Recent reviews by Cassynder

Warframe is a game that I've played on and off for over five years, which is almost a recommendation by itself. Free-to-play, it offers a staggering amount of content and doesn't force egregious micro-transactions on you every step of the way. You can play a good portion of the game without having to pay anything, although most weapons, Warframes and the like take considerable time to build. Which can be sped up with Platinum, the in-game currency. Don't ever do that, just wait it out. Where I feel money needs to be spent is on slots for weapons, Warframes and such. If you are the type to collect vast armouries, like I am, you'll either have to pay or trade for Platinum. By that stage you'll most likely have already decided for yourself if you want to continue playing or not and trust me, if you decide to stay, a bundle of Platinum to buy slots for your gear is more than fair for the content on offer here. Wait for a sale on Platinum and you'll be good to go.

With that out of the way, what is Warframe? It's a looter shooter, and a damn good one at that. Perfect for gunning down fools in a couple missions or in chunks of hours, Warframe is a good time all round. And it's fun. The best way I can sell it is to say that you are a space ninja, you run around in a bunch of suits called Warframes with a collection of swords, guns, knives and lots more to kill things. In style. Each Frame has its own set of powers that complement your weaponry and you run a variety of different mission types against three main factions: the Grineer, Corpus and Infested. Space nazi's, corporate jackasses and space zombies, respectively. There's a story sprinkled in there, which really comes into its own further on into your experience from Second Dream onwards, and it has an interesting universe to explore. If that sounds like your kind of deal, go get 'em, tiger! It's free-to-play, after all.

Warframe can be overwhelming at times, although it's gotten better for new players in recent years. My advice? Don't bother about everything at once. Focus on the little things. Find a weapon you like, a favourite Frame that suits your playstyle and work your way through the game. Or play with friends, or join a clan, who can help you out. The whole game can even played solo, if like me you are a lone wolf. The impressive thing about this game is that there's almost like different games within the game. You can focus on leveling up gear and building new Frames, also running the missions to fund that. There's the clan side of the game, where you can drop a tonne of resources, credits and building a Dojo your mamma will be proud of, as well as getting more blueprints for more stuff. You can throw your lot in with certain factions and run special mission for them to curry more favour with them, opening relics and running void rift missions to get special Prime gear....there's a lot here for you if you want to go down this particular rabbit hole. And that's just scratching the surface.

There are some downsides to note, however. I've not been through the new player experience recently but the game can be confusing to start with. What's the point? Why am I running these missions? What am I supposed to be doing? It's an open game and this works against it at times. It can also be repetitive to run similar missions again and again, gunning and slicing your way through the hordes of fodder between you and your objective. The worst offender is the lack of documentation on a lot of the game. Where do certain parts drop? What's the best damage types for each faction? Where to find some of the new Warframes? The Warframe Wiki is your friend, but the game should really be doing a lot of that for you.

If you are after a shooter with a lot of content and a bunch of weapons and different "classes" to play with, than you won't go wrong with Warframe. It has flaws, every game does, but it's a free game and it doesn't hurt to try it out. This one is a favourite of mine and will be a fixture in my library for some time yet.

Batman - The Telltale Series is the first outing of Telltale's version of Batman, the Caped Crusader, the World's Greatest Detective, the Dark Knight...you get the picture. Does Telltale's style of storytelling and gameplay work with the character though? This is what I think of Batman - The Telltale Series.

I was initially very skeptical that this could work. How would this style of game fit the Dark Knight himself? Taking down goons and jumping off rooftops doesn't seem to be compatible with Telltale. Shows what I know. Not only do I think they pulled it off, they did it by changing classic characters around from the comics to keep you guessing, making Bruce Wayne as important as Batman and providing a great balance between cutscenes and talking, investigative sections and balls-to-the-wall action as Batman in the form of QTE's. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised and as a Batman fan loved the new takes on some characters.

The story starts with a bang, placing you directly into Batman's shoes as he stops a group of mercs from breaking into City Hall. After this success, you begin to see the first signs that things are about to heat up in Gotham with a wonderfully paced narrative. Bruce Wayne faces threats as himself and Batman as he's properly tested as Gotham's new protector for the first time, with the likes of Penguin, Two-Face and the new villain Lady Arkham turning up to cause havoc. Despite the shortcomings of Telltale's storytelling, providing only an illusion of choice much of the time, the story is really excellent. It doesn't do anything particularly groundbreaking but I found it riveting.

Characters in this one are simply brilliant. Whilst this isn't my favourite version of Batman, despite being more than satisfactory, this is by far my favourite Bruce Wayne. The Arkham series, for instance, is more focused on Batman than Wayne and this is reflected by the amount of time you spend as each. In this game, you spend more time as Bruce than Batman and it is all the better for it. Whether it is revealing and touching moments with Alfred in the Batcave, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Harvey Dent and Gotham's elite or building an uneasy alliance with Selina Kyle, it's all great to watch. Batman is Batman, enough said. Loved every moment as the Caped Crusader.

