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Dark Souls III: Ashes of Ariandel Review

Mike Angel
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Dark Souls III: Ashes of Ariandel Review

Post-release expansions from ‘Soulsborne’ games have been consistently excellent ever since they were first introduced in Dark Souls, offering some of the best content each game had to offer. Ashes of Ariandel doesn’t quite live up to past content, feeling a bit too short, but it does offer some great additions to Dark Souls 3 by adding some interesting, new weapons, armor, and long-term, player-vs.-player fun.

Ashes of Ariandel is the first planned DLC for Dark Souls 3. The journey begins when the player character is cryptically summoned to the Painted World of Ariandel. Anyone familiar with the Painted World of Ariamis location from the original Dark Souls will immediately see the similarities in Ariandel. Aside from both taking place literally inside a painting, Ariandel conjures the same twisted, wintery decay found in Ariamis. Dark Souls 3 ran with the idea of everything being familiar, yet different, and this area stays true to that formula.

It slowly becomes obvious the focus of this DLC was on cooperative play and ‘PvP’. Each area, from the mountainous forest to an icy village, is littered with enemies meant to attack in packs. Additionally, there are a handful of NPC battles meant to simulate PvP duels scattered throughout the game – more than usual for any ‘Souls’ DLC, and even the boss encounters incorporate this same approach. If that wasn’t enough, Ashes of Ariandel includes a new multiplayer arena where players can choose between multiple game modes, but more on that later.

While the size of the Painted World is as big, if not bigger than most other Souls DLCs, it didn’t feel that dense. The entirety of the experience can be completed in less than a day. Rather than trying to fight each of my numerous enemies over and over after every death, I found myself simply running past most enemies to avoid each tedious encounter. I also expected to come to a grinding halt during each boss encounters, but I did not spend very long fighting each of the two boss battles. Granted, I did summon NPC help during the final boss, which definitely made the battle easier, but it was also there by design, which is all I will say to avoid spoilers. On a more positive note, the final fight in particular had some of the best sequences ever in a Souls game.

From a lore perspective, the story presented relating to the Painted World was one of the most interesting aspects of the DLC, but it left me asking more questions than receiving answers, making me wonder if I missed one last NPC encounter sequence (I didn’t). I’d also like to note, from certain ascetic decisions, story concepts, and gameplay inclusions, Ashes was a bit reminiscent of Bloodborne, which was a little surprising to see.

The most prominent feature in Ashes is the new co-op game mode called the “Hollow Arena”. The Hollow Arena isn’t that much different from regular PvP encounters, but it lets you choose various parameters. You can choose from Duel, Brawl, and Co-op matches. The duel is straightforward: 1 vs.1 with no Estus healing and ends when one player dies. Brawl incorporates team battles with up to 6 players with Estus heals capped at 1. In Brawl, players have 300 seconds to get as many kills as possible; the person or team with the most kills wins. Brawl can also be played as a free-for-all with 2, 4, or 6 players. If you don’t want to battle against real players, you can pick the Co-op mode to play against NPC opponents. While the Hollow Arena currently only has one map to choose from, Kiln of Flame, it looks like there might be more maps to choose from in the future, based solely on the fact that it’s a disabled option at the moment. Private matches can be established with a password, so you can easily play with friends. I’m not very involved with PvP combat at all, so this is an area of the game to which I am indifferent, but it’s a great addition for anyone active within the PvP community.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Out of all the DLC to have been released by FromSoftware, I felt Ashes of Ariandel was the weakest. There are certainly positives: an interesting story, extended PVP potential, and some new weapons I’m happy to see, just to name a few. Bloodborne’s DLC was originally supposed to be sold in two separate parts, but was eventually combined into one installment; a wise move allowing the content to feel longer and more fulfilling than originally intended. Had Ashes of Ariandel received the same treatment, its flaws would have become almost a nonfactor. Its $14.99 price tag might be slightly more tolerable combined with the season pass, but that verdict won’t be clear until the next DLC installment is released.

