Deus Ex: Icarus Effect by James Swallow [Book Review]

Deus Ex: Icarus Effect is a book that has been haunting my reading dreams for years. But finally, I found it for a reasonable price in a second-hand store. It’s a prequel to the excellent game Deus Ex: Human Revolution, that takes place before, and during the events of the game. So, was it worth the wait? Yes, absolutely, seeing as the story from a stand-alone viewpoint is already good with interesting characters and plot. However, the main pull is the world-building and additional lore to the Deus Ex franchise. On that note, it’s excellent, and I would almost consider it a mandatory read, if you, like me, love the mythos of the series and want to know more about the mysterious men and women in it.

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Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow – Spetsnaz Fun

Hope is eternal, so with that, I had to try Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow, the final game in the franchise. I can say right off the bat that it’s better than Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror. However, most of my complaints remain, as little have been made to improve the stealth. I understand that the series had never been known for its stealth, but why even include the ability of skulking around if you are not going to do anything with that? The whole thing feels baffling to me. I had no issues running it on the PlayStation 2 emulator PCSX2. Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow actually supports native widescreen in the options, so that might be the only thing you have to change in the settings, depending on what kind of options you run with.

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Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror – CIA Hit Squad

If there is one game with squandered potential, Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror would be it. At least, it is for me. I can see others enjoying it for what it is. But man, if it didn’t shatter my hope and dreams for something Splinter Cell-like that I haven’t played before. Now, Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror is not a one-off game. It’s part of a larger franchise with several games under the belt for the PlayStation One. I never played any of these games, so this was my first taste of Syphon Filter. What I was wishing, and believing the game was about, was totally wrong. I expected clandestine backstabbing stealth, but what I got instead was a CIA state sanctioned murder spree.

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Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker – Dreaming of Heaven

I have been getting into my old Xbox 360 as of late, so I thought: why not start with Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker that I have never finished before. Peace Walker was originally a PlayStation Portable (PSP) exclusive, but later remastered for the Xbox 360 in the excellent and well-worth package Metal Gear Solid HD Collection. Now, since it is a PSP game, there are some issues, especially if you treat it as a mainland Metal Gear game on a home console. It’s extremely segmented so you can easily play it on the move, with the missions being very short. The only thing that has any stay is the bosses, which can drag on compared to the usual sneaking and choking out guards. Regardless, it’s an enjoyable stealth game that greatly expands the lore about Big Boss.

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The Drifter – Demo Impressions

It was a long time since I was so thoroughly impressed with a point-and-click adventure game. And not only from a visual, auditory, and technical perspective – the atmosphere and general writing are top notch too. The demo was rather short, but it sure as hell left me yearning for more. Unfortunately, I don’t see a set date for release on Steam. So, who knows when it will be released? It sucks as I want more of The Drifter, and to be able to dig deeper into the captivating story of the wandering vagabond.

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