Dark Souls III: The Ringed City not only acts as the second expansion to Dark Souls III, but also acts as a fitting send off for a franchise within the gaming industry that has had an immense presence and influence over numerous titles in the market over the past few years. Dark Souls is an incredible series of games, and Dark Souls III: The Ringed City, is the final expansion that Dark Souls III deserves.
Without spoiling anything, the first boss of The Ringed City throws a massive curve ball.
The Dark Soul of Man
Unsurprisingly, Dark Souls III: The Ringed City is set inside the Ringed City, at the end of the world, and the close of the Age of Fire, as all cities converge upon themselves, quite literally. The Ringed City’s level design is a devilish, spiralling descent into the madness of Dark Souls III’s most dangerous environments, and it’s an absolute joy to explore, traverse, and find out more about. Much like the first expansion and the game as a whole, The Ringed City’s story is never clearly defined or told in a way that’s straightforward, and players need to talk to NPCs and search for clues in lore in order to piece together what’s going on and just what the hell The Ringed City is. The new cast of characters that reside within The Ringed City are all very interesting if you take the time to look into flavor text and interact with them, and the overall narrative is fairly interesting, ultimately tying up what Ashes of Ariandel started. It serves as a satisfying, yet mysterious storytelling finale for the series, and it more than lives up to the Dark Souls name. Being a part of Dark Souls, The Ringed City is naturally challenging, but in new innovative ways that haven’t been seen in past entries. Whether it be ghost archers that volley arrows at you whenever a giant calls for it, the angel-like flying dregs that barrage you with projectiles when you come into sight, or the viciously quick, hard-hitting Ringed Knights, The Ringed City never fails to provide a challenge for the most seasoned Dark Souls players, and that’s without even dipping into bosses. While there’s 4 boss fights total, one is completely optional, and the second compulsory boss is more or less a glorified PVP battle with some narrative context. That leaves us with 3 potential boss fights, and while that’s a small number, each boss in The Ringed City never ceased to amaze me. The first boss was extremely unexpected, and had me stumped for an hour or two, only to have me move on to the final boss. Without spoiling anything, the final boss in The Ringed City feels like a culmination of everything that’s come before it, and the challenge is right up there with some of Bloodborne’s tougher bosses. It’s worth mentioning that I was playing The Ringed City on an NG+6 save, which made it a lot more difficult than it normally would be. The weapons, armour, and items found in The Ringed City are undoubtedly some of the best in the series, and they mix up the meta for PVP players too. After the boost mode update on the PS4 Pro, Dark Souls 3 runs at 60FPS and still looks just as good as it originally did. The biggest problem with The Ringed City however, is that inconsistent frame rate drops are apparent throughout the experience, but they never led to any deaths, and are a minor hindrance at most.
The Ringed Knights are definitely some of the hardest standard enemies in any Souls game.
Verdict: 9/10
It brings me great joy and sadness to say that Dark Souls III: The Ringed City is a fantastic send off for a fantastic franchise. Dark Souls has played and forever will play a major part in my life, and it’s saddening to see such a legendary series come to an end. If you haven’t given the Dark Souls games a chance, please do so, they are truly spectacular games if you’re determined enough to get through its harsh difficulty. The Ringed City has spectacular environments, challenging boss fights albeit too few, a satisfying and mysterious plot, and most importantly it completes Dark Souls III as a package. Don’t miss out on this one Souls fans.
Positives
-Ties up Dark Souls III nicely
-Challenging and unique boss fights
-Incredible level design and world building
-New weapons, armour, and items
-Beautiful locales to explore
Negatives
-Frame rate issues
-Too few bosses once again
Thanks for reading guys, next is The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 3.
Harry.
Mass Effect is undoubtedly one of the most influential series of the last generation, and for good reason. Bioware poured their heart and soul into making a truly excellent trilogy of games, and while they tripped up a little bit towards the end, Mass Effect’s legacy is one that will forever be present in the gaming industry. People got naturally excited when a 4th entry into the series was announced, although it wasn’t what people were expecting. Mass Effect: Andromeda marks the return of Mass Effect, and while it’s gotten off to a rocky start, fans and newcomers alike can enjoy what Andromeda has to offer, despite its shortcomings.
Andromeda is a good starting point for new players, because it’s very loosely linked to the original trilogy.
The Andromeda Initiative
Andromeda’s narrative is a far cry from anything related to the original trilogy. It’s very loosely connected to the adventures of Commander Shepard and the rest of his merry crew, which makes for a very easy access point for newcomers to the series. Mass Effect: Andromeda is set in between the events of Mass Effect 2 and 3, where earth is looking for new planets to populate with new life in the Andromeda Galaxy as a part of the Andromeda Initiative. You play as one of two twins, Scott or Sara Ryder (i’ll be referencing to Ryder as a him because I chose to play as Scott), and due to unforeseen circumstances, you’re forced to take a leadership role within the Andromeda Initiative as a Pathfinder. The stakes are high as you and your crew must find new Golden Worlds to populate in order to ensure the Andromeda Initiative isn’t for nothing, and in the process, deal with a greater threat to the galaxy. Andromeda’s narrative doesn’t do a terribly good job at pulling you into its struggles and conflicts. The first half of the game feels like a few missions were thrown together with loose ties to one-another, making for an initially incoherent and slow plot. However, the more I played Andromeda, the more I got pulled into its characters, world, and plot, and by the time I reached the halfway mark, Andromeda really got going, even if it doesn’t reach the storytelling heights of the original trilogy. Overall, Andromeda’s tone is a lot more lighthearted than the previous games, which I didn’t mind, but there are certainly a few darker moments within the campaign that harken back to the previous entries in the series. I found most of the characters varied and extremely likeable, although dialogue options didn’t really feel as impactful as they have been in the past, but it still provides a sense of character development for Ryder and his buddies. It’s all tied together with a very intimidating villain, whose motives are never made clear until later on, creating an air of mystery about him that I enjoyed quite a bit. Andromeda’s narrative starts on unstable ground, but if you take the time to invest yourself in it, eventually you’ll find a plot that holds a candle to that of the original trilogy.
Andromeda’s sense of exploration and scale is incredible.