Supporting characters also bring it to the table with a nice selection of potential friends and enemies in the shape of Oswald Cobblepot, Harvey Dent, Selina Kyle and Vicki Vale, each playing prominent roles in the narrative. And Jim Gordon, of course. Telltale took some interesting risks with some of these characters, changing some of the roles and personalities and the results were impressive. Vicki Vale in particular. This is also one of my favourite iterations of Catwoman I've had the joy of seeing, the back and forth between her and Bruce as both himself and Batman is fantastic, and she owned any scene she was in. Excellent.

Same old Telltale gameplay for this one, which may turn off some right away. It doesn't do anything different than what you might see in the Walking Dead or The Wolf Among Us, with a bunch of cutscenes in which you have a limited time to select a certain dialogue option, many sections of just walking and the QTE-fests that comprise most of what you do as Batman. I didn't mind the QTE's, and it was extremely satisfying planning a route of attack and then running through it, taking down the bad guys. Give me Arkham series combat any day but this was fun. The investigation scenes as Batman are also a highlight, love doing the detective work as the Bat. If you don't like Telltale's gameplay, this isn't going to win you over.

Graphically the game is in that cel-shaded style Telltale have going on. It has charm but I wouldn't say it was pretty. Gotham, however, is very much so and they did a great job of capturing the feel of this fictional city that we all seem to know so well. Whether it is Batman standing with cape billowing out behind him whilst standing on the roof of a warehouse, city framed against the night sky behind him, or seeing familiar landmarks from far out such as Wayne Manor and Arkham Asylum, it's undeniably Gotham City. Jared Emerson-Johnston provides the score for the game, and it's got some good tracks. Especially the main theme. Very Arkham City. Nothing else really stands out though. With heavyweight voice actors like Troy Baker, Laura Bailey and Steve Blum, the voice work is also of a very high quality.

But onto some negatives. The performance issues of this game are well known and it is poorly optimized. Expect frequent stutters and frame drops between scene transitions and just poor performance in general. The episodic structure of Telltale's series' is always a negative. Make it episodic, sure, but release it all at once. I've yet to play a Telltale game as the episodes come out, and while I'll never get the chance now, I still wouldn't. Terrible practice. The QTE's were fun but did get a little tedious at times, especially those ones that require you to press Shift + E or Q out of the blue, not so fun. The series could have done with a sixth episode, as the final episode felt a little rushed. Nice slow build up and then it was gone. An entire episode dedicated to Dent gone off the rails completely would have been nice. The lack of impact your choices have, which goes without saying. This is true of every Telltale game. But a negative can be a positive by simply playing through the story without expecting sweeping narrative changes with choices. Much more enjoyment from these games that way.

In conclusion, I freaking loved Batman. The story, the characters and the right mix of dialogue, action and investigation was truly great. Selina and Bruce alone could have carried the game, I enjoyed their interactions that much. Seriously good. Whilst I am of course sad there will be no more of this Batman, at least from Telltale, this and The Enemy Within have done a great job of portraying the Dark Knight. But more on that later, for now I recommend buying this if you like the Telltale style and are a fan of Batman. You'll not be disappointed.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is a stand-alone expansion to The New Order and acts as a prequel to that game, ending right before the start of The New Order. Does it live up to the main game? This is what I think of Wolfenstein: The Old Blood.

I might actually like this more than The New Order, which is saying something. What a wonderful duo of games! I'm looking forward to picking up the newer release after playing these two brilliant shooters! I loved the fact that it was World War II in this one so it wasn't too high tech like New Order. It was shorter than the last one and wasn't as cinematic but man was it good. So good. Can't wait to play it again now, and here is why.

The story in Old Blood features BJ Blazkowicz once again set before the events of New Order. You are tasked with infiltrating Castle Wolfenstein to steal a folder containing the location of General Deathshead's compound. Things predictably aren't so simple for our hero and he must escape from the castle and finish his mission, before dealing with something much worse than the Nazi's. The story wasn't as good as New Order but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it didn't outstay its welcome. I also liked the characters in the game, as well as the choice between two like in the last game, really nice stuff. Expect around 5-8 hours for the campaign.

Gameplay is near identical to New Order, and there is nothing really wrong with that. You have access to weaponry from the first mission of New Order for the entirety of the game and I really like the World War II versions of each gun, possibly more than their high tech counterparts. The sniper rifle is especially cool. You also have the new pipe as a means of bludgeoning your foes and also doubles as a useful tool to open doors and hatches to progress. The usual collectibles are in each level although the gold bars weren't as interesting as the gold items from New Order. There were also hidden(and sometimes not) sections in each level that featured a maze in the retro style of classic Wolfenstein which was again really cool. Challenge maps can also be unlocked as you play the story for you to score points in to earn medals. Not played too much of those but it's quite fun.

Level design in Old Blood was just as good as the parent game, although there wasn't the variety of objectives and setting as that game. Fighting through Castle Wolfenstein was fantastic, with great levels throughout. Wulfburg was great as well, even after the story got a little bit silly. Machine Games really know what they are doing and have been at the top of their game for both Wolfenstein games and it's a joy to play these levels. Lots of hidden areas and collectibles encourage exploration. Also the cable car section deserves a special mention, loved that part.

