Author - Ripper71

Contrast Review (Steam/PC)

2013/11/23

News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

Contrast: (noun) the relative difference between light and dark areas of a print or negative. (source: Dictionary.com)

We don’t normally start reviews here at GamingShogun.com with a definition, but in this case it really makes a difference to know what this title means. This is so because the game is really a work of art and its first message is in its title. As the game starts up a hauntingly beautiful cabaret song starts playing and if you wait through the credits and look at the introduction screen it plays all the way through and repeats. The song has longing and loss intertwined in it in a way that haunts which is really the tone of the game and action as this stylized wonder plays with fantastic shadows and solemn light.

Description:
Contrast is a charming 2D/3D puzzle platformer where you can shift from a fantastic 3D world to a mysterious shadowy universe in 2D in the blink of an eye. In Contrast, you will explore a dreamlike, vaudevillian world of the 1920s. In this universe, where the boundaries between showmanship, magic, intrigue and deception are blurred, you play as Dawn, the imaginary friend of a young girl named Didi. A child’s imaginary friend is always very special, and Dawn is no exception – she has the power to shift from the 3D dreamscape into a parallel 2D shadow world. As you spend time with Didi, you will cast light on a shadowy story, exploring an adult world as seen through the eyes of this little girl. You will need to manipulate light sources to distort, enlarge or stretch the 2D shadowscape, and combine that with your shadow-shifting powers to help solve the many puzzles surrounding Didi’s troubled family.

Contrast is a game with an enchanting atmosphere and a rich, jazzy soundtrack performed by the cool, seductive Laura Ellis, and a talented group of Montreal-based jazz musicians. Use Dawn’s special abilities to unlock the mysteries of this world and save Didi from the secrets that threaten to overwhelm her and her dysfunctional family.

Features:

Shift between the physical 3D world and the 2D shadow world, at any lit wall surface
Create unique shadow landscapes by manipulating light sources and real world objects, and use this ability to solve mind-bending puzzles
Experience a new story and world, exploring adult themes through a child’s eyes
Immerse yourself in a lush vaudevillian world of cabaret singers, circus performers, and magic

Hands On:
I had read previews of Contrast and had planned to scrape a bit of money together and pick it up when I got a chance, especially after seeing the first trailer. The stylized world had drawn me in with the tiniest of tastes and the idea of the gameplay had such a unique feel. Going in, I had high hopes for the game, which can sometimes prove hazardous for reviewing but it this case it exceeded them quickly. You play Dawn, Didi’s imaginary friend, though Dawn seems more flesh and blood than most of the cast making you wonder quickly what reality is. This isn’t a spoiler, all this is learned in the first couple minutes of play and sets a tone in a world that seems forever dark just waiting for a light to break through and send shadows dancing. The soundtrack is exceptional, perfectly suited to the game setting the mood and immersiveness. The stylized art of the visuals and the play with contrast engage you quickly and the story – well, you really want to help the doe-eyed Didi make things right in her world.

Gameplay is standard third person perspective for the 3D world and a side-scrolling for the 2D/3D mix of shadows. Controls are easy and standard for third person perspective (WASD, mouse) and translate well between 3D and 2D play. Anywhere there is a shadow, the shadows can be entered which makes gameplay and puzzle solving that much more dynamic a free flowing. The gameplay is linear, but with enough wiggle room to complete multiple section missions in the order in which you choose and with enough freedom to hunt for hidden collectibles in each section.

The key to this game is just to dive in, toying with shadows and puzzles as you go. If you do that, you will find this is a game that will stick with you long after you have played it.

Last Call:
Contrast is an amazing game, both in its play dynamics and how its story is told with such stylized beauty. When I first heard the name, I thought maybe it should have been called “Shadow Play” or something like that but once I started playing it I realized Contrast was a perfect name and brought the proper levity to the game it deserves. If you like beautiful looking games with unique and interesting gameplay do yourself a favor and pick up Contrast.

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

Screenshots

Hello Hero Review (iOS)

2013/11/23

Ripper71

Mobile News, Mobile Review, News, Reviews

I always love a game on the go – one to play while I am waiting for a doctor’s appointment, standing in line, or just winding down in bed. A game I can jump in and out of easily and play on my iPhone or iPad is always handy but, let’s face it, due to the limited controls available the game shouldn’t be too heavily priced. So, when a phone freebie comes along like Hello Hero I am always willing to give it a try and find out if it is truly free or pay to play like so many others.

