 Footage of a supposed “3rd person open-world action RPG” set in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter recently surfaced on Reddit, after a user claimed to have been part of an audience survey relating to the unannounced game. Promising the ability to create your own Hogwarts student and embark on an original adventure taking place before anything yet seen, it prompted equal measures of excitement and doubt from fans.
 Order of the Phoenix was a good film tie-in. Chris I'm aware of the franchise's existence but know little of the subject matter. Having always been an avid reader and a fan of all things fantasy, Harry Potter should be right up my street, though I have no desire to watch the films and would sooner opt to read a pizza menu than any of the books. Of course, when it was first released there were only two wizards in my mind - Rincewind and Gandalf - and we didn't (and still don't) need any more. That being said, I love open world RPGs and Rowling's tales seem like a perfect fit for the genre. I assume that there's a hefty amount of lore and plenty of stories to tell in that universe, especially given the alleged time frame it takes place in. The ability to create your own character is certainly a plus point and a much more attractive prospect than being stuck playing as the series' milquetoast protagonist. This would be a great opportunity to win over a new audience with a more adult-oriented take, if they can achieve that without losing the child-friendly appeal.  Half Blood Prince wasn't bad, either. Liam I loved the Harry Potter books when I was younger, but towards the end of the series, as I hit my late teens, I had grown more cynical about all things magical. I still read every book to completion, but I couldn’t help but wonder why Witches and Wizards were so dismissive of Muggle technology – I’d like to see Voldemort stop a drone strike as easily as he counters a disarming spell. You’re welcome, Mr. Fudge. It’s something that, however unlikely, I would like to see explored more in an RPG set in the Harry Potter extended universe. Along with Quidditch and Aurors, the secretive balancing act between the magical world and our more mundane one was one of my favourite concepts, more so than lessons in potion brewing and herbology. If proceedings stay purely fantastical, however, then I’d like to see the developers double down on original stories (maybe even some starring Hogwarts’ ancient founders?) rather than revisiting well-trodden ground. Even though it’d pull an audience in, the world and his Hungarian Horntail already knows the tale of Harry, Voldemort, Dumbledore, et al. I’m not instantly excited by the idea, but a proper game – not some movie tie-in cash grab – does have potential.  Deathly Hallows Parts 1 & 2 were dire. James As a child who had the pleasure of translating Harry Potter from Latin into English at school, it's fair to say I'm well acquainted with the universe now known as the Wizarding World. While the prospect of more films initially induced a slight eye-roll, in gaming the series as a whole has been criminally underused and under-represented. The prospect of finally becoming a fledgling wizard and attending Hogwarts is an exciting one then, with childish excitement bubbling up like a fresh batch of Polyjuice Potion. Whether the reality will do the potential justice is another matter however, with so much lore protected by frenzied fans, whatever era you fancy jumping into. On top of that, how much will you have to specialise to reach the coolest spells? As any casual Dungeons & Dragons player will tell you, it can take a fair few adventures to get to the really tasty stuff. Hopefully though, this will at least be more accessible than DnD (despite its resurgence in the past few years) and provide a fun entry point. Plus, we'll get to make friends with an owl!  Harry Potter for Kinect was the worst, naturally. Would you be up for playing a Wizarding World RPG? Let us know in the comments below.
For more Team Talk, check out last week's feature on Telltale Games' best told tales.  Today is PlayStation VR’s second birthday - hooray! The peripheral is now well into its stride, recently giving home to a couple of stellar exclusives in tactical shooter Firewall: Zero Hour and 3D platformer Astro Bot Rescue Mission. Critical darlings were fewer and farther between back at launch, though not unheard of, thanks to the likes of Until Dawn: Rush of Blood and Thumper, so we turned back the clock and dove into a pile of premier titles to see if we missed any gems amongst the opening deluge.
