Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Phantoms Video Game Review

Final Verdict - Give It A Shot 

Ok so its been a while since I gave you a free game to enjoy so buck up cause this one is on the house. Found out about this through a friend as I don't usually find myself playing a lot of free games but he said I should give it a try. So shoutouts to Alvarez aka Rez for bringing this to my knowledge, let go shoot stuff in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Phantoms...

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Phantoms (known during the beta as Ghost Recon Online) is a third-person perspective, multiplayer action video game released for Microsoft Windows PCs and planned for Nintendo's Wii U console. The game is part of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon series. This game is supported by micro transactions. The Windows version is confirmed to be a free-to-play game, and requires a Uplay account. Whilst not officially confirmed to be a free-to-play model as well for the Wii U as of January 2013, Nintendo's president and CEO Satoru Iwata commented in an interview that he has no opposition against this model and is willing to work with it.

What’s Good:

Game Mechanics: Not so much a fan of Third Person Shooter (TPS) games but Tom Clancy is a veteran at his craft so this long standing franchise has solidified and mastered its representation of the control and fluidity of a TPS game.

What’s Bad:

Replay value: Not much considering its a free to play online game. Shit will get pretty old pretty fast without much consideration of a story line or diversity between the three offered classes.

Story-line: There is none, there isn't much compelling you to play aside from completing the daily self challenges for the free in-game currency to buy upgrades or to level up your character class of choice.

What Should Have Been Added:

Some personal customization options would be nice so that you can better differentiate your own player from all the other people who play the same class as you online. Maybe something as simple as color dyes or something as complex as specialist/hybrid class building. 

Final Thoughts:

The game is free. It deserves at the very least a try. So what more can I say but go ahead and try it. Even better if you can get friends to sign up and play with you. Got the usual footage for you but no commentary due to technical difficulties that I didn't realize until it was already too late. I do apologize for the seemingly half-assed review but I honestly hold true to the point that if its free and tolerable it has to be someones cup of tea so its worth a look. The game is currently available on Steam at the following address:

 http://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/243870/

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The Little Man That Could

Game Mechanics - 1.5/2

Story-line - 1.5/2

Graphics - 1.5/2

Soundtrack - 1.5/2

Replay Value - 2/2

 Total Score - 8/10

We are here again for another video game review with your friendly neighborhood gamer Zalgo_Cometh. It's been a while since we reviewed a PSVITA game I think so this game came along just in the nick of time during the usual summer drought of new releases. I'm gonna try to make this short and sweet for the most part today cause got a hectic work schedule dealing with while the second video game-play video is uploading to YouTube. So lets look at Dokuro...

Dokuro is a video game developed by Game Arts and published by GungHo Online Entertainment for the PlayStation Vita. The player is Dokuro, a skeletal worker for the Dark Lord. One day, the Dark Lord captures a princess and forces her to marry him. Dokuro sees the princess crying which breaks his heart and he thus decides to help her escape the Dark Lord's castle. Dokuro can flip switches to open up paths, carry the princess after drinking a potion, as well as others. The game's levels grow steadily more complex as the game progresses. The game uses a graphical style that imitates artwork in a children's storybook. The game's director, Noriaki Kazama, previously worked on gory video games such as Ninja Gaiden Sigma under Team Ninja. Kazama said that after he had a baby, he browsed through children's books at the bookstore and was inspired by the art style.

What’s Good:

Replay value: This is here in spades as most puzzles have a variety of ways they can be solved as I came to realize while playing this game. Also you can replay levels for faster overall times or to collect coins as you progress through each level or to find the optimal solution to each level's puzzle.

Game Mechanics: Simple and very intuitive controls make for a fun and easily enjoyable game-play experience. Also worthwhile mentioning is that the touchscreen and overall integration of a PSVITA control system feels nature and smooth overall while playing this game.

Graphics: Overall design scheme and art style seems very fitting to the nature of the game and the PSVITA brings forth a certain crispness and level of subtle detail that can be appreciated in this handheld title.

What’s Bad:

Only fault I could come up with which isn't much of a fault as it seems intentional as a part of the challenging game design is that you can't do much to control the actions of the Princess. She just aimlessly walks forward and only turns away for fear of enemies that approach her.

