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Mortal Kombat X Mini-Review

April 24, 2015 By Keri Honea Leave a Comment

If you listened to this past week’s Coffee Break, then you undoubtedly heard Chris and I talk a lot about Mortal Kombat X. I’ve had MKX on the brain a lot lately, and only half of that is because of work. Yes, I did review the game and then wrote a feature about it, but the big reason why it’s been on my mind is because it’s totally brought me back into the fighting genre. Will I ever be good enough to stream my mad skills? Ha! Highly doubtful. However, I’m having a ton of fun, and I completely admit that I’d be interested in watching e-sports streams of MKX tournaments and even streamers who are far more talented than I am. If I don’t see someone land that 10-hit kombo after kombo, how will I ever know it is possible?

Regardless, as much fun as MKX is, it’s not without its flaws to be sure. The Faction section seems rather thrown together, and the Krypt system is a bit of a beating for unlockables. But it’s the story that put this game over the top for me. Here’s a bit of my review from Action Trip:

The story is set 25 years after the last Mortal Kombat tournament, and the familiar characters I grew up with are significantly older and very very gray. Most of them even have children, such as Cassie Cage, daughter of Sonya Blade and Johnny Cage, and Jacqui Briggs, Jax Briggs’ daughter. Kung Lao’s descendent, Kung Jin, is part of the gang as well as Kenshi’s son, Takeda Takahashi. It’s all one big happy family trying to save all of the realms from Quan Chi, his undead army of Smoke, Kitana, Sareena, Kung Lao, and Liu Kang, and Quan Chi’s attempts to releasing Elder God Shinnok from his prison. At least, it would be one big happy family if they could agree on how to save their worlds from NetherRealm attacking, but hey, that’s what makes the inner strifes so interesting.

While many of the chapters are rather fascinating as they teach and refresh memories of the characters’ backstories as well as climb upward toward the big finale, none are as captivating as the chapter starring Sub-Zero and Scorpion. Or rather, since both have forsaken those monikers, Kuai Liang and Hanzo Hisashi (Seriously, this settles it for me. I’m buying the damn thing. – Ed. Vader). If there are any questions about the history between these two, all will be cleared up and answered. Even if the entire story was awful, this one chapter would have made it all worth it.

And now thanks to this game, I’m researching how to emulate my Game Gear cartridges of Mortal Kombat games so I can relive my teenage days. I hate to resort to emulation, but no retro consoles will play Game Gear carts (at least none I’ve found), and I’ve been told repeatedly that emulating isn’t theft if you physically own the carts. I still feel dirty.

Axiom Verge Mini-Review

April 21, 2015 By Keri Honea Leave a Comment

After ordering my boss to play Ori and the Blind Forest since it’s a hot topic of a game and a platformer, I couldn’t escape the platforming realm for long. I thought I was safe, but then Axiom Verge released with really glowing reviews, making me realize that SOMEONE should review this retro-styled platformer. I couldn’t escape this time.

To say I was nervous is a gross understatement. I was freaking out. It’s well known that I do not like platformers, have little patience for them, and am prone to rage-quitting them within minutes. Oh yeah, this is going to go oh so well. Even Chris laughed at the idea of it. I think he really wanted me to stream it so he could eat popcorn for two minutes and point and laugh at me.

Much to my surprise, I really enjoyed my time in this Metroid-esque crazy town.

Axiom Verge does not have state-of-the-art graphics or even a soundtrack performed by a symphony orchestra. Instead it proves that you don’t need either of these things if you have solid gameplay. The story behind it is simple, albeit a little overdone. The protagonist, Trace, is a scientist who died in a horrific lab accident, only to wake up in a strange world where nothing makes sense. A voice tells him to get a gun in the next room, and the rest is up to him to figure out. Like Metroid, the alien world is very straight forward and linear and is simple enough to burn straight through from boss to boss to boss. However, also like Metroid, it is only by exploration that Trace can find all of the upgrades to his weapon and health. It’s also the only way Trace can unlock all of the secrets about his strange circumstances.