Graphically the game looks better than New Order did, with character models looking really good for the prominent figures in the story. Gun models look fantastic and are deservedly given a lot of attention. Environmental textures are much improved from New Order and are generally nice to look at. It really makes the experience better for me. Levels were so pretty, especially the Castle and Wulfburg, eye candy galore. Mick Gordon returns to compose the soundtrack and while I found it was good in places, I didn't think it was as memorable as New Order's score. Voice acting across the board was excellent once again, with Brian Bloom doing wonderfully as Blazkowicz again. Really impressive.

On to negatives now. The story gets a little silly towards the latter stages and could really have done without heading in that direction. Something that bugged me though was the physical trauma BJ goes through. In the game he is electrocuted, stabbed through the leg with a pipe and sustaining another stab wound through the hand but is still able to fight like it was nothing. I get it's a game but it's highly unnecessary to do it to him in the first place. Also some characters were killed off in this one like it was nothing before advancing with the story as if nothing bad happened. Pippa comes to mind here. Again, not much to grumble about though.

In conclusion, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood manages to supplement the first game brilliantly and leads directly into The New Order. While the story was ludicrous at the end, I thoroughly enjoyed my time playing the game and it's a fantastic shooter. I liked it a little more than The New Order, a game I love, and that really is the best praise I can give it. Buy it, play it, love it.

Wolfenstein: The New Order is a fresh take on the series that birthed the FPS genre as we know it today and is developed by Machine Games. Promising a great narrative along with killing Nazi scum, how does it fare? This is what I think of Wolfenstein: The New Order.

Very well indeed. I've been sitting out on this one for a while and have only now taken the plunge and I'm more than pleased with this game. Surprisingly strong story for a shooter, it combines narrative with cinematic bombast and smooth shooting mechanics to hit a home run. This game is one hell of a ride and it's absolutely nonsense, in a good way. With numerous ways of handling situations in missions, it's probably one of the best shooters I've played. Here's why I think so.

The story is outstanding, enough said. You are BJ Blazkowicz, an American soldier fighting against the Nazi forces during an alternate World War II. The year is 1946 and the war still rages, but the Allies are losing. In a last ditch attempt to turn the tide, BJ and co assault the fortified compound of General Deathshead, the mastermind to the Nazi war effort. Things don't pan out, and BJ is left in a vegetative state for years as the Nazis take over everything. Fourteen years later, you recover to find an unfamiliar world. BJ joins up with the resistance against the Nazi occupation and attempts to bring them down. A seriously good story, with strong characters and a nice cinematic feel really bringing home the bacon. Expect a run time of around 10-15 hours depending on play style.

Gameplay in this game is fantastic. This is such a polished shooter, with a great variety of weapons to use and different shooting types on each ensures you are equipped for the increasing difficult enemies that are pitted against you. Each level has numerous collectibles as well as notes and newspaper articles that flesh out the world. There are also different ways of going about missions, with stealth sections a surprise focus. Sneaking around and taking Nazi soldiers down, using throwing knives and silenced pistols is as gratifying as any stealth game and if things go the wrong way, the solid and dependable gun play will have you laughing with glee as you gun down your enemies with two shotguns in a blaze of glory. The game even has a hidden retro level from the classic Wolfenstein in your hidden base, which is a nice touch.

Level design is really tight in The New Order. There is a lot of variety in missions, with some requiring your skills as a soldier and others as an infiltrator as you sneak into areas in order to undermine your enemy. I expected a balls to the wall shooter with no time for breath but this wasn't the case at all and that surprised me the most. You'll infiltrate a high security prison, go undercover in a labour camp, assault a base on the moon and destroy a massive bridge, ensuring you are always entertained. Brilliant.

Graphically, the game looks great for 2014. Gun models and character models, especially BJ and co and the main villains, are really well done and presented in a very pleasing way. The variety in locations and level design really showcase a nice looking game. However, there are a lot of environmental textures everywhere that don't hold up to close inspection, and are shockingly low resolution. Try not to look to closely at tables, etc. The soundtrack is very good, with a great range of tracks for any occasion. Mick Gordon does a good job. The music for the final mission as you assault a massive fortress is fantastic, really driving you on through the installation. Voice acting is great across the board, which always helps in a narrative focused game, especially Deathshead. Creepy ass guy. Also having Brian Bloom voice BJ is just perfect. He can do no wrong in my eyes, that handsome bastard.

Time for some negatives now. The aforementioned textures in the game, which doesn't affect the experience too much but is a little disappointing to see, especially from a game that looks great in other departments. The frame limit on cutscenes annoys me more than it should, but I've always hated games that let you play at 60+fps then lock the cutscenes in at 30. Jarring, to say the least. I felt the final boss battle was a little too tanky and wasn't that enjoyable and I'm not looking forward to that part on my Uber difficulty playthrough.

And that is that, friends. I didn't have that many negatives to moan about because this game is utterly brilliant. Entertained from start to finish, I was genuinely sad to see it finish and I cared a lot more for the characters than I was expecting. It's so refreshing to see a linear shooter have all the focus on story without a tacked on multiplayer mode and excel because of it. The world needs more games of Wolfenstein: The New Order's calibre and I feel more than a little guilty being so late to the party. If you like shooters and still haven't played this, do so. You're in for one hell of a ride!

Rise of the Tomb Raider is the sequel to the second successful reboot of the franchise in Tomb Raider 2013 and continues the story of Lara's journey to becoming the Tomb Raider we all know and love. Is it better than 2013? This is what I think of Rise of the Tomb Raider.