Fight for a New Home
Mass Effect: Andromeda plays fairly similarly to Mass Effect 3, but there are some key elements that make it unique, fresh, and fun to play. Andromeda offers 4 distinct and varied planets to explore, engage in combat on, and most importantly, make viable for settlement. Each planet has their own little quirk, whether it be a radioactive atmosphere, extreme levels of cold, or extremely dangerous storms. They all felt like their own environments, and driving across Andromeda’s vast worlds was quite the spectacle, and truly a treat. As you explore, you can scan tech, wildlife, fauna, alien structures and more to gather research points that can be spent to research new weapons. Scanning is something you’ll be doing all the time in Andromeda, and you’ll either love it or hate it, but I personally never found it infringed upon my enjoyment of the game. Each world hosts a plethora of quests and loyalty missions to complete, hubs to visit, merchants to trade with and most importantly, Vaults to explore. Vaults act as the main way to increase planet viability in Andromeda, and they act almost as little dungeons within the game, and that’s not even taking into account the Sudoku like puzzles you need to solve to open them up. The first few were interesting and generally fun to complete, but by the end of it all I found myself getting a bit tired of the process. As you play Andromeda, you’ll be fostering your relationships with the people on your crew, whether that be by completing side missions for them or just having general conversation. I felt like I was getting something out of the effort I was putting in to know each character, and every one on my team had some back story or driving force behind them that I wanted to get to know. The Tempest is Andromeda’s version of the Normandy, essentially serving the same function. Through it, you can travel to different planets, research and develop weapons, exchange with the on-board shop, and interact with your crew. When on the surface of planets your main mode of transportation comes in the form of the Nomad, which is a rover designed for travelling hazardous planets. It’s fun to control, and fans of the Mako from Mass Effect will certainly enjoy its inclusion. That might seem like a lot to take in but I haven’t even gotten into the real meat of Andromeda yet, the combat. The star of Andromeda is by far its combat systems and all the elements that come into play when you enter a firefight. Ryder is equipped with a number of weapons, a range of biotic, tech, and combat abilities to choose from, and perhaps most importantly, a jump jet. With the press of a button (or two if you wanna dash in the air) Ryder can zip around the battlefield through the use of his jump jet. It seems like a simple addition, but once you get the hang of it, Andromeda’s combat turns into a fast, fluid and frenetic third person shooter that is extremely satisfying to play. Hovering in mid-air to shoot at an enemy cowering behind cover, only to land back on the ground and zip away at a moments notice is truly exhilarating and certainly never got old. The cover system also makes combat very fluid, as Ryder automatically clicks to anything he can use as cover, creating for a less sticky cover based system. Andromeda’s entertaining combat can mostly be accredited to the varied abilities and skills that you can invest in along throughout Andromeda’s plot. The three main trees from the original trilogy are back, those being tech, biotic, and combat. The main difference here, is that Ryder isn’t locked into the skills you choose from the start, which means Andromeda caters to multiple play-styles no matter the situation. Want to have a loadout where you solely focus on biotic abilities and mid-range weapons and another that focuses on tactical cloaking and sniping? Well you can, and it’s made extremely accessible through Andromeda’s favourites system, which lets you assign a loadout of skills to a shortcut you can access with the press of a button. Weapons come in various types, from assault rifles and shotguns, to snipers and pistols. There’s even an entire category for melee weapons, all of which are varied and unique. Like I mentioned earlier, you can research and develop weapons you haven’t found in the field through the use of research points and materials. It never really properly explains itself however, and it’s quite confusing at first, and collecting the necessary materials to craft one weapon can be a drag, but once you find a loadout that suits you, it feels very worth it. No matter what you craft or choose to use in Andromeda, each weapon sounds excellent and provides a satisfying amount of feedback with each shot. I played Andromeda on normal, which I never found to be overly difficult, but I did get caught out once or twice, and I had to make good use of my abilities if I wanted to get through a tough encounter. Andromeda’s enemies are fairly repetitive early on, mostly consisting of the Kett (the main evil force in the campaign), the Remnant, and wildlife found on the various planets. I did find that it opened up a bit more toward the latter half of the game, with more enemy types and factions coming into play. The final part of Andromeda’s gameplay, is its multiplayer mode. Much like Mass Effect 3, Andromeda’s multiplayer suite consist of a cooperative online wave based survival mode, where objectives must be complete in order to succeed. It gets pretty tough, and playing with friends is definitely recommended. If you enjoyed what Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer had to offer, you’ll undoubtedly enjoy it here, because it builds on everything that made it great in the first place, and it undoubtedly has a number of hours you can put into it.
While Andromeda does have some fairly stereotypical worlds, they all look beautiful.
A Bug-Riddled Galaxy
If there’s one thing that Andromeda has certainly been criticised for, it’s the presence of bugs that plague the game. I’m not going to sugar coat it, Mass Effect: Andromeda is a very buggy game, and Bioware need to iron it out as soon as possible. Its nothing game breaking, but bad facial animations, disturbing walking animations, inconsistent lip syncing, and visual glitches really do hinder the experience when they’re as prevalent as they are in Andromeda. It honestly made me laugh more than it did upset, but it’s still unacceptable for a triple A game to be this buggy at launch. Aside from all the technical bugs, Andromeda looked beautiful at 4K on my PS4 Pro, and for the most part ran smoothly at 30FPS. Environments are beautifully designed and alien character models look excellent. Notice I said alien character models, because humans look absolutely atrocious in Andromeda, and it honestly seems like they’ve been ripped straight out of a 360 or PS3 game. It’s disappointing to see that a series that was generally pretty good with the technical side of things have a downfall such as this.
Andromeda’s boss fights are few and far between, but offer a challenge nonetheless.
Verdict: 7/10
Despite all of its shortcomings, Mass Effect: Andromeda is a good game, worth your time and investment once the many bugs have been ironed out. While its narrative takes a while to get going, it has excellent gameplay and worlds to explore. It’s a deep and complex RPG that you can sink hours and hours into if you get into it, and that’s without even dipping into its multiplayer component. It looks gorgeous and runs well enough, it’s just a damn shame that the game is as plagued with bugs as it is.
Positives
-Second half of the plot gets you hooked
-Strong antagonist
-Excellent sense of exploration and discovery
-Fast, frenetic, fluid combat
-Character + relationship development
-Enaging, longlasting multiplayer suite
Negatives
-Gets off to a slow, incoherent start
-Confusing and dull crafting systems
-Choices feel meaningless
-Some repetitive elements
-Numerous bugs and technical issues
-Visual glitches and human character models
Thanks for reading guys, up next is Dark Souls III: The Ringed City.
Horizon Zero Dawn marks the first attempt at something new by developer Guerilla Games, and also marks their first new IP since 2004. Having worked on Killzone games for so long, people were generally surprised when they saw what Guerilla Games had cooking up next for the Playstation 4, and it was a very pleasant surprise. After an amazing E3 demo, Horizon quickly became one of the most anticipated games to be released, and for good reason. Horizon Zero Dawn stands as an incredible example of what can be achieved by developers with a strong vision, and Guerilla Games prove that they can make a brilliant game, even if they’re outside of their comfort zone.
The machines that roam Horizon’s sprawling open world are just as dangerous as they are beautiful.
