Beyond Two Souls Review

Beyond Two Souls:

Information:

Developers: Quantic Dream

Publishers: Sony

Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4

Alternate Recommendations: Heavy Rain, The Walking Dead.
Type: Stand-Alone
Modes: Single Player
Genres/Perspective/Flow: Interactive Drama, Action-Adventure, Quick Time Events, Point and Click.
Rating: "ESRB: RP", "PEGI - 16"
Release Dates:
PlayStation 3
NA: 8/10/13
EU: 9/10/13
AUS:  11/10/13
JP: 17/10/13
PlayStation 4
WW: 24/11/15
Series: None
Average Completion Time: 11 - 12 Hours
Trophies/Achievements: 46 in total
Other Editions: Special Edition
Additional: Review done in Playstation 3 version.
(Source: Wikipedia)

Synopsis:
Beyond: Two Souls is a single-player Adventure game that utilizes a combination of a superior storytelling and gameplay mechanics, and cutting edge motion capture techniques to present a stunning adventure that is not to be missed. The game is a PlayStation 3 exclusive and features an in-game timeline set across several years of the player character's life and experiences, several possible endings and outcomes, a unique and powerful in-game companion, and in-game contributions by top Hollywood talent. (Source: howlongtobeat.com)

Review:

To start of the review the Story of Beyond Two Souls follows Jodie Holmes as she struggled with her life while being haunted by the entity Aiden taking place across all portions of her life from early childhood, teenage years to adulthood while allowing you, the player to decide how the events of these periods in her life play out and will affect the overall end of game that will result in a player getting one of twenty different endings. The story will tuck at your head strings as you watch Jodie go through traumatic, scary, sad and happy experiences over the course of the 10 hour long campaign while deciding how she deals will each of them such as big plot points like does she start a romantic relationship with this guy, or does save certain characters from smaller options like choosing how to present yourself during a date to choosing want music should be played at a party; these decisions will all affect the story further on and make it a fun interactive experience you will play over and over trying different options in the game to get different endings.

Characters in game are great and lovable from the good to the bad and even the ugly are masterfully done to fit in with the narrative and are fun to interact with no matter how small their role in is the plot they will affect Jodie's life from the bullying teenage part goers to Jodie's abusive parents all feel alive and have real depth rather than seeing a bunch of polygons moving on screen.

The gameplay can be broken down into two core elements the first being when you the player are Jodie which works similar to Heavy Rain's gameplay which plays from a third person perspective and you can explore game environments and use the right analog to interact with different things with that environment such as opening doors to more smaller things like choosing clothes to sitting down but unlike Heavy Rain's it doesn't tell you the direction which can lead player to randomly moving the stick in all directions until you find the correct one which can be rather tedious. Another mechanic similar to this one is the combat mechanics which by the way if you like heavy action games I don't recommend this to you but back on track the combat is similar to the interactions mechanics I mentioned earlier as you use the right stick to fight against enemies which your supposed to move in collaboration with Jodie's body which sound easy but it’s not as it can be difficult to tell at times and will lead to doing the wrong actions which becomes rather frustrating later on.

The next core gameplay is Aiden which the player can control in game who is an entity who is always round Jodie who helps her do thinks such open doors and interact with objects in the environment but don't be fooled as Aiden just isn't just a help tool he has his own personality and can go against Jodie's wishes as you see hid from ruining dates to sometimes attacking Jodie herself.

The graphics in game are simply amazing and it's hard to tell at first what is cut scene and what is gameplay as they use the same graphics as each other which simply pushers the limits of what the PS3 can do looking better than some next-gen games of today (Currently 2014 as I write this) and forever stand as I pinnacle in what games can accomplish from breath taking realistic character models looking just like their voice actors to amazing environments that vary from deserted labs, modern houses to big wide open deserts all look amazing and are simply art in themselves.

The OST is amazing making all known scenes in game feel great and worthy of praise with breath taking emotionally orchestra music directed by world famous Hans Zimmer making all scenes in game feel alive and refreshing where ever the player is. On that note the voice actors also deserve worthy praise after being strapped into motion suits they give a heart-warming performance whether they be great voice actors to world famous actors like Ellen Page who plays Jodie wonderfully from her teenage years to her adult life no matter the scene she is in as well William Dafoe who also does a wonderful role as Nathan Dawkins really making the characters feel alive.

