Archive - 2013

Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies was a surprising pleasure to play. It is hard to imagine a turn-based dog fighting game as being particularly exciting – generally, when you think of the action in a dog fighting game, it is the enemy doing a high speed pass and strafe as you try to climb on their six and let loose with your guns. You still get to do that in a way, just in a top down more strategical sense.

Description:
Take flight over the treacherous Pacific waters where ace pilots redefine historic World War II battles! Skillfully pilot the most iconic American and Japanese fighter planes of the Pacific War while representing the army or navy. Upgrade your fighters and promote your leading pilots so they master new skills needed to ambush an enemy VIP, rescue POW pilots or torpedo bomb enemy targets! Can you turn the tide of war? Or will you go down in flames to an enemy ace?

Features:
– Enlist in over 180 missions set in iconic WWII battles like Pearl Harbor, Midway and Guadalcanal
– Expertly pilot fleets of American or Japanese aircraft while representing the army or navy
– Earn promotions, equipment upgrades and advanced Ace maneuvers
– Personalize your pilot profile and aircraft to set you apart in battle
– Single Player campaign & Hot Seat Multiplayer missions with leaderboards

Hands On:
This time you are trading in your biplanes for the dogs of WWII as you fight the Japanese using all the aerial maneuvers of some of the best aircraft ever built for sky combat.
You start the game with a rookie crew, two of which get a specialty and two of which have to earn them down the road. You select a nation and armed force, how difficult you want the game to be between easy and impossible then you start turn-based strategic gameplay to see just how well you hold up against the AI or if you choose a friend who can take turns at the keyboard. When you get a hit it cuts to a short animation showing your attack before going back to top down battle. You have a beginning set of moves you can do such as banking left and diving but you learn ace tricks and gain such abilities as being able to do a loop or a roll. In early missions these don’t prove so necessary but it later ones it can mean the difference between winning or splashing down.

Players can concentrate on leveling just one or two of your pilots but it is best to get your whole four man squadron some stick time otherwise you might find yourself needing to take up three pilots in later missions and only having two that aren’t green. The gameplay is hexagonal turn-based with limited movement, it doesn’t tell you that action points are being used but if you have played the Jagged Alliance series or many of the other Sid Meier titles this is quick and easy to pick up and surprisingly addictive for what seems like simple turn-based play.

Last Call:
Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies isn’t an original gameplay or concept because it doesn’t have to be. Fans of this kind of strategic hexagonal turn-based action will eat this game up and come back for seconds, thirds, heck there are four air forces to choose from and multiple difficultly levels, replay is practically guaranteed for fans of this genre. Count me among them, I plan to go back and test my metal in the Pacific skies again real soon.

[easyreview title=”Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]

Bobster Alpha Ballistics Goggles Review (Airsoft)

2013/11/09

Action Sports, Airsoft News, Airsoft Reviews, Articles, News, Reviews

Bobster’s Alpha Ballistics Goggles are their newest entry into their tactical/safety eyewear line. Featuring durable rubber frames and two interchangeable, poly-carbonate lenses, the Alpha Ballistics Goggles are an effective alternative to higher-cost goggles from companies like Revision Military and ESS. The Alpha Ballistics Goggles are very durable, meeting ANSI Z87.1-2003 +, MCEPS/ Military Ballistics Impact Standards, and CE EN166 standards for safety. Also, much like the higher-end Revision Desert Locust goggles, the padding between the goggles themselves and your face is very thin and would seem, at first glance, to be too firm to be comfortable. Thankfully, this is not the case and the Alpha Goggles are very comfortable to wear for long periods of time.

The Bobster Alpha Ballistic goggles come with an attached dust cover as well as two interchangeable lenses: A smoked and clear option. Each lens claims to have anti-fogging capabilities and, overall, I was pleased with their performance in that area. While not entirely fog-free, you should be okay applying some Cat Crap anti-fog and not letting your breath escape up into the goggles.

Overall Bobster’s Alpha Ballistics Goggles are an excellent purchase for about $90 dollars. You can find these goggles over at their official website.

