I've been playing a couple of games this last week. While waiting for Halo 4 to come out I started playing Amnesia: The Dark Descent. I'd actually started to play this game before and given up on it because it seemed so slow to get going, but I kept hearing so much about how good it was that I thought I'd try again and this time I'd give it a little advantage. I specifically started playing the game late at night, lights off, headphones on, everyone in the house sound asleep. I've always been a real fan of horror movies, not the crazed neighbour buring body parts in his back yard kind of horror but the supernatural, evil ghosties, hellish demons kind of horror. And this time around Amnesia really tweaked with me for almost the same reasons that I gave up on the game on the first playing.
The game starts off with a rather cliched "my memory is gone and I can only remember my name" situation. After a little exploration you find yourself in a seemingly abandon castle and get a feel for the basic control system. You find links to your past in the form of letters and diary entries and it quickly becomes apparent that things are far from well in this place. The story unfolds slowly and while you are moving about the castle and what seems to be a murder mission the back story fills out and its very easy to get totally immersed in the environment and the character. There are puzzles to solve and the scares come at the times when you really least expect it.
If your gaming experiences are limited to first person shooters or car racing games and you haven't played a survival horror game before it may a little disheartening to find a lack of in your face, fast paced action, but the game gets the heart pumping in other way, with the horror element launching through the quiet loneliness of the castle in very dramatic ways that covered me in goose bumps on many occasions. Combat is to be avoided as the lurching demons are far too strong to be taken on directly and this really reinforces the sense of vulnerability and adds to the horror elements of the game. Not for the fainthearted I definitely recommend this game for those wanting for something a little different. It may seem a little, but that sense of security that gives is entirely false :)
It's hard to have ever played a computer game and not heard of the Halo series. The first game was released on the original XBox and it's hard to say which contributed to the success of the pairing more, the game or the console. In 2001 it was definitely the game to be playing. 2 more games followed which built up a great storyline and chewed up many hours with alien slaying enjoyment. 11 years on we see the start of a new trilogy in the release of Halo 4 and things have changed a lot....and not really changed at all.
When the game first launches we're thrown into what is almost an interrogation of a human doctor answering a myriad of questions about the origins of the games protagonist, the Master Chief. Straight up Halo 4 is stepping away from the Halo traditions. Previously the Master Chief was a bit of an enigma, an elite warrior whose purpose was kick alien arse and save the human race...again...and again. Before we've even fired a weapon we're now delving into the makeup of the Spartans and the nature of the Master Chiefs humanity. So much so that it actually felt kind of weird stepping into the Chiefs skin once more to do battle with the Covenant. But when we do, we're in a Halo game and the most obvious thing is that no effort has been spared to make the environment, the craft, the landscapes, and the snarling baddies, nothing short of stunning. Graphically the game is just breath taking and if you take some time out from trials of combat to have a look around the place you will be well rewarded.
The enemies have had an overhaul too. The AI of the Covenant has evolved slightly but when you meet the Prometheans you'll be needing to develop a whole new swag of tactics to deal with their interesting and challenging combat style. There are guys that fire off a volley and then hide away before you've had a real chance to target them, while there are others who phase or teleport during the combat, some times away from you but more often they'll reappear RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU, attempting to cut you down before you can get a shot off. There are drones, that fly around and provide movable shielding for your enemies and its often hard to decide who to kill first, the hiding guys who seem to so easily strip your shields, the drones that annoying stopping you from doing any real damage or the big nasties who while phase around and slay you quicker than you can drop punt a Grunt. It not frustrating but there are some real challenges here. There's also a bundle of new weapons, some new vehicles and some very nifty and awesome gadgets you can employ in your missions, but I won't be giving everything away in this review.
The story is where the game really evolves. The cut scenes seem less drawn out but the dialog is well thought out and delivered well and you really feel both involved in the game but a little isolated from the humans you are trying to save. It's a bit of a shift the original game series but its a welcome one and it adds so much more to the experience that I think even the most staunch of detractors would have to acknowledge that it serves the game well and puts it above many of its contemporaries.
The first 3 games of Halo were massively enjoyable with each one building on the next but only taking small leaps so as to not alienate it's devoted fan base. Halo 4 seems to feel like a quintessential Halo game while still being largely different to the previous games in a way that none of the other sequels have managed to achieve. It's darker, it's deeper, it's innately challenging and it's just way too fun to put down.
