Recent reviews by Storm

Addicting, easy-going game teaching us some good life aspects. Nostalgic with its '90s theme, and speaking of themes, the soundtrack is soothing. If you want a trip down memory lane, or a nice game to kick back and relax to, I'd say try this one out.

Aragami is a fun co-op game. It reminds me of Styx: Shards of Darkness, though not nearly as complex. The game is simpler, has an appealing art style, and challenging levels to follow suit. It's frustratingly fun with friends who don't know how to stealth.

Whilst this wasn't the first RTS I've played, it led the way into online gaming for me for years to come. This game kept me up late hours during my high school years, always wanting to do one more Castle Wars or heck, a standard game. Age of Empires II stands the test of time, and the HD edition brings forth a new generation of players to play with/against.

The game involves, like most standard RTS games, the use of building and advancing your city, gathering resources, and the fun part, training soldiers to go to war. Each match feels fresh, different from the last, and with so many civilizations and strategies you can attempt, the possibilities are endless. Each civilizaion has its own unique set of units, and overall, it's fairly balanced. Even the cheaper units have their uses against the stronger ones if used correctly.

The maps are unique and based on preference. I like larger terrain maps, less use of sea combat, but even the ships have their pros and cons and fit in with the layout of Age of Empires. A standard game involves going through four ages, from the Dark Age all the way to the Imperial Age. But you always have to stay on your toes because you never know what the opponent's strategy will be. There's many different playstyles, such as those that like to rush units to take an early lead, or those who prefer a slower paced game and building their economy to advance through the ages quicker. Whatever the case, Age of Empires II is a must-buy for RTS fans, and hell, I'd say it's worth trying with non-RTS gamers, too.

*Edit*
Still one of the greatest RTS' of all time.

I'll start by saying that I am a big fan of Jason Statham. I really liked his performance in The Transporter. Took notice of him from then on, from films such as Cellular, The Bank Job, and then there's this film, Crank. I saw it in theaters and have the DVD, but gave it a rental viewing here for convenience sake (and to try out watching movies with Steam...bizarre to think that a game app outlet has come this far, that they are offering films for purchase now). When I did grab it, it was only available for rental. Now I see there's an offer to buy. Anyway I'm getting off-track here.

To summarize, Crank is an adrenaline-pumping, action-packed, crazy and comedic film. It's over the top silly, with Statham running around town like a madman, causing havoc and killing plenty of men to stay alive. At the beginning of the film, we see him get injected with some kind of poison. The poison is meant to slow down his heart until it gives out and he dies. To counter this, Statham's character, Chev Chelios, has to keep his adrenaline pumping. In doing that, he can prolong the effects of the drug that was given to him and he does so with one goal in mind: To kill the men who backstabbed him.

It's hysterical, to see this actor who is typcasted into usual tough-guy agent-like roles, usually silent and bad-ass, to this more wild and curse-happy individual, screaming at the top of his lungs and be percieved as psychotic. Even better, it's done well! It's a little gore-y and very over-the-top, the idea is rather silly to begin with so it's not for everyone, but I'm recommending it. High entertainment value, no holds-barred action flick. It's got cliches thrown in like a car chase, but the focal point of the movie is always in the lead, never losing focus. It's actually brilliant how many ways the writers thought up how to keep the flow of adrenaline running in someomen. Don't try this at home, though, plenty of feats on here would kill.

If you're looking for a good popcorn flick (that's rated R), look no further!

The good:
Improved Graphics
Easy-to-use Controls
Character Customization
Various Terrains/Layouts
Class System/Upgrades
Many Weapons/Equipment

The bad:
Bug-ridden
Story
Online Mode

Summary:

X-Com 2 is a follow-up sequel to 2012's reboot turn-based tactical game, X-Com: Enemy Unknown, developed by Fireaxis Games. It takes place 20 years after the events of the first title, as we're fighting back against aliens trying to take over the human race.

