Far Cry 3 (Xbox 360) Early Impressions

Yes, Far Cry 3 came out a few years ago, and since that time I've heard a lot of good things about.  It sounded fun, but I kept putting off getting the game.  I recently got it for cheap and tried it out.

You know what?  I'm liking it.  The story is pretty interesting so far, but I know it doesn't get as cool as it could have.  The missions aren't too hard yet, and there seems to be a good amount of them.  In general, there is a lot of stuff you can do based solely on the map in the game.  Similar to Assassin's Creed, there are tower-like areas that show you chunks of the map.  They have some challenges scattered around that give extra experience or items.  It also marks the different areas that animals roam so you can hunt them.

You could hunt for extra money, but the real use of the animal pelts is for crafting.  All the upgrades that allow you to carry more things (items, weapons, ammo, etc.) are made from this menu.  It's pretty cool, but can be a pain to carry around all the pelts in case you need them.  Probably my second highest complaint is that the inventory system seems small.  Items don't really stack, so if you grab a lot of stuff (like me), you eat up a lot of space with stuff you will use in the future.  It's not a deal-killer, but kind of annoying.

My biggest complaint is fighting animals.  Using guns and stealth kills works wonderfully when against other human opponents, but small animals that run up to you and bite...not so much.  It's less a problem with the game than it is very annoying.  Plus, if you snipe an animal, they are pretty good about running up to fight you.  So I'm supposed to believe that animals can trace the shot?  That's nigh impossible, but whatever, video game stuff.

Far Cry 3 is definitely a game I like so far, and will come back to when I have the time.  It could easily keep me occupied with the variety of missions and things offered.  The level up system is neat, with three skill trees full of skills.  Gunning non-animal enemies is fun.  The water is a bit scary, since I'm like that, and the sharks don't make it any friendlier.  It reminds me a lot of Dying Light, which is a good thing.  Playing the game reminds me that I need to play more Blood Dragon as well.

Samurai Warriors Chronicles 3 (PS Vita) Review

Samurai Warriors Chronicles 3 marks the Chronicles series' first foray onto the Vita.  While there have been other Warriors games on the great handheld system, the Chronicles series has a few key differences to set it apart.

You will primarily play as your own created character.  While this is possible in other Warriors games, namely the Empires series, this time the created warrior is the main character.  You will follow their journey through the Sengoku time period and work for different factions as you do your part to unite feudal Japan.  There is a fair bit of fiction here, since the person you created didn't exist, but it is a good way to experience the timeline and get a feel for when things happened.  While I like the more focused character or faction stories, I have wanted one that just went through the whole history, so it is easier to grasp the chronological order of events.

Granted, this one doesn't go through everything, but it also includes some theoretical plot lines, which I enjoyed in one of the recent Dynasty Warriors games.  Before and after each battle there are some scenes, which may allow you to increase your friendship with the various officers.  There are also many extra scenes that either give you an opportunity to raise friendship, or open up the theoretical battles.  It is possible to ignore most scenes if you are so inclined.  Friendship can be raised at the teahouse, and there is a button on the stage select screen that will filter out the events and leave only the battles.

The other thing that sets it apart is during battle.  Where before you controlled one or two characters, you now control up to four.  Each can be quickly switched between, but there are times where you cannot use some of the characters because of the story.  While it is really nice to have multiple characters to help you complete all the objectives, the game is balanced for this, so the objectives are all over the map.  This can make things much more hectic than I would like.  Most objectives are required to finish the map, but there are a few extras for bonuses.  It can make you scramble, but at least they try to make it worth it.  However, I still wouldn't mind a little less stress in some of the battles.

Besides scrambling around the battlefield, there is another thing that makes the later levels harder.  Often times you are using new characters for a battle, so they start at the default level, which is five.  At first I felt bad about using my higher level create-a-warrior (CAW) to tear through enemies, but towards the end, it was necessary.  If the first time you can use a particular person is later on, and their default level is far below the level of enemies, it makes the battle harder than it should be.  Can you kill the officers?  Yes, but it will take time.  You can still make it through battles, so I shouldn't really complain, but you will likely fail a few missions and have to replay the battle again.  Afterwards, the new characters should unlock, so you can actually raise their levels and buff up their weapons.

