Recent reviews by Sol

Yeah so I don't write reviews here very often, but this warranted it and not in a good way.

I bought Skyrim VR and had a heap of fun with it. Yeah it wasn't great out of the box, but it was at the very least a playable, complete experience that ran really quite well even on my laptop (RTX 2060, Ryzen 7 4800H, 16GB RAM). With only a few mods applied that experience went from very playable to extremely compelling and in my opinion one of the best VR experiences you can get right now.

Fallout 4 VR is not the same; out of the box this game is borderline unplayable. Performance on the same hardware is awful, with constant stuttering and frequent larger frame drops. Not only does it perform worse than Skyrim VR on my machine, it also looks far worse somehow with almost no ability to change anything, with both the fidelity of the graphics being far lower and the resolution being a blurry mess. My height is completely wrong, feeling like I'm knee deep in the floor at all times and adjusting the world scale only makes things worse somehow. Bro, they didn't even make the menus VR ready, which at least Skyrim did but here they literally play the damn main menu as a floating flat-screen in front of you. Not only all this, the game is inherently un-immersive as they didn't even give you the luxury of floating hands, they're just invisible except for a few instances where they showed my CONTROLLERS in game instead.

I hoped with all my heart that the modding scene would help, but after an hour of research and installing some of the most basic improvements such as FRIK and various patches, it is honestly still completely unplayable in my opinion. I'm seriously debating whether to refund it even though I paid only a tenner, it's that shocking. I will likely keep it with the faint hope that the modding scene salvages it further, but for now it will sit and collect dust.

Hold on to your helmet, this'll be a long one...

Does this game even need an explanation? The subsequent game in the series to 'Oblivion', it is in my opinion a genuine improvement. Aside from the obvious graphical improvement (which can be upped ridiculously further via modding), the middleage-european atmosphere has been abandonned for a more enticing nordic-fantasy one, to which I am enjoying far more greatly, allowing for a far greater variety of situations and sights.

In terms of gameplay, movement is better weighted, but the melee combat itself remains largely untouched; as such the 'floatiness' and of swinging remains also. This is not to my preference, as it greatly detracts from the satisfaction you could have felt from strikes. Magic and casting however, is infinitely more diverse and satisfying. While not perfect, casting double handed is both completely, jawdroppingly epic and far more practical. You may level up aspects of your spell tree to your liking, and the freedom that comes with this is dizzying. However, with this freedom comes a major detraction. Oblivion's spellmaking opened up so many clever possibilities with its options to 'design' spells - now you're mostly restricted to what you can buy in shops or s̶ᴛ̶ᴇ̶ᴀ̶ʟ find.

Levelling up in terms of other abilities is seamless and effective, as you organically become more proficient in whatever you use most, a far better option than picking your majoring class before you even know what you may be up against. The the enemies are generally what you would expect in all honestly, if not somewhat uninspired. You'll face off against spiders, skeletons, big spiders, skeletons that can shout at you a bit. It's only when you REALLY get into the meat of the world that you find any prominent enemies worth your time. Specifically, the dragons you will battle are absolutely astounding, with your first kill an amazing moment in your 'venture.

Visuals are satisfactory. Nothing more. Not reaaaaally BAD, but also not amazing at all.
...

Lol jk. with the application of mods this can be quickly remedeed. Oh, we're not talking a HD texture patch, cus Bethesda already gave us that. We're talking complete overhall in all areas. Textures, decals, models, partical effects, lighting, water, everything. The phidelity can reach 'Crysis' levels with a nice enough combination of mods, and while this is technically is not the cause of the game, the modding community is so dedicated and integrated to the scene that it might as well be, and for PC; come on, seriously, modding's a friggin standard. The actuall surroundings of Skyrim are diverse and dynamic, and are far in preference for me to Oblivion (maybe Morrowind?). My only gripe is that a large portion of the main story string seems to occur surrounded by snow, but the fact that there ARE many other seasons to see mostly neutralises this complaint anyway.

Sound and music are adequate, but are in comparison less magnificent than the sights you witness in parallel. Not very much to address here. The only notable addition to the soundtrack is the main theme, which is so stupidly epic that it almost... ALMOST makes up for the rest of the score. However, the rest of the score DOES serve its purpose, with some pleasantly mellow tracks that act as peaceful ambiance to your travels.

