مدیر فروشگاهIn general, I have a keyboard. Jack (actually tea). Women (don’t believe it). Computer. List of releases. So I decided that it would be nice to do such small preview reviews, thoughts out loud, how did it go for you at stopgame. "Who are you??» – you ask. I? Yeah, dude who has nothing better to do.“Who needs it?!» No one. Leave a minus, unsubscribe from the channel, scroll further. “Hey, there’s a lot of buffoonery and schoolboy opinions here.”!» Well, that’s it. But I somehow don’t care, because I’m writing for myself. Here.
September 5, 2014. — The Sims 4 (Windows, Mac)
It’s coming out after tomorrow. Yes, yes, so soon. When you go to school, it will be on the shelves. The girls will run to the store. The guys will quietly buy it on Steam, prepare the Alt+Tab combination and hide the game in their profile. Yes, girls, don’t be surprised. These are, of course, “Barbie dolls,” but here’s the thing… Everyone is interested in realizing their fantasies? It’s so cool to make yourself a personal bard who, with his performances in the park, earns more than the last person in government agencies. Or make an honest politician who does not take bribes, no kickbacks and generally help the virtual city of Sims. Or write the super popular book “300 ways to punish Konstantin Trostenyuk for streaming Risen 3 or one terrible rape”. Or make four thieves and give them names from Payday. Well you understand. And despite the fact that we’ve long been tired of implementing real life in The Sims, and running around toilets/going to work/“please feed me”/aging characters, etc., etc. – this has long been more of a hindrance than a benefit. So we hope that the game will have even more features, funny situations and crazy additions. Well, it’s possible to fix the normal life system so that the Sims themselves run to the toilets, go to bed and wake up for work. Otherwise the fans will grumble, which we don’t need.
Conclusion: If you have enough imagination to raise your protégé to be an artist who paints pictures at night and sleeps in a crib outside in the rain during the day, this is definitely your game, no matter how it turns out. If you want to play “doll-barbie-personal-life-simulator”, you should think about whether it’s necessary?
What is this: A life simulator where you are free to lead a character, characters, and maybe even an entire family along the life path that you choose.
September 9, 2014. — Destiny (PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360)
Supposedly an innovative shooter that will make you hang out in “semi-multiplayer” dungeons (grind mobs with partners) for as long as 10 years. It looks beautiful and ambitious, but upon closer examination what we have? Very beautiful, yes. Great design, yeah. But what is it really?? The game that seemed almost sci-fi at E3 now looks like Borderlands. Only there are not so many weapons here, they are not so different, not so beautiful and certainly not so crazy. The same can be said about the opponents – despite interstellar technology, everyone here walks around with rifles, with two legs, two arms and one head, as if they lived not on Mars, but on Earth, they simply immigrated due to problems with their appearance. Almost no one gets involved in hand-to-hand combat, no one spits poisonous acid, and the bosses do not have a universal scale, but look like wimps just like everyone else, only they will have a larger life bar. I’m not even talking about the fairly standard multiplayer (the quality of which I can’t judge, but nothing on a planetary scale) and the very questionable direction (I’m talking about the fact that it wasn’t noticed here).
Conclusion: So what am I talking about? I mean that the authors urgently need to write some kind of cool and atmospheric script, with jaws dropping, and so that you can feel like a hero of planetary proportions, and so that this atmosphere is really felt and pays off all the hours spent in the game. The game has shooter mechanics, and quite good ones, and if we also look at the moon, build a couple of pyramids and destroy small gods, the game will really be cool. But if this doesn’t happen, and the plot is mediocre, and the atmosphere is secondary, then what’s the point of playing?? For the sake of farming monsters? Not very strong motivation. Then everyone will play for two weeks and forget that there was such a thing – Desitiny. So we believe, and don’t make a mistake, gentlemen, developers… We’ll find out everything in 5 days!
What is this: MMORPG with a grind of enemies, two comrades under the arms. A bit of a social part, traditional wall-to-wall multiplayer.
