Final Thoughts - Resident Evil Village (Playstation 4)

When I first played the demo for Resident Evil Village on the last day before the game was released, I had no idea that I would be sinking so many hours into this game. I've never been the biggest fan of the RE franchise, but part 7 renewed my interest. Was it the change from a 3rd person perspective to 1st person perspective? Was it the new cast of characters? I don't know exactly, but I liked part 7 enough that I decided to come back for more...after a price drop of course!

I treated myself to this game during the Black Friday sales events in November 2021, grabbing it for just $20 at Walmart. I figured I'd get my entertainment value out of the game for $20, but at no time did I ever believe I would love the game as much as I do or put in as much time as I have. Knowing that I'd eventually buy this game I really stayed away from all of the hype leading up to it's release. Other than playing the 1 hour timed demo, I really knew nothing about the story of Village. Until I got into the game, I didn't even know that it continues the story that was started in part 7. So let's unpack the game, my thoughts and why I've completed the game 3 times and working on my 4th play though.

I order to get the full effect of this game, you have to play the previous installment, RE7 Biohazard, or at least familiarize yourself with it's story. Village pretty much takes place shortly after the conclusion of Biohazard. You again play as Ethan Winters, wife Mia and daughter Rose are your whole world and you are trying to put past events behind you. Chris Redfield has moved your family to home in an unnamed country and all hell is about to break loose.

Prior to playing RE Biohazard, I did spend a lot of time with the PS4 remake of RE4. I had always heard great things about that particular game so when I finally played it I was able to discover for myself just how awesome it was. One aspect of the game I enjoyed so much was the setting, no longer set in Raccoon City, you were in some small rural European town. As soon I as fired up the Village demo and started to investigate the village, I immediately got that RE4 vibe. The lack of color, the gray washed desolate environment was creepy enough as is, but then you had Castle Dimitrescu looming on the mountain in the background. So beautiful, yet scary at the same time.

The village outside the castle proves to be the hub of the game if you will, as you revisit this area after completing other areas that branch off, like the castle. Each area that you tackle has it's own unique look at feel. Most of the castle has a very colorful and regal feel to things, but also has it's dark corners to explore. The 2nd level if you will is House Beneviento, which is a straight up haunted house. If you have a phobia of porcelain dolls like my mother in law days, brace yourself! The 3rd level takes you to into an old mining area around a large dam. In the 4th level you'll find yourself in an expansive steam punk like manufacturing factory that just seems to go on and on and on. I love the sheer variety of these different areas as it gives the game some diversity.

Each area has it's own unique lord (or boss) you'll encounter and here you'll find more even more diversity. When you first encounter Lady Dimitrescu inside the castle she will stalk you much like the Tyrant does in RE2 or RE3, only weapons won't slow her down. I did notice a flashbang grenade would momentarily stun her for the briefest moment, but save your ammunition. Before you can take her on in her true form, you have to deal with her 3 daughters. I found these mini boss fights to be fun and clever at the same time. Working in various ways to expose them to the outside light to weaken them enough to damage with conventional weapons was a satisfying way to dispose of them. Once they are out of the way (and a few key items are found) you are free to take on the tall lady herself at the top of a tower. The creature design is grotesque and the fight is frenzied. To deal the most damage you have to be able to switch between your different weapons at different points in the fight. It's a challenging fight, but not too difficult.

Via various cut scenes, Ethan experiences a lot of visions on the path to the house, causing him confusion over what's going on. Once inside the home you'll be faced with all sorts of psychological horror, including a nightmarish and grotesque fetus baby that stalks you. You don't have access to any of your inventory, including your weapons in the part of the game. The puzzles you have to solve are different and the fight against this area's Lord is unique to say the least. I almost dreaded this part of the game on each play through just because of how creepy it was.

Just as how the Castle Dimitrescu and House Beneviento are different from each other, so are the last two sections. This is a big reason why I enjoyed the game as much as I did...the level design is great. There were so many times I would get "lost" in the level design, soaking in my surroundings only to let my guard down and be attacked by some terrifying monster. Gone are the familiar zombies, lickers and undead dogs, replaced with vampires, werewolves and other undead creatures. The enemies this game throws at your are horrifying, but so satisfying. Exploding the head of a werewolf with a single shot from your magnum is so much fun!!

