Moonlighter (Xbox One) Review!

Disclaimer: The code for this Xbox One game was obtained for free, from a source that had obtained it for free from the developer.

So many games recently have attempted to use a link to the past for the basis of there game but very few also combine them with another genre entirely to create a unique experience. Moonlighter is one such game that asks you a very simple question -  Are you an adventurer or a merchant?

In Moonlighter you play as budding adventurer Will. Now Will isn't your normal Link knock off, no, in fact Will is also the shopkeeper of his family's longstanding shop Moonlighter. Will's story is one of lofty ambitions but grounded progression which really makes you root for him throughout the games simple but fairly non linear story.

By day you tend to Wills shop, you sells items, dictate there price and market value and ultimately put the customers through the till for each transaction. This side of the game feels very reminiscent of Stardew Valley or Harvest Moon and is actually pretty rewarding. I found myself meticulously adjusting prices to get the best values and even skipped a few night dungeons to sell through my existing stock. Its a simple idea but it is deep enough to keep you hooked well into the 5+ hour mark. The money earned can also be used for a number of things which helps motivate the shop keeping aspects. This takes the form of Animal Crossing style town progression where Will can use his money as start up capital for other shop keepers around town as well as improve the Moonlighter to bring more business to the town and allow for other gameplay features to become available. Overall i really enjoyed the Shopkeeping side of the game and personally for me it was the main highlight!

The other half of the game sees Will become an adventurer. You go through Zelda like dungeons, slowly progressing more each time to collect items to sell in your shop, uncover the mysteries of the 5 dungeons through messages left by fallen heroes and ultimately defeat each of the bosses. Will's desire to be a hero is subtly told throughout this section of the game and is surprisingly intriguing. Here is where those other shop keepers come in too, you can buy weapons, armor, potions and various other items from the vendors to make the adventurer side of the game much easier. I like this because it again gives you a satisfying reason to do both sides of the game - you need loot to sell in your shop to make money and you need the money to make the loot collecting easier. It is a simple gameplay loop but it is very rewarding.

Artistically the game is beautiful. Its use of pixel sprites is exquisite with animations and designs very much up there with the very best in modern versions of this style. The cutscenes reminded me of early animated games like Another World, with its simple yet emotive character designs. Overall it is a very good looking game. The music reminds me of Harvest Moon again with its calming but catchy town tunes and the dungeon themes give you the right mix of foreboding and excitement to add tension to each encounter.

So how does the game feel? Well, OKAY is the best description i can give. The combat feels like a top down Zelda title with an elegant roll but the sword play early on can feel abit off. It just doesn't feel great to bash an enemy in the first hour or so in my opinion. I am not personally a massive top down combat fan and i always get caught not keeping my distances as much as a should but the game does a fairly good job of teaching you to not do this.As soon as you are able to craft/buy the larger swords and bows this isn't as big as a problem i think and the combat really starts to become enjoyable.

Overall Moonlighter is a curious mix of two very different genres that hits more than it misses, it starts slow but once you get hooked it can be a very rewarding and addictive gameplay loop. Great visual and sound add to the experience but be wary of that first hour of Will's story.

8/10

Tales From The Borderlands (Xbox One) Review!

Going into Tales From The Borderlands i was worried that my few days worth of Co Op of Borderlands during university and a 2 hour stint of the Vita version of Borderlands 2 would drastically impact my enjoyment of the telltale spin off game and thankfully i could not of been more wrong.

Tales from the Borderlands is a point and click adventure by the masters at Telltale games set within the Borderlands universe. The story follows corporate douche bag Rhys and Gutsy con artist Fiona as they attempt to survive and make abit of cash on the desolate and frankly crazy world of Pandora. The game is set after Borderlands 2 and as such the ending of that game is referenced frequently throughout (and actually becomes a major plot point) but it didn't ruin the previous game for me, if anything its made my want to go back!

 A game like this lives and dies by its settings and characters and TFTB does not disappoint. TFTB does an amazing job of fleshing out the world of Pandora, you understand its people, creatures and way of life by the end of the first episode and it entices you to play on. Fiona and Rhys are themselves likable but flawed characters that constantly screw up but still manage to survive and move forward. They are backed up by some of my favourite supporting characters of any of the Telltale titles. Its hard to talk about without getting into spoilers but from Loader Bot to Vallory everyone feels unique without feeling too cliche unless the writing dictates it.

