Vikings Wolves Of Midgard Review

Vikings Wolves Of Midgard  (Xbox One, PS4, PC) (Rated Mature)

The Top Down Action RPG genre has seen few worthwhile releases in the past few years. Even Diablo 3 was considered to be a disappointment. I personally enjoyed it, though I would say it felt like it was the weakest of the three. It seems that a great many indie teams try to make decent games of the same vein, but they often end up creating mediocre snoozefests. I used to try many of the released TDARPG's, but after so many disappointments you tend to lose hope. Games Farm the team behind Vikings Wolves Of Midgard, have given us something we need in 2017. Hope. 

Ok maybe that was a bit much, but this is a game I had been eyeing for a few months now, and finally having played it, I am in awe of how addicting it is. Playing til the sun comes up just to get that next level to use that badass sword, man those are the moments that make these games so much fun, that sense of progression and losing yourself in the world. Brought me back to the old days staying up way too late playing Diablo II. Vikings packs intense combat, that is viscerally satisfying in a way no other game of the genre has been, for me at the very least. It also features a story that has both a serious and somewhat self-aware tone, which makes for a story that is both intriguing and at times downright hilarious. 

The writing is surprisingly witty, and avoids many cliches that plague the genre. Instead, it often pokes fun at those tired cliches, and does something totally new while at the same time paying homage to its forefather's. Upon starting the game you have two character types to choose from, either a male or female Viking, This option is cosmetic, as both types can be any of the character classes. When it comes to your classes they are tied to your weapon choice, and each class is referred to as a God, such a Thor, Odin, Loki and more. To level up you sacrifice the blood of your slain enemies to the Gods. This was a really neat way to make leveling up more immersive, and it also felt somehow more rewarding. 

I do hate that the game does not have local multiplayer, and only features online play, this is the perfect couch buddy game. Yet there is no way to play with a friend locally, this is a very depressing trend for gamers who enjoy having their friends in the same room with them. God forbid right? A game this savage would be the perfect weekend slay-a-thon. The kills are insanely vicious in their brutal nature. Vikings has a very devastating and extremely satisfying brutality, as well as some excellent dismemberment and gib animations. There are even some great zoomed in slow mo kill cams, when you couple great animation with solid controls and exciting combat abilities its easy to make an extremely satisfying combat system. Which is one of Vikings many highlights.

While the quest design is of the same go here and slay that, the game's cynical approach to storytelling, and it's beautiful and original setting, gives more to see and love than one may think. Norse mythology is rarely explored properly in games, and while the game's tone does feature a lot of gutbusters, it manages to balance a great sense of humor, with a story that offers interesting characters, and a plot that is actually interesting. The voice acting especially sells the game's hilarious lines, and more somber moments, which makes the game worth playing for the humor and story alone.

It is, of course, going to be no shock, that the game can be repetitive, that is a sort of hallmark of the genre. Yet Vinkings has more depth than you think at first. Inside your Viking village, you have a weapon, rune and armor maker, to make an item you need money and supplies, which you get when you're out slaying beasts, or for completing quests. You also need these resources to upgrade these stations, and it is surprising how satisfying it is seeing your little stand grow into a forge fit for a true Viking King or Queen.

The controls intuitive nature allow for free flowing, mayhem and slaughter of your enemies, which feels far more dynamic than games of this type. That being said there are some issues with the game, I do not mind the fact that the game is not an open world, it has a hub where you travel to many different levels, the levels are not randomly generated, which allows for more interesting level design. Yet for so much effort put into making the game immersive, this does seem like an odd choice, the optional hunt quests are also ultimately only worth it for the loot.

Visually the game has a strong atmosphere and fantastic art style, but it is obvious that the Unity engine is not really going to deliver mind-blowing visuals. While the resolution, colors and designs are superb, the graphics lack detail in may areas, the game also suffers from unintentional slowdown. This does not interfere with gameplay, and the visuals are actually very impressive when you consider the engine and budget of the game. More importantly, this game's art direction is both a breath of fresh air, and visually intriguing, unlike most recent releases.

At the end of the day, if you're a fan of the genre you would be doing yourself a major disservice if you do not check out this game. That being said, those who are not a fan or dislike the genre should steer clear, as Vikings Wolves Of Midgard is one of the best Action RPG's in years.

