Recent reviews by TrapGod

Mortal Kombat has been one of the franchises I was introduced to early on when I started gaming and I think it is safe to say that, as expected from any game, it went through a lot of changes. This entry of the franchise certainly didn't disappoint me. It certainly gets a LOT of things right. Now before we get into this review, this will be from the perspective of a casual fighting game player, but I'll try to make this as objective/relevant as possible. And as always, TL;DR at the end.


MK11's story is a showcase of Netherrealm Studios continuing to build upon the storytelling and cinematic techniques employed in their previous games, and I'm having Injustice 2 in mind. It is centered around Kronika's time-♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ and with timelines from MK9 and the current one merging, without spoiling too much let's say interesting things are bound to happen. They thankfully got rid of the MKX's QTEs at the end of cutscenes practice, and that in itself contributes to the cinematic nature of the story mode. You can easily lay down your controller, grab some snacks and watch the plot unfold in satisfyingly long and appropriately paced cutscenes without feeling the need to skip them. Just like in Injustice 2, some chapters of the story let you choose the character you play as during fights - it doesn't affect the outcome of the chapter, it just offers a bit more diversity.


Combat feels responsive, smooth and polished. Combos and special moves flow beautifully together, krushing blows are a great addition and the splitting of the meter into offensive and defensive gauge opens up to way towards a new layer of decision making. These changes create new and interesting situations you find yourself in, so there's a lot more to improving than just nailing down those inputs or memorizing combo chains. On incredibly rare to almost nonexistent occasions I encountered some hiccups/bugs regarding attack range and hitboxes, but you can easily overlook that.
Krushing blows are attacks that trigger on exact requirements and can only be used once per match, resulting in a short x-ray sequence and greatly boosted damage on that attack (for example, a Jade combo triggers a krushing blow if the first hit of the combo doesn't connect, or a Skarlet overhead attack triggers one if it connects twice in a row, and so on). The extra layer of customization regarding inputs allows you to plan 10 steps ahead of the enemy, giving you absolute full control over when special moves or even krushing blows trigger (you can choose to trigger krushing blows only when you hold down the last button you pressed in the combo).


You have a varied list of kombatants to choose from, both new and returning. I am sure you already looked it up, and I can tell you that aside form Mileena and Reptile (mabye in the next kombat pack), this is coming close to being as complete as the MK9 roster.
Regarding new kombatants, Cetrion, Geras and Kollector are more than welcome additions, especially Geras as he has a really interesting playstyle, albeit being really hard to master. Regarding returning kombatants, Kabal is love, Kabal is life.
None of the characters feel too powerful or underpowered. If a kombatant has a bigger lose rate, it probably is just because he has a harder time against whoever is/was in the meta. So you can always just pick up whoever seems cool if you're new (or whoever is the best waifu/husbando if you're a seasoned veteran of the series) and have great fun.

• The graphics and animations are gorgeus, needless to say, and some characters like the Kollector (multiple arms) really showcase how powerful the engine is.
  
• Online is great at the time of writing this review. I didn't play many matches but I have yet to experience awful connectivity problems or lack of players.
  
• The tutorial is amazingly done, from the most basic concepts explained fast and effective to making you understand frame data in a way that doesn't feel like a chore, I think every player should go through it once, regardless if you are new or not.
  
• The Krypt left me dumbstruck. Instead of going for a tile-based-movement unlock the chests minigame, the emphasis for exploration and the beautifully rendered environments left me wishing that in the future, they'll make it its own spinoff adventure game (and that it will hopefully turn out better thant Mythologies: Sub-Zero).
  
• Fatalities are as gross and beautiful as ever. We have become absolutely numb to violence, mates. Of course, it gets old seeing the same 2 fatality animations over and over again for a character, but if you get bored of that just go for brutalities - way more rewarding when you pull them off.

- Amazing, but like every fighting game, if you're playing casually or just can't be bothered to learn all the characters, it gets repetitive.

Amazing entry in the MK franchise, well worth the time and money you'll invest in it. Top-notch story. Gameplay is as good as it gets. The Krypt is stunning. The amazingly-executed tutorial has new players ready to go in no time. It will get repetitive depending on how you play it.

