Gears of War Ultimate Edition

Gears of War Ultimate Edition Windows 10

I have played a lot of Gears of War. When I first saw gameplay footage of Gears multiplayer I was floored. It looked incredible, and when it came out it turned out it actually was incredible. I had never played a game like it before. The chainsaw making chunks of beef out of other players was amazing and so fun to watch. The curb stomp was such an F-U to whoever you did it to and made you feel badass.

I played quite a lot, but not as much as those people who got the Seriously achievement , but for an average gamer, I put in some serious hours. The game was also released on PC and I didn't get that for quite a few years later, mainly because I could never find a copy of the game. I finally did years later, but by that time online multiplayer was long dead. Also, to this day you need a patch for the game after you install it, and finding that patch isn't easy. Without it, the game things youre running a modified version of the EXE file and wont start.

(Ultimate VS Original)

Anyway, MS released Ultimate Edition for Xbox One in August of 2015. The PC version came out recently in 2016. There were reports of the game not running well on release. I wouldn't know about that because I picked it up more recently. Also people complain that the game only runs in Windows 10 and can only be bought through the Microsoft Online Store.

If you're wearing a tinfoil had and cursing Windows 10 for trying to spy on you and sell your data , just read this because I don't want to do a write-up about it. Read This

MS is offering Windows 10 free to anyone with a valid windows 7 or 8 Key. I suggest taking them up on the offer since its their most solid OS so far and really runs fast.

Back to the game. The Ultimate Edition has enhanced graphics (uses Direct X 12) and has the extra mission from the original PC version. The game also features the same terrible AI that the original had. During the campaign in act 1 there is a section where you break off to either the left or right and I chose left. So me and Carmine went that way while Dom and Ming went right. On my path I had a Troika blocking me so I had to wait for the AI buddies to flank and take out the gunner. They refused to though. They stood in the room beside the gunner and wouldn't do anything. I went to check on Carmine and he was a few rooms back in a doorway spinning.

So I had to reload and choose the right path. The campaign also doesn't seem to run as smooth as the multiplayer. Campaign seems stuck at 30 Frames Per Second while MP feels like a much smoother 60. I hope that gets fixed. Also campaign has texture issues. Some don't seem to fully load , so some textures will look great and others will look terrible.

Movement is the exact same. You are pretty much moving your stiff tank around the levels by roadie running and wall bouncing. Its not very fluid but its just like you remember and once you get used to it its second nature.

The sound effects seem a bit weak to me. Especially the shotgun blast sound effect. Also the chainsaw rev is so weak sometimes I cant tell if its revving or not.

The cutscenes have been redone and look great. They also changed up the look of a couple characters. Most notable are Hoffman and Anya. As for how the game runs... I run it on high settings and I'm using a GTX 660 Ti and on those settings it runs great. I can't turn it up to Ultra settings though but I will be upgrading to a 970 or 980 to keep up with newer games.

On High though, the game runs smooth and I haven't noticed any stuttering or slowdown.

Multiplayer is fun. It felt great to jump back in to Gears 1 MP. As I said the MP runs really smooth and is back to the 4 on 4 gameplay. It also has more characters than the original game did. This one features characters from Gears 3 and because of the addition , you will miss characters that didn't get added. Like Kai and Bernie.

You do get to play as Anya and Jace and even thrashball Cole and thrashball locust. There are also a variety of gun skins to use. Most characters are unlocked from the start but others are unlocked by leveling up.

Unfortunately I have only been able to play one game type. Team Deathmatch. No other modes seem to have players in them which is a shame.

If you love Gears of War and want to play gears 1 style multiplayer again with added bonuses then you wont really go wrong with the low player base exception.

If you have been there and done that and don't care for playing the campaign again and or aren't a big fan of the multiplayer, then pass on this game completely There isn't enough new content to make this game feel fresh. I personally enjoy both aspects and also wanted to support the game in hopes of seeing a Gears of War 4 PC release.

To end things off here is some multiplayer video and the first ten minutes of campaign from both ultimate and original.

Hunted: The Demon's Forge

Yes, this game came out in 2011 but I personally love going back and playing older games because there are lots of hidden gems out there. This game definitely flew under the radar for most people because it wasn't a triple A title. The game also store some game play mechanics from Gears of War like the Roadie Run, the movement and cover mechanic.

