Batman is dead and Gotham is distraught. The only people who can protect the city are the Gotham Knights!
The main story follows the Gotham Knights (Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl and Red Hood) as the attempt to figure out what Batman’s final mission was and how they can complete it. However in doing so they have to question many iconic Batman villains. This allows for the story to have a fun main story whilst still being able to create a variety of side missions that don’t feel forced. Along with this, the Court of Owls (Villains in the game) are incredibly menacing and appear to be almost undefeatable.
The cut scenes for this game are amazing and help with the narrative of the story. And the side quests are either random crimes or side story mission. The side story missions are lots of fun as they create further story, so there’s more gameplay – but you don’t need to finish them to beat the game.
The gameplay for Gotham Knights is absolutely incredible. All four of the Gotham Knights characters are available to play and they all have unique move sets. Robin is a stealth expert, Nightwing is fast and agile, Batgirl is a 1-on-1 brawler and Redhood a long ranger gunsman. This provides interesting gameplay given as you and your friends can co-op using your choice of the character.
Along with this, every character has special moves. There are different moves between the four characters meaning there’s thirty two in total. These provide high damage or simply just guarantee someone will lose most of their health.
Gotham Knights is created by Montreal Games unlike Arkham Knight, so there are some major UI and gameplay changes, however there are many customisable options that will allow people to experience it in the way they did with the Arkham series. Along with this, there are many missions that you may complete, without feeling that they are repetitive.
The Gotham map itself, is massive and traversing is incredibly good fun, especially after completing the knighthood challenges.My only major problem with Gotham Knights is the parkour which is both lackluster, and simply put you have to go out of your way to do it, which I believe shouldn’t be the case in a Batman game. Also Gotham Knights isn’t a console cross-play game, nor is it ‘Last Gen’ which means you’re a little bit limited on who you can play with online at the moment, which is a slight flaw for the initial release.
Overall, the story mode and gameplay is incredible and really interactive, especially as the dialogue changes, depending on the the character you play with. This game is ridiculously well put together.
Available on PlayStation 5, XBox Series X and PC 21/10/22 (PEGI 16) 4 Stars
Youth #Gottit View:
This is a great game and must play for all DC Comic fans. It’s sad that there’s no console cross-play – hopefully that will change in the future with an update. Highly Recommended!!!
This game is absolutely astonishing. ‘The Last Of Us’ is a much loved game series, yet over time the graphics became less on par with much of the modern game releases. Until this new version was created.
The game follows Joel as he attempts to complete a simple mission to help a 14 year old girl called Ellie to a research facility, which quickly diverges into a vast journey through many zombie infested towns and human conflicts in an attempt to save the world from a zombie virus. Along the way players will meet many characters, some friends, some foes, and ultimately attempt to save humanity.
The Last of Us part 1 looks absolutely breathtaking. The graphics and animations are so realistic it’s like you’re just watching a TV show. Also what’s impressive, is the little extra details they’ve added into the new version of game that weren’t in the original, such as Ellie and Joel getting wet when it’s raining or when they fall in a pool of water. The combat is incredible too, with many upgrades and weapons so you’re able to beat the game in your own unique way. And finally it has incredible pacing. This is a very long story, but it does it feel like it was dragged out, nor does it feel too rushed while working through the story.
If I have any problems with the game, it’s that the human fight scenes became a bit repetitive at times. But even then, they were still very enjoyable.
Overall this is without a doubt one of the best games of all time, and it’s remake only makes it better. Anyone who enjoys playing solo adventure games needs to play this, and even if you’ve played the original, it’s well worth checking it out the new updated game to see the amazing changes.
I would easily give this 5/5 stars and recommend you try it out as soon as you can!!!
Available of PlayStation 5 2/9/22 (PEGI 18) 5 Stars
Youth #Gottit View:
This isn’t just a touched up version of the original game, this is a complete remake for PlayStation 5 with bundles of new features. It’s a magnificent gaming experience from start to finish!!!
Features included:
Rebuilt for the PlayStation 5: Completely rebuilt from the ground up using Naughty Dog’s latest PS5™ engine technology with advanced visual fidelity, fully integrated DualSense™ wireless controller features and more.
A faithful remake: Experience the emotional storytelling and unforgettable characters of Joel and Ellie in The Last of Us, and explore the events that changed the lives of Ellie and her best friend Riley forever in the critically acclaimed prequel chapter, Left Behind.
All-new experience: A total overhaul of the original experience, faithfully reproduced but incorporating modernized gameplay mechanics, improved controls and expanded accessibility options. Feel immersed in improved environmental storytelling, effects, facial animations, and enhanced exploration and combat.
