Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

Developers: 38 Studios, Big Huge Games

Publishers: 38 Studios, Electronic Arts

Systems: XBox 360, PS3, Microsoft Windows

By Harry

I killed so many trolls this month… Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a very enjoyable game built in an interesting and deep new world based around a war with semi-immortal creatures. What’s not to love? Your nameless main character can tear up the earth with lightning and fire as a mage, become invisible and toxic as an assassin, or a fight as a juggernaut with nearly impenetrable armor in the soldier class. It’s fun being this near unstoppable force for a while, but eventually your character outstrips every enemy in the game by such a wide margin that the desire for a real challenge becomes acute. The plot of the game revolves around “the fateless one” aka the player, who is reborn into Amalur so he can fight off an evil race known as the Tuatha, and their crazed leader. The premise of the game is that everyone’s fate is set in stone, except for yours, as you have already died. This gives you the freedom to fight the Tuatha, save lives that were doomed, and alter the future. The game works well with this concept, and it leads to some interesting outcomes, like becoming the head of an order of Mages, or a famous mercenary. 

Kingdoms of Amalur was originally meant to be a MMORPG, but later revised to be a single player game; the issue being that the game still occasionally feels like it still wants to be an MMO. The missions feel like they were designed with a full party in mind, not a single player digging away at packs of enemies. However, even though Amalur feels off in this respect, the game was still strangely easy. Once a character is fully upgraded, he or she becomes nearly invincible, and the player will wield powers that would make most bosses jealous.

Kingdoms of Amalur has an impressive number of abilities for each character type, which can be used to create a purebred or hybrid destiny, which allows the player to combine the best elements of two or even all three of the classes into one character. This allows for a very personalized character, but it comes with the issue that you can never hit the top tiers of power unless you focus on one particular class. A hybrid character has unique powers and abilities, but the truly terrifying powers can only be unlocked if a player focuses on a single class tree. Overall, the ability tree and destiny types are a ton of fun, and a solid addition to the experience.

The many missions found in Amalur range from toppling the empire of the Tuatha to stealing bracelets and killing gnomes. The variety and sheer number of missions make Amalur’s questing very enjoyable. I had about 60 hours worth of side quests and main storyline missions when I played through. I’d estimate that the full game might be about 70 hours for a normal player including all of the other quest material I have not gotten to. That’s a huge game, and the enormous scope of Amalur makes for an excellent playground for your character to complete theses missions and explore. 

The art style of Amalur is similar to that of WOW, with fantastical creatures animated alongside humans and elves carrying absurd weapons. The environments of Amalur go from the dry deserts of Detyre (homeland of the gnomes), the shady forests of Dalentarth, to the marshes of Klurikon, the plains of Erathel, and the crystalline kingdom of Alabastra. This variety keeps the scenery fresh, and at several points in the game I took a moment to stop and just gaze at the wondrous land before me. At one point I climbed a giant mountain in the middle of the game just to look over the side at the rest of the country. Amalur is a very pretty game, and you will keep coming back to check the view. 

The combat in Amalur is generally fluid, allowing the player able to pull off whatever fighting style they wish. However, the camera occasionally pulled too far away from my character and made it difficult to see what I was doing. The top-level loot eventually seems to disappear, and I never found a weapon or piece of armor that seemed undefeatable. This kept things slightly more interesting, as if I ever ran out of manna (very rare) then the fight against enemies became almost fair, as my weapons were not that superior to theirs. The overpowering abilities your player wields do eventually make the game too easy. This lack of challenge is one of Amalur’s major flaws (there aren’t many at all), one of the others being the buggy nature of its huge world. 

It’s inevitable that an open-world RPG is going to have some bugs, but it’s still an issue having to go back to saves from the beginning of a dungeon when you’re almost at the boss and stuck in an invisible box. At one point, a bug in the game meant that I couldn’t finish one of the side-quest story arcs. This really angered me, as towards the end of the game the lack of powerful enemies means that to gain new levels you need to finish almost every quest. The negatives of bugs and lack of challenge weren’t big enough to get me to ever dislike Amalur for long, as its list of positives is far more extensive.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a solid game, and overall an enjoyable experience. I would definitely recommend this game to anyone who enjoys RPGs or MMOs, and I would even say that people who aren’t too interested in these genres might want to try this game out. Its design will give players of any type a depth they can sink in to, but the ease of fighting will let new players in easily. I’m probably going to keep jumping back into this game until the sequel arrives, so keep slaying fateless ones.

