Uncharted 4: A Thief's End: Farewell Nathan Drake!

Familial bonds. I am true believer of that term. Family makes us whole and complete. But there are times where one is faced with an impossible situation where one is asked 'How far will you go for your family?'. For our beloved hero Nathan Drake?....quite far it seems. So far as to put everything on the line and take that leap of faith of a sheer cliff.....on to that just out of reach ledge, rope or a helping hand. In Uncharted 4 its Nate and his family against the world of pirates and their intricate games. The game is not only Naughty's Dog best game of the series but also the concluding chapter to this venerable franchise. A hat's off to the directors Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley who have kept the sense of adventure alive while instilling family drama into the mix which elevates this white knuckle, hair raising, heart racing and adrenaline pumping action game into more than just your average run of the mill. Its when Lethal Weapon meets What's Eating Gilbert Grapes!!

Uncharted 4 plays exactly like the Uncharted we have come to know and love for almost a decade now. So tons of platforming and cover based shooting. Naughty Dog has added a couple of game play features like a grappling hook for traversal exploration and in some cases during combat. There are also a couple of instances of driving flighty vehicles in some decently open areas which helps with the pacing of the game.

One of the aspect of the game play that I really liked is how expansive the game feels during exploration platforming. Many of the areas are linear but the perception they give off is as if the game world huge. What that did is during some of the most exciting set pieces the action had a robust 'oomph' to it. Basically Naughty Dog didn't fix anything that wasn't broken, they just upped the ante quite a bit, which was quite clever considering this is basically the last Uncharted game the company is making. So power to the player then?

For to me the most fun moment I had during the game is when I was left to my devices in Nathan Drake home early on in the game. I just loved that feeling of normalcy in an outrageous action game. I went in each and every room and marveled at how meticulously Naughty Dog has observed the mundane. The visuals were able to convey that...homeliness...amazingly. The best I have ever felt in any game of any sort. I know I know many people will love some of the amazing set pieces and I know I did too but it was these small mundane moments which resonated with me.

Like with all Uncharted games the visuals are splendid. The motion and facial capture technology that Naughty Dog employs is still one of the best in the business. All the nuanced movement of the facial muscles and the exoskeleton are eerily real. As the plot is more deep than the previous games the visuals are able to telegraph all the expression of the face and body language during cut-scene which kinda got unnerving after a while but made for a wonderfully looking game.

For me the biggest 'wow' factors throughout the game was scenery. Beautiful environments which made me stop for seconds on end to take in the splendor and grandeur and to of course takes pictures. As I might have mentioned earlier in one of my articles the current generation of gaming will have some of the best skies and Uncharted 4 just did not disappoint. Many a times my siblings or my parents would watch me play and they would always comment on the horizons and vistas. 

There were just 3 instances during game play which had frame rate snags for maybe a couple of seconds but let the record state that I have finished the game without installing ANY of the update files.

The plot was pretty good this time round. Uncharted games never had riveting stories but they had hooks to get the players on their way but in Uncharted 4 the story is quite personal as it deals with Nathan's brother and how each decision that Nate make has a direct impact on all the loved ones around him. That in itself makes of decently heavy drama. Nothing too crazy but deep enough to make you care. There were quite a few occasions where I would be almost yelling at the characters! Yes there are plot holes here and there but in the end I didn't really care as I was enveloped in one hell of an adventure.

As the story was about family once again the game didn't disappoint at showing off the complex relationship in such a real manner. While the game focus was on the Drake Brothers, the marital relationship of Nate and Elena was as real as they come esp in a medium which has historically struggled at showing relationship of this sort. Wherever you look Naughty Dog has done a spectacular job in this game!!

All the story and characters were of course made alive by motion capture acting and voice work which was of the highest quality. Nolan North, Troy Baker, Emily Rose, Richard McGonagle, Laura Bailey and the new comer Warren Kole must be commended on their sterling performances. Not just in this game but in the entire series. No one was hamming, over acting or....under...acting, all the pitches were spot on and it just created this very Hollywood-esque feel which was fantastic. My voice actor of the year award though will go to Laura Bailey with her amazing performance boasting a really well done Afrikaans accent. We don't usually hear Afrikaans accents in games so this performance by Bailey was a head turner. 

Personally though the banter between North and Baker was once the main draw for sure which Naughty Dog and Sony marketed smartly. Here we have argubly two of the biggest voice actors going around putting on a grand show and no one coming off second best! Such chemistry is very hard to show in games but in Uncharted 4 really goes the extra mile in that department. The rest of the cast was great too with a nod to the newbie Warren Kole with a very fine performance. 

So as I start to conclude this piece I just have to mention the beautiful epilogue of the game. Don't worry I wont spoil anything but the way Naughty Dog elegantly concluded the entire Uncharted series tells us a lot about how attached the guys and gals inside Naughty Dog HQ were to the series for having created that epilogue. Suffice to say I was misty eyed with great deal of restraint in an effort to not cry. I wont call myself a die hard fan of the series but still consider myself a fan and I totally was enamored by the end. So here's me raising a glass of a chilled Coke on a hot and sultry Karachi night to Nathan Drake and his band of merry men and women. Thank you for the memories!

