Alan Wake - Review

Alan Wake by Remedy has been in development for 5 years. What seems like a dream is now finally released. Alan Wake has been one of my mostly awaited games these past years but is it a nightmare or a dream you don't want to wake up from?

Alan Wake consists one of the freakiest stories in gaming. It starts out with Alan, a writer, going on vacation with his wife Alice on an isolated town which is supposedly peaceful. Alan Wake though suffers from writer's block and isn't able to write a book so Bright Falls, the place they visit, may also inspire him if you must say. But this is the least of Alan's problems. Sooner or later the game drops into the action and a book Alan supposedly wrote is now coming back to life. It reminded me a bit of the movie Secret Window, with its crazy concept. The plot rises in action usually at the end of every episode and 6 of them in total provide plenty of suspenseful moments for Alan. You might lose track in some parts of the story but manuscript pages and hidden text on the walls always seem to make you say "Ohh now I get it". The characters all play a role in the story and random moments in the beginning seem to make sense later in the game. Flashbacks in the game also gives a bit more color to Alan's background and attaches you to the story more than expected. By the end, Alan's quest for Alice becomes a part of your life but that's when Alan Wake smacks you in the face with a WTF ending. An ending which you can interpret and make whatever you want from it, like the Lost series if you must, and the slight opening it gives for a sequel and 2 pieces of DLC that are already confirmed.

Alan Wake might not excel in its soundtrack but its still great enough. Ends of episodes provide tunes and in some cases I caught myself listening to them in radio shows. Where the music and audio shines mostly is while in combat. Alan Wake is supposed to be a psychological thriller and succeeds in this and its audio plays a very important role. The screeching sounds and darkness possessed monsters distorted speech make you feel like you're in a nightmare. Lights breaking off, Police sirens heard from afar chasing for Alan and gun sounds to the satisfying flashlight sound when burning an enemy immerse you to this excellent experience. The voice acting could use some work though. Barry despite being a funny little thing has a very annoying voice that breaks the intense mood of the game and some of the humorous things people say also adds to that. For example when Alan drinks with Barry in a cabin while he's supposed to be out saving his wife. Kind of anticlimactic. Despite those flaws, Alan's voice actor does a great job and the same goes for my favorite two in the game: the Anderson brothers.


I found the visuals of Alan Wake to be impressive. Of course it has its flaws. For example the lip syncing in the game is garbage sometimes and looks like a Spanish soap opera dubbed in English. It's that bad. The same goes for character faces from close. They look stiff and can barely see some expression. But animations while in gameplay are all excellent. The dodging looks smooth, the monsters charge at you scarily and the running and jumping all work perfectly. All setpieces in the game are perfect as well. That's where the game is stellar. Unexpected setpieces like bridges twisting, bulldozers chasing you and even crows chasing you while operating a rail platform make your adrenaline pump. Very intense. There are also some puzzles in the middle of the action that are easy and won't make you think that much. They're alright I guess since they break up some of the action. The action is rarely boring though since your different objectives, without spoiling much, are all unique enough to make the game feel different until the end credits.

The environments also look amazing from the dark crisp forests to the daylight sequences in the beautiful Bright Falls all serve impeccably to the overall atmosphere of the game. From a beautiful peaceful town at day to a creepy freak world at night. Indoor areas also look the same and even the bonus TV show "Night Springs" provides some laughs.

Alan Wake is a creepy game but can still be characterized as a third person shooter. You can explore and collect hidden items like manuscript pages and coffee thermos and find some easter eggs, find hidden crates, hidden text on walls exposed by your flashlight and radio shows plus TV shows. Alot of things to reveal when exploring in this game despite its linearity at times. The core shooting mechanic works very well. Alan Wake's limited supply adds to the intense atmosphere and you must diminish the darkness from the monsters with your flashlight until the reticule vanishes and then shoot them until they turn into dust. There's a variety to make the darkness escape their bodies though. Alan Wake's inventory can consist of shotguns, powerful rifles, standard revolvers and for the lighting equipment there's flares, different types of flashlights and lanterns, and at last the dominating flare gun and flashbang which are the most dominating weapons in the game.

