Stanley Parable Review

Stanley Parable
Information
Developers: Galactic Cafe
Publishers: Galactic Cafe
Platforms: PC (Windows, MAC OS, Linux)
Type: Stand - Alone
Modes: Single - Player
Genres/Perspective/Flow: First Person, Walking Simulator, Interactive Fiction.
Rating: N/A
Release Dates:
NA: 17th October 2013
Series: None
Average Completion Time: 2 - 3 Hours
Trophies/Achievements: 10 Steam Achievements
Other Editions: Mod for Half Life 2, The Stanley Parable Demo. 
Additional: Review based on Windows Version. 

Alternate Recommendations: "Heavy Rain" & "Papers Please".

Synopsis:
The Stanley Parable is a first person exploration game. You will play as Stanley, and you will not play as Stanley. You will follow a story, you will not follow a story. You will have a choice, you will have no choice. The game will end, the game will never end. Contradiction follows contradiction, the rules of how games should work are broken, then broken again. This world was not made for you to understand.But as you explore, slowly, meaning begins to arise, the paradoxes might start to make sense, perhaps you are powerful after all. The game is not here to fight you; it is inviting you to dance.

Review: 

The Stanley Parable is one of the most iconic in video game history (in my opinion), having a true grasp on how one player’s simplest choices can affect the course of the game and the consequences that come along with it.

Stanley Parable is a curious looking game from the start all the way to one of the games many ending, even right from the get go the menu has a strange back ground that feels like a mind fuck right before you even play, having multiple screens on screens that go into each but you move the mouse on all of them, it’s weird but fun to play around. As for other things in the menu there the usual stuff as well as quite a few options if you like to customise how the game feels.

The gameplay is similar to the ever so walking simulator gameplay of today, so like moving around in first person and interacting with environment, which is pretty much all you’ll be doing in this game. However it’s in these interactions that the game begins to take shape as each different one shapes the way the game will end as well as the path you’ll take to that ending. These interactions can also vary in terms of how they are done like some are done by clicking on objects or going through doors that the game tells you not to or by simple standing still doing nothing, many other ways of doing things.

This works incredible well with the amazing level design that literally feels like the ”butterfly effect” type thing, where if you choose one option you’ll enter a part of the level but if you were to choose another you would end up in another part completely different, from the first that you couldn’t get to before, well it’s that or previously visited rooms change or sometimes you get to get out the level breaking the fourth wall.  All of this adds to experience, making each play-through unique as well as fun to play as you step into the unknown.

But what makes this whole butterfly effect gameplay more fun, is defiantly the “Narrator” who guides you the player character “Stanley” throughout the game, or at least tries to direct them but based on the player’s actions the way he considers the player can change, such as if you go against his orders he’ll try to steer you back (but it doesn’t force you back) or eventually become confused, aggressive or annoyed at the player’s action, acting as though they have gone against his script. This I found adds to the gameplay, giving you an objective or rather an enemy to overcome as you progress through the branching plot-lines.

 On a smaller note the graphics, aren’t the most astonishing things in the world but they get the job done and don’t look terrible plus the style fits well with game itself, having various colour palettes based upon the location in the game as well as the players actions, though I did notice some texture popping which took me of of the game every now and then, plus the long load times that broke my immersion at time. On a similar note the soundtrack for game is decent nothing with too amazing but also not terrible.  

In conclusion I would recommend this for anyone wanting a good narrative driven story as well as fun gameplay that seriously changes depending on your actions. Plus it’s fun to play. Go on make your CHOICE, will you play or will avoid?