The actual *main* plot is something that I cannot praise, as for an unsual reason its massively hazy in my memory. This was likely due to its briefity and comparitive disengagement from the sheer magnitude of the rest of the game. The final boss is great but not fantastic, but my main complaint for the story line stems from its predicticality. You are TOLD very early on that YOU are the Dragonborn, and as such this detracts from the overall revelation. However, this was in fact likely for the best, as you would in response be unable to perform shouts, kill dragons, etcetera until much later than otherwise allowable. Not as fun to be honest. Skryrim... You forgiven.

I have so much to say about this game that I'd go on for much, much longer. But this is getting out of hand. To wrap up, out of the DLC available, 'Dawngaurd' is easily most worth your time. More story driven than 'Dragonborn', it will extend your adventure in a more meaninful, motivational manner. 'Hearthfire' is fairly unneeded and can be replaced by some mods, while 'Dragonborn' is somewhat less polished and briefer.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is quite frankly a masterpiece, and (debatably) one of the best in the series. You can't go wrong, with literally hundreds of hours of gameplay available even after the main story line is over, picking this up on discount for as little as 4 freaking pounds sterling should be criminal. But I love it.

+ Ceaseless, seamless character progression
+ Beautiful, intricate open world
+ Polished casting system, geniously combinable with melee combat
- Somewhat lackluster visuals and sound -- (ironically improvable with mods)

9.5/10 ~ Phenomenal
------------------------
10/10 ~ MASTERPIECE [with mods]

No joke. Absolutely serious. With a delicate combination of mods, Skyrim can literally become perfect. Remove the faults. BAM. Done.

EpicSouls (Sam)

The practice of witchcraft has obviously continued unhindered at Crytek HQ, because Crysis 2 manages to look even better than it's predecessor. However, unlike it's predecessor, Crysis 2 doesn't quite manage to get quite as much right, and not even ridiculously beautiful visuals can patch that up.

Unlike the first Crysis, Crysis 2 sets it's scene in a post-invasion New York City that has been partially infested by the alien Ceph. Players take the role of US Marine, Alcatraz, the only believed survivor of his team. Upon arriving in the city, you soon discover that an alien invasion is upon the planet, and meeting 'Prophet' you quickly set off to put a halt to the invasion equipped with all the wondrous capabilities of the Nanosuit.

Sporting an updated engine, Crysis 2 is a simply beautiful game. While some may disagree, it's quite plain that Crysis 2 is in fact better to look at than the first game, with improved lighting effects, tessellation and rendered models. Light slithers through leaves casting majestic rays to the ground, bricks jut from the walls and shatter on impact while dust kicks up at the vibrations of your firearm. Crytek's second iteration is a spectacular action ride with a phenomenal soundtrack composed by Hans Zimmer himself, and vertigo inducing cityscapes that would put a movie to shame. I don't usually get quite so worked up over something quite so trivial as visuals in a game, but in this instance, you just can't take an achievement such as this lightly. On a different note, the game play has been streamlined from the first game, with the Nanosuit ability interface from Crysis replaced with one that combines strength and speed into a single mode, and binocular and identification vision implemented into the suit, instead of as external tools. Furthermore, a climb and parkour system helps to speed the flow, overall creating a far more slimmed down experience that actually does improve the game in some respects. While some may disagree, I do feel that this far better fits Crysis as whole.

Thanks to the improved engine, Crysis 2 was able to run on last generation's consoles, but because of this the game doesn't quite look as good as it could have been, and does suffer from some limitations that could possibly have been avoided had the game been designed as a PC exclusive like the first game. Environments, while aesthetically pleasing and atmospherically different, are far more linear than in the previous game, which does cause the game to become boring after a while, as we are constantly spoon-fed the next section with little room to breathe. While the sound effects are still of top notch tier, the actual selection of weapons available is in fact far smaller than in the first game, meaning that you feel like less of an overly-equipped bad ass, something I'm sure we can agree isn't exactly a selling factor. In addition, while the story does well to justify your marine/ alien kill spree, it simply isn't quite as gripping as the first game, with explosions and falling buildings seeming to happen *just-cus*, eventually numbing you to the action.

