Now Playing: Budget Cuts (VR)

If Arizona Sunshine was a ‘low budget Left 4 Dead’ and Pavlov VR a ‘low budget Counter-Strike’ it seems only fitting that I play Budget Cuts AKA ‘low budget Portal 2’. Okay, so that’s not entirely fair, but it’s clear that Budget Cuts has taken inspiration from the Portal series in terms of its tone, humour, style and presentation.

Budget Cuts is a stealth / puzzle game in which you must escape from your office or risk permanent ‘retirement’. The human workers, one by one, are disappearing, replaced with friendly and presumably more cost efficient robot employees. Beginning at your desk, you receive a telephone call and a fax providing you with instructions on how to escape and what tools you’ll need to do so.

You soon collect a device that lets you teleport from one location to the next by firing a targeted, but bouncy, ball of energy. You can use this tool to line up a shot, ricocheting the ball from a wall or object to go around corners or through openings in the ceiling. You don’t teleport to your destination immediately, however, as a ‘preview bubble’ appears, allowing you to peer into the local surroundings.

It’s a clever way of combining VR teleportation motion with a game mechanic. It’s always best to survey an area before you teleport, just in case there’s an angry robot waiting for you on the other side. Because whilst most of the robots you’ll encounter on your journey are affable chaps, there’s also a force of security robots with orders to shoot you on sight.

The story based campaign of Budget Cuts took me about 5 hours to complete on the Standard difficulty. In terms of overall production quality, it’s one of the best VR games I’ve played with sharp and colourful visuals, solid, well considered mechanics and some good VA. As I said, as far as tone and style goes, it’s very reminiscent of Portal 2.

Each level has a clear objective, usually involving dodging (or killing) security robots and collecting the necessary key card in order to progress to the next area. It’s a simple, but effective gameplay loop, but it’s a shame it never evolves beyond a rather basic level of complexity.

If there’s one thing I like about puzzle based games, it’s how they evolve over time, introducing new mechanics and concepts as you progress. The Portal games are a perfect example of this. Every new section introduces a new twist on old concepts as you’re forced to solves puzzles with increasingly elaborate solutions, often combining previous mechanics in new and creative ways. 

But Budget Cuts, sadly, never quite does this. It does begin to, but only when you reach the end of the game. It’s a real shame, because if Budget Cuts had offered a longer campaign with a more elaborate progression of gameplay mechanics, it really could have been considered as good as, say . . . Portal 2. The basic systems are already in place, the game just doesn’t explore them to the degree that it should.

You can choose to avoid combat, but it’s often easier to kill the security robots by tossing sharp objects at their heads. A head shot will drop one instantly, but a body or limb shot will slowly cause them to ‘bleed’ oil and they may still get their own shot off at you. That’s why it’s best not to confront them directly, but from the safety of vents or ducts, dropping or tossing knives or scissors at your foes as they pass, unsuspecting, below.

Though your combat options are limited, it does work quite well, and it’s always kind of disturbing when you hit a robot in the leg and watch them stagger about, leaking oil all over the floor before collapsing in a heap. You almost feel kind of bad about it. That said, combat can also be tricky because it involves tossing small objects – and because there’s no real sense of ‘weight’ when throwing an object in VR, it can be difficult to gauge how hard or fast to throw in order to hit your target.

When you reach the end of the game you’ll find yourself in a clever and actually kind of scary boss type encounter. I won’t spoil it, but it’s pretty neat and I kind of wish the game had more encounters like this that really force you to think and plan carefully on how to proceed.

As far as bugs and technical issues go, Budget Cuts ran perfectly smoothly. Some of the robot characters would occasionally get stuck on scenery, forever locked within a walking animation, but there wasn’t any other major glitches. My main problem was the game’s auto-save system which, on occasion, would reload me into the game but reset enemies I’d already killed prior to the save.

In one case, reloading into the game put me face to face with an angry robot who immediately shot me before I could react. It was a robot I’d killed about 5 minutes before the checkpoint save and I had to restart the level which was kind of annoying.

Beyond the campaign is an ‘Arcade’ mode offering a handful of new levels and challenges but, once again, none of them really push the stealth or puzzle mechanics to the degree that I would like and would elevate Budget Cuts from being a pretty good game, into a great one. And I guess that’s where I should leave this review.

Budget Cuts it’s one of the best VR games I’ve played and a wonderful demonstration of how VR can offer a very unique – and physical – gameplay experience. It’s incredibly immersive as you crouch in a vent or peer through a hole in a ceiling into the corridor below – you probably look like a real prat in reality but when you’re in the game, you quickly forget the real world even exists (which can be dangerous when you’re ‘throwing’ objects – I nearly broke one of my controllers hitting a bookcase).

