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Tag: Weekly Gaming

Weekly Gaming: Sonic Forces (PC)

Hey all!

This week I take a look at a series I’ve long loved, the Sonic franchise! I would usually be excited about this, but I’m afraid there’s bad news: Sonic Forces is easily one of the worst games I’ve ever played. Graphics aside, the game has next to no redeeming features, with it’s controls easily being one of the worst I’ve ever experienced. It’s as if the animations/graphics were made by Hollywood studios, whilst the programming was left to a bunch of primary school children.

If you want to read my full opinions on the matter, by all means click the link below:

http://www.vgchartz.com/article/270151/sonic-forces-pc/

Until next week, I hope you’re well, and I look forward to seeing you beautiful face once again!

-Dan

17/11/2017
Weekly Gaming: Little Nightmares (PS4 Pro)

Hi all!

This week I’m linking back to a game I played a few weeks ago; Little Nightmares. Whilst the game may be short, it’s certainly engrossing, and creepy, so should you want to spend 3-4 hours playing in a unique and weird world, give Little Nightmares a look; you won’t regret it.

You can read my full impressions on the game by clicking the link below:

http://www.vgchartz.com/article/268003/little-nightmares-ps4/

Hope you have a great week, and until next time, stay classy.

-Dan

19/05/2017
Weekly Gaming: Pneuma: Breath of Life (Xbox One)

I’m not going to lie; I only happened across Pneuma: Breath of Life because I was worried I wouldn’t finish a game this week and needed a quick and easy game to complete. Checking through game times on HowLongToBeat.com whilst also using my xbox One, I finally happened across Pneuma, and being as I needed to complete a game desperately, I decided to give it a go.

The first thing that grabbed my attention (for the worst may I add) was the annoying voiceover that seemed, if anything, detrimental to the game and experience I was having as a whole. I understood why it was there (to give a familiar voice and person to attach to whilst exploring a desolate world), but otherwise, his voice was annoying and his questions were far too philosophical for my liking.

Move past the annoying voice in your head and you soon experience a breath-taking visual affair with the game. Tiles reflect realistically as you make your way around what appears to be an old museum (which has manifested before your very eyes), with every detail, from the wooden bookcases to the golden arches all being stunningly rendered in real-time. I find it insane that a small indie studio made this game, as it genuinely looks like something a AAA studio would create with thousands of pounds and hundreds of artists.

Beyond all that beauty, there is a game to behold, with puzzles being thrown at you with every new room you enter. Whilst some of the puzzles centre around pulling levers to move objects in the world, the vast majority of them involve observation; where you must observe certain objects in the world in order to progress. For example; one room may contain bridge that isn’t in the correct location. Should you look at it and move left, it’ll move left with you, but only when you focus on it.

It’s also through this observation mechanic that the game narrates itself, saying that if one can perceive themselves and only themselves, are they truly alive, or a figment of ones imagination? It’s questions like this that constantly get asked throughout the entire games 2 hour play length, and whilst none of the questions are ever answered, they still leave a good imprint on you once finished.

A fantastic example the questions leaving an imprint was just towards the end of the game, when the narrator you’re controlling finally realises he’s being controlled by you and that he isn’t in control of his own destiny. In this instance, the narrator starts trying to “tug” away from your onward journey towards the games end; a fantastic scene that truly broke the fourth wall and made me partially believe I really was controlling someone against their will.

For all my talk of how annoying the voiceover was in the first half of Pneuma, I genuinely started liking him towards the end. Partially probably because he started talking less often, but also because he stopped being so quirky, stupid, and random and actually started sounding like a proper human being.

The same progression of character cannot be said for the puzzles themselves throughout Pneuma. Whilst they start off difficult in the early sections due to the new mechanic of observing eyes throughout the environment, they soon start becoming repetitive and easy later on, to the point that every new puzzle you come across you merely know to look at it in a new way and it’ll fix itself eventually. It’s a shame the puzzle elements fizzled out, but I suppose you can’t expect the developers to have perfect puzzles throughout with the same limited pallet of puzzle pieces.

Considering the game was only 2 hours long and was fairly enjoyable, I found myself surprised I hadn’t played Pneuma earlier. The game was free on Xbox Live Games with Gold a while back, and whilst I only played it because I was in a hurry and knew it was fast to complete, I still came back to it after seeing the credits, just to make sure I found everything Pneuma had to offer. Should you have Pneuma in your library, I’d hugely recommend investing those few hours into it; you’ll be left impressed, and at the minimum, would have at least enjoyed what you saw.

