Saints Row 3 Remastered - Review

 

Many moons ago some of the guys at HMV where I working at the time were talking about Saints Row 3. I had played a small amount of Saints Row 2 and was pretty underwhelmed, it felt like a cheap clone of the Grand Theft Auto. They told me to ignore any preconceptions I had and play it, so I did, and oh boy was I wrong. The game was so much fun and overshadowed most of the Grand Theft Auto games to date. When it was announced it was being remastered for PlayStation 4 and XBOX One I was more than a little excited.

My joy of sweets started from when I was a child, one of my early memories was chewing on Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles. Chewy, juicy, along with containing and being covered in lots of sugar. Once every now and then I would be inhaling them with such vigor that I would get a piece of foil. Now at the time (and up to about a week ago) I had no fillings, and while the taste was not pleasant it was manageable.  Nowadays I eat them a little slower, but when I do get a bit of foil it seems worse than when I was child and not as tolerable. Playing Saints Row 3 Remastered I found myself asking was that bit of foil a little too bad to ignore?

Story 

The Third Street Saints were once a tough street gang and have almost become a parody of themselves. They have their own clothing brand, stores and energy drinks. They have all the important people paid off to look the other way. As many movies, TV series and books have taught us you can't be number one forever and there is always someone looking to knock you off the top spot. The someone is the Syndicate, a collection of gangs and bad guys who seem to be taking over the place. They offer a deal to the Saints who decide to give them the middle finger, this does not work so well. Turned into a public enemy and having all resources drained they must find a way to stop the Syndicate and get back on top.

Despite the story sounding very serious the game does not take itself seriously, there a lots of gags, breaking of the fourth wall and more crude comedy than you can imagine. A fun story, that has some heart and a hell of a lot of laughs. 

Visuals

This visual in the original release of Saints Row 3 (and Saints Row 4), is a blend of realism mixed with an almost comic book style characters (the above image is a good example). The original visuals were good but were far from top notch for the time. While it difficult to know for sure personally I don't think it was a priority for developers Deep Silver and Volition. That being said if you have a good quality story and gameplay it can be overlooked. The biggest thing that stood out for my visually in the original was the variety of backdrops, Steelport itself admittedly is fairly similar across the connect islands, Genki, and VR activities were a lot of fun, and near the end of act two there is an almost Tron inspired mission which looks really cool. 

Remasters released on the PlayStation 4 and XBOX One can have a tendency to feel like a cash grab by companies with little notable differences made to the game. That is not the case with Saints Row 3, especially visually. One of the best representations of this is the image below. Overall Deep Silver and Volition has done a great job of remastering the game visually while at the same time leaving the core unchanged.

Music

The music is combination of rock, pop, R&B, Metal and Classical. There is background music but along with great radio stations with some fantastic tracks. The music is composed by Malcom Kirby Jnr. He has produced a rich tapestry of music for many TV series, movies and games, including; CSI, Training Day, Saints Row IV, NBA Street Home Court. He produced sounds for some of the biggest studios including; Warner Bros, Paramount Pictures, CBS, MTV and more. He is a massively talented musician playing Jazz with many musicians.

The soundtrack is hours and hours long, and while naturally some tracks and pieces repeat over time there is plenty for your ear drums to enjoy. The Mix was by far my favorite radio station music from; Adam Ant, Bonnie Taylor, Faith No More, and Run DMC. Overall a great selection of music no matter your music taste.

Gameplay

When it comes to gameplay its hard to match the fun, manic and often hilarious gameplay. There is so much to discuss so lets get on with it. There are story missions that rather than just having all missions being 'drive to point A, destroy something and move on'. Often there are a couple of options to complete a mission, some which give you respect (SR3 version of experience points), or cashes bonuses. Upgrade, not just a good movie but also a large part of SR3. Cars can be upgrades to incredible degree, want a supped up Golf Cart that has nitrous and spikes sticking out the wheels to knee cap anyone and everyone done? Want to be able to throw a fart grenade at an enemy make the puke and then kill them with a dildo the size of a large dog? Done. Tired of your gender, want bigger breasts, want to look like an alien, cover yourself in tattoos? Done. There were very few games at the time the game was originally released that offered that level of customization. 

