The last game you completed, and rating.

Dead Rising 3.

9/10

Brilliant game, thoroughly enjoyed playing through it. Stuck fairly close to the main storyline missions as a lot of the 'fetch and return' sideline quests were a bit samey. That said, I've probably missed a fair chunk of the game because I didn't try and do all the above mentioned sideline quests. I was also aware of the time limit on finishing the game but didn't know exactly how much time I had, despite the slider type thingy for each chapter/level being shown. I didn't want to hang about trying to do absolutely everything in case I left myself short time wise to finish it.

Still an excellent game. Top visuals and music and it ran perfectly on my i7 920 and GTX760. :0
 
Dead Rising 3.

Finally finished this after leaving it for a while. Really, really surprised how much I enjoyed it!

Positives

  • Killing zombies is so much fun
  • The different things you can use as weapons are brilliant, and combos add an interesting layer of experimentation which helps a very repetitive game stay fresh.
  • I thought the game looked really good, and I didn't have any problems with performance really. The number of zombies on screen can get very impressive.
  • Length. 18 hours without everything done and a fair bit of exploration. Just right, as any more and it would have outstayed it's welcome
  • Surprisingly involving story I found. I wasn't expecting much, but it was actually quite good.
  • On Nightmare, the time-based gameplay really works quite well, and it can get quite tense in places
  • Some interesting characters in the main story, and some great NPCs that you fight in these psycho missions. They are pretty much all hilarious.
Negatives

  • As I alluded to earlier, it can get very repetitive. It really could do with another element of gameplay. Every mission/task is basically the same gameplay with a different cutscene before it(sometimes not even that)
  • Personally, I wish it were a bit more serious. There is a really good survival-horror game in there somewhere that has been sacrificed. There were bits where I was exploring at night with a torch thinking it has the potential to be quite scary and atmospheric, but it really isn't in reality. A few more dark, interior places to explore would be awesome
  • Exploration isn't really rewarded. I wish there were a few more things in the gameworld, and that going off the beaten track could actually reward you, but it doesn't and that is a shame.
  • Some really poor fights, especially in Psycho missions. Very poorly designed and don't fit the gameplay at all.
  • Poor ending
  • Whilst I didn't have issues, a lot of people did, and having to unlock the framerate yourself is unacceptable.
  • You get in to some firefights against human enemies and the gameplay really start to unravel. It really needs a basic cover system for a start. there was one fight in a police station where all of the enemies are in cover shooting at you, but you can't in to cover yourself. It is really poor and not fun.
Overall, I really enjoyed it, despite some frustration with some of the gameplay in the psychos/bosses and gunplay. However, I simply can't rate it that highly as I would like, due to the poor state it was on release and issues others have had. The overall fun of the game though means that I would give it 7.5/10
 
Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor

I didn't complete this, but I have played as much of the campaign as I could stomach, and have 20 hours of playtime.

Positives

  • Looks and runs really well, with really high production values
  • Really great presentation and cutscenes. Voice acting and facial animations are really good which really add up to a very well polished games in terms of presentation.
  • Amazingly fluid combat, much like the Batman games. Probably the best combat I have played tbh.
  • Really top class animations. Can't be underestimated. Everything just flows so well.
  • Nemesis System. The highlight of the game. It is an amazing system which really allows you to create your own stories/bosses. With each orc having it's own personality, you can create some very memorable battles at any time. Orcs also remember things like how you fought them before if you have encountered them, such as shouting 'are you gonna run away again this time?' if you fled your last meeting. It is a really nice touch. I could go on about it, but the system really is incredible and I hope it features in more(better) games in the future.
  • Related to the Nemesis system is the use of intel, which works really well. You learn strengths and weaknesses of each captain/Warchief so that you can plan and it makes every encounter unique.
  • Upgrades are pretty good, and the rune system is quite neat. Also the legends missions are a nice way to upgrade your gear.
Negatives

  • It does get very repetitive, as everything just boils down to killing orcs.
  • The world areas are quite bland and unimaginative. The game would be improved a lot with maybe one hub area added with a small village or something.
  • The lore is all over the place(I don't particularly care though tbh)
  • Poor story that I couldn't care less about.
  • The main one, and the reason I stopped playing even though I was only just over half way through the campaign- The campaign missions are absolutely appalling. No imagination, no invention. Just really, really poor. As has been a worrying trend in games lately, campaign missions are quite often just restricted instances of the normal gameplay, which is mind-numbingly poor, and they often feature my worst enemy in gameplay, and another worrying trend- forced fail states:mad:. Example- You come across an orc stronghold. There are many ways you can tackle this. You can jump straight in and have a stand-up fight, you can pick people off stealthily, you can get some of your minions to help, it is really good....then you come to a mission, and you have the objective of clearing out a stronghold, except you have to do it without being detected for some reason. And if you are detected, a game over screen appears:mad: Really really poor. The worst example is a mission where you have to sneak around to poison some grog in order to kills some orcs, and if you are spotted it is game over...why not fight them, as your objective is to kill them anyway!!!
  • Some weird missions with seemingly no relation to anything. 15 hours in, I got a main missions which was literally just a tutorial on how to ride a Caragor. Something I had been doing for the previous 12+ hours:o. Next mission was to hunt down a Graug, your companion asks you if you have killed one before, and you answer no...Yes I have, I have killed 3 or 4:o
  • A sign of a poor developer/publisher- Pre-oder bonuses are never great, but they don't really bother me. In this case however, they are really poor. Ok, you get a new skin, but it doesn't even show up in cutscenes. Lazy and no excuse for it.


