The Complex - Review

 

I really love that to some degree FMV games are making a come back, one studio in particular stands out, Wales Interactive. I played Late Shift a couple of years back and enjoyed that, and then played Erica which was also really enjoyable. I love when a game is heavily story based and you have to make decisions that will potentially effect the overall story in minor and often major ways, it is a big reason I like TellTale Games The Walking Dead. When I saw that Wales Interactive had released a game around potential virus and pandemic outbreak it really resonated with me, can't imagine why!

I recently tried Cadbury's White Chocolate Oreo Bar and I loved it! I love white chocolate and like a fungus Oreos have grown on me over the years. The combination of the two means I scoff it down so quickly I worry I might lose the tip of one of my fingers. In summary, it's damn good. Playing The Complex I found myself wondering was I in danger of losing part of a finger?

Story

There is a new potential drug that could be used to help heal people with limited supplies, in particular an upcoming mission to Mars. Turns out if someone break in, steals it and get infected by it before it has been completed it makes for a nifty bio-weapon. The game has you take control of Dr. Amy Tenant, the scientist responsible for making the drug/weapon, along with a slightly old untrustworthy colleague you are stuck locked in the facility with, trying to figure how who, how and why this all happened. Can Dr. Tenant figure it out or are we all doomed to stay in lockdown permanently?

There are lot more decisions to be made verses Wales Interactive's previous games, it is not quite as clear cut as good and bad decisions and instead goes for something deeper. If you had created something and it was then used as a weapon how would you feel, how would you deal it?

Overall the story is pretty solid and offers multiple endings, characters can even die based on your decisions so choose wisely, or don't.

Visuals

The FMV quality featured in the game are great, high production values and even with the lockdown element there are still a few different locations you will get to see. My favorite part visually is the lab you are locked down in, it has a very real feel to it with some mildly futuristic instruments, doing this creates a blend of being both grounded and futuristic without pulling you out of the story. 

Overall the visuals and locations used are really good, the only thing that was occasionally jarring is when choosing a decision there was sometimes a solid 1-2 seconds where it stutters and while it was far from being a deal breaker it certainly could have been a little smoother.

Music

Unfortunately, there was no sign of a soundtrack being available to listen to outside of the game itself. The music is sparse, but in a game so heavily focused on the story it is not really a big deal. There are few snippets of music used often when a bigger decision is being made, nothing to write home about it.

Gameplay

The gameplay and story are almost one and the same. There will be a lot of decisions to make, everything from who should get the vaccine, whether or not to ignore someone or give them a snarky response, or picking to use a microscope to open a vent (?) over using science and a little brain power. Some of them are a lot of fun and did have me smiling in places.

The lead character is very strong and likeable but unfortunately almost no one else in the game is, but I think that was by design rather than an accident. As the game progress it give you percentages stats on your relationships with others and what kind of personality you have based on the responses and decisions you make.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the game are the endings, there are quite a few and some of them are pretty intense and there are more than a few unexpected turn of events.

Overall the gameplay was pretty solid and definitely makes me interested to try more of Wales Interactive games.

Final Thoughts

So, after six hours of playing how did I feel? Not bad. The story is pretty solid, it is a shame the only likeable character was the one you play as. The visuals are high quality and some decent productions values, the occasional stuttering when making decision was a little jarring but not the end of the world. The lack of music was unusual, but if you look at episode of a TV show you would not expect to hear a lot. The gameplay like the story is pretty solid and the multitude of ending provides some great replay value. Overall this one gets 3 out of 5

Tales of the Borderlands - Review

I remember playing the original Borderlands when it first came out & I loved it, including all the  add-ons.  I played the game through multiples times solo & in co-op, naturally when Borderlands 2 was announced I was excited.  I felt gameplay wise it improved things over the original but the story, humor & characters were not as good.  I decided to try the add ons & liked some of them, then they started creating loads of mini add-ons which were not so great, I became bored of it & never went back to playing it.  When the Pre-Sequel was released I was fairly nonplussed about it & decide to give it a miss.  However when I heard Telltale Games was doing a game on Borderlands I thought to myself, hmmm this might be interesting. Unfortunately it got lost in the pile of many games I wanted to play until recently when I saw it on special on XBOX Game Store.