[easyreview title=”ESS Profile TurboFan Ballistic Goggles Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]
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King Arms Metal VLTOR M4 VIS Carbine AEG Review (Airsoft)

2013/11/09

Action Sports, Airsoft News, Airsoft Reviews, Articles, News, Reviews

King Arms has always been known for solid build quality and performance in their airsoft guns. Recently, we were sent over one of their King Arms VLTOR M4 VIS carbine AEGs – a very aggressive-appearing M4 based on the real steel VLTOR VIS M4. In terms of overall style and look, the King Arms Vltor M4 VIS is very stylish, featuring an all metal VIS integrated receiver and rail platform as well as a multi-position, clubfoot style stock. Each of these rifles comes with a unique serial number and detailed laser markings engraved on the integrated receiver and rail platform. The M4 VIS features VLTOR trademarks as well as some cool laser engravings.

In case you are not sure what VLTOR’s VIS (Versatile Interface Structure) is, here is the official description from the real steel manufacturer’s website:

The VIS is a polylithic upper receiver assembly that ties the normally individual receiver and handguard into an aggregate single part. This combination overcomes many problems that are associated with the traditional “two piece” design, most notably being greatly improved structural strength and repeatable accuracy; while affording the user the benefits of a free-floating barrel and rock solid railed fore end.

In a nice surprise, we found that the box includes one vertical foregrip, two cheek weld adapters, and a barrel nut tool – not to mention the 300 round hi-cap magazine to boot. Once all put together, it is easy to imagine using this baby on the airsoft field. It’s length is adjustable, thanks to the stock, from 26.3″ inches to a maximum length of 29.5″ inches. Please take note, however, that this M4 variant airsoft gun is, even at 29.5″, pretty short compared to more standard-sized guns. If you are looking for a compact M4 AEG, though, this airsoft gun will definitely make you happy. This airsoft gun also utilizes a reinforced, 7mm bearing Ver. 2 gearbox.

Another outstanding feature of this VIS M4 is that the lower handguard is removable in the exact same way it is on the real steel version. What this means is that, once removed, the outer barrel is exposed making it possible to mount an M203 grenade launcher on it! The ingenious qualities of the VIS system cannot be understated and I applaud both VLTOR for creating it and King Arms for bringing it to airsoft.

We clocked the King Arms Vltor M4 VIS shooting a little on the hot side at roughly 405 FPS out of the box. Usually, these guns have about a 1,000 round or so break-in period, after which time the FPS settles a bit. Once you put the gun through this, it should come in nicely at about 400FPS, keeping it within the “gray area” that many outdoor fields observe. It is important to note that in my chronographing of the gun, the BB velocity was VERY consistent. As you can see in the five shot series I performed above, the FPS was within 3 units of one another. I should note that the chronograph we used was an Evike.com Advanced Compact Airsoft Computer Chronograph II.

Unfortunately, I did have some difficulty attaching and removing the vertical fore-grip from the underside rail of the M4 VIS AEG. The grip uses a strange dual push-rod system to release tension on the attachment point. The problem is that holding both of those points down while also sliding it onto the rail is very uncomfortable – removing it even more so. It’s just not a very friendly system and I would have rather seen them include a more traditional screw-on fore-grip. Also, the multi-position stock is somewhat wobbly when attached to the buffer tube, but not dangerously-so. It is actually a good replica of the VLTOR Modstock system that the real steel firearm uses.

Overall, the King Arms VLTOR M4 VIS Carbine is an airsoft gun of excellent quality and one I would have no issue taking into a long-term airsoft tournament with me. This King Arms AEG performs well and has more than enough power to handle whatever you throw at it. The airsoft gun retails for about $250 dollars over at sites like eHobbyAsia and TigerHK. I am pleased to award the King Arms VLTOR M4 VIS Carbine AEG a solid 5 out of 5 stars.

[easyreview title=”King Arms Metal VLTOR M4 VIS Carbine AEG Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]
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Battlefield 4 Single Player Review (PC)

2013/11/09

Electronic Arts has released their highly-anticipated Battlefield 4, and I just had to review it. I was not a HUGE fan of Battlefield 3’s campaign. That being said, Battlefield 4’s single player campaign is a much better affair to play through. Battlefield 4 puts China in center stage as the country stands on the brink of an all-out civil war. After a very intense opening scene, the game takes off and and brings the player to several locales around the globe, introducing (and killing) many interesting characters along the way. There is even one returning character from Battlefield 3 that makes a nice, albeit short, cameo.

