July 2017 – Super Game Reviews

Hitman and a look within the 2 level teaser

Once in a while, you will get a free game that you never thought would be free. Todays the day folks! The first two episodes of Hitman are now for free on Xbox One! Rejoice, oh happy day!!

Name: Hitman

Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Macintosh, Gamecube

Developer: IO Interactive Publisher: Eidos Interactive
Release Date: March 2016

Price: The first two episode (demo) The first full season price is 59.99 but, you can purchase individual missions for 9.99 USD

The Gameplay

Since this is the first time I have played Hitman, I was skeptical at first considering I don’t delve into assassin games too often. With this game, it’s vastly different. What we have here is a very strong plot line, great dialogue, and wonderfully constructed graphics. In this game, it’s kill or be killed. You are looking for the person you are “killing” and there is a multitude of ways of killing your victim. Be it poisoning, blunt force, or a sneak kill. My personal favorite is to kill them really fast then run the hell out of there method. I’ve seen a decent amount of assassin games in my time, but the remake (or next installment of this game I should say) is very good! The game Hitman is a prequel to Hitman:Codename 47, which is the first game to come out from the Hitman series on November 19th 2000. Ahhh, the days of playing on the GameCube and thinking that was as good as it could get, I am so happy we were proven wrong. Getting immersed into this game was not an issue, since the voice acting was, as the kids say, “on fleek.” The voice acting was a major thing that I enjoyed simply because the actors put so much into it, they became the character. I’m really excited play more of this game and see the endless ways and possibilities to enhance my sneak attack! Or, run around screaming bloody murder trying to find my exit point…

The Single Player

This game is a third person shooter/adventure game that redefined itself this past year in 2016. Being that the version I played was free and had two episodes, it had alot going for it. It had great mechanics that weren’t overly evasive, they were right on your screen when you needed them. Once I knew to press the menu button for all of the features and what not, then I was set. Once I got the hang of the controls, I still died a lot, but I knew how to die in style, and not so frequently. The great thing about this game is that it defeated my negative expectation. It made me curious about the other Hitman games, it made me enjoy the creation that IO Interactive had put forth.

Final Thoughts

So here are my final thoughts on the free two part beginning of Hitman. While there were some things I didn’t so much like, dying very frequently. All in all, it is a game I would pay full price for. It’s a rare type of game where you aren’t just shooting at things and exploding buildings. You are actually getting enveloped into another world that allows you be elegantly brutal in your appetites. You can find the first two levels of this game free within the respective stores!

Pros-

Wonderful voice acting
Great immersive graphics
A well put together story, it truly made me want to play more!

Cons-

The beginning didn’t offer a back story.
Only two episodes in the free pacK
I wanted to know more about the characters history, agent 47 in particular.

Wallet Crusaders: The Evil Within

Imagine this: your mind is not yours anymore. Your thoughts, your dreams, and your desires are all left wide open to see. The Evil Within delves into one man’s brain, whose thoughts and demons roam free to taunt, harm and laugh at the weakness that is your fragile humanity. Welcome to STEM.

Review by Arielle Danan

The Evil Within

Platform(s): PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows

Developer: Tango Gameworks

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks

Release Date: Oct 14th 2014

Price: $19.99 USD

The Evil Within is a third person psychological horror game that delves deep into the barren wastelands of a mad man’s mind, an alcoholic cop, and a corrupt doctor. This game is centered around protagonist Sebastian Castellanos who is trying to protect and find the psychiatric patient, Leslie. I should also mention that this game was directed by the same director for Resident Evil, Mr. Shinji Mikami. So, there are a lot of sprinkling of that game throughout this one. The game has a beautiful, yet creepy atmosphere with a thoroughly executed storyline. Yes, there may be a cliff hanger at the end, but it’s the kind of cliff hanger that makes you think instead of leaving you in complete despair.   In this game, one of the unique things that I found was how Gameworks created the save points. When you are past the first part of the game which is a battleground of chaos and question marks, you make it to an abandoned hospital collecting these strange jars of brain juice and having a nurse (who is a little too calm for my taste) escort you to the treatment room. It is here where you will get acquainted with a machine that hooks up to your head and allows you to up the ante on your abilities. You know that brain juice I mentioned earlier? This is where you use it to strengthen yourself and your weapons. After you experience this “Brain machine” for the first time, you are sent into chapter two of the game. The game is divided into fifteen chapters, so while it is a longer game, it will be worth it to play.

