Review: Madden NFL 16

MADDEN NFL 15
Madden 16 cover
Cost
$59.99
Format
Digital and Retail
Size
14.96 GB
Available On
Xbox ONE [Reviewed], PS4, Xbox 360, PS3
Release Date
8/25/2015
Developer
EA Tiburon
Publisher
EA
Modes
Singleplayer and Couch/Online Multiplayer

When September rolls around, football fans rejoice for the new NFL season. Months and months of draft talk, training camp nonsense, and pseudo-football preseason boredom builds up and accumulates to a frenzy of football maniacs just begging for the season to begin. And just before the beginning of each NFL season, August brings us a new Madden, which goes hand in hand with the NFL as everyone just wants their football fix. The Madden franchise is a blessing and a curse. On one hand every iteration sells like popsicles in a desert because football fans need football. On the other hand it’s a series that has been running for so long; and it’s a yearly franchise that can and has at different times struggled with repetitiveness. Fans often wonder, what’s so special about THIS year’s Madden, do I need to buy the new one every single year? Other than a roster update, what kind of drastic changes are there going to be? For me I always ask this very important question about Madden, and I’ll answer it in my review as well. What was done right and what was done wrong in last year’s Madden? And has THIS year’s version kept the good, fixed the bad, and added more good?

Reviewing Madden can be tough, there’s SO much to talk about. So before we talk about features, game modes, presentation and more let’s just talk about the second to second gameplay. This isn’t hyperbole; the gameplay in Madden 16 is probably the best the series has ever had. It’s still not perfect; there are still some things that can frustrate. But as a whole it’s smooth, responsive, and the player really does have great control. On a play calling level the game feels very good. Just like in pervious Madden games you can select your play through many different means. From a personal standpoint (I-formation for example), from a play-type stand point (IE Screen Pass), recent plays, and coach suggestion. Every play also has a statistics on the side to glance at to help with your selection. Some plays are suggested by Madden players themselves, as a good option against a cover two defense for example. Or maybe based on the type of offense the opponent is using, a draw running play is a good choice. The plays also show how many times you have selected them and how successful they are by showing what the average yards per play are. As a recommendation for EA and future Madden games, I think this is brilliant but they should add more. Perhaps show how many touchdowns, sacks, turnovers etc have been attained with this play selection. I think that addition would be amazing.

The gameplay feels just like it did last year, so I won’t go over all the details. Let’s instead just talk about the new features in the gameplay and how they’ve dramatically improved the overall game. As a quarterback, you now have more control over the ball than ever. Bullet passes by holding down the receiver icon and long bombs by gently tapping it has been a part of Madden forever. But new to the series is touch passes and low passes. To throw a touch pass you must double tap the receiver icon. Touch passes are perfect for lobbing the ball over a defenders head and dropping it right into your receiver’s arms. Throwing a touch pass to a running back running a wheel route or a wide receiver running an out route to the sideline works wonderfully and is very satisfying. A touch pass can also be very dangerous however, because if you toss the ball high in the air into coverage where your receiver has a defender in front of him as well, it can easily be picked off. So this addition is very fair. Low passes using ‘LT’ while pressing the receiver icon are helpful for safe and secure passes where you just want to make a completion low to the ground where a defender can’t attack it.

To go along with the new throwing mechanics, the receivers have new catching options and these are really fun and an awesome addition. In the old Madden games you pressed ‘Y’ to catch the ball on offense and defense. Now that’s completely changed. There are three ways to catch the ball. Aggressive(Y), Possession(A), and RAC(X). As soon as the ball is in the air you can press and hold one of these buttons. Tapping isn’t an option, you must hold the button. You also don’t’ need to change to the receiver by pressing B, as soon as the ball is in the air you can hold the button and you will be controlling the receiver. If the ball is thrown high in the air and there’s a defender sticking you like glue, using an aggressive catch with ‘Y’ is your best option. With aggressive catches the player leaps in the air, attacks the ball, and attempts to pluck it out the sky. With aggressive catches the player is usually not going to gain any extra yards, as he is often going all out for the ball and will fall down when he catches it, although sometimes this isn’t the case. These catches are usually spectacular, and in fact the “Spectacular Catch” rating for a receiver is used for these plays. The better they are at snagging the ball one handed, leaping in the air over players, etc the better chance they will have at coming down with the ball. So Odell Beckham Jr. and Calvin Johnson will both come down with these grabs pretty often. The possession catch, using ‘A’ is completely different. If the receiver is running a drag route across the field and is about to get levels by a defensive back, the possession catch is the best choice to secure the ball. Even if he gets hit really hard, there’s a good chance he will hold onto the ball with the possession catch. This also uses the “Catch in Traffic” rating for receivers. Another reason to use the possession catch option is when you absolutely must get a catch in key pivotal places, for example on third down or a pass into the end zone. When you use the possession catch the receiver often catches the ball and drops to the ground to ensure the catch. So on third and 14 into tight coverage, the receiver can just snag the ball and drop right down to make sure you move the chains.  A third and exciting reason to use the possession catch is at the sidelines. One of my MAJOR pet peeves in Madden is how stupid receivers tend to be with not getting two feet in bounds. So many times in the past a receiver will have five or more yards to work with and they run in stride full speed and ignore the need to get two feet in bounds. Now however, if you use the possession catch button near the sidelines the receiver will ALWAYS attempt to get his feet inbounds. They don’t always do it successfully, and that’s fine and totally acceptable. But as long as you use a possession catch near the sidelines the receiver will always do his best to catch the ball in bounds. The last option is a RAC catch using ‘X’. RAC is the easiest to explain, it stands for run after catch. If you use the RAC catch the receiver will instantly try to run up field and gain more yards as soon as he catches the ball. This is the best option when a receiver is wide open and has tons of space to work with. The new throwing mechanics are great, but the new catching mechanics are even better. It changes the way the ball is played while in the air and it’s really special.

