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Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire – Ultimate Edition Review | Xbox One

28/1/2020

 
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire – Ultimate Edition | Review | Xbox One - Pass the Controller

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire reached its crowd-funding goal within one day of the campaign's opening. Two years after a successful PC release, Pillars of Eternity II - Ultimate Edition has now landed on consoles, including three significant DLC expansions and a host of smaller additions.

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by Chris Brand
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@SuperCrisco

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Developer: Obsidian
Entertainment

Publisher: Versus Evil
Platforms: Xbox One,
​PS4, PC 

Players: 1
You start (or continue, having played the original) your journey as a formless entity confined to a veil between life and death. Known as the In-Between, this area is crammed with forlorn ghosts of your past that echo all around. One of the Gods has gone rogue and the rest aren't thrilled about it; as a Watcher (someone that can communicate with the deceased) you have unique talents and are granted a second chance at life, provided that you play ball.

Deadfire’s intro recounts events from the first Pillars of Eternity game, but, crucially, leaves out many of the finer points. It's here you'll either import an existing character, decide your backstory from a handful of presets, or choose to delve a bit deeper. When opting for the latter there's little context to accompany each decision shaping your past, though it's clear which are benevolent and which are less so, allowing you to easily mould the protagonist’s reputation as you see fit.

Unlike fellow Obsidian RPG, The Outer Worlds, Pillars of Eternity featured a class-based character system and its sequel permits multi-classing. Whilst this can be used to compensate for any weaknesses in your preferred choice of class – pairing a ranged wizard with a melee fighter, for example – it's not recommended for beginners, as stronger abilities will take longer to acquire and the most powerful skills will be locked out completely.

It's a rather slow burn at first, due to the plethora of game settings which can be tweaked and toggled to personalise your experience - and that’s before taking the general complexity of Deadfire’s combat system into account. Having a universe of lore to catch up on also delayed our progress through the opening hours considerably, if, admittedly, self-electively. PoE II contains an exhaustive codex bursting with information on people, places, stats and language that can be summoned with a click of the left stick whenever a highlighted word or icon appears.

World building is Obsidian's forte, after all.
Pillars of Eternity is tied together with gorgeous visuals evocative of classic D&D, an emotive soundtrack that bounces between melancholy melodies and jovial jingles, and NPC dialogue which is fully voiced thanks to a partnership with Critical Role.

PoE II’s story can unfold in numerous ways depending on your decisions, with characters divulging more information if you pursue the right line of questioning or pass skill checks. Scripted Interactions (small text-based segments) play out similarly, awarding loot or opening up shortcuts to those who possess a high enough level in one or more relevant skills.

A new combat scheme was introduced to PC post-launch and is present on consoles from day one, offering players the option to either engage in standard real-time-with-pause encounters or alternate turn-based battles. The latter is much slower in pace, making gameplay more akin to something like Mutant Year Zero or Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. 

Pathing is an issue in smaller maps, however, which can make turn-based mode a chore. When faced with a choke point, characters may decide to take the long way around, attempting to circumnavigate the globe and attack enemies from behind, in the process wasting multiple turns and leaving the party exposed. This persistent niggle, along with the excruciatingly slow pace, caused us to abandon our first playthrough after around 20 hours and start again using real-time-with-pause. No, you can’t switch mid-playthrough.

This actually proved to be a blessing in disguise; literally, as each achievement earned will award a specific number of Blessings to be used for a head start in subsequent playthroughs. By leveraging windfalls like cash and increased stats, we managed to catch back up fairly quickly and the combat experience was a lot smoother.
You'll gain access to a ship fairly early on, which not only provides the means to travel throughout the eponymous Deadfire Archipelago, but also allows for ship-to-ship combat. Multiple vessels are available to purchase, each with differing stats, and can be upgraded to provide you with extra firepower, stronger sails and a more durable hull. Every victory on the high seas awards experience to you and your crew, increasing your captain level and your crew's abilities. It's a fun little addition that’s easy to get to grips with, though it can be bypassed entirely by boarding enemy ships and engaging in traditional combat instead.

Not everything is quite so plain sailing, though. Every now and then an exit would bug out, forcing us to reload a previous save. In addition to this, ability names aren't shown outside of the skill trees and you'll spend the majority of your time in a party of five. That accounts for a lot of available abilities at any one time and, as such, necessitates a particularly good memory unless you want to fall back on guesswork.

Issues aside, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire has a rich story with branching narratives, an incredibly in-depth party AI system and endless replayability thanks to its Blessings and multi-class mechanics. It’s a game that any self-respecting RPG fan will enjoy, regardless of whether or not they’re familiar with the original.

Pros

  • A wide range of available classes and builds
  • Exciting and tactical combat
  • Story digs its claws in and urges you on

Cons

  • Turn-based mode adds nothing but frustration
  • Ability names should be visible in combat
  • … Seriously, avoid turn-based mode

8/10
0 Comments

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order | Review | Xbox One

27/11/2019

 
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order | Review | Xbox One - Pass the Controller

Force fever is running high once again with the triple threat of a new Star Wars film - Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker - Disney+ series The Mandalorian and video game Jedi: Fallen Order all occupying the zeitgeist at the same time.

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 by James
 Michael
 Parry


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@James_Parry

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Developer: Respawn Entertainment
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
Players: 1

Despite feeling a little like overload, if you're at all inclined to visit a galaxy far, far away then Fallen Order will grip you from the get go. The game’s visual design and music in particular immediately succeed in pulling you deeply into George Lucas’ beloved world.

Cal Kestis, played by Gotham's Cameron Monaghan, is a fairly typical, plucky and sarcastic Star Wars protagonist. He’s joined (just as Battlefront 2's Iden Versio was) by a helpful companion droid, model number BD-1. As you might expect, the pair quickly form a bond and as the game progresses little BD gains helpful new tricks such as the ability to hack (or "splice") locks and robotic enemies alike.

Coming from the developers of Titanfall, and, more recently, Apex Legends, we came into the game expecting to discover that Respawn Entertainment’s trademark hyper-mobile movement was possible out of the gate. Instead, players are eased into utilising Cal's full suite of Jedi powers slowly as he rediscovering them throughout the story.

Set after Order 66 was enacted in Revenge of the Sith, the Jedi Order has largely been eradicated, with Cal's former master amongst those lost. He's been keeping a low profile, working in a starship scrapyard and not tapping into the Force, until the events of the narrative (ahem) force his hand. 

