Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments PC Review

Hi Gamers, What are you playing? Here's my review on Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments.



If there's one figure that is gaining widespread popularity during the recent times than in the past, I must say it's Sherlock Holmes. Thanks to BBC TV series "Sherlock Holmes" played by Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin freeman, not only can we enjoy the show but also play the game now.

Developed by Frogwares and Published by Focus home interactive, Crimes and punishments is an ambitious attempt in the instalment of Sherlock Holmes series. Inspired by the TV series, developers borrow many elements to create realistic setup in creating a adequately entertaining game.

Set in a 19th century background, game starts with an interesting case of "The fate of black peter". The game introduces the elements required for playing the game through this case, which is a perfect way to introduce the mechanics involved in the game. The campaign offers 6 cases, each very different from the other and interesting. Cases can vary in lengths depending on the player. While few are really short, most are long. In each case different methodology of solving is adopted and are set in a different background varying from dirty streets of the Half Moon street, places where great grand mystic practises Tai-chi(or meditation) to grand and lavish hotels and mansions. Characters seem realistic and delivery of voice acting is extremely good.

Finding clues

Apart from the usual process of finding clues through interrogation and forming an idea of the character, the game "provides" clues in the form of mini games. It is a welcome step as an distraction from sometimes rather long and boring interrogations. These "games" can be helpful to the player in forming a relationship with the character, to form to a different conclusion, or to just better understand the story or premise required for the case.

Lock Picking

Each clue obtain may help result in forming a certain conclusion. Combination of such logical conclusions results in forming idea of the murder or how the incident took place. Clues gathered appear on a palette where logical combination of clues can be combined to result in a conclusion which are presented in the form of a nerve synapses. After forming a conclusion the game asks to make final "moral choice". The game doesn't really tell whether the player is correct or not in making the moral choice. It's more like MY version of culprit rather than the game version's. So if you caught the wrong guy it doesn't really matter you will still be proceeding to the next case, which is oddly satisfying. The player only proceeds to the next case upon solving the present case.

Finding more clues

Are we alone?
When I started playing the game, I felt Watson was just a character who merely follows Sherlock asking him "What do you intend on doing now, Sherlock?" or " I think we must visit Scotland Yard". But I felt his need at some places to solve the case. Toby, the dog, also is seen useful in providing assistance. The game features "Sherlock talent" and "imagination" concepts to help us find evidences and form a sequence of events that took place during the incident of murder.

Toby- The best nose in the British empire

Game play
6 Cases, several endings and different moral choices each having a solid evidence to backup your claim adds to the game's thrilling experience. Each case plays out like short story in a book which aren't necessarily related. Although the game doesn't really become any difficult the mini games like lock picking and other puzzles become more difficult to crack. The game features "Sherlock talent" and "imagination" concepts to help us find evidences and form a sequence of events that took place during the incident of murder.

Our Casebook

It is an open world game. Sherlock carries with him a casebook which really is like the planner or something which tells the player what to do next, what evidence to gather or which can be used for navigating the places pertinent to the case. Sherlock's apartment has an analysis table to perform little experiments-for identifying some elements, newspapers and archives-a useful tool for researching and gathering info, letters by the fireplace, wardrobe etc. Yes a wardrobe to choose an outfit for a particular case or really to have different Sherlock every time!

Who do you want to be now, Sherlock? Gosh! I sound like Watson

So is it worth  playing ...
Occasional glitches don't even come close to spoiling the game experience. Even though the campaign was like 20-22 hours I was somehow not content and satisfied with the game, as I felt the urge to solve more and more cases when really there are like only 6 of them. I felt there was like this pattern starting from the first, the difficulty of the case and length of the case oscillated alternatively between long or short and easy or tedious ( not difficult mind you) which can be repetitive and for some may spoil the game experience.

Nerve synapses system of deduction. Don't worry it's not the correct choice

Being an open world game, whenever I was stuck I felt the need to check the surroundings or double check the suspects to see if I have left any clue or interrogation. Although apparently there are these "invisible walls" which limit the search premises but that really doesn't mitigate the rather avoidable frustrating experience.
I felt "mini games" featured in the game should have been more "do it and proceed" because there is an option for skipping these altogether, which actually takes out all the fun in deducing the conclusion the player arrives at.

