Category: PC

Lone Survivor

Z1GTeam PC, Reviews

Impulse buys. We’ve all experienced them. You picked up a game and after looking at the cover you’re instantly drawn into the game and throwing your money at the seller. Those pesky people at Steam had advertised Lone Survivor as I was aimlessly searching through for some cheap games. I had heard nothing about it, seen nothing of it apart from the image that was on the page above the ‘Purchase’ button.

Lone Survivor is a survival horror game by Jasper Bryne. A comic book/pixelated game, graphically; it reminded me something that could perhaps be a contender against the Scott Pilgrim comics. The character you play as, referred to as ‘You’ but who I swiftly named Steve, has been trapped within the city as an outbreak of monsters has happened. The basic core of a story involving a character being trapped within their city during an outbreak or some form of disease is not exactly a new one to the gaming world and one that’s been told more times than Cinderella losing her shoe. Still, I started the game with a neutral opinion on it and jumped into the horror that it was no doubt about to deliver.

I really liked the character ‘You’ (aka Steve) – the comments on things as they explored the city were amusing and I slowly got more interested into their mental state. There are several times throughout the game where Steve has a blackout and enters a dream where you can encounter other people who will play tricks on what you (the player) believes is true.  It’s a thin twisting layer that sits nicely on top of the basic story that I was previously talking about but it wasn’t something that pulled me right into the game and kept me hooked. I constantly found myself getting distracted and/or fed up with playing Lone Survivor after a few hours but yet I found myself returning to it later on in the day to play some more, but what had a hold of my mind that I had to carry on playing it?

Two things struck out to me as being executed and put together really well for the game, much like Irn Bru and a Scottish person, was the sound and visuals.  I enjoyed playing on the pixelated graphics of the game and I was surprised that even with the constraint of chance for cinematic cut scenes, the hallucinations and the blackouts were done really well. With a black screen, I was instantly unsettled and wondered what monsters was going to pop up in front of me or where I would be.  With eerie music being played while you were walking coming to a sudden halt to have vicious outbreaks of sound as your character blackouts – you can’t put in a bad word on how well they’ve brought these two elements together to provide a starting point to a decent horror experience to the player. Unfortunately, I felt the monsters let the game down due to them not exactly adding to the suspense that was starting to be set up with the visuals and sound of the game. The monsters didn’t pose much of a threat to me as I could easily sneak past them or kill them with a few bullets and nor did they jump out at you like any other horror game would have thought to have been second nature. There was a lack of diversity with the monsters as well. With all due respect, each respective type of monsters got progressively harder to kill off but with only two main types of monsters and the same number of bosses – the challenge of this game didn’t really lie with the monsters coming to attack you in the middle of the night but relied more on your survival.

With limited supplies on food and ammo at hand, it’s a difficult time to try and get going with your weekly shopping when you have to remember about the monsters patrolling the hallways and streets. As with any post-apocalyptic game, the supplies are scarce.  Surviving on cheese and crackers isn’t exactly agreeing with your stomach, batteries are running low on your flashlight, ammo is almost gone – where do you go?! Lone Survivor has the answer that perhaps isn’t something that you should rely on whenever this does inevitably happen in real life – popping pills. Three types pills are at your disposal in Lone Survivor – red, green and blue – each with their own perks, so to speak. One will provide you with an instant lift and keep you on your feet and no side effects from it. The other two could potentially land Steve with some extra ammo or batteries being delivered out of thing air but they cause drowsiness and give Steve some really messed up nightmares. This is where Lone Survivor starts to play tricks and gets your mind working overdrive. What is real? Is this person really there and if so, am I actually speaking to them. What is that person trying to tell me?!  Progressing through the story some more, when you do cross someone that becomes your friend, I was sitting there asking myself “are they real, is this happening?” for a good while.  Known as The Director, you can go to his apartment and visit him to get those precious supplies, sometimes free although he does like to trade for those Sleepy Cat comics he so desires.

