My Top 10 Games of 2014!

G'day there guys and gals!

We near the end of another year full of gaming; there were some definite ups and downs this year (admittedly mostly downs!) but this leads to the question; which games fizzled and which soared into the sky with praise by all.
Note worthy also; this is my list! All the games on said list are my personal choice and lists will vary person to person. Let me know your picks down below.

To start it off, some honourary mentions; While definitely worth a look at, these are the titles I found just too lacking, among the many remakes of this year or simply incomplete
Murdered Soul Suspect, Thief, Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition, Assassin's Creed Rogue, GTA 5, Halo Master Chief Collection, Telltales Game of Thrones Episode 1 and lastly, Watch Dogs.

NUMBER 10:
Fable Anniversary
Buggy, glitchy and often broken, Fable Anniversary wasn't a great start to the year of 2014 and would pretty much be the first mark the Next Gen Leapers would make on our wallets overall. Although it had many technical issues, there's no doubt that Lionhead had definitely put in a lot of time into the development of the game, completely redoing the textures, gameplay and feel of the title overall, while still keeping that ritzy, dry humour fans have come to expect. Although the App feature was a total bust at first (many gamers complaining of its non-functionality), the game was still enjoyable nonetheless; the timeless story, brilliant gameplay and beautiful musical score.
While definitely the lowest scoring on my list, if you're a fan it's definitely worth the struggle. If not, now would be a decent time to check it out as the price-tag would be plummeting.

NUMBER 9:
Wolfenstein The New Order
Admittedly I have never played a Wolfenstein game before this one, the classic barely into my own time and with very few memories of my siblings and their friends playing the title. But this is the beauty of Wolfenstein TNO; Engaging gameplay with a fresh storyline.
Despite originally being a sequel to the 2009 release, the rehash of the game received much more attention and love by fans than its predecessor due to the overwhelmingly great gameplay, jaw-dropping graphics, its exceedingly long campaign and abundance of fan service, Easter Eggs and more. Although slightly glitchy and the choices made in game pretty much pointless except for the first, the game itself has plenty of replay value and much to be enjoy by old fans and new. 
Stealth or loud, young or old, the choices are there and they should be made for any gamer looking for an old school styled First Person Shooter.

NUMBER 8:
Titanfall
This title did see a lot of backlash from the community over its god awful campaign; only there to fill in a checkpoint and to unlock different Titans for you to play around with, not even to mention the only difference between multiplayer and it are 60 seconds of dialogue and perhaps a small cutscene. 
BUT does that make it a bad game? Definitely not! Titanfall is surprisingly refreshing to the FPS scene and with developers from Call of Duty behind it, that's not surprising. Extensive parkour meets giant robots? That was enough to sucker in many gamers but the gameplay, musical score and multiplayer was enough to keep fans coming back months after its release, a huge fanbase still around to this day. While some have moved on, the massive maps and continued upgrades to both player and Titan alike has kept Titanfall around for much longer than many expected. As a gamer, even talking about it now makes me want to play, this is the calling card of a good game. 
Irrefutably worth your time. 

NUMBER 7:
South Park The Stick of Truth
In full honestly, I want to kick my own arse for not having this game closer to #1 on the list, but the line has to be drawn somewhere. Controversy out of brilliance; this has always been the calling card of the creators of South Park and The Stick Of Truth brings that ten fold. With MASSIVE censorship in Europe and my home land Australia, The Stick Of Truth is agreed by many fans alike to be almost a extended season of the show itself. Many titles of games that made the jump from television or movies tend to be god awful and a stain on their brand's name. But that is not the case here.
Gameplay based from classic RPGs, beautiful scenery of the entire town of South Park coming to life and extensive customisation and storyline, if you make any purchase of an RPG in the final days of 2014, make it this one. For fans who will squeal in delight over Fast Travel TIMMY!! or newbies fresh to the experience, there is something for everyone in this game.

NUMBER 6:
Assassin's Creed Unity
Over the last month, AC Unity has copped a lot of hatred from the community over its bugs and issues. But does that make it a bad game? Not by a long shot. Even as a fan of the AC series, I can admit that many of its issues, like its often flat dialogue and cheesy love interest can be intolerable. But the gameplay, free-roam and missions are by far enough to keep even a casual gamer entertained for well over 30 hours. Never before Unity did I feel compelled to play the story line, but with side missions such as Murder Mystery, the Assassin Guild tasks and more, each mission had multiple ways of execution, especially main Assassination missions in the storyline. Don't pay too much attention or the beginning of the game will ruin AC Rogue for you but if you want a game where you can do most anything from fighting in medieval France freeing trapped Assassins to finding clues to solve the murder of a teacher (not to mention the unbelievably huge customisation like never before), Assassin's Creed Unity would be a great start into the series as a whole.

NUMBER 5:
Middle Earth - Shadow Of Mordor
Buying on a whim seems to have the best results in gaming these days as I went into SoM with very little hopes, only to meet a massive sandbox world filled with an abundance of creatures and Orcs to shoot, stab and behead at my whim. Storyline wise is well fleshed out, even if a tad cliche, but can keep you rooted to the spot for hours. Add onto that the incredible gameplay and you have a game to waste multiple hours hunting down the Orc that has killed you twice now to your heart's content. Riding the many beasts of Mordor, controlling the creatures to your whims and murdering your way to the top to avenge your family members, all of that and more await you in Shadow of Mordor. There isn't much customisation as the earlier titles mentioned but the mass amount of lore and gameplay here is enough for a second or third walkthrough.

NUMBER 4:
Transistor
Unbelievably, this amazing second title from the angels of SuperGiant games (Responsible for the astounding hit Bastion) has been overlooked by many gamers and that right there is a huge shame. My one and only PC only choice on this list, Transistor brings all the charm of a SuperGiant game into a fresh new scenario with a brand new character. HUGE lore, extensive storyline and utterly sublime voice acting and musical score, for such a low asking price it would be an absolute shame if any gamer missed this brilliant piece of artwork that is this game. I cannot sing the praise of this game more than I can right now. Casual or hardcore, give this revolutionary game a chance to move you and you will not regret it.

NUMBER 3: 
Telltale's The Walking Dead Season Two
Despite a single part of this game was released in 2013, I am counting this game in this list due to the majority of this game being released in 2014 and the full retail release as well. 
Fans were utterly delighted to return to Clementine in Telltale's now main runner game, The Walking Dead and many fans were not disappointed with the result. 
Upgraded gameplay and graphics and a continuing storyline of Clementine's struggle to survive as the Walkers engulf the world transfixed fans and newbies alike. If you're wondering why this made so close to #1, there is only only natural reply; storyline. The incredibly dynamic storyline, the simplistic yet excellent use of Point and Click gameplay, the voice acting, the sound track, every small little part to this game makes up the incredible game that Telltale has built up over the years, and with its completion leaving many fans waiting impatiently for Season Three.
If you're after a series to laugh, cry and grow with the character, this is by far for you.