The simple concept of the story is far from one to be bothered to show any interest in. It's one of the weaker aspects of the game, or at least, I just didn't see myself relating to any of the characters or issues at hand. Had the same problem with the first game. Whilst the characters do have different personalities, they seem one-dimensional and the overall plot is just there. The player is the head of the resistance against the aliens as well as leading the ship the Avenger, who of which we never get to see or hear. It's an attempt to immerse us into the role, but since there's no attachment to any of the other characters or critical moments occurring in the game, it's difficult to place ourselves within the X-Com realm.

The soundtrack's there, and there's honestly some good tunes to fight aliens with, fits the setting, but in no time I was substituting the missions with my own music.

The gameplay is where this title truly shines, and is a major step above its predecessor. Turn-based combat is thought of as a tool of the past in games, simulated in a much-quicker pace in the modern era due to the technology available and gamers shifting more towards the action-packed genre than ever before. X-Com keeps the traditional style of turn-based tactical-combat but they manage to make the battles intense and exciting enough to pull off this old style of gameplay. We're given a handful of soldiers at our disposal, multiple objectives to accomplish, various aliens to take down and keep the game from going dull, and upgrades to our equipment and weapons to feel even more satisfied with taking down the extraterrestials.

Satisfying. That word sums up the game extremely well. Perhaps what makes it so rewarding is finally getting a shot or ability to work in your favor. There's an accuracy penalty due to the cover-based terrain that each unit would take cover behind, as well as other factors like armor or ambushes. No one can hit every shot, and that goes for both humans and aliens, just a matter of getting the right angle and drop on your opponent before they do. After a few solo kills or assists on taking down the aliens, your soldiers level up, or in this military scenario, are promoted. Each promotion nets the new class a choice between two decent abilities. That's right, this game has a class system, and it meshes in well, each with role being quite useful for every mission. Sharpshooter (the sniper), Ranger (close-quarters with shotgun/sword), Grenadier (heavy weapons), and Specialist (healing/hacking). There's also a Psi-Operative class, allowing the players to tap into the psychic abilities that aliens use with a soldier of their own. With the different abilities available, it's recommended to make two characters of each class. Later on, players will be able to take six soldiers out on a mission, so mixing and matching the team is optimal.

Speaking of soldiers, there's plenty of customizing. From nationality to voice to personality, color schemes for armor and weapons as well as patterns. This makes the game even more fun as you can make your family/friends, or just about anyone you want, and send them off to battle to do your bidding. It's possible for soldiers to die or be wounded and thus out of action for a few days-weeks depending on the severity of the injury (how much damage they took during the mission), so a careful approach (and having heals) is the best bet to make it through the rough stages of X-Com 2. Equipment can be developed to further give you the edge on the battlefield, such as different effect grenades, armor, ammo, and healing kits.

On top of researching and engineering (the two factors towards upgrading which will speed up if more engineers and scientists are retrieved), the Avenger ship is able to expand its deck and add new facilities such as workshops and laboratories. Each facility requires power, leading the building of power relays. Picking when and where to build the facility is a pivotal part of the game, and then of course making proper use of them. Things were a little more complicated with facility-building in Enemy Unknown, with bonuses to building the same facilities adjacent to one another, etc., but here it's more user-friendly. Quick tip: If there's a choice between retrieving a scientist or an engineer, take the engineer mission. Scientists are woefully underused in this game, only very slightly increasing research speed, ulnless a laboratory is built and even then the difference I halved when it's fully upgraded, and even t hen only two scientists can be active in a lab.

Naturally, there are costs to upgrading. Nothing is really risk-free here. There are two primary resources: Intel, and Supplies. Intel is used in the black market to get mods for the soldiers, extra supplies, etc.. It can be used to learn more about what the aliens are doing with their Avatar Project (a timely event which is our primary objective to find out more about and prevent), whereas supplies help run the ship, expand map prescence, build items, etc.. There are also various minor resources which can be retrieved by completing missions.

