Limbo ~ video game review

Title: Limbo

Played on PlayStation 4

    Limbo is a puzzle-platform video game developed by the independent studio Playdead. It was originally published by Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox 360 and was released way back in July 2010. The game was later made available on other platforms as well including PlayStation 4 which is the version that I played and reviewed here. A unique video game that excels in its simplicity, Limbo has been listed as one of the greatest games of all time by various publications, and it has also won many awards within the industry since its release.

It's Black & White

    Limbo is a minimalist video game not just in its visuals but controls, story and sound as well. When it comes to its visuals, the game is basically in black and white. However, the developer still managed to create beautiful and eerie settings with its monochromatic tones. I'm surprised at how striking the visuals can be even in its limited use of colours and art designs. It shows you the creativity of the developer on how they can stretch their imagination in creating the world of Limbo with simple designs.

    The soundtrack of the game is very interesting. It's more like a compilation of sounds than music, at least that's what I feel about it but other people might disagree. Nevertheless, it's a unique soundtrack that evokes the sense of calmness and at other times, a sense of dread as well. It's a weird combination, I know, but it complements the game very well.

Resident Evil (Remake) ~ video game review

Title - Resident Evil (2002 Remake Remaster)

Played on PlayStation 4

Have you heard the rumour that Capcom might be doing another remake to the first Resident Evil game? Remake of a remake, how crazy is that? Only time will tell if the rumour is true. If it's not, well no need to be sad about it. The remastered version of the 2002 Remake that were released still look amazing and is still great to play.

Here's a brief info of the game. Resident Evil Remake was released way back in 2002 by Capcom exclusively for GameCube. A remake of the original 1996 game of the same name, it has improved graphics, new gameplay mechanics and puzzles, new areas to explore, additional story and reworked dialogues. A high-definition remaster (this is the version that I've played and will review here) was later released in 2015 for multiple platforms (PlayStation, Xbox and PC) and later in 2019 for Nintendo Switch.

A Hauntingly Beautiful Mansion

It's hard to believe that this game is more than two decades old because looking at the graphics, the game still looks pretty amazing. The minute you enter the mansion, the main setting of the game, you will be mesmerized by the amazing details and you can look forward to more eerie settings to come. Gloomy lights from the lamp on the ceiling casting long shadows, with zombies and dogs lurking around the dark hidden corridors barely lit by the dim lights. The sound design complemented the creepiness with the sound of dogs howling, the moaning of the zombies, and the screaming of one Lisa Trevor. Both the graphics and the sound design make the game feels so atmospheric that you immediately transported into the horrific world of the living dead when you're playing the game. Sure, the human characters and the creatures that you fought didn't really look lifelike like the AAA games that you typically see nowadays, but they still look nice and fit with the game's settings and overall design.

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Remastered ~ video game review

Title - Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (part of Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection)

Played on PlayStation 4

I don't think this game need an introduction but for those who may not have known about this "little" franchise, here's a brief intro. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is the first game in the Uncharted series released way back on PlayStation 3 in 2007. Developed by Naughty Dog, the game received praise from game critics and gained quite a number of fans, which give rise to a couple sequels and even a film which starred Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg.

In 2015, a remaster of the first three video games was released, titled Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, for the PlayStation 4. This is the version that I played but I will only review the first game for today.

Time to Explore

Obviously, I'm late to this party. I played the game more than a decade after its initial release. I know it's the first game in a successful franchise but I have to be honest, my first impression of the game visual-wise was not great. I can definitely say that it was underwhelming...and I know the reason why. Throughout the years, I have been keeping up with the news on this franchise; reading articles and reviews, watching walkthroughs and reaction videos, et cetera, et cetera. So in a way, I am aware how the games have grown and evolved throughout the years. I think maybe the greatness that I saw of the 4th game in the series somehow cloud my judgement and I was expecting the visuals of the first game to be at the same level as the latest installment, which is foolish of me. I somehow forgot that this is the first, the very first, game in the series, and furthermore it's just a remaster, not a remake. But as I spent hours playing the game, the visuals grew on me, and I can finally see how beautiful the game is.