[penci_review id=”1953″]

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Review

Mike Angel
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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Review

In baseball there is the term, “5-tool player”, which refers to a player who is great at every aspect of the game: speed, power, batting average, fielding ability, and throwing power. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt can be best described as a 5-tool game with beautiful graphics, an amazing soundtrack, fun gameplay, an excellent story, and great value for your money. Considering this is developer CD Projekt RED’s first attempt at an open-world game, especially one of this magnitude, to say they did a remarkable job is a gross understatement. Needless to say, The Witcher 3 is easily one of the best games of this generation.

The Witcher 3 follows the events of The Witcher 2 and begins with the legendary witcher, Geralt of Rivia, tracking his lost love, Yennifer. Once reunited, they discover that Ciri, their adopted daughter and heir to the Nilfgaardian Empire, is being heavily pursued by The Wild Hunt, an otherworldly army whose appearance signals the end of the world. Geralt must then embark on a quest to find Ciri and protect her from the Wild Hunt.

The first thing that comes to mind when playing The Witcher 3 is the gigantic size of the map and the near-endless amount of content housed within it; a feat that dwarfs even Skyrim. Normally a game of this size is populated with a truckload of mundane fetch quests, but that is not the case here. Simply put, The Witcher 3, pound-for-pound, has the best side quests to ever come out of an open-world RPG. Many of these side quests feel like a main quest and often link to other side quests. Characters explored in one quest, later appear in another to further expand their character arc. Every quest explored, no matter how small, had some sort of spin to make it interesting. The majority of these quests heavily use Geralt’s ability to investigate his surroundings and probe people with questions, which can expand through several quests. It may sound boring, but quite the contrary. The constant searching and revealing of leads feels authentic and flows quite naturally. A LOT of effort will be exerted towards a goal, so when you finally succeed, such as Geralt’s hunt for Ciri, it feels very satisfying.

Other notable side quests are the witcher contracts. It is here where Geralt showcases his talents for investigating and hunting monsters. Geralt can accept these contracts to earn money and rid the town of its harassment by a variety of monsters, each with an interesting back-story leading up to the occurrence. Geralt can use his witcher senses to search for clues in tracking down these dangerous foes, very similar to how Sherlock Holmes or Batman tackles mysteries. These monsters aren’t always easy to defeat either. These battles, especially on higher difficulties, require careful planning and the application of oils and potions to provide combat bonuses. Studying the game’s extensive bestiary reveals enemy weakness to gain an edge in combat. You really get a sense of what it’s like to be a witcher primarily through these contracts, especially with how both the common folk and nobility view witchers based on their interactions

I’ve heard The Witcher 3 compared to Game of Thrones on a number of occasions, and it is an accurate comparison. Not only is the world rather unforgiving, but the political dynamics explored are also well executed. I particularly liked the portrayal of life when a conquering empire enforces its laws and customs on surrounding towns and villages. Peasants are heard mentioning how they want to change their name to suit the Nilfgaardian Empire, or soldiers saw destroying symbols of the old society. This shift in power has a huge effect on every character in the game. Mages, once celebrated, are now hiding for their lives from witch hunters. As expected, decisions made in The Witcher 2 have lasting effects on the world, and the choices you make in The Witcher 3 can also have devastating effects.

With countless enemy encounters combat needs to be satisfying, and here it certainly succeeds. While not as methodical or deep as Dark Souls, swordplay combined with magical witcher signs can be a beautiful, yet grotesque, display straight out of a movie. Geralt’s movements gracefully flow from one enemy to another with a sudden flash of gore as he cuts a foe clean in half and decapitates another. Fighting the many varieties of enemies can provide a huge challenge, but once you reach higher levels and upgrade your abilities, they become very easy. This can especially hurt when exploring lower leveled quests, and you breeze right through them.

With 25 skills total, you can only equip 12 at once when all slots are fully unlocked. This requires you to specialize between 4 skill trees. Do you want to focus on your witcher signs, or maybe you want your oils and potions to be more potent? Maybe you want to focus entirely on melee combat. The leveling system provides customization that can be adjusted to your play style and can change the way you approach combat entirely. As mentioned before, by using these skills, Geralt can become almost overpowered, but higher difficulties can help facilitate that problem.