Final Verdict:

Story & Characters: 9.0

Gameplay: 8.5

Visuals: 10

Sound: 8.7

Final Score: 9.1/10 (Excellent)

Ghostbusters The Video Game Review

Ghostbusters The Video Game:

Information:

Developers: Terminal Reality (Single Player), Threewave Software (Multiplayer), Red Fly Studio, Zen Studios, Rainmaker Entertainment.

Publishers: Atari, Sony.

Platforms: OnLive, PC (Windows), Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360.

Type: Stand-Alone, Adaptation
Modes: Single Player, Multiplayer
Genres/Perspective/Flow: Third Person Shooter, Action-Adventure.
Rating: ESRB: T,
Release Dates:
PS2/PS3
16-19/06/2009
Xbox 360, Wii, DS, PC
NA: 16/06/2009
EU: 06/11/2009
PSP
NA: 30/10/2009
EU: 6/11/2009
AUS: 12/11/2009
Series: None
Average Completion Time: 9 - 10 Hours
Trophies/Achievements: 51 in total
Other Editions: Special Edition, Slimer Edition
Additional: Review was done on PlayStation 3 version. The review of the multiplayer is not on this and I no longer own the game.
Alternate Recommendations: The Bureau: XCOM Declassified GhostBusters: Sanctum of Slime.
(Source: Wikipedia)

Synopsis:
Ghostbusters: The Video Game, based on the smash hit motion picture franchise and featuring a completely new story, is coming to six game systems in 2009. Coinciding with the 25th anniversary celebration of the film’s original theatrical release, the game reunites original cast members to recapture the unique blend of humour and fright that established Ghostbusters as a pop culture sensation. Remember, don't cross the streams. It could end all life as we know it! (Source: howlongtobeat.com)

Review:

To start this review I will discuss the story which follows a new recruit of the Ghostbusters crew as helps the original Ghostbusters fight against various types ghosts both old and new while uncovering a sinister plot; the plot itself is interesting and funny but isn't really that engaging or interesting as it only comes into play about mid-way through the game and is only noticeable properly on the last level making it easily forgettable.

But there are some elements in the story that are fun and enjoyable which overall makes it a great ride but boring at times.

The characters are made up of original members from the film franchise who help make the game feel like a true Ghostbusters game as well as having a nostalgic feeling to the atmosphere.

The gameplay is kind different to anything I've played as well as feeling familiar in a way like I've been there before, broken down gameplay can be summed up as TPS (Third Person Shooter) that instead of guns uses ray like weapon with 4 different fire modes the uses a cool down period instead of ammo pickups or weapon changes which has its advantages as you will worry about ammo during the course of the game but it makes combat and overall gameplay easy and becomes boring after the first few hours after the game start which will make new enemy encounters less exciting as all you have to do is blast with a ray then capture or sometimes not which was a waste of a potential challenging gameplay mechanic; which in turns even ruins good boss battles make them extremely easy even on the highest difficulty with the player just concentrating on dodging attacks and watching the cool down.

The game does feature some collectable mechanics that are interesting and fun with the player hunting down various haunted artefacts made of everyday life objects like toasters or painting but sadly these is ruined by the 'goggles' mechanic that is used to find collectables and ghosts in game ruing the hunting experience but on the other hand they do serve a good mechanic which is ghost scanning mechanic where you scan ghosts to learn their name, information, attacks and weaknesses which can make gameplay more fun as you try to change play tactics to deal with different ghosts.

The character models in game and overall animation is amazing with an overall performance and character lip syncing is done great making them feel like worthy video game adaptations.

Graphics in game do not feel up to standard as other 2008 games do but was also better looking than some games but did not have outstanding graphics like Dead Space or Assassin's Creed but felt more closer to GTA IV's graphics. But the environmental graphic were amazing later on in games with a wide a range of set pieces from ghostly graveyards to dark dirty sewers making you feel right at home in game expecting ghosts to come from anywhere.

