Category Archives: Features

Features, Platforms, PlayStation 3, PS Vita, PSP, Wii, XBLA, Xbox 360

The Sunday Seven: Most Wanted Gaming Crossovers

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After looking at the insane mashup that Sega, Namco and Capcom have put together for the upcoming Project X Zone on the 3DS, it got me thinking about other gaming brands I’d like to see pushed together. These could be games pitting legends against each other in a fight to the death or something involving them working together. Publishers and IP owners can be very protective over their brands, but here’s a selection I think would work well together given half a chance.

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Features, PC, Platforms, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Why We Love… Single Player Games

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Recent news has seen gamers lash out over the launch fiasco surrounding EA’s latest SimCity title. The game requires an always-on internet connection, which meant it broke as soon as it went live as thousands of enthusiastic gamers tried to play at once.

This happened days after Crytek CEO, Cervat Yerli, said, “I think the notion of a single-player experience has to go away.” Instead, he believes there should be more integration with the online world with “online single-player.” So, while keen to plug his upcoming online game, Warface, he’s stupidly kicked his other game –Crysis 3– in the stones. Guess we know why Crysis 2 and 3’s single-player modes can only muster a rental recommendation then.

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Features, PlayStation 3, PS4, