4 GAMES DEFEATED!

• BROTHERS: A TALE OF TWO SONS

A simple puzzle game with a beautiful atmosphere and a pretty sad ending. I had fun playing the game even though none of the puzzles were very hard or required a lot of thought. The ending, on the other hand, was heart-breaking and tugged at my heartstrings. It’s a pretty casual game lasting about 4 hours. I imagine somebody not interested in the achievements might finish it sooner. I recommend the game, especially if you have a few hours to fill before starting another big game.

• HOMEFRONT

Got this in the winter sale and only just managed to play it. It focuses around what would happen if North Korea invaded America and puts us in the shoes of a resistance fighter. It’s a pretty short game with only 7 levels and I’d say the story is quite mediocre. The multiplayer is dead, though I did manage to find one server, where I played for a few hours. The multiplayer is actually fun, where 2 teams, the Resistance and the Koreans, are pitted against each other. You are supposed capture points and kill enemies, which earns you battle points that you can use to buy vehicles and other additional things. However, since the multiplayer is dead, you’ll have a hard time finding a match.

• HOMEFRONT: THE REVOLUTION

Another game I picked up in the Winter sale, even though, it was mostly negative at the time, iirc. I’m honestly glad to say that I enjoyed the game quite a lot, evident by the 77 hours I spent on it. The story is nothing special, focusing on the resistance effort in Philadelphia, and us playing as Ethan Brady, a new recruit. The Revolution is not a direct sequel to the previous Homefront. It is a reimagining which is based on what would happen if the technological boom had occurred in the Silicon River in North Korea, instead of the Silicon Valley. It features 3 separate zones; the red zone where there is no civilian presence and KPA patrols are very frequent along with giant airships in the sky; the yellow zone which is populated by normal citizens and where KPA presence is lower; and the green zone where the elite of the regime live. It is quite a fun game to play as most of the bugs have been patched out. There are still some bugs, like enemies just randomly vanishing but nothing game breaking.

I also managed to grab the expansion pass for this that contains all of the 3 single player campaigns. The first one called The Voice of Freedom is a prequel to the game and lasts about 45 mins to an hour. It’s story is mediocre and has Benjamin Walker, leader of the Resistance, navigating the subways while battling the 9-0, a group of survivalist nutters who’re against the KPA and the Resistance. The 2nd campaign brings back Ethan Brady, but this time he’s voiced! It’s set after the main game and involves rescuing, and if failing that, eliminating Benjamin Walker, who after being captured by the KPA, has been broken and is now being broadcast while spouting anti-Resistance propaganda. It’s a pretty good story campaign and I enjoyed it quite a lot. I won’t go into detail about the 3rd campaign since it is the best of the bunch and should be experienced firsthand.

The game also features a resistance mode where you and 3 other players are part of the Wraiths, a special resistance strike team and are tasked to perform missions in several areas of the main game. It has a skill system where after completing each mission, you gain money, which can be used to buy better gear, weaponry and attachments; and XP which can used to buy skills of your choice from 4 skill trees. It is pretty enjoyable but sadly I had to play this mode solo, since it is dead.

Homefront The Revolution was 10$ in the recent sale, which I think is a fair price for it. I suggest getting the expansion pass for about 5$ with it since it features some very good content.

• LARA CROFT GO
  I picked this up in the recent sale since I had some money left and it looked fun. The game is more puzzle-oriented rather than focusing on action like the recent tomb raider titles. You walk from node to node, which counts as a single move, solving puzzles and avoiding enemies. There is a variety of enemies and puzzles which made me sit and think for a while. It has a great art style with brilliant colors that are just beautiful to watch. For about 3$, it is a steal if you’re in the market for a casual puzzler that won’t take up a lot of time.