State of Decay 2 - Review

Zombies!  When it comes to zombies I find the genre to be a little overused, whether it be in movies, TV series or Video Games.  That being said every now and then I come across something that makes me stop and go 'yeah that's pretty good', this is exactly how I felt about Undead Lab's game State of Decay.  Naturally, when I heard they were going to release a sequel I was excited and was looking forward to playing it.  I finished playing it last night and wanted to share my thoughts with all of you.


Hot dogs.  They are simple tasty snacks that are enjoyed by both rich and poor alike. They don't look particularly appetising but they taste great, there are so many options you can use to dress them up and add a little more flavor including sauces, relishes, onions, chili, cheese, you can use pretty much anything.  While it's hard to get it wrong with a hot dog it is possible, have you ever watched The Naked Gun movies with Leslie Nielsen?  If not then go out and watch them, especially the first two.  The reason I bring it up is there a scene where one of the characters is eating a hot dog, he bites down on something hard, he cracks his tooth and finds he has a someone's ring in his mouth.  That would be bad enough, but he then finds a human finger in his hot dog, it was horrible but it was also funny.  Playing State of Decay 2 I found myself asking was this a tasty hot dog, or was there now a dead person's finger in my mouth?

Story


The storyline is a little light, you get to start as either two siblings, or two sweethearts, one of whom gets bitten by a plague zombie.  Apparently getting bitten by a zombie is bad, but a plague zombie is worse, not exactly sure why and it's never really explained.  Time to find a someone who can help produce a cure and then choose a region to set up home, in my case, I went to Meager Valley.  Once a cure is created you need to focus on setting up a community and electing a leader.  Depending on who you choose you will start the Sheriff, Warlord, Trader or Builder questline.  The next step is to take out nasty looking things called plague hearts to help cut down the zombie population.  Outside of this you just need to keep people alive, play a few main missions, and you're done.


The characters are pretty interchangeable with the exception of maybe Samantha, who is a bit nuts but at least has somewhat of a personality.  The characters will repeat dialogue to the point where I had to consider muting the TV.  Overall the story was lacking and there was no real attempt to develop the characters or the world as a whole, the ending itself was like a firework that doesn't go off - disappointing.

Visuals


The first State of Decay was not amazing visually but it was solid enough,  I had heard State of Decay 2 was a real step up, I heard wrong.  The game does look a little better than the first but to me not by much.  The backdrops are little dull and lifeless, there were some parts in Meager Valley that had nice mountains and there was a cool looking base of operations surround by trees, but little else to get excited about.


The enemies look fairly good, especially the new Feral zombies which move more like animals.  I found there were issues with loading some landscapes and zombies so sometimes it seemed like they materialised out of thin air which I found to be a little jarring.  Often characters would disappear and reappear beside me almost randomly, this happened a lot when I was driving.


Overall visually it wasn't great and the name Meager Valley certainly summed up how I felt about it.



Music 



The sound moves from an apocalyptic wasteland to a more thoughtful and bleak guitar sound, with the only exception being some fights which have a more intense feel to them. The composer of this score is Danish composer Jesper Kyd who worked on the first game along with working on other games including, Assassins Creed The Ezio Collection, Borderlands The Pre-Sequel, Darksiders 2 and Forza Motorsport 4.


The soundtrack runs at ninety minutes and has a few good tracks including, 'State of Decay 2 Main Theme', 'Fighting Chance', 'Adverse Effect', and 'Dangerous Microbes'.


Listening to the soundtrack again I found the experience to be very different, primarily because while playing the game the music didn't really linger in the background but instead came from out of nowhere abruptly which I didn't really like. 


Overall the soundtrack wasn't bad but the way it was used in the game could have used a little more work.

Gameplay


State of Decay is a third-person zombie survival game, it starts out by offering you a very basic tutorial that covers movement, combat and searching, which you will spend a lot of time doing.  If you are searching through items slowly all will be well, if you go too fast then you're going to have a bad time.


The combat, for the most part, works well and the finishers really add a little bit more gruesomeness to your kills.  Weapons degrade quickly so always have a backup and don't get attached to anything because it's often easier to pick up something new then try to maintain it.  Throwing in the game does not work the best and is particularly infuriating when throwing fire-based weapons at a plague heart that then end up setting you on fire.


