Clash of the Titans! Titanfall Review

One of 2014’s most anticipated games has finally crashed down upon our consoles. Players across the globe are strapping into their titans and are embarking in what has been described as the FPS game changer.

With the online, multiplayer first person shooter experience dominated by the Battlefield and Call of Duty franchises, Titanfall has pooled a great deal of time and resources into not only matching these titles, but surpassing them. It is clear that the online mode was of great importance to Respawn Entertainment as even the campaign mode has been designed to play as a multiplayer experience. The campaign plays out as two stories, firstly as the renegade guerrilla soldiers of the Militia, and secondly as the IMC military. Think the Rebel alliance and the Sith Empire. Both sides of the campaign play out the same missions but from the perspective of each force. This may seem as if players are getting more in depth look at the storyline in which to explore, but frankly there is no storyline. The campaign is merely a series of Attrition and Hardpoint missions with different NPC’s prattling away on radio in the background. Honestly, the radio chatter and occasional NPC selfie in the corner of the screen is the entirety of the storyline, which simply disappears into your peripheries and is ignored during gameplay. If you actually stopped to listen to what’s being said, you’d be too distracted to focus on the missions. Respawn must have anticipated this as strangely, the story progresses whether you win or lose, meaning your performance means nothing to the development of the campaign.

Maybe I’m being harsh. The campaign does fill a purpose of easing players into the experience. Titanfall does of course include a tutorial, explaining the various controls and commands of the game, yet it’s the campaign that allows players to dive into PvP combat headfirst. After completion of both the Militia and IMC campaigns, players will have a grasp on the map layouts, a handful of new weaponry and skills, and the ability to customise both pilots and titans alike.   

Once familiar, Titanfall’s ‘Classic’ mode has five match types to choose from. Attrition is your traditional ‘team deathmatch’ style game where players receive points for pilot, titan and AI kills with no other victory conditions. Hardpoint domination requires the capturing and defending of three control points throughout the map, whereas Capture the Flag speaks for itself. Arguably the weakest match type, Pilot Hunter only rewards players with pilot kills, which leaves the final match type, Last Titan Standing. At face value, Last Titan Standing appears to be the simplest game type, one titan and one life, last titan standing wins. However this is when players will find themselves playing their most tactically. It’s easy to take down a titan one on one given the right loadout, it’s when you’re outnumbered that things get tricky. It’s therefore best to bide your time, wait for an enemy titan to engage a teammate, then strike.

There are a number of weapon and skill options to choose and equip your pilots, yet only a percentage of what other online shooters have to offer. This is good. What Titanfall knows is that throwing a truckload of weapons at players is not what makes an online experience enjoyable. Titanfall’s real achievement is the way in which players move around the map. The game’s movement is so fluid and flawless that’s there are no true obstacle in the game, merely stepping stones. The jetpack allows players to add an extra boost to jumps, clamber to the top of roofs and seemingly endless wall running. It is a truly joyful experience to travel across the map, jumping from windows, leaping across rooftops and scaling buildings, all the while avoiding bullet hail and missile fire.

One of the most refreshing aspects of Titanfall is how gameplay is surprisingly balanced throughout. New players can be thrown headfirst into matches with hardened veterans and not feel overwhelmed, they may trail on the leader board scores to begin with, but it will stop players being put off by the experience. One reason for this is the addition of grunts and spectres, humanoid robotic enemies (think battle droids). These extra troops on the battlefield not only bolster the ranks of each force, creating larger and more realistic conflict, but also provides newer players with much easier targets. Grunt and spectre kills don’t accumulate as much experience, but does keep players constantly busy with targets. I can whole heartedly say that you will never find yourself in a game where experienced players will steamroll through the match, killing you again and again causing burst blood vessels and shattered controllers.

