Watch_Dogs - 5 Point Review

The 5 Point Review

I'm going to be trying something a bit different. Similar to the end of Kotaku's reviews, they have a little bar of score and if you should/shouldn't play the game, I wanted to streamline the review process instead of going so into depth that it takes me a massive amount of time to write and read. Also it would allow me to make a call based on only playing a portion of the game without having to dive into 40 hour games and give a review a couple weeks later.

So the 5 Points will be

• Quick Summary
• Pros and Cons
• Should you play it
• Should you buy it
• Score

Watch_Dogs

Summary - When Watch_Dogs is at its best, you're on foot, hacking cameras, phones, explodable environments, traffic lights, and so on. When it's at its worst you're stuck trying to get away from cops with terrible driving gameplay, the inability to shoot while you drive, and wading through a lot of added on content that just seems to be there to be there. Overall the game is fun, and its idea of where it wanted to end up as a total package is a good one, but the final product is a mixed bag.

Pros - 

• Hacking is a lot of fun
• Progression system is pretty deep and rewarding
• On foot gameplay/gunplay/minigames all work well
• There is a ton of stuff to do, and they don't hold anything back
• Graphically is a very good looking game
• Fast travel is convenient
• 1v1 hacking multiplayer is tense and fun

Cons -

• Driving is awful and has no consistency.
• A lot of the minigames, side missions, etc., seem tacked on just because.
• Repetitive a la Assassins Creed or Farycry.
• In my opinion, the voice acting is pretty poor.
• Police wanted level system is awkward, and coupled with driving, its downright frustrating
• The game is a bit buggy
• The multiplayer has a poor showing, with only 1 team event and no party system.

Should you play it? Probably - If you're not really invested in anything else and are looking for a game to pickup to kill time then yes, this is a play. Especially with not much on the horizon.

Should you buy it? Yes - If you have Gamefly, or a friend willing to give up their copy, go that route. If not it is worth the money to kill 30 hours or so.

Score - 7.75

Bioshock infinite review coming soon.

I took some time off as I was away on vacation and business and am still pretty crazy busy with work right now, but I'm too captivated by Bioshock Infinite to not write something. I also may write a retrospect on Bioshock 1 as it came with Infinite. Stay tuned.

Skullcandy's PLYR 2 Review - A Wonderful Gaming Headset

Skullcandy – The PLYR 2 should be Player 1.

I’ve been in the market for a good gaming headset for a while. Considering myself and upper level competitive gamer, I appreciate the sound quality emitted from a good headset. I enjoy the ability to turn the TV sound off and really listen in close. As well as once and a while scream at the television while I’m sitting in complete silence so everyone else in the house thinks I’m a loon. Simple enough, I found a headset that is, at this point in time, a perfect headset for me, the Skullcandy PLYR 2.

Under the moniker of PLYR 2 (Player 2), the headset is a new release in their gaming division that was abysmal in the beginning. Being a large branded, decent quality ear bud, headphone, and other accessory maker, you’d be fair to question why their product never added up. Cheap plastic, decent sound, and over pricing come to mind when thinking of some of Skullcandy’s products. The last headset from them I purchased was the G.I., and under the pressure of expansion from my decently sized head, the extenders snapped after about a week, and became unusable, twice. I swore off the company for a while, until I saw their recent lineup of the SLYR, PLYR 2, and PLYR 1. I purchased the PLYR 2 on a whim, and I have fallen deeply in love with this item.

The PLYR 2 has a lot of amazing qualities about it. It’s got a great look to it, very good sound quality, easy to set up, wireless, multiplatform ready, rechargeable, and fairly affordable. It comes in a few colors, I chose all white, simply because I wasn’t really a fan of the Black/yellow, or Teal/navy color schemes. It’s a flat white finish too, so you won’t notice much scratching unless you really toss it around. I’ll be honest, it feels kind of cheap. The plastic doesn’t feel like a high quality, more of a kids toy than something you’d want on your noggin for a few hours, but the amount that I’ve used it so far, it has held up with nothing to complain about. No signs of wear, or cracking. It’s ridiculously comfortable, even for my large head. I wear a size 7 ¼- 7 ½ New Era fitted cap (Reminder this broke the inferior G.I. headset). The buttons on the ear are firm, and work with no hiccups. They do what they’re supposed to.

To set it up is simple. Plug it in, follow the setup on the card, and that’s it. I am primarily using it for my Playstation 3. I have not spend much time on my Xbox 360 so I haven’t set it up yet, but I’ve been told it’s a little more complicated of a set up than that of its  competitor. The sound quality is great. Unless you’re wearing an insanely high tech something, it gets the job done by sending crisp sound from its skull etched inner ear cups. They retail for $129.99 on the Skullcandy website. I got it for about half of that with a holiday coupon. It’s safe to say, I don’t regret my purchase in the least. The PLYR 2 is the middle tier model in the lineup of SLYR, and PLYR 1. The SLYR runs at $79.99, and the PLYR 1, not released yet, I think I saw a number somewhere for $179.99.

I love the PLYR 2. For its price it’s top notch. Great sound quality, rechargeable, wireless, good looking, easy to use, the list goes on. My original main problem with their gaming headsets was their cheap plastic and complicated 40 different wire setup. They’ve streamlined the design, and set up, and created a wonderful headset worthy of the price. If you find yourself in the need for a gaming headset, and can maybe find a coupon code to knock the price down a little, I would thoroughly suggest picking this one up.