Splinter Cell :: Blacklist

The legendary Series which  visualized the definition of Stealth Ops is back with Glory . A sequel to the Splinter Cell : Conviction that was released in 2010 , the story picks off where the last game left off , but with even more grand look and  a James bond movie like style in it  . As always the Tech gadgets in the game are ultra cool and makes us the lethal machine when required and a ghost when Stealth is a priority .

Story ::

Picking up where Conviction had left off , Blacklist starts with Third echelon being disbanded . But suddenly a new attack becomes imminent on US soil and the President creates a new Counter- Terrorism Unit known as the 4th Echelon . Sam Fischer takes the commander position with Anna 'Grim' Grímsdóttir taking up as the field Strategic officer who commands all the operations from a modified Cargo Plane termed as the Paladin. The story begins when a mysterious attack on a US Army Base at Guam initiates shock waves and a group calling themselves as Engineers taking responsibility for it . Their main objective is to remove the US troops that have been deployed Abroad , until then the Blacklist will continue . Now its upto Sam Fisher and his well organized team to Stop the Blacklist and to find out the real motive behind the Engineers . Engaged with twists and turns the story is perfect in every way , except from the climax which felt a little  sudden and abrupt

Gameplay ::

This is where Splinter Cell has always shined . And Blacklist doesn't let us down in any way . Players will be able to access the Blacklist missions via SMI ( strategic Mission Interface ) aboard the Paladin . As always Sam enters the field with all the Gadgets that makes his enemy looks like idiots . But that doesn't mean they are completely stupid . As long as they are unaware of your presence they are as good as walking dummies. But once they get alerted of your presence they will be like A Grade military soldiers, searching every nook and corner with flashlights.

Sam and Grim over SMI

Thank god for the full maneuverability that Sam is now able to hide anywhere he wants . I still remember the times in the old Splinter Cell games where you have to search for hours and hours of time to find the right way in , that too without alerting anyone of your presence . When you finally make it in , you see a guard making his way to you and you have no option of jumping back to the place from where you came from and finally you have to take him down . And taking down a guy during that time was not easy as it is now .

Blacklist provides us with many options to hide at the most unusual places . Like You can jump and grab a pipe when a guard comes towards you or use the wall where you can cling to like a Monkey . The infamous Mark and Fire is back again too, although you will refrain from using them to the max level. I used to use that everytime in Conviction , but in Blacklist I was skeptical of using it . Because the satisfaction of a melee kill can never be beaten . But still there were moments in the game where you are literally dragged into Action fights with no other option .

Agent Briggs

The level where you get to play as Briggs with First person perspective was quite new and different . I think this is the first time a game had supported both FPS and 3PS style for gaming .

FPS when playing with Briggs

The game employs 3 styles of Gameplay .

Ghost , Assault and Panther ( left to right )

1. Assault ::

 This as the name suggests is going out on a full on firefight against enemies with your guns blazing . Upgrade your Armor and you are good to go .

2. Panther ::

This is the style I Love the most . You have to take down all guys silently in area either with a lethal or non lethal attack . But no enemy should be left alone .

3. Ghost ::

This the exact opposite of Assault and Panther . Enemies should never know that you were even there at all .This is the most thrilling of all and the satisfaction you get when you complete a mission in Ghost mode is absolutely satisfying . At last a mode that makes us feel like that we are actually playing a Splinter Cell game.

Although the game modes looks cool under its name . The game does not allow you to choose your style at the beginning and try to force you through the entire mission with the same rule.Depending upon the way you play , you are awarded points to the different modes ..If you used Assault style then Assault XP will increase and so it goes on . Hats off to the Creative team that thought of that .

Gadgets ::

The famous Sticky shocker , Sticky Emp , Sticky camera are there again :) . splinter Cell fans will know how memorable these things are . The had helped me in getting out in more than one sticky situations. Since the Blacklist also concentrates more heavily on Multi-player, there is a loadout slot for each character who can be customized according to one's requirements . For eg : If you are guy who loves stealth you can upgrade your suit with stealth clothing along with the gadgets that help you in moving around stealthily . The Stun gun was a favorite of mine in this game . It really helps us in moving around quickly and finishing off a target suddenly coming around the corner while you are still halfway through the hallway . Your gun may not be effective enough at a long range , unless you are an expert marksman who can bring down a guy with single shot .

