Recent reviews by 󠀡BartoleosPL

super gra

"He sits on his ♥♥♥ all day, smoking dope and jerking off while he plays that ♥♥♥♥ing game. If that's our standard for goodness... then no wonder this country's screwed." - Michael De Santa

STORY (No Spoilers)
Grand Theft Auto V pits the player into the roles of the three main protagonists: Michael, a married man suffering from a midlife crisis, Franklin, a gangster trying to make a change for himself, and Trevor, who's just a Canadian psychopath. The trio get together and perform all sorts of daring heists and escapades.

The game is action-packed with chases, gang shootouts, and intense heists that get crazier as the game goes on.
When you're not robbing a convenience store or shooting rednecks, you can partake in all sorts of activities. You can walk your dog—Chop, go golfing, play tennis, and even get a lap dance at the strip club (Sorry Roman, there's no bowling)!

GTA ONLINE:

The GTA Online Protagonist can be created according to the taste of the player to customize (gender or appearance). The player will choose a gender, then choose the parents and grandparents of the character to affect his/her appearance. Then, the player chooses how much the character spends his/her daily life; this will create the initial stats for the character and slightly change the appearance.

After you have finished creating your character, you arrive in Los Santos with an open welcome by Lamar Davis (Especially if you're a female). He then has you do a street race with him (and other new players, if available), and shows you to Gerald, a drug runner who'll give you easy jobs to start you off in Los Santos. After you complete this tutorial, you'll join a free roam session with up to 32 other players (Who'll either become your friend or your enemy).

Final Verdict
In retrospect, I give Grand Theft Auto V a 9/10
+ Amazing story
+ Excellent gameplay
+ Fun with friends, and fun without them!
+ Great graphics
+ GTA Editor
+ Heists are fun and replayable for more cash
- Glitches

"Now go! I need to meditate. Or masturbate. Or both." - Trevor Phillips

Creating something unique is becoming a more and more difficult task in the world of smartphone gaming. There are so many games out there, and so many other people making new ones, that your brilliant idea has probably already been built and released.

Equally, the huge swathe of clones and copycats that bloat the App Store make it even more refreshing when something does come along that's that little bit different. Muffin Knight, from Angry Mob Games, is one such breath of fresh air.

As original as it is in the context of the App Store, however, it's important to note that Muffin Knight borrows heavily from Vlambeer's excellent Super Crate Box, which is also coming to iOS this month.

Knights currant

You play a young boy who accidentally scatters a basket of magic muffins to the four corners of a cartoon-style fairytale world. Incensed by your actions, the fairy whose muffins they were turns you into a knight and sends you off on a quest to retrieve the arcane cakes.

This takes the form of jumping around enclosed levels, killing scuttling pigs and other beasts and grabbing the deliciously enhanced buns. The twist is that every time you pick up a muffin you change class. You'll start as the eponymous Knight, but for the first few play throughs you'll swap between a mage, an archer, and a goblin as well.

The characters all have different strengths and weaknesses, and as you play through the game you'll unlock new classes as well.

While the original four are all quite similar ranged fighters, later in the game you'll have rainbow mine-pooping unicorns, fire-breathing dragons, and claw swiping bears at your disposal too.

Confectionery crisis

You unlock new classes when you've picked up enough muffins, but you also gain XP for slaying enemies and gathering the small cakes. You can spend this XP on levelling up your characters, making them quicker and their attacks more potent.

Of course, you're never sure which characters you're going to be in the game, so it's entirely possible to swap straight from a super-powered Knight to a one-starred kitten ninja in one muffin-fuelled swoop.

All in all there are six levels to play through, all of which can be attacked multiple times, and 15 characters to unlock and upgrade. There's a multiplayer mode as well, which lets you connect with other iPhones over a local wi-fi network, to duke it out over who's the muffin-collecting monarch.

Buns of zeal

Muffin Knight looks good, sounds good, and has a great, original idea at its core, but it's not all sweetness and light. The control system isn't perfect, with taps of the on-screen buttons sometimes not registering.