This game lets me live out my dream of being a pro fisherman. I have always had the wish of 360-no scoping spotted bass and rainbow trouts with my MLG fishing rod. Now I am in the talks to join the FaZe fisherman clan and am waiting acceptance so I can become the very best lake trickshotter. I cry tears of joy every time I manage to n00btube the mackrel spawning spot with my boys. Truly an enlightening experience.

10/10 - would get blasted by an AK47-wielding salmon again

I am writing this review straight after I finished the game because I can not, for the life in me, let anyone else touch this piece of crap without heeding them that this game is a t o t a l mess. As a quick introduction, under no circumstance should you buy it unless you are a masochist or have too much time or money on your hands and want to buy this instead of throwing it in the trash. Spoiler alert: throwing your money in the trash is better than buying this. I got the game for free at a giveaway and I still feel robbed.

Ok then, now that I could express these feelings, it is time to get into the actual review, the part where I explain objectively why it is a bad game.


So, Styx is a century-old goblin assassin and thief who takes a job that turns up getting him involved in a hot mess regarding elves, dwarves and amber. Amber is a substance that he uses to fuel his powers like invisibility and cloning, presented as a sort of drug due to the addiction it gives its users. I don't want to spoil the story but I will say that it is awfully mediocre. The classic fantasy tropes are used without much imaginative change. The only thing that was alright was the idea of a goblin plague and of an organization named C.A.R.N.A.G.E that trained humans and dwarves alike to become goblin-killers. The side characters are bland and unmemorable, and because I do not want to repeat myself in the sections to come: this whole game is characterized by mediocrity .

When is comes to Styx, the protagonist, things get cringe worthy. He has a humor that I can describe only as trying to copy DeadPool but missing every fun aspect. Since every time you die he appears in the game over screen and starts talking to you, apparently the developers believe that breaking the 4th wall in any chance they get is exciting, amazes the audience and makes them laugh their asses off. I have absolutely not rolled my eyes every time he came to my screen with a line like "Is that your controller in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?" or "I'll have you know that the jump button is not between your ass cheeks!". Sarcasm aside, his jokes are anything but funny to anyone that's past 12 years old. Because he has a different line depending on the cause of your game over, if the lines were actually well written, it would have been quite an interesting element. It can be seen from a mile away that he is an utterly failed attempt at a bombastic, badass and comical character that would have stolen people's hearts. The only thing that was not that bad about Styx was his voice acting.


I must say, the tutorial level really had me liking the mechanics, albeit them being the classic stealth gameplay with little twists here and there. It actually seemed like a game with a lot of potential. Sure, there were some bugs here and there, but it would get better (that is the lie I have told myself over and over until mission 6 when I would have quit if I weren't so far into the game). You have your everyday crouch, detection bars, floors that make quieter or louder sounds, stealth kills, invisibility power, a skill tree, a crafting table, etc. (none of them out of the ordinary stuff you usually find in a stealth game). Stealth kills were somewhat impressing since they are split into two: tap the button to perform a kill that is faster but the nearby enemies will hear you, or hold the button for a slower kill, but you muffle the enemy while doing it. Kind of like in Hitman where you can snap someone's neck with the fiber wire or just choke them to unconsciousness with it, except in this game you have literally 0 methods that are non-lethal, and the funny thing is you even have a medal in every mission for not killing anyone, but that didn't bother me since I saw it as a welcome challenge.

Well, it would have been a welcome challenge if the rest of the mechanics were actually well implemented. Good idea, poor execution. The thing that stands out the most for me, since I always tried taking the high routes, is the "parkour" mechanics, which are devastatingly clunky and horrifyingly buggy. 90% of the times I ended up dying because Styx would just randomly decide to woosh off a ledge, drop without grabbing anything or fall through/next to the ledge I was trying to grab next. Since the jumps don't auto-lock to the closest thing near you that you can jump on, it ends up giving off the feeling of a 3D platformer that was never meant to be a 3D platformer, and so players trying to take any route involving the low way or the high way are automatiaclly discouraged.