October 7, 2014. –Alien: Isolation (PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC)
I’m not a fan of Alien movies. And horror in general. And in general. But that doesn’t mean I don’t notice a trend where horror turns into a single-cell mini-game where you have to walk around with a camera and, on occasion, run. I’m already completely silent about riddles. And it was not bad in the form of a single experiment with Slender, then it also looked good in Outlast, where the ideas inherent in the original were only developed. But that time has passed! Such games should scare, but not with banal screamers, but with atmosphere! And what the hell is the atmosphere here if you walk through locations as straight as my tongue and do nothing, and when you meet opponents you run with a facepalm or die without any emotions at all. Initially, horror games were also difficult, because there was always a shortage of ammunition/weapons/first aid kits. Screamers were rare, in the same Silent Hill opponents barely trudge, and by the time they get to you, you will have time to cross yourself three times and complete a checkmate in three hundred words.
What am I getting at? Besides the fact that the new Alien game is bad? Just the opposite. The game tries not only to scare us with the appearance of one stranger, but also provides various ways to deal with it, be it distraction, sneaking across or making a loud escape (alas, they still won’t let you shoot). But what is most pleasing is that we will be frightened not only by sudden and scripted scenes with the appearance of a stranger, but also by them. That is, he will walk completely freely around the map, and each time he will do everything differently – sometimes he will be distracted by signal lights, sometimes he won’t, or he won’t be there at all. It will suddenly jump out from behind, sneak up from the side, jump noisily from above, and it will be a whole mysterious mechanism that needs to be solved like a riddle.
What else? Atmosphere of fear and horror. Love for little things (nextgen)!!). Androids are enemies with whom you can even fight. Surely a lot of references to films. The creators love their game, the creators love the alien universe. And it’s noticeable.
Conclusion: A scary and atmospheric game about an alien. Our protégé will sit around the corner and be afraid. We will be no less afraid, if anything happens.
What is this: A typical horror adventure where we sneak and hide from one single stranger. But, unlike other such games, there will also be other enemies with whom you can fight, and they are going to scare us not with screamers, but with a carefully crafted atmosphere.
October 7, 2014. — Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC)
So, a game branch from a series of books led by Tolkien. Lots of bloody skirmishes, a little stealth, a tricky Nemesis system and non-linearity. Well, it’s clear what to expect – action, with spectacular and not too difficult fights a la Assassin’s Creed, easy and rather mediocre stealth “for show” (which will only allow you to unexpectedly burst into battle). The locations, however, will be quite large and beautiful, and the large number of enemies and the unusual abilities of the “Ghost” can brighten up the rather typical and unoriginal gameplay. The plot, it seems, is pathetic enough to captivate, but it is completely typical and, it seems to me, has little connection with the world of Tolkien. The cunning and incomprehensible “Nemesis” will most likely turn out to be not so innovative – most likely, in reality it will be a couple of flashbacks and videos. Perhaps if there were people instead of orcs, it would be interesting. But since the orcs are not memorable or charismatic, you are unlikely to notice any changes at all in the plot, much less in the gameplay. Although, personally, I’d be glad to know that I’m wrong about Nemesis.
Conclusion: A strong average for a couple of evenings, which you can immerse yourself in, but not for long, alas. However, suddenly the developers will surprise everyone and really add a serious plot and non-linearity to the funny Mochilov? Then, perhaps, the game will be able to claim something more than just entertainment for a couple of days, and perhaps even find fans in the form of fans of the trilogy about the ring. And we hope and, surprisingly, we wait.
What is this: An epic about orcs and ghosts. Action with spectacular battles, stealth and acrobatics. Another Tolkien project. It doesn’t even seem terrible.
October 7, 2014. — Project Spark https://playlive-casino.co.uk/withdrawal/ (Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC)
Just think! Inside the game… create your own game! With its own rules and laws! What the developers are talking about causes such euphoria, which Ellen Page did not call in her heyday. And even though we’ve long since left that age of blue dreams when we thought games were made in a month, Project Spark turns off all reasonable manifestations of your brain activity. The authors are saying that we will be able to create our own Limbo, Minecraft and whatever you want. And if you don’t want to entertain yourself, the game will do it for you: the game itself generates interesting situations. Let’s say you created a village. And then another one. And then they revived the stone, making it an assistant to their hero. And left the game for a day. The next day, the villages grew and started a war, and at the head of one of the villages was that same animated pebble, which used to be a small pebble, and now is a huge golem.
Conclusion: Plugging in the brain, it’s hard to believe. Judging by how little the game is shown, who makes the game and how little they talk about it, everything is not as cool as they say. And it’s not clear how such a massive mechanic will work easily and simply and be accessible to any casual player. Completely unclear. But if it’s at least a third as cool as they say, it’ll be a new Minecraft. Only the scope for creativity will increase several hundred times, and it will be interesting to play, not just “create,” and no one will be confused by the graphics..
