Review: Saint's Row Re-Elected/Gat Out Of Hell

G'day there guys and gals!

(Please note: Re-Elected and Gat Out Of Hell will be rated by my DLC rating system *A through F* and will not affect the overall score of the original review, found here)
*This review is 100% spoiler free!* 

Overall, while Saints Row IV was a fun game, personally I found it tedious and quite dull at a lot of points throughout gameplay. I've never hidden my affection for the Saints Row series, my very first 360 title and one I spent countless hours playing. And while I do miss the serious plotline, the insane, crazy, fun gameplay is still a welcome one.
However, Re-Elected has made the same mistake Square Enix did with Sleeping Dogs; picking a recent title and moving it forward to current gen consoles. The game still includes the fun of super powers, kicking some alien arse and the witty dialogue but retains many bugs and glitches from the old game. This is not a HD remake, this is a port. 

There isn't much I can't say that I didn't say in the original review; the gameplay is still simplistic and quite fluid, however of course the super powers make you completely OP once you upgrade them a few times but this is to be expected. DLC weapons make an appearance, much to my delight; with the inclusion of a heavy metal Dubstep gun, it was my go to weapon. Sadly the tune repeats over and over but again, this is expected. All old and new weapons do make a reappearance but it seems the Australian Classification Board has done some tweaks to rename the The Penetrator to The Dildo Bat. 
Vehicles are there for you to enjoy but with unlimited sprint, flight and high jumping, there isn't much point to them at all. The voice acting is still excellent, the sound effects and musical score is still as good as ever. To the nugget of the point; with every port or HD remake, the main focus usually with older games brought back from the dead is the graphics. Sadly, this is where the main issues remains. High amounts of screen tearing (usually when accessing the main menus), several odd glitches with explosions distorting the screen, not to mention the four times the game froze and kicked me to dashboard, or twice how a dead controller swap deleted my autosave, my progress and unlocks. 


By the end, the only saving grace is a cleaner, better Co-Op to enjoy with friends. At this point I wanted to give up, and that brings us to Gat Out Of Hell.


To be perfectly honest, I went in with low expectations and while in some areas they were met, the DLC itself is quite excellently done.
For those interesting in the storyline; with the voice of a familiar narrator, the Saints begin to celebrate Kinzie's birthday when a mishap with a Ouija Board brings Gat, Kinzie and the Boss down into hell. It's up to you to free the Boss and put a bullet in Satan's eyes.

The gameplay is excellent; while still more or less the same SR IV, the DLC features new powers, new abilities and some old ones, not to begin to mention the new weaponry, hellish monsters to battle and some familiar faces for you to see in the game itself.
Sound effects are quite well done although the musical score does suffer slightly in gameplay but is otherwise noticeable only in combat or cutscenes. Graphics look incredible and each area looks significantly different amongst the deep red lava. 
Voice acting, at times, is quite well done by the main cast. At points it does sound quite monotone and dragging; the disappointing thing about this is these lie in the tutorials, the main commentary or the missions.
Speaking of missions, Gat Out of Hell takes a step back to Saints Row 3 style and makes 80% of the main storyline nothing BUT mini-games, which of course are nothing but rehashes of Saints Row IV games. There are plenty of twists on the classics and new ones to accommodate your new powers, but it's really disappointing to see this in this series continuously. While it is (sort of) explained as a pun mid-way through the game, it makes it abundantly clear what this port was made for. Don't get me wrong, the game modes are fun but many are too short, repeated too often in main missions and after a while, become too boring as your powers grow.

Other smaller mentions would be the change to Clusters (Although a better name would have been "Souls" or something, you are in Hell after all!) and your abilities make it WAY easier to collect them. Each Loyalty mission is basically the same; several mini-game, a take over mission and done. Last the loading times are incredibly fast so that is definitely a plus, not to mention the Deus Ex HR type ending. But I digress.

