Sniper Elite III Video Game Review

Final Verdict - Definitely Worth Playing

Welcome back to another one of our video game reviews here on In the Mind Of my Mind. Been mad busy in real life running tournaments and trying to get eSports established somewhat in Jamaica so that's why you haven't really gotten your usual stream of content. So in keeping with our new model  of doing game reviews once every two weeks lets get right into it...

Sniper Elite III is a tactical shooter video game developed by Rebellion Developments and published by 505 Games for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows. The game is a prequel to Rebellion's 2012 game Sniper Elite V2, and is the third installment in the Sniper Elite series. Sniper Elite III is set several years prior to the events of Sniper Elite V2, following the exploits of Office of Strategic Services officer Karl Fairburne as he participates in the North African conflict during World War II, in which he learns of a secret wonder weapon programme by the Nazi forces. You can seek to change the course of history with a single bullet in Sniper Elite III.

What’s Good:

Replay value: Decent replay value is present as there are bonus objectives that tend to get overlooked on the first play-through. As well as the co-op mode included which is sure to give a whole new perspective on the campaigns as you team up. Compound that with the fact that you have various weapons and tactics at your disposal to complete the missions as they arise.

Graphics: Graphics as is the norm on PC are ridiculous. I managed to max everything and still run it smoothly at 28-30 FPS and the game is truly a sight to behold. The dark night campaigns to the expansive desert daytime missions. Top that off with the detailed X-Ray camera view that happens whenever you get a special kill confirm and its easy to see this game is a visual masterpiece.

Story-line: Unless you are a fan of the series of war time stories you wont get as pulled in or invested in the story as it progress but there is a vast wealth of information strewn across this game that ties in with Sniper Elite V2. Lots of hidden information and back-story to be found in this game.

Game Mechanics: The game retains and improves on the mechanics of Sniper Elite V2. Stealth mechanics have been fine-tuned to damn near perfection even though the A.I. seems to have gotten dumber. An eye icon squints or opens to denote the player's level of detection by the enemy. X-Ray kill cam system is too much fun to see in action and adds further incentive to make epic kill-shots.

What’s Bad:

Graphics: Slight complaint here in regards to the character model and its animations in regards to entering a sniper nest and when activating the X-Ray kill cam. You can clearly glimpse one of two things; when entering the sniper next the character is supposed to enter a specific animation but instead remains standing, and when you see the bullet being shot out of the rifle in X-Ray view the model holds the gun in a weird manner that does not match the expected positioning or animation of the character model.

What Should Have Been Added:

I really wish for two things to be added and that's the ability to jump wherever the hell I please and have an onscreen listing for the campaigns bonus objectives. These are the two things that frustrated me greatly, a lot of kills I could have easily gotten if I had the ability to fully jump on and explore certain ledges or portions of the environments to get a better vantage points.

Final Thoughts:

Its been a while since I had this much fun playing a third person shooter to be honest so this was a pleasant surprise to review this game. Barring some lack of knowledge from the first two installments of this series I thoroughly enjoyed my playtime with this  game. I was also very pleased with how well my machine handled all this game had to throw at it to the point that even with graphics settings maxed I still loaded the load screens speedily and could not get to read the tips and tricks they typically have on the loading screens.

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Unadulterated Fun Is The Order Of The Day

Game Mechanics - 2/2

Story-line - 2/2

Graphics - 2/2

Soundtrack - 2/2

Replay Value - 2/2

 Total Score - 10/10

Why do you play games? Some people play games for achievements, others for the challenge  some play for the storyline, and others for the competition. Me I like to play games mostly for the storyline and overall fun of the game. Saints Row delivers this in unbelievable amounts; strap in for the rollercoaster ride of excitement you have been waiting for. Today we review Saints Row IV in all its unadulterated glory...

