I can’t begin to tell you how many chances I have given this game throughout my childhood. When I first tried the game back in 2002, I had no idea what to even do. The game does not give you any hints, there’s no map, and there certainly aren’t any traditional objectives. The story is somewhat entertaining, but it’s cut short due to the short length of the game.
You play Jak, who is just an average dude who gets stuck trying to do something. Well, eventually you find out you’re trying to find all the mages to open their portals and find out why they are missing. Then Daxter gets himself mixed up in Dark Eco and becomes an otter. He’s your sarcastic yet slightly annoying sidekick through the entire game.
The main issue with Jak and Daxter isn’t the story or the fact that you have no idea where to go or what to do. It’s the platforming mechanics. They are sluggish, slippery, and just awful. In fact, I have played worse platformers with better controls. Just simply jumping from platform to platform can be a chore that causes multiple deaths. It also doesn’t help that the platforming segments are excruciatingly difficult. I went from area to area, tearing my hair out because the game is so frustrating. Even the mini-games are ridiculously hard and require meticulous memorization and reflexes. Now I don’t want my handheld to go through the whole thing, but I want to make it fun while also being challenging. The entire game felt like a huge chore.
The whole point of going through these areas is to collect power cells. These are needed to progress through the three areas of the game. In the third section, you need 73, and there’s 101 in the whole game. That’s a lot of frustrating platforming. To acquire these power cells, you need to complete one of the eight objectives in each area. Some require fighting certain enemies, while others require finding items or going through a platforming segment. The biggest problem with this is that the levels are so poorly designed. I got lost all the time, not knowing where to go or even an indication of where I’m going or what I was doing, which is part of the objective.
Here’s another big problem with the game. It was one of the last “collect-a-thon” games similar to Donkey Kong 64 and various other 3D platformers of the time. Collecting Precursor Orbs to buy power cells is just a chore. I despise collecting like this in a game because, to me, it feels like an excuse for filler content.
I seriously could not take it anymore after almost getting to the final boss. I spent hours in frustration and anger and probably died over 100 times. Dying wouldn’t be so bad if you had more than three hits before you died and it didn’t take 50 green eco-orbs to get a health piece back.
At least the graphics are nice, and the game has a nice atmosphere and charm about it. The Vita and PS3 versions have upgraded lighting effects, some texture filtering, and anti-aliasing thrown in for good measure. The game looks pretty decent, even for a 12-year-old game.
If you haven’t already read the novel, Metro 2033 is probably one of the best post-apocalyptic novels ever written. The novel really gets into your head and takes the whole post-apocalyptic Russian lore and myths and brings them to life. Metro 2033 was ahead of its time in 2010. While the game looked decent on Xbox 360, it really pushed systems on PC. The game was one of the first to fully utilize DirectX 11. As a game itself, it had many issues, such as huge AI problems and a somewhat incoherent story, but underneath it all, it oozed an atmosphere that no other game could provide at the time. This is all tidied up and wrapped up in one big next-gen ribbon. The game is worth a replay for vets and well worth any newcomers’ time.
You play as Artyom, a “chosen one” who must stop the Dark Ones that have invaded his home station in the underground Moscow metro. While his station was overrun, he was trying to make his way to Polis to get help fighting off the Dark Ones. Instead, he must find a mysterious and once-forgotten nuclear missile silo called D6. His journey is terrifying; even humans can be as horrible as mutated beasts.
Most of the game sees you either fight your way through monsters or stealthily push through Communist or Nazi frontlines. Back when the game was originally released, these stealth sections were nearly broken due to the AI being able to detect them in the oddest circumstances. The AI has been tweaked but can sometimes still show a bit of awkwardness. While some areas have been completely reworked with even new enemy placement, I still found myself confused as to whether I could sneak through the area or shoot the place up. The stealth path would be too well hidden or in an odd place. However, this was pretty rare, and I really love how these areas were given attention. The atmosphere is just so incredible. When you get into populated areas, you actually feel “safe” and enjoy every minute of light and peace. One area that became extremely scary was the library. Mutated gorillas called Librarians that stalk are just downright scary.
