Friday 23 December 2016

Review No. 125 Saints Row: The Third - PC (18+)

Strong Points:
Varied weapons
Humorous
The opening couple of missions are awesome...
Variety of missions
Some standout missions
Activities are mostly fun
Great voice acting
Entertaining
Ludicrous story lines...
Buying up the districts is fun
Music choice is overall good
Decisions don't serve too much purpose - doesn't get bogged down
Whored Mode is fun

Weak Points:
...starts to run out of steam
Writings inconsistent
Can be confusing
Difficulty is inconsistent
...although sometimes plays it safe
The world isn't particularly varied or alive
Decisions don't serve too much purpose - makes them meaningless/annoying
Insurance fraud is more frustrating than fun

Thursday 22 December 2016

Top 5: Games That Could've Done With Some More Time in the Oven

Ah, post-launch updates, how we love you. You add more content to our favourite games, listen to fans and improve due to their pleas and perhaps most importantly fix the bugs the game testing couldn't foresee. Most of the time it's little, excusable bugs or small bits of content. However, these recent games show that sometimes, a game just needs a little more time in the oven.

Wednesday 21 December 2016

Top 5: Games That Just Need to be Released Already!

In a world of constant re-releases and sequels, these games seem destined to be released soon right? Wrong, it seems, due to a variety of reasons from development hell to 'lack of demand'. Well, I believe there's still some hope of these games being released soon and so without further ado, here are my top 5 games which just need to be released already!

Tuesday 13 December 2016

Review No. 124 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - PC (18+)

Strong Points:
Graphically stunning
Varied world design (Particularly with the addition of the Blood and Wine DLC)
Complex but unintimidating inventory and loot system
Interesting progression system
Visceral combat
Well written
Engaging storyline
Great music
Challenging bosses
Understandable pacing
Meaningful choices
Enjoyable, plentiful and substantive side quests
Well implemented New Game +
Extremely worthwhile DLC

Weak Points
Disproportionate XP coming from main quests making side quests less worthwhile
Uninspiring negotiation system
Late game drop off in difficulty
Incompatible with casual play
Somewhat awkward keyboard controls
Reusing of character models

Monday 12 December 2016

App Review No. 103 Smashy Road: Wanted

Strong Points:
Huge variety of cars
Cars handle differently...
Handles well
Legendaries add depth...
Nice, blocky graphics
Good free-to-play model - surprising amount of content
Addictive
Coins are relatively easier to collect
Music and sound effects add to the game

Weak Points:
...although some are extremely similar
...some are more interesting than others
Drop chances are abnormal
Can get repetitive
Can get frustrating
Water is unusable
Car ramps are nearly unusable



Thursday 1 December 2016

Video Game Character of the Month - December 2016 - Ball - Colour Switch

Video Game Character of the Month
December 2016
Ball
Color Switch


Overview:
*tap* *tap* *tap*. Oh sorry, you've caught me at a bad time, see another group of levels of Color Switch has just been released and. You need me to award another character Video Game Character of the Month? Well, how about the ball in Color Switch? It's certainly popular and ever-changing. That's settled then! The ball from Color Switch wins the award this month!
And now for a bit of information on said ball:

Thursday 24 November 2016

Film Review No. 17 Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them (12+)

Strong Points:
Great expansion of the Harry Potter universe
Inventive and original creatures
Clever references to the Harry Potter lore...
Nice characters
Good acting overall
British VS American wizards
A certain reveal
Many twists and turns
Dark but still entertaining
Nice colour correction
Humourous
Can watch without knowing the universe...

Weak Points:
Some of the CGI seemed off
Less wand magic, more force powers at some points
...But doesn't get bogged down in it
Seemed to forget to capture some creatures
...Although will be harder to follow

Some spoilers ahead:

Thursday 17 November 2016

Film Review No. 16 Trolls (U)

Strong Points:
Good voice acting
Nice reference to the toys
Good art style and graphics
Music's used to great effect
Humorous
Will make you happy
Self-aware of its childish nature

Weak Points:
Some parts are... questionable
So fast, you may lose parts
Some of the sweetness verges on sickening
Will make you happy
Some characters aren't developed
Cringey in parts
Opposite character traits are smoothed out randomly throughout the film to make the story easier

Friday 11 November 2016

Review No. 124 The Last Of Us: Remastered Edition - PS4 (18+)

Strong Points:
Varied gameplay
All weapons are usable and will be
Amazing graphics
In-depth character development
Superb story
Nice landscapes
Brilliant and varied characters
Deals with themes with care
Lots of collectables - give more backstory to the game
Enemy AI is great, with them flanking you etc.
Stealth sections through Clicker groups is a different twist on the stealth genre
Makes you have a huge range of emotions
Lack of music creates atmosphere
Realistic shooting mechanics and sounds
Superb voice-acting
Multiplayer is a surprisingly fun and unique gamemode
Everything is justified

Weak Points:
AI of companions was lacklustre, during stealth sections
AI just aren't noticed by enemies when moving - breaks immersion
Forced walk sections are atmospheric, not good for patience
Bushes and plants move as one sprite
Achievements are hard to get
Listening mode is never really explained
Some mechanics seem to be more like gimmicks as they are used once and never again
Multiplayer is very frustrating
Some of the environment is there purely for looks and can't help you in battle

Nitpicks:
If the world is in apocalypse why is there still food and equipment scattered around?



Some spoilers ahead:

Saturday 5 November 2016

First Impressions: Battlefield 1

Who doesn't love a good impulse buy every so often? That's what I did with Battlefield 1, the new entry in the Battlefield series by EA. If you didn't know, it's an FPS set in WWI and actually, does a pretty good job at making a respectful representation of the horrors of The War to End All Wars. Here're my first impressions on both the single player and multiplayer as well as how my PC handles the battlefield of Battlefield

Thursday 3 November 2016

Film Review No. 15 Doctor Strange (12+)

Strong Points:
Amazing effects
Clever uses of effects
Good origin story which dares to deviate...
Do I see a decent villain coming?
Nice connection to the Infinity Stones and the wider MCU
Humorous
Good acting
Backwards time fight scene is great
Different types of universes are mostly original
Scope to expand the series
Emotional weighting is good...

Weak Points:
...But is still stuck in the conventions of the genre
Humour is sometimes misplaced
The other characters are still not very developed compared to the title character
The Infinity Stone seems underpowered when it can be controlled by a human
...if uneven
Very fast action could be a bit mind-numbing

Some spoilers ahead:

Tuesday 1 November 2016

Video Game Character of the Month - November 2016 - Pyramid Head - Silent Hill

Video Game Character of the Month
November 2016
Pyramid Head
Silent Hill


Overview:
It's Halloween as I write this and I've been asked to do a Halloween inspired Video Game Character of the Month. Great. *shudder*. It's marketing I guess, but still. *shudder*, I can't speak to this guy either just like last month. At least I've got no guilty regrets it can use. Right? *shudder* *shudder* *crash* *gulp*. Maybe I'll do this part running.
And now for a bit of information on *gulp* Pyramid Head.

Thursday 20 October 2016

Comment: Overwatch Halloween Update

I haven't played Overwatch for a couple of weeks (a crime I know) but only because I didn't have enough space for the update. I do now and what an update the Halloween update is. A new PVE weekly brawl, new skins, new voice lines and the list goes on, all for free.

