Bright Memory Infinite - Review

 

I have been working my way through my Steam list, and Bright Memory Infinite by FYQD was one of those games. I liked the combination of guns with swords, future tech with current tech. The game had some negative reviews due to it being so short, it looked fun and was on sale so thought why not.

Growing up Shredded Wheat was a big staple of breakfast for me, even when I became a young adult I was still having it along with Weetabix, and Porridge. As time went on I grew out of the taste to a degree, and found myself eating it less and less, that being said when I do have them they always taste really good. Playing Bright Memory Infinite I found myself asking was this as entertaining as some of the shooters released years ago, or was this another mediocre shooter?

Story 

I remember playing Horizon Zero and one thing that bugged me was the main character's name Alloy. It was not the name itself but the way it was pronounced Aaalloy. The protagonist for Bright Light Infinite is Shelia which when being vocalized does not sound right. The game has you tasked with investigating a strange phenomenon for the Science Research Organisation. The story sees you taking on the current timeline while every so often an old or alternative history is sprung upon you.

Overall the story feels a little underdeveloped, while the concept is cool it feels like there could have been more added to create a more rounded world.

Visuals

The visuals are sharp and quite cinematic, the constant rain and storm on the island you explore make it very moody and atmospheric. The enemy design, especially the non-human style looking ones are really cool. The game combines futuristic technology with Ancient Chinese folklore and weapons. 

Overall the visuals are very impressive for an indie studio and even more so when I found it was all created by one person!

Music

The soundtrack is pulse-pounding and offers some great music for combat. A mixture of classical music with an oriental feel. The soundtrack is composed by Jeff Rona (God Of War III, Farcry 4, Resident Evil 2 Remake), and Cody Matthew Johnson (Devil May Cry 5, Mortal Kombat 11, Marvel Vs Capcom Infinite).

Overall the soundtrack is pretty impressive, for one less than half an hour in length. The music certainly helped in creating an energetic and fast-paced feel.

 

Gameplay 

The game may be short but there is plenty of gameplay on offer. The game easily combines guns with swords without making it feel clunky. The sword works well against armored enemies and the guns are great for finishing them off. If that was not enough there are a few different skills like pulling enemies towards you or firing them away.

The enemies start off straightforward and don't offer much in the way of resistance. As the game moves on you will need to employ all your skills, especially when it comes to enemies with shields and those with body armor. The game offers a challenge in normal mode but there are plenty of other difficulty levels if you are looking for more.

There is also a small leveling-up system that offers alternative weapon modes along with improving on gravity-style moves and adding a few more to your arsenal.

There is a level where you get a sports car with a gun attached to it, sounds cool right? In theory but on a muddy island the car handles terribly, it would have been better to not have the car, or make it a jeep instead.

Overall the gameplay is fast-paced and fairly solid, considering one person made the game it turned out pretty well.

Final Thoughts

So, after just a couple of hours, how did I feel?  Not bad, the story was so, so, and definitely could have used a little more work. The visuals looked really slick, and were the strongest part of the game as a whole. The music had a lot of effort to it for such a short game and by two high-caliber composers. The gameplay was more good than bad and there was fun to be had. Overall this one falls short of being all it could be, that being said I did not feel I wasted my time on it, this one gets a 3 out of  5

Sucker For Love: First Date - Review

 

Some of the most memorable games for me are those that are a little odd, a little different; Catherine, Rub Rabbits, Shadows Of The Damned, Lollipop Chainsaw, Azura's Wrath, Hatoful Boyfriend, and Too Human. Some have dark humor others are just straight-up dark but each of them is a little hard to compare to other games. When I saw Sucker Of Love: First Date advertised I thought, a dating sim of sorts featuring a Cthulhu-like girl and dark rituals, sure why not?

We all like a change up every now and again, I get that way even with my snacks. One such snack is Lion Bars, I love the original, but sometimes I like to change it up and have a white one. It manages to be lighter and sweeter at the same time. Playing Sucker For Love: First Date I found myself asking was this the change-up I needed?

Story

The story has you take on the role of a male hostess only known as D. He has become obsessed with the occult and is trying to summon an Eldritch God using the Necronomicon he ordered online. He gets it, kind of, only it's pink, and, summons Ln'eta a cute Cthulhu-looking girl. All he wants is a smooch, she agrees as long as he doesn't mind performing a few questionable rituals.

Overall the story manages to take scenes of horror and weave in romance, and comedy, which is no easy task. Due to the multiple chapters and choices, there is a good bit of replay value to the story, and there are also a few secrets that can be used to unlock a bonus chapter.

