Pass the Controller | Latest news, reviews and reviews in video games
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Forum
  • About
    • Contact
    • Meet the Team
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Forum
  • About
    • Contact
    • Meet the Team
>

In Death: Unchained Review | Oculus Quest

23/7/2020

 
In Death Unchained Review Oculus Quest - Pass the Controller

In Death: Unchained brings the VR Rogue-lite to Oculus Quest for an untethered, wireless experience after its debut on PSVR and PC. Clever subtitle aside, the procedurally generated shooter has been expanded with all-new content to ramp-up the difficulty and keep players busy for longer. Packed with religious iconography, is this trip to the afterlife destined for heaven or hell?

Picture






by Sam Sant


Picture

@SlamShotSam


Picture
Developer: Superbright
Publisher: Superbright
Platforms: Oculus Quest
Players: 1
Porting In Death to Quest has been handled by Superbright, in place of original developer Solfar. Though the game might look ever-so-slightly worse without a PC or PS4 powering it, it’s not hard to argue that this is the definitive version. The additional Abyss level takes the game’s total to a healthy three, while its hellish theme makes for a more complete tour of what may lie beyond the mortal realm.

As far as a storyline goes, that’s about the extent of it. You battle through purgatory, heaven and hell - in that order - whilst confronted by challenging enemies and randomised level layouts. You’ll die over and over again until you finally get proficient enough to reach a level’s boss encounter, then probably die again. Each time you’ll head back to the start and face an altered challenge, your choice of longbow or crossbow in hand.

Levels do adapt somewhat to mirror player proficiency, but there’s no getting around the fact that In Death: Unchained is difficult. In a VR market stuffed with lite “experiences” it can be bruising to begin with, though dying does actually facilitate progress. As you play, you’ll unlock a variety of in-game achievements (unfortunately, they don’t appear on a system level in the Oculus Scoreboards app) which grant different buffs.

Landing a certain number of headshots in one run rewards you with a permanent boost to headshot damage, for example. In addition to receiving these tangible benefits, your manual skills should also develop over time; the result is an engaging sense of progression that helps to take the edge off permadeath.
 
Earning some unavoidable achievements can work against you, however. Killing large numbers of specific enemy types will summon their meaner counterparts, which prevents you from just snowballing in, power unchecked. 
Since unlocks aren’t a complete crutch, developing your physical skill is key. Aiming takes genuine finesse without crosshairs or any form of aim assist, and getting a feel for the gradual drop of an arrow or bolt also takes some time. At first you’ll be whiffing shots at close range, before eventually hitting headshots over long distances like it’s nothing.

Solid motion tracking on the Oculus Touch controllers makes things painless, which is handy, as combat requires juggling way more than just archery. There’s a defensive shield (which can also be turned to offence with a close-range shield bash), though it often pays to physically dodge incoming projectiles and melee strikes so as to not obscure your vision. The Quest’s lack of wires can really help out here.

It’s possible to briefly trigger slow motion by bringing up the real-time arrow switching menu, which helps if you’re in a small play area and need to be careful with regards to how you move. If space is at a real premium, you can even opt to play stationary and seated. Firing teleportation arrows is probably the best movement option to match, though there is also a free locomotion setting available at launch.

Regardless of your preferred settings, a short-range teleportation shard also occupies your arsenal for clutch dodges and quickly popping around corners or through doorways. You can best use it to your advantage in attracting enemies’ attention and then retreating slightly to draw them into choke points. The AI is pretty exploitable if you pull enemies gradually, though things get hairy when you mess up and they bombard you all at once.
In Death Unchained Review Oculus Quest - Pass the Controller
Special arrows can save your afterlife in these situations, doing things like freezing enemies in place and sticking them with explosives, channelling the iconic Gears of War Torque Bow. They’re an absolute must during boss encounters as well; bosses annoyingly spawn in waves of minions, so your best bet is to end the fight before it has a chance to really begin using your heaviest artillery.

Emerging victorious will grant you access to the next level, though being able to start a run from that level (i.e. opting to begin from two at the menu instead of clearing one to get back there) requires hitting an arbitrary overall completion percentage first. Gating is probably intended for players’ own good, but when we’d nearly finished the final level and died it was annoying to learn that we’d need to backtrack and earn 7% more in order to spawn there for an immediate second crack of the whip.

Still, returning to the previous level, Paradise Lost, wasn’t all bad. Cathedral architecture is elaborately laid out amongst the clouds and we found that being mobile and aggressive worked best on the armies of flying cherubs and grounded witches. It can be easy to get lost in the lavish labyrinth and cherubs in particular have a nasty habit of appearing right behind you for cheap hits, but it's still a lot of fun to play the role of ordained executioner.
In Death: Unchained features an engaging sense of progression that helps to take the edge off permadeath.
In Death Unchained Review Oculus Quest - Pass the Controller
A major strength of virtual reality gaming is the use of 3D audio, but the implementation here is underwhelming. Enemy sound effects never really cut through the bog standard atmospheric background score, which makes it hard to instinctively pinpoint their locations and can lead to missing enemies standing right by you.
 
In Death: Unchained is immensely replayable and, impressively, a grander prospect than its higher powered PC and PlayStation 4 counterparts. It’s challenging and moreish, while also being a great fit for the Oculus Quest platform specifically. Permadeath and towering reliquaries – shrines that serve as in-game shops and save points – make the game easy to play in short bursts, lending itself well to the headset’s portable nature and limited battery life.

Pros

  • Challenging, involved and skill-dependant gameplay
  • Definitive version thanks to new content
  • Progression and procedural generation make for huge replayability 

Cons

  • Bosses are uninspired and rely on spawning in drones
  • Audio is limp, with enemies being especially underwhelming
  • Cherubs can teleport directly behind you and steal cheap hits

7/10
0 Comments

Lies Beneath Review | Oculus Quest

11/4/2020

 
Lies Beneath Review | Oculus Quest - Pass the Controller

Horror is a pretty overcrowded genre when it comes to VR, owing mostly to the platform’s greater level of immersion making it easy to provoke a reaction from players. Oculus exclusive Lies Beneath manages to differentiate itself by travelling the survival horror route while adopting a dark and pulpy comic book aesthetic. Throw in some exciting action gameplay and the team at Drifter (Robo Recall: Unplugged) could be onto a winner.

Picture
by Sam Sant
Picture

@SlamShotSam

Picture
Developer: Drifter
Publisher: Oculus Studios
Platforms: Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift
Players: 1

Published by Oculus Studios and released first on the wireless Quest - it’s due 14 April on Rift, with one purchase granting access to both versions - Lies Beneath is intentionally framed as schlocky fiction. You play through three issues of the titular comic series, which promises “lurid lore to alarm and harm” throughout the eight-hour campaign.

