With the news this week that Sleeping Dogs is to be re-released for the PS4 and Xbox One (and PC for that matter), the issue of old games being remastered for the new-gen consoles has again become a hot talking point among many gamers. Are they good value? Or a rip-off to fleece gamers who don’t have many titles to play on their shiny next-gen machines? Is there any point? Well, here are our five essential tips to help clear the waters a little.
Turtle Rock’s upcoming game puts a team of four players against one player-controlled monster in an intense online skirmish that will require teamwork, bravery and just enough humility to know when to retreat for a while. Earlier this week, I detailed my experience playing as the Kraken monster in Evolve. Today, it’s time to hear what playing on the hunter team is like, specifically in the Medic role. Playing as the monster is a solitary experience, but on the hunter’s team, co-ordination is key to success or at least survival.
Before getting into the details of my medic playthrough though, a little introduction of some general match details. As I detailed in my Kraken hands-on report, the hunter team are dropped into the stage a minute or so after the monster meaning they have to track it down, hopefully before it manages to evolve into later forms.
Maggie, the team’s trapper has a pet Trapjaw, an ‘alien dogbeast’ that can be used to track the monster, providing glowing images of footprints on the ground for the team to follow. Unless, the monster ran up the river like I did.
There’s more to worry about than the monster though as each map is filled with local wildlife that can be just as dangerous. Large creatures like the Megamouth like to lurk in bushes and will pounce upon and trap hunters in their mouth until a teammate shoots them free or they’re devoured. There are meeker creatures that won’t attack you and others that will if provoked. Generally though, you won’t want to kill much of the local wildlife because you’re simply providing ready-made meals for the monster, allowing it to reach its next form even faster as they beef up for the finale.
Getting around the large levels is aided by a jetpack that allows you to climb the cliffs when in pursuit of the monster. The Kraken can fly and climb walls, so be prepared for a few vertical chases. These jetpacks can only go so far before needing an unreasonably lengthy recharge, which can be a deadly issue when defending a generator on a high-up platform as the monster will switch between attacking from above and below, often stranding you below for a while if you don’t keep an eye on the fuel gauge.
Lazarus the medic is a player strictly based behind his team. He’s the only character able to revive teammates and as such will be the first target for any savvy player behind the eyes of the monster. There’s no magic gun that fires a persistent healing beam as in Team Fortress 2 though. Lazarus only has a recharging deployable health pack that heals anyone in the immediate area. Player health does not regenerate automatically, so careful use of this Healing Burst ability is key to keeping them in prime condition.
The Lazarus Device is the most important item in his tool belt though thanks to its unique ability of reviving fallen players. Naturally, the monster will lay traps for you by killing teammates and waiting to kick your ass when you appear corpse-side with the device. Thankfully, this version of Evolve’s medic class (there will be at least two in the final game) also has a temporary cloaking device to turn invisible, giving you an extra chance of reviving a teammate without being detected. Your team will also play an important role in helping you revive comrades, as they can draw attention away from you with their weapons and traps.
When called into action to swoop in and save someone, playing as the medic can be fun. Unfortunately, the rest of the time it’s undeniably dull playing as the first-aider while everyone else gets to hog all the monster-slaying glory. Lazarus does have a sniper rifle to attack from afar and supposedly uncover weak spots for the assault class to target for extra damage, but the on-screen feedback of such spots is seemingly non-existent at this stage.
It’s clear that the devs (or at least the enthusiastic 2K rep dashing around behind us giving is advice) wants the medic to stay out of the fight and hang back as much as possible. Well, fingers crossed by the final game the sniper rifle will appear to be more useful instead of a token weapon to make it look like the medic is contributing on an offensive level. On the strength of this playthrough, the medic is the “not-it” character of the team-selection screen, where each hunter team must have one player in each role (assault, medic, trapper and support).
So far, Evolve hasn’t made the best of impressions. The Kraken is a clunky creature to control and it’s frequently unclear what it’s supposed to be doing when the objectives change beyond killing the hunters. While playing as the medic is sadly just a little boring unless you’re diving in under the monster’s feet while wearing your invisibility cloak to revive another teammate who got a little brave.
