Sonic Lost World Review!

Sonic Lost world is the latest installment in the Sonic series which was released for the WiiU and Nintendo 3DS in October 2013. Sonic Lost World was released only for Nintendo consoles.

Sonic Lost World in one word is marmite. You'll love it, or you'll hate it. Unfortunately for me, I am not a huge fan of this installment, and as a huge Sonic fan I can't help but be somewhat disappointed. The game as a whole is actually quite fun, if you play the first few levels, some are well made and showcase the WiiU's capabilities, after that the game just feels awkward, it is difficult to control Sonic and he doesn't respond well to the movement of the game... It feels as if the levels want Sonic to go super fast, and Sonic.. well he just doesn't move anywhere fast, and if you do happen to built up some kind of speed you will soon be blacked out by falling off the thousands of cliff hazards or random robots EVERYWHERE. Which after  about 5 times of getting "TRY AGAIN" you pretty much will want to throw your very expensive WiiU game pad into your very expensive HD television.

The story is strange. It doesn't feel like Sonic... I can only compare it to Mario Sunshine, the huge attempt into bringing Mario a story that the game really doesn't need. With Sonic we know what we are expecting, and we loved that. The deadly six are nothing but childish. It is obvious that any Sonic is targeted towards younger markets but it seems like in this installment any enjoyable Sonic style or gameplay has been thrown out and you will definitely find yourself wanting to firmly plant your palm into your face.
The boss battles are lackluster. I can't help but think Mario, every time I have faced a boss. They don't have much skill to them, you just have to jump on their head after missing a few objects. The levels don't bode much better, they are clunky and awkward. I can't help but think the level designs are pages ripped out of the "not used in Super Mario Galaxy" scrap book. The game is just too similar and poorly executed.

The game has its positives however, visually, the game is beautiful, it is so colourful and happy, the colour palette is extremely high, which does give Sonic a really awesome appearance, the new enemies are very well designed and it is nice to see some old faces through the game, the animations are smooth, which for Sonic games is a huge achievement because if you have played any of the Sonic Adventure line you'll know what I mean. The sound in the game is also awesome! The soundtracks are very enjoyable and something that I wouldn't mind downloading and listening to on my iPod! You'll find yourself humming along which is the sign of a great soundtrack. It is memorable. The voice acting is damn awful though and Amy Rose sounds like she just got rejected from Micky Mouse Club House. We wont go into much detail there though as it neither gives or takes anything from the game as a whole.

I have been very harsh on this game, and rightly so... I am a dedicated Sonic fan, and I will continue to purchase the games, however this particular game will be forever destined to go into the bag of Sonic games we no longer speak of next to Sonic Racing and Sonic 06.

I give Sonic Lost Worlds 6/10.

Pokemon X & Y Review

Pokemon X and Pokemon Y are the latest installments in the Pokemon franchise and were developed by GAMEFREAK and licensed by Nintendo for release worldwide October 12th 2013, making it the first Pokemon game to ever have a worldwide launch on the same date.

If I could go back to my 7 year-old self when I was first bought my own Pokemon game - Pokemon Yellow Version and I could dream up exactly what Pokemon "could be". Pokemon X & Y is exactly that. Over the last 17 years Pokemon as a franchise has evolved into something that I'm not entirely sure anyone anticipated when Red and Blue were first released. After 23 main-series titles and a huge amount of spin-offs the game is still going as strong as it did back when I was a child. The game as a whole is still the traditional game we all know and love, but there is something different about X and Y, something that just feels exciting, for years the franchise has fell under attack for "releasing the same game" and I can to some extent agree, but as a fan of the series I willingly accept anything that they throw at me because I for one love to learn about the stories and competitive scene, its something that excites me. X and Y give us what seems like a joke of a story with the new team "Team Flare" a fashionable and quirky take on the traditional "team rocket". Not everything is "flare" and they have a much darker purpose which took me for complete surprise as I didn't know what to expect. There are a couple of "facepalm" moments as expected, for example the king that is 3,000 years old who brought his Floette back to life.. But I guess this is the world of Pokemon and we can't really expect complete reality. But none of this matters as we can now sit on benches. BENCHES!