The shooting mechanics themselves are fantastic. Each gun has its own personality, and you will easily find your favorite three or experiment. There is a wide variety of gun types, ranging from revolvers, assault rifles, bolt guns, pneumatic guns, and even shotguns. However, they all feel unique to the setting. Each gun looks beat up and worn and somehow piecemealed together to just kind of work. There are also a variable number of throwables, such as knives, firebombs, shrapnel grenades, and various others.
It wasn’t just the gameplay parts that were reworked. Entire outdoor areas were rebuilt to look more next-gen. Compared to the original Xbox 360 version, Metro 2033 Redux looks like a whole new game. Incredible attention to detail was taken when combing back over this game. Thankfully, due to the power of next-gen consoles, we get all the fancy DirectX 11 graphics that the PC version got, plus some. Despite being a remade game, Metro 2033 Redux is one of the best-looking games out on consoles right now.
With that said, the game is a little on the short side, and it feels a little too linear for its own good. Yes, you are in a cramped metro, but I feel like it would have been a good idea to explore this place more. The game is extremely scary, the monsters are freaky but awesome, and there are some pretty fun scripted events. For a 4-year-old game, it has held up so well to recent games and just shows how far ahead the game was back in the day. If you are a fan of Fallout, STALKER, or any other post-apocalyptic game, you should give this a spin.
Sony’s little FPS could have become a console seller. Back in 2004, Killzone was deemed a “Halo Killer” by Sony but was met with unexpectedly low fanfare due to pushing the PS2 too far and feeling too heavy and sluggish to play. The fourth installment in the main console franchise has perfected itself in some ways and has taken steps back in others.
The story takes place years after Killzone 3, with Helghan finally destroying itself due to the constant mining of the unstable element Peru. Vekta formed a peace treaty with Helghan to share their planet. This obviously never worked out because now Vekta wants every last Helghan destroyed, so this causes a civil war. You play as a shadow marshal who is working for both sides in some way. You must find Stahl and kill him, as he is making a massive weapon that will wipe out the entire planet.
The story is fairly decent compared to past Killzone games, but the actual campaign is poorly paced. Not only does it drag on for far too long, but the same type of “arena”-type bursts of gameplay are repeated. Stealth sections are also compromised due to poor enemy placement and, overall, poor stealth mechanics. At least the shooting part is fun and feels like the most balanced of all the Killzone games. The enemy types are still not very varied, which is a real shame. There are your usual grunts, but some have shields or energy fields surrounding them, which gets boring after a while. Every once in a while, you will find an automaton enemy that will be a pain to take down.
Shadow Fall tries throwing in little things here and there to make it feel different from past games, but it doesn’t really work. Things like anti-gravity movement, space battles, large open environments, and “choose your own objective”. These things are just sprinkled in to stretch the already-long campaign. That’s not to say it isn’t enjoyable, but there are obvious splinters in this hand of a campaign that you can just tell were put there to lengthen it. I really loved the opening, as it was cinematic and unlike anything done in a previous Killzone game, but they let the ball drop with only that one segment.
You get a personal drone, which is kind of borrowed from the PS Vita game Killzone Mercenary. Using the touchpad, you can select a grapple line, attack mode, defense, or an EMP burst. This all really comes in handy and changes the way you play the game. I also like the adrenaline shots you can get to revive yourself after dying. I also loved the open forest environment at the beginning of the game. I felt this was the strongest bit, but after that, you’re stuck in cramped corridors and boring spaceships. I feel this was just to show off the power of the PS4 and then quickly move you along.
The multiplayer suite of Killzone is fun and some of the best on PS4. Upgrading your soldier and weapon layouts is a standard for FPS games these days, but it’s nice to see it again in a Killzone game. The game is well balanced, and the maps are a lot of fun to play with, so you won’t be disappointed.
Let’s talk graphics. Shadow Fall is probably one of the best-looking console games ever made, but it’s still not pushing the PS4 to its limits. There are some ugly textures up close, and the closed-off, cramped areas of the last half of the game don’t look very impressive. The outdoor areas are beautiful, with fantastic lighting effects that would cripple the PS3.