Although you have a person helping you on the supply side of things, Lone Survivor doesn’t directly hold your hand through the game. Without checking the radio and diary situated in your room on a regular basis, it’s easy to become lost and confused on where you’re meant to go. Thankfully, with a bit of an annoying save system, you will be visiting your room often enough to be kept in the know. I saw the small matter of saving my game a bit of an arduous task. Having to sleep in your own bed to save your progess, I often found myself making minimal progress with the game in between saves. It felt like I was taking a few baby steps before taking a bit of a leap back when I thought I best go save the game. Whenever I tried to go that little bit extra before returning to the apartment, I would be killed off and have to start from my previous save – somewhat of a pain in my butt when I had just found the place I needed to go. With Lone Survivor being a 2D side scrolling game, it can be a bit of a difficult task to try and navigate your way through the environment. Thankfully, they’ve met you halfway and provided you with a map but, the constant checking of the map to ensure you’re on the right path or in the right room is a hassle in itself.  As I have already touched upon, I was often finding myself wanting to turn off the game and do something else and I reckon these played a factor towards that.

In saying that, even though I have identified some negatives about the game, Lone Survivor is an enjoyable game to complete over the course of a weekend, especially if you’ve picked it up cheap in the Steam Summer Sale. With various endings to the game depending on what pills you’ve been taking more of (yes you will become a drug user throughout this game just don’t do it in real life kids!), it has the potential sitting there for some replay value for those who wish to go back through it again but after my first play through, I didn’t feel like the game had left any impact on me to make me want to back through it again. Perhaps this could be a different story in a couple of months but we shall see.

Lone Survivor stands well as a survival game however it does lack some of the horror aspects that I was hoping to get from playing it. Where the visuals and sounds do the game justice, the elements of enemies and a bland and predictable story didn’t deliver for me and accumulate to what could have been a real gem of a game. Because of that, I give Lone Survivor a 6.5 out of 10 – definitely a buy at a cheap price for an fun game but not one that I would be pouring my money at.

Spec Ops: The Line

Z1GTeam PC, PS3, Reviews, Xbox 360

Spec Ops: The Line is a game that many people and perhaps you have passed off as a “generic shooter” and by all means. Yes it has guns, it has fire fights and third person perspectives on the aiming but Yager Development have made this game so much more than that and I’m going to tell you why.

I’m suspecting that most people reading this have only heard of Spec Ops in the past few months what with the demo going live and trailers gracing our computer monitors however, I have been waiting on this game for around two years. After first setting my eyes on screenshots of the game, I was drawn to something – the sand. This was something that was fresh and new to see in a shooter game and I feel that point still stands today. The backstory to Spec Ops: The Line is that an evacuation process was underway when Colonel Konrad defied his orders in an attempt to save more people from the sandstorm that was about to hit Dubai. It has been six months from that day and two weeks ago, a distress call was heard from Konrad himself. This is where our story begins when you play as Captain Martin Walker and accompanied by Lieutenant Adams and Sargent Lugo, the three of you are sent on a mission to find Konrad.

With Dubai being half buried by sand, Spec Ops definitely has that post – apocalyptic feel to it, more of which I will go into later, but was an eerie setting to play through. No guns being fired. No shouts from the enemies (not yet anyway) but just the sand, wind and Lugo giving his normal comedic comments about the mission in a light-hearted fashion as we walked through the devastation that had been caused by the sand on Dubai. When the fire fights did start however, the gun mechanics were solid and using the cover based system was easy to dip in and out of cover, picking off enemies as you went and using the team command controls to pick off snipers from afar. So far, Spec Ops was living up to its expectations in my eyes.  The first real ‘Wow’ moment for me came when you were told to shoot out the windows of an abandoned bus that was lying lopsided above the heads of three enemies that you had come across on your travels into the city. Thankfully, the bus had filled up with sand over the six months so by shooting out the windows, you made the sand your friend and kill off enemies. Now there are many more moments like these where by you can use the sand to your advantage by killing off enemies however, I felt that I had that annoying older sibling relationship with the sand – you love them but there are days where you want to punch them in the face.  As you would expect being out the desert, sandstorms can come at any time and boy are they a pain in the ass! Even trying to find where that last line of bullets came from is a challenge and don’t get me started on trying to navigate your way through it. You can latterly only see what’s in front of you when you’re about five steps away from it but I think it’s a feature that Yager have implemented well and brings in something new not just for the game but for the genre as well.

