Review: Gone Home

Indies have been getting a lot of buzz in 2013, with many games bringing a good amount of fresh experiences you hardly see in big titles priced at $60. Gone Home is one example of such freshness. It's a game that tells a story from your character simply interacting with objects found in this eerie mansion. That may not sound exciting for some players, but believe me when I say I had the same reaction. But once the game was over, I was at the edge of my seat; I've never experienced a game like this. I'm glad I took the risk of purchasing this rare gem and hopefully by the end of this review, you will understand why Gone Home is one of the best games to come out in 2013.

Let's get this out of the way - it's not horror alongside the likes of Amnesia. The amazing sounds and lighting just creates a scary atmosphere. It's the feeling of the unknown, and in this case, the feeling of having no idea what to expect within this empty mansion. You play as Katie, the older sibling that just returned from a long vacation trip. You arrive home to find your house completely empty. The weather is horrible. What happened? Where's the rest of the family? Those are questions that will be raised inside your head, and you are given the freedom to find the answers by simply interacting with the objects found in the house.

That's the gameplay: exploring the house, reading notes, uncovering what happened, and getting a sense of the people that lived in this abandoned dwelling. Putting it this bluntly does sound dull to some, but how it was presented made me curious and constantly looking for more things to help solve the mystery of what happened to this family. As you go through various closets, notes, bills, and diary logs of your little sister (which are presented as a commentary), you get to uncover the state of each family member. It's an interactive story done so well that it made me appreciate the simple gameplay Gone Home has. You can pick up objects, examine them, crouch, and zoom in, and even that's enough to keep you hooked from start to finish.

This is a title that I found hard to explain to people that have not a single clue about it. The best way to understand the game is by simply giving it a chance, but it's hard to do with its surprisingly high price point of $20. But once you find the courage (and the money!) to give Gone Home a try, the overall experience will linger in your head for days, and only great stories can do that. That strong after effect of satisfaction once the credits roll is a rare feat, hardly even seen in acclaimed movies.

With a game that's all about exploration and discovery, visual detail is key. What's amazing is that every bit of the house is detailed. Almost everything in the house can be picked up, and objects like bars of soap or tissue boxes have a product name - some even have tags, making me think that they could be information that might support the overall story. This resulted in me checking every crack or corner in each room. They intentionally hide specific notes or objects that, if found, help the player to understand more about the residents of the house and their relationships with one another.

There's no real difficulty. How curious you are determines how much you get out of this experience. You could focus on the main path that leads to the end of the game, but doing so ruins the point of Gone Home. Everything gets answered: all you have to do is find the trail of breadcrumbs. Once I finished the game, there was one unanswered question I had about a specific character. My curiosity pushed me to backtrack. I went through a couple of rooms, and finally found it. It was hidden nicely and I was thrilled to have my question answered. I could have lived without that knowledge, but the story was so engaging that I had to find out. Everything was still fresh and I wanted the complete experience. The fact that I missed a part of it and made myself go back for the reveal helped me realize how effective this approach is in video game storytelling.

It's an experiment. A  different game on how to present a story to the player. During the start of the game I was curious of what happened. By the last few minutes of the game, I rushed to the last room hoping I had a run button to get there faster. I was anxious about how it will all end, and when it ended, I was satisfied.

If you aren't looking for a great story, then this game isn't for you. The story is the whole meat of this game. But if you are open and interested in trying something completely different with regards to the way a game can tell a story, then I urge you to try this amazing independent title. I understand the praise the game was getting during 2013 and it deserves every bit. Bravo.

Score: 9/10

Pros:

- A unique way to present a story. -  Each interactable object is well-detailed . - Great atmosphere. - Story hooks you in, keeping you interested and curious.

Cons

- A very short experience. Left wanting more.