As it is, Shadow Fall is a must-have in any PS4 owner’s collection, but don’t expect a revolutionary or even memorable campaign or Killzone game.
The biggest competitor to Call of Duty has always been Battlefield. While both games have drastically changed over the years, they both still compete for the most action-packed single-player campaign and an addictive multiplayer suite. Battlefield has been the superior game for the past few years for many reasons. Not only does the game look better, but the campaign actually has a decent story and feels more organic and well-paced. The multiplayer is actually challenging and requires a lot of skill, rather than who can quickly scope the fastest.
While many fanboys may disagree and send me angry emails about that statement, one thing is certain: Battlefield is a huge game, but did anyone even want BF4? BF3 was a fantastic game and was well-balanced. BF4 feels very similar to the last game without many changes, besides a new campaign and maps. The campaign is actually rather disappointing and not nearly as fun as BF3‘s campaign. It’s short, typical, and feels very generic. The story is forgettable despite having some ground. A civil war in China has broken out, and the US government is involved, but you never really know why. There are a lot of loose ends and loopholes, and by the time the credits roll, you just won’t care.
Multiplayer is as fun as ever but doesn’t have as memorable maps as BF3. I loved having all the same modes and an easy-to-navigate server browser on the console. The game feels just as balanced as BF3, but there’s just a little bit of that magic missing. I didn’t have the same long play sessions I used to have with BF3.
The graphics are fantastic, and they make BF4 one of the best-looking next-gen games out right now. The textures are superb, the lighting is gorgeous, and the sound and physics are top-notch. I’m not kidding about the sound. Battlefield has had some of the best-sounding guns and explosions since Bad Company, and that still hasn’t changed. Overall, Battlefield 4 just doesn’t do enough; that’s new, like BF3 did. I honestly felt the game could never have been released, and fans would still be happy with an HD upgrade of BF3 for consoles. As it is, if you can find it cheap enough, BF4 is well worth the purchase and playthrough. Just don’t expect anything as groundbreaking as BF3.
Overall, Battlefield 4 just doesn’t do enough; that’s new, like BF3 did. I honestly felt the game could never have been released, and fans would still be happy with an HD upgrade of BF3 for consoles. As it is, if you can find it cheap enough, BF4 is well worth the purchase and playthrough. Just don’t expect anything as groundbreaking as BF3.
So here we were. Everyone who grew up in the 90s has gone through four PlayStation console cycles. I remember 11 years ago, when I got my PS2, I thought that the PS3 was going to be something incredibly futuristic, akin to something out of a sci-fi movie. While that wasn’t the case at all, the PS4 gets us one step closer. The PS4 may not be the huge leap that the PS2 and PS3 were, but it’s enough to completely create a whole new generation of gaming.
First Time Look and Setup
When you get the big, blue, hefty box home, you realize that the thing is huge. It makes the PS4 seem five times as big as it really is. Outside of the design of the box to get you to buy it, it’s rather plain inside. The first thing your eyes are drawn to are the sleek edges of the PS4. It has a much better design than the George Foreman grill-esque design of the original PS3. It actually looks like a space monolith. A third of the console has a sleek black look that is known to Sony products (and the fingerprints). While the rest of the top has a rough black material similar to the slimmer PS3, The front bezel is designed like it was cut at an angle with a knife. It’s double-tiered, with the disc drive to the left and the USB ports nicely hidden to the right. The power and disc eject buttons are well hidden and lined up with the LED line separating the slick and rough parts of the top casing. The rear of the console shows the vents and a simple Ethernet, HDMI, power, and audio optical cable. Very simple and easy to understand. The PS4 logo is shown nicely on the front left bezel of the console. This is a sexy console and probably the best-designed one from Sony since the slim PS2.
Setting up the PS4 is really simple and easy. Once you get your HDMI and power cable in, you must power it on via the console button. I didn’t know where the power button was until I read the quick start guide. It’s really hidden, and you wouldn’t even think of it being lined up with the LED bar. After it turns on, you must connect the PS4 controller with the USB cable included to pair it with the system. After this, you log in to your PlayStation account and set up your WiFi. It’s really as simple as that.