The A.I is quite unbalanced due to the bugs it is experiencing. One mission the enemies will have no clue you are there if you are standing 10 meters in front of them in a fully lit hallway, and another mission the same type of enemy will look towards you when you throw a distraction item instead of where the item was thrown, instantly blowing your cover (no, that is not a feature, I know some stealth game A.I does that on purpose but here it's not the case). And the same type of enemy will see you if you are 20 meters away from them, on a rooftop in broad daylight, just by looking in your general direction. Since the game has a smell mechanic (you can see the smell trail left by enemies if you activate your amber vision) and dwarves are the only enemies that can smell your presence, that is the only challenge I have found in the otherwise dumb enemies.


Checkpoints. Checkpoints are at fault for 80% of this game's problems. Of course other issues wouldn't be so evident if you had a different checkpoint system, but when the last auto-save pulls you back 30 minutes across the level, you start noticing the things I mentioned above as well.

Let me explain. There are 2 situations of checkpoints I have found in this game, where you can't manual save mid-level:

a) A checkpoint every 2 or 3 objectives: you are in a city of goblin hunters with enemies that insta-kill you if they catch you. You have to find 3 bombs. You find a warehouse with the first bomb.Auto-save. You have to follow footprints. You get to the source of the footprints (note that they take you through half the map of the level). You have to follow the another set that stems from the source. You find a warehouse with a closed gate to the second bomb. A locked door guarded by a dwarf is the only point of entry. Let's say you try something, he detects you, and you die here. Look back to when the game last saved. It took you a good 15 minutes (or more depending on your playstyle) to follow those footsteps and get to the second bomb, and now you're back there. Fail 2 more times and roughly 45 minutes of your day are down the drain due to horrible game design.

b) 2 checkpoints... on the same objective? : "Saved successfully" will sometimes appear in the corner of your screen two times after a random objective that was usually easy to get to. Maybe it is a visual bug.

Also, the level design is sometimes good, but "good" is the maximum it reaches. There are 2 boss fights as well, with the last one being there just for the sake of making the game longer. I won't talk about the graphics since they are not relevant by the time of this review and you're probably not playing it for its beauty anyway.


All the bad elements combined make this game a definite no-go. The bugs, the horrible controls, the mediocre story, the bland characters, the humor that is trying too hard and the simple, unimpressive dialogue make this game shine by absolutely nothing. It gets really frustrating at times, albeit being quite short, and doesn't really give you any reason to buy it except if you are a fan of Styx because you played the previous games.

My god, that ending... now I get why every person and their mother wants Half-Life 3. (sorry for being so late to the party)

I am a total slasher movie nut. My favourite character from the genre, Jason Voorhes, the protagonist of Friday the 13th, got an awful game to my great sadness. I wanted to like it, I really did, but no luck. So I picked my dignity up from the floors of the PlayStation Store and went back to good ole' Dead by Daylight. It is a game I've always been delighted to play, albeit it getting quite repetitive after some time (if you play survivor, or after you master your playable killers if you main said role). I have to admit there have been periods of time when it was just gathering dust in my library, but once I bought my first DLC, there was no going back. The entity had pulled me in.


Before I start judging the actual gameplay, I need to adress the thing that most of you might be looking at when opening the game's store page: the DLC. Why so much? Does it even help? Isn't it overpriced? To be very brief, this game is amazing even without any DLC. First of all, you can do great in the game without spending a single dime on the so-called "chapters" (since atm of writing this, the "strongest" killer is the Nurse, which is integrated in the vanilla character pool, and any survivor can do well in any tier). So, a Chapter gives you a new killer and a new survivor:
1. Each survivor comes with 3 specific starting perks (see the "GAMEPLAY" section), which can be taught to other survivors by leveling them up until the perk becomes teachable, and will appear in the bloodweb of others OR you can purchase the perk directly with iridescent shards (the currency you earn for leveling up your account) if it appears in the Shrine of Secrets (a part of the store with 4 perks which refreshes every week) (*killer perks also available). Cool, right? Reason nr.1 you don't have to buy any dlc.
2. Each killer and survivor that isn't licensed(from a movie, e.g: Leatherface, Freddy, etc.) CAN be purchased from the in-game store for iridescent shards.
You can basically earn any content in the game that isn't licensed without spending real money. That also means the you can get the licensed characters' perks. But once you put enough hours in the game, you will want by yourself to purchase some DLC. After all, supporting devs is great!