My first play through was on the Casual setting...because I know I can be a weenie at times. I was able to make it through without too much trouble, though it did take me a lot of time as I used the opportunity to explore and try to capture as many of the in game trophies as I could. I was so entertained by the events of the game that I decided to take it on a second time, this time on the Standard setting. Thankfully Capcom brought back the "New Game+" option so I could replay the game with all of the money, items and weapons (including upgrades) from my previous play through. After beating the game for a 2nd time, I decided I was up for some punishment so I tackled the Hardcore difficulty level. This is something that I rarely (i.e. never) do with a game. With a huge backlog of both modern and retro games to play, I usually move on after beating a game and try something different. However this time I kept being drawn back into the game, wanting to finish upgrade this weapon or that weapon...going for those higher tier trophies.

There are a lot of different elements that must come together to make a truly great game. Graphics, story, gameplay are all equally important and too many times games fall short in one area or another. In my opinion Resident Evil Village hits a home run in every one of these categories. Capcom makes you care about Ethan, Mia, Rose...and even Chris Redfield to a lesser degree. The story is captivating, especially if you are a family person like myself. It's a beautifully stunning game to look at and of course so much fun to play. Maybe it's a bit more action oriented than survival horror, but that's what good games and good game franchises do...they evolve. I told myself I was done after my 3rd play through, but now I'm half way through my 4th go, this time on the unlocked Village of Shadows difficulty. I never thought this game would suck me in as much as it has, but hey, I'm not complaining one bit. This is one of the best video games I've played in a very long time...or maybe period. I am very much looking forward to seeing where the story goes next as I have a feeling that we aren't done with the Winters family just yet.

Initial Thoughts - Resident Evil Village DEMO (Playstation 4)

Earlier this week I finally got the Resident Evil Village DEMO downloaded to my PS4. My internet connections speeds in my game room aren't the best so it took a good chunk of the day to download the 9 GB file. Once it was finally done I eagerly launched the game.

I didn't notice at first that the demo gave you two different options. You could explore the Village or you could jump right into the Castle area. I started with the Village since it seemed more "appropriate" to begin at the beginning. For the most part I had steered clear of watching any videos on YouTube or reading other's reactions to the demo. I knew that the story takes place a few years after part 7 and you again take control of the hero, Ethan Winters. It's been a few years since I played through the 7th chapter of the Resident Evil franchise, but the similarities to the previous game in terms of game play existed. I also felt like I was playing part 4 at times, what with the breakable boxes and the return of money and a merchant. I loved the 4th game in the series so I was OK with these additions.

The graphics are top notch, and I don't even have a PS4 Pro. The village was very eerie looking, even under a blanket of fresh snow. The buildings old, some falling apart, but what made the village so creepy was knowing something was going on and just not having all the info. No longer was I fighting villagers like in part 4, but now werewolves? The demo gave you just enough of a taste without spoiling too much as I believe I only had two encounters where I had to fight. The gunplay was more of the same, which I was OK with, but the enemies seemed a lot tougher than before. I can already tell the challenge will be there, even on normal or easy difficulty.

The demo only allows you to play for one hour, then it's essentially useless. It took me about 38 minutes to complete the Village part of the demo so when I was ready to enter the castle, I didn't have as much time to play and to explore. I was amazed at how eerily gothic and beautiful the castle was. The level of detail is simply amazing. Just going through a few rooms on the first and second floor I can already tell there will be a lot of backtracking and puzzle solving, let along running from the Lady Dimitrescu. From what I know, she will stalk you like the Tyrant from RE2 (which I recently just completed on the PS4)...I'm still unsure of what to think of this aspect.

The demo was just enough to wet my appetite and leave me wanting more. I'm sure plenty of people that played the game and enjoyed it quickly preordered the game afterwards (if they didn't already have a copy secured), but I'm going to wait. I'm not the biggest fan of the Resident Evil franchise, but RE4 & RE7 left me wanting more so I decided to go back and check out some of the PS4 remakes of earlier games. I recently played through RE2 three times to secure the best ending. I picked up RE3 to try next, though I still want to get Origins. I figure there is enough previous RE content to keep me busy for awhile.

Resident Evil Village launches in the US today, 05/07/21 so I'm not sure if the demo will remain available for download, but if you're like me and just curious it's worth a play through if nothing else. I'm sure the game is worth full retail and I'm sure I'd play the game through on multiple occasions, but this is one new release that I'll be waiting for the inevitable price drop / Greatest Hits.

Final Thoughts - Days Gone (Playstation 4)

After countless long nights and who knows how many hours I've put into Days Gone, I have successfully completed the main game. What a ride.