I know a Budget Cuts 2 is due soon and it’s something I’ll certainly be keeping an eye on. If it can refine, build upon and expand the existing mechanics, whilst also introducing a few new twists of its own and a longer, more substantial campaign, I can see it being a must have VR experience. But in the meantime, Budget Cuts is worth checking out.

7/10

Now Listening: Walk The Sky

Welcome to my first and probably last music review. It’s not really my thing, but I decided to make an exception for Walk The Sky. It’s the sixth studio album by Alter Bridge who I’ve been listening to since their debut One Day Remains in 2004. Since then, they’ve released a new album like clockwork every three years.

The thing I like about Alter Bridge is how every album they’ve released has a distinct tone and style. That can be a little risky – there’s always a chance you might alienate fans of your last album who are expecting more of the same. But walking the same path typically leads to creative stagnation, and that’s something Alter Bridge have successfully avoided.

Every album feels fresh and new, and Walk The Sky continues this trend. But what’s interesting about Walk The Sky is that it also serves as a journey through their previous five albums. Tracks like Godspeed and Native Son are very evocative of One Day Remains, whilst Take the Crown would fit perfectly within The Last Hero (2016).

As the album progresses it touches base with the darker tones of ABIII (2010) and Fortress (2013) in tracks such as Indoctrination and Forever Falling. And then you have songs like The Bitter End or Tear Us Apart which are reminiscent of Blackbird (2007). But in tracks like In the Deep and the titular (kind of) Walking on the Sky, Alter Bridge deliver something we’ve not really heard before – particularly the synth style beat backing Pay No Mind.

I’ve seen some people speculate that Walk The Sky could be the last Alter Bridge album and although I certainly wouldn’t say no to another, I wouldn’t be disappointed if it was because this is one hell of a way to bow out. The final track Dying Light is one of the best songs they’ve ever produced and Walk The Sky, as a whole, is a fitting tribute and celebration of everything they’ve achieved over the last 15 years.

9/10

Now Playing: Resident Evil Zero Remake

I picked up the Resident Evil and Resident Evil Zero remakes in a recent sale. You can read my review of the Resident Evil remake here. I also picked up the Resident Evil 2 remake, but I wanted to complete both Resident Evil and Resident Evil Zero before jumping into that title.

I played the original Resident Evil Zero on its release on the GameCube in 2003, but going into this remake, I recalled very little. And now I’ve completed it again, I think I know why. Zero is a pretty decent entry in the Resident Evil series, but as much as I enjoyed playing through it, I must admit that it’s a pretty forgettable game.

Zero serves as a prequel to the original Resident Evil, set just hours before the events of that game. You play as both Rebecca Chambers of the S.T.A.R.S Bravo Team, and Billy Coen – a former soldier convicted of murder and sentenced to execution. Unlike the original Resident Evil with Jill and Chris, Rebecca and Billy aren’t split between two separate playthroughs, but are switched between as you please.

 

It’s a pretty simple, but effective system. Each character has their own inventory and you can switch items between them providing they’re in the same location. The character you’re not controlling will be handled by the AI, which you can set to attack at will or remain idle. You can also choose to operate as a Team (which means your AI partner will follow you) or Solo (they’ll hold position).

There are several puzzles and environmental obstacles that are based around this character switch mechanic, requiring you to make use of both characters in order to advance. But as fluid and clever as the system is, it also feels a little wasted because ultimately, aside from those handful of (very) simple puzzles, it doesn’t factor as heavily into the gameplay as perhaps it should.

Another big change in Zero is the lack of item boxes. This sort of makes sense considering you have two inventories on the go at once, but I can’t say it really adds or subtracts anything to the item management experience. You can drop items you don’t (yet) need and, rather than store them in an item box, you’ll typically just drop them in a safe location with a typewriter anyway.

 

I think the main reason why Zero is rather forgettable compared to the original is how small and linear it feels. I know you can argue that progression in the original is linear, but because of the size of the mansion and the two separate character experiences, it gave it a degree of flexibility and replayability.

But Zero doesn’t share the same replay value because both characters share the same story – even during moments when they’re separated and you’re forced into playing as just one of them. And rather then a single, large location to explore, Zero is split between 4-5 smaller locations, beginning on a Train before moving onto what you might call a ‘mini-mansion’ and then some other locations that I won’t spoil.

I think the problem is, as good as each of these locations are, they’re all very small and your progression through them is incredibly linear. The train you begin on – with the simple choice of going forward or back – is pretty much how the rest of the environments play out. Unlike the original game, you don’t unlock multiple locations to explore at once and can pick and choose where to go first. In Zero, you just unlock each ‘door’ in turn and keep moving forward. There’s very little sense of exploration.

