People watch and listen to the news daily because they want to be updated. The news consists of information about events and happenings in the country and around the world. Those who are huge fans of the gaming industry often want to hear and read about the latest updates. These people who enjoy playing and wish to improve their level of skill always want to be updated. Even those who are only mildly interested will learn a lot from reviews as well. If the news is unavailable, they will not be able to learn anything new about the industry and this will be a huge disadvantage for him.
Types of Gaming Updates
In gaming news, there are soft, feature, and column news. If focuses more on the soft news category wherein the subject is not exactly serious in nature. Compared to news of war or political events, gaming news is not that "hard-core" but they are no less important. Gaming news may be the soft news in category but have a hard impact to gamers. Feature news focuses on the fresh gaming companies that are on the rise, as well as new gaming products or techniques to try in a particular game. Lastly, the column news is basically composed of a certain writer's personal opinion about a gadget, game or topic relative to the gaming industry.
Benefits of Gaming News
Being updated is beneficial to those involved in the gaming industry. Gaming companies, game developers, publishers, distributors and media companies get fresh information from gaming news. Most importantly, fans will be able to know about new tips or tricks in playing a particular game and know which latest gaming gadgets are going to be out in the market or are worth trying.
As you probably know, gamers are very dedicated. They willingly patronize a device or game that is said to be excellent. A particular game that is featured in the gaming news will immediately experience a surge in sales because most die-hard gamers want to give it a shot. If there were no gaming news, these products and games would remain unsold and unnoticed.
Where to Find the News?
News for gamers is not like typical news that can immediately be seen on television or read in the newspapers. But it is still available periodically. You can find news from magazines that are published monthly or quarterly. The news from this source is in-depth and includes news about the latest games releases and prices of gaming devices, among others. Some updates are sometimes featured on television especially when a company releases a new device or if there is a significant event happening. But the one place to find reliable and up-to-date gaming news is through the Internet. If you are looking for the latest gaming update, there are several gaming news sites and blogs filled with valuable information about the gaming industry. You can also see reviews and even win gaming gears when these sites offer promos and giveaways.
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Wednesday, 29 August 2012
Skyrim The Sandbox
Today we are going to be talking about Skyrim. Yes, again. Skyrim is that cool that it gets another article. What is it about Skyrim that makes it so cool? Well, look at what Skyrim is. It's an amazing medieval Western Fantasy RPG. It's not only that it's a sandbox in its truest and ultimate form.
Think about it. The game starts out with some exposition then you're let loose into the world all on your own. You're given a main quest arrow but you are not required to go that way. You can go right back into the tutorial cave if that's what you feel like doing.
You're character grows based off of how you play and what you do, and you're entire destiny is shaped by how you play. Want a house? Buy one. Want to murder guards everywhere? Do it. Get caught? Pay up or go to jail. Want to just wander the countryside killing bandits? You can. You can do anything. Quest, steal, rescue, kill, you can do anything. And the NPCs are semi intelligent. One quest I was on, I went and rescued someone from an elven fortress and they couldn't go back to their family for fear of his family's safety. When I went to break the bad news? Bam, they didn't trust me. I needed a special password in order for them to trust me.
This all leads to role playing. Most role playing games especially JRPGs mean that the character in the game has an epic scripted destiny to uphold. Now this is sort of role playing except that your character has already been created for you. Personality and all. There's really no pretending. In this case role playing game just means you choose which abilities the character gets throughout the game. There's no true role playing.
What is true role playing? The same stuff you do with pen and paper and your own imagination. Most people don't do this anymore, but D&D is the pinnacle of true role playing. Where you sit down with your friends and just create an epic story for yourself. No cut scenes no shuttling to the finish no prescripted events. Just your imagination an own free will to shape the experience.
And this is where Skyrim shines. You can do the main quest. But you don't have to the game wasn't built for that. No one finishes the main quest. Because the goal in Skyrim is to get distracted by the world itself and for you to go off exploring and finding your own path.
The ultimate goal of Skyrim isn't to be an experience. The goal of Skyrim is to give you the tools and allow you to make your own goal. If that means stealing all of the cheese in the world then fine that's what it was created for. I wish more games gave people the freedom to do that instead of railroading players everywhere. But then again there's a time and place for railroading.
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Think about it. The game starts out with some exposition then you're let loose into the world all on your own. You're given a main quest arrow but you are not required to go that way. You can go right back into the tutorial cave if that's what you feel like doing.
You're character grows based off of how you play and what you do, and you're entire destiny is shaped by how you play. Want a house? Buy one. Want to murder guards everywhere? Do it. Get caught? Pay up or go to jail. Want to just wander the countryside killing bandits? You can. You can do anything. Quest, steal, rescue, kill, you can do anything. And the NPCs are semi intelligent. One quest I was on, I went and rescued someone from an elven fortress and they couldn't go back to their family for fear of his family's safety. When I went to break the bad news? Bam, they didn't trust me. I needed a special password in order for them to trust me.