What is this:Designer with huge possibilities. Well, that’s what they promise.
October 17, 2014. –Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
Pre-sequel. That is, the game preceding the upcoming third part of Borderlands. Actually, the promises are quite tempting: they promise to send us to the Moon. With reduced gravity, lack of air, jetpacks, Claptrap and aerial combat scenes, like in Japanese animation. And, it seems, why doubt it, it’s definitely a must-have, you have to take it! But the first detail is that it’s not made by Gearbox, but by 2K Australia. I will emphasize – NOT! GEARBOX! Got it? The gun generator may not be finalized, which will result in a lot of imbalance and few new weapons – this is the case. They can break all the madness – these are two. They can send us to a deserted and poorly stylized Moon in the typical Burgundy style – that’s three. In general, they can ruin all our fun!
No, what are you talking about, I was joking. No need to tear your T-shirt and shout “Who dared to break our Borderlands?» 2K Games is an experienced team, and the second Bioshock (which was even better than the original, but without any finesse) is an excuse for this. They know how to refine the initial concept. And considering that the concept of Borderlands is such that all that is required is to polish it, everything is fine. Calm down..
Conclusion: Large addon for the second part. Very big. The moon, fun, low gravity and Claptrap are the key to success. Of course, this is just a pre-sequel, and you shouldn’t expect anything big from it. However, you will still be able to have a lot of fun on the Moon before the 3rd part comes out. And it will definitely be enchanting.
About what: A cooperative action game in an open world, where the four of us have to shoot at everything that moves from everything that shoots, and at the same time the game will shower us with the most excellent dark humor of anything that talks. Well, and sidequests.
October 21, 2014. –Evolve (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
The creators of Left 4 Dead got together, thought and thought, decided not to go far from the roots and presented their new project. Naturally, a shooter. Naturally, co-op multiplayer. And asynchronous, too (and there’s nothing surprising here either, considering that L4D has an asynchronous mode). The essence of asynchrony is that there is a fairly spacious location through which a monster runs, feeding on local living creatures and gradually growing. Along with the proportions, the threat also grows, and if at first the monster will only run away from four hunters, then… Then he will scatter them like children. And not only are the maps alive (and in terms of gameplay too), not only can the monsters be different, but there are also eight classes, each class with its own skills and responsibilities. Moreover, you can take heroes as you please – at least four doctors in a team.
Soon everyone was amazed, and the journalists were generous with a bunch of awards. But I will still be critical and express some doubts. Firstly, this is a rather dubious shooting quality. That is, in the trailers everything is quite ordinary – a minigun, a rifle, a flamethrower have absolutely no recoil, and even a whole belt of a machine gun does not cause any visible damage to the giant monster. That is, it will be interesting to shoot here? Secondly, this is interaction. That is, in L4D, which I’m mentioning for the hundredth time, literally every action required the help of comrades. And this is really important, it is important that you interact with each other, and not just each perform your own role. Thirdly (and this is important) – playing as a monster. She may turn out to be incredibly uninteresting. Think for yourself – for the first half of the game you have to dive around the location, trying not to catch the eye of the hunters, and for the second half you have to simply kill small, like ants, hunters, who even if they try to hurt you, they won’t succeed, because you are too “fat”, your armor cannot be penetrated even by an atomic explosion, and you are able to throw them in different directions with one skill. It will be even more fun to play if you get caught at the beginning.
Conclusion: A very interesting experiment with multiplayer, which hasn’t been done for a long time. However, this game concept requires a carefully balanced balance. Because if it sags a little somewhere, the game will instantly turn from “great” to “boring”. So don’t make a mistake, gentlemen, developers. Don’t let our hopes down.
What is this: Asynchronous multiplayer about how four real dudes hunt one real monster. The longer the game lasts, the stronger the monster, and the more helpless you become… And here the big question is who is the victim and who is the hunter.
October 31, 2014. –Sunset Overdrive (Xbox One)
Prototype, Dead Rising 3, Saints Row 4… Are these good games?? There is no need to answer this question, because the only thing that matters is that these games are fun to play. No stakes in the plot, no logic. Just a lot of good music, an almost immortal hero who probably has some super-duper power and a lot of enemies. A lot of enemies. Lots and lots of enemies. As you already understand, Sunsent Overdrive belongs to this type of game. We are given an open world full of terrible monsters, a lot of the craziest weapons (LONG LIVE THE TNT BEAR LAUNCHER!), the ability to jump high and far and slide along the railings… And here you are free to have fun as you want.