Now this is the real shining light of TFTB - The Writing. It is incredibly cleverly written, with characters poking fun at the situations they are in and how unlikely it is for them to survive. It is believable that Rhys and Vaughan are bros, its clear that Sasha and Fiona are sisters and it is amusing how many little decisions are called back throughout its 8 hour play time. It is also supremely funny, there are a few moments where i genuinely laughed and i cant say that happens too often!

In terms of Music and Art the Telltale team's graphic design mixes well with Gearbox's wacky cell shaded world. The pop music intros for each episode fit the games themes well and are tastefully done, it doesn't feel like laborious to sit through these. The voice acting is spot on too with a couple standout voices that are easy to notice. And possibly most exciting of all is that the game engine actually feels great, during my whole Xbox One play through i didn't experience one instance of slowdown which is certainly rare for Telltale!

Overall, it is very difficult to talk about Tales From The Borderlands without ruining the stellar story and characters but i can say that it is one of the most hilarious, clever and enjoyable experiences i have had for a long time. You don't need previous Borderlands experience but you do owe it to yourself to give TFTB a shot, it is really that good.

9/10

Trailblazers (Xbox One) Review!

Disclaimer: The code for this Xbox One game was obtained for free, from a source that had obtained it for free from the developer.

Trailblazers speeds its way onto every console in a blur of bright colours and paint but is it a winning formula?

Well, im happy to say, that for the most part, yes it is! Trailblazers is an arcade racer that tasks you with winning races, painting tracks and getting huge combos in team based races across a variety of tracks and modes. 

The first thing that really strikes you about trailblazers is its vibrancy. The game is very colourful and upbeat, the menus are full of bright colours and popping graphics that remind me of Xbox One exclusive Sunset Overdrive and that is not a bad thing. This really helps the game standout compared to relatively similar titles such as Redout or Fast Racing Neo. The characters are also designed in this way, with designs that can't help remind you of Overwatch but again, this is not a bad comparison for a Multiplayer game in 2018.  

The in game graphics are also bright, colourful and cartoony with cel shading used throughout that gives the game a style very much of its on in the racing genre. Each track has an overall theme and the colour pallete reflects that, for example in the swamp track there are lots of greens and browns whereas the city tracks are full of bright neon lights. This is fantastic and makes each track more memorable as a consequence. In terms of performance the game runs pretty well on Xbox One though i did notice a small amount of slow down on busier sections of the tracks, particularly in the gate mode due to the amount of paint being laid on the track at once. The soundtrack is also perfectly suited to the game, with upbeat tunes, disc scratching and bass beats pushing the game along nicely. 

Gameplay can easily be summed up as F Zero but with paint but i think that does the game a disservice. You gain a boost for driving on your own colour so the two type of painting becomes very tatical. You can paint behind you to create paths for your team mates, which is great for leading races and building up your teams overall score and you can also shoot out a line of paint in front of you, this damages enemy vehicles but also lets you boost quickly which is key for catching up or protecting your lead driver. This feels like a much more nature balance than the typical rubber banding of other games and as such rewards skilled players just as much as great teamwork.

Content wise Trailblazers is fairly well stocked, there's plenty of characters and tracks to pick from the off. Each with different strengths and strategies and thus far i haven't found an obviously overpowered character which is key for games like this. There is also a good Oval track (Robo Ringway) for all the Baby Park fans out there! Single player is covered with a surprisingly robust Story mode which tasks the player which completing different objectives within different race types, each rewarding you with 1 of 3 tokens which act somewhat as the collectible of the game for achievement/Trophy purposes. Each chapter has short character cut-scenes which aren't very big budget but serve to give each character there own personalities and relationships which is a nice bonus for a racing game.

Multiplayer is where the game shines the most however, with local split screen and online multiplayer options a plenty. The option to take up to 4 players online with you in split screen is a very smart decision, not only for the whole "party game" scenario but also for populating the online lobbies which, as of writing, is really the only big issue i have with Trailblazers. On Xbox One in Europe i have really struggled to find games but as its been out for only a few days i hope that players flock to it!

