Tag Archives: Sony

Pragmata Review

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Pragmata is one of those games that I was hyped for right away. By all accounts it looked to be some kind of a backdoor Mega Man spinoff even if nobody would admit it. Even after playing through the game it feels that way and it technically goes out of its way to not appear to be a Mega Man game. Maybe one day we’ll get the crossover but either way this is a great title.

The game begins with a group of people heading onto a space station but unfortunately something weird is going on. The A.I. may have gone rogue as everyone is murdered except for the main player. He runs into a kid, the Pragmata. She is his only chance at surviving this encounter but this guy doesn’t really trust robots. Can he get past that and team up with her? The stakes are high so there is really no time for any in-fighting or anything like that.

Naturally the horror element here is in the fact that there is no escape. There is no easy way to get back to Earth. In fact the whole game is about trying to get to the center of the station so that they can use the escape pods. Unfortunately the whole place has been shut down and there are killer androids everywhere so getting past them is definitely not going to be easy.

The gameplay is a 3D shooter but mixed in with a bit of puzzle gameplay. Technically these are “hacking” components where you shut down an enemy’s defenses in order to do more damage. This is really mandatory because your shots will practically bounce off otherwise. Fortunately the hacking gameplay is quite a lot of fun so I really enjoyed just blasting away at everyone. It really encourages you to learn how to do two things at once. If you are not a multi tasker then this will be very tough.

As the game goes on you will unlock a ton of different weapons as well as enhancements to the hacking program. Each level gives you more clearance on the spaceship which unlocks more things. You can then use your new abilities to go back to old areas and get more collectibles. It’s almost like a vania in that regard except for the fact that you never need to go back. It is purely optional.

The gameplay and navigation are so smooth that I did have fun going back and getting things though. I got almost all of the collectibles and beat every training exercise. The main campaign is very short so I wanted to make sure that I got my money out of this. Also it just helps when the game flows well. If going back and forth meant having to sit through a lot of loading screens or something like that then I wouldn’t have bothered.

Also the collectibles and such really do improve your overall abilities so there is a big incentive to getting them. The final boss is actually very tricky so I was glad that my stats were all heavily boosted. Then when you beat the game there is a little post game content in the form of a new room with some challenges in there. That was pretty cool. This isn’t the kind of game where I’m aiming to get the Platinum anytime soon but it was still cool to see.

The graphics are really good here. The level of detail is impressive and so this is a AAA PS5 title all the way. The robot designs are super good throughout and I also liked the NYC based level. You will always have a lot to look at here and the hacking successful effects are always satisfying. The soundtrack is less memorable. We do get an emotional track at the end but for the most part this is one of those quiet type of games. They probably figured that hard rock music would mess with the tone but I can’t agree with that. I’d have loved to have more intense music.

We also got a pretty intense main villain here towards the end. The first one was decent but not super interesting so I was glad at the switch. It made the stakes a lot more personal and all. I also enjoyed the main character and the kid because they were locked in from the start. No petty grumblings or drama, they were just trying to survive here. It’s one of those things that feels more realistic than if they had been fighting because this really wouldn’t be the time for it. You like to think that in a life or death situation everyone would be focused and working together so the game is hopeful in that way.

My only piece of advice gameplay wise is to buy the module that lets you see where all collectibles are in a level. I got this as soon as I could and it really makes a good difference. After that I would focus on upgrading my main weapons and for the gold orbs, upgrading the gun. I figure those are things that you will be using constantly anyway. I’m always partial to increasing attack power in general because win or lose, the fights will go quicker. It just forces me to get better at dodging and blocking.

Overall, Pragmata is definitely a game that you should buy. Yes, the length is short which is a blow against the game but everything else about it is absolutely top tier. The story is really great and the title has every quality of life feature you can think of. It is a very satisfying game to complete from start to finish and that helps the length to not bother you quite as much Just have fun exploring the levels and don’t rush to the end. There are plenty of collectibles to grab and little story discs that explain the surrounding context. I also feel like this game is just helpful in general for multi tasking. It can be harder than it sounds to be shooting, aiming, and hacking at the same time. If we ever get a sequel to this title, I’ll definitely be there!

Overall 8/10

The Phantom Review

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This is one of those games that didn’t make a ton of waves when it came out but it centers around one of the original superheroes out there. The Phantom basically predates any of the big heroes that you’ve heard about. So it’s cool to play a game based on this guy. The gameplay’s fun enough and I like the overall presentation but what hurts the title is the short length. You can complete the game in a little over an hour. There are only 5 stages in the game, which total to 14 levels. Most levels aren’t very long either so yeah that’s why this goes by quickly.

The story begins with the Phantom’s son being stolen by a gang. He does not take this well at all to the point where his wife is really worried about the nonstop rage that she is seeing. The Phantom intends to save his son at any cost and may want to destroy these villains in order to prove a point. Will he be able to calm down in time and can his son really be saved?

