The Wolf Among Us Video Game Review

Final Verdict - Definitely Worth Playing

Well as we inch closer  and closer towards summer we start trying to clear out our backlog of games for review. I had high hopes from this game as its from a studio I came to know and love for their epic work on their The Walking Dead game. This time around we will see if the people over at Telltale Games can recreate the same success they found with Clementine and The Walking Dead. So lets go find out all about The Wolf Among Us...

The Wolf Among Us is an ongoing episodic graphic adventure video game based on Bill Willingham's Fables comic book series. The Wolf Among Us is a point-and-click adventure game, where the player, in control of the protagonist Bigby Wolf, can move about the environment and examine and interact with other characters or objects. It is similar to Telltale's previous game, The Walking Dead, in that the player may make choices in their actions or through conversation trees that will influence future events in the story, including events in future episodes. These include major decisions, such as deciding which of two culprits to chase after while allowing the other to go free. Some scenes are more action-oriented, requiring the player to respond to a series of quick time events. Failure to do these correctly may end the scene with the death of Bigby or another character, but the game will restart at a checkpoint just before that scene to allow the player to try again.

What’s Good:

Replay value: Many variables to examine and paths to take and potential relationships to form so one or even two breakthroughs wont be enough to explore all possible avenues.

Soundtrack: Wonderful ambiance, voice acting and overall sound quality. All characters are represented and depicted well and translate well into their modern gritty roles.

Graphics: The game itself seems to have a more refined and crisp look to it than The Walking Dead. I definitely like the art style utilized in this as it feels more real and less cartoon-like.

Story-line: Very interesting story-line; started out a bit confusing but slowly started making more and more sense as time went on. Considering the game is based on a comic book series that is already well fleshed out i have high hopes for the progression of this series.

What Should Have Been Added:

Only thing I can think of is a better save/level system so the player can readily reload key-points in the story to choose different options and see how they play out.

Final Thoughts:

Even though it felt a bit shorter than anticipated a enjoyable and worthwhile experience that I have grown to look forward to. I am very much looking forward to playing through this series from start to finish just as we did with The Walking Dead.

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The Walking Dead Season 2 Episode 2 Video Game Review

Final Verdict - Definitely Worth Playing

Alrighty then, ladies and gentlemen we back back all up in this bitch. Full recovered from our near death experience we are back to business as usual. Taking it slow and getting back into the swing of things this week we get our grubby little hands on episode two of Telltale Games wonderful game The Walking Dead. Episode one really hit things off with a bang last time and left us on the edge of our seat. Will episode 2 follow suit and deliver on the high level quality we have come to expect from The Walking Dead Series?

The Walking Dead: Season Two is an ongoing episodic graphic adventure based on Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead comic book series and developed by Telltale Games. It is the sequel to The Walking Dead, with the first episode released digitally in December 2013, and a retail collector's DVD edition planned at the conclusion of the season. The game employs the same narrative structure as the first season, where player choice in one episode will have a permanent impact on future story elements. The player choices recorded in save files from the first season and the additional episode 400 Days carry over into the second season. Clementine, who was the player's companion during the first season, is the player-character in Season Two. If you haven't already feel free to check out our game-play videos of Season 1, 400 Days DLC, and the start of Season 2 on our YouTube channel.

What’s Good:

Replay value: So many options but so little time.

Soundtrack: Wonderful ambiance, voice acting and overall sound quality.

Graphics: The game itself seems to have less graphical options to tweak so I take that to mean there were default improvements made behind the scenes.

Story-line: Oh my god!! I don't want to spoil it but a character from Season 1 makes an appearance in this episode. I nearly lost it when I discovered it, you definitely gotta play the game or watch my play through to see who the mystery character is.

What Should Have Been Added:

Maybe a flashback portion of the episode to help give some explanation as to how that character from Season 1 survived and what they experienced to get to where they are now. 

Final Thoughts:

Even though it felt a bit shorter than anticipated a enjoyable and worthwhile experience as always. I'm starting to wonder if I even need to review this series anymore since honestly I cant see Telltale Games messing up this excellent franchise they have created.

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The Walking Dead: Season Two Game Review

Final Verdict - Definitely Worth Playing

*starts Daniel Bryan chants* YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! I finally got my hands on time and a copy of The Walking Dead: Season 2. I know i'm way late in playing this but I just now clearing out some of my back logged games since my machine had died on my and I was M.I.A. for about three months. If you have been following my coverage of this game you know just how much I am invested and a fan of the series. It connects you to the characters on such a level that I haven't seen from a game in a while, the closet game that comes to mind would probably be the new Tomb Raider game that we reviewed last year. Well enough of this recap let go catch up with Clementine, Omid, and Christa.

The Walking Dead: Season Two is an ongoing episodic graphic adventure based on Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead comic book series and developed by Telltale Games. It is the sequel to The Walking Dead, with the first episode released digitally in December 2013, and a retail collector's DVD edition planned at the conclusion of the season. The game employs the same narrative structure as the first season, where player choice in one episode will have a permanent impact on future story elements. The player choices recorded in save files from the first season and the additional episode 400 Days carry over into the second season. Clementine, who was the player's companion during the first season, is the player-character in Season Two. If you haven't already feel free to check out our game-play videos of Season 1 and the 400 Days DLC on our YouTube channel.

