River City Tokyo Rumble - Review

It's nearly 2019, another whole year has gone by.  2018 has certainly been challenging for many reasons but I hope next year will be a lot more positive.  I am now going into the New Year with my fiance (Hi Nolls!) who I proposed to at Christmas.  One of the first games I played this year was River City Melee Battle Royale SP, so it seems fitting that the last game of this year is also from the River City series.


I like crisps and crisp like things.  Something I tried recently was Doritos Collisions Habanero Chilli and Guacamole.  It was an odd choice for me as I like hot stuff but I'm not into guacamole.  I certainly have reservations about them but I still liked them.  Playing River City Tokyo Rumble I found myself asking how tasty was it really?

Story


Kunio-Kun the teenage delinquent is back and this time there is a group of bad guys who are trying to take over Tokyo called The Tokyo Lion's Alliance.  He won't have to do go it alone and characters from previous games will be willing to help you.  The game doesn't have a lot of content in the way of story but that's okay, a simple story can still be a good one.


Overall the story is a little cheesy and after beating enemies you sometimes get dialogue talking about the importance of friendship.  It's not an awesome story but isn't a bad one either.

Visuals


The visuals are fun and retro.  The places you visit in Tokyo aren't very big but each of them looks very different.  One of my favorite areas was near the end of the game where you get to go to a movie set in Hong Kong.  The enemies are varied enough in design and often wear quite colorful outfits. 


Overall I liked the visuals, the only thing which was disappointing was that the places you visit can feel a little lifeless as you only really encounter enemies.  



Music


The soundtrack has an 8-Bit style sound which is similar to other games in the series.  This should come as no surprise as Japanese composer Kazuo Sawa created the music for the River City Series, along with the music for, Super Dodge Ball, Alien Syndrome, and Double Dragon II to name but a few.


The soundtrack is just under an hour long and my favorite tracks included 'Dangerous Premonitions',
'Shopping Song', 'Rushing Renegade', 'Rumble In The Slums', and 'Girl Gang Boss From Hell'.


Overall the soundtrack is good but I didn't think it was as good or as memorable as River City Melee Battle Royale SP.

Gameplay


The gameplay is pretty fun and is a classic beat-em-up.  The game provides you with some basic moves and as you progress you can purchase new ones.   There are shops to buy food, medical supplies, and equipment.


There are mini side missions which although are fairly dull do provide you with some extra income. I know this might seem an unusual thing to say but the game is supposed to a beat em' with RPG elements but I never really felt that way.  Sure you character gains experience over time and you level up, there are a few weak side missions and some relatively minor character interactions but nothing major.  I think the game should have gone the whole hog and either be a pure beat-em-up or focused more on being an RPG.


The enemies for the most part are not too hard, the only ones that gave me real difficulty were Ultra Lion and the Final Boss battle.  While learning a few extra moves can be really helpful it gets to the point where you won't really need to invest in others.  Perhaps on harder difficulties, they would become more essential.


Outside of the main story, there is a Battle Royale and a Dodgeball mode.  Playing through the main story unlocks different characters you can use for each of the other modes.


Overall the gameplay is good but certainly felt the RPG elements failed to a degree.




Final Thoughts

So, after playing for just under ten hours how did I feel?  Not bad.  The story was simple and a little cheesy at times but good overall.  The visuals weren't bad but the world felt a little lifeless at times, the music was alright but not very memorable.  The gameplay had some great moments but was lacking in the RPG department.  This is now the 48th game I've played this year and gets a 3 out of 5

Super Mario Land 2 Six Golden Coins - Review

It's Christmas time!  A time of family, friends, engagements and awesome gifts.  I've wanted to play Super Mario Land 2 6 Golden Coins for ages, so naturally, I was pretty stoked to get it for Christmas.  Thanks Nollsy!  Super Mario Land 2 6 Golden Coins was originally released back in 1992, I only ever borrowed it from friends and I never owned it, until now.  While Nolls tore into some of the new books I got her I decided to play Super Mario Land 2 6 Golden Coins.


Lullaby milk is great!  It tastes great and really helps you get a good nights sleep.  I know some people don't like milk, they are odd people.  There is something so comforting about milk it reminds of being a kid.  Playing Super Mario Land 2 6 Golden Coins I found myself asking was this the creamy comforting goodness I remembered?