You can finish Alan Wake in 15-20 hours if you give yourself time to explore the rich setting. Alan Wake will never bore you and despite some its flaws, like the inconsistent dodging which must be very precise to work, or even the endless spamming of enemies sometimes, the game is a very unique action adventure game. So if you want a trip to the mysterious Bright Falls, go for it. Alan Wake is a superb title that will be enjoyed from everyone that want something new and fresh. It's worth the hype and its compelling story is unforgettable.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 [9] 10

Lost Planet 2 - Review

Capcom's games rarely disappoint me. Besides some exceptions. Resident Evil 5 was an outstanding game and of course Lost Planet 1 was a great game. It had extremely amazing graphics and the story was good enough to keep the fluid gameplay going. Now a few years later does the sequel's new environment without snow, provide a fresh experience or is it lost on its own planet?

Lost Planet 2's plot is nothing extraordinary. In fact it's worse than the first game's story which was just good. It's set a few years after the first game and now the snow is all molten snow. But Thermal Energy is still the ultimate resource. You play as 6 different factions and all of their missions have their own different taste. Other than that the plotline doesn't deliver anything emotional or deep for you to immerse into. What saves it from being too boring is one of the factions' story which is awesome and the action-packed cutscenes in general.

The soundtrack in Lost Planet 2 is great. The epic tunes provided in equivalently epic fights suit in perfectly. For example how the music increases in volume when fighting a huge boss, which I'll go into more detail later. I just wished there was more than the same 4-5 songs playing over and over but I'm glad they add to the heat of the battle.

The sound effects in Lost Planet 2 deliver outstandingly. Guns sound loud and like they pack a punch. Especially VS shotguns. The treading on shallow jungle water or snow interrupted by a herd of enemies that scream hostilely is one of the few examples I can give out that this game is exceptionally great with its sound. I'm extremely satisfied with the effects and leaving the best for last, I love all the Akrid sounds and screeches. They all make you feel intimidated by the huge monsters presented in front of you and without exaggerating, it did kinda remind me of the awesome Shadow of the Colossus.

Of course the sound has its flaws. It has mediocre voice acting that are forgettable and just decrease the decency of the story. But anyway, I didn't rent Lost Planet 2 for the story so this won't disappoint you that much.

The game has non surprisingly great visuals. The lighting reminds me of Resident Evil and the enemy design reminds of its predecessor. Everything looks so realistic. The water effects are great, lush jungles and gorgeous monsters are jaw dropping. The human type enemies look decent, with its own faction having its own personality and appearance. Half-naked Mexican factions to leaf-covered jungle factions all give you a variety of enemies to fight. Guns also look great. The machine gun, your standard weapon, is the beginning of your unique repertoire. Weapons range from disc grenades to Laser Swords attached to your VSs. VS shotguns are brutal, rocket launchers decimate VSs in seconds, rifles clean out all enemies from a far distance and some VS weapons can be charged in cost of your Thermal Energy instead of ammo. I was surprised to the variety it provided.

All boss fights look and play amazingly. Different settings add on to the different type of way you can play bosses. From a train with a huge railway gun, to a huge vehicle blasting the other wings of another vehicle. There are minor flaws of course like the stiff animations in cutscenes and bland textures in indoor areas. I also thought the environment could have been designed better and some levels are plainly frustrating and not challenging sometimes.

The gameplay of Lost Planet 2 is also great. In a few words it's a third person shooter with some unique elements added in and a heavy emphasis on epic boss fights and this can all be done in 4 player coop. There's a grapple hook all factions have that can elevate you but is very clunky sometimes, like in the first game. You can't shoot while grappling and some environments block the way for you while grappling up to a place and can sometimes lead to an unfair death because you thought your character wouldn't fly off.

The shooting is good with its own flaws of course. I dislike the complex control scheme. Up on the d-pad to zoom in? Right stick pressed down to reload. These are controls that reminded me of the abomination known as Damnation. I still cringe when I hear the name of that game. But the variety in this game saves it. The objectives vary and save it from being too dull with the human enemy fights. The game provides a challenge alot of the times and if you don't use your Harmonizer (that depletes T- Energy) and activate data posts to increase your Battle Gauge, you will find yourself starting from the beginning of the chapter. I like a challenge so I don't see this as a flaw. What I wish it had was smart AI. Your team AI is retarded to say the least. They will rarely help with objectives and thank good ness they don't deplete the Battle Gauge. Thankfully my playthrough of Lost Planet 2 was in co-op and not solo.