There are three games modes available; campaign (it is what it is), Co-Op (tons of fun), and Whored Mode (like horde mode but sexy - not really). The game offers a lot of play options including different difficulty levels. That combined with the ability to make story choice means there is a lot of replay value.

In a similar way to series like Yakuza and GTA the story missions are just a small part of what makes up the game. There are challenges, car theft and assassination missions, along with my favorite of all activities. There are so many activities to complete; Insurance Fraud which involves you getting knocked around like a rag doll by cars. Mayhem, which is all about doing as much damage as possible in a limited time, Genki Bowl, which involves you killing armed mascots, and scoring high enough to win the top prize, filled with traps and angry foxes and pandas. There are more than just these but does help give a taste of what there is on offer.

A year after SR3 was originally released there was a complete edition called Full Package Edition. This featured the three add-ons; The Trouble With Clones, Genki Bowl VII, and Gangsta's In Space. All are available in the remastered edition along with a ton of extra content, new vehicles, clothes, and new weapons. All the new content is available once you get your first crib. All offer a lot of fun and many more hours of gameplay.

Okay I have said lots of good things about the game now for some bad. Shortly after finishing act two the game failed to saved. Instead there was the save icon was constantly showing, I tried reloading an older save the same issue happened, got it working again for it then fail. This also affected all the progression including stats and trophies. The other down side is that the save message appears where mission information appears meaning it was not always possible to know what I was supposed to be doing. I persisted until I completed the game but left a bitter taste in my mouth and certainly ruined the last few hours of gameplay.

Overall the gameplay is fairly solid, but the save issue was pretty big for me, that being said it only seems to affect a few people and is seems I was just unlucky as my partner in crime never experienced the issue and we purchased it at the pretty much the same time.

Final Thoughts

Sooooo, after thirty hours in Steelport how did I feel? Pretty good. The story was as fun as I remember and the characters themselves are quite memorable. The visuals are nicely polished and remastered, the music is as good as I remember. The gameplay was crazy fun and the only complaint I had was the save issue which was pretty big and if it had occurred earlier in the game may have caused me to give up playing it. This one was a tough one to score but in the end managed to slide in with a 4 out of 5

Five Dates - Review

 

Really been on a Wales Interactive kick the last few weeks, and thought why not keep going with it? Five Dates was released last year and is about digital dating during lockdown (yes, actual Covid-19 lockdown - this game is on point). It seemed like a fun idea and I thought my partner in crime Nollsy would really like it too so we decide to play it together.

Potatoes. There's a reason we Irish love them - they're so versatile and a few key decisions can create chips, mash and more can completely change how you experience the humble potato. Five Dates is similar, which hundreds of choices meaning every playthrough is a different experience did we find the perfect chips or mash?

Story

The story is about a single guy named Vinny, about whom we can't tell you much because you have to choose his industry, interests, and general preferences throughout the game. His bro Callum has encouraged him to try online dating, and this game starts with a phone call between them in which Vinny (you) admit you have signed up. The same five girls are always available, but how well you gel with them and what kind of a person Vinny is, are all determined by the choices you make throughout the game.

The girls you can date are:

Maya, from Spain, and feels very much the life of the party

Shaina, a nurse during COVID-19, living with her family and very family orientated

Grace, a well to do professional, and a bit of a mystery

Paige, an influencer (don't tell her it is not a real job), and has trust issues

Saffron, spiritual, insightful and a little cooky

Very different people but all quite interesting in their own way. Overall a really interesting set of stories that really focuses on how small things can really change the way we look at people and they look at us.

