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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Because It Ain't Fun Unless Deadpool Gets Some

Game Mechanics - 2/2

Story-line - 2/2

Graphics - 1.5/2

Soundtrack - 1.5/2

Replay Value - 1/2

 Total Score - 8/10

Chimichangas!!! Tacos!!! Boobies!! All the things that make Deadpool enjoy life. Welcome to another Friday video game review here on In The Mind Of My Mind with your friendly neighborhood gamer Zalgo_Cometh. I have been long awaiting the release of this game every since it was announced at Comic-con and I must say it did not disappoint in the least. I enjoyed this game so much I did a complete game-play commentary on our YouTube Channel. Well enough of my yapping lets get to the reviewing...

Deadpool is a third-person action video game based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name developed by High Moon Studios and published by Activision. The game was released on June 25, 2013, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Former Deadpool comic writer Daniel Way wrote the story for the game, and Nolan North reprises his role as the voice of Deadpool. Deadpool frequently breaks the fourth wall and verbally interacts with the player based on their skill and progress. For instance, in the options menu, he begins to tap the glass of the television set, before asking, “Hey, got any girls in there?” Deadpool has the opportunity to directly address the player, where he tells them to press a certain button to do certain commands. When presented with the right combination of platforms, he wearily suggests new moves, such as the novel idea of ‘wall jumping’. Deadpool also demonstrates some exaggerated acts of violence, for example yelling “No guts no glory” when hanging from his entrails, or shouting “Oh that's gonna leave a mark” when dismembering an enemy.

What’s Good:

Game Mechanics - Controls are well laid out as per ones expectations of a platforming hack and slash action game. Weapon choices and level up system is well integrated and connects well with the combat system. Use of breaking the "fourth wall" in conjunction with the main character Deadpool is excellently accomplished. The game perfectly captures and matches Deadpool exuberance and subtle nuances.

Story-line - Well thought out plot that ties in with the trademark Deadpool fourth wall interaction with the player. The meta-story is centered around Deadpool kidnapping the employees of High Moon Studios and forcing them to make "the most awesome game ever starring himself".

What’s Bad:

Replay Value - Not much to be honest. Aside from the usual replaying on a harder difficulty and the challenge missions. 

What Should Have Been Added:

Without a doubt there should have been a game+ option so you can play through the game again with all your weapon bonuses and upgrades. This would enable the player to farm for more DP (Deadpool Points) so that they can upgrade and experience everything the game has to offer. Another possibility could have been a multi-player mode where you get to choose any of the main characters of the game in a variety of multi-player modes. ie. Death Match, King of The Hill, Capture the Flag, etc. All done with a special crazy Deadpool twist to them to make it unique.

Final Thoughts:

Definitely need to play this game if you are a fan of Deadpool, or the X-Men, or comedy or just plain awesomeness. Without a doubt a solid hack and slash game that will have you getting a six pack from all the tongue and cheek humor Deadpool has to offer.

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Resurrection At It's Finest

Game Mechanics - 2/2

Story-line - 1.5/2

Graphics - 1.5/2

Soundtrack - 1.5/2

Replay Value - 1.5/2

 Total Score - 8/10

Stealing a catch phrase from The Great One; "Finally!". We got our hands on a copy of the new DmC: Devil May Cry game which is a reboot of the pre-existing Devil May Cry series. Welcome to another video game review here on In The Mind Of My Mind by your friendly neighborhood gamer Zalgo_Cometh. Today we get to share with great excitement the grandeur and wonder that is DmC. How does it fare against the see of hate and nitpicking from fan-boys of the original series you might ask? Well lets jump right into it...

DmC: Devil May Cry is a hack and slash beat 'em up video game developed by Ninja Theory and published by Capcom for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows.  It focuses on the player character Dante, a young man with supernatural powers who finds himself under attack by a seemingly sentient town known as Limbo City populated by demons. The re-imagination of the Devil May Cry series was requested by Capcom resulting in the game being made from a Western perspective rather in contrast to previous games. Like previous games in the series, Dante can perform combos by attacking with his sword, Rebellion, and shooting with his twin pistols, Ebony and Ivory. New to the series are modifiers to Dante's move-set  known as Angel Mode and Devil Mode, activated by holding down one of the trigger buttons.

What’s Good:

As you can see from the score at the beginning of the review it has most the elements that usually make for a great gaming experience.