From what we can say for sure: the game will be fun. That’s for sure. Have you watched the interview with the developers?? People like this can’t make it unfunny. The visual style is also great. But, since I’m a terrible ass and will always find something to complain about, then listen: it can be boring. Once you’ve used all the weapons, the game can suddenly feel quite monotonous. And co-op won’t help here, most likely (although playing with a friend is always better). And for such a game it’s a death sentence.
Conclusion: If everything goes well, it will be very fun and very funny. If it’s monotonous and boring… Then it’s better not to think about it. And don’t think about buying either.
What is this: Sandbox action where you run around and destroy crowds of mutants. You also join factions, watch story videos and customize your character… But mostly you run around and destroy crowds of mutants.
November 4, 2014. — Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC)
This is a rather slippery topic, I hope I don’t go wrong… But let’s start from afar. Call of Duty is a fruit from which publishers are once again squeezing all the juice. Once again journalists are helplessly chattering with requests not to buy this, but once again players are buying everything. And so in a circle… Every time – the same thing. And, the funny thing is, even within such a framework, it is sometimes possible to create quite good blockbusters, the completion of which leaves no negative impressions. The first two parts of MW or Black Ops 2, for example. Now – a new release, a “new” engine and, for once, fresh ideas. Just a couple, but still..
So, the scene is the future. Prestigious warriors have been wearing nanosuits for a long time, and ordinary grenades are no longer in trend – now there are drone grenades, X-ray grenades and other gadgets. In principle, this will not affect the gameplay that much – now we can only do double jumps and tear off car doors, using them as a shield. Here the series followed the path of development of Black Ops: the future is a very fruitful topic. Judge for yourself – instead of dull rides on tanks there are now fierce battles on walking drones, instead of ordinary grenades – nano-grenades, instead of conventional weapons – the latest blasters, instead of a threat to the whole world… A threat to the whole world. Okay, nothing has changed here. But, most importantly, it’s a new setting that the series has been missing. In this we, again, rely on Black Ops 2, which showed all the advantages of this approach. That is, the grenade is not thrown, but is fired by a trigger on the palm, and enemies can now become invisible, which is why you have to attach a special thermal sight to your weapon. It seems like minor details, but the feeling of the game changes radically, just as our feelings changed when CoD transitioned from military themes to modern operations. Overall, this is really the change the series needed. All that remains is to see how it is implemented there.
Conclusion: New theme, old mechanics… It might turn out impressive. Or maybe it won’t work out. It all depends on how the new Call of Duty realizes its advantage. We hope that it implements well, because well, as much as possible?!
About what: Shooter about the war against terrorists. Completely linear, very pretentious. Now in the future. (And I won’t talk about online battles, because everything there is as unchanged as the composition of the Olenka ice cream. Everyone against everyone, only now with double jumps.)
November 11, 2014. — The Crew (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Ubisoft, oddly enough, very often includes revolutionary discoveries in its games, remember the same Assassin’s Creed with an open world, an impressive plot idea and complete freedom of movement (parkour is such parkour!). However, only in the second part did the hero and plot appear, only in the third did beautiful animation appear, only in the fourth did stealth and a truly open and full world appear. As a result, the concept was brought to the proper level only by the sixth game, when the concept no longer seemed revolutionary at all. The Crew… An ambitious online race in a huge open world, with a bunch of races, challenges and detailed customization of your car… Is it really going to have the same fate??
In general, it is difficult to draw any conclusions now. In the end, the brilliant campaign analysts may finally listen to the results of the beta test, and Ubisoft will immediately rush to cut cool physics, so that it won’t be embarrassing. If this does not happen, what will remain? Very detailed tuning of cars (which is nice), sunny Los Angeles, which is pleasant to drive around, a lot of, albeit rather similar, but still high-quality content. Well, and the opportunity to gather with friends. After all, as you know, it’s always more fun with friends. And, in fact, that’s all.
Conclusion: A beautiful race that is worth racing with friends and enjoying the view of Los Angeles. However, if physics is not corrected since the beta, no interesting and intense auto battles are expected. All that remains is to drive around the open world, tune your car and arcade ride through the deserts, imagining yourself as Mad Max. Is it worth the money or not – it’s up to you personally. Not for me.