Visuals

The visuals create an extremely intimate feeling, talking to someone in their room and through video calls and the dating app feel real and not quite spying but like you are part of it. The bedrooms and living rooms all look and feel like the real deal and not staged. One thing Nolls noticed was that within a single date, the lighting in the background could completely change the time of day. The audio quality also sometimes changed, but rather than being to the detriment of the game it actually made us appreciate even more how this whole game was conceptualized, filmed and developed during the lockdown. The acting was, broadly, very good also and the transition between scenes as you waited to make, or made, choices was very smoothly done, with even careful editing including one character's voice chatting over a camera swivel to the other character. This really added to the organic feel of watching a real date (think First Dates Ireland, close up).

Music

Similar to The Complex there were no signs 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. Given that the game is entirely dialogue-based, it's important to be able to clearly hear what's being said at all times, and while the music may not have had much impact itself, it's noticeable that it also definitely didn't detract from the dialogue.

Gameplay

The gameplay is very simple and straightforward - it's a game designed to be replayed multiple times and the initial setup is quick. You start by setting up your online dating profile, and because you're on the free trial you can only choose three of the five dates available. There are 762 scenes in this game (7 hours of recorded footage) and almost as many choices to be made. The first of these choices include your profile picture, your industry, your star sign and a set of three interests. These will actually influence the scenes that come up with different dates. 

At each stage, you must choose one person fewer so you have three first dates, two-second dates, and one-third date. Each first date is broadly about getting to know each other, while each second date generally involves a game such as Truth Or Dare or Never Have I Ever. You can imagine how many different choices you can make playing such games, and all of this long-winded talking boils down to this - Nolls replayed this game at least 5 times in order to get each of the girls to the 3rd date. At the same time, she deliberately chose different options in the 1st and 2nd dates she had to go back through, and she noted that she learned vastly different things about each girl depending on what choices she made. 

One of the absolute best elements of this game is how complex and layered each girl's personality and life is - depending on your choices, you can form spectacularly different opinions on them on different playthroughs. Saffron, a vegan yoga enthusiast who doesn't like horror movies would not be at the top of Noll's list on paper, and indeed the first time we played through, we actually failed to get a second date with Saffron (yes, you can piss off each girl to the degree that they decline any further dates!). But on a second run-through, we discovered her love of clay boobs, her incredibly interesting way of using Tarot to encourage self-reflection, and one final big shocker that we won't share, because we want your response to be as authentic as ours was when it happened. Saffron is easily one of our two favourite characters (the other being Maya if you're interested). And all of this is just about Saffron - image how much there is to say about all the other characters, including your own character and the available choices there. We highly recommend multiple playthroughs of this game.

Another fun element of the game is your bro Callum who checks in with you before and after your dates for a debrief. 

Final Thoughts

Nollsy wants to give this game a 5/5 for ingenuity, authenticity, and appreciation of imagining people complexly. The whole game acts as an exercise in being non-judgemental and you learn a lot about yourself along the way too. There's a very good chance Nolls is going to keep playing it until she gets all the scenes because she's so impressed with the game. This one gets a solid 5 out of 5

Maneater - Review

 

For some time I have been toying with buying Maneater, not the popular song by Nelly Furtado, who apparently is still making music. The reason for my hesitation was that I thought a game where you play a shark the whole game sounded fun but might get old quickly. However it was on special the other day in the PlayStation Store and thought why not?

I love crisps and the last couple of years that has increased ten fold, because of this I am always looking for something new to try. Pringles has just released Sizzlin' Extra Hot Cheese Chilli, seeing them in my local Tesco I thought why not pick up a tube. It's important to know I like heat in my crisps and really like cheese so the two combined is amazing. I tried one and very quickly the tube was out of crisps, perhaps I got a faulty batch as I can't remember eating them all. They are tasty as hell and could be mine new favorite but only time will tell. Playing I found myself asking was the tube nearly empty only just after I started?

Story

The game is about a TV series called Maneater which follows the exploits of Scaly Pete, a shark hunter like his father before him. The story starts with you as a fully grown bull shark, quickly Pete catches you and guts you...like a fish. Inside he finds a female pup, he decides to cut the hell out of it and throw it into the ocean so he can identify it later in life. That is dark, not Black Ops Dark or Space Dark but pretty dark all the same. You take over playing as this baby shark (do do do do do) whose traumatic birth means you want revenge, but don't worry it's not all serious. The game is commentated by a couple of different people as you play, lot of wit and comical banter. Outside of this there are many nods to pop culture presented in the best possible way.

