2016 Gaming: Year in Review
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
The new Infinity Ward, as in the studio that has reformed after Modern Warfare 2, has a lot to prove. With the reputation of the Infinity Ward name almost being tarnished with the terrible response CoD Ghosts got.
Infinite Warfare, the latest instalment to the Call of Duty series is set in the distant future where the human race is no longer just based on earth anymore. Mars has been colonized. Naturally this means that a completely different faction and government are based there. Mars aka the settlement defence front decides to attack earth and wants to invade earth.
Campaign - The campaign starts off slow, and at first gives off the impression of it being another typical Call of Duty campaign. Once you become the commander, a couple of hours in, that’s when things really start.
Infinite Warfare, the latest instalment to the Call of Duty series is set in the distant future where the human race is no longer just based on earth anymore. Mars has been colonized. Naturally this means that a completely different faction and government are based there. Mars aka the settlement defence front decides to attack earth and wants to invade earth.
Campaign - The campaign starts off slow, and at first gives off the impression of it being another typical Call of Duty campaign. Once you become the commander, a couple of hours in, that’s when things really start.
You have the whole of the solar system to battle in, The sheer variety that the missions have to offer and places the game takes you to is fantastic. Each mission is different and it didn’t often feel like ive done it all before.
The pacing for the story still feels too fast. The factions are not explained very well and there is poor attempt to create this believable world that you would care about.
The story is weak, but the actual gameplay and variety in the campaign is brilliant. The campaign is actually a very unique entry to the Call of Duty franchise.
You can pick from a huge range of planets and moons to travel to in our solar system for missions. Several Side missions are scattered around and you get perk rewards and various upgrade rewards for completing them. The campaign doesn’t just lay down a list of missions to go through one by one like in previous CoD’s. I love this.
For probably the first time in a Call of Duty game, the campaign is actually the strongest point of the game and the most creative. The lacklustre storyline does hold the campaign back from being truly amazing and a must play, but the different approach the campaign takes is really worth playing.
Multiplayer – Most of the mode is a straight up copy and paste from Black Ops 3. You could argue that it can’t be a bad thing because black ops 3 was a good game. However it just feels like a poor mans black ops 3. The maps lack depth, the weapons are quite boring and the way the game plays out and the whole multiplayer in general just feels really generic in comparison to black ops 3.
I said a year ago that Black ops 3 was a fantastic refinement, an evolution of the formula of call of duty, but the franchise needs a revolution. The tired overdone formula needs a real shake up, and I’m not talking about changing the movement system.
The pacing for the story still feels too fast. The factions are not explained very well and there is poor attempt to create this believable world that you would care about.
The story is weak, but the actual gameplay and variety in the campaign is brilliant. The campaign is actually a very unique entry to the Call of Duty franchise.
You can pick from a huge range of planets and moons to travel to in our solar system for missions. Several Side missions are scattered around and you get perk rewards and various upgrade rewards for completing them. The campaign doesn’t just lay down a list of missions to go through one by one like in previous CoD’s. I love this.
For probably the first time in a Call of Duty game, the campaign is actually the strongest point of the game and the most creative. The lacklustre storyline does hold the campaign back from being truly amazing and a must play, but the different approach the campaign takes is really worth playing.
Multiplayer – Most of the mode is a straight up copy and paste from Black Ops 3. You could argue that it can’t be a bad thing because black ops 3 was a good game. However it just feels like a poor mans black ops 3. The maps lack depth, the weapons are quite boring and the way the game plays out and the whole multiplayer in general just feels really generic in comparison to black ops 3.
I said a year ago that Black ops 3 was a fantastic refinement, an evolution of the formula of call of duty, but the franchise needs a revolution. The tired overdone formula needs a real shake up, and I’m not talking about changing the movement system.
Not only does the formula need innovations that can take the franchise forward, it certainly cannot afford to copy and paste last years call of duty in such a mediocre way. The content in IW’s multiplayer is very average.
Overall the multiplayer really does nothing that interesting and it isn’t Infinite Warfare’s strong point and that’s a massive problem when Call of Duty’s signature is it’s addictive multiplayer element.