Lies Beneath remains steadfastly true to its gimmick, boasting cel shaded visuals and floating text boxes in place of spoken dialogue. Combined with trademark verbs like “thwack” emanating from your actions, it might be the closest any piece of entertainment has come to having you step inside a comic book world. Fans of the medium will appreciate that massively, especially since there’s actual quality writing and sequencing to accompany the basic framework.

Players are cast as a young woman named Mae, who’s homecoming to the quaint Alaskan town of Slumber quickly goes wrong. Throughout the story you navigate twists and turns as the truth regarding the setting and its inhabitants gradually comes to light. It’s not all that big of a revelation due to a reliance on familiar horror tropes, but it's possible to dig a little deeper by taking the time to inspect environmental storytelling elements and collectible lore items.

While Lies Beneath looks great both stylistically and technically, choosing to convey the narrative through text occasionally proves troublesome. Small font sizes are used in places and are hard to make out without leaning right into them, which is, of course, an option that you’re afforded in VR, but it’s irksome when playing room-scale and plain irritating with a stationary setup.
Regardless, the game does a great job of building an unnerving atmosphere through eerie environments and lighting. It’s close to pitch black at times, with only the piercing red eyes of enemies visible in the distance and the faint glow of your trusty lighter illuminating the more immediate area. PSA: If that lighter goes out and takes a few attempts to spark back up, prepare for an unpleasant jumpscare. Otherwise, the direction of its flame is a handy means of setting you on the right path and it’s light also reveals enemy weak points.

Many locations are adorned with grotesque, ornamental butchery that melds animal and human body parts; meanwhile, frantic banging emanates from the next helpless victims that are trapped inside nearby crates. The soundscape in Lies Beneath is strong on the whole and using headphones is an in-game recommendation we’d echo, but, failing that, the built-in Quest speakers do a decent job of outputting fairly immersive 3D audio.

When time comes to combat the deranged townsfolk, there are three tweakable comfort modes and three difficulty settings to ensure everyone can do so enjoyably. Whatever you opt for, Oculus Touch motion tracking works pretty much flawlessly; a great test in any VR game is to throw something, and Lies Beneath gave us no trouble lodging axes in enemy heads from meters away.

There are plenty more melee weapons to wield beyond just axes, which do different levels of damage and cover various ranges. Unfortunately, however, their collision is wildly inconsistent. Weapons collide with and lodge into certain foes and surfaces, but clip right through others, which is distracting enough to pull you out of the experience at times. 
Similarly mixed is the amount of damage that specific enemy types can absorb, especially in the late stages of the game. Two identical nasties can take vastly different levels of punishment, which, in theory, could’ve served to ramp up terror through uncertainty, but is more annoying than anything else. With checkpoints being limited at that point in the game, it’s almost enough to have you pulling your hair out.

​
If that tempts you to drop the difficulty a notch, know that Lies Beneath significantly steps up (or down) with each setting. Easy is a cakewalk, Normal can get pretty challenging, while Hard, above and beyond to its name, is absolutely gruelling.

The difficulty level doesn’t just affect incoming and outgoing damage, but also the resources available to you in ammunition and health-replenishing foodstuffs. There’s a hard limit on what you can carry, with your back designated to a hunting rifle and a non-lethal harpoon gun, while your right and left holsters can be used to store anything from a silenced 9mm pistol to a tin of tuna.

Covering all of the bases with a melee weapon, some food and a pistol is most often your best bet to prep for enemy encounters. That’s especially true for a few set piece holdout sections reminiscent of Resident Evil 4, in which you’ll also be afforded bear traps and gasoline cans to strategically place around the battlefield. That being said, the best laid plans quickly go awry when you’re charged by tankish pigmen and forget to do something simple, like flick your wrist to reload the six shooter or cock the hunting rifle with your spare hand.
Lies Beneath Review | Oculus Quest - Pass the Controller
Although there are no multiplayer or secondary modes to lean on after finishing the inventive final chapter, it’s worth going back to try and find all of the collectibles for the extra lore and greater access to resources they provide through unlocks. Beating the hardest difficulty can definitely be worn as a badge of honour, while multiple endings and achievements (which a lot of Quest games don’t have) should also help to keep you coming back.

Oculus Quest is a platform that’s largely packed with shorter VR “experiences” and arcade-type games suited to brief bursts of play. That isn’t necessarily bad, considering the generally more casual audience, but it can leave some owners wanting in terms of substance. Lies Beneath brings just that, providing spine-tingling scares that can be as challenging or accessible as you’d like. While it might be frightening at times, the action and comic book leanings impart the necessary mass appeal to see it stick the landing as a flagship Oculus exclusive available on Quest.

Pros

  • Satisfying action combat, with great motion tracking
  • Varied, often gruesomely gorgeous environments
  • Engaging comic book trappings

Cons

  • Inconsistent collision detection
  • Damage needed to bring down the same enemies is erratic
  • Text pop-ups can be illegible without physically moving closer

8/10
0 Comments

Doom Eternal Review | Xbox One

7/4/2020

 
DOOM Eternal | Review | Xbox One - Pass the Contoller

Intense. That's the first word that springs to mind when you get to grips with Doom Eternal. The pace has ramped up even further from the lauded 2016 reboot and hits you right in the face so hard that, if you happened to be an in-game demon, you'd be inclined to evaporate into a pool of blood.

Picture
 
​by James
 Michael
 Parry

Picture

@James_Parry

Picture
 Developer: id Software
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Switch, Stadia, PC
Players: 1 - 3
The return of the Doom Slayer has been much anticipated, with fuel only being added to the proverbial hellfire following an excruciating four-month delay. Developer id Software seemingly took that extra time to deliver visual polish so detailed you can almost feel juicy enemy giblets jumping out of the screen - at least on Xbox One X.

Elsewhere, environments stretch out way into the distance and hellacious weather effects successfully bring the underworld to the surface. Perhaps the only missing detail that’d really push Doom Eternal’s presentation over the top would be twisting real-world landmarks to fit its purpose, as seen in the likes of Devil May Cry V.

In fact, it’s possible to lose yourself so completely in the stylised setting that you mistake it for taking place on a different planet as you travel between enemy strongholds. Creatures within them are varied and plentiful, quickly forcing you to get to grips with the Slayer's arsenal in order to dispatch them with severe prejudice.

There’s once again a focus on making individual guns go as far as possible, rather than offering an overwhelming slew of options. Each firearm has one or two secondary functions - such as the super shotgun’s grappling hook, or the plasma rifle’s deadly microwave beam - and you'll most likely find your favourites fairly quickly. That being said, you have to be ready to switch weapons on a dime when different enemy types call for you to target weak points, or, perhaps more likely, you run out of ammo.