One of the biggest elements of the game is building a community, to do this you need to gather lots of resources and other survivors.  There a load of facilities you can build, everything from rainwater collection, and gardens, to gun ranges, and workshops.  Each facility offers additional perks of a sort, which all seem good until you realise many of them heavily consume your resources, so unless you have lots to spare it isn't really worth it.  The massive issue is that you need to pick your survivors carefully to ensure they have the right skills, they're also skills books that some characters can use.  What you don't get warned about is you can only use one skill book per survivor, and sometimes not even that which can make upgrading your base tough.  Outposts will help you in obtaining more resources, food, water and oil being the three most important.


Naturally, every community needs a leader, depending on who you choose you will get one of four questlines that provide little information and seem to work under the assumption you will play the game multiple times.


There are various enclaves you can befriend as you play the game, and selling items to them will increase you influence which is handy for unlocking outposts or calling in radio support.  It felt a little wasted as a whole because I had so much unneeded influence left over once I had completed the game. If your willing to look around a bit influence is almost pointless.


The game is littered with bugs, driving cars would sometimes be fine and then all of a sudden they would spin out of control for no discernable reason.  Doors opening and closing by themselves on cars and houses were a frequent occurrence.  Characters disappearing was commonplace, sometimes they would reappear straight away, other times they were gone for five minutes.  There was two stand out characters for me, Adam 'stands on cars a lot and lets you get pulled apart by zombies' and Wes 'I played so much Dark Souls I can't stop rolling around'.  I will say big shoutout to Jerry one of the Whisky Peddlers, before completing his mission I used him to help with mine, by the end, he was near death, doctors say he will make a full recovery.


Overall there were some good points with the gameplay, but I felt for the most part Undead Lab's made things more awkward then they needed and in doing so less fun.  Not the worst experience ever but seemed to lack something the original managed to capture.




Final Thoughts

So after twenty-five hours of playing how did I feel?  I wanted to like State of Decay 2, I really did but there was so much wrong with it.  The story was poor, the visuals were fairly underwhelming, the music wasn't bad but it's execution felt poor, there were some enjoyable moments while playing but they were fleeting.  I know I will play the original State of Decay in the future, I know I will not be playing State of Decay 2 again.  Overall I struggled to score the game, I wanted to be as honest as possible, so in the end, I settled on giving this one 2 out of 5

House Flipper - Review

It's already the 22nd of July, and I genuinely have no idea where the month has gone. I have been working through three games this month, Mass Effect 3, Sushi Striker and House Flipper, all on different platforms.  I have been enjoying playing House Flipper, and thought to myself it's finally time to review it.


I really like coffee, I don't have it everyday or anything, but at least once week I'll have a cup, or three.  I really like the taste, it puts a smile on my face and makes me feel relaxed.  But, for me it's not just about the taste, it's also the smell, that rich coffee aroma that seems to just linger in the air.  However like everything when it comes to food and drink, there are good and bad quality versions.  A good cup of coffee can really start your day with a bang, where as a bad cup, well it can it can effect you negatively, especially your stomach if you're like me.   Playing House Flipper I found myself asking, was I drinking a good cup of coffee, or would I be getting a pain in my stomach later?

Story


The game has less of a story, and more of a premise, you start out in a run down home office, after some initial cleaning you get on your laptop and go through jobs you receive via email.  I liked the fact that the emails you read don't come across as canned responses, and some of them had a lot of heart, especially those where a loved one passed away, or a young couple were thinking of starting a family.  All jobs are painting and decorating jobs of various shapes and sizes, some will take you as little as five minutes to complete, others can take you in excess of thirty.  The idea is that you build up enough money to purchase a house, do it up, and then flip it. 


Overall a simple but entertaining premise nonetheless.

Visuals


The visuals are fairly impressive, and with each new update Empyrean releases they are tweaked a little more.  The game focuses on a realistic look, that reminded me of how I felt the first time I played The SIMS when it was released back in 2000.  There are two things that stood out and made me chuckle, the first was 'Huckers House' which was a copy of Walter White's home from Breaking Bad, complete with spray paint on the wall saying 'Hamburgberg' (presumably they couldn't have it say 'Heisenberg'), and a hole in the floor used to stash lots of cash, which you can keep.  The second thing was the free Apocalypse DLC which allows you to have a fallout shelter, complete with rations, generators and weapons.


Overall a visually impressive game that manages to keeps things both simple and enjoyable.


Music


In earnest there is not too much I can say in relation to the music, it's very subtle and lingers in the background.  Similar to The SIMS the music is calming, and chipper, if the suburbs had their own theme music it would probably sound like that featured in House Flipper.