Grade: B+

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Developer: Nintendo EAD

Publisher: Nintendo

Platform: Wii

By Andy

Earlier this year, I was feeling some Zelda fatigue. This is a natural phenomenon, and a common condition for long-time fans of the series like myself. This specific fatigue arises from the realization that most Zelda games are really the same puzzles, enemies, and items used time and time again, rarely straying from Nintendo’s tried-and-true formula. As a result, until picking the game up, I wasn’t really excited about the franchise’s next installment. However, Skyward Sword revitalized my love for Zelda, reminding me why the Link’s quests provide for the best action adventure games. Aonuma and Miyamoto have combined the best of the past with new innovations to deliver an original experience that still fits into the series. Not only that, but Skyward Sword is the realization of the Wii’s ability to deliver compelling motion controls that further immerse the player into the game. 

The moment when I began to see Skyward Sword carve its own path was within the opening to the adventure. Link and Zelda actually have a strong friendship, giving our hero actual motivation for his future actions other than “the sages told me to do it.” Not only that, but the people of Skyloft seem natural and dynamic, responding to Link in different ways and each showing their individual personalities. I haven’t felt any emotion towards a Zelda game’s side characters since Majora’s Mask, and likewise I had greater motivation to complete tasks for them. Side quests are abundant in Skyward Sword, offering the player plenty of added content if he or she desires to take a break from the main adventure. Even without voice acting, I could understand the gratitude the people felt when I did favors for them. I must commend the effective use of facial expressions and detailed dialogue to elicit true emotions out of characters without a tone of voice.

But don’t worry those of you Zelda faithful who want your traditional Zelda narrative. Its definitely here, and Skyward Sword provides an excellent origin story to the legend of the hero and the beginnings of Hyrule. While I will not spoil any events, the plot gives fans a strong foundation for the Zelda universe as well as a powerful personal tale of a boy trying to save his friend. Skyward Sword delivers this information without being too heavy-handed, with cutscenes of reasonable length used to describe these events.

The next moment this title showed its originality occured when I received my first training sword, and began to master my weapon for the coming adventure. To be completely honest, I wasn’t so sure that the one to one motion controls for swordplay would work after the waggle of Twilight Princess and that notoriously buggy E3 demonstration. However, it was a pleasant surprise to see that the swordplay works perfectly. Link mirrors the player’s swings of the Wii motion-plus remote in eight directions. The enemies of the surface world are built upon this mechanic, and for example, a bokoblin will defend in a certain direction with his blade, and the player will have to swing around its sword to make contact. 

The excellent motion controls extend to the rest of Link’s arsenal, and are always appropriate for the weapon at hand. From flicking the controller in different directions to control the whip to holding up the remote and pulling back the nunchuck for the bow and arrow, Skyward Sword’s motion controls add to the immersion, and don’t feel at all forced like those of many other Wii titles do. Skyward Sword also incorporates an upgrade system for these weapons, as well as for potions. The player collects numerous upgrade items throughout the adventure, from horns and tumbleweeds to increase the durability of the shield or improve the range of the bow to different types of bugs to enhance the powers of potions. These upgrades are completely optional, and only serve to facilitate the player’s journey by improving healing abilities or strengthen auxiliary weapons. In this way, those players who enjoy collecting items and improving their equipment as in a role-playing game can have their day, while more focused adventure fans can simply ignore this facet of the game without missing out on the core experience.

Using the Wii remote to fly your loftwing also feels great, and is a generally enjoyable way to travel the overworld. To fly, the player must tilt the remote to change direction, shake it to rise in altitude, and press the A button to perform air dashes. While soaring through the skies, you really experience a good sense of speed and momentum, especially when spiraling down to shorten the trip. This large, crimson bird is my favorite travel system from any Zelda title, feeling more natural than Epona and being less of a hassle than sailing.

