Tag: Gaming

Dead Island (2011) Ryder White Campaign

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison

I decided to turn my Xbox one on the other day as I hadn’t played it for a while, and fearing that I’d be swept into the abyss that is nostalgia, I riskily loaded up the downloaded version of Dead Island: Definitive Edition. I enjoyed playing it originally on the Xbox 360 back in 2011 and onward, and spent many hours replaying it because a) it is a huge game both in scale and storyline b) I loved it. You don’t find games like this, with the exception of Dying Light, anymore. Both Dead Island and Dying Light were created by Techland, although some might argue Dead Island was a split effort.

When I got the Xbox one in 2017 and played Dying Light, my 3rd game on that console, I was immediately impressed. However it didn’t have the glitz and glamour of the luxurious tropical island that we saw in Dead Island. When the campaign in Dead Island was over I was keen to explore more, so went and bought Dead Island Riptide I think sometime late 2017, but am not sure. I enjoyed it. The other day however, I found that the ultimate edition includes the Ryder White campaign which was a great surprise for me! I don’t remember playing this but recall watching YouTube videos. So I began to play.

Anyone familiar with the game will know the island is split into big sections, all accessed as individual segments, and all massive. Ryder White campaign started in the run down slums of the city of Moresby. The storyline so far has been more military focused with more guns which is great. Don’t go dump on the graphics based on the below picture. The game still stands up as being well made, great graphic, storyline, and characters. You know, this is what gaming should be. I think it is time I go and buy the new Dying Light 2, since Dead Island 2 never materialised and the trailer released in 2014… FML.

A part of me doesn’t want to go back on the console, since it just brings me to a state of mind where I feel good. That might sound strange, but if I nurture that, then I’ll be on it as a result because I feel good. You feel me? Yes. I try to keep gaming in the evening so that I am not stuck on it all day. I think my childhood game days are long gone, so are the gaming days of my early 20s, which I don’t regret. They never took up that much time anyway. Always at night!

After the disappointment that was Back 4 Blood, which I couldn’t be bothered to go back and play since December (not kidding) I don’t think I’ll review it either, I’ll probs rest my feeble hopes on Dying Light 2 after the surprise campaign on Dead Island. If I knew how I’d upload myself playing… but I don’t!

VR Fun

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison 
Endlessly roaming some open land

holding but air in the hand

jumping and pushing and leaping them all

you can discover, there is no wall

hiding behind that big chunky eye glass

beaming to long for that outlasted digest

pulling the veil behind those thin eyes

you are stuck in your living room

hiding behind the disguise

Resident Evil: Biohazard

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison

One of the most horrifying, brilliant and intriguing games of the 21st century. The sequel, resident evil: village, number 8 in the series, has just released.

Resident evil 7: Biohazard was released 24th January 2017. I had seen many videos at the time, and waited until around June 2018 to buy and play it. An unforgettable first person survival horror video game that is in my opinion, one of the best resident evil games ever made and the best survival horror game I have ever played in the last 10 years. 2017 was a great year for this type of experience, with only Outlast 2 rivalling the success.

“The player controls Ethan Winters as he searches for his wife in a derelict plantation occupied by an infected family, solving puzzles and fighting enemies. It is the first main series game to use a first-person view. Resident Evil 7 is the first full-length game to use Capcom’s in-house RE Engine. “

Graphically this game is top notch, the re engine really stands out and is unique in so many way. It actually pays attention to details and the environment and characters movements and interactions are stunningly realistic. Sound effects and music are generally used to good affect as well.

I completed the game in a little over 10 hours. According to my save game data. I have also just started to play it again, so that the story is fresh in my mind for when I get a chance to play Resident Evil: Village. The stories of the two games are intrinsically linked.

So, here we have a simple premise: husband goes looking for wife who has been missing 3 years. She has sent a recording to his computer supposedly stating she is alive. Ethan is determined to rescue Mia and sets off to a beautiful Louisiana. We get a brief cutscene at the beginning of the game highlighting the vast empty wilderness that Ethan is trekking into. Personally, I love this kind of setting and wouldn’t mind living there myself.

Ethan turns up at a huge plantation mansion, which at first appears one building, but as you progress you quickly realise that the sets and the game are taking place in multiple building and massive gaming areas. They are linked together in a way that would allow you to explore multiple areas without having to ‘load’ into them. Again, this is the resident evil team, they have the money to build massive, detailed worlds, yet still retain that claustrophobic nightmare of not being able to leave. You can’t leave, and the only way to truly escape seems to be to rescue Mia and kill the entirety of the psychotic and infected Baker family.