What Should Have Been Added:

At times I found myself wanting the princess to stay in a certain position away from danger so maybe a stop/follow command would have been a nice addition. Another idea that came to mind was maybe getting a special power from each boss defeat that would help you along the way in your fights against other bosses and regular enemies.

Final Thoughts:

Even though it is a well documented fact that I suck at and despise puzzle based games I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed my time playing Dokuro. At times the going got rough and I faltered, but it was never a case where I was just totally and utterly left feeling defeated like there was no solution in sight. The puzzles strike a fair balance between challenging and straight forward; the onus just lies with the player an dhow fast they can figure it all out to move on to the next one.

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Loving That PlayStation Plus Membership

Game Mechanics - 1.5/2

Storyline - 1.5/2

Graphics - 1.5/2

Soundtrack - 1.5/2

Replay Value - 1/2

 Total Score - 7/10

Can't believe its Friday already; time is flying so fast. Guess the lord must have heard my prayer for Tomb Raider release date to come quicker. Anywhore enough about that; welcome to another video game review here on In The Mind Of My Mind by your friendly neighborhood gamer, Zalgo Cometh. Today we are looking at a game I was hyped for from before I owned a PS3 but never got a chance to play it. This unfortunate circumstance has been fixed by the kind people at Sony who have made it free to download by PlayStation Plus users. Best investment I ever made was signing up for the year long membership. So today we look at Vanquish...

Vanquish is a third-person shooter video game developed by Platinum Games and published by Sega for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 video game consoles. Having been in development since 2007, the game was released in October 2010. The game was created by the team previously responsible for Resident Evil 4, including lead director Shinji Mikami. Vanquish is notable for introducing several innovations to the 3D shooter genre, including a fast-paced style of game-play reminiscent of 2D bullet hell shooters, beat 'em up elements, and an original sliding-boost mechanic. Vanquish takes place in the near future where Earth's human population has grown so rapidly that nations are fighting for the scarce remaining resources. The United States of America has attempted to alleviate its energy problems by launching an O'Neill Cylinder space station harboring a solar energy-driven generator to provide them with an alternative source of energy.

What’s Good:

Overall the game itself is worth the play through but you won't see anything breathtakingly new. Its a little bit above average but nothing specifically noteworthy to highlight. Solid story-line with well done graphics and smooth flowing game mechanics keep you at the forefront of the action. Oh lest I forget to mention, there are also QTE (Quick Time Events) in this game. Mostly during boss fights but you can't go wrong having QTE's in a game as far as i'm concerned. Game-play as I mentioned is fast paced and you can easily get swept away with all the onscreen action taking place all at once.

What’s Bad:

The game has minimal replay value, aside from trophy hunting for the elite perfectionists out there. As with most games like this it is too short and you will be left wanting more.

What Should Have Been Added:

A multi-player mode would have been so sick. Not to mention customization for the Augmented Reaction suit both in terms of power upgrades and aesthetics.

Final Thoughts:

This game might be 2 years old but if you haven't played it and are a PlayStation Plus member there ain't no reason you should cop this game. If you aren't already a PlayStation Plus member there ain't no better time to join the family and get access to this game for free and so many others. As per usual you can check out our play-through with commentary on our YouTube channel if you haven't subscribed to it already. Hope to have all the videos uploaded and organized by Sunday night; enjoy...

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Tis The Season

Well surprise, surprise, its Friday but there is no video game review this week. *le gasp*. In all seriousness though this week was a major week for me as those of you who are subscribed to our YouTube channel, Twitter page or Facebook page would know. Our Black Friday shipment came in and it was a good week messing around and getting accustomed to all the new tech. Things have since returned to normal here and we will resume reviews next week; hoping to do maybe one more or two more reviews at most to close out the year before we start prepping for the top ten games of the year list. With all that being said feel free to go check out our playlist for unboxing all the gear that came and share in the joy with me. Tis the Christmas season and there is no cure for the most wonderful time of the year; all the merriment wonder and goodwill towards mankind. ^_^

With that out of the way we can get to the meat of the matter. I am happy, I am a gamer, when this gamer is happy and able to he likes to give away gaming related things. So seeing as how its the season of giving aka Christmas I thought it would be nice to have a giveaway. However since its Christmas we got to do it up big so ill be giving away multiple items this time around all at once. In the words of Damien Sandow; "You're Welcome".