I did not like that the player character has no actual voice and obviously, because of that choice on the part of the developers, never speaks. “Recker”, your character, is Tombstone squad’s squad leader but you never feel like it as you don’t give any orders or commands to your marines. The only decision you get to make as “squad leader” comes at the very end of the game and feels tacked-on. The game’s conclusion is also somewhat lackluster when compared to some of the campaign’s other big set pieces – I am assuming this will be expanded upon in some of the game’s future DLC packs. Also, the rivalry between one of your marines and an outside contractor goes on ad nauseum, with very insulting things being said on the part of the marine. Then, after one sentence of dialog later in the game – after establishing all this anger and distrust between the two, the marine does a complete 180 and accepts this character without question. It goes completely against this marine’s character in the story and simply doesn’t make any sense – especially given what this other character has done.

Many gamers are complaining of buggy builds of the game and I, unfortunately, also had some issues. After dying, sometimes the game would just hang at the re-loading screen, forcing me to alt-tab out and kill the process manually. Also, I experienced some graphical glitching where light spots would look really odd and pixelated (this issue was rare).

Now, for the game’s many positive attributes. Visually, the Frostbite 3 engine running behind the scenes of Battlefield 4 looks beautiful and features a lot of open maps where you can soak up all the detail the game engine pushes out. I ran the game smoothly on Ultra settings and had little to no lag to speak of with my GTX-680 FTW+ 4GB graphics card. Just be sure not to click on the 32-bit executable by mistake if you are running a 64-bit gaming PC. I wasn’t paying enough attention when first starting the game up and found this out the hard way – Doh! Battlefield 4 does a great job in allowing you to have several options in how you complete missions than other shooters on the market right now. There are plenty of open areas where you are free to handle the OPFOR as you like, using stealth or a frontal assault. This is refreshing as there are stealth-based missions in many shooter titles where, if you get found out, the game fails you and re-loads from the previous checkpoint. This simply irritates me to no end. For the most part, Battlefield 4 lets you handle it if you get found out. If you can dispatch the enemies that located you, the music will eventually return to being more peaceful and the rest of them lose your trail.

The game’s singe player storyline is also well-crafted, save for the few gripes I wrote about earlier. The story actually draws from the science fiction IP Battlestar Galactica quite a bit in concept and I actually wish they would have taken that a bit further. Not by adding space ships or anything – just the “lone, ragtag fleet against a larger force” idea. The story succeeds most when your CVBG (Carrier Battle Group) is cut-off and you are left to your own devices. There is the feeling of dread that something bad could happen at any moment – so much so that the Capt. Garrison, who is in charge of the CVBG, has even posted marines and other naval security forces to stand guard on the deck and catwalks with assault rifles to repel any surprise boarding parties.

Overall, Battlefield 4 is a fun shooter that delivers some super-awesome eye candy and intense action sequences. Just beware that that the game still has some bugs to work out and there are some annoying plot details to contend with on the single player side. I also wish that Electronic Arts would have played a bit more with the influences from Battlestar Galactica. The BSG inspired missions seem to go by almost too quickly and make up some of the most fun the game has to offer.

[easyreview title=”Battlefield 4 Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]
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Call of Duty: Ghosts Single Player Review (PC)

2013/11/09

Having just gotten off this crazy roller coaster ride called Call of Duty: Ghosts, I am happy to say that the franchise is back and better than ever. Call of Duty: Ghosts takes place in a world where the United States, once a superpower, now stands a mere shell of its former self thanks to a cyber attack on an orbital strike rod facility which caused it to destroy most of the Southwestern United States. A new power known as the “Federation” has risen to the spot of the world’s number one superpower. Being made up of the countries of South America, the Federation has advanced equipment and is preparing to invade what is left of the United States. The ones at the forefront of stopping the Federation is a hyper-elite squad of Tier 1 operators known simple as “Ghosts”.

Your character is Logan Walker, one of two brothers who, along with their Father, find themselves smack dab in the middle of all the chaos at the start of the game. The nice thing about Call of Duty: Ghosts is that you feel like you are an integral part of the story. Even though your character is part of a larger team, your actions matter. Other shooters strive to put you in the middle of a much larger war, which has its place as well. Ghosts, much like past Call of Duty games, puts YOU as the star in your very own Tom Clancy or Michael Bay film.