Description:
In Hello Hero, the epic, fast-paced, social Role Playing Game, assemble the ultimate team of unlikely heroes ranging from the traditional (a knight in shining armor) to the inexplicable (a guitar-wielding cactus that heals with the soothing sounds of his music) to earn rewards, compete with friends and battle with bosses to defeat the diabolical force and save the galaxy!

An evil and powerful entity threatens to destroy the entire galaxy. It is up to you to leave your home planet and travel to fantastic new worlds – building strength and choosing an army of weird and wonderful allies.

Features:

FREE TO PLAY!
Hundreds of Playable Heroes
Stunning 3D Graphics
Battle in Epic Game Modes (including Mission, Boss raids, Dungeon, PvP and Arena modes)
Journey through Stunning, Diverse Environments
Hundreds of Items to Upgrade and Customize your Characters
Challenge Friends

Hands On:
Of course, its first listed feature is “FREE TO PLAY!” which, believe it or not, is often the biggest warning sign. Free to play often translates to “free to play, pay to win”, which has become a popular business model across all gaming platforms – especially if a game fails to survive in the subscription world (Star Trek Online, The Secret World, SWTOR, etc). So, I went in with a bit of weariness. The surprise was that this can really be a free to play game, all it requires is patience. If you are willing to invest the time and earn things slower in the game, you don’t need to spend a single dime out of your pocket. I am notorious for being a patient farmer in games and all I had to do was log in, play my energy levels down, upgrade what I could then log out and come back later. There are plenty out there that would be driven CRAZY by such a process, they want it all and they want it now. They still have to level, but they can buy bonus exp, bonus draws, bonus energy – if they want to pay they can level up quick. This was surprisingly not the norm while I was playing and the system isn’t design to allow these players to “gank” players who don’t pay to win so it is truly a free to play game with pay if impatient as the option.

One of the coolest aspects of this game that is a huge selling feature is the variety of the playable heroes. In some games, you find yourself wishing you could play one of the enemies you fight. In this game, you often get that option! You might beat a seedling and win a seedling hero card. Then you can check out it’s stats and decide if you want to use it. There are hundreds of heroes, many of which come from the pool of what you are fighting, all of which have their own strengths, weaknesses and abilities. Needless to say, there are some heroes that have the same abilities as others but hundreds of abilities would probably be a headache to figure out the best team for anyways. Adventuring or buying bonus packs are the two ways to get new heroes, there are a couple ways to buy bonus packs, the pay to play getting a bit of an edge on the hero’s quality. By different heroes I mean they can be incredibly different from one that looks like a standard human hunter to a singing cactus or a shark with a shield and trident. When you make a Red Velvet Cupcake part of your team you realize just how diverse they really are.

When playing, you make a team of five heroes from your set of cards and you can trade them out whenever you want. You level them like in standard adventure games with some heroes in your group sharing cool-downs and you build the group however you want. Usually, you will want a healer and a tank but then how you set up the rest of your group is up to you, you can even have a tank that does both taunt and armor on itself. Weapons and armor are found along the way with varying stats most of which are very simple at first.

Once you feel you have a pretty strong group, you can choose to PVP, arena, dungeon or boss battle with the group. This earns you honor that can be used to try and get better heroes or equipment. Arena pits you against a random player’s team of around the same level as you. Players level slower than their team so a player might have a maxed out team and only be level 4 themselves with the general idea being the higher the player level the longer they have played and been able to put together a better team. This isn’t always the case but is a pretty solid model and arena can feel like random PVPs where you can get an idea of what other combinations of teams and heroes are out there to add to your wishlist. PVP is truly just players challenging players, often from meeting in the server’s chat room and doesn’t try to equalize battles at all. So, beware as there be sharks a plenty in that chat room. Dungeons get unlocked and are a lot like environmental battles only longer, becoming an endurance test of your built team. Boss events pop up periodically and then you just join in and try and do as much damage to the boss with your team as many times as you can as he smacks you down. In the beginning this can be daunting because of how little damage you do as the boss literally flicks you with a finger and kills you but as you level up yourself and your team, your damage and survival time increase.

Last Call:
I spent quite a bit of time checking this game out to make sure it could truly be “free to play” and I can say without a doubt it can be and often is. If a player decides to pay to play they can get their money’s worth from the game as well saving time and patience. Hello Hero is a great iOS game with addictive qualities no matter how you play it.

