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Far Cry 4

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 05/24/2015

Posted in: Microsoft, Microsoft Consoles, PC Reviews, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Retro Consoles, Sony, Sony Consoles, Steam Deck Playable, Steam Deck Verification, Xbox 360, Xbox One. Tagged: far cry 4, Microsoft, open world, playstation, ps3, ps4, Sony, ubisoft, xbone, Xbox 360, xbox one. 2 Comments

Publisher: Ubisoft

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal

Release Date: 11/18/2014

Available On

An open jungle, a rebel war, a tyrant, a guy who ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time, lots of guns…sound familiar? Yes, another Far Cry run of a giant open world that might be too large for its own good. Far Cry 3’s mediocre missions were made up for by an excellent story with fantastic characters; however, Far Cry 4 seems to be doing the opposite. You play Ajay Ghale, a man trying to bury his mother’s ashes but is captured by a tyrant known as Pagin Min. Min is a man who is bringing the people of Kyrat down, and you are here to help the rebel army rise against him. It sounds cliche and boring, and it is. The story and characters are Far Cry 4’s downfall, as they are either just really badly written or uninteresting. Pagan Min isn’t so bad, but the rest of the characters just don’t hit home like FC3 did.

There are honestly more side missions than story quests, but to the point in which it’s overwhelming. Far Cry 4 is huge. Five times the size of Far Cry 3. Despite the story being bland, let’s talk about the gameplay. It’s nearly identical to FC3 in terms of gunplay and the choice of stealth or guns blazing. However, the choice of stealth, I feel, is stilted, and guns blazing tends to be the forced choice. There are multiple side quests, including destroying propaganda towers, intercepting couriers, taking over camps, storming fortresses, hunting, races, and several others. While all these are fun for a bit, they all wear thin, as there are just so many of them. There were missions that required me to sneak into an enemy base, but no matter how quiet I was, someone always saw me. The enemies have had this problem since the first game.

Outside of the side missions, you can buy weapons and maps, hunt for treasures (which is probably the most tedious), and skin animals to increase carrying capacity. Gathering plants for syringes is back as well, but all of these things are second-hand from FC3, and there’s just not enough here that’s new to make it feel like FC4. Thankfully, the gunplay is rather solid, and customizing weapons was one of my favorite things to do. I’m not saying any of this stuff was bad, but it was tedious and felt too similar to past games. Nothing really stands out on its own.

FC4 is also heavily reliant on co-op play, as some camps and fortresses are nearly impossible to take over by yourself. I died multiple times and had to exploit strategies to beat some of them. I would give up and wander around collecting treasure, taking over a tower, and completing some side quests, only to continue getting distracted from the main story. This is usually a good thing, but FC4’s world feels sterile, empty, and too artificial for its own good. Most people would love all these things to do, but it’s all just kind of dull and only good in short bursts.

The graphics are actually quite fantastic and show off the power of next-gen consoles; however, they’re not much different-looking than FC3. In the end, after completing the story, I felt overwhelmed by the vast amount of things needed to complete the game and just told myself I would come back to it later, when I’m really bored. In the future, Ubisoft needs to work on Far Cry, which feels more important with less filler content. Honestly, this series needs a reboot or a complete overhaul to justify its existence.

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Dying Light

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 05/13/2015

Posted in: Linux, Mac, Microsoft Consoles, PC Reviews, PlayStation 4, Sony Consoles, Steam Deck Verification, Steam Deck Verified, Xbox One. Tagged: dying light, Microsoft, pc, playstation, ps4, Sony, techland, warner bros, xbone, xbox one, zombies. Leave a comment

Publisher: Warner Bros. Entertainment

Developer: Techland

Release Date: 1/27/2015

Available On

Zombie games are everywhere now, but they have also gotten better over the years. Zombies are probably the most iconic horror character ever, and almost everyone is fascinated by them. However, a new fascination has started coming around: What would happen if we truly and honestly were hit by a zombie apocalypse? Gone are the campy days of old horror films where zombies were just scary and cool. People are even getting down to the nitty-gritty science of zombies, and it’s now showing up in video games. Dying Light is probably one of the better zombie games out there and, for sure, the best open-world one.