It's pretty difficult as well, though even failure is rewarded with XP, meaning you'll be stronger the next time around. The lack of levels might put some off, but every play through is going to be different because your character changes are allocated entirely at random.

These problems are mere ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, though, and shouldn't dissuade you from playing this hugely enjoyable action-platformer. This is a leaping, blasting, clawing slice of fun that deserves to find a home on as many iOS devices as possible.

Sniper Elite 3 is a third person tactical shooter developed by Rebellion Developments and published by 505 Games. This game was released on PC, PS3, PS4, 360 and Xbox One in June 2014. It is a prequel to Sniper Elite V2 and the third game in the sniper series.

The gameplay in Sniper 3 is based heavily on being slow and steady with your approach to completing objectives, with an also strong focus on sniper gun play much like the previous games. What I really liked about Sniper 3 is that the stealthy approach is pretty much the only viable way to go on most missions otherwise you'll just be pinned down in a firefight and outnumbered. The stealth aspect of the game is done extremely well, you probably will be detected by the enemies whilst taking down the guards, but it is all about cleaning up after yourself by dragging bodies to the long grass, or how you escape and hide away until the enemies give up searching for you. You can use various methods to distract enemies such as throwing rocks and laying traps. Before each level you get to choose your load out, you get the choice of a sniper rifle, a secondary weapon, side arm, and various other items such as grenades, medi-packs and traps. As you level up between stages you also unlock further rewards and items.

Of course, a Sniper game wouldn't be complete without the stunning slow motion graphics of your bullet soaring through the air and them piercing through your foes scrotum, this my friends is the pinnacle of slow motion gaming. Granted after a while you'll be skipping them because they will grow tiresome as they play after every kill with your sniper, but still, this gives you a chance to get some brilliant cinematic screenshots to show off your sniping skills.

Graphically, Sniper Elite 3 is gorgeous, I wasn't able to push out full graphic settings on 4k resolution, but even on the lower resolutions (1080p), it still looks stunning. There is a wide array of setting to choose from which is always good to see. The visuals are amazing though, the night time levels really show of the games truly stunning lighting effects as well. I was a little disappointed to see the lens flare effect being used a bit too much, but everything else is truly stellar.

The game is fully voice acted, with the enemy soldiers speaking in German too, so subtitles are recommended for that. The sound effects really add an extra level of immersion to the gameplay. A nice feature which is added is that you can disguise your bullet shots underneath the sound of loud sounds in game too, which really helps you in your efforts to complete levels as stealthy as possible.

I have to admit, this game is quite difficult, even on the easiest settings; you really do need to take each level with a sense of slow and steady. There is really no point in running in all guns blazing because you will just get gunned down within seconds of being spotted. You will need to backtrack plenty of times in order to escape being detected, you'll be needing to hide in rooms, crawl under buildings, anything which you can imagine you doing in the situation you are in, you can do. The latter levels of the game also ramp up the difficulty significantly as well, as each level slowly introduces more and more enemies for you to deal with.

Each level in Sniper Elite 3 is massive. Each level will have its own main objective, but as you progress and reach new areas of the zone, you'll also unlock optional objectives, which can be things such as destroying some trucks, cutting off communication or something searching for secret plans. These optional objectives reward you with additional experience at the end of the level and also add an extra element of immersion to the game as well. The size of each level really means that you can get stuck in, and explore to your hearts content. There are countless amounts of collectable items for you to find if that is your thing too. Each of the games objectives, whether it be main or optional, will have more than one way of you being able to complete them, which will really add some replay ability to the game on your second run through.

I was a little let down by the fact that I finished the game's single player in about five hours, granted I was playing on the easiest difficulty, but for a big release like this, I was expecting something more to be honest. I can see there being an essence of replay ability due to the nature of the levels being able to be completed in more ways than one, but I would say that there is no real need for playing through the game more than twice at least. There is a multiplayer side to the game, which I tried out, but it seems to be a little on the low side of players, and struggled to actually get into any proper gameplay, because given that it is a sniper based game, most people are camping in well-hidden places just picking people off when they try and complete objectives, for me I didn't really enjoy the multiplayer.

