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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
0 Comments

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

Nintendo Switch Lite | One Month Later | Review

4/11/2019

 
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​Here it is, chums: Nintendo’s latest console remodel is finally out. Is it a welcome addition to the Switch family? Is it a worthy successor to the fabulously robust 3DS? Is it, in fact, neither? All will be revealed…

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by Rob Holt

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​@acousticmagic

​Regular visitors to the shores of PTC may already be aware of my Nintendo fan status, which was kickstarted aged seven after me mam got me a Game Boy. Then came the childhood-defining N64 era, which eventually led me to the interesting (if deeply flawed) fiasco known as the Wii U. So, why has it taken me this long to get involved with the Switch? Simply put: There are just too many ruddy ports, be they from the big N itself or the third parties.

​But then I saw the Lite, if you will. Initially I struggled to pick a colour: Am I a yellow man? Turquoise, perhaps? Or should I play it safe with good ol’ depressing grey? I went for turquoise, FYI, but all three finishes look bloody gorgeous. 
Whatever you opt for, they’re all equal in comfort. Nintendo’s Switch Lite boasts a grippy matte finish that perfectly complements its rubber analogue sticks, along with satisfying, reliable buttons and a triumphantly returning d-pad. I’m also pleased to report that, for the most part, it continues to feel comfortable during more rigorous play sessions - unlike even the New 3DS XL.

​
That comfort is further enhanced by the absurd weight of the console. It really only becomes apparent that you’re using a handheld in something like an FPS, where the offset nature of the sticks becomes a slight issue (more on that later), but regardless, it does feel robust in that signature Nintendo fashion. 

How about that smaller screen, current Switchers? Well me ducks, I can honestly say that this is visually the best handheld I’ve ever used. Booting up Link’s Awakening for the first time sent echoes of nostalgia all through my rotting, sagging flesh and coloured my day with whimsy. It doesn’t auto-change the brightness like big brother, but it’s still plenty clear, crisp and girthy nonetheless.

So the design be grand and the screen be lovely, but that doesn’t really matter if you’ve got nothing to play on it. Yours truly has been testing the Switch Lite with the aforementioned Link’s Awakening, charming Stardew Valley, handheld staple Tetris 99, and the brutal DOOM to really put the console through its paces.
For the most part, I’ve been very impressed. How can this dinky little thing run the frantic, exploding-head wonderment of DOOM (2016)?! That’s a fantastical achievement in itself, even if the small form factor and offset sticks make aiming slightly difficult. Yet it’s that small size and maximum portability that makes me smile so. Having Stardew on the go is worth the price of admission alone if you ask me, but account for that massive and expanding library of third-party hits alongside Nintendo’s own bigguns and the potential for bank account destruction is supreme.
​

Yet all that good does come paired with some rather corpulent bad. It’s been well publicised that this is, in fact, a Switch that doesn’t switch, yet it still seems like a bizarre decision. For games like Stardew and the rest of the indie cannon it’s fine, but will Nintendo’s Breath of the Wild sequel have the same emotional impact on a smaller screen? Only time hath the answer. You can add the endless battery life debate to the fire as well (I’ve managed probably four hours tops so far), and the lack of Bluetooth headphones support is absurd in this ridiculously technological universe of ours.
​Alas, you’ve reached the end. Well done. After a month in its company I say with much admiration that I’m glad to be back in Nintendo’s warm and ample bosom. I adore the cheaper price, portability, comfort and games library. Undeniably though, you will be making some rather large sacrifices in choosing the Lite over its conventional forebear. Much like this old bugger, consider your lifestyle and how often you actually play games. If, like me, you only really get to play on commutes, then the Lite is well worth the dosh.

Pros

  • Gorgeous design
  • Lightweight and incredibly portable
  • Solid, reliable feeling construction
  • Good quality screen that feels bigger than it actually is
  • Price point
  • Humongous games library
  • Feels great in my reasonably fat hands

Cons

  • Doesn’t actually switch
  • Battery life could be better
  • No Bluetooth support
  • Offset analogue sticks not great for certain genres
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
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GRID | Xbox One | Review

17/10/2019

 
GRID-Codemasters

Liverpool vs Manchester United. Borg vs McEnroe. USA vs Europe. Whatever the sport, a decent rivalry can add so much more to a simple competition, eliciting passion, anger and excitement from spectators and participants alike. It’s an extra layer of intrigue that veteran motorsport developers, Codemasters, have successfully recreated in GRID thanks to their nemesis system, but we’ll get to that in a bit.