The Last of Us Part I includes a new Speedrun mode, which enables an in-game timer that tracks your current and best playthrough length. The timer pauses during cinematics and scene transitions. After an initial completed playthrough, this mode can be enabled when starting a new game. Speedrun mode displays a small UI element in the top right of the screen that shows:
Available on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 4/3/22 (PEGI 3) 4 Stars
Youth #Gottit View:
It’s yet another must own game for 2022 if you’re car mad. As Harrison said, the graphics are beautiful and leave very little to the imagination. With the gameplay – it is updated, but if you’re a Gran Turismo fan you’ll know what to expect and wouldn’t want too much changed in the game. Highly Recommended!!!
Perhaps one of the most highly anticipated games in recent years, Cyberpunk 2077 provides players with an unparalleled level of personalisation, freedom and enjoyment few games can match. The game is told through the eyes of V, a gun for hire with a surprisingly strong moral compass in a city where honesty and virtue get you killed, as he attempts to stop the consciousness of the rock icon and cyber terrorist, Johnny Silverhand (Keanu Reeves), from taking over his body and destroying his mind. The game starts off giving you a choice of which background you’d like to hail from; a corporate disgrace, a nomadic junker or a Night City street kid – giving you the first taste of one of the games key appeals.
Throughout the game, almost each and every little detail you choose, from hairstyle to dialogue path, influences the greater story. When playing through the Cyberpunk, I was amazed at just how much time I would spend pondering over each thing I did, knowing it could very well change the future of my character, with this this customizability being what really makes the game feel personal to each player. On the theme of its great customizabilty, Cyberpunks skill tree is excellent, allowing players to enhance their characters abilities in three key ways. The first being through the use of attribute points, tokens earned from completing objectives and leveling up which can be put into 5 umbrella categories which make general improvements to V. For example if you invest points into the ‘Cool’ category, not only does it unlock otherwise unavailable dialogue choices, influencing anything from the information you can receive, relationships you can have and the rate at which you can achieve certain information but it’ll also increase your ability to sneak around and be more anonymous thus configuring the game more to whatever the player wants. Alternatively, if you prefer the guns blazing approach, Cyberpunk of course has an option for you, allowing you to invest into the strength category, providing the player with the ability to break down doors ,both metaphorically and literally, as you can take more damage and dish more out in return.
The second way you are given in order tailor make your character is through perk points. These are achieved similarly to attribute points, and are even used in a similar way, however, perk points provide a more specific improvement, being accessed by going into the 5 categories and unlocking the more classic styled skill tree as you unlock both abilities and stat boosts in line with each category. The perk points provide a relatively skill tree experience with there being a decent amount of choice in this regard but nothing of major concern unlike the other 2 improvement features. Finally, the third improvement are to V’s cybernetics. These allow V to perform superhuman feats including extra lives, double jumps or even slowing down time, however, the game has an interesting feature, as with each enhancement, V’s humanity level decreases. At lower levels V’s behaviour becomes eratic and strange with V even killing people,uncontrollably after reaching below zero due to the disease cyberpsychosis. I loved this feature, as it not only provided a deeper level of – you guessed it – customizability for V as you decide just how human you want them to be but it also adds to the incredible world of Cyerpunk with diseased characters taking certain actions consistent with the lore.
On the theme of the Cyberpunk world, I have to say that Night city has to be one of if not the most beautiful settings I have ever had the pleasure of playing within. From its abundance of complex streets filled with interesting characters and personalities not in any way key to the main story and completely optional to the rich detail and breathtaking skyscrapers protruding above your head as you play, there is nothing you can ask for. The map feels just large enough so that you can spend hours adventuring and exploring its secrets but not too large that moving from objective to objective becomes too much of a hassle with travel distances rarely being above a kilometre. The map is filled with side quests which aren’t really side quests, although being optional, providing more detail and characters for the main story in a level of freedom I have never seen before. In terms of combat, this game is great. Weapons feel balanced, with high damage slow fire rate being on average your best bet, as it feels the game really rewards accuracy. Weapons are a highlight of the game with each class having its own benefits. Cybernetics can play a key part here with certain weapons like the mantis blades being only available after receiving certain advancements.
As a protagonist, V is exceptional. You grow with the character and due to being able to control almost every aspect of their life, each death, betrayal and victory feel especially impactful when playing. Reeves is amazing as usual, providing a tense yet somewhat comedic take to the hardened rocker Johnny as the chemistry between him and V keep every moment feeling fresh and exciting whenever Johnny pops up. As far as the story goes, it is a modern day masterpiece. The futuristic yet not-so-far nature of it all makes the themes especially relevant to today and twists and turns leave you speechless. Cyberpunk manages to construct an entire world in the first few hours of the game not providing too much explanation but at just the right rate that it never gets confusing.