Conclusion
Infinite Warfare as a whole package is a very average offering. The game is not as bad as the terrible stigma this game current has, but it is well off being anywhere near game of the year sort of calibre. The multiplayer is very forgettable and really not up to par with other Call of Duty’s let alone even coming close to doing anything different to really push the series forward that is so desperately needs. It’s baffling that they didn’t apply any of the creative interesting ideas from the campaign into the Multiplayer.
Zombies is unoriginal, cheesy and after a while it gets boring very fast. The campaign is good however, and if you can pick this game up for cheap or you’re one of those who bought IW just for Modern Warfare remastered leaving you stuck with IW, the campaign is worth a chance.
Overall the multiplayer really does nothing that interesting and it isn’t Infinite Warfare’s strong point and that’s a massive problem when Call of Duty’s signature is it’s addictive multiplayer element.
Conclusion
Infinite Warfare as a whole package is a very average offering. The game is not as bad as the terrible stigma this game current has, but it is well off being anywhere near game of the year sort of calibre. The multiplayer is very forgettable and really not up to par with other Call of Duty’s let alone even coming close to doing anything different to really push the series forward that is so desperately needs. It’s baffling that they didn’t apply any of the creative interesting ideas from the campaign into the Multiplayer.
Zombies is unoriginal, cheesy and after a while it gets boring very fast. The campaign is good however, and if you can pick this game up for cheap or you’re one of those who bought IW just for Modern Warfare remastered leaving you stuck with IW, the campaign is worth a chance.
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Pros:
Creative and fun campaign Very interesting and beautiful locations Overall: 7.0/10 |
Cons:
Uncreative lacklustre multiplayer Cheesy bland zombies mode |
PES 2017
PES 2017 has the same strengths and problems from last years PES 2016. This years PES has even deeper gameplay than last years fantastic gameplay. It plays the best game of football out there, it has a learning curve, and the skill gap and tactical side of the game has been ramped up making this a deep and rich experience on the pitch. The modes are still way off the mark from being anywhere near to the standard that sports games have set.
PES 2017 is in the same predicament as last year, great gameplay, but poor offering from the modes. This all in all makes PES 2017, both a great game but a lacklustre disappointing game. Overall I will say, it’s not the complete package, but it’s a good package. It’s almost like having a mouth watering delicious sauce, but nothing to dip into the sauce.
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Pros:
Deep and rich gameplay Tactical depth |
Cons:
Lack of content Lack of depth in game modes |
Overall: 7.9/10
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2
DB Xenoverse 2. There have been improvements in almost every area of the game. Everything feels more fleshed out now. There’s tons of end game content and new ways to unlock things.
Instructors don't just randomly appear through luck anymore. The characters that can be your instructor are now scattered across the big open world lobby now. More are unlocked as you progress through the story. This makes unlocking a lot of moves feel earned rather than random.
I don't really like how there's so much dialogue whilst fighting. Often I will kick my opponents arse to the point where their health will not reach zero even though I'm hitting them because the rest of the dialogue has to play. I would have preferred more actual cut scenes
Instructors don't just randomly appear through luck anymore. The characters that can be your instructor are now scattered across the big open world lobby now. More are unlocked as you progress through the story. This makes unlocking a lot of moves feel earned rather than random.
I don't really like how there's so much dialogue whilst fighting. Often I will kick my opponents arse to the point where their health will not reach zero even though I'm hitting them because the rest of the dialogue has to play. I would have preferred more actual cut scenes
Disappointingly is how little ground the Z storyline covers in the Xenoverse 2 Campaign. Many many battles are not featured in Xenoverse 2’s campaign. The Frieza saga is cut short with only having his 1st form and final form. The android/cell saga is laughably short. You fight once when Cell appears and then it jumps straight to the cell games. That’s most of the whole saga skipped. The story feels very rushed.
Another thing that lets it down is the downright awful voice acting at times. At other times the way the voice acting has been executed also ruins cut scenes. Yet again your character is voiceless which makes your character dull and it dampens the story. Frieza is the worst cuprite for the voice acting.