Overall Trailblazers gets an awful lot right, it looks, feels and most important plays like a well polished arcade racing experience. It shines brightly in multiplayer where its unique co operative mechanics make it stand out compared to other games in the genre. If players gravitate to its fun and fast online multiplayer and a few of the slowdown issues can be addressed then i could see it being a big hit.

8.5/10

Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edtion (Xbox One) Review!

Back at the tail end of 2012 Sleeping Dogs hit the Xbox 360 and to be perfectly honest blew me away with its interesting Hong Kong setting, fantastic voice acting and truly fun combat mechanics, but going back to the Xbox One version of the game do i still feel the same?

Well, the short answer is yes. Sleeping Dogs puts you in the shoes of undercover cop Wei Shen who returns to Hong Kong after years of working as a cop in the USA. Shen is tasked with going undercover with triad group the Sun On Yee and taking it down from the inside. However, the true brilliance of this story is in Shen's split loyalties as he becomes more attached to the group and starts to see the Honour vs Crime dynamic play out throughout the city. Think of it like a darker version of Rush Hour!

This shines so bright as a plus point due to the fantastic voice acting. United Front made a wise choice of hiring voice talent that is proficient in both English and Cantonese which gives the game a sense of realism that many titles like this do not have. The subtle switching between these languages again adds to the story and by the end of the main game you really feel attached to each character, especially Shen and his group of misfit friends.

Combat and character progression is also a leading light for the game, with the melee combat drawing heavily from Batman Arkham's Attack, Counter and Grapple system but Sleeping Dogs adds in classic Kung Fu style and moves which make the game feel like you're in a modern Kung Fu flick. The environmental kills are a big highlight here too with most of them being absolutely brutal! Shen also levels up through a variety of means, each mission has a Cop rating and a triad rating based on the actions you take throughout the mission. Generally speaking head-shots and violence will add to the triad score but causing public damage and hurting civilians will lower the Cop score. Thankfully every mission in the game can be replayed for those looking to get the best possible upgrades as quick as possible.

Side quests are fantastic in this game too. the world is much smaller than typical GTA fare but Hong Kong is much more densely populated with smart NPC's and a bounty of side missions, favours and events to take part in. There's races that are frankly good enough to be there own racing game, Cockfighting, Martial Arts Tournaments, Drug Busts, Lock Boxes, etc. Crucially all of these side aspects, even the health shrines, are given the benefit of a story beat. for example, taking one of the female characters on a date unlock a fully voiced mission that rewards you with the mini-map now displaying the whereabouts of one of the collectibles. For an achievement hunter out there this is a god send and pushes the player to actively seek out the collectibles organically as they are doing something else instead of waiting till the post game to hunt them all down.

The definitive edition also includes the short story expansions Nightmare in North-point and Year of the Snake. Both of these expansions are pretty fun and goofy bits of content that don't stray too far from the main games formula but are still a ton of fun and certainly worth giving a go once the main game is complete as they are full of spoilers if you haven't!

If there is any downsides to Sleeping Dogs is that in 2018 it does begin to show its age a little bit. The models and textures are a little muddy and its lack of any multiplayer can put people off but as a standalone single player game that you can pick up for around £12 at this point, i think there is more than enough content.

Overall Sleeping Dogs was a great game on Xbox 360 and it is slightly improved on Xbox One. Its fluid combat, fast driving, interesting setting and extremely engaging story easily outweigh the slightly dated graphics in my opinion.

If you haven't played it and like Kung Fu movies, GTA or generally great and well written stories, you could do alot worse than Sleeping Dogs: Definitive edition

PUBG On Xbox One! First Impressions! 13/12/17

Hey Guys! Gizmo here with my first impressions of PLAYER UNKNOWN'S Battleground now it has come to the Xbox Preview program!

First of all, it seems obvious to point out that the game is indeed "Xbox Preview" meaning the game is unfinished, hell the game even tells you so when it loads up! So with that in mind my expectations were not as high as a full release of the game. 