Its in this place the stun gun comes into place . Just one shot from it is enough to incapacitate any enemy from a distance especially a Search dog  . God !! these are the most irritating ones that you will come across. The Dogs can smell you wherever you are hiding nearby and will give out our place by barking at us . The only way is to avoid the places where the dogs stroll by or eliminate them when you get the chance . This is where a noise maker comes in handy .

Another remarkable upgrade is in your goggles which can be upgraded to awesome techies that gives you more than a fair advantage when you are in the field against enemies. It can be upgraded to Thermal imaging , Thermal Imaging footprints tracker , sonar , sonar upgrade with range specs etc.. Sonar was the best goggle tech that I had ever come across . It helps us in identifying enemies who are behind a wall and those who are in the vicinity .

Thermal Imaging

Your favorite Silent pistol is back although this time you have the chance of upgrading it , to your level of comfort . There are different choices for you from which you can select  the one you want . You also have a variety of Assault Rifles and Sniper Rifles from which you can select you want . Although keep in mind that you have  to get them unlocked with money you earn from completing missions .

Tri-rotor is another new addition to the arsenal . But since we have already come across them in Tom Clancy's Ghost  Recon : Future soldier , this didn't give us that much delight .

Tri-Rotor in action

You also have a variety of Grenades - smoke , incendiary , Frag , sleeping gas , flash-bang etc ...Very useful in tight places where you come across a group of enemies . The level where you have to escape from a prison when the light goes off is amazing to look and play :D .

Side Missions ::

Grim and Charlie give you a variety of side missions while you are travelling in Paladin . Grim's missions are all about stealth , infiltration and getting out with no one hearing a whisper of you . While Charlie's missions are just surviving waves and waves of enemies in a confined space . Briggs only provides you with Co-op mission . so unless you are connected to the Internet and have a friend who is willing to work with you , then this is not going to play out . But I guess it might have been kind of cool to play :)

You do get to talk with Sarah ( Sam's daughter ) now and then , but they never do show her till last .

Slowly when the game does finally drag to the final Chapter , you will just feel washed out . As usual with big games of nowadays , you just feel disappointed with final ending  ( apart from Bioshock Infinite  ;))

Pro's ::

1. Get to play once again as the infamous Secret Agent who defined the Stealth Series .
2. Cool Gadgets and fluid response of Sam is just a pleasure to watch and play .
3. Melee attacks can be brutal and noisy or silent . Be it either way , you will just love taking down enemies .
4. Challenging levels that tests your true skill of remaining undetected and test your patience and reasoning skills with the routine nature of guards roaming around . You can either rush in and get killed or wait for him to come to you and take him down .
5. Graphics has been a major improvement from the last game.
6. Thank god its bug free. I still remember trying to make conviction work long enough for me to complete a mission without it getting crashed.
7. Music Score is not that good although the BGM does hit its peak at some places .

Con's ::

1. Repetitive levels that kind of get boring after sometime.
2. Checkpoint saves are kept at weird places that sometimes piss the hell out of you.
3. Final ending is so simple and quick that you feel as if the climax was never there in the first place.

Overall :: A game that has to be played by all . Especially fans who love Stealth . But for hardcore Splinter Fans , I would suggest you stick with the old games itself .

Rating :: 8.8 / 10 ( Good)

Regards
Ram

Brothers : A Tale Of Two Sons

When i first heard about this game in IGN i was skeptical if it will be released for PC . Will the stance the game companies are taking today against a PC release , I was pretty sure that this will be released digitally for Xbox and PS3 alone . Thank God , that wasn't  the case . Developed by Star Breeze studios ( Chronicles of Riddick , Payday 2) and published by 505 games this adventure based game takes a different gameplay route midst all platformers of nowadays . How you ask  ? Well lets plunge in .

Story ::

The story revolves around 2 brothers who pledges to travel to the far end of the mystical place where they live in in order to ave their father who had fallen to a mysterious disease. They speak a different language not understandable by Humans . Form the directions given by the Village Doctor the Brothers realize they have to bring water from the Tree of Life in order to save their father . Thus starts their breathtaking Journey via Villages , Ruins , Underground dungeons , forests ,Giant land and finally to the Tree of Life where the Tragedy Strikes with a beautiful and tear filled climax that will leave you weeping .