Tuesday 18 October 2016

First Impressions: Hitman

Another day, another series I've only just joined. Yes, Hitman, my first proper voyage into the series (which may explain my slightly differing opinions to series veterans) besides a quick go at Hitman: Absolution round a friends house, and it's been pretty good, to be honest. I've only played the prologue level so far but have really enjoyed the freedom to approach levels any way you want as well as the huge amount of features which make stealth games better than 'games with stealth in them' for example, moving bodies.

Monday 10 October 2016

Comment: The Last of Us: Remastered Grounded Mode

I lasted just over a year until I was back into TLOU's story mode, such is the greatness of the game. However, this time I was on Grounded Mode, and I thought I'd do a comment talking about it as it is mildly different to normal difficulty.

Sunday 9 October 2016

E3 2016: Sony

At Games Apps and Reviews HQ. 'Yes, yes I know, I'm a bit late but it's all under control. Yes, I'm hearing you. Three months isn't that long really, is it? Yes, don't worry I'm on the case. The next E3 won't be around by the time I've finished! How dare you! Yes, OK I'll get on with it. Next week. Tomorrow. Today, OK, OK.

Thursday 6 October 2016

First Impressions: Clustertruck

No, that's not a misspelling, it's really about trucks. Lots of them, moving at high speed and sometimes floating. You are a person who enjoys running about on top of said trucks. Some say you have a death wish, some say your nuts but you know... You are all of these things. At least you have fun doing it though.

Wednesday 5 October 2016

Film Review No. 14 The Nice Guys (15+)

Strong Points:
Twists and turns
Great acting from the two mains
Humorous
Great 70's style
Some great uses of lighting, sudden changes and pauses
Actual depth to the characters
Slowly unfolds the story allowing you to work things out...

Weak Points:
... But can be confusing at the beginning
Message is lost in chaos
Supporting actors aren't quite as detailed as the main three
Can get slightly gratuitous

Some spoilers ahead:

Saturday 1 October 2016

Video Game Character of the Month - October 2016 - Princess Ida - Monument Valley

Video Game Character of the Month
October 2016
Princess Ida
Monument Valley


Overview:
No, no questions. You see she's not exactly talkative you see. You have to really interpret her actions, to be honest. Yes, her being on the ceiling is completely normal, she does that. Right, no more questions, she has to get to her award ceremony. She's won Video Game Character of the Month actually.
And now for a bit of information on Ida (some spoilers ahead):

Wednesday 21 September 2016

Film Review No. 13 Hell or High Water (15+)

Strong Points:
Very strong performances from all
A satisfying end
Realistic in its setting and presentation
Funny at parts, dark at others
Nice pacing
There is no good and bad side
Great chemistry between both sets of partners
The everyday parts were just as thrilling as the action parts

Weak Points:
A slight 'Deus Ex Machina' to allow the motives to work
Some storylines could've been explored slightly more
The bank's motivations and problems could be lost under everything else

Nitpicks:
Are there really that many guns there?

Some slight spoilers ahead:

Friday 16 September 2016

First Impressions: The Crew

Ah, Ubi 30, how we love you. The 4th free game in Ubisoft's birthday celebrations, The Crew was not a game I was expecting to be able to pick up due to its comparable young age compared to Prince of Persia: Sands of Time and the original Splinter Cell. But here we are, an open-world multiplayer drive-em-up with a story. Awesome.

Wednesday 14 September 2016

First Impressions: Payday 2

Note: having only played offline so far, my opinions may be slightly different to the ones in the full review when it comes out. Having said that, though, I can honestly say I'm having a very fun time with Payday 2.

Tuesday 13 September 2016

Review No. 123 Dishonored - PC (18+)

Strong Points:
Many ways to dispatch enemy
Lots of choices which affect story and gameplay
Nice art style
Great powers
Replayability
Good voice acting
4th mission offers a nice change for stealth missions
Great atmosphere
Can make you really think about your choices - you are not always the hero

Weak Points:
Amount of stuff to do in the first and second chapter (after prologue) can be overwhelming
Certain choices are black and white - even if you make a third option
The beginning can feel slow as you have limited powers
Quite large difficulty spikes
Has Bethesda's classic clunky animations
The enemy AI can be intermittent
Saving a civilian who then walks straight into danger again really hinders the job
More weapons and powers favour the lethal approach
Difficult to find enough mana potions, to begin with



Thursday 1 September 2016

Film Review No. 12 Suicide Squad (15+)

Strong Points:
Strong acting from all - especially Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie and Jay Hernandez
Great introduction to the characters, for the most part
Vivid style
Great music choices and sound design
Nice CGI
Humorous
El Diablo's story was good
Cameos and Easter Eggs of other storylines, past and future, in the DCEU
The text messages between Harley and The Joker
Batfleck

Weak Points:
Between the accents and them speaking quietly, words were lost
Some characters needed development
Very little build-up between introduction and all out war
Some camera angles and editing could've been better
Difficult to understand without prior comic book/film knowledge

Nitpicks:
Deadshot's dream

Some spoilers ahead:

Video Game Character of the Month - September 2016 - Newton Bill - Hill Climb Racing

Video Game Character of the Month
September 2016
Newton Bill
Hill Climb Racing


Overview:
Newton Bill is a young uphill racer who wants to be the very best (like no one ever was. To catch them is my real test to... ahem, sorry, I got a bit carried away there) and is prepared to master all matter of vehicles from a Jeep to a Tank to a Sleigh and throw himself into a great variety of deadly environments from the Countryside to the Moon to Ragnarok itself just to achieve his dream. And yet no matter how many Neck Flips, Insane Air Times and Levels he completes, his dream is always just that little bit further ahead and just that little bit further away than his fuel supply allows. So, we here at GamesAppsAndReviews have decided to give him another award to keep him going - the prestigious Video Game Character of the Month award!
And now for a bit of information on Newton Bill:

Tuesday 30 August 2016

E3 2016: Ubisoft

30 years of Ubisoft is as good an excuse as ever to showcase some more awesome games! We started with a year in review video which was awesome, even if it made me want another Rayman game even more than ever!

Friday 19 August 2016

App Review No. 102 Pokémon Go

Strong Points:
Great conversion of Pokémon
Gets people moving
Great community tool
Pacing is good
Pokéstops encourage exploration
Gyms and Teams encourage competition
Nostalgia blast
Good use of AR
Has scope to grow even more
Nice remixes of music from the main series...

Weak Points:
Incredibly plagued launch
Buggy, with server issues
No trading
No friendly battles
Battery drainer
Difficult to judge distances in AR to throw Pokéballs
A Pokéball can roll and bounce off a Pokémon and still not open to catch said Pokémon
Very limited tutorials
Can't transfer multiple Pokémon at once
...not that they needed to be remixed


Saturday 13 August 2016

App Review No. 101 Eggs, Inc.

Strong Points:
Nice, colourful art style
Clever take on the idle genre
Gives visual feedback for most upgrades
Funny newspaper clippings
More to do than in other idle games
Potential to get very big, quite quickly (not too much waiting around)
Can get premium currency just by playing
Nice music

Weak Points:
Lots of different upgrades mean it can be overwhelming
Lots of different numbers to monitor - value of eggs, how many chickens, how many eggs are laid all of which equate to around the same thing
Can't get more than two silos before having to pay real money
Can be difficult to crash drones over larger habitats
No animations inside the habitats

Nit Picks:
Hatchery, shipping depot and research lab never change from the beginning - look underdeveloped in comparison - update: shipping depot and research lab now change as your farm grows as does the hatchery now!