The composer is Draco Nared, a Polish composer, arrange and performer, who's previous works have included the new survival horror game Agony, Circle of Light, and Old Phantaruk - Main Theme.


I am unsure of the length of the soundtrack because all I could really hear was the main theme, in honesty though a game like this doesn't require much of a soundtrack.

Gameplay


Okay, House Flipper might not have much in the way of story, and lacks a little in the music department, but it's makes up for that with gameplay.  While I'm not great at painting, decorating and general D.I.Y. I do like to watch it on TV, and give it a go from time to time, so for me House Flipper was perfect.


There are a slew of jobs waiting for you to complete, from tasks as basic as throwing out rubbish and mopping the floor, to knocking down walls and installing showers.  The game slowly introduces you to each new ability so you can become familiar with them all.  The game provides you with a tablet that you can use to buy new items, check on potential buyers, track your stats, take and view pictures, and most important  of all the perks menu.  The more you work the better you get, painting can take a while in the beginning, and you might not use paint that efficiently, as you progress that all changes when you unlock perks.  In some houses you will need to buy and assemble radiators, showers, baths and more, each of which are fun, and are generally straightforward enough.


Empyrean recently released a free Apocalypse DLC, the main objective is to outfit a fallout shelter, it was fun, but for me just felt like a distraction from the rest of the game.


There were two things that drove me a little crazy, the first was cleaning windows, it always felt awkward and clunky unlike most other elements of the game.  The second thing was trying to place items on shelves which just never seemed to work correctly.

By far the most enjoyable thing to me was doing up a bathrooms, plastering, tiling, picking the colour scheme, installing new sinks, toilets, choosing the lighting. I really loved it.


Overall the gameplay is highly entertaining with few notable complaints, I look forward to playing the game for many more hours, and look forward to seeing what Empyran adds in the future.




Final Thoughts

So after twenty plus hours (despite what Steam registered) how did I feel? Really good, the game is very different to anything else I have played this year.  95% of the time I would be the first person to complain about a company releasing an unfinished game, but in the case of House Flipper it's a little different.  The game works, but there is so much more than can be added to it and Empyrean are continuing to do this through free updates.  Scoring this game was incredibly difficult, mostly due to the fact that if I was to hold it to the same standard as I normally do it might get 3 out of 5 due to lack of story and music, however the bulk of the game is the gameplay itself, so with this is mind I give House Flipper 4 out of 5

Mass Effect 3 - The Mega Review

Back in February 2012, I was getting excited about the release of Mass Effect 3.  While the original Mass Effect was underwhelming with a slight glimmer of promise Mass Effect 2 was amazing, the characters, story, and gameplay were all pretty solid.  When I played Mass Effect 3 I could see great improvements in the visuals and overall gameplay, that being said there was something a little lacking, in particular, some of the story especially the ending(s).  In fact, I felt strongly enough about that it is only recently that I decided to replay it, this time with all the downloadable content.


Many years ago I found that I really did not like prawns, I wanted to, but they always left me feeling underwhelmed, as time went by things changed and I tried them again and found I felt differently about them.  The dish I like most is hot chili garlic prawns, with a helping of egg fried rice, or noodles.  I am not sure if my palette became more refined, or I was simply more open to the experience.  Playing Mass Effect 3 again I found myself asking, was this my hot chili garlic prawns that I love now, or the underwhelming taste I remember from years ago?

Story

Once again you take on the role of Commander Shepard, and again try to save the galaxy, this time though the stakes are higher than before.  The Reapers have stopped being subtle, and are now out in force to destroy all life in the Galaxy, like a hardcore version of Thanos in Avengers Infinity War.

Shepard was with the Alliance in the first installment in the series, Cerberus in the second one, and now he is back with the Alliance.  In the early part of the game you get the impression, there is slight distrust towards him, and that he is perhaps mistaken about the impending Reaper invasion.  Fast forward a little and it's clear that Shepard is as honest, and trustworthy as always, and he was right about the Reapers, again.  Time to feel smug, wait there is a war on, no time to be smug, save it for later.  

The aim is to try and get as many races working together, gather a massive fleet and try to take a stand against the Reapers.  There are interesting stories along the way, in particular, I really enjoyed the Geth storyline which helped give a very fresh perspective on them.  The downloadable content (DLC) certainly added a lot to the overall story and for the most part was pretty enjoyable.  The Citadel DLC focuses on an assassin trying to kill Shepard, but the main focus is about the crew of the Normandy hanging out, it was a lot of cheesy fun.  The Leviathan DLC added so much to not only Mass Effect 3 but also the series as a whole, I genuinely can't say more than that without spoiling anything.  The From The Ashes DLC saw an introduction of a new playable character, a Promethean, you get an insight into what happened last time the Reapers showed up 50,000 years ago. The Omega DLC was by far the dullest, Aria is not the most interesting character to start with, and it just didn't add anything to the game.