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by Liam
​Andrews

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@liam_andrews5

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Developer: Codemasters
Publisher: Codemasters
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
Players: 1 - 16

We’ll start with career mode, the game’s main attraction. A sizeable offering, GRID’s single-player component features six different car classes that can be tackled in any order, each of which are composed of twelve events (save for the invitational class, which features double that number) and a showdown finale. Events are made up of between one and four races that feature a mix of city and traditional tracks, as well as car types, and come with different prerequisites for beating them, such as placing in the top three, winning outright or finishing with the fastest time.

​Completing an event usually unlocks a further two, making it easier to avoid those that don’t suit your play style or are simply too challenging. It’s a good way of ensuring progression isn’t stymied, while more experienced drivers and completionists can easily go back and mop up leftover events for extra prestige and in game currency to buy new cars. While the basic machines readily available to all players are competitive enough, there are one or two later options, such as the BMW M1 Turbo, that are well worth splashing the cash on.

Each class feels and handles differently, from heavy, ponderous muscle cars that lumber around corners to the boisterous F1000 series at the other end of the spectrum. There’s enough variety to keep things interesting, and although locations are often repeated (there’s more than 75 tracks in total, based on regions such as China, Japan, Malaysia, the UK, San Francisco, Sydney, Havana and Barcelona) tackling them in alternate weather conditions or in a different class of car often means approaching them in a totally different way.
GRID’s AI provide excellent opposition, keeping races both consistently competitive and entertaining.
Before each race, you’re given the chance to take part in hot lap qualifiers, which, while entirely optional, are a great way to learn each track’s nuances ahead of the main event and also give you a chance to improve your starting position. Leading the line going into a race is, naturally, a big advantage, especially when competing on GRID’s city tracks, where tight corners and narrow streets make it harder to break out from the back of the pack.

​Starting in the rear means you’re also more likely to collide with other drivers, and, intentionally or not, pick up a few nemeses in the process. It usually takes several collisions to spark a rivalry, though occasionally just a single bump is all that’s required to annoy the AI. Teammates aren’t immune to a bout of in-house rivalry either, and will actively ignore orders and requests if you hit them too many times.
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City tracks are particularly impressive at night

Rival drivers are marked out by an angry red indicator above their car, and will attempt to hinder your progress should they get the opportunity to do so, sometimes even to the detriment of their own race, whether its aggressively blocking an overtake or performing a surprise pit maneuver just as you’re taking a tricky corner. It’s a brilliant system that adds so much more to races, creating short-lived rivalries and added drama without ever feeling unfair or overpowered.

In fact, GRID’s AI in general provide excellent opposition, keeping races both consistently competitive and entertaining; we’ve seen computer-controlled drivers smash into walls, flip cars and take risks that, at times, mirror human behaviour, adding to the overall sense of authenticity. You can, of course, get a similar experience by delving into the game’s online offering, but without the option to pick and choose tracks, car types or weather settings (unless you’re hosting a private game), you might find yourself battling the conditions more than other drivers.

​Visually,
GRID is a good-looking game, if not spectacular. Some levels stand out more than others; racing through one of Zhejiang’s city circuits at night, with neon lights reflected in the rain-soaked road, for example, looks amazing, but traditional circuits like Silverstone and Brands Hatch, with their wide tracks and open surroundings, are relatively bland in comparison. One of the more bizarre visual hiccups are the cars’ mirrors, which display reflected images in retro-like low-res graphics and reduced frame rates. If, like us, you prefer a cockpit view, it can be a little jarring, but it’s a minor issue that certainly doesn’t detract from an otherwise decent game.
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Objects in the rear view mirror are actually a lot prettier than they appear

GRID also caters to both petrol heads and newcomers alike thanks to a generous suite of difficulty options; while we preferred a more arcade-like experience, with automatic gears, race lines, cosmetic damage only and face-saving flashback abilities enabled, it’s possible to turn all assists off, increase AI difficulty and transform the game into a proper simulator. It’s this flexibility, along with the game’s solid racing gameplay, generous solo offering and excellent nemesis system that make it an easy recommend.