This game sounds complex, but it's been mainstreamed to appeal to a larger audience, and that's a good thing in this particular case. It takes elements from tactical-games, RPGs, etc., and blends them altogether in a finely tuned futuristic-army warfare. The number of strategies and ways to take down enemies are seemingly endless, the graphics are spectacular, and the missions keep you on your toes. Some have said that this series is difficult, and whilst they are challenging, it's certainly not on the same level of Dark Souls, Ninja Gaiden, or brutally unforgiving games. For those that like that kind of challenge, the Iron Man mode is available (which prevents multiple save files from being created and auto saves every other turn), as well as harder difficulties.

Online mode is fun, as it pits you against another human player for a change. You can also be the aliens which makes for an interesting change of pace. It's been a little wonky, though, disconnecting issues, just overall unstable for me, but I'll try again in a week or two.

All in all, X-Com 2 takes what made Enemy Unknown good and improves on it ten-fold. Once you jump into your first mission, you'll want to keep advancing and honing your team to destroy the rebel scum. Or alien scum if you prefer. There have been many reports of the game not running smoothly, crashing or facing many bugs/glitches such as units being unable to move, thus giving the game a much lower score. Whilst that is an upsetting issue, a patch or two later would fix all this, and the dev team are currently doing so (two major patches since release to help alleviate these problems). I myself haven't run into any crashing or game-breaking issues other than the loading screen getting stuck twice in the 40+ hours I've put into it. I haven't finished the game yet, on the last stretch and I've hesitated because I don't want it to end. Some DLC is coming along the way with more customizing, weapons, and story. If this isn't obvious already, and given what little time I have for gaming these days: I highly recommend X-Com 2 to anyone. Personalize it however you want to, fight back for your race, and strategically dominate the playing field.

I'm writing this review as a short review but also as a response to ZoSo, who was defending the release of this game. So let's get down to the nitty gritty of this:

This game is an unfinished product with incredible server issues on launch day. Yes, day one game releases are known for problems on release, but not being able to actually play the game is dumbfounding. Why does the server connection need to be such a priority? 16 characters is quite low for a fighting game of this caliber. Sure it means more focus on each character but if we look at what Mortal Kombat has managed to do with their roster (including X with three fighting styles per), then this is inexcusable.

The gameplay is fine, it's fun, it's the Street Fighter we know. Focus attacks are gone, and the EX meter is now a V-Skill meter, which makes for some interesting options during a fight. It reminds me of MvC3's short X-Factor boost. The prologues for the characters are what I'm currently focusing on, since I'm anticipating the intricate story mode similar to MK, and the style is quite appealing thus far. The soundtrack is nice, rock-style, and the graphics are decent, very in-tune to SFIV.

My issues with this game stretch far and beyond. To ZoSo - You're kidding yourself if you think Capcom won't re-release this game. They said that Super Street Fighter IV was the definitive version, it was the only one they'd do as far as an updated release was concerned. Then what happened? Ultra, that's what. MvC3, and within a few months what happens? UMvC3. Are we noticing a pattern here? Capcom can -say- they won't re-release but then as their current trend of business practice goes, they are the KINGS of rereleases. Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Devil May Cry, collections galore. Anyone who knows their release history can attest to this. Once all characters are released, we're getting a new version. With more stages, costumes, etc..

On the remark that Capcom released this early because of fans wanting to gear up for a tournament: This should not be $60 then. Put it out there for $30 max, and if we want the other content later on we can opt to pay the other. Keep the beta up and running, actually, that would have been much smarter, or making this early access. Fair is fair. Also, why adhere to the fans in releasing a game early? When does that ever work out? Take a look at say, Spider-Man 3. Raimi gave into the fans and squeezed in Venom, and what a mess that film became. It's fine to take suggestions but it's better to go with your guts at the end of the day. If they knew this release would be too hectic then they should have held off, tournament or not. Some fans would be disappointed but there's always next year for the tournament, and the overall consensus would have been better for this title.

Having to wait for the characters and story and other modes is pathetic. Other fighters have a core version where you have limitations but can still play the game. For free, mind you. Capcom has to be aware of this by now...yet their greedy corporation just can't wait to charge full price. The point is - they had options. There were better conditions to bring this game to the public eye, better ways to adhere to the community...they took none of these routes.