Aloy of the Nora
Horizon Zero Dawn is set in the far future, where Earth has been reclaimed by nature, and is now roamed by mechanical beasts called machines. Why they’re here, and what happened to Earth that led to it being in the state it’s in isn’t made clear at first, and it’s one of the undying questions you’ll undoubtedly have when starting up Zero Dawn. Humans live similarly to the way that cavemen did, in separate tribes, and surviving by hunting and gathering in the wild. You play as Aloy, an outcast of the Nora tribe, the reasons for her being an outcast not being fully disclosed until later on. After some initial back story in the form of a tutorial, Aloy tries to be accepted by the tribe in the form of The Proving, which goes horribly wrong, and after a chain of horrific events, sets Aloy on a path to discover who she really is, and what happened to the world so many years ago. I don’t want to go any further to avoid spoilers, but the first half of the story is honestly quite slow, and while Aloy is very well-developed early on, there’s no real hook to the narrative unless you really want to find out what’s going on. I honestly found it quite dull, and was confused as to why Horizon’s narrative was so highly praised, and then I hit the halfway mark. Over the course of one story mission, I had become fully invested into Horizon’s world, eager to find out more about the world and all the circumstances that led it to the way it is. It consistently shocked me with its plot twists and intriguing mystery, and I honestly couldn’t get enough of it. I absolutely loved Horizon’s second half, and the first half felt worth getting through in the end, if a little pointless. The characters are all extremely likeable, Aloy especially, who’s very well developed early on, and with multiple dialogue choices, you’re able to see her interact with people the way you want her to. She’s more than just a way for the player to see the world, and I truly hope she becomes a flagship Playstation mascot. The supporting cast isn’t nearly as strong as Aloy, but that doesn’t mean they’re bad. Aloy’s father figure in particular was quite interesting, and some of the Nora tribesmen and women who Aloy cooperates with throughout the narrative always proved to be good company. Horizon’s side quests are also generally well written, and more often than not have an interesting over-arching narrative. Horizon Zero Dawn answered so many of my questions but created so many more, and the level of story telling that Guerilla achieve in the second half of the narrative is amazing, even if it gets off to a slow start.
Horizon’s machines come in all shapes and sizes, like crabs for example……
Focus
If there was one thing that hooked me from start to finish in Horizon, it was definitely its gameplay. It’s pretty standard affair for an open world game, but Horizon does all the things you’d expect in a typical open world in its own refreshing way that felt new. The map is absolutely huge, and there are a plethora of biomes to explore and hunt in. You can gather resources to craft new gear, potions, consumables and so on. Side quests can found everywhere, and traversal is generally enjoyable, as Aloy is extremely nimble and agile. She can climb most surfaces within the world (providing there are ledges) and she can also hack machines, some of which are rideable. Cities and points of interest are scattered about the open world, and dungeon like challenges called Cauldrons can also be found, which I found were incredibly well designed and challenging. I mentioned crafting earlier, and it plays a pretty big part in Horizon. Aloy has a plethora of weapons she can use to hunt machines, ranging from bows and trip wires to sling shots and machine gun-like rattlers. Every weapon has at least two ammo types you can use, all with different effects or elements.Which weapons and armour you craft determines its ammunition types and bonuses. You can apply modifications which give your gear boosts to resistances, damages and so on. As you complete quests and hunt machines, Aloy gains EXP, levels and skill points. The skill points can be invested into three different trees all providing skills relating to movement, combat and survival. Each point I spent felt meaningful, and I was constantly tossing up my options whenever I levelled up. When exploring, you’ll find bandit outposts, corrupted machines, hunting challenges, and Tallnecks roaming the map, which act as towers. Tallnecks can be climbed and hacked in order to reveal a portion of the map. The scale of these things is simply crazy and the first time you see one will undoubtedly stop you in your tracks just so you can take it all in. When you aren’t doing any of the above in Horizon, you’ll more than likely be hunting machines, and combat is easily what Horizon does best. It’s a weird mix of the recent Tomb Raider games and Dark Souls, but don’t let that put you off, it’s a lot better than it sounds. Aloy can scan machines and the environment due to a tool she finds called a Focus, and this tool is key to coming out successful in encounters. Each machine has multiple weak points or Components, and if targeted by Aloy, you do increased damage. It is paramount that you take the time to hit precise shots on these components or combat is incredibly tough. After acquiring some abilities like slowing down time it makes it significantly easier, and whenever you a hit a weak point it’s incredibly satisfying. Destroying these components can stop the machines from doing certain things, and in some cases, provide Aloy with heavy weapons to use against other machines. It’s intense stuff, and the natural fluidity and fast pace of combat lends every single encounter a sense of danger, whether you be fighting a gigantic Thunderjaw or a smaller Shell Walker. It feels so good to apply elemental effects with arrows, darting around the battlefield with roll dodges, laying traps and tripwires for your unsuspecting enemies. Humans are also encountered in the game, but are incredibly dull in comparison to the machines, and more often than not I found the human encounters to be quite a drag. The game has simple, yet robust stealth mechanics, which are paramount to thinning a herd that you otherwise couldn’t take on by yourself. On normal difficulty, Horizon proved to be quite a challenge, but never frustrating.
The dystopian setting of Horizon makes for some incredible environments.
A Beautiful Horizon
As always, I played Horizon Zero Dawn on the Playstation 4 Pro, and it is undoubtedly the best way to play the game. Horizon runs at 2160P checkerboard which looks absolutely amazing. Environments are lush, character models are intricately detailed, and the game never looks dull. Aside from the fantastic visuals, the game boasts some of the longest draw distances I’ve seen in a console game, creating an incredible sense of scope. The game is locked at 30FPS, but never drops, and I never had any graphical hiccups or technical hiccups throughout my time with Horizon. It’s a technical marvel, and Guerilla should be applauded for the detail and intricacy put into this world.
These are the colossal Tallnecks.
Verdict: 9/10
Horizon Zero Dawn marks a new start for Guerilla Games. They’ve made an incredible game, that anyone who owns a Playstation 4 absolutely must experience. Whether it’s for its excellent narrative, intuitive, unique combat, or incredible visuals, Horizon Zero Dawn is well worth your time.
Positives
-2nd half of the narrative is excellent
-Aloy as a character
-Combat is unique, new, fresh and intuitive
-Refreshes the use of open-world tropes
-Incredibly visuals and draw distances
-Strong technical performance
Negatives
-Human combat is dull
-Narrative has a slow start
Up next will either be The Ringed City or Episode 3 of The Walking Dead. Thanks for reading, Harry.