​While in Doom (2016) supplies weren't plentiful, in Doom Eternal resource management constantly demands that you efficiently balance your time between gathering health, armour and ammo. Glory kills – devastating executions you can perform when an enemy is staggered and close to death – still grant you health and the chainsaw still grants ammunition, but now regenerates one pip of fuel which is a welcome counterbalance.
The game-changer here is the flame belch, which coats your enemies in fire and causes them to drop protective armour upon death. Armor is vital to your survival, even on lower difficulty settings. Those looking for a challenge have plenty of headroom to push themselves in Doom Eternal, while slayer gates (somewhat secret combat challenges) will push those with a real glutton for punishment even further.

Getting around as the Slayer has never felt so rapid, and traversal has taken a more vertical approach in the sequel. A dash ability combines with the familiar double jump to let you traverse huge open spaces, plus there's even wall climbing thrown into the mix, although, regrettably, it contributes frustration and variety in equal measure.

Often you can see where you need to go but getting there requires a level of dexterity that takes some time to grasp. Unhelpfully, at one point, a floating platform didn’t respawn following a failed attempt and stranded us in an area before a quick restart restored it. Fortunately, technical performance elsewhere is as impressive as the game's visual presentation.

Another weaker point was the many facets of the upgrade system, however. There are runes, which modify the game experience, weapon mods, which unlock those alternate fire modes, and suit stat points, which can be spent on another range of skills. It's a lot to absorb, and even if you have an idea of your play style it can be difficult to know which elements you will and won’t use.

You can respec skills in your ship, which hovers in orbit as a hub between levels. It starts off fairly locked down, but collecting sentinel batteries as you mow your way through levels gradually lets you access more sections of the ship. One useful area you can get to straight away is the training room, which does pretty much what it says on the tin.
Of course, we'd be remiss if we didn't also mention Mick Gordon’s pounding soundtrack. The world of Doom has never been so metal, and neither has its music, complete here with a growling intergender choir. Its predecessor’s OST was exemplary, yet somehow, Eternal hits the mark even harder by slowly building to indicate trouble before exploding into frantic confrontations.

There's competitive multiplayer to dive into as well, if you fancy a distraction from the campaign. Battlemode takes an asymmetric approach as two demons tackle one fully-equipped Slayer; there’s definitely some fleeting fun to be had, but the main focus of the game is clearly its campaign.

While there are a lot of similarities to the 2016 reboot, this latest Doom outing offers more bang for your buck. Some of the shots that id Software have taken don't hit the mark, but the effort and care put into the game shines no matter where you look. It’s immensely satisfying, if relentless to the point of being dizzying at times, but Doom Eternal knows what it is and wholeheartedly embraces it to great effect.
Pros

  • Gameplay builds on Doom 2016 while retaining the fundamentals
  • Environments are breathtaking
  • Killing has never felt so satisfying

Cons

  • Platforming and climbing lose their shine after a while
  • Upgrades upon upgrades fail to hang together
  • Multiplayer is limited to just one good idea, and so feels incidental

9/10
0 Comments

Control | Xbox One | Review

8/9/2019

 
Picture

Remedy Entertainment has a particular brand of storytelling in its games. Since Alan Wake, and even Max Payne (whose voice actor James McCaffrey returns here in a supporting role), they have done things a bit differently, holding live-action scenes in high regard and treating the experience more like a film rather than a game with some story bits thrown in.

Picture

 by James
 Michael
​ Parry

Picture

@James_Parry

Picture
Developer: Remedy Entertainment
Publisher: 505 Games
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
Players: 1
The balance feels more finely tuned in Control than in Remedy's last venture, Quantum Break, where gameplay was broken up by extended live-action sections. Instead, Control’s live-action parts are limited to videos playing on screens around the world, or found in multimedia or messages that are used to drip feed obscure morsels of lore to the player.

You are Jesse Faden, a fairly plain protagonist looking for her brother who disappeared 17 years ago in mysterious and supernatural circumstances. Her story begins at the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC), which resides in an X-Files-themed mystery box called The Oldest House. The establishment collects seemingly mundane objects that are imbued with otherworldly powers, for example causing people standing near them to freeze in place.

After a ritual that saw Faden named the new director of the FBC by The Board, an extradimensional power, she’s transported back into the agency’s building to find it has been decimated by an otherworldly and hostile force known as the Hiss, which has corrupted all but a handful of the building’s employees. With The Oldest House on lockdown until the Hiss are eradicated, it’s up to Faden, along with the few survivors and a tenuous connection to former FBC director Trench (voiced by McCaffrey), to rid the building of its unwelcome guests and track down her brother.

​Gameplay features a blend of third-person shooter mechanics (you’re armed with a morphing multi-use gun known as the Service Weapon) and a range of telekinetic abilities that you’ll put to good use against an increasing number of zombie-like enemies. While combat only becomes bigger and more frantic, rather than more elaborate or encouraging you to use your powers in any special way, the simple joy of picking up a bit of floor with your mind and flinging it at enemies can't be overstated.
There are downsides to the more bombastic action sequences, however. The initial visual impression of former office workers floating lifelessly in the air, repeating the odd phrase to themselves, is extremely effective at building a creeping sense of dread, but the moment combat begins you're quickly pulled back into the fact this is a game, which lessens the impact of the otherwise excellent and foreboding atmosphere at times.

Exploration in Control is non-linear, with new areas of The Oldest House opening up to players in a Metroidvania-style fashion as they progress through the story and gain new abilities. Disappointingly, the structural changes repeatedly referred to in the lore dumps strewn throughout the building aren’t as extreme or as frequent as hinted, with the player only really getting to read about them rather than experience them.

Besides the usual gating off of sections using doors of ever increasing clearance levels, there are environmental puzzles which call on you to put your telekinetic abilities to the test to activate switches or navigate certain areas. One particular brain-teaser called The Astray Maze requires some out-of-the-box thinking, while frequent trips to the Oceanview Motel allow you to pass through the astral plane and access otherwise out-of-reach areas.
The game’s setting is deliberately bland, its harsh, brutalist architecture contrasted by the bizarre happenings taking place within its walls. As the story reveals itself, some of the initial opening intrigue dulls a little, and the vague perspective of the internal monologue from Jesse begins to grate as she's consistently nonplussed by the weirdness of the situation unfolding around her, while a few of the more interesting elements of the game seem to suffer from happening off-screen rather in front of the player.

From a technical perspective Control often struggles, even when running on Xbox One X, with substantial slowdown any time you hop in and out of menus - a frequent occurrence given the lore heavy nature of the game and the number of upgrades available to the player - and even more so when battles get hectic. While performance may suffer, Control is still a very visually impressive game, especially on PC thanks to newfangled ray tracing support.