Final Scores:

Story/Setting/Characters: 8.7
Gameplay: 9.1

Visuals: 7.3

Sound: 7.8

Final Verdict: 8.4/10 (Very Good)

I Am Alive Review

I  Am Alive
Information
Developers: Darkworks (05 - 08) & Ubisoft Shanghai ( 08 - 11).
Publishers: Ubisoft
Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 & PC (Windows).
Type: Stand - Alone, Xbox Live Arcade & PSN Game.
Modes: Single Player
Genres/Perspective/Flow: Survival, Third Person, First person, Platformer, Action-Adventure, Post Apocalytic.
Rating:
PEGI - 18
ESRB: M
Release Dates:
Xbox Live
7th March 2012
PlayStation Network:
NA: 3rd April 2012
EU: 4th April 2012
AUS: 4th April 2012
PC
6th September 2012
Series: None
Average Completion Time: 5 - 6 hours
Trophies/Achievements: 12 Trophies/Achievements.
Other Editions: None
Additional: Review based on PlayStation 3 Version. Based upon beating the game on Normal Mode.
Alternate Recommendations: "Metro 2033" & "Uncharted".
(Source: Wikipedia & howlongtobeat.com)

Synopsis:
One year after a worldwide cataclysmic event has wiped out most of human civilization, a man struggles for survival. Faced with an insecure, decaying, and hazardous world, he scours a desolated city, searching for his long lost wife and daughter. Survive the suffocating, murky streets covered in dust. Climb the teetering remains of the last standing skyscrapers to reach breathable air and find untouched resources. Explore the crumbling ruins of a once-thriving metropolis. And discover a changed human condition, punctuated by distrustful survivors, dangerous armed gangs, and victims in need.
(Source: howlongtobeat.com)

Review:

I Am Alive is a perfect example of how humans can turn on each other and morals can be beaten down to a pulp if the going gets tough, as well as a great game that blends first/third person combat and platforming well.

The atmosphere contained within this short five hour game is amazing, making you feel like you are truly in an apocalyptic scenario which is mainly thanks to it art direction that uses very grey and dark colours in order to create a tone that fits the setting nicely, however this isn't the only thing that makes it such a believable setting, as I found that the way the city (where the game takes place) was well made having enough still standing buildings with a few destroyed ones to create a daunting experience, but you still feel as though something disastrous has happened to change the world, when you first start the game as first walk around a road of empty until you reach a half destroyed bridge, that just screams apocalypse.

However this is not the only aspect that creates such a rich atmosphere within the game, since there is such a lovely soundtrack just waiting for you to listen to it, full of dark and depressing tones that immerse you better into the world, though I did find the tracks on the own nice to listen to, I wouldn’t consider buying them.

Moving on from this I would just like, to have a quick moment to mention the menu screen for the game as it really does set you up for, what you’re in for from the get go with downcast music and dark colours, which I must praise. Though there isn't much else in the menu of notice aside standard options like the options menu which nice and basic. Though there is the leader boards if you’re interested which give you a score after each time you finish the game that decreases and increases points based around fun options like whether you were a cannibal or not and how many people you helped, which can be nice if your into that sort competitiveness.

Now getting away from this to the main game, which can be broke down into three main components: the combat, exploration and platforming. Starting with the combat, I found it worked well despite it out approach to fighting in a survival game, as when entering combat if you have a gun you can point it at enemies and they will put their hands, being non-aggressive but stay like that do long and they will doubt whether you can kill them or if you have bullets to which they will charge you, I found this aspect to be fairly realistic as well as exhilarating since it keeps you on your toes and makes you thing, about how to handle each exchange like whether to shoot or not to conserve ammo; but I did feel like the game was pressuring me to use ammo early on in the game. However this tactic only works on melee enemies, as others with guns you shoot back if you raise your weapon, so you also need to tactical in who you engage first which added a nice bit of strategy to the gameplay.

As for the platforming, it works very similar to other 3D platforming games like Uncharted, however it features a little mechanic that makes one of the most fun to play platformers in recent memory; the feature is a stamina bar, it works like any other bar draining as you run like usual but also drains when you climb. This makes platforming feel like a race against time as you navigate fun building exteriors.

Finally for the gameplay section is exploration, now there are some areas that can be explored mainly in streets, though a heavy fog covers the streets which drains stamina as you walk through it which be a turn of for casual explores but for those willing to dare the rewards are mainly supplies needed to either help yourself (recover health/stamina) or help “victims” the games collectables, which can be collected by giving them an item they need from a simple medkit to a bottle of wine, which be gained mainly through exploration.  But as far as exploration goes inside buildings it feels rather restrictive mainly focusing you on the task at hand.

