Hitman_Spinksy1's Backlog of mayhem!!!

[Hitman_Spinksy1]

 146 

I Am the Night

Batman: The Enemy Within 

One of the better TellTale games I've played, if not the best one so far. I'm a big fan of Batman so I knew it would be a hit but the story telling was immense. It really felt like the choices I made impacted the story and had me always wondering, what would've happened if I done this instead, would Joker have became Joker, should I have handed in Tiffany. I was always thinking on how the story would play out compared to the choices I had in front of me and that's what made such a good story telling game.

Everything felt believable with the characters, Joker just wanting to create carnage and mess with me, Waller willing to cross lines to get the job done, Gordan putting the city above everything. The only bad thing I'd say about the game is Joker and Harleys relationship because this time around it was Harley in control and Joker was her pet when it's meant to be the other way around but to counter that argument it allowed to evolve Jokers story and become his own person but it still doesn't sit right with the lore.

The voice acting of the game was spot on and idk how they did it but they really nailed every character and brought them to life combined with the dark, gritty scenery of Gotham really felt just as good as any Batman movie.

The choices really made you think hard and made you question everything. Do you want to play on one side of the line, roleplay as Batman, make the choices you would make in them situations, would you turn a blind eye to a friend, be loyal; or do what you thinks right.

If you go into the game with the right depth of thinking it makes the story truly amazing instead of thinking, it's a TellTale game and the choices don't matter and the outcome is roughly the same which in some aspect is true as in you get the platinum no matter what but choices you make in one episode can affect the entirety of another episode, whether you gain trust with certain characters makes them more/less willing to help you etc.

I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys the TellTale series or just wants a game they can sit back, relax and enjoy for once for what it is without stressing about trophies, without the meaningless tasks and just soak in the atmosphere.

 

Enjoyment 9/10

Difficulty 1/10

[Hitman_Spinksy1]

 147 

He Went Commando 

Ratchet & Clank 2: Going Commando

 

I'm having a hard time rating this game, mainly because I've been on a Ratchet & Clank binge and I played 1 too many. In some aspects it was a really good game and far superior to the first but it felt like it dragged on. I'm trying to think of how it would have played in the PS2 days and it would have probably been a solid game back then but it didn't hold up so much and I feel you have to be nostalgic to the series to fully enjoy it nowadays.

The story wasn't really there and I'm just pinballing from planet to planet and my god there was a lot of planets that seriously never ended and you can tell they're still in their testing phase of what works, doesn't work and trying out new ideas.

What the game did good was improve on the combat by a lot in that there is strafing now and it was easier to dodge and hit enemies, there was a mixture of combat and platforming so it didn't get too stale and a mixture of enemies. There was ways of farming bolts to buy all the gear and you could level up the weapons this time which I tried to do the best I could as I played along, some being a nightmare to level though (looking at that damn shield).

What the game didn't do so good was first the ship levels. It felt like I was playing some bad Star Wars game and if the combat was bad, trying to hit them rings in the races was worse; it was clunky and sensitive to say the least. A lot of the weapons become inferior in the end and leaves you micro-managing your ammo and sticking to your strongest weapon as best you can so you don't get shafted in picking up other ammo types.

It just felt like they tried to cram in as much as they could and see what would stick but they at least improved on the stuff that didn't work in the first one so I can't blame them too much. At least the game tested stuff and didn't stick to same blueprint entirely.

All in all I had a bit of fun and I think they cracks showed more from the fact I've gone through now three Ratchet & Clank games in quick concession rather than it being a bad game.

 

Enjoyment 5/10

Difficulty 4/10

[Hitman_Spinksy1]

 148 

Prizes, Plunder, and Adventure!

Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag

 

The game takes part in the Caribbean following protagonist Kenway as he sails the seven seas in search of plunder whilst neutralizing the navy and unleashing his wrath on his enemies. A pirate by name, a pirate by nature as he is yet to have earnt being a part of the Creed. He earns them eventually after fighting alongside the guardians to secure the treasure of all treasures that is set to change the world for the worst. 

The game is stellar and really one of the top games in the franchise. It combines, being an assassin and a pirate really well with a nice mixture of stealth, ship combat and hand to hand combat. The graphics are still amazing, 10 years later and the content doesn't get too dull though it can require a lot of ship combat near the end to upgrade the Jackdaw enough for some of the side content. The legendary ships were a bit of a challenge, all with their own twist and strengths which made me think of different tactics depending on which ship I was tackling which was refreshing.

The map was huge and getting from one point to the next could feel a slog until getting fast travel spots open. I ended up plundering tons of ships a long the way or getting attacked which could make a relatively short journey longer than it had to be.

The DLC was disappointing with the Blackbeard being online and added nothing to one of the worst multiplayers to ever exist. The servers were that bad that even connecting to friends were a challenge with always 1 person unable to join the lobby, crashes, freezing, getting kicked only for a random to take your spot and it amazes me how it's still active when in such bad conditions.

The other DLC Freedom Cry was also pointless having released as a stand alone as well which I have also completed, but at least it has a story which isn't too much of a slog, just don't charge lvl 60 man 'o wars when starting thinking you're still in the Jackdaw lol.

All in all I'd say the game got more right than wrong but it was a little on the bloated side.

Hoping Skull and Bones represents something similar to this if it ever gets released.

 

Enjoyment 6/10

Difficulty 4/10