Warcraft 3

Source

The Game:
An ever popular RTS (real time strategy) made by Blizzard the people who made such popular games like Hearthstone, Rock’n’roll Racing, The Lost Vikings, and you know WORLD OF WARCRAFT.

Story  10
The story of this game is absolutely fantastic i played through the entire story recently and you go step by step seeing the story from many different perspectives sometimes you play as the good guys sometimes you play as the bad guys. It all works together so well and the climax is so weighty and powerful ( a 45 minute timer an indestructible demon tearing through the map with progressively stronger and stronger armies with your goal to slow him down so that he doesn't destroy the world tree before the trap to send him back to the twisting nether is set you cannot kill him you can not stop him all you can do is build an army to give their lives to save the world).

Gameplay: 8

It plays smoothly for the most part some pathing errors where a unit will walk back and forth infinitely until you make them stop, a few gripes and nitpicks with there being so many different things and only 10 hotkeys to bind them too. You have to play fast your APM (actions per minute) has to be high to survive the campaign even on normal difficulty and on hard you better be ready more enemies and they all have more health and do more damage making the final mission above nearly impossible without breaking it in some way but it’s still tons of fun.
The Look 7
It has it’s own style that has aged decently well there are some things that have been much improved nowadays but it holds up and is easily playable.
The Universe 9
This is like the true start of Warcraft lore everything that happens in this game is mentioned in WoW so it’s serious it’s well written and dramatic and if you just watched gameplay without the HUD (Heads Up Display) it would be like a Warcraft movie.

Soundtrack 7
It’s all background music and it all fits there is seriously 3 hours of music for this game which is pretty good for 2002 some songs like Doom over <---there can really set apart an epic moment and make it way more memorable like seriously just put this song on and make a sandwich it will be the most dramatic sandwich you have ever made.

Overall 9

If you like RTS you have probably already played this game and if you haven't well what's wrong with you. This game came out in 2002 the expansion in 2004 and there are still people playing the multiplayer what does that say about the game it says its great. The story is beautiful the lore it creates wondrous the gameplay smooth and the graphics dated but stylized. Blizzard certainly made a gem that I plan on playing through to completion at least once a year every year.

All in all i highly recommend this game if it seems like a game for you here is a link to go and buy it for just $10 (as i post this) now that is a deal. Pay another 10 and get the expansion which is great.

Next week we are going into indie games and some hidden gems. With

Post

Apocalyptic
Mayhem

Source

Xcom Long War

Source ( http://www.nexusmods.com/xcom/mods/88/? )

The Game:
The game is technically X-com Enemy Within but this mod made by JohnnyLump and Aminer is only that at a glance but looking into it there is so much more this is the definitive way to play x-com.

Story 9.7

The story is exactly the same as in Enemy Within just longer and more difficult as explained below.

Gameplay: 10

Everything you do matters this version requires much more tactic and strategy aliens do more damage have more health come in larger groups and have their own research they do to become more powerful as the game progresses if you dont stop them. squads are larger taking in even more soldiers, 8 classes adding even more variety and strategies to choose from, 8 mech classes bringing everyones favorite mechs into so many new flavors. Psionics were overhauled making them much stronger but at a cost causing the unit to stay out of the fight for days after using a psi power. Injuries that before would keep a unit out for a week now last a month making armor, cover, and luck the 3 most important things in combat. New grenades available from the very beginning with a class that focuses on throwing them further and more often. Even more second wave options like the not so long war that makes the game last as long as before but with all of these sweeeeet gameplay overhauls. This mod is brutal though it removes the easy difficulty. To give you an idea of how much is changed and how much more difficult it is here is a quote from the faq

Q: I'm fairly new to XCom. What difficulty should I start with?

A: Normal.

Q: I'm an XCOM veteran. What difficulty should I start with?

A: Normal.

Q: But I'm really awesome at --

A: Sorry to interrupt, but just start with Normal. We don't have easy difficulties in this mod that hold your hand while you learn the ropes and we've removed every bit of code we can find that cheats for the player on the lower difficulties. It's going to be hard. The other difficulties are just harder versions of Normal; feel free to move up when you get a handle on all the new mechanics.

and this thing is not joking after all of my X-com this month I can’t beat the game on classic difficulty and that’s playing smart and efficiently but its so much fun I just can’t stop I just realized I typed all of this and it still barely scratches the surface like here go here click this go download the mod if you own the game right now.

The Look 6
Nothing really changed there are more customization options ummmm did you see the gameplay section i hear it’s the focus of this mod.
The Universe  7.5
Slightly improved with the idea that the aliens now research as well making it an arms race.

