Asphalt 8: Airborne has built in graphics settings that can be set in game allowing one to set what is best for their device depending on how powerful it is.
The first set of levels will be easy, but after a little while, you will start having to play some levels over at least a few times in order to advance.
While the first game in the reboot was phenominal in the graphics department, Rise of the Tomb Raider takes a step beyond that with some of the best graphics in a game out there currently. Simple things like the snow moving as you step into it or how Lara's hair moves in the wind add polish that many games do not bother with. The character models and animations are also phenomenal, creating a movie like experience all their own as every move in the game is convincingly real.
The puzzles in the game (though there are less of them over previous titles) often use the whole stage as one big interactive puzzle. Often Lara will have to traverse high and low in a stage in order to unlock hidden areas or just to advance to the next large set piece. As the game progresses the player can unlock new abilities that will also allow going back to solve yet unsolved puzzles. Things like being able to reach new heights through new climbing abilities will give access to areas that have items that can be interacted with, such as breaking an ice barrier or using some hidden away pulley system, which in turn could reveal a new area or item.
Luckily the port has been done well and is not dumbed down for consoles as the graphics (for those that have the proper hardware) look really good and are quite a step up from consoles overall.
Once a level is competed, the player can go back to then try to complete unfinished or new objectives, many of which will unlock new outfits or other items. This incentivizes the player to play again and again for those that want to find every item that can be found and complete each and every objective, some of which that can be quite tough.
Each level is large and almost open world like, so there is quite a lot to see and do in each. The player can be rewarded for exploring as there may be hidden items or weapons all around, as well as good views. With so much to see and collect, there is no real reason to not take ones time to explore everything each level has to offer as it will often pay off.
The player can now build their own weapons such as nail bombs or special ammo. This greatly expands on the type of weapons that can be used during a gunfight (of which there are many), which allows the user to change up their styles of attack in the game.
Much of the game pushes the player into only one direction, forward, but often forward has some trap to fall into or a skill that has to be used otherwise you can not progress. It does lend well to the design of being a large scale interactive movie, but for those that like a bit of free roaming and multiple ways to solve a problem will be left really wanting.
During the later half of the game there will be some firefights that will seem a bit difficult and unbalanced, while not something impossible to beat, they may cause some frustration.
The gist of the plot is that Lara is searching for the key to eternal life. This plot has been used in the third Indiana Jones movie as well as Uncharted's third game. Being that this game resembles both of those franchises it does seem a bit lazy to see such a similar plot being used. While the story does contain its own original characters and surrounding plots, the main plot point still seems way too similar for such a high profile franchise.
It is recommended to play the game with a controller as there are some instances of poor keyboard controls where the character will not go exactly where she is being directed to go. This can cause issue with completing tasks as well as just frustrate overall.
While there are stealth takedowns in the game and many areas allow for stealth, there is no real incentive to be stealthy while traversing each level as Lara is a very competent fighter, which is now expanded upon by weapons that can be built. So yes you can accomplish many section with stealth, there is nothing pushing the player in the game to do so as there is never a point where Lara will be out manned or out gunned.
The original games in the series ha many puzzle solving elements, sadly they are less of a focus in the reboots as the game now focuses more on action such as constant firefights with enemies. it would have been nice to see more puzzles in the game overall.
The game has serious issues running smoothly on PC. The framerate is capped at 50fps no matter what equipment is used. Being that monitors are normally 60hz or more, this means the framerate can not even reach the refresh rate of any monitor available for PC. Though there is a 30fps cap available in the settings (which ideally should allow the game to run smooth, though at a low frame rate), it does not work properly and results in a jerky framerate.
All in all, just a poor port all around that offers a really bad experience when framerate is concerned.
The TV segments of the game are no on ones hard drive or disk, they are streamed from the game developers server, meaning those with a poor connection may see stutter and dropped frames in the video. This makes for a poor experience for some and it would have been nice to see them as local file, but of course the storage requirements for the game would have been a lot higher due to the size of the HD video.
