Recent reviews by high2k

Aliens: Dark Descent
Release Date: 20 June 2023
Strengths:
-Good level design
-Decent story and immersive campaign
-Has original music and dialogues of Aliens movie
Limitations:
-Linear gameplay
-No multiplayer

Conclusion:
Aliens: Dark Descent is squad-based action game encompassing various aspects of Aliens (1986) movie and a few aspects of Alien (1979) movie. So, it is a must have for the fans of these movies. It features some original dialogues from these movies and also the music and several sound effects that take you back to those movies. Although having these similarities the game campaign is tailored to have some unique aspects in the story. The gameplay is almost similar to XCOM games except the fights are all real time and not turn based. The game upgrades, mechanics and research is definitely copied from XCOM and even some uniforms look same like those in XCOM2. Now this being said, the game is definitely fun to play and has immersive story and campaign. There are also some features or qualities of your marines that can be used by slowing down time so I would say the combat is not 100% real time based. You can upgrade different marines and promote them to different classes of specialization like sniper, heavy gunner, hacker etc. You can also unlock and equip several weapons as the game progresses. There is some strategic aspect to the game e.g. if you do not build proper defences during an alien onslaught your squad will be killed in several seconds even in easy game mode. Automatic sentries are the critical part of your squad survival and also my favourites in the game. A significant difference from XCOM is that marines experience several psychological traumas as they keep on fighting which lowers their accuracy if you don’t take rest and may even get killed if you don’t evacuate in time. This is a realistic touch and is unique to this game (although it may get frustrating in the middle of a mission). You can always evacuate if you feel that you are out of ammo or if your marines are too much traumatized by continuous fighting. Your progress in the mission is saved and you can continue from the same point again using fresh soldiers. Even XCOM 1 and 2 were awesome games, Aliens: Dark Descent is also a great game primarily because it uses the story and setting of two of the most iconic and successful movies of all time. The game is well made and fun to play but it has no multiplayer so beware.
Graphics: 6/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Replayability: 3/10
Story: 8/10
Sound: 8/10
Level Design:7/10

Overall rating is 6.7/10

-High2k

Company of Heroes 3
Release Date: 23 February 2023

Strengths:
-Good multiplayer gameplay

Limitations:
-Less variety in factions and units
-Rating system is poorer than COH2 and looks like it is still in development
-Interface is inferior to COH2
-Graphic animations especially bullets and explosions are slow and inferior to COH2

Conclusion:
COH3 has not been the worthy successor of COH2 which is still an awesome game. This is probably due to the fact that the actual Relic team has been disbanded and the new team just couldn’t replicate the gameplay, graphics or mechanics of COH2. This being said, the game is not bad though. Its multiplayer is fun to play and maybe the only reason to buy this game. Single player is absolutely crap. The game’s interface is inferior to COH1 and COH2. COH3 is made probably to please the kids rather than mature players. Graphics are OK but not better than COH2. Factions are Wehrmacht and Afrika Corps, Italians on the Axis side and USA, British on the Allies side. The positive aspects of COH3 is that they have brought several elements of COH1 into this game like multiple fuel points as opposed to only 2 per map in COH2, units like Flak88, motorcycle, ketenkrad etc. are available in this game. Several new tanks like panzer 3, black prince churchill, matilda, Italian light tanks etc. have been included. Infantry units are more or less the same only differing in weaponry here and there. Overall, it is a fairly decent game but definitely overpriced for the content it offers. But it is worth buying for the good multiplayer gameplay. It makes sense to buy it on sale.