You play as a man named Kyle Crane who is working for the GRE, a group tasked with finding a cure in ground zero of the zombie outbreak. The story actually doesn’t get interesting until towards the end of the game. The actual story missions are quite entertaining and well put together. My favorite moments were chase sequences as these got very intense and pretty scary. Despite all this, the characters are a little weak and disappointing. The main antagonist, Rais, had potential in the beginning by being a sick twisted ass with a God complex, but in the end, he became cliché and it all went downhill. Other characters are bit parts and aren’t as strong as other open-world characters such as Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, or even Mass Effect. They feel generic and forgettable, and honestly, nothing all that interesting is going on in this world besides zombies.

That’s what I have to gripe about the most. Dying Light had a lot of potential to create some great lore around this fictional area and develop some memorable characters, but instead went the route of just getting as many missions out there as possible and relying on the open world itself. There is just so much potential here. The world itself is well put together and huge. There are some unique areas where pieces of the story could be told, but the developers just bypassed this all together.

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With that said, the combat is actually quite satisfying. This isn’t a game in which you kill everything in sight. The whole point is to run away and survive. Sometimes you will run across a bridge that has nearly a hundred zombies. It’s best to just run on top of the cars and stay away. The whole game is in the first person, so the combat is similar to Dead Island or even The Elder Scrolls. There are many different types of weapons you can create or buy, and the ones with mods are the most fun to use. Slicing off a zombie’s head is satisfying, as is jumping over a zombie to escape an entire horde. I actually like how the game forces you to only fight when the opportunity is right. Nighttime is the most dangerous, and fighting is probably mostly avoided. Dangerous, volatile zombies that are extremely hard to kill will chase you down in the dead of night. I mostly avoided the nighttime unless a quest required me to be in it. It also helps add to the atmosphere, and I was usually scared and very paranoid when traveling at night. There are guns in the game; however, using them is very dangerous since faster, more deadly zombies will hear the sounds and surround you. Shooting is very satisfying in the game, but it’s best used in isolated areas where runners can’t respawn.

Once the player reaches level 12, they can unlock a grappling hook, which is essential for traveling vast parts of the game. It has a two-time use rather than a 10-second cooldown, but it sure comes in handy when escaping hordes of zombies or traveling large distances. With all this combined, Dying Light has a great world to explore, despite how generic it may feel. Everything does get better towards the end of the game as you can use more powerful weapons, and fighting zombies (even the more powerful ones) becomes easier and less like a chore.

Graphically, Dying Light looks fantastic. There are some awesome lighting effects, and the draw distance is amazing. The textures are a little sketchy, as are some of the zombie models. However, the game really shows off the power of the next-gen consoles and is probably one of the best zombie games to date. Outside of the generic story, the combat is rewarding, as is leveling up your character, but I just can’t help but feel that there is something missing from this game. It feels empty and lonely, but not in the way it’s supposed to feel. When it comes to multiplayer, it’s nothing special and will probably be forgotten quickly. It’s fun for a little while, but you probably have other multiplayer games that are much better.

Reviewed On

Mortal Kombat X

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 04/25/2015

Posted in: Microsoft Consoles, PC Reviews, PlayStation 4, Sony Consoles, Steam Deck Verification, Steam Deck Verified, Xbox One. Tagged: fatality, fighting, gore, Microsoft, mortal kombat x, netherrealm, playstation, ps4, Sony, xbone, xbox one. Leave a comment

Publisher: Warner Bros.

Developer: Netherrealm Studios

Release Date: 4/14/2015

Available On

MOOORRTTAALLL KOOOMMBBAATTT!!! Mortal Monday made gaming history when the original arcade game hit the Sega Genesis, Mega Drive, and Super Nintendo in 1992. Fast forward 23 years, and people still get just as excited for every new Mortal Kombat game. MKX is a near reboot of the reboot from 2011 by improving nearly every aspect of the game, including online. This is the first Mortal Kombat game for next-generation consoles and has set the bar for fighting games in terms of production values.