How do you feel about ready meals, more specifically Chicken Curry?  Well normally speaking it is passable as food, sates your hunger & tastes alright, it's good when you are in a bind or have no idea what else to eat.  On occasion though you have a really tasty chicken curry ready meal, so good you want more of it, with naan bread, onion bhaji's & some poppadoms. Playing Tale of the Borderlands I had ask myself was it a barely passable ready meal or some tasty meal that made me want more?

The game is introduced & narrated by everyone's favorite weapons dealer Maaarcuuus!  Bruce DeBose does his voice, there is something both comical & serious about it that works really well. The game has you take control of two characters.  There is Rhys (voiced by the talented Troy Baker), company man, snappy dresser & Fiona (voice by the equally talented Laura Bailey), con artist who has a kind of has steam punk look about her.  

Rhys has his best friend Vaughan (numbers man) & his other best friend Yvette (requisitions & lunch). The two are trying to help Rhys take control of Hyperion, unfortunately his nemesis, Vasquez (voiced by the hilarious Patrick Warburton) has other plans.

As with the Walking Dead & other Telltale Games the game is heavily story driven so I will need to spend a little time talking about it.  I have split it all up by the episodes & have given a little taste of what each of them are about while trying not to give away any spoilers.

Episode 1 - Zer0 Mission 

We are first introduced to Rhys & Fiona in flashback form, they have been kidnapped & their captor wants to know what brought them to this point. With the demise of Handsome Jack (Borderlands 2) there is a power vacuum building in the Hyperion company & one man in particular is looking to become top dog - Rhys.  Unfortunately this won't be happening anytime soon due to his nemesis Vasquez taking the promotion for himself.  Not prepared to take things laying down Rhys decides to head down to happy, safe Pandora to get himself some ol' fashioned revenge.  Turns out company men have no business being on Pandora as he & his friend Vaughn quickly discover.  Lucky enough they hobble together an alliance with two con artists; Fiona & her sister Sasha.  Episode 1 finishes off with; betrayal, loss, a ghost & a treasure map.

Episode 2 - Atlas Mugged

Episode 2 starts with more questions from Rhys & Fiona's captor, we get to see the story from both of their perspectives & try to work who is telling the truth.  It turns out sporks are handy not just for eating food, Rhys makes a frenemy & a treasure hunt begins.  Episode 2 has a very intense start; things go from bad to worse for Rhys & Vaughn, Fiona & Sasha aren't fairing much better.

Episode 3 - Catch A Ride 

The gang have just escaped from an Atlas facility, of course they think things can't get any worse, they are wrong. They discover Project Gortys which will help lead them to the treasure but only once it's fully completed.  Robot hi jinx ensue & the group is taken on a scavenger hunt, unfortunately for Vaughan he ends up having a shocking time.  The ending of episode 3 is unexpected & is by far the best episode so far.

Episode 4 - Escape Plan Bravo

The team are on the hunt for the final part of Project Gortys but it might be tougher than expected. It's time for a heist, as we all know every good heist needs, spaceships, high fives, skin pizza, travel sickness & cool slow motion walking.  Of course it's not that simple & we end up seeing the ultimate power of the Hyperion home base - Helios.

Episode 5 - The Vault of the Traveler 

Things are not looking good for Rhys & his frenemy is not too happy with him.  Sacrifices are made, Project Gortys is brought to the next level, many battles take place & we finally get to see if the gang will get their treasure.  We also discover who Rhys & Fiona's kidnapper is & why he captured you.  It is an action packed & drama filled conclusion.

If you have played any of the previous games in the series you will be used to the art style, which is continued in Tales from the Borderlands.  The character designs are interesting as always in Borderlands, Rhys was one of my favorite character designs,  he has a robotic arm, echo eye implant & a two face style outfit.  Some of the set pieces looks really good especially in the Jungle area in Episode 3 & the Road Trip montage in the same episode looked great.  The design used for the intros & credits looked really cool.

All in all the visuals are exactly what I have got used in the Borderlands series, no more, no less.  As the saying goes, if it ain't broken why fix it?