Graphics: 7/10
Gameplay: 7/10
Replayability: 7/10
Story: 4/10
Sound: 6/10
Level Design:7/10
Overall rating is 6.3/10
-High2k

The Callisto Protocol
Release Date: 1 December 2022
Strengths:
-Good looking graphics and models
Limitations:
-Linear gameplay
-Lame, boring, mostly copied story
-Repetitive combat and few weapons

Conclusion:
Callisto protocol is a “Dead Space” wannabe but fails miserably because the same specific reason. This game could have been much better if it did not shamelessly copy several signature aspects from the Dead Space game like heath bar on back of the character’s head, squashing dead bodies to drop items/supplies, atmosphere/setting etc. Moreover, the story is absolutely boring and uninteresting right from the start. I played it for several hours until I just couldn’t bear the crap anymore. Same repetitive boring hand to hand combat for several hours and even after you get a projectile weapon it is nothing special. This game although tries to copy Dead Space fails in almost every aspect to be a worthy spinoff. As a example there was nothing scary in this game something that dead space had. Enemies are extremely lame and dumb. Weapons don’t have multiple firing modes like deadspace had. The only thing positive about this game are probably the graphics which are pretty good but apart from that there is absolutely nothing I could find in this game to recommend it.

Graphics: 8/10
Gameplay: 3/10
Replayability: 3/10
Story: 3/10
Sound: 5/10
Level Design:6/10

Overall rating is 4.6/10

-High2k

Black Mesa
Release Date: 5 May 2015

Strengths:
-A great Half-life-1 remake with improved graphics
-Long levels and playtime average around 14 hrs
-Great fire fights thanks to good AI
-Additional content and expanded levels as compared to the original

Limitations:
-Badly optimized and frequent FPS drops
-Still has bugs that leads to crashes (especially in Lambda Core level)
-Some situations and puzzles can be frustrating (but so was Half-life wasn't it?)

Conclusion:
This game is a remake of the Half-Life-1 made by valve in 1998 which was one of the best seller games of all time. Surprisingly, this remake is worthy enough to be associated with Half-life as it successfully preserves what made the original game unique and adds content on top of it. The most significant improvement is the expansion of the levels Xen, Gonarch's Lair, Interloper which are now vast. AI is brutal and all original weapons have been preserved. The game uses the new Source engine so it appears better but it is poorly optimized and FPS drops are common. Nevertheless, the game is pretty much enjoyable and playable as new areas are included with glimpses of the original ones well preserved. Overall, the game is a must buy for Half-Life fans and if you haven't played that, it stands good as a latest replacement for the same.


Graphics: 7/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Replayability: 5/10
Story: 5/10
Sound: 6/10
Level Design: 8/10

Overall rating is 6.5/10

This is an excellent software for beginners. It has all the basic video editing tools and provides output in a variety of resolutions and formats including MPEG4. Its interface is intuitive and the software is easy to use. Rendering time is acceptable and output quality is good. Many types of basic filters and effects for video editing are included although it is not very exhaustive. But still it good for basic video editing jobs. Recommended.

The Evil Within
Release Date: 14 October 2014

Strengths:
-Refreshing alternative to Resident Evil games with a different story and characters
-Well designed bosses and enemies
-Great fire fights and realistic ballistics
-Action packed with lot of fighting with monsters and zombies
-Long playtime average 12-14 hrs campaign with potentially 30-40 hrs on repeat modes

Limitations:
-Average storyline
-Can be tough and frustrating for novice players
-Linear gameplay
-No multiplayer or co-op modes

Conclusion:
This game is made by Shinji Mikami, who is the famous creator/director of the popular "Resident Evil" games so no doubt this game is very similar to the latter (closest to Resident Evil-4 as far as action is concerned). The similarities are very much obvious in form of the gameplay, action, boss-fights but packed into a different story, characters, and environment. Hence I'd say that it is a definite treat for the Resident Evil fans. This game was surprisingly good and better than what I expected of it. I thought it'd be a typical horror game in which you have to keep running from monsters but it isn't so. There is lot of action in the game e.g. you can fight hordes of zombies (or possessed people whatever you may call them). There are also modern weapons like guns, crossbows, mines, hand-grenades, machine guns etc. that makes combat very much enjoyable. You can also play in stealth way in many situations and kill the enemies by sneaking behind that adds variety to the gameplay. You can upgrade your weapons for damage, reload speed, capacity etc. The iconic boss monsters in the game are superbly designed and made me remember movies "The Ring", "The Grudge", "Silent Hill". I could see fragments of inspiration taken from these movies to create bosses and scenes. There is nothing unique as such about the game and it looks like a spin-off of a Resident Evil game but it is undoubtedly very much fun to play and will keep you hooked till you end all the vast 15 chapters! Best part is that you get to keep all your weapons,upgrades and inventory for the new unlocked mode once you finish the game + you get new bonus weapons as a reward! Moreover the game is very challenging in hard modes. But new players can also enjoy the game by playing the casual mode which is easier. So if you like action survival horror games with a story then "Evil Within" is a definite buy.