Infected with what? Mystery abound as the first hour of gameplay is simple jump scares and some fighting. It is only when the mold creatures turn up that I truly began to feel fear. I mean the family is scary and the characters brilliantly acted and designed…but when you are in a dark room and mold creatures are morphing through walls I guarantee that you won’t be able to run quick enough. Another scary feature of this game, you can run, but extremely slowly, barely being able to escape. This is by design, and makes the game a survival horror, where stealth, patience and a little brain work to figure out the puzzles is required.

Inventory management is the best I have seen in the resident evil games. Some original concepts remain, like the herb healing plant and the ability to combine objects together. Ammunition is in good supply (normal mode) along with a variety of keys and puzzles that make completing some of the smaller objectives fun and interesting, rather than running around shooting everything.

The game is essential a movie, you meet the psychotic family members and one by one you face them off and destroy – or attempt to destroy them. I spent a lot of time trying to kill the first “boss” Jack Baker. A seemingly immortal man who continues to return during your early time in the house. All the time we are getting information from his daughter Zoe, who seems to be wanting to help Ethan by way of irregular telephone calls. Mia, on the other hand, continues to show up whilst the Baker family continue to try and keep her hostage.

The story and game have you complete mini tasks and work through the story finding Mia, getting help from Zoe and all the while wondering who the enigmatic Evelyn is. The Baker family provide the bosses, as mentioned Jack Baker is the first “boss” and one that just doesn’t want to die, with 2 fights against him plus plenty of chase time in the house. The closer you get to Mia, the more tasks appear, and again, the boss fight.

All of this culminates into a fascinating gaming experience which allows the player to experience true fear and excitement as they battle and sneak their way through one of the most disturbing games I have ever seen! When you are against a giant spider lady who is giving birth to giant insects, you can’t help but think, ‘God help me.’

So, Ethan, trying to rescue Mia, is being drawn further into the story of Evelyn, the mold creatures and the whole situation with the Baker family. This is one hell of a creepy experience. The developers acknowledge that this game is petrifying and have openly stated that resident evil: village has been toned down, to allow people to get through the levels without ******** themselves.

I felt a sense of achievement and connection to both Ethan and the game. I wanted him to succeed and for the story to end on a positive note. He is a brave mane. The ending, extremely bizarre. All the dark sets, boss battles and shaking hands have led to a final mission to finally escape. Escape is not easy.

Give this game a try. Bonus: This game supports virtual reality headsets! I will be honest, I was terrified with a headset, so no chance will I be doing VR!

The second playthrough has reminded me has awesome this experience was. I bought the game second hand and I do not regret it. The developers and everyone involved deserve a pat on the back for this occult(ish) nightmare!

( I am genuinely interested in Resident Evil: Village for the xbox one, however, I won’t be playing it until it has gone down in price.)

RATING: 5 stars

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Dead Rising 4

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison

Dead Rising 4, Xbox one game review.

“Dead Rising 4 is an action-adventure video game developed by Capcom Vancouver and published by Microsoft Studios for Xbox One. It is the fourth installment in the Dead Rising series. It was announced at Microsoft’s E3 2016 press conference on June 13, 2016. It features the return of Frank West, and is set in a Christmas-themed Willamette, Colorado. Released on 6th December 2016.”

7/10 from Gamespot & 74 from Metacritic. Trailer: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=dead+rising+4&docid=608008210220584642&mid=34D484209A99925E828734D484209A99925E8287&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

I bought this game in April 2019, last year. I played and completed the game within a week, not kidding. I spent a lot of time on it, working through the missions, without really exploring the map, any challenges or special locations. What I experienced was a fun, stay-at-home game that I overall enjoyed. It is a return for character Frank and the idea to set the game at Christmas with snow was really good, and added a lovable dimension to the theme, not seen before in any other zombie games.

It was however a short campaign and after completing it, I went back to the game for a few more weeks and then didn’t touch it again. I am however going to play it later on, briefly. The lack of missions and short game play really disappointed me. But, there were no cases with timelines and the save system worked well (compared to the original Dead Rising). This addition felt like it lacked substance, and ultimately you are left with a game in which you endlessly make weapons, kill zombies and then…repeat until you get bored.

Graphically the play through was solid, with one or two glitches in the game that were fairly easy to tolerate. Frank has a different look, is more cocky than ever and can take selfies with his camera – a welcome addition. The return to Willamette was fun, being able to explore the whole town this time, even if it is a small place. I just hope that the next game – Dead Rising 5 – brings us to a new, long campaigned, less mindless zombie killing fun.

