Review: 1010! Puzzle

G'day there guys and gals!

In recent days, my family members have been engaging in a battle to be the best and I, once realising what they were doing, took it upon myself to take up the challenge. And that battle is in 1010! Puzzle.

To put it simply, 1010! Puzzle is a strategy puzzle game, where players much place various blocks on a small grid and delete the lines before the next stack of three. The the game obviously takes a shine from the classic Tetris but has made it well their own game. Instead of falling blocks and placing them in rows on the bottom, 1010! allows players to pick and choose where each block goes on the small grid, regardless of place, out of a selection of three randomised blocks, ranging from single blocks to giant L shaped and 9 grid blocks.
Small bits of music can be heard from time to time, mostly when deleting blocks and getting close to ending your game, but these (and the sound effects) aren't much to rave over.

Gameplay can be quick or take up much of your time, depending on your placements and strategy. Colour range is bright yet not to the point of neon, whereas players can also pick and choose their background, which leads us into microtransations. Of course these are all optional, but some may be discouraged at the $4.27 price for a single skin pack of a background and block pattern. The game also heavily features ads, but this is to be expected and around 90% of them can be skipped. The game also offers players the ability to remove ads for a $2 fee. In total, if you're looking to buy all the textures and remove ads, you'll be set back around $21.80.

Lastly, I should mention the few bugs I have experienced, but none haven't caused many issues. Exiting the game to go back to main menu may occasionally take you back to your phone's dashboard, ads may randomly glitch outside the game when using the window option (but is gone by entering the game again) and the brief frame rate will stop on the occasion but only on long playthroughs.

All in all, 1010! is a fairly addictive game that has redefined the inspiration Tetris has left on the gaming world over the decades, and while their work is impressive, it isn't enough to achieve a "wow!" factor. Does this make it bad game? Absolutely not. Gram Games has made a well balanced and excellently made game, and is well worth your time to kill some time. 

Out of 10, I give 1010! Puzzle a 7/10

1010! Puzzle is out now for free on the Google Play and App store.

Jan 2016 Update - Apps/Electronics and E3 Reviews!

G'day there guys and gals! And happy 2016!

Yep, you read that title right; for the first time in years, The GameCave will now offer regular App/Electronic reviews and a return of E3 notes!
In the past, I've made several reviews in regards to products for the Xbox consoles (such as third party controllers, recharging docks, etc) to well success and during my comeback from hiatus of last year with a review on Fallout Shelter, it was also just as well received.

And with E3 also now just around the corner, I'm happy to announce that reviews for Apps, electronics and E3 will now be a full time offer from GameCave!
In regards to this, I'll be reviewing any Apps suggested or currently used, despite of release date, the same with electronics. As for E3, I'll be making key notes of specific conferences and posting them here as well.

So that's it! Expect App/electronic reviews to be smaller than standard reviews but otherwise, it's business as usual! I'm still incredibly busy with University, which must take priority, but again I'll be reviewing whenever possible.

And as always, have fun and game on!

-Al

Review: Assassin's Creed Chronicles India

G'day there guys and gals!

(Please note! As I didn't have the time to review AC Chronicles China when it came out, I'll give my score for the game at the bottom of this review. Also, as the Chronicles are meant as a trilogy, each part will be rated in DLC form)

Assassin's Creed Chronicles China opened the world of the Brotherhood to a 2.5D world, where players needed to navigate puzzles and obstacles in order to progress. Chronicles has so far featured Shao Jun, one of the last members of the Chinese Brotherhood on a quest for vengeance after her mentor's death during the 16th century, all the while the story revolving around the mysterious box Ezio had given her in AC Embers. Now in the India setting, players take control of Arbaaz Mir, a young Assassin on a journey to free his mentor and discover the secrets of two Pieces of Eden.