The Gameplay 

I won’t be going into a chapter by chapter review – if I did, it would be ten pages long. In consideration for both your time and mine, here’s a condensed version:

In the beginning (and throughout the game) you will have two partners, Joseph Oda and Juli Kidman. Throughout the game you will have to save them repeatedly, so be prepared for that, plus a lot of boss fights, disgusting creatures, and a beautiful landscape. Seriously, the amount of “Oh my god’s”, and “holy sh*t’s” I said over the beauty of the game, has been too many to count. From the first chapter to the fifteenth chapter, the intensity grows and the story goes beyond anything I’ve ever experienced. As usual, the beginning of the game will give you a tutorial, then it will move on to regular game play. One thing I should prepare you all for, for those who have yet to play the game, your heart will race in the beginning of the game — but don’t let that scare you off! If you are an adrenaline junkie like myself, you’ll thank me later. In the first chapter of the game, you will be responding to a call that was sent from Beacon Mental Hospital, where we see our protagonist Sebastian (or Seb,as Joseph calls him.) He meets Joseph at the top of the hospital staircase, and this is where we see our first glimpse of a Resident Evil easter egg. Where Joseph says “stay sharp,” my Resident Evil fans out there know that Wesker says that to Jill and Barry as they enter the dining room of the mansion at Arkalay Mountains.

Now, if a guy in a mask carrying a chainsaw wasn’t enough, imagine running from said guy covered in blood and human bits. After that part is over, the nightmare truly begins. In chapter two we are greeted with fire and our first zombie, like Resident Evil, and we have the famous zombie head turn.

The Single Player

While the gameplay is a bit tedious to learn in the beginning it’s easy to get the hang of and useful when done the right way. You have your standard crouching mechanism, melee, and something really cool that made me feel like a spy/assassin, a stealth option where you can sneak up on the zombie or monster and attack them without being noticed by other creatures. Very handy when done the right way. Honestly, I never used the stealth option more than a few times because it was never really needed, but none the less, a cool feature to have!  While this game is not a multiplayer title, I can see multiplayer potential in it with such an expansive map; so many items to grab it would only seem logical. But then again for the story’s sake, I can see why they did not make it multiplayer.

Moving on to the meat of the story we encounter this character named “Ruvik” who has to be my favorite character of the entire game. Yes, Sebastian is good-looking, fast thinking, and good with a crossbow, but Ruvick’s character is genius, and so well written that I was mesmorized and enthralled with his performance. In my opinion, Ruvick carried the story, period.

Now let’s get into the psychology behind this game…In the history of my playing videos, I have not found a game that has used as much psychology as far as use/ terms/ideals as this one. The one that truly brings it all to life is the character Ruvick.

You truly see the madness of the game come out through him. It’s his mind that everyone’s experiencing so it’s only fair that Ruvik is selfish in his endeavors and in what he wants people to witness. Funny how he is showing people the ugly side, the side is damaged and frozen in what if’s. One thing that I really did enjoy is the tune Claire De Lune that played at every save point, it was actually a song that Ruvick would play later in the game. Yes, I did nerd out alot. In Ruvicks many tape recordings that you will find throughout the game, he talks about trying to understand people, dissecting their brains understanding what is their pain, pleasure, fears, and hopes. A very intricate character and one that tied in terms like dissociation where the patient will disassociate themselves from their body and believe they are dead, or they can disassociate from their surroundings. As someone who has a degree in Psychology, this character, and the way Gameworks’ developed him and his scripts, was nothing short of amazing!

As we continue into the game we come across the one character that defines boss fights as we know it. one character that makes our world as the player a living hell. This character is “Box Head”, the character that made me rage and sass to a whole other level – this is the enemy that NEVER DIES! Seriously, I thought he would just be in one chapter. NO, get ready for a world of hurt because this character is here to stay until the very end. And just a fair warning– for those who want a quick kill for the “double team Box Heads” near the end of the game, use a few explosive rounds on your Agony Crossbow, and some shots with a shotgun and you should be good.

As for the end of the game, (depending on what difficulty it is) is very easy. You get to go head to head with Ruvick as the monster and you will get to shoot a butt load of “explosive rounds” in him. There is a cut scene at the end that suggests that Ruvick invaded Leslie’s body, but we will never know. As Leslie walks out of the asylum Sebastian is left with a furrowed brow and more questions than he’d like to have answered.

Final thoughts

Like I said , If I were to cover everything in the game the review itself would be ten pages. But, in all honesty, was this game good? Yes, this was a very well crafted game. Gameworks’ could have done a bit better in flushing out the ending and making it more understandable to the viewer, but then again maybe they wanted to give us that drastic cliffhanger. Hopefully all of our question and qualms will be answered in The Evil Within two, which comes out October 14 2017.

