Backlogging

Why I haven't posted for a while

So it's been a while since I made a post. I am working on some other posts at the moment about games I've finished. Between work and gaming and other time eating objectives, I haven't had time to get back onto the blog. One of the biggest factors however is my recent find. I've always wanted to write, to be an author is a goal I've had for a long time. But given how I write and my grammar I don't think its a goal that I am going to reach any time soon. Still…I am working on it. Anyway, recently an author caught my eye. One who I had wanted to read the books of for a while as I've seen them around. Brandon Sanderson is the author. I read a single book of his sometime in January. I now have ten of his books. 

Discovering Mistborn Series

For those who don't know Brandon Sanderson is a fantasy fiction writer. He, in my opinion, is a fantastic author and a real visionary right up there with some of the best. The way he writes invokes my imagination and I am able to see the worlds and characters he has created in clear detail in my minds eye. I started with his series of books Mistborn.

Mistborn is a three book series based on a world named: Scardiel. The main Character, Vin, is a Mistborn, someone who wields the power of Allomancy. Allmonacy is magic that incorporates the use of metals as catalysts to produce effects for example Steel, when ingested, can be burned to give the user the ability to "push" off nearby sources of metal. Each metal has a twin to it. The opposite of steel is iron which also has a mirrored effect as steel, instead of pushing off you pull nearby sources of metal to you. 

The first book focuses on Vin and her Allomancy teacher Kelsier. Originally Vin is not aware of her Allomatic ability she later meets Kelsier who is trying to overthrow the Lord Ruler, a man who rules over the Final Empire, like Vin Kelsier is also a Mistborn and he begins to teach her how to use her abilities. Vin is initially distrustful of Kelsier and his plan, as she is also distrustful of all of the other crew members as well, She is eventually convinced to help Kelsier in his plan and she goes on to overthrow the final empire. Along the way she falls in love with a noble named Elend Venture.

The first book of the Mistborn series, The final empire, introduces the main characters and the class system that exists there. There are two different races there are the down trodden slave people better known as Skaa and then their are the nobles who rule the Skaa. The Skaa are treated brutally and its not uncommon to find them dead in the street. A Mistborn is a product of a Skaa and noble union though this is a crime. A noble Mistborn can be created too but the Skaa are only allowed to mate amongst themselves. Whenever a Mistborn emerges who is a Skaa they are Killed.

The overall plot of the first book is finding a way to overthrow the lord ruler and take back freedom for the Skaa while also finding a way for the two races to Co-exist. Its a gripping first volume filled with intrigue and mystery and the way it builds itself up to the end is amazing. I found myself frantically reading each page as I got closer to the end. Some moments had my gaping at what happened. Sanderson does a good job of delivering the right feelings to the reader. 

I won't go on about all the books, I wouldn't want to spoil them for anyone who might be interested in the series. Suffice to say though once I was done with that series I wanted more. Luckily I started reading his books at a time when most of them were available and all subsequent volumes had been released so I didn't have to wait for anymore to come out.

The Stormlight Archive

Perhaps my favourite of his series of books, The stormlight Archive books take place on the world of Roshar. Instead of explaining every detail, since the first book is two volumes, I'll try to summarise. 

The story follows multiple viewpoints, similar in nature to George R.R. Martins Game of Thrones. The main characters that are focused on are: Kaladin, a disgraced warrior turned slave who is aided by a single Windspren named Syl he eventually overcomes his slavery and is made a captain of another characters guard, Shallan Davar, a Brightlady who's house is destitute she goes off to be the ward of a scholar and known heretic Jasnah Kholin, Dalinar Kholin, An ageing Brightlord who is helping his nephew turned King to fulfil the vengeance pact when his brother was assassinated by the Parshendi people Dalinar is tough and grim and is plagued by visions during high storms he eventually learns that his visions carry more weight than anyone realises, Adolin Kholin, the eldest son of Dalinar, Adolin is a skilled Shardbearer and known skirt chaser he respects his father but is troubled by the rumours that his farther is going mad by seeing visions, Szeth-Son-Son-Vallano Thruthless of Shinovar, is the assassin in white who started the war against the Alethi and Parshendi and the one who murdered Dalinar's brother Gavilar. Interspersed in each of the books parts, of which there are many, are interludes which detail minor but important characters. 

The series is long and a little complicated at times the magical system of this world revolves around the use of storm light and surge binding. Stormlight is used as a power source for Surgebinding, which has multiple uses. In the very beginning of the book it details a battle between the Heralds and the Voidbringers. There is also an order of Knights called The Knights Radiant which is made up of Surgebinders. One of the main sources of war and a primary tool of the characters of Roshar is Shard Blade's and Shard Plate. Shard Blades are swords that can be summoned to a users hand after ten heartbeats pass and Shard blades don't cut anything living they instead cut the "soul" of things, when something is cut by a Shard Blade it becomes unusable. For instance an arm cut by a Shard Blade can no longer be used.

I won't go into any more detail than that. Suffice to say this series of books was enthralling, Sanderson captured the idea of magic in such a creative way and it was an incredible read. With each storyline eventually crossing over into each other characters will meet and ideas will form while each character acts to stop the crisis as it happens. This is a master work epic and I have to say that it is far more interesting than Game of Thrones, I loved the characters and their ambitions, I loved the setting and the complexity of Roshar and I especially loved a character who appears quite a bit over the Cosmere.

This series is going to be four books long, eight overall as each book is split in two, I cannot wait for those books but its going to be a while before Stones Unhallowed reaches us. If your looking for a different fantasy series then this is definitely one that shouldn't be ignored.