Of course all of that sounds very overpowered for the offense, what can the defense do? Well they can do a lot actually. It’s very rock paper scissor when it comes to playing the ball in the air. The defense has new options as well. When the ball is in the air you can press ‘Y’ to attack the football and go for an interception of pass deflection. Or you can press ‘A’ to attack the receiver and insure a tackle or knock the ball lose. Of the three options for catching the football, each of them can be countered by the defense. If the offense goes for an aggressive catch and leaps in the air, well the defense can try to do that too in an attempt to pick off the ball. But the defender can also go straight for the body of the receiver. Aggressive catches are susceptible to drops, because a hit from the defender can often knock the ball out. In the case of possession catches, the defense has fewer options. There’s a good chance the player won’t drop the ball from a hard hit, and intercepting the ball is a bit harder since the ONLY goal of the receiver is to snatch the ball and get down. But the receiver won’t pick up any more yards after the catch and it can still be intercepted if timed perfectly. Lastly RAC catches are similar to aggressive catches for the defense.  If the offensive receiver tries to catch the ball and instantly run up field, his eyes and focus aren’t’ on securing the ball as much, so knocking the ball out with a brutal hit is entirely possible. Interceptions are also easier if the receiver uses the RAC catch because he’s already positioning himself to run. So he’s not attacking the ball as much as waiting for it to come to him, meaning you can jump the route and snag the ball.

All of these new passing and defending mechanics work amazingly. In the past new gameplay features can tend to be a bit buggy since it’s a brand new addition. But in this case it feels very intuitive and it all works really well.

A less advertised but equally exciting update to gameplay is the adjustments made in the running game. Another one of my biggest pet peeves in previous Madden games, especially since they added physics in Madden 13, is how easily the running back get’s “stuck” while running through the hole. I love running the football and being physical. But in the old Madden titles, my running back would always stick to the offensive linemen’s backside when trying to squeeze through a blocking hole. Basically, as soon as the runner would contact the blocker he would magnetize to him. It seemed like every single time he would either fall down on his face or just run in place for 5 seconds until someone came to tackle him. I would try to “dis-attach” from the blocker but instead I’d be stuck no matter what I’d try. This year however, that’s almost entirely gone away. It still happens from time to time, but it’s very rare. Now the game has implemented a smart system where the running back will automatically do realistic movements to follow the blocker and pull away perfectly. Now I can ride the back of a blocker and hit the hole to perfection. The running back will use his arms to push off and away from the blocker, never get stuck, and sometimes even pull off a quick spin to break off. It works perfectly and makes running realistic and satisfying.