Technically, I had a one major problem with Sniper Elite 3, and that was that the game kept crashing on launching the title, it would reach the title screen, but then just crash to desktop. This actually turned out to be an issue with Malwarebytes closing it, so it would be highly recommended that you add the Sniper Elite 3 folder into the exception settings for Malwarebytes if you run that AV. Granted that it wasn't actually Sniper Elite causing the crash, you would still expect the game to have been tested with various popular AVs like this to see if they caused any compatibility problems.

My conclusion of Sniper Elite 3 would be that I would only recommend the game as a single player title; because the multiplayer just didn't do it for me. Given that the single player side of the game can be completed in almost five hours, the full price tag of £39, 99 is absolutely absurd, and is actually fairly offensive that they can charge that amount of money for such little content. I would only say this game is worth picking up when it is below the £10 mark, yes the gameplay is top class, and the graphics are stunning, but you can pick up any of the other Sniper games for the same experience in both of those departments for cheaper. Actually saying that, it looks like all of the games in this series are expensive. Definitely wait for sale season to start before adding Sniper Elite 3 to your library.

Veterans of the original version of Metro 2033 will notice a change in how the game starts. Before you pick your difficulty, you pick the way you want to play the game. Will you pick Survival, which will require players to conserve ammo, utilize stealth, and pick and choose when to fight or flee? Or will you pick Spartan, which is more akin to the action style of Metro: Last Light? The ability to pick between Survival and Spartan is included in both of the Metro: Redux titles, and each play out very differently. Not wanting to risk compromising the dark thrill of the first time I played Metro 2033, I opted for Survival and though I was also tempted to go with the hardest difficulty available I passed it up for the normal difficulty instead.

So here I was, once more taking that first climb into the outside world. Or rather, first from the gameplay perspective. You see, Metro 2033 actually begins at a climactic moment in the story and then in a flash the main character Artyom retells the story, and as such you relive it from his perspective. That first scene really helps set the stage and the gut wrenching feeling of the troubles that wait ahead. The story remains as superb today as it was in 2010 as it successfully combines the horrors of war with the supernatural and paranormal sprinkled in just enough to add another layer of tension. However with Metro: Last Light showing us what the canon ending is, returning players may feel inclined not to make same the choices for what - at the time - seemed like the "good" ending.

The first thing I noticed other than the graphical enhancements, were the controls. I'm not sure if it is all in my head or if the controls are honestly much more polished than they once were, but I went from a game where I died more often to accidental falls or overextended movements to something that controlled as crisp and precise as other shooters. Firing from the hip was actually a viable option this time around, whereas in the past you'd be lucky to hit the broad side of a barn without aiming down your sights.

Another thing substantially improved is the friendly AI. I cannot express how many times in the original I died because of failures of the AI. In games like Call of Duty, the AI is intentionally made useless so that the player can feel like a hero, but that same thought process doesn't transfer over well if it is one of several parts where you have to fight tooth and nail for survival. In the original game, you'd be lucky if your comrades could even kill a single enemy. Now, they still let you do most of the work but they are actually helpful in situations that would otherwise be frustrating to the point of pulling your hair out.

Hopping back and forth between the games to compare the graphics across all settings, the game looks better across the board. Of course this means that if your current PC struggled with the original version of Metro 2033 you're going to have to sit this one out. Character models and environment textures have been majorly improved, offering an intense, almost real display of a downtrodden society that dwells beneath the surface. In the above-ground segments, however, the appearances of humans takes a slight hit. The beautiful display of life in the tunnels of the Moscow metro was already amazing just a few years ago, but now that beauty has increased tenfold.

While the visuals have been majorly updated and the gameplay itself feels more polished, it seems as if all of the original dialogue audio was left the same. Not that this is a bad thing mind you, but I have a pet peeve when I encounter enemies in the game that are supposed to be of an entirely different nationality using Russian accents as though it's just business as usual. Other than that, the voice work was great then and it's mostly a good decision to have kept it as is.