My main goal for this entire review was to determine whether or not Re-Elected was worth your time and the high asking price. And this is my summary:
Saints Row Re-Elected is perfect for old and new fans, achievement grinders and those looking for a wacky game to Co-Op in with friends. Otherwise I do advice caution in buying this game; this game is furthering the standard of shoddy console ports for a quick buck by companies and the addition of the DLC won't keep me on this title for much longer. There are plenty of hours to waste but too much old content or improvements for it to be truly called a HD Remake. 
And while there is one major hint towards a sequel, the Gat Out Of Hell ending brings it into question; Saints Row IV was originally made as a April Fools joke. Hopefully this is the punchline and we can all move on.

A fun but disappointing start for 2015.

Saints Row Re-Elected: C-

Gat Out Of Hell DLC: C+

Gamer Rant: The Future of Games

G'day there guys and gals!

After a short rant on Twitter last night, I feel as if I have to talk about a very real problem in the gaming community today and that is how far the games, companies and our future itself is falling.
To put it plainly, our future looks bleak.

First off, you may be asking yourself "What fall? What do you mean?", well let me give a short explanation: as short of a time as 10 years ago, games that were released HAD to have perfect controls, up to date mechanics and be perfect itself in order to get attention. This is how games such as Call Of Duty, Assassin's Creed, Far Cry and more were able to make comeback after comeback in our community. However, for the last two years, AAA titles and major companies have been releasing digital messes, remakes barely remade and games that simply didn't work whereas indie developers and even one-people crews have released timeless classics that are now revered in our community. Do you see now what I mean by fall?
Companies are beginning to rely too hard on old titles to make a profit: Call of Duty "sequels" are seen as a joke online as each year brings a new game. Assassin's Creed hardcore fans have been more and more disappointed with the titles released as years go on and way too many remakes have been coming out - games made two or three years ago getting ports into the new world or older games with a dying fanbase given life once again. It's January 2015 and we've already had THREE AAA titles given a HD remake (Duke Nukem 3D ME, Saints Row Re-Elected, Resident Evil Remastered) and three more coming in the next couple of months. 
And don't get me started on Mobile games. Personally, King is the devil of video games; rehashed old titles made "new". They spit in the face of our community.
But regardless, moving on.

I'm currently in the middle of reviewing Saints Row Re-Elected and already I've experience multiple bugs, issues, a few KTDs and even where changing a CONTROLLER lost me my autosave! Is this what our future holds for video games? Where games are SOOOOO buggy that I can't even change a controller without losing my data, my autosave or my character?
As a young lad, games released with bugs were dead in the water; there were no patches, there weren't any DLC or fixes or apologies. It was a $100 piece of junk that wouldn't work and its games like those that have long since been forgotten about. But these days, too many companies are being pushed by their corporates to dish out games faster and this is why they're failing to the little guys out there.
Take for example Scott Cawthon; you're probably wondering who he is?
He's the creator of this:   

And that is why he's been so damn successful; with the internet in a state that it is, the popularity of a game depends on five different things -  Simplicity, creativity, new mechanics, positivity in product and word of mouth. Have all five of these things in a game and players will be drawn to it like moths to light. This is where FNaF has succeeded where others (Like Slender) has failed; Scott is currently cranking out the third game in the series and while that is ambitious, he has created an interesting world, storyline and of course, a terrifying set of characters of something so universally creepy in its normal state that naturally is shocking in a horror setting. Slender, while successful overall, was stuck in development much too long, became way too complicated plotline wise and by the time it came out, most interest had moved on.
And that is why plenty of Indie Developers are starting to take wing while AAA titles and their companies are failing -  because they LISTEN to their demand. Because FNaF has simple mechanics, fine but not overbudgeted graphics and relatively shortness to game style, the only things that need alterations is characters, storyline, audio cues and setting! 
In other words, graphical look.
FNaF 2 had more characters, a developing storyline, tweaks on the gameplay and kept linear to the original work. Slender The Arrival complicated the plot, gameplay and became different to the original piece leaked online.

