Here is what the gang at Gaming Respawn have been playing in the last week!
Stephen Jackson – Chief Editor
There’s three games I have been playing this week and being a huge football fan, you can probably guess what two out of those three are. While the wait for FIFA 16 to release on Thursday, PES 2016 had been taking up my time for the best part of the week. Despite having many issues with it, it’s still a game I have played loads of but just can’t seem to get it to stick for long periods. You can read my PES 2016 review here to read more about my thoughts with it on PC.
However, once that clock struck midnight, it has been all about FIFA 16. I have two careers currently going on, one with my beloved Southampton which for some reason I just can’t get in to and my AFC Bournemouth save where I am attempting and currently succeeding in keeping Bournemouth in the Premier League. Hopefully despite being one of our rivals, I hope they manage to stay in the top flight this season as they like to play an attractive brand of football. Unfortunately, every team in FIFA 16 has the Barcelona Tika Taka style nailed down to a tee on Professional difficulty or above. I spend my time playing in World Class but it does get annoying when all the opposition do is knock it around between the central defends and goalkeeper indefinitely. Hopefully a patch can sort that out!
The other game I have been playing is Grand Ages: Medieval. Grand Ages: Rome was a game I thoroughly enjoyed but anyone expecting a 2015 sequel will be hugely disappointed. Medieval hasn’t quite lived up to my expectations but I am really enjoying it for different reasons. The game plays very similar to other games such as Patrician and Port Royale 3 where it is all about trade and generating money. At times Grand Ages: Medieval can feel a bit dull and lackluster as you sit back waiting for your trade money to roll in but there is something about the beautifully recreated Europe and it’s size which entices you in. It can be slow getting into it but if you can stick it out, there is a fun and enjoyable game there. It’s a shame though that combat seems tacked on despite the game being marketed to us as being able to take over Europe. You have no real command over your soldiers or tactics. You just send them into battle and watch it fight out until they either get defeated or you decide to flee. Or you win. There is always that option too.
Kane Newell – Writer
James Haxell – Writer
This week I started Assassins Creed IV. Now I’m not sure whether I would call myself a fan of the series or not, yes I play them, eventually, but I can’t work out if I actually enjoy it. It’s like that friend you have, where you don’t hate them but you don’t have much to say either, so you’re not opposed to seeing it’s just you’d rather see someone else. Once you’ve played one you’ve pretty much played them all, and they just seem to drag. The games need to be shorter, a sentence not normally associated with games, they rarely offer much for the latter game and the stories are never enthralling since the first, even that was predictable. During the play through I tend to do some of the side quests but around half way through I start to get bored, then by the end I’m praying to anyone and everyone that I’m nearly finished. It’s just there is only so much they can change with each instalment so you constantly get deja vu while you are playing. Oh look I need to assassinate that guy. Let’s climb buildings, take out some of the guards, fail at stealth, have a sword fight, where there’ a clown car parked around the corner making an endless line of soldiers, then repeat every other mission. Now granted this one has pirates and ships, which is great, but it’s still the same game as all the others. Sailing can get boring quick with some customisation available for your ship but not as much as there could. My tactic to not get bored with this one is the same as removing plasters, quick and painful, I mean painless.
During the week I also foolishly agreed to help my friend 201% Crash Bash, I assume they chose to have this awkward number because they are sadists towards people with OCD. This is a game that he has never been able fully complete after many attempts with multiple friends. I felt this was a challenge I couldn’t turn down and though I may wish to gouge my eyes out we shall succeed in this quest. Before we started we had a moments silence for all his failed friends who stopped before they were taken to a mental asylum, my room is being booked as I speak. Now for those lucky enough to not know what the game is, it is a Crash Bandicoot party game, which is fun to play once in a blue moon. However, when you try to complete its story mode, it is a cruel and unforgiving mistress. Dot Dash alone gives me daily nightmares and constantly makes me regret ever accompanying my friend on his foolish task. But still we only have 8 platinum relics left and I have two controllers left to break. After the game is finally over I shall give it a Viking burial or smash it with a mallet, depending on my archery skills.
Jesse Marsella – Writer
Want to start the Holiday season way earlier than it ever needs to be celebrated? Is going out to picking up a Christmas tree and having to spend all that time decorating it too much work? Don’t you just want to find that one simple and quick way to get in the holiday spirit before everyone else? Well now you can with Christmas tree paladin in Hearthstone! Just stall for 6 turns then watch your Uther themed Christmas tree light up! So in case your out of the Hearthstone loop I’ve been playing a lot of “secret paladin” and winning a whole lot too. I actually went from rank 18 to rank 10 in a few hours while only loosing two times during that stretch. Besides Hearthstone I’ve squeezed a little time out to play some Madden on my current franchise mode where me and Jaguars still suck, but that’s a long term project especially in the offseason. I really wan’t to snag a good runningback to balance out the offense but T.J. Yeldon looks good in real life so maybe a roster update can make him a good feature back in the future. I really want Ryan Mathews on the Eagles if I can snag him at a good price because Demarco is lighting it up in Madden 16.