Review: Transistor

G'day there guys and gals!
*PLEASE NOTE: This review is 100% spoiler free! Read freely!*

Supergiant Games has made its mark in history with their very first game Bastion, to which won several awards and yours truly is a massive fan and supporter of the game and company. Fans continue to beg for a sequel but were however greeted with Transistor, a brand new game and setting for players to enjoy. While not exactly what I was expecting, only Supergiant Games could have produced a game such of the likes as this. I promise you this now, it is worth your time and money.
Players will find themselves as Red, a young woman in the city of Cloudbank, an almost futuristic city filled with computers. She is a popular singer for the city and is suddenly attacked by a group called the Camerata. Just as she is attacked, a man throws himself in harms way and dies on an odd looking sword. The Camerata have released a robotic plague called the Process which is wiping out the citizens and city itself, only you with the sword, known as the Transistor, can stop them. They have taken her voice and she seeks retribution.

Let me remark on the beautiful looking graphics and scenery of the game before anything else. High up on platforms, you can take notice of many smaller details such as the markings on buildings, from the lowest parts of the city all the way up towards the towers that reach high up towards the sky. The look of the characters, especially Red and the citizens, look smooth and clean, the 3D rendering looks gorgeous in the flat world. The Process themselves vary in clear distinct areas, even as they progress in levels. Armor will become more transparent and abilities will become ever more troublesome for gamers to overtake, with such enemies as the Jerk, Young Lady, Creep and so on. Gameplay is simplistic but extremely well done. A nod towards Bastion, players can set limitations to make fights harder upon themselves with a set amount of four abilities at once, with each ability able to be used with others or to help your attacks or regenerate your health. With the Transistor, you have the ability to stop time and tactically approach your enemies as your battlefield shrinks for the time being. Freeroam is limited to corridors but there is enough lore of the city to keep you searching around the area, for news updates, private messages and even ordering pizza back to your home, with the options to either respond, choose an action, vote or do nothing depending on the situation. If that still isn't enough, there is a small test simulator room that will activate at random points in the game where Red can mull over thoughts, improve stats in situations, play with a friendly Process called Luna or kick around a beach ball and relax for a while.
The soundtrack. What can I truly say about the soundtrack that hasn't been said? Once again Supergiant has made a truly beautiful and engaging soundtrack that differs between areas, with Red humming a saddeningly beautiful tune or tense electronic dubstep as a mass amount of enemies swarm towards you. I would highly suggest purchasing the soundtrack of this game, as before long you'll be singing the songs yourself.

Finally, story. I can't say much without revealing too much so I'll keep this brief. As Red sets down with the Transistor, the voice of the Man who sacrificed himself will accompany you throughout the gameplay, revealing options, commentary or simply chatting away to fill in the quieter moments of the game. The game will take you about 5-6 hours to complete but there is plenty of replay value-all of which will be truly forced by the last hour of gameplay, the game does offer players to go back and start it again but whether or not the game's story changes through this I don't know just as yet. But I know that I will be going back to Cloudbank in the very close future.

While I did experience a few dropped frame rates and some weird moments (Especially in the last mission in regards to abilities either not functioning properly or the AI having pinpoint timing) Transistor is  another defining moment in the history of Supergiant Games. Once again they have shown that a large company with a massive budget isn't needed to make a heartfelt, meaningful and fun game. Supergiant and Transistor is a true inspiration to indie developers and the asking price is almost shocking that the developers ask for so little. If you have the time and money, I would highly recommend putting this game on your list.

Out of 10, I give Transistor a 9/10

+Utterly beautiful scenary/character design
+Gameplay is simple but incredibly fun
+Soundtrack is a masterpiece
+Sound effects are beautiful and vary
+Story is engaging and meaningful
+Characters fleshed out and ever changing
-Few minor gamebreaking glitches

Transistor is out now for the standard price of $15

Review: Wolfenstein The New Order

G'day there guys and gals!
*WARNING: This review contains minor spoilers, but none to the main storyline plot of this game. Read at your own will!*

I was barely two months old when the third game in the game's history, Wolfenstein 3D, was released. I remember very little of my childhood but I remember my brother and his friends stalking the halls and killing Nazis by the dozen in the short years afterward. Even among my own generation, each of us remember that particular Wolfenstein game despite it's legacy. Enter in Wolfenstein The New Order, thirty three years after the release of the original game and the sequel to the 2009 standalone title.
The New Order brings back William "B.J." Blazkowicz continuing the fight against the Nazis in the Resistance, attacking General Deathshead's fortress of torture and death. Giving no spoilers, this attack will lead to a choice players must make which differ the storyline only by this choice. Players will travel to a multitude of areas taking place all over Europe and beyond in the attempt to bring down the Nazi Regime once and for all. 

