An Epic Destiny

     Destiny by Bungie, is a shared -world FPS-RPG released on September 9th, 2014. As a Guardian of Light, the player explores abandoned regions of earth, it's Moon, as well as it's two neighboring planets Venus and Mars defending the human race from several diverse factions of enemies. Playing alone or in a group of up to 3, players work together to push back the encroaching darkness of The Hive, The Fallen, and The Vex.

Destiny, Bungie, Activision and Sony Computer Entertainment. 2014.

     Destiny is Bungie's newest franchise since the massively popular Halo series. The feel and look of Destiny obviously draws heavily from the science-fiction vibe of Halo. When I first heard the concept of Destiny, I though it sounded like a fusion of Halo, Call of Duty, and Skyrim. But upon playing it I came to realize that it wouldn't be fair to describe Destiny as a simple mixture of other popular games, it is rather it's own unique game with its own qualities that make it stand out.

     The Story-Mode/Campaign of Destiny is entertaining, however it does seem a bit repetitive in it's goals of destroying an evil relic or defeating a powerful enemy. The story is also quite short, it only takes about 14-18 hours of gameplay to complete, which is off-putting considering the build up before it's release.

                                     

     Aside from the Campaign and Co-op multiplayer, Destiny also comes with a competitive multiplayer that operates under the name The Crucible. Here is where it is more fair to call Destiny a cross between Call of Duty and Halo. The game modes are fun and challenging if you're skilled, but it may quickly overwhelm beginners.

    No discussion about Destiny would be complete without mentioning what I believe to be one of the best parts of the game. During the Story-Mode, each Guardian is accompanied through his journey by a robotic companion voiced by Peter Dinklage, Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones.

     Destiny is available on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, and PS4.

     For more information and reviews check out these places:

     http://www.destinythegame.com/

     http://www.ign.com/games/destiny/xbox-one-160850

A Journey Through Kyrat

     Far Cry 4 by Ubisoft, is an open world action/adventure RPG released on November 18th, 2014. The fourth installment in the Far Cry series, this game features the young adventurer Ajay Ghale who is on a trip from America to his fictional homeland Kyrat, a small Himalayan country being ravaged by Civil War.

Far Cry 4, Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Publishing. 2014

     After playing Far Cry 3 in 2012, and having probably one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences of my career, I was extremely excited to play the next installment in the series.

    Despite Far Cry being a "series", the stories of each game are in no way related. However, they do have similar themes, isolated countries being plagued by some sort of evil faction. In Far Cry 4, Ajay returns to his homeland to spread his mother's ashes, when he arrives he discovers that his parents had been the leaders of a rebel militia called the Golden Path whose mission is to liberate Kyrat from its corrupt government. Ajay gets caught up in the struggles and fights to free the people of Kyrat.

 Far Cry 4 Gameplay, Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Publishing. 2014

     Far Cry 4 is oddly similar to its predecessor Far Cry 3; this can be seen in a few different ways. On one hand Far Cry 3 was a great game and therefore Far Cry 4 is also great. On the other hand, some players may want something similar to Far Cry 3, but still distinct and a separate experience.

     Personally, I find Far Cry 4 to be one of the best game so far this year. The graphics are unparalleled. The massive world has hundreds of little secrets that one person would never be able to discover alone. The story is very immersive and interesting, I often found myself unable to put the controller down because I wanted to find out what happens.

     Far Cry 4 is available on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, and PC.

     

     For more information and reviews check out these places:

     http://far-cry.ubi.com/en-us/home/

     http://www.ign.com/games/far-cry-4/xbox-360-20018322

Good Night. Good Luck

     Dying Light, by Techland Studios, is an open world zombie survival FPS RPG released on January 27th, 2015. Published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
                

Dying Light, Warner Bros, Interactive Entertainment and Techland Game Studios. 2015

     I had been looking forward to the release of Dying Light for almost an entire year up until January of this year. I deliberately deprived myself of potentially spoiling information. I didn't even watch gameplay because I wanted to be suprised by the experience that I knew would be phenomenal.

     You may be thinking that this is just another cheap zombie game, like a rip off of Left 4 Dead or Dead Rising, but this is not the case. With a 3 year production time, Dying Light has achieved what few games have done before; created a truly immersive experience of a zombie outbreak.

     The element of Dying Light that makes it stand beyond the rest is it's parkour/free running game mechanic that makes zombies during the daytime nearly no threat at all. But once day turns to night, it's harder to see where you're going, and The Hunter becomes The Hunted. Literally.

     Dying Light's exceptional graphics and sound lend much to the games interesting narrative (That I won't spoil here). If you're someone who enjoys hacking and slashing their way through thousands of undead with an arsenal of scavenged and crafted weapons, Dying Light is right for you.

     Dying Light is available on Xbox One,  PS4, and Steam.

     For more details and reviews check out these places:

     http://www.dyinglightgame.com

     http://www.ign.com/search?q=Dying%20Light