Even though it looks a little dated visual-wise, the game still managed to mesmerize me with its beautiful locations and settings; the lush jungles, the winding rivers, the ancient structures; they were all quite fascinating to behold. You get to walk around and explore these great locations and as a player, it feels amazing. Something that I wish the game would have though is more varieties for its locations because sometimes there are a little bit of sameness to some of the locations. 

Unravel ~ video game review

Title - Unravel

Played on PlayStation 4

Unravel is a video game developed by Coldwood Interactive and published by Electronic Arts. It was released back in 2016 for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. It's a puzzle platformer where you control Yarny, a creature made of yarn, across different sets of environment while solving puzzles along the way. It's sweet, it's lovely and it lets you look at the cycle of life through the perspective of its cute little protagonist.

Little Yarn in a Big World

First of all, let me tell you that Unravel is a beautiful video game. The settings are beautifully crafted from the peaceful, soothing locations of the house backyard and the seaside, to the dark, intimidating locations like a gloomy factory, a toxic dumpster area and snowy garage of abandoned vehicles. Everything is perfectly visualized. It feels like you have been shrunk to a small size and you get to explore these amazing places which are basically real-world based locations but from a different perspectives. The fact that it was greatly and beautifully constructed makes exploration a fascinating and wonderful experience.

The soundtrack for the video game is well-crafted too; complementing it's beautiful sceneries with soothing and calm music, while slow and melancholic music complement it's dark and depressing locations. The music and the environment go hand-in-hand in making the journey richer and satisfying. Not to forget the sound design; crashing waves, rustling leaves, flowing water, all of which play an important role immersing us in the adventure of our little protagonist.

Heavy Rain ~ video game review

Title - Heavy Rain

Played on PlayStation 4

Heavy Rain is an interactive action-adventure drama video game by Quantic Dream first published by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2010 for PlayStation 3. A remaster of the game was later released for PlayStation 4 which, for the record, is the version that I played. The game was also later released for Microsoft Windows.

It was my first time playing an interactive drama video game like Heavy Rain, so I was a bit worried if I would not like it. Will it be like a movie? Will it have enough gameplay for me to enjoy? I have so many questions. I think I did watched few gameplay videos for the game before but still I was worried. Now I can happily say that I love this game and the experience it gave me. It has its flaws and plot holes, no doubt about it, but I was enjoying it so much that I ignore them all and just focus on my enjoyment of playing it.

2021 PlayStation Showcase: What's Your Most Anticipated Game?

Did you watch the 2021 PlayStation Showcase event? I didn't catch the livestream but I did watched the video that they uploaded later and I must say, what a fantastic line-up of games!

There are altogether 18 games that were showcased but I'm going to pick half of it that I find interesting. Find out my list down below and you can click on the links to be directed to the individual game trailer on YouTube.

9) Marvel's Wolverine

This is a nice surprise. We see so little of it and yet it looks so good and promising. There are quite a few X-Men games before but I only ever play fighting games when it comes to X-Men characters. This game will probably be more focused and character-driven on the aforementioned title character based on the title. I wonder if it will have an original story, or adapted from a comic book series or movies?

8) Ghostwire: Tokyo

There are two things that stood out for me during the video for this game; one is the hand movement of the player character when in combat which looks very cool; and second the ghost design that the player will be fighting that reminiscent the ghosts from Japanese folklore and urban legend, which is also very cool. It seems to be very action-heavy but still have that horror element to it.

7) Tchia

This is a very cute game. The island setting looks very gorgeous and inviting. I'm not sure how the gameplay works, at first I thought it was just an exploration game where players can inhabit other creatures but as the video continue, it seems to have combat as well together with a very curious story. I'm intrigued.

6) Marvel's Spider-Man 2

This is another nice surprise, it was announced out of nowhere. I'm sure people have so many questions regarding this game but as it is schedule to be released in 2023, I don't think we will get much answer yet for now. This and Wolverine are being develop by Insomniac Games.

5) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake

To be honest, I don't know anything about the classic game that they are remaking but I hear so many good things about it, and read the excitement from people who had played the original game, that I am in turn become excited too. If the original game is as excellent as people claim it is, then this remake will be a special one for a lot of people.

