All posts by Brendan Griffiths

Beat 'em up, Party, Platforms, PlayStation 3, PS Vita, Reviews

PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale (Review)

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Requested and rumoured for years, we finally have a game putting together a rich collection of the finest PlayStation-exclusive characters along with some top names from third-party brands for a mighty punch-up. The comparisons to Nintendo’s Smash Brothers are obvious, as they always were going to be, but I’m here to review the game on its own merits.

Buying the PS3 game also gives you access to a free download of the Vita version and I’ll go into details about the portable options later on. Let’s get stuck into the game itself on PS3 first.

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Features, PC, Platforms, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Move, PS Vita, PSN (PlayStation Store), Wii U, XBLA, Xbox 360

Game of the Year 2012

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What with the gaming industry still being keen to strangle itself every year by releasing all the good games at once, I’m going to be playing catch up on some of the great titles long into next year. This might even give me something to do next summer if the lineup for the ‘sunny’ bit of the year is as grossly thin as it was this year.

I’ve played some great stuff this year though, many of them get a mention below, but a few other honourable shouts go out to Dishonored, Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed, Black Ops II,Sports Champions 2 and WipEout 2048 and Virtua Tennis 4 on the Vita.

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The Phantom Pain Trailer Fools Nobody, Reveals Metal Gear Solid V

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The video premier from the VGAs showing the debut trailer for the ‘new game’, The Phantom Pain, essentially outs the Metal Gear Solid V. The internet took no time in dissecting the trailer that’s packed with references to the Metal Gear series.

The protagonist crawling along the floor is clearly sporting an eye patch and bears a similar scar to the poster image for Snake in the upcoming Ground Zeroes game. But it’s the end of the trailer with various angled lines above the logo that can clearly be pencilled in to reveal a logo for Metal Gear Solid V.

The company apparently developing this new game, Moby Dick Studios, seems to be made up and their CEO is one Joakim Mogrim, a name that can be jumbled up to produce Kojima (MGS creator and director) and it also contains the name Ogre, a long-standing codename for Kojima’s next project.

The more we watch the trailer it looks increasingly likely we’re watching some sort of playable dream sequence. The giant flaming whale probably nudged us that way. Volgin from MGS3 shows up too.

What is more exciting though is the atmosphere built up during the trailer that is unlike any other Metal Gear game. There’s more of a survival horror vibe, which is an unlikely direction for the series, but nonetheless, we wouldn’t mind playing through something like this for part of the game.

Take a look at the trailer and gear yourself up (sorry, had to) for what could be something very special.

Thanks to the posters at NeoGaf for pointing out some of the MGS references.

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South Park: The Stick of Truth Trailer 2

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Now that the possessive minions have stopped deleting videos from Youtube we can bring you the remaining trailers from last week’s Spike VGAs. First up is the long awaited new trailer for South Park: The Stick of Truth.

The eagerly awaited THQ and Obsidian RPG is looking like a decent tie-in for a change. The crappy 2D animation has been left intact, rather than force the game into an unnecessary 3D model. The traditional turn-based battles draw from the frequently obscene history of the series to provide spells and summons that feature lots of familiar characters doing some nasty, nasty things. We’re looking at you Mister Slave.

Cartman is the star of the show once again and provides a bucket of laughs during this all too brief two minute look at the game. The game is currently pencilled in for a March release next year, we’re keeping our fingers crossed it won’t see any further delays.

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PSN Store Website Now Live

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It’s taken long enough, but you can now access the PSN Store as a regular website instead of only via your PS3. This new service allows you to buy games and DLC or pick up free demos from your PC, laptop, netbook, smartphone or tablet. You can also access your account history to check previously downloaded items and add funds to your digital wallet. While a similar service has been available for years on the Xbox 360, Sony have been a little slow off the mark.

When buying items or grabbing demos they will be added to your download list, which you access on your PS3 either in the Store or under Account Management and manually start the download. It would have been better if it downloaded automatically the next time the PS3 was online to be honest.

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First Person Shooters, Platforms, PS Vita, Reviews

Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified (Review)

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Nihilistic’s first Vita game, Resistance: Burning Skies, proved that first-person shooters were a suitable match for Sony’s dual-analogue sporting handheld. Admittedly, the game was a bit basic, a bit ugly and rough around the edges, but compared to using the face buttons instead of a second analogue stick like we were forced to on the PSP, it handled like a dream.