Overall the story isn’t really that interesting until towards the end, many big Z moments are missing, and the story was not that great, but I still had fun playing through it. It’s an interesting direction for dragon ball storyline. The storyline with Future Gohan and that time era was an interesting universe to delve into, but it doesn’t really go anywhere. It almost ends just as it feels like the story really is starting.
Xenoverse 2 is smoother and more responsive than the 1st game, but sometimes the gameplay can be clunky when your character frustratingly punches in the wrong direction. However the fast paced action makes the combat satisfying and genuine character stat strategies in the game gives the gameplay depth.
The game is just incredibly fun. It's addictive and has this easy to pick up and play gameplay, but there is some depth there.
There are many more transformations now and they do affect your stats and it really does give you something to think about if you're serious about the game. Trying to create the right build, deciding on whether you want to be a melee close quarter fighter or a ranged fighter (ki blast) was a headache for me, in a good way.
The one thing I really did not like however is how the process of unlocking super Saiyan works now. Once you unlock Super Saiyan, it unlocks Super Saiyan 3 as well. Lazy by the developers there.
Another thing that lets it down is the downright awful voice acting at times. At other times the way the voice acting has been executed also ruins cut scenes. Yet again your character is voiceless which makes your character dull and it dampens the story. Frieza is the worst cuprite for the voice acting.
Overall the story isn’t really that interesting until towards the end, many big Z moments are missing, and the story was not that great, but I still had fun playing through it. It’s an interesting direction for dragon ball storyline. The storyline with Future Gohan and that time era was an interesting universe to delve into, but it doesn’t really go anywhere. It almost ends just as it feels like the story really is starting.
Xenoverse 2 is smoother and more responsive than the 1st game, but sometimes the gameplay can be clunky when your character frustratingly punches in the wrong direction. However the fast paced action makes the combat satisfying and genuine character stat strategies in the game gives the gameplay depth.
The game is just incredibly fun. It's addictive and has this easy to pick up and play gameplay, but there is some depth there.
There are many more transformations now and they do affect your stats and it really does give you something to think about if you're serious about the game. Trying to create the right build, deciding on whether you want to be a melee close quarter fighter or a ranged fighter (ki blast) was a headache for me, in a good way.
The one thing I really did not like however is how the process of unlocking super Saiyan works now. Once you unlock Super Saiyan, it unlocks Super Saiyan 3 as well. Lazy by the developers there.
The first game had tons of potential and the second game has taken steps forward in becoming a true MMORPG fighter. Now there is more quest variety, much better and less grindy ways of unlocking things, a fairer progression system and a much better main hub world. It’s getting closer to being an MMORPG.
Of course it’s nowhere near to the depth of the likes of World of Warcraft, and the open world is merely a lobby with content spread out, but it’s still a very unique type of fighting game.
Something I have often complained about with fighting games is that there is no real replay value and depth outside of the gameplay. Here in Xenoverse 2, there is, there is tons to do.
The combat has some depth to it, but not enough depth to be a serious competitive fighter. There are combos and evasive moves that can be learned, but you can be completely successful in just button mashing. There are still some balance issues. Some of these issues make the PVP element of the game sort of random, and I personally feel like there isn’t a huge skill gap in player skill, it’s more about how good someone’s character is.
At times you can see how the developers have been lazy. There are a lot of the exact same parallel quests from the first game. The Super Saiyan transformation is lazily implemented, and there are many repetitive elements to the game.
However with the fantastic fast paced pick up and play gameplay, addictive progression system and fun unique MMORPG fighting elements, this makes it a very good Dragon Ball z game.
Of course the fun you will have with this game does depend on whether you like DBZ or not. It would be hard to recommend this to anyone who isn’t a DBZ fan, due to the poor voice acting at times, not very well explained story and repetitive nature.
The game as a whole falls short from being as deep as a true MMORPG, but it’s commendable that they’ve attempted something like this in a fighter. It’s getting closer and closer to being a truly deep MMORPG. I still had tons of fun and was addicted to it.