These new experiences are supplemented by improvements upon old Zelda mainstays, the most obvious touch up being the dungeon design. Temples in Skyward Sword seem meticulously crafted, riddled with ingenious puzzles and are generally architecturally effective. What I mean by the latter is that progression in the dungeon doesn’t feel like a linear walk through corridors. Temples are usually centered around a main room that the player weaves through and around, entering different doors and finding new items and keys to unlock new passageways. Combined with a more frequent checkpoint system, progression in dungeons feels more substantial and easier to do in smaller amounts of time. Puzzles have also been highly improved, mixing environmental interaction, exploration, and now motion controls to achieve a new level of variety. For example, an early temple involves positioning a block to place Link in the best spot to control three eyes with his sword in order to unlock a chest. Items from previous dungeons are also frequently used in tandem for future puzzles, ending the one-and-done attitude on weapons from previous Zelda installments and giving Skyward Sword’s puzzles greater challenging, pushing the player to use all of his or her creativity to proceed. 

This design philosophy extends to the surface overworld, causing the three land areas to behave like dungeons even before entering a building. Enemies and puzzles are scattered about these areas, offering more content over a larger space. The surface areas also provide for two new additions, dowsing and silent realm challenges. Dowsing involves pointing the sword like a metal detector in order to find items and pieces to keys. The silent realm offers a more tense situation, with Link unarmed, having to collect items in alternate versions of these levels while trying to avoid one-shot finishes from guardian spirits, similar to challenges offered in phantom hourglass through suits of armor. Both of these additions add greater variety to gameplay, and the silent realm especially offers tense yet rewarding sections. I always felt my heart racing as a ran to get the final piece in each challenge, managing my stamina while looking out for the guardian flying behind me.

Each temple culminates in a boss encounter, each more menacing than the last. Combat in Skyward Sword has become a puzzle in of itself, and the bosses are the quintessential examples of this transformation. Each boss requires you to apply what you’ve learned from the dungeon as well as the new item found inside to defeat it. All of these battles are extremely intense and enjoyable, mainly because increased difficulty of combat. This is a result of the fact that combat is based on how well the player can use the motion controls and figure out strategy within a short time. Overall, combat with grunts and bosses alike is challenging and rewarding, always offering new surprises through its application of motion controls. 

As a Wii game, Skyward Sword is obviously lacking in detailed textures and technological graphical quality. However, the game makes up for this shortcoming in droves through its vibrant art style. Skyward Sword’s watercolor look feels like a mesh between The Wind Waker’s cell-shaded style and Twilight Princess’ more realistic visuals. As a result, Skyward Sword offers impressionistic visuals, exemplified in style by the colorful and detailed world map. The art style serves to accentuate enemy weak points and puzzle solutions, adding to the effect of gameplay. These vibrant colors are truly refreshing from most of the brown and green we see from most popular games today, and set Skyward Sword as a fine example of why its aesthetics, and not graphics, that truly matters.

The sounds of Skyward Sword are equally beautiful offering new masterpieces comparable to those of Ocarina of Time. The game’s main theme, Ballad of the Goddess, feels triumphant and powerful, furthering the bombast and grand feel that Skyward Sword already stresses so well. I have found myself humming dungeon themes in my spare time, and must say that Skyward Sword’s orchestral soundtrack is among the best of all time. Music is always appropriate for gameplay, in a crescendo during an intense battle, and soft and smooth during conversations with Zelda.

In conclusion, I will stress these assertions: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is the best motion control game, Wii game, and 3D Zelda game. If you are a fan of adventure, or a Wii owner in general, you owe it to yourself to pick up this game.

Grade: A+

Assassin's Creed: Revelations

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal

Publisher: Ubisoft

Platforms: PS3, PC, Xbox 360

By Harry

The new Assassin’s Creed game does not just continue the story of Desmond, Ezio, and Altair; it completes the lives of Ezio and Altair and gives new direction to Desmond as he prepares for the grand finish to the Assassin’s Creed trilogy. First, although Ezio is now a middle-aged man, he has retained his incredible athletic abilities and has risen in influence, becoming the mentor to the entire Assassin Order. Altair is now 60 (and later even older) and an incredibly powerful mentor to the Assassins, through not just physical powers but mental acumen and charisma. There have been very few expansions that have ever had such a sense of purpose within a series, and Revelations is an excellent addition to the Creed universe.