Though on a similar note, there is one smaller gameplay mechanic I would like to talk about, one is the checkpoint/re-spawning mechanic as it a bit different from usual with limited re-spawns per level, having on normal mode and none or Survivor mode at the start of each level, with mechanic adds some tension when in combat and platforming as you will actually fear for your live, though you can collect additional re-spawns through finding them or collecting of helped victims.

Finally the last thing I will speak about is story, setting and its characters; I felt that all these elements were fairly underwhelming as the setting feels more like a backdrop to justify the apocalypse, even though it’s never explained except if save victims who add small expositions to what has been going on, while the story is decent at best with an okay cliff-hanger ending though I did like the way it was told through a camcorder which I felt was original and fun to watch. As for the characters I felt they were fun to watch but didn't develop much or do much over the five hours of the game.

In conclusion I Am Alive, is an underrated game with some solid platforming and fun but challenging combat, that tests whether you can still hold onto your humanity in an apocalyptic city, though it’s still held back by a few issues that keep it from any better than a good game. 

Final Scores:

Story/Characters: 6.5

Gameplay/Mechanics: 7.4

Visuals: 7.8

Soundtrack: 8.1

Final Verdict: 7.4/10 (Good)

Borderlands: The Secret Armoury of General Knoxx Review

Borderlands: The Secret Armoury of General Knoxx

Information
Developers: Gearbox Software.
Publishers: 2K Games
Platforms: PC (Windows, OS X), Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Type: DLC/Add-On.
Modes: Single-Player, Co-Op Multiplayer, "Vs. Multiplayer"
Genres/Perspective/Flow: First Person Shooter, Role Playing game, Science Fiction, Action-Adventure
Rating: ESRB - M, PEGI - 18
Series: Borderlands
Average Completion Time: 8-9 Hours
Trophies/Achievements: 5 in Total
Additional: review based on Xbox 360 version.
(Source: Wikipedia)

Synopsis:
The Secret Armory of General Knoxx is an add-on pack for Borderlands that raises the level cap to 61, adds new guns, vehicles, Class Mods, shields, enemy types, and missions. In other words...best add-on ever. Of all time. Forever. The End. (Source:howlongtobeat.com)

Review:
The third DLC of the Borderlands video game featured the return of the Crimson Lance as primary enemies with General Knoxx as their leader, adding new vehicles, new enemies and more LOOT!

The continuation from the original Borderlands story, the main antagonist Atlas come back to the planet to restore order and take their revenge upon you. In all the plot of the expansion despite being several time shorter is much better than the main game, thanks to a goal that is for filling to obtain and a well written antagonist who is likeable and understandable. Plus the pay-off from beating the DLC is a whole room full of loot from the common kind to extremely rare gear, which is hard enough to obtain in the main game, so you do get something for it, even if the plot isn't to your liking.

Since the DLC brings back the Crimson Lance as the main antagonist faction, there are some new types that are added to their ranks, which equals more variety and more tactical gameplay or at least you’d think that as even with all the new enemies (jet-pack units, elemental units, medics etc.) they don’t strategically play well with each other; instead they behave like the types from the main game like walking forward in a straight line while shooting or hiding in cover which I found to be a bit of a disappointment since they are supposed to be a military unit. However these aren't the only new enemies as some new creatures and bandit varieties are added with my favourite’s defiently being the midgets riding on Skags which are a blast to fight as well as challenging and the towering Drifters found in deserted deserts that fire deadly corrosive attacks capable of destroying cars in just 4 hits. Not to mention the new bosses and newly introduced raid boss that almost impossible to defeat but offers great rewards.

Though I wasn't to impressed with every change, mainly in the prison you must infiltrate in the main story, there are inmates you have to beat however these aren't what they seem since there just re-skinned bandits with different names, this I felt was a really bad attempt by the developers to trick the player into thinking they’re new enemies, to which I was thoroughly disappointed.