The Reckoners, Steelheart and Firefight 

The Reckoners is a bit of a departure from Sanderson's original fantasy setting. Told from a first person perspective, the story follows David a young man in his late teens, 19 to be exact, who fights against Epics. Epics are humans who were transformed by a tear in the sky which became known as Calamity. Calamity gave superhuman powers to people all over the world and transformed them into Epics. David joins a group of assassins who kill Epics called, the reckoners. Unlike the other books which are set on fantasy planets this series takes place on Earth, albeit an Earth affected by a supernatural power.

Its a griping couple of books as it flips the whole basis of superheroes on its head. These Epic's are mostly all evil or at least are motivated to do evil. None of them have a good bone in their body and will kill anyone regardless of who they are. 

The Reckoners book series really pushes the preconceived notions on the morality of humans and the will to fight back when oppression is forced onto people. 

This series of books was the first I read from Sanderson. 

Final Thoughts

The most recent book that I read of Sanderson's was Warbreaker. I won't go into it on this one as I've blathered on for long enough. Suffice to say Brandon Sanderson is now one of my all time favourite writers and he definitely deserves all the publicity he can get. Who knows maybe I've convinced you to invest time in his work.

Sanderson has created an expanded universe named The Cosmere. All of his main books such as the mistborn series take place within the Cosmere and he has very subtly tied in characters from previous books into others, making cameo appearances that actually carry more weight than your initially led to believe. This is what drew me into his work as there is just so much of it, so much to discover and wait for, so many worlds and their purposes. It's just so…..so……incredible. 

Well I think its safe to say I am a fan.

And thats why I haven't been blogging as much. Because I stayed up until 1:45 in the morning finishing Words of Radiance. I'll be more active now people.

Thanks for reading!!!

Bloodborne

Welcome To Yharnam 

Bloodborne, the spiritual successor to Dark Souls, is by no small margin similar. The two games have very similar introductions and settings, oh and they like to kick the S*** out of you as well. Nice. The premise of Bloodborne is that the main character, you, has come to Yharnam in search of a way to cure a disease he's/ she's been afflicted with. When you begin the game a man in a wheelchair approaches and gives you a blood transfusion with Yharnam blood. Thats when things get weird. Once your out cold a lycan appears from a puddle of blood and tries to end you only to be set on fire by someone off screen. Did I hear someone say convenient plot point overlooked? No. Alright. Anyway, once the bloody creature is dead a group of pale creatures surrounds you and a female voice says "Oh I see you've found a hunter"

Bloodborne, like Dark Souls, doesn't give you much to go on. It can be frustratingly cryptic when it needs to be. It's like a person who goes out of their way to remain inherently mysterious. But thats part of the appeal of it, when you actually find out whats going on and dig deeper there is a lot to Bloodborne. The basic message of the game is, to hunt those that have fallen to beast hood and to seek pale blood in an attempt to escape the nightmare. 

Yharnam itself is very bleak, the setting of the sun in game adds more to the story as in the darker it gets the more serious stuff gets. It's a beautiful place though, with its victorian gothic look it really exemplifies what a city turned to madness would look like. Also Yharnam feels threatening, not only with all of its inhabitants but also with how grim and dark everything is, it just feels like its out to get you.

Seek Pale Blood To Transcend The Nightmare

So Bloodborne. How is it different from Dark Souls? Well on a passing observation they are almost exactly the same. Same bleak everyone has given up attitude, same enemies that will wreck your shit, same cryptic story, same bosses that look like Satan's leavings. But its only when you play Bloodborne that you get a sense of how different the games truly are. Bloodborne is different from its predecessor for a couple of things the first is the regain system which allows you to recover a portion of your health in the 5 second window after losing it. Its a handy system especially when your getting mobbed by a bunch of enemies of course it doesn't always help when in a pinch or if your against a boss, could be intimidating to just charge in and whale on a boss knowing full well it will murder you. The second thing is Bloodborne's evasion move's when locked on to an enemy you can quickly side step to avoid a butt load of damage, it makes combat much easier knowing you can get some distance between you and certain doom. But that doesn't mean its faultless you have to be aware of your surroundings when avoiding attacks. Finally we come to parrying by far the most useful element of the game, a well timed parry can open up enemies to a visceral strike which not only restores a lot of health if you've lost some but also awards you with more blood echoes as well and since you'll be dying a lot in Bloodborne then you can learn all of the common enemy attacks to know exactly when to parry them. Its the most rewarding feeling to parry a boss and get a visceral strike on them. But it takes a great amount of skill to parry every attack someone throws at you. 

The other thing about Bloodborne is that it gives you the necessary healing items about sixty percent of the time which means you won't be running out of blood vials and quicksilver bullets to quickly. The rewarding way in which Bloodborne plays out is what makes it better than Dark Souls, in my opinion anyway. Dark souls punishes its players when you die taking off a portion of your health and robbing you of the souls you have collected. While Bloodborne is similar it doesn't cut your health which makes the rage quit aspect of it a lot better. So while the game isn't as punishing as Dark Souls it can still get frustrating in some areas, especially later into the game.

One of the best parts of Bloodborne is its weaponry. At the beginning of the game you have the option to pick between three different "Trick weapons" which are weapons that transform into different variants with the press of a button. The saw cleaver starts out as a saw but when transformed becomes a longer scythe like weapon giving you longer reach, The hunters axe starts out as an axe but can be elongated to become a halberd and finally the threaded cane is a duelling cane to begin with and then becomes a chain whip when transforms à la Ivy from Soul Calibur. These are you're starting weapons and while rudimentary they become an incredible asset later on as you continue to use them. When attacking enemies you can switch to their alternate forms mid combo changing the flow of battle like the weapon. Not all trick weapons elongate, some have added effects when "transformed" such as the Tonitrus which is coated in lightning when transformed. 

The creativity behind the weapons is one of the best parts of Bloodborne to deal with a strange plague you need strange weapons. 


