PS4

Warframe Review

PS4, Shooter

Developer(s): Digital Extremes, Panic Button Games
Price: Free
Platform(s):PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
Reviewed for: PS4
Estimated playtime: Infinite

While I have continued to play stress-relieving games during quarantine, the madness seems to have reached me because I played a shooter. If you have viewed my “About” page, then you know that shooters are my weakness (and I mean that in a bad way). I just suck at them, I can’t aim for nothin’ and they get under my skin. NOT STRESS-RELIEVING! I’m going to be honest, I did not play much of this game…just enough to get a general idea about it. Read how it all went…

Story

With space as your setting, you can expect a lot of lore

If you have ever played an MMO, then you know how intimidating the lore can get. Warframe follows that same formula. When I briefly played Warframe back when it originally launched, I easily surmised that the setting was futuristic sci-fi where good guys (the warrior-race called Tenno) were fighting bad aliens. I never ventured beyond that story premise, mainly because the gameplay was not the best at the time and I stopped playing it. More on gameplay in a bit. Stepping back into it all of these years later, I decided to try and decipher a little more of the story. Well, I got to about the same point honestly. I do now know that the Tenno (who you play as) are in a galactic battle against several different evil alien races/factions: the Grineer, Corpus, Infested, and Sentients. As a Tenno warrior, you are granted a Warframe: essentially a super high-tech suit of armor that grants the Tenno various abilities. You are tasked with bringing an end to all of the suffering caused by the aforementioned aliens. And that’s all you need to know! No, not really. If sci-fi is your thing, there is a robust story in Warframe to dissect, with regular updates that continue to expand its universe.

Gameplay

Brandish a sword or a gun

Going back to what I previously said about not liking the gameplay…well…I like it a bit better now. I still suck at shooters, that hasn’t changed! However, Warframe has a welcoming game mechanic to people like me that places equal emphasis on abilites and swordplay as it does on guns. You can deck your Tenno with lances and swords, and depending on the Warframe that you choose, you can upgrade certain abilities that are fun to activate. At the beginning of your playthrough, you must choose your first Warframe: sparky Volt, crowd controlling Mag, or the all-around build Excalibur. I personally chose Mag for my first Warframe, but soon regretted that decision. Luckily for me though, the other starter Warframes are easily attainable early on in the game and then even more are available later in the game. There are limitless builds because of all of this, and I have barely scratched the surface. All of that customization is cool and all, but how it the performance? Well, loose. I akin the feel of Warframe’s hand-to-hand combat to that of Skyrim’s. It just feels like I am swinging away into the air blindly. The shooting mechanic feels good, though. A standard shooter I will say. I don’t know exactly how deep the possibilities are before you have to start investing real moola into it, but it seems like it’s pretty far.

Graphics

The vast universe

Warframe has its ups and downs with its graphics. Some environments appear polished, but when the frame-rate slows down, things can look a little rough. But hey, it’s an MMO and I can appreciate the work that has gone into it. The overhauled starting mission actually had the roughest looking areas to me, but areas and models later into the game look better. Areas that show off the infinite galaxy look the best in Warframe. Back when it originally launched alongside the PS4, Warframe was pretty, and it still is. The updates have kept it up to snuff.

Soundtrack

Warframe’s soundtrack follows your standard sci-fi soundtrack. Nothing too special here. However, the tracks did keep me involved during missions. It’s not as grand as Destiny’s soundtrack, but I have to give it credit for keeping my attention.

Overall Freeze Score

Pros:
Customization options
Nice graphics (most of the time)

Cons:
Loose hand-to-hand combat
Lackluster soundtrack

Spyro Reignited Trilogy Review

PS4, Role-Playing

Developer: Toys For Bob
Price: ~$29
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
Reviewed for: PS4
Estimated playtime: 30+ hours

As of today, the world is in the midst of preventing and combating the coronavirus (COVID-19). This means self-isolation to stop the spread of the virus. People are trying to make the best of the situation, and I wanted to do the same by playing and reviewing a very wholesome and nostalgic game from my childhood.

Story

Saving the world, one dragon, gem, and egg at a time

The Spyro Reignited Trilogy consists of the original three games: Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage! and Spyro: Year of the Dragon. The story between all three of them is kind of hard to separate. They all follow the same (and extremely simple) plot of Spyro on a quest to defeat a baddie. The first game does not develop much in the way of story, but things became a little more interesting once new characters were introduced in the second game. Cutscenes have still been kept really short like they were originally on the Playstation. When I was little, it was enough to satisfy me, but I was left wanting a lot more this time around. I understand that the Spyro Reignited Trilogy is more of a graphical overhaul than a complete game overhaul, but it could use some extra story bits. However, I chose to play and review this trilogy because of its simplicity in this troubling time. I had to remind myself that an innocent and simple story like this is just what I need in a game right now.