Monday 8 August 2016

First Impressions: Marvel Heroes 2016

Avengers Assemble! Fantastic Four Form Up! S.H.I.E.L.D. Summon! X-Men Extricate Yourselves Over Here! Defenders Definitely Will Turn Up Eventually!

Film Review No. 11 Finding Dory (U)

Strong Points:
Amazing animation
Nice tale that expands upon the first film
Good references to the first film
Excellent voice acting
Funny
Some genuinely touching moments
Clever interactions between land and sea
Good twists
Good cameos
Baby Dory

Weak Points:
Nemo wasn't really in it but was just enough for it to seem odd
Some plot points may have been stretched a bit far

Some slight spoilers ahead:

Monday 1 August 2016

Video Game Character of the Month - August 2016 - Titus - Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine

Video Game Character of the Month
August 2016
Titus
Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine


Overview:
I, Titus, am the Captain of the Ultramarines 2nd Company. I am a one-man army. I am one of humanity's finest. I am a lean-green killer machine. I AM WAR! And... I still only have one game... How can I only have one game? Do you not know of my deeds? Do you not... Hmm? An award you say? Fine, I shall place it next to my Purity Seals so that the galaxy will learn that I am worth more than one game. That shall placate my wrath... for now.
And now for a little bit of info on Titus (while I convince the nice Inquisitors, who have just shown up, of my purity and unwavering loyalty to the God-Emperor of Humankind (I've personally been more of an Ork man myself but I don't see the need to mention that here - do you?)):

Sunday 31 July 2016

Film Review No. 10 The BFG (PG)

Strong Points:
Amazing motion capture
Superb CGI and scaling
Nicely translates Roald Dahl's novel
Funny
Great acting
Given the film is mostly a duologue, the speed is kept up nicely
Good sound and music
Great family film

Weak Points:
Pacing can be sometimes off
Some parts of the film are brushed away/never explained

Some slight spoilers ahead:

E3 2016: Microsoft

New consoles, new ways to play and even more games! That's what the Microsoft conference had in store for us and here's a round-up of all that happened:

Saturday 30 July 2016

Top 5: Features Wanted in Pokémon Go

Have you heard of Pokémon Go? If you have access to the Internet there's a good chance you do and with the game being out for a few weeks now people have started to ask the big questions. How can this game be improved? Now, I know bug fixes are top of the list but what about new features? Well, here are my Top 5 most wanted features for Pokémon Go (besides more Pokémon).

Thursday 21 July 2016

Wednesday 20 July 2016

Monday 18 July 2016

Saturday 16 July 2016

First Impressions: Saints Row: The Third

In-between catching many Pokémon in Pokémon Go, I decided to carry on with my other hobby - completing the backlog of games I have on Steam with my new PC. First was Watch_Dogs, then Dishonored (review coming soon) and now we have Saint Row: The Third, after much deliberation, I might add, as I wasn't sure which game to start with. I haven't got Saints Row 1, so that was out of the deliberations and I didn with the last one as story points would've been lost. In the end, I chose the 3rd game in the series as I've heard good things about it and it has achievements. It's really fun.

Behind-The-Team: Pokémon Go Journal: Day 2

Another day, another Pokémon Go outing, on the quest 'to be the very best, like no one ever was'. Here's how it went:

Friday 15 July 2016

Behind-The-Team: Pokémon Go Journal: Day 1

You may not have heard, but a new Pokémon game was released recently for iPhone and Android, set in the real world. It is, of course, Pokémon Go, global phenomenon, the cause for children and adults alike getting out of their homes and walking to catch AR creatures. You've heard the stories of people being brought together by Pokémon again, like the 90's, and we've decided to add to it with our own experiences of Pokémon Go. If you have any experiences of the world of Pokémon Go then please don't hesitate to comment.

Friday 8 July 2016

Recap: Pokémon Battles: Satamer and Harry VS Oli and Taylor

A couple of days ago, a couple of the blog group had a mini Pokémon championship to see who really was the very best (that no one ever was). We did it in a multi-battle format over the course of three battles, with a few single battles as well to settle things. The multi battles were Harry and I VS Oli and Taylor with one being a flat battle (like the actual championship) and the other allowing some legends. While my team did emerge victorious in the end, it was close. Here is a recap of the matches and what happened.

Thursday 7 July 2016

Review No. 122 Overwatch - PS4 (12+)

Strong Points:
Extremely well polished
Likeable and distinct characters
Great graphics style
Accessible for beginners while also challenging enough for pros
Lots of unlocks
One change or elimination can change the course of the battle
You really feel like your helping, whatever you do
Physics objects!
Interesting story...

Weak Points:
...That hasn't been fleshed out fully yet
No single-player mode/campaign
Some choke points on maps are a bit one-sided (especially with Torbjörn or Bastion involved)
Some heroes can be seen as slightly 'cheap'
Arcade brawl mode is a good idea but at the moment just limits the heroes available
No cross-platform play
Different updates per platform
Play-of-the-game isn't refined enough
Not enough communication options on consoles
Some ultimates are a little more 'ultimate' than others

Nitpicks:
Never enough maps are there?
Lots of maps look like they have potential flanking paths only to double back on themselves



Tuesday 5 July 2016

TV Review No. 31 Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Series 3

Strong Points:
Great character development (for most characters)
Well choreographed action
Superb emotion and tension
Good CGI
Simmon's and Fitz's story-line
End of Hydra
Lots of Inhumans
Surprising twists and reveals
Great pace
Good references to the MCU films released in the time
Hive's addiction idea was interesting
As was the prophecies being misinterpreted
Humorous
Lincoln got better...

Weak Points:
Some story arcs were weaker than others
Some character's story-lines were rushed to finish
...Although he was still a bit of a whiny teenager
Didn't carry on Ward's brother story-line
Lash seemed to have a bigger part at the beginning
Lash transforming over time while the rest of the transformations was instantaneous was a bit odd
Characters were introduced only to have no other part to play
Can we keep The Secret Warriors together for longer, please?

Note: my rating may seem higher than the individual episodes ratings. This is due to AoS being a show where the sum of all parts is a lot greater than the individual stories given the huge story arcs. Also spoilers ahead:

Sunday 3 July 2016

Review No. 121 Rayman Legends - Wii U (7+)

Strong Points:
Fast, fluid platforming
Amazing graphics/art style
Lots of content
Kung-Foot is awesome
Musical levels are really well done
Funny
Lots of collectibles
Lots of characters
Daily and weekly challenges are great
You can replay some of the levels from Origins
Duck levels are hilarious
Murphy levels are clever

Weak Points:
Even less of a story than Rayman Origins
No world-map
Can get repetitive
No Land of The Livid Dead
Extra characters are literally just re-skins
Can get frustrating



Friday 1 July 2016

TV Review No. 30 Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Ascension (S3, Ep22)

Strong Points:
Nice use of science to escape
Great first ending and nice send off to some characters
Awesome fight between Hive and Daisy (earthquake martial arts)
Awesome fight scene with the whole team
Fitz's invisible gun
Mack's shot-gun axe
Coulson's: 'help me Obi-Wan, your my only hope'
Coulson calling a Quinjet...
Radcliffe's quips
The biggest game of hot potato ever seen
Robin scene

Weak Points:
The 'ending' ending seemed a bit out of place (was setting up next season)
Mirrored Captain America: First Avenger more than a bit in the final scene
...could be scene as a bit of an Eagle moment
Hive's face reveal seemed a bit forced in for such a big reveal

Spoilers ahead:

Video Game Character of the Month - July 2016 - Aiden Pearce - Watch_Dogs

Video Game Character of the Month
July 2016
Aiden Pearce
Watch_Dogs


Overview:
No, this isn't a hacking by Aiden to get some recognition (maybe), but me, Satamer, as I do believe that beyond the cold, monotone personality, he has the heart and powers deserving of this award. Without further ado lets get on to this award.

