All posts by Brendan Griffiths

Action, Interactive Drama, PC, Platforms, PlayStation 3, Reviews, Xbox 360

The Walking Dead: Retail Edition (Review)

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After receiving widespread critical acclaim over the course of the first season of the episodic download game series, The Walking Dead has finally followed the tracks and shuffled its way to retail. Telltale have missed an opportunity though as this release features no extras, like making of videos, interviews and so on. Hell, if they’d chucked a poster in they could have called it the Collector’s Edition.

I’m making a fuss about this because as many of you will be aware you can download the series on PSN/XBLA for around £15 or even cheaper on PC or during a sale, but the RRP for this is £30. I love having physical copies of games, but you may want to buy this digitally or wait until this version drops in price, which it surely will. At least with this on the shelves it may stop people buying Activision’s awful -entirely unrelated- The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct by mistake.

Continue reading The Walking Dead: Retail Edition (Review) →

First Person Shooters, PC, Platforms, PlayStation 3, Reviews, Xbox 360

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger Review – Finding redemption

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Ah, the old west. It’s good to be back. Techland’s last Juarez title (The Cartel) opted for a modern setting and suffered from a large dose of ‘bloody awful’ leaking from every festering orifice. So, um yeah, we weren’t fans.

However, I was a huge fan of the game before that, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, which featured a fantastically realised Wild West setting during and after the Civil War. After the mega success of Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption, you would have thought that Ubisoft would have insisted Techland cranked out a Wild West follow up to Bound in Blood. Well, several years later (now that the Wild West bandwagon has long gone) we have one in the form of Gunslinger, a low-priced download-only game. Continue reading Call of Juarez: Gunslinger Review – Finding redemption →

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Metro Last Light Demo Shows Alternate Play Styles

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The latest Metro: Last Light video is all gameplay and goes a great job of showing how you can approach the game with a variety of different playstyles. The stage shown is underground with Artyom needing to get past a group of human enemies.

The first approach shown is traditional FPS fare. So shoot everyone then? Enemies make good use of cover and regularly try to flank the player. Red damage indicators show successful hits, with headshots showing an extra burst which is particularly handy in the darker scenes.

The other approaches show a stealthier take on getting past enemies. Light bulbs can be shot out at distance or unscrewed quietly if you’re up close. The dynamic lighting is amongst the best we’ve seen before. The approaching helmet-lights of a guard are very useful when sneaking around in the dark too. Approaching the stage quietly allows you to overhear conversations, which will help to flesh out the lore around the game’s story, which always feels more natural than finding scraps of journal in random places.

Avoiding lengthy gun battles also helps to save ammo, which will be very rare in some stages of the game. From what we’ve seen, playing the stealth angle seems much more interesting anyway as we have plenty of traditional FPS games on the market. Metro: Last Light is released May 17th on PS3, 360 and PC. Enjoy the trailer after the break and don’t forget to have a look at Jon’s hands-on preview too. Continue reading Metro Last Light Demo Shows Alternate Play Styles →

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Metal Gear Rising Blade Wolf DLC Trailered

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We’ve been waiting to get our hands on this cyborg hound since that first encounter in the Revengeance demo last year and next week we’ll finally be able to in the latest DLC drop. Featuring a new chapter to play through along with unique boss encounters, players take control the robotic wolf, named LQ-84i. And you though Amaterasu was a strange name for a wolf in Okami.

Here’s the official blurb, “Reactivated by Desperado Enforcement’s leader Sundowner and serving under Mistral, the DLC reveals LQ-84i’s story prior to his battle and eventual partnership with Raiden, and his transformation into Blade Wolf. Players can battle countless enemies using an arsenal of weapons and abilities, culminating in an all-new boss battle.”

There’s a trailer for you after the break. It’s all in Japanese, but the action makes it well worth a watch. The DLC arrives on the 360 May 14th and PS3 May 15th. Continue reading Metal Gear Rising Blade Wolf DLC Trailered →

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John Carpenter Wants to Make a Dead Space Movie

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“I would love to make Dead Space, I’ll tell you that right now. That one is ready made.”