One of the main issues I had with the base game was lack of characterisation and movement in character, well this is fixed in this add-on as characters have better introduction sequences as well as more funnier and interesting dialogue, to keep you engaged in them. Also the slight addition to their overall movement where conversing with them adds more of a human element to them rather than being static objects.
There have been quite a few changes gameplay wise as well from an increased level cap going from 50 – 61, to more vehicles that feel more for combat rather than getting from point A to B though that’s still all they do and even more quests which still feature the same as ever quests (go kill something, go pick up something) but there were some new ideas to add more variety as well more collectable quests to spice up gameplay.  Though in the visuals department not much has changed with the same boring brown n dark colours and bad textures here and there, although it’s not completely bad as the new locations available are fun to explore and play around in.

In conclusion the third expansion is a must have if you’re looking for more LOOT to grab, more reasons to play and a better storyline then the original despite it being three times as short. 

Final Scores:

Story/Setting/Characters: 7.0

Gameplay:  7.3

Visuals: 7.0

Final Verdict: 7.1/10 (Good)

Borderlands: The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned Review

Borderlands: The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned

Information
Developers: Gearbox Software.
Publishers: 2K Games
Platforms: PC (Windows, OS X), Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Type: DLC/Add-On.
Modes: Single-Player, Co-Op Multiplayer, "Vs. Multiplayer"
Genres/Perspective/Flow: First Person Shooter, Role Playing game, Science Fiction, Action-Adventure
Rating: ESRB - M, PEGI - 18
Series: Borderlands
Average Completion Time: 5-6 Hours
Trophies/Achievements: 5 in Total
Additional: review based on Xbox 360 version.
(Source: Wikipedia)

Synopsis:

The Jakobs Corporation would like to invite you to experience the splendor of a corporate owned small town known as Jakobs Cove. Any rumors you may have heard about the "undead" walking our streets are completely preposterous and we officially deny them all. If those rumors turn out to be true simply purchase a firearm from the conveniently located Jakobs Brand Vending Machines and aim for the head. Also, would you mind saving our employees? (Non-union only please) (Source: howlongtobeat.com)

Review:

The first downloadable content for Borderlands brings lots of new ideas on to the table: from new enemies, a good storyline, more quests and even more LOOT!
As the name implies “Zombie Island” the primary enemies you will fight are zombies which come in a few different design and varieties to not get too repetitive but due to their only being around three different designs for the regular zombies and no differences in “special” zombie forms which was a slight disappointment. Though while where on the topic of the zombies, one of better points about them is how their A.I works as they will try to work together such as: one group of regular ones will slowly group around (These are slow moving zombie type), then a spitting zombie will blind and slow you down allowing slower ones to catch up and kill you. These sorts of combination are great and really add to the gaming experience, making you think about to engage in each encounter.

Though zombies aren't the only things you’ll be fighting on this nightmarish island, as you encounter Wereskags, Frankenstein like monsters that carry loot crates on their backs and freaky bosses like Pumpkinhead. All fit nicely into the environment the DLC is based in which takes a different route especially in colour palette which features dark greens, dark blues, dirty greys and browns to create a realistic but quirky Halloween type location, which is only strengthened by the dark abandoned spooky towns that all have lights on to add to the creepiness, the pumpkins that litter the landscape and the winding trees that give of a strange vibe. This is only completed though by the environments design which confuse the player into how to navigate the areas available as you have to walk to each area, yes there’s no fast travel which is a pain but it does add to the experience as a whole, since you keep having to fight ravenous monsters as a result.

The plot surrounding this add-on is much better than the main game, as it features plot twists, interesting back-story found in ECHO recordings and a likeable antagonist. All this is told during dialogue in both main quests and side quests in a believable way with just the right amount of length to keep you from getting bored. However as for the quests themselves they aren’t that brilliant since they just feature objectives either are, “go kill something” or “go collect something” though what you go collect is quite fun in indeed from ECHO recordings mentioned before to Brains; yes brains which might as well be collectables as collecting with last you the whole main quest and beyond which was a nice addition.

Now for the topic you've waited for: THE LOOT! Yes there is new loot however while you get much from enemies loot wise, in the main game you no very often from them. Well in this DLC you get loot from just about every zombie which is nice at the start, but gets overwhelming later on as you feel you have to collect it all, and they’ll be one piece you use while the rest you sell for money which by the way still doesn't have use.   