Of course it’s nowhere near to the depth of the likes of World of Warcraft, and the open world is merely a lobby with content spread out, but it’s still a very unique type of fighting game.
Something I have often complained about with fighting games is that there is no real replay value and depth outside of the gameplay. Here in Xenoverse 2, there is, there is tons to do.
The combat has some depth to it, but not enough depth to be a serious competitive fighter. There are combos and evasive moves that can be learned, but you can be completely successful in just button mashing. There are still some balance issues. Some of these issues make the PVP element of the game sort of random, and I personally feel like there isn’t a huge skill gap in player skill, it’s more about how good someone’s character is.
At times you can see how the developers have been lazy. There are a lot of the exact same parallel quests from the first game. The Super Saiyan transformation is lazily implemented, and there are many repetitive elements to the game.
However with the fantastic fast paced pick up and play gameplay, addictive progression system and fun unique MMORPG fighting elements, this makes it a very good Dragon Ball z game.
Of course the fun you will have with this game does depend on whether you like DBZ or not. It would be hard to recommend this to anyone who isn’t a DBZ fan, due to the poor voice acting at times, not very well explained story and repetitive nature.
The game as a whole falls short from being as deep as a true MMORPG, but it’s commendable that they’ve attempted something like this in a fighter. It’s getting closer and closer to being a truly deep MMORPG. I still had tons of fun and was addicted to it.
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Pros:
Fun fast paced gameplay Addictive progression system Overall: 7.9/10 |
Cons:
Gets repetitive Areas of rushed & lazy development |
FIFA 17
The gameplay has improved quite significantly this year. The game still has that FIFA feel, and at many times can still play like your typical FIFA, but some of the improvements across the pitch, means now you can score goals you could never do before, and can make satisfying moves. The game feels much more fluid and enjoyable now.
Career Mode is solid. With the huge list of players and teams, huge array of stadiums, weather conditions and the player stories aka players wanting more game time or players wanting to leave etc, you’ve got a pretty fleshed out mode.
Career Mode is solid. With the huge list of players and teams, huge array of stadiums, weather conditions and the player stories aka players wanting more game time or players wanting to leave etc, you’ve got a pretty fleshed out mode.
The problem is that if this were 4 years ago, I would be saying that career mode is awesome, but 4 years down the line, hardly anything has changed in this mode. When you see how deep football manager is and you see how many licences and how high the production value FIFA has, you just get the feeling of, “this could be so much more after 4 years of the same”. That’s just me though.
The journey, although is rather disappointing, it still offers something different. The fact that something like The Journey exists in FIFA is amazing, and it’s very commendable what they have done. Pro clubs still offers some of the greatest moments with friends in online gaming in my opinion. Ultimate team, although is still too pay to win and EA are too aggressive with the microtransactions, the mode is far more rewarding than previous years.
The gameplay has improved making the gameplay actually enjoyable for me now. The improvements in lighting, huge array of teams, players and stadiums make FIFA 17 a huge package and really the complete package.
Yes there are better choices out there in terms of just gameplay, but FIFA 17’s gameplay really holds it’s own and as a whole you do get good value for money. FIFA 17 is a big step in the right direction and a good football game to get this year for sure.
The journey, although is rather disappointing, it still offers something different. The fact that something like The Journey exists in FIFA is amazing, and it’s very commendable what they have done. Pro clubs still offers some of the greatest moments with friends in online gaming in my opinion. Ultimate team, although is still too pay to win and EA are too aggressive with the microtransactions, the mode is far more rewarding than previous years.
The gameplay has improved making the gameplay actually enjoyable for me now. The improvements in lighting, huge array of teams, players and stadiums make FIFA 17 a huge package and really the complete package.
Yes there are better choices out there in terms of just gameplay, but FIFA 17’s gameplay really holds it’s own and as a whole you do get good value for money. FIFA 17 is a big step in the right direction and a good football game to get this year for sure.
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Pros:
Improved gameplay Tons of modes and content depth |
Cons:
The Journey falls short Not enough new changes to Career Mode |