Retro Game Review: X-Men Legends 2 - Rise of Apocalypse

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Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing the sequel to X-Men Legends, titled X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse. This title was released in 2005 on the same systems as the previous game. If you didn't get a chance to check out my review of the first game, you can find it here. Of course, there may be some Spoilers Below. 

This game takes place some time after the first one and opens with the X-Men and the Brotherhood rescuing Xavier from a heavily guarded facility. They also went there to rescue Polaris, but she wasn't found there. How were these two teams thrown together? Well, the answer is in the title, Apocalypse has begun his plan to take over the world, and his first target was the mutant have country of Genosha. As it turns out, Apocalypse is capturing several mutants that have "Harmonic DNA", which are needed for some machine that will give him even more power. The teams begin here and move though a few different locations to stop Apocalypse and save the mutants that have been captured by him. Other than some details, that is pretty much it for the story, it's a pretty easy synopsis.

In terms of game play, it is very similar to the previous game. You control a team of four mutants, some of which have the ability to fly, put out fires, pick up larger objects, etc. Each mutant can use one of a few different powers that drain their mutant energy. Destroying objects in the world grants items such as health packs, energy packs, armor, and currency, all of which are useful in their own way.More so than the last game, this one rewards you for sticking with the same characters throughout. In the last game, characters you weren't using would essentially be brought up to speed with a number of upgrade points equal to the average of what they should have for that part of the game. This game doesn't do that as much, meaning that you will end up using pretty much the same team the entire time.

What works for this game? Well, it does have better graphics than the last one did, both in-game and during the cutscenes.  The enemies are more detailed as well, especially in the more monster-like ones. The voice acting is as well done as the previous title, which is to say that it fits well. There are also more areas to upgrade and the active powers of each mutant can be changed, leading to more control of each individual character. I thought this was a positive change, as I was able to balance my team out a bit more, making some mutants carry more of a support role while others would go in as power houses. Most of the positives carry over from the first game as well, such as the difficulty, since this still isn't as easy a game as one might think when they first see it. Health is lost fast, and energy is depleted even faster. Enemies just keep getting stronger, and it never feels like you're so powerful that you breeze through the missions (unless you are replaying older missions). The game is more fun when playing with others, but that's not to say it's a bad game when playing solo. Still, I suggest getting a friend to play through the story with you.Finally, even though it makes it easier and I enjoy a bit of difficulty, I like the addition of Blink in the game, who can teleport you from the middle of a level back to the home base and the portal will stay open for you to use on a return. This is great in that it means you can stop to return to base and save at any given time.

This game did improve in some areas, but not all of them. An issue I have with this title is that, even though there are two teams, the game has the same amount of playable characters. I would have thought that there would have been more , but the game instead removes the ability to play as Emma Frost, Beast, Psylock, Jubilee, and Magma instead of keeping them and adding the others like Magento and Juggernaut. While the maps were more detailed, there were fewer locations than the last game as well, and the lack of diversity is noticed. The game instead has several long missions in the same areas like the Savage Lands, rather than each mission being in different locations. Speaking of a lack of diversity, because of how the upgrade system changed, you won't be unlocking new characters as you play, instead you get all of your characters up front. While the number of characters ends up being the same, this makes it feel like less, since I'm not getting anything new as I play through.

Overall, this was a good follow-up to the first game in the series. It doesn't feel like it does as much as the first game, but it does well with what it has. I would say that this can be a good game to play if you have a friend and a decent game to play if you're on your own. If you enjoyed the first game, pick this one up. If you didn't like the first one, you probably won't like this one either. And if you're new to the series, you can start with this one instead of the first one and you would be fine.

I give X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse a 7 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Mobile Game Review: Fire Emblem - Heroes

The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

It seems that the games I've been playing as I recover from Christmas spending seem to be ones that I already have or ones that are free for me to get. With that being said, today I will be reviewing a fairly new free-to-play mobile game by Nintendo, Fire Emblem: Heroes. 