Does that really matter? No, because the game is fun and isn't a Gears clone. To me, it's two types of games in one depending on which character you choose to play as. Hunted has two main characters to play as: Caddoc, who uses a sword and shield to hack and slash his way through the game, and E'lara, an elf who uses a bow and arrow to stay back and snipe enemies from a distance while Caddoc acts as the tank.

Which each character specializes in different weapons, they can still use the other weapon though not nearly as well. For example, Caddoc can switch to a crossbow if you want to take out enemies out of reach, or to shoot objects that will trigger the finding of a secret area. He cant however upgrade to better ranged weapons. E'lara can switch to a sword and shield when enemies get too close , but she isn't a heavy hitter so she needs to deal with an enemy fast then get back to a distance to start sniping again.

Both characters can also use magic. E'lara upgrade to use magical arrows. Some that freeze opponents and arrows that break enemy armour. Caddoc has magic that can do area effects to hurt enemies. They both also have spells like fireballs and electric bolts. If you hold down certain spells though, you will hit your ally with the magic and make them stronger for a short time.

There are lots of weapons for each character to upgrade to. Weapons get stronger stats and some even also have a magical damage boost that only lasts a certain amount of strikes. You can also pick up stronger more durable shields and even better pieces of armour.

The two characters have some pretty entertaining banter throughout the game. At one point I sprinted too long as Caddoc and he stopped and said "I need to rest for a minute" E'lara chimed in calling him old and telling him to keep moving, though I don't remember how she said it she made it pretty funny.

There are lots of secret areas and special weapons to find in the game if you do a bit of exploring and puzzle solving. Mostly though the levels are pretty linear.

Graphically the game looks good. Not great, but good. enemies come in a good variety and while you fight the same bosses over and over, they can be fun to take on. Gold in the game that you pick up only serve to unlock items in the Forge, where you can design your own stages.

This game was published by Bethesda but developed by InXile. The game had 4 different DLC packs and each one could only be obtained by buying the game from 4 different retailers. This is a terrible move that other games have done in the past. I recall that Gears of War 3 did the same thing. As for Hunted, the DLC was also tied to your save game and was activated by signing into your GameSpy account. The problem other than having to buy the game 4 times for all the DLC, is that if you lose your save game you also lose your DLC. And now that GameSpy is no more, you cant redeem the DLC anymore.

Luckily, people have put out save game files for everyone to download that have all the DLC. Good thing too other wise that DLC would be lost forever. For those who want to play the game with the DLC here is a link to the download.

http://www.mediafire.com/download/hv8npv9644h2ejc/Hunted+4+DLCs+save+%28v1.0%29..rar

If you want the DLC but want to start fresh make sure you select save slot 2 and start a new game.

The DLC is a couple new weapons, some new armour and two character skins to replace Caddoc and E'lara. The Seraphine skin is cool to use IMO because you get to be the mysterious character that is played by Xena herself Lucy Lawless.

There are 4 different endings for the game. Two for each character. The good ending and the bad ending. It is defintely worthwile to play through thei game multiple times. You get better and better gear going through the game again, and its fun to do one playthrough fully as each character even though you can switch between the two at certain spots throughout the game.

I would suggest playing this game as its really fun for a hack and slash/sniping game. I know it wont get a sequel but I would welcome one and buy it if they fixed issues like the tanklike controls, the few glitches that keep you from progressing and little graphical glitches here and there.

(Combat bloodies up the characters with enemy blood)

I never got to try this game in co op mode unfortunately but maybe ill try it with the new NVIDIA experience beta share feature. Anyway, as you can tell I really like this game and if your not a triple A game snob you might like this one as well.

The Witcher 2

The Witcher 2

The Witcher was a game that took me a couple tried to get into. It had a fighting system that took getting used to and not using the right enhancements and oils before a fight could make some fights near impossible to beat. Once I figured out the game though I absolutely loved it. I took time to look for crafting materials to make better blade coatings, to make better armour and potions.

The Witcher 2 changed the fighting system for the better I think. Instead of clicking the mouse then waiting for the prompt to click again to complete combos, you have a light attack and a heavy attack. You can block and parry as well. Another button will use one of your spells and another button will throw whatever other object you have selected.