Some reviews I've read online complained about the story, or the repetitive gameplay, or the bugs in the game, but I found it not only to be a fun game, but a story that drew me in and kept me wanting to play so I could advance the story. Now that I completed the game and have the whole picture, I wanted to return and share my final thoughts.

Like with any game there are positives and negatives. We'll start off with the positives.

THE GOOD:

* The story: The game opens up with a flashback scene somewhere in Oregon. Buildings are on file, you can screens and gun shots. People are running from their lives. From what? It's not clear, but you know it's bad. Deacon St. John, the main character, is on the move trying to escape the city with his wife, Sarah as well as his best friend, Boozer. His wife is injured and the scene ends with Deacon putting her on a NERO (National Emergency Response Organization) helicopter.

Fast forward two years and Deacon and Boozer are held up in a observatory tower trying to survive. There are three different camps that survivors have built up. You can run errands for them, gaining credits (in game currency) as well as building your trust with each camp. The higher the trust, the better weapons and upgrades for your bike you can purchase. Most of this is optional, but highly recommended as it does help flesh out points of the story, as well as help you later on in the game.

The cause behind the outbreak is not known, but you do see NERO helicopters later in the game that have researchers checking out points of interest. You know there is more going on to the story, but you have to keep playing to figure out how NERO works into the overall story. In the midst of this, you are presented with more flashbacks pre-outbreak of Deacon and Sarah. Most of these scenes help set the stage on how Deacon and Sara met. Some of these are playable scenes while others are just cinematic. I like it when the story jumps back and forth as it helps keep you interested, getting little glimpses of how everything is tied together.

Towards the end of the game you infiltrate a militia camp and this is where I felt the game was ratcheted up a notch, in both the story and gameplay. You get access to new weapons and better gear as you have two new camps you can run errands for. There are even new Freakers to kill, the zombie like creatures that now exists because of the outbreak.

* Gameplay: This may be debatable for some, but I loved the gameplay. From the motorcycle travel, to the gun play, crafting and even the inventory management - it all feels pretty authentic. 

I've never been on a motorcycle before, but playing this game makes me want to jump on a dirt bike and hit the road. At first it's a little tedious riding your bike because you are constantly running low on gas and have to pause your current objective in order to search for gas. Luckily you can always find a gas canister on the back of a tow truck, at a NERO checkpoint or fill up at any camp. Once you're able to upgrade your bike some the traversing the large open world map is so satisfying. You can fast travel between camps, but I found myself wanting to drive there just because it was fun.

Weapons. You can only carry three weapons at a time, your main gun, a sidearm and your special weapon. You also start off with a boot knife and can pick up a melee weapon (which can be upgraded). I like it when you are limited to what you can carry as it feels more authentic. You see all of your weapons on your character at all times, another nice touch in my opinion. You have rifles, automatic weapons, shotguns, sniper rifles and more and all of them are so fun to use on the neverending supply of Freakers you'll face.

In addition to your weapons, you can also craft throwables such as pipe bombs, molotov cocktails, smoke bombs and attractors to lure Freakers. Many of these I never used much of in my initial playthrough and what a mistake that was. You can also craft health packs which you'll need. At times it may feel like a collect-a-thon as you'll constantly be picking up items, but you'll need them as you'll go through some of the craftable items quickly at times. It's easy to craft anything and you can even do it as you're running around, though you can't craft while on your bike.

Inventory is managed using a onscreen wheel you can bring up at any time. When doing so the game does not stop, but does slow down. This allows you to change weapons or craft an item while running or shooting, but with you still being vulnerable you have to be careful. 

* Freakers / Hordes: Freakers are fast moving zombie like creatures. I look at them as a cross between the cave dwellers from the movie The Descent crossed with zombies from the movie 20 Days Later. They are ugly, make blood curdling noises and can be a pain in the butt to kill at times...especially when you encounter a horde of them. At the onset of the game you just encounter "normal" Freakers, but later on you come across more advanced versions, similar to the zombies in Valve's Left 4 Dead franchise.

At first I ran from hordes as there was no way I was equipped to take one on, but once you get the proper gear (and the guts) to take them on oh what fun it can be. Don't get me wrong, there are times when the story tasks you with taking out a horde and it can be frustrating, but there are so many different strategies you can use that part of the fun is trial and error.

