Resident Evil: Separate Ways - Ada Wong is back!

(Code provided by Capcom)

By Sam Coles:

Just when you think the Resident Evil 4 remake couldn’t get any better, they drop an expansion for the game Separate Ways. This was originally introduced in the PS2 version of Resident Evil 4, to compensate for the compromised visuals of that port as it didn’t look great compared to the GameCube version. This time it is a paid expansion which I know it ruffled a few feathers, however it was completely remade with new scenes, encounters and new weapons so it is worth the £7.99 price tag.

Separate Ways takes place alongside the main Resident Evil 4 campaign, where you take control of femme fatale spy Ada Wong. Who has been contracted to track down a lab sample of the parasitic infection called Las Plagas, which has infected a small village in rural Spain by the local cult. She has to use her sly wit and good looks to get what she wants, while helping her past love Leon anyway she can, as she still feels something for him. The plot is nothing complex, but I love seeing different angles of the main plot from the perspective of Ada and Lily Gao does a good job voicing her most of the time.

What I like about the remake of Separate Ways is that it is not beat for beat of the original, for one you start off in the castle while teaming up with iconic ladies’ man, Luis Sera. It makes for a nice change, especially for veterans of the game such as myself and surprises at every corner. Another aspect that the changed from the original, is that Ada gets infected at the start, which triggers hallucinations but not only that you are tracked by one of Salazar’s guards throughout the game. These segments are great and rather challenging, as he has a good reach with his attacks, plus he creates fake copies of himself.

They also include sections from the original base Resident Evil 4 campaign, such as bits from the castle section and of course the infamous laser hallway scene. Yeah you could argue why they weren’t included in the base game, but I would say they make more sense with the character of Ada.

What else can I say about the gameplay? Well if you liked the Resident Evil 4 remake already, then you will like this as it more of its great combat. However, Ada is faster and more nimble compared to Leon plus there is an emphasis on verticality thanks to her grapple hook gun, which she uses in every scene almost. Combat just feels tight when you play as Ada, plus she makes good work of shield enemies as she can rip them away with her grapple hook gun when you unlock a charm for her attaché case.  

I feel that Separate Ways is an excellent addition to the Resident Evil 4 remake; yes you could argue that it should have been bundled with the game in the first place. However, they had to remake the campaign from top to bottom. It is a great 4 hour romp, with plenty of replay value, it is worth asking price and it is more Resident Evil 4!

If you liked what you read support my blog by donating if you want 😊: 

Ko-Fi:

ko-if.com/BristolianGamer

PayPal:

paypal.me/bristoliangamer

Tears of the Kingdom - The beauty of its world and design.

 

By Sam Coles:

The Legend of Zelda is a series that has been around for nearly 40 years, which is mind boggling to say out loud. However, the series stagnated with its design over the years since Ocarina of Time as Nintendo wanted to make lightning strike twice. Skyward Sword seemed to be the tipping point, as fans didn’t welcome it with open arms. So Nintendo went back to the drawing board, and in 2017 we got Breath of the Wild, which completely changed the Zelda formula, and then in 2023 we got Tears of the Kingdom which expanded Breath of the Wild’s ideas and concepts. I just want to talk about Tears of the Kingdom for a few paragraphs.

Let’s talk about the introduction of the game, yes it is slower than Breath of the Wild before it lets you explore the world however there are lots of mechanics for the player to get used to. The island you first start on teaches you about the new mechanics, specifically the Ultrahand a device that lets you build things to help you traverse the world with little to no restrictions. You see any objects you can pick up, well you can fuse it together to make a platform, raft, cart or catapult and much more as I am simplifying the creations you can unleash on the world of Hyrule.

Not only that, you have a fuse ability where you can make weapons with different elements and objects in the world, this took me a while to get use to as all the weapons I found were weak, and that is done by design. When you find objects such as Moblin horns, rubies and even food like apples you can combine them with a stick or a rusty sword and it will increase the damage you can do. So this really incentivises the player to engage in combat, as the reward is to make powerful weapons. They have forgone elemental arrows, as they are completely redundant as you have items like various Chu Chu jellies which have fire, electricity, water, ice and of course bomb flower arrows. However, you can slam anything on your arrows; you want to fire a mushroom at an enemy? Go ahead, it won’t do much damage but the game isn’t going to stop you.

After the initial island tutorial, you literally dive into the game to the surface of Hyrule in a seamless transition that Skyward Sword wish it could do. Once you are on the surface, you are free to do anything, you could continue with the main quest or you can start conquering shrines which is what I did. The first few shrines are simple as they teach you about certain mechanics, specifically to do with combat. However, they do start to get a bit tricky with certain puzzles, as you have to think outside of the box with the Ultrahand. Thankfully, they got rid of those tedious gyro maze puzzles from Breath of the Wild.

The shrines are not the predominant challenges in this game, there are four temples to get through and these are a somewhat return to form of the old days. However, these temples boil down to find and unlock four or five locks or taps (faucet for my US audience). They are not that taxing on the mind, but they make for a nice change from the shrines plus the boss fights are fun and challenging.