This all leads to role playing. Most role playing games especially JRPGs mean that the character in the game has an epic scripted destiny to uphold. Now this is sort of role playing except that your character has already been created for you. Personality and all. There's really no pretending. In this case role playing game just means you choose which abilities the character gets throughout the game. There's no true role playing.
What is true role playing? The same stuff you do with pen and paper and your own imagination. Most people don't do this anymore, but D&D is the pinnacle of true role playing. Where you sit down with your friends and just create an epic story for yourself. No cut scenes no shuttling to the finish no prescripted events. Just your imagination an own free will to shape the experience.
And this is where Skyrim shines. You can do the main quest. But you don't have to the game wasn't built for that. No one finishes the main quest. Because the goal in Skyrim is to get distracted by the world itself and for you to go off exploring and finding your own path.
The ultimate goal of Skyrim isn't to be an experience. The goal of Skyrim is to give you the tools and allow you to make your own goal. If that means stealing all of the cheese in the world then fine that's what it was created for. I wish more games gave people the freedom to do that instead of railroading players everywhere. But then again there's a time and place for railroading.
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Review: The Witcher 2 - Assassins of Kings - Enhanced Edition (XBOX 360)
Developer(s): CD Projekt RED
Publisher(s): Atari, Namco Bandai Games, Warner Bros. Interactive
Platform(s): Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360
Release Date: April 17, 2012
While president Obama was touring Europe, he received a rather unique gift after meeting the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. You see, the Polish fantasy writer Andrzej Sapkowski is somewhat of a literary rockstar overseas, and The Witcher Novels are jewels of Poland's fantasy lore. So what better way to greet the president of the United States than with a gift of the Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Special Edition video game? This gesture alone should tell you something about the title right away: it's respected, damn well received, and mature enough to be taken seriously by a Prime Minister. Let's put a lot of emphasis on the mature part, because this is one of the most adult RPGs you'll ever play. It's not just the nudity and sex that earns The Witcher 2 an M rating; it's the complex storyline that touches on racism, political machinations, and genocide; it's the game's reliance on players' intelligence that makes it exceptionally "grown-up." The Witcher 2 gives you a lot to work with, but it also asks you to become heavily invested in its history and traditions in order to get the most out of it.
The Good
- A truly adult RPG experience
- Breathtaking environments
- Spectacular voice acting and dialogue
- Strategic approach to combat
- Very Challenging
The Bad
- The controls feel oftentimes clumsy and unresponsive
- Extremely overwhelming at first (might turn off casual gamers)
- Quest tracking is a complete mess
- Stealth portions of the game are awful
- The Map is useless
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is a 2012 console port of a 2011 PC game. To be fair to console gamers, I won't compare the Xbox 360 version to the PC counterpart too much, nor will I go into details about the first Witcher game. Since this is the only Witcher game on consoles, I'll try to review it as a standalone title, so newcomers to the series know what to expect.
You play as Geralt of Rivia, one of the few remaining Witchers. Witchers are genetically enhanced humans that have been trained to fight monsters since childhood, and they possess special powers like alchemy and magic. It's not necessary to have played the original Witcher title since everything you need to know about the universe is explained throughout the adventure. However, those unfamiliar with the franchise might feel slightly lost and overwhelmed during the prologue. You begin the game in kingdom Temeria's prison interrogation room. Vernon Roche, commander of a Special Forces group called the Blue Stripes, questions Geralt in regards to the assassination of the king of Temeria, King Foltest. Geralt recounts the events leading up to the assassination and we find out that another Witcher, who's disguised as a blind monk, is responsible for the murder. Up until the last moments of the assassination, both Vernon and Triss Merigold (a sorceress and the Witcher's "companion") accompany Geralt and King Foltest during battle. When Geralt is found over the king's dead body after taking him to see his children, he's mistaken for the killer and thrown into jail by Temerian forces. The prologue goes back and forth between the interrogation and the battle, and you're pretty much thrown straight into the battlefield surrounded by dozens of enemy soldiers. I should also mention that Geralt suffers from amnesia, which is a nice narrative mechanic that ties the original Witcher to the sequel and introduces Geralt's past to newcomers of the franchise. Eventually, Geralt convinces Vernon that he will hunt down the king slayer and our adventure begins.
Before the prologue, you spend a few minutes in an arena environment where you're briefly introduced to the game's controls. Unfortunately, the game throws everything at you right away, giving you little time to become comfortable with the button layout before you're asked to slay your first horde of enemies. If the general mechanics followed your typical control scheme, it wouldn't be an issue, but the gameplay in The Witcher 2 takes a long time to get used to - it literally feels like the developers tried to cram the entire keyboard into the limited Xbox 360 controller.