* Graphics: This game is beautiful. The Oregon countryside is gorgeous, whether you're in the woods, the rocky terrain or in the snow. The changing weather and day and night cycle are also great. Watching the ground underneath your bike change area to area or during the rain or snow is equally as impressive. The character models are also done well and the Freakers are pretty eerie looking.

THE UGLY:

* Stealth Missions: The NERO agent (O'Brien) that takes your wife to safety at the beginning of the movie later crosses paths with Deacon and eventually asks you for help in exchange for information. These missions involve sneaking around a NERO landing site and eavesdropping on NERO researches. The problem is these researches are always accompanied by NERO soldiers. You can't harm or kill these guys and if you are spotted you have to re-start the mission. You have to use stealth tactics to sneak around, throwing rocks to distract the soldiers while you run from cover to cover. In some case have to follow the moving researcher which can be tough to stay hidden, yet stay within ear shot. I hated these missions even though they are there to help advance the story.

THE BAD:

* Bugs & Glitches: For a AAA title such as this, I didn't expect to find so many bugs in the game...even more so since I didn't play the game until after it had been out for some time. There were times while playing the frame rate would just drop, barely chugging along. I also found times were the textures just disappeared and I'd be surrounded by smooth, nondescript landscape. These glitches didn't ruin the game for me, but it was a little annoying at times and ultimately disappointing.

FINAL VERDICT:

I give this game a solid A+. The open world exploration and large map will keep you busy, even after you complete the main game. I'm sort of a completionist when I play these games so I opted to complete all of the side missions and optional objectives before I tackled the final mission, but you can play the game however you like. I don't want to spoil the ending of the game, but it has an awesome secret ending you can unlock that leaves a doozy of a story twist. It seems as if this game falls into the Syphon Filter game universe, a game franchise I'm not familiar with...but may have to look into now. Days Gone is a great game with a few hiccups here and there. I've enjoyed the game so much I'm now playing the New Game Plus on Hard II difficulty and I'm finding it to be just as much fun a second time around. Highly recommended...even at full price I feel this is purchase worthy.

Initial Thoughts - Days Gone (Playstation 4)

I've been trying to find time to write this post for weeks...but I've been so drawn into this game that I've had a hard time putting down the controller and pulling up the blog. 

Days Gone is an action/adventure horror survival type game which also is a Playstation 4 exclusive. Like a lot of AAA titles, I was late coming to this game, purchasing it early in 2020 once the price dropped to $20. So far, this has been money well spent.

I'll be honest, going into this game I knew very little. All I knew is that it was supposed to be a big PS4 exclusive and it was now cheap. I knew it was open world and that appealed to me. Coming off playing Horizon Zero Dawn, this game felt very natural to me. The visuals were beautiful and the story was intriguing, two positive checks on my list.

At the time of this post I've made my way through the majority of the game...like I said, I've hard a hard time putting down the controller so I could write this. I've enjoyed the game so much however that I just had put my thoughts on "paper".

You play as Deacon St. John (love the name by the way), a former motorcycle gang/military guy, stuck in rural Oregon during the end of days. Something has happened to the world's population and now these mutated creatures prowl the earth. Known as freakers, these ugly creatures remind me a little of the monsters from the movie The Descent. They prefer darkness so at night they are numerous and during the day the majority of them "hibernate" inside caves and other small/dark places.

The game opens however with some cutscenes that give you just a small piece of the story. Deacon, his girlfriend, Sarah and your best friend, Boozer, are trying to escape from a city (Portland?). Sarah is injured and placed on a helicopter used by the NERO organization. She is flown to safety while you and Boozer try to escape the overrun city. The story is only given to you in bits and pieces and you eventually find out that the camp Sarah was flown too was overrun by freakers and she died. Much of the early story is Deacon trying to come to grips with this and overcoming his own bereavement.

It's not that often that I fall in love with a game so quickly. Usually I have to put in several hours before I know if this is something I want to put a lot of time into. Time is precious and I'm a man of many hobbies so if I'm going to sink a lot of time into a game it has to be really good. Days Gone is that for me.

I love the idea of a zombie like post apocalyptic story/setting...reminds me a lot of the Walking Dead. The varied settings really help keep the game interesting. I'm currently in the southern portion of the world map and wow, what a difference it makes from the first half of the game. 