So yeah that's the basic gist of things, wont keep you much longer. So spread the word and tell all your gamer friends or relatives. Hell you could even win it and gift it to them for Christmas, oh before I forget slight disclaimer as some people have been known to have issues with the codes in regards to location or credit card information we take no responsibility if you experience such an issue. Like I said it may or may not happen but I had to at least say it; in any case at the end of the day its a free gift so you still have nothing to lose either way so what are you waiting on. Come like our Facebook page and send me a message to join the festivities. Here's some music to get you in the holiday spirit...

Oh and special shoutouts to https://www.facebook.com/Yardie876Gamers?fref=ts for supplying us with the PS+ subscription trial codes that we are giving away.

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Double The Pleasure; Double The Fun..

Gameplay - 10/10

Storyline - 8/10

Graphics - 8/10

Game Score : 26/30

Hey y'all; your friendly neighborhood gamer here. Sad to say that I almost didn't write up a review this week because work has seriously been kicking my ass and I didn't feel comfortable writing up a half-assed review for a game I didn't really play. So Instead of not giving you all anything I figured it would be better to at least give you something and write up a review for a game I played but didn't write a review for yet. This game is currently available on Xbox 360 (XBLA) and PlayStation 3 (PSN); it is free for Playstation Plus members and XBOX Live Gold Members. I present to you Double Dragon Neon...

Double Dragon Neon is a video game in the Double Dragon series of beat 'em up games. It was developed by WayForward Technologies and published by Majesco Entertainment, and is intended as a reboot of the Double Dragon series. As with previous installments of the series, the player takes control of martial artists Billy Lee (Player 1) and Jimmy Lee (Player 2) in their fight to rescue Marian from the Shadow Warriors gang, this time led by the super-lich Skullmageddon. In addition to the standard punch, kick, and jump buttons and a designated run button, the player now has a evade button for dodging attacks. If the player times their evasion right so as to perfectly dodge an enemy attack, they will "Gleam" by briefly glowing red, during which time their attacks will be more powerful.

What's Good:

The soundtrack for this game is really good. While playing this with my friend David  we actually found ourselves enjoying the soundtrack itself a lot. The fun factor of this game is insane from doing forbidden techniques to double teaming enemies for long combos  its just all around fun. The inclusion of items to power-up and change your character as you play adds an element of RPG character customization. There are two types of collectible items in the game which play a huge part in how you will approach the game. One to grant the brothers a powerful attack that consumes a separate energy meter, and one to alter their statistics and grant special effects. By collecting multiple copies of a tape, its effect gradually increases until it reaches a maximum capacity. You can effectively mold your character into a healer type of fighter that absorbs health points with ever successive hit or you can make an all out strength based character that does crazy damage. This helps add a layer of diversity and versatility to the game.

What's Bad:

This game is unforgiving; as such you may very easily find yourself dying a lot. It has multiple difficulty levels but honestly even on normal me and my friend David had a hard time on some of the levels. Not to mention after we beat the game we tried it on hard and couldn't properly get past level one. 

What Should Have Been Added:

After playing through the game I kind of wish there was an option to play as some of the other notable characters in the game. Would be so cool to do a play through as Skullmageddon. I swear that he became my favorite character after playing through the game almost wanted to let him get to lay the pipe on Marian.

Final Thoughts:

Well with all that said its a no brainer to get this game for free if you are a PSN Plus Member or XBOX Live Gold Member. Be sure you play it with a friend cause many good times are there to be had. Also if I were you I would stick around after the ending credits of the game for a nice plot twist surprise so to speak. Game-play with commentary provided by Maximilian.

