Gears of War Judgement - Review

Fresh off the back of completing Gears of War 3 myself and Nolls decided to play Gears of War Judgement, the fourth installment in the Gears of War series. I had only played it once before when it was first released so was excited to see how I felt about it the second time around, especially after playing Gears 5.


There are certain combinations of food in my opinion that go really well together. A classic for me is lasagna, chips and garlic bread.  It's a heavy meal and a lot to eat through, but I'm always up for the challenge. As I sit here with my slightly swollen stomach (okay it's very swollen) I find myself asking was it worth it? The answer is yes, every time.  Playing Gears of War Judgement I found myself asking was it the right combination of things and would I be left swollen or feeling sick?

Story


Gears of War Judgement is split into two campaigns; Judgement and Aftermath.  Judgment focuses on Kilo Squad, made up of a young Lieutenant Baird, Private Cole, and introducing Cadet Hendrik, and Private Paduk. Cadet Hendrik who is in training to be an Onyx Guard, Private Paduk who is from the Republic of Gorasnaya who doesn't like taking orders and has more than a few bones to pick with the COG.


The start of Judgment sees all members of Kilo Squad in handcuffs and each giving their testimonies.  Each character provides another piece of the story and the pieces combined show their journey to take down General Karn. Aftermath takes place during the latter half of Gears of War 3 when Baird and Cole are sent to find reinforcements.  They meet a not so happy Paduk and try to convince him for help.


Overall the story works really and it was interesting to see a younger Baird and Cole and the introduction of new characters Hendrik and Paduk.

Visuals


The visuals are a lot more vibrant and sharper than in the previous installments of Gears of War. Don't get me wrong the game still looks dark, but fire and the overall lighting effects stand out much more than before.


There are a number of missions that are outside during the day and these look really good especially in the Judgement campaign where there were still some buildings intact, and for a moment give the illusion of an abandoned world rather than a desolate one. The world feels more real than it has previously and can really see the impact war has had on it.


It's clear the visuals are starting the move towards a more vibrant look and not quite as dark and moody. Who said darkness had to look dark anyway?



Music


Part of what makes up the Gears Of War Universe is the music, dark, moody and very often intense. This sound is created by Steve Jablonsky, who along with creating the music of Gears of War has also created the sound for Prince of Persia Forgotten Sands and Command and Conquer Tiberium Wars.


The soundtrack is just under an hour but Jablonsky makes every minute count.  It is hands down the best Gears of War soundtrack to date. He managed to create both a new and familiar sound which really adds to the overall experience of the game.


This is one of these few times where I give top marks to the soundtrack.  Every track was perfect and worked so well. If a Lancer was pointed at my head and I had to pick one track that stood above the others I would have to say 'Jacked'.

Gameplay


While the core gameplay in Gears of War Judgement is similar to the others in the Gears of War series this one makes a few tweaks and changes along with throwing in an interesting curveball.


The weapons are reliable, sawed-off shotguns and retro Lancers feel a little inaccurate but they are supposed to be. Not since Gears of War 2 have I used my chainsaw so much, it makes me smile every time I revved it up.  I used the Retro Lancer a lot as well because even though it does not offer the best accuracy I really got into using the bayonet, and while awkward to use it is quite satisfying killing a locust with one.


The cover system continues to be solid for the most part but can glitch on occasion, this means you don't always slide into cover as smoothly as you may like. The cover feels a lot more temporary in many cases as similar to Gears of War 3 it is more destructible.


Gears of War 3 made you feel you were fighting for your very life, Gears of War Judgement does that same thing which creates an intense and satisfying experience.  In the Judgement campaign, there is a Star System for each section with a maximum of three stars to be gained.  It certainly pushes you not to be lazy and give it your all.  However, if you find this too easy you also have the option of adding a declassified mission to the mix, it can be anything from stronger enemies, little ammo, or there is a time limit.  While it is jarring to start with we got into the groove pretty quickly. The only downside is that they did not continue this with the Aftermath campaign.


Overall the gameplay is varied, offering more challenges, new enemies and a few new weapons too!






Final Thoughts


So, after ten hours how did we feel?  Pretty good.  The story was really good and fleshed out some of the characters. The visuals were a lot more vibrant and sharper and it will be interesting replaying Gears of War 4 to see how they compare.  The soundtrack is easily the best to date and certainly adds to the tension.  The gameplay is fairly solid with only a few minor hiccups.  This one gets a solid 4 out of 5

Catherine Full Body - Review

Ten years ago now I heard about Catherine. I saw a teaser trailer and some mild details about it, my first thoughts were 'this looks crazy, I must play it'.  I have played Catherine quite a number of times over the years and seen all the endings, it is an awesome game and is like no other I have played.  Naturally, when Atlus announced they would be releasing a new edition of the game with a new story, characters, dialogue, animations, and music I was pumped.


I love yum-yums! What the hell is a yum-yum I hear you asking? They are like a doughnut only softer, full of sugar and frosting and make you go yum-yum.  It's a stupidly good name and even while I type these words I am thinking how much I want one or four.  Playing Catherine Fully Body I found myself asking was it is tasty and sweet as I remember or was there a chance it was better?

