Let's Play - Shadowrun Returns

What is it?

Shadowrun Returns is a single player role playing game with tactical turn based combat elements made by Harebrained Schemes. It's also a Kickstarter funded game released in mid-2013 based upon the Shadowrun table-top boardgame. Whilst it include a campaign, Dead Mans Switch, there is also support for the Steam workshop and comes with custom mission tools so that users can share and play each others campaigns. 

What is it about?

The main campaign included follows the story of your character investigating the mysterious death of a friend and trying to track down the killer in 2054 Seattle. The characters motivations are a combination of honour, greed and nothing better to do. The Dead Mans Switch story lasts around 11 hours and presents a good and well polished story with many interesting characters and conversation options. Whilst this included campaign is interesting and enjoyable, giving back a semblance of old noir style detective stories, the real gem is in the use of the Steam Workshop and included mission building tools to allow sharing of stories.

Combat in the game takes place in a turn based manner, similar to X-Com. The primary skills that are used are take the form of ranged, close and magical combat and are used dependent on your characters abilities. As such, a shaman is more likely to use summoning or magical attacks to fight enemies. 

However, forming teams of diverse runners is important for victory. Shamans can often boost accuracy and provide other shield bonuses for team-mates, whilst deckers can hack into the matrix to override sentry guns and other systems. Alongside this, deckers engage in combat with AI systems and other deckers within the matrix and combat takes part in a similar manner to the physical world. 

As the player levels up, using karma, they can upgrade their stats to provide combat bonuses in different skills. These include the ability to use advanced decking equipment, improved weapon accuracy, better conversation options and more. 

Where can I get it?

Shadowrun Returns is available for PC(Mac and Windows), iOS, Android and Linux. Currently it is available on the Steam and Humble store pages. There is also a sequel out called Dragonfall which is available as DLC. Extra campaigns and stories are available via the steam workshop. I am currently playing through Shadowrun Unlimited which provides a very interesting campaign so far and can be found here.

What do you think?

Overall Shadowrun Returns is a very interesting RPG game, the included campaign is good and provides enough to whet your appetite however the inclusion of steam workshop and custom content support is what makes this game worthwhile. Already campaigns such as Shadowrun Unlimited and Jacked-Up have provided extended hours of gameplay and interesting and novel additions to gameplay functionality such as safe houses. Although this is the case, it would've been nice if more official campaigns were included with the base game.

The game itself follows closely to the original Shadowrun lore and ties the campaign into the mythos aided by the fact that Jordan Weisman, creator of the original Shadowrun started this project. This merger of cyberpunk and fantasy also makes for a very interesting setting which I personally enjoy a lot. Apart from this, the in-game artwork and background environments are beautiful and further emphasise the dystopian nature of the setting. The lack of voice recordings is offset by the (for the most part) well written story and appropriate soundtrack.

Rating : 8 / 10

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Let's Play - Sleeping Dogs

What is it?
Sleeping Dogs is a single player open-world action game developed by United Front Games along with Square Enix London Studios. You play as Wei Shen, an undercover police officer in the Hong Kong Police Department who is trying to infiltrate a Triad Gang, the Sun On Yee.

And doing a damn good job too

What is it about?

The game is a third-person, action/adventure with some minor role-play. It is similar to other big games of the same genre such as GTA, L.A. Noire and Assassins Creed but instead tries to make it's own mark by combining several different elements. Instead of playing a straight up Cop or Crook, you play as an Undercover detective. This gives you plenty of freedom to break the rules to maintain your cover which puts a focus on the criminal acts you perform as a means to get things done rather than blindly murdering everyone.

There's a reason for this violance so that makes it ok

Another interesting focus is the martial arts in the game. You don't get to use your first gun until much later on and even then they are sluggish and awkward to use. The combat flows very much like Rocksteady's 'FreeFlow' system from their Batman games, it is however not as refined being quite repetitive and sluggish at times. This is dwarfed however by the games use of Hong Kong as a setting, beautiful lights are contrasted against a city with a rich cultural heritage and mass urban sprawl.