UI and Settings
The PS4 UI breaks away from the XMB that was born with the PSP and used on the PS3, along with some early Blu-ray players. However, the system still uses the foundation of the XMB bar mixed with the Vita’s app switching. Settings, friends, PS Store, messages, and all that stuff is one click above your games, movies, and media library. I like this double-stack instead of a long menu full of submenus. However, it’s very plain. There are no themes or wallpaper settings, even as of this review. Hopefully more are to come.
There are a good number of settings that allow you to pretty much adjust everything on the PS4. The PS4 now has a standby mode that is more advanced than the PS3. You can charge controllers, download updates, and perform various other tasks, including (at a later time) immediately resuming a paused game. The only issue is that the standby mode uses more energy than previous consoles ever have.
The system also records your gameplay footage and will snap screenshots with the touch of the Share button on the controller. I thought this would be useless, but I have actually captured some awesome footage and shots that I thought were only possible on PCs.
Under the Hood
The PS4 is the most powerful of the three next-gen consoles. The PS4 has finally moved away from custom-made hardware seen in previous Sony consoles that made coding a pain. The system uses 64-bit hardware that is seen in PCs today. The system has two quad-core Jaguar CPUs developed by AMD. The GPU runs at 2.75 GHz and can compute 1.84 teraflops. The system also has 8GB of GDDR5 RAM, which is faster than the standard RAM seen even in most high-end gaming computers. The system has a 500GB HDD that can be swapped by the user, which is a nice gesture by Sony. The USB ports are 3.0 instead of the 2.0 seen in previous consoles. For the first time ever, this is the first Sony console that does not have an analog output; this is HD only. What does this all mean? The PS4 is 16 times as powerful as the PS3 and is the most powerful next-gen console (a little like the last generation as well).
My biggest complaint about the hardware would be the lack of a 5 GHz WiFi card. The system only supports the slow 2.4 GHz bandwidth, which will not give Sony the faster download speeds they need for the larger next-gen games and streaming of games. If you can set your 2.4 GHz band to wireless N mode, you can get the most speed out of the PS4. This also causes issues with the Vita’s remote play over WiFi. I could not get a stable connection, and ultimately, the PS4 had to connect directly to the Vita itself for stable true remote play.
The Controller
My favorite part of the PS4 is the amazing controller. The PS3 controller wasn’t all that great, but Sony made a huge comeback with the DualShock 4. The ergonomics of the controller are just fantastic. The handles are longer, the analog stick is concave with better rubber grips, and they are spread further apart. The triggers (R2 and L2) are much improved and no longer make your fingers slip. The newest addition is the touchpad on the front of the controller. Most people probably shake their heads wondering what Sony is doing to their controllers again, but this thing is actually useful. It doesn’t get in the way and can be used to navigate maps, quick-time events, and text input, among other features that haven’t been thought of yet. This is probably technology left over from the rear touchpad of the Vita. The DualShock 4 also has a strange LED light on top that has upset many gamers. It’s extremely bright and is really leftover tech from the Move. It’s used to track the controller with the PlayStation Camera. However, it is used as an indicator in games such as health and notifications. The controller took a page from the Xbox 360 controller and added a headset jack to the controller to get rid of the long cables that had to connect directly to the console.
This controller even tops the Xbox 360 controller, if you can believe that. Another major move is the banishment of the Start and Select buttons so often remembered on PS controllers. There is now an Options and Share button on either side of the touchpad. The Options button is used to start and… It’s rather useful and is the evolution of the select and start buttons. The Share button is for social media goers, and I promise you will be hitting that button more and more as you have the console.
In the end, the PS4 delivers some great content, but it’s very limited as the first batch of next-gen games gets released this holiday. The PS Store is pretty empty and lacks demos for new buyers. There are not many features to keep you busy for days, and even the games are slightly limited. But the PS4 has great hardware and a great future ahead of it. The $400 price point was a smart move compared to the terrible launch of the PS3.