Of course things get significantly better once you spend enough time on the battlefield, but moving around with Geralt never feels precise. When you're opening doors and chests, or even climbing certain areas, Geralt has to line up with the object accordingly before you're prompted to press "A". Oftentimes, you feel like you are re-aligning yourself awkwardly just to walk through a door. What's worse is the buttons don't respond consistently. In many instances, I found myself walking up to a door, pressing "A", repositioning myself, pressing "A" again, then waiting a full second for Geralt to perform the action. It's even more frustrating when you need to draw your sword. You press left on the D-pad for the long sword and right for Geralt's silver sword. The Xbox 360 D-pad is notorious for input lag and it's exasperating in The Witcher 2. Another major problem is Geralt's default walking speed. When you push the analog stick lightly, Geralt walks very slowly. Nudge it just a bit forward and he'll start running. Considering that Geralt has to disarm traps when he's out and about, it's very toilsome to move with caution. It's a shame that the simple act of navigating the world takes you out of the immersion.
Luckily, the sword fighting feels barbarous and fast. The sword mechanics handle quite nicely once you figure out how to single out foes, target them properly, and use your block/roll to dodge incoming attacks. The "X" button is used for strong attacks and the "A" button for quick strikes. Learning which attacks are necessary for the various enemy types is key to survival - it's just too bad that the targeting is so loose. You can assign "signs" (magic spells) to the "Y" button and even throw bombs, throwing-knives, and set traps with a click of the right shoulder button. Combat calls for a lot of strategy in later stages since each enemy requires different offensive maneuvers.
The Witcher 2 tries to be very realistic in that it forces you to prepare for battles. Rather then relying on health potions during fights, Geralt has to ready himself with sword enhancing oils, vigor enhancing potions and other elixirs before venturing out. This seems odd at first, since you might walk into an ambush with only a fraction of your health, but once you wise up on the dangers of your surroundings, it adds a whole new layer of strategy to combat. You get a greater sense of danger when walking into a forest and you need to constantly ready yourself for unexpected encounters. This kind of tension is truly unique and it makes you feel like you're learning to adapt to your environment, the longer you play.
As you accumulate experience points, you upgrade your skill tree, which consists of five categories: Training Tree, Magic Tree, Alchemy Tree, and Swordsmanship Tree - each consisting of fifteen talents. The various talent upgrades have a significant impact on character development and playing style. I mainly focused on the Swordsmanship talents since the parrying and dodge maneuvers come in handy during heated battles. In order to upgrade your skills, drink and create potions, and even rest, you have to go into a meditative state. The tricky part is that you can only meditate when no enemies are around. Meditation allows you to craft necessary potions for battle and it's important to regularly refill your inventory. It's certainly strange at first, but I have to applaud the developers for trying something original.
Pressing the left analog stick also activates Geralt's medallion. The medallion does a quick scan of the environment, revealing traps, hidden treasures and even upcoming enemies. It's similar to the scanning function found in Prototype 2 or Infamous. Then there are the occasional stealth segments, which are the worst gameplay elements in the entire game. They are clumsy and feel completely out of place. It's a good thing they only occur occasionally.
The voice acting, music and overall presentation is exceptional. The characters feel convincingly real and every location radiates with history. All of the performances are extraordinary and I felt invested in every conversation. Every character has something interesting to say and the game's expansive lore is deeply immersive.
The game has a unique quest structure that insists on your commitment to read journal entries and memorize names. Certain quests will ask you to defeat some creatures in nearby forests - but before you can do that, you need to talk to the townsfolk and learn about the monsters before you can slay them. It requires some legwork since nothing is marked on your map and you need to pay close attention to what the villagers are saying. This might frustrate gamers that are used to simply following quest markers on the map, but it ads an incomparable sense or realism to your missions. Of course, other quests fit into your typical template of following the marked waypoint, but that's when the game goes completely kaput. In my playthrough, the quest markers were wrong eighty percent of the time, especially in chapter 2. I spent three hours on a particular quest because the marker kept repositioning itself all over the map. This is unacceptable and affects the overall enjoyment of the game. But to the game's credit, when things work, they work beautifully. You feel like every decision impacts the story drastically and things are never simply black and white. Certain decisions will alter the progression of an entire chapter and this ads an immense level of replayability to the game.
The Witcher 2 looks fantastic! The environments are stunning and the game boasts some of the most detailed forests I've ever seen. The developers recommend installing the game to Xbox's HDD and I can see why. Meshes are significantly better and the textures load much faster. Character models look great, although lip-syncing is somewhat robotic and unnatural. The animations in combat are extremely fluid, but they seem to lack the same finesse during cut-scenes. Texture pop-in still occurs even after the install, and while it's not a game breaker, it's clearly noticeable. It's not so much the graphics engine that's impressive; it's the awe-inspiring art style. The villages and towns are meticulously designed and there's an incredible amount of environmental variety throughout the game. Venturing out during nighttime feels legitimately scary and watching the sunrise paints the entire screen in vibrant colors.