It’s not like this is a super deep story or anything like that but I was just glad to have one with some story updates after each stage. The game is fully voice acted which is always a good thing and it adds to the intensity of the game. The way the cutscenes are advanced is a little odd though as you have to click X to go forward every few lines but the icon used is the same as for the skip button so it was always very nerve racking. I don’t see why they didn’t just push everything forward automatically.

So as 2D beat em up you’re going to be familiar with the drill here. You punch and kick at the enemies until they all go down. At that point you can continue and then fight the next batch of fighters. Rinse and repeat until you have made it to the very end of the stage. The only exceptions here are when you have a boat/car level and have to blast away at your enemies. Coming up with a second gameplay style was probably not easy so I can appreciate that level of effort.

I don’t think the gameplay was play tested too much though because you have way too much hit stun on all of your attacks. What that means is you can infinite combo every character in the game. Yes, that includes all bosses including the final boss. That’s a bit rough because then they never stand a chance. For that reason the bosses have a checkpoint system so if you do too much damage in one combo, the damage eventually stops at 0 for him to summon some enemies and rest up.

It doesn’t make the bosses more difficult, this only serves to drag them out more. I suppose that will just have to be good enough this time around and the game is still super short so clearly this didn’t make it too long or anything like that. The gameplay is smooth though. It may not be balanced but it does play well. Then you also have the Phantom yelling out his catch phrase every time you use the super attack. He has maybe 3 stock lines so you will be hearing those quite a lot. They work really well though. It’s the right amount of cheesy and campy if you ask me.

After you beat the game, there is technically some replay value by playing arcade mode or doing story mode on hard difficulty. There is no platinum trophy in the game this time though so you will have to settle for just getting the normal 100% completion clear here. Still not bad of course, that will be a feather in your cap but I admit that I would have liked seeing the Platinum on display. I probably would have beaten had mode right away if that had been the case.

In terms of gameplay hints, I will just say in the boat levels you don’t want to spam the gun. You actually do run out of ammo and then you might not have enough bullets when it is time to fire the gun. So shoot strategically and wait for an opening. Then when you have the opening, that is your time to pounce. In the normal levels, shooting is actually not recommended. It does less damage than your hand to hand combat and it knocks the opponents to the ground after 2 hits so they get their temporary invincibility back again. It just makes the fights longer and you’re better off powering up your super move to use instead.

Overall, 2D retro beat em ups are really in right now. It feels like everybody is getting in on this genre. Typically games in this genre are going to be short but the key is in putting a lot of bonus content for multiple runs. Maybe you have some different modes or something like that. This one desperately needed some more content and then I think everyone would have looked on it a whole lot more favorably. It is still a fun game though and that gives it enough of a nod to stay in the green. If you can get this game for cheap then you should do it. It’s not every day that you get to play as the Phantom after all! You may even be surprised at how big a fan of him you are.

Overall 6/10

inFAMOUS: Second Son Review

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Unlike most fans who had to wait quite a while to play a new Infamous title, the gap was only a few weeks for me. It’s cool to see what the experience would be like on the PS4 and I can safely say that the game holds up incredibly well. In fact….I dare say this is the best Infamous title. While the story isn’t quite as good as the first two, it wins in terms of gameplay which is ultra important and the characters as well. They really grabbed what made the first two games work so well and focused everything into those attributes.

You play as a rebel who wants to defy society. See, there are people with powers running around who are called bio terrorists but the lead believes that the government is spreading division where it isn’t warranted. One day Augustine, the leader of the government faction shows up and stabs all of his friends and family with rock spires. The only way to save them will be to force her to undo this…or to copy her powers. It turns out that he can copy powers by touching someone who has them so now the game is really on. His brother is a police officer who has never liked the powered community though and so he is coming along to basically get in the way for most of the adventure.

Delsin may be a total rebel but he’s just a lot of fun. The guy has a lot of quick wit and is never at a loss for words here. When he sees an opportunity, he takes it. He’s quite aggressive in going after the villains but I really found myself agreeing with him the whole time. This is certainly not a moment for hesitation or holding back. His brother Reggie doesn’t look good in comparison because he isn’t very subtle about how much he dislikes the conduits. Throughout the game the two characters are bickering.

In a way the game deserves some credit for not immediately having Reggie change his mind or anything like that but it can still get real old after a while. You also get two allies as the game goes on. The crazy girl (Which seems to be a staple for the series) and a shy gamer dude. They’re not the greatest supporting characters but they’re okay. The real standout here is the main villain Augustine. She takes charge right away and I like her absolute confidence. Even once Delsin has a bunch of powers, she is still able to square up with him. Conventional wisdom would say that this should be impossible but she always has a trap up her sleeve.

The game has its share of twists and origins for everyone but for the most part this is just a classic action story to have fun with. You have to choose whether you want to be a hero or a villain as you go through the game. I went down the heroic path this time around and didn’t mess with any of the evil choices. I feel like that is a good approach for the first run. If I go back to get the platinum then I’ll do the dark path for the second playthrough.