On learning that they’d be handling the Vita’s first Call of Duty title though, I was a little concerned as I thought development would go to someone with a more impressive CV. But hey, I was probably worried when Sony gave a little known studio called Ready at Dawn the reigns to create aGod of War PSP game and they utterly nailed it.

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Features, PC, Platforms, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

The Sunday Seven: Far Cry 3 Survival Tips

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Far Cry 3 is a hot contender for Game of the Year and should be on any FPS fan’s Christmas list. The postcard-perfect tropical location is fraught with danger though so you’ll want to take note of our handy survival guide before you pack those grenades, assault rifles and sun cream. These seven tips will make your life much easier and allow you to enjoy the game to its maximum potential. Feel free to add in your own tips in the comments section or anything cool you may have come across in the game.

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Dark Souls II Announcement Trailer

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Masochists, assemble! Dark Souls II has been announced at this year’s Spike VGAs. The previous game and Demon’s Souls are legendary for their unforgiving difficulty and we’re sure Dark Souls II will be just as much a big huge massive bastard to play.

This first trailer doesn’t show any gameplay, but the mix of CGI and live action does paint a foreboding picture for the latest adventure. So, abandon all hope, stock up on despair and buy a very large swear jar.

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Explosions, Snow and Samurai in New Tomb Raider Trailer

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Another VGA trailer for you of the mightily impressive-looking Tomb Raider from Crystal Dynamics. Half of the material is stuff we’ve already seen to be honest, but there are enough new elements to make it worth a watch.

It begins with Lara climbing a tall radio antenna on a snowy mountain, which seems to be a new location. There’s a lot of bow action too, it’s getting hard to see how far we’re expected to go along with the notion that we’re getting a new Lara who is going to be a more vulnerable character when she’s leaving such a huge body count behind her. Everyone has their breaking point I suppose.

Enjoy the trailer and look out for the quick glimpse of a bloody massive samurai. Don’t think an arrow to the kidneys is going to be enough for that guy.

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New Bioshock: Infinite Trailer from VGAs 2012

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As per tradition, the Spike Video Game Awards came and went leaving us with a new collection of world premier trailers. Hopefully we won’t see one for Bioshock: Infinite the same time next year, as we’re pretty hopeful the game will be out by then. Maybe. Fingers crossed.

The latest footage shows Booker DeWitt meeting Elizabeth for the first time and you can see her with longer hair and different clothes than previously, possibly indicating a longer passage of time for the game’s events.

After that, there’s a large amount of gameplay footage of an extensive gunfight with some new enemy types to take on along with an appearance from a Handyman robot. Interestingly, the Handyman can be seen smashing an enemy airship before coming to fight you, which shows off the battle between Columbia’s two factions. It’s a shame that it appears that they both want you dead. Good thing you’re tooled up with tonics (i.e. plasmids) that send swarms of birds at your enemies and Elizabeth is providing backup by bringing you ammo. Apparently, you can use the Skyhook at a messy melee finisher too.

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The Last of Us Trailer Confirms Release Date

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May 7th. That’s the date to officially drop everything for Naughty Dog’s next adventure. The date will technically be for the US release, but we’d expect the game to be out the following Friday in the UK, possibly beforehand as we’ve seen multiple mid-week releases over the last few months for bigger titles like Black Ops II and Resident Evil 6.

We have the new trailer from this year’s Spike VGAs for you after the break. There’s a mix of action and dialogue to digest with the introduction of a few supporting characters too. They seem to be friendlies compared to the usual bandits keen to rob and murder you.

Joel seems to be arguing with everyone and there seems to be tension building even with Ellie. You’ll also see glimpses of in-game footage of Joel taking on infected humans for the first time. We still want to see more, but it seems that a close-range shotgun blast to the face is a good place to start when taking them out.

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The Spike VGA 2012 Winners Are…

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For those of you not willing to sit through another awful video games award ceremony with ‘hilarious’ humour and continuous disconnects from your live stream, we’ve compiled a handy list of all the winners from this year’s Spike VGAs show.

The ceremony is less about the awards to be honest, as gamers mainly see it as a platform for some juicy new trailers and this year was no different. We’ll bring you the best of those soon later on too.

There are quite a few surprises in the winners list, so let us know what you would have chosen instead or if you think there are some worthy winners in there.

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Action, PC, Platformer, Platforms, PlayStation 3, Reviews, Xbox 360

Lego The Lord of the Rings (Review)

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One brick to rule them all? Or in the laziness bind them?


Despite being released nine years after the final film, the memories are still strong enough to make the latest tie-in feel like a relevant entry to the series rather than a late cash-in. I’m sure the upcoming release of the first Hobbit movie has nothing to do with Traveller’s Tales and Warner Bros. Interactive waiting this long. Ok, so maybe a little.

Since the Lego series began, we’ve seen it grow in terms of production values. The graphics have been steadily improving and the recent Lego Batman 2 introduced fully voiced characters for the first time, which allowed the series to portray a proper story and a damn amusing one at that.

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Action, Platforms, PlayStation 3, Reviews, Xbox 360

Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse (Review)

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Join Brian and Stewie in their dimension-hoping adventure as they use the Multiverse remote to stop Bertram, Stewie’s evil half-brother, who plans to use his own remote to build an army and destroy the Quahog duo’s Universe.

This gives the game a chance to provide a wide range of settings. From Amish farms, Santa’s weapon workshop with inbred elves, to a world populated by the handicapped and so on. Bertram has convinced everyone in these universes that you must be killed, so in turn you’re shooting pretty much everyone in sight. Be they Amish farmers, jocks, cripples on crutches or small homicidal alien chickens.

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Features, PC, PlayStation 3, Previews, Regular previews, Wii U, Xbox 360

The Sunday Seven: 2013’s Most Wanted Games

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We’re used to all the big games coming out in the months leading up to Christmas and this year is certainly no different. However, many of our most wanted titles slipped into the 2013. Many of them are coming out in the first quarter, essentially giving us Silly Season Part 2. We’re still trying to get this year’s line-up finished but next year looks set to be even busier. Hopefully, we’ll actually have something to play in the summer next year instead of everything bookending the release calendar.

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Rabbids Land Trailer Brings the Mental to the Wii U

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Of course there’s a Rabbids game to go with the Wii U launch. The Rayman spin-offs were a huge success for Ubisoft on the original Wii and we imagine they’ll do well on Nintendo’s new console too with their demented selection of minigames. As much as we’d like to dismiss this as a kid’s game, it does look like a fun way to get to know your new console.

From what we can see in the trailer, you’ll be able to use the game pad (the one with the screen) and an original Wii motion controller to play these games and they’ll support up to four players. Parents are advised to hit the mute button though as the gibberish chatter from the Rabbids will drive you insane in minutes. Continue reading Rabbids Land Trailer Brings the Mental to the Wii U →

Features, Platforms, PlayStation 3

The Sunday Seven: Top PS3 Exclusives

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The PlayStation 3 has just turned 6 in the USA, so what better time to give it The Sunday Seven treatment and put down a list of the Top 7 PS3 Exclusives. Frankly, in terms of the number of high-quality exclusives, the PS3 is a tough machine to beat. Looking through the long list of PS3-only releases, I instantly regretted setting myself a lowly target of seven instead of at least ten. It may be a while before I’ll be able to forgive myself for leaving some outside. I’ll be taking a look the top PSN exclusives in the near future too, so keep an eye and we’ll see if I have the guts to put Calling All Cars at the number 1 spot.

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Black Ops II Patch 1.03 Released on PS3

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Rise and shine soldiers, Activision have dispatched a patch for your PS3 copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops II. Patch 1.03 is aiming to fix the game freezes and connection issues many gamers have been experiencing.

As I mentioned in my review yesterday, I was managing to get into multiplayer matches without issue after struggling for the first half hour at some point on launch day. Zombies mode however greeted me with regular freezes, making it practically impossible to play.

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

Call of Duty: Black Ops II (Review)

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Subtle is never a word I thought I’d use to describe any element of a Call of Duty game, but the pre-title cutscene that paints a picture of how Black Ops II’s villain was formed is beautifully put together, in no short thanks to an excellent song choice with Elbow’s ‘The Night Will Always Win.’

The emotional reactions from most COD moments are usually sudden violence, be it first-person execution, slowly dying in a nuclear blast, the death of a child and so on, it’s never had anything like this. After this strangely heartfelt and sympathetic opening, subtlety kind of goes out of the window as it’s all slit throats and shotguns to the knees for the other scenes. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. After all, we’re here to blow shit up.

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Features, PC, Platforms, PlayStation 3, Previews, Regular previews, Xbox 360

The Sunday Seven: Reasons to Buy Black Ops II

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We’re sure most of you are planning on picking up Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 on Tuesday. If you’re still on the fence though, we think you should take a look at our new Sunday Seven feature that gives you our Top Seven reasons to buy the game. Even if you already have your pre-order down, take a look and join in the excitement for the year’s biggest shooter. Don’t forget to sound off in the comments section with your own reasons for or against the game too.

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