Controlling Cal is a weightier affair than franchise fans might be accustomed to from the comparatively arcade-y Force Unleashed series or the hero sections in the Battlefront series. Not being able to wall run at first seems odd when there are clearly telegraphed locations littering levels, but thankfully this is a skill you quickly remember from your early training as a child (with careful use of a flashback). Still, it's obligatory element like this which appear the most game-y, considering the polished and cinematic presentation as a whole.
Your lightsaber can be a brutal weapon, particularly when it comes to performing finishing manoeuvres, which you'd expect from the samurai sword the concept was originally based on. It feels surprisingly personal too, by the simple notion of letting you heavily customise your saber with collectibles found strewn about the game's various worlds, alongside the existing cosmetic microtransactions and pre-order bonuses. Before long, the offering will almost certainly be expanded to include tantalising new DLC linked to The Rise of Skywalker.

Exploring multiple worlds is the name of the game - and seemingly the flavour of the autumn after The Outer Worlds - thanks to friendly transport ship the Mantis, which you can also customise to an extent. Traversing around is a mix of platforming and climbing which borrows from titles like Tomb Raider and Breath of the Wild, but it's the collective library of FromSoftware that Fallen Order pulls its strongest influences from.

Falling in battle sees you respawn at a designated checkpoint that’s never too far away, with these meditation spots being equivalent to bonfires. You can upgrade skills there, while also replenishing your health and healing items at the cost of reviving lesser enemies. Should one of them kill you, you'll need to return to the perpetrator and land a single hit to retrieve the experience gained since earning your last skillpoint.

You'll know danger is around the corner when grumbling strings start to creep in, helping to build a sense of tension whenever enemies attack – often from blindspots as you move through doorways.
After the initial tutorial level, which is fairly cinematic and exposition heavy in its attempt to introduce a lot of mechanics, you'll find the game opens up and lets you explore. It’s possible to wander into locations where the difficulty spikes or you don’t have the necessary equipment to explore, which is an indication to turn tail and come back later. It can feel odd to do so, since we’ve been conditioned to see gaming Jedi as unstoppable, but there’s nothing inherently wrong with shifting expectations.

Having only been a youngster when the order fell, Cal isn't a master; not to mention it's been a while since he flurried a lightsaber around on a daily basis. You can knock the difficulty down at any time, however, dialling back enemy aggression and damage while giving you a wider window to parry attacks.

Fallen Order challenges you to discover the Force, just as Cal is rediscovering it, and on that front it definitely succeeds. Combat is satisfying and has the bite of challenge a lot of fans will have been looking for, and the setting is a delicious meal of sci-fi Star Wars goodness. Where it hits a few stumbling blocks are mostly technical issues and things which remind you that this is, after all, a game. Texture and enemy pop-in is fairly common, performance can occasionally slow down, and minute-long load times can really kill your momentum after being defeated in battle.

Still, for those who’ve been waiting for EA to do something really special with the Star Wars licence, Jedi: Fallen Order is exactly that.

Pros

  • Gorgeous presentation and world-building
  • Lightsaber feels like a dangerous weapon, rather than a toy sword
  • Has the signature excitement and wonder associated with Star Wars 

Cons

  • Technical stutters stop the game in its tracks, even on Xbox One X
  • No setting to bridge Jedi Knight (Normal) and slightly patronising Story Mode
  • Making the camera play ball, even when locked on in combat, can be tricky

9/10
0 Comments

Pokémon Sword and Shield | Review | Nintendo Switch

22/11/2019

 
Pokémon Sword and Shield | Review | Nintendo Switch - Pass the Controller

​The road to the Galar region has been a rocky one for Nintendo and Pokémon fans alike, but when it comes to deciding how this pair of new Nintendo Switch games fare, we'll be focusing on what is here more so than what isn't.

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​by James
Michael
​Parry

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@James_Parry

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Developer: Game Freak
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Players: 1
As the first mainline Pokémon titles on Switch, expectations were high coming into Sword and Shield - which we’ve lumped together here due to them being largely identical. The overall experience is ultimately very, very familiar to regular players, with a more traditional gym badge structure returning after Sun and Moon's departure from the well-trodden format, and battles pushing the nostalgia button hard by leaning into familiar tropes.

Sun and Moon, alongside Let's Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee, brought new elements to the table. In Sword and Shield, however, normalcy and familiarity consume about 80-90% of the game, leaving little wiggle room for the few new elements to shine.

One returning feature is the ability to Dynamax Pokémon, overpowering and over-sizing them for three turns of badassery to surpass previous features like Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves. The novelty is initially impressive, but after a few times it wears off as you impatiently ride out the lengthy and unskippable animations.

Some Pokémon also boast Gigantimax forms, which function in much the same fashion only while also tweaking the visual design and granting a signature move to Pokémon. Nintendo made a song and dance about the “new” Gigantamaxing feature, yet this song is barely a remix.

​What does strike up a new tune is encountering significantly over-levelled Pokémon in the Wild Area. Coming up against these presents a chance to push your battle skills early on, but also shows off creatures in something more approaching a natural environment. While Pokémon do prowl about as you wander elsewhere in the game, the large evolutions present in the Wild Area carry an exciting visual impact that brings back memories of the Safari Zone, recapturing some of the child-like wonder of early Pokémon series exploration.
A cross between Teletubbyland and Breath of the Wild's rolling plains, the Wild Area itself could use a bit more intricacy. Biomes and various weather effects seem to shift from hail to sun and back again largely without rhyme or reason, but you'll lose plenty of time pottering about nonetheless. For the collectors amongst you, it's also a great opportunity to fill your Pokédex and diversify your party early on.

The story is by the numbers as usual, so those hoping for a deep, meaningful conversation with an NPC hanging out in a Pokémon Center will continue to be disappointed. A cheerful tune greets you whenever you do visit, though in this region there doesn't seem to be any Poké-helper for the nurse.

Elsewhere, the soundtrack is an awkward mix of sound effects we've been hearing for years (decades even), an increasingly archaic lack of spoken dialogue, and some charming new themes composed for the Wild Area and various cities. So fun are these latter spins on British culture, visually as well as musically, that you might find yourself spending longer than you should lingering in any one location.
​

While some rockstar Pokémon like Pikachu and Eevee get full sound effects - the creatures often saying their own names with a springy sense of joy - most don't have as much aural character, instead relying on adorable animations to help you bond with them as you play together in camps.
Animations overall are a strange mix, though. Even brand new additions like the three available starters (Scorbunny, Sobble and Grookey) have either well-choreographed displays for their unique moves, or completely generic ones which don't seem to match the move at all. You can go from the delight of a bespoke Wooloo "Tackle" to Scorbunny merely jumping on the spot to covey a "Double Kick" – even when it kicks merrily for some other moves.

