Been a while since I've blogged about crap that doesn't matter so here I go again. I managed to plough through some great games and one terrible one since Batman Arkham Knight. I'll start with a great one.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
You've probably played at least one Uncharted game before and assuming you have, you know exactly what to expect here. Tomb Raider-esque gameplay, gorgeous graphics, solid voice acting, clever (if delicate) puzzles and shooting... lots of shooting. Oh and Crash Bandicoot! Seriously, he's in there. I'll come back to that!
Mercifully not called Drake's 4tune, Uncharted 4 starts in a prison. Nathan Drake is there, more or less by choice scoping out a job. He's in there with his older brother and in usual Nathan Drake fashion, things turn to shit and the brother is shot and killed... It is here that I will leave the plot as I don't want to ruin anything for you.
Suffice to say, Uncharted 4 is probably the best looking video game I've ever seen. That shouldn't count for much but when something looks this dazzling, it deserves to be praised. Whether it's mountain vistas or deep in the catacombs, graphically Uncharted 4 is a triumph. It doesn't have the same level as isolation as something like Skyrim but then Uncharted has never been a free roaming adventure. It gives a sense of scale but keeps you very much on a trail. A distractingly beautiful trail but a trail nonetheless.
There is an option to play the game with stealth or go in guns blazing. You'll probably end up killing as many assholes as possible with stealth before being caught and going all Rambo on whomever remains. I found this the most satisfying way to play.
There's also a pretty serious attempt by the writers to add depth to the characters and while it is a bit heavy handed, it's a welcome addition. I have nothing but praise for Uncharted 4. If this is the end, it certainly satisfied me. If the smell of cash gets too much for Naught Dog, I'd be happy to jump on for Uncharted 5. If you own a PS4 and you like adventure games, this is an absolute must own!
Oooh I almost forgot, there's a wonderful scene early in the game where our charming hero turns on a PS1 and plays Crash Bandicoot...awesomely, you play on his behalf. It really is quite clever because as much fun as it is, it also confirms that games are much better now...
Score: 9/10 Trophy count: 21%
DOOM
There was a definite fear factor involved when I loaded up the latest installment of DOOM. The old games, you see, are still wonderful. They look dated now but it matters not. Seeing a Doom creature or even a Doom key card immediately brings back memories. All of them good. The sounds of distant creatures, the aggression of the beasts not just against you but against each other. The genius of the level design and the simplicity of the premise: just shoot anything that moves. Doom may be the most beloved franchise in gaming history. Even the (unfairly) maligned Doom 3 has now got a sizable following. So yes, there was trepidation when I loaded up my new Doom. It lasted about 30 seconds...
Doom immediately has you killing and maiming creatures in all manner of industrious ways and honestly, the intensity of those old games is replicated and at times, even surpassed. Doom is a fucking delight. Again, the beauty is in the simplicity. If it moves, kill it. There are diversions and additions, power ups and even a "plot" but you didn't come here for any of that. You came here to kill monsters. Here's a random clip of the joys within:
If I had one gripe with Doom it'd be that some of the later bosses were extremely tough but that could just be me being a rubbish gamer and truth be told a little patience was all I needed to overcome those difficulties. Bottom line, if you like old Doom you'll like new Doom. One tip, turn all background music off (fucking awful death metal shite) it's way more atmospheric hearing the noises of creatures and victims in the distance.
Score 9/10 Trophy Count: 31%
Duke Nukem 20th Anniversary
Following on from the state of the art brilliance of Doom 4 I picked up and chewed through Duke Nukem's brilliant 20th Anniversary re-release. So what do you get? You get four classic Duke games to blast your way through, all of the trade mark non pc Duke comments are present and correct. You also get a brand new fifth episode made by the original designers and a few other tech bells and whistles that mean nothing to me. The question is, does it hold up? The answer is a resounding yes!!! Like classic Doom, Duke Nukem will always be brilliant. Sure, it's dated but the level design is bliss and the shoot first ask later attitude is wonderfully satisfying. Duke is still a chauvinist, too old to change him now but he kicks alien ass like no other and while he is very much of his time, the new fifth episode will have you pining for a Duke game update in the same vein as Doom... here's hoping!