Sleeping Dogs has a few pretty amazing "WOW" moments, the scenary and a few cinematic scenes will still surprise. Lighting effects are top notch and with the high-resolution texture pack installed, many characters look extremely detailed (dare I say, beautiful?). Flashlights occasionally appear on guns which demonstrate this even further.

I like shadows and lights ok?

One major drawback though is the stiff facial animations. This causes many cutscenes to be a let down which is exacerbated by the voice acting. Despite being set in Hong Kong and being influenced by many Hong Kong action films, the majority of the cast speak English in a distinctly american accent. Occasionally people will speak in Cantonese which is great, they even represented a few British and Indian characters too, but sadly this is not often enough.

As pretty as it is I don't expect it to win any wet t-shirt contests.

Where can I get it?
 Sleeping Dogs is available for PC via Steam and OnLive, PS3 and Xbox 360 for around £30.

Winston is pissed because he missed the steam sales...

What do you think?
Sleeping Dogs took a while to grow on me, I was hoping for a more "Hong Kong" experience  It's a step in the right direction though and has a few fun and quirky mechanics. Sadly the game is let down by awkward cameras, overly sensitive driving and poor facial animations. Gunplay pays a distinct homage to John Woo's action films but even this somehow feels wrong. The game acknowledges it's strong points, mainly the martial arts system and keeps that the main focus for much of it. If the designers made everything Cantonese I would've felt a bit better.

Not all of the games ideas miss their target

A good alternative to classics such as GTA but not quite matching it's impact on the genre. A fresh blend of elements, mechanics and an captivating story line keep this game original and fun.

I rate this 7.2/10

Check out the video below for some action packed footage of me playing Sleeping Dogs!

Let's Play : PAYDAY : The Heist

What is it?
PAYDAY : The Heist is a four-player cooperative shooter developed by Overkill Software. You play as one of four robbers (Dallas, Hoxton, Chains and Wolf) who work together on a series of daring heists which range from robbing a bank to breaching a hospital secure wing to steal a blood sample.

Wolf - Chains - Dallas - Hoxton

What is it about?
The game is a first-person shooter in a similar vain to Left 4 Dead but as a group of robbers you must work together to break through each missions security systems, whether that be blowing through walls or using thermite to melt through a safe. You start each heist with your weapons holstered, giving you a short while to scope out the area and set up your first objectives before you accidentally end up alerting the police. Hopefully you can guess what happens after.

My oh my, FBI! 

So far PAYDAY is a pretty fun game for four players. I have yet to work out how to unlock weapons or to change classes but the gameplay is simple enough to be grasped quickly yet complex enough to provide a deeper playthrough. As Overkills first title it is a good sign of things to come, with a good work ethic and team bonding come good games.

Waiting for the cops with a hostage

Where can I get it?
PAYDAY is available for the PC on Steam and Playstation 3 on the PSN store for around £15. Although in PC Gamer 245 they give out a free code for PC users, so get buying! Find out more from Steam here now!

The game allows you to take cops hostage too!

What do you think?
Overall I think that PAYDAY is a very good game, with a nice twist on the four player co-op genre it brings a few interesting features. It's gunplay is fast and intense and although with only 7 missions, each one is wildly different from the last, offering countless hours of replayability. Overkill is set to churn out more DLC in the future though. (Infact they already have one out plus a free mission set at No Mercy from L4D) I have to say that this game has its faults, silly AI, repetitive drilling and sawing sections which could be shortened, but even taking these into account it is great game. Not quite as refined as Left 4 Dead but definitely a welcome alternative.

The entrance to the First World Bank

Well thought out missions, excellent voice acting and a fun, fast experiance make this stand out. A few unexplained elements, too few new gameplay elements as well as dodgy AI drag it's score down.

I rate this 7.8/10. 

Check out the video below for some action packed footage of Craig, Scott and myself kicking butt!