Prey 2017 Review

Prey 2017 ( PS4, PC, Xbox One) (Rated Mature)

I will be the first to admit, I was morose at the idea of totally rebooting what was a cult favorite of mine. The first Prey may not have sold well, and it may not have been the game people expected or wanted, but I found something I adored in it. I love the alien designs, the story and the cast of characters, particularly the lead Tommy. With all that said, Prey 2017 may be one of the best surprises in recent memory. While it does not make me think of the OG Prey in any way, hey that would be a legit strain OG Prey, it takes you to another world. Anywho, what this new Prey manages to do is something that the Sci-Fi geek in me, had a mild freak out when I finally experienced the huge space station the game takes place on.

See I adore classic Sci-Fi like 2001 A Space Odyssey, and the first Alien of course. I really enjoyed the design choices in the world you inhabit. It felt very much like the world you may have seen in 2001 A Space Odyssey. It also echoed a bit of Alien with many other touches to classic 80's science fiction. This is something that really gives the game both it's own identity, but also gives it a bit of familiarity, and a bit of wish fulfillment for Sci-Geeks.

I will admit that upon first glance the enemies are the game's weakest design element. I think in a search for an original monster or creature, they went a bit off the map. This reminds me of the issue with the enemies in Resident Evil 7. However, unlike Resident Evil 7, there is a greater enemy variety on display. The enemies are also fun to dispatch, but also pose a pretty substantial threat if you're not careful. While they are not scary. the combat encounters are tense and had me on the edge of my seat several times.

Ammo is something that is scarce in the environment, which is where Prey's resource system comes into play. You scavage for resources and then find recycling machines, here you transform that junk into material you can use to craft ammo, weapons and more. It may seem simple, and it is easy to use, but surprisingly rewarding. While there are no iron sights, the weapons aim and function well, it has a Half-Life feel to the combat and general approach to game design. Though I would say that the combat packs a heftier punch, than the Half-Life games. I also love the Gloo Gun, and say it rivals the grav gun, in fun factor and usefulness.

Your main goal is to explore the space station and uncover what went wrong, the story is presented in a very interesting manner, it mixes Bioshock and Half-Life's approach to storytelling, with Dishonored's choice system mixed in. The story is chock full of suspense, some surprisingly witty moments and also some genuinely creepy moments, and some that may even be scary to some. While the creatures are not scary looking, disgusting or creepy, they are ominous in their presence as they are rather tough, and can kill you rather easily if you're not ready.  This adds tension to every encounter, and some enemies even camouflage themselves as normal objects. These enemies like to swarm you, and if you encounter them and a big creeping tentacle mutant, it could be game over, unless you bust out the shotty and go to town.

Exploring the space station will require your wits not just to survive, but to progress aswell. Some areas are simple, others will have you looking for items to unlock doors and progress the story, or give you some loot. You can upgrade Morgan Yu the playable character, and to do so you need neuro mods, these are found by doing side quests or exploring the environments thoroughly. Some of these upgrades are as simple as giving you more health, others grant access to cool abilities, but at what cost?

I like that not only is your choice tough just due to having scarce amounts of mods to upgrade with, but it's even harder to choose when you see the outcome of some mods. The story is not mind blowing, but I was very impressed with the dialogue and characters, they felt very real and brought a great sense of realism to the game. The endings are also well worth seeing.

The zero-G sequences will also stand out as some of the most breathtaking this year. There is a lot to love in the new Prey. But it will mostly come down to how much you love this kind of Sci-Fi, and these kinds of games. While it is in first person, and there is plenty of action, this is not your standard FPS. You will be solving puzzles, climbing and doing some jumping puzzles which make a welcome return to the gaming scene. Prey does have one issue and that is it's long load times, while it is understandable given the size and scope of the game's environments, 30 second load times are unexpected in this day and age.

Still, this game kept me glued to the seat wanting more, and it is well worth playing through multiple times to see all it haves to offer. With a game world that is truly an artistic wonder, tense and rewarding combat, along with some inventive puzzles, Prey will fill the void for gamers seeking the next Half-Life or Bioshock.

Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 Review, A Snipers Paradise

Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 (Xbox One, PS4, PC) (Rated Mature)

If your reading this, chances are you're a newcomer to the series. While fans may be curious and seek out further information. The Sniper Ghost Warrior series has a devout cult following, while many sniping fans flock to the Sniper Elite franchise. Which have been far more polished than the past two Ghost Warrior games. Still, there is something about the first person perspective, which offers a more realistic and immersive sniping experience.

