You
might want to cancel any plans you’ve got for the rest of September (and
October, November and December…) because Rockstar Games are about to take away
any free time you have with the next installment of the ‘Grand Theft Auto’
series, GTA V. After several years in development, a world record budget of
$256 million and multiple delays, it promises to be one of most ambitious and
absorbing games ever made.
When it was first announced that SquareEnix would
collaborate with Disney to develop an action RPG, that takes aspects of
Square’s hit Final Fantasy series and combines it with the Disney universe,
many people thought it was a terrible idea which would never have taken off.
Well apparently it did.
The game that started it all was Kingdom Hearts; it arrived
on the PlayStation 2 all the way back in 2002. Since then it has gone on to
become one of the biggest gaming franchises on the market today, spawning a
number of sequels that continue the quest of Sora, Donald and Goofy as they
fight evil throughout a number of worlds.
The original game can look a bit dated if you play it today,
but not anymore thanks to Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix. Not only has the HD
remix made the visuals so much smoother, but SquareEnix have also added more
features which include remakes of Kingdom Hearts 358/s Days and Chain of
Memories. That is 3 games for the price of 1, all in stunning HD. A fan of the series would be a fool not to
buy it.
Apart from the HD visuals, the games are still the same as
the originals with the exception of a few extra cut scenes and collectables.
However the PlayStation 3 has added trophy support, so those trophy hunters out
there have a goal to accomplish.
Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix is a great way for the fans to
replay some of their favourites in the Kingdom Hearts series. Even though the
official sequel to the franchise (Kingdom Hearts 3) is still in development, the
HD remix should hold over the fans for a while.
As
part of the 'Games with Gold' programme announced by Microsoft at this year’s
E3, Assassins Creed 2 is free between now to the July 30th. This
programme is free to everyone with an Xbox Live Gold membership and Assassins
Creed 2 is the second title after the XBLA title Defense Grid was made free
from the 1st July to the 16th.
Though
this game is still almost four years old and it isn’t exactly helping the ‘Games
with Gold’ programme live up to the similar offer PlayStation is offering to
its PlayStation Plus members, Assassins Creed 2 is still one of the top games
in its franchise and definitely worth trying out especially if your yet to give
the Assassins Creed games ago.
Along
with this offer there is also a handful of Assassins Creed content on sale
until the end of July.
Assassins Creed – Was $19.99 –
Now $14.99
Assassins Creed 2 Sequence 12:
Battle of Forli – Was 320 MSP – Now 214 MSP
AC 2 Sequence 13: Bonfire of the
Vanities & Secret Locations – Was 560 MSP – Now 375 MSP
Assassins Creed Brotherhood – Was
$19.99 – Now $14.99
ACB: The Da Vinci Disappearance
DLC – Was 800 MSP – Now 536 MSP
Assassins Creed Revelations – Was
$19.99 – Now $14.99
ACR – The Lost Archive – Was 800
MSP – Now 536 MSP
ACR – Mediterranean Traveller Map
Pack – Was 800 MSP – Now 536 MSP
Assassins Creed 3 Season Pass –
Was 2400 MSP – Now 1600 MSP
The Xbox ‘Ultimate Game Sale’ day two titles have been
announced, via Major Nelson’s official Blog. We have already seen the likes of
Assassins Creed 3, Far Cry 3, Borderlands 2 and Max Payne 3 all for £8.99. So some
very worthy deals are worth checking out, especially if you have the hard
drive space free.
Todays Deals - UPDATED*
Gears of War: Judgment – was $59.99 now $29.99 or £24.99
Metal Gear Solid Revengeance – was $49.99 now
$29.99 or £24.99
Tomb Raider – was $29.99 now $19.99 or £14.99
Bio Shock Infinite – was $59.99 now $39.99 or £34.99
Hitman Absolution – was $29.99 now $9.99 or £8.99
XCOM: Enemy Unknown - was $39.99 now $19.00 or £14.99
These titles are now available from the Xbox dashboard under the 'Ultimate Game Sale' icon on the homepage. Running along side these daily deals is special price drops for certain games including:-
The FREE XBLA title, “Spartacus Legends”, was released last
week that is based off the popular TV series on Sky. Spartacus Legends (Ubisoft)
is a fighting game that is slightly similar to the XBLA title ‘Deadliest Warrior’
(again based off a TV show), that was released a few years back, though Legends
is free compared to DW.