I'm enjoying the gun play and other weapons, especially as I'm unlocking better and better items. Riding a motorcycle has never been more fun. Sometimes I just enjoy riding around and doing whatever I want to versus taking on one of the many missions in the game. My youngest daughter would rather watch gameplay than play games (most of the time) and even though the language can be salty and the game can be violent, I've put the TV on mute and let her watch when I'm not doing story based missions. 

I've run into a few issues with the game thus far, but nothing that has made me want to stop playing. I'm anxiously awaiting to finish off the story and hopefully getting more answers to my questions as I've started to become attached and sympathetic to many of the characters. I'll leave it at this. If you like open world type games and or horror survival, at $20 you really can't go wrong. I'll be back with a "Final Thoughts" post after I'm done with the game...whenever that may be.

Final Thoughts - Detroit: Become Human

I realize that I haven't been as active with this blog as I would have liked to be. While I have been playing a few games here and there, it's been awhile since I really dove myself into a big thematic modern video game. I recently however came back to a game I started last fall and finished it so I thought I'd do another "Final Thoughts" type post.

I received Detroit: Become Human the Christmas of 2018 and unfortunately it sat on my shelf for almost a year before I finally took the shrink wrap off the case and installed it on my PS4. I asked for this game because I thought it looked beautiful and sounded interesting. It did remind me a little of Until Dawn's gameplay, a game I had previously completed and enjoyed. I know the game didn't live up to it's hype and it didn't take long for the game's price to be reduced to $19.99, but that didn't stop me from wanting to try it out first hand.

Once you start up the game you're asked to take a survey. This survey asks you all sorts of questions regarding androids and your thoughts on them among other things. Obviously I wasn't expecting this when I first fired up the game.

This android also helps walk you through the set up of the game, asking you questions about the settings and for confirmation. I immediately knew I was in for an immersive experience.

Detroit: Become Human is less of a typical video game and more of an interactive movie or story. If you're old enough to remember the old youth "Choose Your Own Adventure" books, this is basically what you are getting. You get to control the actions and make decisions for 3 different androids in each of their own stories. The setting is a future Detroit.

The game opens with a hostage scenario where you are introduced to and control Connor. He has been programmed to track down these "deviant" androids that are breaking free of their programming. He is tasked to partner up with a Detroit detective, Lt. Hank Anderson (played by Clancy Brown). You've already seen via Markus and Kara how some humans view, interact with and treat or think about androids, but the relationship and story between Connor and Hank takes it to the next level.

Throughout your journey with these android characters you'll see how your choices are influencing the story in game. Right off the bat you have to negotiate with a deviant android who has taken a little girl hostage. As you do try to unravel the events that lead to this point, you'll see that the more info you have and how you talk to the deviant your chances at a positive outcome are.

Next we have Markus, an android that is the caretaker for an elderly painter. The game starts out pretty simple, your task is to retrieve a paint order from the local store. On the way back to the bus stop you see a small group of demonstrators that have gathered in a common area of town. The organizer of the group has a megaphone and he's talking to the crowd about how androids cost him his job and how androids will be the downfall of the human civilization basically. This is where you have your first choice to make. Once spotted, do you chose to interact or ignore? When accosted, do you fight back or do you remain civil? A little bit later you are introduced to the painter's son, who comes by the house a little intoxicated. He asks for money, which he is denied. The son thinks that his dad cares more for the android than him. This causes the son to get in the face of Markus, yelling obscenities and again making you make choices that will effect the story. This is where Markus reaches his breaking point and seems to break free of his programing.

Lastly you are introduced to Kara, a housekeeper type android. She is just coming back online after being repaired and is now inside a CyberLife store waiting to be picked up by her owner. The guy mentions to the sales rep that his android was hit by a car, but immediately I begun to think that didn't seem right. Once you get him you are introduced to the owner's daughter, Alice. While doing some menial housework, her story starts to unfold even more. The father turns out to be a real douchebag and I immediately felt resentment and anger towards him. Then when he abuses his daughter, Alice, it made me want revenge. Kara is told to stand still, but when she sees him go upstairs with a belt in his hand she betrays that command and "breaks free". 

The game is broken up into chapters for each character. Throughout each chapter you'll find yourself facing multiple decisions. Sometimes the "correct" decision may be obvious, but not always. If you view yourself as person with morals or even faith, you may find yourself answering the questions as if you were a part of the story yourself. Or you can chose to approach things with a more aggressive approach...which is easy considering how nasty these android characters are treated as the story unfolds. At the end of each chapter you are giving a map of sorts showing you the choices you made. This is where you'll see all the different branching paths for that character's journey. Answer correctly and the story goes a little longer. Answer wrong, and that chapter may end abruptly. Thankfully after a chapter is completed you can re-start that chapter if you want to answer the questions differently to see how it effects the overall story.