Review: Dragon's Crown (PS3)

Remember the arcade game Dungeons and Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara? If so, great: you have a perfect idea of what to expect from Dragon’s Crown. But for those that don’t - Dragon’s Crown is a side-scrolling 4-player beat-em-up action RPG with an alluring art design and gameplay to keep you up for hours upon hours playing with your friends. I was sold when I found out how the game played, and when I was done with it, I enjoyed every minute.

I’m a sucker for 2D side-scrolling beat-em-ups. This was a no-brainer for me to pick up, and what surprised me most was that it’s actually a deep game that could keep you busy for well over 10 hours. Games like this just don’t last that long for your first play-through. Another surprise: Dragon’s Crown is not a brainless hack-and-slash. Of the six classes, each plays completely differently and boasts something unique about them. The Elf archer always has to remember to pick up her arrows after using them, for instance, and the mages need to manage their Mana gauges so you won’t find yourself constantly recharging for more Mana. The combat is that of a beat-em-up at heart, with each class having a base skill set that allows for combos, and even aerial combos. There’s a learning curve for each adventurer, and playing as another feels like a different experience. Match that with the skills and abilities you can earn after gaining a new level, and you’ve got yourself a very deep system that gets you thinking on how to grow your character, making this game a lot more than what we’d expect from the genre.

Once you are out of the tutorial and can get your bearings in town, you’re off to search for the titular Dragon’s Crown. The main task in finding this crown is to snag the 9 talismans found randomly in each location available in the game. The story was literally forgettable in the first hour. Characters were not even close to being memorable. I just wanted to get in there and start playing. This isn’t a game you play for the plot. The story sets the stage, and everything else takes over from there.

Go on an “adventure” with a friend, or alone with a bunch of AI, it’s up to you, but at the end of every leg, you are given gear to strengthen your character and a score that later becomes converted to experience points. Every piece of loot found in chests during each run only gets revealed after you decide to go back into town. The loot is graded from E (being the worst kind of item quality) to S (being the best kind). The rarity of the items you find is quite random, but the longer you continue without heading back to town, the more experience and loot you receive. It’s a risk-and-reward concept that makes you think hard as to whether your group can withstand another round for better rewards, or head back to collect all your loot and experience, avoid failure, and prepare for another run.

With the game requiring the player to search for these talismans, you will be playing each locale multiple times. The number of stages in Dragon’s Crown is a bit disappointing. Levels are recycled over and over, even for harder difficulties, making me wish for new locations to play in. Sure, each stage has two paths to take, leading to a different boss fight, but even that won’t stop the thought of wishing for more. It’s worth mentioning that each location has locked doors and hidden paths leading to more treasure, so it’s not simply a matter of forging from point A to point B in a straight line. It’s a small distraction, but the secrets go a long way, since the need to find better loot will always be on your mind.

This game is also available on Vita and they add one feature that makes sense for a handheld, but would be kind of awkward for PS3 players. The right joystick lets you control a cursor on the screen, allowing you to interact with chests and shining objects, leading to hidden secrets, loot, and coins to improve your score. With the game being chaotic as it is, seeing floating cursors from each player can be a bit distracting. Speaking of the Vita, you can actually import your PS3 character to your handheld. Sadly, there’s no Cross-play, but at least the option is there.

With all the chaotic goodness we get out of the combat, which is mixed with combos and magic spells filling the screen, the art design used in this game is very appealing, but at the same time... too much? Most of the female characters can be a little distracting thanks to their “assets” and how they are positioned. Many will think this is great; some might find it offensive. So it really depends on your perspective on the matter. The design used works well with what the game is trying to achieve, which is the important thing in the end. For me, it’s just Japanese culture as seen in animé/manga seeping into the overall design. Now, if you mix everything together, including the sound design and soundtrack, you not only have a game that is addicting to play, but also a treat for the eyes and ears.

In your adventures, you might find the remains of a character. Once you return to town, you can revive these bones and earn companions to add to your party. They can’t be edited in any way, and can’t level up. They’re literally fillers to keep the group full at all times, because chaotic fun is always the best kind of fun. Offline, there’s stock characters to find, but online, you can unearth remains of other player’s characters. It can be random since you might find someone a few levels lower than you, or someone that’s almost at max level. They become disposable after a couple of uses since you can’t repair their equipment, so constantly replacing them is required.

