A Preview 'The Year for Gamers' - Part 2

We are onto Part 2 of our daily (ish) feature about the game announcements that everyone should be excited about. This year is certainly looking like a strong one for us Video Gamers.

Zelda: A Link Between World

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Nintendo

Release Date: Holiday 2013

Platforms: 3DS

It’s a rare sight to see a modern sequel to one of the greatest games of all time – but that’s exactly what Nintendo has done with its 3DS follow-up to the SNES classic The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Part. It’s a game that has been garnering worldwide cheers since 1992 and one that deserves only the sweetest of touches to ensure its sequel matches the masterpiece of its father figure.

The game was originally revealed in April’s Nintendo Direct conference and has since been showcased with videos and short demo’s (including Dungeon one). The sequel is certainly being given a lot of love to keep the magic from our most beloved adventure with Link alive. The 2D sprites have been reworked into full 3D models, which keep with the distinctive ALttP design style, and bring with it a game-world of bright colours.

The main feature shown off so far is Link’s ability to turn into a painting of sorts and slide along the surface of a wall. This allows him to explore dungeons in a whole new way and will hopefully bring with it some unique puzzles.

I’m still drawing on the hope that we get another version of the Dark World; especially as the over-world mirrors that of the original. It also wouldn’t be out of the question for Nintendo to spin in some sort of multiplayer. They seem especially keen on this concept and pushed the online capabilities as a big selling point for the 3DS system.

Battlefield 4

Publisher: EA

Developer: DICE

Release Date: October 29, 2013 (Next-Gen TBD)

Platforms: PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One

As the first game to use the Frostbite 3 Engine, we’re most curious to just see what Battlefield 4 is going to look like from start to finish. The impressive tech video’s shown at E3 prompted huge pre-order sales and gives us the impression, and rightly so, that the multiplayer portion is going to be even larger than ever before. Have you ever seen a whole building disappear ‘in game’?

DICE have shown us the most impressive shooter on the next-gen so far and with the rumours of the Commander feature returning (the best thing about Battlefield 2’s strategic, team-centric competition) then I’m even more excited.

It’s become a trend for this franchise to boost their multiplayer portions without really coming into their own on the single player campaign which is sure to still be the case. Single player isn’t the go to portion of FPS’s anymore so DICE are looking on track to close the sale gap on COD even further this year. Even so let’s just hope the campaign is better than last time.

With any luck, the next-generation hardware and future of Frostbite will enable even more destruction, too.

Dragon Age 3: Inquisition

Publisher: EA

Developer: BioWare

Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Probably Next-Gen

Release Date: TBA

BioWare are fully aware of the slump they had after Dragon Age II was rushed into our stores a few years ago and they are pulling out all the stops to win us back. Dragon Age III: Inquisition has been touted to have a massive world with sections bigger than the entirety of Dragon Age II (although that can’t be hard with the dungeon repetition).

Again we can expect a number of party characters to choose from and more customisation than ever, you can even have your own castle to call ‘home’. All of the game will be built on DICE’s Frostbite 2 engine too which will, obviously, make the game wonderful to look at.

If the rumours are true then this may be the first RPG out the door that could compare with The Witcher 3. BioWare are known for their great storytelling and it looks like the developers are letting their creative designers a free reign.

Comments are welcome below…. Feel free to drop in some of your own suggestions for future previews too!

Read More

A Preview 'The Year for Gamers' - Part 1

E3 2013 is now behind us, the behemoth of Video Games conferences is over for another year but between new console details, game announcements and trailer what really stood out. Below, and in several other posts I will bring up some of my favourite announcements, the details given and speculate on other features.

Dark Souls 2

Publisher: Namco Bandai

Developer: From Software

Release Date: March 2014

Platforms: 360, PS3, PS4

 

The original Dark Souls was pretty much everything I ever wanted in a video game. It’s a clever, gorgeous, but punishing experience that rewards players for taking the time to learn how to get through it and the specific features it brings to the table. It’s like a gruelling 8-bit adventure from the nineties or a hardcore JRPG. Dark Souls managed to capture that enigmatic concoction that made me fall in love with the medium in the first place and the darkness of the pallet make me feel like I was in danger at every single point.

