All posts by Brendan Griffiths

PlayStation + June 2015 lineup back on track?

PlayStation + and PSN Gift Cards cheap deals guide

Next month’s PlayStation Plus games have just been announced and it looks like the lineup has stepped things up a little after a few thoroughly average months. Or has it?

If you’ve already bought Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes during one of it’s many placements in the PSN sales, then you could argue that you’re looking at another decidedly indie lineup. Call of Juarez: Gunslinger (ok, not very indie) is certainly worth a look if you didn’t play it two years ago. The remaining titles range from the vaguely familiar (Cloudberry Kingdom) to the incredibly vague (Super Exploding Zoo). Continue reading PlayStation + June 2015 lineup back on track?

Why Resident Evil 0 HD is great news for the series and gamers

Today, Capcom announced that they are working on Resident Evil 0 HD, a remastered HD port of their 2002 GameCube exclusive. While some HD ports/remasters feel like opportunistic cash grabs, we like to think that this one is a good thing; not just for us eager gamers, but for Capcom and the Resident Evil series in general. Here’s why.

As fondly remembered as the GameCube was, the fact is it got hammered by the competition. Capcom were easily the most supportive third-party though with the original Resident Evil remake (or REmake), Resi 0 and of course, the incredible Resident Evil 4. Continue reading Why Resident Evil 0 HD is great news for the series and gamers

Mad Max Savage Road story trailer

Seen the movie yet? With some solid reviews behind the remake, we’re getting more excited for Avalanche’s game as it slowly edges near its September release. Today’s new trailer gives us some insight on the story for the game. That’s not to say it isn’t packed with explosions and brutal vehicular combat.

Take a look at the trailer below and we’ve rounded up the cheapest pre-order prices we can find too. Although, we imagine some better prices will come along before September 4th. Continue reading Mad Max Savage Road story trailer

Rockstar suing BBC over GTA Drama

Rockstar are taking legal action against the BBC in relation to Game Changer, the broadcasting company’s upcoming drama about the Grand Theft Auto series. Rockstar are suing for trademark infringement and have released a statement (via IGN):

“Take-Two Interactive has filed suit against the BBC for trademark infringement based on their movie currently titled ‘Game Changer’ as it relates to Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto video game series”

“While holders of the trademarks referenced in the film title and its promotion, Rockstar Games has had no involvement with this project. Our goal is to ensure that our trademarks are not misused in the BBC’s pursuit of an unofficial depiction of purported events related to Rockstar Games.”

“We have attempted multiple times to resolve this matter with the BBC without any meaningful resolution. It is our obligation to protect our intellectual property and unfortunately in this case litigation was necessary.” Continue reading Rockstar suing BBC over GTA Drama

Mortal Kombat X Jason Voorhees DLC (Review) – This is why they run

Mortal Kombat X Jason Voorhees DLC Review | This is why they run

Season Pass content can be tricky to navigate, especially when you’re not sure how a piece of paid content is going to work out. At Dealspwn we always advise waiting for some coverage or reviews before putting any extra cash down, especially for season passes. We really enjoyed Mortal Kombat X at launch and have been impressed with the variety of characters already on offer. So how about the DLC ones? Well, here’s our review of the first to arrive, the infamous, Jason Voorhees.

The indestructible star of the Friday the 13th movies (yes, except the first one) initially seemed a rather odd choice for the series, as he’s never been known for his pace and the idea of him performing combos seems a bit absurd. Thankfully, NetherRealm have given him a generous injection of pace and a decent skillset with linkable moves, while maintaining his sinister style. Continue reading Mortal Kombat X Jason Voorhees DLC (Review) – This is why they run

Hellblade dev diary shows development challenges

As fans of Heavenly Sword and dev team Ninja Theory, we can’t wait to get our hands on Hellblade. The studio is aiming for a AAA action title, but made by a smaller team with a tiny budget. It’s an ambitious project, and they have been very open with their approach since announcing the game and have shown us multiple dev diaries from incredibly early stages of the game.

Today’s diary shows how the team have been creating multiple small ‘vertical slice’ demo for playtesters and the press. With a refreshing display of honesty, they freely admit that the first few were not great and left playtesters frustrated. With the latest build set to be shown to members of the press before E3, they have their fingers crossed that they have improved.