Coming up with new game modes in Madden is not an easy thing to do. Football is football, what can you change? But every so often Madden gives it a try, and as of late it’s worked out great. Of course the four main stays in the game are quick play (local), head-to-head online, franchise, and MUT (the card based fantasy-like game). I’ll talk about all of those in a bit; some of them have substantial updates. But first let’s talk about the new game mode, Draft Champions. Draft Champions is very simple, short, and fun. Basically in Draft Champions you get to select a team “draft” style and play either against the computer or online against other Draft Champions players. There are sixteen rounds, including the selection of your coach and the players you select are based on their “card style” players from Madden Ultimate Team (MUT). As soon as you begin the game gives you a set of random players with an overall rating of 70. Every round you can select between three random players at various positions and skill levels.  It’s up to you to decide which players you like best, what positions you need more, what style you want to play, etc. Because they are completely random, there’s a chance you won’t get a second shot at a given position. So if you have to select between that great corner back or great running back and you pick the corner back, maybe you’ll never get another chance for a runner. The idea is very simple but it turns out to be extremely fun. Once you select a player of a specific position, it’s probably best not to select another one of that position even if it’s a better player. You want to upgrade the entire team on every level. However that might not be the case quite as much at positions like corner back and wide receiver, since you can have multiple players of those positions on the field at once. Each round is different; sometimes all three options/cards are on the lower end, like 77 overall to 80 overall. Other times all three players are elite cards and in the 85 overall to 90 overall category. Both of those scenarios are risk reward and challenging. Do I want to have a lower overall safety perhaps? With those elite options, do I want to get an elite wide receiver and add depth at the position even though I already drafted one? Or do I want to get that awesome middle linebacker and upgrade my defense? Some rounds are completely random and have three different selections of totally different skill levels. But then what do you do, select the lower player you NEED or the better player you only want? The quarterback position often brings up the most excitement when drafting. You never know what you’re going to get. If you pass on a QB you might not get a second chance and be stuck with someone like Mark Sanchez. Picking up the 83 overall Joe Flacco doesn’t sound too thrilling. But if you select a different player instead maybe you won’t get another QB. On the other hand, if you DO select Joe Flacco and a few rounds later the 91 overall Aaron Rodgers could be one of the options and then you feel like you just HAVE to pick the better QB and you’ll have a wasted backup in Flacco. In the final round you get to select a legend for your team. These players are all time greats and have 90 overall scores or higher and can be anyone from Rod Woodson to Terrell Davis. My ONLY complaint in Draft Champions is that every so often there are whole drafts that pass by without a single option for a specific position. If a free safety or a right outside linebacker never shows, it’s not a HUGE deal. But if I never get an option for a running back or worse yet a quarter back, it kind of seems unfair. I think they should have programmed the game to always have at least one option from every position, even if it’s a low level card, especially the skill positions like QB. Once you draft a team, you can take that squad into a playoff type tournament either against the computer or online. As well as just being a fun game mode, you also get rewards that you can bring back to MUT. These vary from bronze, silver, gold, and even elite players as well as collectibles to add to sets in MUT depending on how well you perform. Overall Draft Champions is a lot of fun and a wonderful addition to Madden. It’s short and sweet replayable style, along with the ability to get rewards and bring them to MUT, is what drives home its success.

Since we just mentioned MUT a few times, let’s discuss Madden Ultimate Team. MUT has been the most successful game mode for Madden and has helped revitalize the franchise. This year’s addition has few major changes but quite a few small helpful ones. The base game is the same. Play solo challenges and online to get packs, coins, and collectibles all to try to gain better players for your team.  You can also use real cash to purchase packs that guarantee various things like gold players, elite players, and more. My biggest complaint of last year’s version was that it was just too time consuming and grinding to get good players. Although it’s still a bit of a grind, it seems better than it used to be. There are more solo game modes that guarantee high level players than ever before. I’ve put maybe 15 hours into the game and I have more elite players now than I had at all in Madden 15. If you want to put real cash into the game, it’s also worth it when compared to last year. I wouldn’t recommend it overall; I’m not a fan of dropping all that extra cash when it’s still a RANDOM pack. But now there are different pack options that become available for a few days at a time at different points for different prices that guarantee better things than last year. For example there was a pack buyable just last week that promised a random elite card, this week there’s another one that secures you a legendary card. So if you do want to drop a bit of cash you can get a great card. But remember, it’s still random. So if you get an elite full back and you were really hoping for a running back or wide receiver, you’re screwed. I also feel like it’s easier to get coins now, which makes buying cards in the auction house better. Overall MUT is still a grind, but that’s by design, many people love draining hours and hours into this game mode.

Franchise mode returns with a lot of new updates and features and it’s better than ever. Like always in franchise mode you can play as a player, owner, or coach. You can pick from real people already in the league or create your own custom rookie. I recommend being a coach. The biggest in game additions to franchise mode are the new goals and confidence. In previous versions, there have always been game, season, and career goals. Completing those goals can give XP (to upgrade the player’s skills) and legacy points (used as a meter for the player’s legacy). But now there are also in-match goals during any given drive. The goal might be to sack the quarterback or run for a touchdown. If these goals are completed the player or possibly entire team will gain confidence and XP. These in game/series goals keep franchise mode more interesting. It’s a lot of fun to have these extra targets to shoot for. So what is confidence? Confidence can help or hinder a player’s overall score. If you complete goals, win games, and play well then the confidence will boost the player’s stats and help him be a better player. Confidence is a small thing that ends up going a long way. It’s great if your offense is the strong point and it helps you win games, which gives the whole defense confidence as well and helps them play at a higher level. As a coach it’s tons of fun to draft, re-sign great players; pick up free agents, make trades and more. But just on a playing level; managing player’s goals, helping them build legacy as well as your own, building confidence and winning football games is rewarding and just plain fun. There is also a massive UI overhaul in the main menu of franchise that is clean, quick, deep, yet simple.