The OST is amazing having a very 90s soundtrack making players feel like they are playing the films as well as helping set up the time period very well mixed in with some amazing voice work making characters feel very real. And don't forget the classic Ghostbusters theme played in credits making you feel great after finishing the game.

Verdict:

Characters & Story: 5.6

Gameplay: 7.3

Visuals: 6.3

Sound: 8.5

Final Score: 7.0/10 (Good)

Enslaved Odyssey to the West Review

Enslaved Odyssey to the West

Developers: Ninja Theory

 Publishers: Namco Bandai Games

Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 & PC (Windows)

Type: Stand-Alone, Adaptation

Modes: Single Player

Perspective/Flow: Third Person, Hack n Slash

Genres: Action Adventure, Platformer

Rating: ESRB T, Pegi - 16

Release Dates: 

PS3 & X360: 

NA: 5th October 2010, 

AUS/JP: 7th October 2010, 

EU: 8th October 2010

PC: 23rd October 2013

Average Completion Time: 10 Hours

Series: None

Other Editions: Premium Edition

Trophies/Achievements: 

Additional: Review is based upon the PlayStation 3 Version.

Alternate Recommendations: Jak and Daxter Trilogy & Heavenly Sword

Synopsis:

Enslaved is a future post-apocalyptic plat-former with hack n slash combat based on the book Journey to the West by Chinese novelist Wu Cheng'en in which it was developed by Ninja Theory who have done other games like PS3 Exclusive Heavenly Sword and the 2013 DmC Devil May Cry and was published by Bandai Namco Games. The game follows the characters Monkey and Trip as they journey across the post-apocalyptic ruins of a city and beyond while being attacked by slavers and mechs who attack for reasons unknown.

Review:

 To start of the review story is quite unique for its time as you take on the role of a guardian for Trip through most of the game, which in present day is used by a lot of developers like the game Bioshock Infinite and The Last of Us, the character the player takes of control of is Monkey a survivor in the post-apocalyptic world an angry and annoyed character at the start who 'accompanies' Trip a vulnerable 'computer girl as they attempt to reach a ship crash site so that Trip can get home. The story itself is quite simple and plot twists are a bit predictable but the characters are what made the game good with realistic facial expressions and good voice acting the characters are believable and give of real life but this can all be ruined by lip syncing problems which can ruin bits of the story but not make it unplayable.

Enslaved looks amazing with lovely scenery all throughout the game from a crumbling city to a bog like junk yard the amount of detail is amazing and Ninja Theory did a wonderful job on this game as well as the characters who look more alive and are greatly detailed plus the mechs and cherry on the top with dark and dirty colouring which fits them in better to the setting. But this game does have its fair share of problems with a poor frame which mixed with the level of detail can make the game unplayable as well as texture popping in as you walk through the level which can be make the atmosphere worse but I have only experience this on PS3 so I don't know what it’s like on other consoles and PC keep this in mind.

The gameplay is mainly made up of two large elements with smaller ones mixed in, one half of the game I spend platforming across various environments hold in an environment and then placed in another and retextured but the platforming can feel a bit constricted as the game only lets you jump in the linear path and will not let you jump of a platform in any other direction unless there are collectable that way, also the platforming can be ruined by a poor response so instead of jumping of platform you will role in to it which can feel a bit frustrating. The other half of gameplay is hack n slash combat which has a fluid system that doesn't feel repetitive in each fight but can feel a bit easy even on higher difficulties.

Now for the smaller elements of gameplay which I will start with the RPG like upgrading system in which after a couple of chapters you will have option to upgrade your character for example having more health and being able to counter which may seem basic but offers a better game experience once your maxed out; other elements include a jet board like system called cloud in certain location which reminded we of the jet board in Jak II, it also offers chase like events that are fine at first but seem a bit repetitive and frustrating later on and another piece of gameplay is the boss fights which are fun and interesting don't have any challenge except for the last boss; and finally the last thing is the collectable system which I found to be unique as when you collect some of them on one playthrough they not appear on the next but this does have a problem as you be left searching for the last orb on a level.