4) Project Eve

Stylish character and stylish combat. The robot companion and the enemies' attacks reminded me of Nier: Automata while the character's combat styles reminded me of Devil May Cry series. Overall, this looks good.

3) Forspoken

The visuals for this game is just amazing. The open world, the enemies, the main character's design and most importantly, the power display that the main character is projecting. Not sure what's the story about other than the main character who got sucked into an unknown world and was asked to defeat a powerful...witch? Square Enix, the publisher of the game, described it as a "narrative-driven adventure" and it will focus on speed and fluidity travel of the open world. Sounds exciting!

2) Alan Wake Remastered

I always wanted to play this game and it seems now I have a chance! For someone who cannot afford to buy multiple consoles, this news is indeed a blessing. The remastered will have general improvements, support 4k resolutions, will include both DLCs and additionally will include a new commentary track by Sam Lake.

1) God of War: Ragnarök

I think most of the people watching the showcase will have this game as their most wanted game. The footage that they showed finally revealed some of the characters that will appear as well as the gameplay, which looks oddly familiar but at the same time feels updated and refreshing. This is going to be an amazing and emotional adventure for Kratos, Atreus and us (the players!) who will accompany them on yet another soon-to-be epic journey.

Which of the showcased games are you most excited about? If you missed the rest of the games revealed at the event, you can check them out below.

• Tiny Tina's Wonderlands
• Rainbow Six Extraction
• Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online Remastered
• Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
• Bloodhunt
• Deathloop
• Kid A Mnesia Exhibition
• Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection
• Gran Turismo 7

Perhaps you were looking forward to another game that wasn't featured in the event?

God of War (2018) ~ video game review

Title - God of War

Played on PlayStation 4

God of War is a video game from Santa Monica studio published in 2018 by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It's the sequel to God of War III but also somewhat of a reboot to the franchise. Different settings, different mythology, different antagonists, but same old Kratos, the fallen Greek God of War, now with a son and a new journey awaits him.

2020 is the year that I went back into console gaming and this game is the first game that I've completed story-wise. I feel like it's the perfect introduction for me to the games of this generation; it won a lot of awards, highly praised by critics and beloved by fans. Well, it also came free with the console bundle that I bought so yes, it make sense for this to be one of the first game that I played.

Although I have enjoyed a lot of playthrough of the games in the franchise on YouTube, my experience in playing the games myself is not much, I've only played the first God of War game on PlayStation 2 which I must say was an amazing experience, I love that game. But the franchise has evolved throughout the years and with the 2018 God of War, a lot has changed not just in gameplay but narrative-wise as well.

Happy PlayStation 5 Launch Day!

My PS4 neatly in a PS bag when I first purchased it.

Technically, the PlayStation 5 is only launching in several parts of the world today (12th Nov.), while the rest will only get it on 19th Nov. I've read that in Malaysia (where I live), we would be getting it even later than that (11 Dec 2020 if not mistaken). With the limited units Sony is releasing, I think that kind of make sense although it still sucks for the countries that are not on the "priority" list.

Anyway, for those who already have their PS5 ready to play, good for you! Have fun and happy playing!

As for me, I will be sticking with my PS4 a little while longer. I just purchased it on the last day of 2019 so I only own it less than a year now. There are still a lot of games to play.

It's exciting to think that the new generation of consoles are here now. I wonder what would be the games that will define this generation? There's definitely a lot of things to look forward to.

E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) 2016 ~ 10 exciting new games (Part 2)

Here's the continuation of my post for the 10 games from E3 2016 that I'm most excited about. I've listed 5 games before which you can read here, so this is the remaining 5 games from the list.


6) Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (Microsoft Windows, PS4, PSVR, XB1)

The franchise had gradually becoming more action-based than when it was first started but now it seems the studio will bring the franchise back to its horror root. I don't have problem with action-heavy Resident Evil games because personally I feel there are still some horror elements in those games, but for this new sequel it looks like the horror element will be at the center stage. I'm definitely interested to find out more and how the story in this game connected to the characters and events in the previous games.

Watch Resident Evil 7: Biohazard trailer here.