The first thing you will probably play is the story; it’s needed to unlock Shinnok as well as earn a slew of koins for the Krypt. The story is fantastic and the best one in any fighting game to date. The story has finally evolved past MK3 and takes place 25 years after the last game. Naturally, the original fighters have aged and are older (but still kick ass), and new generations or kids of these fighters are introduced. The story is actually shorter and more streamlined than in MK9. Instead of every character being shoehorned into the story, you only play as the good guys and select characters. There are about five matches for each character, and the entire story just evolves naturally. Earthrealm is past Shao Kahn and his BS (as the players are), but Shinnok returns to claim the Komidogu amulet and take over Earthrealm. After about 4 hours or so, you will get the hang of the entire fighting system and start kicking ass.

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Once you finish the story, you will most likely go into the krypt to spend your koins. Introduced in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, the Krypt is a fan service full of goodies and unlocks to prolong the game and make you earn everything. Character art, fatalities, costumes, and fan art are many among the Krypt, but they have evolved. Instead of just a large room, you unlock coffins in a first-person adventure that’s its own mini-game. Players can walk around an entire set of levels, finding hidden objects to unlock new parts of the mini-game and find more koffins. At certain times, koffins will appear (think of the concept from Deception in Konquest mode), and random enemies will attack when a quick-time event pops up. Succeed, and you will be awarded a few hundred koins. This new Krypt idea could stand on its own if it were fleshed out more. It is actually quite atmospheric and can be tense.

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After the Krypt, you will most likely check out the Faction Wars. This is a whole new online concept by Netherrealm that extends the tower concept that was enacted in the first game. There are many different tower modes, with the first being living towers. Using the match modifiers that were introduced in MK3 and reimagined in MK9, Living Towers will mix up a random modifier as well as tower goals. Certain matches will award koins for accomplishing certain things during a match, like jumping 25 times or finishing a match with more than 50% health. There are three types of living towers. Daily, hourly, and premier, which are every 5 days. This adds to your Faction War points, which will help you when an invasion starts. At the beginning of the game, you get to choose from five factions. Lin Kuei, Brotherhood of Shadows, White Lotus, Special Forces, and Black Dragon. Faction XP can be awarded during an invasion as well as by fighting an immortal boss. Players have 30 seconds to do as much damage as they can, but the difficulty of the boss is set to Very Hard. Invasion towers are another way as well.

These towers also carry over into single-player Tower Challenges, which is a randomized tower with modifiers and Test Your Might matches. Your final score is set, and you can send that tower to a friend to have them beat your score. It’s a lot of fun and extends the longevity of online play.

With the modes out of the way, let’s talk about the actual game. The control and responsiveness are so much better than any other MK game. MK9 tried to recreate the feeling of the first three MK games, but it got stale after a while. MKX is a whole new beast with the core familiar mechanics at play. Balancing is also nearly perfected in MKX thanks to combat variants. Each fighter has three different variants they can play as, and this sets their special moves. Instead of some characters having a long list of special moves to spam you with, they are limited this time around and cut down. Every player will have their favorite variant after playing for so long.

Outside of variants, the fighting is a little more cinematic. The camera zooms in on throws, and the new X-ray moves. X-rays are now three hits instead of two, and the models are much more detailed. More bones break, individual organs are modeled, and fibers on the muscles have depth. It looks fantastic, and this is by far the most brutal MK game to date. The fatalities are the best in any game and are just awesome. New tech allows for facial animations with twitching eyes, lips, and overall detailed gore. Organs are split in half, and they actually look like their organs, unlike previous games with generic gibs. Brutalities made a return, but they are no longer the complicated button presses like MK3. Certain requirements must be met in a match, such as having 50% health remaining, connecting a number of certain moves in a match, and hitting the right button combo during the final hit of the last round. Brutalities are now variations of special moves but have a twisted, deadly ending that throws opponents off guard and is extremely satisfying to pull off and watch.