Metro 2033 Redux has taken the original title and increased the quality to such heights that it was like playing a completely different game. Amazing graphics, refined and tweaked gameplay... it all makes for a much smoother experience. There are no sacrifices of the good of the original but it does successfully eliminate the bad - this is how remakes should be. Whether you have played the original or not, this is a game for anyone seeking atmosphere, story, and FPS gameplay blended into something amazing. Do not miss this experience.

For those that weren't aware of Metro: Last Light its first time around, the game is a direct sequel to Metro 2033, with the plot being set forth by the last moments of 2033. Russia has been decimated by nuclear war, and the only way people were able to survive was to turn the underground metro system into makeshift settlements. Above ground, animals have mutated into horrific beasts, and mysterious psychic beings called the Dark Ones lurk both above ground and below. In Metro 2033: Last Light the monsters aren’t the only danger, as different factions from Neo-Nazis to Commies and beyond are all duking it out for a doomsday device in a civil war for control of Russia’s remains. It’s up to Artyom, the player character, to learn more about the still-mysterious Dark Ones and try to keep relative peace throughout the metro. I really enjoyed the narrative. While the plot itself isn’t terribly original, the world and characters are expanded in the way a good movie sequel grows things not simply for growth’s sake, but to make the player feel even more like they’re in a living, breathing place.
What makes Last Light shine isn’t how many things go boom or how many monsters get pumped full of lead. I mean there’s definitely action, and when it’s there it is satisfying, but where the game series as a whole really succeeded was in creating a palpable atmosphere dense with despair, anxiety, and powerlessness. In some ways Last Light improved on the immersion of Metro 2033 through fully first person cut scenes, expanding the game’s universe, and greatly improved graphics that brought out each spiderweb and puddle of mud.
With the narratives and worlds so tied together it seemed a bit jarring that gameplay took such a sudden change in direction. Thankfully herein lies, in my opinion, the biggest positive about Last Light’s re-release treatment. Now fans of both styles can be happy, as the game lets people choose from the get-go whether they’d like to play the more action-oriented style of the original, or boost up enemy damage and scale back the amount of resources available to play in the style of 2033.
Unfortunately some of the other improvements that Redux boasts end up being largely inconsequential. While graphics technology has improved noticeably since the franchise’s freshman effort in 2010, I really didn’t notice anything looking particularly better in this version than in the Last Light of 2013. I’m sure that if compared side by side there’s probably a few nicer textures and models here and there, but all in all tech just hasn’t developed enough since then to make the visuals a viable reason to upgrade. Don’t, however, confuse that for me being displeased with the way things look. Though the game takes place in underground tunnels and barren wastelands, the game still manages to keep the screen from turning into the brown soup that so many desolate games do.
The art direction helps things too. Everything from the weapons to the underground "buildings" feel ready to fall apart at any moment, and the various people drinking around fires, shopping, and just generally going about their daily lives give the settlements in particular an organic, personable vibe that pull you into the world of Metro that much more. So while none of this is particularly different from the original release to Redux, it’s still pretty darned good.
Whether or not you find Metro: Last Light Redux worth the money is going to depend entirely on what you’re buying it for. If you’re someone who’s never played the game, or if you’re someone like me that liked 2033 but didn’t appreciate the pacing changes the sequel brought, then yes, pull the trigger. The game becomes much more of a survival-horror title with the new available options, and if you’re new you can try both styles and decide for yourself. Otherwise, there’s really no reason to prefer the original over this remastering. The audio visual improvements are modest, and the added content of the DLCs are relatively miniscule. All in all, I myself had a great time with the title, and the Metro franchise is still one nuclear winter I never want to turn to spring.