Immediately we see slight similarities between the previous game, including the usage of Eagle Vision, cryptic clues, collectibles and so on, but I'm glad to say here is where most end. The gameplay itself is mostly the same as its predecessor (as to be expected) including the based missions, painting cutscenes and text exposition, but includes a few new tricks with items such as Smoke Bombs to temporarily stop enemies, and Chakrams, ringed throwing knives that bounce off surfaces. The game also introduces a few more difficult enemy types such as Masters, enemies that hide inside hiding areas, rarely move and will instantly kill you if unnoticed. Also introduced are decayed areas, stalactites, scaffolds and the like that will eventually break and drop, speeding up your movements.
The sound effects sadly are most of the same, but the musical score is revamped and given the eastern civilization twist, with the odd Ezio's Family popping up now and again. I'd also like to mention the terrific art style, as the games do feature a lot of red, but this time around is much more bright and colourful, despite the often dark overtones. 

Voice acting is surprisingly well done, the dialogue between Arbaaz's mentor and Pyara Kaur, however short and brief these moments are, but Arbaaz truly ties it together well with his (dare I say) cheekiness and charm. The story itself is ever so slightly off-putting, as a single page of text drops you into Arbaaz's world (so those who do not read the comics/books may be a little lost), however the game does pick up fairly well after that. Without giving away plot points, the ending is fairly cut and dried with not much to go on, but I do recommend to watch after the credits (As the same with Chronicles China) for a tiny glimpse into the future and past of two people in the AC World.

Overall, I am fairly excited to see what will happen next in Russia with one of the fandom's oldest and most beloved character and I do highly suggest fans check out the Chronicles for themselves. India is fairly shorter than China, but the extras (even additional ones such as cosmetics and gameplay styles) is fairly worth your time. To Casuals wishing for a different take on the Assassin's Creed world on a bargain, this is the place for you.

Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China - A-

Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India - B

Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China and India are out now for the standard price of $13

Review: Assassin's Creed Syndicate - Jack The Ripper DLC

G'day there guys and gals! Enjoy this impromptu review!

(Warning: some slight DLC/Story spoilers ahead!)


Since the rumours of Assassin's Creed "Victory" being set in the 1800s, many of the people in the community have wanted a whisper of Jack The Ripper and in this DLC, that's exactly what those fans will get. Assassin's Creed Syndicate's storyline jumps twenty years, to the year that Jack The Ripper plagued the streets of Whitechapel and the city of London. You play as Evie, returning from India on the word from her brother Jacob, who has mysteriously disappeared during his manhunt for Jack The Ripper. Now it's up to her, with the city of London slowly turning against her, to hunt down Jack and bring him to justice.

The storyline itself takes a twist of the original and creates a great atmosphere where the murderer's identity was never found and gives him one, if ever so slight. You will be restricted to Whitechapel and City Of London but the overall atmosphere and tons of side missions make up for this, as well the fact of those two areas being reworked for the twenty years of progress. Playing as Evie is also a delight, as she brings in a new game mechanic - fear. With the use of Brutal Takedowns, Fear Bombs and Spikes, players can take down an enemy with ease by making them flee, shoot their allies and more. Gameplay also introduces two new characters as well as a few twists on the old side mission, such as tailing an enemy and interrogating them with fear, transporting allies with info on Jack The Ripper silently, shaming prostitute abusers (No Bell-Lady from Game of Thrones, however) by walking them through crowds of people, breaking up fighting pits and more. The classic Bounty Hunt, Stronghold and Cargo Hijack also return with various differences. Much of the gameplay's main storyline will side with the Syndicate-style assassinations, but there is a return of the Murder Mysteries mechanic from Assassin's Creed Unity, completely reworked and reimagined. Players will have to find all the clues and recreate the victims steps in order to find clues and information from Jack. Personally, these were the highlight of the DLC.
Voice acting is incredibly well done, especially by Victoria Atkin, showing both Evie's newfound passion and sternness. Sam Crane (Frederick Abberline) truly shines in this DLC, as well as Alec Newman (Jack The Ripper), both bringing the heaviness and bulk that was necessary to set the atmosphere.
I also want to give mention to the updated graphics, musical score and sound effects: Playing as the secondary character was truly perfect, it sounded absolutely amazing, like every part of clothing had weight, very much suiting the animation. The new musical score (with the obvious Indian overtones) was perfectly suited for Evie's new look, which you can further customise in the game (especially with colours, not so much with weaponry).

Overall, this DLC is a definitely must own for fans of the series. The DLC itself is around 6-10 hours, more so if you look to perfect it, but in retrospect the asking price may seem a bit too much to casual players of the series. With new mission areas to explore, new weapons and a much, much darker take on the Assassin world, there's something for everyone in this new addition to the series.