Graphically the game has taken a mammoth leap forward into the future giving us for the first time on hand-held versions of the games fully 3D Pokemon Battle and awesomely made 3D models. However, the game is still very much behind in the terms of graphics if we look at the likes of Beyond: Two Souls and the Fable series. Pokemon wouldn't be the same if it looked like this though, and I personally see the graphics now how they should be, and I fully enjoy the new look! The 3D only effects the in-game fights which to me personally is great. I don't really get the whole 3D-hype and after the initial shock of the 3D on my 3DS I turned it off never for it to make a reappearance, however I appreciate that for some people who really enjoy the 3D this may seem like a cheap cop-out for Pokemon not to be 100% 3D, considering it is a 3DS title...

Not only has the game evolved, but the whole soundtrack to Pokemon has changed too, we are no longer restricted to the polyphonic sounding music that we previously experienced in the games, but are not treated to some wonderfully created fully finished soundtracks. The cut-scenes in the game also use the music extremely well, without spoiling anything there is are a couple of scenes in the game that involve the 3,000 year old crazy man that are very moving, especially with the added soundtracks it makes for a nice package.

Pokemon always has, and always will have a huge replay ability factor, with the huge number of Pokemon, closing in on 800 you have so many choices, with the game becoming more and more online, the competitive scene is thriving and you can pick up a random wi-fi battle almost instantly no matter what time of the day. I completed the game in 33hours game time and I have recently just hit 100 hours post-game raising various Pokemon and testing out new ideas, and I am sure people around the world do that and above. It is incredible how a game that is completely the same in concept can go on to remain a household name and can create the same excitement for each release. For me personally a Pokemon release date has become a calender date and I ensure I have no other plans. For me X and Y deserves no less than 10/10. However I am biased, but I don't care.

Beyond: Two Souls Review

Beyond: Two Souls is a highly immersive action adventure game developed by Quantic Dream for exclusive release on the Playstation 3 in October 2013, The game has big names involved including Ellen Page and Williem Dafoe alongside a large variety of different star actors.

Beyond: Two Souls is incredibly story driven, it is a game that you are going to find yourself incredibly immersed in. You will follow the life of the main character Jodie, a young lady who has a mystery entity attached to her, you will begin her story from a young girl and as you progress through her life you will have the ability to choose her fate, every choice you make will influence the area and people around you, which is not only incredibly fun and interesting but also makes for an amazing experience. There is a very memorable scene in which Jodie is locked under the stairs at a party where she has been bullied, she uses her entity to get herself out of it, after doing so you have the choice of leaving as soon as possible or completely terrifying the other guests, and i'm pretty sure if I had just been treated the way Jodie had been then I definitely know what I would do... Jodie's character develops so much more than I have ever witnessed in a game before, this is something that feels new and different on the games market.

The graphics in Beyond: Two Souls are nothing short of fantastic, something in which you would likely see in a feature film production, I couldn't find any fault in the design in character or the animations that they have used. You can appreciate the time and effort that has gone into every single detail, from large furniture, to tiny little pieces like remote controls or knives. The scenes flow almost effortlessly and whether you are watching a cut scene or taking part in a quick-time event it always feels like you are watching a movie.
As stated before, Beyond: Two Souls comes with an incredible roster in its voice acting corner, but it doesn't only have awesome actors it also has a beautifully created soundtrack that is not only fitting, but alluring, it sets the mood and immerses you in the game much more than you expect, you feel Jodie's pain as she develops in the story and almost feel sorry for her.

The game strives to create replay-ability. Although there isn't much action-packed combat or huge online multiplayer communities, Beyond: Two Souls has it's niche. The story. You will find yourself playing the game over and over against just to see what "could" have happened. It prides itself in the "what if" and it knows that the human mind wants to explore the u known. It achieves this in a way no other game ever has and for that reason alone I have no other choice but to give this game a huge 10/10

Pikmin 3 Review

Pikmin 3 is a game developed by Monolith Soft and is an exclusive to Nintendo and the WiiU. Pikmin 3 is the third instalment of the real-time strategy based series 'Pikmin' following Pikmin 2 which released in 2004 for the GameCube to be later ported to the Wii.