This is a 3D action game where you can shoot energy blasts and knock people out with hand to hand combat. You start out with one power set and by the end you have 4. Each power set comes with 4-5 abilities. You have to absorb them all manually so you will be seeing the main character gritting his teeth and being stuck in place quite a few times. The graphics definitely get really funny because of how the faces turned out. It looks a whole lot different than the first two games, I can tell you that much.

One thing Infamous does super well is how traversing through the city is super easy. You can move at much higher speeds than in the first two games so no distance feels too great. This makes going after all the collectibles and side missions a lot more fun than it would have been otherwise. They are all very quick so even though there are a ton of them it doesn’t feel too overwhelming. Instead it’s just a lot of fun to try and completely clear each of the districts.

You also have a lot of freedom in choosing how to tackle these challenges. Personally I thought that the neon abilities were easily the best ones. I was using those constantly over all of the other forms. It just felt like the best bet but you may prefer another one while playing. They all have their special perks. You also get to immediately buy a lot of upgrades as you clear the side content so you really feel yourself getting stronger. It all makes a big difference so I recommend doing a few side things as you go around town.

The length of the story isn’t bad although it is a little on the short side. I’d say it’s maybe around 10 hours or so. Throw in the side content and you can probably add around 5-6 more hours. Since the platinum means beating the game twice, now you’re looking at around 20 hours. The game has a good amount of content even if it could have stood to have more. The most important part is absolutely that the game runs very smoothly. The gameplay is top notch. I only encountered two glitches in the game. One where I fell through the ground with no way out and one where the final boss cutscene froze. Otherwise no issues.

Overall, Infamous: Second Son is definitely a great game. You are constantly going to be involved in some really fun, high intensity action battles. You feel yourself growing stronger as you buy the upgrades and so everything about the game was developed well. It’s all the small quality of life stuff like this which adds up. If you haven’t picked this game up yet, then I would recommend changing that. It is the definition of AAA with how fun it is. I just wish they wouldn’t take so long to make new games.

Overall 8/10

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Review

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It’s time for Nathan Drake to have one last journey. I got to play this one pretty much immediately after the original trilogy so it was fun to see how the gameplay had changed over the years and how it remained consistent. This is a great wrap up to the main series. Naturally I would still like a full Uncharted 5 but the game went out of its way to really wrap everything up nicely so it really does feel like the end.

The game started off by introducing us to Nathan’s brother Sam. Turns out that they were really close as kids but unfortunately a job went sideways one day and Sam seemly died. We fast forward to the present where Nathan has put his adventuring days behind him and married his adventuring buddy Elena. The two of them have agreed to lead quiet lives now but Sam shows up one day and asks Nathan for his help. They need to find a $400 million treasure fast or Sam’s going to get bumped off by the mafia. So Nathan agrees to help and lies to his wife about a quick work trip. Will this come back to bite him and does Nathan still have the physical abilities needed for a mission like this?

Obviously lying to your wife is never a good idea and this game shows you a bunch of great reasons for that. You’re throwing a ton of trust out the window in a single moment and also showing that when the going gets tough you are willing to do your own thing. Elena gives Nathan a hard time about this later and it’s completely justified. Honestly I think she would have ultimately been ready to help Sam even if she wasn’t big on the idea. Sully also stops by so we really have the whole gang together for one last ride.

You could tell that the game wanted to go all out here as we have several gameplay types outside of the main one. You have at least 2 levels where you drive a car around and there are even puzzles bult around the car. You play as Sam in one level which is the first time you’ve played as someone other than Nathan in one of these titles. Then you also have some underwater sections as well as a boat level. The game has much larger levels than the other titles. While the overall game length isn’t much different, you can actually get lost in some of these levels.

As a result I got less collectibles than in the other games as you’re probably supposed to explore these sections. There are also mor kinds of collectibles than in any of the other titles. You’ve got a good amount of replay value built right into the title although it also looks like the hardest platinum since one trophy is about beating the game in 7 hours. I believe it took me at least 4-5 hours over that in my initial run. Knowing the puzzles will help a lot but even then I feel like this would take me a whole lot of practice.

The core gameplay is still built around a lot of parkour and platforming. They actually streamlined this a little bit as you don’t have to worry about jumping into nothing anymore. The game has invisible guard rails that prevent you from taking wrong jumps. Yes, this may make things a bit easier but it’s a nice quality of life approach. Then the shooting gameplay is still around even if it doesn’t feel quite as tight as in the last few games. Shooting is much less of a focus this time around as you are heavily encouraged to use stealth attacks to take down your opponents.

I enjoy hand to hand well enough so it works but part of me did miss going for 1000 headshots for all the trophies. The shooting gameplay is still solid but perhaps it feels a bit more arcade-like. The difficulty is pretty reasonable. I’m sure you’ll die several times during the adventure and usually it’ll be because you just got too aggressive. I’d see two enemies and charge in, only for another 5 to show up out of nowhere and take me out. I did like how the villains would essentially set traps like that.