After playing the game over the weekend the game is definitely
worth checking out. It uses that free to play module that is coming all the
range today that we have seen for years on mobile platforms. Though this module hasn’t really been explored
yet on the consoles it is clear that we can expect to see more title such as
Legends rolled out in the next generation of consoles (if these sort of titles
prove worthy financial wise for developers).
You receive both silver and gold coins, silver from winning
matches and gold from levelling up. Silver coins are fairly easy to obtain and
used to customize and buy better gladiators. As you rank up better customizations
are made available, but for those that can’t wait you are able to make
purchases using gold coins. Though gold coins are hard to come by more are made
available through MSP purchases (gold coins are also used to purchase boss
characters once they are defeated).
Gold Coin Glitch
One flaw I found within the game is the ability to gain an
unlimited amount of gold coins through a glitch. Obviously by obtaining these
extra gold coins it makes the game completion a lot easier through buying
better characters and equipment.
The glitch occurs when you rank up after you have complete a
match. Once the icon appears in the middle of the screen showing your new rank,
gold coins will be rewarded to you (the amount will depend on your rank, you
begin earing 2 gold coins and by the time you reach level 15 you are earning 5
gold coins). Stay on that screen where you are rewarded the gold coins. As soon as you see your gold coin total change on the top bar/ top of your screen, hit the guide button and dashboard.
Load Legends back up and you should find you have been
rewarded the gold coins but still haven’t ranked up. Play another match and once you rank up again repeat the process.
Review
Overall when you first start out it does appear quite
challenging, especially learning all the moves – expect to lose your first few
matches. This can be off putting for some though once complete the first few
games and start winning it does become entertaining. Your Gladiator characters
can die in this game; this can cause frustration when trying to beat the boss characters,
especially at the lower levels. As you can expect the difficulty of the fights
increase as you progress through the different stages though by defeating the
earlier bosses these won’t be as hard. By defeating a boss they are made available
in the market (though boss characters cost gold coins), and it’s worth
purchasing certain ones as they make the later boss fights a lot easier. Legends
does have an online mode, though this feature isn’t anything to special, mainly
due to the fact that matchmaking is random, so no private games with friends.
Spartacus Legends is fairly entertaining and you can expect
to complete the game by the time you are level 15-16. Once you have completed
the game there isn’t much replay value unless you are either determined to get
the ‘Reach Level 50’ Achievement, or unless you are playing online matches. Though
this is a problem the title is free and will definitely keep you entertained
for a few days as long as you can get past that frustrating huddle of the first
few fights.
Boss Tips
Boss 1 (Extremus District):-Oenomaus – Sword and
Shield – Rating 283
The best Gladiator to use is one in the Dual Daggers category.
Easy: Easy. Recommend Buying: - No.
Use a character that has a longer weapon (not the Dual
Daggers). Keeping this boss away from you is the key. Allowing him to get close
to often is what will cause you to lose. Easy:
Fairly Easy. Recommend Buying: - Yes.
Boss 3 (Insulae District):- Ixion- Two Handed Hammer –
Rating 296
Use Acolytus against this boss and you shouldn’t have too
much trouble. Ease: Fairly Easy. Recommend
Buying:- No.
Boss 4 (Domus Nobilium District):- Masonius- Spear and
Shield – Rating 296
Again I recommend using Acolytus but only by getting close
can you win this one. Be prepared for a few attempts. Ease: Hard. Recommend Buying: Yes.
This is the most difficult fight and I recommend using the
Two-Handed Sword Character. This may require you spending some gold coins on a
purple class character. Ease: Most Difficult.
Recommend Buying: Yes.
