Welcome to another instalment of What We’ve Been Playing! It’s been a while since our last entry but that just means the Non-Fiction Gaming crew has quite a nice spread of titles this week to share with you.
Remasters, MMOs, bargain bin games and even the horribly neglected PlayStation Vita… Is there nothing we won’t play!?
Resident Evil HD Remastered
James Wilson
I’ve been playing Resident Evil HD Remastered for the PS4 and I am enjoying my first play-through of the game. I might even give it another go playing as Jill when I’ve completed it. The game is also quite hard, even on the easiest difficulty (I had to quit and lower it) because of the lack of ammo and inventory spaces.
It’s taken me completely by surprise as the only Resident Evil games I’ve experienced are 4, 5 and 6, which have a strong focus on action over horror. Not this one however, as I’m finding myself slowing going round corners and actually feeling as though I’m a lone survivor in this house of nightmares.
I have also been (trying) to play GTA 5‘s new ‘online heists’ with very limited success, although I see these being quite fun with a group of friends.
Gears of War Judgement & Killer Is Dead
Wilson Tang
Among studying at college and waiting for Bloodborne and the next episode for Life is Strange to release (loving that game), I one day walked into my local EB games upon browsing the shelfs two games caught my eye.
Since the entertainment side of my life (due to study) is a bit low, I decided to pick up Gears of War: Judgment and the Limited Edition of Killer is Dead, both new AND discounted. I hadn’t yet played either game, but wanted to and then wished that I didn’t. Kinda…
Okay, so I liked the previous Gears of War games, especially the second installment, and after Gears of War 3, I was sceptical of Judgment. The game seemed like a wave based third person cover shooter with little narrative (there is so much I can shoot), some new weapons here and there but no new mechanics.
Half of the game is just ‘filler’ for the third game, though I enjoyed it, but I give games more credit for what they’re worth. Mainly it’s because of that emotional state when you finish something.
As for Killer is Dead, I enjoyed that a bit more than Judgment. It had solid combat, a unique art aesthetic (cel-shading, similar to SUDA51s previous 2005 hit title Killer7), womanizing and all with a touch of Japanese game design that we all (should) know and (should, probably…) love.
The story is a bit off and all over the place and everything really becomes a grind-fest as you carve your way through room after room of enemies, but all in style. I was generally interested by the character designs (especially the bosses). I slogged through these two titles in about the span of 3 days. Short, but an experience to be had for CHEAP!
Destiny & Helldivers
Senior Stiv
I’ve been actually playing a lot of different things over the past few weeks. I’m still getting in my daily sessions of Destiny and I’m finally doing more raids with people. Finally, got a bit of both ‘Crota’s End’ and ‘Vault of Glass’ gear and weaponry that I’m in the midst of upgrading.
I’ve also been playing a new downloadable game exclusive to the PS4 called Helldivers. It’s a top down shooter with strong progression system and an intriguing campaign. Players are fighting off three different armies on three different fronts across the galaxy. The collective community adds its influence as planets are taken back. The game also stresses co-op, with online and local both available to play. If you have a PS4 I highly recommend picking it up.
Other than these two I’ve been finding time to play The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D and I just started getting back into Shadows of Mordor in the hopes of finally finishing it up.
Dangan Ronpa 1 & 2
KRS 2
So this past fortnight I haven’t been doing too much console gaming (besides reviewing games). But I was in EB Games a month or so ago and bought a copy of Dangan Ronpa since many of my friends had recommended it and I HAD to use the PS Vita for something, right? Very glad I did since I LOVE the game!
In essence, it’s Battle Royale (if you’re unfamiliar with the concept, think Hunger Games set inside a school) crossed with Pheonix Wright: Ace Attorney. You and 14 other teenagers are locked in a school together and told you can only escape if you kill a classmate and successfully get away with it. If the guilty party (or “blackened”) manage to hide their crime, everyone will be executed except for them. But if you can find the guilty party, they will be the one who is executed.
It’s a fun little game split between socialising with a reasonably charismatic cast, followed by a grizzly murder that forces you to investigate crime scenes looking for clues and evidence, and climaxing in a classroom trial in an attempt to discover the identity of the guilty. It’s always deeply upsetting when you discover which of your friends betrayed your trust and watching them be executed, even if you understand WHY they had to kill someone.
I finished Dangan Ronpa 2 and found the betrayals even more heart breaking. Both games are a huge load of fun so if you own a Vita, both titles are must buy. I mean, what else are you going to play?
That’s it from us this week. Let us know in the comments what you’ve been playing!
