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Why Oceanhorn is best on Switch | Opinion

29/6/2017

 
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Last year you might have read Sam’s verdict on the Xbox One version of Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas, but since the game began life as a mobile experience, it makes sense that it would find its way to the most portable of the home consoles - the Nintendo Switch.

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 by
 James
 Michael
​ Parry

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@James_Parry

The real test for a mobile-style title is how easily you can pick up and put it down on a whim. The Switch release facilitates this even more seamlessly than your mobile might, thanks to being a dedicated gaming machine that’s able to lie dormant for days at a time on sleep mode before being instantly awoken with plenty of charge to facilitate jumping back in for a quick adventure.

​If you haven’t heard of
Oceanhorn, the easiest way to describe it is as a more entry-level iteration of a classic Zelda title (less so the open, sprawling take seen in Breath of the Wild), with cartoonish presentation akin to Portal Knights’, albeit with a focus on adventuring rather than building.
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The world is split up into different islands, which each have a few things to discover and plenty of enemies to combat, but most locations are fairly small, so you can make your way through them relatively easily in a shorter play session and feel like you’ve achieved something while on the go.
The lore, though present, isn’t intrusive either, so there aren’t swathes of detail to commit to memory when you hop on for five minutes before your significant other warns you of the imminent arrival of food. You could even get away with a cheeky session at a family barbecue and there’s no risk of any family members looking over your shoulder in disturbed bemusement at what they see - something that the upcoming and similarly Zelda-inspired Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ is at severe risk of.
Basic puzzle-solving offers more depth than the Candy Crushes and Clash of Clans of the world, without being so engrossing as to make you miss your stop.
Travelling too, there’s a relaxing simplicity to pottering around destroying pottery, and in the familiar touches undoubtedly borrowed from Zelda - from the colour-emphasised NPC text to the protagonist’s sword, shield and tunic combo - which create a comfort blanket of straightforward gameplay and basic puzzle-solving that offer more depth than the Candy Crushes and Clash of Clans of the world, without being so engrossing as to make you miss your stop.
While you can pick up Oceanhorn on the PS Vita, as Gabriella found out recently, the tone and presentation of the game definitely has a fittingly ‘Nintendo’ feel, which helps to manage expectations of a more ‘hardcore’ gaming experience Vita players might have expected, but Oceanhorn isn’t necessarily designed to cater towards.
Finally, if you fancy a big screen experience, then with a quick slide of your Switch into the dock, you can have it. This versatility is unique to the Switch, and with performance strong across both handheld and docked modes, its easy to play however you like.
With so many platforms to play Oceanhorn on at this point, it’s definitely worth giving the Switch version specifically a try, especially if you’re a fan of classic Zelda titles; I’d even go as far as to say experiencing it in this format nudges it above Sam’s initial score. It’s certainly enough to keep you entertained in short bursts, and it might even be a nice entry point for youngsters into a slightly more involved style of gaming. Never has the chance to sail Oceanhorn’s uncharted seas felt more appealing.

Are you tempted? Let us know what you think of the game in the comments.

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Great expectations - PTC's E3 2017 predictions

10/6/2017

 
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Going into an event like E3, there's always a lot of anticipation. Will the latest console release be everything it's cracked up to be? Will that long-rumoured game finally be confirmed? Who will be the awkward celebrity cameo?

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​by James Michael Parry

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​Team
​PTC

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​@james_parry

Over the years we've seen numerous console reveals and plenty of good humour between games companies (who could forget Sony's state-of-the-art game sharing system? Or Nintendo's muppet video?), and there's plenty on the cards for this year, with all the big players you'd expect turning up to show their wares.


​​Xbox


​Microsoft is definitely the company with the most to prove at this year's event. Project Scorpio was mentioned but not really revealed at the last E3 and with significant momentum still behind the PS4 in terms of sales, Microsoft needs to hit the mark with this one
We saw a bit more of Scorpio a couple of months ago with Digital Foundry's excellent video running through the specs in some significant detail, after Microsoft let them take a very close look at the machine. It seems to have the power, but what it really needs is games.