Visuals

Considering the game was completed in ten days the visuals are pretty good. The intro and dialogue sequences are done like an anime, the apartment you will spend most of your time in has a few set pieces joined together with clickable objects you can interact with. The use of anime makes it both more and less horrific, but even with all that there is still this level of cuteness scattered throughout the game.

Overall the visuals are simple yet, detailed and help create a tense feeling.

Music

The composer is credited as being called 'XXtraspicy', I have no information on them. There were a couple of tracks on a light loop, they were simple and effective, and while I love video game soundtracks it would unlikely have changed the overall experience of the game for me.

Gameplay

The gameplay is quite a bit of fun! The apartment has a living area, with a bedroom, a bathroom, and a small area just outside of the apartment. The game has you casting spells from a book, some require candles, food, a pet, and lots of light or no light. The game has two main chapters and even getting all of the endings will only take more than a few hours.

For me the game was good but really shined went it came to chapter 3 which ended up being a boss. It took a while to get the timing right and select the right spells to win. 

Overall the gameplay was a lot of fun. Again it is worth noting they had the game good to go in 10 days which is pretty impressive.

Final Thoughts

So, after a little over three hours how did I feel? Pretty good! The story is fun, silly, and dark, and blends together well. The visuals are pretty smooth and offer an anime feel. The music is there but nothing stands out about it for the length of the game there is no need for anything too in-depth. The gameplay is fun and with the exception of chapter 3 it is pretty low-stress. This one gets a solid 3 out of 5

Bum Simulator - Early Access Review

 

Sometimes having home and handheld consoles spoil me and I forget about my old faithful friend,  The PC. A game on my Steam Wishlist for a while was Bum Simulator developed by Ragged Games and published by PlayWay S.A. It seemed like a fun idea, a game where you spend life on the streets as a bum, I know, I know it is a bit in poor taste but it is all done tongue in cheek. I could not wait for the main release and the Early Access seemed to have a lot on offer so I decided to download it.

I'm finally coming out of the throes of Covid, which I can personally attest to sucking ass. I lost my appetite, my taste buds were working but at a massively diminished capacity. Two things that helped me through it apart from the greatest tea maker and partner in the land Nollsy was copious amounts of tea and St. Pierre Vanilla Brioche Tear and Share. It's sweet soft, and soothing on my throat, I enjoy it normally but with Covid felt as essential as water and medication. Playing Bum Simulator I found myself asking was this easy to digest sweet thing I needed?

Story 

Waking up unaware of surroundings can be tough and a lot to take in, it is even tougher when half your brain is missing and your best friend Carl is a talking shopping trolley. It seems you have been a bum for a while which is already pretty bleak but when a company called Evil Way steals part of your brain and your friend's body the two of you must explore the town of Bumsville, find your brain and Carl's body, and take down Evil Way.

There are quite a few hours to the main story and there are a decent amount of side missions too. The story is fun andn silly. It reminded me of some of the early days of GTA and Saint's Row. 

Overall, and especially for Early Access the story is pretty solid, and fun. Could it use more? Sure, but looking at the developer posts they are listening to player feedback and implementing changes and additions.

Visuals

Bumsville is a small town that visually is not as trashy as you would think, there are run down areas sure but there are also nice common areas too. The details of the town are what really stand out, the screenshot I took from above captures a small part of that. There is someone dressed up as a pigeon, and I'm holding a pigeon that looks like it could go toe-to-toe with Rambo. Te wall paper and décor of the setting give it the feel of an old school boutique. While it is true the game could use more of this the game looks remarkably well. The building options for the game are really cool, some are practical and some remind me of being a child and making castles out of cardboard boxes. Or the picture below you can see me attempting to urinate on a police officer, good times.

Overall the visuals are pretty cool for what they are and have no doubt that over the next six months there will be more improvements and by the time it is ready on home consoles it will look great.

Music

The music reminded me of broken dreams, and an alcohol infused haze. Some acoustic guitar with a little electrical guitar and a smattering of percussion and brass horns. There is something so fitting about it that it can be tough to put into words if you have not already played the game a little.

Overall the soundtrack is shy of fifteen minutes but helps capture the essence of what the game is all about. 

Gameplay

Bum Simulator is a sandbox game, part of the gameplay is about survival; health, food, and drink. If any of these runs out completely you die and respawn outside of a hospital and a small amount of your money is seized.  Making money is the name of the game (at least to start with), and there are a few ways to do it; complete missions, go throw rubbish, sell any quality goods you find, and beg. For me begging is the most simple. You will have a cardboard sign, write anything you want on it, you then graded and that will affect how much people may give you. Now I never got a grade above E, I saw some people online get A and even when I imitated still got an E or an F. It matters little as you can spam your shake cup button and walk around the streets. I found most people will give you something, but others give you the finger - those people get punched or urinated on (rules of the street, I didn't make them).