Dark Souls 2 is shaping up to build on the foundations of the original but to also allow the soft-core crowd to have a go, as it features a far less brutal difficulty setting. Don’t worry if you are a fan of the difficult nature of the original as this instalment will still have a setting to brutally punish you some more.

The franchise has earned its infamy by living up to its slogan, ‘Prepare to Die’, a merit bade that means every single encounter should be feared and prepared for.

 

Destiny

Publisher: Activision

Developer: Bungie

Release Date: 2014

Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3

Bungie revolutionised console shooters once with Halo. So hype for its follow-up franchise Destiny is already through the roof. E3 gave us the first opportunity to see the title and the call shaded, highly details, gameplay looks to revolutionise the shooter genre again. We have now seen the always-on “massively multiplayer” shooter and can understand how it seamlessly moves from a single-player to a multiplayer experience.

The secrets of Destiny have still been kept close to Bungie’s chest and we still have no idea what the moon-sized object hovering close above the earth is – (see The Traveller).

E3 is at its best when its exhibitors show us ideas that are new and this game fulfilled that expectation. The bigger and more audacious a title is, the better it comes off. Destiny is about as big and audacious as they come. It’s gaming’s biggest publisher funding one of the industry’s most renowned developers.

The skirmish, online objectives and the close quarter single player gameplay has wet my appetite – it’s the only title without a solid release date that I’ve already pre-ordered.

Thief 4

Publisher: Square Enix

Developer: Eidos Montreal

Release Date: 2014

Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC

Thief II is arguably the best stealth game ever; blending a dank atmosphere, believable AI, a compelling and likeable anti-hero, huge open-ended missions, and of course strong ‘pure’ stealth gameplay. It held a rich assortment of weapons and items, still holding the crown nearly 15 years on.

In 2014 we will see the return of the franchise with a new packaging on next-gen software tools. The player’s avatar, Garrett, no longer has a mechanical eye, but it has been confirmed that he does have a Batman: Arkham Asylum style Detective Mode vision ability. The game is set in a dark, steam-punk style world, not unlike Dishonoured, that will give players various options for completing each and every quest.

Patience has always been a key ingredient for the series and one that looks to be in place for the reboot. Shadows (and now dynamic lighting), which was key in Thief II, will make an important return and with it the ‘get spotted and die’ gameplay.  Missions are shaping up nicely and a ‘easier mode’ will be put in place for the less hardcore of us. In any event; bursting through the main doorway is sure you get you a quick death/

Eidos Monteal took over development from Looking Glass Studios after they disbanded a few years ago. The studio earned our respect, in 2011, with a great reboot of the Deus Ex franchise. Multiplayer has been skipped over, when questions have been flung at Eidos, which makes me think it’s not out of the question.

That’s it for part 1….

Sound off in the comments below if you have any games you want discussed or would like to give some input on the games mentioned above.

Read More

Ouya vs. ESA

Something that slipped through my radar……….

The Entertainment Software Association, the company which owns and operates the E3 Expo, called the Los Angeles Police Department during the conference in an attempt to shut down Ouya’s public presence at E3 2013.

Julie Uhrman, the founder of the Ouya console, informed IGN and several other publications that the police visit was just another event as part of their on-going conflict with the ESA.

Ouya had their console on display in a lot across the street from the Los Angeles Convention Center, which is the home of E3, and was obviously intended to been seen by the crowds. However, by 9am on the Saturday morning, the ESA rented out the spaces in front of Ouya’s display and parked trucks in them in, what Uhrman felt was an attempt to, block people from noticing Ouya’s presence.

Frankly he’s probably right!

In response to this action, the Ouya team rented the spots in front of the ESA’s trucks and used the spaces to display various Ouya advertising.  Uhrman then claims that the ESA called the police, which prompted the LAPD to show up checking the permits. Ouya felt this was another action to decrease their credibility and, after determining that everything was in order, the cops ultimately left without taking any further action.