Liam is slightly concerned about is Scorpio's price too, in fact, Gabriella reckons if the price is anything more than £499 she'll be "pissed" (eep!), so Microsoft had better come up with "some new Xbox exclusives or a good hard-hitting lineup of Scorpio games" to keep her from lashing out at us.
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On that front, Rob is excited about the prospect of Crackdown 3 at long last, adding: "I'm curious to see more of Sea of Thieves too, I really hope it's a return to form for Rare."

Both Liam and Chris are excited at the prospect of VR on the Scorpio. "I'm expecting it will be more than I'm willing to pay," explains Chris. "As the only reason for me to upgrade is some sort of VR, which will bump the price up further."

"I imagine things have been quiet on the Xbox exclusive front for a while because they've been pumping their resources into bolstering the Scorpio launch," ponders Sam. "Which is exactly what we saw happen in the transition from 360 to One. It would be a welcome surprise to hear news that Fable 4 is at least planned but I think Rare are best suited to taking it on and they probably have their hands full."


​Playstation


​Sony are riding high on a sea of sales, reportedly double what the Xbox One has managed to shift, and coming off a notable performance at last year's conference.

When you're at the top though, everyone is very keen to see you fall, so Sony will still have to keep their wits about them. The impressive lineup of games shown last year has more to offer, with not much seen nor heard from Days Gone or God of War since 2016, though the sting of Hideo Kojima announcing in Twitter that he won't be bringing Death Stranding to the show will have already disappointed many fans.
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Resident young person and PS4 fan has a long list of wants for the event. "I’m looking forward to seeing more God of War and hopefully The Last of Us: Part II," she says. "Other games on my radar are Detroit: Become Human and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, so hopefully we’ll get to see some meaty coverage on all of these. Some strong PS VR titles wouldn’t go amiss either."

After it set the internet alight in 2015, Rob is hankering for more Ryo. "Will Shenmue 3 get a new reveal - it's been ages and I'm gagging to learn more!" he says. "What have Sony got up their sleeves? Like Gabriella I'm hoping for gameplay footage of The Last of Us: Part II - it's probably too early but we can hope!"

Sony have stuck to their usual timeslot, while Microsoft have moved theirs forward to the Sunday night (for us in the UK that is - you can remind yourself of the schedule with our guide), which Sam predicts could lead to an upset. "I'm worried Microsoft might have shot themselves in the foot," he says. "We've seen in the past, Sony can be very reactive, and they have more than 24 hours to plan a counter this time around. Xbox doesn't need to be made the industry laughing stock again."

​Them's fighting words...


​Nintendo


​Ever the oddball, Nintendo will be settling for their Treehouse Live event this year rather than a Nintendo Direct or traditional conference. Their stock is at its highest point since 2010 thanks to tremendous demand for their new console - The Switch - and their games line-up for the system is finally starting to shape up too.

​Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe were both big hits, and must-buys for Switch owners, but ARMS is the next high-profile release and despite making a good first impression with Liam and James recently, doesn't feel like it has quite the same system-selling potential - perhaps Pokkén Tournament will be the next title to hit that particular note?

Nintendo may be performing, but fans are still baffled by many of their decisions. First they stopped producing the NES Classic, and now the Switch's online service, which was recently pushed to 2018, expects players to jump through hoops just to use a simple feature like voice chat, but maybe seeing the service in action will allay fears.
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Rob has high standards set for the Japanese company. "Will Nintendo actually give us something new?" he wonders. "I don't just want to see more of Odyssey!" While Sam is just hoping that they won't disappoint, as his Switch is "currently gathering dust."

Liam is more optimistic though. "I'd like to be surprised by Nintendo," he says "Maybe something about GameCube virtual console and a proper Pokémon game for the Switch."


