"Until Dawn" Review

     You know how when you're watching a horror movie and every single character is always making the worst decision they could possibly make? Well, Until Dawn leaves the horror movie decisions up to you. Sure you could inspect that noise you heard, or you could just say screw that and maybe save your life in the process. The story, although thin, is thick with horror clichés and stereotypes. Until Dawn takes place at a cabin in the woods. Yes, you heard that right. Ten friends go up to the cabin one night and some of them decide to play a prank on the other. Basically, the prank goes wrong and it leads to two sisters, Hannah and Beth's, death. A year later, Josh, Hannah and Beth's brother, returns to the cabin with the seven others to try to get closure from the night his sister's went missing.

     Things quickly get scary and it's up to you to keep the eight friends alive "until dawn." Early on, there are a lot of jump scares, but as the game progresses, things become psychological. The player will see a therapist multiple times during the story and reveal what scares them the most. What you say you are afraid of will affect the game, but unfortunately, not in as big of a way as you might think. The real changes come from the decisions you make with the eight friends, using the game's "Butterfly Effect" system. In other words, a burst of butterflies will briefly fill the screen whenever you make a decision that will affect something in the story later on. There are even character traits that will increase or decrease depending on your choices. Many of the decisions I had to make throughout the story drove me crazy because I loved and hated that these characters' lives were in my hands. I always felt uneasy while playing. The game's ominous soundtrack and wide camera angles continuously kept me on my toes as I fearfully looked around my environment, waiting for something to pop out and make me scream. Exploration is a big help in Until Dawn. "Totems," that reveal glimpses into characters' possible futures, can be found throughout the environment. Weapons can also be found through exploration.

     Although your decisions determine the fate of the characters, maybe it's best to not make any decision at all sometimes. (Example: Two characters are surrounded on the edge of a cliff by a swarm of deer. Do I obey a button prompt and hit one of the deer with an axe? Or, do I ignore the prompt and calmly walk past them, hoping for the best)? It's all up to you. Graphically speaking, Until Dawn is superb, but it's high graphical fidelity comes at the cost of

some performance issues. The game seems to just barely run at 30 fps and texture pop-in is also prevalent. Character models have been motion-captured amazingly (Some odd facial and movement animations here and there) and you'll surely recognize some of the very talented cast. Some include Hayden Panettiere (I Love You Beth Cooper (2009)), Rami Malek (Mr. Robot (2015)) and Brett Dalton (Agents of Shield (2013)).
     Until Dawn is pretty light on gameplay mechanics. Aside from being able to walk, the game uses quick-time events and the analog sticks for actions. In most cases, I despise quick-time events, but here, they felt good. The reason being that the game is about the story and making the decisions that affect it, so it shouldn't be heavy on gameplay mechanics. Almost all of the QTE's in Until Dawn require split-second thinking. They actually immersed me into the game's world because of how quickly I needed to react in order to keep the characters alive. The game also makes use of the Dualshock 4's motion sensors with "Don't Move" prompts. If you move the controller during one of these prompts, it's likely that you will die by some means.
     Even if you aren't a fan of horror, you should definitely give Until Dawn a try and see how you like it. Usually, I'm not a fan of horror games, but I loved what developer, Supermassive Games, accomplished with this title. Until Dawn may be a cheese-fest of a game filled with clichés and stereotypes from horror movies, but it pays homage to those types of movies in excellent ways and lets YOU determine the game's outcome through your choices and your choices only.

"Dishonored: Definitive Edition" Review

*Unfortunately, due to me getting a new computer a while back and losing all previously saved things, including some reviews that I never published onto here, I do not have a copy of the previous review I once wrote on Dishonored back in 2012, so, consider this as my first-ever review on the game.*

     *MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD* Dishonored is the perfect example of a stealth-based video game. You, as the player, have the freedom to not kill a single person throughout the entirety of the game, kill everybody, or mix it up and do a little bit of both. You play as Corvo Attano, protector of the Empress, Jessamine Kaldwin, and her daughter, Emily. The Empress is murdered, Emily is kidnapped and Corvo is framed for it. Sent to prison with it seeming like there is no way out, his new allies, the Loyalists, come to the rescue. After escaping prison, Corvo is given a chance at revenge and takes it. Dishonored's art style alone, might make you want to play it. From its dark, steampunk world filled with futuristic technology to a plague sweeping across the city, devastating most of its population, Dunwall is filled with things for your eyes to marvel at.
     During the beginning of the game, Corvo meets the Outsider, a mystical being who brands Corvo with his mark, giving him wondrous powers. He also blesses you with a mechanical heart, which can be used to learn about the world, new information on targets and alternate pathways during missions. The heart also points the way to Runes and Bone Charms. Runes are the game's currency for upgrading your powers, while Bone Charms add small "buffs" like allowing Corvo to eat white rats for Mana, (magic).  A few powers include "Blink," "Bend Time" and "Possession." Blink allows you to teleport short distances. Bend Time slows down time. Possession allows players to take control of animals for a short amount of time. All powers can be upgraded. I found that the best way to use your powers is to experiment with different combinations of them. A good example would be to wait for an enemy to fire his gun at you, freeze time, possess him, face him towards the bullet, unfreeze time and watch that sucker go flying! Save often when playing, as you never know when you might want to try something differently.

     Dishonored's level design is brilliant. It's well-variated and it doesn't confine the player to linear areas. There are multiple ways to get around each mission, each offering unique ways to approach your targets. You can take to the rooftops or even, possess a rat and crawl through vents to reach otherwise unreachable areas. Each assassination target has the option to either be taken out lethally or non-lethally. During my playthrough, I largely went for the non-lethal option in order to achieve low-chaos ratings for my missions. The amount of casualties you leave in your wake will shape your experience. If you go for the high-chaos option and kill most of your enemies, future missions will be much tougher to complete. If you go for the low-chaos option and sneak through missions with a minimal amount of kills, future missions will not have a large enemy presence. Your chaos ratings will also affect the game's ending.
     Let's talk about why the game has "Definitive Edition" in the title. Aside from some lighting improvements and all the DLC from the original release being included, this should in no way be considered, "Definitive." It seems like more of a cash grab and a chance for players on current-generation consoles to get into the series. Frame-rate is still disappointingly locked at 30 fps, too. DLC includes "The Dunwall City Trials," "The Knife of Dunwall" and "The Brigmore Witches." The first is a set of time-limited missions and the others are story packs where players take control of the Empress's killer, Daud. All three of these DLC packs should be experienced. The story packs featuring Daud are fun and refreshing with new powers and a look into one of the game's important antagonists.
     Picking up the "Definitive Edition" of Dishonored all comes down to whether or not you've played the originally released game before. If you haven't, pick it up immediately because it is a tremendously enjoyable game. If you have played it before, you're probably better off skipping the "Definitive Edition," because there are just not enough improvements here to warrant a repeat purchase.