The premise is simple. 5 players. 1 killer, 4 survivors. Either escape as a survivor or kill all the survivors as a killer. A killer has a basic attack, a lunge (holding down the attack button will result in a longer range but proportionally higher exhaust time) and a special ability. If you miss the attack, you get an exhaustion time in which you look down for a bit and become slower, giving the survivor a very brief escape window. The exhaustion applies on landed attacks as well, but that time it's bigger. The special ability is different from killer to killer and can manifest itself in a variety of ways, such as placing bear traps, teleporting, throwing hatchets and much much more. Survivors are all the same gameplay-wise, having no special ability, thus only being affected by the various perks in-game and by the item they go into the trial (match) with. Perks buff certain actions (see the killer's outline on the map for a certain amount of time when they break a pallet) or can act as a double-edged sword, buffing a certain aspect but also having some sort of side-effect (a sprint at 150% of your speed for a certain amount of time but leaving you exhausted for a time). Items are common things such as toolboxes, medkits, or flashlights, which break over time with usage and which are lost if you are killed in a match (but fret not, you'll get more than your fair share of items). Each item and perk has a rarity grade, indicating their efectiveness. Survivors have to repair 5 generators (repair speed which can be increased by using a toolbox) and open the exit gates of the killer's hunting grounds to win the game. The killer has to use sacrificial hooks to get survivors out of the game for good. One hit injures the survivor, making them grunt and leave trails of blood, and 2 puts them in a dying state, at which point they can be picked up and carried to an aforementioned hook. During this time, survivors can wiggle in a last attemp to escape the killer's grasp. If they are put on a hook, they can be released by a fellow teammate or if their time expires they die (you can also attemp to escape on your own at the price of shortening the sacrifice time). Each time a survivor is put on the hook again, the sacrifice advances to a point in which they will be instantly killed if it is their 3rd time on a hook (at maximum). The survivor can also evade a killer by stunning them with a pallet (if dropped straight on them), placed very conveniently all across the map for your convenience. You can vault over the pallet but the killer needs to either consume precious time by breaking it or choosing an alternate route. The maps also offer a variety of windows you can vault over and ledges you can drop from. Of course there are millions of strategies, like tunneling, rushing the generators, stealth, pallet-looping and so on, some of which are considered toxic(see the "COMMUNITY" section) , but you will discover everything on your own once you get playing.


Remember when I said that you'll get plenty of items? Well, that is all thanks to the bloodweb, the character progression system. After a match you will get a certain amount of blood points based on your actions, regardless of the match result. The blood points are universal and you can spend them for any character, be it a killer or survivor, which makes playing with your main in order to level up another character a good pasttime. The bloodweb offers various items, item add-ons (you can start the trial with max 2 add-ons on the item of your choice) which buff the item's effects (or could as well have side-effects, just like perks) and perks (because there are also a good amount of universal perks, which you can "capture" in the bloodweb and level up a max 3 times depending on how many times you invested blood points in them). Killers and survivors also have ranks, which are shared among all killers/survivors. You are ranked from 20 to 1 (1 being the best rank), depending on how well you do in games. Finally, there is the general player level, which rewards you with the iridescent shards I mentioned above for every level earned. This might sound a bit complicated, but believe me, once you see it in-game it all becomes clear as day. I apologize for my poor explanation skills, but I hope I managed to make you curious (at least) about the game. Now, onto a more subjective matter...


Each game has toxic tryhards, but at least the lower ranks provide a safe haven from them in DBD. To make a long story short: killer mains accuse survivors of being toxic because of them using valid strategies for winning, and vice versa. Some survivors are indeed toxic (teabagging at the exit), just as some killers are (camping a hook). This is why some players derank on purpose, to taste the good side of the game again. The matchmaking can also be a bit dumb regarding this matter, since every now and then you will get matched with someone 5 ranks lower or higher than you. That's just how life is, I guess. But as long as you remember that you play for FUN, you should be all good!