The only other issues I had with the game was that it was louder in certain sections than others, but overall I would replay the game in a heartbeat!

Pros –

Great Story
Amazing voice acting
Solid bosses

Cons –

Louder in certain sections than others
Story wasn’t flushed out in the end
There is a bit of lag in switching between guns

Review | Outlast II

The decay of a corrupt religion and the loss of hope in the eyes of the wicked, bring upon a fear like no other and a cannibalistic nature that makes even the once strongest of men turn ripe with rage and hate.

Reviewed by Arielle Danan

Platform(s): Pc, PlayStation 4 & Xbox One

Developer: Red Barrels

Publisher: Will Games

Release Date: April 25, 2017

Price: $30 USD

Outlast II is a first person psychological survival horror game released by Red Barrels and it dives into the depths of horror and gore like no other. Just as a recap, for those who might not know, the first Outlast game took place in Mount Massive Asylum and you had to escape while hiding from maniacs who wanted a piece of your bloody body bits. The same feel and approach return with Outlast Two. In this game, you are Blake Langerman a journalist who works with his wife, Lynn. The only difference is in this game is you deal with a group of religious fanatics who are looking for a savior to help them out of their own personal rotting hell.

So here are my thoughts on this hellish of a game. Even though the game has the same setup, (investigative journalists looking for answers to mysterious murders), The difference between Outlast and Outlast II is remarkably different. During the beginning of the game, you will experience the anxiety of whats to come, a cold shiver down your spine coupled with an unnerving quiet in certain parts of the game. I found that in the game it was more of a survival horror game, That I was always strategically planning my routes and thinking through every step meticulously. Or in some circumstances just running with my tail tucked between my legs. When it came to the halfway point of the game I felt like I was just running away from monster continuously; it didn’t feel like there was any true mission left to the story. In this game as the player, you go back and forth from a school to the village. In the school, you encounter memories of your past, and a monster that will scare you at first but becomes repetitive and slightly annoying to deal with.

The Single Player:

Through the madness that is Outlast two, I found myself constantly asking the question “Why” or “How can Red Barrels put this into a video game?” Through the game there were brilliantly written notes, a transsexual named Val, who is said to be a woman but is described as a man in certain circumstances and there are times when there was complete silence and for the first time I was actually terrified, not only of the game but of my own imaginings, and not knowing what was around the next corner or “imagined reality” if you will. The game this time around felt so different, not just in the area it was set, but in the way it makes you feel. Yes, the Outlast franchise was built on the fact that it can make your skin crawl and give you an outstanding level of uneasiness, but this takes things to a whole other level. In this game, I felt like I was being hunted, which to a certain extent you are.

Now, I will get into the religious overlaying that this game contains. From the moment the game started to the moment the game ended religion was the main purpose/focus of the game, from the notes I read to the cut scenes. In one specific cut scene where Blake goes back to the school, he is a little boy and with a former classmate Jessica. Jessica is confronted by the head priest of the Catholic school, Father Loudermilch. In the game, he is made to seem like a pedophile who has harmed Jessica. Blake is then told to leave by the priest, then in another segment finds Jessica’s, face bloody and frozen in fear. But, here is the interesting part, the creature that we have been seeing in the halls of the school that has been terrorizing us is in the place of the priest at the top of the stairwell when we see Jessica dead body. Could the priest be the monster in the school that’s chasing us?

One very unique thing I found was that not every monster wants to kill you, and that’s one of the brilliant things about this game. Some of the “monsters” will chase you, some will yell at you, some will just leave you alone out of fear and some will leave you alone if you leave them alone. Now let’s get into the mechanics of the game. you can crouch to hide, you have a camcorder that allows you to capture moments for your notebook, which is an awesome feature that Red Barrels kept. Barrels also put in a cool new mechanism in the camcorder function, a microphone that allows you to listen more in-depth in your surroundings. Barrels added a new feature that you can slide while running which is perfect for when you are trying to get into a small place whilst running from someone or something.

The Gameplay:

While the mechanics have been reworked, and the game became, somehow, more terrifying, there is something uneasy about the game I feel. And no, it’s not the chopped off heads or the swinging corpses. It’s the fact that I feel as if, Barrels didn’t keep to the story. Now hear me out on this. The beginning of the game was wonderful, I was just getting into it, I was in an unknown territory, and everything was fresh. As the game went on I felt as if there was no plot line, where before in the first game it had a consistent plot line where things would move at a steady pace. with this game everything was just molding into one another, there was no clear mission. There is something though that I feel this game did very well I love the notes, the notes have to be some of the best writing I have read in a game in a very long time. But the notes are only a small portion of the game. By the end of the game, I just felt as if I was tirelessly running from monster to monster with no true mission anymore of what the game was about.