Game looks gorgeous!

But as I said, the glitches or any other spoilers din't even come close to spoiling my experience in playing the game. Overall the game was really refreshing. The urge to solve more cases or to gather more clues to apprehend the culprit kept me going. It's like you want the case to be solved but don't want the game to be completed.

Verdict: A must play if you are a fan of Sherlock. 

My rating is 8.5/10.

Genre: Action and adventure   

Read More

Remember me PC Review

Set in Neo Paris, in 2084 AD Remember Me is gorgeous action adventure game developed by CAPCOM. More like Inversion, the game is purely sci-fi fiction. We play as the character Nilin, a memory hunter, who can bend others' memories to her whim. You might be wondering what memory hunters really do? Or how they can bend, erase or create memory bugs in peoples' memory palace. Well during the year 2084, memories are like commodities which can bought,sold, erased, stored,changed etc. So now if that i want to store my memory in some place (which i would do only if my memory is overloaded :P), there exists an organisation called "M3MORIZE" which is like a bank, where the memories are stored.

Obviously now people who are corrupted want to exploit the memory database,by controlling the people. Thinking this as an act of intrusion into their heads, group of people - memory hunters - join together to fight against this organisation. Assuming that Nilin would become a threat to their organisation's interest, they wipe the memory of Nilin completely, making her feel lost. I was actually touched by the story rather than believing it would be hero villain battle. Till the end, the characters portray more than one layer of character, which is again obvious since the memories can erased or bent according to will. 

Nilin

Gameplay
Rather than story, i got fascinated more by gameplay. CAPCOM boasts of unique combat system in the game. Ok! so the combat is divided into pressens and combos. There are four different types of pressens-Damage, cooldown, regen, chain. Each of them have their own use. Pressens are more ingredients to make combos. There are again four types of combos available, each of different length and use of pressens. Performing a complete combo increases your 'score' - PMP, which is used in unlocking new pressens. Simply put, there exists only punch and kick moves depicted in different ways to kick the ass out of the enemies. 

Enemies vary from leapers- people who have lost their memory and left as an outcast, humans- who put invisibility cloak, to robots to name a few. About 14, if i am not wrong, each enemy has different skill set and pose a good challenge when the player is fighting various types of enemies in a battle. Apart from this, Nilin also possesses powers which unlock after a earning definite amount of focus. Like in dishonored, there exists a power wheel where the players choose to defeat enemies brutally and in style. If we are not fighting enemies we climbing, jumping the walls, buildings etc. Set to serve as a direction towards objective, orange markers guide the players towards the next objective. 

Graphics
Remember me is definitely a gorgeous game set in Neo Paris. Cities of leapers look as if they are flooded with all the crap. Otherwise in offices, buildings etc, the graphics look stunning. As we move towards a restaurant or a place with lots of fire, a window pops up displaying the menu or the temperature of the fire place respectively, showing the evolution of technology possible in the future. 

Remember me is a game i can never forget. Developed with high expectations, remember me fails to deliver the exact amount of eagerness to play the game. This said, the game can reach new heights if portrayed differently. At the start, i really dint get the 'feel' of damage done when Nilin was punching or kicking. Although afterwards combat become better after unlocking new pressens and combos. 

After unlocking some pressens, dint feel the need to change combos !

Despite its flaws, I'd still recommend Remember me to fans of beat 'em ups, or anyone who really likes cyberpunk. I seriously hope there is a sequel down the road. Dontnod has built a world of possibilities and also have got the right ingredients. Only part that needs attention comes when mixing them in right amounts. Remember me has really been an adventure and sure as hell would hope to a sequel. 

A must play.....My rating is 7.5/10 

Read More

GRID 2 PC Review

Racing through the beautiful tall buildings of Dubai, a bright orange red heat on the hood of the car in Miami, passing through the curvy roads of rocky mountains of California is certainly a delight to watch. But if you are in a race, every second counts, right?  GRID 2 graphics are certainly a distraction to the racer ( in a good way).  Set in four major race track -- USA, UK, DUBAI, JAPAN, Grid 2 is boon for some serious racers. Grid 2 is much better than its predecessor Grid. Unlike Grid, Grid 2 has no tuning where it was difficult to understand to put in the right amount of engine, differential or brakes settings etc. At the start, the player is put on the race track letting him/her choose between the given cars. At first, i thought it was similar to Dirt or Blur. But i progressed through the game it was different than i thought. 