HOWEVER, you're thinking "Hang on, but that's every game ever. Things need to change and they have to advance!" and I agree with you: playing the same thing over and over is boring.
But not to the majority of gamers and the majority is Casuals.
As much as it pains me to say it, Casual Gamers have the majority control of what becomes popular, what goes viral and what people play; this is how games in the past became popular. People who stick to the franchises of old soon become hardcore gamers: achievement grinding the same game over and over, playing through each alteration repeatedly and then moving onto the next new franchise while Casuals will hear from a friend how "insert title here" is amazing and they'll play it, stop and move on.
Take me for example: I have been a Saints Row fan since the beginning, I played SR over and over, especially since it was my first 360 game title and now, nearly 9 years later, I'm playing the remake of its 4th "sequel" just for the achievements. 

So why am I writing this down like this? What is my point about all of this?
This is my point: too many companies are giving out glitched, buggy or rehashes while Indie Devs are thriving, which personally I find awesome and gives me hope for the future. But as a future game dev, I personally don't know whether to work for a big company or myself. Australia has very few game companies and many of which are either Indie companies that I've never heard of or the big guys that dominate our consoles. Do I chance working for them for Call of Duty 31 or do I follow my own creative passion? Do I travel overseas and work on several titles of games at once, passed around from project to project, or do I apply myself to become a story-writer and see my own passions become a living, breathing game for generations to come?
With the way company after company treats their projects, the choice is simple at this point; too many companies are facing the way of THQ while their bosses pushes a game underdeveloped out the door while Indie Devs are rising to the top through passion, hard work and sacrifice. 

That is where our future as gamers is coming to; old titles taking $100+ out of our pockets while smaller titles as for $5 or less for a game they spent years making. 
Don't get me wrong! Many companies are willing to fix their titles, whether their buggy, unfinished or failures, but it shouldn't be us who tell them this. It shouldn't be gamers and consumers telling them the issues of their games. 
And so I speak to all coporates: delaying games to make them better will not cost you money. Even a bad looking game can still be played by millions. Give your developing team more time.

Forgive me, but this needed to be said. Make your choices well.
And as always, have fun and game on!

(Dedicated to all gaming companies forced to be shut down before their time)

Review: Assassin's Creed Unity - Dead Kings DLC

G'day there guys and gals!

(Warning! Some topics may be spoiler territory!)

It wouldn't be far from saying that Unity's launch was seen with a lot of criticism, hatred and to put it simply, justified complaining at the game breaking bugs. In light of this, Ubisoft announced that their first DLC would be free for all, as an apology to the glitchy launch.
Despite being a fan of the series, I can say without a shadow of doubt that this new addition definitely makes up for their mistakes in the past. 

Dead Kings takes place after the events of Unity's main storyline (Although you can play this DLC after Sequence 4, playing this DLC first will ruin your experience!) and players take control of a broken Arno seeking passage to Egypt, but the reason for that is as vague as "I must get out of Paris". With the assistance of an old friend, Arno is asked to perform a simple, small task in the town of Saint-Denis. Thus begins your journey with the storyline.

Looking at it objectively, the main vocal cast has definitely been improved across the six new missions although the writing seems a bit off at times (The relationship between Arno and Leon is well established over time but the same cannot be said for many other side characters) but the storyline itself holds up well regardless. Without giving too much away, the simple task of retrieving a manuscript turns into something far more interesting...

Gameplay wise is just as great as always, especially with the introduction of the Guillotine Gun which, if you can excuse my language, is amazeballs; the weapon itself in melee form works under the heavy animations but the firing of the gun is almost as if a nod to Assassin's Creed Rogues' grenade launcher. Although the most powerful is the Sword of Suger; a 5 gold star sword, the sword (when fully upgraded) has a 30% chance of emitting a burst of blinding light, stunning your enemies. This can prove effective when fighting against the mass amounts of enemies.
Speaking of which, Dead Kings introduces a new kind of enemy: raiders. While looking like average civilians, they are incredibly weak when fighting single handed. However, when six or more group together, many will attack out of turn or throw stones from afar, stopping your heavy attack in its heels. Alternatively groups have a single leader (Generally a heavy Royalist) and killing him will set them running.
Lastly I want to mention the abundance of additional content such as Story, Murder Mystery and Suger Puzzle missions to keep the gameplay going on much further than the main storyline. Although some can be done within a minute or so, the addition is still a welcomed one and caused for much celebration.
While graphics and sound effects remain the same in the beautiful, gloomy, fog-ridden town, what impressed me greatly was the recreated musical score; a twist on the original score, the music during fighting almost brings a desperate or saddened feel to the combat, bringing further light onto Arno's darkness. Before the end of Unity, he was a carefree man, forever smiling during tomfoolery. However with the dark atmosphere, the grief stricken musical score and Arno's brutality, it does set a very dark tone to the DLC overall.
Lastly I should mention that as far as I've played, I have found no bugs or glitch at the time of writing this review, speaking volumes for the dedication Ubisoft has made to bringing this game up to speed.