The game is at max 10 hours, and that is including the 4 live action TV segments of the game. While the mashup of these elements can be appreciated, to see the game beaten in such a short time for a $60 game is disappointing.
Each stage in the game allows for real time destruction, either done by you or your enemies. This makes for shifting elements in each stage due to enemies being able to destroy your hiding spots. This way the player can't just camp in one spot in order to kill everyone to then advance forward, it forces the player to stay on their toes, which is welcome for those interested in constantly adjusting how they play.
The TV segments of the game are really high in production value as they rival any top show on the big networks or streaming services. On top of this the story contained within them offer some great incites as to the motives of the bad guys and heroes alike. All this adds up to a level of polish not seen in many games.
For those that would like to see all outcomes of the game and all live action story elements, the game will have to be played through again, making different choices than the first playthrough. This adds replayability to the game for those that would like to see everything the game has to offer.
Depending on what choices a player makes in the game the story will adjust to reflect them. This is often done in many games (such as one made by Telltale Games) but for Quantum Break there are TV episodes that will also play depending on what choices are made, making for a very interactive and deep story through professional acting.
During gameplay the character models in the game are made to resemble their real world counterparts, using their voices and mocapped animations. What is even more interesting is that the game will have live action plot TV episodes staring these actors in between gameplay segments of the game. these TV episodes will differ in play depending on what the player is choosing to do in the game. While not the first time to base characters off of real actors, the TV episodes will definitely flesh out the game into even more of an interactive story than previous games out there. Which makes for an original experience.
An iteration on bullet time (something this developer is familiar with as they also created Max Payne) the game allows for time manipulation in that the user can slow down or stop time in order to solve puzzles as well as get the upper hand in battles. It is a pivotal mechanic in the game and as such looks to be very well done.
There are sections of the game that require a bit of platforming, sadly these sections are pretty linear, which break the immersion of the game tanks to areas where you just walk against walls instead o being able to climb. It seems like these segments could have been designed better, to at least give the impression that they are less linear than they actually are.
The cover mechanic in the game is dynamic in that you walk up to somewhere were you can cover, and you auto cover. While this itself is not that bad, the shooting mechanics once you are under cover are poor in that you can't shoot at all while under cover (there isn't even any blind fire with guns). You will have to stand up in order to shoot, which leaves yourself vulnerable. Other games have done this system better and it would have been nice to see as much polish put into the gun-play as it was into the story of the game.
The first half of the game sees the player unlock all of the main characters special powers, meaning the second half of the game gives little to work towards other than finishing the game and defeating the bad people. It would have been nice to see elements of gameplay still being unlocked in the second half of the game, as there is no little incentive to finish other than a bit of closure.
The basic premise of the story in the game sees the main character in a catastrophic accident, which gives him special powers. There is definitely nothing new about this story element and it would have been nice to see something new or fresh as to why the games story develops as it does.
20-40 minute TV episodes take place in between gameplay and may interrupt the flow of the game for some who want to just experience the gameplay over story. The videos can at least be skipped, but then the player will be missing important elements of the games story.
The game runs well on of spec hardware, meaning there are no dropped frames or other issues if using what the recommended specs for the game are. For being a port there can often be issues with performance, luckily there do not seem to be any here. There are some options available to adjust the games graphics settings, though most are just on off toggles for things like anti-aliasing. The game is also tied to framerate and so is capped at 60fps, though this is often found on fighters so online play is at a level experience for all.
There is a full story mode in the game for those that would like the learn the background and story of each character. There is also a mode called shadow lab, which allows the player to unlock points and bonuses through a shadow fighter styled after their own fights in this mode. The better the learned character is the more one can earn. Lastly there is a Dojo area for those that would like to practice with specific characters.
Playing through all three of these modes should offer a good bit of content that can last the player for quite a while, which is great for longevity of the game.
While there is a blurb at the bottom of the start screen of the game stating that some arcade controllers are supported, players have reported issue with getting any direct input fight stick working with the game. Sadly there has been no comment about this from the devs nor any date for when they are going to support other sticks.
