Microreview [video game]: Control by Remedy Entertainment (developer)

Bigger on the Inside

Control had some work to do right out of the gate. Quantum Break wasn’t exactly an unqualified success and Remedy’s relationship with Microsoft seemed to disintegrate from it. Now back out on their own and paired with 505 Games, Control is a bit of a return to form for Remedy. Smaller in scope than Quantum Break, but doing more with less.

Control is a third person shooter with mind powers. You play as Jesse Haden, a woman who walked into the Federal Bureau of Control, and assumed leadership by bonding with the weapon of the former director. If that sounds weird, we haven’t even scratched the surface. The FBC is charged with protecting the nation from supernatural threats, and it’s been invaded by a threat called The Hiss.

Control is a pitch-perfect blend of creepypasta, Lost, and The X-Files. There’s lot of talk in memos and audio logs about containment and neutralization of Altered Items and Objects of Power. Jesse can bind with some of these OOPs to get new powers, starting with the ability to throw stuff with her mind. Littered all over this game are collectibles describing the supernatural effects of these items and how the FBC are working to contain them. There’s also a series of videos that look like someone took the Dharma Initiative videos from Lost and made their own. These all star the same guy who played Alan Wake. Speaking of Alan Wake, there’s also a series of videos starring the guy who voiced Max Payne. This whole game is stuffed with creepy fiction and Remedy all-stars and I loved it.

The gameplay is also well suited to the atmosphere. This is no cover shooter. Jesse has the archetypal shooter weapons: pistol, shotgun, sniper, etc. Augmenting these are the mind powers, with the first and most useful being Launch, which throws stuff. Essentially every piece of set decoration can be picked up and tossed at the enemy. It does a healthy amount of damage right out of the gate and it’s extremely satisfying. More abilities trickle out later, but Launch is a mainstay through out of the game. Both weapon ammo and mind powers are on a delayed recharge, so combat is usually a matter of emptying one of those meters, and then emptying the other while the first recharges. Enemies also explode with health pickups when they die, so it makes no sense to sit in one place and shoot things in the distance. Eventually you need to get up close to heal. There’s a good variety of enemies, so the mix of weapons and mind powers have plenty of uses and combat essentially never gets boring.

There are two things that take away from Control, and that’s the environments and difficulty spikes. The whole game takes place in the same extradimensional building (think House of Leaves or the Tardis from Doctor Who), and eventually I noticed that it’s an awful lot of poured concrete. It’s good looking and well designed but there’s just so much grey I can look at. Jesse is also fairly fragile, and I found numerous points in the game where difficulty spiked really hard, to the point that I sometimes just walked away from a mission and did something else, or quit out of the game entirely from frustration. There’s a brutal section near the end of the game that took me at least a dozen attempts to get past, and required that I play the game differently from how I spent the rest of the game playing it. It wasn’t fun. Even now, there are a couple side missions I may not finish because I’m past the ending and they’re annoyingly difficult.

Despite these fairly minor quibbles, I absolutely loved Control. It’s creepy, it plays well, and it looks great. Control is an excellent storytelling game.

The Math

Baseline Assessment: 9/10

Bonuses: +1 collectibles worth collecting, +1 gameplay that punishes inaction

Penalties: -1 same-y environments after a while, -1 brutal difficulty spikes

Nerd Coefficient: 9/10 (very high quality/standout in its category)

***
 
Reference: Remedy Entertainment. Control (505 Games, 2019)

POSTED BY: brian, sci-fi/fantasy/video game dork and contributor since 2014 

Dead Rising 3

[Dead Rising 3, Capcom Vancouver, Microsoft Studios, 2013]

low expectations

Let me start out by saying that I wasn't really hoping for a lot from this title. I own the first Dead Rising for the Xbox 360 but I didn't make it very far into the game. The control scheme was horrendous and I never really got involved in the story. I played a few hours of it and put it away, never to be picked up again. It got decent reviews and I usually enjoy a good zombie game/show/movie, but for some reason the first Dead Rising didn't grab me. I never picked up the sequel. Due to those facts, I didn't expect a lot from the third entry in this trilogy. I'll be honest with you, I only picked it up because of the somewhat depressing dearth of games for the Xbox One and my having beaten everything else out there that's even half worth playing. 

Knowing that, you can imagine my surprise when it turned out to be a really creative, well-honed, bloody good time (pun fully intended). The story is well-crafted. The control scheme is fairly deep, yet quickly graspable. The graphics are quite nice. The protagonist is likable. The open-world is large and fun to explore. In short, Dead Rising 3 is a really decent game, much to my surprise. 

why does this keep happening?