The multiplayer is still present, moving from an open Battle-Field-like approach and to one that more resembles Call of Duty. Again, the excellent graphics do wonders to patch up some of the game's more minor flaws, but unlike the previous game, they don't do enough to hide some of the more jarring facts. It would appear that Crytek substituted innovation for convenience in the production of the game play mechanics themselves, and because of that we have received a game that feels like it could have been so much more had the team not been hindered by limitations of the console scene...

+ Yet again phenomenal graphical fidelity
+ Streamlined game engine
- Linear world
- Numbing plot that doesn't quite match Crysis'

7.5/10 ~ Good

EpicSouls (Sam)

Crytek must practice witchcraft in their spare time, because creating visuals of this calibre, and in as early as 2007, is a simply ludicrous feat. And to top it all off, the game itself isn't half bad either.

The story for Crysis begins on a small Pacific Island. Set in the year 2020, players take the role of Nomad, who is sent in to rescue a group of archeologists and investigate some strange signals being transmitted from the island. Upon arriving you soon discover that an alien invasion is upon the planet, and you quickly become embroiled in fighting for not only your survival but fighting to stop the invasion.

Crysis backs up it's great story line with excellent and intuitive game play. You are equiped with a powerful suit, an exoskeleton called the Nanosuit. This nanosuit grants you enhanced strength, super speed and the ability to cloak. The suit is the defining aspect of the game play, with the suit's feature's enabling a far deeper level of choice and greater number of options in every situation you encounter. Crysis seams to transcend genres, with stealth, rush and precision tactics all viable if needed. The weapons in Crysis are all brilliant, modernised but not so much so that they feel tacky, and expertly equipped with brilliant sound effects. They can be loaded up with all sorts of attachments, laser sights, an assualt scope, sniper scope, grenade launcher and many more, all available to switch out freely on the fly. The visuals and environments in Crysis are simply fabulous, but the open nature and freedom of these large environments is what makes Crysis such a joy to play. If you have a powerful enough CPU and Graphics Card then you're in store for some truly mind blowing graphics. Foliage casts shafts of light to the ground, water ripples in real time around you and other objects. Crytek didn't leave a stone unturned in detailing both the environments and character models. The texturing and lighting effects are amazing, especially when cranked up to highest settings, some aspects yet to be topped by even it's sequels.

About the only flaw I could detect from Crysis is that the game eventually ends, an issue that in reality is unavoidable. For this reason, I cannot legitimately mark down Crysis, but what I can deduct is the game's length instead. Crysis lasted for around 10 hours on my first play through, and while this could be considered adequate by some, a 16 or more hour campaign would have been much preferred, as some story elements do feel unexplained or untouched upon with the time they were given.

The multiplayer portion adds some decent game play options, but it's really the single player portion of the game that absorbs you in, and the excellent graphics and game play are supported by the extremely competent plot enough so as to mask some of it's more minor flaws. This game is a pure tribute to graphical fidelity and innovative game play, and if there's one game you should play in the Crysis series, it's this one.

+ Phenomenal graphical fidelity
+ Innovative and polished game play mechanics
+ Gripping, want-more plot
- Highly demanding hardware requirements

9.5/10 ~ Phenomenal

EpicSouls (Sam)

Cᴬᵁᵀᴵᴼᴺ﹕ ˢᵗᵉᵃᵐ'ˢ ᵛᵉʳˢᶦᵒᶰ ᵒᶠ ᶜʳʸˢᶦˢ ᶦˢ ᶜᵘʳʳᵉᶰᵗᶫʸ ᵒᶰᶫʸ ᵃᵛᵃᶦᶫᵃᵇᶫᵉ ᵃˢ ᵃ ³²⁻ᵇᶦᵗ ˢʸˢᵗᵉᵐ ᵖᵃᶜᵏᵃᵍᵉ⋅ ᶠᵒʳ ᵗʰᶦˢ ʳᵉᵃˢᵒᶰ, ᵖᵘʳᶜʰᵃˢᵉ ᶠʳᵒᵐ ˢᵗᵉᵃᵐ ᵃᵗ ʸᵒᵘʳ ᵒʷᶰ ʳᶦˢᵏ⋅ ᴵᶰˢᵗᵉᵃᵈ, ᴵ ʷᵒᵘᶫᵈ ʳᵉᶜᵒᵐᵐᵉᶰᵈ ᵖᵘʳᶜʰᵃˢᶦᶰᵍ ᵛᶦᵃ ʳᵉᵗᵃᶦᶫ, ᵒʳ ᶠʳᵒᵐ ᴼʳᶦᵍᶦᶰ, ᵃˢ ᵃ ⁶⁴⁻ᵇᶦᵗ ᵛᵉʳˢᶦᵒᶰ ᶦˢ ᵃᵛᵃᶦᶫᵃᵇᶫᵉ ᶠʳᵒᵐ ᵗʰᵒˢᵉ ᵃˢ ᵒᶠ ᶰᵒʷ⋅