Game time: 17 hours 14 mins.

Game rating: 9.5 out of 10

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: A witcher's life is a life for me!

Finished The Witcher 3; Wild Hunt! Easily the best WRPG I have ever played and now stands as one of my favorite game of all time. The morally grey plot line, the low fantasy setting with all of its warts and glory was a great place to interact with and some stunning character development! The main plot was quite involving and made for awesome twists and turns but some of the side quests and how they played into the main quest were astounding to say the least. Perhaps the best side quests system in any RPG, for me at least.

If any thing the game has one hell of a main character! Geralt is what you get if Solid Snake and Batman had a love child! I loved the dry humor he exhibited which accentuated his "no nonsense" attitude which was quite refreshing as usually such characters end up being utterly sour. Now Geralt is a witcher, a mutant whose specialty is killing monsters and what that does is it gives him an air of invincibility among the normal denizens and that pays off as I felt like a bad ass almost all the time throughout the game!

Ciri was also a really well envisioned character as a chosen one who want nothing but to lead her own life and not be part of someone else's plan. But for me it was the relationship Geralt and Ciri which was really heartfelt. Most of the game Geralt was trying to find her but once he did the whole 'father-daughter' relationship comes to the fore. You could tell Geralt adored Ciri and would fight the entire world for her. While Ciri could be herself around Geralt knowing that here was a man who loved her without any ulterior motive! I kind of welled up once the epilogue played out! The entire ensemble was very well rounded and personable which kept the game ground even though the game was fantasy in nature! And as far as romance goes, yours truly went after Triss Merigold!

The game play i.e the battle system was fun, simple and sometimes very satisfying. Yes the action segments weren't as intuitive say as a good action game but as far as Action rpgs are concerned its a pretty involving system. Maybe the magic system could had been a bit more complex but I guess that wont work with a witcher's MO.

The contract quests (of which I didn't do too many) are a fun diversion as with the whole tracking and preparation that goes into every hunt. Exploring the game world also counts as a game play feature and like any good sandbox game worth its salt TW3 gives in spades. Visiting new towns, or small alcoves with enemies to fight, treasures to find, things to discover that litter the areas of Velen and Novigrad is quite exhilarating but for me the best area was that of  The Skellige Isles. Every island felt different, some had a heavy Norse feel about it while some had a deep Irish vibe! There was one island that felt something from the TV show Lost and one haunted isle which was scary to explore! Exploring on boat was awe-inspiring esp in the mornings with the rising sun glistening of the surface of the water. There is a discernible feel of peace and tranquility sailing which I don't think any game has been to get this feeling!

Production values of TW3 which were nothing short of outstanding. I remember there was A LOT of talk about how CD Project had 'downgraded' the visuals from the ones shows at E3 etc but in the end it was all for naught. If games look THIS good so early in the console cycle then I wonder how they will look 3-4 years down the line! Some of the vistas made me literally stop and stare the TV screen for a good 5-10 seconds! Not many games have done that to me. Moments of sun rises and sunset were just spectacular! As good as the real thing! The facial animations and character models were really good too, thankfully no dead fish eyes but bizarre repeat faces though! For me TW3 had the best visuals after Batman Arkham Knights.

The OST and voice acting was phenomenal! The voice acting was predominately British with bit of Irish thrown in for good measure. The dialogue delivery was spot on and while some of the big games had a decided Hollywood feel to its voice acting but in TW3 its more BAFTA than Hollywood!

While it took me more time to finish than my friends but I loved every second of the game. Sure the last 1/4 of the game I stopped doing side quests and concentrated on the main plot but that focus helped keep the story narrative streamlined which made me enjoy the game even more. My rating is a 9.5 out of 10!!

Batman Arkham Knight: I am the Night, I am Batman!

Finished Batman Arkham Knight. 90.8% of the game done along with getting the Knightfall Protocol. Did not get the extended ending as I didn't finish two Most Wanted mission including the Riddler side missions

For me its the best Batman game I have played. The plot was VERY personal, the open world nature from Arkham City was turned to the max, the visuals were astounding and the combat  system was the totally bad-ass. And I loved the Batmobile. Cruising around Gotham at break neck speed was a thrill right till the end. The Tank mode was also fun but got a tad tedious specially near the end but just loved the idea. While previous Batman you did feel like the superhero but in Arkham Knight the feeling of being the ultimate Batman along with the Batmobile was just truly one of a kind.

I loved doing side missions as some of them felt like comic vignettes but I LOVED how the plot was treated. Even though I have not read that many Batman comics but references to great comic books was awesome and DAT Killing Joke reference was to...as Joker says...die for! (Yes I have read The Killing Joke). I also loved the two twists in the plot and how it connected to the Batman universe. Yes Rocksteady treated the game like their last Batman game and it did have a sense finality to it which added an emotional punch.