Saints Row IV is an action-adventure video game set in an open world environment. It is developed by Volition, Inc. and published by Deep Silver after THQ sold the intellectual Property due to bankruptcy.  It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the fourth installment in the Saints Row series, after the release of Saints Row: The Third in 2011. As other games of the series, the player controls the leader of the Third Street Saints, who in this iteration has become the president of the United States. Don’t ask how just play the game and find out your epic rise or should I say fall (hint hint) into the most powerful role in the world. Saints Row IV still shares most of its gameplay aspects with the previous installment, being primarily played from a third person perspective in an open world map scattered with campaign quests, secondary objectives, and various collectibles. The player can steal, drive, purchase and customize vehicles, among other things such as clothing, plastic surgery, weapons, etc. In an element new to the series, the player can now purchase and upgrade various "powers" that offer superhuman abilities.

Key characters from earlier games in the franchise make a return in Saints Row IV. Most of them hold positions of power in your presidential party, from long standing friends to old enemies. My favorite character from the previous game Kinzie Kensington returns as the socially awkward FBI hacker we all know and love to become the White House's press secretary. Often tasked with clearing up the mess left behind by the President's verbal missteps she somehow manages to keep the president and his antics under control. Benjamin King from the original Saints Row, becomes the President's Chief of Staff, while Pierce Washington gets appointed the Communications Director with Shaundi as Director of the Secret Service. Matt Miller, having abandoned the Deckers presumably returned to the United Kingdom and became employed by MI-6. Shortly after the events of Saints Row: The Third, Pierce, Shaundi and the Boss are called upon to assist MI-6 agent Asha Odekar and her contact, former Deckers leader Matt Miller, in infiltrating a Middle Eastern compound to assassinate Cyrus Temple, the former leader of STAG who has since gone insane and obsessed with killing the Saints, and plans on destroying Washington D.C. using a nuclear missile.

What’s Good:

Game Mechanics - There is so much to do in this game it is ridiculous. With so much to do and so many varying aspects of game-play to get right in surprised that Volition did such a great job with the game mechanics. From the controls to the interaction to the fluidity of getting around the city of Steelport; it all meshes so seamlessly together. From hacking stores to gain access, to insurance fraud, to clearing flashpoints it all ties together perfectly. 

Story-line - Only Saints Row could deliver a story so epic and way out there but still have it make complete and total sense and immensely fun to participate in. Everything in the game is just so overpowered and ridiculously broken and over the top that you almost find yourself having a god complex because you feel so almighty and powerful. At least until you run into other super powered beings as well and quickly realize it's not just fun and mindless destruction. You have to strategize and plan accordingly the best course of progression throughout the storyline and side quests.

Graphics - Everything is a step up from Saints Row 3 graphically. From the weapons and the damage they output to the character model diversity and customization options. They really went all out to make this game surpass its predecessor that was already an awesomely fun game. The most beautiful thing you will ever see in this game is the Dubstep gun and all the chaos that ensues.

Soundtrack - I can't even begin to tell you the diverse soundtrack present on this game. The game has 109 songs spread over 7 radio stations; you can also place your own music to be played in game. GenX 89, KRhyme 95.4, K12 97.6, The Mix 107.77, Mad Decent 106.9, Four 20 103.6, Klassic 102.4, and Mixtape which is a custom playlist you make yourself. Personal favorite of mine is Four 20 103.6.

Replay Value - There is dare I say almost too much content in this game. With not only a huge map to take control of but also co-operative play and upcoming DLC; Saints Row IV is poised to be played by many for quite a while. This game is truly a game you can be in no rush to beat because there's so much to do and have fun with you will not want it to end regardless if you are playing by yourself or with a friend.

What’s Bad:

Nothing; this is the pinnacle of the Saints Row saga in all its epic grandeur. 

What Should Have Been Added:

I can comfortably say there is nothing I would add to this game. Solid game length, content, customization options and room for growth with upcoming DLC support.

Final Thoughts:

Everyone should be playing this game; I dare you to spend just an hour playing it and you not enjoy yourself. Granted this game is being touted as a place filler until Grand Theft Auto 5 is released I still maintain that it is just as good and deserves the same if not similar accolades as it's more serious older brother in the genre of open world sandbox games. I know I for one will be playing this long after I beat GTA V. If you can't get to enjoy the wonders of the game for yourself feel free to check out my bit of gameplay with commentary to see how fun it is...

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What Are Your Origins?

