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 So what's this game then? Valiant Hearts: The Great War is the second of Ubisoft's new UbiArt brand of more creative budget title games. It was announced alongside Child of Light last year. The game is developed by UbiSoft Montpelier, the same guys who made Rayman and Beyond Good and Evil. Valiant Hearts was inspired by real letters written by soldiers the fought in the war, including relatives of the dev team. The game chronicles the trials and tribulations of several characters that are brought together by the war on the Western Front as they struggle to survive. What's it for? Valiant Hearts is available now for PS3,360, XBox One, PS4, and PC (Steam and UPlay). PC requires a UPlay account to play. So how does it play? Valiant Hearts is a mix of things but saying its an adventure game is mostly apt. It's mainly a side-scroller where you have to solve puzzles, a good chunk with the help of your faithful dog companion. There's also stealth sections, rhythm game-esque segments, action sequences where you have to avoid artillery shells and machine gun fire, and even driving segments. It sounds like it could be a mess, but it all comes together well enough and makes the game engaging without being at odds with the story. The game is pretty forgiving when it comes to difficulty, though there may be some sections that a person can have a little trouble with. How's the writing? Video games aren't well known for their nuanced portrayals of war. Valiant Hearts is surprisingly well-written and effective at portraying the war. The devs clearly put their hearts and souls into this game and you can tell with all the research they did, the game is filled with codex entries that gives information about the events of WWI and the people and places involved. The game does a drat fine job at focus at brutally of war but the humanity too. The game doesn't take sides and mostly maintains a gray morality to its events, there's no heroes and villains, only people dragged into something far beyond their control. The focus the characters and their struggles as well as the innocent people caught in the crossover. It ends up being a powerful game that doesn't fall into melodrama or your usual video game cliches. What the main cast like? Emile: A farmer that lives with his family in the French village of St. Michiel near the German border. He is drafted into the war and taken away from his beloved daughter and his family. Marie: Emile's daughter, Marie is left to take care the family farm and her newborn son as the war soon takes away her father and husband. Karl: Marie's German husband. Due to the rising hostilities between France and Germany, Karl is deported back to his homeland by French officials alongside other Germans living in France. Freddie: An American living in France. Freddie joins the French Army for a very personal reason. He and Emile become fast friends at the onset of the war and the two become close allies throughout the war. Anna: A Belgian medical student living in Paris training to be a vet. The breakout of war forces her to be a battlefield medic as she journeys across the Western Front to try and find her father. The Dog: A German medic Doberman. After a brutal artillery attack he is separated from his master and teams up with Emilie. The Dog becomes a valuable companion to most of the cast. Conclusion Valiant Hearts is a fantastic game that's probably going to be talked about for a while, its definitely a really strong contender for any GOTY awards. It's overall a really beautiful and engaging game that's well worth your time and money. Reviews: GameSpot: 8/10 Joystiq: 10/10 EuroGamer: 7/10 Forbes Destructoid: 9/10 Rock Paper Shotgun The Escapist: 4/5 stars Giant Bomb 4/5 stars Videos: Announcement Trailer Comeback Trailer E3 2014 Trailer Giant Bomb Quick Look Screenshots:      
Accordion Man fucked around with this message at 19:51 on Jul 6, 2014 |
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Jun 28, 2014 06:19
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 22:49 |
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28th June. 100 years today from the shots in Sarajevo that started WW1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Archduke_Franz_Ferdinand_of_Austria Nice that they made this game.
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Jun 28, 2014 14:25
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Best sections in this game are the driving section where you are being chased. Not gonna spoil them but they are amazing.
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Jun 28, 2014 14:40
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Every time I hear the dog whine it makes me want to reach through the tv and pet it.
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Jun 28, 2014 15:04
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Just finished it a few hours ago. Yeah, it's a lovely game with a great ending. I still think there are some pretty major missteps, like there's no reason for Emile to have a narrator who doesn't sound anything like the character does in-game. Come to think of it, there's no reason for the game to have a narrator at all. Maybe keep the one that informs you about the state of the greater war between chapters, but every single character-introspective narration could have been done without words and I think it would have been much more impactful. Also the diary entries are terrible - it's like every time the game tries to be explicit about its narrative, I'm taken out of the experience, because most of it is really poorly written. It's one of those games that doesn't quite come together the way I wanted it to, but I still really enjoyed it and I hope to see more games like it. I think if I were around 13-14 years old, this game could have had the same impact on me that something like Another World did in the 90s. If you have an early teenage son or daughter, I think this would be an amazing game to play with them. I'm not sure how I feel about the more pulpy liberties the game takes with its historical setting (like the whole Baron Von Dorf character), but I do think it has several moments and pieces of stunning imagery that will remain with me for decades, probably.
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Jun 28, 2014 16:43
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I really dislike this game. It's a tonal mess that's neither one thing nor the other, and the gameplay is basic as hell and often tedious. The art style is lovely but wasted, and the steampunky elements are incredibly out of place. It's nowhere near as Emotionally Weighty as it thinks it is either.
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Jun 28, 2014 17:12
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Just finished it. Almost a masterpiece, and definitely one of the best war games - or rather anti-war games - that I've played.
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Jun 29, 2014 12:40
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This game is quite good. Gameplay is basic, yes. But it is perfectly functional. And everything else makes up for it. Really worth the money. I also don't get the comments some reviewers give about the emotional whiplash. It's a good mix in my opinion. Also if you're looking at war games it is easily one of the best of all times.
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Jul 6, 2014 11:24
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I thought the thread title said Vandal Hearts 
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Jul 6, 2014 13:10
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Had to get this after Child of Light and wasn't disappointed. I hope games like M&MX/CoL/VH do well for Ubisoft and they continue to be a large publisher with surprising smaller releases rather than the unrelenting garbage we get from EA and Activision.
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Jul 6, 2014 18:49
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How often does a game make you cry? Not often enough in my opinion.
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Jul 6, 2014 19:04
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 22:49 |
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Lucy Heartfilia posted:This game is quite good. Gameplay is basic, yes. But it is perfectly functional. And everything else makes up for it. Really worth the money. I also don't get the comments some reviewers give about the emotional whiplash. It's a good mix in my opinion. And yeah, I think its the best war game out right now. It not being up its own rear end really makes it a lot more powerful than Spec Ops ever was. Accordion Man fucked around with this message at 19:53 on Jul 6, 2014 |
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Jul 6, 2014 19:42
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