Urhman feels that Ouya is being unfairly targeted due to their decision skip the ESA invite and attend E3 on its own terms. Uhrman and the rest of the Ouya team intend to tackle the second day of E3 2013 by increasing their street team presence. She also claims to have reached out to the ESA in an attempt to resolve the dispute, but has yet to hear back.

It seems like a bit of a petty situation to me, and one that can easily be avoided. Both parties have not done anything illegal, at least that we currently know of, and Ouya is an interesting concept that the ESA should really support. But then again my opinions don’t really matter!

Read More

Beta Testing - The Microsoft Points to Real Money Exchange

For those of you that don’t know; the UK Xbox gamers currently involved in the beta-testing for the new Dashboard have been experiencing significant price hikes as a result of Microsoft’s transition from their points format to real currency.

Reddit users have been chronicling the changes and have observed an increase in prices on the UK Xbox marketplace. The dashboard is set to convert all your existing points into real money but fear not Microsoft are addressing the issue.

They told Joystiq, "We are aware that select regions experienced some incorrect game title pricing in the Xbox Live beta. This was an unintended error that we are in the process of fixing." Beta users affected by the incorrect prices will be reimbursed "after the update is available to all members."

The prices changes listed were:

400 MSP were previously £3.20 - now cost £4.49

800 MSP were previously £6.80 – now cost £8.99

1200 MSP were previously £9.99 – now cost £11.99

1600 MSP were previously £13.60 – now cost £14.99

Several articles quickly popped up; some explaining that the price increases actually fall in with the PlayStation Network equivalents, while others suggested that you would do better to buy games ahead of this change. For the time being we suggest you stay put and await further news as Microsoft release updates.

Beta testers from other regions are reporting that prices have very slightly dropped - in Australia, for example, by around $1.

 

Read More

The Division - Finally something to agree on....

I caught up with a few old friends this week to discuss the hot properties coming out of E3. The atmosphere was weird; the dark rooms we had sat in watching the press conferences doors had put everyone under a constant strain and set us all off in an argumentative manner. Whether it was the massive mech title ‘Titanfall’ or the big brother ethic in ‘Watch Dogs’, none of us could agree on our expectations – that was until we started talking about Massive Entertainments ‘The Division’.

Shown off during the conference, this seemingly sandboxed third person shooter had managed to get all our appetites wet. The two swedes showing off the project, Petter Mannerfelt and Nicklas Cederstrom, have stumbled across something special here.

Massive have been a studio to watch; they released the excellent Cold War strategy game, World in Conflict, assisted on Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry but have also been linked with various other projects before this was shown off last month. In fact it had been strongly rumoured that they were working on an MMO and then that they had links to the Tom Clancy license before we had heard anything about The Division. But, given their top notch productions, it’s still a normal affair for Ubisoft to place studios under their own heavy leadership and vision; setting them to work on a title that would drift into the horizon without another thought.

Thankfully though, The Division is all Massive's work - right down to the next-generation Snowdrop engine - and it couldn't be any more confident or, importantly, any more modern. Every member of the discussion was excited about the persistent online world, the gripping narrative and (I’ll commit a cardinal sin here) the excellent graphics.

Probably the most impressive thing though is that The Division has only been in development for about a year, and with only a team of 200 behind it, the game is already very impressive. It’s scheduled for an appetising release alongside Bungie’s Destiny and a wave of other MMOs in 2014 (although I’m punning the term CSMMO – ‘Console Style Massively Multiplayer Online’).

Although the title presents itself as a blockbuster action game, with a lot of cover shooter mechanics, Massive have been pushing that this is first and foremost a role-playing game - it’s being billed as an “Online Open-World RPG”.

The discussion group and I love RPG games because of their variety and progression opportunities. It’s the exact opposite of why we also all love Call of Duty; a game where you character is just as good at the beginning of the campaign as they are in the end.  The RPG elements of The Division follow player progression, looting and upgrades as well as strong crafting and customisation mechanics.

If anything, the game is pushed for a single genre as it's the scenario, rather than the console-friendly presentation, that really makes The Division stand out among its peers. Its direct competition comes from Destiny, and even Borderlands, but both provide a hybrid game style. The Division has the gritty credibility, provided by the Clancy name, and a set-up ripped straight from the most paranoid news headlines. A severe viral epidemic has exposed the fragility of first-world society, and amid crashing markets and infrastructure, the operatives are struggling to bring the chaos under control through the open New York City.