Survival is a theme that I notice to trend through Spec Ops. Not just with the sandstorms that I’ve mentioned but in other aspects of the game as well. The devastation that the sand alone has caused to Dubai is apparent but, I found that Spec Ops held nothing back in regards to showing the suffering and violence of the destruction that you yourself are causing on Dubai. As opposed to the game title, Spec Ops has tried to pry itself away from the pre-cut mould that shooters are inevitably becoming linear experiences for gamers and they’ve done this by forcing you to choose on several occasions on the outcome of the problem that you’re faced with. Now it’s not a case of “what gun should we use to kill the horde of men that’s due to come our way any second now”, it is life or death decisions.  With other shooters that I’ve played in my 15+ years of gaming, it’s always a case of “run, shoot, kill and repeat” but not with this one… oh no! Spec Ops makes you suffer the consequences by displaying to you what happened as a result of your decision. Whether that is the loss of what could have been a vital ally, the havoc that you’ve caused with that mortar kit – I could go on. I genuinely felt guilty for my decisions and even felt my mood dip a little (I did have a break to watch Finding Nemo before going back and playing it again!) Not only is it visually you see the harm that you’re causing but within the team itself you can see that your decisions are having an impact. Adams and Lugo will frequently have arguments between themselves about what they should do or should have done before Walker gets them focused on the mission again. This was another aspect that I loved about Spec Ops – giving the characters emotions and a bit of depth to them. Each character is interesting in their own right. I found that Lugo was by far my favourite due to his humour that he brings with him throughout the game and his one liner. Whether this is down to the fact that I am part of the more emotional side of the human race or not – there’s no denying that Yager have no held back with portraying the horror of being part of the military.

As the story continues, I began to feel myself thinking on the various outcomes of the game itself as one normally would however as soon as I felt myself get like that, the game drew me back in by basically going “Oh yeah remember you have people to kill” which I’m glad it did as after playing through the entire game, the story could have potentially been predicted however this didn’t leave me in awe at the ending of a fantastic game.

Spec Ops was everything that I had wished for plus more and was well worth the wait. After essentially doing nothing but play this as soon as I bought it, completing it was just the beginning as I was more than ready to dive straight back in and see what would have happened if I had gone the other route on my options. By playing through it on normal difficulty, there were times where I felt “should I bump up the difficulty as I’m finding this a bit easy” whereas other times I was like “well thank Christ I didn’t bump it up earlier” which, I would say was somewhat of a good standard but could have ironed out the creases a bit better to provide a consistent difficulty.

I can assure you that Spec Ops: The Line will provide you with an experience that you will not forget in a long time but it can still pack a punch as well providing you with good shooter action!  With very little to criticise about Spec Ops and being respectful in the fact that they have concentrated on ensuring that the single player side of the game was more of the attraction as opposed to the multiplayer, I would have to give the game a 9/10 for providing a solid and unforgettable play through that lasted from beginning to end.

 

 

 

Walking Dead Episode 1

Z1GTeam PC, PS3, Reviews, Xbox 360

After watching the TV series and reading through the comic books, there was no surprise that when the Walking Dead game had been announced, that I was over the moon. I had slowly become an avid fan of the series and was ready for the next adventure that provided me the opportunity to face even more zombies.

My first thoughts when I downloaded this game from the Xbox Live Marketplace was “Oh wait, it’s not a full game” which now after playing the game, is perhaps not the best way to grab people’s attention to purchasing this new release however, after writing this review, I hope to change people’s perception of the game.

As I’ve said, The Walking Dead Episode 1 isn’t a full game – its part of a five part series of games that are to be released on a monthly basis. At the start of the game, we meet Lee, a criminal on his way to prison before finding out about the zombie apocalypse at the wrong moment.

