The last game you completed, and rating.

[CaptainRAVE]

Shogun 2: Fall of the Samurai

8/10

Certainly a game I will be going back to. The excessively long loading screens put me off it a little though.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Bulletstorm - A fun different shooter which had some great over the top sequences - 8/10

Forgot about that! I completed Bulletstorm a few days ago. Would also give it 8/10 - very short, but loved the over the top action scenes, variety of ways to kill people and the dialogue. Certainly an entertaining game. Reminded me a little of Just Cause 2, but following a linear path.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Well, after playing it for over a year, I have finally completed Assassins Creed 2. Quite an interesting twist on the story actually, can't wait to get started on Brotherhood. I would give it 8/10 - a decent game, but the controls can be a little frustrating sometimes.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood - 8/10

The story wasn't as good as AC2, but I am still absolutely engrossed in the series. The level design was much more interesting and I enjoyed buying up parts of Rome. My biggest dislike were the hoops that had to be jumped through to get 100% synchronisation - sure, I like the new objectives, but it is a little frustrating where you don't meet them and suddenly get 50%. Also I hope Revelations actually starts to answer some questions and move the story along.

Not sure I can wait for Revelations to be on sale again

 

[CaptainRAVE]

F1 2012 (well, a season anyway ) - 8.5/10

Best instalment yet.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

I must say you write some fantastic reviews HangTime

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Tropico 4

I slated it when it was first released, but having not played Tropico 3 for so long, I really appreciated the improvements made over the previous title. Sure this should have just been an expansion pack, but if this is cheap enough I would certainly recommend it.

7/10

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Far Cry 3 (well as much of it as I can stand anymore)

Pros:
- turned all the way up the game looks very good
- voice acting is excellent, as are the sounds and musical score
- the story is decent and the main characters are great

Cons:
- the enemies are seriously dumb
- gameplay is repetitive
- weapon customisation is very limited
- crafting feels out of place in this game
- vehicle control is terrible

6.5/10

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Not sure if there is a console version of this thread? Can I post completed console games in here? Have to get one off my chest!

Sure, post away

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Max Payne 3

+ Graphically it is top notch
+ Decent story
+ Fantastic musical score
+ Great having the original voice actor back for Max
+ Some great set pieces
+ Brings back a feeling of nostalgia

- Controls can be a bit clunky at times
- Even on lower difficulties you don't get much bullet time
- Too much need for cover
- Some of the cutscenes are a little long in the beginning
- Load times are long if you decide to skip the cutscenes

Was pleasantly surprised about this one. Once I got over the fact that it is one long interactive movie I actually quite enjoyed it. Can't wait for Max Payne 4.

8.5/10

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Assassins Creed Revelations 9/10

One of the best of the series in my opinion (but you must play them in order!).

Pros
+ Powerful story that finally answers some questions (and extends Altair's story)
+ The combat system is much improved and more realistic
+ Eagle vision is a lot more useful now
+ Great gadgets
+ Less travelling around due to game setting
+ Graphics and sound are fantastic
+ Zip wires across buildings speed up travel
+ Some excellent set pieces

Cons
- Personally not a fan of the optional objectives
- Multiplayer is weak, they should focus on the single player
- Some missions are a little repetitive
- Finance is tough for ages, then suddenly you find yourself with too much cash!
- Fellow Assassins are very strong, almost making things too easy
- Bombs are fun, but actually don't add much to the game

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Assassin's Creed III - 8.5/10

Pros:
+ An excellent story, especially towards the end
+ A good amount of playtime (playing through the entire life of the main character)
+ Graphically stunning turned all the way up
+ The snow landscapes are spectacular
+ There is finally a weather system
+ The ship missions are a real highlight
+ Combat is fun and we can now dual wield (pistols too)
+ Free running is much smoother and less easily interrupted
+ The soundtrack is excellent
+ Some of the 'present day' missions are actually quite fun, although they can spoil the flow of the game
+ The cities feel alive
+ The frontier is fun and there are some neat additions here
+ The optional objectives are handled much better than in AC2


Cons:
- The first 1/3 of the game feels like a tutorial and is very slow and linear
- The homestead missions are dull and feel like a waste of time (although pad out the story well in some places)
- The engine is poorly optimised (terribly CPU limited)
- Connor isn't very likable (nowhere near as much as Altair and Ezio)
- Crafting is a pointless and boring addition
- Some of the voice overs are of poor quality
- Far too much travel, the world is huge!
- The mini-game of sending out your assassins adds little and seems like an after thought this time around

I personally love this series. Sure, there are lots of niggles. However, if the next installment is ship focused then sign me up!

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag - 9/10

Pros:
+ You are a pirate...need I say more
+ Travelling from island to island is a pleasure, who needs fast travel (even though it is an option!)
+ For the most part an engaging story
+ Graphically stunning
+ Jaw dropping weather system, especially at sea
+ Never again will water be this good in a game
+ A solid combat system, although it is in need of some innovation
+ The various settlements are beautifully designed down to the very last detail
+ A lot to do, the main story feels like a very small part
+ A wonderful soundtrack as ever in this series
+ The optional objectives are much more integrated this time around and much more achievable
+ The tutorial at the start of the game is very brief
+ Kenway is quite a likeable character
+ I quite liked the optional feedback system, although it is quite difficult to feedback using just 5 stars.


Cons:
- The modern storyline, get rid of it already! Such an unnecessary, unimmersive distraction. What did it actually add?
- Some of the missions don't flow very well. Why did I get rescued from that island?
- Get rid of the tail and eavesdrop missions!


Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this one and hope for a standalone Ubisoft pirate game using this engine. The short development cycle is hurting the Assassin's Creed series, but they lucked out on a great idea with this one. Hopefully the next Assassin's Creed setting is equally as engaging. I would highly recommend this game.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Tomb Raider 10/10

Pros
+ graphically mind blowing pushing modern hardware including some fancy hair tech if you like that kind of thing
+ gritty, powerful story as is the trend with these reboots
+ very little in the way of a UI
+ sounds and musical score top notch
+ very immersive environment
+ some of the best set pieces of any game I have played
+ great selection of weapons and upgrade options
+ controls all very slick and responsive
+ no loading screens
+ great lore to the island the game is set on
+ fast paced throughout

Cons
- final boss battle a little underwhelming
- a little too much fighting, too few tombs
- the tombs are very short
- overall game very short, but a lot packed in

Absolutely one of the my top 5 games of all time. Please oh please bring out another!!!

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Seriously? How can you give a game 10/10 when you have cons?

Tomb Raider - no mention of the QTE's surprises me.

MGS - isn't a patch on the older MGS's - it's just a button basher to me - I much preferred the stealthier versions (and hiding in a box).

GTA4 is my last game completed - I'd give it 7/10. Downsides are that it's repetitive and simplistic. There are some great missions but there are a lot of missions whereby it's just kill everybody. The story is pretty good at times and the characters are great. I hated the social element of it though - the bowling, pool, darts, etc. should be more optional than required (for the bonuses).



M.

Every game will have a few cons and they were incredibly small in comparison to the pros. Oh and because it is my opinion

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Far Cry 3 - 8/10

Pros:
+ Graphics & environment
+ Voice acting
+ Music
+ Selection and feel of guns
+ Mature, strong story
+ A nice mix of stealth and rambo type sections!

Cons:
+ A little repetitive at times
+ Once you get an upgraded sniper rifle you become a little too powerful
+ They could have included a few more choices throughout the story
+ Quite an unstable game, but other than that didn't come across many bugs
+ Too many scenes that can't be skipped
+ Vehicles still a bit twitchy

Overall an enjoyable game and certainly much better than Far Cry 2! Glad I didn't pay full price for it though, wait for a sale.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Tropico 5 - 8.5/10

Pros:
+Great graphics
+Wonderfully addictive soundtrack
+As humorous as ever
+Increased difficulty
+Islands continue to develop after completed missions
+Improved design of elections
+Building progression through the ages
+New dynasty feature
+New trade route feature
+Better wars and riots
+Co-op feature
+Managers for buildings
+New edicts

Cons:
-Character creator more limited than previous titles
-There aren't many new buildings (actually they have taken some good ones out)
-The happiness chart of classes gives you less information than Tropico 4
-Can't zoom in as much as we used to be able to

Although this is very similar to previous titles, in an age where developers strip out games that we love, I am glad they have kept it much the same (if it ain't broke don't fix it!). Basically if you love the Tropico series (or city builders for that matter) then this is for you. Thoroughly enjoyed the campaign and am sure I will lose many more hours to the sandbox.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Wolfenstein New Order 8/10

Pros
+ interesting story
+ interesting and varied enemies
+ Some great level design
+ decent graphics
+ great atmosphere
+ some impressive gore+
+ great weapon selection that evolves throughout the game
+ challenging

Cons
- having to press 'e' all the time to pick things up is irritating and outdated
- a little short, although longer than many other shooters I have played recently
- hub section is a little dull

Would definitely play it again and I hope there is a sequel!

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Witcher 3 - 8.5/10

Pros
+ Graphics, stunning and run well after many patches
+ I got sucked into the main quest
+ Story is very detailed and well written (and there is a lot that has been written!)
+ Quests flow well into each other with interesting arcs opening up
+ I actually quite enjoyed Gwent, an interesting little card game!
+ Great patch support and a good bit of free DLC
+ Lots of 'RPG style' decisions that impact many aspects of the story/world
+ Interesting, well padded characters (in all the right areas? )

Cons
- So much empty space in the world with nothing to do. It was tipped as being better than Skyrim, but to me Skyrim was much more interesting to explore in terms of the open world feel.
- So.much.talking.
- Combat gets a little repetitive, and higher difficulty levels just draw out fights to make them even longer (to the point of boredom).
- A little too much nakedness and 'ploughing' this time round

Over all an enjoyable experience. Might pick up expanions when they are on sale and will keep finishing off side quests until Fallout is released.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Fallout 4 - 8.5/10

Well initially I said that all I wanted was more of the same, after all, Fallout 3 and NV were fantastic games. We got pretty much the same, with a few neat additions like settlement building, but also some loss in depth. Bethesda really need to start offering something new with their next Fallout (and Elder Scrolls) games. That said, this is still Fallout and it is hard not to love!

Pros
+ Graphics are decent for the setting and with much more colour too.
+ Weather effects, especially radiation storms are nicely done
+ A LOT of exploration
+ A well filled map with little empty/wasted space
+ Hardly any bugs which is a pleasant change, although a lot of this is owing to the fact that Fallout 4 isn't as complex as Skyrim or as innovative as Fallout 3 was.
+ Brilliant radio stations as ever.
+ Great to have a use for 'junk'!

Cons
- Settlement building is fun, but very clunky.
- Not many game changing choices for an RPG.
- Performance isn't always great, please use a new engine Bethesda!
- Little use for caps.
- Lockpicking mechanic is getting tiresome.