Sneaking and motorbiking!

Review

Played on: PlayStation 4
Released: 2014

Finally on sale, I jumped in and bought MGSV:GZ. Mostly to get my hands on the MGS creator's, Hideo Kojima, newest gaming engine and see what the fuss is about. For me, it was a huge deal that a MGS title has been built up from the ground again and renewed. Playing older MGS titles, including MGS4 of recent times, feels archaic. The controls are stiff and clumsy and do not suit the smooth and stealthy setting of the series.

Luckily, MGSV:GZ plays more like a modern third person game.

The game sets itself in an army prison camp on an island, which you must infiltrate and extract a child during a rainy night. Solid Snake lands on the outskirts of the camp and introduces you quickly to the concept of a sandbox playing field. This time around you can take the route and style of getting there in your own hands.

I also like that you can actually get there by being more action orientated, thus making it even harder for yourself, but it is possible. It's about letting the player take choices, rather than forcing a certain way of playing it.



At times, it can be unforgiving and tricky to avoid being seen, but once you get into it's mechanics it shines. It looks good on the PS4, with crisp and clean looking graphics running at 1080p@60fps. While it may not have the level of detail and amount or fancy effects like other titles, it looks very clean. I guess we once again have to suffer for the benefit of releasing games on the PS3 and 360, sadly.

The main story mission, which works as a prelude to MGSV coming next year, has a cool ending and will keep you excited for playing more. Luckily, they've added a few extra missions to complete around the map. All of which take part at various times of the day and weather conditions, further showcasing the new game engine's diversity.

One mission has you sneaking into the camp on a truck looking for secret intel, another is action focused, letting you take the role as a helicopter gunner. Overall, it's a rather large and varied package for a cheap price to try out the new MGS!



While good looking with a smooth 60fps framerate, sorry last-gen you get 30, and far improved visuals, combined with a sandbox layout, it still feels slightly clunky compared to the latest Splinter Cell. Stealth games, with a lot of commands and equipment will always play a little slower and more cumbersome than run-of-the-mill third person shooters though.

The improvement compared to old MGS titles is huge and feels like going straight from PS1/PS2 gameplay to current gen. My biggest gripe are the old-school, animations of Snake. Damn it Japan, get those stiff and mechanical player animations up to date! They're robotic and look really out of place, like sticking animations from two generations back in modern title.



This title is an exciting new turn for the MGS franchise and Kojima, it gives us a great indication of how well the gameplay in MGSV: The Phantom Pain will be. It refreshes my view of the series and gives me hope that it has returned, completely rebuilt, almost like a reboot.

Ground Zeros is recommended for a low price and a fun sandbox army camp to explore and play in, though the main campaign mission won't take you more than an hour or two. The hidden gem here is using your time to mess around in the sandbox world and trying out various strategies. Doing this, will make it many hours worth.



Review

Played on: PlayStation 4
Released: 2014

Most people have probably played a Trails game of some sort through the years. My main console from last gen, the Xbox 360, delivered two excellent Trials games. This time around, it's ready for the current gen and looking more spectacular than ever!

Just like before, Trials Fusion plays wonderfully and puts you through some amazing scenery for each level. The game is all about controlling your bike in a 2D game fashion, with increasingly difficult and challenging tracks. For this version they've really pushed the size and scenery of the levels. You jump down huge mountainsides, skyscrapers or desert hills. Each cup, which contains many levels, has a scenery theme. Each cup is opened by winning enough medals to unlock them.



The game really encourages the plays for one more try, with it's instant reloading to checkpoints, or if you're hardcore, right from the beginning. Completing a track fast and without failing, earns you gold medals, which again unlocks new cups and levels. It's addictive and oddly balances perfectly between satisfying fun and frustration! Each fault you make, makes you try even harder and soon you start making perfect runs, but the road to get there, is tons of practice and endless restarts.

There's even training levels, that gradually learn you more ways to control your bike better. As you progress through these, you also get to ride more powerful, yet more difficult to control, motorbikes. The later cups are a serious challenge, and I almost couldn't beat half of them. Over time, you'll get the hang of the challenge of perfectly balancing your bike and making your way over huge gaps, jumps and hills to complete the difficult levels.



I've enjoyed Trails Fusion, it has fantastic presentation, with spectacular tracks and looks incredible sharp. There might not exactly be anything revolutionary new here, but it's still as fun and addictive as the previous Trails instalments. There's even a comprehensive track editor for those wanting to make their perfect challenge, or nightmare, of a track to ride. Which again gives you an almost endless amount of tracks to download from other users.

If you enjoyed the previous Trails games, you'll like the visual upgrade to this one, even though there's not much new in terms of gameplay here. Those who never have played these games, and you don't need to be interested in racers, really should consider this game for their Xbox One or PlayStation 4!