"South Park: The Stick of Truth" - Best Game for Franchise, Too Short!

      I’m a bit late to the party on this game, but I wanted to do a review on Obsidian Entertainment/South Park Digital Studios game South Park: The Stick of Truth. Overall I felt this game was well executed with great gameplay and staying true to the source material. The only drawback here was that the game was quite short for a full length RPG experience. 

      The game places you as a new kid in South Park Colorado heading out into the town to meet new friends. Once in the world you meet the main characters from the show and get thrown into a war between the kids of South Park over the Stick of Truth, which enables the holder to do whatever they want. 

      Throughout the game you get to learn of the expanded plot much a like a typical television episode. In that regard this game shines, as it feel like you a participating in an actual episode of South Park. There is plenty of fanservice in the game for both the casual fan and the hardcore fanatic of the show. For me, not really being too much of a fan of the show, I wanted to see how the gameplay faired.  

      The gameplay was quite solid, it didn’t have the depth of your traditional JRPG games, but it would have been out of character for the game/show if it did. The battle system was just complicated enough to keep the battles fun and to not feel like a monotonous grind fest. Summons were entertaining but not required in any way. Magic was more for the puzzle aspects of the game than actual battle prowess. In battle it was a combination of skills and ranged vs. melee attacks for the most part. 

      As with the television show, there were certainly elements that went into the gross out range as opposed to comedic. Overall I was surprised to see this really only happened twice in the game, more would have certainly turned me off. I found myself trudging through these sections just to move on with the game. 

      The verdict on this game is that if you enjoy South Park and traditional turn based RPGs you will enjoy this game. I would recommend to wait for the price to drop, as this game clocks in around under 20 hours for the main storyline, which is well under the standard for this genre. At it’s current price point I would only recommend this to the hardcore fans (who likely already have it and played it.)

"Watch Dogs" - Full of Potential, Falls Short of Expectations

      Watch Dogs is much anticipated game from Ubisoft in which you play the gritty Aiden Pearce as he tries to achieve his sense of justice for the city of Chicago. This game has been building a lot of anticipation ever since E3 2013. The idea of being able to hack the city of Chicago into your own personal technological wonderland certainly appealed to a lot of people. Also the idea of being able to hack in to other people’s games and mess around with them was also a really exciting concept. 

      However at least with the multiplayer part, it was great in concept but ultimately failed in execution. The multiplayer modes feel like they were added after the fact and really do not add much to the world, narrative, or gameplay. I did not happen to find these unique or really fun compared to the main single player storyline and side missions.  

      That being said the single player campaign was really quite good. The story was compelling and I like how they manage to put the protagonist in interesting moral situations. The scene toward the end with Aiden and Nicky I found to be particularly powerful. However for the great writing the story had, I found the ending of the main missions to be rushed. The gameplay overall was really fun with a challenging AI making just about everything difficult and a challenge. The final mission ups the difficulty to 11 but it still is possible to complete.  

      The side missions provide enough variety to keep you invested in the world. Between the discovery parts, stopping crime, and other missions it provides a well rounded experience. Looking at the multiplayer in this light makes a bit more sense, however it should not have been pointed out as a selling point from the beginning. 

      I am excited to see where this new IP will go. The end of the game certainly pointed to a sequel, and much like other successful IPs in this genre (I’m looking at you GTA) this series has a lot of potential and I’m sure will only get better. 

      Out of 10 I would give this game a solid 8 as it is a compelling single player experience, with multiplayer that was more proof a concept than engaging gameplay. 

DFAT X-Post: Xbox E3 Media Briefing Round-up

      It’s the week of E3! With that we have tons of news regarding the status of new and upcoming games. Here is a rundown of the Xbox media event and some of the fun new games Xbox One users can look forward to seeing starting this fall.

      The media event was dedicated exclusively to games, with essentially no talk about the Xbox One hardware or software. The first game we see was Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Some quick facts that I saw from the video included: rocket packs, human pods similar to Titanfall, new types of mobile weapons, laser guns, and multi-function grenades. Some other things to note was that the map was set in Korea, and is set quite a bit into the future.

      The next studio up was Turn 10 Studios to talk about Forza V and Forza Horizon 2. The first thing discussed was the free DLC track Nürburgring. This new track for Forza V is now available to download. Afterwards they jumped right into Forza Horizon 2, which looked to be a more open world arcade like version of Forza V. The demo video looks stunning, and the inclusion of weather looks great.