Dead by Daylight is the best assymetrical multiplayer game the market has to offer right now. It has a great slasher theme, combined with supernatural elements at times. You need not spend anything on DLC, but you will, once you see that the game deserves it. With an easy to learn, hard to master curve, DBD proves to be great fun, wether with friends or alone.

So today I was browsing various shops for a new Funko Pop to add to my collection when I stumbled upon various figures from Bendy and the Ink Machine, and quite immediately fell in love with the aestethic of the characters. I was at a crossroads between Sammy Lawrence and Aloy from the amazing Horizon Zero Dawn. Being the indecisive asshat that I sometimes have the tendency to be, my girlfriend suggested that I give Bendy a shot to help me decide on the figure I am about to buy. After playing it, I honestly couldn't get my mind off it and so here I am, writing a review. The things you are about to read are my opinion on solely the first chapter, which is free and available for you to play right now.


The plot of this game is ink-credibly (heh) well presented. You can feel from the first moment of entering the first-person perspective of Henry that something went, is going, and will go terribly wrong in the workshop. With a lot of mystery shrouding the player and the events that unfolded in that cursed place, it's your job to figure out more about Bendy and why you are back in the workshop in the first place. Hints scattered throughout the map horrify and intrigue at the same time, making you want to keep exploring. There are also audio logs that the player can find to get a deeper perspective on the story and try to piece togheter the how's and why's. This is all that I think should be said about the story here.


What I liked best about this little gem is that it is truly an atmospheric experience, rather than the game relying on cheap jumpscares to get a reaction out of you. The halls of the workshop all give you the same sense of dread and when crap truly hits the fan you realize you had nothing to be scared of up to now, but you were terrified. The gameplay is rather simple, having the classic sprint and interact buttons and light puzzle elements that rely on exploring and paying attention to the environment rather than wits. Where I think this game truly shines is the sound design. It has masterfully crafted acoustics, subtle cues that send chills down your spine and everything you should come to expect from a quality horror production. The sound is what unsettles you combined with the sepia aestethic that simply gives you anxiety as you walk around the workshop. Just like my girlfriend said, this game plays with your mind, makes you think you are watched at all times, makes you think you are followed and that you can meet your untimely demise at any moment. But you come to realize that the "jumpscares" aren't even jumpscares and that you are getting ♥♥♥♥♥♥ over by an extra cartoonish sound effect here and there and some things not being where you memorised them to be. This is what makes Bendy and the Ink Machine a special and different horror game, and hats off to it for providing the best horror I have experienced in a long time.


I will certainly buy the next chapters when they are on sale because honestly the game time is really short (at least chapter 1 was), and update this review when I do, but the only thing I can imagine adding is just encouraging you even more to play it and eventually buy the rest of the game. The only thing that kind of bummed me was that you get an axe at the end of the episode, and get to use it for a couple of seconds to clear some wooden boards from a door, but I am a firm believer that games in which you have no means to attack the threat are exponentially scarier than games in which you do, so a combat system would be the last thing this game needs, though I strongly doubt that it is added later on. I don't usually write reviews for free games but I just reckoned that more people need to experience this beautiful atmospheric horror because I just felt ashamed of not playing it earlier (but don't tell HER that). So please, do so at your earliest convenince. The first chapter is barely 1gb and is free, just give it a try. You won't regret it. Or you will when you experience the dread. We'll see.


A small, atmospheric horror that will make you jump when it wants to. Amazing sound design and aestethic. The first chapter is free, I urge you to give it a try!

If you managed to avoid spoilers about this game since it was released, then I can tell you that it's still absolutely worth playing. Life is Strange is a story about Max Caulfield, a girl who discovers she can rewind time as she pleases. She needs to overcome high school drama and save Arcadia Bay from itself with her childhood friend Chloe Price. But there's more to this game than just a well-written story. Here's why you should play it.


First of all, i'm sure you've heard it a million times from other reviews or friends of yours, but this game's story completely rocks. It's filled with tense moments, comedy, drama and just purely good story telling. There's nothing more you can wish from a great story. It does an astounding job at building the characters and making you feel for them. It's overall a beautiful experience. The art style is definitely one of the best out there, it perfectly borders reality and the game, not being too realistic while not going for a fully-fledged video game appearance. It's a perfect balance, all the better for keeping you at the edge of your seat, since you can still sometimes forget it's just a game. Also, the soundtrack is one of the best I've heard in a game, and has a place right up there with Hyper Light Drifter for me. It features outstanding acoustic guitar songs and manages to create a truly atmospheric expreience for the player.