This title ties in with other Fire Emblem all of the other games in the franchise (full disclosure, I haven't played them all, but this is what my research suggests). You play as (your name here), a summoner who can summon any heroes from any of the previous Fire Emblem games, though you don't get to choose who you summon. Unlike some games of the past, your character isn't actually in the game as a fighter, instead playing the background role of tactician.  The story revolves around a group of heroes that assist in guarding the various realms within the Fire Emblem universe, such as the "World of Mystery" and the "World of Awakening". As anyone who has played the games before will recognize, each world is a different Fire Emblem game, and each one includes specific characters from those games. There is, of course, a threat to the order and these worlds, one who is able to have each world's heroes fight for her. To do this she doesn't use mind control or blackmail, but instead tricks them into being bound by contracts that require them to fight for her until they encounter a hero too strong to handle. I am not mentioning the name of this villain, because there isn't a whole lot of story here for a Fire Emblem game and I don't want to spoil everything (which is also why I won't mention her motivations at all).

As you move through and save the various worlds you have a team of four that you fight with. You will, of course, unlock a lot of additional heroes, but a team will only consist of four of them. Each one level's up individually, and the stats from leveling up are raised automatically rather than allowing the player to upgrade the stats manually. There are four main types of heroes, which are assigned different colors and has different strengths or weaknesses:

Red - Strong against green, weak against blue, generally armed with swords or magic

Green - Strong against blue, weak against red, generally armed with axes or magic

Blue - Strong against red, weak against green, generally armed with lances or magic

Grey - no strengths or weaknesses, generally armed with bows or magic staffs

So any characters armed with magic or bows are ranged, so they cannot attack or counter if they are adjacent to their target/attacker. This does add to the tactics and planning, as they can attack through walls or trees, so attacking close characters through an obstacle with one of these characters is ideal. This game is not as punishing as other titles in the series, as deaths are not permanent, but that is sort of expected with it being a mobile game. What can be difficult though is building experience. Even though character deaths aren't permanent, a character who dies on a level will not receive any of the benefits they earned while they were alive on that stage. This even applies if one of your characters levels up from building XP, so it is still in your best interest not to play too haphazardly.

There are some strong positives to this one, one of which is the strict nostalgia that comes with seeing so many characters from previous titles that you love. I was thrilled when I unlocked Robin and he was immediately placed onto my team. The movement and fighting is pretty simple, and the game gives you the outcome of an individual battle before you engage in it. However, the game does nothing to warn you that moving you character to a particular spot may be a bad idea outside of that single battle, such as being in range of other characters that can take yours down. This means that, while some areas have been made easier, others have still held some difficulty. Another big positive for me is that Nintendo has announced that, at least for a while, there will be updates to this game released every other week. This is great news, since the main story of the game isn't too long (although each level has normal, hard, and lunatic difficulties that you can play on). A huge positive for me is that this is, indeed, a FREE game; money is not required to win and I have not yet felt like I was at a disadvantage for not pouring cash into the game. This ties heavily into the fact that even the best and more rare characters will still start out at level one. While they are more powerful than other level one characters, they still can't complete with characters that have spent a lot of time in battle and obtained a mountain of XP.

The game isn't perfect though, and I feel like a good amount of that comes from something I've mentioned a few times already, the difficulty. Fire Emblem games have been, traditionally, pretty unforgiving. If a hero dies, they are dead. If you make a wrong move, recovering can be a task. This game goes as far as allowing players to revive all of their characters in a battle if the last one falls by using one summoning orb. It takes anywhere from three to five orbs to summon a new character, but it takes just one to revive your whole team. The maps are also pretty small, and you will sometimes start out a match with all of your characters stuck in a hallway-like area with only one exit, so you are basically lining up for battle instead of working to gain a tactical advantage. Also, even though there will be those updates I mentioned before, the short main story included at release is noticeably short, even for a mobile game.

Despite any issues I have with this game, this title really is a testament to the types of games that be one mobile devices now. This game wouldn't be worth the price of a new console title, but it is better than it should be for free (don't tell Nintendo). If you have a smart phone and enjoy strategy games, I would recommend this title. It may not be the most challenging game, but for a mobile game, it more than pulls its own wait.

