Gears of War 4 | Xbox One27/10/2016 When Microsoft purchased the Gears of War franchise back in 2014 and announced that The Coalition would be given the task of taking the series forward, the pressure was on to match the already high standard set by Epic Games’ previous four titles – yes, Judgment does count. DeeBees also bring a few new toys to the battlefield - a personal favourite being the Enforcer, a fast firing SMG that was so good at turning mechs into scrap it remained firmly in the back-up weapon slot until the campaign’s conclusion roughly ten hours later. Fun as they are, Jinn and her army of mechs were only ever destined to play second fiddle to the game’s true antagonists, the Swarm. Don’t let the name fool you though, if it looks, sounds and fights like Locust, chances are it is one. Still, it wouldn’t be a proper Gears game without some big scaly bastards to kill, and the Swarm fill that role quite nicely. Swarm mostly come in three types: the classic Drone, the Wretch-like Juvies, and Scions (think Boomer and you’re pretty much there), but there’s a few mini boss types that keep things interesting. Snatchers were a highlight, and aptly named as it turns out. These powerful creatures will target any downed player, hoovering them up in a mess of tentacles and ooze before attempting to leave the battlefield, ending the player’s progress. As well as new enemy types, The Coalition also introduces us to some new tech in the form of the Fabricator, a piece of kit that allows players to build defences such as barriers, decoys and turrets to take on waves of enemies at certain points in the story, offering up a bite-sized take on the series’ iconic Horde mode. While these moments may be a more condensed version of the real thing, packing a room with six auto turrets and watching them decimate any enemy foolish enough to come within range is still immensely satisfying. It’s undeniably pretty – ripping enemies to shreds with a chainsaw bayonet has never looked so good. Such thrills can be found in the dedicated Horde mode, but it’s much more of a slow burn process – be prepared to settle in for the long haul if you want to complete all 50 waves. Here, the Fabricator acts as your team’s home base and can be moved to whichever spot on the map players decide is the most defendable. Unlike in the campaign, the currency used to purchase or repair fortifications, known as Power, must be earned. This is done through a sort of ‘kill confirmed’ method, where Power that has been dropped by downed enemies must be collected and deposited back at the Fabricator before the next wave begins. All Power is shared amongst players and needs to be treated as a team resource, otherwise selfish players may find themselves quickly abandoned by their fellow Gears. It’s good to see Horde back in its true form after Judgment’s experiment with Survival mode, and it bridges the gap nicely between the campaign and competitive multiplayer. It’s in the PvP side of things that we see one of the biggest changes from previous Gears games, with all the action taking place at a silky smooth 60fps. The jump in framerate can be a little jarring at first, but once you get used to the upgrade it feels like a perfect fit for the brutal, close-quarters combat the multiplayer is famed for. Series veterans will instantly feel at home one-shotting opponents with Gnashers (which still dominate, despite my attempts to introduce longer ranged combat), and new abilities like the ‘Yank and Shank’ - which grants players the ability to grab and gut enemies in cover - improve upon the existing formula without drastically altering it. The only real issue was found in the multiplayer’s customisation options, which are unlocked through Crates that can be purchased with micro transactions or with in-game currency earned through matches.