The Legend of Zelda is undoubtedly one of the biggest names within the gaming industry, and for extremely good reason. It pioneered the adventure genre, and with each release of a new Zelda game, the bar is seemingly set higher and higher. Zelda is a franchise I’ve grown up with over the years so it’d be unfair to say there isn’t a small degree of bias behind this review, but I’m going to try to be as honest as possible while reviewing the latest entry into the series. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Breath of the Wild seeks to break the standard conventions of the Zelda formula, creating a brand new experience within the same universe. I didn’t really know what to expect going in, but I was incredibly excited regardless of my concerns for a few of the systems that were supposedly in the game. Nonetheless, it goes without saying that all my worries were swept aside, because The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an incredible experience that will be remembered as a classic for years to come.
Breath of the Wild has a ton of Amiibo support, and most of them are unique in terms of what they do.
100 Years Ago
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s narrative is definitely one of its strong points if you’re willing to invest the time and effort into uncovering it. It’s told in a way that’s never forced upon the player apart from a few expositional cut-scenes. I found it was a refreshing way to tell a story in an open world setting, and for the people who don’t want to invest in it, they don’t have to (but you should because it’s just that good if you do). It never reaches the narrative complexity of Twilight Princess or Majora’s mask, but the characters, voice acting, and premise of Breath of the Wild is unrivalled by any other Zelda game. It makes for a truly incredible experience as you play through the game. Breath of the Wild follows a Link that has been awakened from a 100 year slumber in order to destroy Calamity Ganon, and save Hyrule. It’s a fairly simple plot, but its characters and ideas are further fleshed out through optional cut-scenes. I was constantly intrigued in what had happened to Hyrule that some 100 years ago, and that drove me to uncover everything I could about the game’s narrative, and I was rewarded with some truly emotional and well executed story moments and set pieces. It’s a simple plot, but the characters are incredibly likeable, and Zelda is so well done that I feel as if Breath of the Wild was more worried about its characters than actual plot, which definitely isn’t a bad thing because the plot is still decent.
The Temple of Time is one of the first areas you visit upon awakening at the start of the game.
A Wild Hyrule
Breath of the Wild’s biggest departure comes in the form of its gameplay, changing and revolutionising the formula that has long since been the staple for Zelda games. Gone is the hand holding of past games, Breath of the Wild throws you into the world, gives you an objective and leaves you to your own devices. It’s a refreshing change of pace for a Zelda game, and it didn’t take me long to get lost in the countless things there are to do in the world. Once you clear the Great Plateau which acts as a tutorial area, the game opens up incredibly, and you can go and do whatever you want. I made it a priority to go and do one of the dungeons first, but I consistently ventured off the beaten track to inspect something that caught my eye, whether it be one of the many puzzle shrines, an enemy fort, a lookout tower, or a batch of collectables, Breath of the Wild never ceased to grab my attention. This world is begging to be explored, and 35 hours in I’m still finding new things, which is a massive achievement in its own right. Breath of the Wild is all about survival and nothing screams this more than its systems. Link can only restore health by eating food, which can be gathered and cooked in order to create meals through recipes. Different items lead to different traits and stat-boosts from food, and experimenting with all kinds of weird and wonderful goods never got old, and I often lost myself doing it now and again. The environment is also integral to Link’s survival, as temperatures rise and fall you’ll have to equip different armour accordingly, or eat specific foods that increase temperature resistances. Weather hazards such as rain and thunder also pose a threat too, because if you have any metal equipment on you at the time, thunder can strike at a moments notice, killing Link very quickly, but the same applies to enemies. Rain makes it harder to climb surfaces, which by the way, almost every single surface in-game is climbable, making for a refreshing sense of player freedom and exploration. Once you use Link’s superb climbing capabilities with your limited amount of stamina (which can be upgraded by completing shrines, along with heart containers) you can take in the sights of the breath-taking open world (no pun intended). One of Link’s new tools is the glider, so once you reach a high point in the world, one of the funnest things to do is jump off and glide over the landscape. It’s truly magical stuff, and this along with shield surfing makes for incredibly enjoyable modes of transport. Speaking of which, horses are very prominent in Breath of the Wild, and they must be mounted, calmed down, registered, and named before you can use them, and much like other things in the game, they can die. Great fairies are also scattered around the world and are used to upgrade your armour, if you’re willing to give up the materials. The Sheikah Slate is Link’s new navigating buddy, just less annoying this time around. It provides you with objectives, the world map, and a number of tools such as bombs, magnesis, cryo powers and more. It’s a unique little idea that really works within Breath of the Wild’s gameplay loop. Lastly comes combat, which is in my opinion, is the best the franchise has ever seen. It’s robust, but has so many little things to it that need to be taken into consideration. Almost every single weapon in the game eventually breaks after a certain amount of use, making combat encounters tense and strategic. Some people may hate this feature, which is fair enough, but I think it contributes to Breath of the Wild’s gameplay tremendously once you get used to it. It teaches you to become comfortable with other weapons you wouldn’t normally use, and that good weapons are scarce within the world. It doesn’t help that some enemies hit really hard, but that’s where parrying and dodging comes into play. Last minute dodges are awarded with flurry strikes, where time is slowed down and Link gets repeated attacks in, it’s not necessary, but there for those who are willing to risk it, it creates a unique little risk-reward system. Some weapons have elemental effects, some can catch fire, they all have different stats, and most can be thrown at enemies for a critical hit,. it creates so many options in combat and that’s without the use of sheikah slate runes and a bow. Archery in Breath of the Wild is the most refined it’s ever been, which can be controlled by gyro or control stick. Arrows are fairly scarce to begin with, and using them sparingly is probably for the best. Eventually you’ll develop a surplus, and come across elemental arrows which also need to be carefully maintained. Mid-air shooting or jumping off of a horse creates a slow motion mode where Link can get a precise shot in. The last thing I want to talk about is dungeons. Without spoiling anything, they’re innovative, unique, refreshing, and brand new concepts for Zelda. They’re some of the most fun I’ve had in a Zelda game, and I truly hope to see them return in some form in the future. Each dungeon caps off with a boss fight, which are fairly challenging in their own right, with weaknesses and weak points. Bosses can also be found in the over world, which was a weird change, but one that I got used to and one that I have come to appreciate.
The Stone Talus are stone giants that can be found and fought against in the over world.
A Beautiful Wilderness
I played Breath of the Wild on the brand new Nintendo Switch, and it was a graphical marvel. The game looks absolutely stunning with detailed character models, beautiful textures, incredible animations and level design. It is easily one of the prettiest games I have ever played, and the Nintendo Switch was an awesome console to play it on. The game runs at 900P in console mode and 720P in handheld mode, while running at 30fps with occasional frame drops, but they were never enough to hurt my experience with the game. The soundtrack is also absolutely amazing, with some incredible themes for different characters, situations, and environments. It also has the level of polish we come to expect from a Nintendo game.