The experience is very different as a player however; I honestly recommend NEVER being a player in franchise even though it should be a lot of fun. If you are a player, be on offense, never defense. Why? If you are a player only, you get locked into that person and can’t play any snaps that aren’t yours. Meaning if you are a quarterback, you throw the ball and watch the receivers run. And when the defense rolls out there, the game is “Super-Sim’ed” and you just wait until it’s your turn again. This should be awesome and it was back when this was introduced years ago. Super-sim is designed to simulate plays in the game and can be used in many game modes. But specifically for franchise super-sim is used to simulate any play that you the player are not involved in. Bu it is utterly TERRIBLE!!!! I created a strong safety for the Steelers. My defense is pretty weak, but I was hoping my created safety can make some impact plays and help the defense out. Meanwhile the Steelers have one of the best offenses in the league with Ben Roethlisberger at QB, Antonio Brown at WR, and Le’Veon Bell at RB. But super-sim is absolutely broken. My offense would almost NEVER pick up a first down, let alone score. Without fail they would gain 2 yards, 3 yards, and then get sacked, time to punt. Throw a 6 yard pass, run for 2 yards, and then throw the ball away, punt again. Every single time they had the ball they would retain the football for less than 30 seconds and punt it away. With 12 minute quarters I was able to hold the opponents to 14 points or less in 4 straight games but my offense never scored a single point. I would even take the ball away and give my team the ball in field goal range and they still would find a way to fail. In one match I shut out my opponent until overtime, the game was 0-0, and I finally failed in OT. Each game my team would throw the ball for 50 yards or less, run the ball for 50 yards or less, throw 3 or more picks, and I would just have to deal with it. This is unacceptable and absolutely ridiculous. Did they test anything at all? In one scenario there was 45 seconds left in the first half. On a safety blitz I busted through the offensive line and crushed the running back behind the line of scrimmage. In doing so I caused the running back to fumble and my defensive end, Cameron Heyward, picked up the ball at the 5 yard line!!! Sweet!!! I gave my offense the ball with 40 seconds left in the half and still have two timeouts left. My offense should definitely score a touchdown, and if not then at least a field goal, right? RIGHT?!?! WRONG!!! They ran the ball and gained 2 yards. They then ran again and gained 2 more. And then…… end of the half. WHAT?! So they didn’t use the time outs? They didn’t score? They didn’t even stop the clock and try a field goal?! That was when I quit playing. I regularly simulated for ten seasons just to see what would happen. Simulating whole games or seasons works perfectly fine. It’s the in game super-sim that has major issues. When I simulated my team won two Super Bowls and went to a third. My safety had 40 interceptions, over a thousand tackles, and a great career. Yet his legacy score was 2. For winning Super Bowls and putting up awesome numbers I should have a legacy score in the thousands, maybe even hall of fame worthy. But… nope. Why? I don’t know. I just quit and played as a coach instead, where I had loads of fun.

Theonly major problem I had was a very strange glitch that did occur in franchise while in coach mode. And it happened twice. Each time you complete one of the in game challenges you can see in real time the confidence, XP, and OVR score updated above each of the players’ heads who were involved. But for me, on two separate occasions, Le’Veon Bell’s overall dropped by 32! Both times I was having good matches, so I didn’t understand. I went into my roster and sure enough, Bell’s Elusiveness and Ball Carrier Vision dropped all the way down to 3. Normally they are both in the 90’s. So I had to quit the match both times, I was afraid the glitch would save and there would be no way I could bring those two ratings back up to where they are supposed to be.

I mentioned in last year’s Madden review just how smart the game play has become. From the play calling options, to the audibles and changes at the line, to the skills trainer it all worked amazingly in Madden 15. This year is no different. Skills Trainer is a tidy and helpful tutorial on everything from mechanics to reading the defenses. Just like last year it is brilliant. I highly recommend every Madden player to take on Skills Trainer; it substantially improved my own game on Madden 15. Madden 16 has everything last year’s version had as well as all of the new mechanics.

Madden has become a cerebral game, and I LOVE that. Football is a cerebral game. Picking smart play calls, playing your style, adjusting your strategy, changing the play at the line, it all is needed for success and feels just like the real game. My favorite part about Madden has become the intellectual aspect and the enjoyment it brings.

Madden 16 is a beautiful game. The field, the weather, everything looks great. There have also been adjustments to the fans themselves; who now wear official gear from the NFL shop and they feel livelier than ever. On the field, players’ animations, how they react, it all looks great. However one complaint I have is that many players don’t act like there real life counterparts. For example I have NEVER seen Peyton Manning strut down the field and puff out his chest after making a 12 yard first down; but in Madden 16 the celebratory animations have no regard for who’s pulling them off. Another example would be someone like wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. He’s the definition of class, never smack talks on the field, and always keeps his cool. Yet in this game I’ve seen him dance like an idiot and get in player’s faces and push and shove. The emotion, mini scrums, and excitement from the players make Madden look and feel authentic. Yet the developers should have adjusted how different players celebrate and act based on how they act in real life, especially the notable and popular NFL players.

One thing they did NAIL is player’s faces. Eli Manning looks just like Eli Manning. Rob Gronkowski looks exactly like Rob Gronkowski. I mean it’s incredible!! I sometimes will just look at replays and scan the field to check out different athletes in awe. Not EVERY player looks perfect. But all the QBs, coaches and all the stars looks pretty much perfect. There are even a good handful of
“tier two” players like Martavis Bryant of the Steelers, their number two wide out, that look great. There was also an update just a few days ago that updated the “likeliness” of even more players which is fantastic.

