Austin Paul Adamson
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MonsterVineLatest Reviews
The PVP is an example of something that has been fixed, even though it wasn’t broken. The new maps and game modes are a lot of fun, and the competitive playlists have a larger consequence for death (limited number of lives per round). But some of the fundamentals of the Destiny PVP have been changed. The Crucible has been cut back, only allowing teams of four instead of teams of six. I enjoyed the larger scale battles, because it meant there was always action on the map and it also meant that you and your entire raid team could all hop into the competitive modes on days when you wanted to fight some other players instead of the AI. Additionally the stats during, and after a game have been changed. Players can no longer see their individual kills and deaths. Want to know how many head shots you got, your deaths versus kills, or your assists? You can only make estimates using the cryptic stats surfaced like efficiency rating and opp. def. number, unless you keep track yourself. Bungie dropped the traditional post-game carnage report, which they perfected with the Halo series, in favor of something that feels soft and...
The gameplay in these scenes is mostly focused on light, environmental puzzles with the rare ‘don’t get spotted by this creature’ moments. Looking at the right part of a room, walking in the right sequence of doors and even occasionally connecting multiple objects together as imagery symbolism bombards the player in a dream like manner. This can be problematic, but the environmental design by Bloober Team does a great job at directing the player where they need to go. Audio, lighting and good level structuring shine as I rarely felt lost even when the rooms around me were a labyrinth in layout, and playing with the sense. The confusion on Observer is deliberate and intentionally there to stress out the player, and blur the lines of reality. There is a downside to the deliberate confusion: multiple times during my playthrough of the Steam version, I encountered sections where a necessary world object wouldn’t load. When these glitches pop-up it undid some of good faith I had with the world. “Is this me not understanding the puzzle, or is the game broken?” is something I had to ask myself a few times, luckily the saves are generous and the loads are...
As a narrative driven experience there is only one specific order in which tasks must be accomplished, but the player still has quite a bit of freedom in exploring the environment. The open world is easy to navigate thanks to an in-game paper map that the player has access to at all times. Luckily since this is a videogame, Henry’s real-time location and last few steps are always represented. I liked how Campo Santo struck this balance between giving the player precise location information while still conveying the experience of using a paper map and a physical compass to navigate. Firewatch is not without it’s flaws. The PS4 version suffers from an inconsistent framerate with some stuttering and tearing, but as a whole didn’t take away from the beauty and sense of wonderment that filled me. That being said, If you have a modern, moderately powerful PC you will find the best experience on that platform, with an added feature tied in with the in-game disposable camera.
The Witness is not just a game with puzzles, but it also one giant puzzle in itself. The environment offers great mystery. Various structures partially damaged as stone statues decorate the land and profound thought provoking ideas are scattered about. Multiple times throughout the game I was blown away with what The Witness was doing and the more I discovered, the smarter it made me feel.
Rise of the Tomb Raider is a great improvement on the 2013 design and continues to develop Lara from where the first game left off. The game blends third person shooting with exploration and gives the player a lot of freedom in how the different scenarios can be approached. Rise of the Tomb Raider is one of the strongest, most entertaining, single-player experiences of 2015. Xbox One owners should grab this timed exclusive, and PC/PlayStation 4 owners have a lot to look forward to when it releases in 2016.
SOMA contains an interesting world with wonderful atmosphere and aesthetic. The puzzle solving gameplay lends some variety while progressing the story, but never in a way that stands out on its own or provides a strong challenge. Finding all of the audio logs, reading all of the story bits is what’s most enjoyable about the game.If you are looking for a creepy, interesting narrative you’ll be pleased with the engaging world that Frictional Games created with SOMA. If diverse gameplay, interesting mechanics or traditional horror is what you seek, you won’t find what you are looking for with SOMA.
Acid Nerve expects you to replay Titan Souls. It only took me 2h 33m to fight my way through the final boss with around 250 deaths and 15 kills. Upon completion new options like “Hard Mode” and “Iron Man” unlock to give some replay value for those dedicated and skilled enough to tackle the bosses with additional difficulty. There is even a mode which disables the ability to sprint and roll, or one that only gives players one life. both of which sound impossible to me, but an engaging challenge for the most skilled players.
The glitch gun reacts differently to each enemy. In some cases it increases the hit-box of smaller enemies making them easier to destroy, while in other cases it makes larger enemies more agitated with a smaller hit-box. I found poking and prodding the systems a lot of fun, and accidentally found my way into some secret areas by glitching the enemies around me. In addition to the glitch gun, Trace also gets the ability to glitch his way through walls opening up new ways to approach previous areas and allowing access to new zones I had been previously clueless as to how to explore.
Even at the beginning when players have not unlocked a specific weapon that is best suitable for the gametype, each playlist has default loadouts that players can chose from to keep the matches balanced. This unlock/progression system works great. Experience is easily earned and reaching the next level, or getting that set of armor you have been working towards is very satisfying. Certain pieces of armor are only unlocked through specific challenges (splatter 200 people in matchmaking games will earn you a bright green visor color) which gives players motivation to switch up play styles and keep the game fresh.