The game is finally everything it aspired to be, with the wonderful motion controls the WiiU enables Pikmin 3 to use, it allows for a much smoother and realistic experience allowing you to take in all the wonderful HD graphics the game has. The game itself is by far the best WiiU game to date, which considering how much of a niche market the Pikmin series has, it is actually quite a big achievement, however there really isn't anything that it competes with right now it also isn't that much of a hurdle crossed.

You'll enter the world of Pikmin much like any other Pikmin game, the spaceship you are travelling on is going to crash into a "unknown" planet that seems abandoned and you will come across some strange but incredibly cute creatures known as Pikmin! This game is different however as you won't be controlling the well-known Ollimar... for some reason Monolith thought it would be a good idea to scrap the main character who is well known and a mascot for Pikmin in other Nintendo titles such as Super Smash Bros, and instead replace him with three likeable but incredibly forgetful characters. Perhaps I may just be bitter... but as a big fan of the franchise as a whole a phrase "don't fix what ain't broke" comes to mind. However there is something charming in this story and the ability to switch between the three characters and join up on where they are in the story is a nice touch and was a new concept until GTA5 did exactly the same idea and got called revolutionary for it... which somehow doesn't seem all that fair.

If you have played Pikmin before, not much has changed, you still play a heavily based strategy-adventure game where your mission is to collect various different spaceship parts and find out what happened to your friends. There is never too much bulk of mind numbing story in these games and it works that they don't include that. With a strategy game you want to be able to get straight into it. A nice touch to the this game is that instead of treating like you played Pikmin 1 religiously and throwing you into the deep end like Pikmin 2 did, they'll give you a very good playing tutorial to ensure you learn as you play which I found to be very comprehensive instead of blocks of unwanted text.

The graphics are visually beautiful and they have looked into every detail from shading to proportions. This coupled with the very fitting and peculiar OST Pikmin uses gives you the familiar Pikmin feel in an incredibly improved game.

Pikmin as a whole is a very single-player heavy game that requires focus, it isn't a game you'll be wanting to play around a bunch of people and once you complete the game there unfortunately isn't much else you can do, it hasn't got the same replay ability as fighters or huge online multiplayer games. But it has its charm and you'll remember it for a long time.

Pikmin 3 isn't going to be winning any award for revolutionary gameplay or incredibly immersive stories but it will definitely keep you captivated in its little world for hours. Everyone should give the game ago at least once because I'm sure everyone would enjoy it.

Uncharted Review

Uncharted is a 3rd person shooter/platerformer which was developed by Naughty Dog and released in December 2007, it was dubbed a "key buy" for the Playstation 3 and is an exclusive for that platform.

If you are looking for a fast-paced Indiana Jones style shooter then you need look no further as Uncharted will offer you that, with fantastic graphics, an easy to follow interface and controls with awesome characterisation and voice acting all tied together with an incredibly immersive well written story it is easy to see why Uncharted is said to be one of the best titles for the Playstation. We follow the main character Nathan Drake as he embarks on an adventure to recover a lost ancestors secret treasure. Along the way he'll discover it isn't as plain sailing as he would like as he faces off against pirates, huge walls to scale, jungles with vines to swing on and a whole host of other obstacles all following the simplest possible clues you find throughout. Luckily you aren't left alone on the adventure as you are joined by your friend Sullie and the random newswoman Elena who you paid at the beginning of the game to help you who now feels as is she has some ownership to the adventure.

You are given a basic set-up that most 3rd person shooters give you, you'll get a weapon and you'll target enemies similar to every other shooter. You have a nice selection of weapons, you are able to have dual pistols, a shotgun and other basic weapons, however you'll only be able to equip one at a time which may seem frustrating but it is there for a purpose and will stop the game being easy and broken with multiple weapons. Unlike most "puzzle adventure games" Tomb Raider I’m looking at you... You won’t continuously fall to your death if you can't achieve a jump making you restart until the last checkpoint, instead you will just have to do the same jump over and over until you get it which is definitely better because we all know how easy it is to just rage quit after dying 700 times in the same part right?