The Ninja Gaiden series is very beloved by longtime fans. The reboot for Xbox was considered one of the hardest games ever made at the time and required extremely precise skill. Yaiba is a spin-off of the series and takes a kind of comical take on it. This isn’t exactly good. Taking the helm is a studio notorious for terrible games like Legendary. That game was considered the worst game made that year. Spark Unlimited has a lot to live up to, and I’ll cut this short: they don’t live up to it.
The Z stands for zombies. Yes, and you don’t even play as Ryu Hayabusa. In fact, you play as someone he’s killed who gets a robotic arm and wants to seek revenge. He’s accompanied by a busty, intelligent woman who relays your objectives to you. The story is pretty throwaway, but Ninja Gaiden is known for fantastic combat. Yaiba has a good combat system, but the game relies on fighting way too much and doesn’t break up the monotony.
A weak, powerful, and flail attack are all available. The fighting is lightning fast, but sometimes way too fast. Zombies are represented by comedic puns and act just as stupid. Life is acquired by performing a finishing move on a stunned zombie. The gore and finishing moves are cool, but only the first five times. The rest of the game is made up of overly easy parkour that is performed with quick-time events. The boss fights are slightly more interesting, but not by much.
The combat gets hard in the sense that it feels unbalanced. Some enemies can disable your flail arm; sometimes too many are thrown at you, and there’s a really irritating knockback animation that can’t be interrupted. Occasionally, the environment can be interacted with, but I honestly saw the same patterns on the second level. This game could have been so much more, but it turns out to be a frustrating, unbalanced joke.
The graphics also take on a comic book style, which is way different from the traditional Japanese art style seen in the other games in the series. They also look technically unimpressive, with ugly low-res textures. Most fans will be highly disappointed in a game bearing the Ninja Gaiden name and not take it seriously. Maybe a more talented developer could have done better, but what’s here is something that never should have been.
I haven’t been so misled by a game as Murdered. A murder mystery game about a cult in Salem, Massachusetts (my favorite type of murder mystery) is all wrapped around a serial killer known as the Bell Killer. You play a ghost detective named Ronan who gets murdered by this killer during an investigation. You have a bratty teen named Joy who helps you in the real world, and the story all comes to a nice close at the very end.
It’s everything in between that really disappoints. This game not only feels about 10 years old but is sometimes downright boring. In each area, you have items that need to be “examined.” This turns into pixel hunting like the adventure games of yore. Sometimes I found myself too frustrated because the examine button wouldn’t come up unless you were facing it just the right way; that’s glitchy and annoying. Once you find all the clues in an area, you conclude the investigation by picking three of the clues that relate to the scene. This is where some of the nonsense gameplay comes into play. Most of the time, you don’t even need all the clues to conclude, and most clues are pointless for the scene. I feel like I’m hunting for all these clues as just filler for gameplay.
Is there any combat? Not really. A shoehorned combat scenario was put in by sneaking around demons and executing them with weird button combos. Sneaking around them is pretty tense, as is running from them. But was this merely an excuse to be able to die in the game and call it a full-on game? The only other way I died in the game was by getting hit by a ghost train in one area. There’s also an open world that is boring and lifeless. The game is also full of items to find, which is archaic and just plain boring. Why would I run around in an empty, boring world, finding items I could care less about?
There are actually rules to this game, though. Just because you’re a ghost, you can’t walk through everything; otherwise, you’d be clipping into the gaming abyss. Most items can’t be walked through, and there are some that don’t have a blue aura around them. You can teleport yourself, which only comes in handy for a few parts of the game. You can possess people to read their minds or influence them during an investigation. This isn’t nearly as cool as it should be.
The only thing that kept me going was the story. The twists and turns were just interesting enough to make you think you figured it out, and then it turns out to be something else. The game actually has a satisfying ending with no cliffhanger. When I played through this whole game, I just couldn’t help but feel how dated it looked and played. The graphics, while not ugly, are simple and boring. This game would have looked amazing about 5 years ago. I also didn’t feel an attachment to any characters because of how boring and cookie-cutter they felt. Ronan is just your typical New England cop, Joy is a snotty goth brat, and the other characters don’t really show up enough for you to care about them. Soul Suspect had a lot of potential, but in the end, it felt like there wasn’t really a goal for what to do outside of the story.