NUMBER 2:
Sunset Overdrive
As a reviewer, I have said on the occasion "random does not always equal funny", but with Sunset Overdrive, this is barely the case. Well written jokes and references, random sequences and a brilliant dialogue definitely make up for most of the lackluster performance many other random titles *coughsaintsrow4coughcough* and outshine them all.
A non-realistic zombie outbreak and an overpowered hero was all the combination needed to make Sunset Overdrive a definite standout in the Zombie genre. Insane parkour and gameplay, an abundance of customisation of weaponry and character alike, witty dialogue and a decently made storyline not to mention the huge amount of jokes and puns made often, Sunset Overdrive has something to appeal to every gamer and even those who hate the standard zombie scene. While still relatively pricey, this game makes it to number 2 on the point alone of utter brilliance of the game's mechanic overall. While there were some small issues with multiplayer aspect at first, all have since disappeared. This is a must own for any self respecting gamer.

and finally!
NUMBER 1:
Valiant Hearts: The Great War
It has been so saddening to see such little response from the gaming community over this absolute ge of a game since its launch. A puzzler, the game plays out with multiple characters and different storylines all interlinked by the set of one of the largest events of the 20th century: The War To End All Wars aka WW1. What makes this game #1 is for it's incredible lore and realism with a ton of collectables with facts about the war and its events, the simplistic gameplay made difficult with puzzles and codes to be solve and the unbelievably incredible storyline and soundtrack. I would die a happy man if the last thing I heard on this earth was the main tune to Valiant Hearts.
For $15, I promise this game will set you back days in its gameplay, with a huge replay value to tip the iceberg so to speak.
Everything about this game is damn near perfection and it is a shame to see it fade away into the dust. If you play any game in the next 10 years, give this one a chance!

And as always, have fun and game on! See you all in 2015!

Review: Telltale's Game Of Thrones Episode 1

G'day there guys and gals!

(Please note: As Telltale's GoT series is released in episode form, they will be reviewed in DLC form: A through F.)
(Warning! This review features slight spoilers of late Season 3 and beyond. Tread carefully!)

With the huge success of The Wolf Among Us and The Walking Dead, Telltale Games has cemented their legacy to create touching, heartstring-pulling games with game mechanics easy enough for casual gamers and storylines to make even the most veteran gamers shed a tear or seven.
Game of Thrones has seen huge success since it's television debut, with many people (such as myself) flocking to the books for more at the end of a season. Iron From Ice not only has set itself apart from the novels and show, but has grown and adapted with them into something so much more.

This series follows the events of several protagonists, all situated around the House Forrester, a family loyal to the Starks. The game begins with Gared Tuttle, Squire to Lord Forrester, midst the celebrations of the houses attending the Red Wedding. 
Mira Forrester, the eldest daughter, is also a playable character in King's Landing, the handmaiden to Margaery Tyrell, along with her little brother Ethan Forrester to complete the protagonists for this episode. Without divulging too much into spoiler territory, with the chaos of the Red Wedding, Gared finds himself assigned a special tasks and a message for his uncle back at Ironrath. Mira, as a Handmaiden and a Northerner, is wracked with grief over her family's quarrels all the while avoiding the suspicion from those around her in her standing. Ethan, now given a huge responsibility well before his time, faces the difficulty of making choices that were never meant for him.

First off to mention would be the graphics; while still retaining the classic Telltale look, the backgrounds and characters themselves almost have an oil painting look to them, with the features prominently focused front and center as the background turns to a slush of shapely colours. Although this is slightly off-putting at times, especially so when skins or textures look jagged and unpolished, it truly separates it from the rest of Telltale's work. As for gameplay, it's many of what you can expect, Season 2 fans of The Walking Dead will find it quite familiar. Much of the action orientation is situated around holding RT and using the joystick to move something or go somewhere but there is still plenty to debate and choose. THIS is what makes the game solidified in GoT's universe; whereas TT has prided itself where the players choices determine how the game plays and how they create the universe to our liking, each little choice is bound to set off a chain reaction, even smaller options such as who to talk to can determine your fate later on in the game. 
Sound effects are slightly dull, many of the menu options complete copies of Walking Dead's, whereas swordplay sound effects and even grunting are looped too often to have much of an impact overall. Musical score on the other hand is perfectly done, bringing much of the feel of the show into the world as possible, despite the odd blockish homage intro to the show. Voice acting is done incredibly well, each character having their own role in the narrative perfectly executed to a T, leading even the smallest of characters leaving a large impact on the story, with many familiar faces also making an appearance as you continue to play.

With all of this in mind, what else can I say about the game without revealing the plot of it all? Be careful of the choices you make, for they may not just affect your own output as well. With a storyline that had me shaking by the end, excellent narrative/choices to be made and a wonderful beginning to the series, Telltale's Game Of Thrones is a great addition to the infamous series. While there are some bugs here and there, this series is a welcome breath of fresh air to the franchise and one that must be played over and over again. The North remembers. 

Telltale's Game Of Thrones Episode 1: B+

Update - 6/12/14

G'day there guys and gals!

Quick little note to say I am still alive and the reviews are still on the way!
I've been massively swamped with University and I haven't had a lot of time to review games, but they are still on the way, next up being Halo Master Chief Collection. I'll only be brushing over the online features as so many of you are probably aware at how dastardly they have been, so I'll be focusing more on Campaign and Customisation of the game. Don't worry, there have been plenty of problems there and many of which are pointing at the Halo Channel.

I still haven't finished AC Rogue so I will be doing that last and there is the possibility of COD Advanced Warfare since I've been fooling around in that game too.
I haven't filmed a lot either, only doing unboxing videos for Halo MCC and AC Unity but otherwise if you check my Twitter, you can find at least one tweet a day.

Anyhoo, that's about it! Over November I officially hit my 4th year as a indie reviewer and it fills me with so much happiness when people tell me they read my work. You folks have stuck around for so long and I cannot thank you enough for the support.
I'll try to do a few more reviews before the end of the year but otherwise I'll see you in 2015!

And as always, have fun and game on!

Review: GTA V Xbox One

G'day there guys and gals!

Please note: this review will be scored in DLC style (A through F) as appropriate with HD/Next Gen remakes. However since I never reviewed the original game, I shall add a quick summary score.

Arguably more infamous than many other titles in gaming history, Grand Theft Auto V launched late last year to record setting numbers, selling more copies and making more dough than the entire music industry last year. With that kind of publicity comes controversy; even now the game is being pull off shelves in Australia by the idiotically informed, Lindsay Lohan continuing her ridiculous claims to copyright infringement and so on. But for all the hatred, the game is an utter masterpiece of gameplay.

With the next gen release, the game has seen one massive improvement to gameplay, that being First Person Mode, a very first for the GTA series. This mode, while simplistic, brings a whole new life to the game; car interiors, further weapon detail and so much more realism than before. My first thoughts on playing in first person were of the Oculus Rift: if the Rift could be used during gameplay, it would most definitely be the best real life simulator to date. Also added was a brand new soundtrack, which made gameplay all the more enjoyable: personally making it through the entire storyline before hearing a song repeat. Speaking of repeats, all currently released DLCs were also added for free, with a bonus amount of cash for those who preordered the game, giving $500'000 both in Campaign and Online.
This brings me to Online; as returning gamers will remember, the Online launch was an absolute trainwreck from server overload, many of the issues taking weeks to be resolved. What about this time? Not a single problem to report. I've put in a fair few hours already exploring the world and other than some movement lag, nothing game breaking or connectivity issues to mention. This is incredibly positive to report as Rockstar has also reported that the long awaited Heists will be coming in the next Update. 

Although I should be covering this review more extensively, this is but a small summary of what there is in the next gen compilation. Online character transfer is simple and surprisingly quick, allowing players to change their appearance to accommodate the new style options, with a huge variety in the facial features.

To stop rambling and keep this short, even if the release price is exactly the same as when it released last year, the added content, further updated graphics and gameplay and new features to the wildlife and exploration make the extra price so worth it. Playing with friends, randoms online or just the story, Grand Theft Auto V has once more cemented its place in the hearts of gamers worldwide, giving endless hours of enjoyment to come. A must own in 2013 and again in 2014.

Original Grand Theft Auto V: 9/10

Nex Gen Grand Theft Auto V: B+

Review: Assassin's Creed Unity

G'day guys and gals!