While the above gameplay trailer was more to introduce the new look and direction this new sequel will take and will not be part of the actual game, the studio released another gameplay trailer, this time from the actual game itself, in 2016 Gamescom event which is currently being held in Cologne, Germany. Although this post is more about sharing the games that were featured in E3 2016, but the gameplay looks so nice that I feel like I have to include it in this post as well. Check out the awesome new gameplay trailer below.

Watch Resident Evil 7: Biohazard Lantern gameplay trailer here.


7) Nier: Automata (PS4)

The trailer and gameplay demo that were shown during E3 for this game looks pretty awesome. The settings look beautiful, the enemies' designs look quite interesting, the characters look cool and their abilities are pretty neat as well; they were all eye-catching. The game is part of the Nier universe, which is itself is a spin-off of the Drakengard  series. It was stated that aside from some characters' appearances, the game will have no story connection to the other games, which I think is good to bring in new fans.

Watch Nier:Automata trailer here.
Watch Nier:Automata boss battle gameplay here.

E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) 2016 ~ 10 exciting new games (Part 1)

With everyone still delighted over the reveals at the San Diego Comic-Con, and also with the excitement of Suicide Squad releasing in theaters/cinemas, the conversation in the entertainment world had certainly shifted in these past few weeks but I want to bring us back to the E3 2016 that was held last June and the exciting video games that were featured there. I know this is a bit late but it's been awhile since I last wrote about video games, so I thought this is a good opportunity to do so.

There were so many awesome games featured in this year Electronic Entertainment Expo, and I would list 10 of them that I'm most interested in. Of course I wouldn't know every video game that were featured during that event but at least these are the 10 games from the long list of games that I am aware of. I would split the list into 2 posts so here is the first 5 games that I'm most excited about.


1) God of War (PS4)

I always thought the developer will continue this franchise but little did I know that they would switch the mythology as well (previous games were based on Greek mythology while this new game will revolved around Norse mythology). While Kratos still returned as the main character, this seems like a totally different Kratos than the one we knew from the previous games. The gameplay trailer introduced us to Kratos who is now a dad! And he teaches his son how to hunt and fight. I wonder what the story will be about this time, but however the story goes I really hope we would get to see more interaction between him and his son.

Watch God of War gameplay trailer here.


2) Here They Lie (PS4, PSVR)

I always love a good horror game and Here They Lie seems like a really unique game with its weird style and design. I'm not sure what the story will be about or even who we would be playing as, but so far from what I've seen, the game looks pretty interesting and mysterious, which is always a good thing considering this is a psychological horror game. I like games that play with your mind...well, at least those that are not too messed up.

Watch Here They Lie teaser trailer here.
Watch Here They Lie gameplay demo here.

Hammerin' Hero ~ review

Hammerin' Hero is a platforming, beat-em-up, action game for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) developed and published in Japan by Irem Software Engineering (as Ikuze! Gen-San: Yuuyake Daiku Monogatari), published in Europe by DHM Interactive (simply as GenSan) and published in North America by Atlus.

I don't think I need to put a spoiler alert for this game review but just in case if people are wondering -  no, I won't go into details regarding the story but I will mention several of the levels/characters/unlockable items that were featured in this game. I won't give the full list of those things of course but if you want to be surprised when you unlock any new stage, character or item, you might want to avoid reading this review altogether then.

So what is this game about? When a small town is threaten by a huge company (the Kuromoku Company) who wants to demolish the area and develop the land, Gen, a local townsfolk come forward to fight them in the hope of bringing an end to their evil corporation plan. It's a platforming game so it's understandable if the story is not something the game is focusing on but regardless I find the story quite entertaining and easy to follow, the story was told in a kind of cute way too. In this version that I played, players have a choice between English or Japanese voice-overs. I chose mainly English voice-overs. Although some characters' voice-over were pretty bad, for the rest it was quite good with the lines delivery were quite funny, and I mean that in a good way. I like the main character's English voice-over, Gen, the most. The voice actor (sorry but I don't know who it was) did it just right, not too over-the-top but not quite plain either.