4/5

p.s. I apologise, but this week I was going to do a video review of Pneuma as well. Unfortunately, my video capture card decided to only capture the second half of my play through, so I don’t have enough footage.

05/02/2016
Weekly Gaming: Paper Mario: Sticker Star (3DS)

Weirdly enough, in all my years of owning Nintendo consoles; from the very first 3DS that I saved up my own money to buy at the age of 13, to the Gamecube I bought a few years later, I’ve never owned or played a Paper Mario game. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always admired them from a distance; their fantastically stunning presentation always had me attracted to them, and from what I always heard, their RPG mechanics also tempted me time and time again. Alas, years later and at the grand old age of 28, I decided to pop my Paper Mario cherry. Suffice to say, I’m glad I did.

There’s more to the game then just the visuals; Paper Mario Sticker Stars takes place in a book/land where the world is not only made of paper, but knows about stickers and their incredible abilities they hold. Once a year a sticker comet comes down to the land during the sticker festival, for all to marvel at how much power it holds. Unfortunately, with Bowser being Bowser, he decides to try and steal the Comet Stickers power, and thus begins Mario’s adventure through this gorgeous and crazy world.

The sticker/paper motive is really taken to the extremes throughout the course of Paper Mario Sticker Star, both to it’s advantage visually, but also to it’s deterrent mechanically.

From a visual standpoint the sticker/paper combo really helps to bring a visually stunning world to life, with every character fitting nicely into two dimensions. Mario for example can be crumpled up like a piece of paper, and due to all the characters two dimensions, see them on their side and they’re basically invisible. Stickers are commonly found throughout the world; on walls or under bushes, it’s fantastic peeling them off whenever you find them to see them fall with grace like a piece of paper in the wind. It’s all a wonder to behold, and truly is a stunning feat for nintendo to achieve; Paper Mario Sticker Star is one of the most visually pleasing games I’ve played in a long time.

Whilst the stickers and world are really a delight to be seen in action, the mechanics of them are not great. Battles take place with enemies like a traditional turn-based RPG, meaning you’ll select an attack and proceed to block oncoming offences. The problem is, the stickers you find throughout the world (and can buy) are the very stickers you need in order to attack and defend against enemies. It’s a cool idea in theory, but left me stuck many-a-time when I didn’t have the correct sticker to take on a specific enemy; an annoyance no gamer wants to come across after putting hours into a game.

Another problem with the stickers is the very core of the gameplay loop; there’s no XP for gain in Paper Mario Sticker Stars, meaning your progression through the game is on the stickers alone. Nintendo have done good to provide stronger and stronger stickers as your proceed through the story, but in focusing the whole game around this stickers, it never felt like I was progressing. Typically in RPG’s I enjoy fighting as many enemies as possible at the stat of the game so I can become strong enough to kill hard enemies with relative ease, helping me to feel empowered in an otherwise atypical game. The problem with a system like Paper Mario Stick Star is that in giving you no reason to fight enemies for a gain at the end of the combat, and instead giving you a net loss of losing your hard earned stickers from damaging goomba’s, you’re under no incentive to actually fight any enemies at all unless absolutely necessary (e.g. They’re blocking an exit). I spent the first few hours fighting everything I came across until I made that realisation; I wasn’t gaining anything at all, so what was the point?

It’s just a shame about the combat system, as I actually really enjoyed the fighting. Timing jumps is always enjoyable and keeps a user engaged with turn-based RPG’s, and the ability to block against enemy attacks is always a bonus and incentive for keeping you engaged with the game at all times. I still had fun with the game overall, but as said previously, I genuinely let like there were no progression. I just went on a linear path the developers wanted me to go on gaining stickers strong (or weak) enough for the current enemies.

Another annoyance about the sticker system is the ability to go into a fight with the wrong stickers in the first place. There are certain “things” that can be found around the world. These 3D household objects can be turned into rare and powerful stickers, that, during combat, can have huge effects on your foes. The problem is, some of the bosses in the game (and levels!) are absolutely essential on you having one of these stickers in your possession.

Case in point; I wasted dozens of minutes fighting a fish that would simply jump into the water and heal itself once you first damaged it. Not knowing what to do I would constantly try and hurt it, all to no avail. After getting so annoyed of getting the game over screen time and time again, I decided to check out a guide online. Turns out in one of the levels you can find a fish hook; this fish hook should be used only when the fish goes into the water, and that allows you to continue fighting him.