It’s almost too easy to compare the game to Metroid as it has the labyrinth-shaped rooms connected by various tubes and portals, an emphasis on verticality, an upgradeable gun, and the need to revisit rooms after obtaining new powers and abilities. It even uses the classic “Justin Bailey” password to dress up Trace in a bikini and heels. It doesn’t help that it looks like Metroid and even sounds like Metroid. However, Axiom Verge takes it all a few steps further with weapons and abilities that do more than kill pixelated enemies in nasty ways; the various powers also affect and change the world surrounding Trace. For example, early on, Trace will find a drill attachment for his gun, allowing him to drill through certain bricks and thus previously impassable areas. Much later, he’ll find a coat that will allow him to pass through walls, opening up even more zones for exploration. It doesn’t take long for the game to suddenly become about unlocking every area on the maps instead of finding the next boss. I only went after the map’s boss after I was sure I had exhausted every pathway I could with my current abilities. Doing so caused me to often forget what I was originally tasked to do, even though it was vague to begin with, and the hours to slip away without feeling like I had progressed the storyline, a/k/a defeating the next boss on the roster.

And that’s just a little piece of my thoughts on Axiom Verge. I know I’ve talked about it on the podcast as well, but I really can’t recommend Axiom Verge enough for those who have that retro itch and really like Metroid-style games. But note that it isn’t perfect. I do get into that in my review.

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD Strategy Guide Review

April 17, 2015 By Keri Honea Leave a Comment

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD is the most un-Final Fantasy game I’ve played since Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. It’s action-based with random encounters AND not-so random battles, it has similar side quest system where the quests have to be sought out, there’s a limited hub world, and you make abilities more powerful by synthesizing materials. It’s absolutely insane, not much makes sense, and the difficulty is brutal to say the least. On top of that, the game is meant to be played multiple times, as that is the only way to uncover everything or even complete every last side quest. Like Lightning Returns, I am not sure how it is possible to find everything on your own, so a strategy guide seems to be a very high requirement when it comes to uncovering every little secret and completing every task and side quest. I still think this is the case, but unfortunately, Prima Games’ Final Fantasy Type-0 HD strategy guide fell a bit short of the goal due to poor organization, inefficient information placement, missing information, and a lack of an index.

Since I didn’t receive the strategy guide until I was nearly done with the game, I knew I missed out on several key pieces, and the strategy guide walkthrough was very kind to tell me just how much I did miss in the six chapters I played without it. So many side quests, so many tasks, so many Rubicus entries, and I wasn’t able to complete the Kazusa and Emina sub-events since I didn’t know the trick to completing them. The strategy guide also taught me that I really went about the real-time strategy sorties the wrong way by choosing characters that made the excursions far more difficult than they should have been. I can also say that the strategy guide taught me how to embrace Jack, the one character I loathed using, and how to use his stances and abilities to easily achieve breaksight and killsight with enemies.

And that’s really all the nice things I have to say about the strategy guide (well, that and the chocobo breeding tips).

Yes, yes, this is pretty helpful, actually.

Obviously, I was able to get through the game and survive it, and a lot of that was due to the strategy guide’s tips and tricks, especially in the last never-ending dungeon of doom. However, while I would have been able to find and complete many of the side quests with the guide’s assistance, there are plenty I would not have due to its vague information.

For example, one task requests that you bring back three mauve phantoma. Okay, so how do I get mauve phantoma? According to the strategy guide under the “Phantom” section, mauve phantoma can be gathered from defeated enemies. Gee, that’s a huge help. Mind telling me which enemies? Oh wait, there’s a Drop Rate Chart that will point out which enemies drop mauve phantoma and the likelihood rate, right? Nope. Mauve phantoma can be harvested from “Generic Enemy 2” with magic-based kills. Time to turn to the Bestiary section and find out what in the world Generic Enemy 2 is. Turns out that Generic Enemy 2 is a mid-level run-of-the-mill enemy, which appears to be anything but a boss. I can’t believe this method is the most efficient one they found. For the record, the reward received for bringing back those three mauve phantoma is not worth this headache.

So I need the Setzer Airship to get here. And how do I get this airship?