Facing The Fear

What sets Bloodborne apart from Dark Souls is that it seems very…well real. The creatures that you encounter in the game are all believable…..to a certain extent. The forbidden forest for example has snake type enemies and one of the last areas you visit has spiders crawling along the walls. The point is that its very terrifying to face off against some of the enemies of the game as they are literally the stuff of nightmares made real, the worst things a person can make in their mind made reality. This is where Bloodborne thrives though with its enemies that are both frightening and incredible at the same time. 

Whats interesting is that the NPC's of the game are all survivors of the plague and are just trying to get by. You even encounter fellow hunters such as Alfred of the Executioners, Eileen of the hunter of hunters and Farther Gascoigne. But whats even more interesting is that most of the hunters you meet are fairly doomed, Gascoigne can be summoned to help you against the first boss but later on becomes a boss himself, you help Eileen to hunt a hunter that threatened her but later she falls against a stronger one and Alfred talks of his master Martyr Logarius and he ends up becoming a Martyr himself. These NPC's are important figures during the game and its fascinating learning their backstory and reasons for doing what they do.

The NPC hunters you find are also all hostile and if their are a bunch of them they will all crowd in and attack you at once, they really showcase how different weapon and skill builds can be done in Bloodborne and if your not too enthralled by how they play you can stop them.

So lets talk difficulty. Originally I had qualms about playing Bloodborne because I remember how badly screwed I got while playing Dark Souls 2, and I have to say Bloodborne is far more accessible a title than Dark Souls, its telling that From Software decided to release Dark Souls 2 on next gen consoles as well means they are gearing up for something, more on that later. The difficulty of the game though comes through experience and actually thats how both series work. They require experience you have to get knocked down before getting back up, Bloodborne teaches you that lesson at the very beginning of the game when your forced to die by the hands of an enemy before you can reach the hub of the game. Perseverance is the key, learning the patterns of enemies, expecting blows you can't evade and then healing when necessary, parrying attacks to open up chances for visceral strikes it all takes practice. 


Farewell Good Hunter. May You Find Your Worth In The Waking World.

Overall I loved Bloodborne. Even when I found myself beaten down by it, I refused to let it get the better of me. It was a good experience and the way its presented and done is really effective. I found myself getting tense at boss encounters because I didn't know what to expect and that made me excited when I was victorious. One of the most satisfying things in Bloodborne is seeing the message after you beat a boss "Prey Slaughtered" such a good statement to bring your hard earned accomplishment into perspective. 

The enticing nature of Bloodborne and the feeling I got from it made every second of it unique. There isn't a single thing about it that I felt needed to be changed, it was a unique challenge keeping you on your toes while also being rewarding. The theme of blood is prominent, I mean it would have to be what with the title having the word blood in it, it plays a big role in the story and also on the character as you can become covered in the blood of your former enemies. 

Perhaps the one thing Bloodborne needs to develop on is its backstory and lore. Like Dark Souls it is awfully cryptic and a lot of the necessary info you need is left in item descriptions and by NPC's. Trying to glean anything from it is difficult but at the same time its enticing and makes you want to know more about the game. 

Bloodborne is a fantastic game and truly an essential title for any fan of Sony or of From Software. If your looking for a challenge then I would look no further than this. 




Afterthought 

Like I said earlier, its telling that From Software have decided to port DS2 to PS4 and Xbox one. I interrupt that as a clear sign that From Software are testing their previous titles to get an idea of how they will run on next gen. Their intention seems obvious, Dark Souls 3 is a very real possibility at this point. And hopefully later on down the line we will see Bloodborne 2 or DLC. Either way I can't wait to see what comes next. 

Thanks for reading!

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

Hunting Season is open

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate as the name implies is a game of hunting monsters. Luckily for me there is no need to befriend any of these monsters, you just go out and mess them up something fierce, seriously though aside from pokemon making friends with gigantic creatures and having them fight alongside you is ridiculous. Don't ask me why…..the reason is really stupid.

Anyway, first off I wanna thank a friend of mine for convincing me to buy Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate the last iteration in the seres, because that is what got me interested in MH4U. So thanks Tim. 

Second MH4U is a lot of fun, it is one of these games that takes A LOT of your time but the grind is worth it when the armour you get looks this badass. 

Monster Hunter is a great game. I'll admit it took some getting used to some of the mechanics of the game, but once you do you can start reaping the rewards of the game in a big way. If I had to say anything about Monster Hunter it would be repetition. Repetition brings reward and with reward comes the chance to go toe to toe with an even bigger challenge. Obviously most games are like that, you start off weak and helpless but build yourself up over time, the good thing about monster hunter is that you can tell how experienced a person is by their weaponry and armour. If you come across someone with amazing armour and find yourself marvelling then that probably means they spent hours trying to cultivate that set and they were obviously well rewarded.

Monsters Mash

The main focus of Monster Hunter, aside from the main story, is gathering materials needed to make new weapons and armour the way this is done is to hunt down, you guessed it, monsters. Each new monster you slay gives you access to new weapons, armour and other assorted trinkets. The harder the monster the better the armour/ weapon. Obviously each monster is different some are weak to specific elements that you can make use of others are strong to all types of elemental damage. Some are downright invincible. 

The newest feature of Monster Hunter is certain monsters can enter a frenzy state, where they get increased strength, speed, defence and generally become a whole lot deadlier. The purpose of this is to keep you on your toe's when you go against them, so far however I have only encountered one monster who enters this state. There is a benefit to frenzy however, when a monster attacks you in frenzy state it infects you with a virus. Don't be alarmed though if you manage to attack it enough while you have the virus it will instead be turned on its head and give you a boost of strength. 