Those are the words spoken by one of cinema’s most respected and most successful horror movie directors, John Carpenter, in an interview with Game Informer [reported by Videogamer]. He’s the man behind the Halloween series, The Fog and The Thing. He’s also had success with nail-biting tension and action in films like Assault on Precinct 13 and Escape From New York.

Carpenter also said, “The first game was more – I guess it was like Alien – but not quite. It was a little different than that.” See, he can even see where it started to go wrong! Continue reading John Carpenter Wants to Make a Dead Space Movie →

Action, First Person Shooters, Platforms, PlayStation 3, Reviews, Wii U, Xbox 360

The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct (Review)

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I should begin this review with a public warning announcement. This Walking Dead game has nothing to do with the multiple award-winning downloadable series The Walking Dead by Telltale Games. Whereas that game was based on the comics, this is based on the AMC TV series and is a first-person action game.

Seeing as the critically acclaimed one that features multiple story choices and plays more likeHeavy Rain than Dead Island has just been released at retail too (review incoming), we wouldn’t want you to pick this one up by mistake.

Continue reading The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct (Review) →

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Hellraid Gameplay Vid Shows Techland’s Creative Range

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Ubisoft went super 80s retro (but in the future) with Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, but Techland look set to roll back the clock even further to the Medieval times with Dead Island: Hellraid. Wait, what, this isn’t a Dead Island game? But, there are zombies, and co-op and first-person melee weapons, hell it even looks a bit rubbish? Still no?

Ok, start again. Here’s some debut gameplay footage for you from Techlands BRAND NEW SUPER DUPER IP, Hellraid. There will be a single-player campaign and a separate co-op mode, which should hopefully allow the former to be more interesting than Techland’s other famous first-person zombie slasher. It looks rather interesting to be fair, until they put health bars on weapons made of solid steel again at least. Enjoy the groundbreaking trailer after the jump! Continue reading Hellraid Gameplay Vid Shows Techland’s Creative Range →

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Dead or Alive 5 Gets Ultimate Edition

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Fighting fans who are yet to pick up Dead or Alive 5 may want to wait until the autumn as Tecmo Koei have announced a new edition, Dead or Alive 5: Ultimate for the PS3 and Xbox 360. This will feature all of the extra content included in the PS Vita game, Dead or Alive 5 Plus, namely the extra characters, stages and modes. More extras and characters are yet to be announced but we can confirm that Ninja Gaiden’s Momiji has already been added to the chest-heavy roster of fighters. Seeing as Akira is already in there, Pai, Lau, Jacky, Wolf or Sarah from Virtua Fighter may be a good fit too if anyone’s listening.

Many PS3 gamers may already own the gorgeous-looking and fun to play original DoA5 as it was available as a part of the PS Plus membership, so there will need to be some must-have content to convince them to get their wallets out. Personally, if they could tweak the counters system to be more like it was for DoA2 on the PS2 I’d be tempted. In the meantime, check out Ultimate’s trailer showing Momiji in action. Continue reading Dead or Alive 5 Gets Ultimate Edition →

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Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Coming to PC and PS3 in Summer

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The much-delayed Final Fantasy: A Realm Reborn is set for a summer release according to the game’s Executive Producer, Naoki Yoshida, “The whole team has been working at full throttle to ensure the game will be ready for a summer release,” and “It won’t be long before you can mark your calenders and begin the final countdown.”

This summer release includes both the PC and the PS3 versions, which is surprising considering the original FFXIV (which crashed and burned horribly) never even made it to Sony’s console. In all honesty, I thought this new and improved version would skip the PS3 and head to the PS4. Continue reading Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Coming to PC and PS3 in Summer →

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Develop Awards 2013 Nominees Announced

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The nominees for the annual Develop Awards are in. The awards celebrate the finest of European video game developers with awards including categories like New IP, Visual Arts, Online Innovation, Publishing Hero, Engine, New Studio and many more. MCV report that 36 different games and 49 studios are represented across the 19 main awards.