In this latest installment City Interactive has perfected first-person sniping, it's realistic, satisfying and requires skill. I am the type that if you give me an AK 47, chances are I will just Rambo my way through. It's just cathartic. Yet, the sniping here is superbly done to the point, that every single shot that lands, feels like one hell of a Field Goal. The slow-motion kill cams are a sight to behold. Better still, sniping the majority of your opposition, and then mopping up the rest with an AK is thrilling, due to the enemies being no slouches. 

Not only are the firefights visceral in both feel, and the cinematic style that City Interactive has perfected. But the challenge of enemies who can tear you a new one, in a split second makes this the Dark Souls of the FPS genre. These are trained terrorists your fighting, not Storm Troopers, they can aim and they have good eyesight. It requires both planing, and thinking fast on your feet to be a total Rambo. But the game is surprisingly without frustration, for the most part, sure it sucks to nearly have it, then get capped. I get it, we all have those moments of being mad as hell. But that is on us, not the game. The game is constantly giving you checkpoints, and there are a plethora of fast travel spots, so you're never having go through a long trek... Back to the last spot you got mollywhopped at.

The game is meant to be played any way you like, though I find mixing up my tactics and planning out an assault, to be part of the fun. I love finding the perfect place to pick off most of the scum bellow, then sneaking down and using my knife, or silenced weapons. Never to be seen or heard, it is always satisfying in a pretty amazing way. Though if you are seen, and your not unrealistically out numbered it is easy to hold your own, if you are prepared and have a bit of skill. Running from cover to cover, clearing rooms and getting into fairly large firefights, is tense and offers thrills few other single-player FPS's could even dream of.

While the past games were linear shooters, in the vein of Call of Duty but with the focus being on sniping and stealth. The 3rd entry has brought us out into an open world, while the story missions have a certain type of linear feel to their design, you are free to approach them however you see fit. I was particularly impressed by the mission design, as it offered plenty of variety, in both objectives & locations. Make no mistake while the game looks and plays like a AAA title, this is an independent game made with a AAA budget. Which makes the games insane visuals even more impressive.

Sadly you will see some areas that for all intents and purposes were copy and pasted, with some elements switched around a bit. This is forgivable, given how great the game looks, and the location that feels unique in this day and age. The well polished the combat, stealth, and solid traversal mechanics also make it apparent, that the focus was clearly on making a game that played well, and most importantly a game that is fun. For a game to be this challenging, and yet lack the frustration of a game like Dark Souls, shows how much effort went into balancing every single detail.

If there was one game that I could compare this to, it would be Far Cry 2, which was my personal favorite of the entire series. It is very challenging but, well worth the effort. Also as a gamer with severe anxiety due to Asperger's, if I can rule so can you. It takes the time to learn the play style that best suits you. But, once do, you will use all of the games cool gadgets like your handy drone to mark enemies with and customizable weapons, to feel like a true Special Forces Bad Ass. Dropped behind enemy lines into a 1980's action film.

City Interactive has been progressively not only making games that play better, but they are getting more adept at story telling. The story is a giant cliche, two army brothers and of course, your little brother gets kidnapped, so you choose an operation near where he was last seen. While the plot is nothing grand, the characters are actually very memorable, compelling and captivating. Mainly due to some fantastic voice over work, but also some solid writing as well. So you set off to kill, scout for intel and cause general mayhem. Along the way, you will scavenge for supplies, and interrogate enemies. One of my favorite side actives was hunting down targets from the most wanted list. These encounters often turn into very satisfying shootouts, or offer a nice stealth shot. Which offers the most realistic, and satisfying headshots in any game I have played. We are not talking exploding heads in the traditional sense, no expect to see chunks of brain, bone, and flesh to explode outward.

This is as close to a perfect release as City Interactive has ever gotten, this is not a game like the first where it was a true love it or hate it cult affair, this is a game with a very unique kind of appeal. It is a niche game, for gamers looking for a challenging sniping experience, as well as an FPS that offers something different. It may be similar to the Far Cry series, as you can see the influence everywhere, it still has its own identity that sets it apart from other shooters on the market. The only real moment where I had a DejaVu effect, is the driving mechanics feeling so close to Far Cry 2's, which is not a bad thing. Cars handle well and get you from point A to point B effortlessly, and even adds another fun element to a solid experience.