Straight out of the bat, I want to talk about the voice acting. A mixture of veterans and unknowns in the voice acting community, Blazkowicz (Voice by Brian Bloom) talks almost non stop during the game, either to his allies, himself or even mental monologue as he fights. At points the acting is superb and well done for the scene, however many moments can be seen as underdone or melodrama. Whispering quietly to yourself in the midst of gunfire doesn't seem logical. Many of the rest of the cast seem to have no experience in voice acting but do a great job, even in secondary characters. Many moments will have the right mood and tone, others will seem a little over the top.
Sound effects and the musical score are utterly brilliant in this regard. Footsteps are particularly my favourite as they echo and change as you walk around the map, but weaponry and the environmental sounds are also particularly good. The musical score is what you'd expect: heavy metal, which is a big plus for me, however you will find classical and touching music to the appropriate areas of the game. Graphics are utterly well done: even outside cutscenes, the graphics on the characters are incredible with small details such as facial pores visible on a face. But by far the water graphics are the best that I've ever seen.

Now, gameplay. Wolfenstein is known to be one of the Fathers of First Person Shooters and it's clear that Bethesda and MachineGames has put a lot of time and effort into this mechanic and let me say: It's just like old times. Weapons feel different and act different on the multitudes of different enemies, forcing players to go back and reevaluate their approach and use the correct strategy. The promise of differential outcomes mid-battle has been held and some will definitely prefer one or the other. Stealth will allow players to recon the area and seek out the Commander in the nearby area. Taking him out does give you the free reign to go guns blazing but you may not like what you find. Gun running will often warn the Commander to bring backup and more enemies will appear. However if you don't kill said officer before you finish off his backup, he will request more and more, increasing in difficulty each time, however I will mention that some areas give you no choice but to fire away, as many heavily armed enemies cannot be killed without using the silenced weaponry. Whatever option you take will unlock specific perks, increasing your performance on the battlefield or unlocking a necessary item along with your hunt for collectibles, which there are many to find as you play through this game. 
Storyline, I will admit, is incredible but it does have drawbacks. Players can expect 16 incredibly long chapters, each more action packed and deadly as you go but be warned, if you're looking for something more than just bloodlust, you'll find it but you may not like it. Early on our hero finds Anya who, obviously enough, becomes his love interest, Without spoiling much of the ending and after spending 18+ hours on a game filled with collectibles, Easter Eggs and more, the ending itself isn't too much of a shocker. While it was decent enough to get some emotional pivot and meaning behind it, the ending seems slightly rushed and cut, which a few plotholes that need to be fixed. The ending itself isn't overall bad, it just leaves too much to the imagination to be satisfactory.

As I wrote earlier, there are two differing storylines depending on your choice at the start of the game and I cannot find any information if there differ majorly. If not, then the change will be small and barely noticeable until the end of the game. Featuring no Multiplayer this time around, The New Order has its faults but still holds enough wait in today's day and age to bring a lot of fun to gamers of today.

Out of 10, I give Wolfenstein The New Order an 8/10

+Jawdropping graphics, even for next gen
+Gameplay is classic but brilliant
+A long campaign for a standard FPS
+Nightmare Easter Egg = awesome
+Musical score adds true tension to the moment
+Those dogs are terrifying, but brilliant!
-The odd glitch now and then, especially with Achievements
-Ending is rushed/could have been much better
-Voice acting was wake/melodramatic at points

Wolfenstein The New Order is out now for the standard price of $99

Review: Broforce Beta

G'day there guys and gals!

Many Youtubers and gamers alike have been raving about this game for quite some time, and Broforce is no flavour of the month like so many other titles have been. A game reaching out to the older generations, Broforce is a simple but well designed sidescroll shooter featuring famous arse-kicking action heroes from the 70's to the early 00's (pronounced "noughties"), three characters portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger, overall 19 characters from various movies.
The synopsis is easy enough: Imagine every bad/awesome cheezy 80's action film, where a good guy blows up everything, kills everyone in sight and rides away into the sunset. Well imagine that with ten times the gore, explosions and riding away to victory on the ladder of a helicopter. Each level has a set amount of enemies which range from simple grunts (Most referred as "Mooks") to suicide bombers, heavys, paratroopers, dogs, large machinary and the standard bad boss: a sharply dressed devil who laughs as you kill him while each character you play as has their normal name cleverly modified to feature "Bro" in the title. Nearly everything in each map is either destructible, explosive or indestructible and is set out all across the map - changing your navigation is as simple as destroying your environment or choosing not to. 
Musical score and sound effects are terrific, adding a large amount of comedy to the game. AI enemies will scream and run in fear when one spots you (Some will stand and fight so don't be fooled!) or scream as you strap dynamite to their chest or burn them alive. Gameplay is simple and easy to understand but I do recommend changing your controls or attaching a gaming controller. Both gaming controls are slightly awkward and you will cramp badly, especially when playing with four friends.