It’s genuine annoyances like the example above which really made the mechanics of Paper Mario grate on me after a while. If it wasn’t for the charming graphics and gorgeous presentation, I may not have made it to the end.

Whilst this article makes it sound like I’ve shitted on Paper Mario Sticker Stars more than sang it’s praises, I should say here that I genuinely still enjoyed the game from start to finish; but only in a presentation and story way. The mechanics let me down because they (in theory) should have complimented the art-style, but instead they detracted from the games’ mechanics as a whole. As I said at the start of the article, I’m glad I finally popped my Paper Mario Cherry, but man oh man was it a bittersweet time.

3/5

22/01/2016
GOTY 2015: My Favourite Games Played 2015

Hi all,

It’s that special time of year again, the time where we summarise what we liked (and what we didn’t) before our inevitable death. It that’s a bit too dark for you, sorry, but lets get on with my top 10 games!

(For those of you who don’t know, this list encompasses both new and old games, and is only a reflection on what I have personally played this year).

10. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Whilst I’ve played my fair share of action games in the past, Metal Gear Rising: Revengence really well and truly was a fantastic game that helped to reinvigorate my love of action games. It’s story was a little non-sensical, but at the end of the day, I’ve heard that of every Metal Gear game of the last few years.

9. Metrico

This stylish platformer changed my perspective on what a platformer game truly can be. Some of it’s brilliant puzzle ideas may actually find it’s way into my next game, due to their simplicity and brilliant attention to detail. To say it’s a must-play is an understatement, and I hope many more people get to play this fantastic platformer in the future with the games imminent release on PS4 sometime in 2016.

8. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

What started out as walking simulator soon turned into one of the most exciting games I’ve played all year. The Vanishing of Nathan Carter genuinely tricks you into thinking it’s another Everybody’s Gone to The Rapture, but soon, through mini tales, tells a great story about a little boy named Nathan and his fantastic imagination. If you haven’t played Nathan Carter, do so: you will not be disappointed.

7. DMC: Devil May Cry

I’ve loved Devil May Cry ever since I was a little git skiving from school because of a cold. Playing as this awesome man named Dante taking on a bunch of demons from the underworld truly appealed to my teenage sensibilities, and has stuck with me even now when I’m 28. Playing through DMC: Devil May Cry by Ninja Theory, I was annoyed at first by the hair and stylistic changes they had made, but truly admired what they done to the gameplay, and looking back now at the end of the year, I can honestly say it was one of the best games I’ve played in a long time. Ninja Theory should be proud of what they done to this franchise, I know that I am proud of them for allowing DMC a few more years of relevance in this industries darkest, sequel driven, times.

6. Shadow Puppeteer

After seeing the game and speaking with it’s Norwegian creators at EGX 2015, I had to have my hands on a game that truly conjured up images of Tim Burton the second I laid eyes on it. Shadow Puppeteer wasn’t without it’s faults; the platforming felt a bit too glitchy at times, but it was truly stunning to watch, and brilliant to think about it’s puzzle mechanics.

5. Grow Home

I haven’t sat down with a game and been so enthralled by it that I complete it 100% in a long time. Grow Home broke this streak for me when it became available on PS4 recently, to which I was so hooked I genuinely sunk around 8 hours into it before coming away satisfied that I had uncovered everything the game had to give. Whilst Grow Home is no longer free on PS+, I’d still recommend giving the game a go. Every friend I’ve spoken to who’s played the game loves it.

4. Not a Hero

Hilarious and patriotic are not words you hear often in the games industry, but both are perfect descriptors for Roll 7’s crazy and manic shooter Not a Hero. Every press of the trigger had me chuckling to myself as enemies would swear english profanities in my direction. Along with the hilarity, there was also good gameplay, a seemingly repetitive shooter but one that has depth due to how small and complex the levels are. The objectives played out on said levels are also the cream on the cake.

3. Rocket League

I spent over 100 hours playing Rocket League; a feat I thought I no longer had in me due to other responsibilities in my life. But Rocket League properly grabbed me, so much so it was hard to look away. I knew I had it bad when I got home drunk from town one day, barely able to walk, yet still sober enough to think “I need to play Rocket League!”, and so I plonked it on the TV. I done terribly of course, but it still stands as a testament to how fun Rocket League is, and how it easily earns a top spot in my GOTY awards 2015.

