On the final stat page, I found out my total playing time had been 4.5 hours. The only thing I can think of that had a campaign that short was Kane & Lynch 2.
On the plus side, Revengeance is consistently excellent, gloriously over the too and has wonderful mechanics. It's as pretty as any you could mention and shows Platinum to be one of the most consistently wonderful developers in the world at the moment.
But I do have a couple of nagging doubts; there's that short playing time for a start. Also as great as the controls are, once I mastered them, I didn't really feel any need to change my technique.
Still, whilst there's room for improvement, MGR is probably the first essential play of 2013, and has a freshness and sense of risk that's missing in far too many AAA games.
8.5/10
Saturday, 23 March 2013
The Walking Dead: Season One
I picked this up on the XBLA 12 days of Christmas sale and tended to play each episode inbetween other games. I think that was a good way to play, because otherwise it would have been too intense to play in an uninterrupted session.
The Walking Dead isn't a hard game (although some sequences are tricky) but you do have to make hard decisions, ones that dramatically alter the storyline. I really would like to do a second play through to get to know some of the people I couldn't save.
As good as some of Telltale's other games have been, this is the first time they've done something that's been in GOTY territory and I can't wait for Season Two.
9/10
The Walking Dead isn't a hard game (although some sequences are tricky) but you do have to make hard decisions, ones that dramatically alter the storyline. I really would like to do a second play through to get to know some of the people I couldn't save.
As good as some of Telltale's other games have been, this is the first time they've done something that's been in GOTY territory and I can't wait for Season Two.
9/10
Sunday, 3 March 2013
Assassins Creed 3
The first Assassin's Creed was incredibly pretty and ambitious, but very repetitive. When the second game in the series came out, it was breathtaking; all criticism had been heeded, and it was a game enjoyable as it was good looking. I hoped the third game would be as big a jump, but sadly it seems a small, uncertain step.
AC: Revelations was the first title that felt a little unnecessary: new features such as the tower defence sections or Desmond's Portal style puzzle platformers weren't great, but also seemed optional. And this is a route that the main game has gone further down, so many teams working on so many optional little extras while the main game separately needed more polish.
It seems buggier (I had a couple of times where I had to restart missions because I'd got stuck in objects I shouldn't have been able to walk through), horse riding is horrible and the AI enemies seem either oblivious to you or leaves you wondering how you were spotted.
Two things were great about the game: the naval missions (one in section 11 left me feeling like a boss) and the Peg Leg treasure map sections. These small levels seem to focus on one aspect of the game play and deliver thrilling levels in a way the main game doesn't.
Maybe Ubisoft are spreading there talent too thin, maybe the current generation is holding them back but AC3 should have been better. I can't help but think that the forthcoming Black Flag, wouldn't have been a numbered sequel if 3 would have turned out better, but as it is, they're just trying to put this game behind them.
6.5/10
AC: Revelations was the first title that felt a little unnecessary: new features such as the tower defence sections or Desmond's Portal style puzzle platformers weren't great, but also seemed optional. And this is a route that the main game has gone further down, so many teams working on so many optional little extras while the main game separately needed more polish.
It seems buggier (I had a couple of times where I had to restart missions because I'd got stuck in objects I shouldn't have been able to walk through), horse riding is horrible and the AI enemies seem either oblivious to you or leaves you wondering how you were spotted.
Two things were great about the game: the naval missions (one in section 11 left me feeling like a boss) and the Peg Leg treasure map sections. These small levels seem to focus on one aspect of the game play and deliver thrilling levels in a way the main game doesn't.
Maybe Ubisoft are spreading there talent too thin, maybe the current generation is holding them back but AC3 should have been better. I can't help but think that the forthcoming Black Flag, wouldn't have been a numbered sequel if 3 would have turned out better, but as it is, they're just trying to put this game behind them.
6.5/10
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