Gameplay ::

This is where the game's ingenuity and Uniqueness lie . Unlike other games where you get to take control only one of the players , this game allows players to take control of both the players at the same time . How do you ask ? . Well if you play with a controller , the Left Analog  stick is used to control the Elder Brother and the Right one to control the Younger one . Amazing Right ? But as cool as it sounds , its really frustrating and painful when you have to navigate both of the brothers at the same time . Because imagine, we have always used the left Analog stick for movement , so moving the elder bro is not going to be a problem . While the Right one is where it gets Tricky . Always used to Camera movement with the Right Analog , the sudden implementation of moving a character with it takes huge strain on your mind and gaming fingers . I have to say its very hard to get the co ordination at first . but Once you get it , this will be the best platformer you would have ever played .

The gameplay not only makes players to use keys to move around .Sometimes you need to solve puzzles which can be worked out only by making use of both the brothers at once . The first puzzle you ever come across is the pushing off Wagon from downhill to the Doctor's place . Once you finally get your head around to work that puzzle around its all easy peasy :D . But still the game has some unique elements that totally surprises you with its ingenuity as well as the simplicity of it .

 I loved the areas where you have to get across a Farm which is guarded by a Watch Dog . Distract the dog while one bro moves and reaches a temporary safe spot and then you run to the next spot while your bro distracts the dog from his safe spot . Cool :D And the leave you battle against a Troll and finally end up locking it inside a cage . Phew ! that was so close . The game has beautiful moments that just surprises you like hell when you finally finish it . And I promise you , that you will do it with a smile ;)

Graphics ::

Another great strength to the game is the Graphics they have enabled in it . Even for a platformer the game looks absolutely bread taking . Especially at some scenic spots where both brothers can sit and relax and enjoy the view at the same time . And the weird Fog that creeps in at dark forest and the way you ward off the Wolves with a Stick of fire is just too good . I tell you , this game just blows your mind away .

Sound design ::

this is by far the most important piece of the game that has to be appreciated like from first . Bcos however good and touching the story may be , without a good BGM , the entire thing falls into a dead drop . The music in the game , although it ain't thunderous or feel good types , when you hear it , it  just feels magical . As if the journey that you go on in this magic place has been made real . Such is the impact it creates . Especially the level where you get to fly across in the Glider . The BGM that comes up in that moment is just amazing to the core . I literally felt goosebumps when i Played it .

Pro's ::

1. Amazing story told with no dialogues  but only with gestures and Music alone .
2. Unique controls that will test your limits of patience .
3. Superb Puzzles that looks so easy at first but gradually becomes complex .
4. Amazing Graphics that will astound you.
5. Flawless sound design that will keep you enthralled till the credits roll.
6 . No upgrades and looking for collectibles and treasures . All you have to do is to keep finding yur way and move on . God tats a relief .

Con's ::

1. Game was too damn short .
2. Tear filled Climax that will somehow depress you into not playing the game again .Such is the impact of the last finale.

Overall :: After a long time Finally a beautiful game that challenges your eye to hand Coordination and pleases the eye , Brothers : A tale of 2 sons is a beautiful game that ought not be missed

Rating :: 9.2 / 10 ( Very Good )

Regards
Ram

Sniper : Ghost Warrior 2

 Two years after the Initial Game , Sniper Ghost Warrior 2 comes in with a polished Graphics Engine , supposed to be a much more tactical and advanced Gun Mechanic Game. The first part was supposed to be a modern version of the age old Sniper Elite Game which takes place in the Olden Era of War . But unfortunately Ghost Warrior 1 could never compete with a legend like that . Namco was so sure that with this game they would reach the pinnacle of Sniper experience they had hoped to achieve with the Initial one . Huh , well lets see how they faired .

Plot ::

The entire pot revolves around Captain Cole Anderson and his pursuit to get a WMD ( weapons of Mass Destruction )which goes AWOL back into custody before it gets used by Evil hands . The Entire game is like a narration which is told from The player character's mind , As the levels zoom back to the past and to the present .