I can also see how until everyone gets really good at playing the game in the other hunter roles, the medic is going to be the most important player in the team –or the one that clears up their mess and suicidal charges. If you’re going to play Evolve online with randomers, the fact that you may have a moron in the medic’s shoes means you’re also probably fucked from the start.
I want to be more excited about Evolve than I am right now, but the great idea of four players taking on a massive boss character badly needs polish, or ironically given the name, a few more rounds of evolution as it’s currently slipping down the food chain.
Turtle Rock’s upcoming title wants to shake things up a notch. The idea of four players teaming up to take on a large boss enemy is nothing new. But having a fifth player controlling the boss? That’s something we can definitely say we want a part of.
During my visit to the recent MCM Manchester Comic Con expo I was able to play the game as one of the hunters and as one of the newly revealed monster characters, the Kraken. Today’s preview is going to focus on the later, because let’s face it, why wouldn’t I tell you about controlling this absolute beast of a creature first?
While there will be a separate solo campaign mode, most of the buzz around the game has been about the four vs one concept. In today’s stage the hunters were tasked with killing the monster before it was able to feed enough to evolve into larger forms. The monster’s objective though was either to take out all the hunters before they had a chance to revive each other or to grow strong enough to destroy a large generator at a facility on the other side of the jungle. Players are able to choose a perk in the match’s lobby such as faster feeding or tougher armour. I went for faster feeding, as I was keen to max out the monster’s form before trying to take on the hunters.
The monster gets a head start when the round begins before the hunters are dropped into the same location. Rather than wait for them, I was advised to get as far away as possible and to feed on smaller creatures to evolve to the second form to deal more damage and become tougher to kill.
Knowing the hunters would be using a pet creature to track the scent of my footsteps, I decided to start the match by walking up a river, hoping the water would hide my tracks. It seemed to work too as it was a good few minutes before I was discovered. Before being found I was able to eat a few herbivore dinosaur-like creatures after taking them out with a few powerful swipe attacks. Once a feed meter has been filled I had to find a quiet area to enter a vulnerable cocoon state to evolve to the second stage. After what felt like forever, I emerged with a few skillpoints that I was able to spend on boosting some of the Kraken’s abilities.
After getting out of the surprisingly sticky upgrade screen, I realised that I was under attack. The hunters had found me, and I was surprised at just how puny they appeared. Time to unleash some monster mayhem.
Unlike the Goliath monster, the Kraken is more of a ranged specialist. Controlling the Cthulhu-like monster, I was able to hover in the air and send down multiple attacks. Targeted lightning strikes can be aimed at specific targets from afar, meaning you can pick off members of the hunter team one at a time, while also staying out of the way of the heavy damage weapons like the flamethrower. While the monster’s shield may regenerate, the health bar does not.
Monsters need to know when to fall back, as it’s all too easy to get trapped in one of the trapper domes. Although, if the hunters co-ordination goes to hell, it can be a case you having them exactly where you want them. Let’s just say I took advantage of them not realising they were free to leave the dome.
The banshee mine attack sends out numerous explosive orbs that are useful for keeping the hunters moving, ensuring they have less time to line up a decent shot. Keeping them panicked and disorganised is going key to victory. The most useful attack I found though was the vortex blast, which acts like a powerful gust of wind that, with careful aiming, can send the entire party tumbling away, which is perfect for giving you some breathing room if the little sods start to get organised.
Sometimes though, you have to move in for some close melee attacks, usually to finish off an opponent and maybe feast on their remains if their team has abandoned them. The melee attack moves feel pretty awful though at this stage, there’s no sense of weight or connection to them and they feel decidedly unresponsive and sluggish. I found myself hammering the melee button and just hoping to see a hunters health bar diminish. It’s even more noticeable when taking on the local wildlife in order to evolve to a new form. The lack of physicality for the melee moves somewhat ruined the sense of being a huge powerful creature and I dearly hope Turtle Rock can beef them up by release.