Well that gets you sorted moneywise, then you need to focus on your pigeon buddies. As master controller of pigeons you need to take care of them by upgrading their coops. Then you can build up production and utilities to make an impressive base, along with walls, windows and defensive structures. Most of this part is for fun and is not essential to the main story. Moving objects, and bodies, ahem, can be awkward whether you use a controller or a mouse and could certainly use a little refinement in upcoming updates but its not exactly game breaking either. 

The combat is a bit of fun, while the AI is simple and most enemies will just come running at you with no care for their own safety I did laugh a lot. Basic combat like punches is great, throwing an exploding pigeon is a lot of fun and scares everyone. As a friend of pigeons myself seeing them explode on those who would attack other bums or myself was massively entertaining.

There is the inclusion of a basic leveling up system which if you want to improve health, fighting or plant production is helpful.

Overall the gameplay is fun, and could use some improvements but is far from broken especially as there are game released by larger companies that have many more issues.

Final Thoughts

So, after ten hours of playing how did I feel about Bum Simulator?  Not bad at all. The story was fun and there was quite a bit to do in Bumsville. The visuals had variety, there were some details that really made it standout. The music was the perfect soundtrack for any bum walking the streets, it might not have been uplifting but definitely had something about it. The gameplay was pretty solid, and while it may be need some polishing the future seems bright for Ragged Games and Bum Simulator. This one gets a solid  3 out of 5

Bastion - Review

 

Just over ten years ago Bastion was released by Supergiant Games. Initially I was curious, it looked like a lot of fun, and as you played your actions were narrated. I played the game for a very short amount of time and very quickly it seemed a little gimmicky, and my brain lost interest. Fast forward ten years and I found myself browsing games in the PlayStation Store (yeah, I'm still rocking one) and decided I would give it a proper go. 

I remember when KitKat Chunky was first released, I was not a fan. I liked the little break-away fingers, running my fingernail along with the foil and breaking off a piece. I found the chunky version too unwieldy for my mouth (yeah, yeah, stow it). Years later I found myself nibbling on one without even thinking about it and thought, 'yeah it's different, but still good in its own way'. Playing Bastion I found myself asking was this like my dilemma of the Kit Kat Chunky, had I simply not given it enough of a chance the first time around?

Story

The game has you take on the role of 'The Kid', a silent protagonist who awakens after 'The Calamity', which fractured and partially destroyed the city of Caelondia and some of the areas around it. He is journeying to the Bastion - a place of safety. You quickly meet Rucks (who is also the narrator of The Kid's journey), and he asks you to collect shards to help repair the damage to the Bastion. I'll leave any further explanation so as to not spoil the plot.

The game offers two types of side activities; proving grounds, used to hone your skills with any new weapons, and 'who knows where' another type of proving grounds but with a big emphasis on collecting crystals to upgrade your weapons. There is also a plus game which is great for anyone looking to get a higher overall completion rate and try the two endings the game offers.

Overall the story did not hugely excite me, I did not really connect with the characters, and the endings themselves in some ways seemed to be both bad choices based on what you learn throughout the game. The narration is great initially but loses its appeal after a time.

Visuals

While I may have found the story to be a little lackluster, the visuals I did not. The game is awash with vibrant colors, not only the levels themselves but also all the enemies. The thing really stood out for me was the details; barrels, market stalls, walls, and flowers, and provided some idea as to how beautiful the world may have been before the Calamity. 

One massive thing that sets the games asides from top-down games, or games in general, is that when navigating levels sections raise up in front of you. This is a great mechanic and while it would have been simpler to keep basic colors or visuals with these raised sections, instead the Supergiant Games team ensure that every part of the level was as visually impressive as another.

Overall the visuals far outshine the story, it felt like something new, and every effort was made to make it look as impressive as possible. 

Music 

American songwriter Darren Korb describes the soundtrack as "acoustic frontier trip-hop" combining "heavily sampled beats in layers along with acoustic elements".  To me there was very much a cajun flavor, elements reminded me of Becks Odelay and middle eastern music.  Korb also worked with Supergiant Games on Transistor, Pyre, and the critically acclaimed Hades. 

The soundtrack is an hour long yet despite that and the hours I played of Bastion they never felt overplayed which really is a testament to how great the soundtrack is. My favorite tracks are:

A Proper Story 

In Case Of Trouble

Terminal March

Percy's Escape

Mine Windbag, Mine

Build That Wall (Zia's Theme, vocals by Ashley Barrett)

Brusher Patrol

Setting Sale, Coming Home (Ending Theme)

Overall a fantastic soundtrack that made me very curious about Korbs other works and from what I have heard they may even be better than Bastion.