Visually Rocksteady outdid themselves once again. A living and breathing Gotham City was meticulously created giving it a moody touch (like most of the best cities in the world) . The facial and model animations was some of the best ever. The game did feel a little dark in spots but some awesome lighting made the game shine. And man some of the smoke and explosion effects were insane, I am running out of adjective so I will just conclude in saying Batman Arkham Knight is a stunning looking game!

OK like Mark Hamill was VICIOUS in his voice acting  of Joker! I mean totally incredible! And oh yea bringing in John Noble (Fringe and LOTR Return of the King) to read Scarecrow was a masterstroke as he brought a very polish sheen to Scarecrow's voice which was menacing! The rest were uniformly great esp Kevin Conroy who totally owns Batman's voice. Christian Bale and Ben Affeleck got nothing over Conroy!

So in conclusion Batman Arkham Knight is Rocksteady best game yet and easily the one of the best current gen games around and I wonder what their next project will and whether they will tackle another Superhero or go different route. 2015 has had some truly outstanding games and we are just into September. 9.5/10! 

Drakengard 3: A game of two extremes!

Just finished Drakengard 3 on the PS3 along with 3 of the 4 ending and one word describes this game: MindClusterFuck! This is a REALLY hard game to judge!

The game play is really generic, nothing we haven't seen before, done MUCH better in other games. Its basically a hack and slash action RPG like the previous Drakengard games. Loads of different sort of weapons to unlock, buy and upgrade. Killing masses of very generic enemies and even bosses and going from point A to point B in episodic manner. So while the game play was fun its not really that interesting.

The graphics are just really REALLY crap except the main characters models which have loads of amazing details and an insane art style. The enemies and background are really bad with bouts of crippling frame rates. The game looks like a bad looking PS2 games but the development team of Access Games put a lot of effort in the characters. Donning amazing colors with intricate designs, emotive expressions and outstanding style are the feature of the characters designs.

It seems that the director Taro Yoko loves to put a lot of emphasis on thematic concepts in his games as like Nier and Drakengard games of the past the plot and characters are what set this weird game apart. The story is really depressing with hateful characters which centers around the main character Zero who is on a quest of killing off her sisters one by one. The determination and hate Zero exhibits during the whole game is quite stark. You have this deranged character who only think of butchering people as a means to an end which killing of her sisters. In this day an age finding such a game quite rare. From Software's Souls series is such a game where bringing despair to the player either through game play or story is what drives the whole game. The different branches of the story takes a different look into the story from different dimensions and timelines. The endings of 3 of the 4 ones i got were quite spectacular in the sense that developers had the balls to pull them off. Square Enix should be applauded that they took a risk like this by backing this project.

Zero is a real  bitch who has a dirty mind, insane bad language and openly talks about sex where she uses her disciples to quench her lust and boasts about it. Yes it was REALLY is quite weird. For all the talk of feminism and sexism in the gaming industry this game comes WAY out of left field and takes pride in it!

The other characters constantly moan and whine about life yet embody some of the Seven Sins in some ways. You have this character who likes to inflict pain, another who is into S&M and this old guy who ONLY talks about sex or another other who is vain and shallow! 

And a word of caution: the game has quite a lot of blood and gore on show. Some cut scenes were shocking in their level of violence many of them tying into the story.

And like Nier the audio was quite bewilderingly incredible and it'll be a shame if no one talks about it. Keiichi Okabe who did a stellar job in Nier outdoes himself once again with what he composed for Drakengard 3 . The English VA was quite good with talents of long time voice acting greats like Yuri Lowenthal, Liam O' Brien, Tara Platt and Megan Hollingshead coming to the fore. But was the wild and raw performance of Tara Platt that was outstanding as Zero using high and low octaves! And boy does the lady curse like a drunken sailor or what!!

So in the end I wont be doing the last ending as I have run out of patience and i have to jump through a lot of hoops before even attempting it. Will be YouTubei-ng the last ending

My reviews score is in two fold. The game play is really generic and repetitive, the visual are mixed bag so here I will give it a 6 out 10

but as for story, characters, the endings, the OST and the disturbing vibe it gave off i give it a 10/10

I wont give a final score to this game.

Remembering the Trails in the Sky!!

As gamers we get to play all sorts of games. Some are those which you play and as soon as you finish them you move on (and there are quite a lot of them). And then there are some which weave such magic that the memories of the game remain with you long after finishing. You always end up reminiscing about them, recommending them to your friends and generally praising them incessantly.  For me that game is the charming little PSP game called Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky.

Here's a game that is a throwback to those amazing JRPGs that used to populate the PS1 landscape. From the anime inspired plot, charming characters and a simple yet involving game play, Trails in the Sky had it all. While originally it was a PC game native to Japan, but the lovely people at Xseed brought the game in English in the spring of 2011. They had the daunting task of translating around 1.5 million Japanese words which made it one of the biggest translation gig ever for a video game. Not only did it pay big time for Xseed but among JRPG fans the company became a household name.