 

There’s also nothing really in the game in terms of enemies or weapons that we didn’t see in the original. I guess there are evil, mutant frogs – f**k those frogs – but there’s not much else to get very excited about. The boss battles in the game are also kind of forgettable. I liked Rebecca and Billy as our heroes but the actual plot is a little half-baked and kind of silly.

Visually, Zero still looks great today. I’d say the environments look sharper and better than the Resident Evil remake. In terms of length, you’re probably looking at about 6-8 hours on your first run depending on difficulty, but like I said, this isn’t a game with a great deal of replay value. I didn’t play it multiple times when it originally released, and I won’t be playing it again now.

Overall, Resident Evil Zero is a decent entry in the Resident Evil series, but it feels too short, small, and in terms of plot – inconsequential – to really be considered an essential purchase. It’s a good game that’s worth playing through at least once if you’re a fan of the series, but I’d recommend picking it up on sale.

6/10

HTC VIVE VR: Updated Impressions

I’ve had my VIVE for quite a few weeks now so I thought it was time to give some updated impressions of the platform – and that’s really how I’ve come to see the VIVE and, I guess, VR in general – as a platform.

You might wonder if the initial ‘novelty’ factor has worn off, but I’ve not really changed my mind about VR as an experience – I still consider my VIVE to be the most exciting piece of hardware I’ve bought in years. But like I said, I don’t just view VR as a hardware component, but as a unique platform.

I think this became clear to me when I put some time into two games that weren’t originally designed for VR, but integrated VR support post-release – The Forest and No Man’s Sky. And don’t get me wrong, I think they’ve done a good job (particularly in NMS) of adapting the experience for VR.

But now I’ve put more time into other VR exclusive games, I can also see a clear difference between the games that are designed for VR from the ground up, and those that have patched in VR support. And the difference is this – games designed exclusively for VR are far more enjoyable to play than those in which VR support has been added.

In the case of The Forest and NMS, I think it’s important to note that these are two games I’ve already played significantly outside of VR and that may influence my judgement – if I’d only experienced these games as VR titles, my impressions may be different.

That said, I think it would still be obvious to me that many systems in each game simply weren’t designed with VR in mind – particularly menu navigation and text. The truth is, as impressive as both games are to jump into in VR, they’re also a chore to play. Because neither game and their mechanics were designed for VR, everything feels more awkward and slow to do.

That’s not to say that every VR title is perfectly designed for the VR experience, or that other non-VR games may not do a better job of seamlessly integrating VR – I’m just basing these impressions upon what I’ve played and that is, admittedly, still limited.

But I think anyone who has played a lot of VR would probably agree that there’s a clear difference between games designed for the platform and those that weren’t. Even free VR games like The Lab provide a far more enjoyable VR experience because they were designed for VR from the ground up – movement, visuals, scale, text, menus, inventory, sound and gameplay mechanics – all the fundamentals of game design have to be carefully reconsidered for VR.

And that’s why I see my VIVE as a platform as opposed to just a piece of additional PC hardware – because it can offer a very unique gameplay experience. I think the real problem with VR right now though, is simply that there’s not enough high profile titles available.

The indie scene for VR is going strong, but there’s a noticeable lack of high budget / high production quality AAA games in the VR space. I know Valve is supposed to be working on at least one VR game – maybe more, considering they just released their own VR hardware – and based on The Lab, I’m sure whatever they release will be of excellent VR quality.

But I guess that’s what VR is lacking right now. The hardware quality has improved, the cost – though still high – is starting to creep down, and the VR player base does appear to be slowly, but steadily increasing. But what we really need is a killer app. A game which can sell VR hardware just on its own. The market is growing and the audience is building. When that killer app does finally arrive, it’s going to be an exciting time for the VR platform going forward.

Now Playing: The Division 2

The Division 2 was disappointing. It shouldn’t have been. I knew exactly what to expect. But I still came away disappointed. I think it’s because in some ways, The Division 2 is a better game than the original, but not in the ways it really needed to be.

I’d recommend reading my review of the original and my thoughts on The Division 2 BETA to provide a little perspective for this review. Because here’s the thing – I really do like these games. I just think there’s so much wasted potential in this series that I can’t help but be disappointed.

The main problem is the story. The concept of the plot – a lawless world in the aftermath of a devastating viral outbreak – is just as compelling as it was in the original, but like the original, it’s not supported in the game by any engaging stories or characters.

The Division 2 is meant to be a sequel to the original but aside from one or two nods to the characters and plot of The Division, what happened in the original really doesn’t matter. And I doubt what happens in The Division 2 will have any real impact on the events of the inevitable Division 3.