Gameplay

The gameplay is a lot of fun and is where the game really shines. The main object of each level is to collect a shard and return it to the Bastion to help restore it. The more you restore the more access you have to new weapons, upgrades, trials, and more. The Kid gets to carry two weapons, a shield, and a special weapon. There are a number of weapons in the game and the game to a degree forces you to use each weapon for a time so you try everything once. My personal favorites were Brushers Pike and the Fang Repeater, along with the Special Squirt  Lure.  The Brushers Pike is a great distance weapon, The Fang Repeater is a great way to clear an area fast, Squirt Lures help distract enemies from you and do a nice of damage too. Each weapon can be upgraded with crystals and materials and is well worth it.

The enemies all have their own patterns - initially, a little button bashing is fine but will need to throw that mindset aside quickly or you will go through health potions like there is no tomorrow. It also makes the game both more challenging and fun, some enemies can be a pain but nothing that can't be overcome. There are not any real bosses as even the larger enemies can be beaten in less than a minute.

There is a leveling up system, each time you level up you can hold new passive potions, which will help increase damage, health, lives, and more. If you are looking for more of a challenge they are a must as you can add idols to each level which will increase both the rewards and difficulty. 

The Bastion itself can be upgraded but there are really fun things that can be added to it. The first are mementos that help expand on the world, are interactive and some provide 'who know where' challenges. There are also pets, which I won't spoil as they are so awesome but well worth exploring every level thoroughly. 

For those looking for more, there is a Plus Game, Score Attack Mode, and even a no-fuss Chill Mode. I played the game twice and was certainly time well spent. 

Overall some really great gameplay, and some great replay value too!

Final Thoughts

So, after almost twenty hours of playing how did I feel?  Not bad at all, I certainly left with an overall better impression of the game than my first time around. In terms of the story, I could not help but feel a little underwhelmed about it and the endings certainly did nothing to help with that which is a shame. The visuals are stunning and were a big part of making me want to play. Korb's soundtrack was really cool and had a very cajun flavor to it which worked fantastically with the game. The gameplay was really great and offers a decent amount of replay value. I was at odds as to how to score the game but finally settled on 3 out of 5

Dying Light 2 Stay Human - Review

 

I finally stopped playing The Elder Scrolls Online long enough to get into a new game that I have been very excited about playing - Techland's Dying Light 2 Stay Human. As zombie games have been done to death the original passed me by but was not going to let the sequel do the same. 

Anyone reading this blog (I thank you), knows that I am a healthy eater and only enjoy the best quality ingredients and food - if you believe this you actually have not read my blog before, welcome! I have been partaking in shall we say certain plants of the earth that make me feel chill, when this happens I reach for Deliveroo (bad Barry). Instead, I make sure I have food at home to avoid this, one such thing I have taken to is steak sandwiches in garlic ciabatta, it is epic. There is lots of it, tasty and extremely filling. Playing Dying Light Stay Human I found myself asking was there enough and was it filling?

  

Story

The story has you take on the role of Aidan, a pilgrim, wandering the wastes after the release of COVID across the world, no I'm joking it's a virus that infects people and essentially turns them into zombies. But to Aidan that does not matter, he is on a mission to find his sister and will do whatever it takes to find her. There will be a lot of tough decisions to make and there are a lot of people looking for help that will change the city of Villedor for better or worse. There are parts of the main story that don't always seem to make sense but are not enough to pull me out of it all. There are also multiple endings so is certainly not a one-and-done.

The game separates itself from the zombie genre by making it about the people, their lives, and struggles  - it is very human and easy to make connections with them. The main story is great don't get me wrong but the side stories are so much fun, some made me laugh others nearly made me cry. I did not want to try and complete every story to gain trophies but to enjoy Villedor for as long as possible. 

Overall a fantastic set of stories woven together in a very satisfying way, the biggest disappointment was coming to the end of it all.

Visuals

The visuals are out of this world and made me feel the same way as when I first played The Last Of Us on Playstation 3. There were a lot of critics very negative about them as a whole but being honest playing it on the Playstation 4 Pro just made me want to see how it looks on the PlayStation 5. Nature has started to reclaim a damaged city, the two mix well together especially when you land on a high rise and see a garden growing on top of it.