Shortcomings don't end there, as the game also struggles to make the most of its new platform. Some locations and scenery really shine in terms of their design, but generally you'd be forgiven for assuming that Sword and Shield were 3DS ports.

That might still be enough for many players; after all, it’s almost impossible to escape the joy of setting out on an adventure to go from Pokémon zero to hero. Getting properly invested in a team and playing with their movesets to feel like you have all the bases covered is constantly rewarding, in spite of the eye-watering number of type combinations that are now available.

Hopefully the development compromises and sacrifices felt across Pokémon Sword and Shield will allow Game Freak to reassess and build on their successes to push the envelope in the future. In the meantime, there's a solid and enjoyable experience here, just not a new one.

Pros

  • New Pokémon have some great designs
  • The Wild Area is somewhat game-changing
  • Riffs on British culture are heartwarming

Cons

  • Only a handful of new elements
  • Human characters continue to be dull distractions from the titular stars
  • Many popular Pokémon don’t return, including some of the original starters

7/10
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Terminator: Resistance | Review | Xbox One

21/11/2019

 
Terminator: Resistance | Review | Xbox One - Pass the Controller

Arnold Schwarzenegger recently returned to the big screen in Terminator: Dark Fate, showing audiences a softer side to the relentless Cyberdyne Systems Model 101. That nostalgic entry is perhaps the best film in the long-standing action franchise since T2: Judgement Day, and similarly, Terminator: Resistance puts the series’ video game output on sturdier ground than most previous efforts. That being said, getting pegged as the best pick of a bad bunch isn’t necessarily worth much.

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by Sam Sant

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@SlamShotSam


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Developer: Teyon
Publisher: Reef
Entertainment
​
Platforms: PS4, Xbox
One, PC
Players: 1
Resistance is a first-person shooter in which shooting is a weak link. Conventional weapons dribble out limp audio feedback and lack almost any recoil, making for gunplay that immediately lacks punch. Robotic enemies stand stock still and whiff their shots from point blank range, letting you hit their weak spots for maximum damage without reacting. When you later “graduate” to more powerful plasma guns, despite boasting a promotion in stopping power, the firearms manage to feel even more akin to children’s toys.

To be fair, it’s still a marked improvement over the last action movie adaptation that developer Teyon and publisher Reef Entertainment produced in collaboration. Rambo: The Video Game was a bizarre on-rails effort that launched during the last console generation, earning a mauling that’s at least unbefitting of this inoffensively mediocre Terminator outing. 

The game’s set in the midst of the apocalyptic “Future War” scenario which audiences caught fleeting glimpses of in the original films. A pair of optional tie-in comics do a good job of telling the prequel story that leads up to players adopting the role of a resistance fighter in-game, but unfortunately, the war against Skynet begins to fall apart as Resistance proper takes the reigns.

Anybody familiar with the source material already knows that humanity prevails, so any drama would be derived from whether on not the largely original Terminator: Resistance cast makes it out alive. Most central characters are civilians that protagonist Jacob Rivers saves at the beginning of the game, who you might then opt to get to know a bit better by engaging them in binary dialogues. Scripting and the accompanying voiceovers are equally unenthusiastic, however, making it hard to care.

Many of these lite companions dole out side quests that are a highlight if only for breaking up all the drab shooting. Plenty of levels are wide open and engaging to explore, despite the sluggish movement controls and floaty jumping mechanics that you’ll use to navigate. It’s possible to pick locks and hack your way into hidden areas housing additional lore snippets, ammo, crafting components and valuables for trading. None of the latter elements are particularly vital, with enemies being so brain dead, but looting is nonetheless good fun for the pack rats among us.
Resistance is a first-person shooter in which shooting is a weak link.
Unfortunately, a lot of good will towards the level design evaporates when you begin to notice frequently recycled assets and even complete area retreads. In these instances you can switch vision modes in order to see through walls and very easily sneak past enemies, though in the process you’ll be sacrificing experience and the associated skill points required to upgrade abilities from three basic skill trees.

Visually, it’s about passable – outside of the distracting lip sync and facial animations that further detract from wooden conversations. Aurally the game fares even worse, with an odd bootleg of the iconic main theme being the best element for its inherent novelty value.

If you’re a Terminator fan that can embrace mediocrity with open arms - you’ve had plenty of practice, after all - spending a tenner when the price drops and around six hours of your time completing Resistance isn’t the worst idea. For everyone else, occasional flashes of a good game are likely to cause frustration as you wade through its variety of just passable game mechanics.

Pros

  • Some wide open levels make for engaging exploration
  • Choose to engage in firefights or stealth your way through
  • Optional side quests and character interactions

Cons

  • Reuses locations, at times axing the game’s strongest feature
  • Lacklustre gunplay
  • Neither sign nor sound of Arnie

5/10
0 Comments

The Outer Worlds | Review | Xbox One

3/11/2019

 
The Outer Worlds | Review | Xbox One - Pass the Controller

If you've heard anything about The Outer Worlds it was likely in the same breath as some other properties, such as The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, Fallout: New Vegas, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and even titles without a colon in their name like Mass Effect or Bioshock. Those games appear to have influenced the developers (Obsidian themselves having worked on some of them) but it would be disingenuous to claim there's nothing to set this new IP apart from the precursors that were instrumental in its construction.

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by Chris
Brand

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@SuperCrisco

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Developer: Obsidian
Entertainment

Publisher:
Private
Division

Platforms:
Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Switch (2020)
​
Players: 1
It all starts in the Halcyon Colony, a far off star system in which corporations are the de facto government. Indentured workers are commonplace and The Board, composed of many corporate entities, respects nothing but profit. Once you're pulled out of stasis by Phineas Welles, a relatively sane scientist, you are given the task of helping the rest of the unfortunates on your ship who are still blissfully frozen, sticking it to The Man as you go (or not, should you elect to walk a different path).

The character creation process is much as one would expect, going into this with the aforementioned Bethesda RPGs in mind. The all-important attributes will lay the foundations for your playstyle, whether it's more Sam Fisher, Noam Chomsky, Rambo or an all-round "Sam Chombo" build. It's a rather streamlined, efficient, procedure without sacrificing build diversity nor the complexities that an open world RPG typically offers.

At this point, the game provides few options when it comes to allocating skill points, which may be discouraging, but this is completely mitigated by awarding you with a whopping 10 pips for each level gained. This method is further enhanced due to skills being contained within groups of 2 or 3, which allows you to buff multiple skills by adding a single point into their parent category (until a skill hits level 50, then it's business as usual).