Game Mechanics - 1.5/2

Story-line - 1.5/2

Graphics - 1.5/2

Soundtrack - 1.5/2

Replay Value - 1.5/2

 Total Score - 7/10

Come one come all as we take you on a ride to co-op town in this weeks video game review. We got ourselves into quite a pickle this week; had totally forgotten that remember me was coming out this week and had gone ahead and gotten some other footage recorded for this game. So ill probably try to do the Remember Me review next week but who knows. Need to revisit my gaming calendar and see what is coming out and such. Anywhore as you were; grab yourself a sat and enjoy this weeks game review of Rayman Origins. 

Rayman Origins is a platform game developed and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS and Microsoft Windows. The story follows Rayman, his friend Globox and two teensies as they fight Darktoons and other evil creatures that have infected the Glade of Dreams. Rayman Origins is a side-scrolling platformer, the same style as the original Rayman game. Rayman Origins is playable with up to four local players who may drop in or out at any time. Players can choose to control either Rayman, Globox or two Teensies, with additional costumes available as the game progresses. Players travel through each level, fighting enemies and rescuing imprisoned Electoons. As the game progresses, players gain new abilities such as running up walls, gliding in midair, swimming and shrinking in size to reach new areas. Certain segments also sees players riding a mosquito, where players can shoot enemies or suck them up and fire them. If a character is hit by an enemy or obstacle, he will inflate into a ballooned state until another player can bring him back into the game by slapping him.

What’s Good:

Nothing amazingly game changing about the platforming formula here. All your expected ins and outs are covered. The game provides a solid platforming experience with a few basic gimmicks here and there to keep you interested and challenged while playing whether with friends or all alone.

What’s Bad:

Nothing bad to make mention of or highlight as the game is pretty solid as far as your expected platforming game experience should go.

What Should Have Been Added:

Since its pretty much a solid experience all around I would be hard pressed to think of something that could be added. I could maybe go out on a limb and say make each character has like an elemental power attack or something that when you play co-op you combine attacks to better defeat bosses or go through levels.

Final Thoughts:

Solid platforming game with added fun when playing cooperatively with others. Nothing majorly game changing to report as far standing out is concerned but with the upcoming sequel due out this year there is a whole new world of features and additions coming our way. So at least there's that to look forward to; so until next time, keep on gaming...

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A Return To Former Glory or Something Else Entirely?

Game Mechanics - 1/2

Story-line - 1.5/2

Graphics - 2/2

Soundtrack - 1.5/2

Replay Value - 2/2

 Total Score - 8/10

Its Friday so you know its time for a new video game review. Trying to clear up some of the back log of games I have to review so even though this isn't a fresh release it just recently debut on the PC. From Raccoon City to the depths of Umbrella corp we have traversed the vast universe of Resident Evil on multiple generations of platforms. Today we check out the latest installation in the series Resident Evil 6. The question on everyone's mind is "How does it stack up against the earlier releases that garnered it its fan following?" Come along and see how it fares...

Resident Evil 6, known as Biohazard 6 in Japan, is an action-adventure third-person shooter video game in the Resident Evil series, developed and published by Capcom. The story is told from the perspectives of Chris Redfield, a former member and founder of the BSAA traumatized by a failed operation, Leon S. Kennedy, a Raccoon City survivor and agent for the U.S. government, Jake Muller, illegitimate son of Albert Wesker and associate of Sherry Birkin, and Ada Wong, a freelance agent framed for the bio-terrorist attacks by Neo-Umbrella. They must all confront the force behind a massive bio-terrorist attack with the newly developed C-virus in cities across the world. Resident Evil 6 allows players to select between three scenarios with connected story-lines, each with their own intentionally different design. The player characters from each scenario will have their own partners which are controlled by either the computer AI or another human player via local or online multi-player.

What’s Good:

Graphics: Definitely Resident Evil has come a long way in term of graphics; especially from what I have seen here on the PC version I played. Textures are smooth and well blended, hair detail and skin colors are definitely above average. Capcom did a fine job bringing Resident evil into this current generation of gaming from the the character models to the environments you can see the attention to detail.

