G'day there guys and gals!
*Please note: Since Telltale games are originally released in episode form, this review will be rated in my DLC form (A through F) until all episodes are released.
Also, spoiler alert for anyone unfamiliar to the show/books or episode one! Tread carefully!*
Putting aside the current issues with the episode with Xbox users, currently I have bitten the bullet and continued on with the game, playing against my choices from episode one. What I found was a great new part to the growing series, even if a little off at times.
The gameplay has been upgraded ever so slightly with the new addition of timed Quick Time Even, waiting for the proper time to press the correct response, as well as a return of First Person firing view from the first season of The Walking Dead. Sound effects are standard and repeat often (especially when at the Wall or Castle Black) but at least voice sounds such as grunts and groans are improved on (a small mention I made from episode one).
Graphics are just as great as ever, each scene looking like an old fashioned oil painting, although those who succumb to motion sickness easily may wish to tread carefully, especially so during action scenes as the fast moving characters can often revert to pixelated blurs.
So let us get down to the real bulk of episode 2; storyline and voice acting. Bringing in Episode 2 brings everybody's favourite bastard who knows nothing, Jon Snow, voiced by the Kit Harrington and while he does do a fine job, oddly at points he sound...dull and flat, bored if you will. Peter Dinklage and Natalie Dormer return to their respected roles and knock it out of the park (admittedly I was sad to see so little of Natalie) and the rest of the cast does well, the new addition (for spoiler reason I won't say who) does awesome and adds real depth to the Forrester family as well.
Storyline wise, there isn't much to say without giving it away; while not as shocking as the first episode, the game does offer a lot of plot twists and surprises, your choices from the first episode barely making a mention most of the time but well on their way leading up to a huge conflict between all involved, even those ever so slightly touching on the matter.
That being said, the ending itself is gorgeously done and quite meaningful, especially to House Forrester and the choices both of Ethan and those you play. While not overly impressive as the first episode, The Lost Lords does well to build up the coming fight, the building tension and set the scene for the future episodes.
Like chess pieces on a board, episode 2 is decent set up to a winning strategy. Just shy of greatness.
Telltale's Game Of Thrones Episode 2 - The Lost Lords: B-
G'day guys and gals!
*Warning: This review features the first 10 minutes of gameplay and mentions gameplay mechanics for the ending*
The creators behind Dying Light once brought us the zombie hit Dead Island many years ago, a game renown for its moving, incredibly heart breaking trailer but being much less impressive. Although the game itself had quite good gameplay and mechanics, it had very little else to offer and the games that followed have been a tragedy ever since.
This is not the case with Dying Light; there are some small similarities in the animations (especially small knives) between the two games, Dying Light is much more dynamic, impressive and downright addictive, with very little holding it back.
Let's begin with the storyline: players take on the role of Kyle Crane, a hired operative of the GRE (Global Relief Effort) sent to the fallen city of Harran to retrieve a document from the rogue Kadir "Rais" Suleiman that can lead to the cure of the infection plaguing the city. On your decent into the city however, you are beset on by Rais' thugs and attacked by a zombie, bitten and left for dead. With the aid of the sudden appearance of Amir and Jade, you are taken to the Tower to begin your search for Rais and discover the location of the document.
The story itself is brilliant and dynamic to the situation, the cast of people you will meet becomes huge and stretches from the Slums to Sector 0 of Harran, all the while meeting people aiding you in the Tower's survival and your own, as you desperately try to secure Antizin (The only known deterant of the infection) for your people and yourself, all the while fighting back the spasms of turning. The voice acting in the main cast is superb; one of my favourite voice actors Roger Craig Smith takes the role of the protagonist and utterly dominates the role, easily switching from the seriousness as a GRE operative to compassion with the Tower's struggle and at times, being incredibly witty and realistic. Outside the main voice cast it does range from melodramatic to dull but interaction with them usually lasts little under thirty seconds. Musical score, for the most part, is great and adds tension, shock and sympathy to the right moments. Overall during gameplay however it does seem to fade out for the most part, but is made up for the gorey, terrific sound effects of the world around you.
This brings me to the two biggest strength points; gameplay and graphics. While as a reviewer, I believe graphics aren't a huge necessary deal but here I make the exception for the utter beauty that is Dying Light. The scenery is as dynamic as the plot as sunsets glow red and wild, the days clear or pouring down rain and thunder, or the night as dark as a tunnel with the screams of zombies all around you. Playing during the day is more leisurely than it is at night as the slogan for the game takes its words quite literally. I promise first time players that you will most likely die some time during the night (especially during one particular zombie hunting mission) as the Volatiles, Bloaters and other beastly creatures skulk the night. While I will admit the graphics do tend to repeat with crates, already killed zombies, NPC's wearing masks and the insides of buildings (as to be expected), I still take my hat off for the developers for making it as brilliant as this is, truly giving gamers plenty of areas to explore and visit.
Now, gameplay. The gameplay is by far the biggest asset this game holds. Freerunning (or Parkour if you're fancy) completely dominates any other like it before, the feel almost as if you are the one performing the moves. Customisation with Survivor, Power and Agility Points will greatly increase your odds of survival, whether it be killing or avoiding zombies. Crafting also is excellently done, giving a plentiful option for players to choose whether to favour a loud or quiet approach, a tactical or "run and gun" stylised dash during the night as well. The money mechanism is also handy to those who use it, especially running drops back to the Quartermaster, however destroying items for parts it a little one sided in giving (mostly) only metal parts. While they are crucial, I have never run out of them, especially when you can run out of pretty much everything, even when fully upgraded and decked out to the halls full of inventory.
This doesn't deter from the fun of the game; killing zombies by smashing their heads open, burning or blowing them up is still as fun as ever, with the terrifying zombie look of olden days definitely there in some of the bulkier kinds.
My few small issues with the game have been minuscule but still noteworthy; I did find one glitch unfortunately near the end of the game, where after killing a mini-boss and dying right after caused the game to lock me in the area in which the fight took place, leaving me unable to leave. This was quickly fixed by reloading the checkpoint but caused audio lapping.
Another small issue was the ending itself being...a Quick Time Event. There were many missions before the final one that would have served as a decent send off to the game. The mission itself was fun and challenging but the last 5 or so minutes of QTE is a mark of shame on the ending of a game; QTE's to end a game is as cliche as the plot-twist in melodramatic soap or "The Good Guy is the Bad Guy" reveal in any action movie.
Due to those reasons, for me at least, the game does miss out on a perfect score but regardless of that, Dying Light is an incredible game that any self-respecting gamer should check out, especially zombie fans. As odd as it sounds, a quote from Game Of Thrones is the perfect metaphor for this brilliant game.
"For the night is dark and full of terrors".
Terrific gameplay, 18+ hours storyline and double that number in side missions. If you want a bang for your buck, Dying Light is your answer.
Out of 10, I give Dying Light a 9/10