AT A GLANCE
(Full review follows below)

Game Name: Max Payne 3
Original Release: 2012
Genre Tags: Third-Person Shooter; Atmospheric; Story-Rich; Cinematic; Noir; Adult
My Overall Grade: A+
Estimated Playtime (Campaign): 15-30 hours
Multiplayer Aspect: Auxiliary
Recommended To: Established fans of the genre; Those intrigued by the genre; Fans of the intellectual property; Aesthetes; Strong narrative advocates; Game atmosphere connoisseurs

REVIEW
Max Payne 3 is an outstanding action-shooter that offers a strong narrative and a highly cinematic experience. If you are someone who wants raw action, and doesn’t want to see a lot of cutscenes or kill-cams: then you may not enjoy this. However, if you are someone who enjoys games that play like movies, this is something you must play. In my opinion, Max Payne 3 is one of the best cinematographic-action games ever made and likely will be for a long time.

The first aspect I will highlight in defense of my opinion is the writing and dialogue. Max Payne 3 easily has some of the best writing I have ever encountered in a video game. The overall narrative is interesting and entertaining, but the real beauty of the writing shines through in the dialogue. There are several lines throughout the game that will evoke that inner-thought of: “that was a good one.” And the excellent voice acting ices the cake to ensure the cutscenes have an A-one quality that rivals Hollywood movies.

Besides the main cutscenes that give life to the actual narrative, there are also many other cinematic features woven deep into the gameplay mechanics. You can activate Bullet Time® and Shootdodge™ as you play through the fight scenes in each level; doing so will slow time and allow you to perform elaborate kill sequences. Further, bullet-cams and kill-cams will pop up periodically to show some nasty kills. There are also level-specific “special” kills that will slow time and create cinematic opportunities.

The fight scenes encompass the vast majority of the actual gameplay of Max Payne 3. The game is very linear and generally ushers you from one shootout to the next, with a cutscene in between to show more plot development. There are some secret areas and collectibles, but generally the areas where you are in control are rather small and undeviating. However, this is perfectly aligned with the movielike feel of the game; and the levels are well-designed and diverse, so they never feel boring or plain.

The whole experience is brought together nicely by solid graphics and animations, a high level of attention to detail, and advanced physics and particle effects.

Now, Max Payne 3 is the third installment in the franchise. It is technically a direct sequel, although it feels a bit more like a spiritual successor. You can easily enjoy this game without having played the first two. (Of course, it is still best to learn what happened in the story during the previous games). Also the first two installments in the Max Payne franchise were created by different people than this one. This game does go in a bit of a different direction compared to the earlier installments. For example, it isn’t quite as dark and noir; and also eases a bit on the deep, psychological inner-war concept. These, and other differences, upset some fans of the franchise (as seems to be a common theme in new installments of long-standing franchises). So be aware of this. I personally feel that all three games can be appreciated for what they are.

Arcade-mode, timed-mode, higher difficulties, and achievements all contribute to the possibility of many gameplay hours. There is also a multiplayer mode that is pretty fun. During the time I played, there was a decent amount of people who played regularly; although there were times I couldn’t find a game. I actually liked the multiplayer a lot and played it for dozens of hours, but I will admit that most people will probably find it lackluster.

In summary, I highly recommend Max Payne 3 to anyone who would enjoy a heavily cinematic action-shooter and who would appreciate the amazing writing. It is one of the best “plays-like-a-movie” games ever made. Having said that, I can understand some of you just want action. If you want pure gameplay and/or generally skip cutscenes in games, you definitely should look elsewhere for your next shooter.

Never play this at night or a cloudy day
Never play this alone
Never play this when you have a pet that could potentially jump on you(this one almost killled me)
Never play this with a headphone on
Never play this before, after and while eating
Never play this if you have to go to toliet
Never play this more than 1 hour
Never play this before bed
Never play this on a laptop in bed
Never play this while camping in the woods
Never play this at a friend's house if you have to leave at night
Never play this if you have kids
Never play this on a big screen( less than 21'')
Never play this if you have any mental illness
Never play this under any illness
Never play this under medical condition
Never play this under pregnancy or planning to
Never play this
Never
Ever

But aside from that, great game 10/10

(Full review follows below)