2. Life is Strange

It’s hard to pin down exactly what makes Life is Strange so damn special. Maybe it’s the new perspective on a life I never knew, maybe its the lovely hand painted textures and graphics, or maybe, just maybe, it’s because the story had me talking with friends and family in ways a game hasn’t for many years. Life is Strange is a landmark moment in the games industry: it’s still AAA enough to reach a mass audience the indie scene could only dream of, but is also tackling subjects the AAA industry frequently don’t speak about. Topics from Suicide, murder, proper characterisation and many more are truly excellent in (almost) every aspect. Dontnod should be proud of what they’ve produced: it’s stellar.

1. Halo 5

This may come as no surprise to those who know me (I mean, I love the halo franchise so much I’m considering getting a tattoo), but Halo 5 has reinvigorated my love and passion for the franchise. Halo 4 burned me out; it was truly a mediocre game that was capable, but boring. Halo 5 on the other hand is so addictive that I’ve invested countless nights and hundreds of hours into the multiplayer, and that doesn’t even include the campaign that I tirelessly finished on legendary alone. For fans of shooters on consoles, you can do no better at the moment than Halo 5; a truly landmark game that has kept me hooked since its release in October.

So there you go, my top 10 games of 2015. As with the previous 3 years, I’m going to be continuing to complete a game a week, with a weekly article going up as standard. I’ve done 156 articles so far, and I’m not going to stop anytime soon.

So tune in next year (and next week) for my coverage on games I’m completing, along with new opinion pieces, and video articles I’ll soon be producing.

Thank you for your support, and have a fantastic Holiday.

-Dan

23/12/2015
Weekly Gaming: The Deer God (PC)

Hi all!

So this week I managed to get a copy of The Deer God a week before it’s official release, so went about reviewing it as soon as possible. Whilst original in it’s aesthetic, I thought the game was rather hollow considering how amazing it could have been given the mechanics involved.

You can read my review and thoughts on the game below:

http://www.gamrreview.com/review/92496/the-deer-god-pc

Lots more reviews coming in the next few weeks, and expect some games development articles over at gamrReview.com/VGchartz soon!

-Dan

13/03/2015
Weekly Gaming: OlliOlli 2: Welcome to Olliwood (PS Vita/PS4)

Hi all!

Apologies for the look of the site at the moment, I need to go back through it and reupload all the images that are missing due to the amount of space everything was taking on the server.

Regardless, I managed to get a review copy of Roll 7’s latest game, OlliOlli 2, and went about reviewing it so fast that my review was up on release day at the same time as all of the big publications, GO ME!

You can read the review below:

http://www.gamrreview.com/review/92515/olliolli-2-welcome-to-olliwood-psv

I hope you enjoy it, and apologies again for the look of Caesoose Studios for now, it’s only temporary whilst I reupload everything!

-Dan

06/03/2015
Weekly Gaming: Surge Deluxe (PS Vita)

Surge Deluxe doesn’t require much artwork as its an entirely puzzle driven game.

With Twixel in full charge wanting to be released relatively soon, I haven’t had much time to play games, other than the occasional half an hour here and there on Titanfall after a programming and game design session. This week, I really didn’t want to stop my 80+ week streak, so decided to quickly grab ahold of the game Surge Deluxe for the PS Vita and play it whenever I got a spare minute at work and at home.

Surge Deluxe is a puzzle game, one in which you must get rid of as many cubes of the screen as possible by linking them together using the touchscreen to create combos and clear the stage. Whilst you’re doing this, you have two “pressure” meters which must be relieved by clearing blocks at the sides of the stage and releasing valves, whilst also trying to clear the whole level before the timer runs out. A lot is happening at all times, which makes Surge Deluxe both a pleasure to play and a nightmare to master.

The Electric you see in the background is made whenever you touch the screen, which has a nice effect to it as your trial your fingers across the screen. Let me tell you though, its bloody hard to take screenshots whilst doing this on the Vita.

Surge Deluxe certainly amps up the difficulty as the game goes on, with press gauges going up faster with each level, whilst random tiles on the screen start to immerse, changing the gameplay dramatically. You have the colour block, which will change the colour of every tile on the screen to the one you match up, the multiplier, which multiplies your score depending on how many tiles you’ve linked before touching it, the bomb, which will destroy everything on the screen resembling the colour you link to it, and the ? block, which will increase in multiples the more that you link in one chain. These items all help to get the game interesting and dynamic as the endless strategy goes on. You’re constantly having to choose between getting a high score and clearing the level, which certainly caught me off guard many times as I’d die by being too greedy.