With what I’ve said so far it almost seems like this game is flawless and for the majority of its aspects it is, however, much like most things, it has one fatal fault – Bugs. Cyberpunk is littered with glitches and mistakes with everything from teleporting enemies shooting through walls to random NPC’s floating for no reason popping up as frequent as every 10 minutes. Despite all this, I am hopeful for the future with having already seen,only a few days into release, a large improvement into the severity of the bugs going from absolutely game-breaking at some points to now just laughable. I am envious of those who play it in a couple of months time and believe it will only get better.
In conclusion, Cyberpunk 2077 is a futuristic marvel that brings almost every great Sci-Fi together into a magical blend of style, charisma and pure beauty of its Cities, helped by its fantastic combat and customisation systems only let down by the vast number of bugs.
Available on PlayStation 5, XBox Series X, PlayStation 4, XBox One and PC (PEGI 18) 5 Stars
Youth #Gottit View:
This is genuinely a very special game and one of the most important new releases in years. Try not to get too caught up in the hysteria around the early glitches – this will be sorted and Cyberpunk will end up being one of the best gaming experiences on the market. Highly Recommended!!!
PlayStation 5 – Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection review by Harrison
Available on PlayStation 5 28/1/22 (PEGI 16) 5 Stars
Youth #Gottit View:
Some classic games need to be updated for a modern gaming audience and this is one of them. Looks absolutely stunning and a must play. Highly Recommended!!!
Extraction is the latest instalment in the Rainbow Six game series and a further extension to Tom Clancy’s highly successful war franchise of books, movies and games. This game takes place in the same universe as Rainbow Six Siege with many of the operators returning from ‘Six Siege’. However, unlike siege, this is a PVE infection survival game.
The Statue of Liberty has been attacked by a black sludge monster which spawns monsters to attack the human race. In response the government has sent out highly trained individuals to combat this with a variety of abilities, guns and grenades. Extraction is an online game where you group up with 2 other players, random fill or friends, to fight the archaeans. These creatures spawn from pod-like sacks and try to stop as you try to complete your current objective. These objectives can be carried out in 4 areas, each having 3 maps each. New York, San Francisco, Alaska and truth or consequence. You also have a large variety of weapons, charms, attachments and skins which you can unlock as you level up and play through the game.
This game has done quite a lot of things very right. For starters the gameplay looks absolutely phenomenal. The colours look rather cartoony but in a playful way rather than in a childish way which is really contrary to the disgusting Archaean’s which also look insanely good, especially with the next gen graphics with the XBox Series X or PlayStation 5 versions of the games. The abilities work very well in this game. I really enjoy using sledge to destroy walls or using elas stun mines to help me in the game. The various attachments allow players to customise their weapons to how they see fit depending on the positives or negatives of their skill and can choose the weapon they want. Also on the topic of weapons, the weapon balancing is very nice. No weapons appear to be overpowered, and likewise no weapons appear to be unusable which is a very hard thing to do in a shooter game which they pulled off very well. The skill point system is absolutely superb and definitely gives freedom to the player to see what they want to upgrade first. And finally it is absolutely amazing to play with friend’s, it’s operator system allows for even the worst of players to come in handy whilst playing.
This game can be slightly repetitive at times, though the gameplay is fun it feels like every section is the same thing. The levels are usually three main things. Rescue a lost operator, recon missions, or boss missions. All of which you get every single time you play. This wouldn’t be a particularly big problem if it wasn’t the only gameplay part of the game. The simple gameplay makes it on par with games like Call of Duty’s ‘Zombies’, however Call of Duty has the main game as well whereas Rainbow Six’s other game is behind a 60 pound paywall. The gameplay Is also incredibly hard. You play the game incredibly weak and are basically just walking around trying to not be stunned by the various gas traps and being slowed down by the sticky floor whilst being chased by a hoard of Archaean’s which can kill you insanely quickly. This isn’t exactly a problem as many people love a challenging game, but the easiest mode isn’t even that easy so it only really Caters to the more skilled individuals aside from the casual players. And finally the system for death/ loss of health is really not that good. Upon losing a mission, if your teammates don’t put you in the machine or everyone dies, you all lose one of your operators and have to save them in a later mission. This case also occurs with having to wait if someone’s badly wounded. I would have such a problem with this if it didn’t stop the fun of playing as your favourite character every time you slip up and die.