Pros

  • Nemesis system adds spice to races
  • Decent variety of cars and tracks
  • Excellent sense of speed
  • Accessible career mode
  • Caters to both arcade and simulation playstyles

Cons
​
  • Online play lacks customisation options
  • Low-res mirrors reduce immersion
  • Traditional circuits are aesthetically bland

​8/10
0 Comments

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint | Review | Xbox One

15/10/2019

 
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint | Review | Xbox One - Pass the Controller

Breakpoint is the moment at which the tables are turned or the tides change in a conflict, forcing defenders to become attackers. For Ghost Recon, this could be the series’ last stand.

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​by James
 Michael
 Parry

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@James_Parry

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Developer: Ubisoft Paris
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: Xbox One,
PS4, PC
Players: 1-4
While previous instalment, Wildlands, proved to be a serviceable open world shooter (I called it “solid” at the time), the sequel enters possibly an even more crowded and competitive gaming landscape, particularly given that it makes the decision to push into the looter genre, thanks to the introduction of weapon rarity, mere weeks after Borderlands 3 threw a gazillion technicoloured guns at us.

This Ghost Recon drops you, quite literally, onto the island of Auroa; an isolated would-be paradise, pitched in its marketing material as a self-sustaining society for its residents and their families, but of course things aren’t quite going to plan. Skell Technology has lost control and has weaponised its drone army to fight back against the Wolves, a renegade group led by former Ghost team leader Cole D. Walker (played by The Walking Dead and The Punisher star John Bernthal, who you might have run into in some late DLC missions in Wildlands), pushing the island into chaos.

Your character, who has a fairly limited amount of customisation options for a third-person title, led a team of their own, but unfortunately after a rough landing (and a point-blank execution from Walker), you’re left alone in unfamiliar terrain. Disappointingly, the game doesn’t let you scrappily fend for yourself for long, immediately leading you to a sheltered hideout which houses a lot of the quest-givers for the game, as well as tons of other things to interact with, from shops to the other players that are just running around.

​This is more of a live service-style, online world than we’ve seen before from the series, taking more than a few leaves out of The Division’s book, with mixed success. There’s other Tom Clancy DNA at play here, with the limited PvP mode Ghost War - itself a leftover from Wildlands with fewer modes, which sets two groups of four players against each other in a small map… that shrinks even further as time marches on. Obvious Battle Royale trappings aside, the mode really feels like a less effective iteration on the formula Rainbow Six Siege has worked so hard to perfect, slowly building up elements over the years since launch, and ultimately is far less compelling.
Adding in these elements has had another unfortunate consequence: an overabundance of systems. Whether it’s gun upgrades, customising clothing or crafting, every area of the game has its own system, some of which build on one another clumsily. It’s quite easy to get lost in the mission selection screen alone, which separates different types of mission by colour, as they show as little circles on the map, but you can pin several missions at once, making your mini-map a flurry of markers most of the time.

Individual weapons and gun upgrades are particularly at fault here, with the gunsmith view - heralded as a flashy innovation back in 2012’s Future Soldier - now an uninspiring slew of upgrades which make negligible difference to gameplay, and even locking higher tiered crafting a number of skill points deep into a specific shooting skill tree. The skills as a whole give you a class ability, either medic, assault, panther or sharpshooter, but it is understated and nothing like the sort of flamboyance you’d get in more deliberately class or character-based experiences.

Otherwise, the gunplay itself is one of the areas which feels sharp, and more immediate than its older sibling. AI enemies don’t pose much of a challenge however, even as they wander around the map fairly aimlessly in groups of three or four. Others will be clustered around a lone vehicle, waiting to be picked off by a well-placed sniper shot (or a not-so-well placed shot, as a round in the arm seems to do the trick).

It’s the drones and autonomous vehicles where the ante is well and truly upped, since they are ruthless in their pursuits and pack a heavier punch than mere mortals. The new prone camouflage can occasionally be used to evade these foes, but in most areas, aesthetically the effect is pretty pathetic, just a few blobs of dirt strewn across your characters arms as they lie motionless.
The rest of the visuals have their flashes of brilliance, with the sunrise breaking through the trees as the day/night cycle transforms the landscape, but otherwise it’s largely as expected for the current generation at this stage, and doesn’t leap forward in any particular area from Wildlands.

Ultimately, Ghost Recon is suffering an identity crisis. Last stand or not, the team doesn't seem exactly sure where they want the series to go, or what story they are trying to tell. A linear narrative might have been more effective in holding our attention on the journey of this character, and we get a few glimpses into what that narrative might have been through cutscenes (albeit with decidedly dated and distracting lip-sync), as it’s those images that stick in our minds more than trekking across endless kilometres of fairly samey terrain to reach another bad guy to fight or side mission to be distracted by.

