Age of Empires II + The Forgotten Expansion

Age of Empires II is yet another game I have grown up with, and I truly enjoy the HD edition and new expansion as much as the originals. The Forgotten expansion is the newest release for the franchise (released November 2013) and has been a breath of fresh air for the revival of this older game.
The Forgotten not only adds new and exciting campaigns for the player to work their way through, it also adds new civilisations into the game and new game modes not seen in the original version 1999 version.

Part of the new Britons tech tree

I have always enjoyed the gameplay of Age of Empires II, and that same enjoyable gameplay is shown in their latest expansion. It keeps to its simplistic routes with an easy layout, simple rules and great ingame action. The aim of the game is to rule and conquer. You collect up your resources, build your army and attack/defend. You also have the bonus of technology meaning you can research to upgrade skills, weapons, armour, etc. When playing a standard game, you also get the choice of whether you want allies to start off with, or all enemies. If you do decide to change your mind, you can choose to give them whatever they want (normally gold) and buy them out to be your buddy. 
What gives the game more depth to me is the vast choice of civilisations you can choose from. Each civilisation comes with its own research tree and unique special unit, meaning that every fight you have is different. I do like playing this game with friends quite a lot, and it’s nice that even if we keep to the same civilisations (Britons, yay!), if you set the enemy to random, you never know what you’re going to face until you’re in the action. And even if it is a civilisation you’re familiar with? There’s still 100s of different ways you can use their abilities to your advantage. The whole experience has been upgraded with the addition of The Forgotten as the possibilities for gameplay just seem endless, especially with the new game modes as well which to me are a much welcomed feature.

Graphics wise, apart from the HD upgrade, it all looks the same as the original did back in the day. It’s just nice playing the game without purple water and yellow grass now there is a better colour scheme. The layout as well is the same, the nice simplicity has been kept in there which I’m so happy about as I always liked it. Unlike Banished, you don’t have to route around to find out what resources you currently have, and things are clearly labelled which I definately prefer.

Soundscape, again, same as the original release of this game. Lovely ambient background music, villager speech when selected and given a task to do and alerts when you’re being attacked. Apart from that, not much else to it, apart from the ingame speech. Number 38 is my favourite, give it a try!

So all in all I love this game. I have done since the start and I’m sure for me it shall remain my favourite, despite any other releases there may be in the future. I’ve grown up with it, and this makeover has done wonders and if you haven’t played it before, I’d highly recommend it.
Definately a 9/10 for me. Yeah ok it’s not perfect, but there’s certainly nothing bad to it and I will love it for years to come.
-KirreeH

Rhythm Paradise

Today it’s time for a review of an older DS game I used to play called Rhythm Paradise; also known as Rhythm Heaven outside of Europe or Rhythm Tengoku Gold in Japan. Released in 2009, it is, as you can probably guess from the title, a rhythm game.


The aim of the game is that in each level, there is a different scenario in which you need to make an action happen by tapping the screen in time to the rhythm. Failure to tap, or tapping out of time, affects the score given at the end of each level and can result in failure. After completing 4 levels, you are given a bonus remix level of the previous 4 levels. A bonus of this game is the different end scores you can get:

- Failure
- Just OK, being the lowest passing score
- OK
- Superb

There is also an option every now and then, in which the game will ask if you wish to try for a “perfect” score, where any missed beat is a failure. This will only be asked if you have already achieved “superb” on said level.

Something I found disappointing, however, is that some of the levels seem to be repeated later on in the game. This lends an incomplete feel to the whole thing, as well as making the levels in question feel like place-holders, at least to me. If this had been done with all levels, then it would have made a lot more sense, but the levels are extremely fun for any age group, nontheless. The game also includes a few mini-games, of which a few are reminiscent of the game's main levels, while others are stand alone mini-games named in game as “rhythm toys”.


The graphics in the game are very simplistic, which is great for a game where you need to focus on the rhythm of the music being played. Fancy layouts with lots of detail would completely deter the player from the task at hand, which, for myself, is kind of shown in a later level in the game. The level has, for lack of an actual name, dancers, that animate when tapped in time to the rhythm. During the level, more dancers appear to the point where the screen is filled with hundreds of them, which can be very off-putting as it’s not the purpose of the game. That being said, it’s not bad to look at if you are actually making them move in time correctly with the beat.