Monsters come in all shapes and sizes and each one is different from the last, sometimes a model is reused for certain monsters but thats to be expected. The biggest point of Monster Hunter is the monsters and I have to say, what I am constantly impressed by MH is its diverse selection of monsters and how each one can be so cohesive with the environment its in. Each Monster is deadly, even the ones you wouldn't look twice at, its one of the best features of Monster Hunter that when you square off against an opponent you have no idea how things will go. Its intimidating coming up against a large monster because your not sure how they'll move. 

Tools of the Trade

As a hunter you are going to need weapons almost as big and obnoxious as the monsters you fight. The weapons you can chose from are: Great Sword, Long Sword, Sword and Shield, Dual Blades, Hammer, Hunting Horn, Lance, Gunlance, Switch Axe, Light Bowgun, Heavy Bowgun and Bow. New to Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate though are two new weapons the Charge Blade (Think Switch axe but with a shield) and Insect Glaive. These two new weapons are extremely beginner friendly but like most weapons also cater to the master hunter as well.

Usually what I've found is that any weapon is useful against monsters and some more experienced players can use something as weak as a sword and shield and still manage to take down a Rathalos solo. A lot of weaponry is situational for instance if your sub quest is to break a certain part of a monsters body you make pick a weapon that is focused more on that. 

All the weapons in Monster Hunter are as creative and imaginative as the armour. They all look so impressive and beast like that it seems like cruel irony to hit a monster with a weapon made from its fallen kin. 

In MH3U the games newest mechanic was swimming, which was incredibly difficult to do. Battles that took place under water were exhilarating and it was an interesting concept however it fell short of being a corner stone in revolutionary mechanics as swimming wasn't featured in MH4U. Instead jumping from small ledges or tall cliffs was added in and when you perform a jump attack from one of these ledges onto a monster your character does a rodeo attack, lethally stabbing the monster in the back while hanging on for dear life. A skilled player can topple a monster with a mount and then immediately lay waste to some of its armour making the mount function one of the most important features of the game. Not to mention incredibly fun to do.

It's a BIG World Hunter, get out there!

Honestly if Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate doesn't keep you hooked for hours then you must not be playing it right. Because there is so much to do, and unlike other games which might have you making a chart over how to spend your time Monster Hunter doesn't do that. You can jump in and start whacking away at monsters quick as anything. 

But thats where the beauty of it lies. The pro's will know where a monster goes, where its healing point is, how many hits it will take before it starts limping, which weapons are most effective, all this and more is what contributes to it. There is so much content, so much challenge to the game that it can suck you back in before you even realise what you missed. With free DLC at the moment too there's plenty of reasons why you should pick up Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. 

The risk vs reward, the grind of hunting powerful monsters, finding new ways to beat those monsters is what its all about. From a personal point of view, I have to say that MH4U is one of the best 3DS games to grace the console in a while and while I am sure there are better ones on the horizon, I can't help but sit here and wonder what Monster I'll face next, Kirin? A Zinogre? Maybe Shaguru Magala again? Who Know's? With other hunters and your trusty palico's at your side you'll be as expectant and excited as I am. 

Happy Hunting!!!

Unsung Heroes

Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together

So in a change of pace, I am now going to do a section called Unsung Heroes. In this blog post I will talk about games that maybe slipped under the radar of most but are sincerely worth a gamers time, won't be for everyone but I thought I'd get some attention out there and talk a little bit about the game in general.

This week I am reviewing Tactics Ogre: Let us cling together. An SRPG from square enix and alongside FF Tactics Advanced 2: Grimoire of the rift, its my favourite strategy game. TO: LUCT was released on the psp back in 2011, I managed to get my hands on the limited edition of the game at the time and initially I found it gruellingly difficult and to my shame I put it away for several years. Skip forward to 2013 at uni on a lazy summer day nice breeze blowing through the room I decided to really invest my time into Tactics ogre and get past the difficulty. I am glad I did and here's why.

The premise

The setting of Tactics Ogre is set in the middle of several war torn countries all of them vying for the power left behind by the Dynast King Dorgalua Oberyth. The game features some very Shakespearian language with many characters sounding like they just jumped out of Game of Thrones and that is what makes it so enthralling.

Based in Valeria the game focuses on a bunch of teenagers who have recently had their homes raided by the Dark Knights, their leader Lanselot Tartaros takes Denam Pavel's father hostage. Denam along with his sister Catiua and best friend Vyce plot revenge against the dark knights. There plan comes to ahead when the supposed "dark knights" arrive in their home town, springing their carefully laid plan Denam and his friends attack only to learn that the people they attacked where in fact Xenobian White Knights led by Lanselot Hamilton so you can see the confusion there. Two guys with the same name. 

Anyway the story goes on to Denam learning about a resistance force that his people, the Walister, are fighting against invading forces from all around. Denam is led on a quest of realisation, unification and liberation. 


Tactics at its finest

True to its name Tactics ogre focuses heavily on tactics, there is a big emphasis on troop placement and terrain where standing on the right tile can give bonuses to ranged attack strength and psychical attack strength. Tactics ogre is also a good representation of what a tactics game should look like with so many different ways to take down the enemy it really forces you to think about your decisions and plan ahead for what could be a horrible move. But even when a move goes badly and you don't get the result you were after there is a feature called the chariot tarot which allows you to go back and try the move again perhaps taking a different route to a different outcome. All of these features plus the myriad status effects that can both help and hinder make for a great tactical experience. 

Diverse Classes, Diverse races. A chilling tale.

There are many different classes in TO LUCT from the most generic of warrior and archer to the more technical and experienced terror knight and samurai. There are many classes to chose from and each one has its boons and benefits….although that might not be immediately apparent. See the thing is in Tactics ogre when you change your characters class they revert to Level 1 making all the effort you put in on one class useless so what would be the point right? The point is that if for instance you have a dragoon at level 21 and a warrior at level 7 and you want to change the warrior to a dragoon then when he does his level will be matched to the dragoons. So basically the class level is shared. There is a benefit to that but starting an entirely new class from the begging is difficult and Tactics ogre is unforgiving in its assault upon new players…..it doesn't play nice folks. 