On the whole, I think it's better than the last one. I loved the reboot and was beyond excited for this and it didn't disappoint, expanding on the formula introduced in that game and improving it to form a very slick and satisfying gaming experience. With more tombs to explore, expanded options for crafting and a more robust selection of weapons to choose from, it's a great game. Here's what I liked and what I didn't.

The story in 2013 was excellent, taking an untested Lara and throwing her into an impossibly bleak situation and forcing her to sink or swim. The woman that emerged from the island certainly wasn't the one that arrived and it's great to see the effects of that. We find Lara obsessively chasing after proof of the immortal soul, her father's research, before he sadly took his own life. After her harrowing experience on the island, she feels she has to clear her father's besmirched name and prove him right to clear her own guilt for never believing him. This journey takes her to Siberia and into direct conflict with a shady organization called Trinity, who are looking for the same thing. For the first two thirds of the game, the story is great but I felt it was weak towards the end. More on that later. Expect 15-20 hours depending on how many optional things you do in the game.

Crystal Dynamics did a great job with characters in this game, focusing up the cast into a smaller group to give them more air time. Lara herself is great in this once again, portraying Lara as someone who is going through serious conflict within herself. Wracked by guilt for the friends she lost on the island, taking the blame on herself for her father's death and again taking the blame when things go wrong in the story, her only way of dealing with it is to press on at all costs to find the truth she desperately needs. A lot of people don't like this version of Lara and while my personal favourite is Legend's Lara, this one is so well written and has more depth than we're used to seeing and I love that. Can't wait to see her continued development in Shadow.

Other characters are worth mentioning, it isn't all just about Lara. First up is Jonah and how much I love his and Lara's friendship. The voice of reason, he initially tries to ground Lara and stop her from going to Siberia and when he fails goes with her instead. Separated for much of the game, the time he's in the story showcases how much Lara cares for him and it's lovely to see. More of Jonah please. Konstantin is the villain in this game, a religious zealot and dangerous individual, he leads Trinity's forces on the ground and against Lara. I really liked him, a man with such conviction that he's willing to do anything to save his family even when he's wrong, and likely knows it. I also really liked Jacob although the big "twist" in the story was so obvious and on the nose it really didn't have the impact I think it wanted from the player.

Not much has changed from the last game in terms of gameplay, with combat and platforming the same as in that title. Once more there is a wealth of collectibles and things to find around the maps which is a good thing, but also something that was perhaps taken too far. There was too much stuff to collect in each zone and took attention away from the story, which is never a good thing. More tombs are in this game, with nine to find and explore. They are bigger and more complex than the previous game but they are still fairly basic. Here's hoping for more in Shadow. Crafting is a big thing in this game, as Lara can now craft different arrow types such as poison, fire and explosive, as well upgrades to equipment, new throwable items like molotov's and makeshift grenades and a number of different outfits to unlock and use. Much improved from 2013.

The setting in this game was great, helped by the brilliant graphics. I like snowy regions and Siberia was certainly that, although I don't entirely buy the lush valley concept in the heart of the mountains in the middle of Siberia. It was good to see green and vegetation as well as the snow though and Kitezh was a beautiful city in the Byzantine style that was great to see, even though you only got to see the city proper in the last act. Really good stuff.

As mentioned above, graphically this game is beautiful. Still one of the best looking games out there for sure. It's easy to just stare around you at the pretty scenery and ancient tombs for a while and drink it all in. Lara herself looks fantastic in this one, with some great facial animations for the story cutscenes. I've seen people saying she's ugly online which is quite frankly ridiculous. She's come a long way since 1996. Bobby Tahouri provides the score for Rise and it's a wonderful set of tracks although another Tomb Raider goes by that can't replicate the incomparable original OST's for the first three games. A fine job nonetheless.

Now for some negatives. The story is often waylaid by the number of collectibles to find and other distractions around the map. Such is the cost for it's open-world design. However, the story itself loses steam about two thirds in. The reason is the poor "twist" that was so obvious that it's frustrating Lara doesn't know when you have for hours beforehand. Entering Kitezh is more of a drag when you have to fight another immortal undead army like in the last game. The game and story suffers from the reuse of this story element. I hope it isn't used a third time. Also some extra story stuff, like where the hell Sam is in all of this, is completely left out of the game apart from a recording mentioning her once. I hate when games have books or comics detailing this information and then not informing players who haven't read them. Frustrating.

In conclusion then, I still really loved this game and remains my favourite in the franchise. The gameplay is smooth and excellent to play and there is a lot of fun to be had here. I loved the story up to a point and it only gets worse the more times I play past that point but don't let that deter you from playing a brilliant game and enjoying Lara's latest adventure. Also, the Blood Ties DLC is magnificent and is a must buy if you play this game. Roll on Shadow of the Tomb Raider in September!

Dex is a 2D side-scrolling platformer with RPG elements packaged in a wonderful cyberpunk setting. Not a setting with a lot of representation in gaming, is this one worth your time and money? This is what I think of Dex.