The most interesting concept in The Division is "dark zones". These are contaminated areas of New York where power and food are in short supply and lawlessness is at its worst. These are set to be the PVP zones of the game, where players are free to attack each other; you're always safe from player attacks outside them but these areas will be rife for conflict.

The missions you complete in there zones offer the best loot in the game but also come with the biggest risks. The loot has to be extracted and decontaminated before you can use it and the player must send up a flare for extraction 90 seconds before they can leave the area – during this time other players can attack your position and claim the loot from you, with the flare drawing their attention.

It's also been mentioned that players will be able to influence New York itself, bringing sectors under control and the city back alive by chaining missions together. But when asked how this will work – whether each player city will differ or if the world will be linked to everyone – Massive have yet to commit.

Oddly, Massive have also confirmed that they are looking at the Xbox One’s cloud capabilities and have mentioned that this allows them to run physics separately. The example given was that one player may influence the waves of the sea, whether by driving a boat or via a grenade, and the ripples of that action will affect those within a designated radius.

We held a lot of back and forth conversations about Massive’s sales techniques. A few of us are resigned to the micro-transactions that have become a staple of the business, while others expected the game to be sold boxed as a free-to-play title. Perhaps the one thing we agreed on was that subscription systems seem unlikely. 

The Division is shaping up to be the Tom Clancy game that we’ve been missing out on for a few years and, no matter your genre preferences, there seems to be a reason to suck you in. The game style and ideas are speaking for themselves and that shows why it was high up my list of E3 announcements.

Read More

What has Don Mattrick left behind at Microsoft?

Don Mattrick has left Microsoft’s Xbox division and taken over at Zynga, after founder Mark Pincus stepped away from the day-to-day running in favour of product development.

Mattrick’s departure isn’t really a surprise, but not because of the Xbox One policy content. These sorts of massive company changes aren’t decided over a cup of tea and looks like it may have been in the works for the most part of 2013. Mattrick didn’t really have anywhere to go in Microsoft; being as close to Steve Ballmer without taking his job. Don didn’t really hit the stage at E3, compared to his previous outings, and looks a bit blase about the hardware delivery.

The timing though may not be such a coincidence. Microsoft took a heavy beating since it’s Xbox One reveal on 21^st May, and, assuming Mattrick’s departure was already in motion, the company simply allowed him to leave before his notice period was over. This gave soft a chance to reduce any lingering toxic feelings from their policies.

It’s difficult to judge Don’s time with the company either, at least until the Xbox One has launched, but his impact over the six year Xbox 360 tenure has been pretty pronounced. Probably his most impressive feat was the increase in revenue and production of steady profits to the Interactive Entertainment Business Division – especially after it had made losses for many years ahead of his arrival.

Mattrick staked his early reputation on user acquisition, especially from the Sony market, and for all intents and purposes he’s done that. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 have both sold just a few less than 80 million units – however the Microsoft console reigns supreme in most of the territories outside of Asia. The Xbox Live user base at the time of his arrival was a few million at most and is now nearly 50 million.

Since his arrival the company have broadened their horizons and pushed themselves, gradually, into the entertainment market. While Sony sit on their gaming morals, Microsoft have ventured into multimedia territory; signing indie developers and global partners like Sky TV and Netflix.

Probably the only area where Mattrick did suffer was for his love of the games themselves. Even with his 25 years over at EA he still didn’t manage to focus on the core owners of the console. He didn’t interact with the crowd like his predecessor, Peter Moore, and this was particularly evident in the lack of successful new first-party games.

Star franchises like Halo, Gears of War, Fable and Forza Motorsport remained popular, but there has been a distinct shortage of new IP’s. Even the new 343 Industries studio, which he helped create, were set to build primarily for Halo sequels and game off an uninspiring decision for most gamers - even if Halo 4 was exceptional.