The strategy guide’s biggest disappointment is in explaining how to acquire the Setzer airship. This is an Achievement/Trophy, and it’s the only way to reach the Agito Tower in the middle of the Rubrum map. Learning how to get it should not take heavy reading to even find where it is mentioned. The first place I saw it mentioned was in the Side Quests section, where it lists the trials of the Agito Tower and comments that the only way to reach the Tower is with the airship. There is no reference where to turn in the guide to acquire said airship. I pored over the walkthrough, looking for any mention of the airship in the main walkthrough, the side quests, or the trials. I finally resorted to looking it up online, where it directed me to a trial only available in Chapter 7. Opened the strategy guide to Chapter 7, and no, there is no mention of this particular trial. Other trials are listed as for the second playthrough, so where in the world is this one? I looked through the Second Playthrough portion, just in case, and lo and behold, there is the wayward trial. This trial should have been listed in the original walkthrough with the “second playthrough” label slapped on it like it has others, AND it should be referenced in the Agito Tower walkthrough in the side quests.

As for more information about the trials, they aren’t even in the Side Quests section at all, despite the main walkthrough saying that they are! There is also no appendix for the Achievements and Trophies, and no index. An index that included every Side Quest title, Task title, Trial title, collectible, etc. would have made me overlook this issue with the Setzer airship, because then the airship would be in the index.

I am honestly not sure if this strategy guide was rushed, hastily put together at the last minute, or just flat out disorganized, because this Final Fantasy Type-0 HD strategy guide is not a typical Prima Games product when it comes to Final Fantasy games. It will get anyone through the game once, that is for certain, but as for helping users find everything and find it all easily? Well, you’ll find the collectibles with no problems and breed chocobos like a pro, but be prepared for a lot of page flipping and perhaps some online assistance. That said, it may be best to just use online help only.

SGR Rating: 2.5/5

Authors: Garritt Rocha and Nick von Esmarch
Publisher: Prima Games
Editions Available: Collector’s Edition
Acquired via Publisher

Evolve Strategy Guide Review

March 24, 2015 By Chris Nitz Leave a Comment

I was, and still am, excited about Evolve. The premise of four hunters taking down a giant monster totally has my interest. While I enjoy the game, sadly it’s already on the pile of “Games that Died Too Soon” thanks to a dwindling online community. Sadly, this will also be the case of the Evolve strategy guide by BradyGames.

This is a fairly easy guide to read and understand. As I was new to the game, as in I was kept away from spoilers and such, it was nice to learn how the various weapons and skills worked. This helped me form a plan as to what hunter I wanted to concentrate on and get the most unlocks for right at the start. This is true for the monsters as well as their attacks are spelled out and easy to know what monster fit my style of play. It was also handy to know what perks to pick for both sides, as those do make a big difference.

Could we get a bit more detail here. Like PRETTY PLEASE!

I found the Hunters and Monsters sections to be detailed enough to help me pick a favorite hunter and monster. Having the hunter combinations that utilize their loadouts against specific monsters was a nice touch. There are tips on how each character operates and what makes them tick. However, the tips are rather basic. Telling readers that a healing class should sit back from the fight and only swoop in when needed is pretty much Gaming 101 at this point. Having more advanced strategies would have made this guide a lot more useful.

The maps are a mixed bag. I like knowing where the monster spawns in relation to where the hunters drop and the power core. The various map effect details (dependent on game mode) will help new players as they are not only fighting one another, but also the environment as well. Knowing what a man eating plant looks like will come in very handy when running away from the Goliath in hopes of living to fight another round.

While the maps are good for an overview, there isn’t much else to them. There are no prime routes marked for hunters or monsters. The lack of detail, outside of spawn and drop zone location, is very disenchanting. Having markings of where the bigger wildlife spawn points are, bird flock locations, and vantage points would have made these maps that much more useful.

Now this is full of win!

For those who want to get all the accolades, badges, and achievements will find the guide is very helpful here. Accolades and badges come in spreadsheet form and contain all the info that is needed to obtain these. The nicest part about this section is that the achievements are more than just a table with the name and point value. This guide actually details out what is necessary in order to snag every achievement available. That is not something we see in a lot of guides, and it is something I’d love to see more of.

As with any guides for a game of this nature, take all numbers and stats with a grain of salt. Patches, balance tweaks, and so on can easily render the numbers in this guide useless in one fell swoop. This guide also can’t be updated with future maps and hunter releases, and so the value of this information is rather limited to the game launch window.

Overall, the Evolve strategy guide is a great introduction to what players can expect from Evolve. I found that it was easy to read while drinking coffee or over a lunch break. I then was able to plan out what I wanted to focus on and unlock during my future Evolve play sessions. However, seasoned veterans will find this is more of a Sunday read than anything that is going to actually detail out solid strategies to make one a better hunter or monster. As is the game, pick your side and determine the value of it for yourself.