Visually, the comic book art-style will definitely appeal to those who enjoyed reading the Walking Dead comic books and reminded me somewhat of the Borderlands game with its vivid colours. The environments that are seen throughout the game vary from woods, housing estates, towns and the recognisable Hershel’s farm from the TV series – all of which have been designed with due care to suit the type of game that Episode 1 is really well.

If you’re expecting thousands of zombies coming at you and you being one man and his shotgun taking them all on, think again. Episode 1 is a point and click game, something I have rarely delved into as a gamer myself so this was something new and different to try out.

For the first hour on Episode 1, I was a bit sceptical on whether or not I would enjoy it. By using the highlighted areas on screen to identify objects that I could interact with and use, this was a lot of a help to a newcomer to the type of game but it still made the game an excitable and real adrenaline rush at certain points and didn’t seem like a total walk in the park with the additional help given to me. Worrying about whether you’re about to see your inevitable death due to the zombie crawling nearer to your legs before you can get that bullet into the shotgun really gets the heart going and for me, standing out of my chair – as it if was going to make my character load the weapon any faster! (There is some logic to this that will be applied in some day and age!) This makes up for the time spent on the slower pace that Episode 1 provides, especially when it comes to the dialogue.

TellTale games have really excelled in The Walking Dead Episode 1 when it comes to the voice acting and the dialogue. Throughout the game, you are required to choose dialogue options, some of which can gain you more information about Lee himself and finding out more about his background or, these can be vital decisions that can change the way the game plays out for you. Most of the choices are choosing between two people to save however, I made a point of doing as much interaction with everyone as I could and through the way that you respond to some of their questions, those people perception of you change which is noted to you through a message appearing in the top left corner.

I think that without the dialogue choices in which I could easily use to gain more information about my character and delay the actual storyline for an extra 5-10 minutes was key in making the game and enjoyable one. Overall, the game can easily be completed within a couple of hours and is an easy game at that, once you know where and what you’re looking for however without the depth that the dialogue brings to the game, then I can imagine Episode 1 would have become a very boring and mundane game rapidly, pushing more people to not like it.

 

Going back to my point that I made about the game being a relatively easy play through once you know where you’re going,one flaw that I did find with the games is that sometimes, the direction on where you’re going and or what you are looking for is misleading. Without bringing too many spoilers into this review, there was a moment where I had to locate a key which, due to previous conversations, I understood to be under the counter within the drugstore where we were holding up in. I spent a fair amount of time trying to find this key by searching through all of the counters and came up with nothing. After half an hour of wandering around, speaking to everyone and exploring as much as I could, I was finally able to progress with the storyline. As frustrating as this was to begin with, it did force me more into exploring my surrounding areas and trying to just exhaust all possible dialogue options and clicking on all areas that were highlighted for me.

The characters within the game are all new to the franchise apart from the familiar faces of Hershel and Glen which, you can try and consider how this story that’s told within the game can relate to the story that’s been told within the TV series and comic books which, for me, only increases the profundity of the franchise as a whole. Some of the characters could have done with a little more work and thought mind you. Perfect example of this was a reporter that went by the name of Carley who, although could shoot a gun pretty well, kept her extra ammo in the purse and also wasn’t aware on what batteries were. These characteristics just didn’t add up very well within my own mind in the fact that she was able to carry herself with a gun and do it very well, however was too dumb to know what batteries were?! Aside from this, all of the characters presented themselves as unique individuals, all standing for their own beliefs and each had an short but interesting backstory to how they got to where they were, something of which I enjoyed.