Now to get to the meat of the game that I love, the exploration which is hands off like Breath of the Wild but expanded. There is something so peaceful and calming exploring Hyrule at your own pace, with no goal in mind. However, this time you have three layers to exploration, the surface, sky and the depths it just adds new ways of traversing the world coupled with the new abilities. The Ascend ability is a fantastic addition, also a technical achievement for the Switch as you can ascend (duh) through more or less any ceiling as long as there is a surface above. You can find some fun secrets with this ability, as you can get into places that are obstructed by traditional means of entry. My mind when exploring in this game is always set in Breath of the Wild mode, as I always forget that I have these more elaborate ways of exploring. The game really encourages you to experiment and think outside of the box, as a lot of scenarios are not straight forward most of the time or in my case exploit the game with the auto-build feature.

The sky and depths portion of the map, change the way you explore in the Zelda, as it adds literal verticality to the game. There are shrines in the sky, where getting to them is a challenge within itself as well as the shrine. The depths you unlock light roots, to brighten the dark and ominous caverns and yeah these areas can feel empty underground but they serve to find resources only found in the depths.  

Now let’s talk about the visuals, yes you can argue that from a technical stand point it is not the most cutting edge game in terms of graphics. However, I would say that Tears of the Kingdom like Breath of the Wild has a timeless artstyle, it really knows how to utilise light with the sun as there some breath taking moments as the sun rises and sets. I found myself just watching the sun disappearing on the horizon, as the sombre piano score plays as I think about my next destination. It really pushes the Switch to its limits with the bright and colourful visuals and the scope of the world, sometimes a bit too hard as the frame can drop in certain moments but it doesn’t happen too often.

Tears of the Kingdom is a game that will stand the test of time, Nintendo took all the core concepts of Breath of the Wild and expanded them making Breath of the Wild redundant. Easily one of the best games that Nintendo have released in the past 20 years, and really elevated the Zelda formula.

If you liked what you read support my blog by donating if you want 😊: 

Ko-Fi:

ko-if.com/BristolianGamer

PayPal:

paypal.me/bristoliangamer

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla - The beauty of its world.

By Sam Coles:  

Assassin’s Creed is often met with a resounding sigh these days, and not to say that Ubisoft don’t deserve it from time to time with certain business practices. However, I love the series as I am a history buff and I get to explore various time periods within the interactive medium. So, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla is a game that has people in two camps, you either love the game or you want to burn it to the ground because the game broke into your house and assaulted you. Sorry lost my trail of thought there. I fall into the former category, and I want to take the time to explain the game’s beauty within its world.  

Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla takes place in 9th century Norway (briefly) and England, set during the reign of King Alfred the Great during the migration of Vikings within England. Immediately the setting had my attention, as there are not many games set in this period, sure we have had countless films and television shows set in this period Vikings and The Last Kingdom come to mind. So, it only made sense that the Assassin’s Creed series would eventually visit this period, although the main character isn’t even an assassin and never becomes one.  

You take control of Eivor, with the choice of male or female selection. Eivor wants to journey out of Norway and head west, as he sees new opportunities in England and yes this does sound like Ragnar Lothbrok 2.0 and yeah it does hit similar beats. Anyway, Eivor and his brother Sigurd form the Raven Clan, as they are unhappy that Norway is falling under rule to a single king, so they establish a new clan before they set sail to England to create a settlement called Ravensthorpe.  

Ravensthorpe serves as your central hub in the game, you slowly build up a community of traders and settlers as you increase your influence within the four kingdoms of England. You have six levels to reach within your settlement, you can increase it by going on raids to gain raw materials and wealth. You can then use said materials to build new buildings to help your adventures, such as tattoo parlours, stables, a blacksmith and many more to name a few. You get a real sense of community when new settlers come to stay in Ravensthorpe, they will sometimes ask for help or just say a casual hello. It really immerses you within the world, as you feel like you are walking through a living and breathing village as you see strangers pass through and stay to tell a tale as well as your hamlet growing over time. 

The combat has never been to complex in Assassin’s Creed, but it was always flashy with its animations and Valhalla is no different. You being a Viking in this game, you would expect lots of gore and dismembering limbs and you would be correct with that assertion. You see people’s heads, legs, arms and hands fly off, explode or get chard to a bloody and bone crunching crisp. The combat is so immersive, where I would get into character yell a battle cry in my room, to then get a noise complaint from neighbours as I down a horn of mead. The sieges on fortresses are incredible, mixed with the crunchy sound design and magnificent soundtrack as you charge into battle axe in one hand and a flaming torch in the other. 

Now to get to the main event that I love so much about this game, exploring its world and just taking in the scenery. If you know me online or in person, you will know that I love taking things slow these days and just love to stop and smell the roses. That is no different with me with video games these days, as I love to slowly explore beautiful open world games, taking in the wildlife as well as watching the sun rise and set as I spend more time in photo mode instead of playing the game. Coupled with the excellent musical score, it really makes you stop, and watch nature unfold in this game, as the birds sing, and the warm glow of the sun hits your face as you are perched on a sync point. It is the more subtle moments that really captivate me in these games. When I play most open world games these days, I just load it up and explore with no goal in mind, it helps me relax and unwind as I forget my worries in the real world.  

