Knack

Knack

Knack is a platform beat em up game created by Sony Computer Entertainment and developed only for the PS4 on its release. Since its release it has become one of the most popular games of this current generation.

Released in Europe on November 29 2013 Knack received mixed reviews form several different websites and companies. Game Rankings and Metacritic gave the game a score of 58.21% and 56/100. Which is quite low for a next generation game. But Game Informer gave the game a good score of 8.25/10, stating that the game is not the most innovative or the most visually dazzling game but will wanting more by the end of it. Which is what we all want from our games at the end.

 

The game play is very simple as well as the mechanics, Knack is able to discover abilities which then lets him incorporate Ice, Metal and other substances onto his body allowing him to use these elements to his advantage. It has touches of Crash Bandicoot placed into the game, and since I'm a big fan of Crash Bandicoot, I can't see that being a bad thing. Multiplayer is rather lacking in this game also, as with only being able to follow Knack it does rather take the multiplayer feel away from the game.

It's fun factor is big with the ability of punching your way through enemies and with its funny dialogue, it's great for the family and friends. But if you're a hardcore gamer and you want to earn them Playstation trophies this game probably won't satisfy your thirst for success. But with its challenging levels, and if playing on a high enough level when you're dying after one hit the end of the game will feel rewarding none the less.  

The plot is basic to understand as there's not much to it to be honest. The game starts out with the production of the Knack character, the doctor is showing of Knack to several other people and you controlling Knack, it's a great way to do the tutorial and show the basics of the game. Further on you are tasked to rid the troll or ogre infestation from the land and this is quite tricky as there are many obstacles guarding your path which you need to get rid of. These can be enemies or cliff faces which can all be a danger to your character, and as I have previously mentioned it doesn't take much to kill knack.

 

Overall the game is a fun game to play for the family. But with mechanics and overall game play lacking, this would not attract the hardcore gamer, and with hardly any multiplayer experience this game doesn't wow the new next gen players.

5/10

Ryse: Son Of Rome

Ryse: Son Of Rome

Ryse is a third person action game set in Rome, which was recently released onto the Xbox One, because of its slash and hack mechanics it is highly regarded as the best game to come onto next gen consoles.

Released worldwide on November 22 2013 onto the Xbox One it has had some great reviews by most critics but received mixed reviews by some. On Metacritic the game received a 60 out of 100 mainly because of its repetitive combat mechanics.  Electronic Gaming Monthly praised the game but only gave it a 7.5/10 which seems quite odd since they did give them a decent review. Good Game gave the game a score of 8.5/10 which compared to some of the other reviews is relatively good.

Ryse tells the story of a young Roman soldier called Marius Titus who was involved in the brutal murder of his whole family. You begin the story by defending and attacking a siege of barbarians who don't exactly want to wine and dine you, in this opening sequence the game gives you the basic controls but also some of the amazing killing sequences which we get onto later. From then on Marius tells his story of his life in the Roman army which at the time was an honor to join but the chances of you getting killed was very high and more than likely to happen, but since you are controlling a soldier then the outcome is completely up to you. I won't go onto too much detail about the story or else I'll probably ruin it for you.

The game play is one of its highest points especially with its amazing killing sequences, the moves will be highlighted with a colour and you have to correspond with that colour by tapping the button on your controller. The moves are quick and deadly, you can unlock new moves in the upgrading menu where you can not only improve on your moves but improve your health and many of your attributes. Players can also control their legion of armies with the kinect voice control or you can simply move them about with your controller, you can mount walls and arm catapults with your army, this also gives the game a sense of tactics and visionary and will test your gaming skills to stop  barbarians from taking Rome.

The best thing about the game which I like is the killing sequences, the kill moves are slick and deadly and when you're watching Marius chopping some guy's arm off you kind of feel bad for him but at the same time it gets your blood going. The only thing I would recommend on improving this game would be to focus more on changing the mechanics up a bit as many critics say that its too repetitive.  

To conclude I believe that this game is a great way of starting the next gen consoles and for Microsoft's future. This game gets a 9/10 from me.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD

The legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is the remake of the 2003 Nintendo GameCube version, it was to mark the ten year anniversary of Zelda, and is widely known as one of the most popular Zelda games.