In conclusion the first downloadable content for Borderlands is a great addition to the game having a more colour and diverse environment, a better storyline and new enemies to kill, which  is only held back by minor changes to gameplay that become boring very quickly.  

Final Scores: 

Story/Characters: 7.0

Gameplay: 7.2

Visuals: 7.6

Final Verdict: 7.2/10 (Good)

Borderlands Review

Borderlands

Information
Developers: Gearbox Software. Additional: Shadows in Darkness, Darkside Games, Demiurge Studios. 
Publishers: 2K Games
Platforms: PC (Windows, OS X), Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Type: Stand Alone
Modes: Single-Player, Co-Op Multiplayer, "Vs. Multiplayer"
Genres/Perspective/Flow: First Person Shooter, Role Playing game, Science Fiction, Action-Adventure
Rating: ESRB - M, PEGI - 18
Release Dates:
X360 & PS3
NA: 20/10/09
PAL: 23/10/09
PC (Win)
NA: 26/10/09
PAL: 30/10/09
PC (OS X)
03/12/10
Series: Borderlands
Average Completion Time: 33 Hours
Trophies/Achievements: 51 in standard + 30 in DLC
Other Editions: Game of the Year Edition.
Additional: review based on Xbox 360 version. Game accessible through Xbox One backwards compatibility.
Alternate Recommendations: Dead Island, Fallout 3.
(Source: Wikipedia)

Synopsis:
A sci-fi/action RPG from acclaimed developer Gearbox, Borderlands combines the best in first-person action gaming with elements of a traditional role-playing game (RPG). The excitement of this hybridization is further magnified by the game's groundbreaking content generation system which allows for a near-endless variety in missions, environments,enemies, weapons, item drops and character customization, making the game's single player, multiplayer and online campaigns not to be missed. ( Source: howlongtobeat.com)
Review:

The game that made loot dropping mechanics in the modern First person shooter possible; you know that game Destiny well think off borderlands as its grandfather. Being the game that made loot dropping guns popular overall, with the game having over millions of different guns both in shape and statistics, so no getting attached to your weapons because you’ll be constantly swapping and selling them.
But before I start on anything else I’ll start this off, before you even load up the game, at the options menu. So in terms of customization there not much to change just the standard stuff like sensitivity, controller layout, music and such which is all well and good but I would have liked a bit more since this game to be fair is very over the top, so some more silly options would have been nicer but what’s there is fine I guess.

So once the game has booted up, the first you’ll notice is the strange art style known as cel-shading, this really if the game a distinct look from any other first person shooter games that all have a more realistic approach. The art also blends in well with the overall tone of game as it has a really over the top and silly atmosphere that make the game more fun to play, with exaggerated character introductions that partners well with the immature but well written humour. However the overall look of the game can be summarised quickly as just brown since every single area with the exception of two or three have this colour palette which can be a bit of a turn especially if you played the sequel before this one, but if you like the palette like I do it gives off a good sad tone like “there’s no hope” which mixes well with the game world as it is full of hostile creatures, shabby towns and psycho cannibals which also have these dirty and dark colours that fit them into the game world effectively.

Speaking of the game world, the designs of the creatures mainly are superb with there being a good amount of variety in this department that give the world an organic feel like it could survive in the harsh wastelands thanks to their overall appearance to the way they act, one good example is the Skag: the first creature seen in game; has a month that splits open three ways, a long tongue to whip the player and powerful legs to leap at you and this is only the very basic versions later there ones that spit acid or have strong body armour that make you think about how to fight them. Which can also be said about any of the creatures or even other enemies in game like the bandits who you will be fighting most of the time, which are made up insane and dangerous humans and cannibals which are fun to fight as there’s just enough variety to think about how you’ll tackle them but still even with the amount of variety given, I would have liked a bit more as by the third quarter potion of the game you will have fought close to everything and start to get bored during some combat situations especially if you’re higher levelled then them, the challenge & thrill disappears.