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The Land Of the Free (Part 4)

Gameplay - ?/10

Storyline - ?/10

Graphics - 5/10

Game Score : 5/30

Here we are guys, closing out the month of free games. Its been one hell of a ride and we got to end on a high note, so i'm going to switch things up a bit. This will be more of a recommendation than a review because as a game it doesn't get much more free than this. We are taking it back old school with this one and going back to the days of flash based browser games for one and all. I present to you Happy Wheels...

So yeah not much else to say about the game after watching that besides to tell you to try it out, its free after all. Couldn't exactly review this game since theres just so much muchness in it. It doesn't meet the criteria of a typical game to be judged on as far as having a set story-line or game mechanic. With that being said I want to thank you for sticking with us here on In The Mind Of My Mind and hope you enjoyed our month of free games to try out and our giveaways. So going back to that high note point I was alluding to earlier at the beginning of the post to end the month of free games I will be giving away a highly desired game title as a show of thanks for all your support and love of video games. Games deserve to be in the hands of you the people to be played so here is my gift to you. "You're Welcome"

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Just A Little Personal Update

Much love and shoutouts to all my faithful people out there that comment, read, or share any and all things associated with this blog. Anyone who has negativity to bring my way, ummmm gimme a sec while I think about that...

Anywhore;

welcome to another random Monday blog, gonna keep things short and sweet today. No specific topic to rant on today because i'm going to be highlighting three main things regarding my IRL (in-real-life) existence.

First up is this little thing of beauty called my first ever fighting game tournament, granted i'm probably going to go and get my ass kicked but the experience will be worth it. So if you are a gamer or into fighting games be sure to come out and show your support even if you don't plan on entering. If you want to have fun and try your luck the tournament entrance fee is $1000 JMD, it will be held at the famous QUAD night club located at 20 - 22 Trinidad Terrace, New Kingston Kingston, Jamaica. Spectators are allowed for free, tournament participants will have to pay. Drinks should be on sale at the bar and music and good times are sure to be had. The fun starts at 3:00PM.

Next up is me recommending you go check out the above YouTube channel. Its a new concept of sorts being provided from the brilliant minds over at YOMYOMF Network. I highly recommend the Internet Icon series that just finished airing as it really is quality entertainment. Launched in June 2012, the YOMYOMF Network is based on the pop culture blog, "You Offend Me, You Offend My Family" founded by Justin Lin, director of THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS franchise and BETTER LUCK TOMORROW. In addition to Lin, the network's partners include Ryan Higa, YouTube star with second-most subscribed YouTube channel of all time; Kevin Wu, YouTube star with tenth-most subscribed channel of all time; and YouTube personality and musician, Chester See. Programming will include both scripted and reality series. The channel intends to bring together creative and interesting individuals to share their points-of-view.

August is the month of free shit here on our blog because gaming takes priority. So far we gave away a copy of From Dust and we will be reviewing only free games accessible to everyone for the month of August. So now we will be having another game related giveaway for this week, I have a 75% discount coupon for purchasing Portal 2 on Steam valid August 16th, 2012 through August 30th, 2012. So this Friday I will be having a drawing to give it away to anyone who is interested in picking up a copy of Portal 2 on Steam at a super low price. Well that brings the blog post to a close, if you want to be entered into the giveaway contest all you have to do is like our Facebook page and send me a message via any of our social media outlets saying you have liked the page and want to be in the contest (Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Youtube).

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Gotta Give Back To The Peoples

Hey guys another Monday blog here. Not much to talk about this week since been pretty busy with the new monitor and work and stuff. I know you like what you see to start off the blog and as such we are going to keep that giving mood going. I have been doing this whole video game review blog thing for a while now and I have finally gotten around to having a proper giveaway for the gamers out there. So over the next couple of days until July 27th I will be having a giveaway contest where I will give one lucky random person a free game through STEAM. No gimmicks or anything; all you have to do is let me know you want to be in the competition via a message on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Or Google+ and you will be entered, its that simple. I even made a video explaining it so feel free to watch that and share it with other gamers if you like.

Well that's all I got to say for today's blog post so if you want a chance at a free game for you or a friend you know what to do. This little love/hate relationship we got going on here is hard work, so i'm doing what I can for you to enjoy the content we post here, on our Twitter page, on our YouTube page and on our Facebook page. So that leaves the question;

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