Which classes are the best then? Which one should you always have with you? Archers. Archers are undoubtedly the best class in the game, having at least three archers during the begging of the game can change the tide of battle dramatically. Of course classes are all down to personal preference and how good of a tactical head you have on your shoulders. 

An interesting part of Tactics ogre is the chaos frame and loyalty system. Chaos frame indicates your current ethical stance and what path the story will go in there are three routes: Lawful, Neutral and Chaotic and each one varies in length and the number of characters you can attain. Loyalty is to do with your individual units and wether or not they support your decisions, make the wrong one's and they can decide to abandon your cause they are also affected by how many times they die in battle. I never had a problem with loyal or un loyal units so this wasn't much of a problem but I gather that on different routes some people will just abandon you willy nilly. However there are characters that will stick it out with you through thick and thin, never questioning the path you tread. Its interesting to see how tactics plays a part in nearly all of the game's elements.

"There is blood on my hands, how long till it rests on my heart?"

Tactics ogre right from its story to gameplay and soundtrack is a beautiful game. It takes all of the inspirations of past games both from its own series and from Final Fantasy Tactics as well. The way each word is crafted and how the characters interact, it really draws you in makes you think that your a part of their conflict. The game is difficult but once you overcome that and start making the decisions that count what you will find is an incredibly immersive RPG experience the like of which is not easily mimicked. I will give a little bit of a spoiler as the game ends on a certain group leaving Valaria behind opening the doors for the next in the ogre battle series. With so many different options to explore and so many different things that make the game good Tactics Ogre: Let us cling together is a classic that has been wrongfully overlooked, maybe not entirely but still I wanted to write this article so that others will know of an amazing RPG sitting right under their noses. 


Trivia

The director of the ogre battle series, Yasumi Matsuno, was a fan of the english rock group Queen. He subsequently went on to make the first game in the series naming it after two of Queens songs the title of the first game was Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen. In a similar vain Tactics Ogre: Let us cling together is named after the song Let us cling together/ Teo Torriatte by Queen. The song Let us cling together has two choruses sung in Japanese. 

Persona 5

My impressions

So. Persona 5. Oh my god. 

Where to start other than saying how completely blown away I was. That and watching the trailer like fifteen times. Ah to hell with it one more time……because its relevant…….I lied I've watched it at least twenty times already. 

If your not familiar with Atlus's JRPG series Persona then you need to take a good long look at it. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 5 is the newest instalment from Atlus who lead the way in terms of original story ideas for games. Canonically the persona series revolves around young high school students who have the ability to summon persona's which are the manifestations of a persons soul or psyche. Each game in the series focuses on different aspects for instance Persona 3 focused on an event called the dark hour a hidden hour of time that not many humans knew about or were conscious for the plot of the game is to put an end to this supernatural event as you, the protagonist, is aware of the dark hour as are others. Sounds complex I know, its a lot easier to watch it than to explain it. 

The Persona series is a long running series and like I said above each one is different and adds something that the previous iterations didn't have. This is the latest in the long running series. 

Persona always prides itself on how diverse it is, challenging many adolescent idiosyncrasies and stereotypical behaviour.



Here is some information I have summarised and gathered based on screenshots and the trailer. Bear in mind at the moment this is all speculation.

• First off, because this is definitely one people are getting worked up over and is definitely not speculation at all just common sense, there are more than four party members in the game. 
• The protagonist seems to be transferred to a new school for rehabilitation. Implying that he has some criminal past. That's already way more personality than the last two protagonists. 
• The protagonists friends are sort of social rebels as they don't wear the correct uniform in school. Not a big deal since most persona characters are easily distinguishable from the rest of the npc's but still worth noting. 
• When in school and out on the street the protagonist is rather timid looking maybe even bored. However when in dungeons his true personality comes out that of a phantom thief. Pay attention to the true personality bit especially. 
• This is the first persona game, since the very first, to include multiple weapons the party is seen wielding both melee weapons and firearms in battle.
• Their is an element of stealth to the game as the protagonist is seen jumping around dungeons as well as moving stealthily from one hiding spot to the next. How this is going to be incorporated is anyones guess.
• The all out attack animation has been changed somewhat. It now looks even more hectic than before.
• The velvet room returns with Igor and two twin Velvet room attendants. Although it seems that the velvet room is less of a nice and safe place as the protagonist is seen wearing stripped black and white prison clothes. This is probably symbolic in a way although how isn't made clear. Its probably how the protagonist gets his persona though  as the tag line of the original trailer said: "You are a slave. Want emancipation?" Signifying that the emancipation bit probably refers to being free i.e. being able to use a persona. 
• The clothes the protagonist wears during the velvet room scene look eerily similar to that of Pharos from P3. Its possible, and this is a long shot, Pharos might have also been a prisoner and his escape was related to the P3 protagonist. Like I said, long shot and probably not related seeing as his presence is explained in P3. Still bear it in mind. 
• When in dungeons the protagonist and his friends don masks. This could have a dual meaning. The first is that it means they are hiding their identities which is the fairest assumption. The second is that their masks are what they truly are and when wearing them it represents their link to their personas. Seeing as the word persona quite literally means mask thats what led me to this.
• No actual persona's have been seen yet or at least not in battle. The end of the trailer shows the protagonist being consumed by blue flames. But what is interesting is that his eye's are yellow similar to P4 shadows. This could be a hint at how persona's are summoned or maybe it signifies that these personas are dangerous. Perhaps the protagonists need to force them out and as we know forcing a persona to manifest itself is dangerous to the individual.
• The shadows, enemies in all previous games, have appeared as black blobs and take numerous different forms. The shadows in this game look like some of the personas you can attain from previous titles implying that maybe the negotiation system from previous games might be reintroduced or something similar.
• The protagonists persona is Arsene Lupin also known as the phantom thief further alluding to the protagonists status as a thief.
• Philemon could have more significance in this game than more recent titles. There are, as ever, hints to his presence.
• The protagonists may be a gang of anti-heroes and seen more as people to avoid.
• Like Teddie from P4 a cat character named Morgana appears in the game. I am assuming that like Teddie, she too comes from the other world. Wether or not there is another world is debatable but for now lets just assume its right. Morgana can assume a more humanoid form as well. Get ready for cat girls. 
• Morgana is the name of an enchantress from Arthurian legend which would explain how she is able to switch between being a cat and human. 
• The Velvet room attendants look less like attendants and more like prison guards further hinting at the concept of prison and crime. As well as the cage of the mind.
• Their are some strong hints towards the protagonists transforming into their respective personas. I cannot stress how bad an idea like that is. A persona is a manifestation of your psyche it PSYCHICALLY appears. Just don't do it atlus, don't be those guys. No transforming please. 

