PlayStation Experience 2016: Highlights6/12/2016 PlayStation Experience, or as its better known as PSX, has debuted at the Anaheim Convention Center in California, and has showcased a fantastic lineup up of the latest and greatest PlayStation announcements. I’ve put together some highlights from this year's convention. Displayed in classic cinematic fashion, Naughty Dog hit a home run with their announcement and conformation of The Last of Us: Part II, which featured some familiar and seasoned faces. Rest assured, Ellie and Joel are back, and it looks like Joel really did live up to at least one of his promises. Set 5 years after the events of The Last of Us, we take the role of Ellie in this latest instalment, and in a recent Q&A, Writer/Director Neil Druckmann explained that the game will focus on the resonants of Hate. Quite a contrast in comparison to its original counterpart. Additionally, TLOU fans would be thrilled to know that, indeed, Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson will be reprising their roles as Ellie and Joel for the second time. Great news as, after the perfomance they both put in, it just wouldn't have been the same without them. A film based on The Last of Us had been half-heartedly announced back in May this year, remaining silent ever since. In light of this recent announcement, it’s looking like the sequel could be a plausible explanation for its delay. The game as it stands is in the early development process, but already fans are eagerly anticipating Naughty Dog's next moves over the coming months, myself included.
In pursuit to uncover an ancient Indian artefact, Chloe and Nadine will encounter many challenges whilst facing the land's hostile residents along the way. Also, in standard Naughty Dog convention, the game is looking equally as stunning to its year old counterpart, A Thieves End, if not better. Hopefully, the integration of two female protagonists will give Uncharted a jolt in the direction it needs, making for an interesting concoction of chemistry between both cast members, and a homely addition to the franchise. Naughty Dog haven't put the series to rest as of yet and it's great to see.
At a PSX Panel, Kojima had confirmed that Mikkelsen will be playing Death Stranding's antagonist (I guess the grimacing glare was a give away). Take my money, Kojima. I trust you'll put it to good use with that brilliant mind of yours.
Check out the live streams from the event below, and let us know your highlights from this years exhibition.
EGX 2016 Round-UP Video24/9/2016
It's one of the biggest gaming shows in the UK and from Thursday 22 to Sunday 25 September the NEC in Birmingham is taken over by a host of games developers, gaming fans and cosplayers. We went and had a look around, managed to convince a few people to speak to us, and we've got a video round-up to share with you all.
Overwatch: Hands-On2/5/2016 A few weeks ago I boarded an unusually sparse train from Brighton to the beige capital of the world: London, on my way to Leicester Square for a preview of Blizzard’s upcoming six-on-six squad-based shooter, Overwatch. I was expecting a fun game, but certainly nothing take-notice-special - I was about to be proved wrong on a few counts (the complimentary sandwiches were also exquisite). So into the flesh and liquid of the day; playing the actual game! I played the Xbox One build, and am very pleased to announce that the game not only looked beautiful, but ran as smooth as Galaxy chocolate (other brands are available). I revelled in the particularly responsive controls - something that is often a concern for more PC-centric games on console. It was evident from the first match that Blizzard really are stamping their mark on the genre here, and the way in which they’re developing and supporting the game across both Xbox One, PS4 and PC simultaneously is commendable. For those of you in the dark, Overwatch’s characters are boxed into four different classes; offence, defence, support and tank. Each class handles very differently to the other, and getting the balance right within your team will go a long way to ensuring victory (the character selection menu alerts you if your team has too many snipers, or defensive units for instance - a lovely touch that helps you build your strategy) - although the folks at Blizzard did tell us that your whole team can happily play as the same character, if you really want to! I’m happy to report that every character moved, jumped and fired differently, something I was immensely impressed by. We've heard developers talk about how individual characters feel unique to control many, many times, but rarely ever is that evident in the actual game. I’m happy to report that every character moved, jumped and fired differently, something I was immensely impressed by. The characters Reaper & McCree both form part of the fast moving offence class, but both felt hugely different to control. Reaper stomps across the terrain wielding two beefy shotguns that are a (pun intended) blast to use. McCree on the other hand skipped across the turf - firing his six-shooter made me feel like a cartoon Clint Eastwood. The difference in feel across characters of the same class was present throughout, as I tried every single one of them during my play session. Another huge plus for the game is the ability to change characters at any given time, a real perk when the tactical situation of the game changes. During a game of assault (two teams battle over key areas of the map, one team attacking, the other defending) I used the brawn and shield of tank character Reinhardt to protect my team-mates from the onrushing forces of the enemy. Unfortunately we were all wiped out, so respawning as a fast moving character like Tracer proved invaluable, as I could race back to the action asap, to (hopefully) protect the capture points. The diversity of the characters and settings was another lovely touch, as almost every character hails from a specific part of the future-world. “Bloody hell, guvnor” Tracer is crumpets-and-tea London through and through, with a red phone box strewn King’s Row being her equivalent map. To create so many characters, from so many different locations is a really smart move by Blizzard. Everybody I spoke to at the event had soft spots for certain characters (Junkrat’s constant giggling and Aussie accent, and McCree’s Wild West drawl were my favourites). To actually get personality into characters in this type of game is great work - I particularly loved the silly one liners after every kill, or respawn. I did have some apprehensive first-impressions from my brief play through though, chiefly the amount of modes on offer. Team-based games obviously aren’t going to offer deathmatches and other individual game modes, but I felt the few on offer at this time were a bit thin. Standard capture games and escort missions were great fun, I’m just concerned that they won’t hold the attention of a huge base of players for a long time. The folks at Blizzard assured me that the game will receive a lot of love post-launch though, with new maps, modes and characters on offer, and the majority of it for no extra cost. Fingers and toes crossed that they come up with some interesting new game modes, as it would be a shame to have a game with so much personality fall short in this regard.