The events of Dead Rising 3 detail the third major outbreak of zombie-itis. They take place ten years after Dead Rising 2 in a fictional city called Los Perdidos, California. This is the third outbreak of its kind. A small group of uninfected including the protagonist, mechanic Nick Ramos, his boss Rhonda, and a runaway named Annie is holed up inside a diner in the city. They see a news report that the city will be the recipient of a nuclear bomb in six days and decide it would probably be best to get out before that particular package arrives. The rest of the game follows Nick and his friends' attempts to escape the bomb and the explanation of the genesis of the outbreak, which, as it turns out, is a huge government plot. Don't worry, I won't ruin the twists and turns for you if you intend to give this game a run. Suffice it to say that the plot is quite interesting and Nick plays an integral part in both the creation and solution of the outbreak problem. 

man, that's a LOT of zombies!

The gameplay in DR3 is very impressive. Nick, being a mechanic, is able to craft various useful tools from the plethora of items found around the open world map. Not only can he create extremely useful and often funny vehicles, but he can generate some 300-plus weapons as well as various food recipes that have varying types of effect on him and his companions. The crafting is so deep that I didn't even cover half of the options in my first playthrough of the game. 

Some examples of this piece of the game are the RollerHawg, which is the welding of a motorcycle to a steamroller. It has the speed of a bike with the destructive power of a two-ton crushing machine. A 2x4 and a lead pipe created a particularly effective bashing weapon called Heavy Metal. A sledgehammer and a car battery created a beast of a beatdown melee machine titled the Electric Crusher. Among the most hilarious bits of crafting is the addition of a leaf blower and a massager to make a gun that fires...well...it shoots dildos. 

The crafting options also extend to food. As you are attacked by zombies, either hit, tackled, or as they try to bite you, your health meter will deteriorate. Nick has to eat in order to replenish his health. It isn't particularly hard to find food lying around the world, but culinary items could be added to one another to give specific boosts to Nick's abilities. For example, adding candy to coffee creates Quick Step, allowing Nick to sprint without getting winded for a short period of time. Three cups of coffee and a bottle of vodka makes Energizer, which causes Nick to become invulnerable to attacks. A ham and three bottles of liquor creates Spitfire, which, as the name suggests, allows him to breathe fire on the undead in his immediate vicinity. 

what are you wearing?!

Probably the most humorous part of Dead Rising 3 is the costumes. As you can see above, one of the many options was reminiscent of the Gimp from Pulp Fiction. In an adult store, you can find a full S&M suit along with go-go boots. Although Nick will complain every time you force him to put on the getup, I loved playing in the leather-zippered outfit because I just couldn't stop laughing at the poor guy. Among the other clothing options are a disco suit straight out of Saturday Night Fever, a tuxedo, a child's superhero outfit, a woman's Star Trek uniform, and even a Blanka mask from Street Fighter II. 

that about sums it up

I could go on for hours about the story, but I'd hate to spoil any of it for those of you who are going to play the game. It isn't Shakespeare, but it has enough twists, turns, and jokes to make it a very enjoyable experience. For the completionist gamer, there are tons of collectables. Not only are there weapon blueprints that are necessary if you want to make some of the more than three hundred combo weapons, but there are books that give Nick advantages in some areas such as more XP, increased damage, or weapon durability. There are also bodies of the dead that tell little stories about their sad endings. It has statues that serve little purpose beyond the joy of collecting. Finally, there are side quests that allow Nick to help other survivors along the way. 

how it ends...

Kidding. I'm only kidding. I won't tell you how it ends. What I will tell you is that there are multiple endings to the game depending on decisions you make throughout. I wouldn't have learned about this nice little addition had I not failed in my first attempt at finishing the game. However, it was very nice to see that Capcom allows for more than one outcome. Although I still love Titanfall, one of its major drawbacks, in my humble opinion, is the fact that the game's result is the same whether you succeed or fail in your missions. Dead Rising 3 isn't so uncreative. 

My final judgment of Dead Rising 3 is, as stated before, that it exceeded my expectations by a wide margin. I picked up the game to pass some time, not even sure that I would finish it due to my experience with the first Dead Rising. What I got was a thoroughly enjoyable, well-crafted game that sucked me in and surpassed my hopes in all areas. While I doubt it will win any game-of-the-year awards, you can be assured that this one isn't a dead end like its predecessor. If you're a fan of the Walking Dead or Left 4 Dead 1 or 2, give this game a try. I don't think you'll be sorry that you did. It is much more fun than the former and much deeper than the latter. If wiping out zombies is your thing, then this is your game. I killed over 27,000 of the undead in my first playthrough and I hope to top that number in my second, which begins tonight. Happy hunting!

