Once More Unto The Breach!

Upon finishing Hearts of Stone, I was still in the mood for more stoic sarcasm from Gwynbleidd himself. And do you know what? CD Projekt Red had me covered, in the final piece of The Witcher 3 DLC, Blood and Wine!

Call To Action!

This DLC starts with a simple side quest, which leads you on to meeting a couple of old friends from a far off land called Toussaint. There have been some grizzly murders over in these foreign lands, murders people believe only a Witcher could resolve.

So off you trot on your merry Witchery way all the way to Toussaint.

A Whole New World

When you arrive in Toussaint, you are hit with something games nowadays don’t often put in front of your eyes…colour. That being said, yes the standard Witcher tale has pretty enough colour, but Toussaint is just beautiful. Instantly you will notice how pretty it is, and thats compared to the main game(which is pretty)…oh have I told you how good it looks yet?

Back to the set up, the White Wolf is asked to investigate a recent murder scene by the banks of a river. Then on to a post-mortem investigation. Very early on, you discover a plot to kill a select set of people, and a main villain is shown you. I dislike spoilers, otherwise I’d explain more on the narrative. I will say it’s pretty darn good, but with The Witcher 3, it’s the existing in the world that gives me the most pleasure, along with playing the side quests to flesh out the areas.

What Are You Buying?

Blood and Wine changes things up in a big way, without ruining the core game. For instance, CD Projekt Red have overhauled the inventory menus, added easier and streamlined crafting, added dyes for your armour, and new advanced mutagens which add all new buffs to your silver-haired beastial bester.

The fundamental controls are the same still, which is fine with me. But the additions they have added, just make things less of a headache (which I’m for). There are a metric shit ton of new armour, weapons, and monsters. They aren’t just subtle reskins either…well for the most part. All of your witcher gear can now be upgraded further, meaning you will have to find some schematics.

Toussaint is full of brilliantly crafted side quests, and secrets. Lot’s of Arthurian legend-esque missions, especially a lady of the lake take which was fun. Some cosplay madness resulting mass murder and saving the testicles from a statue, they are all interesting to happen upon.

Play The Hand You’re Dealt!

For those of you that need the Gwent hit, Blood and Wine has you sorted (well until Gwent comes out anyway). There is a full new deck to collect, along with a Gwent tournament you can part take in. I’m absolutely shite at Gwent, I’ve won a few matches.

That being said, the only missions I haven’t finished in the main game, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine are the Gwent missions. I just thought you folks would like to know there’s more for Gwent lovers.

Bricks And Mortar

Yet another feature of Blood and Wine, you get yourself a vineyard, and with it a home. This is a nice little game distraction, which strangely hits home that this could really be the last time we play Witcher Geralt. You get a sense of him actually settling down, and slipping on a smoking jacket and sipping a brandy for the rest of his days.

The Vineyard can be slightly upgraded and restored by throwing money at it (like a house in real life). In the house you can display armour sets, place weapons and pictures on the walls, and your books can live on shelves instead of Geralt’s enormous library pockets. It’s a nice little distraction, and looks pretty (don’t think I’ve mentioned the prettiness).

Sunrise, Sun Fall

The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine is a brilliant piece of DLC, it’s a good game in it’s own right. More cohesive than the main game in many ways (I felt the final third of Witcher 3’s main story was bollocks). Blood and Wine works, it ties everything up in a beautiful (It’s pretty), 30+Hrs of hunting, liberating, Gwenting, riding, Witchering gameplay.

This DLC has enough to it, for you to go out and buy right now. If you’ve never been a big fan of Witcher, this won’t change your mind.

If you were put off by the size of The Witcher 3, this is a good way of experiencing it without the commitment. You can currently buy The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt from super-markets new for £12, or even pick up a pre-owned copy, then buy this DLC on it’s own, it’ll set you back less than £30 overall and you get a great 30+Hr game.

Overall I say

8.5/10 

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Hearts Of Stone

Coming Home!

Having felt a little underwhelmed by the end of the main story of Witcher 3, I wasn’t sure I wanted more. A month or so after finishing the main quest, I decided to boot the game up to mop up the remaining side quests.

There I stood upon a hill overlooking Novigrad, most likely on ground I’d previously dispatched a mythical beast. Across my face cracked a huge smile, “This game is beautiful!” I thought to myself. Away I went to crack on with my side quests. For me personally, the sides quests made the game feel alive, and added character colour, so I flew through rest of my backlog with a goofy smile on the front of my head.

By the time I was done with saving the people and killing the beasties, the first piece of paid DLC was released: Hearts of Stone.

What’s your Pleasure?