Here's what I think. The main characters of the game are probably along the same lines as Robin Hood, take from the rich to give to the poor. But beneath that is another possibility the possibility that the prison is normal life and that the main characters go out of their way to create chaos to be "free". It definitely fits with some aspects of teenage years as most teenagers are rather rebellious and don't bow to social order like most. Either way its an interesting concept and I can't wait to see what the result is. 

Tomb Raider

Definitive Edition

Lara Croft. The name is known to many a gamer……of a certain age range. She is an immortal symbol of gaming and is recognisable when next to other such prominent figures like Solid Snake, Mario, Sonic and Crash Bandicoot. So its no surprise that a remake and a retelling of her story would come around, as that seems to be a trend among developers at the moment.

So what is Tomb Raider and how is it different from its predecessors? Well having never played any of the original Tomb Raider games I can only tell you that it is incredibly different…….based on previous games and their settings. This is an origin story folks so settle down and listen to the story.


Redefining a series

Lara Croft a twenty one year old archaeologist travels to the coasts of Japan in search of the lost kingdom of Yamatia located in the dragons triangle. Only it doesn't go exactly as planned I mean when does anything, ever, go right in a video game. The ship that Lara is travelling on is suddenly hit by a storm and is torn in two this marks the beginning of a long road of survival for Lara and the crew of the Endurance, which by the way very subtle but good name for a crew of survivors on an island. 

The s*** hits the fan early as Lara washes up on the island of Yamatia she is abducted and hung upside down in a sack next to corpses. I know right. Grim. The sequence that directly follows it is not for the squeamish as she has to set her self on fire to gain freedom and when she does, Lara is impaled on a piece of metal in her side. The sympathy pain is real I can tell you that. And thats just the beginning, injury follows injury as the game progresses.

So what do you do when your trapped on an island with no forceable way off it? What do you do when you find out that the islanders  there aren't exactly into luau? What do you do when every big gun is pointed at you and you just used up the last of your clip? The answer is that you get tough and you get tough quick. Because thats what this Tomb raider is about. Its not about a bodacious super model archaeologist, its not about the perceived fantastical beings that lurk in the shadows, no this Tomb Raider is about an innocent young woman who is thrown into a harsh and unrelenting landscape that threatens her life at every corner. The landscape isn't just harsh either, this game is very…..physical it makes a point of you using almost all the tools you have at your disposal for instance, Lara manages to get hold of a climbing axe and uses it to traverse rock walls sometimes you are forced to jump towards these rock walls and you need to press a button in order to grab ahold of it and woe betide you if you mess it up as you watch Lara plummet to her death. The game makes a point of these moments being as nail biting as possible as you have no idea where the next curve ball will come from.

The setting of Tomb Raider is always dark and bleak, the sky of the game world is always overcast and even in those brief moments when it isn't there is still something to throw off the tranquility. Such as demonic alters with bodies strewn across them like rag dolls…..did I not mention that? The purpose of this Tomb Raider is to make a very grim point, the people and the island are all a little bit mad and as much as you would like to leave there are just too many people saying other wise. 


Lara Croft Reborn

As I said before Lara Croft is an immortal figure in gaming as popular as her, arguably inspired, male counterpart Nathan Drake. She has always been presented as a confident and capable woman in previous games and that is what people think of when asked about her. However this is not the same Lara Croft no this is a Lara Croft for a generation of people who are unfamiliar with her plight, her business in Tomb Raiding.

Meet Lara Croft. Successful, bright, intelligent, has an eye for architecture and an ear for history, has braved the three peaks of England, She's english forgot to mention that, generally an alright gal. Lara is immediately thrown into a world that is unfamiliar to her a world in which she must survive by any means necessary, a world that has her struggle to get by.

If I had to say anything about Lara Croft as she is in this game then I would call her innately human. The way she is portrayed is human, her responses to situations, her uncertainties basically her personality is human. Which I think is an incredible step as most protagonists of games nowadays are buff guys who can shake off an arrow to the chest, its refreshing therefore to see someone react in a way that is plausible. Lara displays this humanity during the first couple of hours into the game by having to kill a deer for food and she is audibly upset by the process, when she is captured again by the enemy A.I. and is forced to then kill him she weeps after the ordeal as the shock of what happened sets in, this is what gives her character as at first she is shocked and worried about having to do these acts to survive Lara grows accustomed to it about mid way through the game, she realises that this is the reality she is faced with and that she must deal with it. 