He also wasn’t one to speak to the industry press either, which is probably a good thing if he had no interest in keeping the product as a Video Game ‘only’ system. His comments have often been harsh and unfair – publicly slating Halo creators Bungie, after they broke free of Microsoft in 2008 and withheld Halo 3: ODST from the yearly E3 conference. More recently he suggested that gamers upset about the Xbox One’s Internet policy ‘could by an Xbox 360 instead’. Didn’t he have a way with words?

Personally I felt that his biggest impact came in the form of the Kinect (previously Project Natal) hardware. The new technology is both innovative and revolutionary but his implementation was still off. Kinect ‘1.0’ for the Xbox 360 was rush into market, when there were surely experienced voices in the company advising him that the product wasn’t ready. Mattrick really wanted to catch the Autumn sales period and since then the industry has joked about its delivery.

Lionhead, who were an expensive acquisition under his leadership, worked on a pair of Kinect games, but their more ambitious title ‘Milo & Kate’ never made it to market. Instead we got the enjoyable, but very underdeveloped, Fable: The Journey. In fact no killer game has been created to hand the technology on – only the Kinect Sports and Dance Central games have had any impact on the market.

To put it plainly; the Kinect just wasn’t very good when it launched and, now with the Xbox One just around the corner, you can’t expect it to pick up many sales. The Kinect 2.0 capabilities though, which were shown off at this year’s E3 presentation, is very encouraging. The hardware is more responsive, maps more joints and is genuinely looking like the product it always intended. However, the new policy to make this a standard feature for the Xbox One has cause issues with various privacy advocates, who object to have a camera and microphone turned on 24/7 – let alone the fact that the Kinect can ‘see you in the dark’.

Looking over his tenure it’s hard to escape the fact that his is a businessman above all else and didn’t have the connection with the consumers that someone in his position, and specifically in the industry, that is needed to do well. He had a vision and he went for it, even though the public, and his colleagues,  ‘sometimes’ shouted about how bad it was.

Obviously we won’t really know whether he truly achieved brilliance until the Xbox One, the first console built under his leadership, has been released. It’s an all-in-one entertainment offering and it’s certainly been moulded to fit his ideas.

Read More

What the best game of 2013 (and a half)?

It's hard to believe, but 2013 is more than halfway over now. These past six months have been extremely generous to us gamers and have given us some truly incredible experiences.

Before we head into the second half of the year, and go full-force into the next generation of consoles, it's time to look back and appreciate what we've been playing since 2013 began.

What game do you believe deserves Game of the Year, at least up to this point? Which titles stand tall or which have disappointed you?

I’ve listed below a few games that I believe could be worthy of the Game of the Year award. After you read over them, let me know what you think!

BioShock Infinite

There are very few games that have as much of an impact as BioShock Infinite does on a gamer. The story of Booker, and his ‘side-kick’ Elizabeth is an incredible journey and will stay with you for ages after the credits roll. I still bring up the ending with friends and would list this in my top 5 games of the generation.

The real star of the show, however, is the city in the sky known as Columbia. Irrational Games create wonderful worlds for you to explore but moving on from Rapture was a hard step for many players , at least until they walked the streets of this beautiful floating world.

Levine’s design choices are strong and the made a world so beautiful and immersive that you get lost in its wonder and grandeur. You can spend hours just walking in the world and pretending you are one of its citizens without ever taking off on the quest you are handed at the beginning of the game.

It’s a different approach from the dilapidated underwater world of the previous titles. Columbia is still very much alive with characters and shows of the true nature of the citizens.

BioShock Infinite is something that’s magical to behold and makes playing your next title that much harder – as you seek the same gaming ‘hit’ that you experienced through the cloudy world above.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf

It’s very difficult to explain how brilliant this little handheld title is to someone who has no experience with the franchise. It’s one of those titles that runs into your real day -to-day schedule as you have to complete tasks at the correct point in real time. The title allows you to craft a town, populated with humanoid animals, obscure activities and more. The aim is to build something you love while keeping your citizens happy. Yes this might look like a kids game – due to its cartoon characters and bright pallet – but it’s so much more.