Hearts of Stone has you meeting up with a character named Gaunter O’Dimm. He is in the main game, but only fleeting. I also believe he is the guy doing the narration when you boot the game up.

Having met up with Mr. O’Dimm, he tasks you with completing 3 tasks for a Bandit. This is your overall story for this DLC. Now I do understand I’m being very vague here on the story, but it’s plot is so short that i don’t want to ruin anything plot wise.

That being said, I can say, there are some very cool lengthy side quests, such as a possessed wedding, a vault heist and monster killage.

The story will not surprise anyone who is partially aware of a certain myth/disney movie, but it’s entertaining enough.

Lenshen The Pain!

Overall the DLC lasted me approximately 15Hrs. That was me collecting everything, hunting everything and doing…anything! If the main game wasn’t so full of gameplay and quests, I probably would be moaning that this feels like a piece carved out of the main game for the sake of DLC.

The DLC doesn’t add anything new to the main game,as far as mechanics are concerned, it just gives you more of what works.

For £11 it’s a steal, if you weren’t taken by The Witcher 3 full game, this will not change your opinion. If you want a bit more of Geralt The Butcher Of Blavikan, this will satisfy your itch.

And now on to Blood and Wine.

Thank you CD Projekt Red

7.5/10

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WASTELAND WORKSHOP has arrived, despite a poorly worded tweet from the official Fallout feed to the contrary, which led me to have a heated discussion with a stranger and call him a c**t twice (he was a c**t).
Yes, well, thank you very much for adding concrete to my almost limitless (now a head-spinning 3) choices of building materials. As you might imagine, most traders now conveniently carry a shit-tonne of concrete in their inventories to facilitate your construction of something that can realistically ward off the advances of a horny rad-stag. I spent an hour in Sanctuary adding crucial support columns to my magical floating shanty and, by Neptune’s beard, it looks almost feasible!

Besides this, a new motorised water pump has been added so that settlers without the forethought to seek out a body of water to live by may now moisten their stupid, parched lips almost as well as those idiots who opted to live by a bug-infested, irradiated, toxic pool of piss.
If converting your settlement into a gulag clashes with your Thunderdome stylings, there is also a selection buses and trailers to use as barriers (or luxury penthouse balconies, gravity permitting).
Electricity is a fickle thing at the best of times, especially when Tesla is given such credence, so you’ll find that your creature traps will remain activated even when you cut the power directly, and the new, powered sliding door may as well be a wall. Another annoyance is the inability to politely inform your settlement that the huge concrete deathmatch arena you’ve just built on the edge of town is actually a huge concrete deathmatch arena and, as such, you’d appreciate it if everyone wouldn’t have a shit-fit and please stop attacking the glowing deathclaw it just took me 4 goddamn game-days to ensnare, assholes! Same to the previously well-placed turrets, which can now evidently see, and accurately shoot, over 12km at things you don’t want them to. You can now build pacifying beacon things, which will likely resolve this, but you do need a couple of high-end and previously ignored charisma perks to access it. Roll on lv87…

Verdict – This should’ve been the FIRST dlc, as it adds very little to game. I can imagine that Bethesda were eager to show off Automatron, but I would’ve been happy to anticipate it’s arrival after being teased with a bit of concrete. I’m now waiting ANOTHER month for something to actually do… Roll on, Far Harbor!

5/10

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If the Executioner DLC made me feel more powerful and confident then the first part of the Julie Kidman focused story expansion The Assignment has done the exact opposite. You feel powerless, alone and afraid, which is both this expansions strength and weakness.

You play as Julie Kidman in a storyline that (supposedly) runs parallel to the main game, though due to the fractured nature of reality in this it doesn’t tie in as often as you’d expect. Covering Kidman’s backstory as to why and how she’s involved in the goings on with Ruvick it also goes into her history with shady organisation behind it all called Mobius. Sent into STEM to find and retrieve Leslie Withers you’ll find yourself hunted by Ruvick and a new enemy I’d describe as a cross between a nurse, hooked and a spotlight. And also your loyalties will be tested because why not, you obviously don’t have enough going on.

You spend the vast majority of The Assignment without a weapon of any kind. This can lead to tense and scary situations just like a horror game should but any stealth title of any value should give you options. Options on how to approach a situation and options on how to handle things should it all go south. This really does neither. Hide in cover and sneak around the patrol patterns and run if spotted, hoping they lose track of you so you can hide. Though to save time you’re better off just allowing yourself to be killed and restarting a checkpoint then taking part in the Benny Hill style chase that will ensure.