Instead, the open world seems unfocused, and far from the concentrated, dense, and varied landscape we’d hoped for in a (slightly) smaller map compared to Wildlands. We find ourselves longing for that game’s open spaces so at least we can drive vehicles without bouncing them off rocks every few minutes. Guns are disposable and so upgrading them seems futile, even more so given rarity seems to make little difference to their effectiveness in combat. There’s a few nice elements on show here, but not enough to keep our attention from half a dozen other games which do all of them better, not only with more originality, but with more character of their own, and that’s what Ghost Recon sadly lacks.

Pros

  • Landscapes look the part, especially at sunset
  • Sneaking about with your drone is still rewarding
  • Gunplay is more than solid…

Cons
​
  • ...but the systems and their layers of complexity are overwhelming
  • The game is the lowest common denominator of Ubisoft open world games (and bits cribbed from elsewhere)
  • Microtransactions are baked into every nook and cranny

6/10
0 Comments

Gears 5 | Review | Xbox One

12/10/2019

 
Gears 5 | Review | Xbox One - Pass the Controller

Gears 5 continues the story thread that was started in Gears of War 4, dropping Kait into the role of main protagonist supported by Del and an upgraded Jack bot – the latter being playable for the first time in Gears' history – in both the co-op campaign (for up to three players locally or online) and returning Horde mode.

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 by Chris
​ Brand

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@SuperCrisco

Gears 5 | Review | Xbox One
Developer: The Coalition
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Platforms: Xbox One, PC
Players: 1-5

Boot Camp is your entry point, with series veteran Damon Baird taking you through the basics one step at a time. The short tutorial is a welcome refresher for veterans and a necessary jaunt for newcomers, explaining the game's cover and movement systems, shooting, melee abilities and active reloads (which reload the entire magazine with higher damage "active" rounds).

Once that's out of the way, the opening Act serves as an extended introduction and there's very little to differentiate it from GoW 4, visually or mechanically. However, as you push forward the game opens up, quite literally, allowing you to explore open world sections. The desolate world of Sera is at times strikingly beautiful and the skiff used for traversal, particularly in the snowy section you'll have seen in the trailer, handles like a dream, effortlessly gliding across the huge, sweeping vistas. 

Throughout the middle Acts, optional side missions allow you to acquire upgrades for Jack to further augment the abilities that are unlocked via progression. Whilst the upgrades themselves aren't mandatory, they can be handy in a pinch, offering up significant boosts to the very useful invisibility and flash abilities, for example. Bear in mind though, your upgrades won't be bestowed on Jack when he's controlled by a human player.

The short firefights to get them not only serve as a welcome, action-filled break from the quieter exploring of the aforementioned open sections, but also serve as a great opportunity to stock up on ammo, change your loadout or grab a heavy weapon to take back to the skiff.

​During our initial playthrough, we did happen to fall victim to an unfortunate bug that forced us to restart Act 2 (a hangover from the game’s rocky launch, perhaps) losing around an hour of progression, but we claimed it back in half of that time and the setback was less of an annoyance than Del's stubborn reluctance to revive us when playing solo, which resulted in many avoidable deaths throughout the campaign.

Gears 5 | Review | Xbox One - Pass the Controller
Jumping into Versus mode, the game’s multiplayer offering, for the first time can be daunting. Arcade is casual, class-based fun with loadouts unique to each character, which in no way prepares you for the competitive scene. At the other end of the scale, there's the Ranked playlist. Even with cross-play disabled, and those pesky mouse and keyboarders kept at bay, you'll occasionally run into God-like players who are capable of carrying their (and hopefully your) team single-handedly, especially in King of the Hill and Escalation. The non-ranked versus is more accessible and co-op against AI is a good way of learning map layouts and weapon spawns, while providing a safe environment in which to practice with the Gnasher, though the difficulty can be ramped up to suit all skill levels.