There were a few bugs during the demo that will hopefully be ironed out by release too. The sound dropped out for most of my playthrough with only the odd muted explosion coming through, not ideal when you’re trying to listen out for signs of the hunter pack. Also, on my final assault on the generator a prompt never appeared telling me I needed to hold certain buttons to initiate damaging attacks, so I just hammered away with regular attacks doing no damage. A big thanks to the 2K rep behind me who didn’t think this would be useful information for me either.
What has become clear though is that Evolve isn’t going to be one for quick matches. Most matches at the expo took around twenty minutes, which feels a bit too long. Alternatively, the monster could opt to ambush the hunters straight away before they’ve had time to compose themselves and I’ve read reports that matches can be over in less than ten minutes if you get lucky this way. But with queues at MCM being 90 minutes long, nobody really wanted to put this to the test.
Stay tuned for part two of my preview where the tables are turned and I recount my experience playing as a medic on the hunter’s team. [UPDATE: Or click this link to read it now!]
Abe’s Oddysee was one of our favourite 2D platformers back in the PS1’s heyday, so we’re delighted that Just Add Water has given the game a shiny HD makoever, although we’re not sold, nor see the point of, the new name – Oddworld: New ‘N’ Tasty. In addition to the new visuals, the separate screens that broke up a stage as you ran onto them from left to right have been replaced with one smoothly scrolling stage. Continue reading Opening Scenes | Oddworld: New ‘N’ Tasty – 15 Mins PS4 Gameplay
With the Destiny Beta finishing tomorrow, we’ve been squeezing every last drop from the game. We even managed to get a few matches on the elusive Iron Banner mode and record a few tasty videos for you. This special mode only unlocks for the briefest of windows, allowing players the chance to partake in a new multiplayer mode where all the stats for weapons and armor are taken into account, meaning having earned the best gear could give you an advantage. Continue reading Destiny Beta Iron Banner Mode PS4 Gameplay
UPDATE: ALL CODES HAVE NOW GONE OUT, CHECK YOUR INBOXES!
We’ve given our PS4 gamers the chance to get a hold of a beta key for our most anticipated shooter in years, but fear not Xbox fans, we didn’t forget about you. In fact, we have a bunch of codes to give away on both the Xbox One and Xbox 360. The codes are not region locked either so they should work wherever you’re playing.
The hype for Bungie’s upcoming shooter has been building significantly since players got their hands on the Alpha build and with new missions and extra multiplayer maps to enjoy in the latest Beta version, we really think you should give it a try. Continue reading CLOSED! WIN an Xbox One or 360 Destiny Beta Code
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel takes place on the moon of the planet Pandora in the time between the first and second games, with players working for Handsome Jack. Not played any of the other games? Don’t worry; this is a simple place to start and newcomer friendly while giving plenty of nudges to the fans. So let’s dive in and see what 2K Australia has brought to the table since Gearbox handed them the reigns.
Two playable characters were available to choose from in this demo. First time through the snaking queue at the MCM Manchester Expo I tried Athena, a light and nimble character packing a collection of long-range weapons. Her standard mêlée move involves a sweet red katana slash that has a satisfying feel. Athena’s most impressive feature though is her shield ability. A tap of L1 sees her raise her shield in her left hand, leaving the right free to continue firing a gun. The shield can be thrown Captain America style for a devastating attack with a tap of L1. The shield is thrown automatically after the meter has depleted too. It’s a great way to create some breathing room when multiple enemies are closing in. You’re going to be happy to splurge hard-earned skill points on reducing the cooldown period for this one.
The second character I was able to choose was the imposing figure of Wilhelm. So, it comes as no surprise that we’ve found this Pre-Sequel’s tank character. His default loadout favored more explosive weaponry like shotguns and rocket launchers. Sadly, his melee attack lacked any sort of impact or visual style compared to Athena’s. Why should we be content with a standard rifle butt jab when Athena gets a freakin’ sword? Come on 2K, give him a hammer at least or seeing as we expect mental weapons from this series, maybe a small rabid skag on a stick would be better? Wilhelm’s special ability is much more useful (but again not very unique), a small backup drone that flies around you shooting at will. Frankly, I was too busy shooting to see how useful it was being.