Gameplay is particularly very good. There are many types of races present in the game. The thought of having similarity with Blur can be accounted by having the fan count. The story is like, we as a player should progress and qualify in a world series racing or WSR, an idea of some person who wants IT to be on par with some of the racing league giants. We as a player should prove that we are worthwhile and suitable to the racing series by competing with some of the major leagues. 
Cars range from muscle cars Ford mustang to sports car like Nissan Fairlady Z (one of my personal favourite), from the Aston martin to Mclaren. Grid 2 has many types of races and there is always one person to watch out for. Though this may for a couple of races or first two seasons, but this racer can present really competition. 
Apart from the usual drift, point to point race, circuit races, Grid 2 challenges players with touge where when the player has 5 sec difference or leading the lap wins, overtake event where overtaking earns you points, eliminator event where after 20 passing seconds the last driver gets eliminated etc and many more. Whats interesting is the player is given the best cars to drive. 

Career pops up with a screen floating in the air, where each event is shown with live tiles. To earn more cars, one can play vehicle challenges, or boast of countless number of fans, we have promo events. 

I would say the racing in GRID 2 is really a delight and it feels so real. Codemaster's racing has really brought a experience needed after really disappointed attempt from EA games to bring out NFS: Most wanted 2, and not similar to any other racing games like Dirt 3. Here's a fact what codemaster's racing has done to bring out this amazing experience. "To accomplish the marriage of physics and gameplay, Codemasters used professional drivers on real life courses. Detailed notes and measures were taken about each type of vehicle including speed, maneuverability, cornering, tuning etc, This was in effort to duplicate as precisely as possible the character of each vehicle, so that players would actually feel they were driving, for instance, a Nissan GT-R Spec, rather than some dumbed computer model." But at the end, WSR it seriously feels real and so formal type of formula one racing, i wish i was playing longer. 

My rating is 8.5...

+ New cars                                           - crashes often
+ Gameplay much better than sequel
+ Number of types of races
+ Visually pleasing

~Gamesbuzz game of the month~ 
JUNE
GRID 2

Read More

Upcoming Reviews

Next reviews coming up
1. COJ: Gunslinger
2. Remember me

Read More

Don't Starve PC Review

Klei entertainment studios never fail to entertain us. Klei entertainment present to you Don't starve- A classic indie game. Don't starve is not exactly a "don't starve yourself but eat something in order to survive" but more like "survival and adventure kinda game". The player assumes the role of Wilson. The game is in a vast area of map, encouraging players to explore and find new items for crafting or making new items. Yeah!! Crafting items. I felt the game drew the concept of combining elements from "Little Alchemy", where items acquired are mixed to make new items. We can craft almost anything from the available resources. 

Craft anything! 

Gameplay
The main objective is to survive as many days as possible. On the right top corner, there is a day counter where the day, evening and night are represented in a pie chart diagram. On the bottom of the counter, there are number of bubbles players must look for. There are health, sanity, hunger levels. Player must strive to satisfy all the needs despite the odds that are presented in the game. Its like the satisfying both sides of equation. 

To survive and satisfy the hunger, there are numerous kinds of and number of animals to kill.Don't worry not all animals are scary and come to kill the player. Some are docile, some are aggressive, some are dumb, some are scary. Some animals are hostile not only to us but also to other groups of animals. This can be used to the players' advantage. So...better learn about the animal's behaviour and approach to kill. Its not necessary to kill the animals always. 

The best strategy for surviving in the initial stages of the game is to gather as many resources as possible. Later once the player gathers plenty of resources, he should settle down and explore the world around. The game boasts of real time seasonal changes. Although the game usually starts with summer or autumn like season, though its not necessary. It can also start with winter. Beware, the animals in winter are not so kind and it just adds to the difficulty of the game as the player should also survive the icy cold of winter. Craft a earmuffs or a jerkin to keep yourself warm. :D. 