Dragon’s Crown can be played in many different ways: alone, online multiplayer, or local co-op with one screen. This game is better appreciated with others; going solo doesn't seem right. If you do decide to find players online, it’s a system that instantly puts you into the action. Latency thankfully is good, with no lag even for players in the Philippines.  Not every match has a full group of players, but you can fill up the empty spots thanks to the game’s AI companion system, which is pretty neat for a game like this, and it automatically fills the slots during combat. Playing with friends on one screen, local co-op style, can remove any momentum that you had when playing the game. Once you've completed a run, everybody naturally checks their loot, allots their skill points, and adjusts their equipment. We can’t do all of this all at once. fixing your character after a run can only be done one at a time. Once a player enters a store, they get the whole screen, and the rest will have to wait until he is done doing his business. This provides a lot of downtime since the rest are forced to sit down and watch. As much as I want the local co-op to be the best way to play, online seems better since you get the whole town to yourself and you party with friends and players after you're done with all you have to do in town. No more screen hogging.

Even with the lack of stages and the close-to-nothing story, this game is worth it if you are looking for something to play with friends. The combat is addicting, and the character progression is very deep for a beat-em-up. The art design can come out controversial for some, but does the job in making it an appealing game. Dragon’s Crown shows that this genre still has a place in the retail market. Vannilaware did amazing work here, and has refueled my love for 2D side-scrolling beat-em-ups. Hopefully we find more like this as we enter the next generation of console gaming.

8.5/10

Pros:

- Solid beat-em-up combat, and surprisingly deep character progression - Strong replay value - Game is quite long per play-through

Cons: - Not enough stages to play in. Feels like areas are reused quite early - In-town character maintenance in local co-op can only be done one by one, leading to significant downtime

Review: Injustice: Gods Among Us

Alright, guys. Time to hit you with another video game review of the video variety. This review took a little longer than usual because of reasons. But it's here now and that's what's important. Here's my review of Injustice: Gods Among Us.

If you've ever argued with your best friend about who would win in a fight between Batman and Superman then this might be the answer to one of life's eternal questions.

Injustice: Gods Among Us is a DC fighting game that can easily be described as Mortal Kombat but with DC characters. And no, I'm not talking about Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. This game is only inhabited by 24 heroes and villains from the DC Universe.

As with most modern fighting games, Injustice tries to appeal to the casual audience while not alienating their fanbase by doing the whole "easy to pick-up, hard to master" kind of deal. Which, in my opinion, this game does really well.

Movement and reactions may feel kind of stiff but combos are generally easy to pull off and can look very entertaining even to those who don't know their lows and overheads.

Aside from the fighting itself, Injustice features interactable environments and over-the-top stage transition making the stages more than just a visual background.

A clash system is also present in the game. It's a unique combo breaker mechanic where in you wager amounts of your super meter to either do or recover damage depending on who initiated the clash.

While most people don't like this inclusion, I think it adds to the whole meta game. And everyone likes meta. Plus the pre-clash quotes can be entertaining.

Injustice features quite a lengthy story mode which in most fighting games are usually very short or sometimes even non-existent. And if you're wondering how the less-bulletproof characters survive flying though 7 layers of concrete, falling into a mini Sun, or getting punched into space. Kryptonian Nanomachines.

Characters supers are present in this game. Most of which are absurd but just absurd enough for you to laugh it off. Such as Aquaman summoning a tidal wave with fish in outer space. Or the Flash always running to Mexico no matter where you're fighting.

A gallery mode, alternate costumes, a rich training mode and over 200 minigames and challenges are also included if you want to take a break from all the fighting.

I have very little complaints about Injustice but let me get them out there. One of which is the music. Though fitting to the dark theme, they can be a tad forgettable. Or even the exact opposite where you have Last Song Syndrome with a song that you don't like. As is the case with me and the main Injustice theme since it is also used in the iOS version of the game.