Story

Like many games of the time, the story is simple.  The evil Wario decides to take control over Mario's Island along with his castle.  Mario needs to collect a golden coin from each of the six zones and use them to unlock the castle gate.  Once inside Mario needs to traverse the castle and kick out mean and slightly crazy Wario.


Overall the story is simple and to the point but that isn't a bad thing.  The simplicity is what makes it so fun.

Visuals

There is something so fun about 8-Bit graphics, it's amazing the fact so much could be made with so little.  The game has some great visuals, running around the innards of a living whale was fun, or the spooky graveyard and of course traversing the tree zone.


Overall the visuals are fantastic, they might be 25 years old but they don't feel like they have aged.



Music 


There is something about hearing 8-Bit music that just makes me smile.  The music is very upbeat and positive, even the boss battles and Wario's Castle.  The soundtrack is created by Japanese composer Kazumi Totaka.  Totaka has worked on Tetris, Dr Mario, Animal Crossing, Wii Sports, Pikmin 2, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Yoshi's Island DS to name but a few.


The soundtrack is a little shy of thirty minutes.  My favourite tracks included; 'Choose Pipe', 'Mario Zone', 'Pumpkin Zone', 'Athletic', Graveyard', 'The Moon', 'Invincibility', 'Boss Battle' and 'Wario's Castle'.


Overall the soundtrack is fantastic and is so much fun!

Gameplay


Super Mario Land 2 6 Golden Coins is a classic platformer.  As with almost all Mario games, there are hidden areas and lots of fun power-ups including my favourite fire flower.  Instead of getting an extra life for every hundred coins you collect you can play the slots and try to win them or other items.


The enemies are fun and for the most point are not too awkward with the exception of some of the bosses, the worst being the one in Space Zone and Wario himself.  To be fair Wario isn't the worst but the enemies just before him are awkward and I found myself losing my power-ups to them.


Overall the gameplay is fun and reminds of me the games I used to play growing up.





Final Thoughts


So, after a few hours of playing how did I feel?  Pretty good!  Super Mario Land 2 6 Golden Coins is a classic game.  It has a light story, fun visuals and music, along with great gameplay.  I'm glad I finally have it in my collection and look forward to playing it in the future.  This one gets 4 out of 5

Metal Gear Rising Revengeance - Review

Metal Gear Rising Revengeance was announced by Konami back in 2012.   For a time it seemed like the game may never be released but in 2014 it finally happened.  I played it shortly after it was released and really enjoyed it.  I wanted to revisit the game and decided Christmas was as good a time as any.


I like gravy.  I don't mean by itself but I like it with certain foods, the classic being a roast.  If  I had to pick I would say chicken gravy is my favorite. Gravy takes a food that is good and makes it better.  That all being said I could never just consume it solo as it would be too samey.  Playing Metal Gear Rising Revengeance I found myself asking was I enjoying some tasty gravy with some food or was I just having it solo?

Story

The story has you play as a Raiden, a cyborg who always seems angry.  In previous times he had the nickname Jack The Ripper, so clearly a cuddly guy.  Raiden works for a private security company called Maverick.  They seem like a decent lot and have helped in creating peace in Africa.  Which most people would see as a good thing, but not all.  Within the first mission peace in Africa is destroyed and Raiden is left a little worse for wear.  The main goal is to take down the bad guys and...well that's it really.

The overall story is relatively straightforward, however, there are certain moments in the game that reference the Metal Gear Universe which is fine as long as you are up on all the games.  On occasion, the dialogue comes across as cheesy and the monologuing near the end of the game went on way too long.  It isn't a bad story but isn't exactly something that is particularly memorable either.

Visuals

It can be tough when talking about the visuals of a game that is four years old and keeping it in perspective.  The visuals have aged and the game is in definite need of an HD remake.  The game has a futuristic look, so when the visuals age it stops it looking so cool and futuristic. Raiden's design is interesting, he looks more machine than man but still manages to look overall undeniably human.  The Sundowner Boss fight was one of the coolest visually, primarily because you are on the top of a huge building and there are helicopters circling around providing light and trying to kill you.  The toughest thing about Metal Gear Rising Revengance is the unwieldy camera angles, it can be hard to control and even when you're locked onto an enemy it can be easy to lose sight of them.

Overall the game has aged visuals but has some great backdrops.  The biggest let down is the camera angles which are really jarring along with impacting the gameplay.

Music

The soundtrack has a heavy metal feel to it and generally keeps quiet until the action kicks off, which to be fair is quite often.  The soundtrack was created by American composer Jamies Christopherson who previous works include, Total War: War Hammer II, Lost Planet 2 and Stranglehold.