It’s a system similar to the one found in Halo 5’s REQ packs, but unlike 343’s game which readily hands out points needed to unlock said packs, the in-game currency in Gears 4 is a little harder to come by. Even after putting in a decent performance there’s very little reward, and it feels like you are being shepherded towards spending real cash on Crates if you don’t want to be stuck with the vanilla character and weapon skins. The Coalition have said they are considering tweaking how Crates are earned, but at the time of writing the system feels a bit broken. Other than this minor issue and as far as series debuts go, Gears of War 4 is a solid first effort from The Coalition. They’ve righted the perceived wrongs of Judgment, while adding in a few changes of their own that complement the series’ tried and trusted formula rather than altering it too much, ensuring that the game feels both familiar and fresh. Pros
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9/10 Until Dawn: Rush of Blood | PSVR19/10/2016 There's no other way of saying it - Rush of Blood is amazing. It’s the kind of experience you’d expect to find in an arcade, or as a theme park attraction, not as something you can actually own in your own home. Whilst that last sentence probably makes me sound at least twice my age, thanks to PlayStation VR, the game does feel revolutionary. Rush of Blood’s shootouts are at their best when undertaken dual-wielding PlayStation Move motion controllers. The fidelity is impressive, easily accommodating subtle wrist movements to, for example, destroy a line of objects without missing a shot. As enemies swarm towards you, unsettlingly encroaching on and eventually invading your personal space, things naturally get a little more frenzied and the arm flailing begins. Though the controls adjust well, you’ll need to hold your controller(s) out and keep them still whilst holding Option/Start to properly realign if you get too carried away. Weapon boxes are scattered around the environment and can be used to your advantage in these desperate situations, shooting them replacing the default, infinite-ammo pistol in the relevant hand with an ammo-limited upgrade. Each weapon behaves differently and carries unique advantages and disadvantages - like the shotgun’s short range and limiting two shots before reload, but immense firepower - making weapon choices an important tactical factor at higher difficulties. This is especially true as reloading is manual, which is easy to forget when you’re hurriedly attempting to fire clicking weapons because your real life is totally on the line! You’ll also spot deviously hidden collectables and secrets dotted around the place, which, along with Trophies and leaderboards, contribute replay value to the short - though appropriately priced - package. Such is the game's gravitational pull that my second playthrough is already in full swing; what’s more, I’m taking in new sights and travelling new paths all the while. It’s the kind of experience you’d expect to find in an arcade, or as a theme park attraction, not as something you can actually own in your own home. The perfect Halloween party game (seriously, convince someone that scares easily to play and hilarity ensues) Until Dawn: Rush of Blood isn’t just a tired rail-shooter, but the rejuvenator of a stale genre. Virtual reality’s added dimension allows for invasive scares that are impossible to become desensitised to, making it genuinely uncomfortable (in a good way) to physically dodge rotting corpses, get drenched in gory entrails that turn your vision a sticky red, and be bombarded by hideous 3D noise that dares you to look in its direction. We’d be happy to leave the house and pay-per-play, so the fact we can stay home and enjoy Rush of Blood to our heart’s content at the very reasonable asking price of £16 makes it an easy recommendation, and a must-buy for PSVR owners.
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Score 9/10 The Final Station | Xbox One19/9/2016 Upon booting up The Final Station on Xbox One for the first time, it became immediately clear that there is an issue with the game’s main menu. What should be a simple gateway into the action quickly became a mini game in its own right, as unclear button highlights led to a language change and almost a deleted save on a couple of occasions.
At first the greyish block dominating the bottom half of the screen feels a little intrusive and uninspired, but as you explore new areas the grey gives way to more detailed spaces. Blacked out buildings reveal a network of rooms, attics and secret tunnels, the honeycombed structures breathing some much needed life into the world. It’s gameplay where The Final Station shines, at least one half of it anyway. The enjoyable exploration of desolate towns and stations is interspersed by the quite literal on rails parts, where players are tasked with keeping their locomotive and any passengers who happen to be accompanying them at the time in working order. What could have been an interesting feature nestled between the on foot sections can quickly descend into chaos, where technical malfunctions continually plague the engine and passengers’ health and hunger levels require near constant monitoring if they are to survive the journey. The unclear design of the main menu also makes an appearance here, turning crafting supplies such as med kits and ammo into hopeful button mashing. While they may be a pain to keep alive, each passenger offers a reward for their safe delivery, and with limited med kits and scarcely enough food to keep more than three or four in good health at one time, sacrifices will have to be made in order to get the best return for your investment. For the achievement/trophy hunters out there, this may get a little frustrating as delivering a full carriage of healthy passengers (or at least ones that are still breathing) is required on a couple of occasions in order to 100% the game. A big chunk of the game’s narrative is delivered from listening to these hitchhikers, but between the veritable plate spinning of keeping the train in working order and making sure you don’t end up with a carriage full of corpses, there’s little chance to pick any of it up. The Final Station’s redemption comes in the form of its explorable areas mentioned earlier. After arriving at a new station, players need to find a four-digit code in order to open the rail blocker and continue progress towards Metropole. It sounds simple enough, but more often than not some hapless station employee has left the code deep within an infected area, meaning you’ll have to go searching for it. Stepping into an eerily silent and hostile area for the first time is suitably atmospheric, and approaching a closed door and the blacked out area beyond it does a good job of creating some nervous excitement. You’ll quickly learn to enter a new room with caution, as charging in all guns blazing is not only a waste of precious ammunition but also a sure fire way to get yourself killed or severely wounded, taking up equally important health packs. When things do go wrong, while it can be costly, it can sometimes lead to epic set-piece like events where you find your back against the wall, desperately trying to take out the five zombies bearing down on your with only a few rounds left. Standing between you and the precious codes are the areas’ corrupted former inhabitants turned flesh eaters. Theses zombies do not resemble the usual shambling and rotting hordes, instead their silhouetted bodies and lamp-like white eyes are more akin to LIMBO’s silent protagonist than your classic undead (although for someone who is a coward when it comes to all things zombie, this wasn’t a problem!).