There’s 120 of the unique puzzle shrines scattered across the open world.
Verdict: 10/10
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, is everything I want and more from a Zelda game. It has an incredible open world that’s just begging to be explored, and experimented with. It’s plot is simple, but effective, with extremely lovable, mostly well voice acted characters. It’s gameplay systems fall nothing short of fantastic and create for an incredible survival experience where even the smallest details come into effect. This is all while the game looks and runs for the most part perfectly. The Legend of Zelda has once again set the standard for not only adventure games, but survival games too. Nintendo have really outdone themselves, and if it only gets better from here, we have one hell of a console generation on our hands.
Positives
-Strong plot with even stronger characters, and a Princess Zelda that has been extremely well done
-Robust, unique combat systems that keep you on your toes at all times
-Detailed, beautiful open world that’s begging to be explored
-Cooking and gathering of items
-Dungeons are well crafted and innovative
-Strong survival elements
-Incredible visuals and mostly strong performance
-Intricate character models and animations
Thanks for reading guys, sorry this one took so long. Up next is NieR: Automata, then I’ll do my Horizon review. I got caught up in Zelda and still haven’t finished Horizon.
It’s no lie that Breath of the Wild is the Nintendo Switch’s killer app on launch, the amount of hype and excitement it’s generated is incredible. It’s been recently unveiled that Breath of the Wild has an expansion pass, and Nintendo have detailed what is to come with it. The expansion pass is $19.99, providing access to two downloadable content packs as soon as they release later this year.
This is the official artwork for the Expansion Pass.
Pack 1 is to be released in Winter of 2017 and comes with:
-A new Cave of Trials challenge
-Hard mode
-A new “feature” for the in-game map
Pack 2 is to be released Holiday 2017 and comes with:
-A new dungeon
-A new original story
-Additional challenges
This is a first for Zelda, but thankfully the expansion pass seems reasonably priced for what you get, and I’m personally looking forward to the additional content it has to offer. Hopefully it’s an addition to the main game, and not a necessity for those who choose not to buy it. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild releases on March 3rd, alongside the Nintendo Switch.
Dark Souls 3: The Ringed City was announced last night, and it will act as the 2nd and final piece of DLC for Dark Souls 3. The Ringed City will introduce new story, items, weapons, armour, NPCs, bosses, and a new area to explore. Some of the lore implications in the trailer are very interesting, and the theme of The Ringed City is extremely fitting for the finale of Dark Souls. According to the trailer, The Ringed City is set in the “End of the World”, and is currently slated for release on March 28th. There’s a lot of pressure on The Ringed City to deliver, due to Ashes of Ariandel being very average on release, and more importantly because this is supposedly Dark Souls’ final send off.
New armour, weapons, and bosses will be part of the expansion.
As a souls-fan, I’m incredibly excited for the release of The Ringed City, but I really do hope it manages to deliver. Dark Souls as a franchise deserves the best send-off it can get, and i’m sure that From Software are aware of this. Dark Souls is an extremely beloved franchise, and The Ringed City is going to play a vital part in the Souls series. Please From Software, take your time, and send-off this amazing franchise with the love and respect it deserves. The trailer for The Ringed City can be found here. Here’s to hoping Dark Souls ends the way it should.
On paper, Gravity Rush sounds like a concept that can be easily botched if it isn’t properly designed, and yet, JAPANStudio managed to pull it off. It’s a very niche game, it’s not terribly well-known, but it’s one of the Playstation Vita’s best games. It managed to do well enough to spawn a port to the Playstation 4, and a full-fledged sequel to be released in the following year. Gravity Rush 2 is finally out, taking everything the first game did well and doing it better, with some truly fantastic additions. Unfortunately, Gravity Rush 2 also inherits some problems from the first game, with a disjointed story, a monotonous third act, and a camera that occasionally tries to work against you. Still, Gravity Rush 2 is a really enjoyable time if you’re willing to get past its downfalls.
Gravity Rush 2 is set in Jirga Para Lhao.
A Story of Two Shifters
Gravity Rush 2 takes place after the events of the first game, following protagonist Kat and her friend Syd trying to make a living in Jirga Para Lhao. I don’t want to go too in-depth about the context in order to avoid spoilers for the first game, because I highly recommend that you play through the original Gravity Rush before you play 2. Gravity Rush 2 doesn’t exactly follow one over-arching story line, it’s more multiple smaller arcs spread across 3 acts. This causes for the game to feel pretty disjointed at times, and while it’s easy to follow, I can’t help but feel it caused a few loose ends that weren’t properly concluded. It’s unfortunate, because the way Gravity Rush 2 handles it’s characters and storytelling is excellent, with likeable characters like Kat, Syd, Lisa, and Raven taking the limelight, and drawing you in with their varied personalities. Much like the first game, Gravity Rush 2 is told through an art style that’s most similar to manga. You read through comic panels, as the story unfolds page by page. It truly keeps Gravity Rush unique, and it’s done extremely well, making for a very charming way to flesh out the story and characters. It’s definitely not a terrible story, but much like the first game, it’s definitely not great either.
Jirga Para Lhao is set in the clouds, which creates an amazing open world to explore and fly around.
The Power of Gravity
Gravity Rush 2 is definitely at its strongest when you’re allowed to freely roam its beautiful world, and there’s always something to do. NPCs with side-quests and small talk are scattered across Jirga Para Lhao’s vertically arranged islands, and completing them and/or exploring is when Gravity Rush 2 is at its finest. It’s easy to get drawn in and lost into the world, and while the plots of the side-quests are small, the NPCs have enough personality and energy to make you care about them and what you’re doing, and I look forward to jumping back in to complete the rest. The main story on the other hand is a bit of a mixed bag, some is good, some is okay, and some is just straight up boring. Early on, the story missions are simple but enjoyable, and there are some truly wondrous environments you get the opportunity to explore. It starts showing signs of weakness in its early stealth missions, and while they aren’t overly frustrating, I found myself hoping I wouldn’t see them again. The third act of the game is easily the weakest in terms of gameplay, with one extremely monotonous stealth mission (sigh), and 2 very slow, boring boss fights which includes the final boss. Speaking of which, boss fights for the most part are handled very well, and they genuinely make for some good moments except for the few I mentioned earlier. Gravity shifting still works the same way it did in Gravity Rush, with a few new additions which greatly enhance the experience of having power over gravity. The controls are slick, and flying through Jirga Para Lhao at high speeds is as thrilling as it was travelling through Hekseville from the first game. Kat has the ability to create a stasis field, enabling her to throw objects at her enemies, human or otherwise, or if you want you can make use of her kick combos returning from the first game. Gravity Rush 2 never proved truly difficult until some of the latter missions, and even then all it took was one or two more attempts to finish it off. Gravity Rush 2’s single biggest change to game play comes in the form of Gravity Styles. Kat will slowly but surely unlock 3 different Gravity Styles she can use, all effecting how she shifts gravity, how she jumps and how she fights. They’re extremely well implemented, and after some practice, I found myself swapping between styles, both in and out of combat to best fit my current situation. All of them feel fleshed out, and they’re all very useful in their own ways. One other thing Gravity Rush 2 does very well is the design of its open world. As I mentioned earlier, Jirga Para Lhao is a very vertical map, with different floating islands to explore, further enhancing how good it feels to control gravity over the course of the game. While exploring, Precious Gems can be found scattered across Jirga Para Lhao, allowing you to further upgrade Kat’s abilities. It’s addicting to just explore the world and collect Gems, and trust me, there are plenty to collect.