Objective Score: 7/10

Bonuses: +1 for the unexpected and hilarious sense of humor in the game.

Penalties: I honestly can't think of any. While it isn't the best game ever, it does what it's supposed to very well. Kudos, Capcom!

Nerd Coefficient: 8/10. Well worth your time and attention. 

Tomb Raider - Definitive Edition

[Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, Crystal Dynamics, Square Enix 2013-14]

It's an origin story

There, now that I got that huge spoiler out of the way I can talk about the game. I was impressed by Tomb Raider in the same way I was impressed by Ryse. I went into it with mediocre expectations and had them summarily deconstructed by quality titles. I'll admit up front I'm not a huge fanboy of the series. I played a little bit of Tomb Raider on the PS2 but that's really the full extent of my experience with Lara Croft.

I guess that means I picked a good place to start, albeit due to the sad fact that there's a dearth of good Xbox One games available. Let's all hope Titanfall is everything it's cracked up to be. Anyway, back on track, this game tells of the beginnings of Lara Croft and how she came to be the Tomb Raider in her more well-known roles. It turns out Lara's father was one helluvan explorer, too. She has a father figure in the game who has replaced her father since his untimely death named Roth. 

Roth is both Lara's caretaker and her coach, challenging her to push her limits rather than resting on her father's laurels. At the same time, his favorite saying seems to be, "You're a Croft," which was what lent such weight to her father's legend. The two adventurers are on a hunt for an island called Yamatai, the mythical home of ancient Japanese goddess, Himiko. These two and a small team of others set out to make a reality television show about the discovery of the legend of Himiko. Unfortunately for them, they find her. 

the island

The island of Yamatai, found in the aptly named Devil's Triangle off Japan, turns out to have more than its share of natives. These half-insane worshipers of Himiko are led by Father Mathias. Although mostly crazy, Mathias has figured out that they must appease Himiko in order to leave the island. On this one fact he and Lara agree. However, he means to do it by human sacrifice while she simply wants to release Himiko's spirit, thereby lifting the curse keeping them all there and allowing both the stranded adventurers and the natives to leave the cursed island. 

There is also an ancient race of samurai-type warriors that protect Himiko and the island. These gruesome warriors that should be long-dead are a huge threat and not to be trifled with. It's best to avoid them altogether if possible. I won't spoil the game by telling you what happens. Just suffice it to say that Lara learns her actions can have deadly consequences, a lesson she is forced to take in repeatedly. This maybe the reason that she is such a lone wolf in the earlier (later) games. 

gameplay

I've been playing some Assassin's Creed so that's probably why this game reminds me of it more than most others. You must think in three dimensions when figuring out how to get around. You can climb rock faces as seen above using your pick axe. You can fire arrows into specialized areas to create zip-lines and climbing ropes. You also have to solve a good deal of puzzles to progress through the game. Due to these facts, it is very much like the historical series in its mechanics, if not its historical accuracy. 

There are two ways to level up in the game, one for Lara and one for her gear. She has skills that include her ability to traverse the landscape, battle, and hunting. Her gear includes a bow and arrow, shotgun, pistol, and rifle. All of these can be improved by leveling. The skill points are gained by leveling Lara through task completion. Gear is leveled by salvaging parts from both the surroundings and by hunting and skinning animals in the environment. The leveling system isn't overly difficult or deep, but serviceable enough to keep the game interesting. 

the breakdown

This introduction into the world of Lara Croft is a highly successful one. The plot contains enough twists and turns to keep it interesting and the character depth helps you understand her motivation, if it doesn't exactly make you fall in love with Lara's companions. The gameplay mechanics are well-crafted and keep you on your toes, constantly requiring you to learn then use new mechanics in order to progress through the game. Although there were a few puzzles that required me to go hunting youtube for a walkthrough, most were difficult enough to warrant some stress without resorting to "cheating" in order to complete. The graphics are very nice for a port from 2013's Tomb Raider with noticeable upgrades in both the characters and environment for the next-generation consoles. I was unable to tell a difference between the Xbox One and PS4 editions, although I read that the PS4 had the slight edge in most comparisons. Overall, I can recommend this game as a fun installment for both seasoned tomb raiders and newbies like myself just looking for a way to pass the time until some more exciting titles are released. 

the math

Objective Score: 8/10

Bonuses: +1 for creation of a believable introduction to the world of Lara Croft.