The game was released on the Wii U in Europe on October 4th 2013. On its release it received excellent reviews by some harsh critics. Metacritic gave the game a 90/100, and Game Rankings gave it a 90.29%. The better graphics in comparison to the 2003 version does help in its corner but it wasn't only just that but the story was also met with positive remarks, as many critics said that it keeps with tradition of memorable Zelda games. Not only the story and graphics but the combat mechanics also got rave reviews with critics saying that it is the best feature of the game.

On the first week of its release, in Japan 30,000 copies were sold and in the following week in the UK, sales of Wind Waker and the Wii U increased by a whopping 685%. With the independent saying that Nintendo hasn't had the best of times recently, but with increased sales, Nintendo can take some comfort in it's very recent success.

The game is set on a group of islands on a sea called the great sea, Link of course being the main character is struggling against Ganondorf for the control of a relic called the Triforce. Link during the game spends most of the time sailing between islands and travelling through dungeons and temples to gain the power to kill Ganondorf and then rescue his younger sister Aryll. Well that is the basic story of the game, but throughout the game you can also explore these different islands and discover new things which will immerse you even more into the game.

The game play is very much the same to the original version, however with the new graphics and several new features it makes the game even more exciting. The Wii U GamePad's touch screen is used as a map interface and a inventory screen. The player is able to use the motion controls to control the Wind Waker, weapons like the bow can be used by using the GamePad's gyroscope. The game also offers off-TV play which allows the player to play the game only on the Gamepad. Since this game is HD then the game has been updated since the 2003 version with 1080p graphics, and you can clearly see that the game is quite a bit lighter.

The best thing I like about the game is the quirky and bright graphics and characters, of course everyone loves Link but to see the remake of this game in HD is brilliant. And is what many Zelda fans have been calling for years now. But the only problem I have with this game is the fact that Nintendo haven't got with the times and have decided to go back to a game from 2003 and not come up with another game idea. But in my opinion the positives outweigh the negatives and this game receives a

 9/10.

Dead Island - Riptide

Dead Island - Riptide

Dead Island Riptide is an action survival horror game, where the player has top survive the onslaught of zombies and make their way through each segment of the game. Because of it's funny attributes and a great killing of zombies, it is one of my favorite zombie games.

Released in Europe on April 26 2013 on Microsoft windows, Xbox 360 and Play station the game received mixed reviews, Metacritic gave the Play station 3 version a low score of 61% out of 100 and on the Xbox 360 version it was given again a low score 60%, but IGN's Greg Miller said that the game is great gory fun, and to be honest I have to agree with him, even though the game didn't receive the greatest reviews and scores, it is still a great game.

Now let's talk about the story of the game... Riptide takes place just after the ending of the first Dead Island, the 4 immune survivors land on a military ship where they are taken prisoners by the Australian Defense Force. When the survivors and your character depending on who you picked to play as at the start of the game, pass out from the sedatives but when they wake up the ship they are have been overrun by a zombie horde. Even though I am slightly confused from where they came from, because I assume they can't swim since they are zombies. You must fight your way through the ship and find your fellow survivors, when the ship crashes into a rock, probably taking the concept from Titanic. The survivors are washed up on the beach of Palanai and are found by a woman researcher, but a zombie horde has again took over the area which you are situated, and you can already guess that you have to fight your way through the island but you also meet several other people who will also help you on your journey throughout the game.

The characters in the game are brilliant, even though the speech doesn't seem to match their mouths, the rapper Sam B is the typical black stereotype where every sentence has the F bomb in it. The other characters consists of an ex American football player called Logan Carter, a waitress called Xian Mei and an ex police officer called Purna which is quite a weird name. I don't believe that the game was trying to be funny, but in most parts it is.

The game play in the game consists of smashing zombies heads wide open with a crowbar, or if you are the rapper then you can literally punch the heads off their shoulders. In my opinion the game play is a bit like Saints Row 4, where you learn most of it just by playing it and having fun exploring the wonders of zombie brutality.