There are plenty of modes to enjoy such as level editors and deathmatches but these are mostly in Beta and Alpha forms themselves but the single/co-op mode has more than enough missions to kill a few hours with your friends. This is definitely a game to keep an eye on. 

Out of 10, I give Broforce an 9/10

+Awesome character list
+Terrific music/sound effects
+For a Beta, it runs incredibly well
+Map leveling is extremely well done
+Mechanical bosses offer much larger challenge
-Controls could use work

Broforce is out now for Beta testing for $15

Review: Titanfall Expedition DLC

G'day there guys and gals!


Arguably one of the best and well received newest titles on a Next Gen Console, fans have been eagerly awaiting brand new DLC for the game, hoping for something to spice up the routine. With the release of Expedition, fans have been clamoring to download, waiting for another chance to beat back the Militia rebels or IMC dogs and free the new world from tyranny. While the price is a little steep for only THREE maps and a 1.92GB download, it's easy to forgive Respawn for the excellent quality for a brand new company to continue their winning streak.
The DLC features three brand new maps with some main changes that I'll quickly mention now: Titan and Pilot Loadouts can now be uniquely named and made solely for a specific game type (Such as Attrition, Capture The Flag ect). The after-match report also now includes the scoreboard for all to see. These are the major changes that most will see, for a full list, check out the Game Update schedule on the Titanfall website here.

Expeditions brand new maps are Runoff, Swamplands and War Games.
Runoff takes place in a small pumping station on an "uncharted planet" in the area of the Frontier, where the IMC have unearthed ancient ruins. Players can bound and leap between the buildings and in the water. The map is cramped, with Titans headbutting each other just to get past in specific areas. There are open areas and hallway like places within the map but this is very much so a Pilot's map. By far this is disappointing to say the least. Luckily, the DLC gets much better from here on out.

Swamplands is set in the middle of a jungle, with tall trees reaching miles high upwards. From the trees and growth above to the ruins below, below is mostly for the Titans while the trees and elevated areas are for the Pilots. Players can bound tree to tree (And yes, it is quite satisfying to do so) or jump from fallen logs to platforms while Titans can battle among the ruins or out in the open wetlands. Pilots will definitely be lost quickly as missing a jump can lead you down a small tunnel and underground into the broken ruins. Exploring all these beautiful areas will take time but for fans, this is a must.
Finally War Games, the most hyped map in this DLC, and let me say, that hype is well received. While the game start screen takes slightly longer than usual, players are greeted to a Specter voice over remarking on Pilots, even so much so to even identifying your level. "Pilot Gen 3 Incoming to Simulator." With a short 30 second intro, players are jumped into the simulator, while it is relatively plain looking, the map design is incredible. White walls are awash with bright, almost neon signs and runpads that line the floor and specific areas. Not only that, but outer areas also feature run down buildings and dug in areas to hide from other Pilots and Titans. Large, twisting hallways and areas for Titans to battle it out, large and choke-hold areas for Pilots to battle, War Games offers much and is definitely the gem of this DLC. 

While I would argue that $10 for three maps and small customisations isn't enough bang for your buck, or the fact that 3 maps alone are nearly 2GBs large, the maps do not deter from the fun that fans or newcomers can have from this new content. Hopefully next time around fans will receive a little more, but for this one right here, doubts for buying the Season Pass are creeping into mind.

Titanfall Expedition DLC: B-

Review: Telltale's Walking Dead S2 E3: In Harm's Way

G'day there guys and gals!

*Please note: Telltale's The Walking Dead is released in episode form. Until season completion, each episode will receive a DLC rating and only a full rating at the end of the season*
This review is completely 100% spoiler free for both this episode and Season 1 & 2. Read freely!

In massive temptation, the fandom of Telltale's award winning series has been awaiting for Episode 3 in the second season for quite some time, and while episode 2 was indeed shorter than expected (You can read that review here), fans were promised a larger impact to both story and gameplay in future parts.
Once more, Telltale have delivered exactly what was promised.
The story picks up moments after the events of Episode 2 and some scenes will differ due to your choices in them. Truth be told, this episode will start out slow, with the lack of much gameplay and more cutscenes/mostly choices and dialogue options. These choices however will set up for the story later on and it will quickly pace upward around the thirty minute mark. You can expect roughly two and a half hours of gameplay to enjoy, depending on how you explore and travel. Free-roaming areas is quite limited this time around, with a lot of the action mostly on-rails and Quick Time Events, these can be overlooked by the action, suspense and awe stricken moments you can come to expect in this particular series. 