Man I still remember the game so fondly. Poured in around 60 odd hours into it and each and every second was cherished. For a long while that would be the only game I would be playing sometimes hours on end, hell my PSP started having battery problems around that time. I don’t want this small piece come off as a review of sorts but I will have to mention why the game made such an impression on me. The characters: Estelle Bright and Joshua Bright with their charming and engaging personality gave the game its main draw. And not just those two, but the entire cast had its moments. And all of this was achieved by not making them ansgty teenagers going through puberty or anything, rather having a good heart and soul which made their travels such fun to play.

Another aspect that struck me was the game world. The kingdom of Liberl was a joy to explore with different regions having a different feel to their surroundings. There were just a few cities to visit but boy were they diverse! At one stage we visit a boarding school during a cultural festival which was downright memorable. Or the studio city of Zeiss which had engineers running around doing their business (accompanied by a lovely OST). I could go on and on but I rather that you guys play the game yourselves.

So I am sure you must be wondering why I am making another post about the game since I already wrote a review for it. Well on 29^th July, the day of Eid incidentally, Xseed released the game on PC via GOG and Steam (can it be considered an epic Eidi of sorts then?!). The PSP version came out in 2011 so while it took a while to show up on PC but those gamers who haven’t played the PSP and have a passing interest should check it out. And while I won’t be playing the PC version, although I want to so much that it hurts, but I won’t as going through a game again and putting in 40-45 hours more is a bridge too far. Those who haven’t played it yet should consider themselves lucky as they are about experience an amazing JRPG!

inFamous: Second Son: Next generation has arrived!

Infamous: Second Son

When I first bought my PS4 a mere 15 days ago I was beset with guilt that maybe I had jumped the gun a little too early. My initial plan was to enter the next generation with the release of Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt next year but with birthdays and what not I found myself in a situation where I was given a choice of either getting a PS4 or a new phone. My inner gamer wouldn't have it any other way. PS4 it was! The first 3-4 days I only had Fifa 14 to gawk at, and while the game looked great I wasn't particularly impressed with the visuals (although playing virtual football is ALWAYS fun!). I thought all the hoopla of next generation graphics was just hyper active fan boys running amok on the internet. And I kept on thinking that maybe I should had gone with the much maligned Wii-U (long debate which I will NOT go into, so please DON’T JUDGE ME!).

But then a really great friend of mine lends me his copy of inFamous Second Son and everything changes! Now the inFamous games were always good on the PS3. The games always had some great fun game play which incorporated twitch based platforming with super hero shenanigan in a grungy and modern setting. Sucker Punch pulled no…punches… in their endeavours when it came to game play. Visually though both games on the PS3 were certainly good, they weren’t exactly at the top of the food chain.

Having followed the development of Second Son I was at least positive that I would get a good fun game to play but I didn't expected the visuals to be the tour de force. Let’s just say the moment the game started and I was treated with a cut-scene, all the doubts that I was harbouring simply vanished. THIS is what next generation visuals look like! I mean the facial animations were some of the best I have seen. The varying degree of lighting was caught perfectly, the particle effects were spectacular and the general animations were spot on. If this is how first generation of games will looks in the new generation I just wonder how awesome games will look 2-3 years down the line! 

Now if only the story and game play would have been up to the standard of the visuals this would have been an amazing game. Let me just get the story part out the way first. The story lacked the epic feel that was in hyper drive in the first 2 games. The plot felt like an episode from a TV show rather than a spectacular summer blockbuster movie. While the characters were given ample reasons for their plight and fight, in the end it kinda failed to have an impact and I just feel that Sucker Punch just missed a trick.

I guess the aspect that balanced out the weak plot were the characters esp. the Rowe brothers. Delsin Rowe while may look like your rote white male character we find so often in games, it’s his chip on the shoulder, smart ass and 'snarky' attitude that made him a pretty memorable main lead. You could tell from the moment you laid eyes on him that he is one mischievous bag of tricks. He is definitely a much better character than Cole Mcgrath. Reggie Rowe was basically the voice of reason and comes off as a worry wart but what would you do if you find out your kid brother was a smoke and laser zapping demi-god? I loved the relationship that was on show and there should be more games which explores the relationships of brothers in my honest opinion.

Having said that the other characters just didn't get much screen time to fully show case their person goals and vendettas. Then again I guess that is what DLC’s are for and we already know for sure that a story DLC is getting ready for release centred around Fetch, the crazed girl with amazing powers. I don’t know how I feel about DLCs that could have easily been in the game original game but I guess that is a topic for another day.

As I have alluded to earlier that the 2 inFamous games on the PS3 had fun game play and quite a lot of variety in missions. You always knew that the game would throw genuinely entertaining set pieces and fun sequences. Second Son had it share of fun moments but also had in tow some repetitive tedium to its proceeding. Any new section you would visit you had to take down mobile command centres, then gather blast shards and do other side missions (of same ilk) and then you would tackle main missions. It was fun at the beginning but by the end it got a little boring. Even the skills Delsin get throughout the game had the same problem. As the previous games were so solid I came of  a tad disappointed with Second Son. I mean none of the flaw are a deal breaker that’s for sure but it could had been much better.