​EA


​First off the mark thanks to their EA Play event taking place outside E3 proper, Electronic Arts have a few high profile games on their slate which may well find their way into the Sony and Microsoft briefings as well.

Star Wars: Battlefront II is undoubtedly the top of fans anticipation list out of those. Many lamented the original's lack of single-player campaign, something developer DICE has addressed for the sequel, putting you into the boots of an imperial officer.
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If EA means one thing - aside from being the twice-voted 'Worst Company in America' - it's sports. Recent announcements ahead of the event have confirmed Cristiano Ronaldo as the cover star for Fifa 18, as well as Madden NFL 18 and NBA Live 18.

Finally expected to appear is Need For Speed Payback, which takes the franchise and (figuratively) injects some of the nitrous oxide of the Fast and Furious franchise.

​
The Force is strong with Star Wars ahead of the show. "I'd like some info about Battlefront II's single-player campaign and the other Star Wars games they are working on," says Chris.​


​Bethesda


​As a company famed for taking their time, the rumours can really get out of hand when you start talking about Bethesda, and the latest is that the next Elder Scrolls will be in space...so...there that is.
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The big game of the show that we do know about will be Quake Champions, announced at last year's event, though by now work on Elder scrolls VI must be underway, so we could be in for a very, very minimalist tease for that one, similar to the first we saw for its predecessor.

A leak today names the sequel to the very successful Wolfenstein: The New Order and The Old Blood titles as Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, so it's highly likely we'll see something from that if it is true.


​Ubisoft


​Always guaranteed to bring the fun, Ubisoft can often be the highlight of the show when it comes to entertainment. Game developers will be presenting instead of usual host Aisha Tyler, which may make it harder to keep the fun levels up, but hopefully it's because there's just so many good games to talk about that.

Assassin's Creed has been rumoured for a while and absent since Syndicate was released way back in 2015. The new title is expected to be set in Egypt and may or may not be subtitled Origins. After a prolonged absence you can expect Ubisoft to want to make a big splash with this one, and it appears first (simply as Assassin's Creed) on the publisher's website.
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Far Cry 5 was announced recently, to get ahead of the E3 buzz, and will be set in America this time, so we can be fairly confident that we'll see some gameplay from that.

Also expected to appear are South Park: The Fractured But Whole, which was finally given a release date of 17 October after multiple delays, and The Crew 2, the follow-up to the fairly standard racing title.


​And the rest


​Activision are the biggest name not to have their own show, but they will definitely be appearing. They have a couple of tiny little games in their back pocket you might have heard of - Destiny 2 and Call of Duty: WWII.

For the former, the synopsis of the story sets up a change of tac from the previous title, as the Guardians are expelled from the tower and forced to build up their arsenal from scratch. That said, the gameplay which is already out there looks very similar to the first game, albeit with some noticeable tweaks, so those interested will likely already be tuned in to this title.
The Call of Duty series on the other hand is one where many gamers have been turned off for years, so the publisher are hoping that a return to the era which the game began with all those years ago will provide a breath of fresh air.

Since Sony have been their most recent pals, you can expect both titles to make an appearance in the Sony conference.

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Elsewhere, Epic games has re-announced Fortnite, a tongue-in-cheek style title originally mentioned back in 2011, with shades of Sunset Overdrive which sees players cooperating to build forts and hold back zombie-like Husks.

The gameplay looks like a mixture between Team Fortress and Plants vs Zombies, though so far it's not clear how much variety there will be. The strength seems to be that the fortifications you come up with are extremely flexible, and the levels are procedurally generated to keep things unpredictable.

​When it comes to PC, there's due to be a major announcement from Firaxis Games and 2K - the people behind the XCOM and Civilisation series - and more information on PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, BattleTech and Wargroove.