In all, even with the performance issues, the journey is ultimately very satisfying, and a definite step up from Quantum Break, but if you weren't sold on Remedy's style beforehand then Control is unlikely to do much change your mind. Still, in these days of games as a service and battle royale bandwagoning, a strong, narrative-driven single-player experience is a rare thing, particularly if you’re a fan of Xbox, and it's one which is unlike anything else out there right now.

Pros

  • A concept that feels fresh, executed well
  • Well-paced Metroidvania with high production values
  • Throwing stuff about with your mind is so satisfying

Cons

  • Performance stutters frequently, even on Xbox One X
  • Story and gameplay feel tonally divided
  • Map isn't very useful

9/10
0 Comments

World War Z | PS4 | Review

23/4/2019

 
World War Z | PS4 | Review - Pass the Controller

Based on the 2013 film of the same name, which was loosely based on Max Brooks’ original novel, World War Z the game doesn’t share a great deal in common with either. This survivalist shooter will be much more familiar to fans of Left 4 Dead, the zombie-slaying series which spawned and has defined a sub-genre for over a decade now.

Picture





by Sam Sant

Picture

@SlamShotSam
​


Picture
Developer: Saber
Interactive

Publisher: Mad Dog
​Games

Platforms: PS​4, Xbox
​One, PC (Epic Store)
Players: 1 - 8
There’s no hiding that WWZ is an untimely and somewhat derivative release, but, regardless of that, developer Saber Interactive and publisher Mad Dog - responsible for other bizarre licensed games like NBA Playgrounds and Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn (which might not be as bad as you think) - have done a decent job of ensuring that perhaps their biggest project yet is still a good time.

Played from a third-person perspective, unlike Turtle Rock Studios’ seminal L4D and more recent cohorts such as Vermintide 2 and Earthfall, the undead epidemic at the centre of WWZ has already spread on a global scale. You’ll see that scale translated throughout the campaign’s four globetrotting episodes (playable solo or co-op), as you take in the iconic sights of New York, Moscow, Jerusalem and Japan.

Each location has a bespoke cast of four survivors, with each story being entirely standalone and comprised of two to three digestible levels. Barebones cutscenes accompany the brief character and location bios which are hidden away in menus, so there’s very little in the way of narrative motivation here, rather the cathartic pleasure of mindlessly deanimating the reanimate is what’ll spur you on.

With a hefty 16 selectable characters in total, it’s great that none are pre-assigned fixed classes, leaving the player free to mix and match their favourite aesthetic and mechanical choices in tandem. The six recognisable class archetypes - encompassing the likes of healer and different weapons specialists (firearms, melee, explosives) - each feature unique perks and starting loadouts which can be further customised in time.

You’ll begin any given level with a silenced pistol, or at least a basic melee implement, so it’s generally best to start things off stealthily. Anybody that’s played even a little Payday will know that many online players don’t have the patience for that, however, so docile pockets of undead will soon become a unified swarm.
There’s very little in the way of narrative motivation, rather the cathartic pleasure of mindlessly deanimating the reanimate is what’ll spur you on.
Zombies become a sort of hive mind once alerted to your presence, unflinchingly running towards their demise with no regard for anything other than killing their quarry. This is largely familiar stuff, but it takes on new life during regular scripted moments where they frantically clamber into fleshy pyramid structures to reach higher ground (launching explosives at the base to topple these is delectable) or fling themselves from above as makeshift projectiles.  

You’re given enough firepower that these imposing setpieces are never outright frightening, which could be good or bad depending on your perspective. Fixed defence units including barbed wire, electrified floor panels and turrets can be placed in designated positions, while devastating heavy weaponry can be carried on your person to eradicate entire swarms single handed.

Special infected types are where you’ll need to employ a greater degree of finesse, although L4D players will already be acquainted with the sparse selection. Lurkers are Hunters that do a great job of waiting around corners before taking you by surprise with the ol’ pounce-and-pin manoeuvre. Gasbags are a marriage of Boomer and Spitter. Bulls are Chargers. Most telling of all, the Screamer is equivalent to... the Screamer.

You can mark these nasties on your teammates’ HUD, though in-game dialogue will most often vocalise their presence anyway, which is one of the few ways allied AI proves to be dependable. They can’t interact with mission objectives, don’t level up alongside you to meet the difficulty curve, and can’t be switched from the default Gunslinger class in order to compose a balanced team. You don’t even gain the ability to pause when playing offline, but hey, they’ll never incur friendly fire (which is always enabled) if you really must go solo.
Should sticking with the normal difficulty setting be your speed – meaning you don’t anticipate toughing it out being a problem – just be aware that an initial playthrough should only take around five or six hours. Longevity thereafter is gleaned by upping the stakes to earn better weapons and perks, which you’ll then use to repeat the cycle, only one notch higher on the five-step difficulty rung. Levels subtly change between runs, mainly in terms of enemy and item spawn frequencies and locations, helping to keep things a little more fresh along the way.

​
Even with randomisation it can become repetitive if you don’t dip in and out, which makes the unique PvPvE multiplayer a smart addition. Featuring separate classes and progression to that of the campaign, the mode has five classic game types in which two teams of four fight against one another and, at the same time, CPU-controlled zombies.

Its largely no-frills approach harkens back to a period during the last console generation where almost every game had competitive multiplayer, though in an oddly nostalgic way. That feeling is certainly helped by the fact it’s competent and fun enough on a base level not to feel just tacked-on.
Levels subtly change between runs, mainly in terms of enemy and item spawn frequencies and locations, helping to keep things fresh.
There’s an established early playerbase sticking around for the interesting dynamic of undead swarms which can cut off parts of a map entirely, but how long they’ll put up with the current balance issues is up for question. You can’t switch class mid-match, so if you made a choice that doesn’t synergise well with your team or effectively counter the opposition, you’re left no choice but to ride it out or quit. Certain weapons and strategies are overpowered, namely sprinting around with a double-barrelled shotgun and unloading both slugs or popping around a corner with the (thankfully quite limited) rocket launcher, yet the funk doesn’t end when you die. Spawns are incredibly inconsistent, as sometimes you’ll pop up right in front of an enemy with no temporary invulnerability to save your bacon, or, more to your advantage, right next to an unguarded objective.

​
Whether online or off, in our experience, the PS4 Pro and WWZ servers at least do a good job of handling all the hectic on-screen action. Visually the game is just decent, with some jumpy animations being the biggest sore thumb, but that’s always a worthy trade-off in favour of securing a solid technical performance.

At a budget price point, World War Z offers completionists a lot of game for the money, but anybody with a more one-and-done approach might end up feeling shortchanged by the brief campaign. For either camp, in spite of the strong sense of déjà vu overpowering a few original ideas, WWZ is a good candidate to kick back and relieve a hard day's stress with whenever the time is right.

Pros

  • Fundamentally solid, owing to the established Left 4 Dead structure
  • Ramps the scale up beyond L4D and other peers
  • Level randomisation and a glut of upgrades add staying power
  • Loads of characters, none of which are locked into a specific class
  • Old-school competitive multiplayer with an engaging twist...