The main thing I disliked about the game was the length of the episodes. There are some filler scenes that don't contribute to the story in any way, but thankfully you can avoid some of them. Even this is a plus if you like more content and more insight on the backstory of Arcadia Bay and its residents. You can squeeze out about 4-5 hours from each episode if you play it the completionist way. A big game changer was also that, in the end, your choices throughout the game mean absolutely nothing. Whatever you do, there are still two endings you can choose from right in the last 10 minutes of gameplay. That kind of made the whole game and emotions I went through obsolete. And lastly, some of Max's dialogue options or actions make you facepalm yourself since all of you with a common sense can find that there are more logical aproaches to a situation than what you can do in the game. But, thankfully, these situations are scarce.


Victoria. 'Nuff said.


In the end, for me, this game is a fond memory of my loving girlfriend and it will always hold a special place in my heart, no matter how good or bad Life is Strange might actually be. I played it alongside her and I enjoyed every second of the time we spent togheter with this amazing game. And whether you are alone or not, you will cherish the chance to play this game. Trust me on this one, folks. And with episode 1 being free, you can pretty much build an opinion for yourself about it, so there's really no reason to delay playing it. If you liked the first episode and want more of this beautiful story, every other part of the game is more of what you love about it.

PROS:
+absolutely mind-blowing story
+the art style
+the branching paths in gameplay
+magnificent soundtrack

CONS:
-episodes are a bit lengthy and boredom sometimes intervenes
-it all boils down to two choices in the end
-Victoria (god I hate her)

PART 3/3 OF MY BLACK OPS SERIES REVIEW


If you are the type of Call of Duty fan that I am, you most likely enjoyed the Black Ops (except the third installment maybe) and Modern Warfare games the most. And that's good! Because, for most of us, this is where the franchise peaked, both in quality and story-wise (if you play games like Call of Duty for the story). So now with possible rumours of Black Ops 4 on the way in 2018, I embarked on the quest of reviewing the series, and hopefully help some of you who still haven't made up your mind about your opinion on Call of Duty. I will say it straight from the beginning: the Black Ops series is worth it at the very least. Let's see why.


So... you liked the story of Alex and David Mason? You liked the way those characters were built and the intense narrative? You want more of the soldiers you know and love? Lol, no, ♥♥♥♥ you. Treyarch decides to throw all of that in the trash and start anew with a story that has absolutely no link to the previous Black Ops games. I'm gonna be 100% honest with you here, I didn't understand a single bit of Black Ops 3's tale that it's so desperately trying to deliver in an interesting way. Spoiler alert, it's not interesting at all. While the other games were engaging and had deep, beautifully constructed plots, BO3 is a story about... ♥♥♥♥ if I know. You basically play as a custom character (don't expect any depth to the level of customization, it's about 3 faces and 2 caps and that's it) which loses his/her limbs in an operation that goes terribly wrong. Then you get on a mission to destroy...the...Illuminati or something. Honestly it's quite twisted. What I'm trying to say is that the campaign isn't in the last bit memorable. Not the characters, not your motives, not anything. It's just a big mess. That's probably why you see so many "Train go boom" memes and "Black Ops 3 ending explained" videos on Youtube. But the gameplay of the campaign in itself is alright. The new thing is that you have some new, enhanced abilities which are actually pretty fun to use.


While many people don't take this game seriously because of the new movement mechanics, I can tell you the multiplayer here is quite solid. Unlike other CoD games, here you have specialists you can use in multiplayer instead of random/perk specific character models. These specialist have some abilities which give you an edge against other players, for example a bow with explosive arrows, invisibility, traps with nano-bees that kill any enemy that steps in them (it sounds ridiculous, I know), or some portable seismic charges that insta-kill nearby enemies (it may sound overpowered but you mostly get 1 or max 2 kills with it because of the short range and the fact that sometimes you don't even get to use them since you have to jump to trigger them and the enemy can kill you in mid-air). The new movement system with sliding and thrusters which allow you to glide or jump higher is actually well-implemented and smooth. It can make for some interesting plays or can be very frustrating at times, depending on the situation. But overall, it's a nice experience.


