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DmC: Devil May Cry Review

  By Dylan Zellmer | February 7, 2025 - 9:45 am |
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Fans of the original series probably thought quite a few things when this game was announced, and stated as much when concept art was released. With some major characters from the original games getting huge re-vamps, and the world itself being a much different setup than the games that played out on the PlayStation 2, DmC: Devil May Cry might actually be a game that people new to the series might enjoy more than longtime players. However, at its core, it is still about a man that is the son of a major demon taking on demons to protect the human world. More to the point, similar to every other Devil May Cry game, it is a hack-and-slash arcade-style platformer, with each segment of the game separated into missions. While Ninja Theory and Capcom may not have given us a game that we remember from twelve, or even five, years ago, they have still tried to stick to the basic inspiration of the game.

One major change from the original Devil May Cry series is that series protagonist Dante, the Son of Sparda happens to have an angel for a mother, which is provided for the reason that The Demon King Mundus is after him. The game incorrectly calls him a nephilim, a misuse of the word also recently made in Darksiders II, because the word sounds cool for a description of a child of an angel and a demon. Of course, if one wants to be technical, Dante was one in the previous timeline (what with demons technically being fallen angels), so let’s just stick with what works. His parentage seems to give him interesting natural abilities. These including healing quickly from injuries (such as gigantic claw lacerations down his back, as seen in the opening cut scene), summoning a sword (yes, it’s Rebellion), conducting aerial acrobatics in the middle of disintegrating environs, getting dressed in midair, and going commando for basically three days without a change in clothing (he starts the game naked, just so that things can be awkward and the animators can think of clever ways to obscure his crotch until he gets dressed). Eventually, he also gets two demonic weapons (an axe and huge burning fists), two angelic weapons (a scythe and two oversized three-pointed cyclone blades), a hook either for grappling towards things or pulling things towards you, and guns (of course, one option is Ebony & Ivory). It’s a fairly large arsenal by the end of the game, allowing for a nice variation of combat styles and combination mixing choices.

As far as the plot goes, Mundus is trying to find and kill Dante, as a nephilim is apparently the only being in existence that can kill a Demon King, and Dante has recently been fighting with some random demons. Mundus starts out by bringing Dante to Limbo, a demonic under-layer of the real world that can only be seen by certain special people, or by people that are actually in it. Basically all of the in-game action takes place in Limbo, since many of the major demons that you need to take down are hidden behind the veil. This includes a succubus that is putting something extra into a popular soft drink to keep people fat and stupid, a newscaster called Bob Barbas (presumably the Great President of Hell Barbas in disguise) that spreads falsehoods while stating that he’s “just doing God’s work”, and Mundus’ consort Lilith. Aiding Dante in this quest are an occult medium named Kat and a mystery man named Vergil (although fans of the series already know who he is). While Dante doesn’t initially know who he is, learning more about his past aids in his angelic and demonic development, although his demonic aspects tend to shine a little brighter in most respects. The final showdowns are some insane missions, since Mundus controls Limbo, and when you mess with him, things just go sideways. As the Demon King himself puts it, “You don’t f@#$ with a god.” Well, at least he didn’t call himself THE God, right?

Ancient legends tend to permeate the game. Some of Dante’s weapons are named for figures in ancient history. The blind seer Phineas from Greek Legend makes an appearance, along with the harpies that are said to attack him. There are a few other easter eggs around that allude to legends and myths, but most of the story is on its own. The does seem to borrow ideas from other sources, albeit most are to great effect. These include the idea that nothing is what it seems on the surface (an idea as old as Don Quixote, but more recently seen from authors such as Charles DeLint and Neil Gaiman). The possibility that the introduction of a substance on an unknowing populace can influence people to be more docile (Young Justice also has the soda-as-mind-control bit, but there’s also the fluoride-in-tap-water conspiracy theory), and that fighting the system leads to more freedom for everybody, even individuals that don’t realize that they’re receiving freedom.

On the actual game play side, most of the missions tend to flow quite well from one step to the next. Combat occurs in a way that is challenge while not being completely impossible. The combinations are all fairly intuitive, although combos that require pauses are somewhat unforgiving on the timing. Do it too early, and you do a different combination; do it too late, and you start a new combo. Admittedly, some enemies are a little more difficult to avoid without paying extremely close attention, and the camera doesn’t always seem to aim at what you are intending to attack. That’s mostly solved by playing to eliminate enemies quickly and efficiently, especially since you get scored for it. Once you figure out how to eliminate enemies - luckily, the hardest ones are color-coded so you can figure out whether to use an angel or demon weapon - the game flows far easier, but the initial time, it’s a grind. The platforming tends to be one of the most fun parts, especially after receiving the grappling hook. Playacting as Spider-Man never can go wrong in a video game, provided it makes sense.

I will admit that the one point of doubt in my mind about the game quality was Combichrist being the composer. Save for live performances, it’s just one man doing all of the recording (similar to other groups that come to mind). However, as the game designers do not have it permeate the game, only having these compositions present in intense situations (the introductory sequence, combat situations, high-stress platforming), it is a nice addition. While it probably won’t make many people that play DmC pick up one of Combichrist’s albums, they could have done far worse, like a full symphony orchestra.