Players can not only play as Geralt but Ciri as well. At certain points in the game, you are placed in the shoes of Ciri, usually when someone is describing their encounter with Ciri in a flashback. These scenarios aren’t the most substantial parts of the game, but they provide an effective means to showcase just how powerful Ciri is compared to even Geralt. Ciri does indeed play differently than Geralt, using teleportation techniques to work her way through combat. It would be interesting to see a DLC expansion focusing on Ciri because she is a fantastic character, but due to how powerful she is, I don’t know how that could work.

I must not forget to mention Gwent, the built-in collectible card game. Gwent is one of the best minigames and perhaps the best card games featured in a video game. Simple to learn, but deep in strategy; I found myself able to beat better decks simply by outplaying my opponent. I would like to see a means to play a fully functional form of Gwent against real players because I had a lot of fun playing it, although some rule changes would need to be made since decks can become too powerful with a lot of power cards.

The Witcher 3 is a great game, but it’s far from perfect. As expected from any game of this size, there are a ton of visual and audio bugs, often leading to hilarious results. I did have one hard crash, but the problem was patched within the first week of release. In fact, some of the problems such as small text and various performance issues have already been fixed with patches. However, character movement is still slippery (improved a bit since the patch) and underwater swimming is frustrating to control. One big complaint is the decision to have a candle next to every lootable area in the game. Geralt can ignite and extinguish light sources by pressing X (on PS4). It just so happens that looting is shared by the same button, so very frequently I would ignite a candle instead of looting. Sometimes it was very difficult trying to accurately open a loot container even without a candle nearby.

GRAPHICS

One of the most beautiful games out on this generation of consoles and even more beautiful on the PC. The realistic outdoor lighting effects are breathtaking. Countless times I had to stop and watch the evening/morning sky because it looked that good. Additionally, the dynamic weather effects coupled with swaying foliage really enhance the believability of the environment, and it’s one of the better uses of this feature that I’ve seen in any game. Facial expressions capture subtle expressions fantastically, allowing the player to know exactly how a character feels without having to say a word.

SOUND

I love this game’s soundtrack. The Slavic, folk sound of the music really adds life to the game. There were times when I didn’t want a battle to end because I didn’t want the battle theme to stop, or times I wanted to get up and dance to the tunes of the street bands. The voice acting is also superb. At first, I wasn’t sure if I would like Geralt’s stereotypically gruff voice, but his voice actor nailed it; a job very difficult considering the character is meant to not express emotion.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was my introduction to The Witcher series. Although I was lost at first, it didn’t hurt my enjoyment of the game at all, but I definitely would have had a better grasp of the characters and situations had I played the previous games. I highly recommend purchasing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt even at full price since you can easily spend 200 hours on one playthrough, not to mention playing the game again to see the alternate quest results and multiple endings. Despite my naivety to the series, it is one of the best RPGs I have ever played and is going to be a very hard candidate to beat for “Game of the Year”.

[penci_review id=”1951″]

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Review

Mike Angel
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The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Review

Personally, Spider-Man has always been the funnier, friendlier and the most accessible superhero. He’s a high-school-aged geek, whose supernatural powers allow him to fight crime, yet keep him grounded when dealing with the common issues of being a teenager such as: girls, friends, parents, etc. With that being said, the chemistry between real-life couple Andrew Garfield (Peter Parker) and Emma Stone (Gwen Stacy) is undeniable and it adds realism to the on-screen relationship. Furthermore, Emma Stone isn’t the only woman Andrew Garfield had chemistry with; Sally Field who plays the lovable yet stern Aunt May especially shines in one moving moment when Parker begs his aunt to reveal a dark and painful family secret.

Like the first film in this rebooted series, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is about the emotional, yet witty side of the web-slinger. This movie portrays his weakness through the love and respect Parker has for both Gwen and her father. One of the things I thoroughly enjoyed in this film is the introduction of a wealth of characters. The con is that it also dives into a wide variety of subplots which I personally feel the writers didn’t do a great job of allowing the story to come together unless you’re willing to accept a bunch of coincidences.