      Then we saw a video for the game Evolve. This game will have an exclusive beta on Xbox One. The game is based on the idea of four players facing off against a monster. You can play as one of the four players or the monster. They showed the four different player classes in the video: Assault, Trapper, Medic, and Support. Beyond that their wasn’t much else, I”m curious to see how much depth this game will have as at this point it seems a very simple concept. The graphics and the feel seem to be a combination of suspense and then full-on action.

     Next, was Ubisoft and Assassin’s Creed Unity. The highlight of this game demo was that you will now be able to play multiplayer in the campaign with up to four other players. I really liked the choice of using the French Revolution as the setting for this game, and the game looks great at this point. The gameplay seems to not have changed much, and the multiplayer seems to basically just include more players into the mix, rather than dynamically altering the gameplay.

     After that, we see Bioware and Dragon Age: Inquisition. This game looks stunning and I’m really excited for it to come out this fall. In the video we saw quite bit more about the characters we will be playing and that there is a new type of Chaos magic that will have a part in the narrative. This game releases on October 7th, and I can’t wait.

      Another game I’m looking forward to is Sunset Overdrive created by Insominiac Games, the makers of Ratchet and Clank; which is the next game that came up. The video they showed in the beginning of this part of the presentation I thought was quite funny as the character was basically breaking the fourth wall the entire time while talking about the game. This game is not as graphically impressive as the other games we have seen so far, but because of the art style it isn’t supposed to be. Where this game shines is in the unique gunplay and the really fluid movement around maps. The gameplay demo looked great and got me really excited to play.

      Next studio up was Harmonix. They talked about their next two upcoming games Fantasia: Music Evolved, and Dance Central Spotlight. Worth noting, there was no video for either game, so there wasn’t too much to talk about with these titles.

      Lionhead was up next to talk about Fable Legends. The gameplay demo showed off four of the available characters to play in the game. Players will be able to play as the four characters or as the villain who will play more of a Dungeon Master type role. It was great to see both sides of this gameplay in the demo. I’m curious to see how easy it is to play the villain, as from the video it looks quite complicated. The beta will be out this fall, and you can sign up for it now at http://www.fablelegends.com.

      We then saw two more videos for new and upcoming games. First, we saw a video for Project Spark which has been in beta for a while now. Coming up we will see space theme material as well as in my opinion the best cameo of the show: Conker from Conker’s Bad Fur Day, will be a part of the game. Then, we saw a video from Ori and the Blind Forest which looks like an interesting platformer that will be Xbox One Exclusive.

      Halo Time, next we see 343 Studios come out to discuss the future of Halo. First off they introduce Halo: That Master Chief Collection which will include Halo 1,2,3, and 4 on one disc and with a single interface for Xbox One. Halo 2 has been given the HD treatment for the 10 year anniversary. This collection will also include Halo Nightfall, which is the new digital series leading up to Halo 5: Guardians. Finally, this collection will also include beta access to the Halo 5 multiplayer set to come out in December.

      Next was the Indy Game Showcase. Many new games will be coming out throughout the year from indy developers. Games of note included INSIDE, from the developers of Limbo, and Mighty No. 9 which has received quite a bit of hype from the Kickstarter campaign, including a write-up here at DFAT.

      The remaining games came in rapid succession and included: Rise of the Tomb Raider, The Witcher 3, Phantom Dust, The Division, Scalebound, and Crackdown 3. Of note here was the gameplay demo of The Witcher 3 which showed a cool tracking system and stronger battle mechanics. Also, The Division, which was a more modern third person shooter, which in the video included characters using non-military jargon, which I found refreshing. Finally, we saw a brief sample of Crackdown 3 which after the lukewarm reception of Crackdown 2, it looks like they are going back to their roots and that this game has the potential to be a lot of fun.

      There were some notable absences from this briefing as well including: Quantum Break, and no new Gears of War game. It has been mentioned that we will see more from Quantum Break this fall, but after seeing the GoW logo at the end of the media event, I’m curious to see if we will be seeing any new GoW game in the near future.

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DFAT X-Post - Stands for Don't Forget A Towel Cross-Post. This will be the label you will see for articles I have written that were published first over at Don't Forget A Towel

DFAT X-Post: “Shiness” by Ynnis Interactive – Successfully Funded!