I had one other slight concern; that the game would benefit people playing with friends as opposed to with strangers online, but the folks at Blizzard assured me that this will not be the case. Players who enjoy dropping in for a quick session with people across the world should get just as much enjoyment from the game as pre-existing gaming teams and friends. Something I should note though is the fact that none of my team used their headsets to communicate during the two hour session, and we duly lost every game. Now this may be partly due to the other team having had prior experience with the game (and my shoddy playing), but I couldn’t shake the feeling that Overwatch will be more rewarding with the much maligned headset. I thoroughly enjoyed getting a hands-on with Overwatch; a smart, funny, beautiful looking game with marvellous performance. Whether I was firing my primary weapon, using my special Overwatch ability, or just staring at the alluring cherry blossom trees, I savoured every minute. Here’s hoping that Blizzard chuck in a few extra modes to go with this bountiful base - if they do, we’re in for a real treat. EGX Rezzed 201611/4/2016 An overground train arriving in the underground of Shadwell (around 80 steps to the surface if I recall correctly) fired me towards Tobacco Dock, the home of EGX Rezzed again this year. Anyone struggling with directions need not have worried; for a procession of bespectacled, self-aware folks (yours truly included) led the way.
Mario Kart-like Coffin Dodgers provided me with a few minutes of entertainment, but nothing hugely inspirational - it played well enough to convince me that the multiplayer could be a good laugh, mind. Gear Gauntlet played a devious hybrid of puzzle/platformer that had me quite addicted; guiding your gear through - you’ve guessed it - a gauntlet of treachery, you must hold down buttons that correspond to coloured walls (A is green, and so on) to progress to the end goal. This has one-more-go syndrome built into it, so keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming release. Skylar & Plux: Adventure on Clover Island and Subnautica both tickled my taste-buds, but ultimately left me a little disappointed for similar reasons; frame-rate and camera issues in the former, and frame-rate and appalling texture pop-in in the latter. It’s worth noting that both are early builds, however. Skylar & Plux had a gorgeous art style, and played a decent game of 3D platforming that will please fans of Ratchet & Clank. Subnautica had beautiful water effects to perfectly match its attempt at underwater exploration, so let's just hope that the teams behind both games will smooth out the technical side of things before release.