Penalties: -1 for not really adding much to warrant a "Definitive Edition." While the graphics upgrade is nice, this is hardly Oblivion with its Knights of the Nine and Shivering Isles add-ons. 

Nerd Coefficient: 8/10. Well worth your time and attention. 

Brad Epperley--Gaming Guru, Ommmmm...gonna spam you from my camping spot in the shed. Haha! Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012. 



Ryse: Son of Rome

my first full xbox one title review!

First of all, let me say that this isn't the best game on the Xbox One so far, but it is easily the best looking. The vistas are incomparable to anything I've ever seen. The only thing that comes close is Assassin's Creed with its 360 degree shots used to open up new points in the map. The facial expressions are the best I've ever witnessed, including LA Noire and Mass Effect. I don't know if they used real actors as models or not, but it certainly appears so. If not, those programmers deserve a round of applause. If so, well, they still do. It's that impressive. 

Marius Titus

I won't go into details lest I incur the wrath of all the spoiler-haters out there, but let's just say this story's writing falls somewhere between HBO's Rome and Showtime's Spartacus. It also has some similarities to a certain film in that the protagonist, Marius, is "Father to a murdered daughter [sic], husband to a murdered wife, and I will have my revenge in this life or the next." As the main playable character, there are many enjoyable moments where you really get into the role and feel like a hard-edged legionnaire. Marius isn't very sympathetic, but it's difficult to be hardcore and likable at the same time. Give the guy a break!

visuals

Now, this is where the game REALLY shines. When playing Mass Effect 3, it felt like I was in control of an action figure. That's not a put-down, but rather a compliment on the level of realism they were able to achieve. It didn't appear that I was in control of a computer generated character, but rather a real piece of plastic that was running around the universe conversing with jellyfish-shaped aliens and the like. 

Ryse takes it a step further. Although the faces, as good as they are, still appear to be CGI, albeit the best CGI I've ever seen, when the game reverts to the third-person view enjoyed during the majority of the campaign, Marius might as well be flesh-and-blood. His armor appears to be forged of steel. His shield could easily be made of oak or cherry wood. Even the feathers in his helmet appear to have been picked from a real, live peacock. In short, you feel as though you're in control of a human, not some gaming avatar. 

where it shines

One piece of the game that was of particular notice to a fan of history like myself was the use of actual Roman tactics in battle. During certain points, when you're not busy wiping out barbarians on your own, you take command of a legion of troops and form into shielded lines. On your command, the shields go up and block incoming arrows and other projectiles. Once the volley has passed, your regimen returns to lockstep and continues to move forward. As a History Channel buff and a fan of all things Roman, this small addition made me smile. Although it took me a few deaths to figure out that I could order the legion to raise its shields, once I did, it was ever-so-pleasing! 

now, the flaws

Ryse is far from perfect, as evidenced by its 60 on metacritic.com. The fighting mechanic is about as simple as it gets. It becomes fairly obvious by the third (of eight) chapters that this game was created to showcase the abilities of the system and not necessarily titillate the hardcore gamer. Arkham City it ain't. If you're looking for something that challenges your fast-twitch muscles and ability to maneuver your way around a ten-button controller, then keep on looking. That said, the campaign is short enough (you can finish it in a few days without too much effort) that the lack of a deep and challenging controller layout didn't really bother me that much, especially with all the action, sex, and gore going on around me. 

Ryse is most definitely NOT a game for children (if you couldn't tell). It has all the sex and violence of an episode of Rome, which I suppose is historically accurate. I'm desensitized enough that it didn't bother me, but if you're the sensitive type and slow motion death bothers you, I'd keep looking. There's more blood and gore here than in an Eli Roth movie. I enjoyed the executions, even though they weren't exactly rocket science, but man they're violent! Arm and leg removal. Decapitation. Spinal impalement. It's all here in Blu Ray quality video! I'll just say that if the above picture makes you cringe, you might try Forza or Peggle 2 (review coming next week, btw). 

summarization across the nation

As a general rule, I like to stick with games that get an 80 or above on metacritic.com. 90% of the time it ensures a quality gaming experience and I don't feel like I've blown sixty bucks. However, in this case I made an exception for several reasons. First, there just aren't that many titles out there for the Xbox One, yet. Second, I've heard from several friends that it's not as bad as the reviews might indicate. Sure, the gameplay is simplistic, but with a 10-hour campaign that's not necessarily a bad thing. Who wants to spend the entire game learning how to play, only to finish just as you've mastered the controller layout? 