Another big change to the presentation is the in game “augmented reality” type stats. What Madden 16 has pulled off in this area should actually make the NFL kinda jealous, and ESPN, NBC, FOX, and CBS should take notice. Often after a play is completed a box will pop up and follow a player with some important stats. For example if a wide receiver has now hit the 100 yard mark on the game the stat box will pop up and follow the receiver who is celebrating, walking back to the huddle, et c. These little touches really go a long way.

Phil Simms and Jim Nantz do the play calling again this year. In my review last year I blasted them for some terrible announcing. This year it’s honestly slightly better, but it’s still painful. They come across as complete know-it-alls. They do feel like they have a bit more energy this time, and when they jokingly bust on each other it can be amusing. Simms however just always sounds like he’s angry about not being able to play football in today’s game. Almost every drive he talks about how the rules make it so easy for quarterbacks and wide receivers, as if the skill level of the player is an afterthought. One thing that is not the announcers’ fault and instead is the developer’s fault is re-used calls. If you play a full game you will sometimes here the same thing a half dozen times. There are occasions where I’ve heard the same exact recording on back to back plays. It doesn’t seem difficult at all to me for EA to simply code the game so that Phil and Jim will never say the same thing twice in one match. To me that would be an easy fix to a problem that has existed since the beginning of Madden. Same thing goes for contradictions in the recordings. All the time I’ll hear Phil or Jim make a comment about something like how poorly the running back is playing, but two plays later they will praise him. On one instance the computer went for it on fourth down when they were down by 6 points with less than a minute left and Phil and Jim said it was a terrible decision and they should have punted it… 20 yards from the endzone? Sometimes the play by play is entertaining. But usually it’s either overly obnoxious, as I’m just not a fan of the Simms/Nantz combo or it’s just plain stupid because the things they say won’t even be accurate as to what’s going on. I’ve got one more idea that I really think EA would benefit from. In the NFL there are dozens of announcing duos that cover the games. Why not bring Phil Sims and Jim Nantz back next year but ALSO bring in two or three other announcing teams? How about Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock from the NFL Network? Joe Buck and Troy Aikmen from Fox? Maybe even a random radio coverage duo for local teams. The Cardinals have a great announcing team for example. It would be really cool if there were a handful of different teams that covered the Madden games so you could constantly get different perspectives. EA I know you like the idea, just give me some credit if you follow through. Also bring in Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth please. They are by far the best tin the business. Cris Collinsworth used to be in Madden for a few years and I LOVED him.

One last thing I want to point out, when you start up Madden it enters you into a Super Bowl scenario, Super Bowl 50 in San Francisco as the Steelers take on the Cardinals. As a Steelers fan this was the coolest possible way to start the game. Antonio Brown, Ben Roethlisberger and Martavis Bryant’s real voices were used, I noticed right away. The game sets you up in various situations to intercept the ball, score touchdowns, and finish a drive off by throwing a game winner to Brown. The production level, the Super Bowl feel—it is all perfect and as a Steelers fan I was geeking out big time!

The Madden franchise was in a real rut in my opinion for a half decade or more. Madden 2005 was the last game I felt like I truly enjoyed. Yet the last few years it seems like they’ve really figured things out again. Mut is probably what go them back on track; it’s a brilliant game mode that feeds off of the fantasy football craze. The adjustments to MUT in Madden 16 just help continue to elevate that great game mode. Franchise mode is better than ever, the overhaul and additions make it my favorite game mode to play in this year’s Madden. Skills trainer is as good as ever, and Madden’s cerebral side makes me happy. The new game mechanics for the defensive side, the passing and catching game, and the running game are all brilliant and allow the game play to be better than ever. If you’ve skipped out on a couple Maddens and have been waiting out, pick up Madden 16. If you are a Madden enthusiast, you already have the game and this review probably just verifies all of your thoughts. It’s not a perfect game, it has some issues here and there; but if your hope in Madden has been deflated for any reasons at all, allow this review to pump your trust back into EA because this is the best Madden yet.

PROS:
1) New passing, receiving, defending mechanics
2) Improved running game
3) Franchise Mode’s changes are brilliant
4) Gorgeous graphics
5) Cerebral Football still at its best

CONS:
1) Super-Sim is broken
2) Jim Nantz and Phil Simms still suck
3) Occasional Glitches in Franchise Mode

8.9
Excellent

 

Review: Gears of War: Ultimate

Gears of War: Ultimate
box_gowultimate_w160
Cost
$39.99
Format
Digital
Size
44.42 GB
Available On
Xbox ONE [Reviewed]
Release Date
8/25/15
Developer
The Coalition
Publisher
Microsoft Studios
Modes
Single, Co-op & Multiplayer

So Gears of War Ultimate is a interesting game for a lot of reasons. First off we have a Microsoft published franchise that is coming out with a remaster during the same period they are touting their amazing new backwards compatibility feature. The second issue is this is just Gears of War 1 for $40. So many of these remasters are including an entire series for a better per game price point. The biggest being Halo: Master Chief Collection with the entire base Halo series, and the Halo franchise is also from Microsoft.