Story 


The story of Catherine follows Vincent Brooks, a guy who loves drinking with his friends and is trying to figure out what he is doing with his life.  His long time girlfriend Catherine is getting tired of his antics and wants him to commit more to their relationship. He is happy where he is, but the time has come for Vincent to figure things out. That might seem tough enough already but add in a girl he has woken up beside who is also called Katherine. Then there is Rin a mysterious girl with amnesia who Vincent is trying to help out, but who is she really? And that is just his waking hours, at night he is plagued by nightmares.


The added dialogue and characters are awesome, there are new challenges and new endings to the game recorded by the original voice actors. I loved playing Catherine Fully Body and look forward to seeing all the new endings in time.  Overall the story is fantastic and really adds something new to the game.

Graphics


The visuals in the original release of Catherine in 2011 were awesome. They mixed great in-game visuals and character designs with anime sequences. This time Atlus has given the visuals a bit of an overall upgrade along with adding in some new stuff as well.  The game features some new characters that all add their own flair to the world of Catherine.  There is now a new story puzzle mode where the deadly blocks look very different and offer a lot more of a challenge. Additionally, there is a whole slew of new cut sequences that look amazing.


Overall the visuals look amazing, the upgrades and the addition of new story sequences help make Catherine Fully Body even more impressive than the original release.



Music


The music style used in Catherine Fully Body is varied, including jazz, rock, and anime. Shoji Meguro is the Japanese composer for the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series. This time he adds his talent to the soundtrack of Catherine Full Body (as he did with the original release). Japanese composer Takeshi Kuramochi also adds his talents to the soundtrack and is best known for his work on the Magical Halloween Series.  The soundtrack also features Japanese hip-hop and rapper L-VOKAL.


The soundtrack runs slightly over two hours and features nothing but great tracks! The soundtrack adds a load of new tracks, including those featured in the Persona series that can now be played on the Juke Box at the Stray Sheep while Vincent is killing time. Overall a great soundtrack that goes way beyond the original.

Gameplay
The gameplay is quite different from any other game I have played before.  It manages to feel like an anime, crossed with an RPG and something else too.  The combination works well and there is time to enjoy all elements of the game.  For example, when Vincent is in the Stray Sheep Bar talking to his friends and speaking with its patrons it seems like the most important thing.  I loved going around talking to people, drinking, sending texts, listening to music, and sometimes if I was in the mood I would play Rapunzel.


Each night when Vincent falls to sleep he must navigate a wall of blocks, build paths to get to the top and try to avoid traps, or falling, or killer sheep.  The puzzle mechanics have been improved quite a lot from the original.  In the original release, the camera angles could be a bit of pain making it awkward to plan your path.  There is now a blue light that indicates when blocks are touching each other and show the potential route you can take while hanging.  The game did not feel as tough as the original and made me wonder if this was due to how many times I had played it before or had Atlus removed some of the difficulty?


In between the puzzles of certain death, a voice asks you certain questions to get a better idea of who you are.  The scale will either tip closer to the red or into the blue depending on how you answer.  More questions have been added this time, and like last time you get to see how other players answered.


Finding the game to easy? Put up the difficulty! Want more of a challenge? Take on the Tower of Babel or take on people online.


Overall the gameplay has enjoyed some tweaks and improvements which really helped provide a smoother experience.





Final Thoughts

So, after twelve hours how did I feel?  Amazing.  The story was awesome and the addition of Rin, along with other characters and the new endings provide a lot of excuses to replay it in the future. The visuals have gone from great to amazing and love the new anime sequences.  The music is awesome and manages to make something old new and then some.  The gameplay improvements are welcome and make the overall experience that much better.  This one gets a solid 5 out of 5

Warcraft III Reforged - Review

Many, many moons ago I remember purchasing Warcraft III Reign of Chaos, and the add on Frozen Throne. It was one of the best Real-Time Strategy games I have ever played and I have put so many hours into it over the years.  The first time I set up a LAN party was while playing Warcraft III.  We had three laptops connected up together in a small cold room on TV dinner size tables and it was awesome. Nearly twenty years after it was released Blizzard announced they would be remastering both the Reign of Chaos and Frozen Throne, along with The Founding of Durotar campaign.  Naturally, when it was released earlier this year I snagged myself a copy.


I love M&M's, there are so many different types and flavors, so no matter what mood you are in there is something for you. I have gone through bouts of eating bags and bags of them and made myself feel quite sick but loved consuming them all the same.  Playing Warcraft III Reforged made me wonder whether eating so many M&M's was a good thing?

Story


The Warcraft Universe is huge and highly detailed and that was way before World of Warcraft was released. Warcraft III Reforged has sixty missions!  It is hard to sum up everything that the story covers in Warcraft III Reforged but I will give it a try. There are multiple campaigns and races you get to play with; Humans, Orcs, The Undead, Night Elves, Blood Elves, and a Mok'nathal. A demonic race known as the Burning Legion is trying to take over the world, this is essentially the base story. Within that, each race has its own story, the Humans are trying to stop the Burning Legion's army known as The Scourge. The Orcs are trying to deal with being part of the Burning Legion for a long time and now being free to be their own people. The Night Elves are trying to stop the forests and essentially mother nature from being destroyed by not only the Burning Legion but also all of the races taking resources to build their armies. The Undead wants to claim the world for themselves but there are a lot of different ideas on how this is to be done and who should be in charge. The Blood Elves are dealing with no longer having a pure source of magic and are essentially a dying race being bullied by the humans. Finally, there is Rexxar, a Mok'nathal who is a lonely wanderer trying to find his place in the world.