Another issue is the online. It is all but playable with my country's internet connections. If you're from the Philippines and plan to play this game online, you'll be seeing a lot of this. (*show Looking for Opponent screen*). If you do find a match, you'll also be seeing a whole lot of this.

The conveyance of certain effects can be a bit off. Characters would use the same grunting sound clip when either blocking or taking hit which can confuse players. Also some special moves are outright invisible such as Green Lantern's ring command throw or Raven's gravity squeeze. Then there's stuff like this.

Finally, for a game that's obviously going for a ton of sex appeal with it's female characters, Wonder Woman looks a bit too manly for my tastes.

Injustice: Gods Among Us is surely not the biggest and best fighting game of this console generation but it's a ton of fun and has quite a bit of extra content considering it's genre.

It gets a solid 8/10.

Review: BioShock Infinite

I couldn't move. I had finished BioShock Infinite and as the credits rolled, I was still soaking up everything. The goosebumps didn't want to end. As I stood up to get a glass of water, I stepped outside and attempted to make sense of everything that had happened from start to end. Not only was this an amazing game, it has one of the best narratives I have ever experienced in a video game for a long time. This game is special. From the gameplay, the glorious setting, to the memorable characters, this is definitely a good example of a masterpiece.

You play as Booker Dewitt, a former agent of the Pinkerton Detective Agency. The game starts off with two people bringing Booker to the lighthouse via boat, tasked to go to Columbia and bring back a girl named Elizabeth. “Bring us the girl, wipe away the debt”. This phrase is his driving force and will be hovering over your experience in BioShock Infinite all throughout. Don’t worry, I will try to make this review as spoiler-free as possible, since the biggest asset of Infinite is its narrative. You have to be open to the story they are trying to tell because it’s definitely worth experiencing.

The beauty of Columbia, the floating city

As you first set foot on Columbia, you get the opportunity to soak up this floating city during its prime when everybody is happy and cheerful. As you roam the streets, you get an idea on how life is here, with people smiling and enjoying themselves. Everything around you has a piece of history or information about Columbia that will definitely tap your curiosity. From their religious views, their history, all the way down to the people that made this utopia possible, this is a world that I enjoyed exploring every nook and cranny. I literally left no trashcan unchecked. Just like the previous BioShock city, Columbia is filled with mystery. Be warned, though. The story does tackle very touchy subjects, like religion and racism, that might offend some people. But again, give it a chance. You will realize that Irrational Games is not trying to attack any sort of belief or culture, but rather use it as a bridge to tell this unforgettable story.

After a good hour or two of running through the streets as it gets a bit dicey, you finally meet the girl in the tower named Elizabeth, who you must retrieve from this floating city and bring back to New York.  She is the center of everything. She’s protected by a mechanic bird called Songbird that prevents you from taking her away from Columbia. The bond between the girl and the machine may be interesting, but the relationship between Booker and Elizabeth takes the prize. As soon as they start talking to each other, you begin to appreciate these two characters individually. Their personalities come alive thanks to the amazing script and voice acting, and the bond between the two really pulls you even further into this jaw dropping story. As you move forward, you can sense the effect certain events have toward Elizabeth. Since she has been secluded from the world, everything outside the tower is new to her, and it was such a joy to see her witness everything for the first time. Whether good events, or bad, you can really sense her feelings towards them based on her reactions, making Elizabeth one of the most well-crafted characters in gaming.