The co-op lobby doesn't bother me much. Drop in drop out co-op would have invented new flaws for the game, like no achievements unlocking and I can see why it's like this since it's a level based game and not a free roam like Borderlands. I also got disconnected unfairly once, despite me having almost no latency and I had to beat a level 3 times for it to make me progress to the next chapter. It was annoying but nothing gamebreaking.

Boss fights usually occur in the end of every chapter and are, for the 1000th time, epic. They all have a weak spot (orange bulb usually) and their health bar slowly depletes. Not all of them are just you shooting them directly though. Some provide teamwork, for example provide shells for your teammate as a result to shoot a huge railway gun on the huge Akrid. They are all huge and breathtaking and leave you gaping. They are my favorite parts of the game.

The multiplayer in Lost Planet 2 is mediocre sadly. It had potential to be as good as its single player but fails in some aspects. The huge maps with a lack of tutorials make you feel it was only designed for Lost Planet 1 MP veterans since it can be unfriendly to noobs. It is also slow, but it has its moments. Like fighting another VS in your VS and just shooting each other to death. I wish it was just more accessible.

Lost Planet 2 is a great game overall. Despite some of its flaws that deprive it from being amazing, it is definitely a rental and maybe even a buy if you loved its predecessor. So the epic single player is amazing enough to play this game over and over because of the high replay value it has. Don't bother with the multiplayer though since it's forgettable.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 [8] 9 10

Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition - Review

Zeno Clash is a PC game developed by ACE games and now ported to the 360 as Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition that comes with co-op and the new Zeno Rush mode. For 1200 points, is this arcade game a sleeper hit or is it just another kick in the face?

The story of Zeno Clash is nothing great but the universe has some depth. What makes the story so special is how the design influences it to be so weirdly good. The bizarre twists and myths in the game make it unique to other low budget games. The story basically consists of Ghat, a child by Father-Mother a hermaphroditic uhh creature that is the Jesus of the village. Basically raised everyone in the village. Ghat wakes up with no idea of what's going on and all he knows is he killed Father-Mother and the whole village wants to banish from the big family. Ghat and his sister Daedra go on a quest to find out what has happened and throughout the story, the story expands to flashbacks to give full detail of what happened to Father-Mother. It seems overwhelming at first but as it progresses the story is more interesting and the ending is extremely bizarre.

The voice acting in Zeno Clash is decent to good. Ghat's voice is convincing and gruff enough to make him believable. Daedra and some other secondary characters are just mediocre and nothing to write home about. They barely show emotion in some cutscenes. There is no soundtrack in the game but when music plays in some occasions it's good and sets in the weird mood of the game. What's so satisfying about the overall audio of the game, are the sound effects. For example, the satisfying whack you hear when you swing a bat to a heavyweight enemy and look at them fly.

The visuals in Zeno Clash are decent. For an arcade game it's actually good though. The character models lack polish and outdoor environments look bland. Invisible walls are apparent which prevent SOME exploration and weapons look unappealing. You will have to rely on your polished fists mostly. The animations are smooth and enemies are unpredictable in the way they react which make the game challenging in some way. The game succeeds in design though. Environments might not look good but they look weird enough to warp you in the game. Enemy designs are so grotesque, make them the most unique designs I've seen up to date. Zeno Clash's bizarreness is what saves it from being another mediocre game and I'm satisfied with its distinctiveness.

The gameplay in Zeno Clash is as unique as its whole concept. It's a first person beat em up, that occasionally allows you to pick up a gun to take out some airborne enemies. The combos work well and the controls are also just right to suit into. It has enough moves to make it deep but still have a problem with its variety. Combos repeat themselves frequently and other than counter attacking there are no other advanced techniques. It provides a challenge sometimes but when you master the combat, the game is a piece of cake on Normal. This also occurs because of the same enemies respawning and the game allowing us to use the same tactic to take them out. I've repeated my save moves more than dozens of times in the game just because it doesn't have enough variety. Other than that, the combat is enjoyable and boss fights are unique. There are some setpieces that are good and if it wasn't for the repetitive nature of the game it would be great for sure. Maybe if they added something else to do besides combat, like platforming, it may be more interesting. Especially in a first person perspective.