Overall the story is really good, the humor reminded me of that in Saints Rows 3, and is also a reason I have now download the remastered edition of that game yesterday, whoop whoop!

Visuals 

The visuals are really cool, the waters you traverse are filled with life, when brushing off plants they move, fish scatter when you near and having a mixture of industrial areas and marinas is great. There are also deep sea caves, and if you are feeling adventurous you can leap onto the golf course. Something really fun is do the classical Jaws move and leave your fin out of the water while moving fast, it looks good and makes you feel like Queen of the Waters.

I think most people who play games can agree what levels in games generally suck, for a multitude of reasons. One issue can be that it can look bland and difficult to see clearly, rarely did I find that to the case with Maneater, and the ability to use sonar made even dense areas easy enough to navigate.

Music

The music features a mixture of Cajun, epic movie score sounds and the kind of music you would find in David Attenborough documentaries, but does it work? Yes it does! The score is created by LA based composer Daniel James, best known for his work on Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Honor Of Kings, Call Of Duty Black Ops Cold War and a host of shorts, animated shows and movies.

The soundtrack is around an hour long and features twenty-six tracks. Some of my favorite tracks included; 'A Taste Of Flesh', 'The Great Hunter', 'They Bite Back', 'Unfortunate Outcomes', 'What You Sow', and 'Apex Predators'. Overall an awesome soundtrack!

Gameplay

I cannot express enough how fun the gameplay is, you go from innocent looking pup to killer of the sea. With the ocean being an all you can eat buffet it is easy to level up, all you need to do is keep on swimming.

Initially you start as small pup bull shark, completing main story missions, objects and devouring collectibles you will grow in size, but wait there's more. As the game progresses you can change the look of the shark massively, from a more delicate almost dragon look to a prehistoric looking machine of death. Each part of the body can be then upgraded to make you faster and stronger and as the game progresses you are going to need it. Outside of the upgrading the body there other abilities which can help increase your sonar ability, health and even how long you can last on land before you need to jump back into the big blue.

There is lots to do, from culling sea life in the way only a shark can, to consuming pesky humans, collecting nutrient crates, license plates and landmarks (probably my favorite due to the dialogue). The are apex predators which can sometimes be tough going, and if you are looking to make a name for yourself and love the power you get from biting humans in half you will incur the wrath of bounty hunters. Also if you are like me each area has a percentage completion attached to it which really helps encourages to do everything in the game.

Overall the gameplay is fantastic and part of me wanted the game to be longer, which is great because in January 2021 Tripwire and Blindside Interactive announced they were working on a DLC, yay!

Final Thoughts

So, after fifteen hours how did I feel? Excited, happy and wanting more. The main storyline is serious and everything else is covered in healthy serving of silliness. The visuals look great and very rarely did I have issues with navigating the ocean depths. The music really good and is nice blend of styles. The gameplay is awesome and never got too flustered playing even with the final boss who was a pain. This one gets a solid 5 out of 5

Bladed Fury - Review

 

It is quiet this time of year for game releases, I decided to go through all the games released in the last 7 weeks to see if I missed anything and I had. Bladed Fury by NExT Studios, a beautiful looking game with side-scrolling action. It was on Steam for only €5 so I thought why not give it a go.

Crunchie is a very underrated chocolate bar, growing up I was not huge into them as the honeycomb felt weird on my teeth. When I got older and especially at Christmas time I really got to enjoy them especially the little ones in selection boxes. They are a nice treat, small, pretty and tasty. Playing Bladed Fury I found myself asking was this the little tasty treat I needed?

Story

The story is set in Ancient China and sees you take control of Princess Ji, who in the first few minutes of the game is accused of murdering Duke Kang Qi and as a result is exiled. Demons seem to be entering our world and Ji has to find out why and try to save the kingdom.