Plenty of new and unknown characters to explore, jaw dropping and downright frightening, In Harm's Way will not fail to delight fans and newcomers alike. While some areas do indeed fall a little flat in voice acting wise, those moments won't last long and will be quickly covered by light comedy or story. Telltale has truly cared for these characters and their stories and aided them to be not only loyal to the lore and stories but also to differ, change and create new ones entirely by the simplicity of choice.

Episode 3 truly shows the development of Clementine as a character, how she is still fighting, what she learnt from Lee and how her experience is teaching her what it means to be human. This season is definitely worth your love, time and money.

The Walking Dead: Season 2 Episode 3: In Harms Way
Rank: A-

Custom Xbox One Controller via TheControllerShop

G'day there guys and gals!

Two months ago, I decided that I'd like to have a brand new controller for the Xbox One, one just for me and as a birthday present to myself. Two months late but it's finally here!
Many thanks to TheControllerShop.com for their aid and awesome product!
Do you want a kickarse Xbox One, 360, PS3, PS4 controller? Check them out!

Review: Deadlight

G'day there guys and gals!

This title missed my gaze and interest at its original release, only doing so when it became free last month for Xbox Gold members. And boy was I a fool for missing it. Deadlight is a small Arcade title made by Indie Developer Tequila Works, Deadlight being their first title released as a company. The game follows an ageing man named Randall Wayne, the opening scene showing him killing a young girl who has been bitten by a "Shadow", a form of Zombie like creature with pure black skin and deep red or white eyes. The year is 1986 and the Cold War between the former USSR and the US had reached boiling point before the fall of the entire world began, the Shadows near taking over the world by 1986.
In a radio broadcast, Randall and other four in their group - Klara, Sam, Ben and Stella - hear that the only safe haven left in the Pacific Northwest is in Seattle.

The game begins slowly, giving players the chance to become accustomed to the world and navigating it, Deadlight is almost like LIMBO and Telltale's The Walking Dead had a baby. A 2D sidescroller (Also described as a 2.5D scroller) Deadlight plays with some parkour elements and puzzle solving, especially with electricity, water and heights. At first, players are also given three health notches and a small bar of stamina, which is used for climbing, jumping, hanging and running. However the killing controls are simplistic. Early on players will find a firefighter's axe, the melee combat mostly there as a button masher. 2-3 swings will knock down a Shadow and luckily timed, decapitate them. Knocking on the ground, players will have a small chance to ground smash their axe, but this will severely deplete stamina, leaving you open for enemy attacks (A single hit will reduce a notch by one) or worse.
Graphics are gorgeous but in small detail. Backgrounds of the game are diverse and dirty but close up are mostly grey and blacked out, however the detail on Randy himself is quite well done. Cutscenes are limited to stills of the characters in question with small motions such as head turns, rain, explosions ect. Gameplay is fluid and well made, sprinting and leaping roof to roof is exhilarating and incredible, even when controls become sticky especially during climbing or timed events, with everything coming down to the A button. 

Combat is mostly fun and rewarding, especially with weapons such as the pistol or shotgun. The slingshot is useful midway through the game but becomes relatively useless after its use in a chapter, literally while the fireman's axe has its use when saving bullets or keeping quiet. A good mention with the gameplay would be the checkpoint placement; expect to die a lot while playing, but checkpoints usually activate moments after climbing into a new screen so be thankful for that, the load screens could have been a little quicker though.
The storyline is fleshed out well enough for some emotion bond to be made, however it can be a tad predictable to fans of Zombie games, with obvious nods to various series. The soundtrack isn't too noticeable or effective until the very end of the game, but the voice acting helps tie in the game's feel and point (The same can be said with the sound effects), especially impressive with the fact that the cast is mostly unknowns. Parts can be a bit melodramatic but overall pleasantly surprising.

The game isn't necessarily long, including failure time taking about 4-6 hours, but it can be beaten within a good afternoon. Despite the few game freezes, sticky controls and frustration of being killed by something offscreen, the game is definitely worth your time and money, doubly so for its simple and worthwhile achievements/collectibles.

Out of 10, I give Deadlight a 7/10

+Song title Achievements = Awesome
+Great/moving storyline
+Beautiful scenery
+Surprisingly decent voice cast
+Checkpoints excellently placed
-Controls stick, especially in timed events
-Two main weapons slowly become useless
-One or two game crashes
-Off screen killers T-T

Deadlight is out now for the standard price of $15

Peggle 2 DLC - Windy's Master Pack

G'day there guys and gals!