And now some information of Aiden Pearce (for someone who sneaks in the shadows, we actually have quite a lot of info!):

Tuesday 28 June 2016

TV Review No. 29 Marvel: Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Absolution (S3, Ep21)

Strong Points:
Great tension
Good use of the memory machine from Season 1 and overall great scene
Brett Dalton does it again...
...as does Iain De Caestecker - trapped room scene
Nice moment between Fitz and Simmons
Great action
Twists and turns
The addiction idea
Hot potato with the cross

Weak Points:
Daisy's actions didn't feel completely earned
Some bits of humour, while good on their own, were a bit at ends with the serious nature of the scenes
Secure base, still not secure hanger
Lots of people on base but the only people who seem to be able to survive are the main characters, while some of the extras are seemingly better equipped and trained

Spoilers ahead:

Monday 27 June 2016

Film Review No. 9: Warcraft: The Beginning (12+)

Strong Points:
Great CGI for both characters and environments
Twists and turns
Funny...
Still able to enjoy it without knowing much backstory...
Good fight scenes
Potential for sequels
The Guardian was great
Showed that neither side was particularly evil


Weak Points:
...Not sure if all was intentional
Still don't know half the characters names
...Although you may lose some of the smaller details
Too obviously setting up for a sequel

Rating: 66%

Spoilers ahead:

Friday 24 June 2016

First Impressions: Doom Demo

After playing the beta and finding the multiplayer all right at best, I didn't have too high hopes for this game. However, after hearing people's glowing reviews for the single-player and the fact that this demo was free, I decided to download and play. I really enjoyed it. Here are my thoughts on the first level of Doom (which comprised the demo) #readlikehell

Monday 20 June 2016

E3 2016: Bethesda

Coming into this conference, rumours had already been flying about of Skyrim Remastered and more info on Dishonored 2 so it was nice to see some surprises in the E3, namely the announcement of Prey (which I think should be called Good Morning Morgan) and Fallout in VR. There was more where that came from though and here's a round-up to read at your pleasure:
P.S. that console line opening, though!

Tuesday 14 June 2016

E3 2016: EA Play

The first conference of the event and it's not even in E3 proper! Yes, EA's got their own conference in LA and London simultaneously, a day before E3 and we got news about Star Wars, Titanfall 2, Mass Effect, Fifa, Madden, Indies and of course, Battlefield 1 with a 1-hour live stream of the pre-alpha. I'm going to be rounding off the live stream's news as well as giving my own opinion on the games in question

Thursday 9 June 2016

Pre-Release E3 News and Leaks

Nothing's sacred anymore. E3 used to be the place where the big games companies would outline their plans for the year and announce the big new games. Now we gave companies doing their own event before (EA Live), announcements of games with promise of gameplay in E3 itself and leaks. So many leaks. I, personally, like to know about a game when it should be announced not a couple of days before - it loses hype. Sure, a leak about a game a couple of months before is all right but a couple of days or hours before the actual announcement? What's the point? Anyway with my rant over, the amount of information which has come out just before E3 is enough to warrant a little catch-up post, which, if you read the title, this post is going to be on. Enjoy (unless this post was already leaked to you before I wrote it...).

Wednesday 8 June 2016

TV Review No. 28 Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Emancipation (S3, Ep20)

Strong Points:
Good Civil War references
Fitting tribute to Peggy
Twists
Watchdogs are back
Good ending to [redacted]
Talbot freaking out about Hive
Nice makeup and costumes
Lincoln's storyline was actually good this episode!


Weak Points:
[redacted] has slightly confusing powers
[redacted]'s death while fitting, seemed a bit at ends with the greatness of their character
No 'call in the Avengers line'?

Spoilers ahead:

Monday 6 June 2016

Review No. 120 Watch_Dogs - PC (18+)

Strong Points:
Nice world
Great story with emotion and consequence
Good sound and art direction
Hacking is great fun
All items are usable and helpful (blackout is the most original)
Varied mission types (mostly)
Online is fun
Nice, varied characters - most of which you end up caring about
Just looking into people's lives and actions is really immersive and detailed
Controlling another character's movement via a camera is fun...
Lots to do
Easy to go in all guns blazing or stealthy - both are accessible and fun to do
Gives lot's of scope for sequels

Weak Points:
Some story arcs were a bit predictable
Can't upgrade weapons
Run out of new hacking options quite quickly
Handling of cars is a bit hit and miss
End of mission normally involves 'kill all enemies or escape'
You have a hacking phone but can't use it to ring up characters like GTA V?
...although it would've been nice to have been able to control their actions e.g. shooting someone, as well
Linear storyline in the sense that you can stealth your way to the target but if the story calls for a massacre, a massacre is what you've done
NPC's seem to think your really dangerous and run away or think your weird and run away, just when your driving or running
Ubisoft's famous optimisation

Nitpicking:
When you rebind a key it doesn't rebind the hint for using it
When you are on the smartphone or choosing weapons while moving, the keys are the same so accidentally clicking something is common
Can't turn off news bulletin in car



Saturday 4 June 2016

Behind-The-Team: Overwatch Experiences

I was going to do a first impressions of firstly the Overwatch open beta and then Overwatch itself, however, time was not on my side and I feel I have played too much of the game now for a 'first impressions'. So instead I've gotten the rest of the team who have played Overwatch to give their thoughts on the game and the characters inside. Enjoy:

Friday 3 June 2016

TV Review No. 27 Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Failed Experiments (S3, Ep19)

Strong Points:
More throwbacks to the first season
Nice scenes between James and Daisy and James and May
Great action
End of Malick's Hydra
Lincoln disobeying actually worked this time
Tense and emotional throughout second half
Mack!
More foreshadowing


Weak Points:
More members of the team added without much reason
Splinter bomb could kill Kree, not used on Hive
The Kree looked... interesting
Not really sure of Radcliffes self-purpose besides just 'pursuit of science'
Daisy's turned from 'we're the best but I have free will' to 'we're the best but I have no free will'
Lincoln still disobeying

Wednesday 1 June 2016

Film Review No. 8 X-Men: Apocalypse (12+)

Strong Points:
Great action sequences
Nice CGI
Emotional and tense
Funny
Good acting - especially Micheal Fassbender
Nice costumes - for the most part
Quicksilver's slow down parts
Cool effects for some of the bigger events
Awesome mutant abilities
Stan Lee cameo

Weak Points:
Running cams
That's quite a lot of gore for a 12
[Redacted] seemed more like a spoof cameo than a character
Days of Future Past reboots the present day X-Men so we have a film in the past
Can't seem to stay on one subject for too long
Could they give the mutants a break?