Graphics  ::

from Chrome Engine 4 ( used to create Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood ) to Cry Engine 3 is whooping improvement . And its sure does show in the game . The one thing that outshines like hell is the beauty of the Blue waters and the greenery of the Foliage with the sunlight streaming in an out of it . So when a game runs in CE3 you can surely expect all kinds of glitches and AA issues . Well this game has got many . You need a decent card even to run the game in its basic settings . Such is the power of Cry Engine 3 . Even a good Rig will suffer in FPS when it comes into intense action sections.

But still the game is amazing to look and experience .

Gameplay ::

Unfortunately unlike Crysis 3 this is not a Sandbox style game but rather employs the age old Linear style of gameplay that kind of pissed off many players. I mean come on seriously, Like in 2013 if a game is released which is so linear that even a step which you take which is not according to what game developers have designed will result in Imminent Death . For Eg : One level where I experienced this first hand was in the Cave Level .When your spotter tells you that some one is coming up in the path and asks you to quickly hide in the water , if you jump into the water that is on the right side of the bridge you are going to end up dead . On the other hand , you are supposed to jump on the left side which is of the same height and width , you will emerge alive . I mean that kind of programming is just plain silly huh .

But Although the linearity may irritate some players , some players may like the serious Linear gameplay . You have to follow the instructions given by your spotter to the spot if you are to cross a level unharmed . Leave it to your spotter to identify potential threats and hidden snipers . Because seriously without him , you wont even know where to look at all. That doesn't mean that you will always have him around . There comes levels where you are left on our own to fend for yourself as you follow the instincts which has been drilled into you by your spotter.

Night Vision

Gun Mechanics ::

In every Sniper Game , this is the Crucial part which matters . Well i cant say that I was excited when I was sniping or got a chance to put a bullet into the Head of a long Distance target . But i have to say Sniping was satisfactory as a whole . How ? you ask, Well maybe it has to do with Silencer attached to your gun at the front . Every shot is just a sizzle and Phut !! and not the traditional Canonic Boom that snipers are good at making . Well that makes this game more interesting .

In-Game Video

Especially when your spotter calls out Targets and you have to take them out before they get alerted by the already downed bodies of their comrades. Once a Guard gets alerted of your presence , a result of Sloppy Shot , They will rain down at you from all sides . The ones that are exactly in front of you will play some kind of weird hide and seek game with you while some are tricky to some extent that they try to sneak upon your position as you engage the others.  This may have been more exciting if not for the mini map. Because unlike FC3 Where you have to spot the enemies via Binoculars if you need them highlighted the mini map , this game actually shows the position of all your enemies as soon as you enter into a hostile area. Some what spoiling the fun of a unknown enemy sneaking up on you and knifing from your six.

But that doesn't mean there are some tough corners . Sometimes you have to make use of your Handgun if order to fight around close Quarters . Bcos aiming your rifle at close quarters is just plain ridiculous . And of course tats not how its done in Military . Lets face it . tats the Reason we play these kind of Military Stereo types .

Knife Kills 

The Bullet Cam does make an appearance now and the but nah somehow it lacks the excitement of the old Sniper Elite ignited in us . Its dull and Boring that you may just switch it off for a good Sniping experience.

Bullet Cam Initiated 

Pulling off headshots or One Shot kills becomes extremely hard as difficulty level ramps up . The harder the mode is , the harder it gets  to get a good shot in . The reason , Well let me tell you . All of Sniper Fans would know that the bullet does not travel in a straight line to its end of trajectory . When the initial propulsion dies down the bullet slows down and bends towards the Earth surface because of Gravity Pull . This is what they term as " BULLET DROP ". Well this comes a major factor when you need to take down enemies who are at a distance of more than 500m . Tats when there is a radical difference because of Bullet Drop and reduced velocity  .

Thermal Vision - Helpful in taking out enemies behind cover

You have to keep in  mind the direction of wind too if you want to pull off a successful shot . Because  the bullet Turns in the air too . Don't worry you will get that in the top of your viewfinder , so no need to panic :D . So in order to make it easy for the beginners or for players who are playing Sniper for the first time and doesn't know how to factor in all these , will be helped with a small Red circle that kind of acts as a Reticle Assist showing before hand as to where the bullet will drop because of the wind and distance . So all you have to do is to hold your breadth and Squeeze the Trigger by keeping the Small red Circle on the head of your target . Sounds easy ? Well it is easy in the Easy mode. In the medium mode , the Game engine gives you some time before the small red circle makes an appearance everytime you highlight an enemy in your scope . If you are really good you would have taken the shot even before the small circle makes an appearance .