This is a very tough fight, though if you use Crixus you
should find the fight fairly easy. Ease:
Hard. Recommend Buying: No (Dual Swords is one of worst classes and Crixus feels
twice the better character). Buy Spartacus Legends on DVD
Over the past week we have seen many titles announced at E3
as Sony's PS4 went head to head with the Xbox One. Yes Sony triumphed over
Microsoft at the pressers, but that was mainly down to the hardware. Ultimately
the games and exclusive titles are going to be a major impact on those people
who haven't yet decided of which console to choose.
Xbox One Exclusive Titles (Note: some are made available on the Xbox 360)
Ryse: Son of Rome (Launch Title)
Quantum Break (2014)
D4
Below
Fantasia: Music Evolved (Kinnect)
Black Tusk Studios – Tech demo showed off- Untitled
Titanfall (2014)
Project Spark
Sunset Over Drive
Dead Rising 3 (Launch)
Forza 5 (Launch)
Next-Gen Halo (Halo 5, 2014)
Kinect Sports Rivals (Kinect- Launch Title)
Killer Instinct (Free to download- Launch Title)
Crimson Dragon
Minecraft
Zoo Tycoon
Max and the Curse of Brotherhood
Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare
Powerstar Golf
Rabbids Invasion
Loco Cycle
Zumba Fitness: World Party
PlayStation Exclusive Titles (Note: some titles may be available on PlayStation 3 and Vita)
Blacklight: Retribution
Contrast
Daylight
Knack
DC Universe Online
Diablo III
Doki-Doki Universe
Don't Starve
Final Fantasy XIV
Hohokum
Deep Down
Driveclub
Galak-Z
Infamous: Second Son
Killzone: Shadow Fall
The Order 1886
Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee New ‘n’ Tasty
Outlast
The Pinball Arcade
Planetside 2
Primal Carnage: Genesis
Basement Crawl
Secret Ponchos
Super Stardust (spiritual successor)
Mercenary Kings
Octodad: Dadliest Catch
Project Heart and Soul
Ray's the Dead
Rocketbirds 2: Evolution
Super Motherload
Tiny Brains
Transistor
War Thunder
Warframe
The Witness
Out Fot Both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (Note: some are available for current gen hardware)
Microsoft have been at the centre of attention over the past
few weeks, and not for the right reasons. E3 was Microsoft’s chance to prove to
millions of people watching worldwide why they should choose their console over
the PS4.
How did they do? Let’s go through it.
The Start
The show started with a play through of the latest title in
the Metal Gear franchise, The Phantom Pain (or Metal Gear Solid V: The PhantomPain). After the announcement last week that the new voice of Solid Snake will
be 24’s Kiefer Sutherland,
the hype factor for this game was definitely on. This is the first true Metal
Gear title to feature on the Xbox platform (not including Metal Gear: Rising
out last year that was more of a spin-off) and was a very interesting way for Microsoft
to start its press conference. Gameplay looked good, fluid and the most immersive
stealth looking experience on the platform, if that short piece of footage is
anything to go by.
Xbox 360
To begin Microsoft saw fit to do the segment on the 360 first,
fair enough. People was expecting a price drop on the current gen hardware but
instead a new model was released that looks similar to the Xbox One. The price
is expected to drop from its current £199 price tag before the holiday.
On top of this, an announcement was made to an update to
Xbox Live. Starting from July 2013 Xbox Live Gold Members will receive two free
game downloads a month, though details on this was thin with only two titles
shown that will be available in the coming months (Halo 3and Assassins Creed 2).
The free to play World of Tanks is also coming to Xbox 360
this year, though this wasn’t made clear whether it will be ported over to the Xbox
One at a later date.
Xbox One
After all this information regarding the 360, we now move
onto Xbox One. The first game we was shown was ‘Ryse: Son of Rome’. We first
saw this game back at E3 2011 and was originally a Kinect only game. It’s fair
to say that this game is looking a lot healthier than its predecessor of a
trailer. If you want to compare the two, both are below.
Ryse original trailer from 2011
Ryse new trailer from 2013
Graphically Ryse did look interesting and this is a genre that
hasn’t really made it on the Xbox. But it appeared robotic at times and very
unnatural movements made the AI seem unrealistic. For this to be dubbed Xbox’s
answer to God of War, I doubt it is a fight it will be able to win. Saying that it could still be great but more
needs to be shown in order to win the masses over.