This being a computer game, zombies naturally appear in a few varieties which require different strategies to take them down. There’s the standard walker, who’s melee attacks deal a fair amount of damage but are easily dodged and killed with a few punches of your own, the small speedy buggers that will make you quickly distrustful of any closed doors, armoured zombies, an exploding type that charges when attacked, plus a few more that help mix things up towards the end of the game. The melting pot of enemies keeps The Final Station from becoming a predictable slog, and actually makes you carefully consider the best way to clear a room or hallway, especially when faced with numerous enemies. The lack of ammunition and supplies also keeps things interesting, forcing players to risk clearing an area while on little health in order to save the last med kit for that wounded passenger with the big reward, or taking on enemies with melee attacks as you only have four bullets left and you just know an exploding type is going to be lurking up ahead somewhere. When things do go wrong, while it can be costly, it can sometimes lead to epic set-piece like events where you find your back against the wall, desperately trying to take out the five zombies bearing down on you with only a few rounds left. Surviving such a situation is a pretty good rush, but generous checkpoints mean dying isn’t so much of a problem. The frequent checkpoints also mean it’s easy to quickly learn a building’s layout and enemy locations, allowing you to chain kills together and speedily make up progress, sometimes without taking damage. At just over eight hours’ completion time, The Final Station offers good value for the relatively low asking price, and although the tricky menu and tedious train sections are a bit of a buzzkill, if you’re willing to forgive the game’s flaws and a few rough edges now and then, there is a decent 2D action adventure to be had for your money. Pros
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Score 7/10 INSIDE | Xbox One30/6/2016 Games like INSIDE don’t come around often; it’s a truly special experience that should be savoured over its precious three to four hour course. It’s Playdead’s second game, the spiritual successor to LIMBO, and another absolute classic. To fully explore INSIDE’s strange and exciting subject matter would be to rob you of discovering them for yourself. Platforming is a secondary gameplay pillar, more a means to an end than a challenge of its own. You’ll naturally employ the tightly controlled manoeuvres to aid in your traversal, but don’t expect any particularly taxing jumps. There’s a refreshing, if still slight, level of freedom for what’s usually a somewhat linear genre. Some sections can be tackled in an order of your choosing, dependant on which direction you choose to take off in, whilst there are also plenty of hidden secrets to uncover. These are tied to the game’s achievements, in addition to an alternate ending, but please resist the temptation to introduce the distraction of a walkthrough on your initial playthrough. Play at your own pace, allow yourself to absorb it, discover what you discover, then go back. To fully explore INSIDE’s strange and exciting subject matter would be to rob you of discovering them for yourself. That said, the ending has been the one constant criticism raised. It certainly doesn’t answer all of the questions it prompted, but when paired with the alternate ending, we’re content with our interpretation. It doesn’t need to be spelled out. A rare, somber experience that’s dense with atmosphere, you’ll likely play in a stunned silence, mouth slightly agape in wonderment. If you ever find yourself in a games as art discussion - a topic that shouldn’t still be up for debate - point towards INSIDE and rest your case.