As a major lover of zombie games, this really did challenge me on whether I really loved them as much I said I do as it wasn’t really much of a shoot-em-up but a game that presents itself with more concentration on character development and very story oriented which is something that I’ve secretly been waiting for within the zombie games. The game overall is a very short one however, if we consider this including all of the other four episodes, each averaging about 3 hours, then at roughly £4 each, you’ll be getting a decent 15 hour game for the £20 mark and that’s just based on one play through. Consider the fact that you might wish to go back through the game to explore the other dialogue choices and you’ll have racked up perhaps a 25 hour game for £20. Unfortunately, Episode 1 doesn’t offer co-op or multiplayer however I do not think it requires these options as it stands very well on its own two feet as a single player game. The achievements for it are all story related and can be snatched up within the first play through which, to some people, might not give them enough of a reason to go back through the game again but each to their own. I know that I will definitely be playing back through Episode 1 in preparation for Episode 2 coming out in around a months’ time.

The Walking Dead Episode 1 is definitely a game for fans of the franchise and zombie lovers however; you do not require any knowledge of the story that has already been told through the TV and comic book series to understand the game. I think the game is a great way to first get into the Walking Dead franchise and is definitely well worth the money, even if you can quickly complete the game within one night. I’m going to give Episode 1 and 8/10 and I’m really hoping that all of the following episodes keep up the same level that this game has made with a great debut.

 

The Sims 3

Z1GTeam PC, Reviews

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By now, most people have heard of The Sims if they play games. The Sims is the best selling PC franchise in history, selling over 100 million copies in 2008. The Sims revolutionised the way we viewed games with it’s open gameplay with unlimited possibilities. The Sims 3 is now here, marking the third main game in the franchise and sure to bring many more hours of gameplay, attract new fans to The Sims and spawn many expansions packs, stuff packs, and many new opportunities for players.

The Sims 3 introduces a highly anticipated feature to The Sims franchise, which many people have probably wanted for a long time now. The Sims 3 introduces an open world which means you can now travel from one end of town to another without having to wait for the game to load. Ever wanted to go to visit another family and stay over their for the night for a sleepover? Well now you can with The Sims 3. No longer are you waiting for the game to load and you can keep playing. You will now see all Sims in the neighbourhood going about their business, age, new people in the town, and their lives change over a period of time. This addition was much needed in the franchise and you will find it hard to go back once you get used to this feature. This will allow you to go deeper than ever before, and what you do in one part of town might affect it on the other side of town for everyone else.

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The Sims 3 introduces a refreshed Create A Sim with many new features and some which were previously found in The Sims 2 body shop. Now you can create anyone you know in much greater detail such as their weight, muscle definition, breast size (for women), body hair and more. You can truly create people you know: friends, family, and even celebrities. Some of the creations which people in The Sims community have created are scarily realistic. You can also take advantage of the “Create A Style” tool. This allows you to pick any colour and design for anything. Everything can be customised. Choose the colour of your shoes, the pattern on your jeans. Sims now have personality traits replacing star signs (star signs were later added in a patch), which can make a sim faint in an upsetting moment, evil, friendly, a natural cook – you name it! These personality traits allow Sims to have different interactions and influence the way they respond to different situations in the game, which adds a whole new area to the game for players to mess around with and see what type of Sims they can now create!

Expanding on the create a style tool, this can be used in the same way on furniture in the brand new build and buy modes in The Sims 3. Featuring new music which is relaxing than The Sims 2, you can create almost anything you can imagine. You can change the colour of the doors, the wallpaper design, your furniture – everything can be customised – which is an excellent addition. Since you could not do this in previous games, it makes it so anything can work together – colour colour colour! I found myself building for hours and creating some stunning new homes which look wonderful since the graphics compliment the game greatly.

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The Sims 3 is guaranteed to bring you months of fun with many things to explore and find in the game. With it’s unique style of humour, you’ll be laughing at some of the silly things which are found in the game which is what makes it The Sims. The Sims 3 is just as addictive and time consuming as it’s predecessors because of the exciting range of new features to make the game feel fresh such as the create a style tool, open world and traits for your Sims. More could have been offered in the base game though. Wouldn’t it be cool if you could see your Sims inside shops and work? Nevertheless, The Sims 3 delivers a decent game which has spawned many expansion packs, stuff packs, and downloadable store content since it’s release (reviews available here on Zero1Gaming.com). It will definitely put a smile on your face and you wont want to take your eyes away from the screen. Prepare to be sucked into the franchise… for the third time!