Cons

  • … Which could’ve used a modern level of polish
  • At times uninspired and always familiar
  • Mostly ineffective use of the World War Z license
  • Friendly AI makes the campaign much weaker played solo
  • Undead tsunamis aren't as scary as they should be

7/10
0 Comments

Metro Exodus | Xbox One | Review

25/2/2019

 
Metro Exodus | Xbox One | Review - Pass the Controller

Desolation. While winter in the UK has its moments, it pales in comparison to Russia at the best of times. In the bleak future of the Metro series, after the Last War reduced the world to rubble, this oppressive landscape begets a bleak outlook, but, just beneath the surface, there is hope.

Picture
 
by James
Michael
Parry

Picture

@James_Parry

Picture
Developer: 4A Games
Publisher: Deep Silver
Platforms: Xbox One,
PlayStation 4, PC
Players: 1
Artyom, returning protagonist from the previous two games, has left the subterranean tunnels of the Moscow metro system to explore the city’s irradiated surface in search of life outside the 50,000 known underground survivors. He remains optimistic, despite everyone else telling him he's delusional.

Almost everyone, that is; Anna, his wife, believes in Artyom and serves as your guide throughout the game's prologue section. Soon her faith is rewarded, as the pair happen across a working train, the very locomotive that's destined to be your passage through the game.

While this third instalment in the series is a departure in terms of its more varied settings, which we told you a bit about in our preview, the gameplay will feel familiar to existing Metro fans.

Exodus’ ruined locales are awash with radiation and toxins, meaning you'll need to manually don a gas mask at times to stay alive, occasionally swapping out filters (and the mask itself, should it become overly damaged) in order to keep breathing easy.

​Out in the snow early on, when you're first introduced to the apparatus, it's immediately clear how naturally these practical systems fit into gameplay, far eclipsing an equivalent survival meter that just needs to be kept topped up. As the blizzard worsens, you'll even need to keep wiping your mask to be able to see the way ahead, scoring further points for tactility and immersion early on.

Metro newcomers will find similarities to the likes of Dishonored - in terms of strong environmental storytelling and freedom of approach to combat, be that stealthy or direct - as well as Gears of War, owing to a few larger-than-life characters and a story which allows Exodus to be compellingly ‘videogame-y’ without sacrificing narrative engagement.

Tense and claustrophobic underground sections keep your hair standing on end, while bright open-air encounters allow for flexing your action muscles.
The game definitely feels like an epic, despite hanging onto a mostly linear structure. Even larger open areas, which have vignettes of things to explore tucked away here and there - like a makeshift enemy stronghold or an abandoned cabin - flow from one event to the next before transporting you on to another area, which will have its own feel and weather as the in-game seasons pass.

Shootouts are a mixture of musical stings and often frantic ducking for cover, as you toe the line between risk and reward by going loud. More often than not the throwing knife is your best friend in human encounters, far more effective at taking down enemies instantly and not disturbing others nearby.

Out in the open there are more monstrous creatures to tackle, transformed by the surface radiation, who you'll want to have a loaded shotgun ready for. Fortunately, there's a fairly in-depth attachments system in place to let you piece a weapon set together that suits your play style. Don't become too reliant on your equipment though, as things can break and require the odd spot of maintenance, be that pumping up a pneumatic weapon or charging your torch.

​
Previously, you could only tinker with your loadout at a select few vendor locations, but now these storefronts are a thing of the past. This makes way for on-the-fly resource crafting, via scavenged components, whilst also nixing the intriguing dilemma of choosing whether to utilise bullets for currency or self-preservation seen in the past games. That might seem like a loss, but it quite quickly became arbitrary as you almost inevitably amassed more ammunition than you knew what to do with.
Whether the game holds onto enough of the haunting, thriller gameplay which made the tunnels of Metro 2033 and Last Light so compelling for some is up for debate. Coming in fresh, the balance and variety of gameplay feels on point here, with tense and claustrophobic tunnel sections keeping your hair standing on end, while bright open-air encounters allow for flexing your action muscles.

Visual details go a long way in bringing everything together, particularly as weather effects play with the lighting to make you feel as isolated or on edge as Artyom does. In native 4K on Xbox One X, some of the details are stunning.

Taken as a whole, the experience is a testament to the minute care and attention lavished on every element of Metro Exodus, leaving few drawbacks to speak of. Some characters feel a bit cartoonist at times, but the core interactions between Artyom and his wife alone will be enough to get you caring about the fate of this character and his community.

Pros


  • All-around refinement and expansion of a well-established franchise
  • Reminds you why you're scared of the dark, without being smothering
  • Visually stunning, tactile and thoroughly engaging world

Cons

  • Character work won't sell everyone
  • There are a good few environmental pitfalls if you explore thoroughly enough
  • ‘Humanimals’ is not an acceptable name for an enemy type...

10/10
0 Comments

Downward Spiral: Horus Station | PS VR | Review

26/9/2018

 
Downward Spiral: Horus Station PlayStation VR review - Pass the Controller

Upstart developer 3rd Eye Studios have an incredible pedigree, its staff owning credits on a long list of classic films and games, so it should come as no surprise that Downward Spiral: Horus Station effectively channels sci-fi cinema - specifically the likes of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Solaris - whilst also crafting a mechanically engaging interactive thriller.

Picture





by Sam Sant

Picture

@SlamShotSam


Picture
Developer: 3rd Eye
Studios

Publisher: 3rd Eye
Studios

​Platforms: PS VR,
Oculus Rift, HTC Vive 

​Players: 1 - 8
Made with what the team call a “narrative-first” design philosophy, players are offered no express context when they’re first unleashed on the titular space station. Boasting a familiar retro 70s aesthetic, the richly detailed hull interiors soon reveal Horus to be derelict and its crew members dead. There are no cutscenes or dialogue here, and a very sparing use of in-game text, leaving the environments to evoke a thick and unnerving atmosphere.

Further to that, limited access to in-game maps and a complete lack of objective markers ensures you’ll need to scour areas and pick up on subtle path finding tells that’ve been integrated throughout. Clever touches communicate with the player via universally understandable game design “language”, narrowing sprawling areas to relatively linear paths in such a way that keeps them intellectually gratifying to navigate.

Driven by an enticingly understated ambient soundtrack - from HIM frontman Ville Valo, no less - Downward Spiral continues to stroke players’ intellect with mysterious cutaways to interpret and decipher. Within the realms of reality, while a range of light puzzles never pose significant roadblocks, you’ll be taxed by a creeping paranoia resultant of the station’s mechanical groans and seeming technological independence that make it seem as though the inanimate is out to get you.