Most hurtful of all are the forced and artificial barriers the game puts in the way of approaching how you want. Got an axe and want to stealthily pick them off one by one? Tough. It’s a one use item only usable from behind that she doesn’t have the common sense to pull back out to use again. Made every bullet could t during the one sequence you get to use a firearm? The game doesn’t care, a cut scene kick in showing you with an empty clip despite the fact I had 6 rounds left.

In the end this is a (too) slow and often infuriating stealth spin on the main game that needed more though putting into it.

4/10

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Ever played a horror game and wanted to play as a bad guy. Specifically, ever played Evil Within and wanted to play as The Keeper…………IN FIRST PERSON!!!!!!! Well now you can. Available separately or as part of the season pass, The Executioner DLC is a short arena based spin on Evil Within tied together with a tale of the search for your daughter.

Placing you in the boots of The Keeper gives you one thing above all else that you didn’t have in the main game and that’s power……….and one very large hammer. Playing out in the first person your encouraged to batter your foes, perform executions and use the deadly environmental traps to your advantage. Going from combat arena to combat arena you pummel the hideous creatures with far more confidence than Sebastian ever did. It’s such a shame that combat is so basic. Your basic weapon only has a 3 hit combo and once enemies are weakened you can either grab them for a throw or execute them on the spot. Other weapons can be bought such as a chainsaw and rocket launcher but they have limited use. Boss fights are thrown in too but again they are a little too basic but the final boss was fun. Combat is simple then but enjoyable enough considering the titles very short length.

The story is very very forgettable, told through notes left by your daughter or by the shady scientists overseeing things. It’s all very simply stuff. Thankfully though none of it hangs around longer than it needs to. I completed it in 1 hour and 20 minutes and opened up a pretty generous supply of extras for my troubles.

If you own the season pass and haven’t tried it then you can do worse at only just over an hour long. Just don’t expect to go back to it after that. Unless you REALLY want all those shop items.

5/10

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The first and (I think) only story driven dlc for Rise of the Tomb Raider is now available. Is it worth your time and money? I’ve spent my time and money to find out.

The expansion can be started either during the main storyline or once it’s completed though I feel you’d be better served taking it on during the story for reasons I’ll mention later.

This new mini adventure is started by visiting the Soviet Installation where you’ll discover soldiers hunting a native in the area. Once they are dealt with using Lara’s murder skills simply find the native and then it can begin proper. You’ll be tasked with heading into a new area called the Wicked Vale and tracking down your new friends grandfather who has ventured there to slay the evil witch Baba Yaga. Needless to say, you’ll use your violent tomb raiding skills to solve the mystery of the ancient witch and net yourself some sweet new gear.

Entering the Wicked Vale, the first disappointment struck me. The area just feels like everywhere else you’ve explored but with added scarecrows for set dressing. This feeling of seen it all before is only amplified when you realise most of the bad guys are just spooky reskins of bad guys/creatures you’ve already faced, depending on how far in the main game you are. However, at the same time, when a game is as good as Rise then it’s not a deal breaker but it is disappointing and worse of all it also asks you to back track to areas featured in the base game.

In other areas it’s business as usual too, another challenge to complete, various trinkets to collect, puzzles to solve and ledges to scramble round. This is of course still all fun to do. The expansion does feature a rather fun, if a little drawn out, boss fight at the end utilising both your platforming and shooter skills to win the day.

The expansion is touted as being 3 hours long and this is about right but only if you hunt down all the collectables and fully explore the areas. At £7.99 it is a little short lived and you’ll likely be wanting more. Once completed you’ll be awarded a new costume and bow with the ability to frenzy enemies. If like me though you get these rewards after completing the main game then their impact is rather lessened.

Overall it’s a perfectly playable add on but I’d like to have seen them try and implement a few new ideas to help it feel fresh. This coupled with its rather short length means I’d only recommend it for those who just can’t get enough Tomb Raiding. Though you probably already have the season pass anyway.

6/10

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Bloodborne – The Old Hunters DLC. If you are reading this then it is to be assumed that you have played the main game already, if not please check out my review for the original game!

I am not normally one for DLC, I find it tends to be a cash grab by the developers and personally have only purchased DLC a handful of times. The main reason for this is that like a lot of people I refuse to pay for content stripped from a newly released game, especially when it’s just a pitiful amount of costumes or a couple of maps. This however I can say is what I like to call “proper” DLC – a whole new area of game that has been written after the games release and gives at least 8 to 12 hours gameplay depending on your character level and your ability.