Highlights of the game – Great vehicles, weapon combos, fun voice acting, interesting locations and graphics.

Downsides – Repetitive, short campaign, too many zombies, need to use multiplayer to really have fun.

I think the game tries too hard, working and thriving in few areas instead of overall. If the game was longer, bigger and less about mind numbing zombie slaughter, then I think I’d recommend it to fans of the first.

My Score: 3.5 / 5

 

 

 

Best Zombie Survival Games

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison

It’s the one genre of gaming that everyone loves, I know it’s one of those types of games that will definitely lack on graphics and maybe character movement, but will make up for it in story line and in game action. The main things a good zombie game will have are: weapons – in particular, huge guns, heavy swords and axes and golf clubs. Without them, the game isn’t anything more than strategy, and probably won’t even have zombies. These games are ones I’ve played, and so the list isn’t reflective on the amount of games available.

1) Left 4 Dead : 1 & 2

The most intense survival games with zombies, the games stick to a basic system, get from a to b with a few set backs along the way. All you have is 3 teammates, a health pack and a weapon and flashlight. This entire game is focused clearly on teamwork, without it, you won’t last 5 minutes in a horde. The player revive system is great too, rather than players dying, they are simply incapacitated until another player can revive them. The addition of the special infected – the hunter, smoker, boomer, witch and tank make for a terrifically terrifying game. The second game sees the addition of the jockey, the charger, the spitter and a female boomer, taking the game to a whole new level, with larger maps and more zombies than the first. The games are re-playable, and the online is where most players are nowadays, enjoying the ability to join a session, grab a gun and start shooting. It’s easy and fun, making them the best out of the lot.

2) Dead Island

The clear highlight of this awesome game is the massive campaign and huge maps, coupled with an amazing in game weapon customization system – no doubt copied from dead rising. The huge amount of side quests will see you exploring a massive island battling some very difficult dead, and special infected. The impressive graphics and player interactivity make it one of the most ambitious games to ever launch. You want to just kill zombies all day long? No problem, because it is essentially a free to roam game and there is no obligation to complete the missions. But in order to unlock other parts of the island, you need to complete them. Team up online for a more intense experience.

3) Dead Rising

The series with a great story, you play someone who is dropped in a mall, and whom decided to investigate the zombie outbreak. The cut scenes and amount of zombies is baffling, making it very difficult to survive. The major downside to this game, was the fact that if you died, you had to start the game from the beginning. This was the worst feature of a game ever, and it essentially meant you had to play the entire game in one sitting to get it done, if you ever did. But the fun of exploring and dressing up and using every object as a weapon was huge fun, and spawned a further 3 games, with improvements to the saving system.

4) State Of Decay

The game that really brought the zombie apocalypse alive, it has an amazingly simple campaign, base building, survivor recruitment, and a sophisticated player interactive menu and skill building. It really does cover everything, but as with all things good, the downside was the lack of freedom in base building and play ability, being limited to exploring and scavenging a limited resources map. The game has special infected and a hard to survive map. It is one of those games where hiding in a bush is better than running, because you can quickly run out of stamina, and without snacks, you are dead, never to return. If the sequel – state of decay 2 – incorporates the elements of the first and expands on them, rather than removing them, then the game will meet good reviews.

 

Do you have any game ideas you would like to see in a game? I’m sure you do, because I have so many I’d be struggling to fit them all in! Please leave a comment and let me know!

10 Awesome Games Worth Playing

Posted on by T. Maxwell-Harrison

Welcome gaming enthusiasts, new and experienced alike! Today, I hope to post some really interesting games that I personally recommend to anyone who has the capability to play them. Luckily, I have had access to many games, over many years. No, I am not someone who plays them everyday, but I have enough experience to be able to tell a good game from a terrible game. It’s easy to name newer franchises, but for the sake of keeping it real I’ll be mentioning some old school classics, some of which provided the very nostalgic playground for many teens during the early 21st century. So, here it goes, let’s count down:

10) The Saboteur

An absolutely terrific alternative to the popular grand theft auto series! This one off game essentially gives players an open world map set in Nazi occupied France during world war 2. Players complete the campaign in their own time and can spend the rest of it blowing up guard towers, stealthily killing Nazi generals, and fighting with the resistance to take back Paris. Side quests can be completed and there is a wide choice of military style weapons including snipers and pistols. Players can also buy vehicles or hijack one off the street, return it to their garage and essentially pimp it out. The player can free run across buildings and climb like a ninja, much in the style of assassins creed. So check it out!