• Game Mechanics; as one would expect of a hack and slash title there are attacks you can level up to make stronger as well as an upgradeable health bar. Where DmC really shines is the fluidity of combat and how much creativity and versatility can be showcased in the games combat system. Ninja Theory has provided at its core a combat system that has a manageable learning curve for beginners but the depth that can appeal to the most die hard veteran player. 
• Story-line; from start to finish you will find yourself engrossed in the story of Dante and his journey to rediscover his past. Game cut-scenes are informative, mesh seamlessly with the actual game-play development and are well orchestrated in regards to the progression and overall direction of the game. 
• Soundtrack; very appropriate soundtrack for this game. The heavy rock sets a similar tone to Dante's rebellious and brash nature; also noteworthy mention to the voice acting in this game as it helps setup and pull you into the story of the game as it progresses.

What’s Bad:

Inability to manually aim guns when firing was pretty much the only gripe I had while playing the game.

What Should Have Been Added:

The primary concern for most fans of the series was that the difficulty of the game was too easy even when placed on the highest difficulty so I feel maybe they should add an insanely hard difficulty setting to help appease franchise fans.

Final Thoughts:

Due to circumstances beyond the fans control the franchise got a reboot. In life it is a given that most times people will not respond well to change; even more so when they see nothing wrong to be changed in the first place. Sadly most of the hate this game receives is due to the unwillingness of people wanting to change; thankfully however the masses are the ones that buy the games and not so much the ones that influence sales of the games. Most if not all reviewers played the game unbiased and enjoyed it and as such the review scores the game has gotten have all been acceptable. The game is a well done reboot to help usher in a new age of 'Sparda' (only fans of the series will get that reference) which hopefully after seeing more and more positive reviews old fans can come to enjoy the game just as much as the new fans. AS always feel free to pull up a chair and watch me get into the game itself if you don't have ready access to it; you can live vicariously through me. So until next time; keep on gaming...

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My Metal Gear Is Rising

Game Mechanics - 1.5/2

Storyline - 2/2

Graphics - 1.5/2

Soundtrack - 1.5/2

Replay Value - 1.5/2

 Total Score - 8/10

Hey there gamer guys and gamer girls; welcome to our first video game review of 2013. For those new to the page this will be nothing new but for returning veterans of my blog you should have noticed already. We have changed the grading scheme to make things a bit easier as most gamers have expressed a liking for an easy to understand scale of one to ten. We have also changed the rating pictures to better convey the final verdict on a game; they range from Approved (definitely get your hands on a copy of this game or watch someone play it if you can't), Give It A Shot (the game has it merits and is a reasonable source of entertainment but you should probably rent or borrow this game is you aren't a fan of it), and Denied (this game offers a wide range of faults and is more like a punishment than a reward for partaking of it in all its glory). We will still keep our regular format of breaking down the game with the good, bad, and improvements section. To top it all off we will try to provide video game-play with commentary for all our reviews as much as possible for those that may not have ready access to some of the games. So now that the explaining is over lets talk about Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance...

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is an upcoming action video game being developed by Platinum Games and produced by Kojima Productions, for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles. It will be a spin-off of the Metal Gear series, with a self-contained plot. Set four years after the events of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, the story will focus on the cyborg ninja, Raiden, in a fight against a self-proclaimed private military company involved in terrorist activities, Desperado Enterprises. It is awaiting a worldwide release on February 2013. Although a Japanese release for the Xbox 360 platform was planned, that version was cancelled for unknown reasons. This is only the demo release of the game we are reviewing but I must say if I hadn't already put aside money to pre-order Tomb Raider in March I would so totally be buying this game. If you own a PS3 or XBOX 360 you should definitely get this game; and here's why...

What’s Good:

Everything is good as far as key components go. Soundtrack is good, graphics are on point, wide move-set and combo options for taking out your enemies, challenging but not insanely hard difficulty to deter even the most casual of gamers and an engaging story-line with beautiful cut scenes that keeps you involved and highly entertained.

What’s Bad:

Button configuration layout needs a bit of fine tuning to feel more intuitive, and the tutorial needs to be more in-depth as well, covering the full range of options available to the player.

What Should Have Been Added:

First and foremost I think a dedicated button for blocking would be a great thing to have, couple that with a RPG type leveling system for parts where you can customize your armor to suit your play-style best and you have a game that would be perfect if not near perfection.

Final Thoughts:

Let me just say this game is on point; for all the cynics that were bashing this game or skeptical about it because it doesn't stay true to the stealthy nature of the Metal Gear Solid franchise I say a pox on thee. You know not the wonders that you are missing out on and i'm sure it was made very clear that this was a spin-off game. Set entirely in its own plot timeline separate and apart from the original MGS series. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance has fluid third-person action featuring slow-motion swordplay in place of the stealth style featured in the Metal Gear Solid series. Not to mention some really graphic in your face cinematic kills that will showcase the beauty of the graphics engine for this game. With that being said feel free to download the demo on PS3 or XBOX 360 and try it out yourself before the game is released on February 19th. If you can't we got you covered with our play-through of the demo with live commentary.

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