Some spoilers ahead:

Video Game Character of the Month - June 2016 - Tracer - Overwatch

Video Game Character of the Month
June 2016
Tracer
Overwatch

Overview:
The Cavalry's here! No, not May from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. but Tracer, one-time pilot now time- travelling British special forces hero with pulse bomb. A Videogame Character of the Month award is the least we can do as thanks for Tracer and the rest of Overwatch stopping the Omnic Crisis over 30 years ago and we would like to present it to you... Where'd she go?

And now some information on Tracer:

Friday 27 May 2016

TV Review No. 26 Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Singularity (S3, Ep18)

Strong Points:
Interesting addiction idea for Hive
Deus Ex style enhancements
Fitzsimmons!
Coulson finally being questioned on protecting Daisy
Angry May
Good action
Nice acting
Matter-of-fact destruction of [redacted]
Deathlok being being mentioned
Coulson's mighty shield!
Nice new Inhuman powers

Weak Points:
Secret Warriors are becoming too secret for their own good
A bit gory
Hive having a weakness was a bit odd
Lincoln's still acting a bit like a moody teenager
Suicide vest was a tad much don't you think?

Monday 23 May 2016

Film Review No. 7 The Angry Birds Movie (U)

Strong Points:
Genuinely funny with plently of laugh-out-loud moments
Good animation
Represented the game well
Included all the characters we know and love
References to culture and games
Good voice acting
Plenty for all ages to enjoy

Weak Points:
If you walked in without knowing the game's general story then it may be hard to follow
Pacing's slightly off
Some of the jokes could be seen as too dark for the younger audience

Friday 20 May 2016

TV Review No. 25 Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Team (S3, Ep 17)

Strong Points:
Secret Warriors are back!
Fitzsimmons!
Twists and turns
Malick [redacted]
Good acting for the most part

Weak Points:
Seemed a bit rushed
Some peoples reactions didn't quite add up
Shame to see another Inhuman go
The more Inhuman they are, the quicker it all breaks down
Killing was a bit extreme right?
Malick [redacted]

Thursday 19 May 2016

Comment: New PC and Watch_Dogs

As anyone who follows the Twitter page should know, I recently got a new PC which should allow me to play games at a higher spec and from after 2013. And as anyone who has followed the blog for a bit should know, I brought Watch_Dogs when it first came out (Digital Deluxe Pre-Order version as well) and my laptop wasn't able to run it very well. At all.

So much so that I gave up with the game after around 9 hours, frustrated about the performance. Well now we're back, with ultra graphics and a smooth framerate and I must say, I'm actually enjoying the game! Maybe a video may even appear on the YouTube channel in the next coming weeks, who knows?

I've attached under the jump break my computer specs and a before and after shot of the graphics upgrade of Watch_Dogs if anyone want's to see.

P.S. Feel free to comment your PC builds and any game you thought you'd go back to and actually enjoyed it!


Wednesday 18 May 2016

TV Review No. 24 Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Paradise Lost (S3, Ep16)

Strong Points:
Coulson coming to terms with killing Ward and differing opinions on it
Giyera escaping and fight scene
Gideon's backstory
More misinterpretation and misdirection
Starting to explain Hive's powers
Nice acting
Twist and turns
Land mine fever

Weak Points:
Would've been nice to have given [redacted] powers
Build up to Lincoln's confession falls flat
Other [redacted] reveal was a bit short and rushed

Spoilers Ahead:

Thursday 12 May 2016

Review No. 119 Counter Strike: Global Offensive - PC (18+)

Strong Points:
Can run on lower quality hardware - low system requirements
Requires teamwork
Multiple game modes - all help you improve your competitive play
Fun!
More realistic and skill based weapons systems (less spray-and-pray)
Regular updates

Weak Points:
Steep learning curve
Some teammates/opponents are irritating (not the game’s fault)
People solo-queue to get in to matches
Valve can mess the game up sometimes





Monday 9 May 2016

TV Review No. 23 Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Spacetime (S3, Ep15)

Strong Points:
Awesome time mechanic
Explanation of the 4th dimension
Tense
Great choreographed (in the literal sense this time) action scenes
Great acting from all
Nice cinematography
Exoskeleton fun
Funny - 'You're off the team' line etc.

Weak Points:
Some storylines took a backseat
A lot to take in
Long flowing robes are a bit at ends with Hive/Dead Ward's image
Tad gruesome for the shows usual standards
Still more of Daisy 'I'm a God' Johnson

Wednesday 4 May 2016

Film Review No. 6 Captain America: Civil War (12+)

Strong Points:
Great pace
Awesome action scenes
Slick inclusion of other superheroes/villains
Funny
Twists and turns
Great acting from all
Nice character and emotional development
Clever references to other characters, films and pop culture
Superb effects
Great music and sound
Some actual consequences in the film
The Vision wearing human clothes
Clever ways of allowing the different characters to fight each other
Spiderman!
Martin Freeman!
Stan Lee cameo!

Weak Points:
Early fight scenes seemed sped up?
As many answers as questions
Didn't finish - set up for other films
So much content - will need to watch multiple times!
Some characters storylines were rushed/thin on the ground
Bucky's metal arm shouldn't be able to block that many bullets
Some emotional depth may have been lost as the superheroes are needed for other films

Slight spoilers ahead:

Sunday 1 May 2016

TV Review No. 22 Marvel: Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Watchdogs (S3, Ep 14)

Strong Points:
Nice character development
Mack and brother relationship/conversation
Escape sequence from house
Bomb weapon thing
Hologram sequence
Lincoln's starting to become likeable

Weak Points:
Build-up episode
Daisy really needs to calm down
Used a character who should've been important, but no-one remembered him
Fitz's scene didn't really amount to anything

Video Game Character of the Month - May 2016 - The Chosen Undead - Dark Souls

Video Game Character of the Month
May 2016
The Chosen Undead
Dark Souls
Overview:
Quickly! To Ward 3! Is that? Is that The Chosen Undead? It is, the modern miracle himself. The man who can survive death itself but has an insatiable thirst for it. Tell us your secret!
The Chosen Undead: ....
Not much of a talker ey? 
That's all right, where we're going, we don't need words. Welcome to the Video Game Character of the Month! 

And now some more information on The Chosen Undead: 

Tuesday 26 April 2016

Film Review No. 5: The Jungle Book (PG)

Strong Points:
Amazing CGI
Nice twist on the tale
Neel Sethi (Mowgli) was great at interacting with invisible creatures 
Well inputted songs 
Funny
Clever use of surround sound
Credit book scene
Subtle humanisation of animals
Those graphics!

Weak Points:
Slightly too long
Fight scenes were quite dark for the age rating 
End fight scene had quite a lot of variables which could've gone wrong
What was the punishment for breaking the treaty?
Could be seen as a Lion King reskin

Friday 22 April 2016

TV Review No. 21 Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D: Parting Shot (S3, Ep13)

Strong Points:
Suitably emotional farewell
Good action
Great acting especially between the duo
Awesome Inhuman
Great character development between characters
Funny

Weak Points:
So much information, it was hard to keep track of it all
Some parts felt rush/set up so as to get to the conclusion
If this is all so that they can set up a spinoff so help me!
Would they just leave Hunter alone!


Tuesday 19 April 2016

First Impressions: Doom Open Beta

So I played a bit of the Doom open beta over the weekend and I found it... All right to be honest. Having not really played the original Doom (got Quake and Wolfenstein instead) I don't really have to much to compare this to but overall I did have a fun time, even if it wasn't quite what I expected

Sunday 17 April 2016

TV Review No. 20 Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D: The Inside Man (S2, Ep12)

Strong Points:
Talbot's back
More super powers (in the form of Creel and Death)
Twists I didn't see coming
Funny
Daisy and Lincoln arguing over the fate of Inhumans
Lincoln has started to become more likeable...
The end of Inhumans?