Mirror's Edge is just like it's heroine. It attempts to hurdle some pretty significant obstacles, however, unlike Faith, Mirror's Edge doesn't always succeed.

The story is somewhat straightforward, but it's interesting enough to keep you engaged. However, a cliff-hanger ending and an only just announced sequel make for a slightly unfinished feel. However, more intriguingly, what did catch my interest was the way the story played out between missions; through stylishly animated cut-scenes, as well as scenes within the game engine itself, which also look attractive. While, as I am an animator myself, these cut-scenes are a pleasant addition, they feature a completely different art style. Both types look good, but the disparity is a little odd.

Mirror's Edge is a first person perspective "free-runner" platformer whereby you take the role of Faith, making countless sequences of jumps, grabs and slides to reach the end of a partially open world stage. As a "Runner", it's all about speed and momentum, with keeping your moves streamlined, flawless and silky smooth a top priority if you are to finish a stage in a set time, or outrun a team of enemies. This is an infinitely satisfying and thrilling game play formula that rarely misses a mark, inflicting gleeful vertigo in the process. To back this up, the controls are as tight as you could want, with sharp turns and tight slides feeling so, so right. On the PC, the game's graphics are phenomenal, the clean and crisp visual style perfectly enhancing the atmosphere of the futuristic, post-reform utopian city, and cleverly immunising the game's visuals to ageing textures. PC only PhysX capabilities only add to this, with rippling flags and shattering windows adding an increased sense of surrealism. Most of the time, you'll want to avoid tangling with cops and SWAT teams, instead using your agility to out manoeuvre them, but now and again you'll need to fight your way out. Hand to hand combat is generally the best method, with jump kicks and slides being the most efficient and elegant, however punches and kicks feel weighty and satisfying, but with no combo system or progression this feels somewhat paper thin.

The second halve to combat is found when hijacking a cop's gun, however, despite what you might expect, these weapons are in fact less effective than using your fists, especially seeing as how you cannot reload them. These guns are difficult to control, possess no sights or method of active aiming and are generic as hell. I don't usually feel this way, but the game could have been far better off if they were left out entirely and replaced with a better hand to hand combat system. Mirror's Edge has a way of bringing the pace to a halt. Unfortunately, for a game that relies on so much forward momentum, Mirror's Edge has a way of bringing the pace to a halt. It has a tendency to trip over its own feet, keeping you slipping and sliding blissfully along, only to have a intricate but tedious jumping puzzle or hazy objective put the brakes on. These aren't bad, but they're not particularly engaging, either; you're likelier to feel relieved rather than fulfilled when you complete one. In *all*, not some of these cases, you're torn from the experience and reminded that this is, after all, just a game.

Mirror's Edge is many things, and it stumbles often for a game that holds velocity in such high regard. But even with all of its frustrations, it makes some impressive leaps; a unique and adventurous game that makes some brave moves that pay of immensely. Having set a solid foundation, we can expect an impressive improvement in it's upcoming sequel. The first game however, as GameSpot might say... "it just doesn't nail the landing".

+ Amazing concept and seamless, exhilarating game play design
+ Clean and crisp, visually pleasing visual style
- Flawed combat system
- Lackluster and flow interrupting platforming sections

7.5/10 ~ Good

EpicSouls (Sam)

Prior to Half-Life 2, Valve had really made only one game, and it was a masterpiece. Half-Life single-handedly reinvented the first-person shooter, and while Half-Life 2 doesn't quite do this, it is the better game.