Assassin's Creed Syndicate - Jack The Ripper DLC: B+

Jack The Ripper DLC is out now for the standard price of $20.

My Top 10 Games of 2015

G'day there guys and gals!

Yes it's that time of year again when we revisit all our gaming memories over the past year and see which ones stick with us the most. As in every year, this is my personal list of games that exceeded in one area or more, and in saying that, some ground rules!
If the game releases in episodes and the majority came out this year, I'm counting it as a release of this year. HOWEVER, I'm not including any recent HD remakes if their original game was only released a few years ago. So Saints Row IV Re-Elected, Sleeping Dogs, all that noise, not gonna count.

So! Let's begin!

10: Wolfenstein The Old Blood.
The New Order was supposed to be a brand new look to the world that was Wolfenstein, a game where those of us that can remember, helped push forward the First Person Shooter genre into the giant that it is today. The Old Blood is the Prequel to the story of the The New Order and much like it's previous game, is incredibly fun. The storyline was...admittedly a little choppy in areas but still held up well, and although nothing was improved immensely, the game itself is still a great addition to your collection.

9: Rare Replay
So some of you may count this as just a pushout of the older titles, but there are so many games in this collection, I just had to add it into my Top 10. Featuring the huge library of game titles over Rare's lifetime (minus those that couldn't get release against their copyright), the game features hours upon hours of old and relatively newer titles we have enjoyed over the years, with the bonus of interviews, achievements and revisiting our childhood.

8: Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China
Now, for those who know me, you know another AC title will appear on this list later on but I wanted to give this game the spotlight it deserves. One part of the a three part trilogy, AC Chronicles China is unlike any other Assassin's Creed title to date; players traversity a 2.5D universe and solving puzzles of both stealth and deadly assassinations in order to complete their mission. Surprisingly long, and with Chronicles India and Russia on the way, I can't wait to see the other two games.

7: Dying Light
I have been (somewhat) a fan of Dead Island, loving the gameplay but hating mostly everything else. Then comes Dying Light; taking the horror and fear of a zombie apocalypse and putting it into a well balanced and fun parkour gamestyle. Sure, I can complain about the ending until the cows come home (Who uses this saying anymore? What am I, 80?), but the game overall is solid and more that worth your time.

6: Halo 5: Guardians.
Without a shadow of a doubt, I probably just pissed off a lot of Halo fans, and subconsciously, myself as well. Don't get me wrong; technical wise, this game is solid, plays incredibly well and is fun with a bunch of your friends on multiplayer, but the storyline's cut and dry ending/set up plus being overall dissatisfying leaves this game much higher on the list than intended. Play for the Co-Op/Multiplayer, but be wary of the Campaign.

5: Gears of War: Ultimate Edition.
While I am breaking my rule about remakes, the original came out nearly a decade ago and I consider this much more than a remake. Gears of War has always had a large cult fandom, and this game definitely appeals to all. Revamped controls, cutscenes, new levels (and now with Horde!), this collection of the first Gears game is a definite must own for fans of the series and those who love a good gory game.

4: Assassin's Creed: Syndicate
As a giant Assassin's Creed fan, I will personally kick my own arse for not putting this game higher on the list, BUT the game plays beautifully (Rare are the Unity glitches this time around), looks beautiful and is just a delight to play. Fans of the series who are looking for a way back into the series, this is your sign. Everything about this game takes all the old elements and improves upon them ten fold.

3: Telltale's Game of Thrones
While Episode One came out roughly this time last year, the majority of the parts came out in 2015, and one after the other have been an intoxicating experience. While still maintaining the classic Point and Click style gameplay, the storyline, voice acting and mechanics of the game itself hold this game up much higher on the list.

2: Fallout 4
I can already see some people immediately leaving this post because this game isn't number one, but don't let that discourage you! Fallout 4 is by far one of the greatest RPGs in recent years. The gameplay, storyline, voice acting, every part of this game has been created lovingly and obviously been put through a lot in order to be released in such a pristine and excellent state. The missions do tend to repeat but you won't care are you're battling your way through a legendary Deathclaw! This is a must by before the end of the year.