Soundtrack 8
Exactly the same just go listen to BTL Burn from Shadowrun again. (It's still great trust me)
Overall 9.5
Seriously this is the best way to play X-com it’s so much fun it’s got options for everyone from hyper realism with everyone having different randomized stats and countries giving varying amounts of dosh, all the way to everyone has the same stats and combat goes much faster in an almost arcadey style. So many more ways to play team sizes so large allowing for huge battles previously unavailable in X-com, the enemy researching prevents the game from becoming a victory lap. This is the reason I call rookies red shirts because this mod is brutal but the difficulty will make it so much better with the stories you create. Maybe the teams assault charged in and shotgunned a xeno to bits but another unseen alien walks around the corner instantly killing him do not pass go do not collect 200 medkits he’s dead. your grenadier a close friend of the assault stumbles forward limping before throwing 2 frag grenades in a row at the thing turning it to mush in the name of his lost friend. That was the third mission the third mission normally something this awesome doesnt happen until 5 hours in but i barley played for an hour before this happened. I love it i’m going to go play more literally buy X-com Enemy Within for this mod!

Alright the question is what are we going to review next week after this X-com Xtravaganza

Source ( logos.wikia.com )

X-Com Enemy Within

The Game:
X-Com Enemy Within is a Tactical Rpg and probably THE BEST ONE EVER seriously I didn’t think Firaxis could do much better but they did.

Story 9.7

Second verse same as the first except you know with more abilities missions equipment and mechs look at that thing that’s just not fair its so much fun. However they did add one more pain in the neck and that’s Exalt a terrorist group that works with the aliens stealing your research money and equipment and forcing you to find them meanwhile they get progressively stronger until they are your equal.

Gameplay: 9.5

Gameplay didn’t change much you have to trade out some old tactics for new ones but the only thing it really brought to the table that was new were MECHS FLAMETHROWERS AND EMP’S but seriously it plays beautifully. 

The Look: 6
Unfortunately nothing new here it’s exactly the same there is no noticeable touch up’s.

The Universe 7.5
Same as before but with this added terrorist organization that really has no motive no backstory and no real conclusion actually dragging it down for me a little bit.

Soundtrack 8
More Ost Better Quality Ost adsgjasfjjasd.

Overall 9.3

A much better experience for fighting off dangerous alien xenomorphs although some xeno’s are too difficult to kill even with excessive use of fire.No I don't have a problem i just enjoy purging the alien scum with excessive force and many incendiarys. The Mechs really add so much more to the game as they have more health and do more damage but can not take cover at all making it a better game. The new tactics added in and the meld mechanic creating a rush mechanic to stop the slow crawl. The achievements are things I can brag about getting rather than kill 5 aliens all time, and the stories i’ve made with my group of friends are pretty amazing.

X-com Enemy Unknown

(sorry for this one being short had some issues with my PC)

The Game

X-com Enemy Unknown is the GREATEST TACTICAL RPG EVER well at least the first  greatest tactical rpg ever. It plays from birds eye view and was created by none other than Firaxis Games you know the guys that accidentally made this man into hell incarnate on the battlefield.

Story 9.5 The games story is simple aliens attacked earth and the countries of the United Nations formed together to create the X-com( eXtraterrestrial COMbat unit) program to battle the alien threat and defend earth. It gets only a little more convoluted in act 2 and overall the story’s basic and doesn’t pull any punches. However the stories you make for yourself are so amazing. The rookie who you named after your best friend survives a battle mortally wounded and soon to die but he barely survives and lives to fight another day getting equipped with nothing but the best in technology and goes on to win the war for humanity.

Gameplay: 9

It plays beautifully requiring a fair bit of tactic and skill to get through it. You start off with about 20 soldiers and four of them are on the first mission they are all rookies who from this point on are known only as red shirts you fight some easy aliens who from this point on are known as skrubs and you clean them up. Congratulations all of the red shirts were promoted you now name them after friends, tv characters, or just stick with the random generated name set to match their native country.

The Look 6
I’m going to be honest it looks alright its slightly stylized and I like it. However this game has some bad visual glitches that can really unimmerse  you and that's too bad because it really is very immersive.

The Universe 8
Backstory our world. Done really that’s about it weapons are very representative of modern day gear however there are some things different the world is more unified. Oh and there are aliens invading earth that too.

Soundtrack 7
The soundtrack isn’t that long 48 minutes total. It is however pretty amazing it really gives you that outworldy feel while your’e tagging and bagging alien scum.

Overall 9
I love games that let you make your own stories and this is the king of them. With a game combining tactic on and off the battlefield and very very difficult choices almost every mission can be categorized as one of three types. A cake walk where you go through shoot the aliens and award medals of honor. A challenge where you will need to use cover appropriately to make sure all of your troops get out alive. Or a suicide mission where you are lucky for even a single soldier to get out alive but if you don’t complete the mission you will lose a country. Overall it is an amazing game with solid core gameplay great visuals albeit a bit glitchy visuals and actual decision making. A solid 9 out of 10. Would and should play again but on too next week X-com Enemy Within.

Source