Hearthstone

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The Game:
Hearthstone Heroes of Warcraft is a ccg (collectible card game). It plays just like a tcg (trading card game) with the exception of being unable to trade. The game is made by none other than Blizzard Entertainment you know the guys that made that game ----------------------------------->


Story: Not Applicable
Its a ccg no real story a bunch of WoW characters all bought tons of cards after retiring from adventuring and know play it peacefully with other factions. I would just rate it 4 out of 10 but I don’t think it really applies so it is Not Applicable

Gameplay: 9 (addictive)

It is tons of fun this whole week I was only able to pull myself away twice one was to play that surprise review game linked here, and the other was to write this review. It’s not for everyone but it’s free to play for real this time sure you can pay to buy packs just like with real life trading card games. However unlike real life trading card games you can also earn free packs each pack is 100 gold price you get 10 gold every 3 wins ( They dont have to be 3 in a row just 3) and you get between 40-60 gold for logging in to play your daily quest (Which normally in and of itself requires 3 wins with a type of deck making the net gold 50-70) and that is every day so after just 2 days you can get a new pack and that is pretty fast all things considered. I give the gameplay an addictive 9 (Video from TotalBiscuit subscribe to him here)

The Look: 7
It is very stylized with the Warcraft look and actually looks really good the animations are better than expected for a card game and every board has a unique look to go with it. Overall i would give the look a solid 7.

The Universe: 4
It uses the Warcraft universe which is incredibly well developed however it is unrepresented in the game itself so I can’t give it anything more than a 4

Soundtrack: 6
The opening theme is pretty great but it starts looping. The song while you are matchmaking is pretty good but generally goes unnoticed. The soundtrack has 8 different tracks that fit the theme but could be much better. All in all i give it a 6

Overall 8.5
This is probably one of the two times I will say this on this blog but the lack of story really doesn't hold this game back It’s still great fun and I love it in fact I will probably play more as soon as i’m done with this review. Overall with the addictive gameplay the stylized universe fitting music and non scummy business tactics, I give Hearthstone a 8.5 out of 10
Next Weeks many many X-com's

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Double Action Boogaloo

The Game:
Double Action Boogaloo is a third person or first person shooter made by Double Action Factory as a free to play mod for Half Life 2 that tries to give you the feeling of being in an action movie.

Story: Not Applicable
There is none so for situations like this where the game contains no story I will simply put.

Gameplay: 9

Oh my god it’s so much fun you pick a gun and a class (shotgun reflexes is the best) and then you spawn in and are probably immediately being shot at it goes so fast and suddenly you are dead. You respawn taking the same equipment and as you spawn in you backflip then kick off a wall diving towards the enemy and activating your slowmotion before pulling the trigger of your shotgun for huge style points and a neutralized enemy. Someone then jumps from wall to wall and lights you up with a sub-machine gun. Its so ridiculous and so much fun. Creative and well executed great 9 out of 10

The Look: 5
It doesn't look great by any means there are texture errors if you play as eightball and switch into first person as the sleeves don’t match his jacket but hey its indie. Only a 5 out of 10

The Universe: 6
There is actually some universe here and that is stereotypical action movie there is an office building with a few dead people and a dial tone as if the calm after the storm. 6 out of 10 not much but its something

Soundtrack: 3
There isn't much of one which is a bit of a disappointment however put on your favorite music in the background and go to town and you’ll be fine however i still have to fault it. 3 out of 10 for what is there.

Overall: 9
This is such a great game this is one of the only two times where the lack of story doesn't matter. however let me describe my overall with a story from my experiences. ahem. I spawned in (shotgun reflexes master race) it was on the rooftops map so i spawn on a rooftop (duh) I immediately jump as another shotgunner attempts to kill me I dive towards the edge of the building spin 180 degrees grab the ledge then pull myself up jump and dive towards him firing at him as he fires back. He drops first I land looking for the next target I spot one and run towards him he jumps at me i jump to the side on instinct accidently jumping off the roof the other player dives after me. We are both falling I fire every shell from my shotgun injuring him but he’s still coming after me I throw my gun at him and slow my descent triggering slow mo and fist fighting him in the air killing him just before hitting the ground. I then respawned and had another fight. seriously that all happened and the best part is its free to play.