Yes, and then some. I've had this sitting gathering dust in my backlog for a while now but I've been looking forward to finally getting around to playing it and I'm annoyed at myself for not playing it sooner. This game took me completely by surprise, as I was not expecting it to be as good as it was. I'm by no means a cyberpunk person but I loved the setting, the characters were generally good and the story was excellent. Once I finished I immediately started again. Let's get into it.

The story in Dex begins with the titular character being awoken abruptly by a mysterious hacker shortly before being chased by men with guns. On the run and with only the brief instructions from the hacker, she meets friends and allies along the way as she learns to handle herself in the big city and fight back against the Complex, a group operating from the shadows and controlling everything and who want her dead. The story was brilliant, containing many cyberpunk tropes and still being strong despite not treading new ground in the genre. Loved it.

Characters were great in this one, with Dex meeting and helping a wide variety of NPC's in Harbour Prime. Dex herself sadly doesn't have much personality to bring to the table as she is for the most part a silent protagonist apart from a few lines in cutscenes. Her friends that help her, Decker and Tony, were both great and funny. Some of the dialogue between the three was gold. Other characters such as Richmond, AJ and Niles were great to talk to and were all well voice acted. Surprisingly good writing made it a joy to talk with them.

In terms of gameplay I really liked Dex's mix of exploration, platforming, combat and talking. This really is more of an RPG than a platformer although I would have liked to have seen more choice in skills and abilities. You earn XP by taking down enemies, completing quests and progressing the main story. Exploring Harbour Prime was great, with a number of districts available from the get go and there is a lot to see and do. Combat was decent if simple, with only two buttons being used for melee attacks and some awkward gunplay nevertheless making for an enjoyable experience. You can also make use of hacking to get past areas with cameras, turrets and even hack into the implants of enemies to stun them briefly while you move in to attack. Easy to use and satisfying to play.

Harbor Prime is a great place to explore, and has good variety to it. From the hubbub of the Chinese Quarter and Downtown, to more rundown areas such as the Junction and the Slums, all the way to the swanky districts of Afterlight and Highrise, there is a lot to see and it all has character about it. I loved it, devoting time to fully exploring this city and despite it being an indie game and 2D to boot, they manage to make it feel bigger than it actually is. As a setting you can't really ask for more from a cyberpunk game.

Graphically, the game has some great looking environments and charming pixellated character models and sprites. It looks pretty good for a 2D side-scroller and is about what you can expect from such a game. The soundtrack was excellent, with some great music throughout and the main theme, which played at certain times in the main story, did a great job of supplementing those moments and really added to the experience. Voice acting was generally good, with a few awful outliers made talking to certain characters a drag. Looking at you, Holm.

On to some negatives. Using guns wasn't that intuitive and they were clunky to use. I think it was designed that way in favour of melee but it's still weak. You can stealth through some areas but it is a very limited affair and the game is focused on being combat heavy, mixed with nice long periods of talking. It would have been nice to sneak and hack your way through the game without fighting but alas it wasn't to be. Some dodgy voice acting slightly hampered the experience but wasn't too bad.

All in all, Dex really surprised me and I really do think it is a great game. An enjoyable mix of combat, talking and RPGing really make for a solid experience and if you are a fan of cyberpunk games, look no further. With a good story, nice characters and polished gameplay make this a no brainer. Do yourself a favour and give this hidden gem a try.

Mad Bullets is an indie On-Rails shooter with a western setting and provides a fun arcade experience that harks back to 90s arcade shooters. Is it worth your time and money? This is what I think of Mad Bullets.

Yes, absolutely yes. I really enjoyed playing this game and had a lot of fun whilst doing so which is the main goal of the title. For the low price tag, coupled with frequent sales, you really can't go wrong with this one. It does grow stale after a few hours, however, and it doesn't take more than 5 hours to see everything it has to offer. It does provide a fun experience of shooting a bunch of bad guys whilst racking up a huge score which is oddly addicting.

There is no story to run through in this game, instead you'll run through three different settings and additional areas that provide four unique challenges in each. The goal is simple: shoot bad guys, collect money, pick up boosters that provide different buffs and last as long as you can. It's great playing through each time, trying to beat your previous best score or collect enough money to buy upgrades in the shop. These range from extra bullets, extra lives or extensions to the time of power ups during the levels. For the time it lasts it's a compelling gameplay loop and is perfect to play for twenty minutes or an hour or two.

I thought the different settings were great, each with their own character and enemies within them. Goon Village is your typical western village filled with saloons, general stores, jails and banks, whereas El Dangero is replete with haciendas and villas. Wicked Rocks is again different, running through Native American camps and rock canyons. The challenge areas are very tongue-in-cheek, like the rest of the game, pitting you against leaping piranhas, swooping vultures, and sneaky ninjas. It's wonderfully bonkers.

However, as I mentioned the game does begin to grow stale. The same three areas begin to drag as there isn't enough variety within them and you'll be shooting the same enemies over and over again. The thing that'll keep you playing is the upgrades in the shop but if you aren't interested in achievements, you'll probably quit the game quicker than I did. There just isn't enough to the game to keep your interest long which is a shame. I wouldn't have minded the main game being a side mode, in addition to a story mode and some other challenge modes with more variety in areas and enemies. For the price though, it's understandable that this isn't the case.