Here’s to PS VR and it strong introduction to more immersive gaming on consoles; after looking backwards, we can’t wait to see what lies ahead! RIGS: Mechanized Combat League Intended to be a flagship heavy hitter, RIGS instead floundered as a mid-tier game. Its ambition in marrying broadcast spots and FPS into an all-new virtual reality spectacle is certainly admirable, but also misguided, given that this introductory experience is capable of nauseating even a grizzled VR vet. Sharp visuals, precise controls and a range of tweakable comfort settings just aren’t enough to save our stomachs on this occasion. You need to tear around arenas at speed, turning and changing elevation on a dime in order to stand any chance of beating even the AI. There’s really a lot of depth on offer, so it’s a damn shame that keeping RIGS at arm’s length seems to be standard practice; it spent months as a PS+ freebie, yet there’s absolutely nobody competing in the integrated online league. Tumble VR Tumble VR is proof that simple ideas are often the best executed. The basic premise of playing with building blocks should be familiar to anyone with a childhood to their name, though things do get a little more advanced than chewing the corners and clacking them together. While Tumble arguably doesn’t make the most exciting use of VR, its 3D environments offer increased spatial awareness and depth perception that no doubt serve as a performance booster when, for example, delicately stacking towers. With the complement of precise motion control and accurate physics, tackling the game’s varied suite of challenges is a simple pleasure. Wayward Sky This touching ‘look and click’ adventure from Uber Entertainment, creators of the underrated Monday Night Combat games, casts you as a young girl on course to save her father after their biplane crash lands on a floating fortress. It does a great job of utilising perspective, seamlessly switching between multiple camera angles to help convey a very charming and genuine story with sparing use of dialogue. That being said, it’s really the regular introduction of fun new gameplay mechanics that’ll keep you coming back until you’ve seen the impromptu trip through. Weeping Doll A horror game for all the wrong reasons, Weeping Doll is at least amusingly bad. Its abysmal writing, acting and visual effects inspire laughs at the game’s expense, yet fortunately it ends before the issues stop being funny and start to become overly tedious. You’ll spend an hour or so awkwardly teleporting around an ugly family home, managing a cumbersome inventory and breezing through puzzles whilst unravelling a by-the-numbers story through weak environmental storytelling. If you’re a fan of Resident Evil 7, it’s almost worth checking Weeping Doll out to witness the bargain bin implementation of its themes. Almost... Ace Banana Another from Weeping Doll (and Pixel Gear) developer Oasis Games, Ace Banana doesn’t even begin to flirt with the same ‘so bad it's good’ territory. You play a bow-wielding banana tasked with defending bunches of baby bananas against waves of monkeys with bad intentions. There’s just one map and one game mode, though enemy and power-up spawns are somewhat shuffled between sessions in a failed attempt to keep things fresh. Confusion underpins Ace Banana’s poor general execution as well-aimed shots inexplicably miss their mark, certain power-ups have no discernible effect, a lack of audiovisual feedback often makes it unclear as to whether or not you’re actually dealing damage, and, perhaps best of all, the in-game encyclopaedia - which should help to set some of these issues straight - is so poorly translated that discerning useful information is almost impossible. The game’s insane second boss is an even bigger impasse, making quick work of ourselves and seemingly most others, with only 0.4% of players having beaten the encounter at the time of writing. Tackling it with the help of a friend might help, if only the promised multiplayer update had actually ever materialised… Here They Lie Far preferable a spookfest to Weeping Doll, Here They Lie boasts a noir-style presentation and some very adult content that’ll leave you feeling in need of a good scrub. A raw, sexual focus provides basis for an animalistic horror that can feel both grounded and abstract, with the helpless inability to combat aggressors forcing you to linger on the occult, ritualistic and thoroughly bizarre. There are multiple paths to the same conclusion, offering a little more freedom than VR games of the time tended to, though, thanks to a post-launch patch, Here They Lie is now also playable on a television. You’ll certainly miss much of the atmosphere in TV mode, and probably all of the “Nope!” moments, but the game’s subtle philosophy should still translate. Harmonix Music VR This one’s still a great way to unwind, be that to settle your racing heart after tangling with Here They Lie or following a stressful work day. It’s not really a game, by Harmonix’ own admission, rather an encompassing music visualiser with interactive elements. Four varied game modes see you relax on a beach that pulses in time to music, effortlessly create neon works of art on a blank 3D canvas (so effortlessly that we were never tempted to fall back on the trusty ol’ penis portrait), hilariously manipulate party-goers to create looping scenes and dance routines, and take a kaleidoscopic trip through a psychedelic representation of a song. 17 included tracks all fit thematically, but more than likely won’t match your taste, so you’ll want to stick some MP3 files onto a USB flash drive in order to import them into the game. This essentially makes Music VR endless, while, even more importantly, providing powerful new ways to interact with pieces of music that are meaningful to you. Not too shabby, we’re sure you’ll agree. Big names like Rush of Blood and Arkham VR lived up to the hype, whilst plentiful hidden gems - Tumble VR, Wayward Sky, Harmonix Music VR, Here They Lie and Tethered - make it easy to imagine that revisiting the launch lineup for basically any other peripheral wouldn’t be anywhere near as positive an experience.
