Review: Ryse Son Of Rome

G'day there guys and gals!

Warning! Some storyline spoilers ahead.

Ryse: Son of Rome has been in development for roughly over 5 years, well before the technology of the Next Gen consoles. Now released on the Xbox One, Ryse takes the opportunities and capabilities from the Xbox One to deliver a strong, well made game.
Players take control of Marius, a war hardened soldier fighting for his men in a battle over Rome and it's emperor Nero in the 1st Century. Retaking his palace and guarding Nero to a secret vault, Marius recounts his life in the Roman Army as the battle rages on outside. 

From a young recruit witnessing the murder of his family by barbarians to sacrificing himself to save his fellow soldiers from a large scale attack, the storyline develops well and keeps to historical accuracy where it is appropriate. Acting is extremely well done and executed with such names as Nathalie Cox, Rachel McDowell and John Hopkins joining their voices into the cast and makes the game unique. The gameplay, while however fun, can be slightly repetitive at times. Unless fighting in the large battle scenes or a timed theme, most fights will be repetitive following the formula of "Fight, move, checkpoint, cutscene, repeat". This is where the voice acting and storyline help to keep interest alive with a fair amount of "What-The-Hell-Just-Happened?" and "What-The-F-Is-That?" moments.
The musical score holds a classical theme, adding the perfect touch of the deadly battlefields to the quiet moments walking through the woods of York. The sounds effects summate into this element and truly help the feel, flow and movement around in the world of the game.

Onto to two main topics. First off, the Kinect. While originally Ryse was meant as a Kinect Only title, after large demand it was moved to Kinect Supported and I do highly suggest using the Kinect for this title. It not only makes the realism of the game more accurate but also helps control of the battlefield. Fighting off multiple soldiers while screaming "Fire Volleys!" in the midst of battle drags you into the world of Ryse. The Kinect can be buggy and not pick up your voice exactly but these moments only happen once or twice per level. The graphics are also something to marvel over; since this title is Next Gen, the game looks absolutely stunning not only in cutscenes but also throughout gameplay. Facial features move fluently and without delay, while the world is bright and more lifelike than looking out a window, especially during Australian Summer.
Lastly, Ryse's multiplayer features a large amount of Co-Op in the major battle scenes of the main storyline. This is furthered with customisation and creating your very own Gladiator to fight alongside your friends. Sadly thought, with the repetition of the main story arc, long gameplays of Co-Op can be difficult to play through, despite the fun of playing with your friends.

Ryse: Son Of Rome is one of the few Xbox One titles since the console's release a few months ago. If you can work through the repetition of some parts in the game, I assure you that you'll come for the storyline and it's excellent plotlines but you'll stay for the Co-Op and fun of the game.

Out of 10, I give Ryse: Son Of Rome a 8/10

+Great graphics/gameplay
+Excellent Storyline and musical score
+Sound effects truly open the world

+Voice acting is superb 
-Can be slightly repetitive.
-Kinect voice commands are buggy

-Enemies bland into the same three types