1: Life is Strange
Without a doubt, the people at DontNod Entertainment have put a massive amount of thought into creating this series and personally, and admittedly, at first it was one that I reluctantly avoided for the time being. I saw the hype, I had been burned by so many terrible, terrible games this year. But then I started playing...and immediately got hooked. I started writing theories, I started debating on what was going to happen next, and it was one of the few series I started streaming live for people to watch! This game completely destroyed my innocence; the gameplay was simplistic but brilliantly inventive, the puzzles were fun and creative, the storyline and the voice acting was sublime, everything about this game was brilliant. If you have yet to play this game, I implore you to buy the series now. 

With 2016 now on the horizon, I can't wait for next year's titles, especially the new Dishonored and Deus Ex. What games are you excited for? Let me know!
And as always, have fun and game on! See you next year!

RWBY: Grimm Eclipse Early Access - Thoughts and Opinions

G'day there guys and gals!

Very recently, Rooster Teeth has released their in progress game RWBY: Grimm Eclipse onto Steam Early Access due to overwhelming support from the fans of the show and the community at large. And thanks to my old friend Simon, I obtained a copy of the game in early access. Since the game is in early access and a full review is unnecessary here, the following is a short list of pros, cons and suggestions for the game in its current state.
(Please note: This list will be updating as the game updates over time)

Pro

• All four characters of the RWBY team are playable straight from the get-go, and have unique abilities to their fighting style
• Even on Potato quality, the game still looks incredibly good.
• Each character has unique dialogue when approaching/engaging/defeating a task. (Personally, my favourite is Ruby's "explosion" sounds)
• Grimm attacks are also fleshed out and unique, some offering an offense = defense attack or some plain disappearing to attack from behind.
• Commentary voice acting and the RWBY team are excellently well done.
• Gameplay is simplistic, but fun, especially with friends.

Con

• Gameplay objectives can be a taaaaad repetitive. Understandably due to the shortness of the game, but variety is the spice of life.
• Players cannot select a different character from the menu if they please. They must leave mid match or crash.
• Revival time limit is too long, especially when playing with one other friend.

Suggestions

• Weiss' Nova attack, when upgraded, is utterly overpowered, wiping out weak or strong Grimm alike in a single move. Most players play as her for this move alone. Perhaps take its damage down a tad.
• Allow players to change characters mid-game. Sometimes a character doesn't suit their style of gameplay.
• Allow custom controls. Personally, pressing numbers for my special moves is a tad irritating.
• Increase HUD size. I didn't realise Aura was my health/shield bar until much too late in the game!
• Apply XP bonuses to teammates. Every mission is a mad dash for players to get to each box first and collect their XP. That and with all three teammates playing as Weiss, players cannot get much XP outside completing tasks and the few Grimm the others miss.
• More characters please! I understand Grimm Eclipse is a RWBY story but personally I'd love to play as Penny or Pyrrha.
• Customisation? Early screenshots of the game showed colour swaps for players using the same character. These would be okay, but RWBY's alternative costumes would definitely be a big plus.

Review: Fallout 4

G'day there guys and gals!

This review has been a loooooong time in the works due to the massive undertaking that is Fallout 4: a giant world with many things to keep you going, addictive creative system and more side missions to shake your hat at. This was my first Fallout game that I've played straight on release, but I've experienced Bethesda's glitchy releases first hand before. But as a reviewer, I must be fair and judge each game for its merits as well as its faults.
Fallout 4 is by far one of the best games you will play this year, but it is riddled with issues beyond bugs that may cost it its GOTY.

For those unfamiliar with the world of Fallout, Fallout 4 would be the best game for you to pick and and enjoy as for the first time in the series, the game takes place shortly before the bombs falling on futuristic America. You play as either a male or female in the town of Sanctuary in Boston, basking in the glow of your loving family and newborn son when it is shortly interrupted by a Vault Tec worker asking you to officially sign up with the program. Either way, the warning goes out over the television that the bombing has begun and you race with your family to the vault and enter it in the nick of time.
To avoid any further spoilers, skipping ahead, you have awoken to a destroyed world and the Commonwealth is holding together by its bare bones. Something very precious to you has been taken and lost and now you scavenge the outside to survive in an unfamiliar Boston and to find what has been taken from you.