E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) 2014 ~ 10 exciting new games (Part 2)

The Electronic Entertainment Expo, or better known as E3, is the annual trade show for the video games industry with the 20th edition had just been held on June 10 until June 12, 2014 at Los Angeles Convention Center. I've been browsing the games that we featured there through the videos that were posted on YouTube and listing 10 of the games that had caught my interest. I've already listed 5 of them which you can read in Part 1 of the post, and now let's check out another 5 games in this Part 2. Let's start!


Rise of the Tomb Raider

The Tomb Raider video game series had received much success throughout the years but in recent years had gained new height of popularity with its 2013 reboot game, so it come to no surprise that Crystal Dynamics would once again be developing a sequel to that game and continue the series legacy. I like how the game become much more cinematic in terms of its story telling but at the same time still keeping gamers glued to the controllers with its exciting gameplay. But will this sequel be as good as its predecessor? Hopefully it will. To view the trailer to Rise of the Tomb Raider, please click here.


The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

Nothing much is revealed in this game trailer debut, the only thing shown were a couple of scenery shots of a rural area with hills and rivers, and some guy beating another guy to death (gasp!). The scenery shots kind of reminded me of the game Alan Wake and Silent Hill: Downpour, the loneliness and deserted feeling that it has makes me relate this setting in the game to those two that I've mentioned. I'm not sure if this game is a horror game though like those two, so I don't know what else to think about this game yet. But I am interested to know more. As of now, the game is set to be released in September 2014, so it won't be long until we hear more about this game. To view the trailer, you can click here.

E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) 2014 ~ 10 exciting new games (Part 1)

I love too many things; music, movies, manga, anime to name a few, that sometimes I just have to give up on certain things. One of it is video games. I love to play video games but I'm like two generations behind when it comes to actually playing them. Yes, I'm still playing on my PlayStation 2 console and I don't see myself upgrading it to PlayStation 3. What about PlayStation 4? Haha! In my dreams maybe. Personally I feel that playing video games is an expensive hobby (I believe I mentioned this before in my blog) and with my money spent mostly on movies and manga, there's hardly a chance I will be playing new-generation video games anytime soon. But I still update myself with video games news, especially anything about upcoming video games from interesting franchise.

Talking about video games, one have to mention E3 which is the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the annual trade show for the video games industry. The 20th E3 was held on June 10 until June 12, 2014 at Los Angeles Convention Center. While I'm not physically there, I did browse the games that we featured there through the videos that were posted on YouTube and I have to say, there are quite some interesting titles that were introduced. So let's check out 10 games that I think look interesting and promising. I didn't watch every video game trailers though so my list would only confined to those that I had been exposed to. To make this post more bearable, I sliced the post into 2 parts with each part listing 5 games. So let's begin part 1!


Alien: Isolation

I love horror video games so let's start with one. Alien: Isolation is a survival horror game developed by The Creative Assembly, will be published by Sega and is a part of the Alien franchise. Set 15 years after the event of the very first Alien movie, the player will take on the role of Amanda, Ellen Ripley's daughter (Ellen Ripley is the main character of the Alien franchise played by Sigourney Weaver for those who don't know or may have forgotten about her) in search of her missing mother. The game looks stunning visually and the gameplay looks pretty scary, players would have to use stealth tactics to avoid being caught by the alien in the game. Looking at the trailer of the game kind of reminded me of Dead Space, a popular recent survival horror video games series. Would this game be as popular as the Dead Space franchise? You can check out the video game trailer to Alien: Isolation here.


ABZU

Nothing much is revealed in this video game trailer; no explanation on the story or what it's about. All it showed were picturesque settings where a character can be seen swimming under the sea. And let me tell you what a beautiful footage they were, totally breathtaking! With unique style of animation and striking colours, the visual alone makes me excited for this video game. To be honest, I'm not sure if these settings are just concept art for the game or the actual footage from the gameplay. Either way, I'm still excited to know more about this game. ABZU is developed by Giant Squid studio and will debut exclusively on PlayStation 4. You can check out the amazing video trailer of ABZU by clicking here.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time ~ review