Overall this game is really good fun and certainly something everyone should play if they love games like this or Clancy. The gameplay and graphics are refreshing and the gunplay feels smooth and fit for a zombie like game. I enjoyed how it uses older game characters so fans won’t be going into totally unfamiliar ground within the world of Tom Clancy.
Available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, XBox Series X, XBox Series S and PC 20/1/22 (PEGI 16) 3 Stars
Youth #Gottit View:
Rainbow Six Extraction has great gameplay, some brilliant characters, a beautiful use of colour and lovely looking graphics. It can get a bit repetitive at times but overall its really good fun and well worth playing!!!
PlayStation 5 – DualSense Midnight Black & Cosmic Red wireless Controllers review by Harrison
With the additions of both the ‘Cosmic Red’ and the ‘Midnight black’ controllers, PlayStation have perhaps done the impossible by making the PS5 even more desirable than before.
Both controllers keep to the iconic PS5 Design, being the same pattern just in a different colourway.
For me the ‘Cosmic Red’ controller is the clear winner of the two, being someone who has always loved a bit of red to spruce up my gaming set-up.
The ‘Midnight Black’ is equally to be gushed over, appealing to those gamers who prefer a sleeker, less in your face pattern on their gaming wear. Reminding me of a ‘suped-up’ version of the PS4’s ‘Dualshock 4’ controller with its blue light complimenting the black controller when in use.
Overall, I think these controllers are great and are definitely going to have kid’s and adult’s alike trying to convince either themselves or their parents that another controller is well worth the purchase and not just an excuse to have a pretty colour on their medium for battle, racing or whatever else you are using the controller for.
I can’t wait for the future colours to come and will definitely enjoy swinging through Manhattan or prowling through Gotham with the ‘Cosmic Red’ and ‘Midnight Black’ controllers.
PlayStation 5 DualSense Wireless Controllers Features includes:
Immersive haptic feedback
Dynamic adaptive triggers
Built-in microphone
Available now in three colours – Classic White, Midnight Black and Cosmic Red!!!
New for January 2022:
Nova Pink, Starlight Blue, and Galactic Purple DualSense wireless controllers and Midnight Black, Cosmic Red, Nova Pink, Starlight Blue and Galactic Purple PS5 console covers!!!
PlayStation 5 review by Harrison and Con CLICK HERE!!!
It’s time for yet another instalment of one of the greatest video game series of all time. And by that of course I am talking about Call of Duty Vanguard.
Call of Duty is globally enjoyed by millions and is pretty much the father of all first-person shooter games. Vanguard comes with two versions, the ultimate edition which though may be more expensive is very good as you get a loads of weapon cosmetics as well as a night raid PPSH skin to use in Warzone and Cold War. This newest game is based around the Second World War and includes historical events of heroic efforts made to show the lesser known stories of diversity in that war.
The main character for this latest release is Arthur Kingsley and like every Call of Duty iteration there are brand new weapons, notably the assault rifle STG44, the KAR98K is back and the MP40. These weapons also come with updated features such as the addition of being able to hold up to ten attachments per weapon which really changes the gameplay and adds a lot more customisation and uniqueness when gaming. Along with this comes many new maps, notably as of November 2021 there is Berlin, Decoy, Castle (which looks absolutely stunning with the next gen graphics) and Desert Siege; though there are many more coming plus the returning community favoured map ( Arriving on November 17th which is a good sign for what’s to come).
However, the maps aren’t the only exciting part of the new game. There are also three very important additions to the gameplay. Console gamers can now utilize the newly added FOV Slider, meaning console players can now see more of their surrounding and are in a better place to go toe to toe with the PC players.
Also, the new mechanic added to mounting allows players to strafe whilst mounting allowing them to dodge being hit easier. Finally, the new Blind Firing mechanic is very beneficial and really good fun to use as it works very well and is an incredibly feature while in combat with other players.
Within the Multiplayer mode there are also new addition to Zombies game. As a big Call of Duty Zombies fan, I found the changes to this mode very interesting. To start with, some positives are that the new map (Der Anteing) is very entertaining and is one of the better Zombies maps. The new Perk System is very useful of which (for those who are unaware) you now get the first level of the Perk for free and can level it up with points at a later point. This is an excellent idea as it means you can gain the effects of your favourite perks early on, instead of waiting until a leter point.
I do have a few problems with the latest incarnation of Zombies. Firstly, the new map feels a little small and after a bit they become very repetitive, especially since there are no round based maps. Although this will probably be updated soon as Activation are pretty good at addressing problems, especially seeing as the previous game Cold War had my favourite version of Zombies. Also, it feels like all of the new weapons are very multiplayer based and none of them seem particularly effective in Zombies. Although overall I do enjoy the new Zombies and itching to see future updates for the game mode.