It is all based in a city so is to a degree hard to diversify the landscape but I feel Techland did a great job of it. In makeshift towns, people live in relative safety on rooftops, and there a large bridges spanning bodies of water. The first area of the game is so different from the main part of the city it is overwhelming when you first go there, but I loved that, wondering how was I going to get to the top of that building and navigate the roads below. 

Overall the visuals were amazing, to me the city was as big of a personality and important as many of the characters I came across. 

Music 

The soundtrack is as close to a masterpiece as is possible. The music moves from the fast beat, heart-pounding music that actually knocked me off balance when on occasion when playing, there are more somber reflective pieces and of course, those creeping dread tracks where you know something bad is about to happen. The soundtrack is carefully crafted by Olivier Deriviere, who was worked on more than a few great titles including; Streets Of Rage 4, Vampyr, Remember Me, Alone In The Dark, and Of Orcs and Men.

Even listening to the soundtrack as I type this I cannot believe how much was packed into less than ninety minutes. It was of these lucky occasions where I find it challenging to pick out my favorite tracks as I loved the whole soundtrack, some really standout pieces for me were; 'Run Jump Fight', 'The Good Doctor', 'The Last Parkour', 'Monsters We', 'The Renegades', 'The Mark' and 'New Beginnings'.

Overall a phenomenal soundtrack that once again has me asking why do they not get noted as part of game reviews when they are such an integral part of games?

Gameplay

The gameplay has a lot of RPG elements combined with some Far Cry and Mirrors Edge. It's a lot of elements to throw into one game but I do feel it worked. Combat works pretty well, for the most part, the infected are mostly easy prey unless you get a few coming at you, that said as soon as the more crazy variants appear all bets are off, especially at night when the rooftops become your friends. The human enemies start easy but later that AI gets pretty good at blocking and weaving around your attacks which in groups can be tough if you are not prepared. The weapons in the game are all beaten up looking but some can really pack a punch if you are willing to upgrade them even better. The only sad thing is that there is no repair option so don't get too attached, unless you are willing to get the Korek Charm which is one of the developer's tools, in my opinion well worth the effort in getting it. Attachments can be upgraded with the right parts and money. There is also the option to craft med kits and explosives, who knew a tennis ball grenade would be so powerful?

There are a lot of skills to unlock, which can be with a little effort unlocked in a single playthrough. The skills are broken into combat and parkour. The more you do in the world the more experience you gain and can unlock points. Some complained there was so much focus on this, to me it was like playing Metroid, finding an area I could not reach, getting the upgrade later, and coming back later to overcome it. 

There are a number of tools you will have access to in the game and is certainly worth unlocking all of them as soon as possible. The tools change the way you can move around the world and also gives you access to inhibitors that help increase your health and stamina. For me, hands down the paraglider was the best it feels really cool flying through the skies and once upgraded is even better.

There are lots of things to buy and craft but you never feel overwhelmed and a lot of what you can do depends on your own playstyle.

Parkour! This is huge in the game, climb, roll, swing your way into anywhere but one wrong button press, and you become road pizza quickly. If there was a weakness in the gameplay I would say it was parkour as sometimes Aidan did not always seem to respond to button presses which turned more than a few things to failure. It did not happen often but when it did I was left a little frustrated. That being said movement as a whole is pretty good and the fact you can climb almost everything gives you so many options to reach places. 

The game has you pick a faction that offers some great rewards on both sides and can really change the landscape of the game. Two things I thought were really cool are the option of a plus game and calling for a random real-world player to come help you if the need arose. 

Overall the gameplay is fairly solid, a few crashes here and there and a lack of responsiveness with controls were frustrating but not game-breaking.

Final Thoughts

So, after dropping 60+ hours how did I feel? Sad but in a positive way. With the exception of a few questionable stories the overall story and side stories with really great. The visuals were awesome and never got bored of exploring Villedor.  The music was stellar and really for me is what video game music is all about. The gameplay had a few shortcomings but nothing game-breaking or that ever affected my wanting to play. This one gets a solid 4 out of 5

The Elder Scrolls Online - Review

 

Where have you been? Did you die and come back to life? Why over 6-months without a single game review? Alright, enough with the questions. There are lots of reasons - well no, there is actually just one; The Elder Scrolls Online. While I love The Elder Scrolls Oblivion and Skyrim an online version of Elder Scrolls just did not appeal. Last year my partner in crime (and honorary penguin) really wanted to find a co-op game to play together, we both decided to take the risk and purchase copies, and after that, time disappeared - rapidly.

I'm trying to be healthier this year, and by that, I mean not eating and drinking sugary things every day, so in that regard, I am winning. Sometimes you forget just how mind-blowing some things can be, for example, Peanut Butter M&M's. I love peanut butter in almost all forms, so wrapped in chocolate and candy is pretty awesome. The only thing is once I eat one, quickly ten boxes are gone. Playing The Elder Scrolls Online I found myself asking did I have a problem?