As with each AC review, I will state the obvious: I have been a massive fan of the series from the very beginning (If my Creed tattoo wasn't too much of a hint already), but as a reviewer, I know I must look at all games from a neutral point of view and judge it accordingly. As a fan, it pains me to say that Unity has plenty of issues, many of which has been made public already. But with each AAA title game does have faults, they do have their positives and Unity has plenty of them as well.

Beginning with the main obvious attraction, gameplay: with each new addition to the series, gameplay is one of the most heavily updated features in the entire game. Unity has truly made a excellent step in the right direction and an innovative one at that. Improving upon the parkour of AC3, Unity allows for seemless parkour between all climbable objects with a two button system of holding RT and A to climb and RT and B to descend. While doing so, players must also control the camera angle to aim where they want to go and what to climb, making the parkour system much more than simply holding a button to sprint in a direction and letting the AI do all the work. Although I shall mention how a tad overstated the jumping can be (With ropes and such non reactive even after leaping huge heights) but thus is only a minor irritant and mostly overlooked. Not only that but combat has been improved heavily and single player customisation has been overhauled completely, allowing for a more in depth and player driven character than ever in the previous games. Weapon choice has also become a massive component in the game, allowing players to chose between a massive variety of weaponry, everything from pickaxes to pikes and rifles are covered, not even to begin mentioning the huge new clothing options and colourings. From spearing a man through a chest or smashing his skull in with a blunderbuss, combat has improved from enemies who wait their turn to attack, even more so from the previous games. Most, if not all, enemies are anxious to kill you, many attacking you repeatedly if you cannot break their defense. Players will rethink charging head first into a field of enemies as many will hang back and shoot you down, furthering combat difficulty even higher. While the range of enemies is mostly limited to Loyalist (A militia group hell bent on revolution) and the Royal Guard (who mostly leave you alone unless you do something illegal), there are plenty of enemies within their ranks, since the weapon range and difficulty ratings in areas can turn a simple assassination into a bloodbath or enemies throwing bombs, shooting and stabbing from every corner. I should also mention the utter excellent side missions, especially the Murder Mystery missions: solving murders by finding clues and paying attention to notes is a an extremely fun way to kill time between missions, I found myself hunting down the murders more than the story at times! Rescuing trapped Assassins, Paris Stories from thievery to murderers, solving Nostradamus riddles, even strolling down a street can lead you to a mini side mission such as tackling thieves, scaring thugs, killing messangers secretly and more. These can tend to repeat after a few hours (And the Murder Mysteries don't have any alterations from solving clues and picking a murderer) but are nonetheless a fun and creative way to expand the game. 

THIS brings me to the storyline: Following the actions of Assassin's Creed 4, you are only known as Initiate, an everyday person playing around with your new device at home; the Animus. While viewing Templar controlled "history", you are contacted by an Assassin, only known as Bishop (And aided by a familiar sounding Assassin codenamed Deacon) and asked to see the truth and help them in their fight against the Templars by exploring the memories of Arno Dorian as he, much like Edward, had come across something both the Assassins and Templars wanted dearly: a Sage. Having lost his father while playing with a girl name Elise, Arno is then "adopted" by her father, then Templar Grand Master Francois de la Serre. After his also mysterious death, Arno feels guilt for his small role in abandoning his duties to save him and seeks the help of the Assassins in order to track down his killer and dissolve the Templars plans in the French Revolution.
The storyline itself is much different to what fans would be used to; while there is still the excessive sneaking and stabbing to be done, much of the storyline is contradictory to the Creed, as is Arno's quest to begin with. At times the story does drag on, however it mostly makes up for it for the plotlines and gameplay's action. For example, main assassination missions no longer have the same context as before; players can pick and choose their approach and how to execute their targets. Every option (And distractions/assistants to help your cause!) is available, from poisoning wine to weaken your target and move them into a secluded area to freeing prisioners to fight alongside you charging enemies head on, developers have truly given this much thought. 

Graphics have been improved as well, with faces and bodies no longer glisening at every available option or skin looking gravely, textures are distinctive and movements are as well. Beards do need a tag more work, but are otherwise believable. This brings me to the very popular face glitch where only eyes and lips remain. Personally I have not seen this glitch happen yet (Even when I had no updates for the game) but as always, just as an oversight to the review. Buildings and scenary are particularly impressive, Revolutionary France being excellently done a definite understatement, with massive kudos to the Helix moments in 20th/14th Century France as well.
Musical score and sound effects are also well done, with the odd bump here and there (mostly during the overload of characters and things happening on screen) but is otherwise enjoyable, even to the point of this particular reviewer listening to the soundtrack as they type. 
Now, voice acting: While the main cast is mostly filled with tv and few movies while the veterans do mainly subcharacters, overall the acting is well done. Not incredible, but not bad. Arno (Dan Jeannotte) can be flat and dull at times but can be boyish and quite lively most of the time, the back and forth between him and Elise (Catherine Berube) and Pierre Bellec (Anthony Lemke) holds much needed depth for the game. 
Finally, Co-Op and Heists. Players who can intergrate themselves online into other worlds and take out missions together. While it holds much promise and plenty of fun and funny moments, many of the glitches I have found tend to be online. At the time of this review, the game still cannot hold four players moving in a single mission and attacking multitudes of enemies while a giant crowd looks on. While it looks amazing in single player and works fine, this often leads to animation and reaction delay, players glitching through the ground and being unable to be revives (despite multiple attempts) and some of the best glitched body movements I've ever seen. While I have yet to find any gamebreaking glitches, these are best noted to definitely kill the mood, especially as Heists have their own cutscenes and animations, most of which become ruined as soon as a player's connection lags. Finding a match isn't hard, but maintaining one is harder. 

Glitches and microtransactions aside, the game does have its fair share of fun and intrigue. But in saying that, with the addition of overpriced microtransactions, AC Initiates (An online account for chests) and of course Uplay issues, the game does indeed have plenty of faults at its disposal to be picked at. 
But does that make it a bad game or any less enjoyable? The answer is a strong no. The microtransactions are optional, as is Initiates (Although for PC users, Uplay is manditory) and online or otherwise, the game offers plenty more than the 18-20 hours of storyline of Arno, with side missions and co-op just being the added gravy. Assassin's Creed Unity has not left a defining mark in its series of games, but it has definitely made a positive one. A must play for casuals and fans alike.

Out of 10, I give Assassin's Creed Unity an 8/10

Assassin's Creed Unity is out now for the standard price of $90

Unboxing - Assassin's Creed Unity Notre Dame Edition!

Review: Sunset Overdrive

G'day there guys and gals!

As a student of drama and acting classes since I was 10, I have always been hammered this quote from my teachers: "Random does not always equal funny", Saints Row 3/4 proved that quite often. Sunset Overdrive, a game built on the opposite of that prospect, completely destroys that idea with clever references, jokes both inside for fans of their genre and shows and stabs at all types of games, story plotline cliches and best of all, stereotypical endings! And even by the end, it'll leave you with plenty more to enjoy.

So let's get to the basis of the plot: You are simply known as Player (and yes, before you ask, there's even an awesome joke about that too!) and you are a simple cleaner for the rich and popular, all of which are attending a "wicked-ass" rave for a brand new energy drink, Overcharge. But after some quick consummation, all the rich and famous suddenly turn into devilish mutants known as Overcharge Drinkers, or OD for short. Taking to the rails to get home, Player holes up at home for a few weeks until a mysterious survivor saves Player's life as their home becomes overridden with OD. And so the game begins!
First off, I want to mention the customisation. One of the greatest highlights a game like this can do is go nuts with the character design, and go nuts they did! Do you want to be a green bearded lady with dark blue and orange eyes? Hell yeah you can! Do you want to be a buff dude wearing a skirt and bikini top? Go for it! The customisation on the characters themselves is awesome, but the models themselves a little disappointing, as your limited to a petite man/woman or a buff guy/well endowed woman. Playing as a massively buff lass or a double plus man would've definitely been an added bonus, but this is easily overlooked with the depth of clothing options. Personally in crazy games I like to dress normally so I look out of place (With an added cape for cool-guy points) but there's so much to pick from (Although I'm not sure where to get the "Assassin" clothing playing as a guy but if it's locked to women only, that will be hilarious) that you will definitely never go without an option you'll enjoy. BUT enough about that!