As far as paying homage to the original series, there are a few bits. As previously mentioned, a few of the default weapons in the game are the same. Some of the combat mechanics are also present, especially when one uses Ebony & Ivory. There’s also a moment in the first mission where a boutique explodes, a white longer-haired wig lands on Dante’s head, he sees himself in a mirror, and takes it off, saying, “Not in a million years.” Interestingly, by the end of the game, Dante’s use of his demonic and angelic powers have given him mostly white hair, even though it is a short chop job. He still wears a trench coat and combat boots, even if he has a wife beater instead of a zip-up vest and just straight-up jeans instead of custom pants and chaps. Plus, let’s face it, he’s still a badass that kills demons.

Overall, while some parts of the game are a little laborious, the game itself is fun to play, especially when what could otherwise be an exceedingly long level is broken up between multiple missions. If Capcom decides to make a DmC sequel, they have made a good foundation for it.

+ Intuitive combat mechanics that flow easily

+ Platforming that is both creative and fun

+ Allusions to other stories and media that do not feel heavy-handed

+ A story that feels complete upon its ending

- Some camera control issues

- Some of the boss levels can get tiresome if not defeated properly the first time

- The block-and-evade system can be slow to respond at times

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

Author: Nicholas Villarreal

Deadlight Review

  By Dylan Zellmer | February 5, 2025 - 11:38 am | ,
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I’ve been on a zombie kick lately and with The Walking Dead returning soon I thought I would replay and review Deadlight.

Deadlight is a Action, Adventure, Platformer game by Tequila Works. In Deadlight you play as Randall Wayne. Randall is originally from a small town in British Columbia but after the initial “incident” he and his friend, Parker, make their way to Seattle. Once in Seattle they encounter a small group of survivors, two men and two women, who they then decide to travel with.

The game starts on a somber note. One of your female traveling companions breaks the rules and travels outside by herself and receives a bite for her trouble. You decide to put her out of her misery with a bullet to the head. When the others return, they’re a little upset but with your mercy killing. Your gunshot alerted nearby zombies and soon the place is crawling with them. Your companions make their escape up a weakened ladder, but just before it’s your turn to escape the ladder, ironically, breaks off and leaves you stranded to fight by yourself.

You decide to meet up with your companions at a designated “safe zone”. From there on out you will be running, rolling, and parkour jumping your way around zombies and up buildings. I have to say that this is probably what I like most about Deadlight is the platforming puzzles. Some of the platforming seems that it should be physically impossible, and has me going “How in the hell did I just do that” but I take into consideration that yes this is a video game, but nonetheless it does make for some great action scenes.

Your companions are not the only ones who you are hoping to meet up with. When your town was overrun with the dead, you were separated from your wife and daughter and your only hope of finding them is also the safe zone.

Another part I like about this game is that, like most zombie/survival games, you don’t have a lot of ammo and it’s easier to use misdirection to avoid conflict entirely. Using your taunt action you are able to attract attention to yourself causing zombies to gather just below where you are perched in order to jump past them and make a mad dash away to safety. Trying to dispatch a swarm of the undead is near impossible (which it should be). Your stamina meter depletes quickly when using melee attacks, and as mentioned before, ammo is scarce.

Zombies aren’t the only enemies you will face in Deadlight. It seems that the remnants of an Army unit have taken up residence in Seattle. Their objective is unknown but it’s apparent that they’re not the friendly types.

Along the way keep an eye out for Randall’s journal entries. They’ll tell you more about Randall and the events that have happened prior to the game. They also give you a better feel about Randall’s personality.

The art direction in Deadlight is stunning. The color palette chosen by Tequila Works accentuates the isolated, morose tone of your journey exceptionally well. The use of shadows and pastel colors are a perfect contrast to distinguish the living from the dead. Deadlight succeeds in almost every way that it attempts to. The only thing lacking (slightly I might add) was the story.

+Fun platforming

+Interesting Story

+Smooth controls

+Great scenery and atmosphere

Review Score: 8/10

Author: Zach Zellmer

Dishonored Review: (Low Chaos) Xbox 360

  By Dylan Zellmer | February 4, 2025 - 12:12 pm |
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When you think of action adventure games, there tends to be the expectation that there will be a large amount of violence, including plenty of weapons use against enemies, and lots and lots of killing. After all, why do you have a gigantic arsenal if you’re not going to put it to good use? Well, it seems that Arkane Studios has decided that the best way to handle temptation is to look at it, understand the consequences, and either go on a killing spree that screws over everybody, or to actually work within the genre. Technically, Dishonored, a game published under Bethesda Softworks (you know, the guys that made that one game that generated the “arrow to the knee” meme a while back), is a stealth action adventure game. Sure, going on a killing spree is still an option, but sneaking around and finding ways to take out targets without actually killing them off is a far more interesting challenge. Of course, given that it’s using the Unreal Engine, the gameplay style is fairly familiar compared to other games, so the learning curve isn’t too extreme.