The game also has an easter egg for another Playstation title which was a lot of fun. It definitely felt nostalgic and I like the idea of being able to play a video game within a video game. More titles should try something like this. You don’t want to overuse the idea but right now it is absolutely underused. The game’s story is also really solid and by the end of the title you will feel like you had a whole lot of different adventures. Sam may only have been around for this one game but the title does a great job of giving him a lot of character. At the end of the day I can’t say that I was a big fan of this guy but I was glad that he was in the game. You need somebody to dislike a bit and there was nothing two dimensional about him. If the series keeps him on as a main character, I’d say that it would make a lot of sense. I would still want Nathan to show up in some capacity though. Maybe he could be the one Sam calls for some of the trickier puzzles?

Overall, Uncharted 4 is definitely a great title. For the record, I’d still say that the second game is the best one but this is a close second. It’s all relative though as all 4 games were really excellent. Uncharted is absolutely a true AAA series and after marathoning all the games, I’m going to miss it. I’ll absolutely be getting the spinoff at some point so that I can say that I really experienced the whole franchise though. That’ll buy Uncharted 5 some more time to get everything in order. If you haven’t played the game after all these years, then you need to change that asap!

Overall 8/10

Mirror’s Edge Review

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I remember playing the reboot for this game a long time ago and it was pretty good. Generally people seemed to prefer the original though so I was interested in seeing just how it would stack up. Ultimately they play in pretty similar ways but this one is definitely going for a more stylistic approach. In a way it ends up feeling nostalgic as a result though and I definitely had a good time here. The game breezes by pretty quickly but you will have been having fun throughout.

The game starts with Faith’s sister being framed for a murder. Unfortunately, the circumstantial evidence looks bad so a guilty death verdict is imminent. Faith will have to find a way to figure out who the real crook is but it won’t be easy in a world where basically everyone is super corrupt. She also doesn’t have a lot of time here and will have to move quickly.

This game is all about parkour and so you’ll be jumping from building to building as you try to keep your speed up. You gotta be real quick with your reaction times as well. At times you will be able to grab a gun from one of your opponents and put that to use but it is never required. The game even rewards you with an extra silver trophy if you can go the whole game without shooting anybody. Without a doubt the game is easier if you do decide to just start shooting but that’s why it is satisfying not to do that.

Pay a lot of attention to the various movement options in the first level because you have to use them all by the time you complete the game. The gameplay mechanics themselves can be rather intricate so this isn’t your average title. It can be really rough to mess up a jump and have to reload to the last save point. It’s also not always obvious where you need to go. As you play through the game you will be better at recognizing your surroundings and moving to where you need to go.

The best technique you can probably learn for yourself is how to disarm your opponent. The exact timing will differ depending on the type of enemy you encounter so you should really keep that in mind. One wrong miss and you’ll probably be shot to death. You can also go at them with hand to hand combat. It takes around 5 hits to defeat an enemy so you want to hit them with 3 blows, then wait to avoid the instant counter and land another 2. In some ways it is a lot easier than the disarm but takes longer so it’s risky if you are up against a lot of enemies.

There are also shielded enemies that take many hits to defeat. You will want to be extremely careful about taking any of those guys on. I had to beat one in the parking lot level and it felt like at least 20 hits to beat him. Meanwhile if you slip or miss a dodge then you will be going down in a second. Very different levels of defense for Faith compared to these guys.

Outside of the main campaign you have the speed run versions of every level where you have to beat them without dying. There are also time trial missions where you play a portion of each level and have to try and clear it. This isn’t easy so be warned. It does add a ton of replay value though and you can get a good amount of trophies out of it. The Platinum looks particularly hard so I can’t say that I’m aiming for it but that would be a pretty good feather in your cap.

The graphics are definitively pretty good. I love how bright the game looks, particularly for the outdoor levels. Everything is incredibly shiny, it almost makes the game feel a lot newer than it actually is. The cutscenes between levels also have a very stylized look to them that works well. The soundtrack even has a lot of action/rock to it so on a technical level the game absolutely holds up. The whole atmosphere around the game is something that I enjoy.

Meanwhile I enjoyed the story as well with its full voice acting. The cast is small but they all get something to do here. The body count is rather impressive by the end of the game and there are a decent amount of twists and turns. I’m surprised they never did much more with Mirror’s Edge because this absolutely had all the tracings of being the next big thing. There’s just so much you can do with this franchise. At the very least I’d like more Parkour type games where you are on the run at all times.

Reminds me a bit of a Sonic game in that sense just with less action. I wouldn’t complain if there was a Sonic game that was all about the pursuit itself. That would be pretty interesting. There are a good amount of checkpoints here so you don’t have to replay large sections too often. Occasionally the checkpoint feels a bit far away but that’s not going to be your normal experience at least. Now that would have made things feel a bit rough. In general you don’t have to worry about any qualify of life issues like that though. The levels are well designed and often times there is more than one way to clear an obstacle. Particularly in the combat levels where you can totally choose how you want to complete them.

