Tag Archives: Stealth

Fallout: New Vegas (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 & PC)

Fallout New Vegas

Developer(s) – Obsidian Entertainment

Publisher(s) – Bethesda Softworks & Namco Bandai Games

Director – Josh Sawyer

Producer(s) – Mikey Dowling, Matt Singh & Jason Fader

PEGI – 18

Released in the holiday season of 2010, Fallout: New Vegas, like its predecessor Fallout 3, was met with overwhelmingly positive reviews. Some critics call it the best game in the series. And going on to bring in over $300 million in revenue. Since my introduction to the series with the third game, I’ve personally had a hard time trying to get into Fallout. And whilst people may have been extremely lukewarm to this game, I, unfortunately, feel very differently about it.

Graphics – 5/10

The visuals, depending on which system that game may be played on, can vary from flawless to terrible. A piece of advice I would like to give anyone who may be reading would be to avoid the PlayStation 3 version at all costs since it suffers from severe frame rate issues as it progresses. Similar to Bethesda’s Skyrim on the same console. But aside from that, there isn’t much to look at conceptually either, I find. The music creates an appropriate vibe. But as far as presentation goes, it’s far below the standards that Bethesda is known for.

Gameplay – 3/10

The quality of gameplay is even worse in my opinion since there is a huge open world. It would bode well for a game of its kind. Unfortunately, there’s hardly anything to do with it. Towns, points of interest, and side quests are far too spaced out. And it can become a case of wandering around far too much looking for things to do unless the fast travel system is used to the point of excess. The enemies also seem much less varied than in Fallout 3. With raiders and oversized geckos among a couple of other mutated animals.

Controls – 6/10

The control scheme of Fallout: New Vegas is pretty much identical to Fallout 3. So the same problem is present here as well. Shooting and VATS can be annoyingly inaccurate at first. But once the player levels up enough, that problem generally tends to sort itself out eventually. The Pip-Boy system, again like in Fallout 3, can take a little bit of getting used to at first. But like VATS, it doesn’t remain a persistent problem.

Lifespan – 6/10

For those who find it in themselves to soldier on through the mostly empty wasteland of post-apocalyptic Nevada in Fallout: New Vegas, there are quite a few hours of entertainment to be had. Even more with the inclusion of all the DLC released for it. But as I alluded to, given the fact that everything is so spaced out, other players can also be made to feel very bored very quickly. As indeed I was.

Storyline – 6/10

Set four years after the events of Fallout 3, the story involves the struggle between two factions in Nevada. The New California Republic and Caesar’s Legion. The two military groups are warring over control of the Hoover Dam. As it provides power to key areas throughout Nevada. The player character is a courier working for the Mojave Express. Tasked with delivering a platinum chip to New Vegas when he is then ambushed and left for dead by a mobster named Benny, who also steals the package.

Saved by a robot named Victor, and brought back to health by Doc Mitchell, the courier resolves to find the stolen package and uncover the truth behind the events. As well as get revenge on his ambushers. The story was fairly well-conceived, with Matthew Perry in particular, who voiced Benny. Delivering a cool and composed performance that I personally would never have guessed he’d be capable of delivering.

Originality – 5/10

There isn’t a great deal of uniqueness about this title, unfortunately. Since it does ultimately play out like an extension to Fallout 3. Except there’s considerably less to do. For fans of the series, this won’t be viewed as that much of a problem, but to newcomers, I’d say that this game isn’t the ideal introduction to the series; or at least an introduction to the point of where Bethesda took over as publishers after Interplay.

Angrii

In summary, Fallout: New Vegas is one of the more tedious video games I played throughout the seventh generation of gaming. Fallout 3 can take some getting used to as well, in my opinion, but in this case, boredom can very easily outlast a player’s patience.