Overall I felt the story to be more solid than my original playthrough, this was for two key reasons, the downloadable contents and the extended ending.  While the experience was better second time around I feel it would have been a more memorable game had they released the game with some of the downloadable content the first time around rather than trying to pry more money out of loyal fans.

Visuals 

The series has come a long way since the original Mass Effect, the visuals are still looking good especially for a last generation console game.  The HUD now looks and feels a lot crisper which helps for smoother gameplay.  One of the most visually stunning parts of the game apart from the various planets are the Reapers themselves, giant robotic squid type beings, which I know doesn't sound impressive, but trust me they're impressive.  The planet Benning had a very Judge Dredd feeling to them, orange skies, trash and beaten up buildings and containers everywhere.  The planet Kallini was cool, snow-capped mountains, a monastery that was futuristic, but also looked old.

Overall the game is visually impressive and really helps in bringing the whole galaxy to life.

Music 

The music has a very different feel from Mass Effect 2, which I suppose makes sense as the Mass Effect 3 is about all-out war.  The sound runs between being Tron-esque and a Hollywood war movie, and in honesty, it works pretty well.  Initially, I was disappointed that Jack Wall did come back to do the music, but the other composers returned along with a new one which worked just as well if not better.  Sam Hulick, Christopher Lennertz, Cris Velasco and Sasha Dikiciyan return, along with newcomer Clint Mansell create the sound for Mass Effect 3.  This group has collectively helped create some amazing and fun soundtracks including; Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition, Ghost in the Shell, Black Swan, The Fountain, Sausage Party, Agent Carter, Bloodborne, Prototype, Borderlands, Deus Ex Mankind Divided and Borderlands 2.

The soundtrack features over an hour of music, with some great tracks, including, 'Fate of The Galaxy', 'Mars', 'A Future For The Krogan', 'The Cerberus Plot', and 'Arlakh Company'

Overall a pretty solid soundtrack, that really helps create the feeling of war and all-out annihilation.

Gameplay

The gameplay is a lot stronger than it was in Mass Effect 2, no more getting stuck on walls or Shepard not crouching and then getting destroyed by the enemy, you can now roll too, which can be handy.  The biotic abilities feel a little more refined, and the weapons as a whole seem more precise and powerful.  There is now the option to add mods to weapons, which isn't a bad thing but I never felt like it made a huge difference.  The most powerful weapon was the MII Suppressor, a full clip could drop many an enemy, in some ways it felt as good as when I used to dual wield enforcers in Unreal Tournament.  The character classes fall into, Soldier, Infiltrator, Vanguard, Sentinel, Adept, Engineer, each offer their own benefits, but like with Mass Effect 2 you can add/swap some abilities if you needed.

The mini-game of mining planets from Mass Effect 2 is gone, now you can scan planets quickly for War Assets, although if you are not careful the Reapers will find you, and then it's game over.  Hacking is also gone and replaced with by-pass which see Shepard hold his hand up for a few moments to unlock certain doors.

One thing that really bugged me, as it had in previous games was the mission completion list.  In some cases you would be asked to carry out a mission, you might then go and get distracted with other ones but there is nothing to let you know you had completed that part of it.  Then it would be mean you had to go to the area you may have got the required item from and see if it was still there or not.

The addition of Jarik, the new playable Promethean character, was good but not great as his abilities were not really any better than the other characters and in some ways felt weaker.  The DLC added a lot to the gameplay (apart from Omega) which was great but once again made me feel it should have been available in the original release of Mass Effect 3.

Overall some great gameplay that has a lot of improvements of Mass Effect 2, in particular, the cover system and weapons.

Final Thoughts

After thirty plus hours, how did I feel?  Pretty good actually, it was certainly a better experience than the first time around.  The gameplay, visuals, and music were all pretty strong, the real game changer was the addition of the story.  I have mentioned it already, but it does make me angry that the game was not released with downloadable content and extended ending, it would have made the overall experience a lot more solid, and perhaps it would not have received so many negative reactions from fans.  If I take my experience as a whole this time, with all the bells and whistles attached I would have to give it 4 out of 5