You can easily switch between spells and throwable objects by holding the control button. Time will slow down while you select which spell to use and whether to use throwable daggers, bombs or drop a trap. Its pretty easy to use overall.

Like the first game, if you don't take time to do side quests to level up and upgrade your character, and if you don't take time to get better crafting materials to have people craft better amour and weapons for you then you will find lots of the battles pretty tough.

There are lots of returning characters and plenty of new ones to help flesh out the story and to tag along with Geralt to help him recover his memory. There is a part in the game where you are to make a decision about which direction to take in the story. I chose the path of following after Triss because to me it seemed more appropriate for the story, however I made a save before the option so I can go back and play through the section I miss for making the other choice.

In this game, Geralt is on the trail of a Kingslayer to clear his name after people accuse him of killing the King he failed to protect early in the game. Like the first game there are politics, personal relationships, side quests and lots of monster slaying.

The graphics have taken a nice upgrade as everything has great detail from castle walls, to the water, sky and characters. The different weapons you use like the steel sword and the silver swords as well as the different armours all have different and distinct looks to them.

Another thing the game has going for it is choice. There are many times where you choose how to solve an issue. Will you kill a troll that is causing trouble for the town or will you listen to people who sympathize with it and help the troll out so that he goes back to maintaining his bridge?

Will you side with the elves or with the humans? Will you kill the kingslayer or let him go on his way because you understand his reasons for what he did?

You get lots of choice in this game and you really can play it how you want. If you're wondering if you should play this game before starting The Witcher 3, I would personally say "yes" you should. I would even recommend playing through the first game as well because you will get a greater sense of the characters and the world that you are spending all this time in. Its very immersive.

CD Project Red delivered a great sequel, and they even delivered another enhanced edition for free, and its a game you can pick up on sale frequently for $5 or less. I'm looking forward to using my Witcher 2 save game and starting the Witcher 3.

Doom (4)

So, the Doom beta came out today on steam. I think the game had an alpha at some point but I never knew about it. I saw that my steam library had the Doom beta so I downloaded it. The trailers for the game looked amazing. Awesome graphics, with cool gore and it looked to me like classic Doom gameplay mixed with today's graphics.

I thought I would play for about an hour, but I think I ended up playing for 3 or so.... It was pretty addictive. The beta has 2 maps, and a bunch of customizations to unlock for your space marine with different helmets, and other pieces of armour. You can also get different patterns and colours for it as well.

There are unlockable custom loadout slots and weapons to unlock though you can only take two weapons into battle with you at a time unlike the old Doom and even Doom 3, where you could carry the game's whole arsenal in some magic pocket and switch between them all on the fly. The weapons can also be visually customized with different patters and colours as well as with a slider to adjust the amount of rust and wear on the gun. Those features are actually pretty cool and you can come up with some neat looking sets.

I only played Team Deathmatch but there were 3 modes total. TDM is just like in any other FPS game, but its a good jumping in point to get a good feel for the game. The game doesn't have regenerating health, so you will need to find health and armour pickups on the map to stay alive and you will need to pick up ammo boxes so that you don't find yourself against a group of enemies and nothing to shoot at them. Though you could resort to the melee attack, but unless your enemy is near death, it wont do much.

If you catch an opened at 10 percent or less health and perform a melee attack on them, you will perform a "glory" kill which is a small animation of you doing a cool finishing move on your enemy. It's actually pretty neat and very satisfying to pull off.

At some point in the match a power up will show up on the map and the first person to grab it turns into a monster from hell. When you are the monster you are more powerful and can rack up a nice amount of kills for you team. The other team really needs to work together to take you down, and if they do its not that hard to take the monster down because he only has 3 times the amount of health as a regular character. It's a pretty neat gameplay mechanic which spices up a match.

I had a blast playing the beta so far, and look forward to playing more, but I'm wondering if its enough to pay $80 dollars for. Depends on what content comes with the game. If there are lots of maps and a really solid campaign then I will buy it for sure. Also it looks like there will be lots of customization and wont have all the micro-transaction BS that lots of games like Halo 5 and Mass Effect have.

With so many games coming out, and lots of games being disappointing these days I will need to do more research before dropping almost 100 dollars on a game. I'm not into the trend of micro-transactions and season passes and DLC packs. It makes me feel like a slave to rich companies when I end up buying DLC packs for games I already blew a bunch of money on.