With plenty of references to previous games, even a name drop here and well over 7 hours of content to enjoy, Ubisoft's apology DLC is worth your time and attention for their hard work,dedication to improve upon their game and give thanks to players who stuck around during the long haul. The ending is one I personally did not see coming (but the evidence is all around you, literally!), although some areas lacked length the DLC itself has brought my full attention back to Unity.

It takes guts for a major company to say they're in the wrong. To this gamer, it wasn't necessary for them to do so but the least I can do is convince you to give them one more chance.

Assassin's Creed Unity - Dead Kings DLC: A-

Pros and Cons: Halo 5 MP Beta (Updated 14/1/15)

G'day there guys and gals!

Generally when I review a game, I write down pros and cons under my specific guidelines; storyline, voice acting, gameplay ect ect. However here you'll be getting my notes on the beta fresh and impromptu with very little edits. The only bits edited to this list will be any updates (Like today's new content) added until beta's end and the small technical terms so that you can all understand them (such as; OP - Overpowered, PvP - Player vs Player ect).

Any additional comments will be added regularly. Enjoy!

Update: in case anyone returning simply wishes to know the updated ratios, they sit as follow.
Pro: 13
Con: 29

Update:
CURRENT GAME IMPRESSIONS
In the final days of the beta, I have come to this saddening conclusion: I will not be buying Halo 5 on launch, and perhaps maybe not at all at this point of time. With the amount of issues, bugs and problems the beta is having (Most continuing for the majority outside NA), especially so with more appearing with each update, my hopes for Halo 5 are little to none. My only hope now is that these issues are being resolved for the full release itself; I am excited for the campaign but this multiplayer beta has proven to be nothing but soul diminishing.
Never before has a game caused this type of hatred in me as a gamer and this is something I do not want to continue.

343, if you're reading this, please don't get me wrong; this game is fantastic, fresh and breathes new life to the Halo franchise but these issues must be addressed before release.

MAPS
-Trench
-Crossfire
-Regret
-Eden
-Pegasus
-Orion

MODES
Breakout - new game type - 4 players (Red vs Blue), 1 life, weakened shields, 5 rounds to win

Slayer - standard PvP TDM (Player vs Player Team Deathmatch) - maps feature powered weapon(s) to give player more deadly edge

Stronghold - King Of The Hill X3 - Three capture zone, teams need two to begin scoring, first to 100 points win

PROS

* Gameplay is fluid and moves quickly
* Weapons have been updated, upgraded and now vary much, much differently
* Customisation is good, more is definitely needed/wanted/rewarded post-match
* Character armor distinctive and fresh looking, much more detail
* Map design is well fleshed out, the two supports long to short range equally, ditto for two new ones.
* Assassination animations REALLY satisfying
* Graphics/frame rate is definitely pretty
* Spartan thruster pack makes maneuverability much more agile and quick to avoid danger, same with Clamber, Spartan Charge, Slide, Ground Pound (yes that is the official name) and finally Sprint.
* Breakout much faster than standard TDM, lowered shields make hiding and attacking decisions more challenging.
* Rewards, while very very infrequent, are very satisfying when unlocked.
* The new maps, while spins on the original ones, are greatly changed and much more dynamic and fluid.
* Breakout's maps are almost paintball like, which suits the ending animation.
* Stronghold is a classic twist on an old fashioned mode. Kudos.