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a computer game / video game from Ubisoft released in late 2003 and is a reboot of the popular Prince of Persia video game series created back in 1989. A commercial and critical success, the game let players to take on the role of a prince who were tricked into releasing the magical sands of time which turned the occupants of the palace into monsters. To save the kingdom and his father, the King of Persia, he must work together with a beautiful prisoner named Princess Farah and defeat the Vizier who tricked him into releasing the sands. Since the game that I played is for the PlayStation 2, this review would be talking about the aspects of the game on that platform instead of on PC. And also please note that this review will contain spoilers. Without further delay, let's start dissecting Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

First stop, the plot. This video game put players in the shoes of the Prince, the son of King Sharaman of Persia, who had released, unknowingly, the sands of time throughout the kingdom and turning all the occupants of the palace into monsters. With the aid of Princess Farah, the player will then explore throughout the vast areas of the castle to try reverse the situation by returning back the sands of time into the hourglass that had once stored them. I personally feel that the story was just okay at first but as I played along, I fall in love with the story as it became more emotional, engaging and interesting. I also like stories with time travel element in it, so the time travel element in this game also helps in making me fall in love with the plot. I like the growth of the main character, the Prince that players control throughout the game. You can see him slowly learning from his mistakes and bad behaviours and try to wrap things out in his head (that players will learn through his monologues) while this bizarre incident resulting from his action in releasing the sands is happening all around him. The developer managed to create a character that players can root for, something that I feel is important to make the players relate with this story.

The inclusion of Princess Farah made the story even more interesting with the love twist and since the Prince mostly interact with her as there are not many talking characters in the game, she is definitely an integral part of the story as well as the character responsible for the growth of the main character, the Prince. The main villain, the Vizier, is also an interesting character in the game. But sometimes I cannot really grasps what he wants to achieve with his plan and that somehow made me feel like he is not a strong villain that I would like him to be. I personally think the developer could have done a lot better with him and make him a greater villain. One other thing that I would complaint is that it was sometimes hard to follow with the story because of the low-volume of the character's voice during cut-scenes. It was a bit weird since the music that played during gameplay was loud enough but somehow the volume got lowered during cut-scenes. To be honest, it was pretty annoying.

Exciting upcoming video games ~ The Evil Within and Dying Light

Personally, I feel that video gaming is such an expensive hobby. I love console games but the consoles and the video games are so expensive here that I just can't afford to have them, well at least the latest one. But still it's fun to keep up with the news on upcoming games, and here are two of them, both from the horror genre (since I love horror). Let's start with The Evil Within.

The Evil Within is the first video game from developer Tango Gameworks, and will be published by Bethesda Softworks for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows. The video game is being directed by Shinji Mikami, the man behind the successful Resident Evil video game franchise. According to what I read online, Shinji Mikami intended to bring the true survival horror genre back to life with The Evil Within as he was disappointed with recent survival horror video games which put too much emphasis on action. Has you seen the video gameplay of The Evil Within? It looks so scary and horrifying. The graphics, the atmosphere, the monsters and the chasing scenes; everything look perfect! I especially like the apocalyptic scene when the main character ran out of the building, and also the monsters design. Don't you think the monster with the multiple hands looks terrifying? I got chills just by looking at it coming out from the floor. Looks like The Evil Within will be an interesting video game. No words on when it will be released yet but from the official website, it stated that the game will be released this year (2014) so expect to hear more news from the developer soon. You can also check out the gameplay demo in the official site below.

The Evil Within official site

The next video game that I want to talk about is Dying Light. The video game is being developed by Techland for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows, and it will be released end of March 2014. The game has a zombie-apocalyptic type of setting, and the players have to explore open areas to find supplies and craft weapons to fight these hordes of zombies. What is more interesting is that the game has a day and night cycle. Judging from the gameplay video that I watched, the night zombies are more frightening and vicious compared to the day zombies. The gameplay does look a bit like Dead Island though, Techland previous video game that featured zombies. I never played Dead Island before but I read comments that the actual game didn't live up to the hype when the trailer for that game first came out. I'm not sure what the fans think about Dying Light; are they excited about the game or are they worried that the final product would not live up to what had been revealed so far in the trailer and gameplay demo? But I think the game would be just fine since I personally think it looks interesting, fun and challenging. You can check out more info from the official site below.