Provided you’ve chosen to play with combat encounters enabled, it may well be, as what are presumed to be malfunctioning drones attack and leave you with no choice but to weaponize a suite of repair tools. It’s very Dead Space indeed, though where Isaac Clarke carries a real heft, the unnamed protagonist of Downward Spiral is quite literally weightless.
Downward Spiral: Horus Station effectively channels sci-fi cinema, whilst also crafting a mechanically engaging interactive thriller.
The entire game takes place in zero gravity, which, to allay your immediate fears, isn’t the least bit nauseating in VR. It does take a bit of getting used to, but you always retain the same upright orientation and, as such, you’re never subject to that hopeless feeling of not knowing where’s up and what’s down. Once you’ve gotten to grips with pushing off of scenery to float around, you’ll acquire a grappling hook - which has a smooth, gradual reel to keep things comfortable - and a gun that’ll boost you onwards by expelling a charged shot of hot air.

Now that you’ve properly wrapped your brain around the revised laws of physics, it shouldn’t be long before you learn to string these initially disparate tools together into one seamless combo. There’s almost a balletic element of performance to it, which, had Marvel’s Spider-Man not just launched, we’d have said made it the best movement system we’ve seen for a while.

In similar fashion, the gunplay (toolplay?) takes a little while to really flourish, but as a steady stream of new toys come to comprise a complete arsenal, you’re actively encouraged to swap them in and out to counter the introduction of bigger and badder enemy types. We’d definitely recommend leaving the combat feature turned on, especially considering you don’t lose progress when you die.

Having a few battle scars won’t go amiss if you’re looking to play multiplayer, either. The campaign can be played in co-op, but if you want to venture into the PvP Deathmatch and/or PvE Horde modes, you’ll have to give up your pacifist ways. You’ll also very likely have to bring friends, as finding success with the barren matchmaking is unlikely.

Bar a few jarring frame drops, which are admittedly a cardinal sin in VR, playing Downward Spiral with a headset and a pair of Move controllers is a pretty great experience. That’s a big caveat for those without the proper equipment, however, as it’s also playable on a television and with the DualShock 4. Should you be required to play the game in one of those ways, it‘s an immediate no go.
Perhaps it’s a symptom of having explored Horus Station both ways, but, by comparison to VR, it’s incredibly drab to play on a flat screen. While that’s inherent to a degree, having lost a dimension in the transition, also losing the intuitive and tactile motion controls is a final nail in the coffin. Downward Spiral is a game quite literally designed around reaching out and pulling yourself into its world, which makes a stand-in button press both cumbersome and unsatisfying. It also negates the scope for creating memorable little asides, like instinctively grabbing a dart and launching it at a nearby board, only to find it hanging at the exact point you let it go - duh!

It’s swell having options and all, though when they harm the experience for anybody playing in the optimal fashion, it’s questionable as to whether they’re justified. The game doesn’t auto-detect when it should boot in VR mode, which means you’ll need to use a DualShock to activate it from the main menu, as Move inputs aren’t tracked in TV mode; we can easily live with that minor inconvenience, but a not-insignificant annoyance stems directly from it. If that standard controller is then disconnected, the game will pause and throw an error up, even when you’re actively using the Move controllers instead, meaning you’ll need to remove yourself from the atmosphere Downward Spiral so painstakingly works to preserve in order to reconnect a pad you aren’t even using at regular intervals.

Hopefully that’s something that can be hotfixed, as, when equipped with the right kit, we otherwise thoroughly enjoyed floating around the dark and mysterious halls of Horus Station. Unique movement, satisfying tools and an enthralling location sadly aren’t enough to salvage the experience for anyone without the PlayStation Move controllers and VR headset that are compulsory to a good time.

Pros

  • Unique & satisfying movement mechanics
  • Engaging shootouts with a variety of weapons & enemies
  • Effective environmental storytelling
  • Subtly guides you without holding your hand
  • Supremely immersive in VR with two Move controllers...

Cons

  • … Massively less so when played with a DualShock , be that in VR or even more so on a TV
  • Have to keep a DualShock connected, even when not using it
  • Occasional dropped frames stick out like a sore thumb in VR

7/10
0 Comments

Strange Brigade | Xbox One | Review

28/8/2018

 
Strange Brigade Xbox One review - Pass the Controller

Themed as a classic, old-timey adventure serial - complete with spiffingly British narrator and an affinity for alliteration (which can be toned down if the gusto gets your guts, though I’d advise averting your eyes if that’s the case) - Strange Brigade’s arcade action compiles and injects existing industry ideas with a persistent panache, shaking feelings of familiarity and raising a rip-roaring ride through 1930s Egypt.

Picture





by Sam Sant

Picture

@SlamShotSam


Picture
Developer: Rebellion
Publisher: Rebellion
Platform: Xbox One,
PS4, PC

Players: 1 - 4
Seteki the Witch Queen, an evil ancient ruler, has risen from the dead and brought an army of archetypal movie monsters along with her. This adequately cheesy concept calls into action the Strange Brigade (emboldened for the emphasis each in-game utterance earns), a collection of four diverse and charming caricatures brimming with derring-do.

Spanning occult academic through grizzled Lancashire lass, the titular Brigade are a loveable bunch that each boast unique strengths and abilities. It’s in bringing these characters together in synergy that the game encourages co-op play, so it’s unfortunate that going gallivanting isn’t supported locally. Peer-to-peer online sessions are all that’s on the cards, which isn’t ideal, but shouldn’t present much of a hurdle in calling friends and/or strangers to arms.

If for some reason it does, Oxford-based developer (and self-publisher) Rebellion have done a sterling job of ensuring that Strange Brigade is no less fun when going solo. Not having compatriots around to pull you out of a sarcophagus whenever you bite the dust is, of course, an inherent disadvantage, but customisable difficulty levels and enemy numbers - along with dynamic balancing features, like baddies dropping health potions when you’re low - serve to keep things on an even keel.

In terms of core mechanics, Strange Brigade is an evolution of Rebellion’s past work; it expands on the silliness and structure debuted in Zombie Army Trilogy, whilst channelling the far more polished Sniper Elite 4. That’s not to say the game is derivative, as it plays fast and loose comparatively, accommodating a busier pace resulting from its up-close-and-personal play style.
Strange Brigade’s arcade action compiles and injects existing industry ideas with a persistent panache, shaking feelings of familiarity and raising a rip-roaring ride.
Though rifles are still very much present, here a more likely choice of primary weapon would be a shotgun or submachine gun, which can then be complemented by your choice of secondary firearm and thrown explosive. As you amass armfuls of gold throughout the course of any given level, you’ll also be able to roll the dice on a powerful prototype weapon - like an explosive crossbow or punch-packing blunderbuss - anonymously nestled within identifiable crates. These beefcakes have a limited ammo supply to counteract their immense strength, but perhaps more devastating are ultimate character abilities.