Old Ezio

It seems like every Ubisoft employee under the sun must have had to work on this project to have gotten it looking so good, and so soon after Brotherhood. The newest member of the series is not as good plot-wise as 2, but it outdistances Brotherhood by a significant margin. The plot twists and dialogue feel much more realistic in this entry, and the motives behind Ezio, Altair, and Desmond's actions can be related to. In Brotherhood, I felt like Ezio was striving for a goal he only wanted half-heartedly, while in this entry his quest for knowledge and completion of his journey seemed very understandable, driving the game.

Just hanging around...

The gameplay coming out of Revelations is exceptional. It often felt that every new idea that Brotherhood had begun to bring into the series was fully developed in Revelations. Revelations is overall a solid entrance in the series offering dozens of hours of entertainment in single and multiplayer. The combat system has been improved even more from Brotherhood, assassination much smoother, and there are some enemies that actually pose a danger to the player. For the last few entries in the series enemies have seemed to be growing weaker and weaker, but now with the inclusions of Janissaries the combat has been rebalanced. These enemies are still very beatable, but in groups they are a threat to even experienced players. The movement system in the campaign had been made even more exact, and has been sped up significantly with the inclusion of zip lines. I did not even notice that the ability to ride horses had been removed until a few days after finishing the game, showing that it has really had no effect on the gameplay. 

Altair returns.

The campaign has a decent number of missions, with the main story split between finding secret assassin keys and fighting the Templars for control of Constantinople and the Ottoman Empire. This split works well, as it always kept me interested, and gave me something to do. The economy has been increased in size, and the idea of the Templar-controlled zones from Brotherhood has been expanded significantly. This time however you will be forced to fight for any area that you take unless you train a master assassin to hold the base for you. This kept the action of the game going, even after the credits rolled, but the tower-defense mini game which I was thrust into every time I had to defend a base was difficult to get into, and the bosses at the end of the battles were often impossible to overcome. This section of the game was particularly weak, and it stood out as being the major flaw in an otherwise excellent game.

Istanbul was Constantinople. Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople. 

The city of Constantinople is a city without equal, and one of the best cities ever designed in the series. The cities and terrain of an Assassin’s Creed game become important characters, defining the feel of a location, and ultimately affect how much fun one has with the game. I felt Constantinople was a perfect location, packed with urban areas that allowed Ezio’s climbing abilities to shine through. The underground city of Cappadocia was excellently presented, as I felt the area almost alien when walking its streets. There are many powerful moments in the game including an escape from Constantinople by ship that has the player setting fire to most of the great harbor of Constantinople.

FIRE!

One of the most interesting things attempted by Revelations are the memories within memories. Through Desmond, the player experiences the memories of Ezio as he explores the memories of Altair. Wrapping up the life of Altair was an enjoyable experience, as the old man has some strength left in him, even to the end. I found these sections interesting and varied, and enjoyed how they broke up the main experience. Revelations is accurately named, as there are a huge number of reveals about the struggle going on in the fictional future, and the dangerous event that wiped out the first civilization, and may yet wipe out humanity. The player also learns much more about Desmond this time around, going into an optional first-person platforming section of side quests in which the player puts Desmond’s shattered consciousness back together, and learns more about his past. The platforming is at times annoying, with poor controls and difficult levels, but I still found it entertaining for what it revealed about Desmond's life.

I felt that this game was one of the more accessible releases from the series, as enemies were not as difficult to defeat as in the original, and the story would be engrossing even if someone had not played an early entry. This time the story went beyond just a quest for revenge; Revelations is about journeys for knowledge, coming from within characters, and from their interactions with the world. I think most people would deeply enjoy it even if they are not already invested in the series.

Ezio gets a new look. 

By the end of Revelations the player will feel very ready for Assassin’s Creed 3, which should be released before any more expansions. This game was a highly enjoyable experience that is far more than just filler before 3, and I would recommend it to not only Assassin’s Creed devotees but also new players who want to play an excellently built game. I could not play the multiplayer, as I do not have online capabilities unfortunately, but I did not feel as though I was missing out on anything.