Visually, Call of Duty: Ghosts is very attractive, with crisp details abound. Strangely, the visuals don’t look as good as I would have hoped – looking very similar to Black Ops 2. Not that this is a bad thing – the game is really pretty, but I expected a bit more from the game which is set to run on “next-gen” consoles (especially as I have a PC more than capable of handling it). Like previous Call of Duty titles, the levels always feel a bit small or closed in – even when they are meant to be outdoors. Often times the maps set in what is supposed to be open areas use smoke and mirrors with animated backdrops that you can’t ever reach that are meant to give the illusion of open space. Call of Duty games have always been known for doing this and, while it may seem like some sort of cop-out, it allows them to really turn up the detail on the stuff you can reach.

The voice talent of the game deserves special mention, with the likes of Brandon Routh, Stephen Lang, and Kevin Gage bringing the more prominent characters to life. One of the most wasted characters in the game was that of “Riley”, the brothers’ war dog. I loved the idea of Riley being a part of the squad and, when he is on your team, he is a blast to see in action. That being said, I disliked being Riley immensely. Controlling the character felt very sluggish and more of a gimmick than anything else. Unfortunately, the character doesn’t get more time to simply be a part of the squad. In the expansion, I hope to see Riley as the first canine member of the “Ghosts”.

Unfortunately, the game does have some issues which need mentioning. First is that the controls, in general, can be a bit sluggish – the worst examples being seen in the underwater and in-orbit sequences. Other annoying things are the slow and roadblocking qualities of your teammates and the too narrow field of view (which cannot be altered in the visual options menu). Additionally, the vehicle levels tend to drone on a bit. Going further with the vehicles, tanks feel really strange to pilot, with them gliding around like they are hover-tanks or something. The helicopter is no better, with very arcade-like controls and no ability to raise or lower the aircraft’s collective. Another point of contention I had with the game was the motivation of the Federation for engaging the United States so aggressively. Without that, there would not be a game, but the story never goes into exactly why this hatred has built up to the point where they would launch what are essentially weapons of mass destruction down on America.

Other single player modes include Extinction, in which the player takes on hordes of alien creatures, and Squads in which you take your customized, AI squad up against another AI squad. While neither of these modes are perfect, I found them to be a lot of fun and a welcome addition to the single player package. It is nice to see Activision and Infinity Ward mixing it up a bit for the single player gamer like myself when so much of the attention given to Call of Duty has to do with its multiplayer.

Overall, Call of Duty: Ghosts takes the player on an adrenaline-fueled adventure that is well worth the price of admission. Despite the issues I had with the game’s controls, field of view, and some plot-holes, I am giving it a 4 out of 5 based on the sheer amount of fun I had taking the campaign on. There are a decent variety of missions, decreased reliance on quick-time events, and tons of bad guys to dispatch. Also Call of Duty: Ghosts succeeds greatly in making the player feel like an integral part of their own action movie. I would love to see a Ghosts sequel at some point.

[easyreview title=”Call of Duty: Ghosts Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]

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Arma Tactics Review (iOS)

2013/11/09

Mobile News, Mobile Review, News, Reviews

Way back in the day when I first started coming across action point focused, turn-based strategy games I wasn’t sure how I would feel about them. It seemed to lack the action and drama of real-time strategy though I soon realized it actually required more strategy akin to chess and no member of your team is expendable. Arma Tactics is particularly solid example of this genre and now it is available on the go!

Description:
Arma Tactics is a turn-based close-combat strategy game, where the player takes control of a four-member Special Forces team. There are no given strategies, rails to move on, or paths to follow; it‘s up to the player to decide how he will play through both the story-driven missions and generated missions with randomized objectives. Whether using stealth or a more direct approach, players will need to use their strategic thinking and use both basic and advanced weaponry while facing many different opponents – ranging from unorganized local militia to smart and skilled mercenaries. With highly re-playable missions, weapons to unlock and whole campaigns to be regularly added, Arma Tactics offers many hours of intense ever-changing action.