The Witcher 2 is not for everyone. Geralt can sleep with whores around every corner and the game shows quite a bit of the "action." Racism plays a huge role in the game's story and if you're not paying attention, you might get lost in the game's politics. But it's all these things that make the game truly unique. The Witcher 2 treats you like an adult and refuses to hold your hand. The game has several different endings and certain decisions will affect large portions of your playthrough, so you have plenty reasons to go back. In the gameplay department, The Witcher 2 shines conceptually, but fails to deliver in the most fundamental areas, such as opening doors and moving around. While the combat has some solid sword mechanics and nice touches of strategic planning, it ultimately feels imprecise and wonky, making it the game's weakest area. Regardless of the shortcomings, this is a game that must be experienced by any serious RPG fan. There aren't many games like it and I surely hope to see more of Geralt's dark Witcher universe.
FINAL SCORE -"A Must for RPG Fans" -(8.5)
GRAPHICS
Stunningly detailed environments with occasional pop in, even after the install. (8.5)
GAMEPLAY
Opening doors and interacting with objects is a pain, but the sword fighting is fast, brutal and fun. (7.5)
STORY
A dark storyline that makes you feel deeply immersed and gives you plenty of choices to shape the narrative. (9.0)
SOUND
Some of the best voice acting and dialogue around. (9.0)
For more, visit: http://www.thegamescouts.com
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Publisher(s): Atari, Namco Bandai Games, Warner Bros. Interactive
Platform(s): Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360
Release Date: April 17, 2012
While president Obama was touring Europe, he received a rather unique gift after meeting the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. You see, the Polish fantasy writer Andrzej Sapkowski is somewhat of a literary rockstar overseas, and The Witcher Novels are jewels of Poland's fantasy lore. So what better way to greet the president of the United States than with a gift of the Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Special Edition video game? This gesture alone should tell you something about the title right away: it's respected, damn well received, and mature enough to be taken seriously by a Prime Minister. Let's put a lot of emphasis on the mature part, because this is one of the most adult RPGs you'll ever play. It's not just the nudity and sex that earns The Witcher 2 an M rating; it's the complex storyline that touches on racism, political machinations, and genocide; it's the game's reliance on players' intelligence that makes it exceptionally "grown-up." The Witcher 2 gives you a lot to work with, but it also asks you to become heavily invested in its history and traditions in order to get the most out of it.
The Good
- A truly adult RPG experience
- Breathtaking environments
- Spectacular voice acting and dialogue
- Strategic approach to combat
- Very Challenging
The Bad
- The controls feel oftentimes clumsy and unresponsive
- Extremely overwhelming at first (might turn off casual gamers)
- Quest tracking is a complete mess
- Stealth portions of the game are awful
- The Map is useless
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is a 2012 console port of a 2011 PC game. To be fair to console gamers, I won't compare the Xbox 360 version to the PC counterpart too much, nor will I go into details about the first Witcher game. Since this is the only Witcher game on consoles, I'll try to review it as a standalone title, so newcomers to the series know what to expect.
You play as Geralt of Rivia, one of the few remaining Witchers. Witchers are genetically enhanced humans that have been trained to fight monsters since childhood, and they possess special powers like alchemy and magic. It's not necessary to have played the original Witcher title since everything you need to know about the universe is explained throughout the adventure. However, those unfamiliar with the franchise might feel slightly lost and overwhelmed during the prologue. You begin the game in kingdom Temeria's prison interrogation room. Vernon Roche, commander of a Special Forces group called the Blue Stripes, questions Geralt in regards to the assassination of the king of Temeria, King Foltest. Geralt recounts the events leading up to the assassination and we find out that another Witcher, who's disguised as a blind monk, is responsible for the murder. Up until the last moments of the assassination, both Vernon and Triss Merigold (a sorceress and the Witcher's "companion") accompany Geralt and King Foltest during battle. When Geralt is found over the king's dead body after taking him to see his children, he's mistaken for the killer and thrown into jail by Temerian forces. The prologue goes back and forth between the interrogation and the battle, and you're pretty much thrown straight into the battlefield surrounded by dozens of enemy soldiers. I should also mention that Geralt suffers from amnesia, which is a nice narrative mechanic that ties the original Witcher to the sequel and introduces Geralt's past to newcomers of the franchise. Eventually, Geralt convinces Vernon that he will hunt down the king slayer and our adventure begins.
Before the prologue, you spend a few minutes in an arena environment where you're briefly introduced to the game's controls. Unfortunately, the game throws everything at you right away, giving you little time to become comfortable with the button layout before you're asked to slay your first horde of enemies. If the general mechanics followed your typical control scheme, it wouldn't be an issue, but the gameplay in The Witcher 2 takes a long time to get used to - it literally feels like the developers tried to cram the entire keyboard into the limited Xbox 360 controller.
