A Sony console just wouldn’t be right without a WipEout game and the new PlayStation Vita handheld is more than capable of doing the series justice for its tenth title. In our developer session at Gamescom 2011, we were lucky enough to enjoy a presentation from Sony’s Studio Liverpool team and then get a play for ourselves.
Set just 37 years from now, at the “dawn of the sport,” four years before the original PS1 game set in 2052. It’s the first season of the sport, just after anti-gravity was invented. At this rate, it’s highly doubtful we’ll see technology leap forwards as much in the next 37 years, seeing as we’ll all be forced to plod along in hybrids at misery MPH. That’s why we’ll always love games like this as do Studio Liverpool who are keen to emphasise the importance of the time setting of the game compared to the other games in the series:
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When the developers first announced there wouldn’t be a cover system for this third-person-shooter it raised a few eyebrows. Now that I’ve seen the suicidal nature of a swarming orc hoard eager to test the might of a Space Marine’s weaponry, it seems it was a great decision.
So forget about turn-based choices, real time strategy and dice rolling, this is the full-on action title we’ve been waiting for. Strategy fans have enjoyed the Dawn of War games, but action fans always intrigued by the rich sci-fi lineage of the series can now look forward to the first decent Warhammer game since Fire Warrior.
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Survival Horror is a well-loved genre that keeps making glorious comebacks until the next game in a series heads in an action-shooter orientated direction. Dead Space 2 and Resident Evil 5 being prime examples of games that went for action over horror. With Silent Hill being dead on arrival every time this generation, our main hopes for actually being afraid of the dark again might be better invested in a new IP, something like the upcoming summer PSN title, Amy.
This new title merges the despair-smothered atmosphere of the Silent Hill and Dead Space games with the ideal of protecting another character through it all, as perfected in Ico and more recently with Bioshock 2’s Little Sisters. It also seems to be attempting to upstage Elizabeth in Bioshock: infinite. Older gamers may also be interested to know that the creator of Flashback (1993), Paul Cuisset, is one of the key creative staff members on board.
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Red Faction Armageddon’s multiplayer is going for a co-op angle this time around, similar to the Horde mode in Gears of War. Teams of four players will face off against 30 stages of enemies for each of the eight maps. Expect lots of tighter arenas compared to the last game’s open multiplayer deathmatches on the surface of Mars. We’re going to miss those epic jetpack battles.
The main map we got to try out was the underground Black Market. For the most part this level was made up of fairly narrow tunnels with low ceilings, making for some claustrophobic chaos. There’s a small square decorated with lots of neon signs which all too often distracts you from looking out for the alien’s bioluminescent glowing parts. The area of play seems to loop around in a circle. With the terrain including slopes and staircases.
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Release date: June 10th 1998 2011
This isn’t the way it was supposed to be. I was psyched to hear I’d get to play Duke Nukem Forever at Gadget Show Live at Birmingham’s epic NEC venue, but I left the Duke’s area and its collection of PR girls in schoolgirl outfits feeling empty and confused.
If Duke Nukem Forever is released after 13 years of development in the condition I played it on Tuesday morning, there’s going to be a backlash of epic proportions. Hopefully the recent delay is seeing Gearbox adding a few buckets of polish to it.
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The demolition minigames from the previous Red Faction game have been reworked into a stand-alone Ruin mode.
Rather than being more of the same though, it’s set to be a big improvement thanks to the addition of the Magnet Gun, which if you read my recent preview of the single player game, you’d know is the new toy that every big kid should want.
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The level begins with the game’s star, Darius Mason (grandson to Alec Mason of Red Faction: Guerilla), fleeing for his life.
He’s just been duped into unleashing an alien horde from a mysterious underground shaft in a Marauder temple, deep underground on (in?) Mars. We never see any people, but we can hear them cursing Mason in the tunnels ahead as they flee from what he’s let loose from the planet’s depths.
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Busy times on Planet PlayStation with the PS3 doing well, and new additions to the family coming soon in the shape of the PSP2/NGP, the Xperia Play and even rumours of a Sony tablet doing the rounds.I’ve been lucky enough to have a go on the new Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, which hopes to bridge the gap between mobile phone and portable console with even more success than the iPhone juggernaut.
We’ve wanted a PlayStation phone for years, waiting for so long, sifting through rumours and leaked documents, but to no avail. Then we pretty much forgot about it when other mobile phone handsets became real gaming platform presences.
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The story of the new FPS, Homefront, is one of invasion, occupation and resistance. In the not too distant future, after the death the North Korean President, Kim Jon Il, his son takes his place. Over the next few years, he unifies North and South Korea and starts to invade nearby countries.