Obviously if someone were pushed through an ordeal such as this, no one would come out the same. The most interesting thing about Lara's overall evolution is that, at first, she is timid, innocent, relatively weak….in combat terms most fights are a struggle and her inexperience is shown frequently in some of the games cutscenes, Lara really has to try against foes……at first. As the game goes on and Lara starts making use of different weapons and failsafes, she becomes more hardened by combat and the once innocent young woman is changed into an efficient killer and I have to say from my point of view its actually quite frightening how she can just transition from blubbering after having to kill a man to doing it so effortlessly later on, hell at one point Lara starts to taunt her enemies saying that they can't kill her. The change isn't sudden but it is one of the finer points of detail in this new Lara.

Thats not to say that she is a psychopath though, its not like Lara enjoys the killing I think she just thinks of it as another part of survival, as an archaeologist she has an interest in history and any time a relic is found during the game she will showcase her knowledge by narrating where the object is from proving that she isn't just all bluff. As her character progresses we see that Lara is also an incredibly resilient person doing feats and stunts most other characters wouldn't be able to, I mean thats the point of the game obviously if you got stuck with all the boring parts it wouldn't be fun but its still interesting. 

In all honesty I like this Lara Croft a lot, when compared to the original. Obviously I am a little biased as I've never shown interest in the series till now but even so she displays a new side of female protagonists and she makes an excellent case for more of them in the future. Lets remember guys, girls are just as capable of saving the world and rescuing the princess.


The Game itself

Tomb Raider itself is a game with very similar makeup to the Uncharted series, its easy to see where the influences came from, but don't get it twisted while there is a great amount of linearity to both games Tomb Raider allows for more searching, the game world is bigger and encourages back tracking as well as making use of all of your weapons and tools at your disposal. However it's fairly easy to get lost in the terrain of Tomb Raider as there is a lot of information at once, when using survival sense various objects of interest are highlighted as well as your current objective, this can make it difficult to navigate through areas with so much going on…not a humungous flaw but not something you always won't. 

But where does Tomb Raider prize itself, well it does it quite frequently in the form of collectable items and tombs to well, raid. There is a great amount of things to do in Tomb Raider even if it is only back tracking there is a great sense of wonder to it, and working out some of the puzzles, though frustrating at times, are rewarding. Tomb Raider feels like an adventure game as well with each time you climb a stone wall and each time you over come a difficult obstacle, its inviting and fun to scale some of the heights of the game and to witness its bleak surroundings. 

Which brings me to my next point. A constant feeling in Tomb Raider is the feeling of bleakness that the world has been drained of sympathy and colour it serves as a constant reminder of Lara's situation and while she may catch a break every now and then it is usually met with a catastrophic failure immediately afterwards. With other games the colours can be encouraging even optimistic and at the same time it makes the player feel better when playing through the game this isn't the case with Tomb Raider it is a grim reminder of the gruelling fate that Lara can expect and just when she can get her hopes up they are quickly dashed by any number of unforeseen circumstances. 

Finally the combat of the game. Tomb Raider incorporates a cover mechanic like most modern shooters but it endeavours to create situations in which you are forced to move and change tactics and with so many weapons at your disposal there really isn't any excuse not to switch periodically. The most intriguing part of Tomb Raiders combat is that Lara starts off rather docile, having no real combat experience previously that changes over the course of the game and she gains more devastating and brutal movements, one of the stealths takedowns is literally her shoving a climbing axe into an enemies head for an impromptu lobotomy. It adds character depth to Lara's skill set as she becomes increasingly aware that she cannot avoid killing it also shows how desperate she is to revert to such underhanded techniques to get the edge on opposition. Overall the emphasis on using Lara's quick movements and cunning is one of the finer points of it all, I suppose adding more variety will come in later games. Something I will note however is that I had a hard time believing that the inhabitants of Yamatia couldn't kill a single untrained woman, of course I suspended disbelief for the purposes of the game but it seemed to me that they weren't in as much danger as a lot of the npc's made out. 

The Closer

"A famous explorer once said, that the extraordinary is in what we do, not who we are. I'd finally set out to make my mark; to find adventure. But instead adventure found me. In our darkest moments, when life flashes before us, we find something; Something that keeps us going. Something that pushes us." - Lara Crofts Opening Lines

Tomb Raider is a colossal change from its predecessors, it is a unique change from previous games and it just feels like a good game. A recent theme with developers has been to reinvent certain series in an effort to bring them back to life and while I can say that certain series of games maybe don't need the vitality boost there are some that could use it. Tomb Raider is neither of the above, it didn't really need a reboot but for the purposes of getting younger generations interested in the series perhaps it was needed. From where I am sitting however I have to say that I throughly enjoyed Tomb Raider, this is one welcome reboot that shows the potential for the series to truly grow, to branch out.

Tomb Raider is a great game that stands apart from others of its genre it shows us the complexity of human life as well as a need to survive that borders on the primal. The game is captivating and not for the purposes of its graphics but simply for the struggle that the game presents as well as the various characters that endure the storm alongside Lara. If there is a better example of what a rebooted series should look like then I can think of no greater example than Tomb Raider. 

It also makes me hopeful for Rise of the Tomb Raider. As this game had me transfixed if Square stick to their guns and use the same formula I am sure they will be onto a winner. 

Uncharted 4

My impressions

I love the Uncharted series. I consider it to be the hall mark of adventure gaming, I love every part of it right from Nathan Drake's wit to the ball busting run and gun moments. Uncharted is many things at once, taking cue's from Indiana johns and tomb raider alike as examples. Uncharted is a mix of adventure game/ third person shooter/ movie type of game series and the thing that it prides itself on the most is its very narrative driven story complete with predictable villains and some unexpected villains, unforeseen sub plots, cult references and dynamic movie style fight scenes. Oh and lets not forget the scenery as it is something to die for.