Now the fun part, the titans! These hulking behemoths come in three varieties, each chassis with its own advantages and drawbacks, and are all available from level one. The Stryder class is your lightweight titan, more nimble on the move with a higher number of dashes at the expense of protective armour plating. The Ogre is a moving fortress, the slowest chassis available but with the highest level of protection available, leaving the final titan remaining, the Atlas, an in between compromise of speed and protection. Although all chassis are available to players, both campaigns must be completed before any customisation is permitted, which is what you need if you want to equip some bonkers WMD’s to your metallic beast. The titan icon in the bottom corner of your screen displays a countdown to titanfall, the moment you can orbital drop your titan onto the battlefield and begin your rampage. Experienced players will learn that racking up a kill count will significantly reduce the build time for your titans.

The thing to remember when piloting your titan is that they are powerful but not indestructible, even to pilots. Each pilot is equipped with an anti-titan weapon, which may seem like a bug bite at first, but several pilots combining fire power will soon accumulate into a big problem. Another hand trick to taking down a titan is to rodeo it into the ground. Players have the power to clamber on the back of titans and fire into its internal systems, bypassing its shields and if left unchallenged, destroying it.

So, is Titanfall the FPS game changer? When looking at Titanfall as a whole, there is no aspect you could call revolutionary. Everything in the game has been done before, at some point, and there are similar games that deliver a great deal more options in terms of weapons and equipment. However, what it does do is deliver an exciting, balanced, well-rounded online experience which to put it bluntly, is fun. Respawn has prioritised fun over content which is the way it should be.

Verdict: 9/10  A breath of fresh air for online shooters. Highly addictive and replayable for veterans and beginners alike.              

   

Fable Anniversary Review

Your Health is Still Low.

As a diehard Fable fanboy I was delighted when Lionhead Studios announced their next instalment of the series, Fable Legends. A prequel to the series that takes a look at Albion when Heroes were abundant and Albion was less industrial and filled with magic, brilliant. It’s no surprise then that Lionhead revealing an anniversary addition on the original Fable made me more than a little giddy.

This HD remake contains the full Fable story along with the additional content of Fable: The Lost Chapters. Released on PC and Xbox 360, it is essentially what Fable would have been had it been released on the 360. It therefore has the same content, storyline and character voices as the original, but in shiny new graphics and with an achievement list for players to conquer.

The achievements are typically Fable in their content and humour, such as “I did for a cheevo” which required players to get a headshot on an enemy whilst wearing a wig, a beard and a dressed as a woman. Like the demon doors scattered across Albion, some achievements also offer players a couple of options in how to achieve them. For example “Arthur or Robin” Requires players to either pull the sword from the stone or win the archery competition, whereas “Definitely off the rails” gives players the choice of either exploring every region in the game or becoming so obese that you are “as round as the world”.

Lionhead has been extremely passionate with the Anniversary edition and has tried to keep the game as pure as possible to the original. What they have done however has made a couple of alterations to aspects of the original that stopped the game dead in its tracks. The most noticeable change is that of the combat system which now stems from the improved one button system introduced in Fable 2. Although a smoother system in general, there are issues. When the new one button system was introduced in Fable 2, all combat was changed to accommodate it, with environmental aspects, different striking techniques and finishing moves. In Anniversary however it is only the button system which has changed, meaning combat has become slightly clunky, with noticeable delays between pressing a command and action taking place (flourishes are the main offenders).

The most important change made to the game however is the save system. Lionhead has ditched its god awful way of saving where players could not save progress during a quest, they could only “world save” meaning they would keep any experience earned, but would have to restart the quest when they resumed. This has been rectified in Anniversary, as Lionhead decided it was probably better to use the standard save system that is popular with every game ever! 

Any Fable veterans who have played the original game may play through it thinking that the updated graphics look as though the textures have been poorly laid over the top of the old ones, as if Lionhead were slapping a coat of paint over a crack in the wall. Don’t get me wrong though, it’s not putting lipstick on a pig. It’s was never how the game looked that made Fable a great game, it was its content. Although the visuals do come across as shaky at times, it doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of playing, if anything it makes the game look and feel more like Fable, its part of the game’s charm.

And this is exactly what players who have never played a Fable game will need to keep in mind when playing in order to enjoy it. It’s sad to say but players used to the hyper graphics of Ryse and the adrenaline pumping FPS games currently being pumped onto the shelves will know they are playing a ten year old game, and will understandably be unimpressed by Fable Anniversary’s face value. However, knuckle under through the fairly slow opening and reach the rich heart of the game, and it’ll be hard for any gamer to not be wooed by Fable’s appeal.