Graphically Uncharted is really good for its time, there are some moments when you just wish you could firmly place your palm to your head. You can fall what appears to be hardly any distance and automatically die, but then in another part you can fall the equal if not more of the distance and Nathan will land just fine, it just highlight the low quality depth graphics that the game has, however as said previously, for its time it is still graphically fantastic and custscenes are smooth. When you leap towards cliffs or vines it comes across quite choppy as though they haven’t honed the hit box completely and it skips a frame, but just don't jump if you aren't facing exactly where you need to jump because you will miss it and you will die. The actually in game movements such as how Nathan walks and such are very well done though and he has very realistic movements which I guess makes up for the slightly shoddy jump animations. The camera pans excellently throughout the gameplay allowing you to see exactly what you need to see, whether that be an open area for clue hunting or exploring through a claustrophobic cavern.

From the moment we hear the first song on the soundtrack for Uncharted we immediately get a feel of what we are going to expect, it's simple yet extremely compelling. It is able to achieve what most games strive for – immersing the player into the world. With this, coupling it with the fantastic voice acting and great attention to detail regarding the sounds of the area around you such as stepping on branches. Which in all makes for a wonderful experience. The sounds to this game are ultimately a huge part of why this game is so successful.

Uncharted doesn't have an online mode, which while isn't really necessary due to how single-player heavy the game actually is, it doesn't add anything to the games replay ability. However due to the game being a plat former and follower an extremely streamlined play style it is possible to play over and over without any monotonous amount of side quests and other exploration that open-world games have. There are multiplayer split-screen modes which prove very fun but other than that there isn't really very much replay ability at all.

Uncharted is special, in which it has been able to do something most games wish they could and that is creating a timeless game. The graphics may not compete with the games of this generation, but it has its special aura that'll mean people will be playing this game 10 years from now and still loving it like they used to when they were younger, following the likes of The Legend of Zelda and Crash Bandicoot. Uncharted is fantastic game and one I recommend anyone to play, it has something for everyone. I give Uncharted a big 9.5/10!

Dead or Alive 5 Review

Dead or Alive 5 is a fighting game and is the latest game in the Dead or Alive Series, it was developed by Team Ninja and was released in September 2012 for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 making it the second cross platform game in this series other than DOA2 to make this transition.

If you have played any previous Dead or Alive games you will know exactly what you should be expecting, and the fifth instalment in the series doesn't disappoint! However it does seem that Team Ninja have realised they needed to up their game if they ever wanted Dead Or Alive to become anything more than the "fan service" title it has rightly given itself.

Dead or Alive 5 offers you everything you want from any good fighter, an incredibly well versed battle system with extremely quick combos and blocks, a comprehensive storyline which couples with a tutorial to ensure you learn as you play, the unique arena stages in which literally everything blows up knocking players all over the place while giving you awesome stage movements not only the traditional up down left right, but every direction you can think of and fantastic characterization. It doesn't boast the huge character roster that its rivals Tekken and Mortal Kombat do, but the characters it does have are very well thought through and each have their own individual play style to suit how the player plays the game. Unfortunately this is pretty much where the positives end with the game play, realistically although DOA5 has successfully brought the game back to its former glory, it actually doesn't give you anything that you couldn't pretty much find in any "current generation" fighter game. That coupled with the fact that online play is only free if you buy the game brand-new with a toss-up between the restrictions of DOA5 or the free play of Tekken tag, realistically which one are you going to have a better time finding a variety of different people to play with?

Graphically DOA5 is phenomenal, the stages are extremely well made, the characters are incredible, even the animations are smooth and completely unique for each character and move, infact they even have a variety of different animations for the exact same block or stagger, Team Ninja have delivered a near perfect fighter graphically, and have still given the "fan service" that all you dedicated fans wanted. Unfortunately during a lot of the cut-scenes the camera will pan in areas that really just make it laughable and it is really difficult to take it seriously when suddenly there is a close up of a random characters breasts. It seems as though on one hand they want DOA5 to be taken seriously and yet they still try to maintain their previous state of fan-servicing.

DOA5 provides the player with a fun-upbeat soundtrack which is barely noticeable behind all the gimmicky unmatched text and crashing of cars and doors breaking. It is unfortunate because I found when I listened to the OST it was very enjoyable and was very fitting for all the different stages. It's strange how on one side the game can provide incredible varieties of animations and movements and yet simple things like characters intros have been completely messed up. In one match I used a character who shouted "Let's Fight!" and the other character just said "No!”.. Now I’m not sure if this is just a mistranslation from Japanese to English but when you play and you hear this you can help but think "What the hell" it sounds shoddy which is unfortunate in the near perfection of the rest of the game.