My only true complaints would be that most buildings are just props, you can only enter certain ones, and most of them have little in them aside from the odd collectible, gear or currency. See you have your own Bat Cave of sorts, where you can rest in between missions, gear up, buy new gear or supplies. You can even level up to gain new abilities, in each skill tree, Sniper, Ghost and of course Warrior. This allows you to make your character your own, and I really liked that. The weapon variety is also insane...

This a game that I know some people will hate, it is very tough to get the hang of at first, but it is not broken in any way. In fact, I only experience three very mild frame rate drops, and a few instances of texture pop-in. Overall this is a game for those looking for something different. There are no other games like this on the market, and while it shares similarities with some other open world shooters, that is not a bad thing. Furthermore, you can always tell that City Interactive puts the utmost love and care into each of their games. As the first launched as a mess, but they did not rest till it was perfected. Now they are upping their game, and I can not wait to see what comes next.

Mass Effect Andromeda Review

Mass Effect Andromeda (Xbox One, PS4, PC) (Rated Mature)

Video Review

To say that Mass Effect Andromeda had not only a massive legacy to live up to, but for many, it needed to make up for what was seen as a lackluster ending, to one of gaming's greatest franchises. Now, lets make something very, very clear, this is not like The Force Awakens... This is not a trip down memory lane, this is not pure fan service, and it's ties to the first Trilogy are merely the foundation for this world's incredible Lore. There are of course plenty of familiar sights, and the game still feels like Mass Effect, but the story is taking us off into an entirely new kind of adventure.

The story follows one of the Ryder siblings, with you choosing the look for your sibling, and then you set off creating your very own Pathfinder. This is a game not about defending the galaxy from some cliched and ultimately dull enemies, lets not sugar coat it people. The Geth as cool as they looked, were not the greatest antagonists. This is a game that is less about the fight to save humanity from a growing threat, although that is still in there naturally, this is more about finding a new beginning.

I think in many ways after the last entry, that was the best call. Let's realize the original vision for the series. A game about space exploration, and not just fighting an evil force, but trying to find a new world to call home. It is a relatable story arc that is seen with far less frequency, than the tried and true we must stop the evil ones. I also liked that Ryder is not ready for his task at the start, that the entire prologue is like passing the torch. Shepard, his crew and all the faces you want to see are sadly long dead by the time the game starts.

This is set far, far into the future, with references to past events, but make no mistake this is a new story, with new and far more authentic and compelling characters. There is no denying the old crew were extremely memorable, but they also were mostly memorable based on how bad ass they were... This may be pleasing to some, but I enjoy characters that feel more like real people, that have far more nuanced ideals and motivations. Now are the backstories as melodramatic as some of our favorite crew were? No, they instead feel more like real people and that made me want to know even more about them. The conversations were natural and really felt like it was building a bond between your new crew, who I am sure will be our new family, much like the old crew.

The issues anyone will have with the story, will simply be subjective, it may not be the direction you want to see the series go in, it may not be Mass Effect to you. But if you give it a chance, and really let it envelop you, you will feel those old feelings and then go, shit this is the game I wanted Mass Effect 1 to be. Everything from the new Ride, to the way you explore planets feels like what we were promised Mass Effect was going to be.

A massive galaxy full of stories big and small, that are all worth seeing through to the end. And instead of clear cut, good or bad choices, you are making the much harder ones. The ones that are not obvious, and have a bit of good and bad. It may seem like your choices have less of an impact on the story, but that to me was always like the icing to the cake. I loved making Shepard my Shepard, and you will do the same with Ryder.

This is also the most fluid combat has ever been in a Mass Effect game, it is still rough around the edges in places, but also remarkably impressive in others. Yes, there are times when traversal can be just a bit clunky, and the melee combat while extremely visceral, can also have its clunky moments. However gun-play and power usage has never been better, the action in Andromeda is intense, thrilling and incredibly satisfying. I also loved seeing the return of platforming sections in a shooter, they were well done and gave a great sense of adventure to your voyage.

The weapon selection has also never been this deep before, although the best weapons need to be crafted... The crafting system is not clunky perse, it just is rather dull. You scan and scavenge for resources, but unless you're using space probes, the manual on-foot scanning is nowhere near as compelling, as what we saw in last year's No Man's Sky. Although I do like the idea, and would love to see it expanded upon in the next entry. Folks lets not forget, this is the start of a whole new Trilogy.