Whoever you play as though, you’re going to have one hell of a time with the latest line of those awesome guns. The new space setting provides the perfect excuse for brining all sorts of lethal laser weaponry to the party. There are burst fire lasers, methodical and deadly rail gun lasers or good old fashioned Ghostbusters-like proton pack lasers. All of which do a glorious job of shedding enemies of those precious hit points. Ice weapons make their Borderlands debut too, allowing you to freeze and smash enemies, not exactly a new concept for games, but then again, neither is lasers, and look how fun they are!
Don’t worry if you prefer traditional gunfire over nerdy lasers though, as the moon is packed with boomsticks for everyone. Of course there are assault rifles and shotguns, but how about a rocket launcher with a semi-automatic shotgun type rate of fire? Yeah, you want that don’t you? Trust me, you do.
There’s a caveat to all this fun though and that is the need to breath. Oxygen is now a depleting commodity that must be maintained so you avoid scenes like those found when stepping outside with Arnie in Total Recall. Enemies, human or skag alike, drop oxygen canisters and there are oxygen stations that deploy large air-packed domes so you can top up your supplies. In the demo I found that as long as you’re near one of these stations or have a regular supply of enemies, you can breathe long and deep.
However, as soon as you want to explore or take your time between action scenes or, heaven forbid, head in the opposite direction to the objective marker, you run the risk of running on empty and becoming a dusty moonside corpse. As first impressions go, I think the oxygen concept goes completely against one of the most engaging aspects of the Borderlands series -exploring for loot. Hopefully, we’ll be able to upgrade characters to become less reliant on regular top ups.
The lack of oxygen does have one advantage though and that is the low sense of gravity that allows you to leap to epic heights to add a generous vertical angle of attack to the series. It also made the switch from my recent stint with the very floaty Destiny much smoother. Jump pads allow you to fly even higher and will prove essential to passing over larger gorges on the moon’s surface.
There’s also a new stomp attack that takes advantage of the floaty mechanics. Press the crouch button while in orbit and you come thundering back down to the surface. It’s useful for navigating platforms with speed and precision and also as an attack. Later on in the game you’ll be able to add elemental features to these strikes. I have heard that these ground attacks will consume a chunk of oxygen, but I didn’t find this to be the case during my playthrough. Maybe it’s just when you start adding powerful elemental edges to them. As I’ve already mentioned though, we don’t need any further challenges with the good old O2.
The stage I played wasn’t what you’d called packed with set pieces. Essentially you run from point A-B, kill everything in sight and spin a few valve switches. This almost led to some excitement as the last one unleashed a torrent of chemicals to freeze over a lava lakes so we could cross. Except our jog across the surface was interrupted by a large boss creature smashing through from underneath. Then the demo ended. There’s always an argument for leave the audience wanting more, then there’s mine of shooting a few goons and pressing a couple of switches isn’t enough to warrant braving the crowd of a comic convention. Except I really want to play more. Damn you 2K!
As a showcase of what to expect from Borderlands: The Pre Sequel, it looks like 2K has brought enough to the table to keep us interested, despite how much Destiny is threatening to completely swallow up our time. Athena is looking like the more interesting character from the ones we’ve tried so far, but it will be interesting to see how the claptrap robot handles, or maybe we’ll just trundle the smarmy little git into a giant toaster. The oxygen concept is somewhat troubling given the restrictive nature on exploration I experienced, but if 2K can balance it better in the full game, I’m sure we’ll all be doing co-op moon jumps for joy on October 17th.
A special thanks to MCM Manchester Comic Con for squeezing me into the show at the last minute. Be sure to keep up-to-date with future expos around the UK at their website.
After a successful Alpha test last month, we’ve been itching to play more Destiny and have been all over the new Beta which launched earlier this week. Our first video of the new build includes the opening cinematic and the entire first mission. Continue reading Opening Scenes | Destiny Beta Gameplay – First 15 Mins on PS4
It’s always amused me just how much people hate Michael Bay. I mean, it’s a film about toys. Of course it’s just robots hitting each other and stuff exploding. Don’t like it? Well stop paying a fortune to watch it at the cinema thus encouraging him to make more. Seriously, I had to delete one person from facebook because they were complaining about how awful the film was despite them paying to watch it twice.