If you’re a fan of adventure games, I would give this a shot. Murdered isn’t going to revolutionize the nearly forgotten point-and-click adventure-style gameplay, but it is worth slogging through the gameplay for the interesting story.
Media Molecule is known for innovation. LittleBigPlanet was a huge revolution in creative sandbox gameplay and platforming. Tearaway does the same thing for the Vita, but for the platforming genre. The game is the best-looking game for Vita and is the only one that uses all of the hardware’s features in a very unique and original way.
You play as the messenger Atoi, who must reach the sun where you (the player) have ripped a hole and are letting Scraps into the world of Tearaway. The game uses a front-facing camera to show you the sun. You can then control Atoi and guide him using the rear touchpad and touchscreen. There really aren’t complicated puzzles, but challenging platforming sections. When you see gray areas with the PS buttons on them (like the rear touchpad), you can poke your finger through them in the game. The first time I did this, it made me giddy and smile. You can do this to fight off scraps, push blocks around, and bounce drum pads to help Atoi along. You can also use the touch screen to roll out paper and interact with dozens and dozens of various papercraft items.
Just these two major features alone are enough to call Tearaway the best game for Vita, but it doesn’t stop there. You can customize Atoi and characters in the world, kind of like LBP. There’s no Pop-It, but you can buy items using confetti you find in the world. There aren’t as many items as LBP, but because it’s a straight-up platformer, you won’t really need that many items. Tearaway also has a unique papercraft origami collection you can find and print out online to create your own Tearaway world. To acquire these blueprints, you need to find pure white objects in the world and take pictures of them. This adds to the creativity on a whole new level and helps build on this “real world leaking into the virtual world” theme.
Outside of platforming and customizing things, there is combat, but it’s very simple and easy. You can’t die in the game, and combat never varies, from jumping on scraps to picking them up and throwing them. Some involve jumping on their springpad and tapping them to kill them. I wish the combat were a little deeper, but what’s here at least works and is fun. There’s a lot of stuff to find in the world, like hidden presents and side objectives where you help out various animals. After you beat the game, the only thing you can do is complete the game 100%, but the game is well worth multiple playthroughs.
Let’s talk about graphics. I have no idea how MM got this game to look like a PS3 game, but they did. There are no jaggies, no ugly low-resolution textures, the lighting is great, and the animations are gorgeous. Wrinkled paper on the ground can be stepped on, and you can watch it depress and rise back up when you walk off of it. All effects are done on paper, and no other game looks like it. This is truly the best game on Vita right now, and every owner needs to play it.
The Sly series was one of the best on PS2. It was original, artsy, had slick controls, and had clever humor that you could only find on Sony’s consoles. After Sly 3, the series went into limbo during most of the PS3’s lifecycle with no sign of a new game insight. With Sucker Punch powering away at the Infamous series, all fans lost hope. Thieves in Time was finally announced with much rejoicing, but once the game arrived, everyone was scratching their heads. Why is this game almost identical to the previous three in every way, shape, and form?
If you’re familiar with the Sly games, you know how this game plays out. 5 chapters of various different villains that the gang must take down. Each chapter starts with an intro from Bentley the turtle (the computer and tech wiz). After this, Sly goes and takes pictures to gather feedback on what to do next. As soon as I saw this in the first chapter, I rolled my eyes. I knew I was in for another Sly game with the same gameplay we are now tired of. Sure, it’s quality, but I wanted evolution in the series. When I say nothing has changed, I mean absolutely nothing. The same guard paths can be followed: pickpocketing, the same yellow flashlights, the same small confusing hubs with 30 clue bottles, and a safe. You get the picture. However, the hubs aren’t as interesting to traverse, and I completely bypassed collecting any extras as it felt like a chore.
