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Metal Gear Solid 5

Let me begin by stating that in no way do I consider this a bad game. That being said Metal Gear Solid 5 is one of the few games I have sold before finishing. I’ll get to the reason for that shortly; but first a quick overview. Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is the 5th installment in the Metal Gear series (obviously). I’ll skip major plot points in order to avoid spoilers but essentially you play as Snake, the leader of a mercenary group as he attempts to hunt down a mysterious group that is attempting to kill him. The gameplay is stellar, placing you in an open world and giving you an immense amount of freedom in between missions. You are given a wide variety of weapons and gadgets to use ranging from silenced guns, to a device that launches your target into the atmosphere simply by placing it on them. That being said the reason I stopped playing this game was the story. After completing the first chapter of the game the only way to progress the main story is to complete side quest or repeat the story missions of chapter one on a much harder difficulty. This was a major turn-off for me, it struck me as laziness on the developer’s part and I just couldn’t find it in myself to push through a set of missions I had already done. Perhaps this was a wrong move on my part and the game would have maintained its charm had I only pressed on, but the thought of replaying the game for a few extra cutscenes drove me away and never managed to pull me back in.

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The Last Guardian

Anyone familiar with team ICO’s previous games (Ico and Shadow of the Colossus) was likely just as excited as I was to hear that this long-awaited game was finally going to see its release. I have probably played about half of the game at this point and I must say that I am extremely happy with it. Just as the developer’s previous games I got a sense of freshness with this game. What I mean to say is that it tries something that no other game has attempted. The Last Guardian is, at its core, a game in which you solve puzzles. You go about doing this with the help of a large creature by the name of Trico. As the game progresses and you begin to better understand how to interact with Trico and use him to your advantage it is hard not to feel some form of attachment to the creature. The game’s developers do an amazing job in making Trico feel life-like. Everything he does, from the way he moves to the way he interacts with the player is visually impressive and the amount of effort put into making him feel alive is evident. In a way playing The Last Guardian with Trico by your side is almost like going on an adventure with your dog, if your dog could fly and shoot lasers from his tail...and that is what makes this game truly memorable in my eyes.

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Star Wars Battlefront

I was incredibly excited for this game back when it was initially announced, and even more-so after playing the beta with some friends of mine. The gameplay reminded quite a bit of the Battlefield series: large scale warfare taking place on the ground while dogfights ensue overhead. I was blown away by what I saw on the beta and loved every second of it. So needless to say my expectations were pretty high when this game came out. I couldn’t wait to see what the full game had in store for me. So imagine my disappointment when I booted up the game for the first time and experienced all the game had to offer in a single sitting. The first and perhaps most significant problem I had with this game was its lack of content. The game release with almost nothing to offer short of a few maps and even fewer game modes, in fact the only way to experience this game in its entirety was to spend an extra $30 (half of the game’s initial cost) in order to buy the season pass. And even if you did that you then had to wait for the maps to actually be released. It is because of this that Star Wars Battlefront holds a place in my mind as one of the few games I truly regret pre-ordering.

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Rise of the Tomb Raider

The latest entry in the Tomb Raider series is incredibly fun but suffers from a severe lack of engaging activities to do outside the main storyline. Without going too into detail the main story involves the titular character Lara Croft going on an adventure to redeem her deceased father’s honor. I found Rise of the Tomb Raider’s main story and gameplay extremely enjoyable. The game does a great job of allowing the player to choose how they want to go about taking down their enemies be it via stealth or a full frontal approach. In addition the game also features a wide variety of puzzles, none of which were particularly challenging, but were fun nonetheless. The major problem I had with this game was, as I stated before, that there isn't much that interested me outside of the main story. In between missions the player is able to freely roam around large maps in an attempt to find collectables and complete challenge tombs. And while there were a few side missions scattered around, there weren’t nearly as many as I would have liked. The challenge tombs provided some entertainment but after I completed them I found I had no interest whatsoever in attempting to get 100% completion on each map. While I am certain that there are some people out there who are able to find joy in mindlessly collecting worthless trinkets and complete every area, I am not one of them and as a result found the free roam aspect of the game rather boring.