What about the storyline, you ask? The game, surprisingly, keeps a relatively normal objective throughout the game, but the subplots is where the game shines in weirdness. From helping a stuck up nerd get his precious bottled water to pulling off the greatest rock show EVER for some sick kids, the game offers so much with the objective always on mind: "Get out of Sunset City and make Fizzco pay". In saying that, there's not much to say about the game's storyline without going through the entire storyline's insane objectives. The game does boil down to day cycles, where after finishing a faction completely for example, a Night Defense commences. Floyd, a local survivor, helps you out by making Amps that help boost the effectiveness of your skills, weapons and more. Like the now famous Horde mode, players are tasked to defend Overdrive fueled vats that help create the Amps, all of which are protected by weak, wooden defenses and traps that you unlock during gameplay, ranging from boards the fling enemies away to bounce pads that freeze/burn/shock or generally damage your enemies. While limited down to a timer for generally three rewards at a time, it's a little sad to say this is the only time you can explore at night and of course, limited to one small area. 
Exploring Sunset City at night would add some horror to the comedy game, which may seem out of place, but with the differential enemies, it would add a lot of life and more vibrant colour to the night system.
This brings me to the gameplay. The only description I can put it in is as thus: Think of Sunset Overdrive as Dead Rising meets Saints Row with Jet Set Radio mixed in neatly all together. The mass amounts of OD on screen, explosions everywhere, all the while grinding along the power lines and bouncing off cars. While incredibly weak themselves, OD gain their strength from Overcharge, gaining strength to become Poppers or worse down the line. While in a small group, they are incredibly weak, however bundle them up and they're a force to be reckoned with. Not only is the gameplay addictive, it's fun, refreshing and never dull. Even though the game presents fast travel, I've only used it the few times Player made snark comments about using it! The game is littered with rails, cars, trees, anything and everything to get around on, and even then players can walk on walls, use harpoons to create easier ways up to high areas, swing on poles, boost mid air and run on water!
Now, the voice acting. There is no word better in the dictionary than "sublime", and even that is an understatement for the terrific work the crew have done in the game. Yuri Lowenthal as the male Player was so hilarious and while mostly known for serious character roles, Player is fresh and new with the snide and sarcastic tones incredibly relatable with Stephanie Lemelin just as brilliant. The rest of the cast is a mix of veteran voice actors and some mostly known for tv and movie roles, each character has weight and feels different from one another, especially so when it comes to the Nerds and LARPers. 

The sound effects are diverse, each insane weapon (Even those similar such as explosives and fireworks) sound completely different to one another, the OD and such ranging from growls to roars of anger. The other survivors known as Scabs (You can do the math) are also quite unique and I have yet to find two that sound alike! The musical score is mostly of my personal favourite, soft metal and rock, the more you kill turning into what I can only describe as "retro rock", mid-90's rock and modern soft metal, each as kickarse as the next, even pleasing to Player who blasts their way through OD while a guitar solo follows them around as they roam.
Lastly, graphics and multiplayer. The graphics themselves are just under 1080p and look utterly incredible, the depth of detail on each OD is outstanding and while they differ only slightly, this can be overlooked by the incredible render distance and amount of OD on screen at a time. This brings me to multiplayer, which is essentially a challenge co-op mode. A group of 8 friends or randoms join in at one of the four areas and play five missions, ranging from point collecting to skill kills and story missions with a twist. By the end players partake in a Night Defense mission at the base of that area. While the game adds waaaay more OD for these fights, the mission turns into child's play with the overload of traps (Limited to about 2-3 per person) and massively upgraded weaponry. By the end of the Night Defense, Amps and money rewards are given and players are given the option to play again with the same group or return to single player. While the multiplayer is fun, its missions are quite limited and overpowered allies take control of the missions, leaving others to feed on scraps. A level based multiplayer would definitely be an improvement, but otherwise is generally incredibly fun to play no matter what time you start.

The game itself has so few faults that it would be easy to overlook them, but for some they cannot be missed. With night mode locked as a checkpointer in the game's story, OD incredibly weak (The only posing a threat being Herkers and Muggers, with Wingers only appearing only in one place on the map and very late in the game itself), controls sticking while grinding (especially in multiplayer) and the repetiveness of the missions from time to time.
BUT that does not make Sunset Overdrive a bad game! Addictive gameplay, a butt-ton of fun on the light side of an apocalypse and a brilliance of both a simplistic plot and jokes/puns, it's with no doubt that I say, Sunset Overdrive is a definite must own, must play and must love for anyone looking for a game that pokes fun at every cliche and blows it up in the process. By the first hour in, you will not want to stop. 

Out of 10, I give Sunset Overdrive a 10/10.
PERFECT SCORE

Sunset Overdrive is out now for the standard price of $90, and it's worth every cent. 

Review: M-E Shadow Of Mordor

G'day there guys and gals!

(WARNING: There are some spoilers in this review! Major areas will have a skip marked with (!) to avoid them. Tread carefully!)

15 years ago my uncle passed me a book with a name on it that I could not pronounce at the time, and with character's names I struggled with, especially the elves. A few years later I watched as the words jumped into film as my friends and I bundled around a small box TV to watch the VCR (Yes I'm that old) of The Lord Of The Rings. I have been a fan of the series in a whole for the longest time, on par with many other series of my generation. With Shadow Of Mordor release, the game has already seen a lot of blow-back but despite its faults, it is still definitely one of the best games from the genre in recent memory.

Let's start with the story; You play as Talion, a Ranger Captain guarding the Black Gate in the heart of the lands of Mordor. The game starts with the unfortunate capture of your wife and son who are ritually sacrificed right before your eyes, quickly followed by your own death. The ritual works, but not for the enemy, as Talion is suddenly fused with an Elf Wraith (Later named Celebrimbor), who was also unjustly killed alongside his family. The task is simple; revenge on the beasts that have destroyed everyone you love and so the curse can free him from life so that he may finally join his family in death.
The gameplay itself is exquisite. While most compare it to the battle system of the Batman games, I shall not, as frankly that system has been alive for far longer. Combat breaks down to five ways; stealth, swordplay, using the beasts of the Mordor, branding and of course, bow and arrow. Using stealth, players can stab or brand their enemies (Brand is a Wraith ability to turn Uruks on your side), while this can also be done during swordplay just more obviously. Using Brand, players can also control the wildlife, turning ferocious beasts against your enemies or even your enemies themselves. Using Celebrimbor, players can also slow time and use a quick fire of charged arrows to take down enemies or shadow strike to zip across to your enemies and let them taste a Wraith's blade instead. Uruks aren't that easy to take down however, with both strengths and weaknesses that need to be avoided and exploited. Some with attack outright, others will charge and some will think you're too weak and not worth finishing off. Poison, gathering allies, using caragors, the list goes on. Esentially the gameplay boils down to X to attack, Y and A to dodge and counter and RT to fire arrows, all of which and more as you play though you'll be definitely using. Customisation is wide and extensive, every weapon can be upgraded to how you play and items you pick up off fallen enemies, while Talion and Celebrimbor can both be upgraded the more EXP you collect. While customisation in the character itself is limited to DLC (Some of which is free), at least it's there. 
Graphic wise, the game looks utterly beautiful. From the red sands of Mordor to the lush green grass of Nurn, the game is definitely pleasing to the eye, weather graphics and details on characters extremely impressive. What makes this more so is that how every Orc in game is custom to the gameplay and development over time as the player progresses. While you can probably agree that in time there will be similarities in some games (You can't randomise voice acting names forever), I have only seen one name repeated twice during my gameplay. Even then each character has unique aspects to them such as their weapons, how they dress according to their titles and so on. 

