Video Game Review - 7th Gen Ports

So I've been quite hesitant about playing games that came from the 7th gen and were then ported to the 8th Gen and I think its fair to say that I have avoided playing them for quite some time. But it wasn't until I heard the rave reviews of some of these ports (as well as the fact that many of them are games that I love) that I then decided to check them out and I have to say, I'm impressed with some of them. Now these reviews will mostly be quick fire ones as some of these games I have played before on 7th gen platforms, but there will be also at least one or two that I missed out completely in their initial run on the 7th gen. So with that said, let's begin:

Grand Theft Auto V

The game broke records when it came out and it is by far the best game of the series and one of the best open world games in general. It has a big map with plenty of things to do aside from missions and so forth, its just great. So when I heard that this was coming to next gen platforms, it wasn't really that hard to decide on getting it or not because it quickly became my all time favourite open world game when it came out initially and I felt after playing it on a 7th gen platform that it feels like it should've been made for the next gen. That being said, there is a lot to like here. There's first person mode, some great visuals that tops that of the 7th gen and if you play GTA Online, all your progress is saved if you have linked a Rockstar Social Club account to the game's 7th gen counterpart. It is still one of the best games that I have played, period and it being on 8th gen consoles just makes me want to play it even more. 9/10

Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition

So among the earliest of these ports comes in the form of Tomb Raider which in my in depth review, I considered it to be game of 2013 because of everything about it. Its intense, full of places to explore and takes climbing and survival to a whole new level. In this version, its pretty much the same game and scenario where Lara Croft is part of a crew of people who are stranded on an cursed island and its up to Lara to break the curse and leave with some sacrifices to make on the way. I will admit though, I actually did think in its 7th gen form that it feels very 8th gen and now that its actually on an 8th gen platform, its even better than ever before in terms of graphics. As with all "definitive edition" games, chances are that you will also get all if not most of the DLC that has been released thus far and in the game, you get just that. Now I know the 2 versions are similar, but what you will find if you decide to play both versions is that one takes advantage of voice commands and the other takes advantage of the light bar on the controller (and you can guess which one is which). Its was always a great game to begin with and this new version makes what already was a great game, even better. 9/10

The Last of Us Remastered

Naughty Dog have always been great at what they do with their games. I mean there has been no game that they have made which sucks. They are just too darn perfect. But I think it would've been a very tough choice to pick out of the Uncharted games or The Last of Us to be put onto PS4 and if I'm being honest, any one of those games is worthy of being on PS4 because they are all great and show a lot of next gen stuff in them. Still though, I'm happy they chose this game because when you have a game that is given the rank of greatest ever PS3 game, it then easily makes it a game for the next console and there is a lot to like in this version. The frame rate has improved greatly for a much more smoother experience, the graphics have improved and the overall gameplay is still the same, but still very good. Basically, its a zombie apocalypse game, but told and seen in a more realistic fashion as it were. The game itself has both the main game and the DLC story Left Behind which makes it complete. It is a great game and I would still play it until it stops being ported because it is just so darn good. 9/10

Saints Row IV Re-Elected + Gat Out of Hell

Of all the video games listed here, this one in my eyes, is the weakest in terms of graphics. But bad graphics don't necessarily make the game bad because as you know, this is another one of my all time favourite games despite its problems and I know for a fact that the developers are known for not being the best at game graphics, especially considering that this is supposed to be a competitor for GTA. But enough about that. So you get all the released DLC and the full game in all its glory (though still with problems it seems) as well as a standalone expansion called Gat Out of Hell. In this expansion which takes place after the main game, Johnny Gat and Kenzie travel to Hell (literally) to rescue the Boss from being married to Satan's daughter. The game plays out much like the main game, the only difference is that gliding is now flying as Gat and Kenzie have wings (and you can switch between the two or alternatively do online co-op with a friend) and you have a whole new world to explore which as you can expect is Hell, literally. You get to meet all these famous figures from history who are all eager to help your cause if you prove your worth to them and there are a lot of activities that you can do which are pretty much what you can do in the main game, just with Hell slapped on it, but its not a complete copy and paste which is fine. Not the best of these ports, but with an improved frame rate, the game is still just as fun as it was when it came out. 7/10

Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition

Now let's talk about a game that I never did a proper review of to begin with when it first came out. Let me just say that I wasn't particularly sure about this game when it first came out, so I rented the PS4 version and honestly, it feels like playing GTA, just with you being on both sides of the law and all taking place somewhere in Hong Kong, therefore its what GTA: Chinatown would've been if Rockstar made it into a full on GTA game. Anyway, so you play as Wei Shen (voiced and I guess motion captured by Will Yun Lee), a police office who got transferred from the States to Hong Kong to infiltrate a Chinese Mafia group called the Sun On Yee and bring them down. But as he does so, he must choose between being a police officer or a gangster while dealing with threats of any kind along the way. Now I've been told that the original game didn't have the best graphics in the world and I can say that this version, has the best graphics. Its realistic and very smooth as well. The game has pretty much anything you'd expect to see in a open world game like GTA. You can use guns, hand to hand combat (something of which is an advantage to this game over GTA), cars, boats, motorcycles and scooters. You can take part in races, train in martial arts, take care of some business with the law and gangsters, run around wearing nothing but boxers or just explore the world that you're given. Now originally, this was going to be the next instalment in a series of games that were published by Activision, but got cancelled due to delays until Square Enix picked it up and had development continue under the name it has now, but if I'm being honest, Square Enix are way better developers than Activision who give us nothing but crap from their Call of Duy games. So overall, I think its a great game. It introduces the concept of gun play and combat as opposed to just gunplay and very lazy like combat which I like and its obvious that the developers spent a lot of time in China studying their cultures and lifestyles and what not which is reflected on the game which is nice. But as for the graphics, if you've been told about the terrible graphics that the 7th gen version had, then no doubt you'll get something a lot better here so enjoy. 9/10