The game looks quite good, with well modeled characters and stages, making for a great looking game that shows a lot of polish in the graphics department.
The game is actually free to download and play, though character choice is limited (they do get rotated though so you can try out different ones with time). This makes for a really convenient way to find out if the game is to the players liking or if it will run well on their system. Of course there is a season pass available for those that would like access to all of the content for a price.
For those that would like to play with friends or family on one screen in the same location, the game does support local multiplayer. This is convenient for when you want to play VS but are unable or unwilling to connect to the internet.
The online matchmaking in the game works quite well as it will find opponents within a minute, often within a few seconds. This may be due to the game just getting launched on PC, but is a good sign that the netcode works well.
There is a setting in the game that allows users to change the placement of the heads up display. This is convenient for those that may not like the default placement.
It can be easy to see that this was a console port as when the game is booted up there is no mouse icon. Users will need to use their keyboard or a controller to control the menus.
One of the best aspects of the game has always been the multiplayer modes. Players will have a lot to experience here, especially when considering there are two new modes. The gameplay in multiplayer plays at 60fps and features some of the most fun arcade third person shooting out there thanks to the great cover mechanics and overly powerful and over the top guns.
There are 5 extra levels added to the game (that were not in the original PC release) as well as the addition of two new multiplayer modes (Team Deathmatch, King of the Hill). The 5 campaigns add to the story of the game and have one of the best action sequences to be found. The two new multiplayer modes add to the replayability, as these modes will mot likely feature many players for now to go up against being that they are new to anyone on PC.
The cover system is the main mechanic in this game, and it is something that needs to be used often thanks to the smart AI of enemies. Some will flank you while others may come running straight at you, which means you need to balance where and when to use the system in order to outsmart the enemies surrounding you.
The game has been cleaned up for PC and optimized. It can be played at 1080p at 30fps, all while performing smoother than it did on s=console. So for those that have not played the game before this would be the definitive version, and for those that have, if they would like to experience the game again in a way that improves over the original, the PC version is a good choice.
Every aspect of the game helps to flesh out the story being told in Gear of War. Objectives and environment plays a big role here as the player learns more and more as they progress, but not though overly explanation based cut-scenes but through the game itself. Each objective the player needs to complete brings them a bit further in the story and in understanding why what is happening. This helps to make the player feel more involved, especially when expanded upon through well crafted environments. While the world in the game may be outlandish, it feels believable because it has all been presented well to the player.
most people will be playing with a shotgun as it is too powerful when compared to other weapons and offers the best range and power for the type of cover gameplay this game offers. Sniper rifles often are overpowered as well, which can make for mismatched gameplay in multiplayer for those that like to use different weapons over a shotgun or sniper rifle.
There is one button that is assigned many different moves in the game such as rolling, running, vaulting or just moving from one cover to the next. The way this is designed means that the player needs to be close to an area where this button will do a certain move, the trouble being that the game may not be precise in this as one move may happen that was not the intended. This can easily cause trouble when in the middle of a hectic firefight, which can be very frustrating.
The combat mechanics in this game require much more thinking-through than in the previous AC games. There's almost no chance to easily defeat multiple enemies at once, you need to block, parry, and know when to change your weapon. You have the ability to either deal a huge one-hit blow or supercharge your weapon by maxing out an adrenaline bar.
AC Origins story unfolds in a pretty rare setting of Ancient Egypt under the rule of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. The world feels alive and atmospheric with its diverse scenery and it just begs to be explored. You can run through bustling monumental cities, traverse the vast sandy deserts on the back of a camel or a horse, get some rest in a lush green palm tree-lined oasis, float down the Nile in a little dinghy - all this moving around rewards you with breathtaking and sometimes unexpected views, be it a golden pyramid or a rampaging horde of hippos. The map is massive, but it doesn't feel overwhelming because the movement is fast-paced, so much so that you can easily choose to avoid fast-travel. The setting, especially in the cities with their marble palaces, hieroglyph-covered obelisks, and sandstone monuments, lends itself well to the usual for Assassin's Creed climbing and free running.