The levelling itself is quite fun to do as it can be earned in a ways from shooting enemies, completing quests and completing challenges. Now I know this doesn’t sound like much and let me tell you it isn’t as these ideals quickly get old really fast since enemies with the exception of bosses don’t yield much experience, while quests do but these quests get over repetitive as the game goes on from tasks like: kill this, big up one item or pick many or get to this location/ talk to someone, which does sound like a lot but trust me it’s not. When it comes to the challenges as well there’s no real variety as it’s mostly just made up of: killing so many of something, using guns and looting and that’s only if you notice there are challenges as unless you explore the menus screen you won’t know about since the game gives you no hints towards its existence. However there is another type of levelling up in the game, that you’ll notice but no what it does: Weapon Proficiency. This is levelling up for your weapon classes which adds various bonuses to each class of gun, that the game neglects to tell you about.

Now before I get to the real meat of the gameplay, there are a few problems I forgot to mention one of which is the use of invisible walls (a true gaming taboo) featured in a lot of quests and areas of the map, that mainly occur when the game doesn’t want you getting somewhere, getting up to an item a certain way or driving into non-drivable areas. For the first point it’s completely understandable but the second and third it isn’t as sometimes you’ll find easier ways to reach location/items in some quests but then the game says “no you have to go up this way” which totally breaks immersion causing frustration; while with the third point there are a good few areas where the developers but down blocks to keep you from going in locations with cars, this is okay yet in others they totally didn’t bother add all leaving “gates” completely open except with an invisible wall in place.  

Another issue I had was the car combat which while being a great way to flatten enemies faster as well as get somewhere easier there’s no other use for them which is shame and an overall untapped source of expanding upon the mechanics. One other point I forgot to mention was the lack of customisation both on the character model and the car as both are just change the colours in which you get a limit of eight for the car while with the character you get a view colours options on the clothes and the option of changing your name which doesn't affect much whereas you won’t even see your character colours in game unless you’re on spilt-screen.

Time for the meat of the title now: The Loot dropping system. (Featured in many modern games as well as good old hack n slash games). This feature allows for continuous guns to be dropped that differ in appearance and constantly change individual statistics of: gun’s damage, rate of fire/ amount fired and accuracy this leads to some pretty interesting mixes. Though this isn’t the only thing you can loot as there are various shields, grenade modifications, class modifications, elemental modifications, health pick-ups, ammunition and money to collect which change in very similar ways. Though I will say that money has no place in the game, as you get from most items from chests and containers, you’ll never use it except to buy ammunition from vendors at early point in the games though from there on you’ll just collect it. On point I must praise is how they implemented the statistic changes into the game world, as the guns featured in game are manufactured by various companies which each are strong at certain statistics or modifications such as Maiiwan weapons all carry elemental bonuses on them while Jakobs weaponry has high damage rates but low accuracy, while overall adds to the game world. On the note of immersing features in game, the fast travel system was added superbly as an actual function machine that allows people to travel across the planet which can also be said for re-spawning system which is also a functioning machine in the game world that reconstructs your body each time you die as well as takes a fee every time, this I felt overall adds to the context of the world.

Now for the combat which plays like any other shooter but with the enemy variety and loot system makes these experiences ten times as fun than a regular shooter which is only increased by the soundtrack included in game that fits battles to a good effect. However during the larger battle sequences the frame rate can drop drastically which will break your immersion.

The point I will bring up is the setting/story and characters also known as the games lowest points since it feels like they exist just for the sake of the gameplay with the setting just being there to allow for all the crazy designs while the story is non-existent told mainly through small captions included when taking quests or turning them in with small amounts of dialogue from NPCs that by the way are know more than static models with barely enough animation to call them characters.

In conclusion Borderlands is a successful experiment in FPS/Loot System hybrid game that is held down by having zero story and small mechanical error but on another hand uses a different art style and over the top humour to stand out from the crowd. I'd recommend to any who wants a game they can turn their brain off too-to play for a bit of fun. 

(Additional: There no section on the multilayer, cause you apparently need friends for that!)