What’s Good:

Replay value: With this being the first episode of Season 2 one would think there is not much to do but its quite the opposite. Before my play-through I actually went back to replay Season 1

Soundtrack: Wonderful ambiance, voice acting and overall sound quality. It is truly an immersible experience embarking with Clementine as she enters all the situations and environments she encounters.

Graphics: Graphic quality seems to have taken an inherent step up in this iteration of the game while still retaining the classic comic book cell shaded style that the series has embraced. The game itself seems to have less graphical options to tweak so I take that to mean there were default improvements made behind the scenes.

Story-line: Excellent story progression and character progression helps keep you focused and on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next. Playing through there are many moments that have you clueless as to the angle the story is developing from but still manages to make sense underneath it all.

Game Mechanics: Improved HUD and UI make this almost like a whole new game. I was pleasantly surprised when playing to notice the little nuances about the interactivity of the game that they had changed. Another pleasant addition to the game I liked is the increased level of quick time events (QTE) included as it keeps you alert and in sync with the immediate plight of Clementine.

What’s Bad:

The unrelenting hard decisions that Telltale Games forces on the player are no joke. As you become invested in the game and Clementine you truly see that the developers at Telltale Games are some evil people. Just kidding; the game is excellent and I simply cannot wait to get my hands on the next episode.

What Should Have Been Added:

I wish instead of the way they transitioned between time lapses they gave more back-story development for us to connect deeper with the struggles Clementine had to overcome. All she has learnt to cope with the cruel world she is in and struggles she has overcome are of utmost importance to her character development.

Final Thoughts:

This game is on a roll and continues to meet  if not exceed expectations in each episode. I cannot wait to see what Telltale games throws our way next. Clementines growth over the span of the two seasons is really impressive and maintains the bond the player has developed with her over the course of the seasons.

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The Ultimate Battle On The Go

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

Two worlds collide in the end all be all battle for supremacy as we see the Marvel universe take on the Capcom universe. Granted this game has been out for a while but it was just recently on sale on the PSN Store at the all time low price of $10.00 for Playstation Plus members. This is a great addition to any PS Vita collection and thats half the reason for this review. A great game for any Marvel/Capcom fan as well no matter where your allegiances lie. Not much to say about this game that has not been said already by other reviewers since it has been out for a while now but lets get to it.

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is a crossover fighting game developed by Capcom. It is an updated version of Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. Roughly 8 or so months after the games' initial release the scheduled downloadable content for the original game, and the additional content was made into a standalone title for a discount retail price. Tied into this release was also the PSVITA version of the sequel as a launch title for the PSVITA. The game has currently sold over 188,000 units worldwide for the PSVITA. The game is a tried and true port of the console original with a few tweaks here and there to add some pizzaz to the handheld version. Most notable changes include: 

1. Battle and watch electrifying matches via Wi-Fi multiplayer.  
2. Interactive touch-screen allows for effortless command of action.  
3. Start with one gold costume and collect them all from nearby friends and foes using the Near feature.  
4. Replay Analyzer lets you download matches to assess and refine your skills.  
5. Share your DLC from your PlayStation®3 system to your PlayStation®Vita system for free. 
6. Use your PlayStation®Vita system to control your PlayStation®3 system and gain access to new control schemes. 
7. See who's on top of the heap with 3G leaderboard viewing. 

Let us not forget to make mention of the 12 characters added to this updated release of the original game (as seen in above picture; left to right) Vergil, Strider Hiryu, Nemesis, Frank West, Phoenix Wright, Firebrand, Dr. Strange, Ghost Rider, Hawkeye, Iron Fist, Rocket Raccoon, And Nova.

What’s Good:

Game Mechanics -  Touch screen combo system helps ease newcomers into the game and makes it a fun experience that anyone can enjoy. Even though this lowers the difficulty bar for players there is still a lot to master on the road to becoming truly skilled at the game. once the general basics have been learned you can easily transfer that skill to manual combos that open up a whole new world of combos.

Story-line - Wide range of character types to choose from both universes. From big to small to weird there is a character to fit your fighting style each with their own reasons for fighting in this grand display of dominance.

Graphics - Pound for pound a very crisp representation of the console version. Smooth fluid graphics on the go to enjoy the same console experience you know and love. 

Soundtrack - All the hype character music is present and accounted for ready to be enjoyed on the go as you take on all challengers.

Replay Value - With such a large and diverse cast of 50 characters there is much to be enjoyed. Add to that various modes of play and online ranked battles, and you will quickly realize this game is gonna take you for a ride!

What’s Bad:

Game Mechanics - The main long standing complaint of the series still has not been addressed which is the sub-par netcode used for the online aspect of the game. This is even more so of noticeable as the PSVITA relies solely on a wireless communication method for online gaming.

What Should Have Been Added:

Functionality to the right analog stick would have been nice so that it could possible set to call assists based on the directional input. This might have helped alleviate the shortage of buttons available like on the console controller.

Final Thoughts:

Definitely a worthwhile game to add to your PSVITA library if you are into fighting games. With its appeal to comic fans and fighting game fans there is no doubt this game is easy and accessible from any standpoint. Compound this with the fact that it has been out for a while and is available on sale you really don't need much more incentive to get this title.

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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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