And now to piss off a lot of fans, but to be honest, this is a better start than either Mass Effect 1 or even the beloved second installment. I know that is a bold claim, but Bioware has learned from their past efforts, and no the facial animations are not bad at all. This is an area Bioware has always struggled with, but after the last Dragon Age, they seem to be making leaps in that area. Sometimes you see that old Bioware face, but it is more enduring than anything else. The only true issue that is noticeable is the frame rate drops...

Sadly and this is for sure due to the game's immense sense of beauty, but the frame rate will drop from time to time, it never impeded gameplay, but it was a blemish on a stellar package. We have to stop expecting our art to be what we want it to be, great artists "Never play to a gallery" as Bowie once said. So play and enjoy the experiences for what they are, and judge them based on what they are. Not what you want them to be. I can understand longtime fans having no interest in an entirely new story arc, that really leaves a lot of the past behind.

But you would be missing out on one of the best Sci-Fi games in recent memory, and also one of the best revivals I have seen. This is not a nostalgia factory, this is a new gaming experience and it is a joy to behold. 

Mafia III Video Review

(Video Review)

I never thought I'd play a game with a story like this. Many game’s treat the story as something of lesser importance, the Mafia series has always been a shining example of how a game should treat its story. Few games manage to weave their narrative so perfectly into how the game plays like the way Mafia III has. I was utterly left in awe during the game’s prologue, it is as well crafted as any great film or series; frankly it may be better than most film’s these days. I was very curious to see if the story could keep up with the high expectations it was setting.  Then something funny happened as I was busy thinking about the possibilities the story could hold; I realized underneath all that stupendous writing, there is an extremely satisfying gaming experience. I was surprised to see how meticulous the game’s design is; the story works hand in hand with the game’s objectives to provide meaningful context that fuels the story by providing great motivation to the player. What really stood out about the game’s design, is just how they have laid out the world to organically progress you through the game’s story.

We have seen quite a few games do much of what Mafia III is doing; however, they have not pulled it off as successfully as Mafia III has. When it comes to blending a narrative into an open world, you often have mixed results either too little focus on fun, or too little focus on story. Mafia III seems keen on addressing some interesting gaming tropes in a very nuanced manner. There are of course the hidden items you have come to expect, but they have gone above and beyond in creating a world that is vividly detailed and alive. Too often a game will just have you doing things; yet, Mafia III has managed to give greatly detailed reasons for your actions. I've yet to play a game that had such a great narrative flow like this while also delivering the kind of satisfaction, and enjoyment that games in this genre have thrived on. It is something that really needs to be played to understand, the pacing is key and few games know when to take away control to focus on progressing the story in favor of gameplay. It is something that needs to be done in the right amount, too much focus on the story will leave most gamers bored, and too little will result in the same.

The nature of the genre’s gameplay mechanics are normally at odds with most forms of storytelling; the story is there to provide a context for what you're doing, but how can you truly fuel this much rampant violence and retribution? Well, you could make a game set in the south in the late 60’s, and then make the playable character African American. It is ballsy, using race and to get down to it, racism as the focal point of the story; it has never been done in a game like this. It could have come across as manipulative or cheap, simply being provocative for the sake of shock value. Yet, the writers have really outdone themselves by delivering a story that does the subject matter justice.

Racism has rarely been presented so authentically most games have resorted to using comedy to soften the blow, and while there is comedy present in Mafia III the tone is serious and never pulls its punches. This is a game that is really trying to present an honest look at this countries history of racism, which is honorable in its own right. What however I can not understate, is how incredible it is to be playing a game like this. Subject matter I never dreamed would be used in a game; Rockstar has tackled racism, but they again always had that comedic shield “hey it’s a satire.” Not to discredit Rockstar, that stuff took guts. Which is why this game’s achievement in storytelling is so incredible, no studio except Rockstar has tried to push what kind of topics could be used in a game. The reason being, no one thought a game would ever be capable of dealing with these kind of mature adult themes and placing them in such a realistic context. Violence is often used as pure shock value in a lot of games, few have implied the brutality of their violence as part of the stories context like Mafia III has done so masterfully. It reminds me of the great crime thrillers of the 70’s, Taxi Driver came to mind several times during my playthrough, I also adored the hints of First Blood in the mix as well. These are very good points of reference, you can really see how they influenced the game’s story; it is also very fitting given how that era’s films have helped shape the genre as a whole.