Graphics: 8/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Replayability: 8/10
Story: 6/10
Sound: 8/10
Level Design: 8/10

Overall rating is 7.8/10

-High2k

Total waste of money.
1) Installation problems (setup file fails often)
2) Very limited features and novice-type interface (even if you got the .exe file to work!)
3) Many bugs. And 99% of the time the errors can't be backtracked as the software cannot determine the "source of error" (that's funny for a professional software package).
4) Couldn't use it to render even 1 file (I recommend free video editing softwares rather than this). I throw this excuse of a software into my dust bin. No more time waste on this.

Not worth it. Not even on sale.

Worms Revolution

Release Date: 10-Oct-2012

Strengths:
-Funny dialogues and theme
-Action packed
-Cute graphics

Limitations:
-None!

Conclusion:

This is an evolved game from the extremely fun 2D action game "Worms Armageddon" which was launched in 1999. Worms features team based single player or multiplayer deathmatch gameplay and also campaign missions. As the name suggests, you command worms instead of human characters and the main objective of the game is to eliminate the opposing team using a great roster of weapons and utilities at your disposal. You got grenades, shotguns, machine guns, bazookas, petrol bombs, air-strikes and what not. The game is extremely fun and enjoyable with humorous commentary. It is a must have game for arcade lovers and very much fun to play especially with friends or family.

Graphics: 8/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Replayability: 7/10
Story: 7/10
Sound: 8/10
Level Design: 8/10

Overall rating is 7.7/10

-High2k

Resident Evil-3 (Remake)
Release Date: 03 April 2020

Strengths:
-Refreshing new reboot of RE3
-Outstanding graphics and models
-Superbly detailed character animations
-Nice story, fairly well preserved as compared to the original (they didn't spoil it entirely !)
-Quality voice acting (Jill, Carlos, Mikhail, Nicolai, Brad, Tyrell and even the previously unknown doctor guy, all were superb!)
-Action Packed (Nice weapons, and combat is fun!)
-Hunters Included !

Limitations:
-No Mercenaries Mode (Big Let Down !)
-Short campaign time (2-6 hrs)
-Very linear gameplay
-Many enemies (esp. giant worm), locations and scenes deleted as compared to the original
-Limited number of weapons
-No multiplayer or co-op or add-on campaigns for RE3 story

Conclusion:
Being the first RE game that I played, the original RE-3 was undoubtedly my favourite one and hence buying the remake was a no-brainer for me. The game has a good refreshing feeling to it with the setting and story has been slightly modified with more sensible and believable aspects added to some sections. For example, you don't have to place stones in hand of statues to obtain critical items like batteries, characters behaviour more realistic etc. The biggest strength of the remake is how well Capcom has brought out the characters of old RE3 and carefully put them all in almost perfectly in the game. Especially, Jill, Carlos, Mikhail, Nicolai and Tyrell. Amongst the side characters I liked Tyrell very much and refining him from practically zero value character in the old game to the present one was refreshing to see. Jill's personality is more refined and her behaviour is more logical in terms of the situation that she's in. Her toughness and brave character is not compromised though, which is great. Carlos is more sensible and gentlemanly. Mikhail is perfect as a responsible leader, and I would've liked to see more of him in the game. Nemesis is savage and fighting him is still tough if you don't have grenades or powerful weapons with you. His appearance still instils fear which is good. Fighting other enemies is fun lots of ammo is provided as in original which is good. Original save room music and small segments of classic music in some stages has been included. But an option like in RE-2 Remake for enabling classic soundtrack is not included. The game's ending is great and satisfying. Stages are OK, but I'd say they aren't as memorable as the ones in the original.