In conclusion, Mad Bullets is a great time and is perfect for playing in short bursts. I don't regret the time I put into this game but without any real content to keep the interest for long, achievements are all that remain and I'm not sure I want to keep playing for that. By all means buy this one, it's certainly entertaining enough for a few hours but don't expect much more than that.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is the much improved sequel to the first game, and the game a number of people suggest you start with. Why is that? This is what I think of the Witcher 2.

The Witcher 2 is a massive step up from the first outing in this series, with improved graphics, voice acting, combat and more. It removes the outdated aspects whilst providing a deep, rewarding story with a host of different choices to make, people to side with and all around drama. Characters are better fleshed out in this one I feel, and you can fully embrace the epic nature of the story or just try to survive through it the best you can, doing what is right for Geralt and making it more personal. Amazing.

The story then. On start up, you are treated to a wonderful cinematic of an unknown witcher assassinating a king on a ship. This ties into the closing scene to the first title, where Geralt stops an assassin in their tracks and saves Foltest, king of Temeria. Our story begins with Geralt kept close at the king's side, his lucky talisman. After a slow start through a tutorial area, Geralt is accused of a crime he didn't commit and he must chase after the one who framed him, bringing him to justice. Along the way you'll gradually recover your memory, make your way through a remarkable story which you'll have to play through at least twice to experience, and unravel the political mystery that plays out in masterful style. This is simply one of the best stories in gaming, hands down. So good.

The characters in the Witcher 2 are excellent, much like the previous game and then some. Geralt as always is the best of the lot, played to perfection by Doug Cockle. Triss returns in this one, with a much improved look and new voice actress. As a character she is different too, no longer playing some strange knock-off of Yennefer and becoming her own person, which I'm a huge fan of because she is amazing in this and Witcher 3. Supporting characters such as the returning Zoltan and Dandelion, as well as new characters in the shape of Vernon Roche, Ves, Iorveth, Saskia, Sile de Tansarville and Letho of Gulet are all outstanding. And there are many more I haven't mentioned, playing roles big and small in this epic political masterpiece. Put on the subtitles and pay attention, there is a lot of name dropping so you'll have to stay focused with the story to follow it. Expect 25-35 hours to complete the game, slightly shorter than the first. Somehow manages to be even better than the first as well.

Gameplay has also been overhauled, with a brand new combat system in place to replace the old clunky one. As I said in my write up of the first Witcher that I actually enjoyed the combat but here they've come up with a much more satisfying system. You'll have to make good use of dodges, parrying and your witcher signs in order to make it through fights, and generally requiring more skill from the player. It was jarring at first after jumping from the first game, to the point where I didn't like it, but it's brilliant. I actually made use of all the signs this time, not just Aard and Igni. Fights are no longer routine click fests but exciting and engaging encounters and I loved that.

Alchemy has seen changes too, although with the great system in place it's less of an overhaul and more of an enhancement. As before, you have to meditate in order to brew potions and bombs, with planning ahead for fights a necessity. They dropped the ball here, though, by forcing you to drink potions before combat as you cannot drink them during encounters. This might not have been a problem in the first game, which incidentally let you drink potions whenever you wanted, but the cooldown timers for potions here are a lot shorter. These countdown even during cutscenes and you'll often be thrown into a fight straight afterwards, and have no potions or the ability to drink them. You can generally work around this but it is annoying, especially if you invest heavily in the alchemy skill tree.

Crafting also plays into this game, with a range of schematics that you can find in the world or buy from merchants allowing you to craft new items by visiting a craftsmen and providing the right materials. Loot everything in sight, the locals don't mind, and store stockpiles of materials in the taverns for later use. This will allow you to craft new weapons and traps, the latter being great against some of the monsters you will fight. There are a lot of unique designs for different swords in the game, with wonderful designs and individual scabbards. Real eye candy. Same goes for armour, as Geralt can now use gauntlets, boots and trousers in addition to chest pieces, of which you can mix and match. Big improvement from the first game.

Graphically, this game still looks good today. Certain areas even look better than the Witcher 3, coming slightly short with the character models and others. The character models themselves are an improvement from the first, with a lot more unique models although there is still some re-use with non essential NPCs but it makes for a much nicer experience. The areas themselves are varied and beautiful, especially Flotsam's surrounding forest and Vergen, a dwarven mining town. This is coupled with a truly epic soundtrack that is even better than the first, a soundtrack I loved. I even listen to all three whilst writing, they are that good. Voice acting is also fantastic in Witcher 2, a lot more time, money and effort went into making this a truly memorable game.

Quests in the Witcher 2 are an improvement, I feel, although there's maybe a handful in each area that are on the level of the main quest through the game, with the rest being monster contracts. What's there is great though, with some truly memorable scenarios and quests in each area. The asylum at Flotsam, helping the troll get justice for his wife, investigating murders in Vergen, solving the mystery around a missing runesmith, delving under the ruins of Loc Muinne to find a secret laboratory solving riddles along the way are all great. And the main quests...so good. Easily as good as the Witcher 3 on many an occasion.