Features:

Explore highly detailed battlefield environments that come to life with sophisticated particle systems and post-process effects
See your men come to life with realistic animations captured by a powerful motion-capture solution
Lead them through a thrilling single player campaign or improve your skills in generated missions
Gather experience points to level up your characters, upgrade weapons and unlock special equipment
Choose your difficulty – we make sure the game is fun to play for both casual players and hardcore gamers
Take part in challenging special game modes
Play as you like – by touching your screen or by using gamepad controls

Hands On:
Moving Arma Tactics to mobile was an extremely smart move and one that I found immediately rewarding. The game is completely suited to play on the go, especially with turn-based action that can be stopped and gone back to and it’s auto save at the end of each turn. Missions that would take a long time to play through due to such careful strategic considerations could be played a bit at a time while standing in lines, waiting for rides, well anytime you find yourself waiting or maybe riding in the backseat on a long trip. When I was younger they had travel sized chess games that spilled at the slightest turn, I am so grateful for good travel electronic games that still require as much thought.

Just in case you aren’t familiar with action point turn-based battle games, Arma Tactics gives each of your team a certain number of action points that allows them to move and fight. So if you need to move one of your two point characters across the yard it might take one action point leaving you only one to attack with. Most of the time attacks can use multiple points as well, so an aimed shot with a 87% chance of hitting may take two points while you can take a one point shot that only has a 42% chance. Weapons can be upgraded to change this as well making it so that characters wind up being more specialized, some may be range specialized so that they have low percentages during close attacks, some may be made to be up close and gritty.

One thing to definitely keep in mind is AI is very solid in this game, Arma Tactics is designed to be a thinking play and if you run and gun you are likely to be dead and failed quick. If the game suggests using some stealth in it’s mission description you will definitely want to keep that in mind as well because the enemy hears the gunshots and comes running, it is easy to find your three man team overrun by seven or eight pissed off enemies. I didn’t give them credit plenty of times and found myself in too deep of doo doo 45 minutes into a mission.

Last Call:
Arma Tactics is a solid game and is perfect for the iOS platform. Being able to play it anywhere, jumping in and out of a mission depending on time available is perfect for an action point turn-based strategy game. The AI is strong, every move counts and Arma Tactics is definitely worth the time of a strategic mind.

[easyreview title=”Arma Tactics Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

Deadfall Adventures Review (PC/Steam)

2013/11/09

The only thing I love more than a good first person shooter is a good first person shooter game with Nazi! The only way to make that combination a bit better is making it feel like Indiana Jones, with adventuring and puzzling. Well, anyone who loves all that like I do needs to head right out and pick up Nordic Games new title, Deadfall Adventures.

Storyline:
The year is 1938. James Lee Quatermain is a man of many talents, yet holding on to money isn’t one of them. James is an adventurer by trade, just like his legendary great-grandfather Allan Quatermain. And he knows how to squeeze money out of this famous name of his, while at the same time despising it. Despising those who believe his great-grandfather’s tales of the supernatural and those who make fun of them alike.

Accordingly, Quatermain isn’t all too keen on escorting Jennifer Goodwin, an US agent and former colleague of his, to an Egyptian temple structure in order to retrieve an ancient artifact – The Heart of Atlantis. Neither does he believe in the reputed invigorating qualities of this artifact, nor does he care the least that a division of the Ahnenerbe, the Nazi department specialized in the occult, is after The Heart as well.

But life has its ways of changing one’s perspective. Quatermain soon finds himself part of a hunt across the globe – from the stormy deserts of Egypt to the icy depths of the Arctic, and all the way to the steaming jungles of Guatemala. In long forgotten temple structures the thrill of the chase awakens the true adventurer in Quatermain, as he and agent Goodwin strive to be one step ahead of the Nazis and the Russians, one step closer to obtaining the Heart of Atlantis. And deep in these temples, where age-old guardians awake from their eternal slumber, James soon learns that his great-grandfather’s stories are not as crazy as he had always believed. For all things live forever, though at times they sleep and are forgotten…

Description:
Deadfall Adventures is an action-driven first-person shooter, spiced up with elements from action-adventure games. Become an adventurer, hunt for treasures, explore unknown regions of the world and rescue the damsel in distress from the clutches of enemies, both earthly and not-so-earthly. Join James Lee Quatermain on his journey across the globe!