 That said, it could have been a little more challenging. I felt like I'd come to the end of the learning curve by the end of the third hour of play. While the story is pretty good, it's no Shakespeare. Even so, I can easily and in good conscience recommend this game to anyone in search of a beautiful, yet action-packed title to showcase the capabilities of their new Xbox One to their friends. It's more than just a pretty face. There's some fun to be had here, as well. 

the math

Objective Score: 7/10

Bonuses: +1 for exceeding my expectations in both story and visual impressiveness. I started with low expectations, given, but I truly enjoyed playing through Ryse and look forward to a second playthrough on a tougher level. 

Penalties: -1 for mediocre gameplay mechanics. They could have done so much more with what they have available, but this one could've been pulled off on a Sega Genesis controller if need be. 

Nerd  Coefficient: 7/10. An enjoyable experience, but not without its flaws. 

Fable III

return to albion

So, it's come to this. The hero you spent so much time building up as a bastion of good in Albion is old and feeble. His two sons are left behind to control the realm. Unfortunately, his oldest has seized power and is about as evil as Darth Vader without the mask and breathing apparatus. As the younger son, it is your responsibility to foment a revolution and take down your townsfolk-beheading brother.

 

The game starts with Darth Fableous forcing you to pick between the lives of your beloved, who begs you to choose her, and the lives of some townsfolk who just wanted something to eat. Your ethical decisions carry on from there, turning your character into a paragon of virtue or an evil overlord. You must rally various towns to your cause in order to overthrow your erstwhile brother and seize the throne of Albion for yourself. I won't go into any more detail as I don't want to ruin the story, but it's a serviceable sequel to the first two Fable games. 

Does it hold up?

The game is pretty fun, but it just didn't hold that same sense of wonder that Fable 2 had. It was a bit darker and had more fetch quests than I would have liked. I'm almost positive that every single NPC had a fetch quest if you were nice enough, although I'll admit I didn't try everyone in Albion. I especially liked the level-up system where you were transported to a dream-like world to open chests that granted powers once you had achieved enough points. Rather than being an automatic level-up. you could choose between the more expensive chests that increased your melee, magic, and ranged attacks and chests that gave you new interactions with other characters. 

As Fable 2, your decisions have a direct effect on not only your character, but Albion itself. If you are a paragon, the land will turn more bright and beautiful as do your outfits and weapons. If you are a dirtbag, it shows in your surroundings and character. As with most games, I chose the path of virtue. I got married and had a child and, somehow, managed to keep my wife and baby happy throughout the game. I also managed to gain enough followers and friends to present a dangerous alternative to my less-than-honorable brother. 

where it falls short

One of the complaints I had about this game was that it didn't really feel like a sequel. While there are mentions of "The Hero" who was the protagonist in Fable 2, there is little else that ties it to the previous entities other than some gameplay aspects. I would have liked to have returned to many of the same environments and towns from the previous game, but the settings were nearly all new. While I wouldn't expect it to be a carbon-copy of the other games, it needed more ties to the previous iterations in order to bring back that sense of connection that players have with the other games.

 

Another mild complaint I had was that the story was rather predictable and linear. While you could pick up the aforementioned side quests by befriending the locals, the rewards they provided were barely worth the effort and provided little in the way of extra fun. You basically went from town to town, performing some quest they needed done to get them on your side, then moved on to the next one. They needed to break up the action a little more with something other than fetch quests for the downtrodden locals. Instead, you just chose between main quests intended to bring followers and fetch quests intended to make friends. There wasn't much else. 

the math

Objective Score: 6/10

Bonuses: +1 for the creative way you interact with the NPCs. There wasn't a character in the game with which you couldn't chat, dance, mock, or play pat-a-cake. 

Penalties: -1 for seeming more like a separate game than a sequel. There should have been more tie-ins with the previous games. 

Nerd Coefficient: 6/10. Still enjoyable, but the flaws are hard to ignore. 

On a personal note

I got my nose broken by a homeless crazy person this week. Thus the late posting today. One distracted me while another ran up behind and sucker punched me. Instead of dropping like they expected, I turned around and bowed up to the guy who took off running as fast as he could. Luckily for me, I can take a punch. Otherwise I might have lost more than just blood. Here's a nice shot of my shirt after the attack. Anyway, I hope the later post wasn't too inconvenient for everybody. Have a nice three-day weekend!