Context and detail matters greatly in these kind of games, people clamber for innovation in mission design but, realistically there is only so much you can do with these kind of mechanics. Gaming have evolved to the point where we can make great stories much like the TV shows everyone loves to binge these days. Innovation comes from blending the gameplay elements of the genre and with new forms of storytelling, which gives tremendous weight to all of the game’s objectives. When you have a story with so much substance, it makes even those supposedly dull run here and get this missions, deeply enjoyable due to the context it brings to the overall narrative.

Furthermore, the mission’s objectives are inventive and extremely well thought out, the research into the time period really made things feel authentic and that gave them a greater connection to the story; something that is very rare in this genre. A genre that is about running around shooting people, stealing cars and creating general mayhem. With few exceptions most games in this genre forgo attempts to deliver emotional stories, the mechanics just do not lend themselves well to that kind of storytelling; it is a challenge few developers have conquered. There is so much detail to the Mafia III's story and world that all the key elements of an open world action game like killing a great number of people in hair-raising gun battles, vicious stealth hunts and savory car chases; actually make sense to the game’s story. It can be a challenge to give compelling reasons for your objectives, and to make the set pieces fit into the world organically without harming the tone or story structure. It is also equally important to focus on not just the fun gameplay elements, but to structure a story that pulls you in and gives you enough control to feel like you're experiencing that story first hand; and, that is when it becomes an artform.  

If you can captivate the player and draw them into the story, then gameplay becomes a cathartic release of emotions that the story perfectly built up. You are presented with vile and disgusting enemies to vanquish in some truly savage ways; and nothing makes action more satisfying than a solid emotional core, it is why The Last Of Us was such an incredible experience. Story matters because of the context it provides to your actions; when you have a need to complete a mission more than just to get to the next level, when you feel on some level what your character feels it adds so much more to that experience. Great gameplay can make a great game, but a great story can too; and a great story should be just as much of an accomplishment, as making a gun feel satisfying to fire. Combat in Mafia III is no slouch, melee takedowns are some of the most savagely visceral combat options to appear in a game like this. Most shooters aspire to have that cinematic edge, you should feel like you're playing one of of the coolest shootout in movie history; but, few shooters have ever captured the style of a gritty bloodthirsty cinematic shootout like Mafia III has.

It gets your blood pumping having such precise control over your character, seeing them move and react with such lifelike animation is a real treat for the eyes. What also will get your blood pumping is the utter shocking sense of realism in the game’s violence. We are used to shooting people and seeing them fall dead; we rarely see people withering in agony as they lay dying after a particularly ferocious gun battle. It add’s great dramatic depth when you see blood spatter on the wall and people react in horror to your actions; it strikes you more especially when you're playing in a world alive with such rich detail. It also gives the game a much-needed level of maturity; yes the violence in the game does have that cathartic "oh yes, take it, take it you whore" level of satisfaction; but it also presents these actions for what they are, callous. It is even more of an accomplishment, due to the fact that it makes the game all the more enjoyable for that very reason. Great art should elicit a response from the viewer, art should be provocative because that is what an artist truly is, a provocateur. Yet what separates the good art, from the mundane day to day art; are the reasons for provocation. Anyone can easily provoke their audience, but it takes skill to know when and why to provoke them.

Mafia III does everything it sets out to do exceedingly well, from a pure gameplay mechanic standpoint driving, shooting, traversal; it is all done as well as it should be. Frankly any game this ambitious is going to have a few shortcomings, thankfully none of them are unfixable. The only thing holding this game back are it’s technical shortcomings, the game does crash on occasion and the A.I can do some pretty wacky things for no reason; thankfully none of these are game-breaking just minor annoyances. Now while I did say the game can look rough in places it also looks truly magnificent in others. Lighting effects are breathtaking and really evoke the cinematic feel the creators were clearly going for, it stands out best in an early mission that has Linclon Clay the protagonist, cutting his way through some racist scum in an abandoned amusement park attraction. The game does a great job of making places feel both real and alive, but also making the world a truly unique, terrifying and equally wondrous character in of itself. Games like this do not come around often, and that is a shame. On a side note, I will tackle one big criticism the game has faced; there is no such thing as dated gameplay, describing gameplay as dated like that is a negative thing is the weakest excuse to say a great game is bad.