All posts by Brendan Griffiths

Top 5 crucial upcoming movies based on video games

Films based on video games. For so long a great idea that’s produced relentlessly poor results. For every Silent Hill or Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children there’s an overwhelming deluge of ruined licenses like The Legend of Chun-Li, Dead or Alive, Prince of Persia or that steaming s**t pile that is Uwe Boll’s embarrassment of a CV.

There will undeniably be more, but there are some promising titles on the horizon. We’ve been through the lists and selected five of the confirmed titles that best represent an opportunity for a change in the quality of movies based on video game franchises. Four of them are deep into production and one of them really should be by now. So, in order of scheduled release… Continue reading Top 5 crucial upcoming movies based on video games

Official Resident Evil 2 Remake is finally happening

In a brief video just released by the official Resident Evil feed, Capcom have confirmed they are working on Resident Evil 2 Remake.

Yoshiaki Hirabyashi, a.k.a. H, a Capcom producer from their R&D Division 1 broke the news via an enthusiastic post on YouTube. H has been a driving force in recent weeks, asking fans how they felt about a remake and presenting a pitch to his bosses. We salute your efforts, good sir! Continue reading Official Resident Evil 2 Remake is finally happening

Submerged Review – Floating through the final flood

Submerged Review - Floating through the final flood

You would think that after Journey’s success there would have been a wave of titles hoping to provide an experience away from the traditional game. But games with an emphasis on exploring over defeating enemies or high scores continue to be a rare occurrence on consoles. Enter Uppercut Games, who have crafted something they hope will stay in your thoughts long after those credits roll.

Submerged has two storylines for you to discover. The first one at the forefront of the game begins by showing a boat wash ‘ashore’ alongside a building in a flooded city that sees only the tallest buildings reach for a place above the water. A young girl carrying a smaller boy disembarks and makes her way towards a temple-like structure laying him down near a font that could be as much an alter as it could be a birdbath. There’s no talking, no explanation of why you’re there, or how long you’ve been at sea but as the game plays out, things become a little clearer as details are salvaged from the city whose sidewalks now pave the ocean floor. Much is left for the player to imagine, but Uppercut Games feed you just the right amount of information for you to come away with your own understanding of what has happened. Continue reading Submerged Review – Floating through the final flood

Call of Duty: Black Ops III trailer shows off beta content

The PS4 beta for Call of Duty: Black Ops III is just around the corner for PS4 owners with a August 19th start date. Xbox One and PC will enter the fray from August  26th. Everyone looks set to get a generous chunk of the game to play though.

You’ll be able to unlock weapons, equipment, perks and scorestreaks to test out. There will be at least seven multiplayer modes, a minimum of three maps, eight multiplayer specialist loadouts and a weapon customisation paintshop. Continue reading Call of Duty: Black Ops III trailer shows off beta content

Gauntlet: Slayer Edition out tomorrow on PS4

Rinsed every last bit of loot from Diablo III, PS4 gamers? Then you’ll want to take a look at the return of a legend as Gauntlet makes its PS4 debut. Gauntlet: Slayer Edition launches tomorrow for £15.99 on PS4, giving you and three pals the chance to adventure through the new version of the recent PC remake.

The Slayer Edition comes with fresh abilities, extra character customisation and optimised visuals, which should see the game outshine the original PC release. The original Gauntlet’s top-down multiplayer goblin basher was a huge influence on the action RPG genre and we’ve been waiting for this remake to hit consoles for a while now. Hungry for more? Check out the launch trailer below. Continue reading Gauntlet: Slayer Edition out tomorrow on PS4

Yakuza 5 dev diary talks Hostess Clubs and brawls

Yakuza 5 is somewhat overdue on these shores. It landed in Japan in 2012 on PS3 and eager fans have been waiting ever since for a Western release. Yakuza 4 was a great game, and is still worth picking up, but for those of us that snapped it up in 2011, the wait is getting unbearable for Sega’s latest.

Fortunately, we’ll finally see the game release later this year on PS3. We’re surprised there’s no PS4 version as it would seem like a natural choice for a remaster, but we’re more than happy to dust off last-gen for this series. Now, can we have a Western Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin! please, Sega?

For now, you’ll just have to whet your appetite with the latest in the dev diary series on Yakuza 5. The main focus seems to be on the extensive research they did on Japanese Hostess Bars (I’m sure they were meticulously studied) and the influences on those brutal brawls. The video is the second in a three part series and the first video is included below too. Continue reading Yakuza 5 dev diary talks Hostess Clubs and brawls

Destiny’s upcoming changes could make it great again

Destiny was fantastic fun for the opening couple of months, but the seriously repetitive content soon became an issue. Bungie’s hype fizzled out to reveal a selection of empty play areas of uninspired fetch quests. Then came the expansions via a Season Pass that cost as much as buying the original game again, albeit with a tiny amount of tangible new content or environments.

Combine this with a levelling system that seemed exceptionally miserly with rewards that forced players into choosing weapons and armour based on how it would affect their Light level rather than the statistical benefits offered elsewhere, and Destiny became a gruelling grind with no sense of purpose. Bungie tried to reinvent the wheel without conceding to the value of a curve. Continue reading Destiny’s upcoming changes could make it great again

Final Fantasy XV will release in 2016 apparently

Enjoy the new trailer while you wait

While a specific release date for Final Fantasy XV won’t be confirmed for some time, the game’s director, Hajime Tabata, seems committed to a 2016 release date as he told Eurogamer:

“We really wanted to say something else, so we’ve got something we’d like to say – you won’t be waiting until 2017. We want to get that across. We want to reassure people that we are going to get it out.”

It’s only been in development for ten years, so it’s probably almost done in all fairness. We quite enjoyed the recent Final Fantasy XV: Episode Duscae demo and have been impressed in the way Square Enix used feedback to make adjustments to the game and then release a beefy patch for the demo to try out the new changes. More of this sort of thing please developers! but maybe don’t force players to buy a different game to get access to the demo, that’s a bit naughty.

When also asked about the possibility of sequels in the XV universe (as there were in the XIII series), Tabata replied: Continue reading Final Fantasy XV will release in 2016 apparently

Project Cars devs making Red Bull Air Race game

Well, we didn’t see this one coming. Slightly Mad Studios, most famous for developing the well-received Project Cars racing sim, are turning their hands to the skies. The Red Bull Air Race series has been growing in popularity in recent years as daredevil pilots compete for the best times as they weave between airgates and dive under bridges around famous cities the world over.

Slightly Mad Studios are partnering with Wing Racers Sports Games GmbH and will be releasing the game exclusively on PC in 2016. Take a look at the first trailer to see some very polished in-game engine graphics. Continue reading Project Cars devs making Red Bull Air Race game

Attack on Titan coming to PS4, PS3 and Vita

Attack on Titan is an anime favourite around the office here at Dealspwn and we strongly urge you to watch the harrowing series on Netflix. We also strongly urge you to avoid the rather messy 3DS game.

Tecmo Koei and Omega Force are bringing the series to PlayStation though in 2016 and this brief teaser trailer has a cool handdrawn art style that we’re hoping is going to be replicated in the final game. Visually, it reminds us of Valkyria Chronicles, but with more blood and despair.

We do feel for any developer working on the Attack on Titan license as the dramatic battles involving a Spider-Man-esque movement system (but with much sharper turns) as hunters try to outmanoeuvre giant Titans in order to attack their weak spots must be incredibly hard to put into action, with the camera alone being a significant obstacle. We wish them luck. Maybe they should take a look at this decent free browser version. Continue reading Attack on Titan coming to PS4, PS3 and Vita

Mad Max trailer paints a grim world. Clean it up for £30.99 on PS4

Just a month to go now before Mad Max makes his long awaited debut on the PS4. We’ve seen plenty of trailers paint an enticing mix of Just Cause meets Rage (aka blowing up shit in the desert), but this one dials down the boomage (a little anyways) in favour of showing off more of the game’s characters.