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Score 10/10 The Park | Xbox One8/5/2016 As far as horror-themed settings go, the haunted theme park is a relatively common and contrived one. Whilst we've seen carnivals take centre stage in cinema, games have generally reserved the locale for one-off, novelty excursions - The Park attempts to remedy that. Core gameplay is typical of a ‘walking simulator’ - thankfully one with a sprint function - whilst the ability to call out to Callum provides the gimmick to spice up proceedings. Think Heavy Rain's infamous "Jason" sequence, but not hysterically repetitive and flat. The vocals emit a sort of ripple effect that distorts elements able to be interacted with, ensuring you won’t miss anything significant. On occasion, Callum will answer, the direction of his voice serving to direct the player, whilst the nature of his replies can often induce a chill: "He's watching you, mommy." "Don't let him take me, mommy!" It's a story open to interpretation, with strands that warrant investigation and subsequent playthroughs. “He” is a recurring frightener, amongst others, ever aided by constant ambient whispers and animalistic sounds that emerge seemingly from thin air to taunt you. Whilst routinely unsettled, we were never outright scared. Eternal Darkness inspired moments of fourth-wall-breaking manipulation to audio, gameplay and visuals were appreciated in essence, but intentional audio crackle and gameplay stutter quickly became an unwelcome distraction. That said, these methods of toying with us did succeed fantastically during the concluding sequence. The issues intensify with each continual loop through the same environment (yes, it’s very P.T.) until you’re driven half insane, beautifully mirroring that which plays out on-screen. Whilst pretty in a quaint sort of way, The Park’s visuals are unimpressive and rife with pop-in. Load times are significant, though the entirety of the location is accessible without need for further delay following the lengthy initial wait. When the setting is titular, you’d expect it to shine, but outside of interacting with some of the attractions, there isn’t much defining about it. When we think back on carnival-type settings in games, fond memories of Bioshock Infinite, The House of the Dead: Overkill, Bully: Scholarship Edition and Left 4 Dead 2 are conjured; ironically, their flirtations with the setting were altogether more memorable. Ultimately, these issues aren’t too detracting. The Park is laser-focused on delivering its narrative and it does so with some eloquence. Don’t expect a superlative videogame, but do look forward to a feature length horror experience that’ll engage your brain.
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Score 7/10 Slenderman: The Arrival | Wii U1/1/2016 I have to be honest, I’d never heard of the Slenderman character before playing this game - but rest assured, I’m now well and truly aware of his blank expression and horrifyingly gaunt limbs, they’re the stuff of nightmares! You’ll also spend plenty of time just plain run away from Slenderman and his screeching, slithering side-kicks. For the most part these encounters are tense and really amp up the menacing atmosphere to leave you quaking in your boots. The delicate sounds of birdsong swiftly give way to demented footsteps crunching on gravel... Unfortunately though, the mine level can prove to be a real frustration, especially on the harder difficulty levels. Finding the generators (which spawn in different places every time you die) can be an annoyance when you’re being chased by not only Slendy himself, but by a bloodthirsty ghoul too. The whole concept of Slenderman as a paranormal character will also irritate some, as he can teleport and find you whenever he pleases - if this sounds like something that’ll bother you then stay well away. For everyone else though, the small pain of the mines do give way to a fabulous horror experience. The art style homes a minimalist blend of murky, somber tones, drawing you into both the story and community of Oakside. Many missions start with the saving grace of daylight, complete with soft wind blowing through the trees, before dropping you into an environment where only flickering lights or your torch can aid your vision; this juxtaposition makes the dark seem all the darker. When Slenderman himself is near, the screen crackles and flashes green - a good sign to run away as fast as you can! It’s all very well done, often playing on your mind and making you see things that aren’t really there. The exemplary sound and music only heighten this feeling of dread further, with the delicate sounds of birdsong in the daylight sections swiftly giving way to demented footsteps crunching on gravel. Add to this the macabre music, with its selection of synthesisers, pianos, bells, strings and sparse percussion and you have true, unadulterated terror in audio form.
Our only major gripe outside of the mine level is the game’s short play time. Slender: The Arrival can be finished in a couple of hours, and with the only additional content being a remastered version of The Eight Pages, entitled Genesis, alongside a couple of harder difficulty settings, this isn’t the most economic package. Having said that though, what you’re getting is a truly wonderful horror game, one that’ll have you questioning your own judgement and seeing and hearing things that aren’t really there - for that alone Blue Isle and the rest of the team have to be applauded. Pros