Horde and Escape, though very different, complement each other. The former, a mainstay of the franchise, tasks five players with surviving 50 waves of increasingly difficult enemies, whilst the latter offers a more bite-sized co-op experience. Your three-person team, having infiltrated a Swarm hive and planted a Venom bomb to destroy it from within, must escape before the deadly gas kills you, too. Beginning only with a sidearm and limited rounds, you'll want to be conservative with ammo until your party has tooled up.
In both modes, duplicate characters are forbidden, which can cause problems when matchmaking. Levelling up and completing matches will award Skill Cards to further raise your damage dealing and survivability. These Skill Cards will allow you to hold your own on higher difficulties but if someone has already bagsied your main, you're left with the choice of using an under-levelled character or re-queuing. Regardless, there's no barrier of entry and all of our encounters through matchmaking have been positive, though not always successful. 

Despite a few minor issues, the new Gears recipe is the best yet. The story has enough presence without overstaying its welcome, open world areas are a nice addition and there's adequate co-op activities outside of the campaign to complete the package for anyone averse to PvP.

Pros

  • A thoroughly satisfying campaign
  • New enemy types and weapons are designed so well that they feel familiar
  • That same Gears brand of fast-paced multiplayer

Cons

  • Horde and Escape are a little too restricted
  • The Snub pistol is more effective as a melee weapon than a firearm

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

Picture
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

Picture

@SlamShotSam


Picture
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

Star Wars Pinball | Nintendo Switch | Review

14/9/2019

 
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Pinball machines are few and far between these days. You might find a dusty old one in your local pub, but it’s very unlikely you’ll stumble across the crème de la crème like a Star Wars-themed table.

James Michael Parry

​by James
Michael
Parry

@james_parry on Twitter

​@james_parry

Picture
Developer: Zen Studios
Publisher: Koch Media
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Players: 1-4

Fortunately, thanks to the power of the Nintendo Switch, you can now carry 19 of those along with you in Star Wars Pinball. At first glance you might be tempted to make a snap judgement – either that the tables are going to feel samey quickly, or that the sheer number alone is overwhelming and you don't know where to start.

The game eases you in gently with its Career mode though, which has you take on each table in turn with a different imposed limit, whether that's time or pinballs or distance travelled. You don't need to be a pro to make progress here either, even just paddle flapping away you'll find the points wracking up, but to really get to the big bonuses – and more importantly experience the more visually interesting features of each table – you may want to refer to the table guide, which will take you through the various special missions and skillshots which can be played with on any given setup.

If linear isn't really your speed, you can also tackle the tables in any order with a standard three-ball setup, complete with the usual score challenges to boot. After a bit of flipping, you'll find you've picked up some holocron shards which can then be used to unlock force powers, giving you buffs and abilities used to tip the odds in your favour and help to reach even higher scores.

​​There are online leaderboards and a metagame within them which pits the light against the dark side of the Force for... well, it's not immediately clear what for. Of course, if you're on the go out in the middle of nowhere you might feel a bit more isolated. Never fear, as befriending fellow passengers on public transport has never been easier with hotseat multiplayer letting you take turns and challenge one another for the mantle of top scorer.
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The level of detail and visual polish the game has to offer is only really shown off on a big screen however, if only because so much of the detail is otherwise packed into a small space. Even with a range of camera options (which annoyingly don't seem to remember your preference between stages), you can't get the full effect in handheld move.

One particularly neat feature is that you can encourage the screen to turn 90-degrees in either direction, meaning in tabletop mode (presumably with some makeshift stand option) or handheld portrait with an adapter, you can enjoy a more comfortable oblong, bird's eye view of proceedings.​

The highlight of the experience, and where Zen Studios really flex their creative muscles, is the scene mode, which has six scenes or characters showcased in micro-fights or challenges spread across the board, where your actions might cause blaster fire to be deflected or a door to be unlocked. The fun of reliving those iconic moments is a genuine thrill, even for a fan with more rewatches of the original trilogy than they might like to admit…
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There's longevity here (unless you really, really aren't a fan of pinball), and plenty of nooks and crannies to explore within every table. You'll even stumble across the odd minigame, where you'll navigate an asteroid field or go toe-to-toe with Darth Vader in a lightsaber duel, and playing around with familiar characters (albeit with less familiar voice acting) is a delight.

Pinball is here, and the Force is with it.

Pros

  • A vast array of tables from all across the galaxy
  • Inventive ideas and even lesser films are spun in interesting new ways
  • Gorgeous visuals, slick presentation and solid performance

Cons
​
  • Slightly hammy voice work in places
  • Camera can be uncooperative
  • Force feedback is lacklustre

9/10
0 Comments
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