So, here’s to PS VR and it strong introduction to more immersive gaming on consoles; after looking backwards, we can’t wait to see what lies ahead! If you’re interested in reading about more launch games, check out our reviews for PlayStation VR Worlds and Super Stardust Ultra VR. For an overview of all our PlayStation VR reviews, head over to our vrgamecritic profile. Team Talk | Telltale Games’ best told tales10/10/2018  Team Talk is our shiny new regular feature, in which Pass the Controller staff come together and voice their opinions on different topics throughout the world of gaming.
Chris | The Wolf Among Us Despite enjoying The Walking Dead, I wasn't initially sold on The Wolf Among Us. I figured I wasn’t the target audience for a story about fairy tale characters living in the real world, but a free trial did enough to convince me otherwise. Sufficiently intrigued, I purchase the first episode and then immediately bought the season pass upon completing that. This was a far darker story than I’d expected. Whilst protagonist Bigby Wolf (also known as The Big Bad Wolf) is a reformed character, most of his fellow Fables’ lives are quite tragic and far removed from the cheery tales you may have heard about them as a child. Take Georgie Porgie, who’s a brash loudmouth and pimp operating out of his strip club, the Pudding ‘n’ Pie, or the Woodsman, who once upon a time saved Little Red Riding Hood from Bigby, but is now a hopeless alcoholic. This is Telltale at their finest, bringing personalities to life and creating an engaging narrative which demands your attention. It's just a shame we'll never get to see how the sequel would’ve panned out. James | Tales from the Borderlands SPOILER WARNING In a revelation that will come as no surprise to many, I was never very good at Borderlands. However, the prospect of something a bit more story-y and less shooty was a welcome one; enter Tales from the Borderlands. One of the first Telltale offerings to bring a dual-protagonist perspective (to my knowledge), with corporate yes man Rhys and hat-wearing rebel Fiona, the game benefited from smart writing and the faithful inclusion of series stalwart Handsome Jack to make everything feel significant and connected in that universe. Where the Game of Thrones series’ ties felt more like tokenism, here the plot device of having Jack be a projection only experienced by Rhys proves to be far more effective than you'd think, frequently impacting the real world beyond just the character getting weird looks. The adventure has you discover the origins of Atlas, one of Borderlands’ numerous weapons manufacturers, through a structure - much of the game being retold by a captive Rhys, who can misremember events on purpose - that introduces comedic moments to accompany a lot of genuinely interesting lore which serves to enhance the overall Borderlands canon. Liam | Game of Thrones & The Wolf Among Us I’ve never really given Telltale games the chance they probably deserve, though it’s hard to say exactly why that is. Perhaps it’s that their most prominent series, The Walking Dead, centres around a topic that terrifies me to the core. I can handle the odd bout of Zombies in Call of Duty, or the tongue-in-cheek take on the apocalypse seen in Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, but The Walking Dead’s relentless misery just seems so oppressive. That’s not to say I’ve had no interaction with Telltale’s work whatsoever; I enjoyed The Wolf Among Us’ alternate take on fairy tale creatures living in a real-world setting, and their Game of Thrones series was a sobering reminder that I could never cut it as a little Lord in Westeros. It’s important to stand up to bullies, just not ones named Ramsay Snow (never Bolton)! If there’s any personal smidgen of good to be salvaged from this unfortunate situation, it’s that I now feel far more inclined to explore some of Telltale’s back catalogue than I ever did previously. Just nothing starring the undead. Rob Unlike the rest of the team, I’ve never finished a Telltale series. I’ve played a few bits of The Walking Dead’s first season and have The Wolf Among Us and Game of Thrones on the old hard drive, but I’ve never really felt compelled to get stuck in. Similar to Liam, I’m not too sure why I haven’t committed. I’ve always appreciated their unique stylings - the gorgeous visuals, branching narratives and choices that really affect what happens to characters - though I’m often late to the party with games, so will no doubt rectify my wrongs in the not-so-distant future! With that in mind, it’s been really disappointing to see the way in which the company has collapsed. Huge job losses and (what has been reported to be) a complete lack of severance pay, after talented people worked long hours on apparently unprofitable projects, showcases the dark and difficult side of business. How this can still happen in the modern world is pretty despicable. Which Telltale series is your favourite? Let us know with a comment.