Before I conclude my review I would like to give a mention to the voice acting in the game which was just ‘ridonkculos’!. Yes yes we have heard these voices before. Yes you can recognize the voices of Troy Baker, Laura Bailey and Travis Willingham which meant that the fidelity of emotions that were captured pitch perfect by these esteemed voice actors was spot. Its funny really that just a few years ago voice acting was always considered a foot note, mores so on consoles, but now it’s taken on a new dimension.

OK time to wrap this up. inFamous Second Son is easily the best AAA game on the PS4. Yes Sucker Punch could had gone all out and produced a sterling game but they didn't and rather created a really fun game from start till finish (clocking in 9 hours or so for yours truly) inFamous Second Son may not be THE game to buy a PS4 for but those who did (LIKE ME!) don’t have THAT much to complain! A solid 8.1 out of 10. Play time: 9 hours 

Far Cry 3 mini review: A wild action romp!

I just ended one of the best games of 2012: Far Cry 3 by Ubisoft. I could write a full blown review of the game but I am gonna do a 'lazy bum' version instead!

Finished Far Cry 3 and boy what an amazing FPS experience! Here's a list of what I loved about the game:

1) The game play was just phenomenal. It was very different from the normal run and gun which most FPS (that I have played) have. Sure the mechanics of every gun fight is what you expect from any FPS game but it felt different. The XP system was great cuz it encouraged me to try different ways of attack my foes. And also made of a distinct RPG like experience.

2) The way each and every gun fight was different and felt VERY non sciripted esp when liberating outposts. That was a very addictive diversion as I spend A VERY long time in liberated every single outpost and made Rook Island a very safe place. Also addictive was disabling radio towers. It gave me a sense of achivement as I got to explore the vast expanses of the mysterious Island.

3) The graphics were astounding esp the different sorts of horizons and vistas I encountered esp during sunsets. 

4) Hunting to upgrade my inventory was SO MUCH FUN! Sure I didnt do hunting missions but having to hunt a variety of animals was fun.

5) Vaas! Loved his infamous quote: "Have I heard described the meaning of insanity" was awesome esp in that Afrikaan accent...I mean I think it was Afrikaans!

Ok here are the things I didnt like

1) Jason Brody. A surfer dude as a main character was.....'meh'. The other characters ie Jason's friends were too....The OC.. for me to take them seriously

2) Citra. I mean. WHY? I mean she wasnt good looking or hot. She just was annoying esp right in the end

3) Plot and ending were just average. Hell the ending sucked (I selected the L1 option) and the game just...ended. Just like that! This gen most Western games had very 'meh' ending.

So yea the game play was what made FC3 an amazing game to play. The 16 hours and 32 mins I spent on the game were too good. But cuz of the ending I couldnt get a leg up on Bioshock Infinite at being my 2nd fav FPS. Brothers in Arm: Road to Hill 30 still the game FPS game to beat. My final rating is 8.5

The Last of Us: Best of the Generation

I hate The Last of Us! I hated the zombie apocalyptic setting, the stealth based gameplay and its survival aspect! I hated it all! Yet, I fell in love with the game. I loved how the game got a hold of me and didn’t let go. I reached a point where I just couldn't tear myself away from the game. What made me forget my hatred for the zombie apocalypse and stealth based game play you ask? It is simple really… the incredible human tale of Joel and Ellie surviving in a tough and brutal new world; the story and characters which hooked me till the end. This is without a shadow of a doubt the best game developed by Naughty Dog!

The gaming industry has undergone a sea of changes in terms of story-telling. In previous years, most action games did not focus much on a coherent plot and much of the emphasis was on the gameplay. But in recent times, game developers especially of the action genre have started incorporating heartfelt and powerful tales and in this regard, The Last of Us has come up trumps. Had the plot been used in a movie, it would definitely have been nominated for an Oscar or a BAFTA! I am serious! The plot narrative weaved a harrowing tale of survival masterfully which made such an impact that I readily overlooked the gameplay (which was amazing but not my cup of tea) as I wanted to know how the story unfolded and how it ended.

Most games which deal with zombie apocalypse, either have a silly plot or has an 'in your face' attitude, but The Last of Us story is what you call muted. It neither was going at a breakneck pace nor brought in convoluted theories, but kept the human aspect at the forefront. What would you do if some kind of horrific plague decimates the human race? How much are you willing to sacrifice to protect what is important to you? To what lengths are you willing to go in creating a world worth living? Such are the questions that the game asks and to be honest this is what got me pegged. Here was a story which wasn't afraid in asking such questions that even most movies don't ask let alone video games! If only the legendary movie critic Robert Ebert was alive to see how much The Last of Us has come to mimic movies he would have been impressed!

