http://www.3news.co.nz/Ryse-Son-of-Rome-review/tabid/418/articleID/322143/Default.aspx#.Uozc7Mpvj2b
I remember playing Heavenly Sword on the PlayStation 3 and being floored by the facial animation in it. I experienced a similar feeling with Ryse: Son of Rome; my pick of the Xbox One exclusive launch titles.
I've played a fair few next-gen titles now and while Killzone: Shadowfall and Forza 5 are impressive, there's something about the facial and body animations in Ryse that consistently thrill me. That they're applied to such a cool game is jolly good luck, too.
An ultraviolent third-person hack 'n' slash, Ryse: Son of Rome puts you in the shoes of Marius Titus as he carries out conquests against barbarians for the Roman Empire, driven by the vengeful rage he feels for his slain family.
The story is surprisingly good for a game so hell-bent on being as military and bloodthirsty as this is. Ryse is a game so masculine and hardcore, playing it is akin to watching the battle sequences of 300, Gladiator and Spartacus edited to music by Amon Amarth and Manowar.
The voice acting is very solid, especially by the actor of Marius himself, instilling an appropriate level of gravitas and even conveying intense emotions fairly well. This is helped along by the fantastic Crytek engine-driven animations, of course, but also a wonderful scripting effort.
Some pretty huge liberties are taken with historical accuracy in the game and one of the villainous characters, the truly despicable son of a Roman emperor, carries himself in a particularly modern way that I think would've been weird in a game set 20 years ago, let alone 2000. But that's OK, I'm playing it to have fun, I'll jump on Wikipedia if I want to learn about Nero and his wicked ways.
Gameplay is almost entirely confined to hacking & slashing enemies with Marius' sword, and bashing them with his shield, knee and foot. You have two attack buttons, each of which can be held to perform a heavy attack, along with a roll away button and a defend button.
What the combat system relies on, rather than complexity, is timing. Getting the timing right on parrying an enemy blow, then the combination in which you strike back, and the precise timing of each of those strikes, is what Ryse is all about. It's a very tight focus for gameplay, but I found it to be highly satisfying. Its simplicity is a big part of why it works.
Once an enemy's health is worked down enough, an execution can be performed. That's when the real fun starts. There's well over 100 brutal kill animations in Ryse and they're a constant thrill to watch.
Ryse: Son of Rome may be rough around the edges, but I enjoyed the heck out of it. Taking the mighty power of the Xbox One console and focusing it all into one man's blood-drenched quest with his trusty sword and shield is commendable, and I hope dearly to see a more polished, improved sequel.
Four stars.
I still see this game getting a ton of polarizing reviews, everywhere from 5 to 9. But I am so hyped for this game.
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