There are numerous tabs on the left side of the game play. Each for different upgrade or for creating more sophisticated items or weapons. Ah!! Weapons! Important! :D Weapons category actually surprised me back there, because of the lack of the quantity and life of each weapon can be really frustrating. Yeah! Life for weapon!! You must be like "What??" . Although that is there, developers din't want the players to just settle for one weapon lifelong. 

Ya, he's Wilson with exceptionally long beard :D

As already mentioned, we play as Wilson (who grows a magnificent beard. Trust me, the beard comes in handy afterwards ;) ). Usually the game rewards the players depending upon how many days the player has survived-whether intermittently or at a stretch. The rewards are in the form of experience points and the players can unlock different characters who possess different ability. For example, Wendy doesn't need light to keep her surviving through the night. She lights a fire just enough times to survive the night. 

Wendy survives the night by lighting a fire.

Conclusion
Although at the initial stages, i felt the need/addiction to play the game, it gradually declined. The main reason being the game rewards are minimal only confining to unlocking the characters, but not any new features in the game.
This said, game is not bad at all in other aspects. It just balances the need and wants pertaining to survival of the player without the game play leaning towards either of them.
The game can improve in lot of ways actually. I hope i can see a update available for the game or start a sequel like slender.

My rating is 7.5/10

+ Exploration                              - Re spawning from Day 1
+ Adventures                              - Awards are limited
+ Survival

~Gamesbuzz game of the month~  April

                    Don't starve

Read More

Assassin Creed IV: Black Flag Release date revealed

The much awaited sequel to the greatest game series Assassin Creed is here. Its Assassin creed's IV: Black Flag featuring Ezio like character who looks like a total badass to me. So much excited to play this game.  

Scheduled to released on Oct 29th 

Omg it happened very fast. I can still recall the whole game of AC 3 and now i will be playing this one in next few months. Damn !! :D 







See the official trailer below

Read More

Hitman Absolution PC Review

After many years, Hitman is back!! Rising from the shadows this time, Agent 47 reveals what it takes to be an ultimate assassin. He more badass, more agile, and more dangerous than before. 

Story takes after Hitman Blood Money left off. Story starts with Agent 47 getting a contract assignment to kill Diana Burnwood. Yeah, you heard it right. Its the same Diana who used to guide us in the previous games of Agent 47. Its all about Victoria, Diana's daughter. She is genetically modified to an assassin. Diana makes 47 promise her that he would take care of her and not let her become like him. So, obviously people who heard about this start bidding and want to gain hands on the girl. 

Interesting Characters!!

Story involves a lot of new characters (except of course, the tailor :P :D). For the first time, 47 displays the ability of caring nature, trusting people whom he should not, and whatnot. Although this said, he has definitely not gone soft. Instead, he still preaches exactly the opposite-- killing mercilessly to get the job done. I particularly liked the story and 47's character. 47 may have gone soft only to protect Victoria, he more dangerous than before. This layers of character has been well developed in 47.

A decent story--3.5/5

Haha Epic Scene from the game

Graphics and sound
I put this in front of gameplay and final verdict section just to emphasize that this is a incredibly and devastingly gorgeous looking game ever. See for yourself in the pic below. 

OMG!! so much detail

No mission takes place in a single place and we as a player get to see many beautiful episodes of the game. Sometimes i wonder even such a place would have existed then the reality would have been dupe of the game's pictures. Best looking game for an stealth based game.

Sound although doesn't have much to give, its very important at times. Sorry i don't have much on sound.

Yeah its from the game !! See those visuals!! :O

Incredibly gorgeous looking game---5/5. 

Gameplay
Gameplay has changed a lot. With awesome combat to merciless mass murderer, 47 is agile, dangerous and literally can do anything.
Game has checkpoints instead of 'save and quit' feature. I like it because it really brings out the skill of the player. There are about 20 missions in the game each in a different location.