You play the game as a man who starts out as the Royal Protector, i.e. the personal guard to the Empress Jessamine Kaldwin (get used to the odd spellings), by the name of Corvo Attano (it’s a reference to crows because murders; James O’Barr says hi). He bears bad news, after a goodwill mission to seek help because his nation is suffering from a plague, the rest of the surrounding nations have decided to quarantine the country. After getting blamed for the Empress’ assassination and Princess Emily Kaldwin’s (she’s about eleven) abduction by way of a group of guys that can teleport via puffs of smoke (Marvel Comics says hello as well) almost immediately after delivering the letters, he gets imprisoned. With a little help from a group called The Loyalists, consisting of Admiral Havelock (Terry Pratchett sends his regards), Lord Pendleton (a member of parliament), and Overseer Martin (a member of what is basically the government’s religious order), with support from various others, he manages to escape.

The rest of the game is based around taking down the individuals truly responsible for the assassination and abduction, and rescue the princess while you’re at it. (Why is there always a damsel in distress in these things?) It seems that the orchestrators of the plot have taken over the government because they held high positions before the whole snafu. Your targets happen to be the new Lord Regent Hiram Burrows (former Spymaster), and High Overseer Campbell (think the Pope, but without the dressy robes and big pointy hat), as well as their allies in other government positions. Every mission has certain side quests that you can complete, either for the sake of getting an achievement (Note: it’s impossible to get them all in one play-through, for the simple fact that half of them are about upright killing everything in sight that’s an enemy) or in order to find methods to eliminate your targets without actually killing them. Figuring out how to sneak around and get everything done in a way that doesn’t leave a large trail of blood behind you provides far more background on the game world, even if it doesn’t have the same open-world feel or play style as Skyrim or the most recent Fallout games. Ultimately, your actions determine the ending, as well as the game world around you, with murder turning everything to hell while sneaking about keeps things at a fairly even keel of, “Well, this sucks, but it could be worse, right?”

Along the way, you meet a supernatural being called The Outsider, who gives you special abilities. You start off the Bamf skill that was used against you (okay, it’s actually called Blink). but there is a full tree of abilities that you can unlock with items called runes that are scattered around each level. You find them with a clockwork heart, which feels a bit like cheating once you get a feel for the construction of each level. Extra abilities on the non-combat side include something called Dark Vision (think Detective Mode from the Batman: Arkham games), an increase to speed and jumping height, the ability to slow or stop time, the ability to take possession of animals and, at some point, people, and bonuses to health. This reviewer did not take advantage of the other abilities, as they’re only useful with a play-through involving lots of killing, but they seem to be quite vicious. Chances are, regardless of your play-through style, you’ll be using the Bamf (sorry, can’t help it) and Dark Vision skills frequently. Also, finding some runes gets you additional interactions with The Outsider.

As far as your regular arsenal goes, it’s fairly standard for a game like this - sword, pistol, grenade, explosive trap, lethal crossbow option, non-lethal crossbow option - but with the stealth approach, you typically only use the Sleep Darts (the non-lethal crossbow option), and then only if you can’t figure out any other way around or get caught at an inopportune time. Luckily, because of the power swapping and weapon choosing, there is a quick access tool used via the D-Pad, although with only four options you really need to pick what you’re going to be using often for a mission and stick with it. Accidentally hitting somebody with a crossbow bolt when you meant to knock them out isn’t going to win you any favors at the next dinner party - and yes, your character does in fact go to a dinner party or two during the game. However, you also can find items called Bone Charms with the Heart, which give you bonuses such as choking somebody out faster, moving more quickly in stealth mode, recovering health and mana in various ways - and those are just some of the basics.

The side characters actually are just as interesting as any of the main conversations, mostly due to the fact that if one does take the stealth option, you’re stuck waiting around fairly often. There are also books, notes, and what passes for tapes that add information to the game world. Things such as how whaling is a major enterprise, how the plague seems to have started, how said plague spreads, and what the various locales you visit mean to the city-state which you’re trying to save are among many accounts of life in the game world. There are also works of fiction, albeit they are brief snippets, and they tend to be satires of the genres which they’re trying to embrace. You can also use the Heart to learn some facts about the area in which you find yourself, or the people around you. While the straightforward plot shies away from the typical Bethesda game experience, the world is still rich in detail.

I should also comment upon the soundtrack, because while some games seem to have it because it feels like it needs to be there without necessarily serving a purpose (a majority of the background music during certain First Person Shooters comes to mind), the music in Dishonored always seems fitting. The sound cues are spot on, and they give the world even more personality. Whether you’re in a rich neighborhood, an abandoned flood zone, or your home base, the music and sound really add to the game. Come to that, the game would feel that much less without it. The voice acting talent is also superb, with a few voices that even new games will recognize (most prominently, Susan Sarandon as Granny Rags).