There are a couple of things I like about the game, one is the fact that you can upgrade weapons and customize them, you can turn a simple baseball bat into a nail bat of hell. The 2nd would be that you can just go to town on these zombies, the fact that you can roundhouse kick them every time they close to you is brilliant and kind of reminds of Left 4 Dead. The bad bits about the game is that the story isn't the best, so hopefully in future games they can improve on that. And finally it's the fact that these zombies compared to other games take ages to kill unless you have a really powerful weapon or if you're an expert at zombie dodging.

To conclude... This game is great and who doesn't like punching off zombie heads, but the only downfall will be the lack of story. But who cares when you've got thousands of zombies to destroy. Dead Island Riptide gets a 8/10 from me. 

Sonic - Lost World

Sonic - Lost World

Sonic Lost world is a recently made game by Nintendo, it is based on the well known character of Sonic, because of its name it draws a lot of attention and is one of the best Sonic games ever to be created.

Released for the Wii U in Europe on October 18 2013, the game received mixed reviews by most critics, Metacritic gave the game a rather disappointing 62/100, Games Radar gave the Wii U version of the game a high 8/10 and said it is the most authentically Sonic feeling 3d outing yet. Game Trailers gave the game a 7.6 out of 10 which is quite good for this time of the year with the next gen consoles coming out soon and these kind of scores show that games like Sonic and Mario can still compete with today's games. In sales, on the opening week in the U.K, Sonic Lost World ranked at number 11 in the charts, but it received a higher place on the Nintendo 3DS chart with being number 4, but in my opinion you would expect that this game would have been top of the charts considering the fact that it was Nintendo that made it.

There is a slight plot in the game, Sonic is in chase of Doctor Eggman, who has captured and stolen many of Sonic's animal friends. Sonic and Tails land on a mysterious planet called Lost Hex, they encounter a group called the Deadly Six who are under the control of Doctor Eggman. The aim of the game is to rescue your animal friends and get to Doctor Eggman.

But for me I'm not the biggest fan of this game as since I played the original Sonic games on the Sega Megadrive, I believe the comparison to them is too bad. The fast pace of the original Sonic games were incredible and this new game feels too slow and the fact that they changed the perspective of Sonic is quite annoying to me. But if they have to compete with today's market then they do have to change it up, but you probably won't ever see this game competing with games like Call Of Duty Ghosts or FIFA 14 or if your Japanese then this game will probably be your preference.

Let's talk about the game play then... The game does use an all new control system which allows you to control how fast Sonic run's. Holding a trigger will then put Sonic into a run, which will then allow him to move fast and doing acrobatics or parkour maneuvers. During the game, players can rescue animals along the way to your goal, this can be done by destroying the enemies or bursting the containers open. This allows players to progress onto bonus stages.

The best thing I like about this game is the fact that you can change Sonic's speed during the game, in previous Sonic games you were never able to do this and it adds a whole new dynamic to the game and hopefully more games to come. The thing I don't like about this game is that it's is completely deriving from the originals, the change in perspectives is annoying and I have always believed that games like this and Mario should stick to their roots and leave it as a 2d plat former.

To conclude... This game is very unique and interesting but in my opinion the negatives outweigh the positives and this is a game that I won't be buying any time soon just to the fact that it has changed a lot and not for the better. Sonic Lost World gets a 5/10 from me unfortunately.

L.A. Noire

L.A. Noire

L.A. Noire is a third person action, crime video game which was developed by Team Bondi and was published by RockStar Games. With it's very realistic features and brilliant voice and face acting, it is widely known as the greatest detective game of all time.

L.A. Noire was released in Europe on 20th May 2011 on Xbox 360 and Play station 3, and was released on PC on the 11th November 2011. It was developed and created by Team Bondi and was then published by the company which created the GTA franchise... RockStar studios. On its release it received pretty decent reviews, and not the reviews that many people were hoping for when it was hyped up a lot to its release date. IGN gave the game a 8.5 out of 10 and they said that L.A. Noire may not reach the emotional heights of Heavy Rain but it's something everyone should try out. Other websites like Game Spy gave the game a 4 and a half star rating out of 5, Official Play station magazine gave the game a 9/10 and many more websites and magazines gave pretty good reviews for the game.