There is a lot of fun to be had in this game thanks to the Nemesis system and the great combat. However, the story and the poor missions mean that overall I really would not want to play this game again. Would I recommend it?...maybe I would, but I really hope this is not the way open world games are going in terms of campaigns and mission structure. Overall I would give the game 6.5/10
 
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The Swapper

10/10

Amazing game, the storyline is deep and enthralling, the puzzles are well thought out and interesting, you always want to carry on with a fantastic ending.
The game is short, I completed it in 6 and half hours, including the hidden achievements, but this isn't a complaint.

Would highly recommend playing, I got it free from Fibby so big thanks for that!
Would happy pay £10 for the game if I had to.
 
Not a PC game, but Uncharted Drake's fortune.
Am playing through all of them again, and would recommend them to anyone with a PS3 and have yet to play.
 
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

Quite a fun little game. Hardly any gameplay and more of a technical demonstration tbh, but it builds a pretty good atmosphere and is well presented.

Positives

  • It looks incredible. Probably the best looking game ever imo.
  • An intriguing story with some cool moments
  • It has a nice way of letting you find things out for yourself.
  • The investigation mechanics are quite well done.
  • Lovely area to explore and the map is quite big
  • There might be hardly any gameplay, but what there is is technically sound.
  • Some interesting puzzles
  • Excellent score
Negatives

  • As I mentioned, there is hardly any gameplay. You just walk around occasionally pressing buttons.
  • For a game that really isn't much in terms of mechanics and has no AI, it has no right running as poorly as it does. It has a stutter that you can nearly get rid of through an .INI file, but it never feels smooth.
  • The stroy, whilst intriguing, ends up pretty disappointing. Barely worth telling tbh.
  • It is fine 'not holding your hand' and everything, but sometimes it seems to go out of it's way, leaving you to just wander around.
  • Only about 4 hours long. It is far too expensive as it is!
  • Zero replayability
Overall, it is quite fun while it lasts, and it builds up a pretty good atmosphere, but the story ultimately turns out to be quite weak, and it has zero replayability. 7/10
 
F.E.A.R.

I've played it through many times, though I still get quite a lot of enjoyment out of it. It still manages to make me feel uneasy at times, too.
 
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Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

At 11pm last night I started Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. At 2.30am I finished it.

There isn't much I can say other than this- 10/10. Simply amazing!
 
Started Tomb Raider on Friday evening as my wife was away with her mum for the weekend. Finished it this morning.

I oscillated wildly between really liking the game a great deal and being pretty damn dismayed at some of the design decisions, hackneyed writing, and (most of all) the hateful QTE segments.

It looks utterly wonderful and there are many passages of the game that ooze atmosphere. I also really liked some of the sections dealing with the psychological trauma that turned Lara into a hardened killer. It nicely added some depth to an often shallow game character.

The supporting cast though? Ugh. Awful, awful cliche-ridden charatcerisation and dialogue. Just comically bad. The all-too-frequent QTE sections sucked as well, I thought. I mean, QTE... seriously? Games designers are still pushing this ****? Just no. And there were plenty of weird jarring moments when you realised you weren't controlling Lara anymore but rather the game had segued into a kind of quasi-cutscene. And more than once I died because I didn't realise the exact point at which the game returned control to me and required a movement or QTE input. Some really disappointing game design decisions in places.

The enemies were pretty damn cookie-cutter as well. Also whilst I liked the RPG-lite elements of developing your abilities, I always think this is undermined when you finish the game with all the skills anyway.

So, lots to like and quite a bit to dislike for me, but on balance I found myself liking more than I didn't. It certainly kept me engrossed enough for a few decent-length play sessions over the weekend.

6.5/10 for me.
 
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Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel - 8/10

It was a good length for what it obviously was supposed to be; a DLC for BL2. Clocked in around 15 hours for the main story and a few side quests here and there. It's basically more of the same so if you didn't like BL2 you won't like this either. The gravity changes that come with it being set on the moon are quite nice and I've found it allowed them to add more verticality to some of the areas.

My main gripes with the game would be the lack of respawning (mini) bosses which meant you can't farm them for their loot and the fact that many of the legendaries can only be obtained either through the grinder or an incredibly low chance of getting them from chests or random enemies. I much prefer them to be tied to a specific farmible boss.
 
Uncharted 2:Among thieves.
Would get away with releasing it today, think it was released 5 years ago.
Brilliant game and would again recommend to anyone.
 
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