I give the creators major props for this game. While it may not suite everyone's tastes, the story is very captivating and heart breaking at times. If I'm being honest I found it hard to answer some of the questions. Of course I'm trying to figure out the correct answer, or the answer that will take me the furthest, but being who I am I tried to answer all the questions honestly. I tried to "do the right thing". The whole plot of the story is that these "deviant" androids are wanting to be recognized by humans as being living beings, wanting to be free and want to abolish slavery. Perhaps this resonated with me so much because I've been helping my 4th grade daughter with her homework on the Emancipation Proclamation. Or perhaps it resonated with me because I have morals and that I recognize that slavery is wrong. That's what kept me playing this game and ultimately brought me back to finish this game. The story is powerful. The story is sad. The story is captivating.

In closing I can see why this game may not have sold that well. This game is different. This game tackles real world social issues...from a different angle of course. It's not a fast paced, intense action oriented game. It's a slow paced, methodical game. If you're up to trying something different then I highly recommend the game. It does seem like you're watching a movie more than playing a game, but if you do decide to give it a try then buckle up as you're in for a rollercoaster of a ride (and maybe emotions?).

Final Thoughts - Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

Over the last two weekends I've been (finally) playing my copy of Resident Evil 7 on the PS4. I'm not an early adopter to video games usually, but that has it's advantages. I paid $20 for the game and if I had the VR headset then I could play that version of the game as it's all on one disc.

As much as I love horror movies, I'm not a big fan of the survival horror genre of games. My experience w/ Resident Evil is rather short, only previously playing RE2 on the N64 back in the day. That's it believe it or not. I have bought other versions of the game, but they have gotten lost in the back log of games to be played.

I'm not sure what drew me to purchasing RE7, but once I finally sat down to play the game I was hooked. I was on edge too. The setting of the Louisiana bayou was creepy enough, then Capcom had to throw in a old house and a crazy cast of characters. Before picking up the game, I had pretty much stayed away from any coverage of the game so I really didn't know what the story was going in, or even that the point of view had been changed from the normal 3rd person to 1st person perspective.

The game looks beautiful, even though parts of it are down right terrifying at times. The controls are really good and responsive for the most part. I'm not the biggest fan of the Dual Shock 4 controller, but the more PS4 games I play the more I'm beginning to get comfortable with the layout. Even though the game is from the 1st perspective and you have weapons, it doesn't feel like or play like a shooter in my opinion. Whether you agree with that statement or not, it doesn't take away from the feeling that this is a fun game.

I have read that parts 5 and 6 of the series were more action oriented, so Capcom wanted to take the series back to it's roots for part 7. While I haven't played much of the original game, I can see the similarities. The action in the game is up and down. It's not full on action, giving way to story telling and puzzle solving at times. I particularly liked the way the game handled the VHS cassette parts of the game.

By now I doubt I'd be spoiling the game for anyone, but you take control of Ethan Winters, trying to track down the whereabouts of your missing, formally presumed dead, wife. The Baker family (above) are your main protagonists and this scene reminded me immediately of when Sally met the Sawyer family in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Coincidence? I think not. Anyhow, you are tied to a chair at dinner time and let's just say I doubt Ethan is very hungry after he sees his choices on the table. Once you escape, you are trapped in one part of the Baker's house, looking for away to escape. During this time the father, Jack Baker, patrols the house looking for you. You also start to realize that things aren't what they seem.

As the game progresses you find more clues that not only help advance the story, but helps shed some light to the mystery of just what the heck is going on. Personally, I was on the edge of my sofa while playing as I couldn't wait to find out what happens next. As with previous RE games, there are safe houses (rooms) where you can save your game. Instead of the old typewriters from previous games, now you use a cassette recorder (it is 2017 after all - at least in the game). There are also those large storage chests where you can store your items and they'll magically appear when you find chests later in the game. Initially you are limited to the number of items you can carry so you have to be smart about what you carry with you. You can combine herbs and other items to create medicine and ammo. Later on you can find backpacks that increase the amount of items you can carry.

During the game you'll also find multiple weapons, from a simple survival knife, to handguns, shotguns, flamethrower, grenade launcher, machine gun and a chainsaw. Ammo is limited, but depending on the level of difficulty you play on the enemies will take less shots. My first play through was on easy and I ended up with a surplus of ammo for just about every weapon.