...a place crammed full of interesting games, interesting people, and not-so-interesting smells... Number one for me from the Xbox area was The Last Word, a charming, personal platformer set partly inside a diary. The game tells the tale of a young girl coming to grips with her Grandmother’s stroke, with certain elements of the story (like the protagonist’s name) left in your hands. The differing art styles from the levels in the diary itself, to levels set in what we can only imagine is the girl’s imagination, provided a sumptuous juxtaposition. The game’s designer Mark Backler warned us that it could be a while until the game sees the light of day - don’t worry Mark, we’ll still be here whenever it’s ready. Next I ventured downstairs to the halls of the Indie room, a place crammed full of interesting games, interesting people, and not-so-interesting smells. The warming blue and orange colours of Binaries attracted me almost instantly, with the game itself also proving to be a real contender in the puzzle genre. One stick controls the movement of both an orange coloured dot, and a blue coloured dot - traversing the cavernous terrain you must reach the end goals and seat each colour in its respectively coloured position to pass the level - just watch out for spikes! Nature’s Zombie Apocalypse, Super Dungeon Bros, Super Arcade Football and The Breakfast Club provided some much needed local multiplayer madness next. NZA puts you in the shoes/webbed feet of ducks and other animals as they blast away at the undead - a fun little game but nothing exceptional. SDB played like a cartoon edition of Gauntlet, and much like NZA it was fun, whilst certainly not groundbreaking. SAF played like a more controlled Kick-Off/Sensible Soccer, with attractive toonish player models and brightly coloured playing surfaces. We enjoyed a few closely fought contests and predict this’ll be an excellent game to play with friends, pizza and beer. The build we played of The Breakfast Club was an early one, but the group chaos of manipulating knives, forks, toasters and the like to make breakfast was very amusing. Black & White Bushido and Featherpunk Prime rounded out my time in the indie room. Bushido is a highly stylised multiplayer beat-’em-up, where you fight as ninjas from either the white clan or the black. This colour dynamic is highlighted with a black & white backdrop, allowing the player to use stealth to his or her advantage. I had good fun with this one, playing many rounds. Featherpunk is a Metroidvania type game, with all the fun and potential frustration that the genre entails. I enjoyed the bits I played, and the poster above the booth was neon perfection. The leftfield collection provided me with one of my most hilarious moments of the day, as I played through a few games of Pool Panic. In the game you control a cue ball, blasting target balls and enemy balls into pockets, off ledges and into water with some wonderful, amusing animations. Developer Mike told us not to expect the game anytime soon - but was decent enough to inform us that it is “the least realistic pool simulator around”. Next up was the biggie - PlayStation and PSVR. The Sony indie offerings were pretty slim, with most of their space taken up with VR and those ghastly blue lights. I did manage to sit down and play a few games of Dino Dini’s Kick-Off Revival, the return of one of the Godfathers of football gaming. Purists will be pleased to hear that the game plays as if FIFA and PES never happened. One button controls, after-touch and close control are the keys to being Barcelona or Barnet. Football fans will be pleased to hear that online and local multiplayer options will be available in the final build. PSVR came next - I was booked in for a 30 minute slot with the new technology (it actually turned out to be ten minutes, I was not best pleased), playing the game SUPERHYPERCUBE. The game is a fully 3D Tetris, where you manipulate shapes to fit through a hole in a distant wall. As you progress more and more blocks get added to your shape, forcing you to crane your neck round the corner to decipher the puzzle. It was simple, it was addictive, it was fun, but ultimately - and this goes for the other VR experiences I saw at the show - £350 plus for this new technology is just too decadent a dessert at this stage. Those who can afford VR will definitely have fun (be it on their own - something I’m personally skeptical about - or as a party piece), I’m just not convinced it’s the finished article yet.
PLAY it! Manchester | Event Coverage25/3/2016 We were fortunate enough to receive an invite to this year’s PLAY it! Manchester launch event, hosted by the Museum of Science and Industry - “rebooted, reloaded” and “better than ever before”, here’s what to expect if you’re thinking of heading down. If that sounds just a smidge before your time, wrap your hands around an N64, PlayStation or Dreamcast controller and revisit the early days of 3D gaming. To answer your immediate and burning questions - yes, they have Goldeneye, and yes, there’s 4-player co-op. Continuing the march towards present day, you’ll find Master Chief hosting a Halo 3 LAN party on Xbox 360, League of Legends and Minecraft on PC, as well as an array of recent Xbox One and PS4 releases. By splitting itself into themed sections, PLAY it! also offers a more specific look at developments made within genre and franchise. You can chart Sonic’s rise and fall, gauge Mario’s continued innovation, compare visuals and mechanics between racing and fighting games, shake, smack and strum an array of music peripherals - even play Disney games with some recognisable princesses. Perhaps the highlight of the event is a look into gaming’s future, courtesy of Ubisoft’s Rabbids VR-Ride experience. Donning the Oculus Rift and a pair of headphones whisks you away to a world of trademark Rabbids insanity, whilst a hydraulic seat mimics your movement for added immersion. It definitely succeeds, as you’ll feel it in the pit of your stomach when the ride stops and allows you a moment to peer over the sheer cliff drop before sending you plummeting. Take a look at an earlier version in the footage below, and keep an eye out for a more indepth analysis of the experience to come. PLAY it! offers something for everyone, whatever their age. The event’s well organised, the room’s well dressed and a chiptune DJ station blasts out gaming classics to set the perfect backdrop. Everything amalgamates in a great family friendly day out during the Easter holidays, whilst if you don’t have anybody under 18 in your party, there are also adult-only sessions that’ll switch out the games for something a little more… violent. Interested? You can find session times, pricing information and purchase tickets through the Museum of Science and Industry’s official website.
|
Read MoreCategories
All
Archives
March 2024
|
Pass the Controller |
|