For more Team Talk, check out last week's debut feature, in which the team discussed the latest gameplay trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2. Team Talk | Red Dead Reactions5/10/2018  Team Talk is our shiny new regular feature, in which Pass the Controller staff come together and voice their opinions on different topics throughout the world of gaming.
Give the trailer a watch if you haven't already. James Heists! Sure it's pushing on an open door given how effective they've been in GTA Online and how salivating the fanbase has been for more, but there's something altogether more authentic about a bank robbery in the Old West. This trailer specifically emphasises player choice, so it'll be interesting to see if different interactions with NPCs cause significant change or simply prompt transparent alterations to dialogue. Everything Rockstar does is taken to the nth degree in terms of visual fidelity and thinking things through of course, so if any development team can be relied on to give us the real deal, it's them. Snippets of activities like fishing and playing cards, amongst a few other bits and pieces, don’t do anything for me personally, but it's nice that they’re there for anybody interested. Dead Eye, arguably the series’ signature party piece, looks absolutely as you might expect. Gunslinging and the associated cool factor will quite possibly be the game’s bread and butter, but references to eating suggest there may be some survival elements, not just RPG-lite aspects as we've often see from Rockstar in the past. If that is the case, might shootouts become slower and more considered affairs? Redemption 2 is clearly vast and deep, and it feels like there's a lot of scope to make of it what you want, but a wide open map of possibilities can be daunting and overwhelming at the same time. While it could cut down the number of players who make it to the end credits, the lucrative online mode is no doubt the real endgame for Rockstar, so does that even matter? Chris I'm impressed. Combat looks meaty, as if there's real weight to each blow. Shooting, which I'm sure we'll be doing a lot of, appears to be similarly satisfying. If it plays as good as it looks, it'll be a strong Game of the Year contender. There's always a plethora of side activities in Rockstar's open-world titles and, for the most part, they’re done the right way. I can, and will, happily ignore the likes of collectibles in any and all games - unless they’re directly on my path or offer some type of gameplay advantage - but I'll no doubt while away hours robbing houses and playing poker. Cinematic camera angles will be great for taking screenshots, which is now a popular pastime for many gamers, plus I can see myself at least trying out the new first-person mode. One thing putting me off, which is admittedly unrelated to the trailer, is the game’s massive 105 GB file size. I'm pretty sure I could design and create my own game in the time it’d take me to download that. I'm struggling to think of a decent title though, so that idea’s on hold for now. Liam I think the thing that impressed me most from the new footage was first-person mode; it didn’t even cross my mind that we might be getting it in RDR2, despite its appearance in GTA V. For some reason, experiencing the Wild West this way just appeals more. On the other hand, I can definitely see myself taking advantage of the ‘new’ cinematic camera – another feature borrowed from Rockstar’s flagship franchise - for some stunning rides through the rather gorgeous-looking vistas. The seamless transitions between gameplay and cutscenes look cool, but seemed quite prevalent. Hopefully it’s not something that constantly crops up with every encounter, so as to not keep interrupting dynamic gameplay with scripted moments. As always, I'll end up skipping most extracurricular activities like poker and eating (if possible), but I did enjoy hunting down bounties in the first game so I’m glad they’re back. For the sake of balance, I definitely don’t like the idea of the whole bathing malarkey. In a game about robbing trains, bank heists and awesome shootouts, I don’t want to waste time on such mundane tasks. At least in first-person mode I won’t see how filthy I've gotten... What did you think of the trailer? Let us know in the comments below.
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