Stepping out into the game's first open world area, we were taken aback by the use of colour. Vibrant hues are abundant among the flora and fauna that are native to the handful of celestial bodies you'll be required to explore, each with their own, slightly differing, ecosystems. Even in subterranean caves where earthy browns and muted greys are the norm, there's swathes of neon from glowing fungus and the occasional anti-personnel mines, which seem to have been purposefully placed but, as tourists to this particular patch of space, we can't be sure aren't naturally occurring.
As is the fashion, quests can be completed in a number of ways. If you aren't built for stealth or wish to avoid stealing, a silver tongue may grant access to restricted areas or there's the standard RPG trope of a quid pro quo arrangement. Failing that, most folks won't argue with a flamethrower. At least, not for very long.

Many of the faces you'll meet are exaggerated caricatures, some endlessly parroting the company slogan through fear of punishment, others holding a genuine belief in the propaganda. Whilst this could wear thin, it's well-written satire that’s wonderfully performed by the voice actors, and serves to illuminate the "real" characters that have a more prominent role. Parvati, a companion you'll encounter early on (and one of our favourites), is a pleasure to travel with, not only for her combat and passive abilities, but her wholesome, innocent charm.

Your party will often run into trouble, even if it's a conscious decision made only to test out the whacky Science Weapons hidden around Halcyon. Fights are fast and frantic with smooth gunplay, which will feel familiar to anyone who's played a recent Fallout or Borderlands, but they're over a little too quickly on the easier difficulties. On hard mode and, presumably, Supernova (where food, water and sleep become necessary) a bit of forethought is required.
Tactical Time Dilation is a more skill-based V.A.T.S which slows the action to a crawl, allowing you a few free shots to damage and debuff the biggest threats, while each companion has a special ability to both damage and stun foes. Utilising these abilities will give you an edge, though it's important to regularly update your loadout and use the correct damage types. Consumables can be mixed in with your standard health packs, giving short-lived bonuses to stats. So ubiquitous are these items, that we found ourselves using them before, during and after engagements, yet still our pockets were overflowing.

An, albeit minor, sticking point is the game’s Flaws mechanic. After taking enough of a certain type of damage, say, from a specific enemy or too much head trauma, you'll be prompted to accept or decline a Flaw, a permanent condition that negatively impacts your stats in exchange for an extra Perk. Up to four Flaws can be accrued on Normal Mode, while higher difficulties feature more. It's a great idea for those fully committed to the role-playing aspect, whereby too many encounters with a certain type of foe could trigger ‘anxiety’ (read: debuffs) when near that enemy, but the hit to your stats rarely seems like a fair trade as the Perks, whilst providing concrete benefits, are largely unimaginative.

With that said, there's nothing that really detracts from the experience as a whole and our biggest gripe is having to wait years for the inevitable sequel. The Outer Worlds is a better Fallout than Fallout 4 and the shorter runtime (around 20 - 30 hours) is offset by having more replayability than its contemporaries. The fact that it's also free for Xbox Game Pass subscribers is just icing on the cake.

Pros

  • A thoughtful narrative, interwoven with satire, that's begging for repeated playthroughs
  • Beautifully designed alien worlds with a fittingly eerie soundtrack
  • A brilliant cast of characters
  • Plenty of references for sci-fi fans
  • Some highly amusing dialogue options

Cons

  • Perks aren't exciting enough to make Flaws seem worthwhile

9/10
0 Comments

Borderlands 3 review | Xbox One

27/9/2019

 
Borderlands 3 review at Pass the Controller - shooting

Looting and shooting may be all the rage, but with the latest iteration of Borderlands boasting billions of guns, the series that popularised the genre is back. Does it have anything new to say?
James Michael Parry

by James
Michael
Parry

@james_parry on Twitter

​@james_parry

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Developer: Gearbox Software
​Publisher: 2K Games
Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, PC
​Players:
1-4

At first glance, Pandora is much as we left it, with Marcus' familiar voiceover giving us the story context we need - though not confusing new players with talk of Handsome Jack's exploits, as he and Hyperion are long gone - and setting us on our journey across the wastelands.

There are four new vault hunters to choose from, as usual, and each of them have three skill trees, as usual, but now there's an action skill for each as well, which gives the characters more bespoke styles. As Zane the Operative, for example, you can use either a drone, a shield barrier or a doppelganger decoy. Each can be upgraded with passive buffs, such as one which makes your barrier a Halo-esque bubble shield.

In a chuckle-worthy move, which builds on the approach from the Pre-Sequel, your character now has a voice of their own and will quip back to NPCs and quest givers on occasion, as well as the odd holler in combat, which happens just enough without outstaying its welcome. The characterisation helps you to feel involved with the story but listening carefully it's clear the dialogue is designed in a way so that, whichever character responds, what they say is ultimately interchangeable.

You won't just be traversing the sandy wastes of Pandora this time around, with quests taking you to different planets as you go head-to-head with the Children of the Vault. The obnoxious streamer twins (like, subscribe and obey…) have united the bandit clans and are racing against you to harness the power hidden away in huge underground caverns adorned with the franchise's trademark inverted V symbol.
Borderlands 3 review at Pass the Controller - Zane
The plot sees you try to nab vault key parts before the Children of the Vault (or COV) do. Sister of the intergender twins, Tyreen Calypso, keeps gaining power as a siren - a class made famous by Lillith, Maya and newcomer Amara - and you'll be picking up plenty of familiar faces on your journey to help you take them down. In particular, Tales from the Borderlands' Rhys is back (though no longer voiced by the prolific Troy Baker) and brings the same endearing quirks with him, though unfortunately many of the other NPCs aren't as compelling without having had a game to set them up.
It's definitely the game to scratch that looter-shooter itch you might've been looking to satisfy.
Which leads us to an important fact – Handsome Jack is missed. He was always the pinnacle of the brand of amusement the series peddles in, none of the enemies, or the on-the-nose streamer pastiches the Calypsos themselves, have the same endearing quality. Even CL4PTR4P (or Claptrap) feels like the soul of the character has been lost from the change in voice actor, though not as noticeably as we'd feared from the trailers.
Borderlands 3 review at Pass the Controller - Lillith
A final, and unfortunate, point to make is the technical issues we came up against. Though there is local split-screen co-op, which is notable for its rarity alone these days, the performance suffers pretty consistently, especially jumping in and out of menus - which happens a lot with the loot management element. Elsewhere we ran into a bug which forced our Xbox to turn off at a certain point in a cutscene multiple times, insisting it was going to overheat, as well as other crashes and freezing.

