Being a strict PlayStation fanboy back in the day, I must admit that Ryse: Son of Rome piqued my interest, despite being unavailable for me to play. Although it was panned by critics, it remained something that I would try if I ever got the chance. Now that I have a decent rig, I am finally able to play this.

Is Ryse: Son of Rome a great game? No. Its short length and lack of depth in both story and gameplay mechanics make this game seem more like a tech demo. However, I had a ton of fun with it.

Being a Crytek game, it's no surprise that this game is gorgeous. Its story is simple, sure, yet it is told in a cinematic, movie-like manner that keeps you interested. Its combat may consist of just light and heavy attacks, rolls and blocks/parries, yet the responsiveness of each hit and the satisfying execution animations ensured that I never got bored. A lot of people will point out that this game is also grossly inaccurate, and although true, I completely ignore this because of the inclusion of certain... characters. I simply enjoyed the game for what it is, and treated it as a typical, historically inaccurate blockbuster movie.

The game also requires a few tweaks with the files and stuff to get it running well, but it's not too difficult of a process.

There are a number of collectibles and achievements that encourage replaying the main story, if that suits your fancy. There are also co-op and solo survival modes with plenty of maps, although I don't think that the multiplayer side of things is what people play this game for.

If you're looking for a short and satisfying, epic story with gameplay that is just fun, then try this out.