The AI in the battles can be really hit or miss.  Half the time they go where they are needed, so it doesn't seem like you have to baby them.  Then, the other half of the time, they just sit around somewhere and don't do much.  Therefore, you do have to baby them and set their destination.  So either you waste time checking them, or run the risk of them not helping, both of which are an inconvenience.

Other than that, battles still function the same as they did in Samurai Warriors 4.  Square is your normal attack and triangle is your awesome hyper attack.  Each has different combo enders if you use the opposite button at different points in the combo.  Hyper attacks are great for mowing down grunts, but are ineffective on lieutenants.  Each character can also use a War Art ability, like restoring health or weakening the enemy's defense.  They function similarly to the strategy cards in the Dynasty Warriors Empires series.  I still like the combat, although the hyper attacks seem to have been weakened somewhat.

Besides the story mode, there is also Challenge Mode.  You pick four characters and start in a castle.  There is a time limit and you are given quests to complete.  If you complete the quest, you get a reward and bonus time.  The idea is to complete as many quests as possible and build up points.  Before time runs out, a character (or multiple depending on the castle chosen) must make it to the exit point.  If you don't, you won't get all of the points you earned.  At least you get to keep some.  Sadly, you don't get experience in this mode, but the points can be used to buy some really good stuff, including the strongest weapons.

The engine is based of of Samurai Warriors 4, but also has some other changes beside the story and character focus.  The weapons have also changed.  It took me a bit to understand and then "get" it, but it is a nice system that I ended up really liking.  You will start with 5 weapons of the lowest tier, one each for fire, ice, thunder, earth and wind (there still is death element, but you don't start with a weapon that has it).  Some of the items you find in the stage are elemental stones that will give experience and stat boosts to weapons of the same element.  At the end of the stage, you choose which participant gets the stone, and it automatically adds the boosts to it.  Once it reaches the max level, you can visit the blacksmith to have it upgraded to the next tier.  If you want, you can assign an element to each character's weapon, or buff up all the weapons of a single character.  It's a very effective way of making sure the weapons level up with your characters, and you can of course put on some skills to help out.

The UI for battles isn't intrusive on the Vita's screen, but the game looks even better on the Playstation TV.  The controller just feels better to me for Samurai Warriors action.  The game still plays fine on the Vita, so no worries there.  Samurai Warriors Chronicles 3 is a lot of fun, but not quite as fun as Samurai Warriors 4.  The hectic four person battles can make it really hard to keep track of everything, but it's still a good game to get your hack and slash fix on to go.  Plus, the new weapon upgrade is really nice once I figured it out and got used to the changes.

Hyperdimension Netunia Re;Birth3: V Generation (PS Vita/PC) Review

What better time to review the recently released Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth3: V Generation then after refreshing myself on the first two on PC?  This game is an enhanced port/remake of Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory that came out a few years ago on the PS3.  It boasts a few new changes to bring it in line with how the series has evolved on the Vita in the last two years.

Like the previous titles in the series, exploration is in a 3D world that you run and jump around in.  Making contact with an enemy starts a fight.  However, the hidden treasures from the previous game are gone.  I'm okay with that.  They were fun, but I always felt obligated to track them down every time I went into a dungeon, and now I don't have that added stress.  In their place, they now have (mostly) invisible blocks.  I found a few at first, but didn't know what they were.  I figured it was something that would be unlocked later, but I was wrong.  If you jump, you can get a few coins and occasionally an item.  It's actually a fun little nod to Super Mario Bros.

Battles are turn based.  Characters can move around in a set radius when their turn comes up.  Your attack range is determined by your equipped weapon or any skill you use.  After your initial attack, you can combo from one of three buttons, each with a different focus.  One is for more hits, another for more attack power, and a third for breaking the guard gauge.  While they all have their uses, I find the attack centered one the best to use in most situations.  A lot of enemies seem to die before their guard is broken, and on the more powerful ones, their guard will break eventually no matter which you use.  It's probably not ideal, but it does get the job done.  The flow of battle is the same as previous entries, but several other battle factors have changed.