Grade: A

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Developer: Infinity Ward/Sledgehammer Studios

Publisher: Activision

Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PS3

By Chris

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the newest installment in Activision’s juggernaut Call of Duty series. Developed by the post Zampella-West Infinity Ward and the new Sledgehammer studios, does this new game hold a candle to some of the past titles in the series?

Well, that answer depends on what you’re looking for.

The game picks up where Modern Warfare 2 left off, the US under attacked by overwhelming Russian forces while the disavowed Task Force 141 members, Price, Soap, Nikolai, and newcomer Yuri, try to hunt down the Russia extremist Vladimir Makarov. The game throws the player into the boots of a Delta Force Sergeant, called Frost, as the Americans try to retake New York City. Modern Warfare 3 then follows the escapades of the heavily armed soldiers across the world trying to end the war. The plot follows the same general structure of the previous games; there is a bad guy that Price tries to hunt down to make the world safer. The game does this plot well, with many memorable set piece moments that help give the game an epic feeling. The experience of fighting as Russian Secret Service on board an airplane and running alongside German tanks while trying to retake Berlin give the game a very action movie World War III feel.

Unfortunately, while certain gameplay set pieces are wonderful, the “shocking” moment in this game is rather lack-luster and falls flat. While not as politically incorrect as the “No Russian” mission from Modern Warfare 2, the shock moment of the game just needlessly reiterates that Makarov is a bad person and it does not pull out any emotion towards the victims. That being said, later on in the game there is a flashback sequence from major levels in previous titles in the series, the Chernobyl level and the Nuke from Call of Duty 4 and No Russian from Modern Warfare 2 but from a completely different point of view that gives the new arrival Yuri more depth as a character. The American soldier Frost is not given the same treatment and is abruptly forgotten at the end of the game. The campaign also has “Enemy Intels” hidden through every level giving Achievement hunters a reason to replay. As a whole, the singleplayer in Modern Warfare 3 is its greatest strength with an action movie story that keeps the gamer playing.

Alongside the game’s campaign, Modern Warfare 3 offers matchmaking multiplayer and the return of the Spec. Ops. cooperative missions. The Spec. Ops. missions allow two players run through challenges in an attempt to get high scores. The missions are fast paced and contain the same adrenaline filled moments that can be found in the action packed moments of the main game. There is a rank progression system similar to that of the multiplayer, in which, the player ranks up and unlocks new weapons to use in the brand new survival mode. Survival Mode is similar to Gears of War’s horde and Halo’s Firefight where players fight off waves of frowning enemy AIs. The Survival and Spec. Ops. are great fun when playing alongside cooperative partners and is a strong replay value, especially for those like me who loved the single player.

The main replay value for most modern shooters, especially the Call of Duty franchise, has been its multiplayer. The game has a similar rank progression and unlocks system as with the rest of the Modern Warfare franchise, with new weapons, attachments, and kill streaks being unlocked as players play and rise through the ranks. The new kill streak system is the one huge new change in the game. Kill streaks are broken into three choices, one being primarily offensive kill streaks like attack helicopters, sentry guns, and AC-130s, the second being defensive with UAVs, SAMs, and Stealth bomber runs, and the third one where additional perks are unlocked the more kills one get. Of the three only the defensive perk class gets carried over through death which is useful for new players getting their feet wet. All of the other new systems of kill streaks within the game’s multiplayer boil down to the same gameplay that the series shares. 

The addition of Sledgehammer’s Call of Duty: Elite does give the post-game some depth, allowing players to look at their stats and make clans easier while giving Premium members a free crack at the game inevitable DLC. I don’t like Call of Duty’s fast paced multiplayer in general and with the multiplayer being the main replayable value of the franchise means I won’t be spending too much time on it as I would other modern FPSs. With certain weapons and perks being over powered and while entire classifications of weapons, like LMGs, are made worthless. The above mentioned defense kill streak’s carrying ability means that there are constant Stealth Bomber runs made during matches by players just collecting eight kills leisurely over multiple deaths. Fans of the series’ multiplayer, however, will find the same core gameplay as they have in previous installments.

In the end, Modern Warfare 3 is a great game with a solid campaign and multiplayer but it does not hold up against some of the older games in the series. Overall the visuals are a letdown using last iteration’s game engine. The multiplayer is in need of patches to fix the major balancing issues. That being said, Modern Warfare 3’s closing of the Modern Warfare’s story is fantastic is completely worth the play. So, join Price and his merry band of soldiers and save the world from Russian terrorists this one last time.