So is Gears of War Ultimate worth it? Are the updates worth the price? Let’s dig into Gears of War Ultimate and find out.

First off, if you haven’t already played Gears of War 1 when it launched on the 360, presumable becuase you were just a gleam in your daddy’s eye, then just buy Ultimate right now and get yourself into the franchise. If this is your first time with GoW then my rating to you is a 9/10. The original is still one of my all time favorate games and Ultimate is undoubtedly a better version of it. One of the few games that is equally good at co-op as it is at multiplayer. So just go get it now.

If you have played it on 360, well then let’s look at what’s changed in the campaign. They’ve thrown in a few more missions at the end that used to PC exclusive. The graphics are a marked visual improvement. Moving, running, aiming and cover detection are improved also. There is a new casual difficulty that is even easier for people to jump in and get killing and with that there are more checkpoints so even after dying you have less rework time.

But on the other side of things there are plenty of graphical glitches. I spent the better part of one mission with half a door sticking through my character and you’ll still see from time to time crazy death scenes with characters spasming like they have the charlie horse from hell. The second issue is that your AI Team are just a bunch of complete and total fucktards. There is no nice way to put it. At the start of every mission you should point them to the short bus and get them the hell away from any action. There are times you will just stand in a little clump like they are playing Magic completely oblivious to the battle you are single handly fight around them. There are time when they seem to forget that that creature across from them is the Lotus and instead believe them to be Girl Scout Girls and walk right up with $20 in their hands to get some cookies and of course instead take a shotgun to the mouth. Unfortunately at this point you are supposed to walk up there and heal them because you god damn know that none of the other AI is going to do it.

First off I have a huge multiplayer beef. There are no weapon execultions in multiplayer. The reasoning is weapon executions weren’t added until Gears of War 2 so they have no business being in Gears of War 1. BUT, and it’s a big BUT(T), Team Deathmatch and 2 v 2 Gnasher wasn’t a part of Gears of War 1 and yet they’ve added these new modes. Weapon executions offer no gameplay advantage over curb stomping and wouldn’ve been a nice additional feature.

I still have horrible nightmares about the 2 hours it took to find a match when Gears of War first launched way back on the 360 but so far for me these issues are gone. Multiplayer plays a lot smoother and Gears is a unique multiplayer experience in so many ways. From the cover system to gnasher gameplay to grenade tagging. But a smoother experience is not a NEW experience and it’s still the Gears I played so many years ago.

If you’ve already played Gears of War you have to ask yourself if you are really ready to grind another 10,000 kills in mulitplayer? (Hopefully they actually track correctly this time). Do you even want to? It’s a great series and I’ll definately play any Gears that comes out in the future but for me, as a guy who played the crap out of it on the 360, there just isn’t enough new here to get me excited.

PROS:
1) Great entry to series if you haven’t played before
2) Runs faster and smoother

CONS:
1) Dollar value, this game will be BC soon
2) AI Teammates are the absolute WORST
3) Not enough new

7.8
GOOD

 

Review: Broken Sword 5: The Serpent’s Curse

Broken Sword 5: The Serpent’s Curse
box_brokensword5_w160
Cost
$24.99
Format
Digital
Size
4.96 GB
Available On
Xbox ONE [Reviewed], PS4
Release Date
9/4/15
Developer
Revolution Software
Publisher
Revolution Software
Modes
Single

Broken Sword 5: The Serpent’s Curse is a point-and-click adventure game from Revolution Software. It’s a long standing adventure series on the PC but this is the first in the series to make it’s way to the Xbox ONE. You play as both George Stobbart and Nico Collard as you investigate a robbery slash murder at a art gallery. Each character has their own approach and story and you’ll be switching back and forth between them quite frequently.

The graphics are very clean with nice looking set pieces and fully animated characters. The characters movements are very smooth and Broken Sword doesn’t suffer from standard point-and-click syndrome where characters sort of shuffle and warp to objectives.

Our Two Main Characters

Our Two Main Characters

An adventure game, and in particular a point and click, are made by two things. Their story and their puzzles.

Although the overall story and script are quite good, the tone comes off as actors simply reading a series of lines out of context. The interactions between characters lack a sense of emotion. Plus some conversations drag on for what seems like an eternity. I’m looking at you Paris waiter.

The puzzle are very well thought out and run the gambit from fetch quests to contained single scene puzzles. There really isn’t anything new puzzle wise here, just puzzles done right. This game also strictly adheres to the old adventure rule: If you can pick it up, you will need it later.