Replay Value: This game will have you playing for hours upon hours on end. There is certainly no shortage of content in this game. Each campaign is broken into varying chapters and the chapters have sub chapters as well. Couple that with both online or local play and going further to factor in the skills that can be bought which you will need skill points to buy you will definitely not be going out anytime soon once you start playing this game. There is just so much content you honestly don't know who you should start off with first.

What’s Bad:

Game Mechanics: I don't know whether its the clunky movement, the occasional camera angle issues or just the annoyance of being forced to walk when I really want to run but something feels off about these aspects of the game mechanics. Don't even get me started on randomly tripping over bodies on the floor for some strange reason. I saw strange because I really don't see how having that in the game was an effective game design choice but whatever. 

What Should Have Been Added:

With how the game is structured I hope they Add other characters from the Resident Evil franchise as DLC and have intertwining campaigns as such helping to fully tell the story of how every thing happens and got to the state it is in currently.

Final Thoughts:

While the series may not be living up to the legacy set by the original Resident Evil series, this new direction that Resident Evil is venturing into is not completely a bad thing. The have definitely improved upon their initial effort to take the game in this direction from Resident Evil 5. I most definitely did not enjoy playing that at all but this game feels much better than its predecessor  So definitely don't write this game off quite yet, Capcom has done a decent job modernizing and structuring the ebb and flow of the game to cater to a wider and more diverse audience now. Not to mention even with the changes to the usual game flow we still see elements of the original games present in the game. ie. scarcity of items and bullets. Check out our introductory play-through and see if it appeals enough to you to wanna try it out.

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Hope You Don't Get Lost...

Game Mechanics - 1/2

Storyline - 2/2

Graphics - 1/2

Soundtrack - 1/2

Replay Value - 2/2

 Total Score - 7/10

Are ya ready kids? I can't hear you? Oh who lives in a pineapple under the....wait a sec wrong intro. Hey guys welcome to another video game review here with your friendly neighborhood gamer ZALGO_COMETH. Today we are going to be looking at  the recently released game titled "The Cave". Not one of the biggest releases for January as it was pretty much overshadowed by the release of the new "DmC: Devil May Cry" as well as "Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch". I opted to review this game because I feel it deserves some spotlight time as it is definitely worth a play; even more so if you are into puzzle solving and platforming. With that being said lets take a look at "The Cave".

The Cave is a platform-adventure video game developed by Double Fine Productions and distributed by Sega in January 2013 on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii U consoles via their respective storefronts and on Steam for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. The game was created by Ron Gilbert, building on an idea that he has had for nearly twenty years about a cave that lures people into it to explore their darker personality traits. The game borrows concepts from his earlier 1987 game, Maniac Mansion, in which the player initially selects three different characters from a cast of seven to explore the Cave. 

What’s Good:

Storyline; The Cave's story is based on a magical talking cave with a set of labyrinthine tunnels within it. Seven characters, drawn from across time and space and harboring dark secrets, have come to the Cave, believing they can "learn something about themselves and who they might become", as stated by Gilbert. As you play through the game you can unlock bits and pieces of each characters past that help the story unfold as the characters path to self discovery takes shape. This spans many areas and scenarios that are so verse that you undoubtedly will find yourself pulled into the story as it unfolds.

Replay Value; many of the game's puzzles require the three characters to work in coordination to complete, while some puzzles are specific to the unique abilities of a character; in this manner the Cave can only be fully explored through multiple play-through. With such a diverse set of characters to choose from and each with their own special ability you are guaranteed a multitude of different play-through experiences as you go about exploring the cave.

What’s Bad:

Soundtrack; honestly didn't really care for it. Don't even really remember feeling any bit of hype or suspense from the soundtrack. Was just there as an unimportant part of the game.

Game Mechanics; don't get me wrong the game mechanics of the game itself are ok but the fact that I had no idea what each persons special ability was even after trial and error to me is a big no no. So i feel like there should have been a better introduction or explanation of each character and what they are capable of so you can better choose your party of three to suit your play-style more. I ended up just picking who I thought looked cool.