[easyreview title=”Hello Hero Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]

Redshirt Review (Steam/PC)

2013/11/22

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

Any fan or even casual viewer of the Star Trek universe knows the cardinal rule: it’s never good to be the “Redshirt”. The Redshirt is that Star Fleet employee who we generally never learn the name of when they go on away-missions and we usually see die at the first sign of phaser fire or strange monster or killer cloud of gas. If there is an explosion on the ship, they are the ones flying through the air and out into the vastness of space. If the captain asks for a casualty report, they usually are those numbers. But what happens in between these spectacular deaths? What do the Redshirts do when they aren’t stepping out of the way of danger? Positech’s Redshirt tries to answer that question as well as give a name and a life to the Redshirts everywhere.

Description:
Redshirt is the comedy sci-fi sim about social networking aboard a space station, starring the station’s most ambitious low-ranking peon: you! Navigate the professional and interpersonal politics of the ubiquitous “Spacebook” to curry favor among friends and colleagues. As intense intergalactic conflict rages around you, it’s up to you to accrue those all-important “likes” on your status updates! Whether you’re looking for love, opportunities for promotion, or even a chance to play Zero-G golf with the captain, you can schmooze your way through social circles and claw your way up the career ladder. Perhaps you too can finally achieve the dream of an off-station transfer, or even the Redshirt’s opportunity of a lifetime: being sent on an away-mission!

Hands On:
I was pretty excited to get this game to review, generally the only thing more fun than the hero of a universe is the poor sap trying to keep from getting killed by the hero’s actions. Anytime you saw a Redshirt on an away-mission, you figured they were toast, if you saw a whole bunch of Redshirts going somewhere things were going to get messy fast. So going into the game Redshirt I had some pretty high hopes.

I also went in without reading the description first which was my mistake. I had expected silly action mixed with a disrespected existence, basically “Leisure Suit Larry in Space” type thing. I expected the character to be looked down on or ignored until it was time to beam down and become a human/humanoid shield. What I found was a strategy game based on Facebook being the center of society and how liking the right status updates and coordinating the right Events brings you happiness in life. You get your girlfriend (or boyfriend) through proper Events and private messages, you get job promotions through Events that teach you skills and making your boss like you by liking his posts and inviting him to Events. Work is just a summary page of text detailing interactions with your boss and co-workers as well as how much money you made so you can pay for Events, food or Self-Help Object Purveyor (S.H.O.P.) items to help with things like Happiness and Re-assuring Voice. So are the away-missions, which just show a screen telling how the Redshirts died.

It is a good strategy game with a bit of humor thrown in but in a lot of ways it paints a pretty grim picture for the Redshirts when they aren’t getting shot at. You start as a teleporter accident cleanup technician and mastering the job is one of your highest ambitions. Redshirts don’t train in at the phaser range or the holodeck to become better security officers. One day, you are cleaning up Vulcan bits off the teleporter the next you are on the away team watching all your fellow Redshirts die. Your co-workers get all their happiness from their “Spacebook” entries getting likes or not having to eat alone at the burger joint. You manipulate Spacebook to manipulate your co-workers into liking you not for who you are but for what comments you like and what Events you throw that they are invited to. Makes you kind of wonder if those Redshirts volunteer for suicide missions and purposely dive in front of phaser bolts.

Last Call:
Redshirt is a solid strategy game with an interesting premise and does a great job at interjecting humor with a very satiric eye. If you like strategy games, like Star Trek and LOVE spending time on Facebook, then this game is totally for you. The Redshirt angle isn’t quite as fleshed out as I would have liked but still adds some decently funny situations. Redshirt’s gameplay could have taken place in any day and time, in just about any city – particularly larger cities with lots of people who feel isolated. It could have been New York instead of Star Trek and have worked just as well, the deaths just would have been from cabs instead of away-missions (sequel, maybe?). Basically, this game might not be quite what people expected in a game about the Redshirts, but it is still quite a lot of fun!

[easyreview title=”Redshirt Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”3″ ]

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Adventure Park Review (PC/Steam)

2013/11/21

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

There are all kinds of social simulation games out there. Some use a ‘Second Life’ system where you build houses and have full online lives and loves. Others allow gamers to design skyscrapers, regulating elevators and setting rent values. Then there are city sims, which have taken on many faces over the years – from trailer parks to theme parks, the latter being one of the most diverse and popular. Who doesn’t like the idea of making a theme park, balancing scenery and setting with distances and facilities? Wish a park had high-G rides? Build them, but remember to have trash cans near the entrance, because there will be protein spills! Adventure Park takes all these things into consideration and more, giving you a nice in-depth sim game while allowing you to still enjoy the rides.