Game Name: Tomb Raider
Original Release: 2013
Genre Tags: Action; Adventure; Atmospheric; Third-Person; Gorgeous Graphics; Story Rich; Cinematic
My Overall Grade: A+
Estimated Playtime (Campaign): 12-18 hours
Multiplayer Aspect: Auxiliary
Recommended To: Established fans of the genre; Those intrigued by the genre; Fans of the intellectual property; Aesthetes; Strong narrative advocates; Game atmosphere connoisseurs

Tomb Raider (2013) is absolutely one of the most enjoyable games I have ever played. The single player campaign mixes in a myriad of well-crafted elements to create what I personally would define as a 10/10 gaming experience. There is also a multiplayer mode, which actually has the potential to be fun; unfortunately it has nearly no community, and many of those who do play: cheat (driving away potential new players). Nevertheless, the game is a total gem for its single player campaign alone. I would recommend this to anyone who likes playing great single-player video games, regardless of their usual preference in genres.

The graphics and animations are absolutely stunning, and the soundscape is enthralling and AAA quality. This is the kind of game that makes it worth having an expensive/powerful GPU. Drawing from the gorgeous graphics and animations, the game is a heavily cinematographic experience. This takes the form of both longer, elaborate cutscenes; as well as short, little camera cuts that are integrated right into the gameplay as you explore. This is all reinforced by an interesting narrative that is well told, with excellent voice acting to back it up. It is the kind of game that definitely feels like an interactive movie.

The gameplay mechanics and the gameplay itself are also a delicious blend of tasty ingredients. There are many interesting and atmospheric areas to explore throughout the game, with various collectibles to find (many of which elaborate on background stories). There are “puzzles” to solve (a la classic Tomb Raider games) and there are secrets to discover. Besides exploring, the combat/action sequences are also quite fun. Headshots, finishers, explosive barrels—all the necessities are there. And as the game progresses you get new weapons and weapon upgrades as well, which spice up the combat scenarios. There are also high adrenaline “escape” scenes, where you are trying to escape a collapsing bridge, or burning building. Mixed into all of this, and again drawing on the cinematographic experience, there is also just the right amount of quick-time-events littered throughout the game.

The game runs on a checkpoint system. I will always prefer manual saving/quick saving in PC games, but the checkpoint system in this is pretty flawless. Collectibles save instantly, so if you die you don’t have to recollect them. Also the checkpoints are extremely common; so if you are learning how to win a fight, you basically always restart right at the part you messed up. There is also a decent fast-travel network, so you can return to gather collectibles at any time (including after beating the campaign).

Lastly, as I alluded to, there is also a multiplayer mode separate from the campaign. I have played it a bit and can honestly say it has the potential to be pretty fun. Unfortunately barely anyone plays it. Although, like most games, it isn’t completely dead; you will be able to find some people on here-and-there. There is a high percentage of cheaters, though— which is also common for low-population multiplayer games. In short, I wouldn’t count on the multiplayer mode adding any value to your overall experience of this game.

So, in summary, Tomb Raider (2013) is an outstanding game, with several great features contributing to the experience. It is an amazing blend of adventure and action with a strong narrative and beautiful aesthetics— a truly “top-shelf” game. I recommend it to all gamers who enjoy great single-player experiences. Even if this style of game isn’t usually in your wheelhouse, this is the kind of game that creates new fans of the genre.

Pros:
Smooth Gameplay
You have to use TeamWork
You can be a zombie and kill other players
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The game is 10/10
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There is only 1 thing about this game that suks.The Community
(BTW this is only with people who think they are playing a ranked match)
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If you don't do what they say YOU'RE KICKED
If you go down YOU'RE KICKED
If you Suggest something YOU'RE KICKED
If you say you are new YOU'RE KICKED
Sometimes They just kick you FOR NO REASON
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I love playing with noobs.You know why?.Because
they are NICE and they will ask for advice while playing
and you can teach them.
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If the community inproves.This will be my best valve game ever :D

Hope you enjoyed reading this review. Good day