This is the part where Black Ops 3 shines the most. This is, without any doubt the best CoD game for zombies mode. Yes you have the classic 4 dlc formula for unlocking the current zombies maps, but there's also a dlc called "Zombie Chronicles" which allows you to play better, remastered versions of almost all of the zombies maps in previous CoD games. That is just awesome. Besides the fact that, in the age of Steam Workshop, you have hundreds of user-submitted maps at your disposal, maps which are pretty damn good most of the time. Even if you don't buy any dlc, the user maps and Shadows of Evil (the zombies map you get by default) are still gonna ensure you have a blast if you buy this game only for this mode. My respect to Treyarch for this amazing, top-notch zombies experience.


Black Ops 3 is overall a pretty good game. Being the best Call of Duty for zombies mode and having a fun multiplayer mode, I say it's still worth the 60$ price tag. Just don't expect wonders from the campaign or, even better, don't even play it.

PROS:
+Steam Workshop allows for countless hours of fun with zombies maps
+modifications to the multiplayer are a nice change of pace
+Zombie Chronicles dlc is worth every single penny

CONS:
-horrible story

My Black Ops 1 review: http://steamproxy.net/id/danthegentleman/recommended/42700/
My Black Ops 2 review: http://steamproxy.net/id/danthegentleman/recommended/202970/

PART 2/3 OF MY BLACK OPS SERIES REVIEW


If you are the type of Call of Duty fan that I am, you most likely enjoyed the Black Ops (except the third installment maybe) and Modern Warfare games the most. And that's good! Because, for most of us, this is where the franchise peaked, both in quality and story-wise (if you play games like Call of Duty for the story). So now with possible rumours of Black Ops 4 on the way in 2018, I embarked on the quest of reviewing the series, and hopefully help some of you who still haven't made up your mind about your opinion on Call of Duty. I will say it straight from the beginning: the Black Ops series is worth it at the very least. Let's see why.


Black Ops 2 continues the story of CIA operative Alex Mason and begins the one of his son, David Mason, codename "Section", member of SEAL Team Six. The game continues the theme of revenge of the first game, but this time it's David's turn to avenge his father's death and overthrow the infamous terrorist Raul Menendez. The game takes place in 2025, with flashbacks to 1986. It features missions from the future starring David and missions from the past in which you play as Alex Mason, more precisely the memories of his best friend Frank Woods. The plot is intense from start to finish and makes for some cinematic moments to remember, which, again, you find only in games of the caliber of CoD. It absolutely rocks, even if the campaign is rather short. But it is governed by player choices, which I won't spoil. I also recommend playing this campaign on hardened or veteran difficulty, see why in my Black Ops 1 review.


The option of buying this game only for the multiplayer is still viable. Black Ops 2 still has a solid playerbase, even in 2018. It is completely boots on the ground (and I think we can agree that it's the best boots on the ground CoD to date, since WW2 is a complete mess on PC), and plays absolutely beautiful. Everything from the controls to the arsenal and mechanics is perfect.


Only one zombies map comes with the base game and to unlock the others you need to purchase the 4 dlc available to get the complete Black Ops 2 zombies experience. The map unlocked by default is Green Run, the town and farm to be more precise. There are two game modes, the classic Survival and Tranzit, which is basically the story mode. Not really a smart move do buy this one only for the zombies mode, but again, if you have money to spend, who am I to stop you?


Black Ops 2 is a great experience for veteran CoD players and newcomers alike, with an almost flawless multiplayer component. It's a shooter for everyone, because I am sure that anyone can find at least a thing they like about this game. For some, the 60$ price tag might still be worth a buy just because of the amount of playime you can get from the multiplayer.

