Anthem - Review

At last years E3 (or maybe the year before) BioWare announced their new game, Anthem. The idea of going around in an Iron Man suit appealed to me a lot.  When the game was released this year it got a lot of flack and I had other games to play (as I always do) so let it fall by the wayside.  Recently, Sinisa, one of my favorite technicians at work, let me know that Anthem was on sale for €10 on sale in Smyths. Naturally, I did not have to spend much time debating about the purchase.


Does anyone remember having Nerds as a kid?  Coloured, sugary balls of E numbers. They weren't really nice but at the same time, I couldn't get enough of them. I had a friend, Harry, in secondary school, and one day while waiting for his mum to pick us up he ate a whole box of them in minutes. The results were amazing, he puked hard and in multicolor like a rainbow.  It makes me wonder when they depict unicorns with rainbows coming out their mouths have they simply eaten too many Nerds? Playing Anthem I wondered was I going to be puking like a unicorn?

Story

BioWare has always been well known for its great storytelling abilities, interesting characters and dialogue choices that could really shape the game.  This is all largely absent from Anthem.  The game features you and a bunch of Freelancers who are wearing suits called Javelins.  There is something called the Anthem that seems to be almost alive, if someone can control it then they could remake the world.  There are also artifacts that need to be kept in check so they don't destroy the world. A load Freelancers go to take on a major artifact and it goes badly.  The story from that point is about trying to go back and finish the job.  

There are many characters in the games but I didn't feel invested in them, with the exception of Mathais, a historian/archaeologist/scientist type. He's the only one whose storyline provoked enough interest that he was memorable at all. Conversations and the answers you choose seem to have no bearing on what happens at all.

Overall the story feels like an unfinished novel, there are some interesting parts that could offer potential if only BioWare bothered to finish it, and it smacks of an incomplete EA release to get as much money as early as possible.

Visuals

While the story is lacking BioWare have at least tried to provide some great visuals. The world you traverse is full of lush forests and some cavernous places.  In 4K they look really good and the Javelins themselves are very detailed.  The character designs are pretty good and for the most part, it feels like you are interacting with an actual person rather than just an NPC.

Overall the visuals look great, the only thing lacking is a bit more variety with the world itself, one area can look very much like another - all high cliffs and lush forests with some rocky terrain. Different times of day would have added to this as well, missions at night perhaps.

Music

The soundtrack has an almost cinematic sound to it, featuring lots of strings, a choir, and the occasional electro sound. The music is composed by Sarah Schachner responsible for; Assassin Creed Origins and Unity, and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2019.

The soundtrack runs at just shy on ninety minutes.  My favorite tracks include; 'Strong Alone, Stronger Together', 'The Monitor', 'The Titan', 'Outlaw Ambush', and 'The Chimera'.

Overall the soundtrack is good but not quite as strong as Schachner's work in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2019.

Gameplay

There is so much to discuss, so let's get it into it.  The game can be played solo, in co-op or with up to three other players. There are four types of Javelin, Colossus, Storm, Interceptor, and Ranger. Each with their own specialties and you can unlock all of them as you level up.  They each feel quite different and each provides a slightly different experience. The javelins can be fully upgraded, from weapons to appearance.  Weapons can be collected or crafted but for the most part, crafting isn't really necessary.  The javelins each have a power number and can increase as you add better equipment and weapons.

The enemies are varied and while a large number of them can feel a little intense at times it never feels hard even when the difficulty is on hard. There are only a few bosses in the game which are fun to be fair and offered more of a challenge.  By far the most challenging areas are the Strongholds which offer lots of enemies and even more experience points.  It was this element of the game that really kept me wanting to play more and is a really great co-op game. I suspect if I hadn't been playing it with my Nollsy, I wouldn't have gotten nearly as much enjoyment out of it, and she felt the same. Co-op is really the thing that saved the overall experience.

Okay now for the bad.  The load times are horrendous, which is made even worse through the matchmaking element which nearly takes as long. With side missions especially they can be completed so quickly that you can spend at least a third of your time waiting for the game to load.  This part of the game needs a massive overhaul and hopefully, be fixed in BioWare big redesign/update.