Unleashed after charging a magical amulet with the souls of defeated dastards, each brigadier has three additional bespoke abilities to unlock by collecting sets of relics generally hidden away within puzzle-gated nooks. These hidey-holes can also contain gems which slot into weapons to imbue them with passive buffs, allowing for easier crowd control and with that more efficient use of the booby traps that litter each uncharted environment.

Once you’ve familiarised yourself with the ins and outs of all the singular systems governing combat in Strange Brigade, there’s a real art to stringing everything together into one maintained and satisfying stream of destruction.

When you aren’t busy wreaking havoc, you’ll be exploring a range of lush, forgotten locales that are gorgeously vivid on Xbox One X. They’re surprisingly sprawling, often featuring multiple routes to your destination, all while the sounds of moving mechanisms and twinkling treasures beckon you to double back and scour every surface in search of secrets. The classic environmental enigmas you’ll uncover offer up tangible rewards and ensure that there’s reason to revisit the nine lengthy campaign missions in order to deeper delve their depths.

That said, before diving back into the campaign you’ll probably want to try your hand at the pair of accompanying modes in Score Attack and Horde. The former sees you undertake solo excursions on linear, re-purposed campaign sections whilst aiming to combo kills and satisfy a list of secondary challenges like beating par times and not taking damage. Think Mercenaries mode from more recent instalments of Resident Evil, but with greater consistency between runs to allow for really nailing the perfect strategy down.
Once you’ve familiarised yourself with the the singular systems governing combat, there’s a real art to stringing them together into one maintained stream of destruction.
Horde is almost what it says on the tin, only sharing more in common with Call of Duty’s fan favourite Zombies mode than Epic’s eponymous Gears of War 2 trendsetter. You’ll weather an insane undead onslaught across four exclusive maps that expand as waves progress, and also by your own hand, should you choose to spend gold on accessing new areas and their guaranteed goodies. Doing so isn’t exactly the no-brainer it sounds, as you’ll also need to piecemeal purchase a loadout having started with just a solemn sidearm.

This makes Horde a great place to experiment with new loadouts, which, coupled with a moving base of operations to prevent you from getting too comfortable in any one location, stops things growing stale as you’d otherwise be relying on the same old strategies across a whopping 75 total waves. That’s no small undertaking, so you can thankfully step away at any point and then pick back up from right around where you left off.

Weighing in at a reduced asking price, Strange Brigade feels anything but budget and features enough content that you might call it a steal. That’s certainly a relief, as outwardly it was easy to speculate that the Season Pass and its promise of new levels, characters and more might be required in compiling a complete package.
Strange Brigade bears its inspirations for all to see, but while many of the influential games and modes we’ve mentioned are overdone nowadays, Rebellion commit to their goofy theme with such enthusiasm that they’ve captured a formative time in cinema not previously brought to the medium with such verve. This unique sense of fun will make you nostalgic for a period you probably didn’t see, and by a long shot, while the copious conundrums make it an action co-op caper not quite like any other.

Pros

  • Solid shooting with an interesting armoury
  • Enjoyable alone or with friends
  • Large, detailed levels with seamlessly integrated puzzles
  • Lots to do, all for a reduced asking price
  • Kooky framing will put a smile on your face

Cons

  • No local split-screen support

9/10
0 Comments

Narcosis | Xbox One | Review

30/7/2018

 
Narcosis Xbox One review - Pass the Controller

If the name Narcosis sounds familiar, it’s probably because the game originally launched over a year ago, but, with the debut of a spanking new PS4 port, comes an opportunity for the existing versions to claw back a little spotlight for themselves. Initially taking to digital storefronts like a stone to water, the ripples have now reached our shores, but is Narcosis a horror that should’ve stayed dormant in the deep?

Picture





by Sam Sant

Picture

@SlamShotSam


Picture
Developer: Honor Code
Publisher: Honor Code
Platforms: Xbox One,
PS4, PC
Players: 1
Like most, ourselves included, you probably aren’t crazy about water levels in gaming; they’re typically more frustrating than fun, so a game set entirely under the sea can pose immediate cause for concern. In this instance, continuing the legacy of BioShock and SOMA, heading to the bottom of ol’ big blue instead serves to establish an almost alien atmosphere conducive to terror.

Sci-fi is inherently scary owing to the fact we’re peering into the unknown, usually whilst exploring the supposed final frontier of outer space. You might think there’s nothing ‘supposed’ about it, but, in reality, we haven’t even come close to conquering the oceans that cover a majority of our very own planet. Establishing mystery closer to home makes it far easier (and arguably more exciting) to engage with, as Narcosis’ face-hugging fish, arachnophobia-inducing giant crabs, foreign locations and bizarre plant life replicate their famous fictional counterparts without requiring the same suspension of disbelief.

Even as surrealist elements are introduced to the mix, tying them to the protagonist’s decaying sanity ensures that one foot is kept firmly rooted in reality. After an earthquake scatters them and their crew across the unforgiving ocean floor, you’re simply tasked with helping everyone regroup, though that's easier said than done with dwindling oxygen supplies and caput technologies. As the bleak reality of your situation gradually settles in, matter of fact monologues are startlingly accepting of every actuality, meanwhile hallucinogenic visuals betray the serene narration by illustrating the mindset of a fearful man. This makes for an effective juxtaposition throughout, though things take an even more intriguing turn when you realise these might not be internal musings.
You probably aren’t crazy about water levels in gaming, but, In this instance, heading to the bottom of ol’ big blue serves to establish an almost alien atmosphere conducive to terror.
Developer Honor Code clearly took great care in crafting Narcosis’ world and narrative, though the same can’t quite be said when it comes to the limited gameplay. Labelled a survival horror walking simulator - we’ll let you decide whether affectionately or not - slightly tank-y controls harken back to early examples of the genre whilst conveying the immense weight of the bulky diving suit you occupy. The slow pace and initially unintuitive controls take a little getting used to, as does independently looking down to view the suit’s integrated HUD, but limited-use thrusters do accommodate sparing speed boosts.

They also allow for a spot of light platforming, which is fine, if unremarkable, whilst sides of simple puzzle solving and rudimentary combat are also thrown in to tick the necessary boxes. Fights are rare, thankfully, as you have but one cumbersome slash manoeuvre to execute with a short knife. More often than not, you’ll instead utilise an abundance of flares to distract enemies and allow you to slip by, but not always unseen. You’re predisposed to run when spotted by a deadly predator, though, in Narcosis’ case, your heavy diving suit disallows that response, contributing further tension.
​Your helmet also obscures peripheral vision, adding another unnerving wrinkle, but the apparatus is far too efficient in the one area that could’ve made things outright harrowing. As we mentioned earlier, oxygen levels are limited, so you’ll continually need to accrue the element, while also doing your best to avoid any situations that’ll cause panic, resultantly accelerating your breathing and elevating your intake. It’s a novel conceit, but the game doesn’t fully commit, seemingly scared of imposing too great a challenge, resulting in the mechanic never becoming a major factor.