The animation for the game was nicely done and is shown to its best in the character and enemy movement animation as some like Trip will move like a regular human which fine but really shows its best is Monkey who moves quickly and climbs like a Monkey which is pulled of really well in the platforming as you watch him swing from place to place similar to an actual Monkey which fits his character better.

The Voice actors in this did a wonderful job and make the characters seem believable with Andy Serkis as Monkey, who is best known for his work as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings Franchise, in which he pulls of Monkey's character well as well as Lindsey Shaw who voices Trip who does an equally good job. The OST is well done and helps set the mood for many of the events in show such as fast music for the chase scenes making them feel more real.

Overall Enslaved had some potential but then failed and what is left is a game full of restrictions, repetition and glitches.

Ratings:

Characters and Story: 6.3

Gameplay: 6.2

Visuals: 6.5

Sound: 7.0

Verdict: 6.6/10 (Alright)

Dead Island Review

Dead Island Review:

Information

Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC (OS X, Windows)

Developer: Techland

Publisher: Deep Sliver

Type: Stand-Alone
Modes: Single Player, Co-Op Multiplayer
Genres/Perspective/Flow: Action, Role Playing Game, First Person Shooter, Zombies
Rating: "PEGI: 18", ESRB: M
Release Dates
NA: 6/09/11
PAL: 9/09/11
Series: Dead Island
Average Completion Time: 25 hours
Trophies/Achievements: 48 in stand alone + 10 in DLC
Other Editions: Game Of the Year Edition, Definitive Edition
Additional: Review was done Xbox 360 Version
Alternate Recommendations: Dead Rising & How to Survive

Review:

To start of the review the story of Dead Island follows 4 Playable as they try to find out what started the zombie apocalypse of the island of Bonai as well as how to escape from it as well, now this may sound pretty interesting but it's not as the story doesn't really start till half way through and even then it’s not that great and is extremely boring with it being one of the lowest points in the series while also being combined with boring, plain main and support characters who have no really interesting points. The characters can be separated by the roles which are main characters and supporting or Quest givers and are really plain and boring with no real personality aside from the main characters who at least have some back story and interesting dialogue but compared to supports who just sprout the same lines at you every time you pass them left we disappointed that they could have done a better job.

The gameplay can be described as a FPS Hack n Slash that is fun and enjoyable for the players as they scavenge weapons and make their own with the gameplay being Dead Island's highest point, with a flowing and fun combat system that has the player use a wide variety of options to each zombie encounter like do you want just wail on the zombie till it dies, or to you want break it limbs or simply cut them off or maybe for the more destructive you can set them on fire or electrocute them and listen to their cries as they die they choice is up to you. But all in all it plays like any other FPS will the ability to sprint, jump and move how you like but it does come with a twist that changes the gameplay: a stamina meter, which drains when you sprint, jump or use your melee weapon and will leave you defenceless when fully drained which can lead to you the player having to think of different ways to enter combat while fighting of a good range of zombie types and special infected similar to Left 4 Dead's as well as fighting against humans who can be challenging to beat but have stupid AI where they repeat moves and will eventually lead to them being easier to deal with.

Another feature of the game is it's RPG element which is very standard and has the very simple three skill trees set up that focuses on the elements that will help the player unlock new moves, weapon upgrades and other features; also to fit in with the RPG like mechanics the game can be broken down into quests that are fun and range in difficulty but also get more repetitive as time goes on. Another smaller element in Dead Island is its crafting interface in which you can make additions to your weapons from scavenged parts which will remind you of Dead Rising craft system except the weapons are more serious and less goofy like electrocuting a machete so that it can shock enemies when hit or crafting gun bullet as they are hard to come by but the amount of 'Mods' are limited and doesn't have a wide variety to choose from as well as having the same mod twice with one making the special feature more powerful than the previous.

Aside from this the game does have its share of problems like phasing issues like characters hand going through ladders when climbing and having the player do a stomping move of a zombie as its getting up so even though you’re hitting the ground its head will still explode as well as wooden animation which makes character look more like do models talking rather than people.