Gameplay

Reading the situation

I could run around as Spyro and spit fireballs ALL DAY. His new running animation looks and feels like a puppy scrambling around and is so satisfying to play. As soon as I gained control of Spyro, it was like a blast to my five-year-old past, but not in the best of ways. I had gamer rage as a child because of how loose the controls were. What I mean by that is how easy it was to accidentally fall off ledges, fly into walls, and barely miss a landing due to controls. Either I have not improved as a gamer in 16 years (which is likely), or the developers did not improve the controls in this trilogy that much. I got the most satisfaction from interacting with the environments and the puzzles spread throughout each world/level. All three games are pretty non-linear and tackling levels and bosses at my own pace was freeing.

Graphics

Our little purple dragon never looked better

This trilogy is absolutely gorgeous and definitely benefitted from being developed using Unreal Engine 4. I was not prepared for how lush it would look. The cartoon-like art style translated really well from the original games to this trilogy. Even when I was little, I thought the environments were so cool, but now they are perfected. The updated character animations are where it really shines. One of the dragons that Spyro rescues early in the first game has the cutest fat tummy jiggle physics (watch out boob physics 0_0). It is so fun to see the different enemy animations when you attack them and watch character’s faces during dialogue sequences. All three games run really well, but I did notice some graphic hiccups when entering a new world or when floating up fast on a whirlwind. Nothing major, just me being picky.

Soundtrack

The Spyro Reignited Trilogy’s soundtrack keeps the original game’s soul intact. Every time I entered a new world, I had deja vu from the soundtrack. Each world’s track fits it perfectly. Magical xylophones in the wizard-themed worlds, whistles in the western desert worlds, you get the idea. It all added to that sweet nostalgia.

Overall Freeze Score

Pros:
Charming, if not simple story
Lush graphics
Nostalgia-approved soundtrack

Cons:
Loose controls

Final Fantasy VII Remake Demo: First Impressions

News, PS4, Role-Playing

Developer: Square Enix
Price: Free
Platforms: PS4
Reviewed for: PS4
Estimated Playthrough: 1-2 hours

Well, I think I have reviewed enough small indie games to try my hand at bigger titles and what better way to start than with the demo of the remake of the century! I hope to do more first impressions in the future since 2020 is shaping up to be an EPIC year for game releases.

Story

#emoboyforever

I won’t spoil too much for you, but rest easy original FFVII fans because all is well up in here! Story-wise, the developers have kept true to the original but have sprinkled in slight twists. For example, a scene has been added to show the corrupted Shinra Electric Power Company aiding in the eco-terrorist bombing mission of its own building. While this one scene does not seem necessary to explain the plot, it does help paint the good guys in a bad light to the public. I hope that the remake as a whole sticks to that formula – adding bits that enhance the story rather than completely changing them or omitting key events. Since it has been straight fan-service so far, I think the future looks bright. Even characters like Jessie have gotten some extra quality lines that really help to develop them further and make them so much more interesting (Jessie x Cloud hint hint ;). If this demo is anything to go off of, hardcore fans of the original like myself shouldn’t be offended by this remake’s refreshing approach to the story.

Gameplay

Braver in action

I was VERY skeptical when I heard that the developers would be ditching the original’s turn-based combat for real-time action combat as I am a believer in classic FFVII gameplay. I was scared that it would take after FFXV’s hack n’ slash mess, but I am happy to say that we have got ourselves true active-time battle (ATB) at its best! It is very close to FFXIII’s ATB combat, which is one of my favorite spins on FF’s original turn-based combat. Here, battles do not cut away and you control the movement of the character. Anything other than a regular attack, block, or evade requires you to wait until the ATB gauge fills up in order to use the command list. Once it does, you have the option to use items, spells, and special abilities. It’s a system that makes you pay attention to the flow of battle and strategize your choices and I definitely never got bored from it. For the first half of the demo you only control Cloud but Barret joins the party in the second half. Switching between them was seamless and adds even more strategy to battle. However, when locked onto an enemy, the camera does not faze through the environment very well and close-quarter battles could get very annoying. I should note that the combat described above is the Normal mode, but there is also a Classic and Easy mode available. With Classic, the characters move, attack, block, and evade all by themselves during combat and is equatable to Easy mode.

Graphics

Meh…
…oh hello there gentlemen 😉

I think the side-by-side comparison above speaks for itself but never has FFVII or any FF looked better. We went from polygon arms to hi-def biceps. FF is known for its prettiness and jaw-dropping cutscenes and the eye-candy continues. I don’t think that it could get any better. I can barely contain my 10-year-old inner Cloud fangirl, so I should probably stop now before I go on a rant *drool puddle begins to form*.

Soundtrack

The original FFVII soundtrack is what lead me to fall in love with classical music and eventually play the violin, which I sucked at and quit. Nevertheless, hearing it remastered gave me chills, tears, and pure joy. I’m content to just let the game sit on pause all day to listen to the music. The majority of the tracks included in the demo are fast-paced fighting themes meant to immerse you in the non-stop action, but I cannot wait to hear slower tracks like Aerith’s theme. A sacrifice of the ATB combat is not getting to hear the victory theme after every battle, but it is a sacrifice I am willing to make.

The Final Fantasy VII Remake releases on April 10, 2020, and I could not be more excited. This demo is undoubtedly the best demo that I have ever played and does a great job of showcasing what the full game will offer. If you are new to the series or an old-time friend, this demo deserves your attention, kupo!