Xbox 360 Reviews

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.

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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.

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Telltale Games has crafted an amazing and engrossing experience with Season 1 of The Walking Dead. They managed to really hit their stride as far as modern day adventure games are considered. Telltale also crafted one of the more emotional and touching stories ever told in a video game. I’m completely comfortable saying that with confidence. The adaptable story line holds you accountable for the decisions you make in some capacity. In other words we all end up in the same place at the end, but the experience of how we get there will differ greatly based on the decisions made at critical points. I will do my utmost to provide you with key tantalizing details without ruining any plot points for you.

Telltale’s Season 1 of The Walking Dead included five “monthly” episodes that averaged anywhere from 2-3 hours in length. The one and only gripe I have with the entire experience was the promise of monthly episodes that wasn’t kept. As I personally made the Season 1 purchase as a bundle I was constantly playing the waiting game for the next installment.

Episode 1 A New Day starts your walking dead experience out properly. In the opening moments of episode 1 our protagonist Lee Everett is on his way to prison (sad face). When suddenly the world around him and the overly talkative correctional officer you’re forced to converse with goes all reanimated corpselike. Shortly later you meet the heroine of Season 1 Clementine. Lee promises to watch after Clementine and get her back to her parents at all costs. Fans of The Walking Dead comic book series and the AMC adaptation alike will be happy with your early visit to the farm house of Hershel Greene. He’s not the only other regular of both the ongoing comic and television series to fall into the fray in Episode 1. Glenn also makes an appearance running his usual life threatening supply runs. Some very tough decisions have to be made right out of the gate that will hold precedence throughout your five episode experience. Episode 1 does a fantastic job of introducing you to the characters, controls, and mood of the ongoing Season.

Episode 2 Starved For Help picks up shortly after the events of the first. This episode delves deep into the survival aspect of a post apocalyptic society. There’s a strong theme of deception rearing it’s ugly head during Episode 2 that is the driving force of the events that eventually unfold. Lee is pushed to further break the rules that governed his previous way of life to survive. The themes that are introduced into the overall story are much darker this time around. Episode 2 does well to acclimate you to the survival of the fittest mentality that is The Walking Dead. A decision during this episode will weight very heavily on events towards the end of your experience of Season 1 so keep that in mind.

Episode 3 Long Road Ahead starts up just weeks after the events of the previous episode. Things are worse for our rag tag group of survivors after the recent events have taken effect. Their sanctuary is threatened and they are forced to hit the road to escape a grisly fate. The traitor of the group is accused and what eventually occurs is just another example of the hardships that face Lee and his group of survivors. Just after this turn of events another even more heart breaking realization is made. Eventually your path is blocked and you find another suitable mode of transportation. After getting your new transport up and running the group makes a bee line elsewhere. Another group altercation causes our progress to stop and Lee is forced to make the most emotional decision of the entire series (this moment I’m referring to elicited the most emotion I’ve ever felt while playing any video game in my life). At the end of episode 3 Lee has to make some decisions about how to protect Clementine in the future and make her less vulnerable. Three new characters are added to the group during this episode and will join you going forward in your quest to protect Clementine and find her parents.

Episode 4 Around Every Corner lands you in a new location. Clementine’s parents may be in the area and the overall sense of urgency is definitely heightened out of the gate. Since early on in the story one member of your group has been convinced your groups salvation lies at sea. The new location in Episode 4 offers the opportunity for Lee and the group to become sea faring survivors and the search is on for a boat so the group can make their escape. However, someone out in the shadows definitely isn’t a fan of the group and does their utmost to make life hard for them. Further hardships ensue and eventually we have another addition to our group and also stumble upon another group of survivors. A third group is referred to and later encountered that’s described as a bit right wing and homicidal. The events of Episode 4 are abundant and would require a lot of real estate to cover. The finale is set by the disappearance of Clementine at the end of the episode and a posse is made based on the in game decisions you’ve made up to this point. Lee’s quest to protect Clementine at all costs is coming to an end and the grim future of Lee and his group is more evident than ever.

Episode 5 No Time Left is the perfect cap to a hugely emotional, masterfully written experience. Lee will slice, smash, and claw his way back to Clementine at all costs. Your journey ends in a humble yet spectacular fashion as you complete your goal of protecting Clementine with all of your being. Lee takes steps prepare her to survive on her own in the new world around her. The torch is passed in what I believe the most meaningful way possible. Episode 5 closes the book on what I believe was 2012′s game of the year.

So head out and grab The Walking Dead via digital download on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC. It’s also now available via retail disc on the above systems.

Telltale hit the nail on the head when it comes to The Walking Dead. The characters and story present throughout are some of the best realized ideas in gaming history. I also didn’t experience any of the technical hiccups that many others referred to as their only complaint of the title. With that in mind it’s hard to really take anything away from The Walking Dead besides a bit of fragmentation in the story during Episode 4.

+ Some of the best writing in video games.

+ Characters that you care about.

+ The mood and themes of the source material are fully respected.

- Episode 4 had some pacing issues but still set up the finale suitably.

- Delayed episode releases.

Review Score: 9.5/10

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