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8/10 Dying Light | Xbox One1/1/2016 We were introduced to Dead Island, Techland’s previous first-person zombie basher, with a poignant trailer that seemed to imply focus would be placed upon the human side of the apocalypse. Yet somewhat bemusingly, the fact I’ve had nothing positive to say so far is by design. These problems begin to dissipate as you play and unlock abilities to combat the issues, before they eventually disappear entirely. It’s not a smooth ride, however, thanks to the levelling system, which tasks you with performing the actions you want to upgrade à la Elder Scrolls. You can’t complete missions and put the experience you gain into improving your parkour skills, you have to endure hours of bad parkour to make it bearable and messily kill hundreds of zombies to become slightly combat proficient. Eventually, I unlocked a grappling hook to zip wherever I wanted to go in an instant and I killed zombies with one satisfying, head-popping blow. I was a badass and I was loving it, but why on earth did I have to endure hour upon hour of tripe to make the game fun? This is the protagonist’s line of work, after all, so there isn’t even a contextual reason for him to begin unskilled. Conversely, one element of the game gets progressively weaker. When night falls, “volatiles” take to the streets. These faster, more deadly enemies change the entire dynamic of the game, transforming it into a tense, stealthy, survival horror experience. When you’re spotted, heart-pounding chase music kicks in and you flee to reach safety at the nearest hideout or work to shake pursuers. If they catch you, or you try to fight, you’re as good as dead – it’s a terrifying game of cat and mouse. Unfortunately, when you reach Old Town in the second half of the game the map’s verticality makes it incredibly easy to avoid foes, and the darkness no longer holds any horrors. Dying Light is just Dead Island done slightly better. In addition to volatiles, several other nasties add variety to the enemy arsenal. The Dead Island cast return with exploders and large brutes, accompanied by the equivalent of Left 4 Dead's Spitter, and straight out of Dead Space come mutated children that attract the horde. Human enemies also feature – although you barely realise, as they’re as brain dead as their undead brethren. You’ll often need to equip a gun to counteract their added firepower, which is a shame, as the gunplay is unsatisfying and unresponsive. The story is typically clichéd and both awfully voiced and written. There’s a possible cure, a fight against time under the threat of the city being levelled and a drug to delay turning when bitten, to name just a few genre tropes. You already know the story because you’ve heard it a million times before – and 900,000 of those are told better. The ending is particularly weak, offering no closure and a QTE final boss. Missions don’t hold much variety and some are shamelessly ripped straight from Dead Island. Side missions and random encounters often outshine the main quest with quirky characters and interesting self-contained stories, but unfortunately these are mostly tied to typical fetch quests. Quarantine zones and challenges are fun diversions, although challenges ridiculously don’t have a reset option; if you get off to a bad start you have to wait the timer out before being able to restart. There’s such a high volume of missions on offer that the lack of both fast travel and vehicles becomes a real issue. The setting is thoroughly drab, and traipsing back and forth through it holds no joy, so you’ll likely give up long before completing them all. Unless, like me, you’re an avid achievement hunter… Considering developer Techland parted ways with Deep Silver due to creative differences on where the Dead Island franchise should be taken, I’m not quite sure what couldn’t be agreed upon. Dying Light is just Dead Island done slightly better. It’s highly unoriginal, nicking copiously from numerous games, but if you can stick with it and switch your brain off, there’s some fun to be had here. Pros
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6/10 SOMA | PS41/1/2016 Frictional Games, masters of horror and the sadistic minds behind both Penumbra and Amnesia - games capable of turning even the 'ardest blokes ghostly white - bring us SOMA. Though lacking in vitamin D, this reviewer emerged from his dark room richer for the experience of playing SOMA. An eclectic range of puzzles impede your progress and hide the aforementioned juicy storytelling devices. If you aren’t a huge fan of conventional puzzle games, you'll be pleasantly surprised that none outstay their welcome or become frustrating. You'll likely have to sit and really think at points, but before long the solution will click and you'll feel like a genius for it. Whilst there's a constant sense of unease brought about by the suffocatingly thick atmosphere - conjured in part by the outstanding audio - monster encounters, the meat of any self-respecting horror experience, are largely few and far between. When they do rear their ugly heads it's business as usual for Frictional devotees; enemies cannot be combatted in any way and simply looking at their form is enough to damage to the player. The system works as well as ever, combining helplessness and fear of the unknown into an unnerving cocktail. Several different enemy types are encountered throughout the adventure and introduced to varying degrees of success. You'll first encounter a lumbering, bipedal... thing, that's incredibly easy to avoid and as such devoid of any real fear-mongery. The first real instance of terror doesn't come until hours into the game with the introduction of the second enemy type. From the jump scare introduction, through to the frantic escape from the constant pursuer, you are entirely immersed in the moment. We shook the controller in a bid to run faster, held our breath and kept still whilst hidden away, muffled cries to have them manifest as pathetic whimpers - it was terrifying. Unfortunately, enemy types to follow are just slight variations on the formula and don't carry the same impact when you've seen it before. SOMA also suffers technically with long load times and relatively frequent minor hitches, such as slowdown and hanging. Add a freeze into the mix and it isn't the best runner, but it's a sterling effort for Frictional's first console outing regardless.
Though lacking in vitamin D, this reviewer emerged from his dark room richer for the experience of playing SOMA. It's a very clever game that takes the player on an unmissable journey through one of the richest environments and narratives in gaming - all at a budget price point. Buy this game, grab your headphones, turn the volume up, the lights out, and enjoy it. Pros
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9/10 |
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