However, like any game, there are a few down sides. Once the guards finish their conversations, they typically revert to the same audio file, which typically involves a lot of mumbling. Hearing the phrase “g** damn” gets old after about the fifth time, but the game seems to hold that even having it played fifty times isn’t enough. Also, the magic skills you use are fairly exacting in their execution, requiring a fine degree of control that is rather unforgiving if you get it even the slightest bit wrong, such as Dark Vision ending just as you need it most, Blink dropping you just short or not getting you to a ledge at which you directly aimed, or Bend Time not quite giving you the time you need to get from Point A to Point B without notice. Although it can add to the challenge, it also becomes something of an annoyance when you’re trying to go around enemies and instead wind up right in the middle of them. Finally, the stealth system has a few minor problems, such as the inability to soundlessly drop prone bodies which you’re carrying, not choking out an opponent unless you’re perfectly placed (which leads to enemies being alerted), and certain places that seem like they should provide cover instead being locations where enemies can spot you a country mile away.

Ultimately, though, as previously stated, sticking to the game’s genre and being a sneaky individual is a challenging and cathartic experience, which, when it finally ends, feels fitting. Bethesda made the right call in publishing this, because if they didn’t, Arkane would undoubtedly have found somebody else, and given them a near-perfect game.

+ Controls and gameplay style are somewhat familiar due to a commonly-used engine
+ Compelling story that is paced well and never feels tiresome
+ Rich and detailed game world
+ Multiple avenues to achieve given mission goals
+ Clear consequences for certain actions
+ Audio experience adds to the game immensely

- A few overly sensitive controls
- Stealth can be compromised fairly easily even with extreme caution

Rating: 9.5/10

Author: N.A.V.

Dead Pixels Review

  By Dylan Zellmer | January 30, 2025 - 12:21 pm | ,
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I recently finished fighting my way through the zombie infested streets of New Hexington, New York and I must say I got my money’s worth. I almost constantly shotgun deep in waves of zombies and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were some close calls and I was almost certain I wasn’t going to make it, but here I am, alive and kicking.

Dead Pixels offers three gameplay modes. There’s Dead Pixels, The Solution, and Last Stand.

In Dead Pixels you are taken back in time to July 15, 2024 and a calamity has fallen over New Hexington New York. After a toxic waste spill contaminates the water supply, the dead start to rise from their graves and start to attack the living.

The military tried to intervene, but failed miserably and had to retreat. You’re part of the five percent of humanity that are still alive, but don’t fret as there’s a means of escape. Strewn across the city a group of survivors with a helicopter gives out rides to all who can make it to the LZ.

With the help of a map you happen upon, you’re able to map out the fastest route to your freedom. Now with your route planned it’s time to hit the streets and run for your life as the zombie horde pursues you relentlessly.

As you run for your life you’re able to loot abandoned houses and other establishments for ammo, guns, and other valuables. You can sell things you come across at traders and also pick up new weapons, ammo, and medical supplies. Some traders even want specific items, and will pay you handsomely for them so keep an eye out. You’re also able to buy character upgrades that will increase your base skills. The trader also doubles as a hub to save your game progress.

There are multiple zombie types throughout this game to keep you on your toes. They range from the common shufflers, to the bile spitting zombies, to fast zombies that rush at full speed and become uncomfortably close rather quickly.

The Solution: It’s been two months since the zombie outbreak in New Hexington and the Government is still looking for a solution to the zombie problem and you, yourself may just be The Solution. In The Solution you play as one of six inmates whose goal is to make it to the city’s power plant and start its triggering system. After you do so if you’re able to escape the city you will be granted a presidential pardon and set free.

In this game mode each of the six inmates have different stats and you’re not able to level them up any further so your selection needs to match your play style.

Also traders no longer appear on the street, but you’ll still be able to buy ammo and guns by calling in supply drops on your walkie talkie. However, you only get a handful of supply drops so use them wisely. The same goes for saving progress. Each save requires an ink ribbon like the old Resident Evil games. Finding the best time to save your progress is of paramount importance.

Last Stand: Three days after the army has pulled out of the city there is still a small group of survivors who are looking for an escape route. They make their way to the airport only to find a massive horde of zombies lurking about the entrance. Low on ammo the group knows they can’t win prevail head on. Out of no where Hurley, the Last Stand’s Protagonist, turns on a boom box and lures all of the zombies into the mall opposite of the airport. With the way clear the other survivors make it to the airport but you’re now trapped in the mall with the zombie horde. You know you will not make it out alive, so you decide to make your last stand and go down fighting till the last bullet.

When you start Last Stand mode you choose either time attack mode or survival mode. In Time Attack mode you fight through six waves as fast as you can. In Survival mode you just survive as long as you can. Regardless what variant you decide to pick the setting is the same and so are the traders. In this mode you’re confined to the mall setting with traders lining the back wall. Each trader shares the same inventory so you can only buy a certain amount of supplies. This helps to feed into the bleak outcome your story will have.

Overall I have to give Dead Pixels my blessing. Even though the game is somewhat short, the different game modes and level difficulty make it worth checking out. Each game mode also allows for Co-op, but sadly only Local Co-op is supported.

+Multiple game modes

+Local Co-op

+Decent replay value

Review Score: 7/10

Author: DoubleZ

Xcom: Enemy Unknown PC Review GDC Awards Edition

  By Dylan Zellmer | January 30, 2025 - 10:26 am |
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I am extremely excited to do this review. This review will seem late to most, but we figured that a review was necessary due to the upcoming 13th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards in San Francisco in March. XCOM: Enemy Unknown is up for both Best Game Design and Game of the Year.