Story

The main story is pretty good, and while it does have a note of familiarity to it, it still manages to stand out from others. I'll aim as much as possible to keep this all spoiler-free. We all know that races, cultures, and classes can clash from time to time (or often) and that the only way to bring them all together is to have a big bad they can all fight. That will work, right? Well as it turns out no, in a world embroiled in war and politics no one is willing to do anything just in case one of the others swoops in and tries to take their land. Luckily, there is one person who can bring them together, you. Playing the main story made me feel for all those UN and Corporate negotiators,  everyone has a bone to pick and special something they need before they will consider throwing their hat in the ring.

While the main story is good what really brings the world to life are the side quests. Of course, there are the standard fetch quests - much of the game is populated by people who are really struggling with health, love, fortunes, and in the more extreme cases destruction of their home. The voice acting is amazing and genuinely brings a level of realism that I have not experienced in an online game before. The one potential downfall here is that you can do literally anything in any order, as the quest difficulty scales to match your character. This means it's entirely possible to play the stories in each of the three alliances (Aldmeri, Daggerfall, and Ebonheart) out of order. I would highly recommend doing a little research on the best chronological order to play. If you're not too worried about the story, it won't matter much - but if you do, you'll notice some discrepancies in terms of NPC attitudes to you based on the chronology. 

If the hundreds of side quests are not enough there are also player-created guilds and the classic guilds the Elder Scrolls players will be familiar with; Thieves, Dark Brotherhood, Fighters, Mages, Arena, and Dawnguard. Each has its own missions, and ranking system, and if that is not enough the player-created guilds also offer daily and weekly missions, stalls for players to player buying and selling, banks, and more.

Overall a very solid main story, with tons of side quests with new content being added almost every few months.

Visuals

I knew going from console dedicated games like Skyrim and Oblivion that visuals would be dialed back a bit for The Elder Scrolls Online, To be honest, though I was quite impressed by them. The world is huge and the topography of each area can vary a lot from one to another. If you look at Skyrim it is snow-filled, and mountainous, the towns seem smaller and there is a lot of nature. Then Alik'r Desert is at sounds but not as visually boring as some games can be, there are bazaars, hidden oases, and even bustling cities. Then there is Greenshade, lush forests, trees that are so large a city full of people can live in them. That is just a brief snapshot of the types of lands there are to explore.

Character creation has come a long way in the Elder Scrolls, it has always been a staple but sometimes characters do not always look the best. This has changed now with Elder Scrolls Online, people look more realistic than before, tons of customization including the ability to dye clothes and add new styles to create a very unique character.

Their game has a lot of enemies and when I say a lot I actually mean tons. Each new area can have a very different set of enemies. Playing it felt like the enemies had more of The Witcher 3 level of details rather than those seen in Oblivion and to a degree even Skyrim.

Overall the visuals are solid, which considering the sheer size of the game is a rather impressive achievement. 

Music

The music much like the game itself is vast, with some great fantasy, choir, and orchestral pieces scattered throughout the two and half hour soundtrack (this just covers the base game). The music was composed by US-born Brad Derrick responsible for almost every part of the Elder Scrolls Online music along with creating the music for Warhammer Online: Age Of Reckoning. Canadian-based Jeremy Soule penned the opening track For Blood, For Honor, For Glory and has worked on a large back catalog of games including; Oblivion, Guild Wars 2, and Dungeon Siege 2.

The soundtrack is great, and if you want to space out and relax it is great to listen to, also looking to feature a couple of tracks for our wedding in September. My favorite tracks include:

For Blood, For Glory, For Honor

The Three Banners: Fanfare

Omens In The Clouds

Dawn Gleams Of Cyrodil 

Moth, Butterfly, And Torch Bug

Oath And Malacath

Stendarrs Mercy

Onslaught At The Gates

Overall a great soundtrack by itself but even better as part of the Elder Scrolls Online world.

Gameplay

This is going to be tough, really tough as there is a lot to cover, and being honest I am probably going to miss something. That being said I will do my best to provide you with a screenshot of the gameplay on offer. Above is a map of the world of The Elder Scrolls Online, thanks to Game-Map.com for going to great effort to capture everything to date (as of this posting). The reason for me showing it is to truly capture the size of it and tell you that exploring everything will take time, a lot of it. 