Overall, Mirror’s Edge is a pretty good game. I enjoyed the story and the gameplay is definitely very smooth. All of the level designs are on point and so while you will breeze through the game, it always feels like a full adventure. The game also has its difficulty so this is no walk in the park. If you’re looking for a retro game experience with a whole lot of running, then you should definitely be checking this one out.

Overall 7/10

Soul Calibur IV Review

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It’s been a while since I played a Soul Calibur game and it was time to take this one out from the backlog. It’s always interesting to play an older fighting game after playing the sequels. Maybe even more so in a fighting game compared to other genres, you can see what mechanics stuck around and which ones were removed. In this case the gameplay feels so similar that I wouldn’t say it was that different. The main change is how the story mode plays out compared to other titles. In the newer installments, the games had a focused story mode while this one is more of the classic arcade mode. Interestingly there is an arcade mode which seems almost identical to the story mode which feels a bit redundant.

So I went through the story mode with a bunch of characters until I unlocked all of the characters and stages that could be unlocked through this mode. There is an extra character and stage through arcade mode but I didn’t go to that level of detail. So I had fun playing as guys like Darth Vader, Nightmare, Siegfried, Astaroth, and more. They each have their own signature control schemes, and the game does a good job of making everyone feel unique.

Story mode has 5 levels within it, typically 2 of those will have you defeat 4 enemies and then the other 3 levels are your classic 1 vs 1 fights. Each character has a unique encounter in the 3rd and 5th rounds with a few exceptions where you just get the generic dialogue. The character roster is actually rather impressive with around 30 characters in there, but I do feel like it shouldn’t have been impossible to have unique dialogue for all of them. It’s the small things like that which can really make a difference.

Still, you’re here for the gameplay and it’s really excellent. For a lot of titles, I may be skeptical of a ring out mechanic but in this one it just works really well. It feels satisfying to throw someone off the ring and make an ultra comeback that way. Each character also has a whole lot of different attack moves to the point where it’s actually a bit hard to keep track of them all. Half the time I would use a move and then be unable to use it again. It seems to be based not just on direction but also on momentum which would take some getting used to for me.

Blocking is a button rather than holding back so you want to be real careful about that as well. The levels where you fight 4 opponents back to back can actually be tough as well since they all have a full health bar. Make sure you don’t take them too lightly or you’re really going to be in trouble. Ultimately there is near limitless replay value here because of the vs mode. I also like how the unlockables are rapidly unlocked just by playing through all of the story modes. I’ve always found that is the best way to have the unlockables set up. There are no PS3 trophies for this game which is unfortunate, but you can still have fun on a local level.

The graphics are definitely really good. The art style has aged well and the characters look sharp. The colors are striking and I really don’t have any issues here. Meanwhile the soundtrack is also good. There are quite a lot of different stage tunes here and of course Darth Vader brings in his own remix from Star Wars.

Outside of the story and arcade modes, you also have a tower climbing mode. I did not try this mode out as of yet but it seems to be a fairly long one. You have to continue defeating opponents as you ascend the tower. This will get tougher and tougher as you go through and of course some unlockables are tied to this mode as well. I appreciate that the game has a lot of full fledged single player options since you don’t always see that nowadays. Sure, fighting games are going to spend the majority of effort on multiplayer but no reason why you can’t put a little budget into single player.

Technically speaking the existence of the sequels means there is less reason to buy this one specifically but it’s worth entering the time bubble here. It’s cool to just see the series evolve and this one still stands out on its own. My nostalgia goggles are strong for Soul Calibur II and V so they won’t be surpassed but this is a very good game and I wouldn’t hesitate to play it at any time. I also appreciate that this game still has the announcer who sets up the confrontation before every fight. He really does a good job of making each fight feel really thematic and epic.

Overall, I would definitely recommend picking this game up. It’s one of those fighting games that is easy to pick up and play while being hard to master. You will want to really hit the lab here in order to be one of the best. If you do put in that time, then I don’t think you will be losing many fights because it is hard to overcome that skill gap. I hope we get a new Soul Calibur game soon, it feels like the series has not been expanding as quickly as it should be. If you don’t have the game yet, then you can get it for a great price right now.

Overall 7/10

GI Joe: Operation Blackout Review

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The GI Joes have returned and you could say that his game is definitely a lot more intense than the previous one. I wouldn’t call it super high budget or anything but I appreciated that it was trying to be a full adventure. The third person shooter action works really well as you’d guess because that genre is one of the best. It’s a game that is reasonably short but not super short and since you can get the game for a good price, it doesn’t feel bad. I would definitely be recommending this one.

The main story sees the GI Joes going up against Cobra once more. Cobra had been quiet for a while but it turns out that they were just biding their time and they launch an all out offensive against the heroes. This results in most of the Joes being captured so the last remaining ones have to find a way to launch a counter attack. Meanwhile everything is not well within the Cobra household as 4 different members are all betraying the commander and working on their own plans. He will have to try and deal with them before it’s too late.