These nominations don’t come as too much of a surprise for me. XCOM: Enemy Unknown is very easily my Best Game of 2012. Which is odd, because I am really not a big fan of turn-based tactical role-playing strategy games.

I think Firaxis Games knocked it out of the park in this remake. XCOM: Enemy Unknown feels like the classic Heroes of Might and Magic PC game mixed with a tabletop Warhammer squad all neatly packed into the Unreal Engine 3.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown puts you in charge of the XCOM (Extraterrestrial Combat Unit). This unit is the most technologically advanced military unit the world has ever seen. However, the invading aliens actually have superior technology and weapons.

You start off with a four-person squad, which can be upgraded to a six-person squad. There are four classes that you can mix and match in this squad: Assault, Heavy, Support, and Sniper. Each have their perks, but my favorite class is the Sniper. Snipers can cover your guys from far away while doing a crazy amount of damage, so I always had two of them in my six-man squad.

Right away you figure out that rushing ahead to reveal spots on the map or potential alien foes is not the greatest idea. It is usually best to strategically place your guys while moving forward so that they’re covering your guys’ backs. Otherwise, your guys will wind up being completely blindsided by a squirrely alien or three.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown has a difficulty that is analogous with its predecessor UFO: Enemy Unknown (1994). It’s very hard. Moving too far ahead too quickly in a map will give your foes a first crack at you, which increases your chance for a death.

This aspect is what I think makes XCOM: Enemy Unknown “Game of the Year” for so many people. A character in your squad dying is one of the worst feelings I have had in a game in years. You could spend 8 hours leveling up a character (For me it was my Heavy class character nicknamed ‘Brick’) and once that character dies, it’s gone.

But, with the incredible downs that this game brings, there are amazing upsides. Any time I could do an autopsy on a new alien that I had brought back to the lab to get new technology for my XCOM was very exciting. Getting alien guns for my Sniper was priority one for me. It definitely paid off. The subsequent alien goo splatter of a critical headshot I would get with their own technology just felt great. And, even completing a mission without a soldier dying is very rewarding.

There were so many times I would find myself completing missions, but I would still feel like a complete failure.

Spending money wisely is so important in this game. I can’t count how many times I would have to load up an older save because I incorrectly spent too much money and was left with $8 or $10 and didn’t have enough money to buy more soldiers.

In conclusion, buy this game. It is recognized industry-wide as THE game of 2012. I still find myself coming back to XCOM: Enemy Unknown three and a half months later and getting emotionally invested into the game almost immediately.

+Extreme replay ability

+Even if you aren’t into turn-based strategy games, it’s still amazing

+Great character progression

+Fun, tightly controlled mechanics

+Action packed critical strike cut scenes

-There are still some minor bugs

-Multiplayer may be too steep of a learning curve for some

Review Score: 9.5/10

Author: Samg

Path of Exile (Open Beta) Review

  By Dylan Zellmer | January 25, 2025 - 12:11 pm | ,
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I only caught wind of Path of Exile on Tuesday, when I watched this trailer:

I was very skeptical of Path of Exile after watching the trailer. All I thought was “Meh, it’s free-2-play which probably means pay-2-win. But what’s the worst that could happen? It ends up being like Tribes:Ascend, Blacklight Retribution, or PlanetSide 2 in terms of money=satisfaction?.”

So, I gave it a shot. Turns out, my preconceptions were wrong. The kiwis over at Grinding Gear Games (GGG) have vehemently said that this game will always be free and that they will never shoehorn a pay-2-win system into the game. Except for buying a bank tab, everything in their store is cosmetic enhancements only.

I started up the game 25 minutes before open beta is released and I am 1816th in line. I expected this launch to have the normal server issues every game does…

Path of Exile connected and my sessions started seamlessly. Has this ever happened, especially in Beta? Now I have to make a choice between six character classes (Duelist, Marauder, Ranger, Shadow, Templar, and Witch). Right away Path of Exile is different. Your classes only give you a small advantage in some areas. The meat and potatoes is in the talent tree. poe_talenttree
This talent tree, I can safely say, is the best I have ever seen. I have played many games that utilize a talent tree, including WoW, Diablo3, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and numerous other titles that have released in the past ten years that had this function. It’s formally called the Passive Skill Tree. I find myself staring at it for minutes at a time just getting lost in the different possibilities of what I could create. It’s like a modern Mona Lisa that Grinding Gear Games magnificently crafted.

I snapped out of my Passive Skill Tree daydream and realized I should actually play the game. I chose to start as the hulking Marauder. I perfer big weapons and big characters (Tanks). The Marauder is basically the Barbarian from Diablo2/3 (mostly because I made him that way) which means he leaps and cleaves.

I started on the beach and killed a few things. Some gems dropped. They looked like spells. This is when I found out that spells are items that you use to augment your weapons and armor. Those individual spells level up separately from your character. The maximum character level is 100 and the maximum spell level is 20.