Half-Life 2 is a technically amazing, sharply honed first-person shooter that pulls all the tricks that made Half-Life such a beloved experience, all the while incorporating new game play innovations and concepts that help to build a much broader, more cinematic experience. In Half-Life 2, you again take the role of the seemingly mute Gordon Freeman, the game transpiring an unspecified number of years after the Black Mesa incident. If there's one thing that Valve does extremely well, it's capture the sense of dystopian atmosphere. But you won't be soaking up the scene for long before you're thrust into the struggle to defeat the Combine. The intense fire fights against often scary enemy AI's, and the physics puzzles you find yourself in are made all the more authentic thanks to the Source engine, and although this version of the engine is now dated, this is somewhat of a perk, as the game runs at a flawless FPS, and the physics are essentially at their most refined. The game for the most part controls very well, a nearly seamless experience with sharp view control and movement that ensure that game play is natural and excitingly paced. New game play additions such as vehicles allow the game to take on a new pace, with sections of on foot exploration and fire fights perfectly supplemented by the blistering chases and escapes aboard Jeeps and Hover Boats. Weapons are familiar, with your standard Pistol, Revolver, SMG and Crowbar making an appearance, but the addition of the gravity gun, a medium that allows for more tactical combat and approach to physics puzzles, adds a whole new layer of depth. There are no cut scenes or perspective changes to break the immersion, and discreetly sectioned areas mean that loading times are nearly unnoticeable. Put it all together and the game's single-player campaign will probably take you between 15 and 20 hours to complete, but this can be nearly halved if played well.

Sadly, despite it's length Half-Life 2's story is one of the more disappointing aspects of the game, with the first half seeming unfocused, and the second half quickly escalating to the point of feeling a tad rushed. Half-Life 2 feels like the middle chapter in a much larger story, and that's because it really is. Furthermore, the game's AI, even at harder difficulty levels, don't seem capable of intelligent behaviour, save for the main side characters such as Alyx and Barney, which is somewhat ironic. They'll attempt to perform what would appear to be taking cover, but in the end they'll just end up charging around, asking to be shot in the face. There are seemingly few fearsome bosses of any description in the game unlike Half-Life 1, with even the final "boss" lacking any character or even much real challenge.

In addition, Half-Life 2 is now unquestionably dated, with other franchise and developers having taken so many pages from the Half-Life handbook that the original source material has begun to feel somewhat generic, which is slightly unfair. After all, it's not exactly plausible to deem Super Mario World a bad game for wielding graphics of a 16-bit nature.

In conclusion, Half-Life 2 is an undoubtedly brilliant piece of Valve gaming genius that rightly deserves the place among the greatest games of all time, and quite possibly the place as the best PC game of all time, however, due to it's somewhat incomplete story, I would greatly recommend you pick this up only if you purchase it along with it's subsequent episodes 1 and 2, if only to ensure you experience the full masterpiece that is the Half-Life 2 trilogy.

+ Amazing atmosphere
+ Seamless perspective
+ Flawlessly blended ground and vehicle game play.
- Unfocussed and incomplete standalone narrative
ᴴᵃᶫᶠ ᶫᶦᶠᵉ ³ ᶜᵒᶰᶠᶦʳᵐᵉᵈ

8.5/10 ~ Amazing

EpicSouls (Sam)

I worry about Valve sometimes. Not because their products are bad, or because that their skills in mathematics are flawed (tee hee), but because if you consistently manage to make genius look easy, there's got to be some sort of satanic influence involved.

Portal 2 is an ingenious first person puzzler underpinned by a darkly comic story about scientific research taken to dangerous extremes. We kick off awaking in Aperture Laboratories, which is now a wreck. The improved visuals thanks to the modified Source engine mean that atmospheric lighting, vertigo inducing chambers and curling plant growth grant Portal 2 more character, causing the laboratory to spring to life. While the setting is familiar, Portal 2 is hardly a retread of the first game. Yes, using the Portal Gun to navigate one's way through every new environment is again the core premise of the game, but Valve has added some mind-bending mechanics and tools to the mix. New items that the research facility has created, such as Hard Light Bridges and Aerial Faith Plates are incorporated to enable a far larger scope and variety of puzzles than previously possible. Because of this, the game is brilliantly streamlined and far more exhilarating to play than the first game. The puzzle rooms are well designed, the difficulty curve is well graduated, as all the while GlaDOS pours scorn over the player's efforts, which, while not quite as wittily written as the first game's, is still hilarious, especially when complimented by the game's new protagonist, Wheatley. The game is far longer than in Portal 1, and once completed players can return to play the new Co-op mode, a standalone story, that while may sound strange in a game offering such a successful solitary experience is actually huge fun. Once again, the puzzles are well-balanced and brilliantly constructed, with the controls being just as solidly tight and responsive as the original's, if not more so, meaning that traversing areas, even with the new speed and bounce gels, feels flawlessly natural and enjoyable.