The music used in this game is really catchy, nice to listen to and really gets you involved in the game. I have memorised a number of the songs and can still remember them to this day! Again, certainly suitable for all ages, though if you’re not playing yourself, the repetitiveness can get old very quick, as I found out from friends and family.


Overall, as a game, I do feel like there were aspects missing which could have made it seem a bit more complete in my eyes, namely the duplicate levels being replaced with brand new ideas. Nevertheless, I do enjoy the game and will be playing it lots when I find my misplaced cartridge. I would recommend it to anyone of any age who enjoys silly games with simple goals.


So this is my last review for a week or so guys, but I'll try and keep on blogging in England with other stuff :)
Hope you enjoyed today's review, and see you next time!
-KirreeH

My favourite level!

L.A. Noire

So again, here’s another game that’s a couple of years old (released 2011), but it’s something I’m currently playing, so it makes sense to write my thoughts down!

When the game first came out it did grab my attention, but unfortunately the system I was using wasn’t capable of running the game. But since I got my new PC set up, I was ready to go and give it a shot!

  L.A. Noire is set in the late 40’s, post WWII amongst the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles, and you control a patrolman named Cole Phelps (and later an ex-marine named Jack Kelso). The main objective of this game is that you do thorough inspections of crime scenes and places of interest; interviewing witnesses and suspects, eventually solving the crime given to you. Instead of levels, you are set with different cases, and you eventually work your way through various different department bureaus, giving you more variety with the crimes you investigate. The game is very linear with its storyline, the only openness coming from your choice of where to go next if you have a few places to visit for your investigation.

The two main focal objectives of this game are:

a) making sure you find all clues and evidence amongst crime scenes and places of interest,

b) correctly deducing in conversations if you believe a person is telling the truth, lying, or you doubt them. 

The difference between the doubt and lying accusation, is that accusations of lying must be given with proof or evidence found earlier. If you do end up missing evidence or misunderstanding a person’s alibi, it affects your overall score given at the end of the mission meaning an unhappy boss, or you can thoroughly annoy an innocent person you’ve wrongly accused for the crime.

  The gameplay is relatively simple. Simple WASD for movement, and Cole jumps over objects or across gaps automatically. Most other actions are controlled by the mouse, except when you are fighting, where you have the option to use Q to grapple or R to finish the fight. So this makes for very easy combat, as you simply click on the opponent to hit them (or fire your gun), and chasing someone is as simple as holding down W to follow them. Easy peasy. Simple enough for a child, although I wouldn’t recommend you let a child play, as there is some bad language and plenty of racial slurs used in the game.

When choosing your next location to travel to, it is once again very simple. Simply pull your notebook out, set your destination, then a marker appears on your mini-map to guide you there (or hold E down to make your partner drive as I always do). The notebook is also used to hold evidence notes, as well as choosing what question you wish to ask someone next during an interrogation. So again, all relatively simple to get the hang of.

  The graphics in this game I really do enjoy. Even now, 3 years after its release, it still looks amazing compared to other games being currently released. Every building, and the town itself is set out perfectly, making you feel like you are immersed in this post war era. And as for the characters? Phenomenal. All characters are very lifelike in appearance thanks to the MotionScan used on real life people. It’s a great feeling that when interviewing these people, they do actually look from side to side when nervous, or remain composed when telling the truth. The only complaint I have about this though, is that I have noticed that nearly every woman in the game looks exactly the same. Sometimes the only way to tell them apart is the clothing, which is a bit disappointing as there are so many different male characters with distinctive looks setting them apart.

  I am also impressed with L.A. Noire’s soundscape. Again, each character has their own voice (not always found in a lot of games), making them unique in that sense. The music is true to the 40’s era in which the game is set, and other sound effects such as knocking, doors opening, et cetera, are all true to life. An added bonus given is that when you are in a crime scene or place of interest, there is some distinct music playing in the background. When you have found everything of interest, the music changes so you know there’s no more searching to be done. Another element is that there is a jingle when you walk near an object you can observe. At first, it mostly jingles when there is actually an item of relevance, but as the game goes on, it plays when you’re next to anything you can pick up. This forces you to become better at deciding whether or not something is actually relevant to an investigation, rather than simply relying on the game telling you, like I did at first.