I kept killing things and kept meticulously placing passive skill points because a complete respec of your character is not possible. You only get single passive point respecs from six quests in the game, otherwise there are Orbs of Regret which can reset one passive skill point. To some, this seems very annoying. To me, it brought me back to my Diablo2 lanning days. Every point was a thrill.

Eventually I rolled into town and decided to empty my bag. I was expecting the same old “vendor trashing” routine that seemingly every ARPG or MMO has implemented in the last 7 years. Not in Path of Exile. Those crazy New Zealanders at Grinding Gear Games even switched that up. It’s basically a bartering system: different items you sell give you different currency.

At first I was frustrated. This seemed so unnatural. The Scrolls of Wisdom I was getting, that would identify magic items, could be used as currency? Even Portal scrolls I was chucking at vendors. This was pretty innovative and refreshing and feels less like balancing a checkbook and more like prancing around with a unique Easter basket of goodies.

And like everything else in the game it started to make perfect sense. I finally acquired just one currency I needed for a nice skull-smashing two-handed mace. It cost me 1x Blacksmith Whetstone. Now it was time for me to partner up with groups.

Group finding is fairly easy. There are bulletin boards in all the major towns that post the public groups or you can just press the “S”(social) key. I quickly found that you gain more experience in a group and you can hoard more items.

Another good thing about Path of Exile is the community. Sure, there was the passing comment on Global Chat (Highly recommend disabling this immediately) that had a pretentious “I was in the closed beta, na na nu boo boo” feel to it. But still, everyone I grouped with was supportive and fun.

Item drops in groups is also very well done. Everyone sees everything that is dropped. There is a really cool caveat to this. There is a timer on the item with your name next to it. The rarer the item, the longer the timer. I believe the intervals are 2,3,5 and 10 seconds. A lot of currency I was seeing had the two-second timer. So, even snatching up currency became fun.

To get those drops you have to fight. And I think GGG did a great job on combat. It’s not as tight of controls as Torchlight II or Diablo3, but it’s definitely more rewarding. Jumping off of a cliff onto a bunch of exploding foxes just felt like it was right. Ground smashing golems and tons of spiders was equally as rewarding.

My Marauder could leap into an entire mob of guys and destroy them in seconds. While I did this, I had to monitor my potion situation which, again, is unique. Potions aren’t expendable. Your flasks that fill up gradually with either damage or kills (not sure) also have abilities on them. You get 5 slots to mix and match mana and health.

I am only about 13 hours into the game and roughly level 24 and I can safely say that I will stick around with this game for quite a long time. I would recommend this game to really anyone. It’s free, it’s a ton of fun, and it has that addiction component to it that is fresh and not extremely played out like the rest of the competitors in the genre.

So far, Path of Exile has delivered on a higher level than any of it’s predecessors last year. That, coupled with the price allows me to give this game a 9/10.

+Expansive Passive Skill Tree

+Great community

+New take on a genre that is tried and true but has felt worn out as of late

+PvP (limited, but still present. Quite a nice surprise.)

+Easy to learn while being extremely intricate

+It’s free. I mean, c’mon. FREE.

-Turn of Global Chat when playing

-Combat could be slightly tighter

Review score: 9/10

Author: Samg

Assassin’s Creed 3 Review

  By Dylan Zellmer | January 24, 2025 - 9:55 am |
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Okay, so let’s assume that you’ve already played the previous Assassin’s Creed games. You were forced to go through the Crusades, then spent quite a long time in the Italian Renaissance, either throughout Italy, specifically in Rome, or basically in Constantinople - sorry, Istanbul. Now, in Assassin’s Creed III, it’s time to enter the American Revolution, and this time, the world’s going to end in December last year. Go figure - in being a completionist (at least for the games on the XBox 360), you’ve got a game that became irrelevant almost upon purchase. Hope you didn’t request it as a Christmas/Hanukkah gift, unless you don’t care about the suspense of the modern-day parts.

Despite obviously making a slight misjudgment in giving the whole series a time frame with an endpoint that was due to pass roughly seven weeks after the release of the final game, Ubisoft has made a game with a compelling story both in the distant and recent past. Although the game mechanics haven’t changed much between AC: Revelations and this game, the creators have still given a lot of thought to the way that you interact with the new environs, and have made every last one quite detailed. Historic details are also quite interestingly researched.

I’m going to have to divide this in to multiple sections because the experiences differ heavily. Of course, the main piece of interest - and the bit that was advertised to people new to the series - is set before and during the United States Revolution. You start off as an English gentleman named Haytham Kenway. Although your first few missions are basically a tutorial - somewhat annoying if you’ve played the game before, but it does allow you to learn some new mechanics. Don’t worry, it allows you plenty of opportunities to make with the killing and the hidden blades and the weaponry and the acrobatics - everything about Assassin’s Creed that you know and love. Things expand more when you get to the Colonies, specifically Boston and what’s called The Frontier, but which is basically a large portion of the rest of Massachussetts. You carry out some missions, side with the natives, run in to some familiar historic figures, and then find out a huge shocker, considering Haytham is an ancestor of Assassin Desmond Miles. (NOTE: If you want to ruin the surprise, read everything in the database. It really killed the reveal for me, which struck me as a design flaw.)