Weak Points:
Do these disguises actually work?
...while Daisy has decreased in likeability
May is a bit hard on Hunter
When you have someone captured and you want them to die, just do it instead of setting up something that gives them time to escape!


Wednesday 6 April 2016

Comment: Kingdom Hearts 1.5 Speedster Trophy

For the past two three days, I set myself the challenge of getting the Speedster trophy for Kingdom Hearts Final Mix (beat the final boss in under 15 hours), while also getting the Unchanging Armour trophy (can't change equipment) and the Undefeated Trophy (no continues).

App Review No. 100 My Study Plan

Strong Points:
Easy to set up
Easy to readjust for changes in schedule
Easy to set up tests
Sets up schedule according to tests coming up, percentage of focus per subject etc.


Weak Points:
Make one change and it resets the study plan
Some bugs for editing subjects/times
Statisics could've been with the subjects list
Can't change your times too much - can only go up in quarters

Monday 4 April 2016

Review No. 118 Just Cause 3 - PS4 (18+)

Strong Points:
Fluid movement
Massive open world
Lots of vehicles
Lots of guns
Gear mods add depth and customisation
Grappling hook is great to use
Wingsuit is awesome
Great story
Good voice acting
Great characters
Massive bases have lots to do and explode
Funny
Vehicles handle nicely
FOW's are awesome...
Explosions are just nuts
More sanboxy than JC2...

Weak Points:
Learning curve for wingsuit
Some bugs/lag
Not enough missions (side quests)
Environment and bases could be more varied
Can't throw GE-54 unless using the parachute
...but disappear once you complete the story mission
Each act follows the same formula
Wingsuit makes vehicles not needed
Can't shoot while using the wingsuit
Beginning can be slow without gear mods
Could've worked so well with multiplayer
Always online functionallity
...Less of a collectibles game than JC2


First Impressions: Final Fantasy 15: Platinum Demo

I'll be honest. I haven't really paid much attention to FFXV, as it was, in my opinion, just an obstacle to Kingdom Hearts 3. That is, I didn't pay much attention until I played this demo and got transported into a Kingdom Hearts-esque RPG with great mechanics and mind-boggling graphics. Here are my experiences of the Platinum Demo, a separate prologue to the main game: 

Saturday 2 April 2016

TV Review No. 19 Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Bouncing Back (S2, Ep11)

Strong Points:
Cool new Inhumans
Brett Dalton (Ward) did good at changing his acting style to fit his new host
Ward's character has an interesting ability, which could make his power believable
Good action sequences
Talbots back
References to the first season
Gideon and Coulson's phone call
Interesting opening sequences


Weak Points:
Back at it with cutting through handcuffs with a random thing
Hunter's Inhuman joke could've actually been used to fuel a sub-plot

Spoilers ahead:

Friday 1 April 2016

Video Game Character of the Month - April 2016 - The Battle Cats - The Battle Cats

Video Game Character of the Month
April 2016
The Battle Cats
The Battle Cats

Overview:
Aww look at those adorable cats. Which are waging war on us. And won't stop unless I give them this award. Hm... I was going to give it to... OK OK. This month's prestigious entry is The Battle Cats, supreme rulers of all! Please don't hurt me.

Now for a bit of info on The Battle Cats:

Wednesday 30 March 2016

Film Review No. 4 Zootropolis (PG)

Strong Points:
Very funny
Lots of references...
Brilliant animation
Amazing attention to detail
Strong social messages hidden in the fabric
Played on the stereotypes
Great for the times
Lots of scope for sequels
Lemmings

Weak Points:
Could be a bit heavy-handed for children
... some won't be gotten by everyone
Would've been nice to see all the different sectors
Some characters could've been focussed on more

Some spoilers ahead:

Monday 28 March 2016

TV Review No. 18 Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Maveth (S2, Ep10)

Strong Points:
Some great twists...
Maveth is a good character...
Mack taking control
Side plots are now in the forefront
Joey's abilities
Humorous
New lore
High tension throughout

Weak Points:
...Others less so
...Although I don't know how they'll make his powers believable or fightable
Lincoln doesn't really work with the team - always disagreeing
Ward's conversion
Cutting through handcuffs happens too often
Will's reaction to everyone showing up
Some plots seemed shoved in there
R.I.P

Spoilers ahead:

Saturday 26 March 2016

3rd Birthday

Wait? What do you mean this blog is 3 years old? It's only been here for two months right? That can't be right... *checks calendar* Hm... *Faints*
What an incredible year this has been!

Friday 25 March 2016

First Impressions: Stardew Valley

Well this was unexpected. A farming, mining, dungeon battling, fishing and social hybrid. Who knew it would be so addictive? I saw it on Steam, my friend got it, said it was good, I watched a bit of a video and bought it and proceeded to play it for just over two hours. In this time I encountered many a good thing although a couple of grievances did pop up...

Thursday 24 March 2016

TV Review No. 17 Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Closure (S2, Ep9)

Strong points:
Unpredictable 
Great acting
Characters coming out of their shells
Well choreographed action 
All plots are coming together
Not seeing is sometimes more tense
Ward's weak spot
Original team members being interrogated 
Impressive use of sound

Weak points:
More stone collecting
May have been overkill 
Grunts never get the job done
Ward changing

Spoilers ahead:

Sunday 20 March 2016

First Impressions: Pokkén Tournament

I'll write the post after one more game all right?! *Two hours later* Should probably start. *Two days later* Oh dear...

Top 5 Most Wanted Pokémon Mega Evolutions

With the Pokémon 20th anniversary having just passed, and the announcement of Pokémon Sun and Moon, I think that it is the perfect time to discuss that most poignant of Pokémon issues. Which magical creature should get the coveted rank of a Mega Evolved Pokémon?

Saturday 19 March 2016

Note: A Slight Slowdown

Right then, first of all I'd like to say that we have tried our best to keep this post from coming out for as long as possible but I'm afraid that we can't really postpone it much longer.

Rant No. 9 Certain Popular Indie Games

Today, Steam brought me to the attention that Robocraft had had a fairly large update, and having not played the game in about half a year, I decided to load it up, just to see what had changed since what I remembered the game being like, and to see what new (and hopefully exciting) features had been added. What I found was not what I wanted, but, I suppose, I should have seen it coming.

Wednesday 16 March 2016

TV Review No. 16 Gotham: Tonight's the Night (S2, Ep8)

Strong Points:
Great acting all round
Unpredictable
Bruce and Alfred scene
Wedding scene
Wedding dream (although no mention of The Ogre)
Miss Kringle's remembrance
A certain pairing could be forming...


Weak Points:
Galavan's not normally known for loose ends
Strike Force members are now being used as cannon-fodder
I liked Nygma's dual personality more
How do people survive some of these things?