The joy of seeing a flower grow or opening a fortune cookie to reveal a host of Nintendo inspired items is more additive than your first steps through Viridian Forest. It is such a well thought-out design that it makes you feel as if you truly are a part of it. There is always something to be done, and usually, the reason you start playing ends up being taken over by tons of other activities that spring up all the time. New leaf also introduced multiplayer which allows you to visit your friend’s towns.

Tomb Raider

In a world where reboots are a standard affair (especially recent years), one in particular has stood tall above the rest. This game was Tomb Raider, which took the iconic Lara Croft model and made her a vulnerable hero. She is constantly beaten, bruised, defeated; all in an attempt to save those she cared about.

Its brutal title that feels more like an adventure than any other. The enemies are realistic and their AI is challenging. Lara is very vulnerable too – playing through the majority of the game with only a hand-crafted Bow for protection.

You genuinely see a transformation from the innocent, young woman on the ship to the deadly, tomb-raiding (Don’t excuse the pun, I meant it) heroine we all know and love. Match that with a fairly open world and a fantastic upgrade system, Tomb Raider is just a pure joy to play. If you’re a collectables fan then this is a must buy.

The team at Crystal Dynamics crafted an exciting world really feels alive. There is always something to do and plenty of collectables to find, bringing you back to the island even after the story was complete. Its multiplayer is a bit lacking – in my opinion – but that’s not why we play Tomb Raider anyway.

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

Perhaps the least known game on this list, Ni no Kuni, that captures your heart from the very beginning. Whether it’s the beautiful hand-drawn cutscenes or the great cast of characters, this truly shows us the golden age of the JRPG’s again.

In an age where every game coming out seems to be a shooter or take place in a gritty, dark world, it is a nice change of pace to lose yourself for hundreds of hours in a world that is not only gorgeous, but full of charm and charisma.

To top that off, Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch has a familiar creature system that is a little like Pokémon. This added to the tremendous value and length of the title and shows how deep games can be compared to the standard campaigns of the often used released FPS’s.

 

The Last of Us

I know if this wasn’t on the list they’d be uproar but the new title from Naughty Dog has left both fans and developers with a massive whole in their hearts once the title has been completed.

There is an undeniable allure and fascination with the post-apocalyptic genre – especially of late. We  have had so many chances to experience dilapidated worlds that many writers had called for an end to this genre, at least for the time being – that it until their got their grip on The Last of Us.

Naughty Dog's take on the apocalypse has become the standard to which all others should be judged. The attention to detail, the focus on the characters, the survival and the scavenging, all fit perfectly with the atmosphere that the game gives off. The story is as engrossing as you’d expect from the Uncharted developer and the world is beautiful and brutal all at the same time.

This is not a happy tale. It goes to some very dark places, yet that's the reality of these impossible situations. This is why it resonates with the gamer long after the credits have rolls and also why it garnered such critical acclaim. It has set a new benchmark for storytelling in Video Games.

Here's some oldies to remember what is the benchmark!

Read More

Assassins Creed III - A Credit Sequence to kill your enjoyment...

I don’t often rant about games, as I like to think that there is someone out there who enjoys every title in existence, even if I don’t. However, I feel this gripe is something that affects us all and my heart goes out to anyone playing through Assassin’s Creed III.

 

For those of you still playing the game stop reading now – there be spoiler ahead.

 

I must have failed the last mission around 10 times before finally nailing it as the direction of the chase is confusing and badly put together. As frustrating as it was, though, I have to disagree that it’s the worst thing about Assassin’s Creed III. The worst thing comes shortly afterwards.

 

I’m talking about the game’s credit sequence.

 

If you want to know what it looks like when over two billion are involved in making a video game, look no further than the end of Assassin’s Creed III. You are going to find out each individual person that worked on the game, everyone they thanks for support and all the babies that were born during the production time.

 

The credits sequence goes for nearly 20 minutes which would be a moot point if you could skip them, but you can’t. You’re left sitting there wondering if there’s going to be any story revelations during the credits – perhaps that’s why the 20 point achievement comes after sitting through the blasted things.

 

Actually that’s not entirely correct as I managed to play a few android games, start up my PC, make a sarnie and a coffee before the thing even came a close. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the credit given to the employees - credits are important - it’s just that you shouldn’t force me to endure them.