What is this: Multiplayer race with open world and session races.
November 13, 2014. — Assassin’s Creed Unity (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
I won’t talk about Rouge, because it’s clear that there will be an improved and expanded first part. But, since the fifth part of the series, codenamed “Unity,” is also being released on the same day, we won’t talk about outcasts. We have France, revolution, Brotherhood..
In general, Unity has changed little compared to the previous parts; Yubikov’s conveyor belt is painfully smooth. Now, unlike the last two parts, there is something to look at – the cathedrals in France are beautiful, and in Unity they are no worse. Well, plus increased scale, plus redesigned parkour once again, plus a huge crowd, plus a burning topic – revolution. Well, and the co-op, of course. They also promise non-linearity, but all this looks rather dubious – alternative paths may not be at all obvious, or will appear only on special holidays. However, tasks now do not just vary between eavesdrop/kill/infiltrate/steal, but all this, only in several stages, with alternation, with an increased parkour value and in completely different locations (and locations in AC mean a lot). Although no, I’m lying, these are still not all the changes. Reworked stealth, which, judging by the video, will allow you to run behind the enemy’s back and kill his partner two meters away from him. Although stealth will be easy, it seems to be varied (and even more so with a partner) and quite exciting. The combat system will return to normal, to the origins of the series – with health points and strong opponents (“See those three guys? They’ll crush us!"-gamescome 2014).
Conclusion: In general, apparently, many flaws will remain – simple stealth, sometimes the same type of quests and one-button parkour. So… If you didn’t like AC, you probably won’t like it now. But those who liked the previous part should definitely wait for November 13. Because the evolutionary process for AC is very slow, but it definitely exists. This time, the differences risk becoming the most significant in the entire series of games.
What is it:The same action about parkour and murders. Now no more ships and no more harddoor. True, bigger, better, more beautiful and with a cooperative.
November 21, 2014. — Far Cry 4 (PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC)
I’ll say the same thing as on the main page: from some we only demand smarter dummies and even more opportunities in the open world. Because in the third part you could do anything (mine the road, distract enemies with explosions and watch them fly apart), but now everything should definitely be great. In general, so that all the mechanics that did not work in FC 3 would work in FC 4, and the mechanics that worked would now work even better. Well, we hope that the towers and outposts will be even more different, and passing them will be even more difficult.
And as for the main campaign, everything is clear – a cool (albeit slightly pink) main villain, a new location, drug nonsense about Shangri-La and… It will be cool, no doubt.
Conclusion: Not much changed, but much improved third part. The main storyline is bright and explosive, and the sandbox is a large world open to creativity. With exotics, hunting and explosive shootouts. No more needed.
What is it: Open world in the form of a large island
November 21, 2014. — Dragon Age: Inquisition (PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC)
Dragon Age has long gone away from the intended course – instead of bright and tactical battles, too fast and never tactical battles a la slasher, instead of an advanced role-playing system – gay games, instead of a serious and adult plot – something pretentious. The developers promise to fix it with the new game – “Inquisition”, but… Is it really true?? We are not told about the non-linearity of quests and the depth of the plot, we are shown a cooperative mode (that is not why we need Dragon Age. ) and battles. The battles, by the way, come from Korean RPGs – the special effects are bright yellow and blue, and the heroes are swinging swords… Well, by the way, Frostbite is not felt here at all, not to mention any interactivity. However, people who played this say that the battles were still interesting, tactical and worthwhile in general. Overall, I can trust them here. And this seems to be the only thing I can believe in. What kind of world will it be there?? Gay elves? Fairytale princes of unexpected tastes? The illusion of choice that hides behind empty conversations like smoke? 40 colorful explosions at the end? How can SUCH a world be interesting?? When there is a world of The Witcher that is A – bigger and more beautiful, B – more realistic, C – alive? I’m not even talking about other little things like motion animation?
Conclusion: I will certainly be glad if Biovars make a really high-quality and serious Action-RPG. But they may well slide into something like this, after which trust in them will be completely lost, and after the third “The Witcher” everything can be completely sad. There is another option – the new DA will turn out to be, albeit imperfect, but still a good and solid game. And then it will find a niche next to the new CD Project game, and win back its lost fans. I hope with all my might for the second, but my mind stubbornly pulls towards the first..
What is this: Classic RPG with combat, tactical pause, choice and additional quests in the name of the Inquisition.