While it's definitely more Borderlands, the game is a sequel which more than earns its right to exist, but generally plays it safe and falls back on its established rules and systems. It's definitely the game to scratch that looter-shooter itch you might've been looking to satisfy, especially for fans of the series, but, despite being a good entry point, ultimately falls short of its potential.

Pros

  • Explore strange (but familiar) new worlds
  • Gunplay is smoother and character playstyle is varied
  • Does the loot part well, with a constant sense of progression

Cons
​
  • Marred by technical issues, even on Xbox One X
  • Humour doesn't feel as fresh as in the past and Jack is sorely missed
  • Balance in co-op doesn't work as well as it should and so mismatched levels are noticeable

8/10
0 Comments

The Surge 2 | PS4 | Review

27/9/2019

 
The Surge 2 PS4 review

Ever since 2014’s Lords of the Fallen, which was a Souls-like game of questionable quality, German development studio Deck13 has been honing its craft within the genre. Pioneered by FromSoftware’s trademark flair for dark fantasy, unlike Lords, The Surge did very well to distance itself from a similar setting by looking to the future instead of the past. As such, it became a surprise hit and secured itself a sequel, which more than two years later is now in players' hands. 

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by Sam Sant

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@SlamShotSam


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Developer: Deck13
Interactive

Publisher: Focus
Home Interactive

Platforms: PS4, Xbox
One, PC

Players: 1
With the release of Code Vein just around the corner, it’s easy to argue that the Souls-like craze is still as prevalent now as it was when the original first saw the light of day back in 2017. Yet still, none are doing it quite like The Surge 2, which by leaning into its sci-fi setting more than ever comes to offer a unique experience in a crowded space.

This time around you’ll create your own character, rather than being cast as a set protagonist, then embark to explore Jericho City (named in a not-so-subtle nod to its encasing quarantine walls) after awakening from a coma. So far so cliché, and honestly, you shouldn’t expect that to change.

Narrative is a much bigger focus in The Surge 2 and for the most part that design shift feels misguided. In this instance, more closely aping Dark Souls in the first game lent its story and quests an intriguing air of mystery, but here poor characters deliver hammy dialogue in unconvincing ways and mediocre quests are laid out plainly for the player. The game fares much better when you’re left to your own devices and a spattering of optional audio logs and environmental storytelling do the heavy lifting.

​Damning as that may sound, it’s all passable enough to muddle through and absolutely worth doing so to get to the excellent gameplay. The simple act of exploration in The Surge 2 is immensely rewarding; materially owing to the swathes of items you’ll find hidden away in out-of-sight places, and even mentally as you unravel vast and interconnected networks of pathways and looping shortcuts. Without a map to call up everything has to be kept in your noggin and, as such, the primal burst of endorphins that accompanies simply opening a locked door to find that you’re right back where you started (which is a good thing) cements that internal wherewithal.
​
As much as we enjoyed scouring Jericho City, its walled isolation has conversely driven many inhabitants to cultism and general hostility. Luckily, your surgically affixed Exo-Rig is just the ticket when it comes to self defence, allowing you to (in the immortal words of the late Rip Torn) dodge, duck, dip, dive and… directionally deflect. As is often the case, a good offence can make for an even better defence and so the ability to wield otherwise impossibly heavy weapons will also comes in handy.
The Surge 2 PS4 review
The simple act of exploration in The Surge 2 is immensely rewarding...
Equipped for battle, players can target individual limbs on an enemy’s person and then utilise a mix of horizontal and vertical attacks as required in order to land blows. Targeting unarmoured parts (highlighted in blue) will result in an easier kill, whereas armoured sections (highlighted in orange) will take longer to whittle down though ultimately pay out bigger rewards. Through connecting with attacks you’ll build the power meter and charge your Exo-Rig’s batteries, one of which can then be traded for a limb-severing finisher that’ll grant you the weapon or a schematic to craft the armour that’s relevant to the limb in question.

Subsequent chops of those limbs on the same enemies will instead grant crafting and upgrade materials, as was the case in the original. When we reviewed that game we likened the upgrade and gear acquisition system to “a morbid shopping spree” and the same definitely applies here. It’s no less unique and engaging, serving as a perfect complement to the hefty, stamina-based combat mechanics that are already a joy in themselves. 
​

If you’ve played a Souls-like before then you know what to expect from the moment-to-moment gameplay during combat, though some unique melee weapons help to mix things up and so too does the companion drone with its variety of ranged attacks. Equipping different injectables can have a similar effect, be they passive or active (the latter at the cost of a battery) in their inference of benefits like healing, increased defence, or even temporarily slowing enemies down. You’re limited in how many can be equipped, however, so choose wisely.

Without designated classes you’re free to experiment to your heart's content, though by trading in Tech Scrap - the game’s combined form of currency and experience points, earned through defeating enemies - you can opt to favour the health, stamina, or power attributes. For a small fee you can respec your points allocation, though most builds can be made to work in multiple ways regardless or counter-weighted one way or another over time, provided you don’t make a habit of losing scrap.
The Surge 2 PS4 review
In signature fashion, when you die in The Surge 2 you'll drop all of your earnings and need to retrieve them from the position of your death. Dying again whilst en route or failing to do so in good time means that they’re gone for good, but you can securely bank scrap at Medbay safe havens to avoid this. The practice isn’t entirely encouraged, mind, as carrying large scrap quantities applies a multiplier that means the rich get richer at great personal risk. 

New for the sequel, dropped scrap can also be used tactically as a sort of gradual healing totem when stood in close proximity and also to offer a full heal when picked up. This further plays into the exciting risk vs. reward mechanics already surrounding scrap and can be the cause of nail-biting moments during the game’s more challenging boss encounters, resulting from holding off on retrieval until the last possible moment.

A lot of the big bads are fought over multi-stage battles that don’t feel quite as gruelling as those seen in the likes of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, mostly thanks to the ability to generate healing items on the fly through being aggressive in order to accrue battery charges. That said, don’t think that this translates to bosses not being a threat.


With plenty of long-haul skirmishes on the cards, opting for the game's performance mode on PS4 Pro or Xbox One X comes recommended. The jump to a smooth 60 FPS provides a tangible advantage over the choppier 30 FPS found in quality mode, which otherwise puts the focus on improving the game’s weak graphics and bumps the resolution up from 1080p to 4K. Here it definitely isn’t worth the trade-off, even for those that generally favour looks, as the overall experience definitely suffers. 
Gathering upgrades is unique and engaging, serving as a perfect complement to the hefty, stamina-based combat mechanics that are already a joy in themselves. 
The Surge 2 PS4 review
Playing pre-launch we quite frequently encountered crashes and some lesser technical issues like texture pop-in and missing NPC dialogue, but with the day one patch installed they appear to be less common if not completely absent. With launch also came the opportunity to better interact with the asynchronous online elements, which include sharing graffiti tags to help or hinder players, hiding player banners in hard-to-reach places in the hopes that nobody will find them, and getting revenge for fallen players (like we did for YouTuber and outspoken game critic Jim Sterling) by killing enemies that bested them in their versions of the game. It’s all harmless stuff that helps to garner a sense of community between those sharing in the struggle of getting through what can be a difficult game, but without contributing anything more tangible than that.

