Ryse: Son Of Rome Video Game Review

Final Verdict - Worth Checking Out

This! Is! Sparta!....wait wrong reference. Welcome to another Friday game review with your friendly neighborhood gamer Zalgo_Cometh. I been excited about this game from day one it was showcased back at E3 2013 but was immediately bummed out to hear it was a Xbox One exclusive. Fast forward to October 10th 2014 and the PC master race is blessed with a version of Ryse: Son of Rome to the elation of PC gamers everywhere. This was no mere carbon copy port however as it effectively made the most of the PC's well know graphical prowess. Anyways enough of my elitism, it has a tendency to show up now and again; were off to Rome...

Ryse: Son of Rome is a third-person action-adventure video game developed by Crytek and published by Microsoft Studios. Ryse follows the life of the Roman centurion Marius Titus as he becomes one of the leaders in the Roman Legion. Released as a launch title for the Xbox One, Ryse received mixed critical reaction from reviewers, being praised for its high production values but criticized for its repetitive and simple gameplay. The player controls Marius Titus, a Roman general.  In combat, Marius can block attacks to break enemy combos to counterattack. There is also a co-operative multiplayer mode, where players team up to accomplish various challenges in a gladiator arena setting. The story follows Marius' life from early childhood to becoming a leader in the Roman Legion. The story is described as "an epic tale of revenge spanning an entire lifetime".

What’s Good:

Graphics: Without a doubt the area this game shines the most in. The PC copy is simply stunning when turned to max graphics. The textures, the shadowing and lighting , it all blends so perfectly together to deliver a top notch cinematic experience. You get to see a wide variety of environments as you progress through the game all with their own unique look and feel.

Story-line: A well portrayed story of revenge, personal growth and honor. It will have you eager to discover the progression and eventual end of it all. Tying in the presentation and delivery of the subject matter is also a testament to the well written story-line of the game.

Soundtrack: Well representative of the era the game depicts. The voice acting is top notch and all auditory cues are executed well.

What’s Bad:

Game Mechanics: They get repetitive. Fast. Thankfully there is a great story-line and a fair portion of epic cinematic scenes to help distract you from noticing too soon. Added to that they include a system of buying and unlocking new moves for kill moves that improve as you progress through the game.

What Should Have Been Added:

Honestly I would have liked to see more of a fleshed out story cause such a rewarding single player experience felt too short as I managed to beat the game in roughly 6 hours. Maybe if they let us play Marius from his Teenage years upwards as he learns to become the epic soldier he is. That would have helped add some more content into the game so it doesn't feel as short.

Final Thoughts:

Not the greatest of games but still a good game. Combat gets repetitive but i enjoyed chopping off many an arm and leg. Wasnt much a fan of the multi-player aspect as it too like the combat system suffers from repetitiveness but more so due to the lack of a story and cut-scenes to distract you from it. In any case I have been mostly just streaming my gameplay having fun with the whole cinematic experience, so feel free to check out my stream archives below.

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