Gears of War: Judgment

wait a minute, I thought the Locust were gone!

Didn't Marcus Fenix finish off the locust threat at the end of Gears of War 3? What's going on here? How can there be more Gears of War? No, your memory isn't failing you. Gears of War: Judgment is a prequel to Microsoft's bestselling third-person shooter franchise. The events of the game take place in the period right after Emergence Day, when the Locust Hordes came out of hiding and started to wipe out all human life on the planet.

Unfortunately, John DiMaggio (also the voice of Bender Bending Rodriguez on Futurama) has not returned to voice Marcus Fenix, the protagonist of the last three Gears games. However, the inclusion of two of my favorite characters in Damon Baird and Augustus Cole "Train" mostly made up for the missing Mr. Fenix. Marcus didn't provide much humor to the game, but Baird's smart-ass attitude and Cole's corny one-liners returned to keep much of the familiarity that Gears fans have developed with the characters over the years intact.

No marcus fenix? How did that work out? 

Even without the series' main protagonist, it manages to be a very enjoyable experience. Your squad is made up of the Cole Train, Sofia, Paduk, and Lieutenant Baird. Augustus Cole and Damon Baird have been two of my favorite characters since the first game, so if it had to continue without Marcus, this is probably the best alternative they could have chosen. Baird's smarmy mouth is legitimately funny and the Cole Train, while often over-the-top in his use of cornball one-liners, is probably the most "lovable" character in the series (if there can be such a thing in a post-apocalyptic, violent shooter). Kilo Squad is filled out by Sofia Hendrik, a green cadet who is torn between following COG command orders and helping her loose cannon squad mates. The final member is Garun Paduk. Paduk used to fight against the COG before Emergence Day for an outfit called the Union of Independent Republics. He has a Russian accent so it has all the feel of a former communist soldier working with US Special Ops forces. He still holds considerable animosity for the COG, despite the fact that he's fighting on their side in order to get revenge against the Locust. 

The story takes place in a sort of re-telling by the four characters as they face a court martial led by Colonel Loomis. As you go, you learn that Baird and Kilo Squad disobeyed direct orders in an attempt to kill Karn, a Locust monster that destroyed Paduk's hometown and is currently attacking a COG stronghold called Halvo Bay. Colonel Loomis' insistence on finishing the court martial, despite the fact that the building in which it is being held is under Locust attack and literally falling apart around you, is dedication bordering on idiocy. Loomis is an extremely unlikable character and I found myself really hoping I would get to watch him die before the end of the game. I won't go too in-depth into the plot so I don't get spoiler complaints. I just want to add that I was impressed by the way they switch point of view as the story unfolds. You play as Baird, Cole, Paduk, and Sofia as each is interrogated by Col. Loomis. It had a nice George R. R. Martin feel as you learned each character's motivations in their telling of the game's events. 

gameplay and mechanics

The gameplay is pretty much the same as in previous Gears games with a few big differences. The controls are all the same. There are still collectible COG dogtags hidden around corners near COG logo spray painted tags. One of the new types of play they've added is essentially the popular multiplayer Horde Mode from Gears of War 3 peppered throughout the game. When defending Jack or waiting for a squad member to open the next areas, the game sends wave after wave of enemies at Kilo Squad. Horde Mode was one of the most popular multiplayer modes in Gears 3. While at first it seemed like they might be trying to squeeze too much into the campaign, the in-game Horde wave attacks were actually a lot of fun. There weren't so many that it became annoying, just enough to change things up a bit. Personally I thought it was a great decision to include it. The programmers added just the right amount to switch up the action without it becoming too big a part of the overall gameplay. 

Declassified Missions

The biggest change to the game is the declassified missions. I'll admit to being a bit confused by these at the beginning of the game. At first I thought they were some sort of side mission. However, I quickly realized they are optional challenges that you can do on most levels if you so choose. They usually consisted of some sort of weapon limitation, environmental obstacle, time constraint, or more/stronger enemies. Here are a few examples:

• Locust use OneShot
• Heavy Locust and Rager offensive
• Use Boltoks and LongShots only
• Finish before Reaver barrage in 3:30
• Locust smoke grenades reduce visibility
• Use Boomshields and sawed-offs only