GOOD POINTS: Open world (no more loading screens!), amazing graphics and music, sandbox gameplay, new short term goals, loads of new content and features.

BAD POINTS: Downloadable content is very expensive, bugs, quite a laggy game even on high-spec computers, lacks a lot of charm and humour which The Sims 2 and The Sims 1 contained.

6.5/10.

Alan Wake: American Nightmare

Z1GTeam PC, PS3, Reviews, Xbox 360

Alan Wake. A name not many gamers will have come across in the past couple of years however, he’s made a return and graced the Xbox Live Arcade with his writing/fighting skills for us to join him in yet another thrill ride as he battles against the darkness filled Taken once again in Alan Wake: American Nightmare!

So a quick catch-up on Mr. Wake for those who have not had the pleasure on making acquaintances with him as of yet; he’s a writer who mysteriously lost his wife after their trip to Bright Falls. After the Dark Presence that has been trapped in Cauldron Lake escapes, Wake’s world is turned upside down as fiction is slowly turned into reality.

As an avid fan of the first Alan Wake game, that of which I thought was under-appreciated back in 2010, I was really looking forward to seeing how this arcade title panned out as I’ve not really been a big fan of them.

Even after not playing Alan Wake for two years, I found this game incredibly easy to pick up, play and get into the storyline within the first ten minutes. The game starts off with Wake finding himself within this dark and murky area to which the narrator kicks in by describing Wake as the “Champion of Light” and is chasing down the Herald of Darkness, Mr. Scratch, who is described to be Alan Wake’s evil doppelganger. After some taunting from Mr. Scratch that he will take away everything he loves, Wake replies with that he’ll catch him.

After that opening, I was prepared for an almighty trip through some form of messed up reality, similar to that of which I experienced with the first Alan Wake game. The environments that you’re surrounded by look and feel daunting which made me really felt like I was trapped within these environments just as much as what the protagonist Wake is. With only a flashlight in your hand, it’s difficult to see what the hell is in front of you – a perfect opportunity to introduce some enemies that have been taken over by the Dark Presence.

The variation of enemies is better than what I first expected. With a range of the more small, slim and fast ones that will take no time at all to cut you up with their hooks, to the big, heavy and downright scary men that have a slower approach before delivering their devastating blow to you.  Thankfully, we’ve got a range of weapons to pick from to kill these guys. With a choice of pistol, shotgun, flare gun and my personal favourite, nail gun – you can start putting these guys back in their place and back into the darkness that forever surrounds you.  The action that was present during battles with The Taken was always something that left me on the edge of my seat (or out of it whenever a scary moment occurred or I was close to dying). Whether it’s in a big open space such as a car park or more of a confined area which allows minimal places to run to, there was no shortage of “OMG, That was a close one” moments which is mainly brought about with the use of the dodge ability. With a tap of LB, the player can maneuver Wake away from the massive pick-axe that is about to pop his head off of his shoulders for all eternity and it’s done really well so that it’s not annoying on trying to direct him away – it’s all just about the timing of it.

The soundtrack for the game was again, unbelievable. With moments of dead silence and nothing to accompany you on your travels but the odd whisper of a wind brushing past, to other moments where you’re running for your life to the sound of Kasabian’s ‘Club Foot’ – there is no shortage of amazing music on this game. What I noticed that kept happening with myself while I was playing would be that the music would die down completely after an epic moment, to which I always thought “Okay, I’m in the clear now” – I never cottoned onto the fact that it was only the calm before the storm where a mass of Taken would come from absolutely nowhere and attempt to attack me senseless.  Take this as a warning if you do decide to play American Nightmare!

Another factor that was clear as soon as I started playing this game was the lighting. As you can imagine, the game’s plot is very dark and scary which is reflected in the lack of light available to Wake throughout the game. Equipped with only his flashlight, this is about the most amount of light that Wake has to accompany him. I also felt that the light played a big role in the thrill factor of this game – the obvious case being that if the player was afraid of the dark, to which the little child deep inside of me is therefore, it escalates the amount of suspense and tension within the player when the creepy noises start to come into play.