Not wanting to give too much away but the setting is the “Hunters Nightmare”, throughout the original game you’re never quite sure what is real and what isn’t, and this is no different. Some bits you will recognise as it appears to be Yharnam but what it would look like hundreds of years later with the land reclaiming the streets with a lot of it in ruin, it is actually very reminiscent of the Dark Souls world. The enemies of this world are quite different than the original, mostly being either Hunters like yourself who have gone mad or other mutated beasts, although the bastard crows are still there.

There are 4 main bosses and one optional boss to find and defeat, all in a fairly linear fashion especially compared to the original game which often left you not knowing where you were supposed to be going.

You are also able to find 11 new trick (main hand) weapons and 5 off hand weapons, there are also several new armour sets and pieces. This is nearly the same amount as were available in the original game and they are all great with a return of a “Souls” favourite weapon which I won’t spoil for you here but I will not deny screaming like a little girl when a boss whips it out halfway through the battle. Some have pretty obscure move sets and others require other items to make them actually work. Although for me the best new weapon was the “Whirlygig” which is in essence a huge circular saw on a stick which does insane damage.

Difficulty wise I would say it’s on a par with the main game and depending on your character build and play style you will find some bosses harder than others but none are easy. I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed this DLC and say that it is most definitely value for money.

Bloodborne isn’t for everyone, but if you managed to make it through the main game and the beast in you is getting thirsty again then this will satiate you. Basing this review on that premise I can happily give this a

9/10.

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Dragon Age: Inquisition. Trespasser review. (Spoilers ahead)

The Pitch.

Decide the fate if the Inquisition and search for the missing elf Solus and the answers he may hold.

The Reality.

Despite being the final expansion and promising to both answer the questions left from the main game and possibly set things up for part 4, I found this one to be strangely dull. Just like The Descent this is a largely linear affair with no real open world areas to explore. The story I was hoping for also wasn’t present with Solus not appearing till the very end and the majority of it concerning itself with you discovering and foiling a Qunari terrorist plan. Once Solus does arrive most questions left over are wrapped up in a long conversation and then things set in motion for the sequel in cutscenes. The storyline did have a few nicely unexpected twists however and a couple of funny moments but the tension and drama wasn’t there when it really needed to be.

The Verdict.

To be honest it’s hard not to see this one as a cash grab by EA as it should have been worked into the main title so everybody could get the proper end instead of teasing it then asking for more money to see it.

5/10

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Dragon Age: Inquisition – The Descent review.

The Pitch.

“Head into the Deep Roads beneath the surface to investigate mysterious earthquakes threatening Thedas and solve an ancient mystery of the dwarfs. Face off against an army of Darkspawn and something much worse.”

The Reality.

While Jaws of Hakkon was much more of the same when it came to side quests, this actually strips most of them away. No rifts or even collectable shards to be found here, though don’t worry collectors, your needs are fulfilled by another item…

The open-world feel of the base game and the 1st expansion is also gone, in favour of a much more linear trek  -through cavernous tunnels and……….more cavernous tunnels. The upside to this  (although still nothing to get too excited by) – the story does feel more focused with plenty of new dialogue and cutscenes. This helped along by your two new companions, one of whom is voiced by the gravely tones of Solid Snake himself – David Hayter.

Combat is still the same scrappy thing it’s always been, as I played through this after completing the main game and 1st expansion, it was disappointing to keep finding new loot I was never going to use beyond a few pieces of armour and a single staff. Being high level also meant the end boss was a zero threat and fell in a matter of seconds thanks to my powered up supermove.

On a side note I’m also disappointed that despite spending the entire time with dwarfs, nobody got drunk at any stage.

The Verdict.

Despite the linearity and lack of combat variety, fans will probably glean some enjoyment from seeing the story through and gaining new loot if not played at too high a character level.

6/10

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Jaws of Hakkon the pitch.

Travel to a whole new area, and explore the Frostback Basin, discovering new allies, enemies, legendary gear and learn the fate of the last Inquisitor before battling an ancient god.

The reality.

Never before has the term, ‘more of the same’ seemed more appropriate than here. As you explore the admittedly large area of the Frostback Basin you’ll come across many familiar things on your travels. More star sign puzzles to solve, more rifts to close, more dragons to make lovely boots or a hat out of, more clunky combat to suffer/enjoy and just incase you feared they wouldn’t make an appearance, yes, more shards to find and collect. Fans of the main game will find plenty to enjoy here as just like the main games it’s pretty generous with its content. However, just like the main game, it’s storyline is rather short with nothing in the way of actual build up to its climatic battles. Still, it gained extra favour as I got to judge a bear and sentence it to no treats for a week.

The verdict.

An enjoyable enough expansion for fans but would have loved to have seen them throw something a little different into the mix.

7/10.

Buy the game

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