Let me not downplay Jamie Foxx’s character Max Dillon, who is an introverted, spidey obsessed, Oscorp engineer-turned-power-conductor, Electro, who is very capturing. Fox did a compelling job at portraying his character as an intriguingly oppressed individual who could be mentally ill but we later discover he’s actually really smart; if you can put aside the screenwriter’s foolishness to have Electro name himself.

Finally, the last two but not the least of the supporting characters in The Amazing Spider-Man 2; are GREEN GOBLIN (Dane DeHaan) and Rhino (Paul Giamatti). Dane DeHaan’s character, the rich kid, Harry Osborn is introduced in this film. It was sort of heartening to see his father, Norman Osborn (Chris Cooper)  passing his rights to his only son just as he is about to fade away. Dane DeHaan has by far some of the best scenes in the film and during some of his more intense scenes with Garfield, he even showed shades of Leonardo DiCaprio’s great acting abilities. Lastly, let’s not forget Paul Giamatti who plays the Russian mobster that all of sudden becomes a Transformer with his mechanical rhino suit. I would say this was a personal opinion, but there are no synonyms for what Giamatti was; it was perfect! He almost gives comedic relief to the action scenes, after all, Paul Giamatti is hilarious.

Overall, the only issue I found to be disturbing to me is the length of the movie could have been shortened by not including side plots toward the end. For example, there was a subplot involving two planes. The scene was added for what I feel is extra tension for the audience during a blackout that didn’t even include Spider-Man. Truly the movie could have done without those extra few minutes.  Aside from the planes, the last 10 minutes or so of the movie isn’t just amazing, it’s incredibly well executed. It brought the movie to a closure with a genuine stir of emotions, in what could possibly be the absolute best ending I’ve seen in a superhero movie.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 takes audiences on a roller-coaster ride from start to finish and Webb finds a good balance between the action sequences and the normal life issues of each character. Rather than relying on unexplainable events to introduce the superpowers of each character, he gives the most believable rational explanations to keep the film grounded and accessible to audiences.

[penci_review id=”1956″]

Thief – Review

Mike Angel
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Thief – Review

Thief first caught my eye some time ago, when the original trailer came forward advertising for the next-gen consoles. The graphics looked amazing! I was so intrigued by the Thief, I felt this game was a must-own for my next-gen game collection. Honestly, I can say I had no clue about the previous games in the series for Thief. The series goes way back to 1998 and the latest release is the fourth installment.

The player follows the path of Garret, a master thief in a place called “The City”; closely resembling that of 18th/19th century London. Garrett finds himself caught in a city full of conflict as an uprising emerges within. The Baron’s Watch spreads throughout the place, sending fear and obsession to the people. Revolution is sure to take place and Garrett must take action before the streets fill with blood.

When playing Thief, you will see several similarities to other titles such as; Splinter Cell, Metal Gear Solid, and Assassin’s Creed. Through the first person, the player will control Garrett sneaking around “The City”. Over the years, Thief has been described as a “First Person Sneaker”. How you tackle each objective is totally up to your style of play. When sneaking around, you can lurk in the shadow undetected or take out the enemies swiftly and quietly. Garrett best performs working in the dark. There is a light orb indicator that tells the player when he is visible. Garrett has the ability to turn off light switches or use water arrows to smoldering fires, this way he can remain hidden. Along the way, tools and weapons can be unlocked to assist in the efforts. These can be obtained by stealing items from the fine citizens of “The City” and then basically pawning them for gold.

The overall feel of the game is smooth. Sneaking around and being stealthily is spot on. Out of the previously named titles similar to this game, I would have to say Thief was a step above the rest when it comes to stealth.

GRAPHICS

Simply amazing! The lighting for Thief is perfect. The differences in lit areas and then seeing them darkened after putting out the light was awesome. Aside from the great graphics in gameplay, the cinematic scenes are beautiful. If Thief is just a taste of what the next-gen consoles are capable of, we are in for some stellar graphics in the near future.