I don't recall the number of hours it took me to complete the game, but I enjoyed every minute. The story is compelling and the game play is fun. I played several 3-4 hour sessions at night once the family was in bed a few nights for two weeks before I was able to get to the end. Speaking of the end, depending on a choice you make in the game after the mid-way point, you can get one of two different endings. The choice is fairly obvious to get the better ending, but I saved my game right before you have to make this choice so I intend on going back to that other save game and playing it again to get the other ending.

I already mentioned I played the game on easy, but it was so much fun I will be playing it again on normal. I already unlocked Madhouse difficulty and an exclusive weapon, but I'm not sure that I'm ready for that yet! I enjoyed this game so much that I made me regret waiting so long to play it, but it also has me thinking about revisiting some of the previous games. If you've been sitting on the sideline w/ RE7 and you enjoy horror movies/games or even 1st person shooters, you ought to give this game a try. I really should move onto the next game in my stack of unplayed games, but I'm not sure I'm ready to leave the Bakers behind yet. There are 3 different DLC packs after you finish the main game, one of which is free! I believe all 3 of these either help flesh out the story or continue the story. I'm looking forward to jumping into those very soon.

Initial Thoughts - Horizon Zero Dawn (Playstation 4)

My two daughters love to read and my family takes frequent trips to the public library for them to restock on books. Not too long ago my wife informed me that the library started to carry video games for modern consoles (Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One). My first trip to see what they had wasn't all that successful, ended up w/ Street Fighter II for the Switch. However last weekend I was pleased with the larger selection. They had several games for the Switch that interested me (Disgaea 5 on the Switch), one of the Forza racing games for the Xbox One and something else on the PS4 that I can't quite put my finger on at this time. I went home with Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite for the Xbox One and Horizon Zero Dawn for the PS4. I'm not a huge fighting game fan, but the Marvel vs. games usually are good. Horizon Zero Dawn was just one of those games that I've heard a little about, but never looked too much into it. Unfortunately for me it was a full week later before I had time to sit down to play. Good thing I get to keep both games for 2 weeks!

This weekend I finally had a chance to jump into Horizon Zero Dawn. I knew of the game, but really hadn't looked into the game. I watched a Facebook friend livestream some gameplay, but that's about it. When I first started the game, I really didn't know what to expect. I was a little surprised to find out I started playing the game as a young Aloy. I knew the game would be a big budget cinematic story and the story itself had to be set up. However I thought it was a little on the sluggish side starting out. Now that I've played a good 12-15 hours I now see why the beginning was necessary as it helps advance the story that much better. I was expecting combat right out the gate, but instead I was given a lot of story and a little exploration.

I knew that I needed to give this game time and I'm glad that I was patience as I am marveled by everything about the game. Of course the visuals are absolutely stunning and pleasing to the eye, but the musical score also fits the atmosphere as well. The voice acting for the most part is top notch and the story is something I actually like.

I've leveled up my character to level 16 thus far and have enjoyed every hour. I'm still getting used to the combat, but part of that is I'm not as familiar w/ a Playstation controller as I am other controllers. For the most part the controls and combat are very intuitive, however I don't like the jumping/scaling/climbing system. That's a very small complaint as overall the game is magnificent. I kinda hated I didn't pay this game any attention until now it's so good. I will most likely purchase the new version of the game that contains the DLC pack as I hate that I have to return the game to the library next weekend.

I haven't played many AAA PS4 titles, but I can see why this game has sold so well. I look forward to advancing the story and eventually getting to the aforementioned DLC as well. If you are a fan of open world style games with a action RPG element, then this game is for you. Then again, I'm sure most of you reading this have already discovered what I'm just discovering for myself.

Initial Thoughts - The Last of Us Remastered (Playstation 4)

I've never been a huge Playstation fan. I've always been a late adopter of Sony's home video consoles and the Playstation 4 is no exception. I finally took the plunge the summer of '17 and bought the exclusive gold version released just in time for Father's Day.

While on a business trip I found myself at a GameStop and I noticed they had a pretty good sale on pre-owned games. I don't normally take game suggestions from GameStop's employees, but I found myself needing one more game to complete the deal. Seeing how I missed a lot of great games on the PS3, I never got a chance to play the original The Last of Us game. I took the guy's suggestion and grabbed a copy of the remastered version, but only in the last day or so have I actually sat down to play it.