Personally, as an effects fan, I quite like the films (not seen the new one yet though), but wish they were about 45 minutes shorter. I approached the latest tie-in game with low expectations, but with a willingness to be pleasantly surprised, despite High Moon Studios -whose Cybertron series has been widely praised by critics and fans alike- not being at the helm. Fingers crossed they get to work on a brand new entry to the series once they’re done with helping out on COD: Advanced Warfare.
Continue reading Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (Review)
I wanted to love Enemy Front, I really did. As a big WWII FPS fan, I’ve been starved for years and have only recently got a taste of the genre coming back with the ‘what if the Nazi’s won’ Wolfensteinon PS4 and the ‘let’s shoot Italians in Africa for a change’ of the recent Sniper Elite III. Enemy Frontcould have been another game to show that WWII is still one of the best settings for FPS titles; instead, it’s probably buried it.
The game’s ambitions are pure enough, but CI have struggled to cope with the CryEngine and basic gameplay design, producing one of this year’s biggest messes. The frame-rate crashes into single-digits whenever you go indoors, especially when moving up the stairs of any of the multiple apartment buildings. The checkpointing seems intent on making you relive the worst parts of the game whenever you bite the dust after the increasingly random number of perforations deemed acceptable is reached.
Earlier this week we posted part one of EA’s behind closed doors demo of Dragon Age: Inquisition, which saw expansive outdoor environments and a bloody massive dragon. Today’s latest video takes the action indoors to Redcliffe Castle.
The latest gameplay demo gives us a better look at the extensive tactical options available for those of you that don’t want to play the game like a button-bashing action title. Ordering party movement, creating choke points and using elevation for an advantage are all shown off. There are also a few story scenes to enjoy along with some of those trademark Bioware decisions to make on the fly and it looks like your group is just as unruly as ever.
The game’s certainly proving to be a bit of a looker too -although we prefer the lush outdoors of the previous demo- especially when compared to the rather dog-eared first two games. Be sure to check outy the new video and let us know if you’re going to give the game a chance or are you just working your way through the backlog until The Witcher III arrives? Continue reading Dragon Age: Inquisition – 15 Minutes Redcliffe Castle Gameplay
Better than a bullet in the nadsSniper Elite III has opted for a change of scenery for its latest long-range melon buster and visits the sandy vistas of Africa during World War II. Unlike most WWII games, there’s a surprising lack of Nazis, instead you’re generally shooting Italians with ze Germans apparently not being fans of the searing heat.
Scenery change aside, it’s business as usual, shooting Axis soldiers from oh-so far away, with gruesome slow-mo detail accompanying most shots. The series’ stable gore looks more grisly than ever on the new consoles. Skulls explode, teeth smash from jaws, bones snap, insides are ripped through and of course testicle shots are back. On the default settings, I soon tired of these slow-motion killshots that follow the bullet from your gun right up to its messy destination. I’d advise dipping into the options to turn down the frequency of them as they lose their impact by the end of the first stage otherwise. They also make it difficult to keep track of nearby enemies between shots.
Want to see the difference between the original PS2 game and the upcoming HD remaster for Kingdom Hearts 2? Well, be sure to check out the new interactive trailer which sweeps between the old and new versions. In addition to smoother textures, it seems that Square-Enix have taken the time to add some extra colours as shown by some metallic greys now replaced with gold or rust coloured textures.
The first Kingdom Hearts remaster proved to be a big hit and reminded us why we loved the original so much all those years ago. The next instalment will include remasters for Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix Edition, Birth By Sleep (formerly released on the PSP) and a cutscene compilation of Re:Coded. With Kingdom Hearts 3 probably not arriving until late 2015 at the earliest, you have lots of time to check out the originals first. Continue reading Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Comparison Trailer
Games are expensive. Add in the fact that new-gen games are £10-£20 more expensive than they were on PS3/360 and it’s not surprising that many gamers opt to trade in their games as soon as they’re done.
With multiplayer orientated titles like Battlefield or Titanfall, they may keep hold of them a little while longer if they’re still fun or reliable online. The promise of extra maps to download further down the line make trading them in a risky proposition, after all nobody wants to miss out.