Overall the story is fairly rich and provides a lot for such a short game. It's a good story that focuses on the folklore, demons and the evil that is man.

Visuals

The visuals in the game are impressive, a beautiful art style mixed with Chinese Art and filled with woodblock tapestries. The demons are interesting design and sometimes random, like a chest of drawers coming to life, in other circumstances, it may come off as comical but in Bladed Fury it just comes across as dark.  The movement and look of Ji are really smooth even when in fast-moving battle sequences. The cut scenes are works of art depicted as paintings that changed as the story is told.

Overall the visuals are fantastic and they really stand out as one of the most impressive parts of the game.

Music

The music is described as 'Future Bass + Ancient Instruments', which sounds almost impossible but Bladed Fury managed to achieve it. The music is composed by Austrian composer Edwin Wendler, whose credits included the soundtracks for; Iris Fall, Into The Blue, Unknown, and X-Men Apocalypse to name but a few.

The soundtrack is a little over thirty minutes in length, and while it may seem short it packs a lot in. Easily my favourite soundtrack of the year so far, and while most of the time I can pick out specific tracks that are highlighted for me this time I just can't, all the tracks are strong and work well with the game.

Gameplay

The gameplay is side-scrolling fun, Ji has both light and heavy attacks depending on what the situation calls for. She has an awesome slide movement which allows her to pass by any enemies and avoid attacks. A really cool feature of the gameplay is that as you beat bosses you capture their spirits and can use their moves in battle, this is particularly helpful with boss fights.

The game has a levelling up system for your abilities, which can be obtained in one playthrough. One of the most helpful abilities being rejuvenation which allows you to carry more health vials. Saving the game and upgrading abilities can be done at lamp posts throughout the game which are never too far away from you.

The boss battles start off simple-ish and then get crazy towards the end, the most impressive being the serpent battle where I had to use everything I had to stay alive.

Overall the gameplay is play is fast and fun, while it offers a challenge at times I never felt like was going to pull the few remaining hairs in my head out.

Final Thoughts

So, after just over four hours how did I feel? Really happy! The story was interesting, the visuals were amazing, the soundtrack was fantastic and the gameplay was smooth and fun. Overall it is hard to find fault in it and certainly the chocolatey treat I needed after Gears Tactics. This one gets a solid 4 out of 5

Superhot - Review

Superhot is a game I have been curious to play due to the minimalist art style and the random name. Up until recently (say in the last week) I thought it was a VR game, only this is not true it turns out. One I saw it advertised on the PlayStation Store I couldn't help but whip out my debit card, punch in the numbers and download Superhot.

I like pizza is the same as saying everybody likes breathing, who doesn't love pizza and breathing?  While Goodfella's Stone Baked Thin Chicken with Herb Dressing may not be the most exotic pizza in the world but is damn tasty. But to spice it up I like to add a little (a lot) of Frank's Red Hot Original Sauce to it. The combination of these two flavours arouse my taste buds to the extreme and turns something simple and tasty into something supremely tasty. Playing SuperHot I found myself asking was this supremely tasty yet simple dish I was looking for?

Story

The story immediately had me curious, the menu screen loads and look like an old DOS command prompt. A friend contacts you and tells you about this new game they found on the company server called Superhot.exe, he sends you the file and tells says; '...you have to check out this game. It's the most innovative shooter I've played in years.' After scanning the rest of the files available in the menu I launch Supershot.exe, the story is suggestive, creepy, thought-provoking and many other things combined. In earnest, it is hard to talk about the story without giving things away but suffice it to say things are not what they seem. 

Overall the story is extremely interesting, playing it brought to mind games like; The Rub Rabbits!, Past Cure, Hot Line Miami, Observation to name but a few. If any of these are games you enjoyed even small elements of the story you will love Superhot. Super. Hot. SUPER. HOT. 