Now onto some negatives, some of which I've covered already such as the potion drinking, which can be a hindrance. Hub areas aren't as large as the first game, which is a blessing and a curse. On the one hand you've cut out the worst of the backtracking, on the other it can feel quite small and contained. Each has great quality though, but it bears mentioning. Combat can be a little floaty at times, requiring far too much rolling around to attack from behind or avoid attacks. Also when coming out of a cutscene it isn't uncommon to be hit with a cheap shot as Geralt always sheaths his sword, even if you keep it drawn which is really annoying. I personally don't like the save system in this, too much clutter with literally hundreds of saves either from manual saves or autosave. This is thankfully fixed in Witcher 3, along with many of my complaints with this one.

So there we have it, two games down and one to go. This is definitely one of my favourite series and I've loved playing the first two games again, my first run of them since Witcher 3. I'm already planning another playthrough of the whole series and I'm not even done this one yet. The Witcher 2 is a masterpiece, plain and simple. With an epic story, memorable characters and quests, better combat not to mention beautiful graphics and soundtrack, you'll be missing out if you skip the first one but you are in for one hell of a game if you start here. One of the best!

The Witcher is the first game in the famed Witcher series by CD Projekt Red and was released back in 2007. Is it still worth going back to or should you just skip ahead to the Witcher 2? This is what I think of The Witcher.

First of all, hell no! I see this often and I do understand why. Witcher is an outdated game, with outdated mechanics, some questionable design choices thrown in there and terrible backtracking issues to boot. That being said, I still think this is well worth playing and it has a whole lot to offer, stuff you expect from this series. Tough, moral grey choices? Complex and interesting characters? Dark and gritty fantasy world? Captivating story? Witcher delivers on all of those and it more than matches the other two Witcher games in the places that matter. It is the very definition of a diamond in the rough, coming packed with a bunch of flaws that can irritate yet being utterly brilliant in spite of them. Let's discuss.

The story follows one Geralt of Rivia, presumed dead but now back amongst his fellow witchers and friends. He doesn't remember anything in the time he was gone, giving the player an excellent chance to discover the world with Geralt as he relearns the things he aught to know. After an early attack on Kaer Morhen, you set off after the organization who planned the attack to get back the witcher secrets stolen in the assault. Along the way you'll be faced with a range of difficult choices and scenarios that'll have you wondering if you did the right thing. Expect around 30-40 hours to complete the game, which is a decent length. The story in The Witcher is absolutely brilliant, especially the last three chapters. So many standout moments.

As you might expect from this series, there are all kinds of interesting characters. Geralt himself steals the show, his gruff voice and deadpan delivery as great then as it is in the other games. I love Doug Cockle's portrayal of the famous monster slayer, a great character on his own that you happen to control. Triss Merigold makes an appearance, and is decent in this game but is nothing like she is in the later games. Dandelion and Zoltan are also in this first game, along with a slew of great characters like Shani, Vincent Meis, Siegfried, Yaevinn, Thaler and more. You also have dealings with the Lady of the Lake later on in the game, which was excellent. Both the story and characters are by far the best parts of the game, and they need to be.

If you come into this game expecting the fluid, slick gameplay of the later two titles you are bound to be disappointed. The combat is an archaic and clumsy mix between turn-based combat of old and real time combat and it doesn't do it all too convincingly. The first few hours are rough as you try and grapple with these systems which will leave you scratching your head as to what they were thinking. It did grow on me though and I actually kinda like it but it's less about skill and more about timing clicks than anything, and is very basic. Don't expect a challenge there.

The alchemy system in this game is really good, with a big selection of potions and oils that you can craft and I actually think alchemy is the part where the Witcher beats out the later games. To learn about monsters you have to read books on them and on herbs before you can get materials and pick plants in order to make your witcher potions and oils, which all costs money. I liked this aspect to it as you felt you really had to watch what you spent gold on or you'd lose out against monsters early on. Despite that, there are too many potions that you don't need to use. It had a great system in place but you can easily coast through the game using Swallow, Tawny Owl and Cat and you'll be dandy. Oils are much more important I feel, and it can be hard getting a hold of the formulas to learn them.

Graphically, this game was beaten with the ugly stick. It was never considered pretty back when it was released and is one of the big reasons people say they can't play through this one. It can look nice in some areas, especially in Murky Waters and Black Tern Isle later on in the game. Character models can either look pretty good or poor, depending on the character. Zoltan, for instance, looks ridiculous but all the females look great. Priorities, am I right? The soundtrack is phenomenal though, all the Witcher games have beautiful music. Really lovely.

The Witcher has a number of self-contained hub areas with some side sections leading off from them, generally progressing to a new set with a new chapter except 3, which uses much of the same parts of Vizima as the second chapter. They really did a good job here, Vizima being especially memorable for me as well as all of chapter four. Murky Waters is downright beautiful, despite the aged graphics and all the areas are of a decent size. There is a big problem with backtracking, though, as you run from one end of a hub to the other and then back again many times over. It can be testing at times, and is certainly not a highlight of the game. There are also really great quests in this game as well, like the one where you are having a party with friends, the tragic story of the two sisters in Murky Waters, the whole storyline dealing with the Lady of the Lake and there was even a quest touching on some superhero vigilante with a Witcher twist to boot. Love me some superhero vigilantes so that was really cool.