Dennation Games (Hotline Miami), Sony London (Wonderbook), Arkane Studios (Dishonored) and PlayGround Games (Forza Horizon) all tied for second place with four nominations each, but the leader with five is Fireproof Games, the UK iOS studio behind The Room. Where European studios have contributed significant development to titles outside of the EU, there are the Creative Contribution awards that cover the likes of Ni No Kuni, Halo 4 and Thomas Was Alone.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Brighton on July 10th. We have the full list of nominees after the break. Continue reading Develop Awards 2013 Nominees Announced →

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Muramasa: Rebirth Coming to US Vitas in June

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A Vita version of the fantastic cult Wii title, Muramasa: Demon Blade, is set for a release on June 25th in the US. Renamed as Muramasa: Rebirth, the game will include extra characters and stages. If you missed the game first time around, you’re in for a real treat with this excellent side-scrolling adventure that features some super-slick hack n’ slash combat with a sprinkling of RPG elements.

The enhanced visuals look better than ever on the Vita’s screen and the widescreen setup suits the game really well. No UK date has been confirmed yet, but the Vita is multi-region so you’d be able to import it if the publishers drag their feet. Enjoy the trailer after the break. Continue reading Muramasa: Rebirth Coming to US Vitas in June →

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The Walking Dead Episodes 1-5 Hits Retail Tomorrow

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A disc version of Telltale Games’ multi-award winning The Walking Dead series is finally getting a physical release on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC tomorrow. All five episodes will come packaged on the disc. This gives players who may be wary of handing over their credit card details online (not that Sony or Microsoft ever have any security breaches, ahem) a chance to play the zombie survival series that many publications awarded ‘Game of the Year’ last year, including us.

Details and trailer after the break.

Continue reading The Walking Dead Episodes 1-5 Hits Retail Tomorrow →

Platforms, PS Vita, Reviews, RPG

Soul Sacrifice Review | Part 2 – Getting slayed with friends

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This is our concluding part of our Soul Sacrifice review. If you’d like to catch up on the basic game mechanics and the single player experience, you can read Part 1 here. Ok, up to date? This could go either way right? The remainder of my review is going to focus on the online multiplayer side of the game.

A range of options allows you to set up public or password protected games with invites via the Vita’s messaging system being a simple if slightly clunky affair. You can label your room to give other players an indication of which chapters you’re playing and if you prefer saving or sacrificing bosses. There were a healthy number of players online during the launch weekend, meaning I never had to wait long for players to join. Although it’s often worth waiting until you have a full group of four to take on some of the boss battles. Continue reading Soul Sacrifice Review | Part 2 – Getting slayed with friends →

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Batgirl Confirmed As New Injustice Character

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It’s official, Batgirl will be joining the likes of Batman, Flash, Joker and Wonder Woman in this year’s top brawler, Injustice: Gods Among Us. The news was confirmed via the game’s Twitter feed after a few leaked images appeared on the net.

There’s no release date yet, but we presume she’ll be included in the season pass. Expect a gameplay video showing off her skills at some point next week. We imagine she’ll play like a more nimble version of Batman. The nasty, pasty slaver Lobo has also been confirmed as a DLC character -and we were worried they’d have to scrape the barrel to expand the roster, ahem. Other rumours point towards the Superman series villain Zod and Mortal Kombat’s Scorpion turning up at some point.

Check out Matt’s review of Injustice, then go and buy yourself a copy.

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Ratchet: Gladiator HD Trophies Surface

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A HD version of Ratchet: Gladiator (or Ratchet: Deadlocked in the US) was announced last year but it’s been quiet ever since. Until now that is, as a Trophy list for the game has emerged via Exophase. This leads us to believe a PSN release is just around the corner. Gladiator was a lot of fun back on the PS2, despite leaning more towards combat arenas instead of platforming and exploring.