Any fable fans who have not had the pleasure of experiencing the game where it all began should definitely play Fable anniversary. If not for the backstory, then to simply see where the series began and where its roots lie.

Fable Anniversary retains all the charisma, character and very British humour of the original game all wrapped up in shiny new graphics. Like a shot for shot remake (a good one though, not like Psycho). The HD update and achievements make it feel fresh, whilst the original cut scenes and voiceover actors bring an air of nostalgia to players of the original.

At the end of the day Fable Anniversary is a game for Fable fans. It is a game that knows what it is and sets out to accomplish what it is meant to, the best playable version of the game that made the series ground breaking. A rediscovery of what makes Fable great.

 

Verdict: 8/10 Fable Aniversary is a Glorious look back for fans of the series, but shows its age to modern gamers when compared with recent titles.

Elder Scrolls Anticipation

In the world of fantasy RPG’s there are many good games, a handful of great series, and one true king of the genre, the Elder Scrolls. Every eagerly anticipated instalment from the award winning series creates a shockwave across the land, cementing itself as a staple of the genre and showing RPG’s that this is how it’s done. Yet no matter how exceptional each game may be, there has undoubtedly been the same statement uttered countless times by fans, “This would be a great multiplayer game”.

There have been many ideas thrown around to suggest a way in which Bethesda could implement multiplayer into the series, such as joining a friend’s game as a mercenary like the Fable series, jumping into a friends adventure and transferring all the goodies to your own world as Dead Rising 3 does, or as a gladiatorial arena to have it out with other players to determine the greatest warrior in Tamriel. Bethesda has finally put our suspicions to rest with the announcement of The Elder Scrolls Online; Bethesda’s first MMORPG.

Right from the off there have been mixed opinions on Bethesda’s tangent of the series. That being said, gamers are excited for TESO, very excited. There are just some issues that have cropped up. With the Elder Scrolls shifting from single player RPG to MMORPG, there are aspects of the series that made it so popular that are simply not possible to implement in an online elder scrolls.

One moment that no Elder scrolls player can deny experiencing, whether it be Morrowind, Oblivion or Skyrim, is littering the land with weapons, armour or piles of junk just as a means to keep jogging when over encumbered. In this process you may have dropped something important to your character in the middle of nowhere. However, have no fear, this is the Elder scrolls. Simply retrace your steps and you will eventually trip over your discarded items, whether you’ve ran to town and back or spent 50 plus hours adventuring.

Now that’s great, thank you Bethesda, very helpful. But imagine a world with thousands of players dropping there unwanted items wherever they please, and it staying there forever. The rolling hills of Tamriel would soon become a landfill of cabbages, torches and iron weapons. However this issue, believe it or not, is not of countless digital litter bugs, think of how much the performance would plummet with the amount of physics acting upon all those items. ALL the time.

Despite lacking the quirks of the single player open world adventure, TESO promises to deliver the very best aspects of multiplayer to the world we know and love. Rather than lone questing, TESO focus’ on party based adventuring and full scale battles amidst online players.     

So what do we know so far? This tale begins with Molag Bal, the daedric prince of domination and enslavement stepping up to become Tamriel’s newest and greatest threat. He’s up to his old tricks and has weakened the barriers between worlds, allowing his armies to seep through the cracks of oblivion to wreak havoc. Whilst the fate of the Imperial City and the Ruby Throne falls into the hands of Bal worshipers, three unlikely alliances form, each with their own agendas, but all with their eyes on the Ruby thrown.

TESO allows players to be a part of the Daggerfall Covernent, the Ebonheart pact, or the Aldmeri Dominion. Each faction has its own races, lands and bonuses to offer players and all are available to choose from. As well as being part of a mighty faction, players have the option to join or create their own guilds, allowing joint questing with friends online.