The issue here is, that while the first game could be considered a condensed ball of video game genius, Portal 2 essentially takes that experience, and attempts to stretch it into a 10 hour, more cinematic piece of video game genius. While this is achieved for the most part, this operation leaves the game feeling a little bit strained. Often, the game feels like it is longer than it's predecessor for the sake of being longer, which seems to result in some of the puzzles being slightly more gimmicky, perhaps some containing a simple sequence of jump pads. This can result in some chambers feeling too easy, so at the blessed moments when I actually did get stuck, it felt great knowing that the game would last longer. Furthermore, the improved aesthetics of the chambers can be a double edged sword, meaning that options for portal placement can be somewhat lacking compared to the first game, which allowed almost infinite potential for portal positioning. If I see a patch of white in a chamber, I virtually know that I should place a portal there, as so much of the room is now covered with cracked plaster, vines and crumbling wall panels.

Regardless, Portal 2 is an overall improved experience. Die hard fans of the original Portal may not like to admit it, but it really is. Longer, better looking, more streamlined and more plot driven, the game makes the first seem more of a tech-demo in comparison, with the brilliant co-op, and even a few plot twists sealing the deal. Perhaps it was...

+ More content, with a much larger and more dynamic scope
+ Co-op is well implemented
+ Ever more ingeniously presented chambers, physics and intellect puzzles
- Slightly lack-luster writing in comparison to Portal 1.

9/10 ~ Phenomenal

EpicSouls (Sam)

Valve's second entry in it's leading zombie apocalypse series is largely the definitive version. Released only a year after it's predecessor, many thought it would wind up unfinished, but Left 4 Dead 2 is in fact more finished than the previous instalment ever was, featuring better visuals, more campaigns, a more polished versus mode and Steam Workshop support, all of which make this one of Valve's greatest hits.

The visuals here, while nothing ground breaking, are pleasing to the eye, offering well crafted textures and object models that won't win any awards, but certainly get the job done as best as needed. The game therefore runs at a blistering pace, even in the most disgustingly overcrowded zombie hoards. Lighting however, is some of the best in any Valve game to date, with eerie sunsets and daylight make the horde even more frightening, making for a much more movie-like campaign. Unlike most other shooters, Left 4 Dead 2 hinges on cooperative multiplayer. From the moment you leave the safe house to the final rescue chopper, you are completely dependent on your partners, and being constantly hunted by special boss zombies that behave with their own aggressive, strategizing intelligence can make for some gloriously hectic communication, or lack thereof. Thanks to the absolutely phenomenal AI, the zombies spawn differently every time, both normal and special infected try alternative attacks, and even weapon drops are changed based on your performance, making every play through slightly different. New weapons have been implemented, such as the previously absent chainsaw, that makes scouring for weapons a much more diverse and wondrous experience. Furthermore, the addition of Workshop means that, like Team Fortress 2, the game is constantly being updated with a growing number of amazing campaigns to tear through, official and user-made. There's never a shortage of new content to enjoy.

It's funny when the whole team is killed off in classic Left 4 Dead style - but the novelty of losing 10 minutes' progress is wearing off. While the enemy AI is phenomenal, the checkpoint system is not. It seems to be the norm, especially on the new Realism mode, for the whole team to die unexpectedly, and then for everyone to bear the punishment of being flung back to a earlier point. While this is remedied through the learning of the campaigns, there isn't much point in this, as a single campaign will rarely ever be played more than a couple of times over. Moreover, while the main characters' dialogues are extremely witty, well implemented and very context intelligent, the stories themselves are not. Each campaign provides you with nothing much more than a title name, image, and brief description, so it is often dis motivating when you stop and realise that you literally have no idea what you are doing. There is a story, but it is relatively paper thin, nothing more than a brief "The infection is no longer containable, and the military have decided to blow everything to all hell". It is interesting to form your own back stories to these campaigns and the game's wider situation, but this does not excuse the game of it's own fault.