Accompanying the incredible plot were the believable characters. In the last 24 years that I have been playing video games, I have NEVER come across a game that had such mature, complex and well realized characters! Joel, Ellie and all the other characters I met in the game were like real people! I mean I felt a connection towards them that I honestly have not felt in most games (being an RPG fan and having played my share of story driven RPGS but even then almost none could match up with The Last of Us).

Joel who plays the disheveled survivor living his life, taking a day at a time, who has been burdened in protecting a little girl he barely knows and has to chaperone her across the country. The highs and lows of Joel's interaction with the girl is what drive the plot forward. At every twist and turn you start to understand Joel's motives and goals and you can only root for the guy. Troy Baker's voice acting for Joel has to be the best male performance this year. Baker in the last 3-4 years has made quite a name for himself and has almost become as famous as Nolan North. His portrayal as Joel ranks as his best as he was able to exude each and every emotion with skill. Joel is easily one of the most complex protagonists around; a male lead whose spirit has been broken and who fears dying in a horrific manner or worse… turning into an Infected. In an industry which shows male protagonists as the alpha male, where nothing scares him, Joel is an anomaly!

Ellie requires a special mention here. She is the girl Joel has to protect for reasons I can't mention for the sake of avoiding spoilers. But Ellie for me has to be the most realistic character ever created in video games! Her mannerisms are exactly what you will expect from a 14 year girl. Her reactions to the unusual circumstance she find herself in made me not only care for the virtual kid but made me brave many scary set pieces because I wanted to protect the child and get her to safety. I have very rarely felt so connected to a game character like how I have to Ellie! Ashley Johnson who voices Ellie has given the industry the best vocal performance, perhaps ever! Sure there are many well known voice actors and actress who have given great performances in the past but even they can't hold a candle to her. Ellie is a fierce kid who wears her heart on her sleeve and Ashley Johnson captured every diverse emotion perfectly which made Ellie one hell of a character.

The rest of the cast and the characters I met were just something to behold. Throughout the arduous trek of the main characters they meet up with different people with different priorities in the messed world they inhabit. I came to loath them but at the same time I understood their abnormal plight. This is a game that builds its foundation on characters, such a trend we only see in movies. While its usually a given that most of the resources would be put in casting good voice actors for the main characters while the non player characters would just ‘get by’, but this is where The Last of Us differ as even the side characters had some amazing voice work behind it. Anna Wersching (Tess), Jeffery Pierce (Tommy), W. Earl Brown (Bill) and the other characters we get to meet all have done sterling work in the game. A special mention to Nolan North’s cameo which just showed the incredible set of pipes the man’s got! The Last of Us makes a credible case that the game industry has found a new focus and personally I like it. I just hope that the next generation can take this focus to new heights.

I have already discussed the voice acting of the main characters but I JUST HAVE to mention the Infected and the Clicker! Whoever came up with these voices was absolutely insane! Its one of the prime reasons I never could muster up the courage to play the game at night! I felt fear, disgust and yes, even sadness as I saw these… things living out their lives in utter agony and pain! Even thinking about it gives me Goosebumps!

The gameplay? Well I will just say that despite my utter hatred for horror, zombie and stealth genres the game still held my interest till the end credits! Yes there were MANY occasions where I would be cussing out loudly at some of the most intense sections yet I came back for more (bitch for punishment I daresay?). As the game picked up and the frequency of hair-raising sequences increased, I finally understood why many gamers love the horror genre: the constant feeling of dread that heightens the senses and edge of your seat stuff that makes this genre so compelling. Having said that if anyone asks me to play some of the classics of this genre I will only have one thing to say to them, NO!

There were 2 features of the gameplay that were quite fun though. First was how well Naughty Dog implemented survival into the game which made exploration a joy. Any new area I would encounter I would be looking in every nook and cranny to salvage items for creating med kits, Molotov cocktails, and other do-dads. While also looking for ‘scraps’ to upgrade the meager arsenal. Naughty Dog really took the concept of survival to another level!

The other aspect was the gunplay. As the ammo was scarce, every gunfight was a tense experience. I had to make every shot count and I just couldn’t spray bullets all over the place as well. This made the gunfights feel real and with consequence.

But perhaps for me the most hated aspect of the game was stealth. For a horror game to make players slink around avoiding hideous creatures was terrifying as well as a stroke of genius. Due to these sections, I would be criticizing Naughty Dog for it but yet I knew if I stuck with the game I will eventually find the ‘rhythm’ and go with the flow and thankfully such an attitude worked for me! Yes there was more than one occasion where I thought I had to give up playing the game, yet I didn’t stop and was eventually rewarded!

Enough of about gameplay and let me just gush my love for the insane graphics of The Last of Us! I have no qualms in saying that this is the greatest looking game ever made! Every cut-scene was as if I was watching a movie. Naughty Dog has unexpectedly outdone themselves especially after the visual tour de force which was Uncharted franchise. I don’t know how this venerable studio does it but Naughty Dog has become the front runner at constantly pushing the boundaries of the gaming industry.