Once the game has been completed you can play missions on Legendary difficulty and take on all manner of challenges.  It because of things like this that I will keep going back and playing more of the game.

Overall the gameplay has a lot of work to make it all it could be, that being said I can't enough of playing it!

Final Thoughts

So, after twenty-plus hours how did I feel? Confused.  The story is far from epic, the visuals are pretty good but could use more variety, the music was good.  The gameplay is addictive even though it really needs work.  It is really tough to rate this one, I like giving round numbers so this one gets a 3 out of 5

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2019 - Review

Another year, another Call of Duty game.  I have bowed out the last while from playing them, as one of the small percentages of people who enjoy playing the campaign and not multiplayer I have found them to be mediocre at best.  I was excited this time around due to the name Call of Duty Modern Warfare, which for me had some of the best storylines and an all-round enjoyable game.  Plus I loved seeing Captain Price on the box art, thinking how does he look so young?  I got a copy with the latest PlayStation 4 I picked up and was excited to play it.


I love a good slice of Apple Pie, sometimes just by itself and other times with custard.  I like to be sweet with a slight hint of bitter flavouring. Sadly, I have had many any Apple Pie that is too bitter and a bit hard to digest at times.  Playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2019 I found myself asking was this a tasty sweet piece of pie or a very bitter one?

Story 

Just like in the previous Call of Duty games you get to play as different characters which really helps mix things up and increase suspense and anticipation.  The game starts with you taking control of 'Alex', a CIA operative and his team trying to recover a lethal gas from Urzikstan.  Unfortunately, they get hijacked and everyone is killed apart from poor old Alex. Then we see Sergeant Garrick and Captain Price try to foil a terrorist attack in London.  Back to Urzikstan, we see Freedom Fighters Farah and Hadir trying to push an evil Russian General out of the country.   All characters end up coming together to help defeat a shared set of enemies.  I know it is an odd thing to complain about but I didn't know it was a reboot until I started the game. I wish this need to reboot everything would stop especially as they could have just created all-new characters rather than trying to entice people with nostalgia.

Overall the story is good, with a few weak points near the end of the game.  There is a mission called Highway of Death which received quite a lot of backlash as they have essentially taken something historic, changed the names and switched the bad guys to the Russians.   A little embellishing is fine but this went way beyond that and felt a little in poor taste.

Visuals

The visuals in Infinity Wards latest installment are nothing short of breathtaking, and easily the best in the series.  The world feels real and very dangerous, often creating a very claustrophobic environment.  This is particularly true of the missions set in Urzikstan, and the one in London which, while being a big city, feels really congested.  The weapons and character designs are sharp, realistic and help create an almost cinematic world.

Overall the visuals are spot on with rarely any issues and certainly helped enhance my overall experience. 

Music 

The soundtrack has a mix of moaning strings to help create an intense atmosphere and a distinct middle eastern sound which worked really well.  The composer is Sarah Schachner responsible for;

Assassin Creed Origins and Unity, Anthem, and Call of Duty Infinite Warfare.

The sound is just shy of two hours and features some great tracks, my favorite being; 'Modern Warfare Main Theme', 'Highway', 'Know Your Enemy', 'Old Comrades', 'Rooftop' and 'Threat Assessment'. Overall it was a good soundtrack but certainly doesn't stand out as much as the previous Modern Warfare games.

Gameplay

The gameplay is fast and furious with little time to catch your breath, and that's a good thing. In some previous Call Of Duty games, you can easily play it safe and take your time, this time you are pushed to move up and move on.  Clearing any area of enemies doesn't mean one still can't sneak up from behind and clock you in the back of the head or shoot you dead.  

In a similar fashion to most first-person shooters, there isn't really a cover system.  While at times this can make things dicey it also adds to the excitement.

The weapons sound, look and feel great.  Sniper rifles feel powerful and require a little patience to get good shots, especially long-distance ones.  The Molotov cocktails are quite fun but one miscalculation and you will be turned into barbecue.

Rather than one final mission to pull everything together the last few all felt like one giant final mission, this stopped the gameplay feeling rushed. While it was very dark I enjoyed the mission where you play as a young Farah try to help her and her brother avoid being caught by soldiers.

Overall the gameplay was really entertaining and is much closer to the feel Modern Warefare 2 provided then some of the newer games in the series.