SOUND

The sound effects for Thief are unique. The game’s stealth environment is controlled by movements of sound, which causes enemies to notice you sneaking. There are so many different things that could possibly give Garrett away. Move too fast near a bird cage, the bird freaks out. Step on some broken glass, don’t think for a second the guards won’t notice. Tools can also be used to gain advantages as well. Just shoot a moss arrow on the ground and it creates a carpet-like surface to silence those noisy footsteps. The background music is suspenseful, adding a slightly uneasy feeling in your efforts to steal things not belonging to you.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Any person who prefers the single-player atmosphere instead of online multiplayer will defiantly enjoy playing Thief. With amazing graphics, suburb sound, and overall great gameplay, Thief ranks among the best in stealth games.

Pros

  • Smooth controls
  • Amazing graphics
  • Unique sound effects

Cons

  • Not completely realistic (Garrett would be noisy carrying all that stolen metal and jewels)

[penci_review id=”1955″]

Need For Speed Review

Mike Angel
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Need For Speed Review

Before I begin there are two things you should know about me; first, I am a Fast and the Furious fan boy and second, I have played almost all of the Need For Speed games dating back to Sega Saturn.

With that being said, I was a bit apprehensive about seeing another game turned movie; especially one that was entering an already well established racing culture set by Fast and the Furious. Another big part adding to my apprehensiveness, was the fact I was pretty unfamiliar with a majority of the actors in such a huge franchise other than Michael Keaton (Monarch), Aaron Paul, who plays the main character Toby Marshall. As for Scott Mescudi a.k.a. Kid Cudi, and the rest of the cast, they have a little less of a resume. All of the actors did very well with their roles, but Arron Paul did a spectacular job as the lead character. With a movie of this magnitude, I figured it would be a huge risk to bring in relatively unknown actors to such a huge game franchise, but I have been wrong before and this was definitely one of those times.

For anyone not familiar with the highly successful Need For Speed franchise, per Variety, Need For Speed has sold over 140 Million units worldwide, those are a lot of games! The game focuses on high-speed octane racing mixed with police chases and very customizable cars. Each game has its own unique style and story, but the main focus has always been the same. Needless to say, I didn’t expect this movie to be so well-written and directed. I heard the commentaries from the cast prior to starting the movie and they pumped it up so much, I had doubts about how good it would be. From prior experiences, movies that are pumped as much as this one always falls short of my expectations. This movie was the exception to the rule. It has the speed, the chases, the great scenes that make you jump, and keeps you rooting for the protagonist. Along with all the action, there were the occasional heartfelt, eye-watering moments coupled in with some pretty classic comedic scenes which kept me engaged.

One thing that I admire about Director Scott Waugh, is that he stuck to the old-school concept of not using CG (computer graphics) in high-action scenes. One of the cars that were actually driven in the film is the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport; which retails at roughly 2.7 million dollars for a base model! And they raced it! Although the crash scenes use very detailed replicas of the cars, the point is, they DROVE these cars to keep the authenticity of the film. I for one expected a movie full of CG considering it’s based on a game, but the director was able to bring a sense of realism not only to the characters but also to the story. It was refreshing to see a movie that didn’t have to use CG as it’s a selling point.

It’s not easy to review a movie without pumping up everyones expectations, but it does comfort me in knowing I’m not the only who enjoyed it. Here’s a quote I received from a colleague of mine who also saw the movie and has written many great reviews here on Review Junkies.

Overall, upon exiting the screening for Need For Speed it took me back to when the original Fast And The Furious hit the scene; I remember stepping out of the movie theater and hearing all the engines roaring and tires burning as if everyone just lived the movie. What a pleasant feeling there is in knowing we now have another potentially great franchise at our hands to re-amp the car racing scene.

[penci_review id=”1970″]

Prisoners Review

Mike Angel
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Prisoners Review

At first, I wasn’t even planning on seeing this film until my wife asked me to go with her. I’m sure glad I went because Prisoners was that good. Being a father I was torn and emotionally connected to Keller Dover’s (Hugh Jackman) struggles throughout the movie.