The soundtracks run a little over an hour and my favorites tracks were; 'Rules of Nature', 'Dark Skies', 'I'm My Own Master Now' and 'Collective Consciousness'.  

Overall the soundtrack works but other times it felt a little cheesy and took away from the gameplay.  Not a bad soundtrack but not one that will stay with me either.

Gameplay

There is a lot of fun to be had with Metal Gear Rising Revengence.  I mean who doesn't want a sword that has so much precision you can cut a melon into perfect slices.  Raiden's primary weapon is his sword, later you get secondary weapons once you start defeating bosses.  Outside of this, you have grenades, nano repair kits, and all the standard fare.    The sword you have is cool and when an enemy suffers enough damaged you can slice him apart and rip out his energy.  While this sounds fun on occasion it can be fiddly as you don't always have enough time to slice and an enemy up the right way before the gauge runs out.  During normal combat, this isn't a big deal but on bosses like Sundowner where you have to pick the perfect angle, it can become really annoying.

It is possible to upgrade your primary or unique weapons along with your health, fuel cells and you can unlock moves.  Once you have beaten the game new items will unlock which can be really fun.  Additionally, you have the option to try out all your weapons and moves in VR missions.

Overall the gameplay can be fun, really fun.  Unfortunately, what lets it down are annoying camera angles and sometimes overly fiddly sword attacks.  Sidenote, a big shout out to the return of the cardboard box, I managed to avoid and stealth kill many enemies using it.

Final Thoughts

So, after eight hours how do I feel revising Metal Gear Rising Revengeance?  Meh.  The story was okay, the visuals and music were okay, there was some fun gameplay.  Overall the game has aged but that aside from the poor camera angles and sometimes the overly fiddly moves were frustrating.  The game could have been good or even great but instead was just okay.  This one gets 3 out of 5

Frostpunk - Review

We are fast approaching the end of 2018 and honestly, I have no idea where the year went.  One of the last games I decided to play this year was Frostpunk.  Frostpunk is a city building survival game that was released earlier this year.  Playing it was an interesting experience.


I like Ramen, well I think I do.   My only real experience eating ramen is at Wagamama, and I really enjoyed it.  It's more than soup, but not quite a stew and I always struggled to finish it all as there is so much.  It's warming, enjoyable and really great if you're not 100% sure what you want to eat.  Playing Frostpunk I found myself asking was this like a tasty never-ending bowl of ramen?

Story

The game is set in an alternative version of 1886, the world has gotten cold, really cold, ice cold in fact.  Millions of people are dead and the whole world is like a giant frozen wasteland.  The story has you play as the leader/captain of the last city on Earth.  It is not an easy task, on top of making sure there are enough resources to keep the city running you also have to keep your people happy.  

Overall the story is simple and thought-provoking. The game will have you asking yourself not will humanity survive but should it?  

Visuals

The visuals manage to be both amazing and grim.  The city you manage looks beaten up but not nearly as much as the people. I remember early on watching people carving a path out through the ice and snow to gather resources, it looked great but was also tough to watch them struggle.  There were many moments in the game like this, beautifully but also very somber. 

Overall the visuals are impressive and if the world was down to one final city this is what I imagine it might look like.

Music 

The score is haunting, filled with somber strings that help ensure you don't forget the struggle and desperation you will face.  The score is created by Polish composer Piotr Musial who created the sounds for Witcher 3, This War Of Mine and Anomaly Warzone Earth.

The score runs at just over an hour, at this point I would normally list out my favorites tracks but I can't.  In honesty, it is a perfect soundtrack that helps to create a dark, punishing atmosphere that I won't soon forget.

Gameplay

At its core, Frostpunk is a city building game but it was so much more.  Initially, you must get your workers to gather resources and help build your city.  However, as your city grows people will make requests, some you can ignore but generally, it is not advisable to do so. There are two gauges, discontent and faith/obedience.  You need to keep the discontent low and faith/obedience high, failure to do will have your people rally against you and if you're unlucky kill you.

There is a Book of Laws, a new law can be passed every twenty-four hours, all of which have an effect not only on your city as a whole but also discontent and faith/obedience. Initially, the laws will all be focused on adaptation but later they are about order/faith.  I found this element interesting and certainly added a challenge.  There is the option to use order to keep people in line or use faith, both are good in their own way.