 

This is especially prominent as every cutscene in the game, which I am interested in watching, has a “PRESS B TO SKIP” prompt hovering over the screen.

 

(On a side note it also irked me that Connor is always dressed in the standard garment during these segments, even if you change the colour of his costume – breaking the immersion)

 

The reason I’m picking on this, and not some of the game’s more obvious shortcomings, is that it perfectly encapsulates the disregard the game has for the player’s time. It has a tutorial that spans five chapters totalling 4-6 hours, which pissed me off so much that I stopped playing the damn thing several time. And then there is a conclusion that’s padded to the extent you feel genuinely exhausted by the game’s end, rather than jubilant for your success. How many people enjoy taking 3 minutes to walk 100 yards due to injuries?

 

Most people either, take an interest in the credit (and therefore choose to watch them) or couldn’t give a damn (and therefore skip them at the earliest opportunity). I for one am a bit blasé about the whole credit sequences but find myself annoyed that the option to skip them isn’t there at all. It feels shitty to have to say that the most symbolic failure of a game, which itself is far from perfect, is the part where hundreds of people are being thanked for their hard work.

 

It’s a sad irony that, for a series that should be about open-ended design and expression in play-style is held back but a large quantity of short comings and some completely unplayable sections. If Black Flags is marred by the same problems then I won’t be touching the next title – which is even more of a shame when I loved the previous entries so much.

 

 

Read More

Is there adventure to be had in 'A Link Between Worlds'?

In The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, the overworld is exactly the same as the one from A Link to the Past – right down to the trees and buildings. Or at least it seems that way from the E3 2013 demo. The demo itself gave people the chance to play outside dungeons for the first time and showed off the 3D range for this top-down adventure.

It makes sense too really, since A Link Between Worlds is a direct sequel to the 1993 Super NES game. If ALTTP is one of your favourite games of all time then you’ll probably want to pick up a 3DS as soon as possible. Other than the 3D graphics the world has been left relatively untouched (expect for the obvious puzzle changes.

In the short time since its original announcement, ALBW has been pondered to consider whether a gamer who knows their way around will find the same thrill as a first timer. The goal of the recent demo’s has been to complete the first dungeon, marked at the eastern edge of an otherwise clouded overworld map. There have been various items implemented to block alternative paths and reduce the playing area. Otherwise it’s located in the same place as the 1992 game.

The videos have shown areas outside of the dungeon near Links house, the ‘blocked’ drawbridge to Hyrule Castle and various encounters with Oktoroks and Moblins.

Interestingly the dungeon itself though has been revamped and the monkey security guard has been disbanded – at least in the demo.

A major part of The Legend of Zelda's appeal, to me, is the sense of wonder and adventure you get from exploring the boundaries of an unfamiliar map. In the original NES game you could wander all around the map and as you got closer to the edges the enemies got harder, often stopping you from making it to the edge of an area - it was worth the risk just to see what was out there though. My biggest worry for this instalment though – what happens when you already know your way around?

Then again, most of the map was obscured in the demos shown - nothing has been shown of the "Dark World," the alternate reality that effectively doubled A Link to the Past's explorable area, which has been confirmed for a return in A Link Between Worlds. It's entirely possible that there are new areas, or that the initial area is just a small part of a much larger map, similar to Zelda II's incorporation of the original The Legend of Zelda's map.

If the overworld in A Link Between Worlds is the same as before then there is still potential for Link's new ability to allow you to explore it in a unique way. For those of you that don’t know - Link can now flatten himself against a wall, turning into a flat, 2D, cartoon-like representation of himself. This 'Toon Link' can only move along walls (where he is safe from enemies). You can use this in the overworld and, when you do, the camera follows you around corners, revealing much of the overworld you cannot see from the classic angle.

It's a nice new feature, but it's not a substitute for a new world map. Nintendo has barely shown us anything in A Link Between Worlds so we'll surely see more before its rapidly approaching release date sometime at the end of 2013. Until then I’ll be worried about the known world, but as with everything Nintendo release, you can expect something remarkable is up their sleeves.

Read More