With that being said, there is a silver lining in all of this, at the very end of the game we see Lynn, leaning over in the same fashion as that of the many who are looking for their salvation. In the notes, and through the game the people in the village are looking for a savior, and they think they have found it in the belly of Blakes wife, Lynn. Rushing to find a safe haven Blake and Lynn come across a recurring character, Marta. Marta is one of the only characters in the entire game that scared me to the point of wanting to turn off the Xbox and call it a day. But no, persistence and the willingness to face one’s fears took me over and allowed me to finish the game. In the midst of running, and wondering what this game has in store for me, the music kicks in at the tail end of the chase, Marta, standing before my character Blake about to swing down her mighty weapon, and all of a sudden a cross from the church roof falls, impaling her. Funny isn’t it? The main thing that Marta trusted, killed her.

In the end of the game, Lynn gives birth to a baby girl and says “there’s nothing there.” So was this all in Lynn’s imagination? The light that is shown in the sky in the game a way of Murkoffs control that could have made everyone see one reality versus another? After the baby was born we see Knoth for the first time in the game. In my opinion, Knoth should have made an earlier appearance. Maybe we might get a DLC with this game too and it will bring him in as a more frequent character. Who knows… Knoth asks about how he killed his children and suggests Blake do the same. Knoth, kills himself in fear of whats to come from the strength of Blake’s child. As we get towards the end of the game, we see that famous white light. Could that light be a control mechanism from Murkoff? Could this really be all in Blake’s head where Lynn might still be alive, and he really never had a baby? Who knows… in the last scene of the game Blake is back at the school and with Jessica’s ghost, kneeling and praying.

Super Game Judgement:

So here are my final thoughts. There are so many unanswered questions I have…Was Murkoff using a mind controlling experiment in a controlled environment so see how people would react? Was the monster who was chasing Blake in the school, in fact, the Priest? I feel like if there was an experiment going on in the Murkoff were they using Blake’s most vulnerable memories to make him emotionally weaker? Who knows what the true meaning of this game is. I am hopeful that they will create a DLC to answer some confusing questions that have arisen. All in all, it was a wonderful gaming experience, that has a lot of good parts. A terrifying atmosphere, a feeling of being hunted, Barrels reached out to their audience in different ways. Making them question religion, the strength of humanity and the notes that create a feeling of uneasiness and fear. But the overall mission/story of the game I feel got lost along the way.

Pros –

The Graphics were amazing
The game mechanics were outstanding
The lore and notes of the game were brilliant

Cons –

The game didn’t follow through with a coherent story
After a while, it just feels like you are constantly running
Knoth wasn’t in the game enough besides within the notes.

WoW eSports announces a $100k Mythic Dungeon Invitational

Blizzard shook the competitive eSports world when it announced it’s PvE tournament with a cash prize of $100k. This tournament will feature the best of the best participants from all over the world, facing off within the hardest dungeons of the game. With 32 teams competing for such a big cup, there has to be a catch to compete.. well there is.

To even earn entry to this tournament, challengers must go through Mythic Keystone dungeons with growing difficulty and earn high scores during the Proving Grounds.

The Proving Grounds will begin July 25th to August 8, with player working through legions of dungeons proving their worth of course! Blizzard will score the top 5 hardest dungeons with their matching Keystone levels to determine who will move forward. The 32 teams will consist of: 8 teams from China, 8 teams from Europe, 8 teams from the remaining Asia – Pacific and 8 teams from North & South America,

To watch the event unfold live in September be sure to visit https://www.twitch.tv/warcraft.

For those interested in applying please visit https://mythicdungeoninvitational.wufoo.com/forms/m154hh9q1s6vx23/

Stiles’ Series Synopsis|Children of Mana

Children of Mana is a game that exists. It is for the Nintendo DS. It has gameplay and graphics. Can I be done now?

Continue reading Stiles’ Series Synopsis|Children of Mana

PlayStation Plus & Xbox Live Games with Gold lineup for July 2017

July’s Xbox Games with Gold lineup has been revealed. The lineup includes 4 games in total: 2 titles for the Xbox One, and 2 that are available on Xbox 360. As usual, Xbox One owners will have access to all 4 titles due to backward compatibility. Two of the titles are timed releases, not becoming available for download until the 16th of July. Here are the titles Xbox Live Gold subscribers can look forward to this month!