So with that out of the way lets start talking about the game! 

In terms of the gameplay loop, PUBG on Xbox is the same addictive fun as the PC version. You drop out of a plane into a large open map, salvage what gear you can and try to survive in an ever shrinking map. You can do this alone, duos or, my personal favourite, with a squad of up to 4 people. The game excels in creating that tense feeling of hunting a group that passes you by from a vantage point, the rush of that pinpoint headshot and the hilarity of you and a friend flying over a hill in a sidecar to try and get into the circle before the electric dome gets you! This all works great on the Xbox and Xbox Live is the ever reliable source for grouping and chat.

The controls also surprised me, i was expecting a severely toned down system but to be honest, its all in there. The inventory and gun attachment system works great and adds so much needed depth, the vehicle movement and general player traversal feels alot more natural with a stick instead of keys and nothing has been taken out (as far as i can tell anyway). It isn't perfect however, the shooting is significantly more clunky than over console shooters. Going down sights in particular is very strange and awkward compared to what you would expect. Overall is definitely serviceable enough and hasn't thus far caused me any real anger or frustration.

The next big talking point is performance and really this is where PUBG struggles. The game looks ugly, lacks high quality textures, much customization and the game does chug noticeable in certain places (We've found the initial plane jumping to be the may area of frustration). But, to its credit, the game does just about enough in terms of server quality and generally locked fps to not cause any major issues. As a console player you tend to expect a greater level of consistent performance but because EVERYONE is in the same boat it doesn't cause as much frustration as it could.

The last aspect i want to talk about for this first impression is its impact. So far, from my own limited viewpoint, PUBG appears to be doing well. Its trending on twitter, prominent games media outlets and influencers are producing a ton of content for it and i have never seen Mixer as active as it has been the last 48 hours! Xbox needed a game like this to come out swinging and so far i think it has done that.

Is there room for improvement? YES, absolutely loads but the developers were wise to bring this to Xbox Preview before its slated Q1 Version 1.0 release. If the game can continue to build upon this early promise, i can see it being a very bright spark for Xbox's 2018 aspirations. 

So my first impressions of the game are fairly positive and realistic, its buggy, clunky and a little bit light but the most important thing is that PUBG is fun, A LOT of fun, and that is really what gaming is all about.

Xbox News: Gears of War 4 December 2017 Update! More Achievements! 07/12/17

Hey Guys, Gizmo here with a quick news update for Gears of War 4!

Over on Gears of War's official site they have announced a huge free update to the game for December!

The Notes are as follows:

• Added 10 achievements worth 500G!
• Improved Credit and XP Earn rate for Versus game modes to be more even with earn rates in Horde
• Horde Events now support Holiday Hats!
• Xbox One X: Long games of Escalation no longer cause the game to crash
• Removed multiple exploits allowing players to go out of bounds on Horde maps
• Fixed an exploit involving ledge drop downs
• Improved Versus and Horde dialogue for Bernie, Hoffman, Oscar and Sam in line with improvements made to other character dialogue

The Achievement list is as follows:

Achievements marked with [R] (Retroactive) will unlock if you have already completed the requirements when the update releases.

• [R] Momma Said I Can’t Die (50G) – Beat the campaign on Inconceivable solo
• Pick Me Up (50G) - Complete Campaign on Hardcore or higher without ever killing an enemy with a Lancer or Gnasher (includes Co-Op Partner)

• [R] I’m In The Zone (50G) - Kill 10 players without dying in Versus Multiplayer (Public only)
• Tour De Force (50G) – Finish a Versus match on all 24 post-launch Versus maps (Public only)
• [R] Veteran Gear (50G) – Play 100 hours of Versus Multiplayer
• [R] Master At Arms (100G) – Get 50 kills with every weapon in Versus, excluding grenades (Public Only)
• [R] Best Teammate (100G) – Earn 1000 damage or spotting assists in Versus (Public Only)
• [R] Mine! (10G) – Own 10 Cards from the Series 3 Collection
• [R] I Like Em Crispy (20G) – Collect 5 Flaming Weapon Skins from Versus Special Events
• [R] Better Than Bacon (20G) – Collect 5 Midnight Omen Weapon Skins from Horde Special Events

Obviously the most exciting thing here is more achievements but personally im very happy to see improved Credit and XP rates for versus modes to bring them into line with Horde mode, as this has been an issue since launch!