There is so much happening in the story, what makes it interesting is that there are a lot of grey areas. The heroes are not always as pure as they seem and willing to go to extreme lengths to get what they want. The villains are not just simple one-dimensional characters but complex characters who often made me wondering who the real villains were.


Overall a fantastic story that still holds up exceptionally well especially for a game that is almost twenty years old!

Visuals


When it comes to RTS's visuals have never been that important to me. I grew up playing series like Command and Conquer and The Settlers. Over the years RTS's visuals have improved massively, great examples of these for me personally would be Halo Wars and Frostpunk.  The visuals have definitely been enhanced, remastered and upgraded since the release of Warcraft III in 2002. Each of the units looks a lot sharper and more defined, and when zooming in characters don't look pixelated. The levels themselves look really good (but being honest I always thought they looked good). I really love the visuals in the Night Elves campaign, the forests look lush and alive.  One thing Blizzard has always been synonymous with is their cinematics. They look so good in fact that it makes me excited for a day that games have the same visuals for the gameplay itself.


Overall the new visuals help make a good looking game even better and I never tired of looking at them.



Music


The music for Warcraft III Reforged is the same as the original Warcraft III Reign of Chaos and Frozen Throne.  It has a distinctly old school sound, it's not quite retro, perhaps the best way to describe it would be to say it is a more civilized music, from a more civilized time (yeah, I have kind of taken that from a New Hope and repurposed it). That isn't a knock on it but is definitely very different from modern-day video game soundtracks.

The soundtrack is composed by Glenn Stafford, Tracy W. Bush and Derek Duke, who between them have provided the sounds of Warcraft II, III, and World of Warcraft along with Starcraft, Starcraft II and Overwatch.

The soundtrack is just shy of two hours and my favorites tracks include; 'Comrade Ship', 'Doom', 'Human #1', 'Human Defeat', 'Main Screen', 'Night Elf #2', 'Orc #2', 'Orc #3', 'Orc x1', 'Undead #2' and 'Undead #3'.

Gameplay


Warcraft III Reforged is like many RTS games, build a base, manage resources, build an army, destroy the enemy.  Outside of the normal missions, you have ones where you have to defend an area or destroy one in a limited time. Then there is Defence of the Ancient (DOTA) style missions where you control one or two heroes and a limited amount of units, not hugely dissimilar to the mechanics of Diablo III.


Each race has its own strengths and weakness and you will get to explore all of them as you journey through each of the campaigns. The human race (ROFL) has well designed and strong buildings, mages and great siege units, the downside is that many of them are quite weak and can easily be killed. The Orcs have less refined and more tribal looking structure (which I really like), they don't tend to be very strong but make up for it in the strength of their units. The Undead have a big effect wherever they take up residence, a lush green area can be transformed into a deadly poisonous one. The base defenses are quite strong, while some units can be killed easily they are often cheap to produce and the stronger ones can easily take on multiple units with ease. Night Elves use nature to their advantage and rather than cutting down trees they kind of absorb the wood without destroying them?  Don't ask me, do I  look like an arborist?  Their biggest strength is that at night they appear or don't appear visible to enemies making it easier to sneak around.  The base structures are all living and can be moved around if needed which is really cool. The Blood Elves are quite similar to Night Elves, at least base structure-wise but I found their units to be a lot more battle-hardened and magic rich.


Separate to all the races you have the Mok'nathal, well one of them, named Rexxar. A traveler who is always accompanied by his pet companion Misha. There is no base-building involved with him and he can be controlled solo. His role starts as the new Orc empire is being established, he helps complete small missions which when combined together offer many hours of gameplay.


The game features many heroes and villains, there are around twenty of them in total. The standout ones for me were; Thrall, Lich Kel'Thuzard, Illidan, Prince Kael'Thas, Lady Vash and Rexxar. Each of them can be leveled up and gain four abilities that can then be further upgraded.


Some missions will seem quite quick, there are some really tricky ones along the way that I had to replay a number of times before beating them but it was all part of the fun.  Overall the game holds up pretty well after all these years and the gameplay very solid.




Final Thoughts


So, after almost seventy hours (yeah, you read that right) how did I feel?  Pretty damn good. It was great to revisit a familiar world with a fresh coat of paint and some tweaks.  The main story and side stories are really interesting and are easy to see why there is so much literature on it.  The visuals went from good to great, the more refined, polished look really helps bring it closer to modern-day RTS visuals.  The music remained the same, I can't knock that but certainly feels a little aged or maybe I have just gotten too used to modern-day video game music.  The gameplay is good but is often not for the faint of heart or those not willing to dedicate some serious hours to it.  Overall this one gets a solid 4 out of 5