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is a game that I will always go back to, yes it has its issues, such as the framerate on PS4 stutters like me when a stranger talks to me, and audio issues where the dialogue cuts off and then overlaps mid-conversation and just usual Ubisoft jank. However, those issues are so infrequent I can forgive it, as I love exploring this world and charging into the battle like a mad man as I am on fire. If you are looking for a good open world game to get you by in-between releases, then I recommend this game as it is super cheap and fun!  

If you liked what you read support my blog by donating if you want 😊: 

Ko-Fi:

ko-if.com/BristolianGamer

PayPal:

paypal.me/bristoliangamer

Dead Island 2 - Simple, Gory, Fun

By Sam Coles: 

Development Hell is not exactly a new phenomenon in the games industry, as there are many examples throughout gaming history, Duke Nukem: Forever being the most notorious. When a game is announced and then disappears for almost a decade, that should raise some red flags. Dead Island 2 was first announced all the way back in 2014, it was first handed to Yager who made the excellent Spec Ops: The Line, then Sumo Digital who made Crackdown 3 (oh dear) and then finally Dambuster Studios who made Homefront: The Revolution which was decent. Was it worth the almost decade long wait? In short, yes, as it is an example of how you can have a game that is simply fun, with nothing complex but it is well made, competent and presents itself well.  

Dead Island 2’s plot is simple; it takes place in LA or as the game cheekily dubs it “HELL-A” which I thought was a nice touch. Anyway, you are one of few slayers on a flight out of the zombie infested city, however things got predictably wrong as an infected passenger turns into a zombie and takes a chunk out of someone's jugular as she tries to get a selfie with him. The plane crashes, you emerge bleeding out as your slayer of choice and you find that you are conveniently immune to the zombie virus.  

The story is standard in terms of zombie fiction, but that is not a bad thing as it sets up the context of the gameplay. Plus, what I like about the narrative is that it makes fun of celebrity and influencer culture, which made me crack a smile a couple of times. For example, there is a side quest you take on from an influencer, this involves you getting footage for her Instagram where you must kill zombies in creative ways. It made for a funny experience, and yeah some have said the dialogue is cringe worthy but that is the entire point as influencers can be and this is coming from someone in that circle.  

Dead Island 2 ditches the open world formula to focus on gameplay, combat and extreme detail (oh boy). When they said they were not going open world with this instalment, a lot were disappointed but this means they can craft a more focused experience with less filler (mostly).  

The game’s main focus is combat, most of the survival elements have been done away, with a simple crafting system for ammo types, med kits as well as general upgrades for weapons (which I will get into later). The game’s combat is mostly melee focused, and yes it seems simple but you can get surrounded quickly but that is where the counter system comes into play and you can unleash substantial damage on a zombie that is stunned. You can grab them in this state, where you can then pummel, stab, slash or stove a zombie’s face in with a shovel or whatever blunt instrument you have on hand.  

You can make and upgrade weapons, which can be infused with various elements such as fire and electricity or acidic chemicals that can melt zombie’s flesh off. This also applies to the fire arms, which can be equipped with explosive capabilities which is great for clearing a crowd. You can make some insane combos that output ridiculous damage, my favourite combo are the knuckle dusters with acid coating on them, these were fun to use coupled with the excellent sound design as you cave a zombie’s skull in.  

There are character upgrades in the form of cards, these can range from a great drop kick move which never gets old to passive abilities such as doing more damage when you are near death. As you get further into the game you unlock more, and I found the game got easier in tandem, as I was able to regenerate health when I got a perfect block, and I was up against enemies 2 levels above me.  

Now let’s talk about the standout feature in this game, and that is the gore engine appropriately named F.L.E.S.H. You can literally tear a zombie a part, rip their skin off and just eviscerate and disembowel zombies. You can punch a zombie through their skull as you grab their eyeballs, hit a zombie so hard that their eye pops out its socket, or break their arms where they are hanging by a thread of their skin. If you are easily squeamish, then this game might make your stomach churn a bit it even got me a few times when I noticed a zombie with their guts hanging out.    

Visually the game looks fantastic, the bright sunny and blood-soaked streets of Hollywood look amazing running on the Unreal Engine 4. Facial animations during cutscenes look really good, you see the subtle expressions on character’s faces from a quick flick of an eyebrow to a cheeky smirk from the likes of Sam B.  

The only thing I can say negative about this game, is that it can get very repetitive if you play it for too long, this is why I recommend that you play the game in two-hour bursts like I did. Also, I was playing on PS4 which runs at 30 frames per second for the most part, however I did notice the framerate drop a few times especially when I started to use explosives or certain elemental weapons.  

Overall, Dead Island 2 is a very enjoyable game, if you are looking for a game that allows you to unleash havoc on a zombie population then this is the game for you. It is fun, over the top and has its tongue firmly in its cheek and I love it. The combat combined with the gore engine, makes for a satisfying experience.  

If you liked what you read support my blog by donating if you want 😊: 

Ko-Fi:

ko-if.com/BristolianGamer

PayPal:

paypal.me/bristoliangamer