Of course things get significantly better once you spend enough time on the battlefield, but moving around with Geralt never feels precise. When you're opening doors and chests, or even climbing certain areas, Geralt has to line up with the object accordingly before you're prompted to press "A". Oftentimes, you feel like you are re-aligning yourself awkwardly just to walk through a door. What's worse is the buttons don't respond consistently. In many instances, I found myself walking up to a door, pressing "A", repositioning myself, pressing "A" again, then waiting a full second for Geralt to perform the action. It's even more frustrating when you need to draw your sword. You press left on the D-pad for the long sword and right for Geralt's silver sword. The Xbox 360 D-pad is notorious for input lag and it's exasperating in The Witcher 2. Another major problem is Geralt's default walking speed. When you push the analog stick lightly, Geralt walks very slowly. Nudge it just a bit forward and he'll start running. Considering that Geralt has to disarm traps when he's out and about, it's very toilsome to move with caution. It's a shame that the simple act of navigating the world takes you out of the immersion.
Luckily, the sword fighting feels barbarous and fast. The sword mechanics handle quite nicely once you figure out how to single out foes, target them properly, and use your block/roll to dodge incoming attacks. The "X" button is used for strong attacks and the "A" button for quick strikes. Learning which attacks are necessary for the various enemy types is key to survival - it's just too bad that the targeting is so loose. You can assign "signs" (magic spells) to the "Y" button and even throw bombs, throwing-knives, and set traps with a click of the right shoulder button. Combat calls for a lot of strategy in later stages since each enemy requires different offensive maneuvers.
The Witcher 2 tries to be very realistic in that it forces you to prepare for battles. Rather then relying on health potions during fights, Geralt has to ready himself with sword enhancing oils, vigor enhancing potions and other elixirs before venturing out. This seems odd at first, since you might walk into an ambush with only a fraction of your health, but once you wise up on the dangers of your surroundings, it adds a whole new layer of strategy to combat. You get a greater sense of danger when walking into a forest and you need to constantly ready yourself for unexpected encounters. This kind of tension is truly unique and it makes you feel like you're learning to adapt to your environment, the longer you play.
As you accumulate experience points, you upgrade your skill tree, which consists of five categories: Training Tree, Magic Tree, Alchemy Tree, and Swordsmanship Tree - each consisting of fifteen talents. The various talent upgrades have a significant impact on character development and playing style. I mainly focused on the Swordsmanship talents since the parrying and dodge maneuvers come in handy during heated battles. In order to upgrade your skills, drink and create potions, and even rest, you have to go into a meditative state. The tricky part is that you can only meditate when no enemies are around. Meditation allows you to craft necessary potions for battle and it's important to regularly refill your inventory. It's certainly strange at first, but I have to applaud the developers for trying something original.
Pressing the left analog stick also activates Geralt's medallion. The medallion does a quick scan of the environment, revealing traps, hidden treasures and even upcoming enemies. It's similar to the scanning function found in Prototype 2 or Infamous. Then there are the occasional stealth segments, which are the worst gameplay elements in the entire game. They are clumsy and feel completely out of place. It's a good thing they only occur occasionally.
The voice acting, music and overall presentation is exceptional. The characters feel convincingly real and every location radiates with history. All of the performances are extraordinary and I felt invested in every conversation. Every character has something interesting to say and the game's expansive lore is deeply immersive.
The game has a unique quest structure that insists on your commitment to read journal entries and memorize names. Certain quests will ask you to defeat some creatures in nearby forests - but before you can do that, you need to talk to the townsfolk and learn about the monsters before you can slay them. It requires some legwork since nothing is marked on your map and you need to pay close attention to what the villagers are saying. This might frustrate gamers that are used to simply following quest markers on the map, but it ads an incomparable sense or realism to your missions. Of course, other quests fit into your typical template of following the marked waypoint, but that's when the game goes completely kaput. In my playthrough, the quest markers were wrong eighty percent of the time, especially in chapter 2. I spent three hours on a particular quest because the marker kept repositioning itself all over the map. This is unacceptable and affects the overall enjoyment of the game. But to the game's credit, when things work, they work beautifully. You feel like every decision impacts the story drastically and things are never simply black and white. Certain decisions will alter the progression of an entire chapter and this ads an immense level of replayability to the game.
The Witcher 2 looks fantastic! The environments are stunning and the game boasts some of the most detailed forests I've ever seen. The developers recommend installing the game to Xbox's HDD and I can see why. Meshes are significantly better and the textures load much faster. Character models look great, although lip-syncing is somewhat robotic and unnatural. The animations in combat are extremely fluid, but they seem to lack the same finesse during cut-scenes. Texture pop-in still occurs even after the install, and while it's not a game breaker, it's clearly noticeable. It's not so much the graphics engine that's impressive; it's the awe-inspiring art style. The villages and towns are meticulously designed and there's an incredible amount of environmental variety throughout the game. Venturing out during nighttime feels legitimately scary and watching the sunrise paints the entire screen in vibrant colors.