Whilst the mode I was describing goes on forever and will introduce you to the game, Surge Deluxe also comes with a puzzle mode, where you’ll be presented with a set number of tiles on the screen, and will not only have to complete the level in a set amount of time, but also with a certain score, meaning you could be stuck looking at the same level for a while before coming up with the solution. I know one thing: It’s bloody hard. The scores to achieve are just ludicrous, with myself not being able to accomplish one in the half an hour I had a go at it. Maybe I just don’t understand the mechanics on how to get high scores well enough, or maybe the scores are just too hard. Regardless I think other people will have to let me know before I make a firm decision on whether its the former or latter.

Tiles not in the open area cannot be accessed until you start to destroy the tiles in front of them, causing you to constantly calculate whether it’s worth going for the higher score or just removing them as soon as possible so you don’t lose the game.

I found my time with Surge Deluxe both short, and extremely satisfying. I wanted it short due to the relatively short amount of time I get for leisure these days, but I feel I could have quite as easily become hooked on the game, investing hundreds of hours into it, maybe once every night before I go to bed. Regardless, the game is satisfying for an itch in the same way that Tetris needs to be played once every few years; it’s fantastic to use your analytical skills to succeed at many small puzzles every now and then to keep your brain exercised in the same way you would your muscles. By all means get the game, it’s relatively cheap, and can be found on Playstation Plus quite often (that’s how I got my copy). I certainly enjoyed my time with the game, and I hope others would too.

3/5

15/08/2014
Weekly Gaming: Transistor (PC)

Hi all,

So for the previous two weeks I was actually on holiday travelling the length of my little country: the UK. Unfortunately, this left me little time to work on anything at all, so coming off of holiday I was able to work on getting through Transistor for the PC. The review has been edited, and is currently up over at GamrReview.com, so if you fancy taking a look, click the link below:

http://www.gamrreview.com/review/91524/transistor-pc

I’ll be doing this for the following weeks as I have quite a few games that I need to review for that site, from Among the Sleep, to Tropico 5. Rest assured that I’ll be back to my usual Friday, 10am posts before long, but for now, I’ll have to consolidate my reviews over there.

Thanks for your support,

Dan

01/06/2014
52 Weeks of gaming, ITS OVER!!!

So that’s it, I done it.

I made a New Years Resolution to complete a game/piece of media a week, and I managed to fulfil that resolution, even when I spent 3 months on the other side of the world. I’ve enjoyed it all, and I feel it’s made me a better person when it comes to critical analysis and thinking about different points of view.

I started this journey to get through my massive game collection on Steam, and to experience all the different emotions games and media in general can give. It’s been a fantastic journey, one which I’ll continue after the new year in the form of contributing to The Indie Vault, and adding even more content to this site, from lets play videos to opinion pieces, as well as continuing my weekly gaming review every Friday, 10am GMT. I’ve managed to get over 5000 + views this year, and I hope to multiply that many times this year as I make a name for myself in this industry that I love so much.

To all of you who have continued to support me throughout the year, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. To those of you that have just started, stay tuned for so much more.

Thanks,

Dan

Founder of Caesoose Studios

31/12/2013
My Top 10 Games of the Year.

It’s been a long and fantastic year. I went to my first and second gaming conventions, I spent 3 months of the year in America, and started working on 2 games, both of which work, but aren’t polished. I quit a retail job, and went solo to try and make it in the gaming world (which hasn’t happened yet, but will one day!). It’s been a hectic year, but in that time, I’ve made sure to stick to my new years resolution, and have completed at least 1 game a week (it started as 1 piece of media a week, but being as I have a huge steam library and far too many consoles, it eventually changed it to games alone).

So to round the year up, here’s my top 10 list of my favourite games I’ve completed this year.

Honourable Mention. State of Decay.

State of Decay could easily have been my game of the year, having played over 18 hours and being totally invested in the world, I was ready to say that’s it, it’s amazing and everyone should play it. BUT this was until I came across bugs that stopped me from completing the main campaign. I’ll write a review in more detail soon, but lets just say, it’s a fantastic game that definitely needs to be polished up.

10. Gravity Rush.

If you spoke to 15 year old Daniel, you’d find a boy obsessed with everything Japanese. I’ve come a long way since then, and haven’t been as into Japanese culture and games for a long while, but Gravity rush changed all that. Its town is lovingly built, with characters that gleam with enthusiasm and depth, and the mechanics, whilst repetitive, are extremely enjoyable. I am genuinely excited about the prospect of another Gravity Rush, and would easily recommend this game as a must have for any new Vita owner.