The new characters are actually the best new fighters in the series. All are fun to play, and all are distinctive, unlike previous entries where new characters felt like cheap rip-offs. Among them, Cassie Cage, Jacqui Briggs, Ferra/Tor, D’Vorah, and Erron Black are my favorites. Kung Jin and Takeda aren’t exactly the unique characters they succeed, which are Kenshi and Kung Lao. They both look and feel nearly identical, despite having different weapons. Takeda is actually more similar to Scorpion than Kenshi, as he uses dual whips and Kung Jin has a bow and staff. Unique weapons, but their characters aren’t fleshed out much in the story mode.

With that said, MKX is an evolution of the series that it so desperately needs. The longevity that’s smart and isn’t bloated content, more online features, and the variants are hopefully here to stay. This is one of the best fighting games of the decade.

Kollector’s Edition: For $90 more, you can receive a special box, a Scorpion statue, the Kombat Pass, and a Scorpion skin. The statue is made by a sculptor named Coarse, and the skin is of the statue. It’s beautifully made and well worth it for collectors. It also comes with a certificate of authenticity.

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New Nintendo 3DS XL

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 04/24/2015

Posted in: 3DS, Hardware, Nintendo Consoles. Tagged: 3ds, black, hardware, new, Nintendo, red, xl. Leave a comment

Manufacturer: Nintendo, Foxconn

Release Date: 2/13/15

Colors: Black, Red, Silver (Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate), Gold (The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D)

MSRP: $199.99, $229.99 (bundles)

Nintendo is known for constant hardware iterations, and they finally got the 3DS right with the New XL. Despite the confusing name, it actually does feel all new. The entire system is streamlined, and it feels like Nintendo finally wrapped their minds around how they want the 3DS to be, and this is the final (hopefully) result. All of the features implemented into the 3DS up until now are present on the 3DS, from hardware changes to the software.

The first thing you will notice, obviously, is how big the unit is. I had a DSi XL, and while it was bigger, the larger screen made games look pixelated. The new 3DS XL isn’t just a 3DS on steroids like the 3DS XL; it has all new features. Secondly, it is just how sleek it looks. This is probably Nintendo’s sexiest handheld since the GBA SP. The round edge, accompanied by the slim form factor, just made it look sleek and impressive. Once you flip it open, you will notice something. What the hell is that rubber nubby thing on the top right corner? It’s the “C-Stick,” and I put quotes there because it’s not a stick but a nub—well, not even that. It’s like a rubber nipple. The addition of a second stick is an absolute must-have on the 3DS. I can’t make this point any clearer. Nintendo pretty much took the Circle Pad Pro and melted it onto the New 3DS XL, as it includes the ZR and ZL buttons as well. The first handheld with two shoulder buttons built-in—now we just need more games that support them! More on that later.

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Everything else is pretty much in its proper place, button-wise, except there is no longer a WiFi switch on the side. WiFi is a software toggle now, and the power, wifi, and charging lights are all grouped up in a row on the bottom right corner. You can see them easily with the lid flipped down. One of my favorite features is the SpotPass LED located on top of the right hinge. It lights up green when a SpotPass notification is available and is also your low battery light. The game card slot is tucked away on the bottom of the device, along with the stylus and power button. The power button is a small button under the LED lights, so you don’t accidentally hit it.

I actually like the new 3D slider on the right side of the screen. It’s symmetrical to the volume slider, like older models, but is more flush with the system and doesn’t feel so cheap. One minor gripe is that the New 3DS XL does not use a standard SD card, so the one in your older system is useless here; instead, it comes with a 4GB microSD card and is not accessible from the outside. You must unscrew the bottom plate to get to it near the battery. That part I don’t really care about, as most people will either never need to upgrade because they buy physical games, or you will upgrade once with a 32 or 64GB card if you are a digital person. There is also an NFC battery in this thing for the amiibos, but everyone will use that feature. That’s pretty much all there is to the new hardware. Well, it’s actually a complete 90% overhaul, but for the better.