But it seems like a bit of a gripe when the actual game itself is so bloody good. Game play, while almost identical to it's prior entry, is still flawless and exhilarating, with the co-op focus enhanced even further than what it was before. You likely won't find another game, or even another series like this one, one that blends both horror and humour into some sort of beautiful, sick love child of an experience. I bought this game little under a year ago, sceptical since I was so late to the party, but I didn't regret it one bit. This is just too friggin good to pass up. Go buy it. Now. Seriously, I wait, and then we can go play together. ;)

+ Smooth and exhilarating co-op zombie action
+ A ludicrous amount of content, official or otherwise
+ Phenomenal enemy AI
- Slightly lacking story aspects, and punishing checkpoint system

8.5/10 ~ Amazing

EpicSouls (Sam)

CounterStrike: Global Offensive is, in my opinion, a step in the right direction from it's predecessor CounterStrike: Source.

CounterStrike is back for it's newest instalment, Global Offensive. CS: G.O uses the most recent and improved version of the Source engine, which brings far better graphics, and a much more immersive package than previously possible, while still maintaining the essence of what makes CounterStrike, CounterStrike. Competitive and Casual matchmaking are both here as you remember them, ensuring that you find a match that fits your mood, but this time the Competitive modes offer additional rewards such as titles and badges that really offer that little extra incentive to play and improve your skills. The visuals, while a world above CS: Source's, are solid, but nothing amazing. The higher resolution textures and greater polygon models, as well as the improved lighting are greatly welcome, but this time G.O decides to take a few notes from Left 4 Dead 2 and Team Fortress 2's books in regards to art style, with the series now taking on a somewhat cartoon essence, a pleasing visual style that fits the game far more than you might think. This new entry features all new game modes and weapons, as well as a TF2 style drop system that allows for customisation of weapons with new "weapon skins". The increased customisation, much needed new game modes such as Arms Race and TDM, as well as carefully and cleverly updated past maps and user contributed maps, make this the best CounterStrike yet.

There are issues however. Sound design for weapons, tools and the ambiance of the maps are all good, and function well, however while they are nothing spectacular, where the real issue is found is in the lack of sound track. Aside from the opening score, and short round start and round end jingles, music is completely absent. While some may find this to be no where near an issue, music, even if quiet, can make a difference in increasing tension and immersion, especially in heated gunfights or sweat inducing defuses. What does bug me are some small but significant changes to firing feedback. When you shoot someone in G.O, they don’t wince. There’s a sneeze of blood, and you would expect to come with this some sort of hit confirm sound. But this never happens. The person shot emits a strangled grunting sound, but this tapers off over a distance. Therefore especially at long range, it takes a little more effort and squinting than it should to tell if you're hitting someone or not, which can severely put off your game, and even cost you your life if you make the fatal mistake of checking to see if your enemy is dead or not. Boom.

Global Offensive is the the first CounterStrike to be released on consoles, and while it may not bust out as many new features as it could of had, this is still a brilliant and always fun improvement to an ageing formula. CounterStrike: Global Offensive boasts brilliant team play and tactical game play that newer franchises such as Call of Duty, and yes, even Battlefield, just can't seem to provide. Essential...

+ Same old, but refreshed hardcore tactical formula
+ Additional game modes and customisation
+ User created content and rewards
- Poor firing feedback

9/10 ~ Phenomenal

EpicSouls (Sam)

Because playing as a super powered, super agile, super everything sack of meat is just the most ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ awesome thing ever. You know what, I could write an overly analytic review, but all that would accomplish is me telling you just how good this game is, only longer. Play it now, you meat loving bastard...

+ Superbly tight controls, with a perfect difficulty curve
+ Brilliant art style and music score
+ Good unlockables
- Lack of online features, e.g. Online races

9/10 ~ Phenomenal

Epicsouls (Sam)