Features:
– Action -Adventure gameplay from a first-person perspective
– Set in the Quatermain-universe, created by H. R. Haggard
– Fast-paced action and intense, accurate FPS gun battles
– Adventurer equipment: compass, treasure maps, notebook and flashlight – necessary to solve ancient puzzles, find treasures and even to defeat certain types of enemies
– Puzzles that encourage you to explore the game environment and interact with it
– Environmental traps that can be used to eliminate enemies in many spectacular ways
– Exotic, picturesque locations from around the world – Egypt, Arctic and forgotten
– Mayan ruins in the jungles of Guatemala
– Compelling story faithful to the spirit of classic action-adventure movies
– 1930’s setting, including detailed weapon designs
– Unique adventurer-style multiplayer features and modes

Hands On:

As I mentioned above, I love the combination of theme, storyline, and game style that come together for this game. I like the fact that instead of going with Indiana Jones, which has been explored heavily with varying success, the game goes with the Quatermain universe, one of the greatest ever created and the godfather of tomb adventure genre that is far less familiar to current generations. This can be a bit risky (John Carter comes to mind) but in this case works beautifully. Your character is the great grandson of Allan Quatermain – so, though James is expected to have treasure hunting in his blood, his character doesn’t have to match that of his great grandfather. The storyline is fun and fits terrifically with a nice mix of humor and gravity where needed and the acting is pretty good. So it isn’t just a pretty game, it tells a story worth playing.

Of course, a game can look great (which it does) and have a great story (very nice) but, if the gameplay wanes, then it is all for nothing – nobody will stick it out. Thankfully, Deadfall Adventures plays great both as a first person shooter and as a puzzler. One of the fairly unusual options of this game is that you can set what level of difficulty you want the puzzles to be independent of what difficulty level you set the enemies to be at. So, if you really aren’t into puzzles but you love a shooter (and especially shooting Nazis) then then you can set the puzzles to easy and make your enemies harder and gun away. If you love a good puzzle you can make them really hard, maybe make the enemies easier and make adventuring your priority. This is a great option I hope more FPS adventure games pick up on so that it really can cater to any audience.

Gameplay is pretty straight forward control wise following a FPS standard. Hitting the middle wheel on the mouse lets you quick select weapons or put something like a journal or a flashlight in your off hand. Personally I like when a map or clue can be taken full screen but it definitely lends itself to the authenticity of the first person perspective to have it in a hand instead.

Last Call:

Deadfall Adventures is a great FPS adventure game that lets you kill Nazis, shoot Thompson sub-machine guns, search for treasure, and maybe save the girl along the way. The acting and dialogue can get a bit hammy at times but that really fits the characters and time period as well. With the ability to set difficulty levels separately for puzzle and enemy makes this game a great play for an even wider variety of audience. All I can say is I hope there are sequels and that they are as good!

[easyreview title=”Deadfall Adventures Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

Batman: Arkham Origins Review (PC/Steam)

2013/11/09

The Batman: Arkham games have all been really solid games, each one getting better than the last. So, when we got the opportunity to review Batman: Arkham Origins on the PC platform, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it, going so far as to sleep depriving myself on vacation to get started on it. I finally completed my task and have presented the review for your enjoyment. Is the latest installment in the franchise worthy of the Arkham namesake? Read on!

Description:
Batman: Arkham Origins is the latest installment in the blockbuster Batman: Arkham videogame franchise. Developed by WB Games Montréal, the game features an expanded Gotham City and introduces an original prequel storyline set several years before the events of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City, the first two critically-acclaimed games of the franchise. Taking place before the rise of Gotham City’s most dangerous criminals, the game showcases a young and unrefined Batman as he faces a defining moment in his early career as a crime fighter that sets his path to becoming the Dark Knight.