The Gravity Styles also slightly change the way Kat looks.
The Sky’s the Limit
I played Gravity Rush 2 on the Playstation 4 Pro, and it was a gorgeous experience from start to finish. The game looks absolutely stunning in 4K, and there were a few moments where I had to stop myself and take in the environment. The colours pop, and the different islands make for unique and varied environments. While Gravity Rush 2 looks fantastic, it unfortunately runs at 30FPS, but it was a very consistent 30FPS, with no drops whatsoever throughout my 8 hour experience. What I did experience however, were camera issues, and while they were inconsistent, they got in the way and I found them to be very annoying. Finally, the game isn’t technically flawless either, I got stuck on a loading screen forever, and had to restart my game in order to start playing again, but that’s just one blemish on an otherwise technically sound game.
Gravity Rush 2 also explores some very strange environments. These are where Kat unlocks her new Gravity Styles more often than not.
Verdict: 7.5/10
Gravity Rush 2, much like its predecessor, suffers from a slew of issues that undeniably bring the experience down, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad game. If anything, Gravity Rush 2 is a good game, and a vast improvement in terms of gameplay from the first. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Gravity Rush 2 when it was at its best, exploring the city, collecting precious gems, and helping people complete side quests. New additions to gameplay such as the new Gravity Styles and the fantastic design of the over-world also keep the game fun and entertaining. If you enjoyed the first game, I highly recommend Gravity Rush 2, and if you think you can look past its faults, there is a very enjoyable experience to be found gravity shifting across Jirga Para Lhao on the Playstation 4.
Positives
-Great characters and story telling
-Gravity Styles feel fleshed out and properly implemented
-Incredibly well designed open world
-Gravity Shifting is even better
-Stunning visuals and 4K
Negatives
-Camera issues
-Disjointed story
-Monotonous third act
-One infinite loading screen
Thanks for reading guys, over the next week I’ll be putting up a few articles on something relevant at the time, so keep an eye out for those! I also might do an article on the Switch pretty soon too. Thanks again, and have a good day.
Telltale’s Batman series has seen much praise from critics across the board over the course of its 5 episode series, and for good reason. The past 4 episodes have all ranged from a minimum of good to excellent, with some of the early episodes being the highlight of the series. The final episode of Telltale’s Batman series has finally been released, and while it’s a satisfying conclusion to the series in most ways, an abrupt ending and unnecessary story telling make for a slightly rougher ending then I hoped for.
Episode 5 takes place across multiple locales, from Gotham City to Arkham Asylum.
Lighting the Way
I want to start of positively by saying that Episode 5: City of Light, does a fantastic job of tying up all of the loose ends created in previous episodes. There’s a satisfying amount of conclusion to be found throughout episode 5, and without spoiling too much, a lot of incentives and back story is revealed, creating a very dark, tense tone for the rest of the episode. It was thrilling to discover revelation after revelation as I further progressed into the 2 hour episode. City of Light looks to develop the characters that deserve it most, further improving upon Bruce Wayne/Batman, Alfred and most importantly, Lady Arkham. The story is enjoyable for most of the episode, with one section in particular being completely unnecessary and out-of-place. The biggest problem with City of Light is how it ends, it seems like it has a few more minutes left to enjoy, but instead it abruptly cuts to black, obviously leaving room for a season 2. While it’s comforting to know that season 2 of Telltale’s Batman is inevitable, I can’t help but feel the ending could’ve been handled a little better. Ultimately, the choices in Episode 5 never come to be as heavy as they can be in Episode 4, but I still found myself torn on multiple occasions, and it still feels like my choice really made an impact on the overall story. It’s truly fantastic this has stayed consistent throughout the series, and I’m looking forward to replaying the series in the future. The combat sequences are once again expertly handled, and while it’s fairly passive, it’s incredible to experience and look at. The detective mode also returns in one particular part of the episode, and once again it’s a let down. While it’s cool to piece together, it ends up being monotonous and slow due to how simple it is, and it feels like it’s there to halt your progress rather than challenge your logic and thinking skills. Much like Episode 4, City of Light runs flawlessly, and it’s definitely the most technically sound episode that’s been released so far, which i’m incredibly happy to say. The game still looks good, but it’s no different from the other episodes. One thing that I have to praise again, is how original and vastly different Telltale’s universe is from any other, and I was once again constantly surprised by characters I thought I knew well.
Batman is definitely one of Telltale’s strongest series.
Verdict: 8/10
Telltale’s Batman Series has undoubtedly been one of their best, and while Episode 5 could’ve been better, it’s definitely a fitting conclusion to the fantastic series. It ties up everything nicely, with a strong sense of conclusion by the time it’s finished, albeit an abrupt ending. The choices are difficult to make, character development is fantastic, combat sequences are awesome, and the tone for the episode is surprisingly dark. The detective mode sequence could’ve been better, but it doesn’t bring episode 5 down too much. It’s another strong episode in an even stronger series, and I can’t wait to see what Telltale do with season 2.
Positives
-All loose ends are tied up
-Strong storytelling
-Interesting character development
-Awesome combat sequences
-Technically sound
Negatives
-Some unnecessary storytelling
-Lacklustre detective sequence
-Abrupt ending
Thanks for reading guys, sorry this one took so long, I was on holiday just after it came out. Up next is The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 1 and 2.
After its original announcement at E3 in 2006, Final Fantasy XV suffered from numerous development problems, causing a number of delays and indefinite release dates that ultimately never came to fruition. It wasn’t until 2014 that things had started looking up, more info was being released on the game, a demo was to be released, and it’d actually seemed like we’d see Final Fantasy XV in the near future. Well, after another delay, two demos, and heaps of information being released on the game, Final Fantasy XV is finally out, and I’m glad to say that it was a fantastic experience from start to finish, albeit a few issues.