There is some good depth to the game and even with a guide (which you are doing yourself and the game a disservice by following one) Broken Sword will take you several hours to finish. As with all point-and-click adventure games there is a fair amount of back and forth between locations as new clues takes you back to old locations to look for new information but the loading is quick and each visit tends to feel unique in it’s approach.

A 10 Minute Conversation About Nothing

A 10 Minute Conversation About Nothing

There are several side characters in the story that come from previous Broken Sword games and if the ONE version is your first journy to this world you’ll be missing out on some of the inside jokes and references. I hope 5 is a success on the ONE as I would definately enjoy seeing more of this universe and learning more about these characters.

The one other thing I want to point out is that there are achievements tied to very specific actions, almost exclusively in the second half, and if screwed up would require you to redo the entire game. The game does have a save feature so make sure you use it as the default is to simply save right on top of your previous save.

Broken Sword 5: The Serpent’s Curse doesn’t reinvent the point and click genre but it knows it’s heritage and it creates a enjoyable deep story with varied and interesting puzzles. If you’re a fan of the genre you won’t be disappointed.

PROS:
1) Good looking game
2) Deep Story
3) Varied Puzzles

CONS:
1) Emotionless voice acting

8.0
Excellent

 

Review: Draw a Stickman: EPIC

Draw a Stickman: EPIC
Cost
$7.99 / £7.99
Format
Digital only
Size
0.41 GB
Available On
Xbox ONE [Reviewed], Steam
Release Date
09/11/15
Developer
Hitcents.com Inc
Publisher
Hitcents.com Inc
Modes
Single Player

Draw a Stickman: EPIC currently has 30% off the above price and it will be running until 17th September

Have you ever wanted to create your own hero? Have you ever wanted to dictate who it is that needs to be saved? Well Hitcents’ Draw a Stickman: EPIC could fulfill those needs. You take control of your very own hand drawn hero either with hand gestures using the Kinect, or with the controller if Kinect isn’t really your thing.

In Draw a Stickman: EPIC you are tasked with using your created hero to rescue your friend you drew from the evil clutches of Zarp. Throughout your quest you will have to face Zombies, Dragons and massive Armakillos among other creatures trying to stop you from finding your friend. To even the odds in each level you will be able to use different pencils that will aid you in defeating enemies and progressing through each level.

Even stick zombies like brains...

Even stick zombies like brains…

There are 13 main story levels each filled with puzzles and obstacles to navigate. Each level has a hidden puzzle piece and colour buddy to find. If you find all the puzzle pieces, a bonus level is unlocked and each colour buddy gives you access to a new colour to draw with when creating your stickman (you can change your stickman drawing at any time on the level select menu).

There are 4 different pencils you can draw with in the game, each with their own ability. The first pencil is the fire pencil. Just draw some fire and use this to light things on fire such as torches, some enemies, wooden doors etc. The second pencil is the cloud pencil which can create rain to extinguish fires or fill a bucket with water for example. The cloud pencil doubles up to create lightning as well. Just draw a cloud and colour it in and you have lightning which you can use to start up anything electrical. The third pencil is the key pencil, which is pretty self explanatory. Lastly there is the Axe pencil, which again doesn’t really need explaining.

In each level, you will be given the relevant pencils you need to get you through the level and solve the puzzles. As you progress through the game the levels will begin to have several exits to different levels. To find all the exits you’ll need to solve various puzzles making use of all the pencils given to you.

As far as the controls go, they are fairly easy to use. You control your stickman with the left analogue stick, pick your pencil you want to draw with using up and down on the d-pad then confirm your choice with X and you draw by holding down the right trigger. If you are playing with the Kinect, you draw hand gestures. Now I didn’t get too much time in on the Kinect whilst playing but from what I did, I found the gestures to react really well and I didn’t really have any issues with the Kinect picking up my movements at all. But, even when playing with Kinect, you can only use it for drawing things. Regarding playing the game with the controller, every now and then I would stop moving. There is one level where you need to run away from an area to avoid an explosion and on several occasions whenever I changed direction, my stickman would just stop moving. I found using the controller to draw things became a bit tedious because of the lack of fluidity in the movement of the cursor. Trying to draw anything circular was a bit of a nightmare, but that isn’t really something that could be helped when using the controller. Freehand drawing just doesn’t lend itself well to a controller.

I think my biggest issue was having to keep re-drawing axes and/or keys. For whatever reason, after using them 3 times they just disappeared. So having to re-draw them over and over became quite frustrating and that is probably the only reason I still have 200+ trees to chop down to finish the game up completely.

Getting my Paul Bunyan on!

Getting my Paul Bunyan on!

Something I really enjoyed in Draw a Stickman: EPIC was the art style. The simple drawings used to show the environment and the enemies just work so well. It really makes you think you’re wandering around in a sketchbook.

Time for the achievements. There are handful of achievements that require to perform specific tasks throughout the levels, such as firing yourself out of a cannon. You get some for unlocking all the levels, finding all the collectibles and drawing 1000 fires, cutting down 1000 trees and opening 1000 containers. There is one achievement that is a little bit glitchy and that is the Sconce Boss achievement which requires you to light all the torches in the final level. If you do what it says you will be given 5% towards the achievement but there is a way around this. Just keep lighting them, extinguishing them, then re-lighting them and it will eventually unlock.