There’s no set release date for Hellblade, and with such a small team, we’d be surprised if it happened this year. As with any game though, we’d rather wait until the game is ready than play a malnourished product. Enjoy the video below and be sure to head to their site to see past entries in the series. Continue reading Hellblade dev diary shows development challenges

Life is Strange Episode 3 – Chaos Theory Review

Life is Strange Episode 3 - Chaos Theory Review

Coming in late? Be sure to check out my spoiler-free reviews of Episode 1 and Episode 2.

I expected the dramatic conclusion to Episode 2 to be the catalyst that would drive the series’ pace forward with a much needed boost. More so with questions about the events at Arcadia Bay’s school and the strange events around town being no closer to getting answered.

The first part of Episode 3 starts with Max and Chloe breaking into the school Principal’s office. To get through the locked door, you have to sneak through the school at night to find a few items. It feels a bit by the numbers really, with only bonus photo maintaining my interest. Continue reading Life is Strange Episode 3 – Chaos Theory Review

Lego Dimensions and Christopher Lloyd threaten to destroy space time continuum

[UPDATE: We’ve just found some exceptionally cheap preorders for Lego Dimensions here.]

Great Scott, indeed! Today’s latest trailer shows Back to the Future’s Christopher Lloyd discovering the hidden portal delights of Lego Dimensions and we get another look at the mashup of famous characters threatening the space time continuum as multiple genres and licensed universes collide. Batman, Lord of the Rings (was that a Lego Balrog? OMFG!), Wizard of Oz, Back to the Future, Portal 2, Doctor Who, DC comics, The Simpsons and Jurassic World are all confirmed already.

With toys-to-life raking in some serious cash nowadays, we think this could well print money for Warner and Lego, and going by the success of The Lego Movie and Traveller’s Tales past lego games, this might just explode. Yes, parents, this is your worst nightmare fully realised.

Continue reading Lego Dimensions and Christopher Lloyd threaten to destroy space time continuum

Element Gaming Chair (Review)

Element Gaming Chair Review | Desk Delight

An often overlooked element to our gaming setup is seating comfort, especially for PC gamers playing from their desks rather than the sofa. For desk riding gamers out there, or those of you who spend a lot of time at a desk for work, going for the cheapest seating option can often be painful, as sore backsides and stiff backs become uncomfortable fidgety distractions.

But you can be comfortable without breaking the bank, meaning you’ve got spare cash left over to buy important things, like games. Today’s candidate, the Element Gaming Chair certainly deserves a look. Continue reading Element Gaming Chair (Review)

Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited trailer boasts multiplayer adventuring

We love a bit of Skyrim, Dragon Age: Inquisition and Witcher III, but they can be such lonely affairs. So we can’t wait to band together with our friends and explore the huge world of The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited. Today’s new trailer leans heavily on the multiplayer angle with talks of guilds, factions and exploring with friends.

Don’t forget, Tamriel Unlimited has dropped subscription fees, so you’ll not have to pay a monthly fee to play online. Also, rumours that you won’t be able to play a preowned copy on consoles turned out to be false, so you can always trade it in down the line if it’s not for you. Anyway, enjoy the trailer and we’ve rounded up the cheapest prices on all formats below too for the June 9th console release and PC version, which is out now. Continue reading Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited trailer boasts multiplayer adventuring

Pressure mounts on Sony for this year’s E3

As expo season hurtles towards us once again, Sony’s PS4 has a comfortable lead over Microsoft’s Xbox One. But Microsoft’s console has a premium Christmas lineup of mass appeal console-exclusive titles including Halo 5, Forza 6, Gears of War Remastered (probably) and Rise of the Tomb Raider. Expect them to market Call of Duty: Black Ops III so heavily as to make it look like an exclusive too.

Microsoft will splash the cash on an intense marketing barrage on our TV, laptop and tablet screens over the all important Xmas holiday season with this selection of familiar brands. As things stand, Sony’s Christmas lineup so far is certainly lacking titles to resonate with masses. But this could all change by the time Sony leaves the stage at E3 2015. Continue reading Pressure mounts on Sony for this year’s E3

Life is Strange Episode 3 – Chaos Theory trailer

Life is Strange Episode 3 arrives next week

Episode 3 of Dontnods rather excellent Life is Strange launches tomorrow and we have a new trailer for you. I was hoping the next episode would inject a little extra pace and it looks like I won’t be disappointed as Max and Chloe seem to be entering a storm of events in this mid-season episode. Episode 3 is set to land on PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC.

You really should dive into Dontnod’s new series, as it’s shaping up nicely so far. Be sure to check out my spoiler-free reviews of Episode 1 and Episode 2. To see the game in action, take a look at Carl’s new Backseat Gamer series as he and Becky play the game together (Part 1 and Part 2). Continue reading Life is Strange Episode 3 – Chaos Theory trailer

Rocket League Preview | PS4’s hottest new exclusive?