 

That doesn’t concern me too much, however, as I like the idea of each game being set within its own location with its own characters and stories to tell. The problem that both games have, however, is the characters and stories totally fall flat.

Your character, like the original, is a mute weirdo who people talk to, but not with. You get sent on ridiculously dangerous missions without any support, kill thousands of bad guys, save the President and pretty much the entire city on your own. Despite this, you’re not even present during the final ‘celebration’ cut scene that features all of the key ‘good’ characters in the game.

What a joke. And what a waste. You think, mistakenly, that the game might do more with these key characters – the two Division agents you work with at The White House, and the leaders of two local civilian communities. You think they might play more of a role within the developing plot – but no.

Like the original game, The Division 2 just isn’t concerned with building interesting characters and stories. It’s such a damn shame, because the core gameplay of The Division is a lot of fun. The world looks fantastic. The mission locations are great. But the game never builds a compelling narrative to guide the player through its content.

 

Like the original, the story and characters exist only to prop up a shallow plot to push the player from one mission to the next. And it’s not just the ‘good’ characters who are the problem. The main bad guys are even worse. There are three gangs in the game, each with their own leader. You might think they’d be developed during the course of the game, setting up a satisfying final boss fight in each of their own strongholds – but no.

The final stronghold missions play out exactly the same as every other mission in the game and you don’t even get to fight the main boss characters at all. As a result, the game just fizzles out without any kind of bang. But I guess that’s how it has to go, right? Because like the original, it’s all about that ‘live service’ model. But no – f**k that.

There’s no reason why they couldn’t have provided a more deep and engaging story and characters building towards a more conclusive and satisfying ending. I just don’t think they cared. Maybe because . . . most people don’t care? I mean, the games are very successful, so maybe most players don’t care about the plot or characters and just want to go shooty shooty bang bang from one mission to the next.

 

And don’t get me wrong – the shooty shooty bang bang is as good here as it was in the original. But the context is lacking. The motivation is weak. The characters are practically non-existent – including your own. Maybe I shouldn’t be so annoyed about it, maybe it’s not worth it, but when the world is so well constructed, when the gameplay is so fun, I find the lack of effort and care when it comes to the story and character aspects so disappointing.

Why? I guess because, like the original, it means The Division 2 is a game I’ll forget within a week or two. There’s nothing memorable about it. I’ll be able to say ‘the environments looked nice’ and ‘I liked the combat’ but I won’t be able to say more than that because there’s nothing else worth remembering. No story. No characters. Nothing.

What a shame, because in some ways, The Division 2 does improve upon aspects of the original. You do get more of a sense that the city is changing due to your actions – you see more friendly patrols on the streets who get better armed as you progress. You see friendly supply convoys transporting goods between the control points you’ve liberated. And you see the two civilian communities expand and upgrade over time.

 

Yes, it’s all very formulaic and, unfortunately, it’s all undone at the end of the game as the world essentially ‘resets’ so you can keep going out and shooting more people. I guess just adding in new locations or missions that build upon the world that you’ve helped create would be too much to ask. Nah, let’s just reset everything and have you go out and replay the same missions and strongholds again in order to increase your ‘gear score’ so you can access and unlock the post-game content.

I mean, I can’t complain about the sheer amount of content on offer here – if you really don’t care about the world, story or characters, and just want to shoot stuff – you’re going to get plenty of bang for your buck. But if you’re like me, and the gameplay, though fun, isn’t compelling enough to keep you playing, then you really need a narrative hook – and that’s what The Division 2 is sadly lacking.

It’s fun. It’s repetitive. Every mission plays out the same. There’s no surprises here. It’s the same game, only a little better. To quote from my review of the original game – ‘It was a fairly entertaining, if mindless way to waste 30 hours of my life. But if I’m being honest, I’ll probably forget I even played it by this time next week.’

6/10

Steam Halloween Sale: Damage Report

I actually purchased Resident Evil Zero and the Resident Evil 2 Remake in a previous sale, but I figured I’d include them here because I’ve not reviewed them yet. Also from Capcom, I picked up Devil May Cry 5 which will be the first Devil May Cry game I’ve played. It’s a series I’ve always wanted to try but never quite got around to playing, so I’m looking forward to getting stuck in to this latest instalment.

I also picked up some new VR games in this sale. Budget Cuts is a stealth/puzzle game in which you must evade murderous robots, whereas FORM and Twilight Path are two more relaxed, VR puzzle experiences. The VR game I’m most looking forward to playing, however, is I Expect You To Die, an ‘escape room’ style VR experience with a James Bond twist. Expect reviews of most, if not all, of these games before the end of the year.