PROS:
+the finale of the story of the Mason family
+boots on the ground multiplayer that people still play
+new zombies game mode, TranZit

CONS:
-the other zombies maps locked behind a paywall, as always

My Black Ops 1 review: http://steamproxy.net/id/danthegentleman/recommended/42700/
My Black Ops 3 review: http://steamproxy.net/id/danthegentleman/recommended/311210

PART 1/3 OF MY BLACK OPS SERIES REVIEW


If you are the type of Call of Duty fan that I am, you most likely enjoyed the Black Ops (except the third installment maybe) and Modern Warfare games the most. And that's good! Because, for most of us, this is where the franchise peaked, both in quality and story-wise (if you play games like Call of Duty for the story). So now with possible rumours of Black Ops 4 on the way in 2018, I embarked on the quest of reviewing the series, and hopefully help some of you who still haven't made up your mind about your opinion on Call of Duty. I will say it straight from the beginning: the Black Ops series is worth it at the very least. Let's see why.


Black Ops 1 starts the story of Alex Mason, a CIA operative who was brainwashed and is now trying to get revenge and most importantly, regain grip of his sanity. The campaign is full of epic moments and plot twists you only get in a franchise the caliber of Call of Duty, and is just overall a great run. To further enhance your experience, I recommend playing on the hardened or veteran difficulty. This just makes the campaign a million times better. Why? Because it turns Call of Duty from an arcade "run and gun" shooter where you are some kind of super soldier into a game where you actually have to use tactics to survive. I guarantee you won't need a single grenade on a lower difficulty, but from hardened onwards, you have to use the full arsenal at your disposal. Because you can't just rush in and be a bullet sponge like many of you are used to when playing a CoD campaign. It makes every moment count, every checkpoint reached a great relief, and every firefight an intense encounter. Also the enemies have almost the same amount of health as the player in these difficulties, which evens the playground. Just trust me on this one.


There may not be many players left but the playerbase is still impressive in 2018, for a game realeased in 2010. The only con about the multiplayer here is that the mouse movement feels clunky, the sensitivity is not quite right (at least for me). But the multiplayer is still fun since most servers nowadays restrict the ballistic knife, grenade launchers/rpgs and the perk last stand (which allows you to shoot your pistol from the ground after your health is depleted), which is only fair in my opinion, since they mostly ruin the fun by being overpowered. Not the best multiplayer experience in the franchise so if you were only thinking of buying the game for multiplayer I recommend getting Black Ops 2 instead.


Like in most zombies modes in CoD, only one map is available for free and the others are locked behind the 4 other dlcs' paywall (which I recommend not buying since there's very few players that still play the zombies mode in Black Ops 1. If you're here for the best zombies experience, try Black Ops 3). Though after beating the campaign you unlock the map "Five" in which takes place in the Pentagon and you can play as significant real-life figures from the Cold War era (US president John Kennedy, secretary Robert McNamara, the president of Cuba Fidel Castro and US president Richard Nixon). The map unlocked by default is Kino der Toten in which you play as the original zombies characters (Nikolai, Dempsey, Takeo and Richtofen) and is overall a solid zombies experience with plenty of content. For new players who don't know what the zombies mode is, it's a game mode in which you fight increasingly difficult waves of undead (mostly german soldiers) while trying to complete objectives like turning on the power for the map and grinding for more powerful weapons like the notorious Ray Gun.


Black Ops 1 is an iconic game for the CoD franchise which still offers, after 8 years, an amazing experience and plenty of playtime. Steer away from buying it at full price since it's absolutely not worth it in this state (few players). Only buy this game in 2018 if you're looking to get access to the beginning of a great story. But I am still recommending it for veterans of the Call of Duty franchise and for those interested in the campaign. Don't buy the game for multiplayer or zombies only (unless you have a lot of money to spend on the dlcs, then, by all means, go ahead. Who am I to stop you?)

PROS:
+absolutely magnificent debut of the Black Ops series story

CONS:
-few players in zombies and multiplayer (but you'll still be able to find some matches)
-mouse movement and sensitivity in multiplayer are troublesome
-the 40$ price tag, 8 years after release, plus the zombies dlcs



My Black Ops 2 review: http://steamproxy.net/id/danthegentleman/recommended/202970/
My Black Ops 3 review: http://steamproxy.net/id/danthegentleman/recommended/311210