CONS

* Death music becomes annoying too fast; loses all dramatic effect after your third death
* Kill cam is too quick, shows off enemy more than the death itself. Recommend renaming it "Murderer Cam" or something less cliche at least.
* SMG is WAAAAAAAY OP (overpowered); SMGs of the past had huge recoil - barely recoil and murderous close-mid range, even at long in bursts. Primarily used in Breakout too - not wise.
* After death fades to black much too, makes exiting to ingame camera take too long to see anything from team members.
* Classic Halo controls replaced with standard FPS (First Person Shooter) controls, pretty much why many regard it as "Call of Halo". Suggest offering a "classic" control option.
* Settings in Beta VERY limited; No subtitles, no brightness option, no screen setting ect
1 * Past menu screen, no music and no audio other than quiet talking. Suggest even play menu music to vibe up the boring load times.
* Power-weapons in Slayer don't really rely on the weapons itself. First thought in game was to "Score with weapons", not just kills. Suggest making a mode with only marked weaponry scoring for the team, or make weapons more needed by team.
* Ending scene repeats every time with the animation, the only change being team size, which rarely happens. Even one more animation post match would be an improvement.
2 * Game matches don't begin unless entire team full, this causes the wait to be 5+ minutes in a silent lobby only to be KTD (Kicked To Dashboard) or the menu screen. Primary reason why the game menu is torture.
* No map layout bar minimap, exploration/memorise absolutely necessary, including for weaponry.
* Too many deaths in a match/multiple defeats in battle = progression loss? People don't get dumber if they fail at something. Suggest removal, progression is limited to roughly 1-20 points per match, already slow/hard enough.
* UPDATE: progression loss is also team defeat related. So bad teams = personal loss even after positive K/D? (Kill/Death Ratio)
No. Just...no. 
* UPDATE 2: Even despite a positive K/D does not reduce reduce status. From what I can tell, it comes down to the distance of team scores. The worse the difference, the worse you're demoted.
* Connectivity isn't shown, only know delay issues when attacking, players can be killed but still be alive via their connection and kill you. Possibly a Beta issue but still an issue nonetheless.
* Although more likely Beta related, finding players/matches can be incredibly slow, in regards to "1, 2", this is absolutely needed, or even a small  animation like the main menu
* Breakout round limits 2 minutes; it keeps the flow dynamic but called as "tie", even if one team have more alive players than the other. Suggest making end of rounds sudden death or handing the win to the team with more player.

* Players have already figured out spawn points and tend to camp those areas. Most spawns in the maps provided are usually around the edges. Suggest few more towards the center after the round's began.
* New troll move is to join games, quit and leave as the round begins, making the game 1v4. Suggest creating a penalty to those who leave the game early (Such as Reach's which bars them from joining matches for 10-20 mins)
* UPDATE: This is still happening and team balancing would be beneficial. 
* Rewards seem to only unlock during level progression, unnecessarily slowing customisation. Suggest letting achievements/in game kills also be linked to them (example; 10 assassinations = new visor)
* NO TEAM BALANCING: A full team of Gold Vs brand new players seems a little unfair, not to mention how 1v4 is still an issue.
* At least 1 out of 10 games are character/screen/action lagged. Kill cam shows players performing kills unseen on player's screen. This issue is mostly outside the North America area.
* Grenades EXPLODE ON IMPACT. Not sure if this was some mega-glitch or the grenade was shot mid air. 
* Latest update does not allow players to leave match setup after the intermission. My current record is 32 minutes before finding a full match. Only option is to go back to Dashboard and cancel game.
* Melee Range is waaaaaaaaay too close; often times enemies will bounce back with an invisible wall and make melee impossible to hit.
* Due to being a beta, many gamers have already figured out wall glitches and can kill from within walls. PLEASE ADDRESS THIS IMMEDIATELY.
* Players can be shot through the terminal while capturing an area in stronghold.
* I have been killed before spawning while sitting on the spectating screen. Not sure if due to lag or too early character respawn.