Once it becomes clear that being Haytham isn’t going anywhere, you suddenly become Ratonhnhaké:ton (but, similar to another character in the game, I’m gonna’ call him Connor, because it’s easier to say than it is to spell - intimidating, huh?), Haytham’s illegitimate kid conceived with basically a Mohawk (well, close enough) princess. You start out with him as an adolescent, but you get to grow up with him, all the way up to being trained by an elderly landed black man (which is repeatedly pointed out as a crazy concept, because hey, if we’re going to tackle a bunch of random murder, why not ugly things like racism and slavery?) to become an Assassin. Along the way, New York is added to the places that you can visit on foot, as well as a homestead that acts as your headquarters (without which none of these games would be complete, it seems). Plus, you can now move through tree branches and climb cliffs.

Eventually, Connor gets involved in the American Revolution, as well as other various activities, such as captaining a ship in which you experience high seas combat (probably the most fun new thing in the game). Connor also dabbles in tracking down frontier legends (Bigfoot, UFOs, sea monsters - just a bunch of stuff that winds up, sadly, having completely logical explanations), completing particular hunting challenges (and apparently being single-handedly responsible for the depletion of the entire wildlife population of Massachussetts), delivering letters, supplies, grabbing lost pages of different editions of Poore Richard’s Almanack (yeah, the one Ben Franklin wrote), raiding caravans, helping people that eventually wind up living on the homestead, and doing various activities to gain allegiances. You also get to access fast travel routes by a method that’s a little more entertaining than just buying them - you actually get to explore catacombs in Boston and New York to reach them. There are some side games to play, specifically checkers, variations of morris, an old game that seems like an English version of go called farona, and bocce ball (called “bowls” in the game because they’re English, not Italian). You can also use the homestead to engage in trade, similar to the property ownership of Brotherhood and Revelations in purpose.

Of course, what with the name of the title, you also go about killing people in various creative ways. This includes all of the weapons from Revelations - sword, gun, darts, hidden blade, heavy weaponry, throwing knives, smoke bombs, regular explosives - but with clubs, axes, and tomahawks taking the place of knives, and a bow and arrow taking the place of the crossbow. You also get a new weapon straight out of Mortal Kombat - the rope dart. Plus, you’ll utilize snares and bait, because you’re a hunter now, and killing animals is just one of those things that requires stuff like that. All these tools wind up being useful along your path, and some of the side quest goals actual require the use of every last one of them. Come to that, a few perfect completion goals require it as well.

Meanwhile, in the real world, Desmond Miles and his team - newly joined by his dad, who apparently came at the end of Brotherhood to help because Desmond killed would-be traitor Lucy Stillman (obvious swerves are this series’ trademark) and then went comatose throughout the events of Revelations - are out to save the world. They go to what used to be tribal land, use this special device from the Earth’s previous advanced civilization, and enter a huge cave of dead technology. You can travel around the cave, seeing visions of somebody called Juno (basically, we’re saying that the Greeks had the predecessors to humans as the gods, used the wrong names, the Romans fixed that, fun times were had by none) who is trying to stop humanity from suffering the painful end of the sun roasting the planet that her civilization suffered. It’s not much of a history, but it is fun trying to find your way around the caves, including figuring out the gymnastics required.

Unlike the other iterations of the game, you actually get more than one basic modern-day area that you get to explore (although technically, the previous game was entirely in Desmond’s head, so that’s not much of a reach). You get to do a parachute drop from one skyscraper on to another, sneak in to an MMA event in Rio de Janiero, and a particularly detailed location from a previous game (hey, they couldn’t just let all that wonderful environment rendering work that they did from previous games go entirely unused). All of this is to save the world, specifically trying to get cells to power the cave so that you can open a door that apparently holds the key to salvation. Gameplay-wise, the real-world missions themselves leave something to be desired, as you only have the hidden blades in combat situations, and you don’t get any on-screen warnings because you’re not in the Animus, but the attention to detail is rather good. They even have a match in progress when Desmond enters the arena in Rio. The NPCs in the cage are actually putting on something that may have been borrowed from EA or THQ.

The two plot lines come together to an ending that seems fitting, but it left me a little bit empty. Then again, the game series almost continuously promised, since Assassin’s Creed II, that the ending was going to be a deus ex machina, and that kind of resolution tends to leave anybody empty. On the other hand, the game is never really about the end so much as the journey, and the journey is quite the ride, even the parts where you’re basically just grinding.

The multiplayer hasn’t really changed, save for the different game options that weren’t previously present. Although I enjoyed the previous versions, this one didn’t do much to entice me beyond the first few days of play-through. The fact that you need to buy a new copy to be able to play, or get the access with Microsoft Points, might turn some people away from even trying it. The new character models for the multiplayer suite are decently rendered.

However, there were points where the game froze instead of starting from a previous point, specifically with deaths due to falling. Also, you could be trapped by NPCs that should normally let you shove your way through, or jump off of a surface in a direction that you aren’t aiming your character. New York’s underground also has a major glitch where you can’t get to the rest of the maze from a certain entrance save for using fast travel points. There are also a few errors with the trade system. Finally, the timing of combat is either far too easy or far too complicated, meaning that one of the most intricate aspects of previous games has been “dumbed” down on the player end and amped up on the enemy NPC end, leading to something that, previously fun, now is tedious. Sneaking around is far better and more entertaining, as it saves you things like the needless slaughter that just goes on and on and on without being fun.