I give Fire Emblem: Heroes an 8 out of 10

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Game Review: Mirror's Edge - Catalyst

The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today's review is going to be on the sequel to the 2008 title, Mirror's Edge. The sequel to be reviewed, Mirror's Edge: Catalyst, was released in 2016, and is actually a prequel. As a head's up, as always, there will be some Spoilers Below.

So as mentioned, this title is a prequel to the original game. It still revolves around the same main character, Faith, and looks a little closer to her origins. The game isn't the origin of her being a runner in the city, though it does show some of that in cut-scenes. This is looking more at how she got herself in the position that she was in during the original game. The story opens up with Faith being released from prison, where she presumably been for some time. She immediately reunites with her old friends and colleagues, who are other runners. Runners are the couriers (and thieves) of the city. They are openly hated by the city, though the police generally turn a blind eye to them if they aren't currently committing a crime, despite knowing that most runners they see are probably criminals. That all changes in this game, when Faith steals something that she shouldn't have, and from then on the entire city seems to have turned against her and the other runners. All of this is stacked on top of the fact that Faith owes a series debt when she is released from prison and is working to get that paid off, and you have a pretty stressful experience.

The game still focuses heavily on parkour, although this game is actually a free-roam type of game instead of the more restricted level design that the original game had. This means that there are a lot more in terms of side missions and allows a player to get very familiar with parts of the city that they run through frequently. There are a few different gadgets that Faith gets in this game to help out as well, such as a grappling hook and a device hat can disrupt some electronics (like fan blades that block pipe entrances). There is more of a focus on fighting in this game then there was in the last one, though they have taken the entire element of firearms out of this title. There are different types of enemies now, and each one requires a slightly different approach in order to take them down.

This game did certainly improve on a few things from the last title. The running feels as smooth as ever, and the addition of running free throughout the city really capitalizes on this. Running, jumping, and sliding across a city has never felt so satisfying. It's also great having side missions like courier objectives and beating the running challenge that other players have posted to hone your skills. There are still puzzles to solve involving performing specific moves, but they are a little easier to figure out. While I am normally all for more difficult games, the puzzles from the last game brought the fast-paced game to a halt and ruined the experience a little, so I'm glad that the puzzles have been streamlined a little. The difficulty was instead shifted to evading/fighting enemies, which can be a task as the game goes on. With that, it's all about keeping up your movement and momentum in order to win; stop moving and you will stop living. The upgrade system has its merits in that none of the upgrades feel useless like you sometimes see with other games. All of the upgrades can really change the way the game is played and I found myself looking forward to each one of them to make things a little easier (and different). The controls can be a little difficult to get the hang of, but that doesn't mean they're bad, just different. Once you get used to the control scheme, it actually feels pretty natural. Part of this could be the elimination of the firearms, which I was all for, since they didn't feel like they belonged in the last game at all.

The game does have its flaws though, despite the improvements that it makes. I didn't like that there is a greater focus on the fighting, even if they did improve the mechanics of it. The first game would allow me to move past most enemies if I reacted fast enough; fighting was always a last resort. Most of the characters in this game are pretty bland and stock, not really worth noting, which is a shame. Because of this, it was a little difficult to get through the story at times. There were several times I found myself working more on the side missions than the main story because I really didn't care what happened to those characters. Speaking of the characters, there isn't a lot of information in the story about why Faith is in the prison at the beginning, it's all pretty vague. The game instead wants you to read outside material where they have released that story, which is annoying. It's not like they give the reasons and the story and you can go out and get more info if you want (See Injustice and the comics that went with that), but instead require that you read their other material to get anything that can be called details.  I also had a problem with the gadgets that Faith acquires in this game, since in the first game (the sequel to this, chronologically) she didn't have any of these things.

Overall, the game shines in it's main focus, the free-running, but it falls short in a couple of other areas.If another title like this comes out it should move back to the option of running past guards like you could do through most of the first game instead of making the fighting a key point to the game. If you liked the first game or want a fun game that allows you to roam some rooftops, this is a fun buy. However, it isn't exactly the best game of 2016 and isn't for everyone. If you pass it up you missed out on some cool moments of running, but not a whole lot else.

I give Mirror's Edge: Catalyst a 6.5 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast