Nerd Rating

Tag: Review Roundup

  • Review Roundup: Alien: Isolation

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    If you know me, or are on the site enough, you know that Alien is my favorite film franchise of all time. I went through the pain of Alien: Colonial Marines (check out my review) and have been awaiting Alien: isolation since it was first shown. Creative Assembly looked like they were trying to erase the thoughts of Gearbox’s abortion and capture the spirit and horror of the Ridley Scott 1979 original.

    The reviews are now in and it is the literal definition of a mixed bag. Most praise the game for the low-tech futuristic look of the environment and the terror that comes with the alien never following any type of pattern. The complaints come in a story that stretches too long with the aliens’ penchant for always finding you being a main concern.

    We will have our review up as soon as I have had a chance to go through the game myself. These reviews actually make me more excited to play the game. With them ranging from mediocre to great there is no expectation from other sites, just my own going into the game.

    IGN– 5.9/10

    “Unfortunately, the campaign mirrors the Sevastopol itself: the longer it drags on, the more it falls apart as it begins to tumble out of orbit and towards a gas giant. Ripley’s nightmare became my own as Isolation moved its goalposts back so many damn times that it was almost comical.”

    Polygon– 6/10

    “This overexposure undermines the power and terror the alien inspires. Every time I thought I heard the monster, every blip on my motion tracker, was a cause for a tightness in my chest at first. By the 300th time I dived under a table or into a locker, I wasn’t scared anymore — I was annoyed. Once the alien becomes an irritation rather than a force of nature, much of the horror in Alien: Isolation vanishes.”

    Videogamer– 9/10

    “The rest of the game’s mechanics dovetail expertly. It’s non-linear, similar to Metroid, so you’ll be revisiting old areas with new ways to access certain parts of the station. Along with Ron Cobb’s famous designs and the changing nature of the environment, the structure gives the game a good sense of not just progression but also of mounting despair, as Sevastopol, its population, and your chances of survival seem to disintegrate.”

    Game Informer– 7.75/10

    “While players must contend with an unhelpful map system and some annoying quick-time event sequences, the biggest source of frustration comes from the checkpoint system, which requires players to manually save at designated stations. While this structure necessitates even more backtracking, reaching a save station always provides a much-needed sense of relief, and I grew to appreciate the old-school mechanic. That said, the save system elicited more than a few curses. Losing a bunch of progress when the xenomorph pops out of nowhere and kills you with a single, unforeseen tail stab isn’t scary, just frustrating.”

    Gamespot– 6/10

    “No–it’s the endless meandering in between that proves troublesome, much of it intended to build tension, but most of it falling victim to a neverending sameness. I say neverending, but in reality, Alien: Isolation limps to its frustrating ending after many hours more than it can support. This is four hours’ worth of a great idea stretched into 14-plus hours of messy stealth gameplay, creaky video game cliches, and limp exploration.”

    Eurogamer– 8/10

    “It’s utterly invigorating – some of my most tense and memorable horror gaming moments evercame while playing this game – but it can also be painfully infuriating. You’ll be killed seemingly at random with no warning. You’ll grit your teeth as you reload over and over – the game only keeps your two most recent saves, so you can’t skip back too far – tackling long sections multiple times until you finally creep through, as much by luck as judgment.”

    CVG– 8/10

    “One of the big questions going into Isolation was whether or not Creative Assembly could stretch out the core concept of its cat-and-mouse hunts into a full-length title. Could creeping around corners and hiding in cupboards really sustain an entire 15-20 hour game? Good news: the pacing in Isolation is mostly spot-on. The Alien isn’t overused – its introduction is a pleasing slow-burn and the creature even disappears for a couple of hours later on.”

  • Review Roundup- Watch Dogs

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    Almost two years after its surprise reveal at E3 2012, Watch Dogs is finally ready for everyone to hack away to their hearts content. The game was originally planned for release in November 2013, but was delayed only a few weeks from release with no new release date given which, of course, made the internet throw around its theories of a broken game.

    The delay was only six months and the impression of first reviews think it was a good thing. Let’s see if Ubisoft has a new franchise worth our time.

    IGN– 8.4/10 

    “It can last a lot longer than 20 hours though, because Watch Dogs is extremely good at distracting attention away from the main story with a steady stream of side quests and minigames. I’m a big fan of the gang hideout missions, which really let you test your stealth skills as you take down well-guarded targets (though it’s kinda strange that they ask you to keep the gang leader alive but are cool with murdering everyone else).”

    Game Informer– 8.5/10

    “On the other hand, the on-foot action is entertaining from the get-go and only becomes more engaging as you unlock new abilities. Hacking items adds a meaningful dimension to combat, allowing you to effortlessly hop between camera feeds to get the layout of the environment, tag foes, and activate traps. The solid shooting mechanics make full-scale firefights enjoyable, but Watch Dogs’ combat really shines with a stealth-minded approach.”

    Giant Bomb– 3/5

    “The other thing that sets Watch Dogs apart from the typical open-world game is the way its online action is structured. While it still has the same boring online race mode that every open-world game seems to have these days (does anyone actually still want to engage in an open-world race in a game that wasn’t built for racing?), it also has a handful of cat-and-mouse-like modes where one player has to get close to another player to steal something from them. These online invasions pop up against your will, forcing you to deal with another player before you can proceed. The rewards for succeeding in this mode are minimal and they seem to always pop up when you’re trying to start another mission, making them feel like a hassle that’s preventing you from doing the thing you actually want to be doing.”

    Polygon– 8/10

    “In fact, despite its open-world trappings, Watch Dogs does the most with its inventive abilities and great mechanics when it has the most structure. Story missions frequently enable and even encourage a lengthy recon phase. Any new assignment always involved my search for a CCTV camera which would then spider outward like cracked glass as I went from camera to laptop to junction box and on and on, spying weakness, marking targets.”

    Gamespot– 8/10

    “Watch Dogs’ narrative may win no awards, but as an open-world playground, the game rightfully deserves to be mentioned with heavyweights like Grand Theft Auto and Saints Row. This playground isn’t just loaded with stuff to do, as most such games are; it’s loaded with lots of terrific stuff to do. I lost myself for an hour solving chess puzzles. Other times, I shot up aliens in several of Watch Dogs’ augmented reality games.”

    Joystiq– 4/5

    “To the game’s credit, the temptation to peek exists without formal judgement, and there are no good or evil points to earn in your approach. Your reputation as a terrorist determines how likely it is for someone to call the cops on you, especially if you’ve been driving on the sidewalk, but the game is happy to let you spy, stalk, or brutally intervene when criminal activity appears in a dank alley.”

  • Review Roundup: Infamous: Second Son

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    By now, we are assuming you have been done with Killzone: Shadow Fall for some time and have been awaiting Sony’s next first-party title for the PS4.

    The wait is over with the release of Infamous: Second Son, Sucker Punch’s third game in the franchise. Seven years have past since the events of Infamous 2 and you control a new hero (or villain), Delsin Rowe.

    We will have our review up soon, but let’s look how the first reviews are looking for Second Son.

    IGN– 8.7/10

    “Between scraps, I found Delsin’s nearly unfettered sense of mobility exhilarating. He speeds up the sides of skyscrapers, and soars across the Seattle skyline at your whim…once you get all the right power-ups. Until then, you’ll be leaning on the old-fashioned parkour from the previous games, but it doesn’t feel nearly as sticky or reliable as it has in the past. This led to a few frustrating situations where I couldn’t grab ledges that were clearly in reach. It becomes less significant as you expand your suite of traversal powers, put when everything else feels and plays so well, it’s hard not to notice.”

    Polygon– 8.5/10

    “A big part of the draw of these powers comes from your ability to cause lasting destruction in Second Son‘s playground of virtual Seattle. You won’t be taking down actual buildings or legitimate landmarks in the game, but Delsin finds himself up against the DUP (Department of Unified Protection), a government agency in charge of rounding up and jailing conduits. As part of locking down Seattle for their search, the DUP has built militarized checkpoints, makeshift headquarters and other imposing structures — blights on the beautifully rendered cityscape that are just begging to be knocked down.”

    Kotaku– YES

    “Delsin Rowe’s mission feels personal right from the start. The new lead character is using his just-discovered powers to become superhuman enough to save the lives of loved ones back in a fictional Native American community. He gets pulled into metahuman drama after a brutal attack by a government-sponsored Conduit (Infamous‘ term for metahumans) injures people in his tribe, during efforts to try and round up escaped super-prisoners.”

    Videogamer– 7/10

    “It gives you everything the best open-worlders give you, too. The orb collection gameplay loop of Crackdown, the aerobatic thrills of Assassin’s Creed, the world map with its districts and attached percentages denoting how many of the ‘Things you have Done’, yearning to be brought down to zero, the cutscenes to justify it all. Right components, all present.”

    Gamespot– 8/10

    “Delsin gains access to more powers beyond the smoke you start off with, and each transforms both the action and locomotion in interesting ways. You might employ a slow-motion effect to corral your enemies in a precise manner, or mix stealth into your explosive encounters to keep enemies guessing, and such twists ensure that each showdown keeps you thinking up new tactics as you revel in the destructive glory. Sadly, the powers don’t branch in interesting ways depending on your moral choices, so though combat plays out in different ways, the weapons you use are nearly identical.”

    Joystiq-4.5/5

    “Your Karma alignment additionally unlocks exclusive abilities within Delsin’s skill tree. Good Karma-exclusive abilities generally focus on enhanced traversal and subduing enemies rather than killing them outright, forcing players to adapt their playstyle accordingly. Both Good and Evil Karmas offer their own unique benefits that balance out their drawbacks, and both are viable paths to explore during a first-time playthrough…even if watching Delsin devolve into a murderous, misanthropic jerk during the Evil Karma cutscenes is kind of heartbreaking.“

  • Review Roundup: Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

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    Snaaaaaaaaaake!

    I couldn’t resist. I apologize.

    Today is the release of the uber-demo Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes which leads into the full game, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. While the game’s length may have been a point of contention for fans, the reviews suggest that the fun you will have should outweigh any reservations you had about playtime.

    Except Polygon, of course.

    IGN– 8/10

    “Ground Zeroes is so adept at generating tension that at times it felt like I was playing a survival horror game. While Boss has never been more flexible; able to roll and jump and shoot in line with today’s top third-person action-adventure games, enemies are smart and plentiful. In the harsh light of day – and played on Hard mode – they possess cruel 20/20 vision, and react to every little movement or shifting shadow by becoming more efficacious in their patrolling.”

    Kotaku– YES

    “Shortly after beginning the game, I spent a good thirty minutes just making my way back and forth between two buildings, knocking out guards, seeing how long it would take them to wake back up, trying to distract them and see how close I could get to them before they noticed me. If you’re into that sort of experimentation, you’ll find a rewarding chemistry set in Ground Zeroes.”

    Polygon– 5.5/10

    “All told, the titular Ground Zeroes mission took me one hour and 16 minutes to complete, including cutscenes and about eight deaths. That’s not the game clock, either. That’s real time. The mission is not only short, it’s dull. Your objectives amount to going to one place, rescuing a prisoner, going to another place, rescuing another prisoner, and then calling in a helicopter to get you out of there. Underwhelming doesn’t begin to describe it.”

    Videogamer– 8/10

    “It’s flexible enough to enable players to come up with their own battle plans, and once Ground Zeroes is over there are five Side Ops missions (encompassing assassination, hostage extraction, espionage and more) that take place at different times of day. Again, it shows off the pliability of the world, while also giving the lighting engine a good run out. It’s literally not found wanting come rain or shine.”

    Game Informer– 7/10

    “Ground Zeroes makes a fantastic first impression. It is gorgeous, from the facial capture to the environmental textures. Even the little touches, like lens flare and particle effects, are impeccable. The camera angles are cool, the art direction is interesting, and the production values are high. Snake’s mission in the prison camp is undoubtedly a feast for the eyes, but if you want meaningful content, you’re going to leave hungry.”

    Joystiq– 3.5/5

    “The longer you stay with Ground Zeroes and its shooter-style control scheme (for real, this time), the more you diverge from your old style of play, even if your intent is to be more of a ghost than a ghost-making machine. On one end of the Metal Gear spectrum, you drag a squirming guard behind a building and choke him into mandatory silence. On the other end, you commandeer a giant emplaced machine gun – let’s call it the “on-site procurement” that’s been encouraged since MGS1 – and blow everyone away. Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes rewards stealth purists with a better score, but trigger-happy improvisers get a satisfying body count.”

  • Review Roundup: Titanfall

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    Well it is finally here; the game many bought an Xbox One for. Titanfall is launching and the reviews are starting to come in. Is it the killer app that Xbox One owners have been waiting on?

    Note: Our review will be up after we have spent plenty of time on public servers playing the full game.

    IGN– 8.9/10

    “Titanfall’s great strengths is the simplicity and natural feel of movement. Whether you’re jetpack-jumping and wall-running as a pilot, or dashing around with your titan’s lateral jets, you just aim at where you want to go and press A. You’ll never wrestle with a video game-y quick-time event or button-mashing sequence in order to execute a badass move. It always happens in the most straightforward way it can.”

    Polygon– 9/10

    “Each of Titanfall’s 15 maps presented a new opportunity to experiment with my environment, to see where I could get to on foot. I found “lines” to take, alternating my wall-runs over extended spaces, making jumps I never thought I would make. Respawn even encourages this behavior — you accelerate as you run along the side of a building, and jumping from one surface to another can build an incredible amount of speed.”

    Videogamer– 8/10

    “Whereas Call of Duty is bloated and wobbling towards death by gluttony, leaning on cheap gimmicks (Michael Myers?), Respawn – and Zampella – know what the real appeal is. 6v6 is a smart move, allowing for (stupid) bots to keep you killing while giving the titans room to manoeuvre. It’s a game of trade-offs, discarding the vogue for Yet More Unlockable Bullshit and instead confronting players with obvious choices: strength or speed, light or fast, yet still asking them to adapt to change when the hardware is called in. Unlike killstreaks, everyone gets a titan, choosing from three available types: how you plan for that eventuality is all-important.”

    Gamespot– 9/10

    “Between pilots and titans, there are a lot of different elements that come together in Titanfall matches, and they do so with remarkable fluidity. Each map is designed to let both pilot and titan thrive; some areas are only accessible to pilots, others are the domain of titans, but large swathes accommodate both in the struggle for dominance.”

  • Review Roundup: South Park: The Stick Of Truth

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    It is finally time to head on down to South Park.

    Today sees the release of South Park: The Stick of Truth and it looks like the gods of comedy have shone down on the game. Despite some technical issues (resulting in the “not yet” score by Kotaku), the first reviews of South Park are saying it is a true representation of the show and one of the funniest games made.

    Sweet.

    IGN– 9/10

    “Speaking of the quiet Colorado mountain town, it is itself one of the stars of The Stick of Truth. For the first time in the series’ history, it has been fully mapped out and given official geographical context. As a superfan who’s seen every episode of the show, I spent the first two to three hours of Stick of Truth exploring every kid’s house and each recognizable location, and from Stan’s bedroom closet (be sure to check it!) to Stark’s Pond and South Park Elementary, they’re all packed incredibly densely with in-jokes. Even every piece of inventory junk loot I collected is a show reference with a funny description attached to it.”

    Polygon– 8.5/10

    “But as well constructed as the mechanics are, Stick of Truth work so well as a South Park vessel because it puts the story first. Without spoiling anything, the boys’ game soon triggers a crisis that threatens not only the town of South Park but the planet itself.”

    Game Informer– 8.5/10

    “I can’t think of a better way to bring this franchise to gaming consoles. The RPG format allows for a ton of funny items and sidequests, the objectives are unlike anything else in the genre, everything moves along at a solid pace, and the overall feel is distinctly South Park. It’s one of the most faithful adaptations of a license I’ve seen, and it ranks among the best comedic games ever released.”

    Kotaku– NOT YET

    “In general, wandering through South Park is a ton of fun—which, for me, just made those stuttering issues even more annoying. I wanted to take my time, saunter around the city, and soak in every moment of the game, but it’s tough to really get into a game like Stick of Truth when things don’t run smoothly.”

    EGM– 8.5/10

    “The Stick of Truth is finally the game Parker and Stone have wanted to represent their beloved comedy series. Not only does it pay tribute to some of the show’s best moments, but it also builds new lore on top of that. As a game—and not just a story—it certainly could be better, but South Park fans will still feel immensely satisfied with the effort.”

    Joystiq– 3.5/5

    “How you’ll feel about South Park: The Stick of Truth comes down to how you prefer the peanut butter to chocolate ratio in this weird little flavor mash-up. To get the most out of it, you have to buy into its world; you have to play pretend. More than that, you’re going to want to know the kids you’re playing with. If you’re well-versed in South Park history and can imagine cookies as a “health potion,” you’re off to a good start. If you can also forgive the repetitive nature of combat and some uninspired quests, it’s worth taking up arms – or dildos – for The Stick of Truth‘s hilarious, disgusting adventure.“

  • Review Roundup: Thief

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    Garrett is back, making his stealthy debut on next-gen consoles. When the first gameplay was shown last year, many called it a Dishonored clone which meant that they had never played the original Thief which Dishonored borrowed heavily from.

    Now Thief is back to claim its spot as the premier stealth title on the market. What do the first reviews say about Garrett’s return?

    It seems he may have gotten caught with his hands in people’s pockets.

    IGN– 6.8/10

    “Some of the campaign missions that follow the bland, supernatural-driven story take you to distinctive locations, like a colorful brothel and a genuinely creepy asylum. But too often the level design is claustrophobic and doesn’t leave much room to maneuver. They do have branching paths, and a handful of interesting puzzles, at least.”

    Kotaku– NO

    “The City has more dead-ends than it has escape routes. It’s constantly patrolled by dangerous guards, but if they spot you, whatever chase ensues will likely be brief, ending either with Garrett cornered or with the player taking advantage of one of several ridiculous ways to exploit enemies’ shonky artificial intelligence. For example, you can begin to jimmy open a window and guards will immediately stop chasing you, even if they were right on your heels. Curses, he got away!”

    Polygon– 6/10

    “Too many enemies, too-small corridors and too finicky response from Garrett stifles the sense of exploration that Eidos Montreal pays lip service to early on. Gear teases the potential for experimentation and variability in approach, but is depressingly underutilized. Example: rope arrows can only be fired at a few specific points throughout the game, and other tools often feel superfluous or wasted.”

    Game Informer– 8/10

    “None of Garrett’s capers feel like retreads of other missions. In one moment, I was sneaking through a mansion’s courtyard, diving for cover before bursts of lightning illuminated the shadows, and in the next I was barreling through a burning section of the city, dodging flames and falling girders. One heart-pounding mission had me exploring a haunted asylum in a sequence that reminded me more of survival horror games like Amnesia: The Dark Descent than a traditional stealth mission.”

    Destructoid– 7.5/10

    “One of the best parts of the game is the ability to completely customize the difficulty. You can do things like disable manual saves, disabling Focus powers entirely, allow stealth takedowns only, or eliminate the ability to takeout enemies at all. There’s also extended options like an Iron Man mode, where you’re required to beat the game in one life without saves. It’s insane how many options there are, and gamers who are looking for a challenge will find it with Thief.”

    Eurogamer– 6/10

    “Indeed, Thief is a frustrating game as much as it is a disappointing one. There are glimmers of what could have been: the exquisite concept art used in the loading screens shows the care and attention that’s gone into conceptualising this dim-lit world; the cloying density of the city – a higgledy-piggledy mess of housing built on housing – has a marvellous sense of place, and many of the optional missions in this hub area, in which you have to briefly break into lofts and cellars, are interesting.”

  • Review Roundup: Ryse: Son Of Rome

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    The most talked about Xbox One title has had the wraps taken off of it. Ryse: Son of Rome has been talked about -mostly negatively- since its announcement at E3 this year. Can the reviews make believers out of the naysayers? Let’s just say there is rough sailing ahead.

    IGN– 6.8/10

    “What’s there isn’t at all bad, it just feels like a foundation for something far greater and more nuanced that never comes. Enemy variety does a bit of work to liven things up. Some foes are unblockable, some charge you, and some assault you with a flurry of dual-sword attacks. Dealing with them requires you to care about your blocks, attacks, and movements, which is fun until you figure out their repetitive patterns.”

    Videogamer– 7/10

    “From start to finish, Ryse is a constant joy to look at and ticks all the boxes in order to sell its tech: lush forests, awesome vistas, ancient Roman architecture. There’s not a single moment its engine and direction doesn’t impress in some fashion.”

    Gamespot– 4/10

    “What initially seems like an impressive system based on precision and timing, largely thanks to some nice visual cues and elegant slow-motion animations, quickly becomes an exercise in mind-numbing tedium–and with just a sword and a shield attack on offer, it’s hardly surprising. Sure, there are blocks, dodges, and counters to help things along, but when you’re faced with opponents whose repetitive moves you’ll have seen in their entirety after the first hour of the game, it’s not long before you’ve experienced everything the combat system has to offer and figured out a sequence to repeat ad nauseam.”