You get the idea. I decided to do them all and found they didn't make the game too difficult, but rather added another dimension to an already enjoyable experience. In order to start the declassified missions, you had to approach the light pink COG emblem at the beginning of every scene (see picture below). Press 'X' and it tells you what limitations the mission offers. You can still decide against accepting the mission after you've seen what the challenge has to offer. Each level awards 1-3 stars for varying amounts of completion. These stars go toward leveling up your multiplayer character. By accepting the declassified missions, you greatly increase your chances of earning all three stars. If you only plan to play this game for the campaign then this doesn't really do much for you. However, if you plan to get online and mix it up with some real players, it's worth it to take the missions in order to help improve your chances of survival in online multiplayer maps. 

bang bangs

There are some new weapons in the game that compliment the familiar crop of the Lancer, LongShot, Boltok pistol, Gnasher shotgun, and the rest. Several of the new guns come from Paduk's former army, the UIR. The Booshka (pictured above) is a semi-accurate grenade launcher. The Marzka is a sniper rifle with some models featuring a scope and others without. They also added a healing stim-grenade that raises the squad's health when standing within a short distance from the thrown device. This came in handy, especially during the Horde Mode-ish waves of enemies. One other addition is auto-turrets. They're really worth looking for any time you see that clock appear at the top of the screen that says the first Horde wave is coming in 1:29. They weren't available every time Kilo Squad faced waves of enemies, but they were there most of the time. After fighting my way through three or four waves of enemies, then finding a turret around the corner, I swore to always take time to run around the area to see if there were any I could set up in the time allotted to prepare. I suggest you do the same. 

One change I really appreciated was the programmers taking out the previous game's tendency to give you random weapons at the beginning of each level. In the first three Gears games, it often didn't matter what guns you ended a level carrying. You started the next level with a Gnasher shotgun whether you wanted it or not. In Gears: Judgment, when you finish a level with a LongShot and a Torque Bow, you start the next level with a LongShot and a Torque Bow. Not only does this help with continuity, it kept me from screaming, "Where's my #@&%ing LongShot?!" at my television. The obvious exception to this was weapon limitations in the declassified missions. However, that is a choice you make, not one that is made for you by lazy programming. A big thank you to Epic Games for finally taking care of this annoying glitch!

the aftermath

The Aftermath is not only the name of my summary section, it's also the name of a short additional story line that you unlock by playing the main campaign. It takes place during the events of Gears 3. Baird, Cole, and one of the Carmine brothers (who I can only assume is there to die like the rest of his family) meet up with Paduk and attempt to find a seaworthy vessel to take the fight to the Locust. This was a nice plus at the end of an already satisfying campaign. It was like getting DLC you didn't have to shell out ten bucks to play. Very cool.

While this game definitely had a different feel than previous Gears of War games, due both to the lack of Marcus Fenix and the addition of the various gameplay options like declassified missions, it was just as much fun. If anything, it lacked the sense of urgency that came with other Gears games. When the outcome is certain, you're not so stressed out about saving mankind. However, I think fans of the franchise will have as much fun as I did with this newest entry in the Gears universe. It probably isn't the place to start playing Gears because so much backstory would be necessary to catch you up to the previous (future) events, but if you've already played the first three, there is no reason not to pick up Gears: Judgment for your collection. Happy Locust hunting!

the math

Objective score: 8/10

Bonuses: +1 for being fearless in experimenting with this bestselling behemoth of a series. 

Penalties: -1 for not including Marcus Fenix. I don't know if John DiMaggio declined to take part or they just wrote him out, but it feels a bit weird having a Gears game without him. 

Nerd coefficient: 8/10. Well worth your time and attention.

PS4 Announcement

finally!!!

It has seemed like decades since the PS2 and original Xbox became surpassed by the current crop of console offerings. In reality, it's only been 7 and 8 years respectively, if you count by Christmases like Sony and Microsoft do! Unless you were living under a rock last week, you heard Sony has debuted the PlayStation 4. Kind of. They unveiled some gameplay and trailers, but they didn't give us a look at the actual machine. The picture above is concept art.