Xbox One Games

Grow Up

Acting as a sequel to Grow Home (2015), Grow Up not only offers an assortment of puzzles but does so in an open world adventure! Resuming the role of a robot named B.U.D., the player roams the various levels in search of B.U.D’s ship (M.O.M.) after crash landing. Offering a range of refreshing game mechanics and adventure, this title from Ubisoft Refliections will be available July 1st – 31st!

Watch Dogs

This third-person perspective action-adventure places the player in Chicago, offering a free roam in between missions. Following a hacker’s efforts to seek revenge, the player finds themselves in the shoes of Aiden Pearce who can gain access to “ctOS” (the centralized operating system that manages the network connecting the city together). Watch Dogs also allows for up 8 players to face off within the multiplayer mode, in addition to the Single Player campaign. this title from Ubisoft Montreal will be available June 16th – July 15th!

Runbow

Runbow offers intense head-to-head racing in a platform environment. This multiplayer title pits players in a race to the end of each level while offering game mechanics such as: double jumps, basic attacks against enemies and a color changing backgrounds that unlock different obstacles and more! With time trials and “Master the Bowhemoth”, this title will fuel your need for speed July 16th – 15th!

Xbox 360 Games

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days

This third-person shooter from IO Interactive adds a new perspective to the series by offering a new visual style compared to the first one. Resuming the role of Lynch, the player is involved in a smuggling operation that is ambushed within Shanghai. Utilizing cover to regenerate health, different combinations of guns and even offering a co-op/multiplayer experience, XBL members will be able to download this game July 1st – 15th!

Lego Pirates of the Caribbeans

Traveller’s Tales bring us yet again another great adventure told in Lego format. Covering the first 4 films within its story, this title offers many different elements from the previous Lego titles within an action adventure environment. Utilizing a co-op experience or even a single player one, the player(s) can swap between characters to use their special abilities to gain access throughout the various levels. Players can get to building July 16th – 31st

PlayStation Plus subscribers have a lineup of games releasing as well. This includes games for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Vita. Three of the titles are timed releases, not becoming available for download until the later half of July. Here are the titles PlayStation Plus subscribers can look forward to this month!

PlayStation 4

Until Dawn

Supermassive Games brings us this interactive video game that implements Survival Horror with a choice based mechanic that allows for multiple playthroughs. Showing a hard focus on visuals, choices that balance moral dilemmas and exploration, Until Dawn’s gameplay experience can differ between having all 8 characters live or die. See where your choices will lead you the first half of July!

Telltale’s Game of Thrones series

In this Telltale’s Games take on the T.V. series Game of Thrones, the player experiences 6 episodes delving into its lore and environments. The choices and decisions players make within this title will affect later parts of the arc, allowing minimal exploration/interactions in some scenes while offering action sequences in the format of a Q.T.E. (Quick Time Event). Play from the perspectives of 5 different characters and see where your choices will lead the during the later half of July!

PlayStation 3

Tokyo Jungle

Crispy’s SCE Japan Studio brings us this survival action game that takes place in a deserted and futuristic Tokyo in which you learn about humankind’s disappearance through various animals. Offering not only a Story mode but also a Survival mode (with local multiplayer) in which players take control of animals such as lions, hyenas, deer and more and survive as long as they possibly can. with 50 breeds and 80 types of animals, players can test their skills the first half of July!

Darkstalkers Resurrection

This 2D fighter from Iron Galaxy Studio is a compilation of Night Warriors: Dark Stalkers’ Revenge and Darkstalkers 3 that will feature a local and online multiplayer. This title will also introduce region matchmaking, multiple viewing options, 8-player lobbies and much more! See how fast you can climb the ranks with this title the later half of July!

PlayStation Vita:

Don’t Die, Mr Robot (Available on the PS4 via cross-buy)

This mobile action title from Infinite State Games has the players dodging killer droids while collecting Fruit-em-ups and more. With 4 different game modes, 50 remix missions and even guest, this title will have players fighting to win with 8 various Fruit power-ups! Players can customize their robot and taste the action the first half of July!

Element 41 (Available on the PS4 via cross-buy)

This puzzle based platformer has players change between 4 elemental states (Air, Ice, Stone & Fire) in 4 different sections of levels (Heart, Mind, Willpower & Imagination). Different elements will offer different game mechanics and allow for various puzzles to be solved. This title from I-Illusions will be available the later half of July!

That concludes the lineup of free games for console owners for the month of July. While some of the games are lesser known, they are definitely worth trying out. Best of all, they’re free (as long as you are subscribed to the respective service)! Be sure to tune in next month for our August 2017 line-up!