The Killer Instinct reboot to Rare’s 1995 fighting game was
then introduced on stage, though without Rare’s presence. The new fighting game
is being developed by Double Helix and after the press conference it was
confirmed that it will be free to download on the Xbox One at launch. Though it’s
free to download, you will only have access to one character, Jago, and then
required to pay a fee to access the rest of the characters.
Insomniac then introduced the trailer to their new an
exclusive Xbox One game Sunset Overdrive and following that we had another look
at Forza 5. Forza looked beautiful and so far looks the best racing game,
graphically at E3 this year. New features included a smart AI system that
involved the computer learning from your in-game behaviour and playing whilst
you not even at your console. Clever yes, but the benefit to this wasn’t really
explained. Why buy a game that plays for you after a few days of game time?
With the current gen arcade titles not being compatible on
the ‘One’, Microsoft saw to solve the problem of transferring the most
downloaded XBLA title to the new Xbox, Minecraft. This is bound to allow more
freedom and a bigger world for players to expand their creative side. It’s
still highly unlikely to be as big as the PC version but it would be anything more
of a disappointment if it wasn’t an improvement on the current updated version
of the XBLA title. A release date wasn’t announced and neither was the price. I’m
sure more details will follow very soon.
At the Xbox One unveiling a few weeks back we got a quick glimpse
at the Xbox One exclusive title, Quantum Break. This took to the stage to show
us some footage running in engine on the ‘One’, though no gameplay was shown.
Quantum break is seeking to be like a TV show and hopefully it’s more of a success
than the last Xbox game to attempt such a challenge, 2008’s Alone in the Dark reboot.
On top of this we got the announcement of a new exclusive
title called D4 and then a demo of the impressive creative game Spark. Again
and Xbox exclusive, Spark showcased a creative experience for players to build
and create a game within a short few minutes. It will be interesting to see
what can be done in a week of playing. The demo showed how landscapes can be
moulded into whatever you like and turning rocks into warriors. Also to note
the Kinect was used with this game via voice controls and a tablet so expect a
Smart Glass integration for Project Spark.
Xbox Features
Segment
Xbox Smart Glass then got a few moments of attention though
the majority of this part was ignored and quickly forgotten due to the cringe
worthy Killer Instinct fight involving the producer of the game. One new
feature showcased was Smart Match that allowed you to jump straight into a
match instantly after playing another. Microsoft
also used this segment to announce their new partnership with the streaming
service Twitch, this will be available on the Xbox One come its release.
The long outdated and limited 100 friend rule was also
quashed. The Xbox One will allow an unlimited number of friends on the new
console along with the extinction of Microsoft Points. From soon onwards real
currency will take the place of MS points.
Apart from this no other information regarding the system
features was announced. We didn’t get clarification behind why used games may
require a fee and this always online saga. A lot of people including myself was
hoping Microsoft addressed these issues before Sony’s press conference at the
end of the day.
Back to Games
Once we got back to the games we got a visual video of
Crimson Dragon, I say visual video as the sound completely failed at this point
and we was left with nothing but the visuals. This fault returned for
Battlefield’s presence on stage when showing a level in the campaign, creating
the most awkward moment of E3. Battlefield also announced that, like COD map
packs will be available first on Xbox One. View the awkward moment below:
Dead Rising returned to give us a grittier instalment to the
previously comedic take on a zombie game. Another exclusive to Xbox One and again
no details if this is a launch title. The same can be said about Witcher 3 that
was showcased imminently after Dead Rising. The Witcher looked good and like
the majority of other games shown was graphically great.
Microsoft announced that they are also investing in five new
studios and assembling an all-star team to produce these exclusive triple A
games for the Xbox One to create games with these memorable characters like
Master Chief.