Final Thoughts

So, after almost ten hours how did I feel.  Pretty good.  I definitely had some issues with the story but as a whole, it was pretty solid and has already sent up the sequel Spec Ops.  The visuals were amazing and some the most realistic I have seen in a shooter in a long time.  The music was spot on and helped make a tense environment even more so.  The gameplay was strong and occasionally stuff but never stopped being fun to play.  Overall this one just slides in with 4 out 5

Assassins Creed Origins - Review

Another year, another Assassins Creed game.  I have a strange relationship with the series, I like it and I don't.  There is something that intrigues me about the games but at the same time I know I'm letting myself in for a level of disappointment.  I can't quite put my finger on what it is about them, perhaps it's their similarity to Fifa.  A new one gets released each year, there are improvements made each time but in many ways, it's the same game.  Anyway, I finally decided to play Assassins Creed Origins.


Museli.  I am not a big breakfast person but on occasion, I do like some cereal.  Muesli is my fall back cereal, it's not particularly exciting but it's reliable and does the job.  Playing Assassins Creed Origins I found myself asking, was this my muesli?

Story


Where to start?  There is a machine called the Animus, which allows you to see the memories of your ancestors. This is the part of the basis for series, the rest of it revolves around good and evil.  In honesty though that is a huge oversimplification of the series.  Anyhow, I digress.


The game takes place in 48 BCE Egypt and sees you take control of Bayek.  Unfortunately, Bayek is about to have a bad day.  Shortly after the murder of his son, Bayek decides to seek revenge.  Quickly it becomes apparent that this task will be a lot more difficult and intricate than he could have imagined.  It will involve Greece, The Roman Empire and Cleopatra.


Overall the story is okay but feels less like Assassins Creed and more like a stand-alone game.  While there are nods to the series as a whole it feels very isolated from the others.  The closest comparison would be Resident Evil VII Biohazard, it's a good enough story but just doesn't feel like part of the series.

Graphics


The visuals are fantastic, they are lush and the whole world feels really organic.  The pyramids look amazing, the cities, towns and marketplaces feel alive which really helped sucked me into the world.  The people look really detailed and the animals are simply amazing.


Overall the game visual spectacle and is certainly one of the strongest parts of the game if not the strongest part.



Music


The music has a middle eastern sound with a little of the Assassins Creed series music we have gotten used to hearing grated on top of it.  The creator of this score is American composer and performer Sarah Schachner.  Some of her work includes Assassins Creed Unity, Call of Duty: Infinity Warfare and Anthem.


The score runs a little over seventy minutes, my favourite tracks included 'Assassins Creed Origins Main Theme', 'Return of the Medjay', 'I walk on your water' and 'The Alexandrian Pleiad'.


Overall the score is okay but nothing really standout, especially by comparison of the others in the series.

Gameplay


Assassins Creed Origins has overhauled the combat system which has made it more challenging but also more rewarding.  Enemies have levels assigned to them similar to an RPG meaning that running blindly into enemy forts swords and shields swinging is not going to end well.  While you will have many weapons and tools including swords, spears, bows and shields the best weapon/tool in your arsenal is Senu.  Senu is your eagle friend, great for locating objectives, annoying enemies, and marking targets.


There is now a distinct levelling up system which will allow you to unlock new abilities.  Some will allow you to focus on your skills as a warrior, some on stealth and others will unlock new tools.  No matter what your preferred play style is there is something there for everyone.


Similar to previous games there are shops to buy and sell goods along with buying craft materials.  There is more focus on upgrading equipment that in pervious games, so prepare to hunt.


Overall the gameplay was pretty solid with few complaints, I won't lie I missed being able to use my hidden blade whenever I fancied but it's called origins after all.




Final Thoughts

So, after thirty hours how did I feel?  Not bad. The story was alright, the visuals were fantastic, the music was okay and the gameplay was great.  The story was alright but it didn't really add a whole lot to the Assassins Creed Universe.   The visuals and gameplay were the best parts for sure and really helped in improving the series as a whole.  The music was okay but was a far cry from the likes of Assassins Creed Black Flag.  Overall this one gets a slightly underwhelming 3 out of 5