I’m in a very early stage for the new Call of Duty story mode, but from what I’ve played so far it’s very good. The story is set towards the end of the Second World War, with the Nazis discovering that things are no longer in their favour and they are very likely to lose the war.
The British Intelligence send in Lieutenant Arthur Kingsley, (Based loosely on a highly respected historical black serviceman named Sergeant Sidney Cornell) to work alongside Polina Petrova (Also based loosely on a highly respected female Ukrainian sharpshooter called Lyudmila Pavlichenko). These characters are integral to the new story mode, which has been really refreshing to see as it’s one of the first times diversity has been so well represented in a mainstream video game franchise. The gameplay feels very smooth, especially so with the added movement on mounting which really helps players to get through and beat many elements of the game.
Overall, I really enjoy Call of Duty Vanguard and know I will have lots of fun unlocking Camos like the new Atomic Weapon Camo, which looks very clean. Future updates will massivly add to the overall gameplay of Vanguard, but as of release I would rate it 4 stars with my favourite part being the new Blind Fire mechanic which has really assisted with winning many online games already. Although the new FOV slider is very useful too.
This game will not disappointed in the slightest.
Available on PlayStation 5 5/11/21 (PEGI 18) 4 Stars
Youth #Gottit View:
If you’re a Call of Duty fan you wont be disappointed. It’s action packed, has some great new characters/ weapons and upgrades like the FOV slider really add to the gameplay. There are some elements like the Zombie’s section that could do with some enhancements, but I dare say that will be looked at by Activision with future updates. Overall this is a great edition to the Call of Duty Franchise!!!
PlayStation 5 review by Harrison and Con CLICK HERE!!!
PlayStation 5 – Death Stranding Directors Cut review
Have you ever wondered how a postman could save the world by delivering parcels from place A to B, amidst constant attacks from invisible, blind ghosts and a cult of mask-wearing bandits? I’m almost certainly sure that exact question had never crossed your mind until now, yet if it had then you are in luck as that is exactly the premise of Hideo Kojima’s, visual spectacle, Death Stranding.
Being first released in November of 2019, Death Stranding proved to be the marmite of that year’s games as many gamers rushed to praise the creation and many others not being able to contain their disappointment at the first game produced from Kojima productions after their split from Konami. With the brand new Directors Cut where are the ‘supposed issues’ are fixed? And is there enough to warrant the upgrade for returning players?
Well, to answer the first question, yes… and no. The Directors Cut provides players with brand new weapons, abilities, and means of transport allowing players to diversify their experience taking away some of the monotony of travelling, yet the introduction of new abilities only adds to the ease of taking down the BT bosses and the introduction these vehicles have no impact on the opening 10 hours which arguably needed the most restructuring out of any section of the game.
I really enjoyed the addition of the buddy bot, a small Robo-companion whom carries cargo for Sam on his travels. I also really noticed the smoothing out of the combat with stealth takedowns being introduced and the overall game mechanics just feeling cleaner, yet this felt once again like an issue that wasn’t in desperate need of fixing.
I would have loved to see a revamp of the inventory system, even if only slightly; being one of the least enjoyable aspects of the game.
The firing range also provided some fun gameplay, allowing players to test out weapons to their heart’s content while also competing against other players with another great integration to Death Stranding’s multiplayer system.
To answer the second question I would say the Directors Cut will certainly attract returning players to the new upgraded version. If you enjoyed and completed the first edition, the Directors Cut will be a near-perfect game for you; only bettering aspects and not definitely not worsening any of the gameplay.
New vehicles gift players more to have fun with, giving them close to a sandbox experience within the beautiful landscapes if they so wish. The new missions are also exciting and fresh being especially fun to tackle with the previously mentioned new abilities. The fact the upgrade is only £5 at the time of writing this review makes it ever more worthwhile – being a genuine bargain for returning players.
Overall the Directors Cut introduces improvements, yet I feel it could have maybe focused on other aspects which were more widely criticized by some of the early gaming audience. All of that said, the new edition is clearly far superior to its predecessor.
Available on PlayStation 5 24/9/21 (PEGI 18) 3.5 Stars
Youth #Gottit View:
This game is likely to be Marmite within the gaming community – but there’s no denying the brilliance of its unique gameplay/Story/Soundtrack and the PlayStation 5 graphics are absolutely stunning. If you love this game, you’ll really love it!!!
PlayStation 5 review by Harrison and Con CLICK HERE!!!
