Skylander Giants Review

David Brown

For those of us whom are zombie fans, the Activision company name is one that is synonymous with the decimation of the hoardes of the undead.  They have built a name from the Call of Duty franchise and further broadened their horizons with the Zombies subgame that many of us have played and loved. They are now bringing us a game that younger generations can enjoy while we mow through the undead mencae.

Last year Activision released Skylanders Spyro's Adventure for the Wii, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 to cater to younder audiences. It was a big hit because of its great gameplay and the interchangeable characters that could be purchased to expand your game.  This month they have released Skylanders Giants, a game which they are anticipating to be a hot seller this holiday season.

In Skylanders Giants, players assume the role of the portal master as they utilize their skylanders in order to battle the evil Portal Master Kaos and his many minions. This time around Activision has added 16 new characters, new LightCore technology and new worlds to explore.  This begs the question, is it fun to play?

The game is compatible with last year's game, but if you haven't played before, you will need to pick up a starter kit, which features a portal (a shown above), the game and three characters.  The portal is your method of transporting characters into the game world.  It is interesting to see it glow with "power" as it is plugged in to your gaming system.  When you begin the game you are instructed to pick one of your Skylanders and place them on the portal. Upon doing so, they are scanned into the game world and you are ready to play. 

 

The figures themselves all hold the information about their in-game progress. This is intriguing as you can level your characters up and take them to another place where the game is and all of your character information will be accessible, this includes leveling information as well as gold supply.  These figures are a fun form of collectible that is not only fun to look at but useful in game as well.  The figures are detailed and you can tell care was put into their design.  But this means nothing if the gameplay is not up to par.

 

 

The controls in Skylanders Giants are simplified to accomidate younger players. The face buttons are responsible for the various attacks and the control stick moves your character around.  This is not a game of platforming prowess, but more-so one of strategy and proper character utilization.  In each level, you have objectives, not only for level completion, but for item collection and overall efficiency.  There are certain areas that can only be accessed by certain Skylanders, so this can cause some problems if you don't have certain characters.  There are eight different character types and unfortunately in the starter pack you only get three, so there will be areas of the game world that you cannot access.

 

Skylanders is a game not only of action, but of good puzzle solving skills.  There are a number of areas where you must unlock doors that are locked with puzzles or create paths to get through the level and these offer a good challenge while not turning away any specific player groups.  The atmosphere is kid friendly as their are many bright shiney color and the dialogue, while sometimes repetitive, is enjoyable by younger audiences.  I found myself having a lot of fun with this game despite it being for younger audiences. 

 

If you have children and want a game that isn't overly violent for them, get this game.  It will give them something fun to play while you are erradicating zombies in Call of Duty.  Skylanders is available now from Activision on the Xbox 360, Wii, 3DS and Playstation 3. It will also be available for the Wii U system in the future. It may not have zombies (although it does have an undead class), but it is still a fun diversion for kids and adults alike.



Dishonored Review

David Brown



Bethesda has always been a company that knows how to deliever an epic storyline that gives players the freedom to choose how they complete a mission.  In Dishonored you are a royal protector who is framed for murder and kidnapping.  It is your mission to get revenge on those that wronged you and try to find the princess who was kidnapped. 

If you are unfamiliar with Bethesda, you can see our review of Fallout 3: Vegas here to see just how grandiose their games can be.  From the minute you start Dishonored you are engrossed in the storyline.  This game is played from a first person perspective that helps to draw you in. You get a steampunk style victorian setting where guards are not your only worry.

This game is one of choice, you can choose to take enemies out head on in battles where that will see you blocking, parrying, and attacking with various weapons and magic.  The enemies in this game can quickly outnumber you if you aren't careful and combat can you tense.  If you don't feel like fighting Dishonored also allows you to utilize stealth to complete your objectives.  I was able to get through the first section of the game by only killing one enemy.

The controls in this game are very similar to many first person shooters, but I have to say that I haven't seen such tight controls in a long time.  The controls make it easy to drop down from a vantage point silently and sneak up behind your enemies. From here  you can pickpocket them, kill them or render them unconscious. 

The question arises from here, why even care about killing or just knocking out guards.  The answer comes in the form of rats.  The rats in Dishonored carry the plague virus and when in large enough numbers can devour flesh off a human being with rapid pace.  The more that you kill in this game the more rats that will begin to populate the world.  You will also see the world grow darker in order to reflect your actions. Know this brings us to the question of why we would review this game on a zombie-related site?

The answer comes in the form of plague victims.  As I stated there are many plague rats that fill the streets infecting unlucky citizens.  These plague victims become very disoriented and will attack with viciousness.  They want to hurt you.  The more you kill, the more the plague will overtake the city and the more enemies that you will come across.  The plague throws out shades of a virus and the rapidity that it spreads throughout a populous once a proper catalyst is in place.