Score

28/60

4.5/10 (Mediocre)

Dishonored (PC, Xbox 360 & PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 & Xbox One)

Dishonored

Developer(s) – Arkane Studios

Publisher(s) – Bethesda Softworks

Director(s) – Raphael Colantolio & Harvey Smith

Designer – Ricardo Bare

PEGI – 18

Released in the holiday season of 2012, Dishonored was a game that unfortunately and bafflingly fell through the cracks. At the time, the game rightfully garnished many favorable reviews from critics. And would be supported with several DC expansion packs, as well as a game of the year edition. Critics have gone so far as to put this game on par with the likes of BioShock. And whilst I personally wouldn’t do that, it certainly has earned cult status. And I am sure will go down as one of the most memorable gaming experiences of the seventh generation.

Graphics – 8/10

The setting of Dishonored is a futuristic dystopian city called Dunwall. It was inspired by the gothic architecture and elements of the Industrial Revolution synonymous with the Victorian era. Specifically, the cities of London and Edinburgh during the 1800s and 1900s were chosen as inspiration. As well as the works of the 19th-century artist, John Atkinson Grimshaw. Combined with elements of science fiction, such as the Tallboys (towering machines made from huge mechanics legs) and examples of advanced technology, it makes the city of Dunwall an extremely intriguing setting. As well as providing different atmospheres depending on how players choose to approach the game. For instance, if the player chooses to kill each prime target as opposed to publicly exposing them, the city streets will be infested with rats. And by proxy, it will raise the game’s difficulty level.

Gameplay – 8.5/10

The game is a first-person stealth game with a small RPG element to it. The objective is to either kill or expose a prime target. Whilst at the same time, trying to find a way to either subdue patrolling guards or sneak past them. Using not only stealth and weaponry but also an array of magical powers the player can earn throughout the course of the game. It’s a lot like Deus Ex: Human Revolution. But it’s far more interesting, with many more ways in which to approach each individual situation. Through either possessing animals to get around or generating a swarm of rats to dispatch enemies without being detected.

Controls – 10/10

Since Bethesda had made a multitude of first-person games throughout the seventh generation, including Oblivion, Skyrim, and Fallout 3, it was natural to assume that there wouldn’t be a problem with Dishonored. And so there isn’t. All the many different mechanics in the game are simple to get to grips with. Despite the fact that this game works slightly differently from any of the three aforementioned examples.

Lifespan – 6/10

Clocking in at about 20-25 hours, the lifespan is one of the game’s most disappointing features, along with its linearity, for a great game, which could have been so much better than it turned out to be in scope. As far as the industry knows, there is a sequel on the way, which is where I hope the addressing of these issues comes in, but if this aspect is indeed improved, then I can’t help but think of how much of an enhancement it would be compared to the original game.

Storyline – 9/10

The story of Dishonored follows Corvo Attano; an expert assassin and personal bodyguard of the Empress of Dunwall, who is murdered on his watch by an unknown party but is then falsely accused by the empire of her murder and imprisoned to await public execution. However, using his unrivaled abilities as an assassin and/or mastery of stealth, Corvo manages to escape from prison, and upon doing so, meets up with a coalition called the Loyalists, who are resolving to uncover the conspiracy behind the Empress’s death, and restore her daughter to the throne, and so enlist Corvo to help them do so. It’s a fantastic narrative filled with twists and turns throughout and features the voice talents of an impressive cast, including the likes of Chloe Grace Moretz, Carrie Fisher, Lena Headey, Brad Dourif, and Susan Sarandon.

Originality – 7/10

Though at this point, this kind of thing had been done before throughout the seventh generation of gaming, the gameplay in Dishonored takes on a very unique perspective and makes it all the more memorable, and by proxy, all the more criminal that this game wasn’t given more attention at the time of its release. The plot makes for that much more of an immersing experience, and there’s no reason that the entire mythos could be expanded upon the release of either a sequel or a spin-off.

Happii

In all, Dishonored is certainly a game worth trying at least once. It’s certainly one of the better stealth games I’ve ever experienced and goes leaps and bounds ahead of many of the more mainstream releases over the 2012 holiday season.