I have a certain biased when it comes to Online Games and MMORPGs in general, I like playing with myself (oi oi), but I don't like to rely on others to help finish a mission or potentially the game. So with that being said no I really mean this when I say, this is the best MMORPG for people who don't like MMORPGs. While of course with any online there is a focus on the social aspect, you can, for the most part, do everything solo, apart from Dungeons which have a great matchmaking system and there is no need to even chat, with a lot of groups you will find a natural simpatico. On the off chance, you don't most dungeons can be finished in around fifteen minutes and then you can team up with others.

Combat! There are many classes to choose from and it is not limited by the race you pick which is pretty nifty. Each class offers its only positives and negatives and I found myself at times comparing it to Monster Hunter World, lots of time in menus making adjustments to give the best loadouts. It can be a bit overwhelming but there are plenty of guides out there to help you build the right character for you. There are skill and attribute points, make a mistake, want to change up skills? No problem, go to the shrine, fork over some of your hard-earned coins, and presto all reset. The game offers the best first-person and third-person views which become massively helpful later when you start taking on dungeons and need to see everything. The game never rushes you and lets you find your own way in the game, this is quite helpful when it comes to combining moves and working out tactics.

Something for everyone. Some people want to stay away from combat and be a humble chef, an alchemist, a blacksmith, or maybe something else altogether. The Elder Scrolls Online offers this all and more, some people don't want to spend time gathering and leveling up their cooking skills to make a legendary recipe. That's okay, go to a guild shop and search it for what you're looking for, nothing there? Plenty of guild traders around. Still nothing? Then join a guild, join a few and soon you will find what you need for a price. Interested in antiques? Go scrying for and digging up antiquities. 

Home is where your heart is, but also where your loot and homewares are. Previously in the Elder Scrolls you could purchase homes and decorate them to a degree, The Elder Scrolls Online is on a whole other level. You make things for your home, buy or get others to make them, and they can then be placed wherever you want and with a lot of precision. It is a great way to take a few minutes to relax unwind and if you have the coin have workstations in your home rather than going to the market square. The level of precision includes movement and rotation by single degrees, with some players adding entire floors to their residences thanks to the availability of walls, wooden panels and more.

I have not been paid or sponsored to say this, however, the first thing you should do after getting set up by ESO Plus. It will give you access to almost all content, and get some free rewards, and this is the big one that gives you have a sack that can carry an infinite number of ingredients, which you will need or risk having to run back and forth to towns and cities to trade. It does cost a monthly fee, but if you get into the game it's well worth it.

There are a few elements to the social part of the game; guilds, dungeons, and PVP. The guilds are great to find other players to help with dungeons and give advice on helping you improve. There is a match-making tool for dungeons for the most part other than a 'hi' there is no big need to communicate. PVP can be fun-free for all if you are looking for it and you can be rewarded with gear only available from doing it. That being said it can be a little mismatched in the same way GTA V Online used to be. The social aspect can be as relaxed as you want or a heavy investment depending on what are you looking to get out of it. 

Final Thoughts

So, after 400+ hours how did I feel?  The main story is solid and even in places where it slips a little the characters themselves along with the tons of side missions more than makeup for it. The visuals are really impressive, especially for an online game and one that is as large as it is. The gameplay is solid and the only real drawback is that the only way to take full advantage of the game is to buy ESO Plus and PVP perhaps being a little unbalanced. Overall this one gets a solid 4 out of 5 and yes I will be playing more of it in the future.

Assassins Creed Odyssey - Review

 

Feels like ages since I put fingers to keys and wrote a review, but it is no surprise considering the length of Assassins Creed Odyssey. Like a moth to a flame I play all the Assassins Creed games even though I know the chances are that I am going to be left burnt. Be that as it may I saw a sale on some Ubisoft titles, low and behold there was Assassins Creed Odyssey for less than €20, what did I have to lose?

I like a bit of pasta from time to time, it's a great meal to have when you are feeling a little lazy. A handy one I get are the Jamie Oliver pasta dishes (see below). They are okay in a bind but honestly no matter how I cook them there always feels like there is too much and it does not always leave the most satisfying taste in my mouth but it's passable. Being honest, each time I finish it I am left thinking why did I get this again. Playing Assassins Creed Odyssey I found myself asking was this the perfect amount of pasta or too much and when all is said and done did I enjoy it.

Story

The story starts with a young boy named Alexios and his baby sister Kassandra on top of a mountain in Sparta. Present are their mother and father, priests say they must both die under Spartan Law, in a blink of eye both of them disappear into the abyss. A pretty dark start to the game, but luckily and by some miracle they survive. 

The game gives you the choice to play as either Alexios or Kassandra. The story sees you work as mercenary and as time progresses you start focusing on getting back to Sparta and finding your family, while trying to find out why this all happened. 