I’m not the biggest expert on GI Joe so based on the vibes in this game, it definitely looks like the Commander could use some more loyal allies. If he has to be constantly watching his back all while fighting with the Joes, then that’s not going to be a good combination for him. To be sure, he doesn’t end up looking good in this game and that’s impressive since part of the whole premise is that his side won for once. That’s why you can’t get overconfident.

The game was definitely made with a multiplayer mode in mind. Easch level has two playable characters, the second will be controlled by the AI when playing single player mode. You typically have to defeat all enemies in an area, proceed to a checkpoint, or stay inside of a circle to conquer it like in Overwatch. There are 17 missions in the game and each one tends to range from around 8-10 minutes. The default difficulty also gives you a mild challenge in some areas.

I died quite a few times but it never feels bad because the game has a really excellent checkpoint system. You will see respawn points constantly so you never lose more than a few minutes of progress. Some characters have better weapons than others so you really want to be careful who you pick on the character selection screen. That said, just try enough times and you’ll be fine. It’s one of those games where you just have to brute force it. Also sometimes when the mission is about getting to a checkpoint, the best thing to do is just run through the enemies without fighting.

Sometimes their aim isn’t that great and you will make it without any real issues. Other times you will end up dying and then you have to play it the traditional way. The different kinds of weapons vary between standard guns, explosives, and lasers. Generally lasers are the best. Yes, they deal the least amount of damage but the ammo and nonstop firing makes it worth it. They are on a completely different level. The enemies are always moving around so quickly that it’s just easier to follow them with an endless stream as opposed to trying to time the bullets perfectly.

Meanwhile the graphics are pretty good. The cutscenes don’t have a lot of movement to them but I’m just glad for the fact that we have cutscenes in general. That’s something you wouldn’t have expected too much of for a cheaper game. It would have been dialogue based or something. The voice acting is fun and the graphics within the gameplay as also on point. You definitely won’t see any complaints from me in that area. Unfortunately there isn’t much of a soundtrack so I guess you can’t win them all. I would have liked some fun rock themes or something there.

There are also a few vehicle levels. These tend to be pretty easy and seem to just be around as a change of pace. You have to try and dodge land mines and defeat opponents while racing to the goal. It’s essentially a straight road as you get to the end of the game. You just have to keep on driving and driving until you get there. There are a lot of health containers in these levels that are hard to miss which is why the levels feel so much easier.

One last gameplay tip for the standard levels, your close quarters attack is really good against most bosses. Don’t try it on Storm Shadow since his sword will slice your health bar apart but on the other bosses it is the best way to whittle down their health. I was able to complete the final boss way quicker than most of the others in the game because of that. I just went in swinging and they went down extremely quickly. This is because your close quarters attack cuts through the shield and straight to their health bar but of course the same is true of theirs so watch out for the counter attack.

Overall, Operation Blackout is a pretty fun game. It’s nothing fancy, you’re not going to find a lot of fancy gameplay mechanics or anything like that. At the same time, the fundamentals are sound enough to where this is the kind of game you could really recommend. It takes you back to a simpler time of gaming where you only needed a few buttons to play through a game. You can pick this one up and play it at any point without worrying about what the advanced combos were or how you’re supposed to be playing it. Not bad eh? Hopefully more GI Joe games come out in the future.

Overall 7/10

GI Joe: Wrath of Cobra Review

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It’s been a while since I played a GI Joe game so it was time to change that. Wrath of Cobra is one of those games that never got a physical release so it was time to finally grab it on the PSN. It’s definitely a short game so I would feel bad for anyone who might have gotten it on opening day. The gameplay is fun enough and all but you really feel like they could have put way more effort into this. At least make it a few hours longer right? I don’t think that would have been so unreasonable.

The game starts with Cobra Commander deciding to take over the world but there is also a clone of him and both think that they are the real deal. So they attack the Joes and along the way will have to watch their backs or they will be absolutely dominated. One wrong step and that is game over. So Duke and friends prepare to fight them. There isn’t much more of a story than that but I do appreciate that the game will actually throw in the occasional cutscene. It helped to liven things up and we even get to see a glimpse of the outside world as Cobra Commander tries to get some kids to support his cause. It helps to flesh the world out a tiny bit.

Of course, the whole game is still only around 2 hours so it really goes by in a flash. There are 12 levels and each level tends to be around 7-9 minutes. You have your basic attacks as well as a super move. You have to use these attacks to try and claim total victory. You have 4 lives to play the game with although if you lose them all, you get infinite continues. So that’s pretty handy. There are trophies for beating levels without getting hit or dying which sounds insane to me. I just don’t know how anyone would really be pulling that off.

I suppose with enough practice but this is not a game that I think most people would end up sticking with. I definitely wouldn’t be playing the game more than once. The reason does come down to how basic it is. I prefer 3D beat em ups but the 2D ones can be good too. There just isn’t much to it because the moveset is too low. You only have two main attacks to combo with. Then the enemies don’t have a whole lot of variety to them either. I suppose you could have fun switching characters since you have several options here but even then that is not going to buy you a ton of time.