Some negatives now. I actually like the combat in this game but many people don't so it is in here. The backtracking for sure is a problem, so much running back and forth between places and quests. The many re-used character models for NPCs throughout the whole game is another bone of contention for me, something Witcher 3 also does(understandably). The inventory and menu systems weren't great, especially the rather small and hard to see inventory, despite much of the screen being used up when in the menu. Being unable to place fallen weapons in your backpack was also an annoyance, instead having a number of slots with which to place them instead. There is a selection of weapons you can use like axes and dagger but they are next to useless. Stick to your witcher blades.

Overall, I believe that The Witcher is well worth your time and effort. The first few hours can be rough but give this game a chance and you'll be treated to one of the best RPGs you can get and a true classic. Despite a number of flaws, the game's brilliance manages to shine through and with a terrific story, great characters and a fascinating world to explore, you really should play this one. You'll be glad you did.

Tomb Raider: Underworld is the final game in Crystal Dynamics' first trilogy and answers most of the questions posed by the first two games. But does it offer a satisfying conclusion? This is what I think of Tomb Raider: Underworld.

Yes, I'm very happy with the way this finished. I've only played this through once, back when it released, and I honestly couldn't remember that much about it. This is the most complete Tomb Raider in this trilogy, combining the action from Legend and the tombs and puzzles from Anniversary, and might actually have been my favourite if not for characters changing personalities despite this game coming straight after Legend. More on that later, let's get stuck in.

The story picks up right after Legend, Lara chasing down leads in order to find Avalon and potentially rescue her mother. Your quest will pit you against old foe Amanda, spared at the end of the last game, and someone from Lara's past as you all search for the same artifacts. These artifacts will help Lara find the answers she so desperately seeks but might also bring about the end of the world. A surprisingly good tale, which took me around 8 hours to finish, and might even have been my favourite story in the trilogy if not for some issues I'll touch upon next.

Characters. Lara in particular. This isn't the same Lara from Legend, despite taking place right afterward, and I didn't like where the story took her personally. She is clearly obsessed with finding these answers to the past, understandable given what it is, but she's just totally different. Throughout Legend we got to see charm and smartass comments and that's gone here, which is disappointing. Her team are also sidelined in this one, having a much smaller part in the story and zero chatter throughout missions. That was a mistake, in my opinion, backed up by the lack of impact a big character moment halfway through had. Something that should have been very emotional just wasn't as I didn't buy into the fact that Lara even cared. I only cared because I loved Legend. A step back from Legend for me although I did like Amanda's role at the end, that was good.

The gameplay hasn't changed much from the last two, with the usual blend of platforming and combat to navigate through tombs. Combat is the best it's been in the trilogy, which isn't exactly saying much, although many of the weapons are useless. Stick with pistols and the spear gun for underwater sections and that's all you need until you get the most badass weapon near the end. That was epic. Lara is at her most agile in Underworld, with the platforming in particular feeling very fluid and assured. I had more confidence in my ability to make jumps and you can make use of more moves, like perching on top of swinging poles, standing on shimmying ledges and performing chimney jumps, allowing you to alternate jump between two walls to grab out of reach ledges. You also use the motorbike in a number of levels and it handles really well and is great fun to use. The most fluid Tomb Raider to date for sure.

Level design was great in this one. Here we have a variety of places to visit, as you have come to expect from the series, with a great mix of jungle, snow and underwater areas really bringing the game to life. This game is stunning, especially for a game from 2008, and is still a treat for the eyes. I think Thailand was my favourite level in the game, with a water section at the start, some great climbing sections and the ancient tomb there was simply brilliant. Jan Mayen Island as well as the old ruins in the Arctic Ocean were also very well designed. Really happy with this game, I want to play it through again now.

Graphically, as mentioned above, Underworld is much prettier than I expected. There were times I just stopped what I was doing to gaze around me, it was that good. Lara herself looks great in this one, as do the rest of the cast. I can't believe I spent years thinking this game was just average, never listen to the internet folks. The soundtrack was great again, with Troels Brun Folmann doing the main theme and Colin O'Malley did a magnificent job with the rest of the tracks. Really good. Keeley Hawes again does a fantastic job although I disliked the writing for Lara in this one, they dropped the ball there.

Negatives. Combat still isn't that good, with many of the weapons feeling useless. It was generally fine with one or two enemies or the smaller bats and spiders but giant spiders in particular were annoying to fight, being next to impossible to avoid their leaping attack. Gunfights with human enemies lacked any real weight or impact and were generally the weaker parts of the game. They got the characters wrong in this one, with Zip and Alistair having next to nothing to do and Lara was completely different, as mentioned several times. The odd issue with jumping into thin air, the usual Tomb Raider things. The game was a bit buggy, with Lara often getting stuck on ledges, walls and other parts of the levels. It wasn't prevalent enough to be a hindrance but enough to warrant a mention. A disappointing part of the game were the treasures, with far too many in each level and they didn't actually mean anything or were distinct from each other. Wasn't a fan of that although they were sometimes enjoyable to find.

So there you have it. With Shadow of the Tomb Raider releasing later this year, I only have the reboot series to play through until I'm ready for it. I cannot wait and I look forward to writing about my thoughts of those two games, it's going to be good. As for this first trilogy from Crystal Dynamics, they all stand up a lot better than I expected and Underworld in particular was a fantastic game, perhaps just edging out Tomb Raider II as my 4th favourite in the series. Do play through this one, it's a cracker.