The Surge 2 can feel a little bit “budget” in places, especially for those that played the first game and, as a result, will likely notice the recycled weapons, armour, animations and enemies. Despite these cut corners being coupled with a weak story and uninteresting quests, there’s no getting around the fact that even then Deck13’s exquisite world and combat design are enough reason to forgive it. With an expanded NG+ mode and a second ending to see (regardless of how disinterested we might be in its actual narrative contents), those gameplay elements are proving strong enough to tempt us back for round two even as we enter the busy release season.

Pros

  • Marvellous interconnected world design
  • Hard-hitting combat that’ll have you squeezing your controller on impact
  • Severing limbs is still a hugely satisfying means of gear and upgrade acquisition
  • Great weapon and general loadout variety
  • NG+ and multiple endings make for good longevity

Cons

  • Weak story, characters and dialogue
  • More defined quest structure evaporates the original’s intriguing air of mystery
  • Several technical issues
  • Underwhelming visuals
  • Recycles assets from the original

8/10
0 Comments

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night | Xbox One | Review

2/7/2019

 
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night | Xbox One | Review - Pass the Controller

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a triumph. Crowdfunded to the tune of more than $5.5 million at the height of the Kickstarter craze, many of its peers released to lukewarm critical and commercial reception, but Koji Igarashi and company took the extra time to produce something truly special.

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by Sam Sant

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@SlamShotSam


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Developer: ArtPlay
Publisher: 505 Games
Platforms: Xbox
​One, PS4, Switch, PC
​(Steam)

Players: 1
After Konami made it transparent they weren’t interested in reviving the legendary Castlevania franchise, series pioneer Igarashi took the proverbial ball and ran with it. Having secured his funding goal more than eleven times over, he assembled a team and began work on the Castlevania: Symphony of the Night spiritual successor that the people wanted and Konami refused to make. Seemingly very little changed in the transition, as Bloodstained is essentially a Castlevania game in all but name.

As you might expect, Ritual of the Night is a traditional metroidvania - also dubbed an ‘Igavania’ in honour of Igarashi - which builds on last year’s more linear retro prequel, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon. You play as Miriam, one of that game’s optionally recruitable protagonists, now intricately realised in 3D as she sets out to rid the world of demons summoned by a dark ritual.

Miriam is a Shardbinder, one of the last two remaining humans capable of harnessing demonic power; these powers manifest in-game as a wide variety of active and passive abilities, now capable of being turned against the denizens of Hell. By building up an arsenal, you’ll be able to deeper infiltrate the gothic castle at the core of Bloodstained and ultimately defeat the other, vampiric Shardbinder that uses his powers for evil. Sounds kinda familiar, huh?

It boils down very simply, but there’s a surprising level of focus placed on the narrative here, which is fleshed out with plenty of cutscenes and hammy dialogue exchanges (in your choice of English or Japanese) between the main cast. Throw in some text-based lore and the story manages to reach the realms of mild intrigue, which is actually somewhat of a compliment, considering the genre.
Igavania? More like egovania, amirite? ... Seriously though, Igarashi (above) is one of the greats!
​Gameplay has always been the bread and butter of metroidvania games, and Ritual of the Night certainly doesn’t disappoint on that front. Largely it’s very familiar in that you travel an enormous, satisfyingly interconnected map collecting new abilities - such as the power to fire yourself through narrow gaps like a ricocheting bullet - which in turn grant access to new areas. The well-established gameplay loop is incredibly moreish when executed in exacting fashion, as it is here, almost defying you to leave any small segment of the map unexplored.

From torchlit castle halls to moonlit cathedral towers, to dank sewers and myriad exotic locales beyond, a wide range of seemingly disparate areas are convincingly tied together by a unified aesthetic and intelligent, looping shortcuts. You’ll get to know the world of Bloodstained quite intimately as you backtrack to solve puzzles you’ve since discovered the answers to, or to reach designated save and fast travel rooms, which never becomes a chore.

That’s thanks not just to the exquisite 2.5D level design, but the tight platforming and deep combat systems you’ll engage with along the way. Miriam can acquire and equip outfits and weapons throughout her journey, the former of which offer various stat boosts and aesthetic changes when items are worn on the head, while the latter can completely change how the game plays.

Depending on preference you might opt for the greater range of a whip or a spear, the close-quarters finesse of a dagger, the balance of a one-handed sword, or the brute force of a laboured greataxe swing. That’s not to mention firearms and their different ammo types. Every harebrained enemy - be it a frog, a dragon, or a scissor-handed marionette straight outta Devil May Cry - has their share of quantifiable strengths and weaknesses, so it makes sense to switch things up on the regular. If you can master enemy attack patterns and Miriam’s graceful backstep dodge, as well as the necessary timing and spacing for your favourite weapons, hostile encounters become akin to dance.
An undisputed retro classic made modern, without sacrificing an ounce of appeal or introducing current industry ailments.
Combat has incredible nuance for those who seek to discover it, be that in hidden techniques for specific weapons, attack hit boxes that extend behind and/or directly above your person dependant on the animation, or the realisation that a weapon might be doubly efficient when used while crouched. A small complaint would be that once you do grow proficient, due to normal difficulty being the only option available on an initial playthrough, bosses especially go from an engaging challenge to a complete cakewalk. That and the game's technical performance can take a big hit when your screen-filling, death-dealing prowess matches theirs.

​
If you’re all about preserving the challenge, limiting your selection of Shards would be a good start. These crystallised forms of demon power randomly drop from enemies and tend to either grant access to one of their abilities or allow you to summon the relevant beast to fight alongside you temporarily. You can equip quite a few at once and they’re more often than not very potent, theoretically balanced out by limiting their use with a mana resource, but, unlike health, mana automatically regenerates over time so there’s little reason not to make liberal use of them. 