So let's begin with the standard. Storyline; overall I would personally say I am satisfied with the ending I made for myself (There are currently 4, which vary very slightly which is a small disappointment) but for the first time ever, I also both regret my choices and felt dirty. All the endings possible, in some way or another, never fully satisfy. It's clear that this is what is intended by the development of the game overall and to that, I tip my hat to the writers. Although the faction you choose to aid do make significant changes to the game, the ending you'll get will repeat only with slight dialogue differences.
Voice acting is phenomenal; Bethesda has clearly taken the advice of the community and added a lot of detail into every character, from the main cast to the NPCs, every character is singled out for their own issues. Yes, their dialogue can repeat and the typical one-voice-guy does make a comeback (this time its Brandon Keener, better known as Garrus Vakarian) but you'll barely notice this in the midst of so many characters. A huge props to the voice of the Sole Survivor Brian T Delaney and Courtenay Taylor for their brilliant performances as the protagonist. While I generally play as paragon in many games, I couldn't help but choose the sarcastic voice option in some moments.
Sound effects were beautifully done and I rarely came across a squish or a bullet sounding the same even being shot/punched multiple times. Musical score is also just as beautiful, I honestly turned off the radio just to enjoy the strings or piano during dramatic scenes; the hopelessness and struggle of the protagonist was captured to the point of sublimity.
Graphics, while sometimes appearing off, on the whole were also incredible. While some in the fandom don't support the bright, colourful Wasteland, I fully support the new weathering system. Seeing a perfect blue sky change into a Radiation Storm for the first time is a beautiful yet terrifying experience. Character models are also greatly improved, especially the ghouls. A ghoul's melting skin is terrifying, even more so now that Ghouls have become a much bigger threat this time around.

Finally, onto the main attraction, gameplay: admittedly, old fans of the series may be turned off by how the game now leans more towards a FPS standard, but the gameplay as a whole is a delight to enjoy. I was lost in the character crafting system for over an hour, creating my house and my base in Sanctuary became a ritual after every mission and for the first time ever, I became more dedicated to the side missions than to the main storyline. The sad point about this is that most of the side missions involve the Minutemen and after a while, they will repeat. A lot. I attempted to try to get the Minutemen missions out of the way, but the formula for their missions are just too similar: travel to a new area, take out a nest of Ghouls/Super Mutants/Raiders, tell the settlers, travel back to the Minutemen. This formula, and especially the dialogue, repeats WAAAAY too often to be enjoyable. Then if that isn't enough, eventually you'll be asked to travel back to an area and build new supplies or fend off an attack wave of enemies. There is also a glitch with some settlements where these missions will repeat even after immediately finishing them!
But I digress. What about the other things in the gameplay? All enemies are now much harder than before; Feral Ghouls now charge and inflict Radiation damage, Deathclaws attack you and interrupt your attack with an animation, and the input of legendary/named enemies to indicate their level is a great move by Bethesda. Crafting is addictive and fun, farming for food and creating buildings is also a bunch of fun and both the paragon and renegade options will leave you with a body count incredibly high. The mini-games on the Pip-Boy are reminiscent of old Arcade difficulty which I adore, and the radio is brilliantly done as well. While some songs do make a comeback this time around (Which admittedly felt a little cheap), the addition of more radio stations with varying music (from classical, strings, 50s rock and roll and beyond) is also a definitely plus.

At this point of time, what else more can be said about Fallout 4? The game itself is a definite must buy; I had wracked up nearly 40 hours by the time I was done with the campaign and I still had a bunch of side missions to enjoy. Fallout 4 gives you way more than what you pay for the disc and then some. Sure, there are glitches and bugs and many issues with the game, but I haven't experienced any game crashes or freezes in the game as of yet. Believe me when I say this; it is near impossible to completely 100% bug proof sandbox games. All variables and scenarios are hard to track. But in saying that, it misses a perfect score because of this, purely out of fairness.

HOWEVER, does that make it a bad game? Absolutely not! In my eyes, the game is worth your purchase, your time and your social life. Bethesda has made Fallout 4 an absolute necessity to own.

Out of 10, I give Fallout 4 a 9/10

Fallout 4 is out now for the standard price of $90