It was always fun to exploit the occasional glitch though. A few times there would be a boss or an enemy who would not realize that you were standing slightly beneath him so he would keep striking out at empty air. Was a good way to cheese some of these guys who had really large health bars. For my playthrough I decided to play as Snake Eyes because he has incredibly high attack power. I think I made the right choice there. His super attack is that he summons a dog to come in and deal a lot of damage. A bit random but a fun super since even the bosses would take a lot of damage from that.

As far as the graphics go, they look good enough. I liked how colorful everyone is in order to match the old show. The cutscenes we get definitely aren’t very high quality but at least we had cutscenes which was cool. The soundtrack is okay but also not something that I would call really memorable. You’ll have forgotten the tunes real quickly once the game ends.

My main advice when playing is to jump a lot. It’s a great way to clear the distance over to your opponents and of course you get to dodge attacks along the way. Then once you have the enemies in one spot, you can really combo them all to death. Keep on swinging even once they are in the air and usually you can finish each opponent before they had a chance to hit the ground. Pretty sneaky eh? It’s a pretty good way to whittle down the odds.

The game would be really difficult without the infinite continues but since you have them, this one is a true cake walk. While the length is extremely short, the trophies do add a lot of replay value since I think it would be incredibly difficult to get them all. Getting the Platinum for a game like this would really feel like a pipe dream. Not totally impossible or anything like that but not really worth the amount of time it would take. To me at least, maybe you could see it as a badge of honor.

Overall, Wrath of Cobra feels very much like the kind of game you would find on the app store. It’s not particularly high quality and is a very short experience. The gameplay is simple and while it’s not bad, you get the feeling that there wasn’t a ton of time spent on it. This game was just churned out quickly to take advantage of the retro beat em up feeling that everyone has been enjoying. This one loses to most of the other games I’ve played in this genre. If you really like GI Joe though, perhaps the nostalgia alone will make it worth it for you.

Overall 6/10

Gravity Rush 2 Review

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It’s been many years since I played the original Gravity Rush so it was definitely fun to continue the story here. The sequel definitely brings in a whole lot of the mechanics from the first game along with a bunch of spy missions and a much bigger hub world. There is a lot to do within the game and the story is also at a solid length overall. You’ll be satisfied with how the game goes.

The story starts with Kat in a whole new dimension. She ended up going through a portal at some point but has lost track of where Raven is. Ah well, she will keep on saving the day as normal in the meantime but she definitely needs a way out. Additionally her old world now has a new protector and for some reason a lot of people no longer remember Kat even though it’s not like it has been 10+ years…or has it? Kat will need to find out a lot of info and find it out quickly or she will be in a rough spot.

Right away the gravity controls will feel nostalgic here. Basically you can alter gravity at will and then soar through the skies. The more you play, the more you will get really good at constantly shifting gravity and then going in for the attack. If you ever lose track of which direction you’re going, you can use L1 to stabilize yourself. Trust me I had to do that many times so don’t worry about it. The battles definitely get chaotic after all.

The trickiest level to navigate in is near the climax of the game when you are flying inside a very long mountain. Because all sides of the mountain look the same, it can really mess with your instincts. As always just plunge forward as best you can and eventually you will get near the end. The game has you learn new gravity styles which also come into play here like a power mode which lets you break through walls. The power mode is pretty good and I definitely used it a lot near the end. You also have a mode that is more speed based but honestly there isn’t a whole lot of reason to use it. The main mode is still stronger and almost as fast.

You do get a final smash form that you can use temporarily near the end but I couldn’t figure out how to use it at will. No worries, it’ll happen automatically for the really important climax fights anyway. So there is a lot to get used to in terms of the gameplay but the game walks you through it really well. I don’t expect that you will feel overwhelmed or anything. If anything, they may have underestimated how much EXP you could earn. I had Kat fully maxed out rather early in the game at which point the EXP meter just disappears. I was pretty surprised to see that.

Aside from the story missions, there are tons of side missions scattered throughout the hub world. Completing those will help you get more points if you aren’t maxed out yet as well as online trophies. If you want to get the Platinum for this game you will definitely have to put in a lot of work after all. It’s definitely worth it though and adds to that replay value.

While the story goes a bit slowly at first, it immediately gets more lively once Raven shows up. She’s always good to remind you of how serious the stakes are and then we also get a lot of twists about Kat. We finally see her origin here and it goes further back than you might expect. The gameplay itself even changes for a little while there as you have to inspect things and walk around as if this was a Telltale game. It was definitely not what I had been expecting that’s for sure but it really worked and made things ominous.

There is even a long sequence of levels where you switch over to puzzle gameplay with cubes. They even got rather difficult towards the end. Admittedly if the puzzles went on for too long then I would have had a problem with them but for just being the climax, I was able to deal with it. The stealth levels were not as much fun though. There are several through the game and the AI is very picky with it. If they so much as turn around while you’re in the area then you are cooked. There were a few of these I basically had to brute force through and I’m still not sure if I technically did it the right way.