Now coming to the shortcomings. Yes, there are significant lacunae in the game no doubt, like the first fat guy should've been given more story, the young girl and a man that get killed early in the game should've been added (there is a woman killed but that just doesn't cut it). Jill's lonely stroll through abandoned streets is missing which I think was one of the most powerful scenes in the game. Although these sound as simple things but those events really shaped the tension in the atmosphere at the game's start that made the original game so memorable. Starting cinematic is lazy and extremely casual looking. I'd rather take the one in the original game any day. Cutting the corners clearly show at the game's start (which should've been a slow progression) unfortunately otherwise this game could easily been a masterpiece everybody had hoped for. Some stages like Clock Tower aren't fully included (just mentioned on a document in-game; and wrapped-up to the background of a boss fight! Talking about taking short-cuts lol!). Puzzles, one of the reasons I liked RE games for, were not focused upon, which is not a good step as they added to the uniqueness of RE games and diversified gameplay. "Mercenaries mode" is not included which severely diminishes the game's replay value. Apart from its largely visible limitations RE3-Remake, is a good "Äction" game to play for newbies and for veteran RE players it is a refreshing, fairly good reboot. It's not a perfect RE game, but is definitely playable and has quality. Also, the game is very short. Capcom has included an achievement that unlocks if you can finish it in 2 hrs! Average is 6 hours for the campaign! Without the original "Mercenaries" Mode RE3 is an incomplete reboot and "Project Resistance" that comes strapped with RE-3-Remake doesn't seem to be a proper replacement for it (I'll review that separately though). Final verdict: RE3 remake: great game, definitely worth buying.

Graphics: 10/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Replayability: 8/10
Story: 8/10
Sound: 10/10
Level Design: 8/10

Overall rating is 9/10

-High2k

Call of Duty: Black Ops-2
Release Date: 12 November 2012

Strengths:
-Great graphics, still stand out
-Nice Level Design
-Interesting story and movie-like progression
-Quality voice acting by real movie stars
-Modern weapons roster
-Intense fighting and combat
-Multiplayer still works!
-Additional multiplayer Mode called "Zombies" included in the game

Limitations:
-Typical CoD gameplay (shoot-em up and repetitive)
-Limited weapons

Conclusion:
I can easily say that this is by far one of the best CoD games that I've played. It is very well made in all respects if you analyze its story, game play, mechanics everything is near perfect. You can conveniently choose to breeze through the game using the "easy mode" or challenge your skill by selecting the "hardcore mode" both of them have their own entertainment value. The story picks up from where CoD Black Ops-1 left it and further elaborates on it. While BO-1 had old weapons and setting of the 1960s, this one is a combination of both 1960s stages + stages showcasing modern warfare of the present. Hence, it gives you the gameplay of CoD Modern Warefare as well as CoD Black Ops in one game. The story is very well made and nicely executed. It's literally playing through a movie. It has actual real-life actor models e.g. Admiral Briggs is modelled after actor Tony Todd with his own voice acting whom I first saw in the movie "The night of the living dead (1990)", Mike Harper being modelled after actor Michael Rooker and acted in his own voice . The game also features voice acting by other leading movie stars like Sam Worthington(as Mason), and Michael Keaton (as Hudson). The graphics of the game are awesome not only for a game from 2012 but even today its very much playable and even better than some other similar games! The stages are also set in various locations like Afganistan, Cuba, Myanmar, India, etc. so you don't get bored of a single environmental setting. The stages are also very well diversified e.g. you have some that'll put you in a middle of an all out war taking place (like Rambo-3 movie in Afganistan), some in which you have to perform a covert strike, some in which you have to put a stand to guard a research facility and so on. Gameplay is typical CoD type i.e. shoot anything that moves along with new weapons and drones to control which is very enjoyable. To add to it, the game also includes two separate multiplayer game modes i.e. standard multiplayer and the Zombies (in which you fight against zombies as the name suggests). So, after completing the campaign you can have almost infinite gameplay time by playing these two multiplayer modes. To conclude, it's a definite buy and a great CoD game worth to play even today due to its good story, composition, direction and gameplay!


Graphics: 8/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Replayability: 8/10
Story: 8/10
Sound: 9/10
Level Design: 9/10

Overall rating is 8.5/10

-High2k