayStation family with open arms, this is a must have game for PlayStation 4 Pro owners.
9/10
+ Stunning Graphics / Photographic
+ Combat System
+ Engaging background story
+ Many things to do besides main story line
– Lack of personality in AI
– Lack of damage indicator

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard – Review

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“VR mode is close to real life torture”

 

Name: Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Released: 24, January 2017
Platform: PS4, PSVR, Xbox One, PC
Reviewed on: PlayStation 4 & PlayStation VR

 

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is meant to set a new course for the series, while it also goes back to its roots. This is also the first Resident Evil game where we play in first person mode.

Unfortunately I had my hands on the game on for the PS4 with PSVR compatibility.
So how scary or good is Biohazard?

 

Story
The main story sets after the events of Resident Evil 6. Where we are introduced to the Baker family, who has been missing and have no contact to anyone anymore. We play as Ethan, his wife Mia went missing three years ago. And with a mysterious message from here, are now Ethan on a plantation in Louisiana trying to find and save his wife. But unfortunately this plantation are owned by the Baker family. Jack and Marguerite Baker just to mention two of them, psychopaths, crazy and cannibals is the nice description of these people. Along our search for Mia in the house, we discover a mysterious virus. Without spoiling to much for you, but yes we have to search for the virus. But hey, we get help by a girl named Zoe on the phone who seemingly says that she’s the daughter of Marguerite Baker. We can’t possible get into any problems now?

 

Graphics

The graphics in Biohazard are extremely well done. It’s almost way to realistic, the little details, animations and just the whole textures are realistic. The developer team here has done an incredible job to make sure that the graphics keeps the mood/setting in the game. There are few minor details on the little stuff, but that is just me trying to find something to pick on. But the textures, brightness and light effects are perfected.   

 

Gameplay
The game comes with three different difficulties, easy, normal or madhouse. No matter what difficulty you choose, this game will scare the s*** out of you. The controllers are very basic and easy to learn, aiming and shooting controllers are a little clumsy sometimes.
My main issue with RE7: Biohazard is that this game is incredible fun and scary to play the first time. And around 15 hours gameplay it’s over. You can play the story again on higher difficulty, or play again to earn a different ending (found two different endings so far) or even just play again to collect all the collectibles. Another thing I reacted on, but in a frustrated good way is how challenging the game is. Some hard puzzles, special boss fights and so on. It is frustrating challenging and I like it. This remember me about the old times, when video games was hard to play.


VR Experience

Connect into a VR system and put in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard in, here lies the main experience.
If you own a PlayStation VR (or other VR compatible system for this game), you should try to play this game. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is to this date the best video game on the VR for PlayStation. But there is a big but here, If you choose to play in VR mode I warn you. This game is terrifying when you play as normal, but once you put on the VR the adrenaline, feelings and experience is close to real life torture. It sure was fun for my girlfriend to watch me play in VR, so I took it slow regarding playing in VR.  

 
The Verdict

Even though Resident Evil 7 plays outside it’s main storyline from the rest of the series, does this game hold a good standpoint. The attempt to run RE7 in first person mode will I say is successful. Playing the game normally is fun and terrifying, but the best experience lays in VR mode. A few minor details of graphics and aiming / shooting but not an issue. The replay value isn’t quite there for yourself, but ask friends and family who never had tried it yet and enjoy.

 

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard keeps your adrenaline up all the time, the story is thrilling and exciting. “So welcome to the family, son!”
9/10
+ Realistic graphics
+ A true terrifying horror game
+ VR mode
– Replay value
– Aiming / Shooting can be little clumsy