Features:

The Arkham Story Begins: Batman: Arkham Origins features a pivotal tale set on Christmas Eve where Batman is hunted by eight of the deadliest assassins from the DC Comics Universe. Players become an early-career Batman as he encounters for the first time many of the characters that shape his future.
Enhanced Detective Mode: Think like Batman with an all-new Case File system that allows players to analyze seemingly impossible-to-solve crime reconstructions in real time. Combining Batman’s cowl sensors with the Batcomputer, players can digitally recreate crimes and study detailed simulation of the act as it happened.
Gotham City will learn to fear Batman: Take back the sprawling streets of Gotham years before its transformation into Arkham City. Glide above or battle your way through new and ever more dangerous districts in the quest for justice. Prevent crimes in progress, take down gangs of violent new criminals and explore deadly new locations, from the impoverished streets to the penthouses of Gotham’s wealthy.
Gotham’s Most Wanted: The city streets are filled with more than just Black Mask’s assassins. Locate and take down Gotham’s most violent and dangerous criminals to earn unique upgrades.
Lethal New Enemies: Fight new foes such as the Armored Enforcer, the Martial Artist and more – each of which challenge players to approach Batman’s FreeFlow Combat scenarios in different ways. Classic FreeFlow combat is expanded with every new opponent – and with Batman’s abilities to engage them.
New Gadgets: Utilize Batman’s signature gadgets or take advantage of powerful new additions such as the Remote Claw, the Concussion Detonator and more. Use the Remote Claw to create new routes by deploying strategic tightropes or directly attack enemies by stringing them up from vantage points. Ready the Concussion Detonator to stun and disorient groups of opponents in close combat.
New and Familiar Characters: Experience a fresh take on iconic Batman characters including Black Mask, Penguin, Deathstroke, Bane, Deadshot, Anarky, Captain Gordon, The Joker, Copperhead, Firefly and others yet to be revealed.
New Online Mode: Play online with friends and foes in 3v3v2 gameplay that blends traditional Arkham gameplay with third-person shooter mechanics. Hunt as Batman or Robin against the most challenging opponents yet – friends and other gamers online – or take a walk on the dark side as a Super-Villain Elite and be part of The Joker or Bane’s gang. Gamers playing as a Super-Villain Elite will also have a chance to seize control of either The Joker or Bane for a limited amount of time.

Hands On:

First off I could see a temptation to try to play these games in timeline order and jump to Batman: Arkham Origins as the first game. That would be a huge mistake. Each of the games is good but each one has also topped the previous one, so playing this game then going back and playing the previous ones would be a disappointment. Play them in order of release and you will have just as good of a story experience with a better gaming experience.

With that being said, just about every aspect with the exception of the storytelling has improved with the latest game. The storytelling is just as good but was hard to beat to begin with, so that’s not saying much. Not giving anything away, this is a solid origin story that takes you back to Batman warming up to his new suit and the police and villains alike realizing “the bat” might be more than just an urban legend. One of the ways Batman gets this point across is in the sandbox style environment of the city, which allows you to stop random crimes or take on extra henchman simply to get word about the gliding crusader being anywhere and everywhere. During these battles, you will find yourself often being attacked from multiple sides. You learn different techniques on how to handle this throughout gameplay and these can be added seamlessly into the fighting style with very little practice. Even if you are a little awkward on the keys Batman moves smoothly and polished throughout the fights. Smooth and polished really is the best way to describe to the entire gameplay experience – everything looks purposeful and actions have grace.

Another reason to play these games in order is the gadgets in this game are the best. In theory they should be worse, just as his detective skills should be. The detective skills look like something out of a sci-fi movie and are absolutely awesome and when it comes to his new gadgets I have just two words: Remote Claw. It is insanely useful and versatile, solves all kinds of puzzles and just looks really cool when used. I fell in love with it immediately and spent a considerable amount of time just trying to figure out something new to do with it. Don’t get me wrong, the Concussion Detonator is a lot of fun and useful but the Remote Claw steals the show.

The villains… You really can’t talk about a Batman game without mentioning the villains. Batman: Arkham Origins gives a great diversity of the villains so that it isn’t just about Batman and one character, you really couldn’t hope to get much more in the way of villains in a single game. In multiplayer, you even have a chance to get control of the Joker or Bane for a while. Storyline-wise, fitting in so many villains was probably quite a challenge but Origins pulls it off well.

Last Call:
Batman: Arkham Origins is a terrific game – better than the one before it just as Arkham City was better than the one before that. I hope that more of these games come along, I can’t get enough of the Arkham series because even if it isn’t better than this one, it is so well done that I just want more.

[easyreview title=”Batman: Arkham Origins Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]
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Edna and Harvey: The Breakout – A Review (PC)

2013/11/09

Judgeman