The brains behind this series are, undoubtedly, the biggest and most successful out of the big 4 (The big four being Insomniac, Sucker punch, Ubisoft and Naughty Dog, I'll come back to why I call them that later) Naughty Dog. The minds behind such award winning series as Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter and most recently The Last of us. If you haven't heard of any of the above may I ask what rock you've been living under and is it at all good during winter months? I need somewhere to get away from the family. Naughty Dog are consistent in producing new and better content each time they embark on a new project and its interesting to see how they as a company have grown up based on the games they develop, with each one being more mature than the last. 

So to get to the crux of the point, Uncharted 4, as a fan what did I think? I was blown away. Then again people would say I am easy to please which is partly true however I do have some reservations, most out of character right? 

The trailer above starts by showing the viewer multiple paths. Most of Naughty dogs games have been linear in the way you reach your goal, you can go off to the side of the screen and find an artefact but thats it. So the first thing we notice is that this game may be the first one to allow us to chose our own routes to get to the goal, in the past it was always go from point A to point Z, now its more like go from Point A to point B, C or D to get to point Z……if you follow that. Basically its giving us freedom to decide the path even if we end up at the same spot. The next part shows Nate moving through caves, using familiar climbing mechanics it eventually leads us to a skeleton leaned against a flag. And this is where we see where Neil Druckman's influence comes into the game, the canonical triangle button to examine the flag is similar to the last of us. Not a bad thing it just feels familiar. As Nate comes out of the caves we see what I think might be a side quest or quest item, which would explain the multiple routes perhaps naughty dog have decided to give a new edge to their sword. After Nate examines this new information he makes his first sarcastic comment to a skeleton asking him if he's seen "a tall guy filled with stupid ideas about pirate treasure". At that point I had goose bumps, its always gratifying to hear Nolan Norths rendition of Nathan Drake, that school boy wit and sense of fun is what makes his character so great as well as those moments where Drake can be serious, its hard not to love him. Nate continues on and starts climbing the cliff in front of him. Half way up he makes another comment to the dead guy saying "You were trying to climb up there? In these boots?" adding a slight laugh to the end of his line. At this point we see a new mechanic added in; the ability to climb on certain walls through the use of a safety harness pin. After some more climbing and showing off this new tool Drake looks off towards his goal commenting on how far he still has to go and its at this point that the fun starts, because it wouldn't be Uncharted without some impromptu shoot out.


If Uncharted can be credited on anything then it would be credited on its fights. Showdowns that are so dynamic you'd think you were watching the newest blockbuster straight out of Hollywood. We see the familiar "low profile" stance that Nate takes when sneaking around however whats this? Is Drake hiding in the tall grass like a well hidden Pokemon? A new mechanic it would seem is new dynamic cover to make sneaking around a little easier. Nate starts to traverse the surrounding cliff sides to get the jump on his enemies and again I see a familiar element crop up again, the white line on the screen similar to the last of us when in listen mode indicates where Nate's enemies are and whether or not they've spotted him. It will sure make it easier to sneak around. Next we see the canonical stealth takedown with Nate stealing his enemies pistol. As he continues traversing we overhear a conversation by the enemy saying they could be here a while and they talk about Nate's companion. And then s*** hits the fan as the player is noticed. Because you know a guy hanging from a ledge is pretty noticeable. 

This is where we are treated to new combat moves. It has the same flair as the original games but there is some new features. The fights in Uncharted 4 don't look "Scripted" it seems more situation based similar in respect to Uncharted 3. As the trailer goes along we are treated to Nate's rope hook. Which allows him to reach new areas, like the npc's of previous games except this time Nate has it all the time. He uses it effectively in combat to get away from an incoming grenade and smack the guy responsible for throwing it. 

At this point I am quoting the trailer so I'll just sum up combat, its gratifying to see new mechanics while keeping that same feeling of Uncharted thats become a staple for the series. So onto the last part of the trailer which is where we meet Drake's "brother" well thats what he says. Drake is apparently a little bro to this new comer voiced by the wonderful Troy Baker. The trailer ends with him saying they have some treasure to find and a pan upwards to see what looks like a village in the distance. Now I am a sceptic when it comes to these types of characters, and I am calling it now this new guy Sam is not I repeat NOT Drake's older brother. I know a backstabber when I see one and I don't know if anyone else got that vibe but Drake has been duped before and this scenario feels familiar. But thats why I won't to be wrong, because it seems predictable I want to be wrong so that I can see that Naughty dog haven't lost the touch. 

So overall I love the look of this new Uncharted. It feels like the success that Uncharted 3 wasn't. Don't get me wrong all of the Uncharted series is pure gold but Uncharted 3 didn't deliver the same thrill that number 2 had. Lets hope that Uncharted 4 delivers the same feeling. Honestly I can't tell at the moment whether it will or not yet, all I can say with some certainty is that I am going to love it no matter what. Yeah, yeah I don't care what reviewers might say I am a hopeless romantic I look past flaws in games and from what I can tell this Uncharted may be one for the record books.




















Oh yeah never explained the big four from before. Ok so the Big Four, for me anyway, is those game companies that started off with quite cartoony games that eventually evolved into the series of today for instance Sucker Punch are the minds behind the Sly Cooper series a game series which I played when I was younger, Sly cooper eventually went on to become Infamous and Infamous spanned the PS3's lifetime and eventually it evolved to Infamous second son carrying on the torch into the most recent gen of console. Insomniac had Ratchet and Clank which went on to become Resistance (Ugghh)  and which eventually ended up as Sunset Overdrive (YAY!!!). Naughty Dog go Crash Bandicoot to Jak and Daxter to Uncharted and Uncharted to The Last of us. Ubisoft from Prince of Persia to Assassins Creed. Basically the big four are game companies that have matured with their audience and are always aiming to keep the content going. They are also companies that I've grown up around in my childhood.