With all these impressive added online and multi-player features to the newest Elder Scrolls, TESO looks like a very promising next step for Bethesda’s award winning series. Although the game may lose some of its inherent traits that made the series such a popular franchise due to its more focused approach to multi-player, players need not worry as the rich backstory and lore of the Elder Scrolls universe runs deep in TESO, meaning players will soon forget about not being able to find their leg of venison they left outside a cave twelve levels ago. Any lone wolf adventures out there shouldn’t be to disheartened. Although your race will determine which faction you be a part of, you have no obligation to join faction or even join other players on quests. You can simply strap a sword to your back and head out into the wilderness. Saying that however, if you do participate in faction related conflicts you have the opportunity to become the Emperor himself! Doing this will benefit your entire faction as well as giving you some very powerful upgrades to your fighting capabilities.

The Elder Scrolls Online is a game that has very big boots to fill, living in the shadow of its previous instalments. Hard-core fans of the series should go into it with an open mind and not be too disappointed it differs from the game series they fell in love with. TESO promises a lot of exciting changes to what we are used to and looks to be one of the most exciting fantasy games of the year. So grab a weapon, join a faction and prepare yourself for war.

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Review

Yo ho! And set sail me trumps! Assassin’s creed has gone all nautical. Ubisoft’s latest instalment of the bestselling series follows the swashbuckling adventures of Captain Edward kenway as he sails the seas in search of plunder and booty. Black Flag promises to deliver what all Assassin’s creed games do, a suspiciously acrobatic protagonist hunting down Templars and their associates with a combination of stealth and satisfying assassinations.

It goes without saying that the assassinations are one of the game’s strongest points. No one can deny feeling that adrenaline rush when they stalk their prey from the rafters and pull of a preposterously high air assassination, before slinking back into the shadows undetected. What Black flag also brings to the table however, is its baggage. Players are still forced to succumb to the mind numbingly tedious tailing objectives (not to mention those irritating eavesdrop missions) which are not only dull but infuriating to repeat if detected.

That being said, by playing as a pirate captain, Ubisoft has been able to take the naval settings of Assassin’s Creed III (arguably the greatest aspect of the game) and expand upon it. The naval battles remain relatively unchanged, with players going toe to toe with enemy ships and naval forts from both the Spanish and British Navy. In Black Flag however, Kenway’s Jackdaw has a few more toys to play with, having a larger arsenal of firepower thanks to the chase cannons and mortars, as well as the diving bell to explore underwater treasure troves. Another nifty little addition is the rowboat, essentially acting as a mini game allowing players to hunt creatures of the deep with harpoons. This is prime example at how Ubisoft manages to create a great deal of satisfaction with a single button event. It seems that launching harpoon’s at a humpback with only the right trigger is just as enjoyable as a patented double hidden blade assassination with a simple press of the X button.

Any collector junkies out there, have no fear, Black Flag continues Assassin’s Creed’s tradition of collectables, delivering a smorgasbord of goodies for you to hunt down both within the animus and also as an Abstergo employee. Players are able to acquire cryptic messages hidden in Abstergo headquarters as well as hacked computer files referring to subject 17 Desmond Miles (now sample 17).

Putting to one side the pros and cons of the previous games that have been carried over, Black Flag’s most appealing quality is its engaging lead character. We must remember that what made Assassin’s creed II one of the best in the series, is that Ezio showed us all that an assassin can have their own personality, that they don’t need to follow the creed like scripture, and that in comparison, his predecessor Altair was a little boring to play as.

After Connor’s woefully dull period as Assassin’s Creed’s lead, Kenway is exactly what the series needs, a charming rouge who takes nothing too seriously other than his own fortune. The reason Edward is so likeable is that he isn’t truly an assassin. Yes he has the athleticism required to perform the tricks of the trade but he is merely a pirate who defeats an assassin in combat and adorns his foes cowl. In truth the only thing linking Kenway to the main story arc with the assassin’s is his quest to obtain the Templar’s ultimate treasure, the observatory, and even then it is not a noble cause, simply a means to acquire riches. 

Verdict:

Black Flag offers players the same thrills that it always has with a simple but enjoyable combat system, satisfying stealth gameplay and destructive naval battles. Just grit your teeth and white knuckle it through the tedious tailing missions and you’ll enjoy a satisfying action filled, swashbuckling adventure.

8/10