In order to be completely honest, I'll cop to owning an Xbox 360. However, I'm not a raging fanboy. Not being able to play God of War any more is killing me! When people ask me for advice, as a young girl at Best Buy did just last week, I tell them to ignore the Blu Ray player. You can buy an off-brand Blu Ray player for fifty bucks and a Sony for ninety. It's no reason to choose a console considering the fact that you're going to spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on games over the life of the purchase. There are two main factors to consider when choosing whether to go with Sony or Microsoft. Wii is for families and doesn't compete much in the hardcore gamer market so we'll ignore them for now. The first and most important factor to consider when choosing which system to purchase is what your gaming friends play. You'll want to play online some, even if you aren't a big Call of Duty multiplayer addict. The only way to play with friends is to have the same brand console. The second and less important, but still pronounced differentiation between the PS4 and the new Xbox are the exclusive titles. Most games come out on both so it isn't a huge issue, but you should consider if you're more of a Halo/Gears of War type player or if you like Metal Gear, God of War, and Gran Turismo instead. Other than these two factors, there isn't much that should persuade you one way or the other, in my humble opinion. They are far and away the most important pieces of your console purchasing decision.

ps4 dual shock 4 controller

The only piece of actual hardware that was debuted was the new controller. They have added a touchpad that is clearly visible in the picture above. It boasts a microphone and headphone jack so you can catch every last highly offensive word the 8-year-olds are throwing at you on Call of Duty. There is also a new "share" button that allows you to intrude further into the lives of people you knew 17 years ago on Facebook. Hopefully that "friends" list is limited to those on the PlayStation Network. I really don't want social media news feed updates about how a former high school teammate is doing in Gran Turismo 6. I wouldn't mind updates within the Sony Network, but taking it to social media is a bit of a stretch unless you have a purely gaming identity there, separate from your main profile page.

the firepower

Leaks coming out of CES say that the PS4 is going to use an AMD Jaguar 8-core chip to churn through software like butter. There are also several articles saying the 4 will boast 8 Gig of DDR5 RAM (one article I read said this would actually be 4 Gig of DDR3). What this means to you, if you don't speak fluent nerd, is that Sony hopes to have the ability for their PS4 to be turned off in the middle of a game, then picked up hours later and started within seconds. No more 60 second boot times and returning back to your last save point. It's like having a non-stop autosave feature and a machine you no longer have to turn off...EVER! I mean, technically it's "off", but when it will start up and return to play in under 5 seconds, what's the difference? 

The graphics processing unit is equivalent to an AMD Radeon 8750. I currently have a Radeon 8750 in my home tower, so this isn't a great leap forward. It's the combination of this quality chip with the other components that will allow this unit to make a big improvement in graphic capabilities. Besides, consoles are easier to program for than CPU games. I feel somewhat sorry for PC game programmers because they're writing for a massive array of computer types. They want to make the best game possible while keeping the system requirements low enough that the highest number of systems can handle the game. Think of the original Crysis. There were four total computers in the US that could run that game at the highest graphic settings. It was supposedly the best-looking game ever on a CPU, but nobody could play it because the system requirements were so high. They essentially programmed their way out of profits.

Console programmers, on the other hand, know exactly what processor, RAM capabilities, graphics card, and hard drive limitations for which they're writing. There is no need to write code so that older machines can handle the workload. As with most generations, the early games won't maximize the console's abilities  As programmers get used to what a machine can do, graphics improve for a period of time, then hit a wall and can't really get better beyond that point. Black Ops 2 (2012) was a massive improvement over Medal of Honor: Airborne (2007). Dead Space 1 (2008) and Dead Space 3 (2013) showed similar improvement in graphics. However, anyone that has played Fallout 3 (2008) and New Vegas (2010) didn't see a massive improvement in graphics between the two. Same goes for Borderlands 1(2009) and 2 (2012). It was pretty much the same gameplay and look with a different environment for those sequels.  

the ps4 eye

One of the most obvious additions is the PS4 "Eye". To call this a copy of the Kinect would be a statement of the obvious so pointless I can't believe I'm typing it right now. Eye-ready games will be controllable using body movements and voice commands. It will be able to take video of players and insert them into the game. It will use two 1280 x 800 resolution (essentially 720p), 85% wide angle cameras and be able to differentiate between players in the foreground and background. While none of this is new to Kinect users, it will bring an even playing field to Sony and Microsoft in the ever-growing motion capture game market. This was a no-brainer to those who follow the console market closely.

i'm psyched!!!

Like I said before, it seems like a long time since we got a console generation upgrade. The Xbox 720, or whatever they're going to call it (the current "secret" project name is Durango), is scheduled to be announced on April 26th. Both consoles should be available for Christmas this year. Let the console wars continue! I'll probably stick with Microsoft since 90% of my friends and family own Xboxes, but that is in no way an endorsement. Ask your friends what they have, then review the exclusive titles and make your own decision. And by the way, is there anybody out there that will let me come over and play God of War: Ascension? That game looks sick!