The Witcher 2 is not for everyone. Geralt can sleep with whores around every corner and the game shows quite a bit of the "action." Racism plays a huge role in the game's story and if you're not paying attention, you might get lost in the game's politics. But it's all these things that make the game truly unique. The Witcher 2 treats you like an adult and refuses to hold your hand. The game has several different endings and certain decisions will affect large portions of your playthrough, so you have plenty reasons to go back. In the gameplay department, The Witcher 2 shines conceptually, but fails to deliver in the most fundamental areas, such as opening doors and moving around. While the combat has some solid sword mechanics and nice touches of strategic planning, it ultimately feels imprecise and wonky, making it the game's weakest area. Regardless of the shortcomings, this is a game that must be experienced by any serious RPG fan. There aren't many games like it and I surely hope to see more of Geralt's dark Witcher universe.
FINAL SCORE -"A Must for RPG Fans" -(8.5)
GRAPHICS
Stunningly detailed environments with occasional pop in, even after the install. (8.5)
GAMEPLAY
Opening doors and interacting with objects is a pain, but the sword fighting is fast, brutal and fun. (7.5)
STORY
A dark storyline that makes you feel deeply immersed and gives you plenty of choices to shape the narrative. (9.0)
SOUND
Some of the best voice acting and dialogue around. (9.0)
For more, visit: http://www.thegamescouts.com
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Tuesday, 28 August 2012
Review: Rainbow Moon (PS3)
Developer(s): EastAsiaSoft
Platform(s): PlayStation Network
Price: $14.99
Release Date: July 4, 2012
Roleplaying games have come very far from their tabletop ancestors. Trigger-happy gamers have lost interest in the more tactical approach to RPGs and we see more titles leaning towards action and faster paced gameplay. Precise item management and strategic planning are almost extinct, with only a few titles like Dungeon Defenders, Disgaea, and now the PSN exclusive Rainbow Moon preserving the tradition.
Rainbow Moon is an encyclopedia of old school treasures. The game combines the best elements of classic strategy RPG titles into a vast, 100+ hour journey, and it's only 15$. Don't be fooled by the cutesy graphics and perplexing title, Rainbow Moon is a deep, grid based strategy game for skilled RPG buffs.
The Good
- Addictive Gameplay
- Lengthy Campaign
- Charming Visuals
- Memorable Soundtrack
- It's only 15$
The Bad
- Grinding might turn off some players
- Uninteresting story
After a shadow-puppet style opening, you take role of Baldren, a warrior who gets tossed through a portal by his long-time nemesis. Waking up on the mysterious Rainbow Moon, Baldren unwillingly opens a dimensional gate, letting hordes of monsters overtake the peaceful planet. You meet quirky characters on your quest to save Rainbow Moon, some of which join your party, but it's clear that the hackneyed narrative is an afterthought. This isn't a bad thing though. Rainbow Moon shines on the battlefield. This is a glorious throwback to games like Final Fantasy Tactics and Ogre Tactics.
Rainbow Moon does an exemplary job of teaching you how to play. Whether you're a veteran strategist or never played a game of this type, battles gradually introduce new gameplay mechanics and ways to manage your supplies. Failing to optimize your armor and skill points is detrimental to success. Each minor skill boost and every item in your inventory is key to advancing. Yes, grinding is a must, but it never feels boring or cheap. As you traverse the colorful world, you'll see enemies patrolling the environment, with some encounters initiated randomly. A fight occurs every couple of steps, but enemies get significantly tougher in each new area.
Dying in battle puts you back in the same spot on the map where you crossed the enemy, but with 1HP on your life bar. This allows you to either journey back to a healer, fight easier enemies to level up, or simply try again. The encounters are exhilarating. Like a game of chess, you move on a grid and your actions are turn based. The frequency and distance of your moves increases by leveling up your character. A higher level, however, doesn't always result in a win. You need to upgrade your skill points and armor accordingly in order to gain advantage in battle. Each win rewards you with rainbow points, which can be spent to increase defense, attack power, luck, speed, and so forth. It's imperative that you manage your inventory properly as you'll run out of potions and food in no time. That's right, your characters need to eat, otherwise their health degenerates when they're hungry. The micromanaging might sound like a chore, but everything has a direct impact on your performance in battle. As a result, it never feels repetitive or pointless.