What is Rocket League? Put simply, it’s football/soccer with large remote controlled cars, and it’s kinda brilliant.

I’ve been getting stuck into the new beta and Rocket League is already shaping up to be an essential PS4 multiplayer title. There will be local multiplayer options in the final game, but this beta has focussed on the online matches and is already showing huge potential. Continue reading Rocket League Preview | PS4’s hottest new exclusive?

New Lego Jurassic World trailer inspired us to hunt down these cheap preorders

Today’s brand new Lego Jurassic World trailer is all sorts of awesome and the release date has finally been confirmed too. In fact, it’s less than a month away, so be sure to take advantage of our roundup of hot preorder deals across every format below if you want to play the game on June 12th. Naturally, you’ll want to take a look at that new trailer too, which features scenes from all four movies, along with footage of the various types of dinosaur you’ll get to play as.  Continue reading New Lego Jurassic World trailer inspired us to hunt down these cheap preorders

Wulverblade Preview | The beat ’em up is back

Wulverblade remembers the good ol’ days of playing side-scrolling beat ’em ups with friends on consoles like the Sega Mega-Drive and wants to bring that feeling back to modern consoles. At the Play Blackpool retro gaming expo it’s finding a lot of new fans, as many attendees were brought up on the likes of Streets of Rage and Double Dragon, so have no problem diving straight into Wulverblade.

Unlike many modern titles leaning on the nostalgic angle, you won’t see Wulverblade sporting a pixel art style or looking like it could have run on a console twenty years ago. Instead the art direction shows a stunning cel-shaded style more akin to Castle Crashers. But with additional limb-lopping. Continue reading Wulverblade Preview | The beat ’em up is back

Life is Strange Episode 3 arrives next week

That was close, we’d almost forgotten Life is Strange existed as there’s such a gap between episodes. Episode 3 is set to land on May 19th on PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC.

This middle episode could find the season gather some much needed pace, which shouldn’t be hard after the previous episode’s incredible ending, which I can’t talk about at all really. As the picture above shows though, it’ll feature Chloe and Max breaking into the very shifty Principal Wells’ office. Continue reading Life is Strange Episode 3 arrives next week

ARK: Survival Evolved lets you ride and fight dinosaurs. Sold!

The headline alone should have you eager to learn more about this new open world, first-person survival title. The brand new trailer shows off some stunning environments to explore online and fight over 60 different types of dinosaur populating the large island world. This could be the cure for the glut of online zombie survival titles we’ve been waiting for.

The online elements will include PvP options, but the trailer shows off the co-op elements more as players teeam up to fend off dino attacks on bases. What really hooks us in though is the ridable dinosaurs. You’ll be able to soar above the island for the perfect view on the back of your carefully tamed pteranodon. Or maybe just take a stroll with your very own stegosaurus. Sorry, Lego Jurassic World, you just got bumped down our dino game wish list.

ARK: Survival Evolved is coming to PS4, Xbox One and PC, with the PC version opening up an Early Access version soon. No dates for the consoles yet, but the devs are adding Morpheus support to the PS4 version. Enjoy the trailer, we certainly did. Continue reading ARK: Survival Evolved lets you ride and fight dinosaurs. Sold!

Why Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate already looks better than Unity

With Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate finally officially revealed after months of speculation and leaks, it’s good to see what this year’s entry in Ubisoft’s series is shaping up like. Can it repair the damage done by last year’s Unity though? Take a look at what we think were the most important elements to take away from today’s official reveal.  Continue reading Why Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate already looks better than Unity

Rock Band 4 may support cross-platform catalogue compatibility

It has emerged that there is a slim chance that gamers’ existing catalogue of Rock Band tracks may work on next-gen consoles, even if they are making a platform holder switch. So Xbox 360 gamers may be able to use their tracks on PS4 and PS3 gamers use them on Xbox One.

Harmonix has already confirmed gamers will be able to use their existing library on the new-gen machines if they stick to the same console family – PS3 to PS4 for example. But for those of you that may have gone from Xbox 360 to PS4, there’s a slight chance your old library could be made compatible too.

When asked about the possibility in an interview with Official PlayStation Magazine UK (Issue 108), Harmonix’s Product Manager, Daniel Sussman said: Continue reading Rock Band 4 may support cross-platform catalogue compatibility