The genius doesn’t stop there. Elizabeth also shines as a great AI companion gameplay-wise. She’s always right beside the players and interacts with the environment like a curious child. Elizabeth is a leap forward into companion AI since she felt like a natural part of the game. On idle, she goes off on her own looking at certain objects or even sits down or leans on a wall to take a breather. She even gets mad if you point a gun at her and even moves away. As you sprint, you see her sprint right beside you, and if you’re lost, she will occasionally lead you to the right direction. She talks to Booker for small banter every now and then, and occasionally points you to hidden items that you might have not seen without her help. During combat, she stays away from danger, so you don’t need to babysit her; she can take care of herself. She may not carry a gun, but she still tries to help the player by throwing health packs, money, salts, or ammo when you are in dire need of it. She also can pick locks for Booker with the right amount of lockpicks to give you access to great loot and upgrades. She’s definitely an asset every time and it just feels wrong if you don’t have her by your side. Thanks to Elizabeth, the experience really works from the perspectives of both gameplay and narrative. It’s hard to imagine this game without her.

The combat never gets old

The combat is the traditional First Person Shooter, but with the BioShock twist. Just like in previous games, the player will earn supernatural powers (this time called Vigor), which give you the ability to hurl explosive fireballs, send ravenous crows at your foes to distract them, or posses enemies to fight for you. These powers are fuelled by Salts, which can be replenished by salt potions found in the game. Each Vigor has an alternate effect; simply pressing the Vigor button fires the power, while holding it, then releasing triggers a different version of the ability like apply a trap version of the Vigor. As for your guns, you have a wide variety of weapons to choose from with their own set of play styles. Shotguns, pistols, machine guns, rocket launchers, sniper rifles, there’s a good amount of weapons to cater to different kinds of players. With the console version of the game, the player can only equip two Vigors and two guns at the same time, and you can swap them with the press of a button. Vigors can be quickly switched by holding a button to change your setup. Having only two slots for your guns actually makes things interesting since you are left with the decision on what to bring or what suits you best. The combat can get really intense and it never gets dull; it even gets more interesting as you upgrade your weapons and Vigors with the money you pick up from all the looting.

What makes the combat great is that it always breaks any form of repetitiveness as you progress. Every so often, you are introduced to a new type of enemy that requires a different set of Vigors and weapons to be effective, forcing the player to really switch it up. Enemies such as the HandyMan or The Patriot really change the mood once they show up and you will find yourself forced to change everything you have planned to react against them joining the fight. Another cool way to keep the combat intense are the sky-line rails that you get to ride thanks to the Skyhook (which also serves as your melee weapon). The rails are one means of transportation in Columbia and have a rollercoaster feel to them. Sometimes during combat, you will find yourself sky-lining from one platform to another to  either avoid enemies, eliminate them with a skyline take-down,  or reach hard-to-get places. The mixture of the shooting and the skyline felt smooth and I never had an issue with it.

The combat gets a bit more versatile thanks to Elizabeth too, making her the ultimate sidekick. She has the ability to open tears, windows to another dimension, and thanks to this mysterious ability, you can instruct her to rip certain tears in the environment to bring objects from another world into yours. These include crates filled with medkits, mechanical turrets, cover, decoys, and many more that can change the tide of battle to your favour if used correctly. You can only have one tear open at any given time, so picking the right one you need at that exact moment can be exhilarating. The shooting is great and each weapon brings something different for the player. I never once felt bored by the combat, but I did curse a lot when I faced a HandyMan; I just hate them so much.

There’s also a sense of customization in the game with Booker. Infusions are scattered across the game that give you the choice to permanently improve either your health, salt, or shields with each potion found. There’s also clothing gear with four slots; hat, vest, pants, and boots. You find different gear in the game with different passive abilities, or perks if you will, like 50% more critical damage, the ability to gain more speed when on skyrails, or improve shield recharge delay. Clothing gears can be removed anytime in the menu to suit a certain situation. With the many guns and Vigors in the game, the clothing provides great combinations like having the ability to burn combatants when you melee them, then gain life when they die to it, or once you overkill an enemy (your damage going way past their remaining life), stunning nearby foes. It’s fun to try different combinations, especially with Vigors, which by the way, can be combined with certain Vigors if done at the right time. Electric crows, anyone?