Visuals

The visuals are very minimalist, the levels you are thrown into are all white, that doesn't mean the look is bland as there are a lot of details in the environment, the subway and bar particularly stood out for me. The enemies are all in red, weapons and objects that can be picked up are in black or grey. Enemies that you damage or destroy explode and shatter like glass. The visuals both look like you are in a simulation but also have a realness to them which I think is part of the appeal for me, knowing something is a simulation but at the same time doubting if it really is one.

Overall the visually are interesting and intriguing, adding to the story and leaving you wondering just what the heck is going on?

Music 

There is something about the music that gets into your head and makes you mistrusting of the world you are in (not the real world, I mean the Superhot world, or do I?). A mixture of drum, bass, metal, electro and no doubt other styles that I likely missed. The music is created by Venezualan keyboardist, DJ, composer, producer and mixer Zardonic. 

The soundtrack is shy of being an hour in length and can be downloaded and listened to on Steam for free. It was only listening to the soundtrack independent of the game that I realised how much music was in the game. Without a doubt, the track 'SUPERHOT' is my favourite and even hearing the words Super Hot will stay with me in the same way Portal's 'the cake is a lie' will.

Gameplay

The gameplay mechanic is unique, the world moves when you move. Move your head, move forward, any movement and time will move forward by an equal amount. For example, you can see an enemy, he has shot a bullet at you, if you don't move it won't move. It can be avoided by sidestepping it slowly (or quickly depending on how brave you are feeling) and fire off your own shot if the enemy is standing still easy, if he is on the move you will need to compensate for it. 

There are a number of weapons including; pistols, shotguns, machine guns, katanas and there are random items that will not kill an enemy but will stun them. Each weapon can be fired a set amount of times before you run out, at this stage you can throw it at an enemy which will stun and allow you to knock them out or steal their weapon and kill them with, which is really badass. Later on, you are given the ability to slow jump and even jump into enemies to avoid near-death or just for fun.

Once the game has been completed you will unlock an endless mode along with a challenges mode which is pretty cool. 

As the story progresses the gameplay becomes more intense and difficult, you will die but never feels frustrating as such and makes you plan better for the next time. Overall the gameplay is amazing and makes me was a PlayStation VR just so could get to explore the world more and likely as it was tended to be played.

 

Final Thoughts

So, after over fours of playing how did I feel? SUPER. HOT. The story was really interesting and had me both doubting and questioning what was happening. The visuals manage to be both minimalist and exciting, the way enemies are shattered looks intense and cool. The music is perfectly sewn into everything else in the game and moves between adding to the carnage of the gameplay itself and making you feel uncomfortable in the world you are in. The gameplay is very different from anything that I have played before or likely will in the future, and it is something I really admired. Overall this one gets a solid 4 out of 5

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

Gears Tactics - Review

 

Last year developers The Coalition and Splash Damage created a new game in the Gears of War Series - Gears Tactics. Being a Gears of War fan since the early days I was naturally curious, the only thing that put me off was the turned based combat. Until now Gears of War has always been played out as a third person fast-paced shooter so the idea of changing gears so much (couldn't help it) seemed a little strange. All that being said I liked The Bureau: XCOM Declassified so why not Gears Tactics?

I love many types of chocolate and chocolate bars, one of my favourites being Kinder Bueno, especially the white ones. Naturally when I saw that Jacobs had something similar called Elite Special Moments Hazelnut Cream Wafers I thought they would be tasty. They look the same, smell the same but are vastly different. From the outside, it all seems good but once I bit into it and had the first taste I was not impressed. The chocolate had a weird consistency and there were bits in it that tasted more like sawdust rather than hazelnut. Playing Gears Tactics I found myself asking was more like a tasty Kinder Bueno or just a poor imitation?

Story

Gears Tactics is set after emergence day and over a decade before the original Gears of War. The game features a new character to the series, Ukkon, a Locust Scientist. Becoming more unstoppable as the days pass Chairman Prescott sanctions Sargent Diaz and Major Redburn to take him down with extreme prejudice and by any means necessary. A small way into the story you manage to recruit militia to your cause who also isn't a fan of Ukkon. Its hard to say much more without giving away spoilers, what I can say is things are much darker then they seem and some of the COG's deepest secrets are going to come to light but will anyone be alive to talk about them?