As for the rest of Dishonored I will say that the soundtrack is amazing and that the dialogue is spot on in many situations that I have come across.  The general atmosphere is dark in the streets and luminous in the target areas. You will see the dire environment around you and want nothing more than to make things right. 

In regards to length all I will say is that this is a Bethesda game.  With that I mean that you will not be completing this in a few settings.  You can easily put many hours into this game as it keeps the action at a reasonable pace.  This game may not have zombies in the typcial sense, but the plague victims that litter the streets make this a game where you must avoid the infected in order to make your mission a bit easier.  We see moral choice upfront in this game and that creates the immersive environment that makes this game an instant hit. The game is currently available for Windows PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.  Go out and pick this one up and get revenge on those that 'Dishonered; you. 

Serious Sam 3 Review

David Brown

 

 

I love zombies, if I didn't I would be writing for this great site.  I have come to expect a lot of games nowadays that do justice to zombies and nothing else.  I do however like to coast into the world of shooters from time to time as I love the action that they bring, and what better game to do that then one that has enemies that are as mindless and unforgiving as zombies.

 

As the picture above shows, that game is Serious Sam 3:BFE for the Xbox 360 and Playstation Network.  Action fans, FPS fans and PC gamers have known of the Serious Sam franchise for a while and this iteration does the series justice. The synopsis for the game is simple:

 

Serious Sam 3: BFE is a glorious throwback to the golden age of first-person shooters where men were men, cover was for amateurs, and pulling the trigger made things go boom. Brutally fast-paced action, massive shootouts, and thrilling cooperative play make for the most explosive Serious Sam game ever! Contains the full single-player and cooperative campaign modes.

 

This is a game that will keep you on your toes and hone your senses for the upcoming zombie apocalypse.  Many of your actions will trigger hoardes of enemies to descend on you.  I use hoard lightly as you will be encountering minitaurs, headless gunners and even kamikaze enemies with bombs for hands.  The action is fast paced and you will have to stay focused if you want to survive.

 

 

The controls in Serious Sam 3:BFE are very tight and I never found lag at all.  I was able to switch weapons quickly and easily in battle and only died because of my slow reflexes and not from terrible controls. 

 

The sound is pretty good with enough explosions and wails to have you on edge for a majority of the game.  The weapons in this game are varied and each handles differently so you can always have something that works for your particular situation.

 

My only complaint about the game is that it takes a while to load. In a game where you will die often it is not fun to have to wait 10-15 seconds to reload.  This minor complaint aside this is a fun game.

 

There may not be zombies, but there are plenty of ghouls and demons to keep you busy for hours. If you don't want to think of this as a game, simply think of it as a zombie reflex training program.  I really like this game and recommend it to anyone who wants a fast paced game with lots of blood and explosions.  Pick up your copy today.



Zombie Driver HD Plows Onto Xbox Live Today

David Brown

Are you a fan of games where you can drive fast and spread destruction? Are you a fan of games where you can kill zombies with a number of different weapons?   Do you love frantic action? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then I have a new game for you.  Zombie Driver HD is a newly released game from Exor Studios that puts you in the role of driver during the zombie apocalypse.  The army is quickly being overrun and the zombie hoards are starting to take over the streets. It is up to you to utilize the various vehicles and weapons at your disposal to decimate the zombie menace as best as you can.

 

To say that the zombies in Zombie Driver HD are plentiful is an understatement at best. From the minute you leave the safety of the military base you will encounter hundreds of the shambling dead.  They will come at you fast and hard and come in a number of different varieties.  You can choose to stay on the roads or you can drive through many fences, yard and abandoned parks.  

Along the way you will find a number of weapons to help up the ante from the machine gun, to flame throwers and even a decimating rail gun.  There are so many ways that you can dispatch the dead and so many vehicles to use.  You will find taxis, tanks, and even limousines along the way that will help you in your mission, and more vehicles are unlocked through side missions and the various modes.

 

The game looks great and everything seems very crisp. A minor complaint is that the text in many of the menus seems a little small, even on my HD television, but this doesn't detract from the in game action.  I will say that starting out I was a little taken back by the controls.  There was a bit of getting used to the driving and maneuvering, but after about a half hour I got the hang of the controls.  The vehicles control very tight and each handles differently, so you do have a variety to complement your driving styles.  Like the speed of the vehicles, the game moves very quickly.

The good news is that there are numerous other modes besides the main story mode that will keep you busy for a while.  Every mission has side objectives that range from clearing out a certain area to beating a level with a certain amount of time or percentage of health left.  Exor studios has put a lot of work into this game and it shows throughout.

If you would like to try your hand at Zombie Driver HD, you can find it today on Xbox Live Arcade for 800 points, on PC for $9.99, on Android OS for $6.99 and coming soon to Playstation Network.  Drive on out and pick up this game today, and stay tuned for details concerning a special Zombie Driver HD giveaway later this week.