Chocobos are back, and they’re as fun as ever to use.
Reclaim Your Throne
Final Fantasy XV follows the story of Prince Noctis and his 3 friends, Gladiolus, Prompto, and Ignis. The plot starts with the four friends travelling to Altissia where Noctis’ wedding to Lady Lunafreya is to take place. Lady Lunafreya is the former princess of Tenebrae, and she is also known as the Oracle. The wedding is meant to make peace between Lucis and Niflheim, but shortly before the wedding can take place Niflheim betray Lucis and steal the Crystal. King Regis, Noctis, and Lady Lunafreya are all reported dead in the aftermath of the battle, and it’s your job as Noctis to find out what happened, why it happened, and to take your throne back. I don’t want to go any further into it in order to avoid spoilers, but most of main plot develops very slowly over the first 10 chapters, and all is unveiled in the last few chapters. I never felt fully invested in the story until I made it to these late chapters, with a few plot twists that I did not see coming at all. Most of what kept me hooked on Final Fantasy XV’s story, was its characters. Even though voice acting is hit and miss (apart from the exceptionally creepy Ardyn), I loved each and every main character of Final Fantasy XV. The relationship between the four friends feels natural, real, and it’s always entertaining. Their constant bickering and conversation is something I never did and never will get tired of. I was fully invested into these characters, and although they’re a little too stereotyped, the relationship they share is truly something special. The one major flaw in Final Fantasy XV’s story, is that I found there were certain moments that lacked any emotion when they should’ve been filled with it. It’s quite disappointing that certain relationships weren’t developed further early on, making for some more meaningful moments later down the line. Overall, Final Fantasy XV’s narrative isn’t the best in the series, but the last few chapters are certainly very entertaining, with unforeseen plot twists, and a fitting ending. The relationship between Noctis, Gladiolus, Prompto, and Ignis is also something truly special to watch develop and unfold, and watching them grow and learn to deal with problems was one of my favourite parts of Final Fantasy XV.
Some of the natural wildlife found in Lucis is huge.The Active Cross Battle System
In some aspects, Final Fantasy XV’s gameplay is a large departure for the series, and in others, it remains faithful to its predecessors. From the start, Final Fantasy XV presents the open world of Lucis to the player, and you’re free to explore it right away. Lucis is absolutely huge, and more parts of it are unlocked after making some progression in the story. Side quests are abundant, dungeons are scattered everywhere, and 35 hours in I’m still finding secrets around the world. Dungeons in Final Fantasy XV are excellent, providing tense challenges but very enticing rewards, they never get boring to explore. Hunts can also be undertaken, following your party as you try to take down a giant beast in the area, such as a Behemoth. They’re very challenging fights, and have large payoffs as a result of completion.Your main mode of transportation through Lucis, is the Regalia; a car given to Noctis by his father. Most of the driving is done by Ignis, and you have the option to drive it yourself, but it’s unfortunately all on-rails, and ultimately comes down to you just holding R2. Outposts and campsites can be found scattered around the over world too, where you can sleep, eat, and tally up experience points from that day in order to level up. Eating provides bonuses to all party members for the next day, and cooking is Ignis’ personal skill, while Noctis’ is fishing, Prompto’s photography, and Galdiolus’ is survival. Each one develops as you do activities corresponding to that skill, further improving it and levelling it up.Combat is definitely one of the most overhauled features of Final Fantasy XV, and it comes in the form of the Active Cross Battle System. All of the games combat is in real-time, none of it is turn-based or a hybrid of both, and thankfully, it works surprisingly well. The shift to real time means that there is less strategy needed to win battles, but that doesn’t mean you can button mash your way to victory. Some of the late game fights are particularly challenging, so utilising the combat mechanics properly is key to winning. Holding the circle button allows Noctis to perform a combo based on the weapon he has equipped, and moving the left stick changes how the combo unfolds. Pressing triangle lets Noctis warp between enemies and vantage points, making for fast-paced, fluent combat. As you fight, you build up your Tech-Meter, allowing you to command your party members to use specific abilities against enemies, and there’s a large variety of skills to choose from. Successful counterattacks, and back-stabs will sometimes cause rewarding link-strikes, that deal a ton of damage, and they’re beautifully animated. The weapons you and your allies use range from swords and spears to daggers and pistols, and who uses what is customised and controlled by you, although specific party members can only use specific weapons. Magic also makes a return, but it functions very differently then it did previously. As you journey, you’ll collect magic flasks, these flasks are then used to store the magic that you craft and create. That’s right, magic is crafted by finding materials in the world. You can mix elements together to create different outcomes, and the potency of your magic is dependent on how much material you invest. It’s also worth mentioning that magic can also affect you and your party members, so when and where you use it is very important. Progression is now in the form of the Ascension Grid, which is reminiscent of the Sphere Grid from Final Fantasy 10. there are different trees dedicated to things like combat, recovery, and survival, all with various skills to be obtained. There’s a lot there to level up, and if you want to fully max it out, expect to put some time into Final Fantasy past the 30 hour storyline. Last but not least, Summons are back in FFXV, and they’re obtained through the story for the most part. once you complete a trial of some sort, you gain the ability to summon Ancients, ranging from Titan to Shiva. The one problem with summons is how inconsistent they are. It’s never fully explained how they work, and what conditions must be met in order for a summon to occur, and it’s really unfortunate that they aren’t used more often and that it seems to be completely random.
Numerous monsters from Final Fantasy make an appearance in XV.
The Land of Eos
I played Final Fantasy XV on a PS4 Pro and it should go without saying the game looks gorgeous. I was constantly wowed by the sheer size and scale of the world, with detailed models, beautiful locales, and varied environments throughout the entire experience. It’s a gorgeous 1080p, but unfortunately, the frame rate just can’t keep up with it. While it only dropped a few times, one thing that was always consistent was that the game suffers from horrible frame skip on the PS4. It makes for a really uneven experience, and even though there’s a patch coming up for the PS4 Pro, it’s no excuse to have frame skip in the game. It definitely isn’t fatal, but more often than not it annoyed me a lot.
Not all of XV’s story takes place in Lucis, the latter half is quite linear, and you move through other areas like Altissia and Niflheim.
Verdict: 8.5/10
Final Fantasy XV is the culmination of 10 years of hard work from Square Enix. It’s not the best in the series, in my opinion at least, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it, and that I’m not grateful for how it turned out. I’m so glad FFXV didn’t end up being a train wreck like other games that got stuck in development hell. While it is held back by some technical flaws and lack of emotion, it has a solid plot twist, likeable characters, a strong combat system, a beautiful world and lots to do in it. Final Fantasy XV was worth the wait.