Mad Max is in good company it would seem as everyone seems a little bit unhinged and disfigured by violence. Happy fun times may not be around the corner, but it looks like he’s the man for the job of ensuring there are less War Boys ruining what’s left of the world. Because, well, reasons. Revenge and all that we imagine. Continue reading Mad Max trailer paints a grim world. Clean it up for £30.99 on PS4

Lego Dimensions Worlds Trailer will have you ready for these preorders

Want to see what worlds are waiting for you with Lego Dimensions and it’s many add-on packs? Then this is the trailer for you. If that whets your appetite, you’ll really want to check out the range of preorders listed below, which are much cheaper than their high street comparisons.

Find out why we’re so excited with this article: Lego Dimensions: how the magic of Lego could dethrone Skylanders.

Here’s how to watch EA’s Gamescom 2015 Presentation

9am is an early time to watch EA talk about sports, mobile guff and have awkward special guests on stage. But in between you might just see some red hot footage of the games you really want to see. We’re talking Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst, Star Wars: Battlefront, Mass Effect Andromeda, Need for Speed, and more importantly, Unravel. Continue reading Here’s how to watch EA’s Gamescom 2015 Presentation

Watch Microsoft’s Gamescom 2015 Presentation here

Gamescom 2015 is kicking off within the hour with Microsoft’s Gamescom 2015 presentation and you can watch it right here. We’re expecting big things from Microsoft, especially as they were boasting that they couldn’t fit everything into their E3 presser.

Expect/hope for some fresh footage of Quantum Break, Crackdown, Scalebound, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Gears 4, Forza 6 and maybe even some brand new games. We’ve said it before, but Phil Spencer and co really have an open goal here with Sony not bothering to attend this year. Is that something they’ll regret by this evening?

We’ll have full analysis of the presser shortly after it’s conclusion, but tune in at 3pm UK-time to see for yourself below. Continue reading Watch Microsoft’s Gamescom 2015 Presentation here

PSN outages and slow downloads strike again

We’re getting multiple reports that PSN is down again and gamers who are online are reporting downloads taking much longer than usual.

The main issues seem to be affecting Europe, although that could be because other areas of the world like the West coast of the USA are still in bed. Take a look at this map to see the most recent spread of outages. Continue reading PSN outages and slow downloads strike again

Is a Final Fantasy XII remaster necessary?

Here at NoSleepGamer, we take each remaster as it comes and examine it on its own merits in terms of value and the perceived desire for it to exist in the first place. The latest title to apparently get the HD/Remaster treatment will be 2006’s PS2 title, Final Fantasy XII. Is this more cash-grabbing and recycling of old games, or an essential chance to catch up with one of the PS2’s last hailed gems? Let’s take a look. Continue reading Is a Final Fantasy XII remaster necessary?

i-eX Bean Bag Gaming Chair Review

i-eX Bean Bag Gaming Chair Review

Physical comfort is an important part of gaming. Let’s face it, sometimes a game just pulls you in for hours. Chances are, many of you want to lose yourself for a day in the likes of The Witcher III or Batman: Arkham Knight. Is your sofa/bed the most comfortable place still for lengthy sessions? With Fallout 4 thundering towards us, you’re going to want to find the right seat.

Let me present the i-eX Bean Bag Gaming Chair. This faux-leather beast is much more gamer-friendly than your usual bean-bags (that attempt to swallow you whole) thanks to the addition of back support. There isn’t a rigid component, it’s more of a change to the shape of the bag that provides something similar to a racing car’s bucket seat (but with the comfort of a bean bag). Continue reading i-eX Bean Bag Gaming Chair Review