For starters, there is an extra combo slot available... although it is gained from a plan, and it seems to be one of each type per person per slot.  Three plans per character, times... yeah, that is a lot of plans.  While it does increase your damage by a chunk, it takes too long to start getting them.  Ex Finishers, which are set at the end of a combo, are now restricted in which slot it can be put.  It's a minor inconvenience, but still worth noting.  These finishers are now based of a character's individual SP level instead of a group meter.  This is more streamlined and I like it.

SP is now 1000 by default, and each 250 is one level.  You gain this SP by attacking, and use it for skills.  This is probably the most significant change in the game, and it makes SP much more user friendly.  Before it was much more like MP, so it was restored when you left the dungeon, leveled up or used an item.  This new system makes it easier to use and replenish, especially in boss battles.  When a slain enemy drops an item, it is shown on the screen by an icon, so you know who dropped the item and even what type of item is was.  I really like the changes to combat, and I hope they stick around for the next iteration of the series.

Plans are again part of the game, and again their reach is expanded.  Besides adding new dungeons, new items and changing enemies, there are some functionality ones.  You can change the battle music, or even one that lets you tilt the characters backwards on the equip screen... so you can peek up their skirts.  Well, not every change is amazing, I guess.  The biggest is that there are now plans that are specific to the character.  Several of these are gained from the Nepedia challenges, which I liked doing for the stat bonuses anyway.  On a side note, I'm glad those have returned.  I missed them!

Stella's Dungeon, probably my favorite addition to the previous game, also returns and also has some changes.  See a pattern here?  Anyway, you now explore Neptral Tower instead of the various dungeons around Gamindustri.  Each area is broken up into 100+ floors of the tower, and you choose what level to explore to, and it shows how long it takes her to explore it.  This happens in real time, whether you are playing or not.  You can get equipment for Stella to make her travels easier, and even some free items for your party.  The other change, besides the location, is that the scout is now changeable.  Instead of Felis, you can use several other random denizens of Gamindustri, all with different skills to help Stella.  This changes make it slightly better, and I still like Stella's Dungeon.

There is some DLC for the game, the best of which is free (as of this review).  There is a bunch of characters available to download from two different packs, and I'd suggest you do so.  They start at level 1, but make it easy to fill out your party and sub-party.  Plus, the oracles from the various lands are more powerful than a character at level 20, so they can help you get through faster.  Yeah, some will shun this, but it's nice if you have already played the original version, and want to get through it faster since you have already done it and there is no way to transfer your save.  Either way, a nice bonus for free.

Supposedly, the story had some changes, but I didn't notice them.  Maybe it's been too long since I played the original, or maybe they are much farther in the game and I didn't get to them yet.  Either way, the other noticeable changes are nice and make the game experience better.  SP is gained from attacking, which makes healers more useful in long boss battles.  Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth3: V Generation is a fun game, but I finally realized one problem I have with the series as a whole.  It is hard to play in small bursts.  I don't always feel like I'm making headway through the game unless I spend a long time playing.  It reminds me of the Elder Scrolls games in that respect, where you can play for a few hours and not feel like you did much of anything.  It's not enough to stop me playing, as the game is pretty fun, but it changes how long I play each session.

[Update 10/30/15: PC version (Steam)]
I played the PC version for a few hours, and it ran really well on my i7-4790, 16GB Ram.  I at first tried to keyboard/mouse, which would have worked better had I mapped the keys.  I'm not sure what the defaults are for that, but I could only get a few things to work.  The buttons it displays are the Xbox 360 controller buttons, which I used after restarting the game.  The controller works beautifully for the game.

Of course it is the best looking version of the game, running in 1080p and with what seems like 60fps.  Other than that it pretty much plays the same as the Vita version.  There are several pieces of DLC available, with the best being the extra characters.  I wouldn't use them (especially Histoire) if you want the most challenge.

I also just found the menu option to tweak the radius of ranged attacks.  I went back to check and it is in the Vita version, too.  The problem is, I can't seem to get it to work.  I'm not sure what they count as a ranged attack, since every one I tried it on did nothing.

The PC version is solid if you want to play the game and didn't have a Vita or would rather play it on your computer.