So in conclusion Assassin’s Creed III has far more things going for it than against it, and Ubisoft did right by the fans with this series conclusion, even though the real world outside of the game obviously did not end on the 21 of December, 2012. If you have a 360, PS3, Wii U, or gaming PC, and haven’t bought it, it should be in your library.

+ A compelling story that never misses a beat (provided you just play through)
+ Side quests that aren’t mandatory, and which don’t detract from the game
+ A new naval game mechanic that really made some side quests more fun than the regular missions
+ “Real world” setups that finally feel integral to the story, instead of being add-ons through which you need to pass in order to get to the end of the events in the Animus
+ An ending that seems fitting to the series, or at the very least to the current plot

- Some glitchy movement and environmental issues
- Combat becomes tedious instead of fun in “open instance” situations
- Some side quests can’t be located using the map, and are found almost entirely by accident
- The database ruins parts of the story that are supposed to be surprises

Review Score: 8.5/10

Author: N.A.V.

To the Moon Review

  By Dylan Zellmer | January 22, 2025 - 9:34 pm | ,
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To the Moon was released November 2011 on Freebird Games website, then it came to Steam in September 2012, and now I’m finally playing it now in January 2013. I think it’s safe to say that I’m a bit late to the party but, better late than never right?

To the Moon is an Action RPG that puts you in the shoes of Dr. Neil Watts and Dr. Eva Rosalene who are employed by the Sigmund Corporation. Their job is to travel into the memories of dying clients and alter them so that they can achieve their dream before they die.

Dr. Watts and Rosalene’s newest client is Johnny. Johnny lives in a gorgeous house overlooking the ocean, with a stereotypical light house near it. When you arrive at the house you meet Johnny’s caretaker Lily, her children Sarah and Tommy, and Johnny’s doctor. You learn from Lily that Johnny’s last wish is to go to the moon. When you initially enter his memory he doesn’t remember why. It’s up to your sleuthing skills to piece the mystery together.

In order to travel back through Johnny’s memory you must first find mementos’ of his that link his memories together. Most mementos are trapped behind a force field. The only way to destroy the force field and access the memento is to establish five memory links. You receive memory links from items that have significant meaning in Johnny’s life. They’re typically found in the current memory you’re inhabiting. When you do break through the force field and are able to access the memento you also have to prepare it through a small mini-game.

As you go back farther and farther into Johnny’s memory you find out more about his about his wife, friends and ,believe it or not, what seems to be a hidden past. Every story element serves a specific purpose and the designer, Kan Gao, did a magnificent job making sure it did.

What kept me going to the end was the story and the secrets. I wanted answers so bad that I kept playing nonstop, and in the end when everything came together so well I was glad I finished in one continuous session. Despite the games short length the story more than makes up for it, and is worth checking out. It has won several awards and if you experience To the Moon too you will see why.

I wish I could go more in depth with the storyline but I’m afraid I can only tell you so much about this game without spoiling most of the plot twists and secrets. As I said the secrecy and finding out the truth is what makes the game.

+Great musical score

+Superb story

+Funny characters

Review Score: 9/10

Author: DoubleZ

Zen Pinball THD Marvel Civil War Review

  By Dylan Zellmer | January 9, 2025 - 3:19 am |
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Zen Studios continue to bring Marvel to life with the Zen Pinball THD Marvel Civil War table. Zen is known for doing their homework, adding great easter eggs, and creating functional Marvel themed tables.

The visuals of the Civil War table are immediately apparent. The use of cool temperature colors helps to blend our two different factions into the table aesthetics. Captain America surprisingly opposes the Mutant Registration Act and Iron Man is forced to support the controversial law after The Stamford Incident occurs. The table runs perfectly on the Nvidia Tegra 2 Processor with the enhanced visuals.

Conceptually Civil War hits on the points you want to see when it comes to a Marvel table. Actions taken on the table help to dictate what sides the “on the fence” super hero’s take.

The problem with the Civil War table is the flow of the action. The table starts with a recreation of The Stamford Incident that kicks off the events of Civil War. The instance abruptly stops if you lose one of the two multi-balls that you’re given to start the game. The table is oddly shaped and ramps tend to fling the silver balls directly between the flippers, or alternatively out of play elsewhere. It’s very hard to get into any kind of rhythm and really enjoy your time with the table.

The final verdict rests on the fact that I just didn’t find the table enjoyable. When it comes to video games I typically appreciate the experience rather than the graphics or concept. Zen Studios typically doesn’t miss when it comes to the form and function of their tables but, they may have tried to stuff too much story and eye candy into this table to focus on what brings them to the (pinball) table.

+Gorgeous mobile visuals

+Fantastic concept

+Great list of characters and events

-A misstep in table design

-Flow and rhythm of the table are sadly undercut

-A surprising lack of fun

Review Score: 7/10