The game allows decision making in the game, sadly with most non-RPG games that try this, few of your decisions really make a difference until closer to the end of the game. It was a nice option but felt a little tacked on and with there being nine endings that is a lot of replaying.

While there are some interesting side missions (which there are plenty of) the main campaign felt overly long. Each main mission has sub missions, then even those can have sub missions. Everything feels way longer than it needs to be and the pay off just isn't worth it.

Ubisoft have really moved away from the Assassins and Templars story which is really disappointing, while there are some elements of it in the game they have to be hunted for, which seems wrong to me. For sometime now Assassins Creed games are released annually and while there are changes made it feels more about making a quick buck than making a high quality story driven game. Overall the are some fun elements in the story but there is a lot of fat that could have been trimmed.

 

Visuals

While the game certainly has its flaw the visuals are not one of them. The game looks vibrant, smooth and beautiful. The markets and streets you pass through look and feel alive. The ancients ruins and huge statues are awe inspiring and to date is the most visually stunning game in the series.

One of my favorite parts of the was actually any enemy strongholds, they feel more built up than before, yielding crates, clothes, animals and other miscellaneous items. Overall the visuals help create a very organic environment and help make it one of, if not the strongest element of the game.

Music

The soundtrack has a very Moroccan feel to it, this is not too surprising as the first few games in the series had this feel and as the game is set before many of the others in the series it feels like a call back to humble beginnings. The composers are UK Duo The Flight responsible for the scores of both Horizon Zero Dawn and the DLC Horizon Zero Dawn Frozen Horizons and Dark Futures.

The soundtrack offers over two hours of music, some of my favorite tracks included; Legend of Eagle Bearer, The 300, The Assassins Creed, Atlantis, and A Spartans Fight.

Overall not a bad soundtrack but no where near as good as some of the others in the series.

Gameplay

There is a lot to get into with the gameplay, so let's dive right in. The combat is very different to other Assassins Creed games and a lot more robust. The fighting is robust, feeling not too simplistic and not too tough. There is an array of weapons including swords, staffs, axes and bows, special shout to Ikaros. If you take on one to three enemies it is okay, anymore than that and things can go south quickly. To help combat that you can unlock special abilities which, apart from looking great when used, can help take down even the strongest of enemies. While using RPG elements were so-so the combat ones were great, level up your character, unlock new abilities and access to gear.

You can climb anywhere with ease, you can even climb a giant Greek statue and hang from his cheek - sadly his wiener is a no-hang area.

Leveling up is fun, killing an enemy, discovering a new area, building - like an RPG the game encourages and rewards exploration which is good as the world of Odyssey is massive. I finished the game at level fifty-two but you can now go all the way up to level ninety-nine. If you are willing to put it in a little effort you will level up pretty quick.

Each time you level up you are able to raise the level of your weapons and gear. Essentially if you love a weapon or some gear you can keep it for the whole game and just keep leveling it up. In my case I got the Ezio gear and kept leveling it up. Be warned it will cost you a ton of resources.

Similar to the last few games there are plenty of ship battles, meaning plenty of upgrading which to be fair can be a lot of fun. That being said it feels nowhere as fun as the Black Flag battles which is a shame. 

There are; side missions, bounty missions and player story created missions. Side mission comprise of a lot fetch quests and assassinations which can usually be completed pretty quickly, especially if you have unlock a lot of fast travel points. Bounty missions are limited mission where you can unlock special materials for upgrading or purchasing weapons. Player created story missions are okay but the only ones I found useful were the ones aimed at farming for materials and experience points.

The biggest new feature in the game are the mercenaries, think of them like the stars in GTA, they can be paid off but leaving them at the highest bounty can be fun if not hard. Each tier you wipe out gives you added benefits so is worth spending a little time on them. A lot of them you will naturally run into while exploring, getting the drop on them later is definitely the way to go as fighting a few at the same time is like taking on an army. 

Overall the gameplay is solid and there are some interesting additions that were not in previous games. A few minor issues with the gameplay but nothing crazy.

Final Thoughts

So, after fifty hours, which easily felt like a hundred, how did I feel? Relieved.  The story is okay and while there were some interesting points the story was far too drawn out. The visuals were fantastic and helped dilute some of the not so great elements in the game. The music is okay but not the most memorable soundtrack to date. The gameplay is pretty solid and offers a lot for players, overall very few notable issues. Overall the game is a little lack luster, the story could have benefitted to be shorter, the visuals were amazing, soundtrack was okay and the gameplay was pretty good. Overall this one gets a not so exciting 3 out of 5