Make a Note of your wind speed and Direction too before you fire .

In the hardest mode , the red circle never appears :) . Its all you and your Gun .

Pro's ::

1. Amazing Sniping Experience with real time bullet drop and wind conditions .
2. Cry Engine 3 makes the environment and textures look damn good . It can be a bit of strain on your GPU too . So watch it .
3. Real time Military Jargon that keeps a Military Junkies ( like me ;) ) High always :D .

Con's :: 

1. Story is little confusing and not clearly narrated .
2. In-Game videos sucks . While the actual gameplay looks damn good :D Well what a change over from the past games huh ;)
3. BGM could have been made a little more attractive.

Overall ::  A must Play for Military Junkies . Especially Snipers. If you are not a fan , then don't try this.

Rating : 8.5 / 10 ( Good )

Regards 
Ram 

Remember Me

When I first heard of this game I was skeptical, as to whether this would be unique experience or just some another poor rip-off of  POP series platformer movements .The video of the game play which was released a few days before the game Release convinced me that its just another ordinary game . When the game finally got released , IGN and GameSpot gave a average score tagging the game as an ordinary , repetitive and forgettable experience. So I was in no hurry to get the game started . But finally as I wrapped all the games that were in my queue and this one was one among the less interested games  in my hard disk  , I thought of giving it a try . I thought maybe I can play 2 levels and if it didn't impress me by then , I will stop and delete it . But Whoa!! the game took me by surprise !! Wanna know how  , Lets plunge in

Neo Paris 

Plot :: 

The setting is in the future , year 2084 in  Paris - Titled as Neo-Paris . A new organization called Memorize had taken over people's memories by providing them with a Sensen device with the help of which you will be able to remove the unwanted memories from your life and store them in a central Server H3O . A  group of people who rebel against this kind of invasion of Humankind's privacy start a Rebel movement calling them as Errorists. Nilin is one among them . Atleast tats what the Mysterious voice in her ear , Called Edge , tells her . Its Nilin's job to stop what the Memorize is doing and thereby free the world from the apocalypse its in .
Moral :: Life is not about happy memories alone . One should have the sad ones too to actually experience Life .

Gameplay :: 

Like all 3rd person gameplay with platformer movements Remember Me also has the same basic Combo attacks , Dodge , and unique special set of skills that have been modified according to the game's ideology . But where does Remember Me stand apart , Its in the basic Combos . Unlike other games where your health automatically regenerates , This game depends upon your Combo skill to actually heal you . I don t know exactly how it works , but it does ;). So if you are in the middle of a fight and you are seriously low in heath , all you have to do is to hit some basic combos at your enemies to gain health . This is made interesting by the Sensen Menu where you do have a Combo Lab which can be utilized to rearrange your combos to the best possible effect which you prefer . Extraordinary thinking and which also makes the otherwise dull Button mashing Fights a little tricky and interesting :D hats off for the idea .

Overload Kill

Another Unique feature of the game is the memory remix Sequence you come across . This is the highlight of the game overall . Being the Legendary Memory Hunter you have the capability to remix other's memory and thereby make them do things that actually benefits you and your goals . Amazing thing to visualize and experience. You have a key to rewind and forward and also some glitches which can be tampered by you and thereby ending up with a different ending to the otherwise existing memory . The person will be having one memory and once you alter it according to your needs , he will think tats what happened really and will help you . Quite amazing . Although it takes some real talent and Some trial And Error to actually work out your objective . Bcos doing changes with all the glitches will never work to your favor . And each glitch will work in its own unique way and thereby giving you a different memory . You will understand it better if you play it . but seriously  this is a damn good one . But unfortunately there are only three times that you actually encounter them in the whole playthrough.

Memory Remix Sequence 1 

Glitches highlighted 

Remembrance is another yet unique feature in the game that you make use of . Since you are a memory hunter you  have the ability to steal other person's memory and relive them . By reliving them it helps you to cross over some difficult spots like Dodging from a mechanical Security Drones that sweeps the corridors or to open doors in some tough areas . Again , Excellent use of the Memory Concept by the Developers .