Sound effects and musical score are breathtaking, the score even more so. It's quite easy to get lost while listening to the wind blow through the trees of Nurn, seeing villagers run in fear as I destroy the guards keeping them prisoner at a moment's notice. The deep booming musical score is quite traditional to the series, the chanting and soft strings bring light and dark to the game easily. The voice cast is loaded with many old school actors from video games to anime. Everyone from Troy Baker, Nolan North, John DiMaggio to Jennifer Hale, Laura Bailey and Claudia Black, with so many more greats of their area. Each character feels diverse, different and adds great depth to the game, arguably more than the lore section of the menu!
However this brings me to the weakest parts of the game: first off the storyline. While the story itself is interesting and brilliantly laid out, it is quite generic and in that the gameplay can be too at times. "'I want revenge!' search out one guy, stab stab stab, mission over!". Throughout the game this does change up a bit but that is halfway through the game as we travel to Nurn and even then it's limited down to less than 8 missions at the least, some can be completely avoided as well. The introduction of new characters (Especially Ratbag and Lithariel) really changes the pace and setting, even more so as Talion at times loses sight of his goal. But what annoys me the greatest is the last hour of gameplay. 

To put it simply, it's Mass Effect 3 all over again.
As you amass your strengths, Talion finally takes the fight to the monsters that killed his family. The first fight? (!) Past a small confrontation, the game turns into a sneak and stab which is ended by a cutscene death. Of course this is forgiveable as the game reveals its biggest plot-twist. However as you reach the end, you battle the Talos of the Hand, the five biggest honchos of the Uruks...and they die within five minutes. (Spoiler End) This is a huge dissapointment as many of the enemies I left alive back at Nurn or in Mordor were and are harder than the final creatures! But then comes the Right Hand, the guy solely responsible for your and your family death and how does it end?
Quick Time Event and a cutaway ending that has the sole purpose of baiting for a sequel.
Don't get me wrong, a sequel to this would be terrific but the ending was so lackluster that its a slap in the face that after 15 hours of nothing but the storyline my reward is a cheap ending to a game mechanic I've used the entire way through the game and for a unsatisfying ending that goes against Talion's purpose! There is plenty to be done with a ton of activities that can definitely equal to 25+ hours of gameplay, not to mention the endless onslaught through the Uruk ranks but for a singular ending for no reward and a bait and switch ending is just cheap.

Shadow of Mordor delivers greatly in many areas and lacks in some. The camera controls can be extra sticky and at times constantly circle as you're surrounded by enemies, not to mention the difficulty in parkour and climbing as holding B will frustrate you when tapping doesn't do the job (Even with the remarkable resemblance to Assassin's Creed style parkour) and don't get me started on how Captains and enemies will flood to you during boss fights turning a 1 on 1 into 1 against 8 or more (This can be avoided by branding them individually or exploiting their weaknesses but that requires a lot of backtracking for intel and sometimes their weaknesses aren't in the area they're in), making an easy kill into a bloodbath with a Level 4 skyrocking up the chain of command.
I better stop ranting here. Overall the game is fun and purely addictive, being the first game in a while I've lost track of time just losing myself in the world and lush amounts of lore, but that ending has definitely marked down my rating and made the faults in the game a little more visible. The faults can be forgivable, but not forgettable. 

I give Shadow of Mordor an 8/10
It escapes worse for its simply intoxicating gameplay and lore. Definitely worth your time.

Shadow of Mordor is out now for the standard price of $100

Review: Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition

G'day there guys and gals!

(Please note: This game is reviewed as a summarised DLC, rather than regarding the game as new. To read the original review, click here)

Slowly becoming the trend for older/popular games, Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition has made the leap to Next Gen (More like current gen now) consoles. While the game still packs the amazing punch it had two years ago, most of the focus has definitely been on the graphics and the run-style of the game. Graphics, as per the norm, have been heavily updated and by far come the closest to reality I have personally seen. Water effects are truly mind boggling; the neon lights of Hong Kong shimmering on the waterfront as well as glistening off Wei himself as he stands in the rain is truly a gorgeous sight. It's sometimes hard to pull away from the look and feel of the game at times as the city comes to life, the promise of a fuller, more diverse Hong Kong has definitely been fulfilled, although I will admit the city seemed lacking of cars at times, especially on foot or looking for a cab.
Gameplay itself is still as fun as always (The driving mechanics and physics are however still just as wonky), the fighting and upgrade style just as simple but effective, with reflex reactions from enemies all the more better as they get a taste of Wei's bright purple skater shoes. 
Customisation has been overloaded, while the Face system still holds down true customisation, but the extra missions are well worth the ability to dress up as a specific Sarif Industries employee or another certain Assassin. But enough about that, let's look at what the game adds: DLC.

Personally I never played the original DLC for the game, but in all honesty, what the game give in originality and comedy, it lacks in total gameplay, each add on, even with side missions adding only a few spare minutes to at most another hour or so. And while all the extra content adds new flavour to the overall experiences in one neat package, some are time locked until stoyline progression. At least in other Definitive or Redux titles such as Tomb Raider and Metro, content remains unlocked and free to play straight away. Of course, the major two DLC aren't linked to the story and can be played even if Weis isn't fully upgraded, but this was a mistake; Nightmare In North Point began with this badarse, evil character who was defeated in under an hour by a maxed out Wei. 

In this reviewer's opinion, Sleeping Dogs made the leap a little too early to be called a proper "Definitive Edition.". Sure, all the DLC's there, but other than the graphics, nothing much else has been touched upon. With their biggest contender GTA 5 being released in just under a month's time on Next Gen consoles, there's not a lot to keep even hardcore fans hanging around for long; even they are shipping without Online Heists but still arguably more content than Sleeping Dogs presents. 
Overall, there is much to enjoy in the Definitive Edition but just not enough to keep you around for the long run.

Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition: C+

Out now for the standard price of $80

Mini Product Review: 3rd Earth Dual Controller Charger

G'day there guys and gals!

It's been a long time since I've said or written anything about the condition of some of the biggest needs for gamers worldwide. Personally, I believe third party recharge kits to be one of them. And since recently my old kit died off, I decided on a whim to buy 3rd Earth, which surprisingly satisfying, is no doubt flawed ever so slightly. 

One of the key features I noticed straight off was the unique design of the battery pack itself. Coming from the first third party recharge kit from the Xbox One launch (That being the Energiser Power and Play Charger), I took note on their differences. While the PAP has old fashioned battery connectors, 3rd Earth has a mini USB port as its main power port, with the battery placed in the controller with the ability to plug directly into the charger itself.
As seen above, two controllers can be used at a time and recharging from empty to full takes about 2-3 hours, with the promised 20+ hours of gameplay from the controller. One of the smaller issues I've taken note from this is the battery time itself; in the earliest updates on the Xbox One, Microsoft allowed battery usage to be shown on the dashboard. Unfortunately the 3rd Earth batteries contradict that and constantly show a full battery on screen. Controller updating hasn't fixed this issue, which is a slight frustration reverting the update back to uselessness. 