After completing the story mode portion of American Nightmare – I did find that I could of easily gone back and played through it again, even if it was just to pick up the missing collectables that I left out. With a good lifespan for an arcade game of 5-6 hours, dependent of how much exploring you done, the first play through was an enjoyable and yet somewhat nostalgic one. With some references back to the first game, including some loose ends being tied up, it made me want to go back and give the first game another run through but instead, I dove straight into Arcade mode.

The bare essentials of the arcade mode are waves of enemies coming at you within a 10 minute time limit and you have to wade it out until the ten minutes are up and the sun rises again for another day. Based on your performance, you will get rated on a 3 star system to which you can unlock more levels the more you progress and the more stars you accumulate over time.

Starting off on the first level out of ten, I felt very pressured and again, that on-the-edge-of-your-seat action was happening for yet another time. Arcade mode takes one of the best things out of the story mode – the battles with the taken – and crams as much action as it can throw at you within the ten minutes. With minimal time to breathe and resupply your ammo, you do feel very protective of the ammo you are using and aware of where your next supply of ammo and health will be.

The amount of area you have to play with is great. With wide open areas in graveyards, old towns and oil fields, you can’t help but find yourself exploring the area. Explore in the right places and you might strike you luck with some better weapons, ammo supply and flash bangs. One of the best things that I came across was a crossbow which I could use as a weapon – and I thought the nail gun was the best thing since sliced bread with regards to weapons in this game – but dear lord did I have fun with that crossbow!

I think making the arcade mode the focus for the release of the game was a good idea. It provides a challenging experience but that of which, doesn’t get boring or dull and is different every time you pick up that controller and play it. It’s easy to pick up and play and start trying to beat your friends’ scores that are on the leader boards before you go into a game. One thing I would of liked there to have been for the Arcade mode was co-op. I think it would have benefited a lot by having the ability to get two friends to take on these ten minute challenges , making the game more fun and exciting  than what it already is.

Alan Wake American Nightmare is a definite buy for anyone who loved the first game however, new comers to the game will still find this an enjoyable game and an experience they will not be forgetting for a while. I must add here that the actor, Ilkka Villi who plays Alan Wake and Mr. Scratch, does a very good job with the TV spots that Mr. Scratch has throughout the game – each of which looks like they should be in movies with the amount of peril and emotion that’s being put into each of the shows.

To wrap things up with this review, I was really impressed by American Nightmare and thought it was an excellent game to help fans of the first game not only gain a bit more knowledge and understanding of the world that Alan Wake is in, but to surpass the time before the proper sequel gets released to us. Suggestion to new-comers to the game, pick up the first game before playing American Nightmare and you’ll appreciate it so much more when you do come round to playing it.

I’m giving Alan Wake American Nightmare 9 out of 10, mainly due to the lack of co-op but as a stand-alone arcade game, is a real gem amongst the rocks.

 

 

Final Fantasy XIII-2

Z1GTeam PC, PS3, Reviews, Xbox 360

Following the release of Final Fantasy XIII, the segregation between Final Fantasy fans has become abundantly clear. Many fans were dissatisfied with the quality of the release and the apprehension regarding the release of Final Fantasy XIII-2 became apparent. I, for one, enjoyed Final Fantasy XIII immensely but still proceeded to approach this release with an unbiased opinion and open mind.

Despite the appearance of this title closely resembling its predecessor, Final Fantasy XIII-2 showcases enhancements to gameplay and an extremely engaging plotline and narrative. Although it is indeed a sequel to Final Fantasy XIII, there are clear examples of alterations throughout this title.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 features random encounters as you traverse a location. This feature allows for bountiful combat opportunities, but can be somewhat frustrating as they appear frequently and can hinder your progress. As these random encounters take place, you are greeted with an encounter circle. If you vacate so that no enemies are present within the circle, you flee the battle and are not required to engage in combat. A mog clock is also displayed upon enemies appearing .The mog clock is a countdown system that represents the opportunity to achieve a pre-emptive strike upon the enemy. The quicker you engage the first strike upon the enemy, the more opportunity there is to successfully administer a pre-emptive strike.