Let’s talk about the screens. They look great, and while not as high resolution as you think, they work fine for 3DS games. For people with bigger hands, the XL size is perfect, and honestly, the 3D is much easier on your eyes as it’s a bigger target. The 3D effect is much improved thanks to the head tracking built into the system via an IR sensor. Now it’s not flawless; it doesn’t work well when you are lying down and gets finicky in the dark if you move around too much. The hardware has a faster CPU, mainly double that of the original model, as well as double the RAM and 1GB of internal memory. The CPU is clocked at 268 MHz and is dual-core, with one core reserved for OS operation. It also has 256MB of RAM and 10 MB of VRAM. You may laugh at this compared to, say, the Vita, but Nintendo is known to keep older hardware for cheaper prices. That’s not to say the New 3DS could have benefited from an entirely new chipset as seen in newer phones, which makes this the biggest downfall of the New 3DS.

Playing games on the system using the C-Stick is weird at first. It doesn’t move around as it reacts to pressure. You just push it—mush it? You move your thumb around on it, and the camera turns. It’s hard to explain, but it works well, and after an hour, you forget it’s not a moveable stick. Playing games like Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate and Resident Evil Revelations makes the games much more enjoyable. The extra shoulder buttons are a little hard to get to as they aren’t contoured into the system, but rather just sit on top and are rather small. The other complaint is that this system does not come with a charger. Yeah, you heard me. Nintendo banked on previous 3DS owners buying this system, so you’re going to have to throw down $10 or so for a generic charger if you have never owned a 3DS before. Stupid move on Nintendo’s part, but there’s nothing we can do.

With all that said, the new 3DS XL is what the 3DS should have been in the beginning. The larger screens look crisp and bright, the battery lasts a whopping 7.5 hours (with WiFi off and power save mode on) during most games, the faster CPU will bring in better-looking games, and the entire form factor is sleek and gorgeous.

Batman: Arkham Unhinged

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 04/24/2015

Posted in: Comics, DC. Leave a comment

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The Batman Arkham storyline is probably one of the most successful for the superhero in decades. Following the style, story, and drama from the hit video game series, Arkham Unhinged takes the reigns of becoming one of my favorite Batman story arcs of all time. However, it’s not Batman himself who is the main character, but Gotham. Throughout the 20 issues, you slowly watch the entire city crumble into chaos and almost become apocalyptic. Batman has more on his shoulders than he can juggle, and everyone in Gotham that can stop this madness is also falling into the hypnotic trance that is Arkham City. Batman actually feels powerless in this series, which is a nice mix-up compared to most superhero comics.

There’s actually not as much action as you would like in a Batman comic here, but fans of the game series will love the constant back and forth between Arkham City, Gotham, and all the characters within. Honestly, this is one of my favorite comic series, and Batman and game fans alike will dig it.

F-Zero: Maximum Velocity – 14 Years Later

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 04/01/2015

Posted in: Game Boy Advance, Nintendo, Retro Consoles. Tagged: f-zero, fzero, gameboy advance, gba, maximum velocity, Nintendo. Leave a comment

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: ND Cube

Release Date: 6/12/2001

Available Exclusively On

F-Zero is a much-loved series, but it doesn’t get much love from Nintendo. With the Gamecube having the last F-Zero game, fans are wondering if the series is completely dead and shelved by the big N. Thankfully, fans who loved the SNES classic can have even more with Maximum Velocity.

Maximum Velocity is pretty much built on the same engine as the SNES, using Mode 7 graphics. However, this may not have been the best choice to go with as there are other more advanced racing games on the system. There are only four cars to select from, and I found the controls to be incredibly slippery and the AI to be extremely difficult to beat. The tracks are fun to drive, but the sense of speed is great, and the game is just lacking in overall content and polish.

You could write all that off on the age of the engine, the GBA’s inferior hardware, or its lazy design. Maximum Velocity feels more like an expansion pack to the original game than one that can stand on its own two feet. After you have memorized all the hazards and turns on each track, it does get easier, but not by much. This game is for players who want a serious challenge with a retro feel.