You begin the game with only one character, Baldren, but new warriors with varied skills and weapons join you later, adding another level of challenge to enemy encounters. Once you have three team members, things get much trickier. If a character uses a bow and arrow, for example, they need to be two squares away in order to strike the enemy. Others might need to be adjacent to the opponent, unless they are using a skill that has a specific hit formation. Additionally, there's a weapon hierarchy that has a direct impact on your attack points. Using your sword on enemies with an axe results in less damage than when attacking someone with a bow and arrow. There's more to the system, but you get the gist of it.
The colorful world of Raibow Moon has a very distinct, charming art style. It's reminiscent of Super Nintendo's Dragon Warrior and Breath of Fire games, but with an HD facelift. The environments are surprisingly diverse, with deep forests, vast deserts, sunny beaches, and even snow-covered mountains. The same can't be said for enemy variety. Each area has its own enemy type, but it can take several hours of grinding before you meet new foes. Likewise, character animation could use work. The movement is choppy and attacks look like they consist of two frames of animation. Maybe it's a stylistic choice, referencing the 16-bit era just like the graphics, but it looks clumsy. Even so, the visuals have personality and stay fresh throughout the entire adventure.
The townsfolk of Rainbow Moon don't speak, aside from a few mumbling words that trigger text boxes, but the music is exceptionally captivating. I found myself humming the theme song long after finishing the game. Each area has its own well-placed soundtrack, with battle music undeniably characteristic of glorious SNES days.
You begin the game with only one character, Baldren, but new warriors with varied skills and weapons join you later, adding another level of challenge to enemy encounters. Once you have three team members, things get much trickier. If a character uses a bow and arrow, for example, they need to be two squares away in order to strike the enemy. Others might need to be adjacent to the opponent, unless they are using a skill that has a specific hit formation. Additionally, there's a weapon hierarchy that has a direct impact on your attack points. Using your sword on enemies with an axe results in less damage than when attacking someone with a bow and arrow. There's more to the system, but you get the gist of it.
The colorful world of Raibow Moon has a very distinct, charming art style. It's reminiscent of Super Nintendo's Dragon Warrior and Breath of Fire games, but with an HD facelift. The environments are surprisingly diverse, with deep forests, vast deserts, sunny beaches, and even snow-covered mountains. The same can't be said for enemy variety. Each area has its own enemy type, but it can take several hours of grinding before you meet new foes. Likewise, character animation could use work. The movement is choppy and attacks look like they consist of two frames of animation. Maybe it's a stylistic choice, referencing the 16-bit era just like the graphics, but it looks clumsy. Even so, the visuals have personality and stay fresh throughout the entire adventure.
The townsfolk of Rainbow Moon don't speak, aside from a few mumbling words that trigger text boxes, but the music is exceptionally captivating. I found myself humming the theme song long after finishing the game. Each area has its own well-placed soundtrack, with battle music undeniably characteristic of glorious SNES days.
FINAL SCORE - "Instant Classic" - (9.0)
GRAPHICS
Incredibly charming and cute. A high definition version of old school goodness. (8.0)
GAMEPLAY
One of the most addictive strategy RPGs available. It's incredibly deep and complex, yet never overwhelming. (9.5)
VALUE
Over 100 hours for only 15$? I don't think it gets better than that. (9.5)
SOUND
Very memorable tunes and adorable character chatter. It's somewhat repetitive at times but it never gets annoying. (8.0)
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Platform(s): PlayStation Network
Price: $14.99
Release Date: July 4, 2012
Roleplaying games have come very far from their tabletop ancestors. Trigger-happy gamers have lost interest in the more tactical approach to RPGs and we see more titles leaning towards action and faster paced gameplay. Precise item management and strategic planning are almost extinct, with only a few titles like Dungeon Defenders, Disgaea, and now the PSN exclusive Rainbow Moon preserving the tradition.
Rainbow Moon is an encyclopedia of old school treasures. The game combines the best elements of classic strategy RPG titles into a vast, 100+ hour journey, and it's only 15$. Don't be fooled by the cutesy graphics and perplexing title, Rainbow Moon is a deep, grid based strategy game for skilled RPG buffs.
The Good
- Addictive Gameplay
- Lengthy Campaign
- Charming Visuals
- Memorable Soundtrack
- It's only 15$
The Bad
- Grinding might turn off some players
- Uninteresting story
After a shadow-puppet style opening, you take role of Baldren, a warrior who gets tossed through a portal by his long-time nemesis. Waking up on the mysterious Rainbow Moon, Baldren unwillingly opens a dimensional gate, letting hordes of monsters overtake the peaceful planet. You meet quirky characters on your quest to save Rainbow Moon, some of which join your party, but it's clear that the hackneyed narrative is an afterthought. This isn't a bad thing though. Rainbow Moon shines on the battlefield. This is a glorious throwback to games like Final Fantasy Tactics and Ogre Tactics.