​Familiars are ever-present AI helpers that don’t consume mana, even auto-levelling alongside the leading lady, whilst elsewhere upgrades are carried out via a vendor at a peaceful hub location. Here you can buy/sell and cook/craft using materials most often discovered in chests, dropped by defeated enemies, or gifted as rewards for completing optional side quests.
With Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding also releasing in 2019, we wonder if Konami are feeling ashamed of their words and deeds...
Somewhat uncharacteristically, we’ve been loving the grind to gather ingredients, cook and consume all of the game’s recipes in order to claim their permanent stat increases, perhaps because it’s a simple pleasure to spend time in the Bloodstained universe. Another uncharacteristic find, at least for me personally, is the appreciation of quite an anime visual style; I’m coming around to the character models, but the colourful backdrops evoking the game’s stained glass motif I universally adore! More predictable is our love of the orchestral soundtrack, looping and grandiose in its modern interpretation of catchy retro classics.

In fact, that sums Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night up pretty well - an undisputed retro classic made modern, without sacrificing an ounce of appeal or introducing current industry ailments in the process. There’s a lot of game here, and it’s so compelling in its mechanics and audiovisuals that you’ll want to drain every last drop from the experience like a vampire affixed to its succulent neck.

Pros

  • Castlevania is (basically) back
  • Lavishly interconnected environments to discover and explore
  • Vast array of tools and enemies imbue combat with a similar sense of discovery
  • Beautiful overall presentation
  • Crowdfunded project that took the time to give backers exactly what they pledged towards 

Cons

  • Frame drops during busier moments, even on Xbox One X
  • First playthrough is limited to normal difficulty
  • Characters and story are just half decent for the screen time they’re given

9/10
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RAGE 2 | Xbox One | Review

21/5/2019

 
RAGE 2 | Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC (Steam) | Review - Pass the Controller

The original RAGE, released back in 2011, was a bit of a technical marvel; it utilised innovative ‘megatextures’ to hit 60 FPS on console and accommodated that trademark id Software freneticism on last-gen hardware. It played beautifully, but everything surrounding that was pretty monotone, resulting in an ultimately forgettable experience. RAGE 2 looks to remedy this by spray-painting the wasteland neon pink and partnering with Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios to inject some vigour.

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by Sam Sant

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@SlamShotSam


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Developer: id Software,
Avalanche Studios

Publisher: Bethesda
Platforms: Xbox
​One, PS4, PC (Steam)
Players: 1
Odd thing is, rather than aping the bonkers Just Cause series to do just that, Avalanche’s Mad Max instead serves as the template here. Mad Max was surprisingly good, but fell into the exact same pitfall as the original RAGE, which means for all its zany marketing and talk of a post-post-apocalypse, RAGE 2 has always been doomed to repeat history. That doesn’t make it an inherently bad game, though. Not by a long stretch.

You enter the world of RAGE 2 as its uncivilised denizens do their best to rebuild, but they aren’t quite out of trouble yet, since General Cross is out to “cleanse” the world by eradicating humanity and claiming the planet for him and his army of weaponised mutants. He’s a caricature villain - the big bad leader of a big bad movement, by the game’s own admission - only really there to motivate you in bearing arms (not that you’ll need much motivation, but more on gunplay later).

Playing as an uncharismatic, power-suited Ranger (male or female – your choice), you’re quickly given free reign to go about making allies and together manufacturing the General’s demise. Narratively things are kept simple, so you don’t need to have played the original, but there are some familiar characters and knowing nods hidden away for the already initiated.

The story serves only to do its job passably, which is admirable in a way, but also somewhat of a shame, since a few strong character concepts fall flat. Anyone that even half paid attention to the marketing of RAGE 2 wouldn’t reasonably expect anything more in-depth, however, since the focus is clearly placed on balls-to-the-wall action. Right? Well, kinda...

Where id Software’s DOOM features tightly-controlled levels and progression to maintain its breakneck pacing, RAGE 2 offers vastly more freedom, but in doing so can counterproductively push its best feature - the outstanding gunplay - aside in favour of weaker mechanics. A lot of your time will be spent driving around a mostly lifeless wasteland in vehicles that lack traction, organically encountering an abundance of same-y side missions to tackle which facilitate acquiring a swathe of character, weapon and vehicle upgrades.
It’s familiar and largely uninspired stuff, but, to be fair, better implemented than in its peers. Speaking personally, I’ve never been a fan of Borderlands and I tapped out on the increasingly tedious Far Cry series years ago, both of which share structural similarities to RAGE 2, yet here I am happily playing Bethesda’s latest for the gross number of consecutive hours which are required for the TV to assume I’ve fallen asleep.

So what’s different here? id Software, to put it plainly. The originators of the FPS are still doing it best, crafting on-foot combat encounters that are giddily exciting. Action is supremely fluid at 60 FPS (which does come at the cost of 4K support on enhanced consoles), allowing for the necessary precision to utilise the wide array of tools at your disposal whilst staying on the move. As in DOOM, defeated enemies drop time-limited health pick-ups, so it pays to remain in the thick of a fight in the absence of fully regenerating health.
The originators of the FPS are still doing it best, crafting on-foot combat encounters that are giddily exciting.
Whether using the exquisite shotgun or one of RAGE 2’s more unique firearms to pop heads with a satisfying squish, devastating active abilities like a ground pound and an essential force push can also be executed as often as their cooldowns dictate, fully encompassing the supersoldier power fantasy. There’s a frankly massive amount of maneuvers to unlock, to the extent you probably won’t remember to implement them all, though they’re gradually introduced in an effort to avoid that and also maintain a constant feeling of growth throughout the reasonably-lengthed campaign and much longer road to 100% completion.

​
While there isn’t any concrete incentive to do so, at least beyond boosting your own ego by looking damn cool, experimenting and discovering effective combinations of abilities allows for immense showboating on the level of Bulletstorm. Stringing kills of any fashion together in quick succession will increase your combo and more efficiently charge the Overdrive meter, which can then be activated to massively boost the effectiveness of all your other offensive and defensive capabilities for a short period, filling the screen with a psychedelic techno haze as you go ham.
Outside of Overdrive you can’t always afford to be so reckless, as different factions and the enemy types within them pose different levels of threat, encouraging slightly altered tactical approaches. Using the Focus ability lets you see through walls to formulate plans of attack, which can then be executed against clever AI which appear in numbers and play to their strengths in order to quickly overrun overzealous players. We particularly like the fact that throwing an uncooked grenade at an enemy can prompt them to intercept it and return to sender, then, with a well-timed melee strike, you can even volley it right back at ‘em!