The music has many sides to it, sometimes it is subtle, sometimes  it intense & other times it has a high octane action sound. Listening to the soundtrack again I can definitely here elements of the Walking Dead.  There are some people who suggested it has a Firefly-esqe sound & I would have to agree but maybe that's because it feels like you are a bit of a space cowboy in the game.  There are number of artists that makes up the sound in Tales of the Borderlands, they include:

Jared Emerson-Johnson; who was the composer for Telltales The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us & Sam & Max Season 1.

Additionally there were a number of artists who's songs made up the soundtrack, they include;  Twin Shadow, Shawn Lee, Nino Moshella, Jungle, James Blake, The Rapture, Wilco, Halsey, The Weeknd, Ed Sheeran, Lana Del Ray, Sara Jackson-Holman.

There are many great pieces of music in the game, some of my favorites include; 'Boot Game', 'Caves', 'Dam Top',  'Purple Skag', 'Run Through the Desert', 'Lynchwood Sheriff', 'Jungle Chase'

'Tundra Express'.  There were a number of songs that stood out for me; 'To The Top' by Twin Shadow,

'Kiss the Sky' by Shawn Lee & Nino Moshella,  'Busy Earin' by Jungle,  'Piece of the People We Love' by The Rapture.  Overall a solid soundtrack with some interesting pieces of music.

Onto the meat, gameplay!  Traditionally in Telltale games the action or quick time events are sporadic,  the gameplay itself focuses on picking responses to what is being spoken about.  In Tales of the Borderlands there is significantly more action sequences which makes things both different & really fun.  

One of the features I really liked was Rhys's echo eye which is used to obtain more information on the world around you, more often than not the information give is really funny.  One thing that seemed a little pointless was the inventory as it was not like you had a choice in what you could use. Also Fiona collecting money felt unneeded as what you could buy was not that good & did not really make the gameplay anymore enjoyable.

While I enjoyed the latest series of the Walking Dead I felt that Javier & Clementine did not get equal screen time where as with Rhys & Fiona I did not find this to be the case.  I enjoyed the dynamic between the characters & it was interesting trying to work out what the real truth was.  For me part of the appeal of Borderlands is the dark humor which has been a staple in the series. As with the other games it can be; gross, graphic, foul mouthed, intense, crazy & very funny.

There were two really stand out moments when playing; the first was the gun fight in episode 4, which I have to say hands down is one of my favorite shootouts ever, the second was the end boss fight which was not only fun but also felt a bit like Power Rangers.

There was some interesting gameplay that by & large worked well,  it is something I would be interested to see used more in future Telltale Games.

So after 12 plus hours what did I think of my experience in Pandora?  Honestly pretty good, I had a few issues when it came to story as I felt occasionally the pacing was off & a few gameplay elements felt a little unneeded but as a whole I really enjoyed it.  I would be mildly curious to see if any of the story from Tales of the Borderlands will show up in Borderlands 3.   Overall I give this game a monkey thumbs up!

The Walking Dead: A New Frontier - Review

A few years back when everyone went crazy for a new game by Telltale Games called the Walking Dead I didn't see the appeal.  The whole zombie apocalypse thing has been done to death & the little I had seen of the TV show did not really grab me.  So the Christmas Season One was released it was on special offer on XBOX Live so I thought, why not give it a go - I was not disappointed. Season One was fantastic, there were so many great characters & what happened to them really mattered to me.  Naturally when Season 2 was released I was all over it & once again I loved it.  Unfortunately though there were big delays when it came to Season 3: A New Frontier & there was even talk of it being cancelled at one point, but luckily enough in the end that never happened.


Let's take a moment to talk about Ham & Cheese Toasties.  First off you get some nice thick cut bread (or thin depending on your preference), some tasty carved ham & a ton of cheese all heated together to perfection.  It's something so simple but yet truly satisfying, it  makes me feel warm & happy inside.  Playing A New Frontier I had to ask myself would be I left feeling warm & happy inside by something so simple?

As you know traditionally I don't spend significant time talking about the story of a game as I don't want anyone who has not played it to have a dampened experience.  However as with all previous seasons of the Walking Dead they are heavily story driven & I really need to spend a little more time than normal taking about the story.  I have split it all up by the episodes & have given a little taste of what they are about while trying not to give away any spoilers.