Peggle 2 has recently been hit with some brand new DLC, known as Windy's Master Pack. Windy a bird who is also a Fairy, who also uses a magic wand. With her comes a brand new power, the Fairy Flock, Windy can turn ordinary blue Peggles into purple Peggles, giving players an opportunity to boost their scores, this coming in much handy for Multiplayer players trying to win. Windy's Master Pack will give you 10 brand new levels with 30 objectives, 10 additional challenges (With these repeating the maps you just played in the level mode) and three brand new achievements. 

There isn't much more I can say about this DLC without you playing it for yourself. Whiles fans will immediately jump to the chance to continue their Peggle quest, the extremely low price is also a big open door to casual gamers also. If you're looking for a good way to kill a few more hours, depending on your skill set or Multiplayer usage of the character, this is definitely a hit or miss, all of which I leave up to you.

Windy's Master Pack DLC - B

Out now for $2

Review: Trials Fusion

G'day there guys and gals!

To the people who know me, I am utterly terrible with all Trials games and to those who do not, I am awesome at Trials games. While I was not waiting for this title with bated breath, Trials Fusion offers a lot more to fans, bored gamers or newbies, regardless of their thoughts of physic-based games.

There isn't much to say about Trials Fusion that can't be repeated from Trials Evolution: Gameplay is more or less the same with the varients of new vehicles (The BMX unlockable only at the end of the game) and the new challenge mode, where the game will score you not on your speed and fault records, but by tricks. Unlocked naturally during gameplay, players can perform certain tricks by using the R Joystick in specific motions when the bike is in a position whilst mid-air. Doing these tricks and your landing will award you points. These challenges will progress once or twice in each stage of the game. There are ten stages each with 8 maps, four stages will have tutorials and most will have Trick Stages after you have unlocked them. Otherwise, it's business as usual; you take place as an unnamed player known only as "Rider" however this word is used multiple times over and over and in reference to other players. Storyline, as expected, is weak and barely there, with two AIs as you ride talking about certain events happening mid-game or the Rider themselves. You can try to rope in the Squirrel storyline as well but that would be a massive stretch. One annoying mention to this as well is the fact that you will eventually start to hate these small snippets of comments, especially when trying to perfect a map as they repeat each time you restart the map (You'll be safe if you only reset to the checkpoint). 
Sound effects have really improved, being much more clear and robust during gameplay however the musical score is small and limited, quite annoying also to add to that list. The menu music will start ear-bursting loud and will play the same tune over and over each time you enter in the menu screen, even after the end of every match. Soon enough even you'll be yelling at the top of your lungs "WELCOME TO THE FUTURE! MAN, MACHINE, THE FUTURE!" giving credit where it's due, the song is damn catchy. 
Graphics on the Next Gen consoles truly bring out the beauty in the scenery of the game, but expect a lot of screen tearing, especially when checkpoints are a distance apart from the starting point.

Outside this is the customisation, which Fusion does have a bunch. While currently there are only roughly 6-7 clothing options (One being unlockable until you play specific maps), only a few can modify their colours, which limits down the options for originality. Some items are only Uplay unlockable, so if you wish to adorn a Clown or Squirrel mask, better download the Uplay app on the console. Multiplayer is also present, so far only a copy and paste: players can have up to three friends (Themselves as the fourth) and host can pick five maps to race around, with no other additional modes available. Map creator has also been added to the title and is incredibly fleshed out; players can pick and choose different areas from the large map and begin building, or deconstructing the landscape to their liking, all this with much more creative options. 

Finally, I want to mention a few final things. As a person who is terrible at the Trials games (I tend to fail at the Medium courses. Let that sink into your mind) I found Trials Fusion to be simply too easy. It wasn't until I was a moment until the Expert Courses that the game became Rage Quit frustratingly hard. That, along with the many game freezing or kick-to-dashboard boots, as to be expected but not this long after release, I would only suggest this game to people like me finding the Next Gen consoles lack of content or fans of the series. Maybe the future will hold some great new updates, but right now, Trials Fusion can't welcome me to that future

I give Trials Fusion a 6/10

+Terrific gameplay
+Awesome tricks and funny crashes
+Map Creator is brilliant and fleshed out
+Beautiful graphics...
-...But get used to game tears
-Customisation is lacking
-Want an awesome outfit? Buy/play our other game!
-Too many game-breaking glitches
-Soundtrack/dialogue repetitivity
-Much too easy

Trials Fusion is out now for the standard price of $20