Dying Light official site


Both games look deliciously fun and promising, hopefully both of them deliver amazing gaming experiences for players worldwide. Are you ready to be spooked gamers?

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince video game ~ review

It is widely known that films based on video games are hardly successful at the box-office. The only one that is successful that I could think of is the Resident Evil film series which has now span 5 (soon to be 6) films. Even that series haven't been truly faithful to their source materials. But what about video games based on movies? I rarely played them and I hardly read anything about them but if this video game (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince that is) is any indicator, then I would say that their fate is somewhat the same; not successful.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the video game, was released back in 2009 to coincide with the release of the movie. It was released on multiple platforms; PC, Nintendo DS, Wii, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, XBox 360 and mobile. The version I played and review here would be the PS2 version.

In short, the storyline followed much from the movie. It follows Harry and his friends in their sixth year in Hogwarts, and shows how Dumbledore prepares Harry to fight with Voldemort and how they work together to find the key in breaking Voldemort's defences. I noticed there are some things in the storyline doesn't really match from the movie but I'm not sure whether they are plot points from the novel that were left out from the movie or they are just things made up for the video games. But of course there are some plots that are made up for the video games but since I didn't read the book I can't point out which one. To be honest, plot is one of the thing that is not important in this game as I feel the whole point in it is to let gamers feel like they are truly attending school at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Final Fantasy X ~ review

I was a little late in discovering the amazing world of Final Fantasy video game series as I was only introduced to Final Fantasy VIII during my teenage years. But it was Final Fantasy X that became the first game in the Final Fantasy series that I had completed playing. To finally finish a game that I had only managed to adore from afar before, it was truly a satisfying feeling.

Final Fantasy X is a role-playing video game by then Squaresoft (now known as Square Enix) released in 2001 for the PlayStation 2. It was the first game in the series to introduced voice-acting. The game was a critical and commercial success and had sold millions worldwide, which then lead Square to release the first direct-sequel in the series, Final Fantasy X-2.

Final Fantasy X (FFX) is set in a troubled world called Spira, and follows the main protaganist, Tidus, as he became one of the guardian to a summoner, Yuna, as the group traveled Spira on a pilgrimage to obtained aeons and in the end to destroy Sin, a montrous creature that had been creating chaos across Spira. The group also consists of other iconic characters which are Wakka, Lulu, Kimahri, Auron and Rikku.

Let's start dissecting FFX with its plot. Story-wise, FFX has a very complex story that are quite hard to follow or understand if you do not really paying attention to what the characters are saying during the cutscenes or gameplay. But that not to say that the story is bad, in fact it was rich, entertaining and satisfying. Since the plot deals with the theme of death and a glimmer of hope, the atmosphere of the story are quite gloomy and sad,  which you can immediately feel from the start of the game at the start menu. But it's not melodramatic all the way to the end. To be fair, there are some cheerful moments throughout the game and some pretty good action cutscenes but overall, it is a game with a sad story.

Lightning returns? Another sequel to Final Fantasy XIII

A lot of Final Fantasy fans would probably already know about a new game in the Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy series, Lightning Returns Final Fantasy XIII, that Square Enix had recently announced. It would be a second sequel to Final Fantasy XIII after Final Fantasy XIII-2 and will feature Lightning as the main protaganist again.

As from what I understand, the setting for this game would be different than the previous two video games meaning that it would not be the same Pulse (the world setting in the game) as players had seen it before. From early news, it was announced that the game would be set a few hundred years after Final Fantasy XIII-2 on Novus Partus, a chain of floating islands at the edge of Pulse. A doomsday clock would also be included in the game as Lightning would have to race against the clock to save the world as it would end in thirteen days. The overal look of the game can be described as 'gothic' and feature a lot of black vs white as the main colours.

Lightning Returns Final Fantasy XIII sounds like an interesting game but only time would tell if this entry in the series can live up to fans expectation. The game is scheduled to be released in 2013. You can click here to watch some presentation about the new game.

Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories ~ review

Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories, released in late 2008, is a PlayStation 2 remake of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories which was originally released on Game Boy Advance. The game took place in a castle called Castle Oblivion and Sora, along with Donald and Goofy, had to unravel the mysteries of the castle. As they did so, they met with a new set of enemies who seemed to have their own agenda in drawing Sora to the castle.