Relive Memories

Combat Moves :: 

Combos

Like I said your basic combos plays a major role in this game . Because if you don t execute combos correctly you will keep on hitting the guy and the enemy wont even take a dent . And its not just simple button Mashing of X and Y . The perfect way to start a combo is to press the button just as the first hit lands . Don't worry , You will get hints at the bottom that will help you guide through the completion of a basic 3 hit , 4 hit ,6 hit and 8 hit combos . And the pressens which are nothing but combo buttons that you unlock . You have the Power ( attack ) , Re-gen ( health boost ) , Cool down ( favorable after getting unique special kills that needs a particular time until you can make use of it .) and chain ( multiply the effect of a Pressens by replicating the previous chain combos) Pressens .

Combo = Basic + Power + Power + Cool down + Re-gen 

 So based upon the pressens you keep in the different combos you have , your attacks may vary . Although its initially scary looking and confusing , once you get the hang of it , you will be praising the ingenuity of the game Developers .

Special Skills :: 

You have 5 kinds of Special and Unique skills .

1. Sensen Fury ::

This is the first one you come across which kinda of throws Nilin into a insane Rage that her Attacks actually become unstoppable and heavy . Quite effective and a must against Bosses when their vulnerability is exposed for a few seconds.

2. Sensen DOS :: 

Its like a stun attack where Nilin smashes her hand on the floor and makes the enemies go blind and confused . Quite Effective against enemies with Shields and Boss Fights .

3. Logic Bomb :: 

This is another cool Power where Nilin can press a Bomb on her nearest enemy and then dodge away so that it can take down her other enemies.

4. Rust in Pieces :: 

Can be use only when Robots are available . When used will make the Robots go crazy like a Electromagnet pulling all the enemies towards it and blowing them up .

5. Sensen Camo :: 

As the name Suggests Nilin can go invisible for a few seconds during the time of which you can go behind a enemy undetected and overload him ( Quick kill )

You also get to use a other cool weapons that help you in the platformer movements as well as in the fights like

1. Spammer :: 

Shoots bolts of info at enemies thereby stunning them . Quite effective against Robots and Environmental Puzzles

2. Junk Bolt : 

An upgrade of Spammer that provides you with a grenade Launcher like shot for Max overload .

3. Pick Socket :: 

Helpful in opening doors and provides a unique challenge in some Environmental puzzles .

4. Force Spammer :: 

Very useful in moving heavy objects and other environmental things that obstruct our way around the world .

Boss Fights :: 

Against Madame

Boss fights are not that hard and again one has to make use of all skills of Nilin in order to bring them down . And also its not easy and short as in the recent DMC :P . This extends into a all out fight where you get to cross levels where you have to destroy the boss again and again and yet again . Not just by using the X and Y . But by using the above mentioned  unique set of skills . Literally so cool . If you find it difficult to crack the technique that is used to take down a boss , don t worry the game itself takes pity on you as it sees you struggling and gives you a hint :P as to how to get it done.

Against H3O

You do have challenging puzzle Segments which you have to solve by hearing to Word Riddles . Its complex at first . The Trick is Listen Careful. Once you do that ,  you will find it silly enough that you will crack through it easily .

Environmental Puzzle 

Pro's :: 

1. Amazing Story that has gives a unique feel even though its the same PROTAGONIST has to save the World theme :P
2. Superb Music that just blows your mind when the action takes place . I just cant place them  , but its amazing to hear . Some fast beat Ultra modern Techno .
3. Amazing Graphics that shows you the beauty of Future Paris . Not stressful on your GPU too .
4. Combos that are actually necessary to be executed if you want to survive in this game .
5 . Memory Re mix sequences are amazing , making you feel like a detective and analyst trying to achieve your goal by trial and error ---> INCEPTION ;)

Con's :: 

1. Thank God , its not open World . But still many Gamers Complained about it. So :)

Overall :: Not a must play 3rd person Platformer but hey , just give it a try . Maybe it will take you by  surprise as it took me :)

Rating :: 8.7 / 10 ( Good )

Regards
Ram