*Update*
The dev team are hard at work in fixing the server issue at the moment, so props to them for that. Still disappointed with this release, but I'm grateful for the fast action here.

Good:
Stellar graphics
Unique gameplay
Beautiful story
Soothing score
Pacing

Bad:
Not keyboard-friendly
Short

Summary:
From the dev team that brought us games like The Darkness, Chronicles of Riddick, and Syndicate, Starbreeze Studios have tried something refreshing and much appreciated. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons keeps the narrative-driven gaming trend going this year with relateable interactions and development in an unforgettable journey.

The game starts off showing a flashback of the mother of the two sons' death. Whilst reminiscing on that tragic day, the two brothers' father falls ill. After a trip to the local doctor, the brothers are told about the water from the 'tree of life' which appears to be the only way to save their dad, and so their quest begins.

Right off the bat the visuals are phenomenal, making use of the Unreal Engine 3. Vibrant colors shown in various settings such as forests, mountains, dungeons, and small towns, nice cell-shading style, detailed shadows...for an indie-style game, it actually looks on par or even better than some AAA titles. To top it off, the soundtrack sets the tone and brings the world to life, immerseful and always in the back of your mind whilst playing (see video at the top to get an idea).

The controls are unlike any I've played before it. You control two characters simultaneously, and whilst there's very few controls to use (movement for either side of analogs, and one button interaction for each brother), how they integrated and executed the controls is brilliant. It takes some getting used to, and you'd tend to forget a finger on a button here or there whilst trying to keep the brothers on track with their mission, but the game isn't punishing. It's simplistic and overall not too difficult to play. The two brothers rely on one another to move forward, both having significant differences to get through various puzzles. However, playing with a keyboard can prove to be frustrating. Definitely recommend a controller (even the Steam page claims it requires a controller to play, although keyboard controls are available).

There is never a dull moment in this game. The pacing is perfect. For such simple mechanics with the unique twist of controlling two characters at once, each segment, or well, chapter, is different and utilizes the innovative controls in a variety of ways. And the best part about the pacing is, and this is a debatable point, the simple puzzles keep the game from detouring and ruining its experience.

Whilst the gameplay and graphics are integral, very fun parts of the game, what outshines more than anything, what brings all the elements together and shapes it into an extraordinary game, is the growth of the brothers. They have to go through hell and high water in order to save their father, and like any group of siblings stuck together for so long, there's going to be rivalry. Their age and clothing show their typical, rather cliche attitudes well, and we need that to piece their styles together as there's no English in this game. There's voice-acting, but done in a fake language allowing us to detail the characters on our own. The brothers encounter various people and things to interact with, with both reacting their on way to any given situation, further drawing their different personalities to us.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is an emotional ride. It doesn't just stop with the engaging, roller coaster of a story, it is a well-rounded game with fun controls and beautiful graphics to follow suit. It shows us very, very strong bonds as children, as siblings, as a family...life lessons secretly hidden in this title. This, along with Gone Home, have really set a new mark in gaming today, pushing forward for the better of the industry. And now...I urge anyone who stuck around reading this to try it. We need more games like Brothers. These titles are taking risks and evolving the gaming industry, or have the possibility to, so long as they get more exposure. And even without talking about it, the experience itself is worth the price of admission. A general $15 full retail price for a 3-4 hour game, but there's constant sales and even if you don't catch it during a sale it's still very much worth it. Couldn't recommend Brothers enough. Thank you for reading.

THE GOOD:
Simplistic controls
Incredible storytelling
Mysterious allure
Fitting graphics
Voice-acting

THE BAD:
Short
Replay value minimal

SUMMARY:
There's not much I can say about this game without giving everything away and ruining the experience for anyone who reads this. All I can do is attempt to justify what seems to be a highly debatable topic: The price tag. Yes, it's starting out at $20. The game's roughly three hours max if you take your time and explore, and there isn't much for replay value. There's no action, fighting, stages, complex puzzle-solving, multiplayer, experience meters...nothing. You're in a gigantic empty house the entire time. And yet...this is easily the most memorable game I've ever played.