While the GBA isn’t exactly ideal for racing games, this one really stands out as one of the best. People going back in time may find it nearly impossible to play due to its ancient gameplay ideas and design. However, you are missing a great opportunity to spend a fun afternoon racing on your GBA.

Super Monkey Ball Jr. – 13 Years Later

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 03/28/2015

Posted in: Game Boy Advance, Nintendo, Retro Consoles. Tagged: gameboy advance, gba, jr, Nintendo, super monkey ball. Leave a comment

Publisher: THQ/ Sega

Developer: Realism

Release Date: 11/19/2002

Available Exclusively On

Super Monkey Ball is one of those odd games that, these days, feels like it should be on a phone. It’s good for quick bursts or to beat your high score, but that’s about it. SMB is all about tilting the world around to get a monkey stuck inside a ball to a goal. It harkens back to Marble Madness and the days when motion control was a new thing. However, simulating physics and tilting on a GBA with a D-pad seems rather impossible, but it’s not. SMB Jr. looks pretty darn good and feels natural with the D-pad. It feels like the game was hand-tailored for the GBA.

My only concern is that there’s no goal or challenge mode. You can select from sets of 10, 20, and 30 courses; you get two lives per level and five continues per set. The goal is to try to collect all the bananas while also getting to the goal before the timer runs out. Some levels are easy, some are hard, and some feel nearly impossible. Tilting the world around to get the ball inside the goal is a lot of fun at first, but then it starts to wear thin fast. After you beat all 30 areas, there’s not much else to do.

I won’t say SMB is a bad game; it’s just shallow and lacks depth. It was more like the Gamecube version; it may have been better, but understandably, you can only fit so much on a GBA cart, and the hardware is extremely limited. What is here is impressive for a little handheld.

If you missed this little gem, pick it up cheap on eBay. You will have a fun and frustrating afternoon.

Nintendo GameBoy Advance SP – 12 Years Later

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 03/28/2015

Posted in: Game Boy Advance, Hardware, Nintendo Consoles. Tagged: advance sp, console, gameboy, hardware, Nintendo, retro. Leave a comment

Manufacturer: Nintendo

Release Date: 3/23/2003

MSRP: $129.99

Colors: Blue, Black, Silver, Red

While Nintendo may have dominated the handheld market before smartphones were even aforethought, there was something about them that made them just seem…ugly. Bulky, low-end specs, battery suckers—these are just a few names that early handhelds received, from the original GameBoy, the Atari Lynx, all the way to even the GameBoy Advance. Handhelds required large casings as CPUs hadn’t quite been perfected yet and were large and bulky, not to mention screen technology was still being used in Texas Instrument calculators. LCD was extremely expensive and not cost-effective for small devices yet. The same went for battery power. Lithium-ion batteries were extremely expensive and not ideal for handhelds. Then came the GBA SP. A sleek fold-up GameBoy with a rechargeable battery. It was the first of Nintendo’s handhelds to shed disposable batteries and improve on-screen technology.

The first thing you will notice is the sleek form factor. The GBA SP is an awesome-looking device. The original model was bulky and didn’t quite fit in your pocket, so you had to walk around with those dorky GBA bags. The button placement was perfect, and the battery lasted for an amazing 10 hours on one charge (15 if you didn’t use the backlight). There was just this perfect square in your hands, and it would amaze schoolyard kids and gaming fans alike. I actually remember having one of these in junior high, and the original model owners were extremely jealous due to the form factor and the backlight.

Speaking of backlight, it was a huge deal. Self-lit LCDs were quite available yet, so Nintendo stuck a backlight in the screen to brighten it up, as the original model needed an actual flashlight clipped on top. While the screen is still quite dark, it made a world of difference and was so much better in the dark. Kids who stayed up late playing their GameBoys were grateful as they no longer needed a flashlight to see the screen and catch their parents’ attention. Later on, however, Nintendo releases a newer model, the SP, with an even brighter screen. These models are harder to find and were released towards the end of the GBA’s life cycle.