As with any fighting game, they rely on having that replay ability factor and DOA5 certainly has that, especially on multiplayer online, that is if you can actually find anyone to fight against. In comparison to Tekken Tag Tournament in which a matchup is found almost instantly, you can be waiting considerably longer for a matchup on DOA5. However if you have friends who all play the game you can get lost for hours, it is definitely successful in  keeping you playing, until you are bored with the tiny amount of available roster in which games that have huge rosters keep the players engrossed for longer periods.

In all DOA5 is definitely a good fighting game and if you are a fan of the genre then it is a no-brainer to pick a copy of this up, although similar to nearly every other fighter in one-way or another, it still has its charm and uniqueness and has imprinted itself in the online competitive scene. I give Dead or Alive 5 a 8.5/10!

Red Dead Redemption Review

Red Dead Redemption (RDR) is a 3rd person free-roaming western game based developed by Rockstar Studios and was released in October 2011.

In this epic story you play the role of John Marston, a past outlaw who is now straight, however somebody who has a past will know it doesn't leave them and Marston is now realising that it is catching up on him, friends have become enemies and old enemies still exist as he explores through the lawless land between the U.S and Mexico.

As with any Rockstar title, they are often fresh with up to date issues and with RDR, they not only show modern day issues such as Racism, Government Power and Freedom but show that it isn't new, in RDR they have done their research and have integrated it into the history, giving the game a play of authenticity. Through all this RDR engrosses you into the game and you almost feel as though you are there, it is extremely fun game to play.

Red Dead Redemption boasts impressive immersive gameplay, you develop Marston based on a fame system, you can make yourself good to all, or bad to all, it is your prerogative to develop however you wish to. Everything seems alive, you can walk by anywhere an something different will be happening, you may hear thunder in the background, then birds could fly past you while someone who has heard of your fame will request you to a duel randomly, the world of RDR will develop to your morality and on the decisions you make. It is a fantastically executed Sandbox game you can do whatever you want.

Personally I think Red Dead Redemption in the 3rd person works incredibly well, you can get the most of the graphics and landscapes while also being well aware of your surroundings, it is easier to control Marston and makes for an easier time riding around on his horse. We have a standard menu for selecting weapons which makes playing through very streamlined and nothing is too clunky or in your way, you pretty much will always know where you need to go next without getting lost, or if you don't know where to go, it is usually pretty easy to find out.

Graphically RDR is phenomenal, the landscapes are beautiful, and is ever changing and have a fantastic colour palette. It's so difficult to be able to make such a basic standard landscape work, and still look interesting at every turn, characters are well polished and custscenes look awesome. However not all games are perfect and some graphical errors do stick out, such as in a cutscene with a herd of cows it is very noticeable that they are all the doing the exact same animation while walking and it does look slightly awkward because of the high quality of the animation around it. Red Dead Redemption is ahead of its time graphically, if you compare it to titles released around this time (late 2013) it will still hold its own even though it was released two whole years ago, however this does bring its downsides, the graphics engine sometimes just cannot keep up with the processing of the game, and it can sometimes crash during loading screens, this is probably why some animations are re-used also, though you still cannot retract anything from this game due to how beautiful it actually is, throughout the whole gameplay and cut scenes.

All the music in RDR is extremely polished and authentic to the time the game has been set in. Like the graphics the music immerses you, you almost feel as though you are there. It is crisp and traditional. There is so much attention to detail such as the sound of galloping from the horse and Marston calling out to the horse as you ride along. Even the sound of birds can be heard as they fly past. The theme to RDR completely delivers and is repeated through the game you can hear certain notes such as the emerging snare drum or the church bell that just make it so memorable and respectable to the western theme.

 Red Dead Redemption is extremely single-player based and the multiplayer is almost non-existent, I personally for this reason alone don't believe there is very much replay factor to the game, there is so much to do on your first playthrough to complete it 100% I don't think you'd want to play through all of that again, the beauty of RDR is the story, and learning about the story while you progress is what keeps you immersed and playing. However it is still an incredibly well made game and is a game that once you play through you will recommend to eveyone, it has something for everyone casual and hardcore gamers. As a whole it is outstanding, and another success by Rockstar. I give Red Dead Redemption a solid 9/10!