Description:
What would you do with the power to create the theme park of your dreams? Perhaps you would become the brilliant creator of a rollercoaster kingdom, the architect of inspiring landscapes, or even the tyrannical overlord of high-priced concessions. It’s your park, your rules. Adventure Park, available now for PC on Steam, gives you the power to build and control every facet of your own personal theme park and take a seat to experience it all firsthand. Hire the workers, invest in new rides, shape the landscapes, and above all, keep your customers happy. With a touch of creativity and a keen mind for business, you can turn a barren plot of land into a stunning empire.

Features:

Build the theme park of your dreams! Play in Campaign Mode or in Free Play on one of eight different maps.
Roller coasters and more! Offer your visitors lots of exciting attractions (e.g. Freefall Tower, Ferris Wheel). Use different types of tracks and the intuitive, grid-free track building system to construct spectacular rides to delight the park’s visitors.
Adventuring will get you hungry…and thirsty! Provide the appropriate infrastructure in the park, with food stands, souvenir shops and the right staff (e.g. gardeners), so that your guests will always feel at home.
The best managers have always got everything under control! The only way to ensure your park is a success is to always keep an eye on all the goings-on in the park and know how to manage them with skill. The comprehensive management system is structured intuitively, while still offering a challenge for more experienced players.
A theme park where there’s always something to be smartened up! A whole load of items such as statues, fountains, lamps, fences, rocks and plants allow you to design the park just as you like it.

Hands On:
Everybody poops. This should be the first rule of any decently defined simulation which tries to have a solid AI. If a game requires players to build bathrooms, then you know they are trying for at least a certain degree of realism. Adventure Park, in turn, requires restaurants, bathrooms, trash cans (particularly outside the Puke-A-Wheel), cleaning crews, gardeners for foliage, and lots of repairmen to keep the coasters on the tracks. That being said, you can also avoid most of the micromanaging by just making sure you have a solid staff and put a potty near any food sources. You can concentrate on the thing you are really playing the game for: designing your dream coasters.

There is both campaign and free play modes to choose from, which is great because sometimes you want to complete the specific tasks that the creators intended and sometimes you just want to make a beastly coaster with massive Gs that barely stays on the tracks and requires two expert technicians to keep from crumbling apart. The campaign mode does a great job of coming up with challenges and a wide variety of maps to work with as well as very unique scenarios. The free play does a terrific job of maintaining the laws of physics so that you can’t make a coaster that would leave Newton cursing at you. Be warned, however, as you can make coasters that physically hurt your riders if it is too extreme.

Adventure Park does a nice job of giving you options when it comes to plants and decorations so that for example one of the options is a jack-o-lantern but there are multiple colors, faces and sizes to choose from so that all your decorations don’t look alike, you have a chance to really create your own unique vision.

Last Call:
Adventure Park is a solid theme park simulator that allows you to both play a structured game if you want completing challenges and still allows you the free play option that makes it possible to make the park of your dreams without worrying about failing missions. There is depth to the game such as needs for trash cans, bathrooms and price setting but at the same time it doesn’t bog you down so greatly that you lose the joy of making roller coasters, which is really the draw to this type of game in the first place. I recommend this for any city or theme park simulator fan.

[easyreview title=”Adventure Park Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]

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Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies Review (PC/Steam)

2013/11/09

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

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″ ]

Arma Tactics Review (iOS)

2013/11/09

Ripper71

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

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

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

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

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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Slender: The Arrival Review (PC/Steam)

2013/11/09

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

Slender Man, created as part of a website contest for a creative new urban legend, grabbed our imaginations in a terrifyingly primal way with a simple concept: a well dressed, strangely elongated boogeyman who takes our children from parks, never to be seen again. Since his inception, he has inspired art and video games and in some cases both in one. Who didn’t get freaked out on the console playing Slender Man: The Eight Pages? Well time to put on your headset, kill the lights and fire up Steam as once again you get a chance to try to make it in his world with Slender Man: The Arrival.

Description:
You’re on your own. No one to come for you. No one to help you. No one to hear you scream. Slender: The Arrival is the official videogame adaption of Slender Man, developed in collaboration with Eric “Victor Surge” Knudson, creator of the paranormal phenomenon that has been terrifying the curious-minded around the world since its inception, with Mark Hadley and Blue Isle Studios.

Back in 2012, Mark Hadley (AgentParsec) created a game that captivated gamers around the world. Slender: The Eight Pages was a short, experimental first-person game that helped breathe new life into the horror genre through its use of unadulterated tension and fear.

Experience the horror all over again.

Slender: The Arrival is the official re-imagining and expansion of the original game created by Mark Hadley, teamed up with the writers behind the Marble Hornets series and the development team at Blue Isle Studios. The Arrival features a brand new storyline, improved visuals, great replay value, and most importantly, survival horror at its best.