In short, for $35 dollars, the product itself is build to last and makes significant strides in this early advancement of Next (now current) Gen consoles. Although it has flaws, just like many other things in life, it is still well worth the asking price. Just remember to recharge often or perhaps the update will do better for you.

7/10

Review: Naruto Shippuden UNS Revolution

G'day guys and gals!

It's no secret that I'm a massive anime lover and have been since my father introduced me to Astro Boy all those years ago, and of course, I've come to love the many classics over the years - Naruto being one of them. While in the past Naruto games have been genius and downright addictive, even as a fan, Revolution is unappealing, dull, repetitive and downright boring. 
The last game in the UNS series (UNS 3) was a continuation of the manga and anime, picking up from the second game in the trilogy. The ending itself is an absolute trainwreck and completely deters from the original storyline (as the manga is only slightly rapping up now a year later) but Revolution, even if a small play on words from a line in a recent manga chapter, features nothing at all to do with Revolutions. The entire of the game boils down to four modes: Tournament, Free Battle, Online Battle and Cinematic storyline and all of which are short and mostly lackluster.

Tournament is just how it sounds, with players picking their character of choice to fight in ranked matches from D to S+ and beyond. After the initial preliminary round, players must gather new characters or choose from pregained characters and continue in the tournament. This all takes place on an undisclosed area of an island, simply known as Tournament Island, with all the characters in the series standing around in various spots on the island; from every Uchiha to every Kage, dead or alive and some rarely seen in the anime or manga, all are welcome to the island to take place in the fighting. How are the dead ones there? Developers don't explain it in the slightest.
Players of the previous games will immediately fall back into the game as the controls, nor feel nor fighting style has changed. Only with the addition of brand new characters never used in the game and the new "guard break" and "counterattack" moves which can stop defensive and offensive characters in their tracks (but the game fails to explain this in the tutorials which will constantly pop up), the game does allow some fun in battling your favourite characters to get them on your side in the tournament. Playing in your own squad or the classics, players must fight without health loss to collect Orbs; pretty standard that the character with the highest amount of Orbs, wins. The higher the ranking does change the significance of the difficulty, even if AI characters can be duped and overcome easily. This is exploited even more so with the introduction of "rails", which focuses a special attack on a single or multiple characters. With that and Awakening/Ultimate Attack Orbs, traps and extra characters focusing on attacking the players, the gameplay gets more tricky to win even when online players also begin joining the mix. 
And while the island itself does feature freeroam (The first game of which to do so in the last several alterations) the tournament will become incredibly dull and repetitive after defeating the D ranking. The same cutscene camera pans(the only thing changing being the arena), the same dialogue, the same speeches, the same characters speculating, each time you being a tournament will take roughly 20 minutes (If you stick with the same character and minus travel time) even with the 3 minute cutscenes, back to menus and single minute Orb hunts. And at the end of each Tournament, you pick your prize; A new character, a new customising option or cash, and "Fin" graces your screen, leaving you to retrace your steps and begin the process again. Customisation is brand new and fun, but limits to three options on your character, a new Ultimate Attack screen and substitution jutsu object. Do you want to be decked out in Nine Tails gear as Naruto from head to toe? Nope! Can't do it. Voice acting is as standard as ever but nothing stands out outside the cutscenes and even then the majority of the game is nothing but text and pressing A. The musical score and sound effects are just as standard as ever and mostly reused and tend to repeat after 30 seconds. 

Oddly enough the two episode side story of Mecha-Naruto takes LONGER than completing half the tournament itself! With a proper, although cringe-worthy and stereotypical, storyline, players return to the Hidden Leaf with a new friend in toe, whose past and jealousy will come back to haunt him. I will admit, this mode is the only to feature a gameplay boss of sorts and keeps the story interesting and concludes decently. However, what's really shameful about this is that the Hidden Leaf is the exact same model from the last two games, with the exact same layout of the village. No new areas, no freeroam like on the Island or previous games, the only new addition is the Lottery Booth, where players can get the same still-shot cards and mottos, new characters, the same musical soundtracks as before or brand new customisation for your character. The story itself is the classic, stereotypical Naruto subplot fans will know from the fillers and movies: "'You can overcome anything with friendship!' Sob story, sob story, group laughing at Naruto's immaturity, the end."
For fans, the Cinematic Storyline is where the game shines: players see mostly brand new cutscenes and never before heard conversations. Although one of these storylines features no gameplay and just an 8 minute straight cutscene (You get an achievement for it though!), the gameplay ties it in with the extra storyline. 

Regardless of where the game shines, there is still no excuse for how much this game lacks in some of the most important areas of a game. It repeats and reuses so much from the previous games that its downright boring. The gameplay is still enjoyable, the free roam of the island is great and customisation is vast, but this is no excuse for the repetitiveness and reusing content and character skins from a 4 year old game. Fans looking to fight their friends with their favourite team will find no fault, but for those looking for a continuing storyline or even a way to kill more than 20 minutes of content will find themselves wanting more. To those who bought Day One, you'll get a few bonus skins and even an unreleased DVD, but still I believe it is definitely not worth it. 

Even as a Naruto fan, this game is a huge disappointment and no way near worth the current asking price. Wait for a price drop and even then consider renting it or loaning it from a friend. Personally, I'll be sticking to the manga and anime from here on out. Revolution? More like desolation.

Out of 10, I give Naruto Shippuden UNS Revolution a 3/10.

Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution is out now for the standard price of $90.
Seriously, wait for the bargain bin. If you need me, I'll be playing The Broken Bond.

Review: Destiny

Review: Metro Redux

G'day there guys and gals!

*Please note: This review will be based on my DLC format (A+ to F) as Redux is a recreation of the games, 2033 and Last Light with few extras. This review will not compromise the points of the original review and will act as a Next Gen port review.*

As many people know, I've been a massive Metro fan since I discovered the game on a friend's advice. Since then I've bought the books, I've played and purchased the games many times over and even written fanfiction (The Metro Tales) and had commission work done for my own OC. When Redux was first announced, I was overjoyed and I still am. After playing the game over and over, I an now say with confidence that Metro 2033 Redux is a true recreation of the original, while Last Light Redux is mostly a port.

Metro 2033 Redux looks, sounds and especially plays beautifully; it took what made the original game so prosperous and enhanced that with LL gameplay type and the bonus of more weaponry. One of the biggest changes noticeably is the addition of keys and safes: finding a red key creates a frantic search to find the safe it goes to. However despite the brilliance of these, they're usually in the same room or slightly out of sight which makes the search usually down to a few seconds. Another picky annoyance is the load times. From start to finish, most load times take 30+ seconds - while this doesn't sound too bad, most Next Gen games take only a few seconds. Perhaps that's me being picky but even so it's indeed slow, even by older gen standards.
Regardless, Metro 2033 Redux makes up for this for the gameplay size. 4-5 chapters are now one continuous chapter, area leveling is almost non-existent and the added gameplay is terrific. There is a teeny tiny bit of screen tearing, especially with cutscene arms but they're very quick to catch and with the addition of new cutscenes and dialogue, it an be forgiven (I do want to mention that they removed Artyom's only spoken word out of narration from the game - ;^;). As for gameplay itself, even on Spartan or Survival mode, the game is extremely too easy. Finding a safe is a goldmine, but each level has a few in it, making military bullets and ammunition much too easy to find. I definitely recommend Ranger Mode or higher for veterans while Normal will do just fine for newbies. I definitely recommend sticking with a Revolver throughout your gameplay experience as oddly it does mass amount of damage, while pneumatic weapons are weaker. Lastly, I experienced eight KTD moments surrounding the War chapter. I have no idea what caused them but they were particularly annoying. If you experience any of your own, restart the entire mission; loading to checkpoint will only make the issue worse.