Rainbow Moon does an exemplary job of teaching you how to play. Whether you're a veteran strategist or never played a game of this type, battles gradually introduce new gameplay mechanics and ways to manage your supplies. Failing to optimize your armor and skill points is detrimental to success. Each minor skill boost and every item in your inventory is key to advancing. Yes, grinding is a must, but it never feels boring or cheap. As you traverse the colorful world, you'll see enemies patrolling the environment, with some encounters initiated randomly. A fight occurs every couple of steps, but enemies get significantly tougher in each new area.
Dying in battle puts you back in the same spot on the map where you crossed the enemy, but with 1HP on your life bar. This allows you to either journey back to a healer, fight easier enemies to level up, or simply try again. The encounters are exhilarating. Like a game of chess, you move on a grid and your actions are turn based. The frequency and distance of your moves increases by leveling up your character. A higher level, however, doesn't always result in a win. You need to upgrade your skill points and armor accordingly in order to gain advantage in battle. Each win rewards you with rainbow points, which can be spent to increase defense, attack power, luck, speed, and so forth. It's imperative that you manage your inventory properly as you'll run out of potions and food in no time. That's right, your characters need to eat, otherwise their health degenerates when they're hungry. The micromanaging might sound like a chore, but everything has a direct impact on your performance in battle. As a result, it never feels repetitive or pointless.
You begin the game with only one character, Baldren, but new warriors with varied skills and weapons join you later, adding another level of challenge to enemy encounters. Once you have three team members, things get much trickier. If a character uses a bow and arrow, for example, they need to be two squares away in order to strike the enemy. Others might need to be adjacent to the opponent, unless they are using a skill that has a specific hit formation. Additionally, there's a weapon hierarchy that has a direct impact on your attack points. Using your sword on enemies with an axe results in less damage than when attacking someone with a bow and arrow. There's more to the system, but you get the gist of it.
The colorful world of Raibow Moon has a very distinct, charming art style. It's reminiscent of Super Nintendo's Dragon Warrior and Breath of Fire games, but with an HD facelift. The environments are surprisingly diverse, with deep forests, vast deserts, sunny beaches, and even snow-covered mountains. The same can't be said for enemy variety. Each area has its own enemy type, but it can take several hours of grinding before you meet new foes. Likewise, character animation could use work. The movement is choppy and attacks look like they consist of two frames of animation. Maybe it's a stylistic choice, referencing the 16-bit era just like the graphics, but it looks clumsy. Even so, the visuals have personality and stay fresh throughout the entire adventure.
The townsfolk of Rainbow Moon don't speak, aside from a few mumbling words that trigger text boxes, but the music is exceptionally captivating. I found myself humming the theme song long after finishing the game. Each area has its own well-placed soundtrack, with battle music undeniably characteristic of glorious SNES days.
You begin the game with only one character, Baldren, but new warriors with varied skills and weapons join you later, adding another level of challenge to enemy encounters. Once you have three team members, things get much trickier. If a character uses a bow and arrow, for example, they need to be two squares away in order to strike the enemy. Others might need to be adjacent to the opponent, unless they are using a skill that has a specific hit formation. Additionally, there's a weapon hierarchy that has a direct impact on your attack points. Using your sword on enemies with an axe results in less damage than when attacking someone with a bow and arrow. There's more to the system, but you get the gist of it.
The colorful world of Raibow Moon has a very distinct, charming art style. It's reminiscent of Super Nintendo's Dragon Warrior and Breath of Fire games, but with an HD facelift. The environments are surprisingly diverse, with deep forests, vast deserts, sunny beaches, and even snow-covered mountains. The same can't be said for enemy variety. Each area has its own enemy type, but it can take several hours of grinding before you meet new foes. Likewise, character animation could use work. The movement is choppy and attacks look like they consist of two frames of animation. Maybe it's a stylistic choice, referencing the 16-bit era just like the graphics, but it looks clumsy. Even so, the visuals have personality and stay fresh throughout the entire adventure.
The townsfolk of Rainbow Moon don't speak, aside from a few mumbling words that trigger text boxes, but the music is exceptionally captivating. I found myself humming the theme song long after finishing the game. Each area has its own well-placed soundtrack, with battle music undeniably characteristic of glorious SNES days.
FINAL SCORE - "Instant Classic" - (9.0)
GRAPHICS
Incredibly charming and cute. A high definition version of old school goodness. (8.0)
GAMEPLAY
One of the most addictive strategy RPGs available. It's incredibly deep and complex, yet never overwhelming. (9.5)
VALUE
Over 100 hours for only 15$? I don't think it gets better than that. (9.5)
SOUND
Very memorable tunes and adorable character chatter. It's somewhat repetitive at times but it never gets annoying. (8.0)
For more gaming reviews, visit us at: http://www.thegamescouts.com
ExperTrans language - multilingual services
ExperTrans voice-overs services
ExperTrans interpreting translation services
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