Speaking of Master Chief, the next Halo was teased to us,
though out in 2014. Trailer below
Price and Release
Date
Now came the pricing. Microsoft announced that the Xbox One
will be out in November this year and will retail at $499 and £429. Then there
was that awkward pause where people didn’t know what to do until you heard a
short unconvincing applaud. Plus Microsoft currency calculator appears to be
broken because if we in the UK wish to purchase the Xbox One we will be paying
the equivalent of $666 and with no explanation why there is that much of an
extra cost, hardily fair for Xbox’s UK fans. Microsoft had a stubborn few days especially
when Don Mattrick’s interview with Gametrailers.com host Geoff Keighley, that was aired yesterday
but conducted prior to E3. See the calamity below:-
Yes Don did just say that if you don’t have an internet
connection then buy a 360. A PR disaster of a statement to make especially as
this was aired after the PlayStation conference where they undercut the Xbox price
and said they won’t charge for used games nor will they require an always
online connection. A dumb move Microsoft.
We ended on Titanfall, Respawn’s exclusive title for Xbox
coming in 2014. It looked great but it felt overshadowed by the price news
shown momentarily before. Titanfall looks an exciting game and currently looks
a must have if you are going to own an Xbox One.
Overall I would give the Microsoft press conference a 7/10.
When it comes to games yes it delivered and for once we didn’t see all these Kinect games, that only appeal to the minority, shown on stage in the middle of showcasing different TV features.
People have been complying that Microsoft hasn't done enough for gamer's by
showing little exclusive games. Xbox One has some great exclusives and the
biggest line-up of exclusives as long as I can remember. Third party content is
well supported but this wasn’t the year people wanting solely this. This
approach to E3 would be perfect next or last year, but this year we needed
answers to the questions that have been damaging Microsoft’s reputation over
the past few weeks as they stood by as the ship sunk. We need some positivity instead
of restrictions. We need to know the benefits of having consoles always online
and having used game fees. A simple ‘we will require a fee for used games but
when new games are released they will be half the price’ is what can win people
over. By not showing their hand they have allowed people to pre-order the PS4.
This is a disaster at a business point of view as they are losing out to their competitor.
Microsoft need another press conference to go through everything about this console
and why they think this is the right direction to head towards. And no a simple
press release wont suffice, as we have seen over the past few weeks that
Microsoft clearly has a problem of making things clear in writing where they
create more confusion than detail information
Microsoft have unveiled an exclusive commemorative controller available to
people that pre-order the Xbox One console.
Microsoft said: “Reserve your Day One Edition today
and in addition to the best console we've ever made, you'll also receive a
commemorative controller and an exclusive achievement.”
The controller is labeled "Day One 2013", but it has been stated that these controlers are "available in limited quantities while supplies last, at select retailers."
No it’s not some fancy looking thing that is easily recognizable but on top of that, people who pre-order will receive an exclusive achievement
towards their Gamerscore, which will cross over to the Xbox One.
The Xbox One is out in November this year in the US, retailing at $499 and in the UK at £429.
Sony released a video after their E3 press conference on Monday via their official YouTube channel (Playstation). This video completely twists the knife that Sony firmly planted into Microsoft following their landslide victory after the two press conferences in LA at E3 2013.
The video follows the whole one minute applause from the crowd, attending their press conference, after Sony officially announced that the Playstation 4 will not restrict or charge a fee for used games. Microsoft has suffered somewhat of a PR disaster since their unveiling three weeks ago and failed to address the problems that has been circulating the Xbox One's policy's around used games and always online. Microsoft need to hold another conference showcasing the Xbox One, showing their plan and explain what benefit it is to the consumer to have these features, other than just a press release that is likely to contradict its self, as it has in the past few weeks.
Six months after Peter Molyneux’s Curiosity app went live,
that promised to give one lucky winner a ‘life changing’ experience, we have
finally come to the conclusion after a colossal 25 billion cubes have been broken
away from users.
Curiosity received over 4 million downloads since the app’s
launch back in November 2012 and finally this curious cube finished yesterday,
(May 26th) at around 5pm (GMT).
The lucky winner was revealed to be Bryan Henderson from Edinburgh,
Scotland and his prize is to become the God in 22 cans’ new game ‘Project Godus’.