Final Scores:

Story/Characters: 4.7

Gameplay/Mechanics: 7.2

Visuals: 7.1
Sound: 7

Final Verdict: 6.7/10 (Alright)

Game of Thrones: Episode 1 - Iron From Ice Review

Game of Thrones: Episode 1 - Iron From Ice

Information:

Developers: Telltale Games

Publishers: Telltale Games

Platforms: Android, iOS, PC (Windows, OS X), PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

Average Completion Time: 2 hours

Type: Stand-Alone, Episodic
Modes: Single-Player
Genres/Perspective/Flow: Episodic, Point and Click, Interactive Drama, Graphic Adventure
Rating: N/A
Release Dates:
PC
WW: 2/12/14
PlayStation 4
NA: 2/12/14
EU: 3/12/14
Xbox 360 & Xbox One
WW: 3/12/14
PlayStation 3
NA: 9/12/14
EU: 10/12/14
Series: Game Of Thrones Telltale Series
Average Completion Time: 2 hours
Trophies/Achievements: 8 Trophies out of 49.
Other Editions: N/A
Additional: Review based on PlayStation 3 version.
Alternate Recommendations: Walking Deads, Wolf Among Us.
(Source: Wikipedia)

Synopsis:

Game of Thrones - A Telltale Games Series is a six part episodic game series set in the world of HBO's ground-breaking TV show. (Source: howlongtobeat.com)

Review:

Is Game of Thrones episode 1 a good representation of the universe in an interactive media or is it an enormous failure on the scope of the Walking Dead Survival Instinct?

Well to start this off by addressing the most important matter, the plot which centres around a briefly mentioned house in the Game of Thrones universe, known as House Forrester supporters of House Stark where it centres around key members of the household, in separate locations from King's Landing to the Forrester's Keep Ironrath.

The game starts on the night of 'The Red Wedding' and then proceeds to jump around the various characters of the house which the player will control from the Young Lord Ethan Forrester, who controls the house after his father's passing having the more interesting and dramatic parts that proves the more interesting and exciting being a more engaging character out of the three playable characters that is both fun to play and fun to watch; where on the other hand is Gared Tuttle who serves as squire for the house and has some of the most boring parts in the game despite them being action focused the character is just average and has no exciting characteristics about him. Lastly in King's Landing you get to play as Mira Forrester the eldest daughter of House Forrester, who serves Lady Magaery from the main series and while, not having the most interesting points of view she does have the most interaction with characters of the TV series, which leads to some fun results depending on your choices. 

Supporting character on one side can be great pieces of art having a range of traits that can be loved or hated from the calm and collected, Duncan to the fierce Royland who's temper made me shudder, but on another side characters like the Maester and Lord Gregor where boring and didn't draw me in very well. 

Now having got the main characters out the way, let's get on with the plot which while slow at first goes fast paced and enjoyable keeping me at the edge of my seat for most of the ride, right up until the dramatic conclusion, which was also helped by the amazing soundtrack most of the way with great scores that helped increase the drama and action scenes that will cause me to purchase the second part immediately due to a dripping and a great interactive narrative, even though some parts lost their touch mostly when playing as Gared for reasons mentioned above though at times I did feel that new comers to the Game of Thrones series could be thrown of as it relies heavily on the plot of the television's narrative. 

Not to mention the great performances of the cast of the Game of Thrones television series who play some characters from the original series starting with Ramsey, who mixes well into the plot as well as showing of his crueller side and sadistic nature well within character interaction, and lastly characters Tyrion and Cersei are featured within the plot greatly with Cersei's manipulative being as strong as ever and Tyrion's wit being just as funny despite their character models looking like a candle was squashed against there face. 

Now linking of what I previously said the character models of those two characters is not something to be desired while both Ramsey and Margaery having great models looking just like the actors from the show. While the main cast and supporting cast of characters had great models and designing that fit well within the universe of Game of Thrones while having unique look to them having the famous Telltale style. 

The environment though while looking great at times has a few issues mainly in the texture error department from textures popping in and out to some going pixelated, at times either on purpose or not, doesn't matter though, as it looked really ugly and breaked my immersion often.