Grade: B

Battlefield 3

Developer: DICE

Publisher: EA Games

Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PS3

By Chris

Battlefield 3 is the newest first person shooter by the Sweden-based developer DICE. Running on the upgrade Frostbite 2.0 engine, does the new installment in the beloved shooter franchise live up to its name?

The game’s campaign centers around a Marine Staff Sergeant by the name Henry “Black” Blackburn who is being interrogated by the CIA for information regarding an attack on major cities across the world by the well supplied Middle Eastern militant group, People’s Liberation and Resistance. The game plays out in flashbacks of Blackburn, with character jumps to an F/A-18 weapons operator, an ex-KGB Russian undercover agent, and a M1-Abrams commander. The plot points, unfortunately, are reminiscent of past Call of Duty plot points; the main character being a US Marine being interrogated by the CIA, militant Middle Eastern groups in procession of nuclear weapons, and the game playing out in a series of flashbacks. The F/A-18 portion of the game, as exciting as it sounds, is a rather boring on rails shooter segment. The campaign, in a word, is lacking.

The real meat of the game comes from the addicting multiplayer. The multiplayer is class-based combat with a wide variety of vehicles thrown in to the mix to make an awesome experience with the consoles supporting 24 players per game for consoles and 64 players for the PC. The game has a handful of game modes ranging from the Battlefield staple of Conquest mode, to the Bad Company favorite Rush mode, to the smaller Squad based versions of the two, as well as Deathmatch which has not been seen since the original Battlefield 1942. Battles take place across nine hugely varying maps, ranging from the tight city streets of Paris to the wide open expanse of desert in a Middle Eastern oil rig and everything in between. The four classes are broken down into, Assault who handles assault rifles and acts as the medic dealing out med-packs and carrying a defibrillator, Engineer who carries repair tools, rocket launchers, and SMGs, Support who carries LMGs and ammo crates, and Recon who is the sniper with long range rifles, portable spawn zones, and mortars. Each class handles distinctively and is unique from one another meaning that a well-balanced squad would have a mix of classes. Vehicles add variety with the classes ranging from the humble Humvee to the Main Battle Tank to the Helicopter and the Jet. Tanks remain the power-hitter of the ground vehicles being able to do high damage and take it back. Anti-tank operations has become easier because as a ground vehicles take damage they become disabled where their mobility is severely limited leaving for an easy kill. Helicopters make a re-appearance from Bad Company 2 and have become more difficult to fly, requiring pilots to be more graceful in order to effectively use the game’s helicopters. Jets make return after missing on the Bad Company games, with dog fighting becoming a staple of many maps. Jet combat is a spectacular thrill and is always a constant treat to those lucky enough to grab the highly sought vehicle.

Leveling in the game comes with winning games, capturing objectives, killing enemies, etc. New levels bring new weapons, new dog tags, and camouflages for your soldier. Using specific classes and vehicles also increases rank that class, so the more often a player uses a class the higher the rank. High rank in the classes means new weapons and new modifications for leveling up in vehicles like a co-axial machine gun for the tank or flares for the jet and helicopter. Weapons are also subject to be leveled up as a player uses the gun more often. Attachments such as laser sights, tactical flashlights, bipods, grips, etc. make each gun unique to how a player likes to play.

The Frostbite 2.0 engine pulls its weight in Battlefield 3. The game’s graphics are absolutely gorgeous and with DICE having built the game as a PC game and then porting over to the consoles means visual quality is high. Battlefield 3 running on low visuals on the PC is the same as running the game on the consoles. The game is stunning and the destruction physics engine shines through with heavily destructible environments meaning more urban settings are seen than the Bad Company games. There are always “wow-moments” to be had in the game, especially in the multiplayer from the mass of action taking place in one area by the combination of spectacular audio and gorgeous visuals.

In all, though the campaign is rather weak, the multiplayer is the bread and butter of this game and the Battlefield 3 series, and it delivers. The game’s visuals and audio are fantastic and the multiplayer addicting. Grabs some buddies and start up a game of classic Rush, this is a fight worth enlisting for.

Grade: A+