Peter Molyneux was tweeting all through the closing stages
of the so called ‘experiment’ and said: “We are sending the winner the video explaining
what’s inside, hope he shares #whatsinsidethecube”.
Moments later he tweeted saying that Bryan had agreed to post
the video. Video Below:-
The video explains how the prize could have been some simple
advice, (probably a good idea that this prize was scrapped in my opinion) or a
cash prize. But instead Bryan Henderson will have the ability, if he chooses to
comply, to become the God in 22 cans’ new game Project Godus.
The video clarifies that the winner “will intrinsically
decide on the rules that the game is played by”.
But the reward goes further than becoming a Godly in-game
character, Molyneux went on to say: “And here’s the life-changing bit: you will
share the success of the product. Every time people spend money on the product,
you will get a small piece of the pie”.
Overall the response to the prize announcement has been mixed. The video posted to '22CansOffical' YouTube channel has revived around 4,000 likes to around 2,500 dislikes with many others voicing their opinion on Twitter. One tweeter put "You get to decide all the rules, as long as they involve over promising and under delivering."
In amongst the tweets Molyneux was sending, he also tweeted:
“Consider would it be fair to convert left coins in Curiosity to our next game/
experiment”. Sounds like this is only the first of Molyneux’s experiments, we
could perhaps see another after E3.
Details on whether ‘Project Godus’ is going to be free to
play or what formats it will be available on are yet to be announced, but with
E3 only two weeks away we may hear more about this upcoming game in two weeks’
time.
Defiance is a new MMO game for the Xbox 360. It is also available for PlayStation and PC but the version I had a short play through on was for the Xbox The game co-exist with the new TV series that is out next week and has promised to change and adapt to the series as it progresses. Okay so my first impressions weren't that great. But I did only get a short 30 min play through and it wasn't helped by the setup at the Gadget Show. It's set up in a small both with seven playable systems (quite handy as i was with six other friends) and you need to wait until the group prior to you have finished their 30 min play through. Everything was already set-up and we was unable to view the customization and left to play what was already given to use. We all for some strange reason was given the exact powers of invisibility but I would have liked to play around with the others available. There was also not chat function at the Gadget Show either which made it more feel like we was all playing separately due to no chat leads being connected to the Turtle Beach X12 Headsets we used. I had a cloaking device that made you invisible to the enemies (mutant creatures or soldiers) and as with many games it disappears once shooting. Grenades charge up and once used you have to wait a certain time until you can use it again. The controls are much similar to a 3rd person shooter with the very Gears of Waresc roll. The map is very big and by clicking up on the D-Pad you can summon a little quad bike (i think if you have a different class you may be able to use a different vehicle) to get around much quicker. It feels more like a shooter such as borderlands than an MMO like Star Wars Old Republic with an exp system that rewards you more for head-shots. But the game is riddled with problems and it was shown very poorly at the Gadget show as well due to it being played in 720p. The game was also very buggy and one of my mates games was completely bugged as he couldn't use his power up, summon any vehicle or nothing appeared on his map. Once also in the same location as the rest of us there wasn't any objective to complete and couldn't see any what needed to be completed. The graphics looked granny on the Xbox with certain textures glitching out with invisible walls being quite frequent, I heard that the PC graphics are drastically batter though.. There are many random challenges you can come across and we all completed a arc fall event. The one we did was a massive crystal surrounded by spawning enemies and it took over ten mins of all six of us constantly shooting at it to destroy it. Enemies kept glitching by appearing and reappearing out of existence and it got very boring very quickly. I know in the real game there will probably be more people fighting and thus destroying the objective much quicker but once we destroyed it the next challenge we came up against was exactly the same. The performance kept dropping and was near un-playable at times and it wasn't helped by how quickly all of us got bored. Overall if I was to play this game I would go for the PC version as this games performance is supposed to be a lot quicker and contain less bug if not non experienced on the console version. The graphics are also a lot better as well. But honestly I don't think this is a game I would like to play again. I got bored within the first 20 mins and with the £40 price tag I cant see its value. I am how ever interested to see what and how the game is going to tie in with the TV show but that still wont change my perception of the game and enough to convince me to play the game again.