There'll be many many more games revealed, announced and picked apart over the next few days, so make sure you are tuned in. We'll be updating our guide to E3 with videos of the press conferences once they are finished, so if you miss one you can easily catch up, plus you'll find the complete schedule. Don't forget to chat away in the comments and in our forums and hopefully we'll see you soon.
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Game Chat: James and Liam discuss ARMS

8/6/2017

 
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Last weekend saw the second Global Test Punch (that’s a limited time demo to you and I) for Nintendo’s next first-party release on the Switch - ARMS. The motion control-friendly brawler looks like a natural evolution of the fondly remembered Wii Sports boxing minigame at first glance, but what’s it like to play? We trapped Liam and James in a room to talk it over.

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by
James Michael Parry

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Liam Andrews

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​@pass_controller


James: I have to say going into this one I wasn’t sure what to expect. Motion controls I find a bit hit and miss, but I was pretty determined to give the Joy-Cons a workout since they are such a key innovation for the Switch. So far, they haven’t had much to do, what with the pro controller being so handy.
 
Liam: I had my fill of motion controls when the Wii was taking the world by storm, so, much like 1-2 Switch, ARMS hasn’t really been on my radar at all. However, I have enjoyed the versatility of the Joy-Cons thus far for multiplayer games like Snipperclips and Mario Kart, so I’ll admit I was pretty interested to see how they handled in a game like this.
 
James: The demo focuses on the party play mode, which acts like a sort of greatest hits, throwing a few random different game modes out there and automatically matching you with players who’ve had a similar number of wins as you. This was fairly successful in balancing things on paper, but really no substitute for proper matchmaking - plus you couldn’t move your character token around the screen, you were just able to wiggle or jump pathetically on the spot, begging for attention.​
Liam: As someone who is usually rubbish at fighting games, I somehow found myself in the unfamiliar situation of being one of the top players in a lobby at one point. Although great for the self-esteem, it wasn’t so good for getting into a match, as all the other players who could come close to matching my amazingness were otherwise occupied. Floating helplessly gets old fast, and while it’s cool that you can see how much real-time damage other players are taking in their separate battles, it would have been good if there was a proper spectator mode to pass the time.
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James: I found the standard one-on-one battles bland but really important to get the hang of the game. Once you’re in there with more than one opponent, or a specific objective, things get hectic - fast!
 
Liam: I think I enjoyed the 1v1 matches the most, but it really depends on the quality of the opponent facing you. The modes featuring three or four players, while fun, could quickly get confusing, and they couldn’t beat the tenser battles one-on-one matches offered. Being backed into a corner with only a fraction of health left, only to emerge victorious thanks to some well-placed punches and flurry combos was awesome. Having multiple players in the same match made more sense in the more arcade-like modes, such as the one that has two teams trying to smash the most targets from opposite sides of an arena, or where a group of you would face off against an incredibly tough AI metal robot head creature.​
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James: Fighting those AI giant robots with about six ARMS each was pretty tough. Staying mobile and remembering to actually use the jump and dodge buttons was a constant struggle in that one especially. Some of the more specific custom modes worked better than others, I feel like the quicker characters had a big advantage most of the time. I didn’t play on a pro controller but the button mapping looked really odd…
I was surprised I was happy to forgo a more traditional setup in favour of motion controls for as long as I did.
Liam: I didn’t get a chance to try the game outside of motion controls either, which is a shame as I’d like to have seen how curving punches with a standard controller setup was going to work. I was surprised to find I was happy to forgo a more traditional setup in favour of motion controls for as long as I did, and for the most part, they worked quite well, with the only real issue I experienced being down to me forgetting to hold the Joy-Cons in the proper starting position.​​
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James: So I guess the real test at this point is - does this demo make us want to buy it?
 
Liam: I can see this being a great party game, something to pick up and play for an hour or so when friends or family are visiting, but I don’t know if can see myself air-boxing solo in front of the TV very often, even for online matches with friends. In fact, using the motion controls anywhere outside of the living room is a definite no, unless you’re happy to be the crazy guy no one wants to sit next to on the commute to work. Unless Nintendo fail to deliver some form of Smash Bros. on the Switch in the near future, I can see this one passing me by.
 