9. Borderlands 2.

Borderlands 2 makes this list due to the sheer amount of hours me and my gaming buddy have invested into it (110+ so far). Its gameplay is fantastic, and the loot system just makes it as addictive as any casino game. The story isn’t great, but that’s not what you’re there for, IT’S ALL ABOUT THE LOOT!

8. Batman: Arkham City.

Having loved the original so much, I knew this would be a hit from the moment I started playing. Everything about the original has been upgraded, from the fighting style, to the level design and graphics, everything is better than the first. My only regret? That I didn’t play this sooner.

7. Bioshock Infinite.

I didn’t write a review for Bioshock: Infinite when I completed it back in March, mainly because I was that blown away by it that I felt any comments I had on it wouldn’t do it justice. I played it again some months later when I returned from the US, and found that maybe I went a tad overboard in my praise for the game. It’s still a fantastic journey from start to finish, and will easily entertain any player for hours on end, but in hindsight, it wasn’t the best game ever, just a great accumulation of what story telling in action games, along with a fantastic setting, have transpired to become.

6. FTL: Faster Than Light.

Such a short and simple game in terms of mechanics, yet so hard/impossible to master. These great traits stand the test of time, and I can foresee myself getting addicted to this again very soon with its expansion and port to iOS. The iOS port is going to ruin my productivity, as then I’ll be able to play it at work and wherever I like.

5. Gone Home.

I was blown away by the way that Gone Home told its story through its gameplay mechanics. Even more surprising was Fullbright studios ability to know that most players aren’t dumb, so you were able to find out about a character both directly (through manuscripts you pick up) and indirectly (by the type of room they had or items they owned). If was fantastic, and has greatly influenced my thought process in making a story for a game.

4. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.

The Production value of Brothers was absolutely astounding. Like Journey a year ago, Brothers put me on an emotional roller coaster, with its game mechanics and control system feeding into the overall narrative perfectly. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a game so perfectly realised as Josef Fares imagination goes wild.

3. Thomas Was Alone.

Thomas Was Alone changed my perspective on what it means and takes to build a character within a game. For all my life, I’ve been a die-hard graphics enthusiast, someone who upgrades his PC to try and play the latest and greatest on max settings. I’ve always been a stark defender of graphics building more immersive worlds and believable characters, but Thomas Was Alone has changed all of that. Here were a bunch of different shaped rectangles, that each had their own personalities and quirks, with more personality that any AAA game such as Crysis or Halo. I was emotionally attached to these little blocks, something I can’t say for all of the polished grizzly action men of this generation. I managed to give my thanks personally to Mike Bithell for this masterpiece at PlayExpo, and for all it’s worth, I hope he knows that this game will stick with me until the day I die, regardless of how much Mike thinks it’s over-rated.

2. The Last of Us.

It’s hard to talk about 2013 without mentioning The Last of Us. It’s a breakthrough in the games industry in marrying a serious plot with some serious game mechanics. It may not have been my game of the year, mainly because I did still have some gripes with the game (barely changing the uncharted gameplay model and making the story justify it doesn’t seem revolutionary in my book), but the game is still a landmark for me in how far our industry has come. I feel I can safely say, that’s something we should all be proud of.

1. The Binding of Isaac.

I’m hooked by the Binding of Isaac. Never have I found a game more enticing, more addictive, than when I’m exploring randomly generated dungeons with perils and rewards around every corner. The game mechanics are simple to learn, but hard to master, and work perfectly with the variety of enemies that want nothing more then to see Isaac die. To me, The Binding of Isaac is a perfect combination of game mechanics married with game design, and with a different experience waiting for you every time you jump in, it’s certainly addicting to keep on coming back for more.

30/12/2013
Gaming Week 33: Torchlight 2 (PC)

This is the screen you’re greeted with every time you start up Torchlight 2. You have to log into Runic’s servers in the bottom right corner to play online with others.

I have fond memories of Torchlight on the 360, but after playing it for 14+ hours and 100% the game, I couldn’t help but feel a little deflated that there wasn’t more. Torchlight 2 came out 6 months after my first review, but due to other games and other things happening in my life, I gave it a pass as I knew I wouldn’t be able to give it the time and attention it deserved. Finally, I got Torchlight 2 for £4.99 when it was on sale in March, but even then I put playing it off until I had someone else to play with. I can safely say, that as of this week, I have played Torchlight 2 from start to finish.

Battles can get quite intense, making it difficult to see your own player amongst all the fireworks and gibs.