Stealth missions can be fun depending on the implementation, but for the most part they’re usually not my favorite. I find that they only really work if you are allowed to be spotted if you can quickly defeat the opponent like in Gotham Knights. Otherwise if you lose instantly then I don’t usually think they are worth the hassle. Especially since you usually have to start from the beginning of the mission and each stealth takedown takes time.

The soundtrack in the game is pretty good. I enjoyed the victory themes as well as the general battle music. They tend to be fast paced while still having a bit of a calm vibe that matches the rest of the game. The graphics are also really good. I liked the designs and the various enemy designs. The technicals definitely hold their own with the gameplay.

Overall, Gravity Rush 2 is a pretty fun game. While the story does take a little bit to get going, we eventually head towards the big climax that you would expect. The gameplay is both fun and unique with the character cast being easy to root for. I think there is a whole lot more they could do with the series so hopefully we get a third game at some point in the future. Until then, you should definitely play this one if you have not already done so.

Overall 7/10

Heavenly Sword Review

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It’s time for a game with a really iconic cover but I admit that I completely forgot it existed for a while there. Heavenly Sword is one of those rare 3D beat em ups that isn’t a warriors title. I love the beat em up genre so this was definitely fun although the game is very short. So keep that in mind because you will have this game done in under 6 hours easy and there are no PS3 trophies in terms of replay value. The initial playthrough needs to be enough for you to get all your enjoyment in.

The game starts off in the climax with Nariko fighting off legions of warriors but the cursed blade is draining her life force. Her battle is at an end but then we cut back to 5 days earlier. Nariko always grew up as someone that everybody disliked and she wasn’t treated particularly well. People wanted a boy, not a girl. Well Nariko did her best to get strong either way and it turns out that she is the one destined to use the Heaven’s Sword. Now she will have to fight off the enemies for a people who don’t even respect her. She only has one friend in the world, a girl named Kai. Perhaps that will be all the inspiration that Nariko needs.

Honestly if Kai wasn’t around I would not blame Nariko if she just up and left. Even up through the end when she’s saving lives you still have the NPCs being rude for no reason. Nariko is basically a one woman army and without her the main fighters would have died out ages ago. The whole thing is just so absurd that you get annoyed when thinking about it. Her own father was tempted to murder her several times and just doesn’t seem like a good guy. I know the game tries to redeem him to an extent but it’s all just too late and he nearly convinces Kai not to help Nariko near the climax.

Kai is the only solid heroine here to help out. She may not be nearly as strong as Nariko but her bow and arrow skills are really good. While most of the gameplay is your classic 3D slasher, her levels are more motion based. You shoot arrows and then control them by tilting your controller to hit the soldiers from the opposing side. While I am not a fan of motion controls and this was the weakest point of the game, I did really like the concept they were going for here. An archer or any kind of sniper is always a huge asset on the battlefield because of how many people they can take out.

Due to the game’s war setting it’s fun to see her taking people out even while the main fights are occurring elsewhere. So that was pretty cool but of course the best part is playing as Nariko. You have light, normal, and heavy attacks. You switch them up to cancel the opponent’s moves and then keep attacking to land damage. It is like a game of rock paper scissors with the 3 elements and it can be tough to memorize them. The game has a lot more depth than the average beat em up. I was actually button mashing for a good chunk of time towards the end of the game because it was hard to land the hits perfectly.

My biggest piece of advice is to roll a lot because that allows you to get out of the line of fire and start some counter attacks. Especially with the final boss who has a huge health bar you need to do this. Any time he lands a hit on you, that’s going to set you back big time. So keep that in mind here. There is some motion control elements with the platforming but not too many. You also have a lot of quick time events which are fun but the timing is incredibly fast. I wasn’t able to react to almost any of those and just had to memorize them for the second run through. Fortunately there are constant check points in this game.

The graphics are definitely pretty solid. It’s going for a big of a realistic vibe but the effects have aged well. The characters do tend to look rather ugly though and while that is the point, I wouldn’t mind a more stylized version for a sequel. The soundtrack is also pretty solid. Nothing out of this world but it works well within what the game is trying to do. You can easily picture this being a movie so I’ll be curious to check that out at some point.

The story ends with some interesting directions they could go in although I would need them to undo one decision near the end of the game. You need certain characters to make this a success. I’m cool with a whole new cast of villains though as none of the bosses you fight in the game are particularly impressive. I enjoy them more for the banter than for their actual characters. I also give Nariko a lot of credit here for her own tough lines of dialogue which bring out the best in her opponents. The shadow bird is really our best hope of a big villain for a new game.

Overall, Heavenly Sword is a short game but it is a hype experience. So how much you enjoy the game will really come down to how well that balance works for you. If you don’t think that’s good enough then you may end up skipping it but at the same time the going price for it isn’t all that bad nowadays. So to me there isn’t really a downside anymore. I would also say the high quality of the hours that we do get is more than enough to keep you going here. The levels will even give you a reasonable challenge. So I’d definitely be hyped for a sequel.

Overall 8/10