​
As such, it only really serves to keep you moving, but even that’s largely unnecessary when Narcosis is so linear. A couple of chapters make for notable exceptions, though most areas only open up into brief offshoots housing text-based collectibles serving to flesh out crew members’ characters.

While Narcosis doesn’t boast a great gameplay experience, rather just palatable, it works as a vehicle for interacting with Honor Code’s atmospheric locations and concise story. At around three hours long, it isn’t too much to ask that you stick out the relative lows in order to enjoy the twisting, psychological highs.

Pros

  • Subtle narrative with an effective, but not too outlandish, twist
  • Juxtaposes real vs. surreal whilst striking a convincing balance
  • Short enough to remain sweet
  • Diving suit constitutes a few interesting mechanics
  • Dark, atmospheric underwater locations...

Cons

  • … That beg to be more openly explorable
  • Doesn’t commit to survival horror, with overabundant resources
  • Tank-like controls are a nice homage, though not immediately welcoming
  • Particularly weak combat

7/10
0 Comments

Warhammer: Vermintide 2 | Xbox One | Review

20/7/2018

 
Warhammer: Vermintide 2 Xbox One review - Pass the Controller

Having had the distinct pleasure of exclusively revealing the first glimpse of Warhammer: Vermintide 2 gameplay last October, the long wait for the first-person-shooter-come-brawler to arrive on console has been especially gruelling. Now that we’ve gotten our hands on it: was it worth the wait?

Picture





by Sam Sant

Picture

@SlamShotSam


Picture
Developer: Fatshark
Publisher: Fatshark
Platforms: Xbox One,
PS4, PC
Players: 1 - 4
Opening with a prologue that (re)introduces the apocalyptic End Times period in Warhammer lore, a gruff narrator conveys that the Skaven - a race of humanoid rats - have corralled and bolstered their forces after being repelled in the first game. Now allied with the Chaos - a clan of brutish barbarians - you’ll face twice the opposition this time around.

Incoming swarms of standard enemy fodder help to maintain a consistently frenetic pace, while a wide range of hulking boss creatures and middle-ground baddies inject a significant element of challenge, as is customary for Left 4 Dead and its ilk in their venture to nail down replay value. You’ll need to juggle priority targets and manage choke points as tidal waves of fetid flesh rage your way, but that isn’t often something you can do effectively by yourself, which is where the game’s co-op focus becomes evident.

Whilst it is playable on your lonesome (the party of four fills out with bots that do a very serviceable job), Vermintide 2 is at its best when you head online and communicate with a group of players. Having a human (dwarf, or elf) to watch your back is invaluable when teamwork is so integral to mission success, due to enemies utilising an array of devious tricks both old and new. Whether dragging players from the pack or pinning stragglers to the ground, different foes can place heroes into helpless states that require a swift helping hand, while, perhaps more intuitively, a shield-wielding neerdowell can be distracted and flanked by a perceptive pairing.


On the topic of heroes, your choice here significantly impacts the gameplay experience, opposing the interchangeable approach seen in the likes of L4D and, more recently, Earthfall. Choosing between twists on familiar archetypes encompassing warrior, mage, ranger and rogue - further class variants being unlocked as you level each individual character - will dictate your abilities and loadout, as well as your distinct look, stature and personality.
You’ll need to juggle priority targets and manage choke points as tidal waves of fetid flesh rage your way.
The level of customisation on offer gets altogether extensive when you also account for Vermintide 2’s loot and crafting systems. Taal’s Horn Keep serves as a sizeable hub area from which to launch your choice of the thirteen main missions, throughout which you can work towards satisfying daily challenges and career quests; completing these tasks awards the game’s strictly non-premium loot boxes, which rain a random array of weapons and gear that can be equipped to improve applicable characters, or, if you unbox a stinker, salvaged into materials used to craft new items and upgrades.

Refreshing a loadout can significantly impact how any given character plays, overhauling attributes and movesets, perhaps not always to your exact liking, but never compromising the viscerally satisfying core combat mechanics. Melee skirmishes can feel either hefty or agile, depending on your chosen armament, though always brutal as you gorily pop heads and lop limbs with each light or (particularly satisfying) charged heavy swing.

While mixing it up at close range you’ll need to be mindful to dodge and block incoming attacks from big bads, though opting for a character with more of a ranged combat style should keep you relatively out of harm's way to begin with. While letting loose with arrows, fireballs, bolts and bullets is good fun in itself, it’s almost a shame to snub one of the best first-person brawling systems around in favour of comparatively bog-standard blasting.


Still, variety is the spice of life, so mixing up your choice of hero whilst tackling repeat playthroughs of Vermintide 2’s semi-open levels - which accommodate multiple paths towards their culminating set-piece encounters, also randomising enemy and item spawns along the way - ensures things remain engaging. Throw in the lure of greater rewards when progressing to higher difficulty levels, as well as unobtrusive storytelling that allows players to easily consume their desired dose of action, and you have a package that’ll keep you busy for a good length of time.
Vermintide 2 is more in-depth than its peers in many ways, but retains the central simplicity that makes this brand of onslaught adventure so frantic and exciting. Doing so at native 4K resolution on Xbox One X, while mostly maintaining a solid frame rate, at no additional cost to Game Pass subscribers, makes for an experience that you (and preferably some friends) shouldn’t hesitate to get stuck into.

Pros

  • Immensely satisfying melee bouts
  • Exciting, large-scale encounters
  • Rewarding co-op mechanics
  • Additional enemy race
  • Lots of customisable character classes to combat them with

Cons

  • Not really one for solo players
  • Can suffer performance dips during busier moments

8/10
0 Comments
<<Previous


    READ MORE

    News
    Features
    Videos

    Comment Here


    Categories

    All
    Action Adventure
    Adventure
    Air Combat
    Arcade
    Family
    Fighter
    Hardware
    Horror
    Indie
    Open World
    Platformer
    Puzzler
    Racing
    Role Playing
    Shmup
    Shooter
    Sim
    Sports
    Stealth
    Strategy
    Survival
    Virtual Reality


    Archives

    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    July 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016


    RSS Feed

Pass the Controller

News
Reviews
Features
​
Videos
Forum
About

The Forums

Gaming Discussion
Xbox
PlayStation
PC Gaming
Nintendo
Off Topic
​Achievements and Trophies

What is PTC

About Us
​Meet the Team
​
Contact Us
OpenCritic
Find our reviews on OpenCritic
vrgamecritic
Find our reviews on vrgamecritic
© COPYRIGHT 2014-2019 PTC / JMP.
​ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.