Score

48.5/60

8/10 (Very Good)

Dark (PC & Xbox 360)

Developer(s) – Realmforge Studios

Publisher(s) – Kalypso Media

Director – Benjamin Rauscher

Designer – Christian Wolferstetter

PEGI – 16

Released towards the end of the second generation of gaming, and after a particularly high standard had been well and truly established for stealth games, Dark was met with heavy criticism from reviewers, with complaints commonly levied against reportedly sub-par graphics, terrible voice acting, and inconsistently paced gameplay. Whilst I wasn’t quite inclined to give it the 4 out of 10 that many critics gave it upon release, I am adamant that this is a very lackluster title. And certainly incapable of holding a candle to many of the games of its ilk released on either Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 prior that went above and beyond what a conventional stealth game can be.

Graphics – 6.5/10

What I like about the game’s graphics is its conceptual design. It has a cel-shaded visual style, as well as an extremely dark and gritty atmosphere. The heightened senses ability also presents something wonderfully outlandish, giving this game a certain charm about it. The problem is, however, that it’s largely unpolished. As I progressed through it, graphical glitches became more apparent, and it was clear that the game wasn’t yet finished. I can’t help but think that if the developers had put the finishing touches on it before releasing it to retail or made to be more stylized than what it was, then it could have been considered something more akin to The Darkness II.

Gameplay – 6/10

I held out false hope for this game before I sat down to play it. The game is a stealth RPG, but nowhere near as I imagined it after playing the likes of Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Dishonored. Which to my initial surprise, both predate this game. When I saw the conversation wheel for the first time, in particular, it made me hopeful that it would be a game similar to Mass Effect. But what it turned out to be was something more akin to Styx: Master of Shadows, which has considerably less variety. Dark has only fractionally more than that, I would discover to my disappointment.

Controls – 8/10

One huge problem I had with the game’s control scheme was that the controls can be unresponsive at times, which can be especially frustrating in a stealth game when players need to be able to react as fast as possible when enemies are just around the corner and the player is about to be discovered when at the same time, a body needs to be hidden as to avoid suspicion. But the biggest problem I had with it was whilst there is an auto-save feature, saves cannot be made in between. This means players must repeat entire segments if they make a mistake and wish to go through the game completely undiscovered. Playing a game like that takes fluency out of the title anyway. But it can be a needless complication for gamers who have the patience to do so.

Lifespan – 4/10

In total, the game can only be made to last an average of 6 hours. Way below par for even what other linear stealth games had been made to last before this game had been released. Even some of the best games on the Xbox 360 could only be made to last that long. But in conjunction with my own expectations of what kind of a game this was going to be, it seemed evermore underwhelming to me.

Storyline – 5/10

The storyline is also extremely vague and one-winded; even from the very beginning. It follows a man called Eric Bane, who suddenly discovers he is a vampire. Desperate to find his creator, he allies himself with Rose, the owner of the Sanctuary club. And her associates, to pursue the path of a vampire and find his creator before it is too late. And he turns into a mindless ghoul. The voice acting is indeed very much laughable. And moves at too fast a pace for anyone to be able to take it seriously. It’s nowhere near as bad as House of the Dead 2. But the dialogue does fail at everything it tries.

Originality – 2/10

Dark has some basis in variety with different abilities to learn and different ways to approach combat. But a huge part of the problem is that it was released far too late. By this time, Far Cry 3 and Deus Ex: Human Revolution had turned the entire stealth genre on its head and gave players some of the most memorable seventh-generation experiences. And there was no way that this game could have possibly competed with them.

Angrii

In summation, Dark, whilst it isn’t the worst seventh-generation game I’ve come across, is much less than an average one. It had considerably less variety than many other stealth games to have come before it. And is considerably shorter with some impossibly confusing plot threads, and bad voice acting. And glitches galore toward the end.

Score

30.5/60

5/10 (Far Below Average)