I did a good job steerling clear of this game, even when it was originally released for the PS3. I knew the game involved more stealth than action and I thought it had something to do with zombies or the undead, but that was it. I never watched any videos on YouTube of the game, including the game trailer. When I say I went into this game blind and with no experience I mean it.

First of all let me say how impressed I was with how beautiful this game is. At the beginning when you get to control the daughter, I didn't notice the game switch from the cinema scene to game play. The transition was smooth and seemless. Now, being a dad of two young daughters I was a little traumatized with the story and the outcome. If anything I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see how this story would continue to unfold.

I've only played a few hours thus far and I really don't know how long this game is. I'm really enjoying the story as well as soaking in all of the beautiful visuals. I'm enjoying the gameplay, but I can't help but feel this is more like an interactive story than your traditional video game. I guess I thought it took place in an open world environment so the linear gameplay wasn't expected. That's not a bad thing however, infact it works well for this game. The controls are pretty good and it has a nice tutorial of sorts to help you get down the various actions as you play.

As much as I thought I disliked sneaking around behind objects and going for a stealth kill, it seems as if this is how I'm able to survive and able to make it through the majority of the areas alive. I do like however how the game autosaves pretty frequently and if you do die, you don't have to replay much of the game from where you re-spawn.

I also didn't expect any humor in the game, so the scene in the truck as they drive away from the city was pretty amusing. I have enjoyed watching Joel and Ellie's relationship change over the short course of the game I've played. I do look forward to see where their relationship goes as I continue to play further into the game. So far this has been an excellent addition to my small PS4 library and I anxiously await to jump back in.

Demon's Crystals (Playstation 4 / PSN)

Demon's Crystals

Badland Games
Badland Games, 2017

I'm not a huge fan of digital download games, but while setting up my PSN account on my somewhat newly acquired PS4, I browsed the store before I powered down the console to see what games were available. I ran across Demon's Crystals in the sale category. It was only $2.49 and when I realized it was a twin stick shooter, I decided to give it a try. Having the 1 TB model PS4 I'm not as concerned about downloading games as I am on my Xbox One that has a smaller (already full) hard drive.

The game plays like your average twin stick shooter. Think Smash TV or Robotron 2084...just controlling a demon girl with a graveyard or castle level design. You get the chose from 1 of 4 different characters...

I initially chose to play as Adora, hence her level is much higher than the others. At the time I didn't realize your character would level up as you play the game. I find this to be a nice addition as it'll add to the replayability of the game. I noticed there was a trophy/achievement for getting all 4 girls to at least level 30.

Each "world" consists of 10 levels, with each level having 3 rounds. The first level takes place in a graveyard. The goals for each round vary, from destroying a set amount of enemies to collecting a set amount of diamonds to both requirements.

The left analog stick controls your character, while the right analog stick fires your weapon. If you've played any twin stick shooters, then this control scheme should be familiar to you. During the game, additional weapon icons will appear. I picked up spread guns, homing bullet guns, rocket launchers and a freeze ray. Other items will also randomly appear such as screen clearing attacks like lighting or hellfire as well as hour glasses that give you additional time to meet your objective(s).

The environment on each level is somewhat destructable. I'm not sure the purpose of this, other than each destroyed building, etc. nets you a small amout of experience points. Once you destroy say a tombstone, the rubble is still there and you must navigate your character around this otherwise you will run into it and your motion will halt.

The 10th level was a boss fight. The first boss (and only boss I've fought thus far) was pretty cool. Not overally hard once I figured out his attack pattern.

As you kill your enemies, you are awarded a certain amount of experience. I found as I leveled up my character I was plowing through the enemies in the 1st world. However the difficulty took a big step forward with world 2, a castle.

Demon's Crystals doesn't really bring anything new to the table. However at only $2.49 (normally $4.99) during the month of October (at least on the Playstation Network), the theme fit the month of October. My 6 year old daughter enjoyed playing the game too, though the controls did throw her for a loop a bit.

The game offers co-operative play online, as well as a survival mode where you compete to see who can stay alive the longest and rack up the highest score. I haven't tried those modes yet, but I do plan on checking them out. In the mean time, I'm going to keep coming back to this game - trying to level up the other characters. This is one of those games that is perfect to play when you don't have a lot of time to sit in front of the TV. If you're a fan of twin stick shooters, you may want to give this one a look.