Online multiplayer options were available, although the online functions of the PS2 were only available if you bought a network adapter (or the newer slim PS2). This time we’ll be able to get online straight away and the game should be an entertaining blaster. It’ll certainly be better than the recent tower defence (why!) game in the series, Q-Force. Continue reading Ratchet: Gladiator HD Trophies Surface →

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Sega and Gearbox Respond to Lawsuit

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Earlier this week we reported that a class action lawsuit had been filed against Sega and Gearbox software on the grounds of false advertising for Aliens: Colonial Marines. As we all found out on launch day, Sega released a game that bore little resemblance to the one displayed during numerous trade shows like E3. Animations, lighting and scenes were obviously spruced up for a stage demo before being returned to the ugly mess for the actual game committed to disc. Review embargoes also meant there was no time to warn faithful fans who pre-ordered the game.

Well, both Sega and Gearbox have given statement via IGN. Gearbox seem bullish straight out of the blocks, “Attempting to wring a class action lawsuit out of a demonstration is beyond meritless. We continue to support the game, and will defend the rights of entertainers to share their works-in-progress without fear of frivolous litigation.”

While Sega made a similar statement, it was slightly more reserved, “Sega cannot comment on specifics of ongoing litigation, but we are confident that the lawsuit is without merit and we will defend it vigorously.” Continue reading Sega and Gearbox Respond to Lawsuit →

Platformer, Platforms, Reviews, XBLA, Xbox 360

BattleBlock Theater (Review)

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Platforming performance receives standing ovation.


Fans of Alien Hominid and Castle Crashers rejoice. The Behemoth have returned and they’ve struck gaming gold again. After nailing 2D scrolling shooters and beat em’ ups they’ve turned their hands to old-school platforming. And it’s fantastic.

The bright and crisp cell-shaded 2D art style is striking, compelling throughout, and consistent with the studio’s previous games. Many of the characters have something of a cutout feel to them, hell, some of them are literally being bounced around on sticks like puppet placards, but it all works so well.

Continue reading BattleBlock Theater (Review) →

Platforms, PS Vita, Reviews, RPG

Soul Sacrifice Review | Part 1 – Slaying Solo

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Monster Hunter is a handheld system seller. That’s a fact, particularly in Japan. Yet we’ve only heard the slightest of rumours about the mega-series bringing its giant-chasing exploits to Sony’s underperforming handheld.

We don’t know if it’s a case of Sony not being able to agree a deal with Capcom, but until that champagne spraying day arises, Soul Sacrifice is here to carry the burden and an hefty amount of expectation in the face of the Vita’s barren landscape of recent or future releases. Continue reading Soul Sacrifice Review | Part 1 – Slaying Solo →

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Stealth Bastard Renamed for Vita/PS3 Release

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Earlier this month we brought you the news that the critically acclaimed Stealth Bastard: Tactical Espionage Arsehole was coming to PS3 and PS Vita, although it would sadly be getting renamed. Curve Studios decided to let the fans rename the game, offering a free PS Vita to the winner.

Well, they had so many excellent suggestions that they ended up settling on two; Stealth Inc and A Clone in the Dark. So, ladies and gentleman, fans of bastard hard platformers with 80 stages of rage I present to you Stealth Inc: A Clone in the Dark. Frankly, I can’t believe they didn’t opt for ‘El Chappo Stealtho.’ Continue reading Stealth Bastard Renamed for Vita/PS3 Release →

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Trailer For New Vita Puzzler Quell Memento

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With Soul Sacrifice (review incoming by the way) coming to the PS Vita soon you’re going to need something to help you relax after the brutal boss fights and Quell Memento might be the perfect tonic for your angry ails.

Using the rear touch pad, you guide an ball around over 150 puzzle screens, collecting items and activating switches in order to reach the exit. Analogue and d-pad controls are also available, but the rear pad allows you to enjoy the best view. A relaxed soundtrack and minor story elements hope to add a soothing atmosphere to the game. Quell Memento is coming to the Vita soon and there’s a trailer after the jump. Continue reading Trailer For New Vita Puzzler Quell Memento →