You start Torchlight 2 as you did the first game: selecting a class and a pet to go on your adventure with. From here, you get introduced to the main narrative that’ll keep you adventuring throughout the campaign, which consists of a very strong, evil Alchemist (the same one you could play as in the first Torchlight) being overwhelmed by the same evil that corrupted the caves under the original town of Torchlight. You start your epic quest just after Torchlight is destroyed, and you must embark on a adventure trying to put a stop to the alchemist as he makes his way across the world disturbing the peace. Not a bad set up by any means, I just wish the cut scenes were better narrated and higher fidelity to properly portray the story, as it stands, the cut scenes feel disconnected to the main campaign.

One of the biggest differences you’ll find with Torchlight 1 and 2 is the new addition of multiplayer. You can’t miss it, a runic account being the first thing Torchlight 2 asks you to create when you first get into the game, it ensures that all players are able to connect to multiplayer if they so wish. I’d hugely recommend it if you have a internet connection, as without other people, torchlight 2 feels a bit empty and joyless. Levels are huge and vast, with plenty of enemies to take on and kill for all that sweet XP, but without someone to share this XP and experience with, Torchlight 2 feels like a empty shell of a game that could of been so much more. Multiplayer works by wondering the whole world with each other, players are able to go into separate areas, and play the game as if they were alone, with the addition of trading and XP sharing to add (XP sharing only happens if you’re both in the same area, kill enemies in separate areas, and the other player doesn’t get anything.)

The fantastic method of storing items with your pet has returned, even allowing you to send them back to town with the junk you want to sell, it was innovative back in Torchlight 1, and it continues to be a fantastic idea in Torchlight 2.

Item management is still a pleasure in Torchlight 2; It’s very fast and easy to sort through all the junk you get on an adventure, and certainly helps you turn items into gold as and when you’d like. Most items can be worn by all classes, which means its very rare to get items that you can’t use. This feature was great for trading, as I was a berserker, and my brother was a mage, so we traded back and forth with staff’s and melee weapons. I can imagine playing this alone may make item drops a bit more boring, but as a whole, the item system works fantastic for a loot game like Torchlight 2.

Combat has changed slightly from the old Torchlight 1, with the control system becoming more akin to Diablo than a third person game. This may be in part, due to the fact Torchlight 2 is PC only, requiring a mouse to move your character around, and for every action in the whole game. If needed, you don’t even need to use your keyboard to perform actions; a single click on the bar at the bottom will cast a spell or skill. It’s a small change, and one I’m still not sure I like yet, but is a move in the right direction to becoming less of a action/adventure game and more of a RPG. Combat entails using the mouse to click on anything you want doing: be it clicking on an enemy to continue attacking them, to clicking on loot to pick it all up, its simple, and brings the RPG game back to it’s roots. My berserker character was certainly equipped and ready for what the campaign had in store for him, meaning I only died a handful of times throughout the campaign. Skills were powerful, but not too powerful to break the gameplay, inviting for some creative ways to take on bosses towards the end game. (My favourite ability was to freeze a enemy which would increase my attack on them by 34% for 4 seconds.)

Quests are narrated, giving a nice feel to Torchlight 2. Most of the story and quests are boring, but for most people, that’s not the reason they’re playing Torchlight 2.

In conclusion, Torchlight 2 is more of the same, but with elements that have transformed the feel to appeal to a wider audience. Is it worth the £14.99 asking price? My 20 hours of gametime is certainly a testament to how engaging it can truly be, albeit make sure to experience this with friends, playing alone I could only muster an hour or two before getting quite bored.

3/5

16/08/2013
Gaming Week 31: Organ Trail (PC/Mac)

Organ Trails retro graphics perfectly fit with the inventory management sim this game portrays. It ensures you’re not dazzled by the graphics and instead focus on the gameplay itself.

Organ Trail is a fantastic inventory management sim, one that scales back all graphics and polish to be as raw as possible. It’s a strategy game at it’s best, making sure you’re not distracted by anything else but the task of keeping your party alive.

You start Organ Trail shooting down zombies from the safety of a sandbag wall, mowing them down one by one until you run out of ammo. This triggers for a man to come out of the shadows and help you run down the last of the danger. You’re told that he can help you get to Washington DC, a place where your friends probably are. (A lovely side note here, you get to name your friends, which is hilarious further down the road when things start happening.) Once there, you’re tasked with scavenging items that will try and last you the rest of the game, travelling from east coast to west. This is not a easy task, as you’re told from the gentleman’s journal that everything is pretty essential, for example, food is consumed at a regular rate to keep the party alive over the rest of the game. allowed your party only 1oz of food an hour will make your supplies last longer, but causes your party to lose more health by the hour. Once you’ve decided on your resources, you set out without the gentleman who helps you, killing him due to being bitten and infected. He has served his purpose and has helped you start your journey.