9) Call Of Duty : Modern Warfare 2

This call of duty deserves mentioning, because it is one of the best in the series, and there won’t be anything like this one again. The campaign is certainly one of the more adventurous of the series and can be played over and over without becoming bored, I’ve done it. The online gaming is where the best game play is at, and players have literally hundreds of weapon customization’s and camouflages available to them once they complete the challenges. It’s the kill streak rewards that make it so enjoyable, being able to call in harrier strikes and nuclear bombs was a step in the right direction. Shame the series went downhill after this.

8) Call Of Duty : World At War

This game stands out with such awesomeness! It was amazing how the design team managed to create such realistic graphics and detailed maps, and awesome character movement. The highlight of this game is the Nazi zombies, the very first map was on this game, and it was fantastic, had all the things you could want. Sadly, the Nazi zombies also went downhill after this game. It offers a challenge and I’d say the campaign is more difficult than it’s follow up. Tag that in with the awesome online, battling in the infamous Reich headquarters or Banzai is certainly something!

7) Grand Theft Auto 4

The game was a giant leap forward for Rockstar developers and the game superseded its predecessors with ease. The game map was huge and fans were somewhat blown away at the time of its release. Although GTA 5 had more roaming land than GTA 4, the game at the time was the landmark in gaming. Nico was the Russian who came to the land of the free, and also a very entertaining character, along with his cousin Roman and steroid pumping friend Brucie. The wide variety of missions and constantly changing environment allow the players to immerse themselves fully in the game without becoming tied down or bored.

6) Resident Evil : Operation Raccoon City

The resident evil series is huge and has millions of fans. This little gem for me was one of the series best games, despite the fact it was less mainstream than say resident evil 5. Rather than having the usual awkward controls it went back to easy controls so to speak. The game has some strong graphics, a solid campaign that is not so easy, and also artificial intelligence team mates! Yes, rather than battling the dead alone, you get help, and that is what made it so extraordinary.

5) Conflict Desert Storm : 1 & 2

The games that really brought the gaming experience to life for me were these two, released for the original Xbox. Set during the Iraq war, the game pits players in a team of 4 – you being anyone of them – against dozens of enemies as you battle your way through missions and then to the LZ. The best part of these is that you could switch characters, have them cover you and then switch back, along with having the ability to give commands, which was just simply awesome! The stealth required on certain levels was hard, and the added feature of enemy tanks made it all too difficult sometimes, but hey, that’s gaming for you!

4) Dead Island

An action/adventure zombie survival game that sets you on an exotic island during the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. The game had huge publicity before its release but didn’t really live up to the hype. It is however, a brilliant and huge game. The mission side of it is astoundingly massive, with something like 50 or 60 main missions and tons of side quests. Creating custom weapons and being able to drive make the game fun, especially when running down a horde or two! There a different areas on the island and to access them the player must complete missions. This is a fantastic way to put more in a game, by splitting the sections up. The jungle is particularly grueling, so beware!

3) Driver 3

Another classic by Atari for the original Xbox worth mentioning. The game was the equivalent to grand theft auto, but in my eyes, it was better! You played a cop in south beach Miami, undertaking missions and travelling to Nice and Istanbul as you work your way through the story. Free mode allowed players to select one of 3 maps, choose a car, and then unleash chaos! The freedom of the game allowed players to do as they please, along with the option to take part in the in game mini games, and also record their drives – a feature that was revolutionary in gaming.

2) Tropico 4

The city building game in the Caribbean, where anyone can be anything and do anything! Want to be a master of the economy? The buildings and interactive side of the game are a bundle of joy and provide hundreds if not thousands of hours of game play. Build your city and provide for your people, how hard can it be? Very hard, especially when there is rebels and tsunamis to deal with, not to mention the foreign powers and military coups!

1) Left 4 Dead

Valve ambitiously released this legendary game to great success. The game pits players in third person with 3 team mates against the dead, in point to point focused campaign missions. It went back to basics, grab a gun and shoot the dead. No fancy interaction and no overly complicated story lines, just good old fashioned run and shoot. You can choose your character, Bill, Louis, Francis or Zoey, and choose your weapons, but don’t forget your health pack! The game introduced the special zombies, the boomer, the hunter and the smoker with the addition of the witch! These features left players playing campaigns over and over and with the awesome ability to play as the special infected, it really went up and over the expectations gaming enthusiasts had. This is one that people can come back to anytime, anywhere, because it never gets old.