Not too long ago I wrote a prediction list for 2015, which included the probability that The Order: 1886 would be the first major fail for the year. That prediction was based solely on the massive amount of hype for the game leading up to release, not unlike Watch Dogs, which I believed may lead to the game not matching those expectations. For the most part I was right, but not due to that reason alone.
Read more »Dead or Alive has always split the fighting community in two. On the one hand, it’s an exciting blend of action, counters and explosive level designs. On the other….well, let’s just say Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball and just leave it at that.
Read more »Scary monsters and super creeps; Turtle Rock Studio‘s latest multiplayer game, Evolve, wants to know if you’re the hunter or the hunted. Set in the not-too-distant future on the otherworld, Shear, Evolve is an asymmetrical multiplayer combat game that pits four players against one. Human colonies are under threat after alien Monsters have started appearing and overrunning the planet. With colonists’ lives at stake, twelve Hunters are recruited to evacuate the planet and save as many people as possible.
Read more »Narratively-driven video games have enjoyed a renaissance in the last couple of years, showing the wider population that the medium can be just as effective as films, TV and books when it comes to storytelling. And it’s not a niche market: everyone from indie developers to AAA studios are releasing games with strong focus on characterisation, immersive narrative and deep exploration of relatable themes. Of course, the flip side to that is not everyone gets it right. However, Life Is Strange, a new episodic game from developer Dontnod Entertainment, gets it very right.
Read more »From clunky antiques like Maze Craze on the Atari 2600, to modern masterpieces like Grand Theft Auto 5, crime has always been a popular theme to build a video game around. But the vast majority of these games revolve around the criminal activity itself. Very rarely does a game focus on what happens after the criminal has been caught. The Escapists is a uniquely bold exception to that rule.
Read more »If you’ve been playing Bioware’s latest installment in the Dragon Age series, you’ll know how difficult it is to tear yourself away from Dragon Age: Inquisition. However, if there’s going to be one reason to stop venturing through the Hinterlands, one reason to have you pause whatever romance you’re attempting with a particular party member, one reason to stop collecting Elfroot, we hope the allure of pairing Dragon Age party members with alcoholic beverages will be that reason.
Read more »In the dying days of the Golden Age of Adventure Games, genre stalwarts Lucasarts released a daring game that strode into the still-novel waters of three-dimensional gaming. That was Grim Fandango, the noirish tale of Manny Calavera, a lowly salesman with the Department of Death, peddling travel packages to the recently deceased. It was the last great adventure game put out by the studio, followed in genre only by the mostly forgettable Escape from Monkey Island. Written and Directed by Tim Schafer, Grim was something special.
Read more »Basketball is a weird sport. I played it for ten years during school and while I learnt skills, no one taught me to be tall. Because my bright and shiny basketball career was tragically cut short, I now write, but thankfully for me and everyone else under 7ft, the latest instalment of Visual Concepts and 2K Games’ long running basketball series is out now.
Read more »As a secret minigame hidden within the forgotten racing franchise Project Gotham Racing, Geometry Wars has certainly come a long way. Top selling Xbox Live sequels, handheld spin-offs, studio closures and even a rebranded former publishing giant taking over the reigns. It seems the little shooter that could has seen everything.
Read more »Over the last decade, Far Cry has carved out its own niche within the first person shooter genre of games. It has become famous for its wide open worlds, flamboyant characters, and over the top violence and mayhem. The latest installment, Far Cry 4, trades steamy tropical jungles for Himalayan mountainsides, but otherwise, promises to build on the success of its predecessors. Does it succeed? Let’s find out.
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