One major downfall of the SP is the lack of a headphone jack. The speaker is hard to hear in noisy areas with the volume all the way up, so headphones would be ideal. An adapter was required and went to the Link Cable port as an actual output would not have fit into the casing.

Aside from those issues, the GBA SP was the portable gamers’ dream. A strong library with backward compatibility for the GBA Color and original Game Boy—what more could you want?

The GBA SP also came in several colors, which weren’t seen too often in the States. Flame Red, Onyx Black, Cobalt Blue, and Silver were among the colors available, while a pink model and a retro NES-style model were released later on. However, due to the GBA SP’s age, it really shows its teeth. Let’s take a look at the actual specs of the machine.

Powering the entire system is an ARM7TDMI CPU at a whopping 16 MHz. Yeah, it’s ancient tech, even for 2003, but it got the job done. It had 128 KB of VRAM and 256 KB of DRAM. Yes, that’s kilobytes. The resolution was 256×160 and displayed an astounding 512 colors. However, those dinky specs were home to some of the greatest games of all time; it just goes to show that power isn’t everything.

With that said, the GBA SP is a must-buy even today. We have smartphones that are nearly as powerful as laptops now, the 3DS, and the Vita that trump the GBA in every aspect, but it’s the games that those devices cannot bring back. While the $130 price tag was well worth it back in 2003, you will pay close to that or more for one in nearly perfect condition. Honestly, they don’t exist. They are scratched up, dinged, and chewed on. I had to buy my new one with a refurbished third-party shell. If you’re a collector, go this route on eBay. $60 will get you a new-looking GBA SP. However, if you just want the games and don’t care, they run as low as $30 in pawn shops or on eBay.

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 03/23/2015

Posted in: Linux, Mac, Nintendo Consoles, PC Reviews, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Retro Consoles, Sony, Sony Consoles, Steam Deck Verification, Steam Deck Verified, Switch. Tagged: hotline miami 2, playstation, ps3, ps4, vita, wrong number. Leave a comment

Publisher: Devolver Digital

Developer: Dennaton

Release Date: 3/10/2015

Available On

Hotline Miami was one of my favorite games in 2013. It was violent, fast-paced, had tight controls, and rocked a retro 8-bit art style like no other game has. The music was fantastic as well, but the best part was the “just one more level” appeal. Hotline Miami 2 brings back epic music, great art, violence, and, well, some other things we didn’t really want.

Wrong Number starts out by giving us some backstory. Well, it tries and miserably fails at it. The story does not make one lick of sense because you are being flip-flopped between time periods and so many different characters. Each level just starts, and the story is just there. There’s some dialog with no connection to the previous scene. It’s frustrating and makes you want the storyless original back. However, and it pains me to say this, the story isn’t the worst thing in Miami 2. The game is excruciatingly difficult. Miami 1 was hard, but satisfying. It had great replay value because it was the perfect challenge. Miami 2 is a near-frustrating mess of endless restarts and trial-and-error.

You could say it’s a worse-level design, but that’s not the case; I feel it’s more like poor enemy placement. There are so many enemies in each level, and I mean tons. They all have a variety of guns and melee weapons, and a few can only be taken down with certain weapons. I feel the placement is haphazard; we used strategies in the last game that were way overused here and ended up being used to exploit the game to advance, which is not fun at all. Enemies will see you if you can see them; this is how Hotline Miami works. If you can pan the camera further away, you can get a quick sniper shot at them and a free hit, but for fewer points. One good strategy is to move in and out of a doorway really quickly, let some enemies see you, duck back into a corner, and slice everyone up as they enter the doorway or around a corner. That was an infrequent strategy in Miami 1, but in Miami 2, this has to be done to just get partway through one area. Miami 2 is also full of long-winded levels that seem to never end.

Abusing Miami’s strategies is a crying shame here since this game could have had so much potential for more enemies and new strategies. After halfway through the game, the levels become large and hard to navigate with traditional Hotline Miami controls and gameplay. It’s almost like the game tried to go in a new direction but didn’t evolve its gameplay for it. Miami 2 is also twice as long as the first game, but it overstays its welcome after the second act. I literally felt like the game had become a chore and just wanted it to end.