Episode 1 - Ties that Bind Part 1

The episodes starts with flashback to before the outbreak, brothers Javier & David Garcia are fighting after a death in the family.  This episode is interesting as it primarily focuses on family & helps to establish the character of Javier.  We see Clementine returning (yay!), a little older, a little wiser & a little tougher.  Episode 1 rounds out being both intense & shocking.


Episode 2 - Ties that Bind Part 2

This episode gives us a look at how the world has changed & moved forward since Season 2, but not for the better.  We get introduced to the New Frontier who are one bad group of people. We also get to see what has been happening with Clementine since Season 2, she is deeply troubled & her life has continued to get harder.  A new character enters near the end of episode 2 but can the newly assembled group trust him.  The closing of episode reveals a shocking revelation.


Episode 3 - Above The Law

Javier & the group have to deal with a wounded member of the group by entering the belly of the beast - The New Frontier's base of operations.  Javier's fiery temper helps risk the groups safety & they narrowly avoid getting killed.  We get to see a flashback featuring Clementine & the heartbreak she has suffered.  Friendships are tested & betrayal is around every corner, episode 3 was a slow start but finished strong.


Episode 4 - Thicker Than Water

The episode starts with a flashback of David & Javier that I felt really helped you see things from Davids prospective.  It left me thinking a little better of David & slightly less of Javier. After some of the group is kicked out of the New Frontier's base we see Javier trying to break back in to rescue the rest of the group.  Getting in seems easy but getting out is a whole other challenge.  There is a good section in the episode featuring Javier & Clementine working together, I felt a real bond growing between them.  We get to see another flashback with Clementine & her complicated past with the New Frontier.  Episode 4 ends explosively & slightly unexpectedly.


Episode 5 - From the Gallows

This episode takes us back to the past & shows the Garcia house with David, Javier & their father. Some bad news deals a blow to the family & some handle it better than others.  After this we pick up were episode 4 left off & everything is descending into chaos.  Everyone loves shouldering the blame for everything on Javier even for things he is not really responsible for.  We see family ties tested & severed.  A sad ending but for everyone still alive but there is hope for a brighter tomorrow.

The visuals are fantastic & this time have a little extra polish, but it does not take away from the charm of the art style we have grown to love.  The world feels bigger than in previous seasons & a lot of this comes down to the details.  The abandoned cars & derelict buildings each adds to the atmosphere of the game.  I could not fault the overall look of the game & it stayed in keeping with the previous seasons.


The music is definitely more prevalent than in previous seasons but does not feel out of place.  There is a lot of use of somber tones to help punctuate the atmosphere in the game.  There is heavy use of electronic sounds to create a sense of panic & pressure.  These sounds were created by American composer Jared Emerson-Johnson; who worked on; The Walking Dead, Wolf Among Us, James Bond: Everything or Nothing & Poker Night at The Inventory.


While I would consider for the most part the music to linger in the background there were pieces that really stood out, my favorites were; 'Credits', 'New Frontier Part 1', 'Attack', 'Prescott Bar', 'Intruder Parts 1 & 2', 'Tense Part 1', 'Action', 'Clementine Part 1' & 'Mystery'.  Sorry for the lack of album cover art but I just couldn't find any.

Onto the ham, I mean meat - the gameplay.  The quick time events (QTE's) are much cooler than the first two seasons & some had me with my heart in my mouth.  I really liked the way QTE's are displayed, sometimes they appear from the cover you are hiding behind or erratically appearing on the screen when things are tense.  I felt like it all really helped add to the urgency & franticness of what was happening in the story.

There is more opportunity to explore than before & this really helps the world feel more real.  Playing as both Javier & Clementine was an interesting touch, I was dubious initially but it actually worked really well. I liked Javier but no matter what happened he just was not as awesome as Clementine. I liked the use of flashbacks throughout the game, it often felt like you were witnessing accounts of war stories.  Despite the constant darkness there is humor in the game which helps break the tension of everything that is going on.


As a whole the game play was great with very few bad things to mention,  that being said they are worth mentioning.  I was unable to import my saves from Walking Dead Season 1 & 2 instead I got the option of answering questions to create my story, I didn't really like that much. Some of the dialogue options are a lot more harsh, in episode 4 especially I felt the selected option did not always represent what was said by the character & I found this to be a little jarring.