Mission are divided into small objectives kinda of thing. So that makes each mission longer time to complete which adds up to 15 -16 hours, depending on the skill of the player. Unlike in previous games, we don't to carry many weapons or buy or modify them (except only in contracts mode where we gain money). Again this i liked because it makes us think how can we about completing the mission, or objective for that matter. We only get to carry silver ballers and fiber wire for every mission. Hand to hand combat is a new feature introduced in this game and its very easy to master if the player knows how to press the right button at the right time. 

Hand to hand combat!!

Just like we get to dump the bodies anywhere there is space. For example cupboard, bin, off the cliff etc. That said we can even hide and peek from the safe, cupboard which gives us strategical advantage. Speaking of strategical advantage, Absolution introduces 'Instinct Mode'. Just press RB button which reveals the people through the walls, give available hints, hell we can even tell where who is going. Definitely a welcoming feature. On an entirely different note, using this feature i could complete 12 out of 20 missions with an "Silent Assassin" rating. 

12 out of 20 missions in silent assassin!!

Oh almost forgot! Each mission has points for each type of activity. Complete objective gain 5000 points, kill silently gain 150, kill a civilian lose 2500 points. At the end of each mission, points are added and we are evaluated and given a rating. Rating system consists of the following rating depending on the mission type, points acquired. 
Going from highest points gained to lowest 
Silent Assassin
Shadow
Professional
Specialist
Veteran
Agent

Don't get spotted! Use instinct!

 For completing a mission, the type of style is also rewarded. Dint get my point? Well if i used more of instinct to complete the mission and kill the target silently, i will unlock Chameleon I. Talking about disguises, we have many and most of them funny ones. 

Unlocks if played in style!!

Incredible feature--instinct!

One more important feature introduced in Absolution is point shooting. People who played Tom clancy's Splinter cell conviction can grasp this better. Activating point shooting stops the time for a while, in which time we need to tag targets whom we want to kill, and execute them. But unlike in Splinter cell where we can only tag two people, we can tag any number of targets. Only disadvantage is it consumes instinct meter. But then again No pain, no gain :D. So i would advise to check the instinct meter before activating point shooting. 

47 with his legendary silver ballers!!

One more part of the game featured is the Contracts mode. In this mode, its like a gaming competition. We get to make contracts or assignments or find them online or challenged by a friend. Creating contract is simple. We play normally just like we play. The style of the play determines the type of contract created. For example, we get to kill maximum of three targets. The type of execution is taken as the style of the contract. If i kill them silently, contract should be executed in exactly the same style or better in order to get more points than the person who created the contract. Contract gets completed successfully only when we get points than the person who created the contract. Successfully completing the contract, money gets wired to the account where we can use the money for upgrading the weapons or buy new weapons.

Definitely worth the wait and improved gameplay--4.5/5

Ya i too like the suit!! :D

47 rises from the shadows to show what it takes to become an Ultimate Assassin !! A must play..

My rating is 9.5/10....

+ 47 is back
+ Instinct mode
+ Hand to hand combat
+ Incredibly gorgeous

Read More

Dead Space 3 PC Review

So..finally we reach the end of the Dead space series. Its been fantastic journey throughout the Game series. Dead space 3 was necessary sequel to to finish the game series  in style. I particular liked the story ending and game itself. 

Dead space 3 starts with a brief cutscene showing the origin of marker and something called a "Codex" which could be of important significance in saving the world. Issac Clarke is more badass than before. We meet new characters in this game. Issac who wanted to take some time off, gets denied by Norton and Carver whom Ellie sent to do another mission of saving the world. Well i am doing the best not to reveal the spoilers. But anyways, one thing i can say is story is very good mix of emotions ( cause we lose a lot of people ), some brief moments of happiness ( when the group rejoins ) . 

Issac captured by Danik

Main villain in the game is Danik, who wants to take control of marker and destroy humanity. In this game, although at first we don't know what is going on, eventually we understand why things are happening the way they are. Game explains as to why it all started, what happened during the initial infection etc. We lose a lot of people in the game, but only to contribute to the mission's success. Most of the game, we find some signals and Issac is sent to investigate or get the job done. This authoritarian behavior from the team i din't like. It was as if we take orders from others and game even forbids others from helping us cause we only be in a group for a brief moments. ( Maybe the call of EA for multiplayer). Despite a very good story and perfect ending, Dead space makes a lot of mistakes. If you remember in DS2, Ellie got gouged her eye out by Dr. Stross, but still she is completely fine in Dead Space 3, in fact even sexy than before. 