SGR Rating 3/5

Author: Michael Owen and Will Murray
Publisher: BradyGames
Editions Available: Paperback
Acquired via Publisher

The Order: 1886 Strategy Guide Review

March 6, 2015 By Keri Honea Leave a Comment

When I first heard that there would be a strategy guide for The Order: 1886, I was rather stoked. The game appeared to have so much potential as a combat-heavy shooter featuring steampunk weapons, a deep story, and werewolf fights. I have a feeling that BradyGames thought the same thing, hence why they proposed creating such a strategy guide for Ready at Dawn and Sony. After playing the game the first time for review, I formulated three reasons why there would be a The Order: 1886 strategy guide: 1)collectibles, 2) stealth sections, and 3) trophy hunting.

For the most part, that is exactly why the strategy guide will be used at all as all of the combat is very straight forward and simple. At least what it does is rather spot on with minor, minor complaints.

When I say it’s spot on, I mean that I was able to obtain a Platinum trophy in the game. Doing so not only requires completing certain combat feats, but also finding every single gosh-darn collectible. And these collectibles are not straight forward and easy to find, unlike the firefights. I found several on my own, but some are way off the beaten path in areas I didn’t know I could even get to until the strategy guide pointed them out. Plus a few of the phonograph cylinders could be easily overlooked in one scene in particular, because if you searched certain spots before locating the cylinders, a cut scene would trigger and force you to move on.

Collectibles! (And lots of screenshots)

As an added bonus for completionists, all of the collectibles are listed in an appendix as well as the walkthrough. I do have to caution users that you do have to follow the strategy guide verbatim for the collectibles, as once you pass through one area, there is no going back to retrieve that wayward collectible. You’ll have to wait until you complete the game, which will unlock all of the individual chapters to play.

When I looked through the appendices for the trophy list, as I always do, I was initially disappointed that the list did not include advice for where it is best to obtain these trophies. Some of the trophies, the “Brilliant!” trophy in particular that requires shooting an airborne grenade during Blacksight, seemed impossible for me to achieve without a smidge of help. I honestly thought I would never get all of the trophies, and I focused on getting what I could my second time through the game as well as the collectibles. I really, really wanted to make sure the guide was 100% accurate on the collectibles.

My fears were unfounded, as some of those more “complicated” combat trophies were mentioned in the game’s walkthrough, such as that Brilliant! trophy. And yes, that’s exactly how I obtained that specific trophy; it was 100% with the strategy guide’s help.

Thanks for the lack of stealth help.

With the final need for the strategy guide, the stealth portions, the strategy guide was a bit lacking. There are two distinct sections that require stealth, and only one properly guided you. In the first section, which took place on the airship, the guide told you exactly where to hide, showed you with screenshots, and even marked it on maps for efficient stealth kills without getting seen. In the United India Company gardens, you’re simply told to go take down the six roaming around. Oh, okay then. A suggested order for taking them down would have been great, or even marks on the map of their patrols would have been useful. My first time playing was a nightmare as I didn’t have help (and the QTE mechanics with stealth kills only made it worse).

At least they were very detailed in how to survive each werewolf encounter, whether it’s a werewolf boss fight or fending off the regular Lycans. In fact, it was because of the strategy guide’s recommendation to equip the Falchion for its stunning ability that I was able to develop a quick rhythm when it came to putting them down.

Other than the collectible and trophy hunting, The Order: 1886 strategy guide kind of ends up as a glorified art book. Each page is just covered with screenshots, because if you had to rely on words to fill the pages, the guide would be thinner than it already is. There is no bonus art section in the back, because the book is already crammed full of screen shots and character art. If they added any more, they might as well create a flipbook depicting all of the cut scenes in the game.

Other than the lack of assistance with one stealth area, The Order: 1886 strategy guide does an amazing job at helping players cover every nook and cranny of the game. The game is short as it is, so you might as well try to get as much out of it as possible. Not to mention, if it can help me of all people obtain a Platinum trophy, it can help absolutely anyone achieve the same.

Rating: 4.5/5

Author: Rick Barba
Publisher: BradyGames
Editions available: Paperback
Acquired via Publisher

SGR Rating: 2.5/5

SGR Rating 3/5

Rating: 4.5/5

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