DFAT X-Post - Stands for Don't Forget A Towel Cross-Post. This will be the label you will see for articles I have written that were published first over at Don't Forget A Towel

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      Shiness is an RPG game being developed by the team at Enigami and published by Ynnis Interactive. This game has recently succeeded in its’ crowd funding efforts by raising $139,865 of its’ $100,000 goal. With the extra money, Enigami has confirmed that Shiness will not only be coming to PC and Mac, but also to the PS4 and XB1. This is excellent new because based on the feel of the game it certainly looks like this game will be better suited for a controller as compared to a mouse and keyboard.

shiness

      What is unique about this game is that it is combining a standard JRPG in the world building as well as the story but the fighting system looks like something out a standard fighting game. The battle style looks similar to some of the Naruto fighting games that have come out over the past few years.

      Also unique is the language they used for the game. They created their own unique language as well as specific dialects for each of the species. Rest assured, their will be subtitles for the game in several languages. They have been giving backers a more detailed look into how they built the language and I think this only helps to create the unique world these characters live in.

      I’m excited for the beta once it comes out and I will certainly have more information on this game once I get my hands on it. If you want to check out more about this game you can view the Kickstarter website here.

Scott Bradlee and Postmodern Jukebox - The Art of Intelligent Parody

      Anyone who has been a fan of popular music over the past thirty years is aware of some artist who is known for parody of popular music. Whether it is Weird Al Yankovic, Richard Cheese, or Scott Bradlee and Postmodern Jukebox, all of these artists have brought some level of artistry to their craft. Some use wordplay while others rely on strictly the music.

      Postmodern Jukebox for the most part tends to rely on their arrangements for parody. This group rarely edits the subject's text unless it is as a nod to the style or the audience. In a nutshell the group takes modern pop and rock songs and reimagines them in popular styles from decades ago (dating back to the turn of the 20th century) and is performed with a level of historical accuracy both in instrumentation, but also in performance practice.

           

      Listen to the two examples above. The left is the original version of “Talk Dirty” which is performed by Jason Derulo, while the right is the parody performed by Postmodern Jukebox in a klezmer style. Of particular note is the fact that the vocalist raps in Yiddish as well to follow the klezmer vibe. Now obviously this isn’t the first time someone has subbed in text, however of note is that this feels authentic. 

      What is really great about Postmodern Jukebox is not only their very intelligent parody, but also the fact that these songs are great listens in their own right. Something many covers and especially parodies cannot say. 

First Impressions Of "Watch Dogs"

      "Watch Dogs" is a new game developed by Ubisoft in which the city of Chicago becomes your hacking playground. The game provides you an open sandbox world in which nearly anything electronic is exploitable: from signs to cell phones, bridges to traffic lights. All of this provides an excellent modern world in which some strong narrative can come out.

      I'm not going to spend too much time talking about the narrative. As I am only through the first act of the game, but I will give a synopsis. You play Aiden Pearce, a middle aged man who due to some poor choice blames himself for the death of his niece. Aiden will stop at nothing to get revenge against the people who caused the death of his niece. In his travels Aiden will come across a unique cast of characters all of which are interacting in this wired version of Chicago which is now run on ctOS, an all encompassing municipal surveillance system.

      The gameplay will feel very familiar to those who played GTA V or Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Gunplay is smooth, chases are fun and active and as you would expect, hacking is a central theme for this game. You can hack to gain control of devices like cameras, trigger explosives, and a myriad of other tactical and fun things.

      The game also incorporates a morality system that apparently determines how likely he public will ID you and identify the cops (should you steal a car or use a gun, etc.) Beyond that, I'm not sure of the morality system will play much more of a factor.

      Also to note is how intense the AI is in this game. While not the brightest I have seen (hiding behind a barrier not easily accessed will allow you to escape the cops, major water exploits) the AI is very aggressive. This makes car chases in particular very satisfying as you have to use all he tricks in your arsenal.

      I have not played much online or through the mobile app however it all seems to be secondary to the main single player experience. This is disappointing, however until I have given it a fair shake I won't jump to complete conclusions.

      In the next week or so I will be doing a review of "The Art of Watch Dogs" from Titan Books, and will be writing up a full review of he game once finished so stay tuned!