The level of detail was just astonishing. The facial expression especially of the emotional kind has to be the best ever, even beating the much lauded facial expressions of LA Noire. It was as if I was right there with the character feeling what they were feeling. Not many games can do that if any. The animations of characters were so real! Sure enough Naughty Dog has been doing mo-cap work for years now but The Last of Us has to be their coup de grace! The environments’ detail was bordering on excessive and obsessive but that only played into the hands of the game as it made the game so darn immersive and engrossing!

The HD generation brought with it a deluge of incredibly looking games that blurred the uncanny valley but The Last of Us takes a lead so big that it will take some doing by other companies to even come close. And when they will come close Naughty Dog will raise the bar once again!

The sound department was the unheralded hero of the game to be honest. The soundtrack was so subtle almost being non-existent most of the time but once it does rear its head it just creates an amazing ambience… whether it be during tense gunfights or emotional scenes. But the most jarring aspect of the sound track was on how many occasions there was just no music AT ALL. During stealth sections where evading and avoiding the Infected was required there would be no background music and THAT created an aura of horror I have never experienced in ANY game!

As I near the conclusion of this review I will give a small spoiler free mention to the ending. Now one of the biggest criticism of recent Western games is they don’t make endings meaningful. Many a times I would feel as if the developers have left me in the lurch by giving a ho-hum ending! Even one of the greatest game franchises: Mass Effect had a pretty disappointed ending (in my case I felt like Bioware had kicked my gonads! That’s a topic for another post I guess). The Last of Us literally takes that trend and throws it out the window! The ending was nuanced and beautiful yet was so powerful that it took me a while to come to grips with it. It just resonated so well with the rest of the game. I remember how it kept me a daze during the credits! I wish more western game companies had the foresight for concluding a game in the right way. It’s not that Naughty Dog has not been guilty of such a trend as I experienced with the Uncharted series but with The Last of Us they hit the sweet spot!

OK, time to wrap up this long read. The Last of Us embodied every aspect of the HD generation. The last 6 years, very few games can claim to have even come close this game. Yes there are some truly outstanding games which came out on various platforms but The Last of Us stands high and mighty above the rest. 10-20 years down the line when we will fondly look back at this generation, this game will shine out. For me The Last of Us is the best game of this generation! Many people will disagree with me however. The JRPG fan in me is screaming ‘SAY IT ISN’T SO’ but I will stick to my guns. So in the end, this game serves as a fantastic farewell to the HD generation and stands among the pantheon of some of the greatest games ever made and wears its badge of honor with pride!

Time take for completion: 16 hours 32 mins
My final rating: 10/10

Ni No Kuni: Level 5's magnum opus!!

The current generation has had some very interesting trends from downloadable content, system updates, digital distribution and retro 2D gaming highlighting the horizon. Perhaps one of the biggest talking points of the entire generation has been JRPGs. The genre had two bumper decades when the number of games on consoles used to decide the console wars. SNES, PS1 and PS2 had some of the greatest ever JRPGs which gave incredible popularity to these systems. The HD generation was a different kettle of fish. Large production teams and higher budgets meant game companies needed to have block buster titles. JRPGs weren’t given priority like they were in previous console cycles. That led to the false perception that the genre was died or dying. As the generation hit its stride the number of JRPGs slowly started to increase. It’s thus fortunate that some quality games started to roll in onto consoles in the form of Tales of Vesperia, Lost Odyssey, Final Fantasy XIII and Xenoblade Chronicles. Hence this brings me to Level 5’s magnificent Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch!  A traditional JRPG made in the mold of some of the classic games of the SNES era but with all the bells and whistles of an HD generation! Ni No Kuni is the prime example of how a traditional JRPG can turn heads in the new generation.

A couple of years ago when Level 5 unveiled Ni No Kuni for the PS3 after the success of the Japan only DS game of the same name it was clear that Level 5 meant business in giving the HD generation its best traditional JRPG which it required. 2009’s Lost Odyssey was the only game which acted as flag bearer for traditional JRPGs and while it was a fantastic game in its own right, it was a sinfully overlooked. But Level 5 took it upon itself of not only making a great JRPG but to make sure it sold a few copies through aggressive marketing. Coupling itself with the animation giant Studio Ghibli, it crafted a deep RPG with some of the most astounding visuals and art style to grace a gaming console. Screenshots and trailers looked great but seeing the game on a proper TV was something else! So finally after 8 wonderful months of playing non-stop I have finally reached the end credits. Incredible is a word that comes in mind when talking about Ni No Kuni!!