Now as you know this is a Telltale episodic game so mechanics stay the same, and if you don't know this is a point and click adventure game with some quick time events and dialogue choice options that can have great effect on the rest of the story depending on player choice, no matter how small or large which is great but I would like to see at least something different as the formula is starting to get boring and feeling like a copy and paste as time moves on.

 But there was one problem I had with game which was during some of the more hectic scenes the frame rate would drop drastically, causing me to fail many quick time events and broke my immersion often.  

In conclusion Game of Thrones is a great addition to the Fire and Ice Universe thanks to some good story telling and character engagement, but falls short in immersion breaking thanks to texture issues, poor character models at some moments and copy n paste game play. 

Verdict:

Characters/Story: 8.4

Gameplay: 6.6

Visuals: 7.4

 Soundtrack: 8.2

Final Score: 7.8/10 (Good)

Entwined Review

Entwined:

Information:

Developers: PixelOpus

Publishers: Sony Entertainment

Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita

Type: Stand Alone
Modes: Single-Player
Genres/Perspective/Flow: Rhythm
Rating: N/A
Release Dates:
PlayStation 4
NA: 9/06/14
PAL: 10/06/14
JP: 19/06/14
PlayStation 3 & PlayStation Vita:
NA: 22/07/14
PAL: 23/07/14
JP: 24/07/14
Series: None
Average Completion Time: 1 - 2 Hours
Trophies/Achievements: 14 in all.
Other Editions: None
Additional: Review based on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita versions.
Alternate Recommendations: "Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions".

(Source: Wikipedia)

Synopsis:

Entwined is a beautiful game about a bird and a fish that are in love but can’t be together. Learn to guide these two souls simultaneously then unite and transform them into a magnificent Dragon. Over the course of nine unique lifetimes can you become Entwined forever? (Source: howlongtobeat.com)

Short Review:

To start of my review of Entwined I will first give a quick run-down of the central plot; which follows the never ending inter species love between a fish and a bird that forever together but forever apart. And that's about it there's no real plot as they get together by the end of each of the nine levels representing various lifetimes and then are broken apart each time in time for the next level to start or next lifetime in which by the end of this journey nothing really happens by the end, but like I said there is no real plot and it shouldn't be taken seriously.

Next is the most crucial aspect of the game, which is the gameplay; which can be divided into two segments. The first one being the more gameplay focused area, where you control both the fish and bird using the left and right thumb stick which are used to move them through colour coordinated portals on an on-rails like tunnel environment; so you move the orange fish through orange portals, blue bird through blue portals and by moving the two close together they become green allowing access through green portals, in which in-between portals you have to collect small orbs in order to fill up each creatures respective bar, that when filled opens up a sequence where they combine allowing them onto the next part of gameplay.

Now let’s talk about this gameplay; starting with that while the game is both fun and challenging as you manoeuvre each respective animal through increasing more difficult and precise tunnels the case does fall victim to heavy repetition, as you feel that after about 20-30 mins worth of gameplay that they ran out of ideas with the only changes being the shapes of the portals and the orbs as well as the varying sequences they run in which can range from easy to challenging. However an aspect I would like to bring up is the after failing a 'portal sequences' you lose some of your progress on the bars above adding more difficulty and the need to use good precision.

After this comes the other segment of the game that acts as a relaxing area to play between area in which you play the combined form of the fish and bird which is sort of like a dragon ish like creature, in which you fly around an open area picking up more orbs so you can progress to the next level, and that's about it; gets a bit boring. All in all a good idea that wasted it's potential.

Now for the better part of this review in which I'll start by talking about the graphics which simply put look amazing, easily making this one of the best looking games I've seen for the PlayStation; using a wide arrange colours and effects to create some of the best looking environments in recent history, making each chapter feel different from each other creating various moods throughout the game.

In a similar fashion this is also helped by utilising the games soundtrack which helps create amazing moods during each chapter making each life time unique and different by using a mix of electronic and flute music that is true candy to the ear both in-game and on its own.

Final Scores:

Story & Characters: 5.5

Gameplay: 7.3

Visuals: 8.9

Soundtrack: 7.8

Final Verdict: 7.4/10 (Good)