Achievements are now at 2000, which is great for Hunters; while some have been removed, more have been added. This brings me to Metro Last Light Redux. While having a polish up, not much has been done to the more recent game; extra weapons have been added as well as the extra modes no longer being a DLC. Character models from the game have been touched up greatly (and also feature the same in 2033) and the game looks clean and crisp. Safes are much more rarer in this game but the same principle goes: find a key, turn around and there's the safe it goes to. The extra DLC is also included with a few of its own: The Tower, Developer's Level and The Spider Lair.
The Tower sees you sit in a simulation chair and battle waves of enemies. Yes, you read that right - Horde, Metro style. The mode is fun and offers players to build traps with in game bullets you get with kills (more bullets rewarded the fancier your kill) and traps. Dying reverts you to the last checkpoint (usually when you're outside or in the training area of the simulation) but otherwise is interrupt-able.
Developer's Level is a throwback to all the work done in the game: plays travel to this clean cut metro hall with an elderly woman janitor (She's creepy, trust me), featuring museum halls, a fight simulator where you or the AI battle and a weapons testing room. Looking over models allows you to see the fine work of each one while also seeing them in motion at your leisure. The arena allows you to pit creatures against each other or yourself in challenges if you see fit. The weapons testing room is self explanitory, which each weapon and customisation option at your fingertips. You can choose dummies or undying enemies and pick challenges if you please.
The Spider's Lair is the true extra DLC; Three men searching for D6 are lost in giant catacombs filled with the mutant spiders. Armed only with your lighter, you must fight to find your friends, weapons and by any means get out of the area alive. I felt true, honest fear in this DLC as supplies and weapons run out with barely any others in sight. Players will be overwhelmed at one point or another I assure you.

There is nothing I can say about this game that hasn't already been said. Metro 2033 is a true horror game, now with more realistic mutants such as Librarians and Demons, there are definitely moments of fear. While Last Light still remains with lesser fear moments, the gameplay is still as brilliant as ever. With the DLC free of charge, the extra cutscenes and most definitely the first game with 2000 gamerscore, there is something to appeal to every gamer in Metro Redux. For its asking price, and its lesser so one on PC if you've already purchased the originals, Redux deserves a place in your collection.

Metro Redux: B+

Metro Redux is out now for $50 or $25 on PC for previously owning the games.

Destiny Ghost Edition Unboxing!

The Ice Bucket/Cartridge Challenge!

Many thanks to my buddy Blade Butler for nominating me.

I nominate LittleVMills, Murasakimochi and NicePeter!

You can donate to the ALS here!

And you can donate to Child's Play here!

Donate what you can and spread the love. Thanks for watching!

Review: Telltale's The Walking Dead 205 - No Going Back (spoiler free!)

G'day there guys and gals.

(Please note: as No Going Back is the final episode of Season 2, I will be reviewing the final episode as a DLC and rate the season overall out of 10)

With the promise of a Season 3 on the horizon, fans have finally got their hands on the final part of Season 2, No Going Back. Those words could not be more true as this part will truly define the entire experience of the now iconic series.
Episode 5 takes place instantly from the end of the last, the action kicking off immediately and the choices already so slight but heavier than before. No Going Back takes all the previous experience of the game and ups the ante, with every little choice making that much more of the difference. Of course, for spoiler reasons, I won't go into too much detail.
Fans will feel the sting, tears will most definitely be shed as even in dialogue these options weigh heavily on the group and the people within them. Many familiar faces will also reappear in parts and actions will determine how Clementine survives and how she faces the world both mentally and physically. 

Gameplay is once again brilliantly done; simplistic but effective, with a perfect amount of action and narrative in the game. Exploration sadly is limited to a few areas, mostly invisible corridors but these parts are few and can be overlooked by the narrative or action sequences currently happening or otherwise. The soundtrack abandons its recent country feel for a more traditional musical score, giving a deeper and older feel to the game. What I'm about to say about the voice acting is an understatement: No Going Back shows some of the best performances by the cast, especially by Melissa Hutchinson (Clementine) and Gavin Hammon (Kenny). The slightest uttered sentence is beautifully delivered, I can assure fans will most definitely cry at points. While this is more of an adjective observation, some of the smaller parts can be a tad too stereotypical (even one of the major choices was too heavy footed), but these parts eventually fade into the story as differential events and actions, for that it can be forgiven.

What No Going Back does better than any other episode in the series so far is the choices. By far, this episode has the most plot twists, leading to a final climax with about 5 different endings with over 12 separate ways to get there. I will not spoil the ending or which choice you should make but I will leave you, the fan or potential play, one piece of advice that was given at the first episode of Season 1.
"Doing nothing is also a choice."
Regardless, Telltale have brought everything to the kitchen table; fans will rejoice, cry and struggle as the simplistic choice goes wrong very fast, while the newbies may struggle, as there's very little time for handholding. If this is to be your first time, I highly suggest going back to the start. 

Otherwise, I cannot say much more. Last year I fell upon Clementine's story by accident, and now to see it come so far is both heartbreaking and wonderful. It has high and low points overall but what makes a game great is the gameplay, how its story is told and how it plays. In a year and four months, Telltale have left me as a changed man. If you decide to check out any game series this year, Clementine's is an absolute must.

No Going Back: A

Out of 10, I give Telltale's The Walking Dead Season 2 a 10/10

PERFECT SCORE

+Utterly brilliant storyline
+Gameplay remains an icon
+Character development is clear and recognisable from the get-go
+Sublime acting by everyone - kudos to them all
+DEM FEELS
+Your choices matter, possibly much more so than S1
+Storyline branches excellently, the game truly develops by choice and how you play
+Musical score/soundtrack sets the mood perfectly
+True suspense/fear/joy from a video game is utterly rare

The Walking Dead Season 2 is out now for collectively $25 and will be released on Next Gen consoles in late October!

Update Vlog video - 25/08/14

Essentially what I wrote about last night but in a convenient video form!

Metro Last Light - Gameplay playlist

G'day there guys and gals!

Since it would be overkill to post all 14 parts in separate posts, if you'd like to watch my walkthrough so far, click to watch the currently released episodes!
I say currently because there's still a few parts to go!

Thanks for watching and as always, have fun and game on!

Updates - 24/08/14

G'day there guys and gals!

It's been a LONG time since I've posted anything here and I decided it's been long enough since I contributed anything. As always, you folks get the news first. So what have I been up to?
Well for starters, University has been all over me; I'm still rushing to finishing projects and the like and I have very little downtime. If I'm not sleeping, eating, or have anything else of importance, I've been stuck at my desk work my butt off. 
Not only that but I've been sick on and off, trying to have a social life and as always, gaming. And there hasn't been many games released in the last two months that demanded my attention.

BUT I do have some good news.
I can finally start posting my gameplays back onto this channel, so for those unsubbed to my YT account can see them regardless. I know they were a big seller back in the day and I hope you folks can enjoy the Metro Last Light parts, seeing as Redux is released in the next few days. Starting tomorrow I'll be posting all the parts now uploaded here. Not only that but Metro Redux will be getting a DLC review when it's released this week. 
Destiny is also right around the corner and I'll be doing a few videos for that too, more specifically, Fatman's Wacky Adventures and and unboxing video. I was extremely fortunate enough to get my hands on a GHOST EDITION of Destiny. And (knock on wood) if all goes well, (Just in case my preorder doesn't process or something like that) I'll be able to do an unboxing of the Ghost edition on release day.
The Wacky Adventures will most likely be a drinking game, so keep that in mind!