Positives
-The relationship between the four friends is truly special
-Plot twist that was incredibly impactful and surprising
-Massive open world
-Fast, fluent combat system
-Strong sense of progression
-Heaps of great post-game content
-Beautiful world
Negatives
-Lacks emotion when it needs it most
-Frame skip is annoying
-Summons are inconsistent and random
Thanks for reading guys, I’m glad FFXV turned out well, and i’m excited to see what’s in store for Final Fantasy, next year being the 30th anniversary. I might look at The Last Guardian next, but no promises. Thanks for everything this year, 2016 has been awesome for gaming, and I’ll make an update post in the next month detailing what i’ll be looking at next year! Have a good holidays guys, Harry. 🙂
It goes without saying that one of the biggest video game franchises ever is Pokémon, currently celebrating its 20th anniversary. It’s captured the hearts and minds of so many gamers, both young and old, including myself from a young age. Pokémon has an incredibly special place in my heart, and it makes me so happy to know it’s as big and as better as it’s ever been. Pokémon Sun and Moon aren’t just brand new entries into the series, they’re a celebration of the past 20 years of Pokémon, with new changes causing much-needed evolution, but still nodding back to the games that came before them. Pokémon Sun and Moon are just as good as they were hyped up to be, and you have no idea how happy it makes me to say that.
The new starts in Sun and Moon in my opinion, are fairly average, although some of the evolutions are very cool.
The Alola Region
Sun and Moon’s story is a fairly run of the mill Pokémon story line, but it is unique in terms of its characters and themes. Once again, you play as a trainer who’s recently moved to the Alola Region, a set of 4 islands surrounded by ocean. The Hawaiian theme Alola is based on is refreshing, new, and an exciting change in terms of environment for Pokémon, but more on that later. The story is fairly one-note, following your Trainer on their journey to complete the Island Challenge, which is Alola’s version of collecting Gym Badges. Without spoiling too much, you get involved with a number of characters, the Aether Foundation and Team Skull. There are some legitimately dark ideas in Sun and Moon’s plot, and I found it refreshing even though it’s all simply implied rather than directly told. Sun and Moon heavily revolves around family and community, and does an excellent job of displaying so. There’s something very unified about Alola and its people, everyone knows about the Island Challenges, and each and every trainer feels like they’re really part of the world. Sun and Moon also has some of the best characters the series has seen in my opinion. There are a few that are incredibly interesting such as Lillie, Gladion, and Lusamine, and they’re definitely characters that I always enjoyed seeing throughout my 20 hour journey. Sun and Moon doesn’t reach the heights that Black and White 2 did, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s a fun, likeable, simple storyline that has some implications that hopefully provoke further discussion within the Pokémon community. Sun and Moon feel truly unique from a narrative perspective (among many others) and Gamefreak should be commended for that.
Trainers can once again be fully customised, including hair, clothes and more.
The Island Challenge
Sun and Moon don’t differentiate much from other games in the series in terms of gameplay, but the overall structure of the game has been fundamentally changed. Gyms are now a thing of the past, and in their place are Island Trials. Each Island has a number of trials for trainers to attempt, and what they consist of varies from taking photos of Pokémon, to more traditionally finding and taking down Pokémon in the area. It’s very different from the established formula, but all the trials are unique and entertaining, making for a very welcome change. the turn-based battle system is still much the same as previous games, with a few minor tweaks and additions that make it easier to use and keep track of. Status buffs can now be viewed from the bottom screen, and if a Pokémon is registered in your Pokédex, you can how moves effect that particular Pokémon. Speaking of which, the new Rotomdex (yes a Rotom inside of your Pokédex) has seen some new additions making it easier to navigate and use. You can now see which island and route specific Pokémon can be found in, it also just generally looks better, and there’s a genuine satisfaction to have a page filled out in the Dex. And trust me when I say this, there are plenty of Pokémon to find and catch in Sun and Moon. Whether it be the Alolan forms of first generation Pokémon, or brand new ones, there’s plenty here to catch and find and it goes without saying that most of the designs for the new Pokémon are pretty well done albeit the odd Drampa. HMs have thankfully been done away with, and have now been replaced by the Pokémon Ride Pager, allowing trainers to instantaneously access a Charizard to fly on, or a Lapras to surf on, it’s a simple change, but a much-needed one. Alola as a region is always interesting to explore, and 30 hours in I’m still finding items and hidden areas throughout. Sun and Moon’s difficulty is nothing compared to the older games, but it’s certainly not as easy as X and Y, which was a nice change, with some of the late game battles taking some genuine thought and preparation in order to succeed. Legendaries and the brand new Ultra-Beasts can be found throughout Alola, making for some great post-game content, with more awaiting the player past the credits. I thoroughly enjoyed playing Sun and Moon, it’s the same battle system we know and love, in the most polished state it’s ever been, and the changes to structure are both new and refreshing.
The new Alolan forms are vastly different from their original counter parts.
Smooth Seas
Pokémon Sun and Moon, from my experience at least, excel technically albeit one or two minor hiccups. First off, the game looks incredible, one of the best on the 3DS. I played on a New 3DS XL and I was genuinely impressed by how good the game looks. Character models are detailed, environments are open and incredible to look at, and this is all while the game runs at 60 FPS all the time, except for one occasion. I experienced heavy frame drops when taking photos in-game with the Rotomdex. It didn’t hinder my experience terribly, but it is definitely worth noting. It is also worth noting that the standard 3DS has frame drops during double battles, but that won’t affect my opinion on the game, due to my experience being on the New 3DS, where this problem is non-existent.
The version exclusive legendaries are Solgaleo and Lunala.
Verdict: 9.5/10
Pokémon Sun and Moon is worthy as both a celebration of 20 years of Pokémon, and simply as a mainline entry in general. It’s a love letter to fans of the series, while welcoming new ones, with a simple yet enjoyable story, the most polished battle system yet, a brand new structure, and strong technical production values. Sun and Moon is an excellent entry into the franchise, easily one of the best, and I cannot recommend enough to anyone who owns a Nintendo 3DS. Pokémon is back, and it’s bigger and better than ever.
Positives
-Simple, yet enjoyable story with some interesting implications
-Likeable characters
-The best battle system yet
-Small but effective changes, making the formula that much better
-New and inventive structure, making for a fresh experience
-Looks beautiful for 3DS standards, and runs smoothly most of the time
Negatives
-Rare frame drops
Thanks for reading guys, up next is Final Fantasy XV! I’m super happy with Sun and Moon, I’m definitely glad it lived up to the hype, or at least my hype. Thanks again, Harry.
![final_fantasy_XV_season_pass_detail[1].jpg](https://ragingmunchlaxreviews.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/final_fantasy_xv_season_pass_detail1.jpg?w=700)
RagingMunchlax Reviews 