How did I feel after 12 hours of playing Walking Dead A New Frontier?  Pretty happy & eager for the next season.  There were a lot of likable characters, the gameplay for the most part was great & as always I love the art direction.  Is it as good as Season 1 & 2?  No probably not but I know I will play it again without a doubt. I would give this one a big monkey thumbs up.

Murdered Soul Suspect - Review

January is a tough month for all of us. Some of you will have made New Resolutions which you have already broken, there are not many new games out & our wallets are feeling light after Christmas.  So what is a gamer to do?  I guess it is time to play one of the Playstation Plus or Games for Gold titles.


Hands up if you have ever eaten Koka Noodles, I have.  According to the Daily Edge "Koka Noodles are the food that keep Ireland running".  They are not super tasty, filled with chemicals & don't look very appealing but they help fill the void in your stomach during tough times.  There is no point complaining about all they could be because you know what you signed up for, this is sort of how I felt about Murdered Soul Suspect.

The game is set in modern day Salem Massachusetts, you play as Detective Ronan O'Connor, a rogue cop with a murky past.  In the opening moments of the game you are thrown through a third-storey window by the Bell Killer, unfortunately you can't fly so you can imagine how that works out.


I really liked the introduction to Ronan, you are given a back story by way of tattoos appearing on his body marking major events during his life.  The most notable of these is meeting his wife Julia which helped make him a better person, naturally her murder throws his life into turmoil.


Ronan loved being a Detective when he was alive & decides to continue being one now he is dead.
His mission is to figure out why he was killed, stop the Bell Killer & find Julia in the afterlife.  Don't worry you are not completely alone, you have Joy, an angst ridden teenager who looks like how I would imagine Triss Merigold's daughter to look like, oh & a cat.


There is genuine heart & emotion in Murdered Soul Suspect along with an interesting detective story with a paranormal twist.

Visually speaking the game does not look awful but does not look great either, considering Square Enix rubber stamped their name on it I hoped it would look better.  That being said there some great character designs, especially the Demons & some of the more random ghosts in the background.  One thing I really liked was that parts of old Salem often come through into modern day Salem which gave a really eerie feel.


The composer for game is Jason Graves who's works include; Fear 3, Far Cry Primal & The Order 1886.  The music lingers in the background & is never really intrusive,  unfortunately it so much so that the soundtrack is not very memorable.  There are only a few pieces that stood out for me; 'Main Theme', 'Julia' which has a very somber sound & 'Devour Your Soul' which is a rather chilling piece.
Due to the nature of the game it instead focuses on sound effects which being honest maybe was a better choice.

Onto the meat - the gameplay.   There are multiple cases to solve in the game, each one requiring you to find clues.  Once you have most or all of the clues you can answer the question being asked of you. While for the most part I enjoyed this I never quite understood what difference the order of clues you picked mattered especially as you were only asked one question. Picking the wrong order penalised & you would lose one of your three shields but being honest it never seemed to have an impact on the overall result of the case.


There are a number of trapped souls in Salem all who are looking for your help.  If you can successfully help give them closure they will pass on to the afterlife.  It made me feel good watching them float up to the sky all happy.


You have a host of ghostly abilities that you gain in the early part of the game.  One of them is called 'reveal' which helps reveal (funny enough) something from the past or something that was hidden. When you find something to use your ability on it actually looks like a glitch in the game.  I wonder was this originally an accident & someone in the studio thought this would be a great way to cover up a glitch?  Another ability you will use frequently in the game is 'Poltergeist', it works well for the most part but other times you have to be at a very specific angle to get it to recognise there an item to interact with.


There are few Easter Eggs in the game; in the Police Station almost all the computer screens have the main menu for Deus Ex Human Revolution & there are Just Cause 2 posters randomly put up in the station as well.


As a whole the gameplay was okay but was never very exciting, it could of been an action horror like Fear 2, or a pick your own path game like Telltale's Walking Dead but instead never really committed to being either & went for something sort of in the middle that did not really work.

So after less than 10 hours how did I feel about Murdered Soul Suspect?  If I take it as budget title, with a good story & some interesting characters I could almost say it was good.  Being honest though that was not what it was supposed to be & if I had to pay full price for a game that offered under 10 hours of gameplay & no real replay value then I would have to give it a 'meh' rating.  If you have nothing else do & want something to play while eating your Koka Noodles this might fill the void.