Also excited to see the Holiday Hats in Horde!

It's great to see The Coalition continue to support Gears 4 post launch and at this point its become one of the most complete experiences on the Xbox One!

For more details please check out https://gearsofwar.com/en-us/community/gears4-2017-dec7update

Super Lucky's Tale Review (Xbox One)

Super Lucky's Tale is indeed a curious tale. An early Virtual Reality title turned into an E3 stage worthy Xbox One exclusive, does this cute Fox make for a worthy adventure or is it wasted potential?

Well, first off, i was very pleasantly surprised by Lucky's overall polish. I know this is a weird thing to start off with but when an exclusive game comes out at just £19.99 RRP it can give the illusion of poor quality or lack of effort, thankfully this is not the case with Super Lucky's Tale.

Following a charming intro cut-scene where you learn, from Lucky's sister, that Lucky and the villainous Kitty Litter (The pun game is STRONG in this one) have been sucked into the Book of Ages Lucky must collect enough Clovers (he's Lucky you see...) to defeat each of these colourful kitty villains, progress to the next world and escape the book. It's pretty by the numbers but overall i really like the way the game approaches its limited story. each of the worlds have unique and very adorable inhabitants but the cats are really the stars of the show. Each providing context to the changes they've made to each world and each of them very memorable in there own ways.

The game is also beautiful. Its use of simplistic and clean textures really allow the bright colours to pop and give the Lucky a feel very reminiscent of Super Mario or Banjo-Kazooie. Lucky and the cast also ooze personality with really  vibrant animations and audio ques that again take you back to an era of games that were seemingly gone forever. I was surprised to see the game also supports 4K and is Enhanced for Xbox One X and although i haven't been able to try this out, i can imagine the game looks even more beautiful with the crispness of HDR and 4K. The music is also a highlight too, with most tracks being upbeat and very catchy.

Gameplay wise the game feels exactly how you would expect a 3D platformer to feel in 2017. Lucky can jump, double jump, burrow and spin to attack foes and progress through platforming challenges. All these work really well with the notable exception of the double jump that just feels plain off. It requires a far to precise button input that only seems to work half of the time. That aside the other moves work great and are utilized throughout the game. For example, throughout most of the levels there is clock you hit that then gives you a certain amount of time to collect coloured coins in sequence. these challenges usually have lucky switching from burrowing to jumping in quick succession and really test your platforming skills. Overall, Lucky controls are pretty good.

The level design also stands out as a real positive for me. Each of the levels are distinctly themed around a certain overarching gimmick, eg a farm that's been taken over by machines or a big maze overseen by an onion King, and this gives them all a unique quality that reminds me of early Crash Bandicoot titles. Each levels requires you to get 300 coins, Spell the word LUCKY, find a hidden challenge and Complete the level. Having these requirements the same throughout was actually a really smart move because it keeps the player moving towards a goal, they know what to look out for and as such can enjoy each level without wondering what they need to do to 100% it.

A major gripe i've seen a few other reviewers have with the game is the somewhat unusually high required amount of clovers to progress through the world. Whilst i can see why someone might complain about this i personally had absolutely no trouble getting all the clovers in each level with only 1 or 2 runs through. Coupled with the fact the levels in general are pretty short AND keep your LUCKY clover progress the difficulty of completion for Lucky is fairly easy.

In terms of Achievements the game is very straight forward. Beat the game, collect all the clovers needed to do so and perform a few tasks you will naturally perform throughout the game anyway and BOOM 1000 GamerScore.

Overall, Super Lucky's Tale is a fun game. Its simple setting and fluid controls are brilliantly mixed with beautiful graphics and upbeat humour to provide an enjoyable adventure that anyone can enjoy. Its Poor double jump and lack of replay value are really its only short comings but this is quickly balanced by its low price point.

My verdict for Super Lucky's Tale is a good game that only misses greatness by a inch.

7.8/10