In the following paragraphs I will be jotting down things which I liked about the game and things which I didn't:

LIKES:

Make no mistake, Ni No Kuni ranks as one of the most beautiful and colourful game ever created! The game looks gorgeous when in motion. The level of animation fluidity is outstanding and the vivid colours almost ‘bleed’ off the screen. The towns and dungeons are spectacularly rendered and visiting any new place was an awe-inspiring experience. The current generation has given us some amazingly realistic and mature looking games which blurred the lines of the uncanny valley, but Ni No Kuni is one of the rare games that seem to have bucked this common trend with this colourful bonanza! Level 5 partnership with Studio Ghibli was an inspired one as the studio was responsible for the amazing art style of the game. It was truly like playing a Studio Ghibli movie.!That in itself was a surreal experience and which definitely made the game stand out from its peers! I will be very surprised if the game doesn't win any awards for its visuals and art design.

Level 5 has earned its stripes in the JRPG industry as a seminal game company and the game play of Ni No Kuni once again shows how much the company and its founder Akira Hino understand what makes JRPGs click. The battle system is a hybrid of real-time and turn-based mechanics in lieu Grandia, Xenoblade Chronicles and Valkyria Chronicles. The battle system uses the whole Pokémon/Persona mechanics of using monsters to do all the battling. I know that a lot of people were put off by that and I too have never been a Pokémon fan but Ni No Kuni borrows that feature quite smartly. I finished the game with 90% of the familiars I captured in the first 20-30 hours of the game. What makes the combat involving is how tactics have to be changed on the fly especially during boss battles. The stiff difficulty kept me on my toes. Don’t let the cute exterior fool you into thinking that the game is easy as it’s not.  I had to have good levels and good equipment to overcome tough monsters and bosses!

The length of the game was very satisfactory. It took me 62 hours to finish the main story and 90% of the side quests and bounty hunts (which there were quite A LOT of). As soon as the game finished I found myself back in the game world with new side quests which were tough and complex and an ultimate secret boss (whom I am still trying to fight with, having to go through a long series of hoops). There is also the coliseum to compete in. So basically the game can easily take 80 hours to fully beat.

The sound productions were top notch. Studio Ghibli’s alumni Joe Hisaishi produced the entire sound track which was epic and yet very heart warming. As his first foray in games Hisaishi-san did a fantastic job as his work easily rivals that of Nobou Uematsu and Yasunori Mitasuda. The voice acting has got to be one of the best this year. The last couple years has seen British voice actors coming to the fore: Xenoblade Chronicles, Pandora’s Tower and The Last Story had some amazing voice work and Ni No Kuni once again follows the trend. The entire British cast was pitch-perfect esp. the main antagonists but  the best performance was by Mr. Drippy, The High Lord of High Fairies and Oliver’s trusty side kick, who had a thick Welsh accent which was just wonderful. More games should have Welsh accents as far as I am concerned! The rest of the cast were right up there although I did feel the ‘weakest’ performance was of Oliver as it sounded too sweet and innocent. Guess that is what the aim was in the first place!

Oliver’s journey after his mother death was quite heart breaking and poignant. His quest to bring back his mother from another realm was a very effective plot hook which kept me going on ahead. Not many games have the courage to have such a depressing back ground yet Ni No Kuni wore it as a badge of honour  Yes the plot isn't a complex or epic but had enough charm to pull at the heart strings. What backed up the good plot were the characters; Oliver, Esther and Swaine weren't the most fleshed out main characters but I always felt close to them and egged them up on their perilous journey. The relationship of the 3 heroes really took the simple plot and made it very personal.

While the game was truly fantastic there were just a couple of things which did not sit in well with me:

DISLIKES:

The most glaring negative was the amazing voice acting. As I mentioned before the voice work in Ni No Kuni was quite strong, but there was so little of it! In this day and age a game of Ni No Kuni’s pedigree should have been fully voiced. Namco Bandai was in charge of the English localization and I just feel they may have cut corners. I mean Namco Bandai’s own JRPG franchise: Tales games are 90% voiced yet Ni No Kuni had very little voice work! Sure it isn't a deal breaker but I think more voice acting would have certainly made the game more immersive.

Level 5 was clearly inspired by the SNES era as it lovingly recreated it for the HD era in Ni No Kuni, yet the plot narrative still retained the old school feel. What that meant that sometimes the plot took a back seat and that kind of killed off tension of the plot. Once again this doesn't really affect the game on a whole but it would have been nice if it told the story in a proper way.

Lastly the ending was very VERY disappointing. Without going into detail to avoid spoilers the ending didn't do it for me. I am sure many of you guys will disagree but for me the game’s ending lacked the ‘oomph’ I was expecting.

Ni No Kuni will be fondly remembered in the years ahead as the game which not only stood against the dreaded perception that traditional JRPGs were dead but did amazingly well sales wise. Even the harshest critics of the genre warmed up to the game and its fairy tale aesthetic. Level 5 should be lauded for its effort as it created the company’s second best game (after Dark Cloud 2). The current generation will be remembered for a lot of mature games and themes but Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch will remain the darling of this generation with lush visuals, solid game play, top notch audio and a beautiful setting. If anyone is looking for a deep and fascinating JRPG experience then Ni No Kuni fits the bill perfectly. My rating: 9.3!