RAGE 2’s first-person firefights are honestly worth sticking out any of the game’s hardships for, and to a lesser extent, so too are the third-person vehicular combat sections. These only really come into play when you encounter and engage a convoy in the open world, which visually plays out like one of the best scenes from Fury Road, but is less exciting to actually control. Ramming riders from their bikes and quickly dispatching the smaller four-wheelers at the rear is explosive fun, but the leading boss vehicles are comparatively uninteresting since you can mostly just hang back, automatically lock-on to their weak points as they’re periodically exposed, then hold down the fire button to win. Convoys were far more involved in Mad Max, where you might need to remove armour plating with a harpoon in order to expose a weak point, then use a specific ammo type to destroy it.​

Swapping out vehicles would help to spice things up a bit, but we’d go as far as to say switching is actively discouraged, despite being able to hijack and even unlock a variety of transports directly to your garage. Similar to the Magnum Opus in Mad Max, only minus any of the context, the Phoenix is your starting vehicle and the only banger capable of being repaired and upgraded.
RAGE 2 ’s first-person firefights are honestly worth sticking out any of the game’s hardships for, and to a lesser extent, so too are the third-person vehicular combat sections.
One benefit of opting out of upgrades would at least be avoiding RAGE 2’s painfully sluggish menus, which hang momentarily whenever you switch between the numerous tabs. Elsewhere there’s graphical pop-in (not great considering the so-so visuals in general), invisible and unresponsive NPCs, we’ve fallen through the floor and had to reload a save, and the audio can cut out completely or persist where it shouldn’t (hearing continuous gunfire from a dead enemy, for example). In fact, the audiovisuals are disappointing on the whole, falling well short of the colourful, Andrew W.K. party atmosphere RAGE 2 was made out to feature and instead sticking closer to your archetypal post-apocalypse.

​
Still, if you’re looking for a substantial shooter to enjoy in all its gory single-player glory, RAGE 2 most definitely fits the bill. The game achieves its main goal in being sheer and unadulterated fun - it doesn't take itself even slightly seriously and favours gameplay above all else, to the extent that tackling what’s essentially the same side mission for the tenth time isn’t any bother, because along the way you can spartan kick a dude and then decapitate him with a boomerang as he sits up. What, pray tell, is not to like about that?

Pros

  • Outstanding first-person shooting
  • Range of enemies, skills and abilities keep encounters varied and engaging throughout
  • Smooth technical performer (on Xbox One X) in the face of some demandingly hectic scenes
  • Fun, if basic, third-person vehicular combat
  • Simple story is all it needs to be...

Cons

  • … Though some interesting characters feel wasted
  • Slippery vehicle handling
  • More regular post-apocalypse than the wacky post-post-apocalypse we were promised
  • Menus move at a crawl

8/10
0 Comments

Kingdom Come: Deliverance – Band of Bastards | Xbox One | Review

8/3/2019

 
Kingdom Come: Deliverance – Band of Bastards | Xbox One | Review - Pass the Controller

Band of Bastards is the third major expansion for Kingdom Come: Deliverance - Warhorse Studios’ medieval simulation RPG, which is holding up well a year after release - bringing with it a cluster of combat-oriented missions for battle-hardened players to get stuck into.

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 by Liam
 Andrews

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@liam_andrews5

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Developer: Warhorse
Studios
Publisher: Deep Silver
Platforms: Xbox One,
PlayStation 4, PC
Players: 1
Bandits are raiding the lands of Sir Radzig Kobyla, your liege Lord, and it’s up to you, along with a group of mercenaries who happen to owe Sir Radzig a favour, to restore order.
​

With battles often taking a backseat in the main game, where flashpoints are saved for random encounters on the road and set-piece skirmishes many hours into the campaign, we were particularly excited by the prospect of teaming up with the titular bastards and giving our sword arm a proper work out. Things wouldn’t be quite so easy, however.

This being a combat-centric experience, the developers (along with the bands’ leader, Sir Kuno) want to make sure you’re battle ready by having you overcome two obstacles. Firstly, players must have completed the main campaign’s Baptism of Fire mission - the first big fight which takes place about a third of the way through - and secondly, you need to beat Dangler.

Who’s Dangler? He’s one of the eight not-so-merry men you’ll be riding out on missions with, should you be able to prove your ability to the rest of the gang by beating him in single combat. While no Jaime Lannister when it comes to swordplay, we’d managed to hold our own so far, so one measly mercenary wouldn’t be problematic… Right?

​Wrong. We were massively underprepared for the confrontation; confidence, pride, armour and flesh were quickly cut to ribbons by our extremely dexterous foe, across multiple attempts. It took a lot of levelling, gear tweaking and combat practice to eventually take him down. Returning players with high-level characters shouldn’t have a problem, but those still working their way through the campaign would do well to give
Band of Bastards a wide berth for the time being.
So, once you’ve polished off Dangler and been accepted into the nefarious crew, what adventures await? With around five hours of new content, Band of Bastards is comprised of six quests - five main and one side - plus the opportunity to explore your new camp and get to know the mercenaries within it.

Each of these characters feel unique and well-rounded, sharing entertaining backstories about how they became members. Particular highlights are the tale of how Dangler acquired his moniker (that’s sure to have set your mind racing) and how Sir Kuno’s family fell from grace.

The DLC’s solitary side quest, where head bastard Kuno asks you to retrieve a ring that grants its holder unlimited booze in taverns, unfortunately proves to be little more than a series of fetch quests taking place entirely within the borders of the small camp area.

​
Main mission wise, four of the five on offer feature combat situations for players to get involved in, with some decent armour components up for grabs to those willing to pay the iron price. The action’s tied together by some impressive cutscenes, and, while the story may be relatively straightforward, it does explore the questionable morals and irresolute loyalty of a sellsword company.
Unfortunately, it’s over all too soon. Just as you’re growing emotionally invested in a character, the conversation options dry up, and the same goes for Band of Bastards’ narrative as a whole. More disappointingly, the big finale ends on rather a limp note; the game’s framerate tanks and enemies display bizarre behaviour, doggedly chasing you around the battlefield whilst ignoring the rest of your party hacking them to bits. Granted, it’s possible to avoid a brawl altogether and settle things in single combat, but doing so means you miss out on a lot of extra loot, including a significant amount of coin.
​

None of that’s to say we didn’t enjoy the new content, though. The opportunity to venture out with your own crew and battle loads of baddies is exactly what Kingdom Come: Deliverance needed - the problem is, it needs even more of it! Band of Bastards is good, but it could have been great. All the components are here - the memorable characters, backstories and adventures - they just needed a bigger stage to flourish upon.
Pros

  • Combat-centric gameplay
  • Memorable characters
  • Loads of good loot up for grabs
  • Explores the questionable morals of a mercenary

Cons

  • Inaugural battle locks out lower-level players
  • Disappointing finale
  • Framerate suffers during large conflicts
  • It’s over too quickly

6/10
0 Comments
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