The title and video stand for themselves. I took a break from my next big project to give my thoughts on Dissidia NT’s Beta, discussing it’s changes from past entries, my predictions for its future, and whether or not I feel it will be the eSports contender that Square was hoping for.
Category: Reviews
Wallet crusader: Ori and The Blind Forest
When beauty, mesmerizing music, and good story come together to create a unique experience in a game, that’s when you know you’ve got something. Ori and the Blind Forest shows just how much you can push yourself mentally and somewhat emotionally.
Reviewed By Arielle Danan
Ori and the Blind Forest
Platform(s): Microsoft windows and Xbox One
Developer: Moon Studios
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Release Date: March 11 2015
Price: 19.99 USD
The Gameplay
Ori and The Blind Forest is a unique single-player platform adventure game that allows you take on the role of Ori, a white guardian spirit who comes back to life after the destruction of her home, Nible. 
Koru, who is the main antagonist in the story is trying to stop Ori at any chance she gets. This game made me cry in the first five minutes, so don’t be surprised if you need a tissue box next to you whilst playing. Ori and The Blind Forest is set up in a beautiful surreal world filled with monsters, incredible landscapes, and harrowing adventures. Your main objective in this game is to get to the spirit tree and replenish the light that was taken by our gal koru. trust me when I say you will die…A LOT. Prepare yourself for hours of fun, tears, and rage at this beautiful game because I remember recording for two hours for an episode to only come out with twelve minutes of footage that could actually be used in an episode.
The Single player
When playing this game I found the mechanics to be very intense, wonderful and slightly annoying at times. When you play this game there is a total of eleven abilities that you can earn that allow you to defeat the odds and progress in the game. I should warn you, you get to a part in the game where the gravity is, well, questionable and it is there the controls can be a bit tricky to manage, but once you have let out your rage and practiced a few times, success will be achieved. 
One thing I would recommend though is please save your game regularly. I cannot tell you how many times I thought I could get away with not saving only to find out I had been sent to the beginning of a check point. Save the tears, and save your game. Overall the controls are very elegantly done, and easy to get the hang of, like I said, just practice and you will be fine.
Final thoughts
So here are my final thoughts, Would I recommend this game? Absolutely! it is fun, witty, beautiful and a bit of a tear jerker. The music on its own is a complete masterpiece. When it comes to this review I have very little negativity towards it. The game does not insult the player by making it “easy” by any means.
This game will challenge you and get you thinking in ways that I didn’t think were possible for a game to do. I am so happy this game came with my Xbox because it will forever hold a place in my heart. The only “con” I have about it is the story at the end and some of the controls. I say the controls only because the frustrated me and confused me a tad. Regarding the story, Koru did not have to die, yes she was trying to kill Ori, but I strongly believe that there needed to be a clearer ending, or maybe a DLC to add to the story a bit more. As for the controls, the main issue I had wth them that in the section of when we had some questionable gravity, right was left and left was right…Not cool for someone who tends to die a lot in video games anyway. But all in all this game is worth it, and I would recommend it in a heartbeat.
Pros –
- Amazing story
- Mesmerizing music
- Eye-grabbing graphics
Cons –
- The story needs flushed out in the end, maybe a DLC to continue it in the future
- The controls were a bit tricky in certain sections
- Koru didn’t need to die! I know this might not qualify as a con, but I feel as if she could have a big role in this game besides being “the bad guy.”
![Stiles’ Series Synopsis | Final Fantasy IV [PSP/PC]](https://supergamereviewscom.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/sss-ffiv.png?w=640&h=359&crop=1)
Stiles’ Series Synopsis | Final Fantasy IV [PSP/PC]
Here it is: The long overdue entry in Stiles’ Series Synopsis. While the first three titles in the Final Fantasy series all performed well for SquareEnix, it is hard to deny that Final Fantasy IV is where the series truly hit it’s stride. For a full analysis, check out the video above! I know that I would appreciate it at the very least!
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.
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?
A look behind the Kickstarter – Maresa
This story driven first=person based title takes survival elements and mixes them with a mysterious island where a serial killer is on the loose! Maresa will not only allow players to experience this mysterious atmosphere with true survival aspects (such as hunting and gathering herbs) but will also off immersive values as you track down the manic that is killing everyone. Following clues, while solving various task will surely lead you to your objective, but will you be able to stay alive long enough to complete it?
Maresa runs ripe with stories and tasks of mystery as the player fills the position of a secret agent tasked with catching a convicted serial killer. This game was developed using the Unreal Engine as a school project between Gary Lude (Creator), Henrik Bahr (Graphic Designer) and Fabin (Story Writer) but with a drive and passion this project took off.
The team behind Maresa have some unique plans and visions. To see the extent of what they would like to do, please be sure to visit their Kickstarter page down below!
Here is the Kickstarter page if you would like to pledge!
Here is the Indiedb for Maresa!
Please stay tuned for future updates as they develop from Super Game Reviews!
![Stiles’ Series Synopsis | Final Fantasy Legends Adventure [GB]](https://supergamereviewscom.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/sss-gb-ff.png?w=640&h=359&crop=1)
Stiles’ Series Synopsis | Final Fantasy Legends Adventure [GB]
A lot of gamers are Final Fantasy fans, but how many of us have truly experienced all that the series has to offer? How about these four little-known RPGs for the original Gameboy: Final Fantasy Adventure and the Final Fantasy Legend Trilogy! I mean… they are only KIND of Final Fantasy games… but you’ll just have to watch the video to find out how! Well, technically that’s not true.. you could just google it, but wouldn’t it be much more fun to hear a nerd talk about it with his soothing Baritone voice? If you do take the time to watch, please let me know what you think!
Stiles’ Series Synopsis | Legend of Mana
It only took me a few minutes with the game to see why it was so divisive. It is far from flawless, but it is a passion piece that is so unique that it may just win you over if you can look past its quirks.
Super Game Reviews 