The game is based in 1947, in LA if you didn't already guess with the game name, you are a officer called Cole Phelps who works for the Wilshire Division 7 police station, during the game you get many cases and you solve these by running interrogations. This is the biggest plus of the game, as when you are conducting an interrogation the acting is phenomenal and by far the best piece of motion capture I have ever seen, you can tell when the person is lying and you have to choose three different options, they are to either believe them, doubt them or if you think they are lying then you have to have proof that they are or else you will fail that particular question. The goal of the game is solve the cases which are handed to you when you are rising throughout the ranks of each department in the station.

The things that I like most about the game is the motion capture and the interrogation scenes, as when you are conducting an interrogation you get the full emotion of the character and the awesome acting that the actor is giving you to explore and uncover. Compared to other games when most of the words don't even match their mouths, this game trumps them all and is by far the most perfect all round animations and emotions. The only problem is that the player might feel the game is too boring after a couple of cases as each case may repeat the same process over and over again.

I give this game a 8/10

Dragon Age Origins

Dragon Age - Origins

Dragon Age origins is a 18 rated, third person RPG (Role Playing Game), developed by Bioware which then led onto 2 more games and with Dragon Age 3 being announced very soon, this franchise is quickly becoming the biggest RPG icon out there today.

Released in Europe in November 6th 2009 on Xbox 360 and Play station 3, the game took the world by storm with its unique setting and a great and deep storyline. On its release it received amazing reviews and an overwhelming response, with Metacritic giving the PC version a 91 out of 100 and the other two consoles 87 and 86. IGN rewarded Dragon Age origins with the title of PC game of the year in 2009. You could say that the game is quite like Runescape but in my eyes it's completely different, with pretty good graphics for 2009 and one of the best storylines I have ever had the pleasure to play, this game keeps you going back for more and with different plots to take I don't see why anybody wouldn't be intrigued to play this game.

The game is set in kingdom called Ferelden, at the start of the game you are given several options to pick from in terms of backgrounds and classes. Your options are either to be a elf, human or dwarven. Then you choose to be either a warrior, mage or a rouge, I prefer to be a dwarven warrior, because seeing a dwarf doing magic would seem pretty weird to me. But since I've played as each character I can be slightly biased and have different opinions on each character and class. As you level up you can choose to increase your stats, stats can include from strength which with a high enough level you can wield better and more damaging weapons, dexterity allows you to equip better armor etc... These two stats are the main ones if you are to pick a warrior class. To carry on with the story then, each character you pick from meets a grey warden called Duncan who is at your settlement to see your potential to become a grey warden. After exploring and battling demons and such your character eventually leaves with Duncan to go to Ostagar where he meets the king of Ferelden Cailan. There he tells you why you have been chosen by the grey wardens, and it is to fight against the darkspawn who are vile demons who are pretty evil. There your character learns that the darkspawn are being controlled by the Archdemon who is a monster of a dragon with god like abilities. I'll leave it at that for now, I don't want to spoil the whole of the game in this short and brief plot of the start of the game.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the game is blood, In a completely none physcopath way... The game offers the player the full range of splatter techniques, you are guaranteed to be covered in blood after every cut scene, battle or even dialog parts. In my opinion the blood is a little exaggerated but I love it.

The game play is quite simple to be honest, and is the same with the controls. You simply press A to attack your enemy (Xbox 360), you can heal your character either with a potion or if you are a mage then you can magically heal yourself. Since this is a RPG game then there will be plenty of side quests to go along with the main storyline, doing these side quests can help you gain experience which will then allow you to level up, acquiring new weapons and armor to help you fight in the struggle against the darkspawn and Archdemon.

The best part about the game in my opinion is the complete control of your character, the fact that you can either make your character good or evil is brilliant, and the amount of weapons and armor which you can pick up is incredible and keeps the player involved and makes you feel like you have the control of the game itself. But there are downfalls for this game and that is that it can be slow and will take you while to get really deep into the action and storyline. Players who play games like Call of Duty or FIFA may not like this game because of its slow pace and the amount of dialog that's within the game. But in my opinion that's why I love this game and have actually got two copies.

To conclude on this review, the game is fascinating and the storyline matches it. With the customization of the character and the complete control of yourself, then I understand why the game has had so many good reviews. The only sad point is that it won't get the attention that some of the bigger names have, but with the new game coming in 2014 onto the next gen consoles, then I can't see why it won't compete with the big names.

 I give this game a 9/10