  Overall, another game I completely adore for all aspects and will play again and again (leaving enough time in between plays to make sure I forget correct accusations).

If you want a game that’s pretty linear in storyline, but also gets your mind working as what to do next, this is for you. It’s just superb and beautiful to look at as well.

  So once again, thankyou for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Any suggestions for new reviews are more than welcome, so let me know if you have any!

Until next time

-KirreeH

Deus Ex

Now, when I say Deus Ex, I don't mean Human Revolution. I am on about the 2000 released original here. The first in the series.
Now this game being 14 years old, is another game I grew up with. Admittedly my brother and I only played a demo we had for years until we found the game in a store, and our pocket money was put together to buy it. I think it was about £10? Best £10 we ever spent. Hands down.
Even to this day, I can start a new game and play for hours upon hours, just doing the most stupid things. I know there ARE ways of completing the game in under an hour, but I prefer to enjoy the storyline and the surroundings. Rather than worrying about completing everything quickly. Another bonus for me is when I can get a few friends around, I can play online games as well. Admittedly, the online community for this game is nowhere near as big as it was when I joined back in 2007, but if 3 or more people are in a server, its likely more will join.

Now the game itself compared to Human Revolution is a lot more linear. There's a lot less decision making to be had, and a different choice of words pretty much brings out the same scenario happening at that moment in time. Sure you might annoy someone and kill them, but overall it doesnt effect the end game. But the storyline itself I really enjoyed. Even at the start (not giving away any spoilers, even though the game is old) you come across scenarios you wouldn't of expected when you started out. And the ending takes a huge turn when you have a choice of 3 different endings. The first and only real choice you can make which actually impacts the story. But nevertheless, I really enjoyed the storyline.
The characters you come across as well are brilliant. Limited to only a few lines (hitting them will most likely bring out a choice of 3 different annoyed sentences), but they really make the story come alive. And I enjoyed throwing stuff at them just to annoy them cus hey, why not?
Finally I will comment on the weapon choices. Whether you want to try and stay stealthy with a sniper rifle, or blow everything away with your GEP-gun, you get a fantastic variety of different weapons and ammo types to play around with making sure the game is played the way you want it to be. Myself? I've always been a gunz-a-blazing type of person, so anything assault is good with me.

So as for the graphics in this game, at the time of release they were pretty top notch. Even to this day, I don't think it's an ugly game to look at. Compared to Human Revolution... well, it doesn't compare lets face it. The only downfall to me is that it could be very dark in places. There is a way around that as you have what's called "augmentations", one being a light you can use, but it's not on unlimited usage, so if you run out it can be frustrating.
Audio in this game I loved. The soundtrack I can listen to again and again, specifically the music when you enter Hong Kong to do a mission (Have a listen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzvw8uSWucM ). And all sound effects sound true to what it should be. Only thing I would change is that a lot of voices are re-used, and the dialogue being limited. But it's one of those things where the good outweighs the bad and I really to find it a treat to listen to, even when I'm not playing the game I will happily listen to the soundtrack (no lies.).

I highly recommend if you've played Human Revolution, to definitely give this game a go. I know it's old, and the graphics aren't great and etc. But you really will have a great time if you enjoy a good fps game such as myself. And there is always the silly factor of being able to pick up many items in the game to throw around at people or distract them, and there are fun times in the sense that if you shoot a bad guy and hide? They'll forget about it after a minute or so (I always found that fun, no idea why...)
But yes, a definate recommendation for any fps players out there, and for 7euro on Steam? It's well worth it for the hours of fun it shall give you.

So thanks for reading, and again, any feedback is MORE than welcome so please let me know what you think.
See you next time!
KirreeH

"I wanted orange. It game me lemon-lime"

One of the best lines in the game, this is following a discussion between these two in which the man, Gunther Hermann, is convinced the maintenance man is against him, swapping drinks in the vending machine to spite him.