That’s not to say every little thing is the same. The clever and witty humor turned into Saturday morning cartoon slapstick humor with jokes written by 8-year-olds. No longer do you find the darker humor that adults can relate to. I didn’t laugh or smile at a single joke or line of dialogue. This is especially sad since you go back in time to find five of Sly’sancestors, which opens a path for great dialog. Roichi is Sly’s Japanese Samurai ancestor, Tennessee Kid is his wild west ancestor, Bob is Sly’s very first ancestor from 10,000 B.C., Sir Gallenth is his medieval ancestor, and Salim is his Arabian Nights ancestor. These are actually interesting characters, but their personalities are limited by poor writing. No longer is the banter between Sly, Bentley, and Murray something you look forward to at every cutscene.
I also miss the more clever gameplay segments; now we just get a ton of boring mini-games and quick-time events. Hell, even the final boss is an easy, quick-time event fest. The most interesting part of the whole game is the bosses, which are rather challenging and fun to fight. The only new addition to the entire series are the new costume abilities. These add a special set of skills Sly needs to get through some missions. Apart from this, you can expect the same controls. It’s a crying shame for a series that is so dear to PlayStation fans.
With all of that said, the game looks pretty damn good on Vita, minus the occasional slowdown and the super long load times. Jumping from area to area was painful due to the 45-second or long loading screens. Some gameplay segments were shorter than the actual load times. This really hurt the game, as I set my Vita down to actually go do something while the game loaded. Long-term fans may either hate this game or love it. Newcomers will actually see it as a quality PlayStation title. As someone who has played the games since the very first one, I find it rather disappointing and almost a chore to play through.
Bastion was a fantastic game with a memorable narrative and fast-paced combat. Transistor slows it down a bit with more strategic combat and a slightly less memorable story. The story is about love. The whole story never really makes sense; you’re just thrown in the middle of some battle between a woman named Red, a man named Grant, and a sect called the Camerada. I had no idea who this rebellious sect was, who Red was, or who Grant was. I guess that’s kind of the point. You’re in some sort of computer world, and the transistor is your weapon. A horde called the Process is trying to kill you.
The combat can be done in real-time, or you can stop time and plan out your moves. These moves eat away at a meter, so you need to plan carefully. Each enemy has a different play style, so you really need to adjust and learn each one. Your combat moves are completely customizable, which is a nice touch. At access points, you can load a main type of weapon onto each face button. There are two add-ons for each button, and these will add characteristics to that weapon. Of course, you can make any weapon you have the main weapon. This is great because it allows for many combinations of weapon types. However, you have a limited number of add-ons you can use until you upgrade your maxed-out stats. I found a very frustrating feature of your weapons to be your health. Once you lose health, a weapon will break until you get two access points again. If all four weapons break, it’s game over.
I honestly felt the game never really came together in any way except for the art and audio. The music is fantastic, and the game is wonderful to look at. There are some boss fights thrown in, but they’re extremely tough and will frustrate most players. I also found the game to be way too short, coming in at about 5 hours. With that said, the main focus is combat here. The game is intense, and the added element of strategy and the combination of weapons are all up to you. There’s a small test area you can access to hone your skills (kind of like Bastion), but in the end, this game isn’t something I’m going to remember a year from now. It’s a nice attempt at a spiritual successor but doesn’t really come close.
The game also lacks replay value. It felt so frustrating that the last thing I wanted to do was play again. For serious masochists, there are limiters you can add to make the game even harder. Once you kill an enemy, a cell will burst out. You get so many seconds before that enemy respawns unless you absorb the cell. A limiter can put a shield around this, requiring you to break it before absorbing it to gain more XP. But remember, once you have used your time to stop the ability to plan out your combat, you can’t fight in real-time until it recharges. You can literally lose a whole health bar in those 5 seconds.
With that said, if you loved Bastion, you’re not really missing much here except some eye and ear candy. The story makes no sense despite having a touching ending, and I never really connected with any characters. It’s a fun weekend to play through, not much more than that.
thebinarymessiah.com 
Try multiplayer. A lot of fun !