This is what the town screens look like when you reach a new area. From here you can decide what you’re going to need for the next leg of your journey, and equip yourself appropriately. The town screen also gives you the chance to earn more money through jobs, or upgrade your car to ensure it survives longer.

From here, the rest of the game is relatively similar. You travel along in your station wagon from town to town, having random encounters along the way. These encounters can be nice, giving you a new upgrade part for example, or very, very annoying (I once lost all my spare tyres and mufflers in one trip, whilst also having a team mate incapacitated). This is where the inventory management comes into action; you’re constantly having to manage healing squad mates, with ammo, and spare parts for the car to ensure you get to the next town in one piece. I must say one thing, for a post-apocolyptic society, a lot of people want cash, to the point I found myself far too short on the resource too many times to count, so keep that in mind when you start this game yourself.

This is what happens along the road. I assure you, this is the start of the game as I certainly didn’t do this good a few minutes in.

For as much fun Organ Trail is, it’s not without its flaws. The aiming for example during stand offs isn’t fantastic, but this could jus be a conscience decision for the developers to ensure the game stays hard. Another problem is the games simple mechanics; past the inventory management and player management, there isn’t much originality to the towns and encounters. It means you get into a routine and generally do the same thing over and over.

Tim was incapacitated, and I didn’t want to feed him anymore, so I done this. (I was very tempted to tweet about it)

In conclusion, I would compare Organ Trail to FTL: Faster Than Light. Its game mechanics make sure you’re constantly managing a set crew and vehicle down to the nitty gritty, and events make sure it adds some randomness into the mix. Add this to the fact that like FTL, Organ Trail is a hard but addictive game, and it becomes impossible not to recommend Organ Trail. Its graphics and play style might not be to everyones taste, but if you’re a fan of strategy and hard games, Organ Trails right up your street.

4/5

02/08/2013
Gaming Week 11: God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP)
Alllll the WARRRRRR

God of War has long held a special place in my heart. It was about 3 years ago that I decided to finally see what all the fuss was about, upon which I went out of my way to buy a PS3 off ebay. I bought the original so I could still play PS2 games, as I had never touched any GoW game (to the point I believed GoW stood for Gears of War). I always knew they were gory and violent, but looked on them as a DMC clone, how wrong I was. The first game took me about a week of on/off gaming to complete, the second took me 2 days, the third: 1 day. I became obsessed with the fantastic story and fiction, and the graphical improvements of each game kept me hooked. Unfortunately there wasn’t much more out there, and I haven’t touched a GoW game since. I still look back on those games with fond memories, and that’s what made me buy Chain of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta.

I bought these in the PlayStation Plus sale for GoW to celebrate the release of GoW:Ascension. £2.87 per game was a fantastic deal in my eyes. They were downloaded straight to my PS Vita within a couple of hours and I was set to go.

Chains of Olympus starts out like any of GoW game, with a lovely close up of Kratos’ face with a main menu of options to chose from. Upon selecting new game, the camera pans out to show Kratos amongst a battle in some Greek city. Nothing has really changed here, it feels the same as other GoW games, which isn’t a problem, just a criticism that much of the GoW formula has been left unchanged.

Controls are the same as any other GoW, allowing a limited number of strikes on enemies. It’s hard to be skilful/strategic in a game like this when you only have a few attacks to chose from. Overall though the combat is satisfactory, and it does expand past the initial attacks, but barely. It’s more timing that you have to overcome, which can be frustrating when most of your attacks don’t have a cancel option, and take a few seconds to process.

One thing I shall note about playing this on the Vita; it looks fantastic! I don’t know how anyone could have played this on a PSP, but on the Vita the resolution and colours are fantastic. The upscaling isn’t noticeable, and the bilinear filtering works a charm. So if you ever want to revisit classic games, get them on the vita, it’ll breath new life into your collection.

Pros:
- Compelling portable game with console origins
- Keeps you hooked for duration of story
Cons:
- Same game you’ve played before, just scaled down
- Graphics not up to par with console companions
- No replay value
In summary, GoW: Chains of Olympus is a good portable version of the fantastic series, but the scale and scope are affected due to the graphical prowess of the original PSP.

3/5
15/03/2013