The single player campaign can be finished in about 5 hours and after that you can co-op in challenges like Tower challenges and Pit challenges. There are 3 for each and aren't that different from each other. One allows you to go on a stair when done with a wave of enemies and the other makes you fall from a pit. The latter might be better just because it allows you to strategize each drop to the next platform.

Then there's Zeno Rush which isn't anything really special. It's another 6 levels from the single player campaign and allows you to get a best-time for the level if you whack enemies with a time reducer weapon. Unappealing to say the least.

The Ultimate Edition of Zeno Clash seems to have a hefty price tag but despite its numerous flaws, it's extreme bizarreness and enjoyable combat makes it a good game to buy. Be warned though: It's not advised for the faintest of hearts.

1 2 3 4 5 6 [7] 8 9 10

Halo Reach Beta - Review PART 1

The Halo Reach Beta is finally mine. 2 days before its official release, I will give you all a sneak peek to Bungie's latest attempt to make another masterpiece. Is the Beta worth downloading and begging? Or is it just a waste of your precious time? This, ladies and gentlemen, is the review of the first 2 maps and game modes of the Halo Reach Beta.

Halo Reach even though in the Beta stage, looks much improved from Halo 3. The guns are much more detailed and the new added guns look superb. The Assault Rifle now has a makeover and my favorite gun is the DMR by far.

The 2 new maps are both amazing. Powerhouse is like a bigger version of High Ground. There's a bridge with some water below and besides that it's an open area with buildings. The best game mode to play in this map is Headhunters and any type of Slayer. The map is balanced and spawns are never a problem. The map is colorful and inside areas are detailed. There is a middle area in the map with water and I feel whoever passes that part gets killed if its Slayer but extremely chaotic when playing Oddball or Headhunters. Another flaw with this map is a small bathroom where people usually camp with the oddball or gravity hammer. Frags usually help out.

Sword Base is inferior to Powerhouse but still great. It is an indoor area with a center and various rooms with stairs. There are bridges and 3 gravity lifts that give people the advantage when playing Oddball. Capture the Flag is the best mode for this map. Grav lifts, like I mentioned, makes Oddball unfair and the map looks pretty but not that unique. And besides the best gun in the game is in Powerhouse. Other than that all other gun pickups in Sword Base are good enough to keep variety. Weirdly enough, I still haven't found any glitches on any of the maps. Great job Bungie.

The gameplay in the Beta is outstanding. Bungie has surpassed themselves with the class system and the unique XP system. You also gain credits which you can buy helmets, shoulder plates and chest plates. They give you a different appearance and of course improves some of your equipment depending on your class. Sadly, Slayer Arena is not available yet, where you get ranked for your perfomance and involves game seasons and divisions. Like a tournament if you must.

The Stalker class gives you an active camo. It is the inferior class out of 4 but still great. This is because sometimes the camo seems useless since they easily see you, especially in objective based game types. But when the camo works it can deliver some satisfying assassinations. Talking about assassinations, the little scene that switches third person never triggers unless you hold the melee button behind someone. This avoids annoyance.

The Guard class which is my favorite, has the ability to give him a few seconds of invincibility and blast a EMP by punching the ground gives you an advantage when under fire. They are mostly useful on Slayer. On Oddball it might make the skull fly if not used in propriety.

The Airborne class is the infamous class that involves the jetpack. Surprisingly the jetpack is balanced and I was rarely frustrated by people using it. I usually used the jetpack in objective based games where you fly for a skull or flag. Better in Headhunters which makes it easier for you to get to the base. King of the Hill and Juggernaut as well.

The Scout class gives you the ability to sprint. The sprint feature might seem useless but in objective based games like Headhunters where you have to rush somewhere, it's very useful. In slayer games it helps if you're getting shot at and you have to run at cover. Very useful despite it being so simple; this feature should've been added to Halo from the first game.

Guns are all balanced. The DMR is the BR with no burst fire but this time the crosshair expands when shooting. The AR is improved but still somewhat useless, typical since it's your standard gun. The shotgun still packs a punch from close but useless far. The melee power has decreased slightly but increased the lunge. The matchmaking is also fast and finds a match immediately even with less than 10,000 people.

In conclusion, the Reach beta is flawless. The new game modes like Headhunters are fun and addictive, and old favorites like Juggernaut feel new with the amount of new stuff they added and this is just a sliver of the actual beta. I can't wait when more people retrieve this amazing beta.