Shadowrun Returns

source ( http://wall.alphacoders.com/by_sub_category.php?id=178767 )

Shadowrun Returns: Personally one of my favorite tactical rpg’s and the best tabletop to game adaptation around. This review will be based on the pc game only in a nice unmodded fresh hard mode save. It is a cyberpunk sci-fi tactical rpg made by Hairbrained studios. It is played in simple turns of the player characters (henceforth pc’s) followed by the non player characters (npc’s) the camera is at about a 60 degree angle as you can see from the game play here.

Story: 7

You start off without money and as a shadowrunner jobs are infrequent but high paying. A single job can get you rent money for 6 months. However a single job can cost you your life you are a shadowrunner you are paid serious nuyen to enact vigilante justice upon the mega corporations or nearest street gang. You wake up and walk around your house check your bank account and see that you only have enough money to last you through the week. You need a job you notice a message on your computer to kickstart the plot a job with a huge payout all you have to do is find the man who ( Murdered your best friend ). This kicks off a whole thing one thing leads to another and then, i'm not kidding when i type this ( You fight immortal bugs from the 4th dimmension). If that sounds ridiculous I cover that later. It’s solid but just kind of ends with very little impact for some reason the climax just wasn’t as powerful as the first arc. All in all I give it a solid 7

Gameplay: 9
Outside of combat you click to walk around, talk to people, and further investigate and/or pick up items on the ground it works well and the animations are fairly smooth. In combat you go by turns first your team then the enemy. Each ally has a certain number of actions used to move around cast spells fire a gun use an item anything. You move all of your team around and into cover lay down some suppressing fire get the decker to hack their systems all that and then pass turn. The enemy then throws whatever its got at that tactic you have built so get ready it’s going to be a bumpy ride, and it goes back and forth until one team stops breathing. Simple but fantastic it’s great tactical gameplay reminds me somewhat of X-com which is another great game for another time. The character levelling system was SOLID and smoooooooth the only time it gave me a hard time was a major fight later on felt a little stacked and I barely made it through but i think that was the desired effect. Game play is definitely this games strongest point. All in all this has got it down earning a amazing 9.

The Look: 5-6

It’s no masterpiece but for an indy dev funded from kickstarter its pretty decent the equipment look makes up for the sub-par character models. This is the games weakest point. All in all I can only really give this a number straddling 5 and 6.

The Universe:8

source ( http://www.shadowrun.com/ )

Alright Shadowrun has a lot of universe it’s based off of a Tabletop rpg much like Dungeons and Dragons but it went the complete other direction jumping into the future and giving us all of this cool tech. The spoiler in the top actually comes from source material of the original and just in general it is spot on to the general universe of Shadowrun. It leaves a little to be desired but it’s still very detailed. All in all I give it a powerful 8

The Soundtrack: 7

I have been listening to the OST (original sound track) this entire time and let me tell you it is great. It really matches the feeling of the game and a few of my personal favorites are Return of the Sixth World, and BTL (better than life) burn. and they both deserve a listen. It’s a bit weak at points but it’s a good loop and i can put it on in the background and just continue my day with a good flavor of cyberpunk to back me up. All in all I give it a solid 7

Overall: 8

It’s a great game if you like cyberpunk, or a tactical RPG I highly recommend picking this game up. Even if it’s not your flavor it’s a great game and should pick it up in a heartbeat if you ever see it go on sale. (link to purchase the game http://store.steampowered.com/app/234650/  )





Next Week:

Greetings

Hello everybody this is Yamuu I will be coming onto the blogging scene with game reviews. The plan is to post 1 review every week however if another game takes up enough of my free time I will post more than 1 review for that week. The standard reviews will be showing up every Saturday I am primarily a PC gamer (PC master race amIright) so most if not all reviews will be based on the PC version of the game. The first game I will be reviewing is a game that i think did not get enough attention. Shadowrun Returns this Saturday.

(Source: http://harebrained-schemes.com/shadowrun/backer-images/ )