James: For me, this was always an outside chance from both a competitive online play and a messing-about-party-style title - as you can see it sort of working in either camp but not really committing either way. It’s not as accessible as Splatoon 2 has been so far, from a similar amount of playtime from its demos, which makes me worry the barrier of entry will be too high to really get people on board and make competitive play interesting. That said, there is charm here, in an unashamedly Nintendo sort of a way, so something in the back of my mind whispers “Oh go on, get it anyway!”​


What do you think of ARMS? Did you try the Test Punch? Will you be picking it up? Let us know in the comments.
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Victor Vran: Overkill Edition | first impressions

4/6/2017

 
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A console revival of the popular PC exclusive that arrived in 2015, Victor Vran: Overkill Edition offers two new DLC modes - Motörhead: Through the Ages and Fractured Worlds - that temper upon the traditional gothic-horror formula. 

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​by Gabriella
​Petty

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@gabriella_petty

Although these gameplay additions bolster Victor Vran's eccentricities and fatten the campaign, some of these modes are particularly more memorable than others, leaving the lesser few to dwindle. Otherwise the content on offer is much the same as in its PC cousin, losing no lustre in the transition to PS4 with a smooth and consistent 60FPS maintained throughout.
​

Victor Vran’s original premise involves travelling to the land of Zagoravia in hopes of finding Victor's long-lost demon hunter comrade, Adrian. It's a narrative that isn't particularly ingenious, and the characters you encounter aren't clear-cut, but it relies foremost on its humour to carry this dead weight.
Victor’s colourless narrative often serves as a hindrance to its energetic combat though, whether we see him talking to NPC’s with vague disinterest, or make jokes that never quite pack the punch intended. It's a game in two minds, fighting between tongue-in-cheek and deadpan, but, as a result, the satire juxtaposes the dark and weighty themes. That said, it's comedic styling is yet to really grow on us.
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The game's level design offers plenty of elbow room to explore and fight your way from room-to-room. You're afforded a full 360-degree view of your surroundings, which proves useful in observing your environment, whilst also feeling like a fresh addition to the predictable ARPG blueprint. This small feature has a significant impact, and is a noticeable change in the jump from PC to PS4.
​

Combat is the game's main strength - an addictive, button-mashing delight. All three modes serve the same over-the-top helping of hack-and-slash combat, as you fight your way through an assemblage of creatures that never fail to pursue you. You can attack these creatures in large and overwhelming quantities, equipped with an arsenal of shotguns, swords and scythes to help clear your path, which, for the most part, serve as a powerful concoction when used in conjunction with magical power-ups. Adding colour to combat, these power-ups can be activated through the overkill meter that gradually builds over time, with each successive slash and strike, allowing you to execute a range of devastating attacks.
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The game's addictive combat sequences and loot system may keep us playing just that little while longer.
Unlockables and costumes are available in abundance here, with an expansive inventory system to boot. Merchants are available at regular intervals for trade, but the same cannot be said for its outdated save-system, that forces you to grind through particular areas just to be able to save your progress. It is, consequently, punishing, and although checkpoints are available in high numbers, these serve only as re-spawn areas when you die, instead of stable save points.
​

Overkill’s most thrilling DLC addition, Motörhead: Through the Ages, is a crazed, punk-rock mode that has you jamming along to thunderous Motörhead music with head-banging rhythm. It serves as a pure and more fitting exploitation of the game's absurdity, and accentuates the energy during combat encounters. With a respectable homage to the band’s late frontman, Lemmy Killmister, it feels like a tight and polished package that manages to outshine both the main campaign and its other DLC counterpart, Fractured Worlds, which is, on the whole, forgettable due to its less outlandish and fun presentation.

15 hours into
Victor Vran: Overkill Edition, it feels like a confident transition of the PC exclusive to console. Although it doesn't offer much variety content-wise from its PC predecessor, aside from the excellent
Motörhead: Through the Ages, of course, the game's addictive combat sequences and loot system may keep us playing just that little while longer.
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