Score: 8/10 Trophy Count: 73%
Resident Evil 6
Where to start with this? They can't all be winners but if you were let down by RE5 you'll be positively beaten down by this entry. Resident Evil 6 is terrible. Really fucking awful. The graphics are fine and some of the weapons are fun but that's where the positive ends. I'm not sure if it's the stupidly over the top action sequences, the terrible dialogue (I know RE has always had terrible dialogue but where it used to be charming, now it's rage inducing) or maybe it's just that this whole enterprise just isn't in any way scary, creepy or interesting. It's really hard to know where to start. I don't know how they could have got it so spectacularly wrong. Is there any joy to be had in using so many classic characters? Eva, Chris, Leon to name but a few... the answer is a hard NO! They're all terrible.
Score: 3/10 Trophy Count:14%
Outlast
If RE6 couldn't deliver anything resembling survival horror thrills, Outlast sure as fuck did. Again, the premise is simple: Go to creepy hospital, record your findings, try not to get killed by the horribleness within. Make no mistake, things will try to kill you in this hospital. Most of the attackers are human, there's a "Nemesis from RE3" type of character that's also best avoided and one or two other surprises but the best part of this game is that you don't have any weapons. You have a video camera. You take notes and you record, sometimes to be a journalist, sometimes to use the light supplied by the camera in the darkness.
Outlast is an effective shocker. It is similar to Alien Isolation (though not quite as good) and it doesn't overstay its welcome. I did it in about six hours, a good gamer could easily peel an hour or two off that but while you're playing you will be scared and fully immersed. I wouldn't be paying more than a tenner but it is certainly worth a dip at the right price!
Score: 8/10 Trophy Count: 24%
Final Fantasy VIISomeone told me a few months ago that FFVII was released on PS4... "whatever" was my response. Then they mentioned trophies.... I had to have them all. And down the rabbit hole I went. It's easy to forget what a cast-iron classic FFVII really is. A victim of it's success it became "cool" to mock it or say FFVI is waaaaay better. People like this should spend less time comparing and more time enjoying. But I digress, getting into FFVII is really, really, easy. The game lures you in with easy battles and an enjoyable story. Materia is still genius and a crucial part of the enjoyment of the game. Limit breaks are still wonderful. There is an option to play the game constantly with limit breaks, at 3 times the speed or without the interruption of random battles. All three of these options can be turned on and off with the touch of a button and you will use them at some point.
But ultimately it was the trophies that brought me back. In my previous playthroughs, I'd never beaten Ruby or Emerald weapon.
Ruby, I'd always found particularly galling insofar as, I'd spend literally hours going toe to toe and Ruby would just straight up cheat by disappearing one or two of my characters and leaving me alone. I learned to use this to my advantage this time around and armed with the proper materia and Knights of the Round I managed to defeat the big fucker! But I did need Knights of the Round and I did need it fully levelled up! And getting it is no easy task!
Knights of the Round is on an island that is only accessible via a Golden Chocobo. This is also something that I didn't bother with on my previous playthroughs but I wanted those trophies and thusly, I needed a Golden Chocobo. Thank frack for a guy on YouTube who showed me a way of doing it really quickly. I won't post here in case he doesn't want me to but if you want to know how, contact me and I'll hook you up.
There were other enjoyable things I did which I hadn't bothered with before. I defeated Emerald Weapon, I got everyone's final limit breaks and I got Don Corneo to pick me over the girls. I also went on a date with Barret which was hilarious and they were tough trophies to get! But I got them and I was most pleased.
One trophy that will boil your piss is the one named "Coming up all nines". This requires you to earn 99,999,999 gil. My initial feeling was that this was a pisstake and impossible! it isn't impossible but it does require grinding. You'll need 72 or so fully raised "All materias" and you'll need to sell them all. Sounds like a lot of work but with the game sped up and grinding in the northern crater where you'll mind magical pots and assuming you've got enough elixirs to throw at them (see below) it is doable in a few hours. There is a trick to getting 99 elixirs and instructions are readily available online...
Final Fantasy VII is just a great game to revisit. Sephiroth is still an amazing villain, the game still sucks you in and the score is just as stirring as it ever was. If you do go back in and want all the trophies, pay close attention to the online guides as it's easy to miss a couple of them. Save often and you should be fine.
Score: 10/10 Trophy Count: 100%
Next I'll be playing Rise of the Tomb Raider and after that I expect it'll be The Last Guardian (assuming they don't delay it for PlayStation 5). I'm sure I'll squeeze a couple more in before I come back. Happy gaming!
Cheers,
G.