Plot-wise, KHRe:CoM deals a lot with the theme of memories, hence the name of the game. As Sora, Goofy and Donald travel higher and higher into Castle Oblivion, they start losing their memories of their loved ones and this makes them much easier to be manipulated by the new enemies introduced in the game called the Organization XIII. I have a weakness when it comes to stories with characters losing their memories so I find KHRe:CoM's plot to be very amusing and interesting. Since the game levels are basically ripped off from the original Kingdom Hearts game (because Sora and the gang revisit their memories hence the events in the different worlds of the original KH were relived again), some might feel that the story was a bit repetitive. But luckily the events from their memories and the current events in Castle Oblivion with the Organization XIII were played back to back so the story still feels fresh and not just a repeat from Kingdom Hearts. It is also interesting that the studio decided to include Riku's side of story in the game, revealing what had happened to him after the event in Kingdom Hearts and revealing his part in the Organization's plan as he explores basement levels of Castle Oblivion. It helps to widen the story through his perspective and cementing his position as part of the main characters in the game.

There are not much to be said about the characters of the Disney worlds featured in this game as they are the same when they were introduced in Kingdom Hearts. So it is best to say that, other than Sora and Riku, the members of the Organization took centre stage in this game as we get introduced to them with their unique abilities and agenda. Six members from the Organization XIII were featured; Axel, Larxene, Vexen, Marluxia, Lexaeus and Zexion. Out from the six members, Axel is my favourite character. As for their fighting abilities, I like Zexion the most with his book and illusion power. Not to forget, Namine, a mystery young girl with the power to alter memories who was kept in the castle and manipulating Sora's memories as ordered by Marluxia. All the characters were very well designed and the good voice acting also contribute to the overall appeal of the characters.

Now let's talk about gameplay. KHRe:CoM introduces card system in which players use numbered cards to defeat enemies who also have their own set of cards. At first I was kind of confused with the battle system but after I got used to it, it was pretty interesting and, not to forget, addictive. Unfortunately, the player got to choose which Disney worlds they want to explore first and each world have different difficulty level. If somehow players accidentally pick a harder world as their first level, then it might get frustrating for the players to get used to the card battle system. This directly will impact the learning curve of the game based on which Disney Worlds that the players choose to play first. But a persistent players will find that it is very rewarding to master the system earlier in the game for the later harder boss fights.

I didn't play the original Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories on Game Boy Advance but I do know that this remake has been improved a lot especially on the graphics to suit with PlayStation 2 system. Some scenes with dialogues or FMV (full motion video) were added and I also read that some additional battles were included too but sadly I can't tell which one. The FMV were amazing and nicely done, they also play important part in absorbing players into the new conflict in the game. The overall graphics were somewhat the same with what you see in Kingdom Hearts which means that it is visually beautiful, wonderful and stunning, especially the FMV. And, as I stated before, the voice-acting of the characters were good and help bring the characters to life.

What about the soundtrack or music for the game? I can absolutely say that the soundtrack is one of the best aspect of the game. It follows the mood of the story and accompanies each scenes perfectly well when it comes to the FMV. The music for the gameplay is very easy to the ears as well. Basically the soundtrack are reworked version of the original soundtrack from Kingdom Hearts.

So should you get KHRe:CoM? Consider this; great FMVs, powerful story, addictive gameplay, and wonderful soundtrack. I personally think KHRe:CoM is a lot better than the original Kingdom Hearts even if it is just a side story that bridge the gap between Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II. So the choice is yours. For me, KHRe:CoM is absolutely a wonderful game.

Thank you for reading!

Image sources: KHReCOM and IGN

Resident Evil 6 - Captivate 2012 Trailer

I'm too excited to not share this trailer. It's a new trailer for the new game in the Resident Evil video game series, Resident Evil 6. More details can be found in this trailer in regards with the characters. New female villain! Sherry Birkin! Son of Albert Wesker! And Chris Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy aiming their guns at each other?!? Looks to be an epic scene!

Resident Evil 6 is scheduled for release on October 2, 2012 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. You can also see the video by clicking here. Enjoy!