Ellie is fine :O (In fact sexier than before)

A very good ending---4/5 

Graphics and Sound

Arctic suit 

Dead space 3 is breathtakingly gorgeous. Even though i am attacked by the necromorphs, i just stand facing the setting sun on the white frozen planet of Tau volantis. Just see the pic below. Stunning right? Beautiful setting sun on the white frozen planet filled with equally gross necromorphs with assembled body parts of dead people is set in such a way its difficult to forget the image even after the game has finished. 

Stunning Visuals!! OMG

Sound is equally horrifying and deadly. Whenever a necromorph attacks the player, fast music sets your heart racing, or when we walk alone in an open space is equally scary. Trust me, we walk alone more than we kill those blood thirsty creatures. 

Never seen such beautiful graphics before---4.5/5

Gameplay
The gameplay is lot better than any of its prequels. From what IGN quotes " Its has the best combat system that we have seen". Its certainly true. Tackling necromorphs is very easy this time. Even if you run out of ammo, Issac tackles the necromorphs like a child's play. Unlike before, DS3 doesn't have save stations, although beam locator will guide where next objective is, store and bench are situated. Instead game saves automatically at certain points. 

No save station any more

We can make our own weapons, modify and even upgrade them. For doing so we need to collect items like scrap metal, tungsten, semiconductor and many more. Each weapon upgrade is unique and can enhance overall damage, reload rate, clip size etc of the weapon. I must admit i am very bad at crafting weapons. I completed DS2 so i got Planetcracker for free. I managed to make a "okay okay" kind of weapon at the end and completed the game using the same. For upgrades instead of power nodes we get upgrade circuit. Each of which has some improvement. For eg., +1 Rate of fire, +1 Reload rate etc.  Although modifying weapons is welcoming feature, many gamers may find it difficult to craft a good weapon. Not all are so skilled. :P

Craft your weapon

We have already seen that suits can be changed and upgraded in DS2. In DS3 we have suits for different purposes. For example, we change in Arctic suits when encountering severe cold in the planet. The player has many suits at his disposal. Also the RIG can be upgraded in suit kiosk only. RIG can be modified to deal with more damage, have more air, simply by upgrading the RIG points. Also kinesis and stasis can be upgraded as well. 

Simply Stunning!!

Dead space 3 is not set in a single place. Issac needs to travel from one planet to another. Fortunately we use some kind of small space shuttles for travelling short distances. Zero gravity feature remains the same only having more air in the suit. 

Plenty of puzzles

One thing we always encounter in the game is a puzzle. To pass a door or complete certain mission we need to solve the puzzle. Some puzzles like shown below have timer. 

Puzzle solved :D

Each mission has percentage of completion. Unlike in prequels,  we have optional missions and quests to find something to complete the mission 100 %. Although not necessary to complete these optional missions or quests, we can unlock many suits and weapons. 

Upgrades!!

Enemies are different than before in the planet Tau Volantis. Like Yeti dressed in a suit or jerkin, necromorphs turn even more deadlier. Oh almost forgot!! There's this big spider kind of thing which keeps coming and going. (Although at end we squeeze it to death and it took me long time to kill it because of the glitch in Chapter 13) 

Glitch!!

So much for boasting and improving the gameplay, i dint find the game to be scary at all. Most of the time the solitude is the one that is more scary than necromorphs itself. Roaming vast corridors of caves, getting down the cliffs of mountains intimidates you better than necromorphs do. 

Improved gameplay and i liked it---4/5

Dead space 3 is definitely better and a needed sequel to the game series. Even if you din't like the game ( which i highly doubt) just play the game for the great visuals--absolutely stunning!! If not for that glitch its definitely a must play. Thoroughly enjoyed!!

My rating is 8/10....

+ Breathtakingly Gorgeous           - Sorry, not scary at all :P
+ Improved gameplay
+ Perfect ending to the sequel
+ Craft your own weapon

Read More