But what about games like Infamous: Second Son? With no multiplayer component and a Platinum Trophy available over two playthroughs through less than 20 hours of play, there isn’t much reason to keep the game. It makes much more sense to trade it in or make even more money back by listing it on eBay. Even if you really enjoyed a game, it’s worth noting that you could sell for a high price soon after launch and then buy again for a quarter of the price in a few years’ time when you fancy reliving the experience.
Continue reading Standalone DLC Like Infamous: First Light Must Become The New Norm
An Essential JourneyWith a World War I setting, Valiant Hearts: The Great War explores relatively unfamiliar ground for gaming, or even movies to be honest, as it was generally WWII that inspired so many films and games. It’s hard to believe that the human race had the capacity for war again after the events of WWI and Valiant Hearts plays an important role in showing us that this was one of the darkest moments of humanity’s very chequered past.
Unlike most war games though, Valiant Hearts isn’t another one-man-army first-person shooter or a strategic tactical sim. It’s a heavily story-driven experience with puzzling and old-school adventuring at the core of the gameplay.
Watch Dogs is a game based around exploiting the possibilities made available by hacking our increasingly digitally reliant world with an exceedingly smart phone.
There is a story, based around revenge and private company conspiracies, but it’s simply filler material between missions. The lead character, Aiden Pierce is a moody git with a gravelly voice where you might usually find a personality and he comes across as rather unlikable. Thankfully, the supporting characters, including his sister and the (Lisbeth Salander rip-off) hacker Clara, do their best to give you someone else to listen to occasionally.
After the lengthy presentations on day zero of E3 concluded, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there really wasn’t much to look forwards to in the next few months. Every exciting trailer or tantalising CG reveal blasted the same message: come back and see me in 2015, Brendan.
This would seem the case for most console owners, be it PS4, Wii U or Xbox One. As a PS4 owner though, I felt there was that little bit less to look forwards to though. Sitting through the Microsoft presser and watching them make it all about the games, there was no getting around the fact they were having an amazing show.
I’ve never been a Halo fan, but for those that are, the lack of many new games to play at Christmas doesn’t seem too bad when they get to replay their old favourites with a next-gen lick of paint. Perhaps, it’s just the lack of interesting Holiday exclusives that are getting me down.
We’ve just had the latest release schedule from Bandai Namco and Tekken X Street Fighter is still AWOL. Just like it was when I raised concerns in February last year.
Initially announced for the PS3 and Xbox 360 platforms five years ago, recent updates have seen the platforms replaced with TBC, raising suspicions that the game will now be coming to the new-gen consoles, the PS4 and Xbox One. Originally we were expecting the game to land a year after Capcom’s Street Fighter X Tekken, but we haven’t even seen a single screenshot, leading to further speculation that the game has been cancelled. Are Bandai Namco set to drop it in order to move forwards with their FTP fighters like Tekken Revolution or Soul Calibur Lost Swords?
Thankfully some of their other titles do have some solid release dates including Tales of Xillia 2, Grid Autosport, The Witcher 3 and the DLC for Dark Souls 2. Continue reading Tekken X Street Fighter Format and Date STILL Missing from Namco’s Schedule
It’s hard to feel bad about England’s early stumble in the World Cup when we’ve been able to play the Alpha test of Destiny all weekend. In short, it’s been tonnes of fun and it looks like Bungie are onto a winner. Naturally, there’s a lot to like about the new shooter (like being able to aim down the sights right, Bungie!), but we’ve also comes across a few things we’d like to see sorted by the time the full release touches down in September.
Continue reading Destiny Could Own 2014… If It Fixes Some Problems
Despite what seems like the entire internet trying to get the Battlefield: Hardline beta at once, after multiple login attempts, I managed to snag a PS4 code. Absolute win-sauce! So, here’s our exclusive first attempt at Heist mode, on the wrong side of the law with criminals facing off against the coppers.
All you need to know is that I nail someone with a motorbike. We’ll have footage from the coppers side of the game soon. Stay tuned at Dealspwn for more exclusive playthrough videos of one of the hottest upcoming shooters. Continue reading Battlefield Hardline: FIRST LOOK Criminal Gameplay – Heist Mode Beta
The No Sleep Gamer 