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Bloodborne

A friend of mine recently recommended I try this game since I was a big fan of Demon Souls and Dark Souls and I’m glad he did. In Bloodborne you take on the role of a hunter as you venture around a fantasy world killing monsters of all shapes and sizes. Those of you familiar with the souls games know that they are famous for their difficulty, and Boodborne is no different. If you aren’t careful even the basic enemies of the game can spell doom, and that is part of this games charm. Bloodborne forces the player to stay on guard constantly and in that way keeps them in a constant state of engagement. While the combat is similar to the souls games there are two major differences that made me enjoy this particular game even more. The first of those changes is the addition of form changing weapons. Each primary weapon in the game possesses the ability to change into two different forms (my favorite of which is a sword that turns into a scythe) on the fly. The form changes allow the player to change up their fighting style as quickly and easily as needed during any given situation. The other addition is the revenge system. In previous souls games dodging and waiting was the best strategy in most situations, the revenge system changes this. If you are damages at any point during a fight you are able to recover some of your health by attacking immediately. In this way you are rewarded for staying on the offensive and taking risks. This new way of fighting made the game feel even more fast-paced than its predecessors and earned it a spot as one of the best games I’ve played this year.

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Pokemon GO

I’m sure most of you have heard of this game by now. Pokemon GO is pretty much everywhere. And while I could use this post to talk about why I think it is so popular I’d much rather talk about the effects it has had on those who play it. And no I’m not talking about all the rumors of people getting injured and/or killed while playing. Instead I’d like to focus on the positive stories that have come from this game. One brief search online will turn up many heartwarming stories about communities coming together through a simple app. The stories range from people with depression and/or ptsd leaving their houses for the first time in years to helping those with autism communicate with other more easily.   This game allows people to connect to one-another and allows for people to find a common ground. Entire communities seem to be getting together to share in this mobile phenomenon and I think it speaks wonders for what gaming can do.

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Overwatch

I just picked up a brand new game by the name of Overwatch and I must say it’s great. Overwatch is a first person shooter unlike any other I’ve played. Unlike popular shooting games like Call of Duty, Overwatch does not use load outs. Instead there are twenty one different heroes each with their own different weapons and abilities. The game puts players into two teams of six, these two teams then take turns attacking or defending certain objectives. The diverse roster of characters keeps the game fresh and interesting and the game does a great job making each and every one of them unique. With a wide variety of characters to choose from and more to come I’m sure overwatch will stay fresh for months to come.

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Tales from the Borderlands

I’ve been on a bit of a telltale games binge as of late. I am well aware that the choices you make in-game never affect the story much but I’m a sucker for interactive stories. Since there isn’t much to say on the subject of gameplay I’ll just focus on the story instead. I’ll begin with saying that while it helps to have played the earlier borderlands games, it isn’t necessary in order to understand the story. The story follows two “vault hunters” in their attempt to unearth an ancient treasure in order to achieve their dreams. The game allows you to choose the dialogue of the main characters therefore allowing you to choose their personalities. As you progress through the game you will meet a wide variety of characters, each more insane than the last. Of all the telltale games I’ve played thus far this one is easily my favorite. If you’re looking for a casual game to play for a few hours you can’t go wrong with this one.

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Witcher 3

I recently picked up the Witcher 3 and I must say I am quite impressed. The game is massive in scale and there are endless amounts of side quests to complete. The combat is fast-paced yet easy to understand. The story was also engaging and although I had not played the previous two entries in the series a quick visit to the wikipedia brought me up to speed on all I needed to know. The Witcher’s engaging gameplay and immense length make it a must play and I highly recommend it.

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Dishonored

Since I spent my last post talking about a game I disliked I figured I’d spend this one talking about a game that came as a pleasant surprise. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the title, Dishonored is a first person stealth/action-adventure game. You take on the role of Corvo, a man who has been framed for the murder of his queen, as he attempts to save a princess. The story itself is nothing to write home about but the gameplay is quite engaging. Each mission has a wide variety of approaches the player can take to go about completing it. This variety keeps the game fresh and makes and subsequent play throughs fresh and interesting.

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My thoughts on Final Fantasy XIII

I recently picked up Final Fantasy XIII while walking around my local GameStop and I must say that I’m rather disappointed with it. I had heard some negative rumors about it but a friend of mine was really into it so I decided to give this particular game a shot. The game uses a turn based system which is something I myself usually enjoy in games however the game developers decided to add in an auto-battle system which detracts from the gameplay itself. Add in the fact that the maps are essentially straight paths with little to no divergences and you get a game that basically plays itself. As for the story, it’s nothing special. The plot didn’t particularly grip me nor did I find any of the characters  compelling. In the end this game left me rather unsatisfied and I found myself quite glad I only spent $5 on it. I’d give it a 4/10.