Overall I was left with a smile on my face after playing through Draw a Stickman: EPIC. The art style is wonderful, the puzzles will sometimes leave you scratching your head but they aren’t too difficult and being able to draw your own hero and your own take on fire, clouds etc make it a joy to play. Yes, there are small issues with the controls sometimes being non responsive and having to re-draw keys and axes can become irritating but that doesn’t take away from the overall experience Draw a Stickman: EPIC gives you as a gamer.

PROS:
1)Great art style
2)Good to see Kinect being used
3)Fun puzzles
CONS:
1)Controls aren’t great
2)Having to re-draw axes and keys
7.8
GOOD

 

Review: Octodad – Dadliest Catch

Octodad – Dadliest Catch
Cost
$14.99 / £11.99
Format
Digital Only
Size
1.08GB
Available On
Xbox ONE [Reviewed], PS4 & PC
Release Date
08/26/15
Developer
Young Horses
Publisher
Young Horses
Modes
Single and multiplayer

Before I dive into my review, I wanted to say upfront that I had never before experienced Octodad in any capacity before playing my review copy and to say I was a bit skeptical would be a gross understatement. Octodad is described by Young Horses as a third-person puzzle / action game and a sequel to the first Octodad game which only appeared on PC. You play the role of an Octopus, living the life of a human trying to keep his true identity a secret from his wife and kids. As the song from the game suggests…nobody suspects a thing.

On the Xbox One version of Octodad: Dadliest Catch you have the choice of single player and co-op. When playing co-op you can assign different limbs of Octodad to different controls making it a truly co-op experience. I wasn’t able to spend too much time playing in co-op but from the time I did play it was a blast!

Right off the bat you are given a thorough yet swift tutorial on the mechanics and controls of the game. There isn’t really much to the controls but to begin with they are infuriating. You lift your ‘legs’ with the trigger buttons, move your ‘arms’ up, down, left and right with the right stick and the left stick controls both arms and legs depending on what you are currently moving around. It may sound a little confusing and at first it will be. There was countless times I had the urge to throw my controller across the room and just quit, especially whilst trying to throw something. As you progress through the game the controls suddenly clicked for me and I was controlling Octodads extremities as if they were a part of my own body. Places that seemed out of reach before became easily accessible once I got used to the controls and I have to say the frustration levels were very low after the first 30 minutes.

Where did I leave that key?

Where did I leave that key?

Octodad is split up into 12 story levels, along with 3 extra levels each with varying every day tasks you must perform without rousing suspicion. These activities range from getting married at the alter, to mowing the lawn and going shopping with your family. I know this may sound a bit tedious and dull, but the way in which Octodad moves makes even drinking a cup of coffee a welcoming challenge. Throughout the story I found my self giggling at the characters reactions to some of the things I was doing. It may not sound like much, but I don’t generally laugh out loud at games.

Octodad even has a nemesis in the form of a chef that can see through your disguises. Throughout the game the chef will try his utmost to expose who you are. If people realise you are in fact an Octopus, then it is game over, so you need to be savvy when doing certain tasks so you don’t rouse too much suspicion, especially around Marine Biologists because they can see right through your disguises.

Who knew mowing the lawn could be so dangerous...

Who knew mowing the lawn could be so dangerous…

Now onto the achievements. Octodad provides plenty of variety on this front. The majority of them are for doing certain tasks throughout the levels, such as throwing five fish into the sea, or throwing the ring on Scarlett’s finger at the wedding. You also get an achievement for finishing the game without dying and collecting all ties (3 per level). Overall, I enjoyed my time grabbing all the achievements in Octodad and it they aren’t as difficult as they first sound.

All in all Octadad is a fun, upbeat game that makes generic tasks fun and enjoyable. Pair that with the catchy soundtrack and you will find yourself playing it with a smile. There are times when the game will rub you up the wrong way with the physics of Octodad, but that slight frustration is worth enduring for the sheer fun factor. My original skepticism was completely misplaced and I am really glad I gave Octodad the time of day.

PROS:
1) Strong physics gameplay
2) Co-op is a blast!
3) Hilarious game all round

CONS:
1) It’s a little short

8.2
EXCELLENT

 

Review: Giana Sisters: Dream Runners

Giana Sisters: Dream Runners
box_gianasistersdreamrunners_w160
Cost
$9.99
Format
Digital
Size
2.17 GB
Available On
Xbox ONE [Reviewed], PS4
Release Date
8/19/15
Developer
Black Forest Games
Publisher
Black Forest Games
Modes
Multiplayer

PROS:
1) Fast and frantic gameplay
2) Excellent backdrops
3) Online and local multiplayer

CONS:
1) Poor tutorial
2) Few bugs which turn wins into defeats

7
Good