Spoilers ahead:

Wednesday 9 March 2016

TV Review No. 15 Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Many Heads, One Tail (S3, Ep8)

Strong points:
Hunter's disguise
Magnetism fight
Coulson's interrogation with mind games from both
Hydra is still involved 
Nice humour
Well-choreographed fights
Convincing love triangle 
Ward being Ward
New Inhuman

Weak points:
Lash's storyline is taking a back seat
Fitz can never win, can he?
Gideon could've been introduced a bit more before his whole Hydra speech 


Spoilers ahead:

Saturday 5 March 2016

TV Review No. 14: Gotham: Mommy's Little Monster (S2, Ep7)

Strong Points:
Fast paced
Penguin March 
Poor Penguin
Riddles for The Riddler 
Split personality conversations 
'Not even a mother could love' - Galavan quip against Penguin
Harvey Dent was back

Weak Points:
Police fire machine guns through a building into a street where there could've been civilians 
Innocent party goers seem to just keep dying
Selina and Silver fighting over Bruce, exaggerated high school style
Galavan just leaves Butch alive 
Some gore (Miss Kringle) was a bit in your face
No one can just be happy in this show

Spoilers ahead:

Friday 4 March 2016

TV Review No. 13 Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Chaos Theory (S3, Ep7)

Strong Points:
Well-choreographed action
Nice emotion with some scenes - especially Fitz's and May's
Inhuman powers are used
Joey was back!
Andrew's character has gotten better
Gideon and Rosalind reveal
Fitz watching Simmons' goodbye messages
ATCU and S.H.I.E.L.D working together 
Nice CGI

Weak Points:
Rosalind doesn't like Daisy's powers, Daisy uses them to save her, she now trusts her
Pacing was almost too fast
How Lash became Inhuman
Where have the Icers gone?

Spoilers ahead:

Tuesday 1 March 2016

Video Game Character of the Month - March 2016 - Pikachu - Pokémon

Video Game Character of the Month
March 2016
Pikachu
Pokémon
Overview:
As you will, probably, have noticed it was the 20th anniversary of Pokémon on the 27th of February (woot!) and, as such, we have decided to put out some Pokémon related posts for you all to read and, hopefully, enjoy! Therefore, it only seemed right to give this month's award to the mascot of all Pokémon (although not the Pokémon that started it all - that fame goes to Rhydon)... Pikachu! (In fact I have been meaning to give this historic gaming character the award for some time now but, well, do you know how many games he/she's been in? Or what about the amount of trivia? Well, you're about to find out...)
Now for a bit of info on Pikachu:

Saturday 27 February 2016

TV Review No. 12: Gotham: By Fire (S2, Ep6)

Strong points:
Gordon getting a strike in his record
Indian Hill reveal
'Fire'fights are always great
Firefly costume 
Butch's add-on weapon
Bruce and Alfred's sparring session
Lee and Selina's conversation with milk and cookies
Music montage 

Weak points:
Pacing is a bit odd - some story arcs drag and some don't develop
The only place they could rob was a sex slave shop
All the violence happening to children is a bit hard to stomach

Spoilers ahead:

Top 5: Main Series Pokémon Regions

For the 20th anniversary of Pokémon (27th February) we are going to be doing posts centred around and celebrating this great franchise. On that note, here is the top 5 main series Pokémon regions, from best to worst.

Friday 26 February 2016

Note - Fellow Blogger

Hi my names Will-i-am and I’m writing a guest post about my blog.

Click here for my blog

Comments: Pokémon Direct

So a Pokémon Direct happened today to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Pokémon and something quite special got announced...
Spoilers ahead:

Tuesday 23 February 2016

TV Review No. 11 Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Among Us Hide (S3, Ep6)

Strong Points:
Lash's reveal
Well choreographed fight scenes
ATCU's explanation about what they were planning
Invisible drone

Weak Points:
After the reveal, a certain person acted differently although no-one knew what they were yet
Everyone going against Hunter
Von Strucker family are just taking a beating
Ward's henchman is no more 


Spoilers ahead:

Monday 22 February 2016

First Impressions: The Division Open Beta

Even though I only recently found out that The Division was actually an MMO akin to Destiny instead of a single player narrative like The Last of Us (I only saw the first trailer then it went off my radar for a bit), I decided to download the open beta to have a go and see the graphics everyone is talking about. Well, after I deleted 2 games for the 27GB anyway. These are my thoughts after around 2 hours playing the game:

Friday 19 February 2016

TV Review No. 10 Gotham: Scarification (S2, Ep5)

Strong Points:
Galavan's plan has been explained more
Firefly origin story told
Dramatic death of Strike Force member
Penguin and Butch's conversation
Good acting - even Galavan's improving
Action
No Bruce!

Weak Points:
Nygma and Lee were in it just enough so we didn't wonder what they were doing, but weren't essential
Rocket launcher did nothing
The relationship between Galavan, his sister and Barbara is just weird
Gordon keeps getting misled
Some violence was over the top
Selena's passive aggressive 'do what you want' is a bit annoying

Spoilers ahead:

Film Review No. 3 Deadpool (15+)

Strong Points:
Funny
Well-acted 
Well-choreographed action sequences
Alludes to the greater Deadpool story
Self-aware 
Opening credit sequence and Ferris Buerllers Day Off spoof
Decent story that treated topics such as cancer with respect
Nice costumes and CGI
Good satire and 4th wall breaks

Weak Points:
Too short
Could've had more satire/4th wall breaks 
Could've poked fun at more e.g. Fox not owning the rights to all the characters 
Didn't need that many montages - felt rushed 

Spoilers Ahead:

Tuesday 16 February 2016

App Review No. 99 Tales of Wizards

Strong Points:
Great music
Nice idea
Variation in spells
Backrounds are drawn well
Physics are good with knocking fireballs out of the way
Lots of levels
IAP's are only for cosmetics

Weak Points:
Can be confusing on what to do
Foreground blocks and people seem out of place
The tutorial, while you can turn it off, is obtrusive
Inputs sometimes become unresponsive
Being allowed to move the camera while trying to draw a spell makes it difficult
Becomes a 'who can fire first' game normally
Some spelling errors
To check spells, you have to quit the level


Monday 15 February 2016

First Impressions: Helldivers

For liberty! For democracy! For why the hell not?! Helldivers is a co-op top down shooter that I first played back in EGX a couple of years ago, enjoyed and then forgot about, due to not having the necessary console to play it on. However, after giving in and buying PS+ so as to play some games online, I downloaded Helldivers (it was the free game of the month) and am really enjoying it.

Sunday 14 February 2016

TV Review No. 9 Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 4722 Hours (S3, Ep5)

Strong Points:
New and welcome style
Great acting, especially by Henstridge
Nice looking set pieces
Focused

Weak Points:
Fitz just can't get a break
Left us hanging with storylines from the week before
If NASA knew about all of this, then why didn't S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Not 'AoSy'

Spoilers ahead:

Thursday 11 February 2016

First Impressions: The Legend of Korra

Earth. Fire. Air. Water. Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world. Da dooh dahh! Oh yeah, I am the Avatar!

Wednesday 10 February 2016

(More) First Impressions: Xenoblade Chronicles X

Now then, I have a confession to make... I never played Xenoblade Chronicles on the Wii (that probably doesn't sound as bad as it should but as an RPG player, it feels like a bigger deal). I always wanted to, and finally picked it up on the Wii U after Nintendo released it on the eShop but haven't had the chance to play it yet (and a bunch of other games as well... wow am I behind!). But, after seeing Xenoblade Chronicles X's gameplay and getting it for Christmas as well as hearing that they really don't have any link at all, I decided to play this iteration first. And so my adventure began.