The leading character Keller Dover is a very religious family man. He and his family attend a Thanksgiving dinner with a close friend Franklin Birch (Terrence Howard) and his family. At one point, each of their daughters becomes missing. Their search for the children comes up short even with assistance from local law enforcement. Playing a successful detective solving every case given to him, Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) leads the investigation into the disappearance. Throughout the film, Loki battles not only against piecing the puzzle together but also against the path of a determined father. A determined Keller becomes confident in a possible suspect named Alex Jones (Paul Dano) and will do everything in his power to find the location of his daughter.

Hugh Jackman does an outstanding job of portraying a struggling emotional father, doing whatever it takes to put his family back together. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is nominated for several awards for his performance. As for Jake Gyllenhaal, I didn’t really understand what Director Denis Villeneuve was trying to convey. Was Loki supposed to be a tough guy or a straight-to-the-book detective? Personally, I wasn’t convinced with him being a tough guy even with all his tattoos. There were several scenes where Loki would get involved in suspicious activity leading into his investigations and hardly ever requested assistance. I did however enjoy his connection with being the detective looking for answers to his case.

There was plenty of good acting from the rest of the cast. From the distrait mothers, Nancy Birch (Viola Davis) and Grace Dover (Mario Ballo) to Alex’s Aunt Holly Jones (Melissa Leo), all perform up to par and more. Prisoners really come off dark throughout most of the film with a hint of mystery at the end. You don’t have to be a religious person or have children to enjoy Prisoners. The religious aspect of Keller’s character really doesn’t affect the rest of the movie. There are several twists and turns and just when I thought I had things figured out, the film would give a different clue.

From a father’s point of view, I can tell you I was drawn into Keller’s will to find his daughter. This was even a scene from Hugh Jackman that had me so convinced I just about cried thinking of my daughter. The conversation is between Keller and Loki while they are sitting in the car. Keller starts shouting at Loki about how his daughter is expecting her father to rescue her, not a detective. In my opinion, spend a few extra dollars and see Prisoners in the theaters, you won’t be disappointed.

[penci_review id=”1971″]

The Last of Us Review

Mike Angel
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The Last of Us Review

Let me start by saying, I have had both console systems ever since PS2 and Xbox and not once have I ever taken a side in the “system wars.” This is the one game you absolutely have to play, even if it means buying a PS3. One of the best games I have played in a long time. I have thoroughly enjoyed the story, the combat, and just about everything. Zombie games are one of my favorites, however, these are the most interesting zombies I’ve experienced. Instead of the typical undead, they are people who became infected by spores and have lost control of their bodies.

From the beginning, this game absolutely sucks you in. The eerie start of watching as the events take place keeps you on edge. The graphics are so amazing, to the point I felt like I was watching a movie. The minimal HUD also adds to this effect. It is a very gorgeous game, even the title screen looks as if it is a photo.

The difficulty of the game is fair for the most part. Certain parts really challenge you to move through a constantly changing puzzle of moving enemies. The “listen mode” turns the world into a black-and-white frame with a sonar-type feel. You see enemies based on their footsteps of the clicking or talking they make. Moving through a room when you don’t want to be seen at all due to a large number of enemies is stressful, but very rewarding as you finally make the steps correctly. It seems to reward the patient over the rushing strategy at times.

Trying to clear a room of just a few zombies is a challenge, fighting four at one time would normally end in a game over for me. The stealth kills and throwing bottles to distract enemies make this easier. The scares ammo and enemies being able to locate you by sound make using a gun a poor choice unless you have no other option.

GRAPHICS 

I try not to pay too much attention to graphics when I play a game, but this one has made me verbally acknowledge the attention to detail. From the way, characters move through the environment, to the way waterfalls move.

SOUND

The sound has lots of detail. Listening to the rain hit the ground and change to pattering on metal when I move inside a truck is very accurate. Overall, the sound is amazing.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The first game in a long time to suck me in and get me really involved in the story. In my honest opinion, the greatest game is from the generation of systems. I enjoy the challenge and thoroughly recommend the game to anyone who enjoys action games.

Pros

  • Brutal Combat
  • Challenging while not being unforgiving
  • Very engaging story

[penci_review id=”1952″]

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