What Should Have Been Added:

Not that the game lacked polish but in this day and age I feel like it could have used better graphics to help better bring across the importance of the cave and your surroundings as a whole. Hopefully there will be DLC to include more characters and possibly varying cave locations. They also needed a dedicated button to warp off screen players together because it got really tedious and annoying having to walk everyone together at times. I figure it might have been a better idea to make the co-op play split-screen so players have a better view and control of how they interact with each other.

Final Thoughts:

Overall "The Cave" provides a decent playing experience for anyone who decides to give it a shot. If you enjoy platforming games or puzzles you will definitely enjoy "The Cave". If you are just looking for a new game to try out as well I would recommend this as well. Hopefully if they make another one in the future they pick a better release window so the game can get a fair bit of exposure and not get overshadowed by bigger AAA titles.

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The Land Of the Free (Part 2)

Gameplay - 9/10

Storyline - 8/10

Graphics - 9/10

Game Score : 26/30

Waaasssuuuuuppppppppp????, lol god that never gets old. Anywhore; welcome to another video game review here on Zalgo_Cometh. I bring for your pleasure and entertainment another free game as promised for the month of August. As you should have realized by now today we will be looking at Alien Swarm. So sit back relax and as Deadpool would say "Feeeeeel the love...".

Alien Swarm is a freeware top-down shoot-em-up video game by Valve Corporation. It is a remake of the Alien Swarm mod for Unreal Tournament 2004, and it was developed by the original team, who were hired by Valve during the course of the development process. Four players can join a single co-operative game, the aim of which is to progress through science fiction-themed levels while eliminating waves of aliens. Players can choose from 40 different pieces of equipment. The game includes persistent statistics, unlockable equipment, and achievements. All this alongside the fact that its free and we can definitely say we have a winner on our hands ladies and gentlemen. The only official campaign in the game thus far, is called Jacob's Rest, and centers around a swarm of invasive aliens having taken over a colonized planet in December 2052. Marines deployed by a drop ship named "The Bloodhound" arrive to search for survivors and if need be, to destroy the colony to prevent the spread of the aliens.

The game is class-based, with players choosing from the roles of Officer, Special Weapons, Medic, and Tech. Each class has two selectable characters, with differences in abilities.

Officer 

Grants a passive bonus to damage and damage resistance to nearby allies. He has access to the Vindicator, a class-restricted shotgun with an incendiary grenade launcher and has general all-around abilities. They are also capable of throwing extra amounts of explosive ordnance, and may find class-restricted ammo caches on the field for his Vindicator shotgun. The two playable characters are Sarge and Jaeger.

Special Weapons 

Brings raw damage to the table and starts out with a customized autogun with superior parameters, high magazine capacity, and auto-aiming ability. The Special Weapons gains access to a powerful minigun at a high enough level, and can pick up class-restricted ammo caches on the field. The two playable characters are Wildcat and Wolfe.

Medic 

Is the only class able to equip and deploy temporary healing beacons, and at a high enough level can use a medigun to selectively heal teammates and themselves. The two playable characters are Faith and Bastille.

Tech 

Carries a motion sensor, sets up sentry guns faster, welds doors faster, and is the only class capable of unlocking certain door panels or completing certain objectives by means of a hacking minigame. They also have access to a prototype assault rifle with auto-aiming capabilities and the ability to fire stun grenades. The two playable characters are Crash and Vegas.

The game has a very well rounded and detailed experience system which keeps track of the players progress as you levels up. Leveling up is integral in this game as it is how you unlock a wider range of more powerful weapons and equipment. Though the characters, classes and their skills are fixed, players can earn Experience Points for their account by completing missions and earning Achievements. Each Achievement is worth 50 experience points, and experience from missions is based on several factors. Players still earn experience even if their marine dies during the course of a mission - but your income will probably be lower than that of your surviving squadmates unless you died near the end of the mission. Upon reaching the maximum level (27) you have the option to trade in all your accumulated experience points and revert back to level 1. For this you get what is called a promotion and a shiny new emblem/badge to go on your account so people can see how far you have gone playing the game. This system is similar to that of the Call of Duty franchise except less beneficial to the player directly. Well that about covers my little foray into Alien Swarm so be sure to check it out for free on STEAM and if you can't then recommend it to someone and watch my play-through.

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