However, that’s not to say the whole “one more level” thing is gone. I was hooked, and the constant trial and error had me restarting levels dozens and dozens of times to try a new strategy, but it wasn’t really an enjoyable “one more level” feeling. A lot of times I had to exploit the enemy AI. Only certain levels can really be completed one way, and if you start a level with the wrong weapon, kill the wrong guy first, or even kill all the enemies in the wrong order, you’re pretty much screwed. More often than not, I was restarting a level not because my strategy wasn’t sound, but because the enemy AI screwed everything up because he wasn’t patrolling the correct corridor or left a room he’s normally in and blindsided me when I least expected it. Usually, this is a good thing, but not when you’re forced to kill enemies in a certain way due to poor enemy placement being overwhelming.

With that said, I hate to say that there’s really no reason to come back to this game after you finish. Do I want to spend an entire week restarting level after level again and again? Of course not. I’d rather re-download the first game and enjoy the excellent Miami-ness without all the hair-pulling. All in all, Miami 2 is not really a must-play, even for fans. If you end up never playing this, you’re probably better off sticking with the first game.

Reviewed On

Valiant Hearts: The Great War

Posted by BinaryMessiah on 03/08/2015

Posted in: Android, iOS, Microsoft, Microsoft Consoles, Mobile Reviews, Nintendo Consoles, PC Reviews, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Retro Consoles, Sony, Sony Consoles, Steam Deck Playable, Steam Deck Verification, Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One. Tagged: android, apple, google, iOS, pc, ps3, ps4, the great war, valiant hearts, world war 1, ww1. Leave a comment

Publisher: Ubisoft

Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier

Release Date: 6/24/2014

Available On

It’s been a long time since I played a game through an entire day and couldn’t put it down. Valiant Hearts will keep you instantly glued to the screen thanks to its rich history, characters, and story. Valiant Hearts is probably the only WW1 game I can remember playing. There is a huge lack of WW1 games, and I’m glad Ubisoft decided to make it a 2D platformer rather than an FPS. The game is brilliant on many levels, and fans of these types of games will not be disappointed.

You play four different characters, all fighting the tragic war in France. A German, an American, a French woman, and a Frenchman. The game reenacts major battles from World War I and also gives you a history of what really happened during that time period. You can also go around collecting trinkets that are from the war. It’s great for history buffs or anyone who’s curious about what really happened during WW1, since WWII is all anyone talks about.

With that said, the game mixes up stealth, action, and puzzle solving, all of which are excellent. There’s no real fighting in the game; you don’t get a gun. You are mainly just trying to survive this tragic war while you watch everyone around you die. It gives you a sense of helplessness and makes you realize just how terrible and brutal World War I was. The game is played on several 2D planes. Using the background and foreground to solve puzzles, all of which are completely different, but the mechanics tend to be the same, and it gets a bit old towards the end. However, many sequences are cinematic and scripted, which keeps you glued. I can honestly say the game is well-paced and perfect for a one-day gaming spree.

I did find some issues here and there, such as a few puzzles being extremely vague, but it’s nothing that some trial and error and exploration won’t solve. There is a hint system for people who aren’t very good at puzzles, but it can also be turned off. Some of the more frustrating areas were the action sequences in which bombs drop and you have to dodge enemy fire. A lot of it is trial-and-error because the game rushes you through it. Expect to restart and die several times throughout this game.

The graphics alone are just gorgeous, and the colors pop on PS4 and Xbox One. The sound is excellent, and the music is wonderful. Many pieces are classical symphonies from the time period, so it adds even more authenticity to the game.

With that said, Valiant Hearts is probably a hidden gem that many people will pass up. It’s tragic; it really teaches and shows you every step of WWI and enlightens you on just how terrible the human race can be. From mustard gas bombings to the creation of tanks and aircraft, World War I was just a stepping stone for WWII.