Overall the story is pretty good and helps expand Gears lore - and the story has a similar theme/feel as Gears 5 which was really cool. The characters are not massively memorable which is a shame but I get the impression there won't be a sequel.

Visuals 

The visuals are very different from the rest of the Gears games but equally, they are very similar. The world is still in bad shape between the COG using the Hammer of Dawn to destroy most of their cities and the constant battles taking place. The big thing that has changed is the perspective, with it now being top-down rather than third-person. Similar to XCOM you get to see up close animations when carrying out actions; like cutting off an enemies head with a bayonet, using a chainsaw to cut them in half or watch a grenade decimating a group of enemies.  As the game introduces enemies (some of them never seen before) you get a really cool intro of them and what abilities they have.

Overall the visuals are pretty strong, the only thing that lets them down is that many of the levels are rehashed a number of times, not just inside missions but also main missions which gets boring over time especially with the games having a large number of missions.

Music

The feel of the soundtrack feels very removed from the rest of the series, it's more sci-fi, and doesn't use any of the classic gears music that remade and reinvented in other games. The soundtrack is composed by British based composer Edward Patrick White. White has a rather varied background having worked on an animated movie called Battlesuit, documentaries' All You Need Is Love and Nine Lives, along with creating some of the music for Bear Grylls TV series.

The soundtrack is less than an hour which seemed short for a game that takes around thirty hours to complete. My favourite tracks were; 'The Wrong Gear', 'Brumak' and 'Asshole Factory'. Overall as a  soundtrack, it is okay, as Gears soundtrack is the least memorable to date.

Gameplay 

The gameplay moves from being a fast-paced third-person shooter to a top-down turn-based strategy game. The change is refreshing even if it a little jarring to start with. The team consists of four players (some missions are reduced down to two), each has a number of action points (AP). These can be used to move, attack or set up overwatch. The overwatch ability is one of the most useful in the game as it allows a character to cover an area and if any enemy walks into it then they get wounded or killed altogether. 

What was really interesting is that each character has their own special abilities and can be upgraded and new ones earned as they gain experience points. Especially later in the game, you can end up having a great healer, and sniper, and you are going to need them. If you are unhappy with how you have used your experience points you can redistribute them.

There are main missions and side missions, side missions often entail holding an area for a set amount of moves, destroying an objective, rescuing prisoners in a limited number of moves, and collecting cases before being bombed into oblivion. The main missions are also similar to the side missions, when I say similar they are almost the same except for the boss fights. There are few slightly frustrating things with side missions, firstly you have to pay x amount of them before you can proceed with the main mission, making them feel less like side missions. There is also the oddity that if you use one of your main characters in a side mission they will then not be available to use in the main mission. This issue is a pain as it means you don't get to gain additional experience for those characters and then use them in the main mission, which seems bizarre. This means for side missions you have to use recruits that are never as strong. I learned much later on that if you fail all the side missions you can then just proceed with the main mission like normal, with no penalties. It seems strange to not allow your main characters to take part in side missions without sacrificing being able to use them in main missions (you know the time you actually want and need them).

Some missions can take around half an hour or less, others significantly more. An example of this would be the boss fights. The last boss was a giant pain in the ass and took me many, many attempts to beat it and even more hours. By the time I was done with it, I could not have been happier, not because of beating the boss (although that was part of it) but also to be finished with the game.

Overall the key mechanics in the game work really well, but some odd choices and repetition of maps really let them gameplay down.

Final Thoughts

So, after in excess of thirty hours how did I feel?  Glad the experience was over. The story adds new lore to the gears universe which was quite interesting, but the unmemorable main characters certainly took a little away from it. The visuals are strong, the addition of new enemies and animations are very welcome. The music is underwhelming, not just for a Gears soundtrack but even in general. The gameplay has some really strong mechanics that have clearly been borrowed from XCOM, sadly those some strange choices and level repetition stopped the game from being all it could be. Overall this one just about slides in with 3 out of 5