The graphics for Dead Island are amazing even for a 2011 game with amazing and diverse environments locations that the player fits in the game from a lush ocean resort to a dense like swamp jungle like make lovely eye candy but can all be ruined by the game texture popping issue where textures will not be loaded after leaving a building which can ruin the experience but will load within a few seconds. Aside from this the zombie models had incredible detail and looked like corpse that had rose up from the ground with skin with, muscle and bone exposed which made the game feel all the more real.

Sound:

Now the soundtrack can be summed up really quickly as I barely heard it when playing the game except in survivor camps where it fit well will a sad tone as you walk past a dozen depressing people but aside from this I don't remember the rest until listening to it separately, in which I found it amazing and fits the whole tone of the game extremely well done, As well when you can't hear the music the atmosphere of the show can make the game feel alive and amazing with the wind and rain that can make resorts and cities feel deserted with zombie howls in the background to keep players on edge as well as character voice work that fit the game's depressing feeling that bring the game to live.

Final Verdict:

Characters & Story: 4

Gameplay: 6

Visuals: 7

Sound: 7

Final Score: 5.3/10 (Mediocre)

Lost via Domus Short Review

Lost Via Domus:

Information

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal

Publisher: Ubisoft

Genre/Perspective/Flow: Third person Puzzle Solver

Platforms: PC (Windows), PlayStation 3, Xbox 360.

Alternate Recommendations: 

Type: Stand-Alone, Adaptation
Modes: Single Player
Rating: "ESRB: T", "PEGI - 16+"
Release Dates
US: 26/02/2008
CAN: 28/02/2008
EU: 28/02/2008
AUS: 29/02/2008
Average Completion Time: 5 hours
Series: Lost TV Series
Trophies/Achievements: 30 in total
Other Editions: N/A
Additional: Review done on Xbox 360 Version

Synopsis:

Lost via Domus the video game adaptation to the hit TV series LOST is a disappointment, but how? Well this review will describe just that.

Short Review:

The story focuses on a survivor of Flight 815 after an aeroplane crash on a deserted Island in which the game takes place over 7 episodes which follow the Television show to some degree but overall the story is plain with a WTF ending and not that interesting with the characters back-story being the most mysterious parts of the plot; the characters on the other hand can be well done adaptations of their TV counterpart that help immersive you in the LOST universe but then there are the characters who are nothing like the ones in the TV series and will really throw of fans of the series but will not harm your experience if you are not.

The gameplay can be summed up as a third person puzzle solver with some shooter mechanics but the game does not focus on this; instead it focuses on puzzle like pieces that requires the player mainly to do electricity like puzzles that focus on getting the correct number of volts to a certain system alongside a point and click like mode where the player can click on various objects through the world to learn about locations and for story progression which fits the gameplay well. The game also has some smaller features such as RPG like talking system where the player can talk to various characters to help with quests as well as general chatter to learn more about them and world the player is in. But there are various problems to the game must be addressed that primarily focus around the characters being boring and bland with poor animation during cut scenes and dialogue that make them feel like planks of wood with some speech as well as the lines appearing in darker areas that show where the map ends which can ruin the experience.

The OST can feel nostalgic to fans of the series as well help immersive players into parts of game whether they be the fear of the black smoke or the quiet like beach camp; the rest of the sound for the game can help set the atmosphere the locations and moments that also makes the games immersive but the real problem with the sound is the voice acting as the majority of the cast in replaced by stand ins and as such have the wrong voices which can ruin the immersion and experience of any fans who play while some actors do return to the play there role in which pull of flawless.

The visuals in LOST can be summed up as mediocre with nothing wrong with the graphics but also nothing to big but was able to capture the forest of Island quite well as it looks just how you would imagine it with dense foliage and peaceful nature as well being able to capture the mysterious hatch well but does not have great amounts of detail which leave players disappointed.

In conclusion don't buy this game if you don't have too, unless you want a good laugh on how bad it was or are desperate for something to kill time for a few hours. 

Final Verdict:

Characters & Story: 5

Gameplay: 6

Sound: 6

Visuals: 5

Score: 5.4/10 (Mediocre)