Throughout this period, America is weakening with a decreasing military force, further financial difficulties and a flu epidemic. This is when the KPA (Korean People’s Army) strike. Using satellite EMP blasts to wipe out the American electronics, including their defence measures, the Koreans begin their unflinching invasion. The game begins two years into the occupation of the US in 2027.
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Not long to go now before we touch down on Helghan again to get stuck into Sony’s PS3 exclusive first-person-shooter, Killzone 3. It’s the only series Guerrilla Games have been working on for years now, so we’re really expecting great things from them, especially considering how much they squeezed out of the PS3 last time. Here are three reasons it’s shaping up to be one of the finest shooters of 2011. Read more…
Anticipation is high for Marvel Vs Capcom 3, especially given Capcom’s return to the top of fighting games with Street Fighter 4. After 11 years, the timing is perfect to see the ever-extending list of classic Capcom game characters launch into another almighty ruckus with the best characters from the Marvel Comics universe.
Today we’re fortunate enough to be given a hands-on taste of the 3vs3 two-player action at the Capcom Christmas party in London. Eager gaming journalists are allowed to choose three characters from a choice of favourites. Capcom characters include: Dante, Trish, Viewtiful Joe, Amaterasu (Okami), Chris Redfield, Felicia, Morrigan, Ryu and Chun-Li. The Mash-up continues with the Marvel folk: Iron Man, Captain America, Wolverine, Deadpool, Hulk, Doctor Doom, Thor, Super-Skrull and Dormammu. There will be plenty more added to both rosters before release.
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The first title in this 2D HD remake of the 80s game was a game I desperately wanted to enjoy. Alas, it’s old-school reluctance to move with the times ultimately made it a relationship that was doomed from the start.
I am of course referring to the lack of a jump button. Nathan Spencer solely relied on the use of the grappling hook on his bionic arm to swing around the levels and climb up platforms. True to the original it may have been but it was also frustrating, unforgiving and clunky. Read more…
When I was invited to an exclusive press event to play Homefront I was excited. Even though it was only for the multiplayer I realised that maybe THQ and Kaos Studios thought they had something special on their hands that they’d previously kept under wraps. Turns out they have.
The single-player game takes place after a future invasion by North Korea in 2027 and is all about guerrilla warfare. The multiplayer side of the game focuses on the bigger battles that precede the main story mode. So you will be playing as what’s left of the US Military or the KPA (Korean People’s Army) during the 2025-2027 invasions. Read more…
Early PS3 owners will already know that developers Ninja Theory can make stunning looking games. Their last effort, Heavenly Sword, was a bit unlucky as it was released too early on in the PS3’s lifecycle to become a significant sucess. Despite the much healthier numbers of PS3s out there now, Ninja Theory have decided to play it safe with a multi-platform release. And who could blame them with a game this good looking?
Before we lucky handful of fans get three delicious hours with a complete build of the game (ahead of the world’s press, by the way), Namco Bandai’s Lee Kirton gives us a bit of background about the game. Read more…
This was hands-down the game of the show at the PlayStation Beta Rooms showcase held in Birmingham. There were various different level chunks available to play and I found myself constantly coming back to replay each of them.
The first section is that from the E3 stage demo (colour me excited). I seem to be in the open-air cargo hold of an ship and have just been attacked by Helghast jump-pack troops. If you’ve seen them in action, you’ll know they can be tricky to take down. Read more…
My penultimate piece of coverage of the Sony PlayStation Beta Rooms will recall my hands-on experience with Little Big Planet 2, Gran Turismo 5 and 3D gaming. Get some! Read more…
Well the PlayStation Move games at Birmingham’s Sony’s Beta Rooms have been covered now with Part 1 and Part 2, but don’t worry I didn’t forget about the rest of Sony’s upcoming titles. Today I’ll be going over MotorStorm: Apocalypse, Eat Them and Dead Nation with more to follow soon. Read more…
After Part One yesterday, here’s the second half of my preview detailing my impressions of what happened when I took a trip to Birmingham and got to grips with the Playstation Move. Read more…
While EA LA are handling the single player game, Battlefield veterans DICE are in-charge of multiplayer. After the success of the BF series, we’d say it’s in good hands.
The matches in the beta have up to twelve players on each side with the maps being just the right size for the numbers meaning you never go too long without snapping up your gun sights. Read more…
I was fortunate enough to get invited to the awesome-packed PlayStation Beta Rooms event for the press preview in Birmingham last night. It wasn’t a hard decision making the hundred mile plus journey down south considering I’d be getting my hands on the likes of Sony’s new motion controller, Move and a slew of upcoming titles such as Killzone 3, Gran Turismo 5 and MotorStorm: Apocalypse. This is part one of my coverage of the event that begins with the PlayStation Move. Read more…