The Arrival officially supports the Oculus Rift – a next generation virtual headset designed for super immersive gaming! The Rift intensifies the fear-factor, and gives players a brand new, immersive horror experience.

Hands On:
I have probably mentioned before how I wish I could afford the Rift, it is never been more true than with this game. This game is simple and creepy at first, little noises here and there, glimpses, all the immersive creepers that make you paranoid and expectant, of what you just aren’t really sure. This game builds on the subtle initial tension and sense of isolation until you are practically jumping out of your skin, then it amps it up even higher. This is not a relaxing game to play before bed, this is not a meditative walk in the woods. This is the story of the newest breed of boogeyman and his minions.

The game’s graphics are artfully done, like an expressionist painting trying to convey a sense of dread. Plenty of darkness and shadows, woods and isolation, just you and your video camera which offers no comfort. My first impression was that looking through a video camera might create a sense of detachment from the action but thanks to all the found footage movies it now seems to have become the opposite, the camera becomes the sole witness and so by extension so do you.

Last Call:
There isn’t much to say about this game that people who played Slender: The Eight Pages won’t already know. These games are creepy – they mess with your senses in a very dark way and for those of you who are a bit like me, e.g. hard to give the creeps or a good scare, this might just give you the skin crawling you’ve been craving. Play it in the dark with headphones for best effect!

[easyreview title=”Slender: The Arrival Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]

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Montague’s Mount Beta Preview (PC/Steam Greenlight)

2013/11/01

Ripper71

News, Previews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Preview

I enjoy survival horror year-round, but I particularly enjoy it during October so that is sets that haunting Halloween mood which is sometimes hard to develop in the high desert. So when a Steam Greenlight project called Montague’s Mount came along I was more than happy to take a dreary trip through a puzzling island in this beta preview.

Description:

Based on a true story, Montague’s Mount is a first-person psychological rollercoaster ride through isolation, desolation and one man’s tortured mind.

The mixture of cold Atlantic water and coarse sand in your mouth brings you back from unconsciousness. Surrounded by the wreckage of a boat’s hull, you can only draw one conclusion: your vessel has been torn apart by the submerged rocks. The secrets of the island must be uncovered if you are ever going to find a way to escape. Where is everyone; is the island really uninhabited; what is lurking within the isolated caves; and what is that building on top of Montague’s Mount? Can you handle the truth? A disturbing psychological thriller set in the bleakness of an abandoned island, combining exploration, puzzle-solving and a poignant storyline.

You have been warned.

Features:

Oculus Rift support.
Desolate yet beautiful environments to explore.
Challenging puzzles to solve.
Secrets and collectibles hidden across the island.
Voice narration by Derek Riddell (Ugly Betty, Frankie, No Angels and more).
First game to promote the Irish language (Gaeilge).
Full language support for English, French, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Polish and Russian.
To be released on PC, Mac and Linux.

Hands On:

So if you noticed the screenshots in this preview seem a bit dark there is no need to adjust your screen. The entire preview was this dark and dreary, the main sounds being the crashing of waves, cries of gulls and the monotonous sound of a fog horn. Most things you come up have been savaged by the elements… or something else. Sure the weather made the luggage soggy and moldy looking but that doesn’t explain the corpses littering the island paths or the uneasy watched feeling you occasionally get. The constant rain certainly didn’t kill the couple who died holding hands in the shack or the fella hung high from a tree. But dead men don’t let you know what’s up so you are left with puzzling together machinery, gears and levers to make your way from one dark almost colorless part of the island to another.

The puzzles are well done, one stumped me for a while and I’m sure I wasn’t alone on that. Others were more like a big scavenger hunt wondering if whatever was watching you might make itself known. The controls are fairly standard first person stuff as is the perspective, the challenge is not in moving but in how to get to the next place. Without giving too much away or saying anything that may be changed after beta (any content is subject to change before release) I can say I lost track of time in the land and was surprised how late it was when the preview ended, for a beta preview it was pretty long and immersive even if my head welcomes the end of the fog horn, it gets a little crazy in 5.1 surround.

First Taste:

This was only the first taste of Montague’s Mount and I am really excited about the eminent release of the game. It is finished and will be releasing to non-Steam stores this month though I REALLY hope Steam picks it up, it is a terrific game in the spirit of Amnesia or Dear Esther with it’s great take on the dark and empty island filled with wreckage, corpses and more than a few puzzles. I can’t wait to get my hands on the full version pf Montague’s Mount and find out what happens next. My biggest wish is that I had an Oculus Rift to get even further immersed.