Not only that but Monday-Itis has made a return and I recently started a new hit series, How I Draw, which has become unbelievably popular.

You can see the all new lineup here:

And as for everything else, such as Five Easy Achievements, since I became an avid Achievement Hunter, I've been going back and playing games to get a load of new gamerscore, so expect some new ones in the future! 

Now it's time for some work!
And as always, have fun and game on!

Review: Titanfall - Frontier's Edge DLC

G'day there guys and gals!

Whether you love or hate the Titanfall DLC, Respawn Entertainment continues to shell out updates with new, better and interesting things, almost following the guideline of fan comments like a bible. Frontier's Edge, much like the first DLC, features three brand new maps and more updates. The maps, named Dig Site, Haven and Export, are the expected beautiful landscape with all out civil war raging within the depths of these landscapes which you can expect to awe at on first playthrough. 

With this update also comes a new system called the Black Market; this new feature allows players to collect points towards purchases, being Titan Insignia (a relatively new system updated a few weeks ago) or Burn Cards packets, ranging from ordinary to legendary. When players also burn unwanted cards, they will earn points towards the Market, depending on the card's rank and worth. This adds more control to players, giving them more chance to earn the rare cards they just can't seem to find, or the new insignia they've been longing for. Hopefully with further updates, regular or newer symbols will be added over time.

Dig Site takes place deep underground in, you guessed it, a massive dig site, accustomed with buildings, giant holes and a massive Bagger 288. Personally this is my favourite map out of the three as it offers large areas that favor snipers, close quarter buildings for those looking for a skirmish and wide and closed in grounds for Titans to battle out upon. 

Haven takes place at a beach resort, with a mass of buildings directly in the center of the map while surrounded by roads, beach sand and waves, giving Titans a chance to circle enemies and charge headfirst into the Pilot battles within the resort. A pretty map to look at, consider Haven the standard of the Titanfall maps: well balanced areas for Pilots with plenty of room for Titans to battle.

Export is a small Milita hometown with a mining facility, all of which sitting on the side of a mountain. The weakest map of the three, this map favors Pilots overall with nothing but buildings for players to fight. What makes this map unique however is the new Environmental Hazard: shooting the specific wires of the drill (Which glow red when ready) emit a powerful electrical pulse, killing enemies nearby to the metal wires exposed. Titans are severally crippled in this map as the "chokehold" areas mentioned in the trailer are indeed massive chokeholds as one friendly Titan placed in Guard Mode in an archway completely destroys any chance of your team advancing on the enemy, while overzealous players trying to jump over the edged platforms may meet a watery death. 
The environmental effects make this map unpredictable and fun but this map is better played with your Titan roaming by itself or not called in at all.

With the further updates that continue to make Titanfall fresh and interesting, each new map added seems to add its own feel to the game, whether it being of frustration of joy. For its asking price being half of what most AAA titles ask for in today's DLC frenzy, Frontier's Edge still adds a degree of fresh fun to the game.

Frontier's Edge DLC: B-

The Frontier's Edge DLC is out now for $5 or free with the Season Pass.

Destiny Beta: Summary and Suggestions *Updated @ Beta's end*

G'day there guys and gals!

Despite playing on the Xbox One and only having the game in hand for a short amount of time, I've been playing the Beta as often as I can. In this time I've been taking notes on the game's strength, where it lacks, small things I notice, ect ect. As the game is in Beta, we can forgive what few faults it has (Such as glitches, drops, KTD and so on) but they will be touched upon slightly.When the game is released it will receive a full review but for now, these are simply my opinions and what I think should be added/removed.

*First off, let's look at the graphics. Bungie and Activision have clearly been working damn hard on this game, everything from character to world design. Differential race (or robot race!) facial features have much difference in both structure and colour. The real difference is only in these places but body shapes (such as a race having different shaped limbs or size) would be a big step in the right direction. 

*The lore is definitely there and touched on well, but are not consistent. Story missions tend to jump from one need to the other. The Darkness is the arch enemy of The Traveler; found on Mars, it has bestowed many gifts upon humanity. Lifespans have tripled to humans living over 300 years, technology has been advanced massively, but the Darkness is returning from the galaxy bringing terrible creatures under the factions Cabal, Fallen, Vex and Hive. The opening mission is incredibly well planned out (But is strikenly similar to Elder Scrolls Online...and that's not a good thing) and creates a brilliant sense of urgency. If the story is like this in full game, it will definitely be favourable. I would suggest moving the destination menu to only between Social areas, the Crucible and have a Story mode option to keep players more invested.

*The Traveler is situated in the last free city on Earth and this acts as the social area of Destiny, where players can access their Account and store weaponry or abilities, buy new weapons, customise their outfit or ship and downright party. Players have set emoticons (such as sitting, waving, dancing, point, saluting ect) and can use them to "communicate" with players. One of the small faults here is the area itself. While beautifully made, the city is used purely for upgrades and customisation, but the area is so large that you'll only be using 2-4 of the NPCs (as choosing your class restricts you from wearing/using certain items, rendering other NPCs useless) and they are generally mixed over the map. For example, the Vanguard NPC is situated underground at the back of the map, but the Vanguard Quartermaster is near the Loading Bay, on the other side of the map.

*The Crucible is the true attraction of the Beta (As the storyline consists of 6 missions and players can only reach Level 8 before maxing out), where one multiplayer mode is available. Long story short, it's Capture The Flag. Playing on the moon is awesome, there's no fault there, the map is balanced between high sniping points and close quarter fighting. However, there are a few faults I want to bring to attention.
Ammo drops are quite rare and don't offer a lot of ammunition themselves, but this is the only way to get extra any ammunition for your second or heavy weaponry. During respawn times, players can equip different weaponry, but this sets your ammunition back to zero except for your primary weapon and switching back does not restore it. This is a massive pain especially when your team is tied down by vehicle campers.
Vehicles also are majorly overpowered, the team who controls the vehicles controls the map and your standard weaponry won't take them down easily unless you're massively upgraded or have the rare 20 bullets of your heavy weapon. Upping weapon strength or downing weaponry on vehicles or perhaps slowing their spawn time would be best. 

For a quicker summary and suggestion list:

+Huuuuge customisation
+Character/world graphics are beautiful 
+Emotes? Sweet.
+Armor includes customisation down to upgrade abilities
+Little/no lag during online gameplay
+Menu load time is quick!
+Great lore
+Weapon range/differ greatly
+Addictive gameplay, enemy attacks changes depending on amount of players/skill
+Online players can come and go as they please
+Play vehicles speed up gameplay dramatically

-Customisation definitely needs to be taken further
-More character/races?
-Graphics on armor can be bland
-Tutorials in game aren't fleshed out
-Lore needs more explanation
-Vehicles overpowered, need adjustments
-Ammo drops much too rare
-Ammunition dissappears when changing weapons midgame
-Online allies disappear during boss fights excluding one mission
-Personal vehicle allows players to breeze through levels right up to boss fights
-10+ NPCs limit down to 4 necessary for class choice, mix/change class weaponry/armor?

This list may be updated until the end of the beta.
*1: Freeroam is amazing and fun, missions are great but are much too few and Glimmer is hard to find. Some missions don't reward Glimmer. All need to, since killing enemies only earns about 5 at a time. Seeing as new ships can cost more than 2000, they need to be either given more freely, up the earn rate or lower the rest. Otherwise playing MP, the campaign or even the freeroam missions, become repetitive fast.
2: Proper tutorials are a must. Even in the menu, it still didn't explain how to properly use Glide (I didn't realise pressing A is both up and down) nor where my resources are. Menu options are small and easily overlooked.
3: Emotes should be universal instead of stuck to a faction.*
And as always, have fun and game on!