Monday 8 February 2016

First Impressions: Wolfenstein 3D

And now for another retro game played on a console with nonstandard controls! However, unlike the Binatone, the Atari Jaguar's controller was... well it was awful. But that shouldn't stop you playing the Wolfenstein 3D, one of my favourite games of the entire EGX expo!

Sunday 7 February 2016

TV Review No. 8 Gotham: Strike Force (S2, Ep4)

Strong Points:
New commissioner is a breath of fresh air
Nygma talking to himself
Penguin is out of his comfort zone
Alfred and Selina's talk
The idea of good and bad criminality
The steps Galavan takes to achieve his goal are clever, however...

Weak Points:
...The brilliant goal for Galavan isn't that brilliant
Over the top violence for certain parts
Galavan and Bruce's talk and introduction of Silver
Penguin doing the dirty work

Spoilers ahead:

First Impressions: Pong (Binatone)

Okay, I know that these final EGX 2015 First Impressions have been a long time coming, and I'll just apologize quickly for that, so, without further ado, here's the First Impressions for Pong on the Binatone!

Friday 5 February 2016

TV Review No. 7: Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Devils You Know (S3, Ep4)

Strong points:
Good action
An interesting Inhuman 
Original, personal, objective for the Inhuman killings
Impactful choices
Strong acting

Weak points:
Lack of focus - Ward or Inhumans
Put in characters we were meant to recognise from last season but didn't 
Story arcs don't mix particularly well
Good characters get killed off

Spoilers ahead: 

Monday 1 February 2016

Video Game Character of the Month - February 2016 - Ellie - The Last of Us

Video Game Character of the Month
February 2016
Ellie
The Last of Us
Overview:
I knew that it couldn't all be for nothing! I mean, I would have preferred to not have to deal with this #%&*!?@ infection anymore but an award that's given to a different person each month is just as good! And Joel hasn't won it yet either, so that's a plus I suppose...
Now for a bit of information on Ellie (coming with an extra special spoiler warning due to the story driven nature of the game. And that fact that it's brilliant, especially unspoiled):


Sunday 31 January 2016

TV Review No. 6 Gotham: The Last Laugh (S2, Ep3)

Strong Points:
Action
Humour
Great acting especially from Jerome, Barbara and Bullock
Fast-paced
Evenly spaced out between all characters (no one seemed to just be in there to be there)
Great character development...

Weak Points:
...which may have been cut short
No Nygma
Cringe worthy scene with Alfred
Actors acting as their character acting never turns out good
Disguises were like Jessie and James from Team Rocket
The writers seem to still have no definite goal in sight

Spoilers ahead:

Wednesday 27 January 2016

TV Review No. 5 Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: A Wanted (Inhu)man (S3, Ep3)

Strong Points:
Emotion - real deaths 
Twisted character development
Strong action sequences 
Great opening effects with Lincoln 
Darker than usual

Weak Points:
Darker than usual
Almost too fast paced at some points
ATCU leader has lost some of her confidence and power 
Setting up episode

Spoilers ahead:

Sunday 24 January 2016

App Review No. 98 Lifeline

Strong Points:
Great story
Likeable character
Immersive
Ingenious control system
Nice HUD
Good audio
Taylor becoming 'busy' is a good way to extend the game

Weak Points:
Sometimes the gap between parts of the story is too long
No voice-overs
Some paths become obvious/no way to avoid
Too short
Some parts are never explained


Saturday 23 January 2016

Rant No. 8 PS+/Xbox Live Gold and Autosave

Now, I was going to do this a while ago when I realised how limited some games became *cough Star Wars Battlefront cough* when you didn't have PS+ or how unplayable some other games such as Titanfall became when you didn't have Xbox Live Gold. I believe that for the prices of games nowadays and their DLC, you shouldn't have to pay another subscription just for online, especially if the game is online only. Now, I was okay to let this slide as I personally play more single player than multiplayer games. However, things were about to go from bad to worse.

Friday 22 January 2016

TV Review No. 4 Gotham: Knock Knock (S2, Ep2)

Strong Points:
Development of 'Joker' and 'The Riddler'
Action
Unpredictable
Didn't put characters in for the sake of it
Quality acting

Weak Points:
Some scenes with Bruce and Alfred were a bit childish
Odd pacing
Some characters I would have loved to see developed are no longer with us
English slang was cringeworthy

Spoilers ahead:

Tuesday 19 January 2016

TV Review No. 3 Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Purpose in the Machine (S3, Ep2)

Strong Points:
More use of the Inhuman powers
Another stellar performance from Iain De Caestecker
Didn't jump around as much as the first episode
More characters returned
Humorous
Digs at the greater MCU

Weak Points:

Coulson is still going on about his hand
Less action
Still don't know what [redacted] is doing
Main plot point may have been completed too quickly?

Spoilers ahead:

Saturday 16 January 2016

TV Review No. 2 Gotham: Damned If You Do (S2, Ep 1)

Strong Points:
Interesting character development
Superb acting
Great action
Tension
Sets up the rest of the season well
The villains are a lot more interesting than the heroes

Weak Points:
Some of the gore was over the top and unnecessary (got rid of the tension)
Some of the cameos were not needed
Run cam was gimmicky
Doesn't seem to be any particular objective yet
The villains are a lot more interesting than the heroes

Spoilers ahead:

Wednesday 13 January 2016

TV Review No. 1 Marvel Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Laws of Nature (S3, Ep1)

Strong Points:
Stronger effects
Many character's storylines are expanded
Good acting
Fitz's story arc is great
Plenty of references to other Marvel ventures
Great costumes
New tech
Funny
More superhero than secret agent series now

Weak Points:
Set-up episode
Some story arcs were weaker than others
Some actors were better than others
Too interconnected for Marvel newbies
Missing some characters...
Plot holes are sometimes abruptly and badly filled
More superhero than secret agent series now

Due to the nature of reviews, expect some spoilers, so if you haven't watched the episode, watch that first!

Monday 11 January 2016

First Impressions: Dragster

I think that it's time to go 'old school' and this game has its starting (and finish) line firmly in the past.

Sunday 10 January 2016

First Impressions: Mario Kart 8 Chin Control (Special Effect)

This is a really interesting piece of tech and, as I said in the EGX 2015 Live Blog, one that I think will help a lot of people with disabilities enjoy gaming!

Tuesday 5 January 2016

App Review No. 97 Monument Valley

Strong Points:
Beautifully made
Calming to play (most of the time)
Great style
Great graphics
Good music
Challenging
Fun

Weak Points:
Not very long
Can be frustrating
Due to the movement/optical illusions involved in the game, it can be hard to play in a moving vehicle

Monday 4 January 2016

App Review No. 96 Sling Kong

Strong Points:
Addictive gameplay
Lots of characters
Cute art style
Lots of obstacles
Generous rewards
Regular updates

Weak Points:
Repetitive
Questionable violence
Have to pay for backgrounds
No random button for characters
Difficult to get items for events
Random difficulty spikes depending on obstacle sections


Friday 1 January 2016

Video Game Character of the Month - January 2016 - Yangus - Dragon Quest VIII

Video Game Character of the Month
January 2016
Yangus
Dragon Quest VIII
Overview:
'Cor Blimey!!!' I've got an award 'ave I?! Just wait 'till I tell Guv about this! He's the one that helped me go straight, you know. Anyway, 'it's gonna get dark if we 'ang about 'ere much longer.' Let's 'ead into the info an' then onto the rest of the award!