TheUnessentials

When i heard that a new Hitman game was coming out, i was certainly looking forward to seeing the result after playing blood money. Another chance at playing as the infamous agent 47, silent assassin and contract killer was not to be bypassed. The game was not a disappointing to say the least. To start with, single player. For me, the game lived up to its surprising standards established by the trailers, giving me yet another re playable experience of garroting unsuspecting guards and 'accidentally' executing more than my fair share of targets. The single player is definitely worth playing first to get to grips with what i think is an improved control system, offering more ways to incapacitate or kill people with a wider range of household weaponry than before. As for contracts mode, it was an exiting experience to create my own unique challenges, if with a limited number of environments. If your looking for a fun game to thoughtfully murder people in imaginative ways, then Hitman: Absolution is well worth the money. It definitely deserves 9.0 out of 10.

I have to admit I've never played a DMC game before this collection... WHAT WAS I THINKING!? Long story short, you play as Dante; a demon slayer with a wiseass attitude. As the son of a mythical demon named Sparda who sealed the demon world away from humanity, you embark on various missions to rid the human world of anything that would threaten it. There's a lot to say about this collection, but I'll keep it short. DMC1 was a game i didn't want to put down. It had a creepy old castle to explore and cool weapons to find scattered around and really has a sense of tense atmosphere as you wander corridors and wonder what's behind the next door. Boss battles are a frequent thing in the DMC universe and they work brilliantly! DMC2 was a slight let down when it came to story, and its open spaces made battles feel less 'epic'. I was also saddened by the loss of speech from Dante who seems to have lost his ability to make comments throughout. DMC3 however made up for the disappointment of #2 by giving us a Dante, more weapons, better bosses and a much better story that was easier to follow than DMC2. My only negative comments are that, at times, I found the game to get quite repetitive. Also, awkward camera angles sometimes mean the difference between life and death and often led to me missing an attack and having to restart the boss battle.... Like I said, there's lots to say that I can't fit into this short review, which is a shame because I loved this collection! For fans old and new, this is a must buy! From hack and slash lovers to those looking for a new series to follow, this appeals to everyone! Devil May Cry HD Collection gets a great 7 out of 10

A game where we can play as our favourite Spidey villains as well as the web head himself? Surely this game is what us super-hero nerds have been waiting for?! Sadly, as great as it sounds, this game lets us down badly. Aside from the linear level design (which is just unacceptable in a Spidey game) and the boring missions, this game could have worked. After a normal night for Spidey, he is recruited by Nick Fury of S.H.E.I.L.D. to help kick butt... Throughout his adventures, Spiderman has the freedom to team up with some of your favourite bad guys such as Green Goblin and Venom. However, the game just fails to do anything we've never seen done better in other games. It's short levels and tiny amount of achievements give it little replay ability. Although the game had a good idea, the concept is lost with each bad guy you recruit and just fails to give us the Spider-Man magic we wanted. Spider-Man: Friend or Foe gets a saddening 4 out of 10.

Introduction If I’m honest, I didn’t know what to expect when I picked up this game. I’d heard a lot of praise given to it and decided to give it a try. You play as Corvo, a trusted bodyguard to the empress and her daughter Emily. But then things get nasty when the empress is murdered, her daughter’s kidnapped and you’re thrown into prison framed for her Fortunately, some nice fellows help break you out and recruit you as an assassin to get revenge on the guys who ruined your life. The Game Over the course of the game you’ll encounter ‘the outsider’. This guy gives you special powers such as teleportation and rat summoning…pretty cool huh? The game itself looks amazing! From dark and dingy sewers, to aristocratic house parties, you get a real sense of atmosphere as you stalk your way through the games nine missions. The real highlight of the game is the gameplay itself. Dishonored gives you freedom to choose how you kill your targets. Do you stealthily kill them from behind? Do you run head-on and shoot them? Or do you melt them in a sauna? There is so much variety in this game that I immediately started another playthrough when I finished first time. Also, there are a ton of collectables to find such as runes to upgrade your powers and bone charms, which add slight alteration to Corvo himself. Conclusion Overall, this game is VERY well done. The first person camera adds to the adrenaline you feel as you sneak around areas hiding from passing guards and looking around for vantage points to get the drop on them. Although nine missions may not sound a lot, they are by no means short missions. The game inspires multiple playthroughs with many different ways to accomplish your tasks. Although I do wish there was a new game plus option to let me replay the missions with all the powers I acquired during the first playthrough. If you rush through this game, then you’d be missing out on a great gaming experience. Dishonored gets an excellent 9/10

Introduction I had high hopes for RAGE, like most games from Bethesda I was sure I was going to love this game. However, after playing the first few hours, things started to get dull. The Game You start off as an unnamed survivor of an apocalyptic event which nearly destroyed the planet. Your character was put into cryogenic sleep and hidden away so he may survive. You awaken, only to be instantly attacked by some creature of the world that is now your home. However, you’re saved by a passing stranger and all is well….then it starts to become tedious. Like always, you’re the one who has to do everyone’s dirty work while they stand around feeling sorry for themselves and you’ll soon loose track of the thin storyline and forget what relevance your mission even holds. There isn’t really a character development system either, which games like Fallout 3 and Skyrim do so well. Sure you get to choose your outfit which determines basic characteristics but beyond that it’s really just down to your skill and playing the game your way. Now we come to the combat. RAGE succeeds in some areas but in others it feels like your ordinary 1st person shooter. You’ll be given an assortment of weapons such as sniper rifles, shotguns and a silent but deadly crossbow to carry out your missions with. With RAGE, you feel like your bullets have an impact on your enemy. They get hit in the foot, they fall down. They get hit in the face, they die. What more could we ask for? Well, maybe a more refined aiming system… Shooting bandits works fine and isn’t just shoot and move on, often you’ll have to find cover and work out your next move. However fighting some of the more energetic enemies, such as the mutants, who jump around walls and dance towards you can be a bit more annoying. Often I’ll aim and shoot and they’ll jump away causing me to reload and get hit by them at the same time, which really frustrates me. Where RAGE succeeds above most games in the genre is the graphics. Looking out over the wasteland and driving around in my customized buggy feels like an amazing experience in itself. The driving works well and means you don’t have to walk miles to the next objective. Although you do get the feeling quite early on that you’ll be doing the same over and over again; walk here, kill that, drive here, pick up this and at times I just couldn’t be bothered. Conclusion Don’t get me wrong, RAGE is a fun game at times and will take you a while to finish especially if you look around for side quests. But the fun wears off when you realize this game is nothing that special. Sure it brings about fun toys like the wingsticks and various bullet types, but in the end, RAGE just didn’t feel like anything new. If you’re looking for a post-apocalyptic game with lots of action and adventure then you’d be better of picking up a copy of Fallout 3 or Borderlands. RAGE gets an OK score of 6 out of 10.