 

Paradigms allow you to customise your party’s formation and strategy for battle. Various formations will aid you in combating enemies and bosses. A formation that allows you to defeat one group of enemies may not work on others. Players can now assign monsters to their paradigms within Final Fantasy XIII-2. Upon defeating a specific enemy, you are granted access to allocate them to your paradigm. Each monster possesses unique abilities and attributes, which can be developed within the crystarium. Upon selecting a monster, the formations available to you within the paradigms expand.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 grants you access to a trusty companion known as a Moogle. A Moogle’s bobble will glow when you are within the vicinity of special items and treasures. It may also help you discover artefacts and lead you to locations where live triggers are present. A Moogle also has a unique function known as ‘The Moogle Hunt.’ Treasure sphere and other objects which are out of phase with the current timeline will reside across various locations. These hidden objects will be made noticeable by a shimmering aura. With Moogle’s assistance, the paradox effect is dispelled and will allow access to the now-tangible object.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 places a massive emphasis on conversing with people throughout the various locations. You are able to converse with individuals and discover information that is sometimes helpful regarding the storyline. The characters may also converse amongst themselves, especially during live triggers. These live triggers appear occasionally and are an opportunity to discover more about the character and sometimes topics such as location and history. Upon receiving a question during these live triggers, there are four unique responses present, depending on the nature of the discussion. This directly affects the response of the other character you are conversing with. As you make progress, people may proposition you with missions you may wish to undertake. You are not required to partake in these missions, they are simply side missions. Upon completion, you will receive a reward for your efforts.

During selected parts of the game, you have access to Chocobos. Upon mounting a Chocobo, you may traverse the map freely with no worry of being attacked or having to engage in combat. Chocobo’s also grant you access to locations you may be unable to reach on foot. You must feed a Chocobo a gysahl green before they will allow you to mount them.

Throughout the Final Fantasy XIII-2 experience, you are required to time travel through the Historia Crux. It acts as a compass for navigating time and allows you to select a year and location that you wish to travel to. With each gate successfully unlocked, more locations become available to you. Gate seals allow you to close various locations within the Historia Crux. Upon closing a location, it resets part of their history. It can also be utilised to rewind to a point before an artefact was obtained, allowing you to complete past mysteries again.

Whilst you travel to plentiful locations, you may discover a function known as a temporal rift. To progress further, you must unravel the mystery presented and resolve the anomaly. You may also encounter cinematic actions within Final Fantasy XIII-2. During the cinematic action segment, you will be prompted to complete a button sequence. Upon completing this sequence perfectly, you receive a random bonus. Decision making is a primary feature within Final Fantasy XIII-2. The game will present you with a situation and prompt you to select an action to resolve the predicament.

Owing to the difficulty of individual enemies within Final Fantasy XIII-2, you may find yourself seeking robust weaponry and items to aid you in your quest. Chocolina’s Shop appears in various locations throughout the game. The shop grants you bountiful amounts of weapons, items and accessories to compliment your character’s abilities. Each accessory possesses a unique attribute, and clever combinations will improve the capabilities of your characters. Weapons can also be optimised to focus on strength, magic and HP.

The quality of presentation within Final Fantasy XIII-2 is phenomenal which swiftly captured my interest. The inclusion of music and sound created a powerful atmosphere in specific sections of the game. I did find occasionally the use of specific tracks became repetitive but, was utilised effectively for the most part. Final Fantasy XIII-2 combines a harrowing storyline with a light-hearted connection between two protagonists, creating an emotion-wrenching experience for the player. If you were not a fan of Final Fantasy XIII, chances are this title will not sway your opinion. If you’re possibly a fan of the older releases within the Final Fantasy series or have not played the prequel, this game may present a new lease of life for you. It provides a brief summary of the prequel so this game is accessible to avid fans of Final Fantasy or those who are just beginning their journey.

Thanks for reading,

Hannah