Gone Home is an experience, an intriguing adventure that sucks you in from the moment you open the front door to your family's newly acquired, very expensive, house. The exploration, the development, the sheer volume of things you can pick up, observe, and help clue you in on why you've ended up in an empty house...time will surely fly as you investigate your surroundings. The game encourages you to look around with an interesting setting and style. Dark and stormy night in the mid '90s, the previous owner's life ending there; It pulls the player in from the get-go.

The Fullbright Company, a team derived from a group of developers who worked on BioShock 2, form a story that is well, Oscar-worthy. Yes, $20 is a lot to ask for considering the length of the game as well as it being a one-time playthrough, essentially. But the investment is far worth it if it means this company can bring out more titles as enthralling as Gone Home is. The work put in to match the setting, to pace the game in such a way that you'll not want to put it down, it's simply magnificent. [I'm aware that I'm going around in circles with my recommendation, but that's because I am afraid of giving things away.]

Some wouldn't even consider this to be a game considering there's "nothing" going on, but the curious ones, the ones who look past what the general consensus of what a game should and shouldn't have, the petty debates about what makes a game a game, will without a doubt take a liking to Gone Home. A game has many different merits to it, and Gone Home focuses on a mind-blowing story, feeding the player bits and pieces throughout their journey to uncover the truth. The brilliant voice-acting helps keep the game going, chiming in at just the right moments.

You're free to wait on a price drop, the game isn't very demanding as far as specs go on PCs, either. But I encourage those that want a different flavor of ice cream for a change, a different sandwich than the usual turkey you get on lunch break, to indulge yourself and play this game. People have been arguing the "game is/isn't art" subject for a long time now, and certainly, Gone Home can bring people to believe it is.

I'm a male in my mid-20's, and I've been gaming since I was three years old. Why am I mentioning this? Some games have taken storytelling to the next level, making us care and driving our emotions. A select few have come close in leaving me in such an emotional state. But there's a new milestone, a milestone that was reached on August 15th, 2013: The release date of Gone Home. It's managed to make my usual tin-man state into a...slightly not-so-tin-man state. And I'll leave it at that.

I gave this game a 'perfect score,' but disclaimer: It obviously doesn't mean this is a flawless, perfect envisioning of a game that everyone will enjoy. But personally, this game has resonated with me upon completing it, and it's a feeling that'll last for a long time. That's the replay value people cry about, the mark it leaves. That's what makes it deserving of a 10/10.

New York Times stated that Gone Home is the greatest video game love story ever told. And that sums up my thoughts on the game better than I could.

The Walking Dead is a franchise that has taken the world by storm (shameless name plug). Be it through its retro black-and-white comic series, its intense TV series that'll leave you on the edge of your seat, and now, an amazing episodic game that will send your emotions wild. The game follows Lee Everest, a man who committed a crime and was supposed to pay for it. As we've all come to know, however, life is full of surprises. Walkers (or zombies, their most commonly used association), have begun their march onto the streets, and are out to eat brains and chew bubble gum...and they are all out of bubble gum.

Lame jokes aside, this franchise is much, much deeper than simply fighting walkers. Kirkman takes a different spin on the classic flesh-eaters and focuses on the chaotic post-apocalyptic world. The game, developed by TellTale Games, follows suit, showing just how edgy people get in the worst of times. This title is an experience I've not had with a game in a very long time; It forces you to make tough, split-decisions. That may sound like a negative, but it's done in such a a manner that will keep you playing, wanting to know what happens next. Each chapter is more thrilling and complex than the last. The characters are diverse and quite relatable, given the situation, that is.

If it isn't clear enough by now, I highly recommend this title. It's on sale as I type this, 50% off, a steal if I've ever saw one, and it's easily my GOTY. A bold adventure, point-and-click style so it's not too difficult to pick up and play. So go! Do it! Pick it up now! Stop reading this and go!

Support me and get this game!