The main resources in the game are coal, steel, and wood, with enough of each there is a good chance of survival.  If you gather enough resources you can unlock new building and improvement in the skill tree.  It's important to start researching and unlocking building and improvements as quickly as possible.

The generator is probably the most important thing in the game, if you can keep it going and upgrade it there is a chance your people might survive.  Heat is a major factor in the game and you can see how bad the cold is by using the temperature overlay.  Some buildings like cookhouses and medical building need a constant supply of heat or they will shut down.

There were moments in the game that really got me.  Watching the hunters leave in the early hours of the morning unsure if they would make it back alive I always found sad.  When workers sacrificed themselves to keep the coal mines open it felt like a real loss and not just another number.

The game offers various scenarios - the main one being 'A New Home' and there is an endless mode. Both are pretty good and offer a large amount replayability.

Over the gameplay was fantastic with few issues.  The game is bleak and sometimes gruelling but never really found myself pulling my hair out.

Final Thoughts

So, after twenty plus hours how did I feel?  Really good.  The story was simple but interesting, the visuals were great, the soundtrack was amazing and the gameplay was something else. I really enjoyed my time playing Frostpunk and glad to know I have so many more hours ahead of me.  This is probably my favourite game of 2018 and gets a solid 5 out of 5

Assassins Creed Origins - Review

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


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

Story


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


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


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

Graphics


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


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



Music


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


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


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

Gameplay


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


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


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


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




Final Thoughts

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

The Darkside Detective - Review

A number of years ago I went to Dublin for a Gaming Convention, a big part of that was Irish Developers showcasing their games.  One of my favourites was Spooky Doorway's The Darkside Detective, a fun point and click mystery adventure.  I kept meaning to play it but in honesty, I just kept forgetting about it, until now.


Soup. It is wondrous stuff if you're not sure what to eat or you're feeling under the weather it can really help.  One of my favourites is chicken noodle, it's hearty and real comfort food.  Playing The Darkside I found myself asking was this my comfort food?

Story


The story, or, rather the cases follow the adventures of Detective Francis McQueen and Officer Patrick Dooley.  They, or more correctly Detective McQueen help investigate the paranormal mysteries of the small town of Twin Lakes.  There are six cases and three additional bonus ones, with fun names like 'Malice In Wonderland', 'Tome Alone', 'Polterguys' and 'Loch Mess'.


Overall the cases are fun and have some great stories.  Being a point and click adventure most of the gold is in the dialogue. Some of my favourites include: 'why is there a hobo dripping all over my carpet','ah, come on now Detective, you're hardly going to arrest the weather' and a flaming trash can that says 'help me I'm on fire!'.

Visuals


The Darkside Detective is pixilated fun, it works really well, especially with it being a tongue in cheek mystery game.  While you might not expect much from 8-bit style adventure the visuals can often be quite stunning.  In particular the colourful lightning vortex, the Darkside train station and the Mayan Pyramid.


Overall the visuals manage to be simple, stunning and fun!


Music 

If you have ever wondered what the X-Files Music crossed with a chiptune would sound like it, it may sound something like The Darkside Detective.  It works really well and it's clear that composer Ben Prunty had a lot of influences for the eighties and nineties. Ben is an American composer who created the soundtracks for FTL, Colour Sky, Chromatic T-Rex, and Fragments.


The score runs a little over an hour and features some great tracks, my favourites include 'A Town Unlike Any Other', 'Happy Retirement', 'BETI', 'Smyth's Graveyard' and 'Revenge Of The Don'.


Overall a great soundtrack that really helped in making the game special.

Gameplay

The Darkside Detective is a classic point and click adventure.  What I liked about it most was its accessibility, what I have found in the past is that occasionally point and click games can be overly convoluted.  I have found some to be a little overly complicated with the puzzles and found myself asking 'how the hell was I supposed to figure that out?'.  The Darkside Detective allows you to enjoy it without having to spend to much time scratching your head.


Outside of solving puzzles there is some fantastic dialogue.  There are a lot of pop culture references throughout the game but instead of feeling clunky and overused they made me smile.  There are even jokes about the game itself and they work so well.


Overall the gameplay is a lot of fun and only a few times was I left feeling a little confused.




Final Thoughts 

So, after eight hours how did I feel?  Pretty good!  The cases were fun as were the characters you interact with.  The visuals and music work really well in creating the mysterious feel of the game. The gameplay is simple and fun, managing to move away from some of the more frustrating point and click adventures.  Overall this one gets a solid 4 out of 5