    Kotaku– YES

    “Some games show off graphics just to, well, show off. Rarely can you point to great graphics and say that they improve the gameplay, but in Ryse, they do. They help distinguish Ryse from being just another brawler. They excuse, to some extent, the game’s constricting linearity and invisible walls. They aid Ryse’s gameplay by supporting a melee combat system that works best if you, the player, visually “reads” your character’s movements.”

    Destructoid– 5/10

    “But other than the lackluster campaign, there is one shining light of gameplay in Ryse — the two player co-op arena mode — which took me completely by surprise. This portion of the game is much more interesting due to the fact that it takes a page from many online shooters, adding in different objectives like “hold the point” or “assassinate specific targets” in addition to your typical “kill all these dudes” missions.”

    Game Informer– 6/10

    “When I show my friends what Xbox One is capable of graphically, I’m going to pop in Ryse. The visuals are breathtaking, but the gameplay flips on a dime between being legitimately fun and downright bad. There is no middle ground. It’s very much the extreme of both.”

    It seems like ever review is reading the exact same and since the scores go between 4 and 7 it looks like as long as you know what you are getting into you could have some fun. It all depends on if you like what Ryse is offering.

     

  • Review Roundup: Assassin’s Creed IV

    Photo courtesy hdwallpapers.in
    Photo courtesy hdwallpapers.in

    Time to set sail on the high seas today with the release of [amazon_link id=”B00BMFIXKQ” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Assassin’s Creed IV[/amazon_link]. People are understandably excited about the next entry in the franchise, including me, even though Assassin’s Creed III left a bad taste in many people’s mouths with its excessive hand-holding and feeling like they were never truly in control of their character. Can the pirate themed adventure set the series on a new course or is it just more of the same?

    Here are what the first review are saying:

    IGN– 8.5/10

    “Black Flag learns from AC 3’s initial 10 hours of banal hand-holding by immediately throwing you into the action. After a lean and exhilarating opening mission that places you in the blood-soaked boots of Connor’s much livelier and more likeable grandfather Edward Kenway, the world blossoms and allows you to explore its vast uncharted waters. The size of the world is staggering, and the fact that it’s absolutely brimming with fun and rewarding activities made me want to get lost as possible as I traveled from point A to point B.”

    Videogamer– 7/10

    “On land, it’s (literally) the same old Creed. There’s a certain compulsive appeal to it of course, just like Ezio’s trilogy; you’ll want to collect the seemingly inexhaustible amount of things on offer, even if you know that what you’re doing isn’t technically good or even interesting. You just don’t care; it’s the gaming equivalent of fast food. “

    Polygon– 7.5/10

    “This change makes the best part of Assassin’s Creed 3 — the sailing and ship-to-ship combat — much better. Out on the ocean, Assassin’s Creed 4 is unlike any game I’ve ever played. Even the basic act of sailing the Jackdaw was gratifying as I called out commands to my crew, adjusting sails and angle to head off storms or enemy fleets, or shouting for full sail to ram an unsuspecting merchant ship.”

    Kotaku– YES

    “I found myself excited to return to the Caribbean because, well, the game is a great deal of fun to play. Black Flag is the most mechanically assured, sturdily designed game in the series. Everything works in concert much more harmoniously than it has in past games, particularly the rough-around-the-edges-and-middle Assassin’s Creed III. Inventory management, aiming, sneaking and sword-fighting all feel more of a piece than they yet have.”

    Gamespot– 9/10

    “Despite the presence of pirates and scoundrels, the world of Black Flag is a consistently gorgeous one. The Assassin’s Creed series has always had a knack for establishing an engrossing sense of place in its dense urban landscapes, and Ubisoft hasn’t missed a step in applying that same level of craftsmanship toward the islands and jungles of the Caribbean.”

    Game Informer– 8.25/10

    “Despite my issues with the paths that are laid out before you, Black Flag is great fun when you let your impulses guide you.  Whether you want to hunt animals or unearth Mayan relics, it caters to obsessive gamers with a multitude of objectives to cross off the checklist. Plus, so many different activities are available that I could hardly sail between destinations without getting sidetracked three or four times on the way.”