Exploring will happen one way or another, and you ‘ll enjoy it

Exploration is also encouraged. If you look hard enough, you will find certain ciphers from books that can be deciphered by Elizabeth, or keys that unlock a door or chest. These simple side objectives provide backtracking since I’ve experienced most of them in places I’ve already been. But figuring them out and finding them is quite rewarding, making it worth the detour. Also, if you get really curious about the world of Columbia, there are tons of audio (Voxophones) and video recordings (Kinectascopes) scattered all around for you to interact with, giving you a piece of history, or messages or personal journals of characters in the game. Lock picks found in the world are yet another incentive to scavenge and look around. With Elizabeth having the ability to open locks with the right amount of lockpicks, you are thrilled to find a lock pick under a desk because they can only be found, not bought, and the safes and locked doors that require these lock picks always have worthwhile cash and upgrades.

Detail is just amazing in this game. It felt like they took into account every portion of an area that the player might visit, and made sure it was covered with something the player can experience. From simple conversations to small details on the wall, I explored every corner of the game and I didn’t see any inconsistency or bug that breaks you from the experience. You even get to stumble on Easter eggs catered for those music junkies out there.

Oh, the soundtrack of this game. It’s very hard to not get lost thanks to the sound score and music in Columbia. Some are performed so well that it blends perfectly into this world. Like during the very start of the game, as you walk around Columbia for the first time, there’s a quartet performance that just made me sit there and enjoy it. It’s a very small part in the game that you might miss, but it shows their commitment to detail and I appreciate every small addition like these that really bring this world to life for the player, and believe me, there is a good amount of them if you keep your eyes peeled.  Oh, if you do play BioShock Infinite and recognize the song performed by this quartet at the start, props to you because it took a while for me to notice what song they were playing.

This game never loses steam. Be it the story or gameplay, you are always at the edge of your seat to see what happens next. You visit everything there is to see in Columbia. You get to witness the good side and the bad side of the city. The rich folks and the poor. From the corrupt and the ones that go against the city’s beliefs, you see Columbia from every angle, and it all ties in perfectly to the narrative.

Overall

BioShock Infinite is a game that someone will not simply forget in just a few days. It’s a game that will be forever embedded in your mind thanks to its world and story. Combat is satisfying from start to finish, and characters such as Elizabeth, Booker Dewitt, and even Comstock have so much personality that you have no choice but to love or hate them. The story and how it concluded in the end was just jaw-dropping. Bombshell after bombshell, I felt the impact of the ending and how they concluded it all felt just right. Despite a narrative that could be confusing if seen from afar, it’s actually made so well that playing it again for the second time is refreshing and fun, because the small bits that were considered irrelevant before have now become relevant to you on your second visit to Columbia.

You’ll see hints that you didn't catch before. It’s amazing how the story was so well-written that playing it again gives you a better grip of everything as a whole. The narrative gives this game a very strong replay value, because you see things in a different light. Not many games can pull that off. This is easily one of the best games I’ve ever played in this generation and while I don’t want to call this the game of the year just yet because it’s only March, it’s definitely a contender. I bow to Ken Levine and Irrational Games’ five year commitment to this project. It really shows all their hard work and wanting this game to be the best it could be, and I strongly believe they did just that.

Score: 10/10

Pros:

-        Satisfying combat

-        Rich and well detailed world

-        Elizabeth is one of the best character from a video game

-        An amazing story that will be discussed for months after you finish the game

Cons:

-        It eventually ends

Note: The reviewer played the Xbox 360 version of the game. The PS3 and 360 versions are said to be very similar while the PC version is said to be far superior in terms of visuals. BioShock Infinite is exclusively distributed by X-Play here in the Philippines.

PELICAN Dual Triggers for PS3

Time for more minor videogame controller pimping accessories and this includes a bonus set of silicone caps!

The Dual Shock design is one of the best controller designs out there and is still being used even after almost 2 decades since we first laid eyes on it. The PS3 iteration though has a problem.

Now even though I say that this is a review, this is a very small accessory and I don't feel that it needs a score rating.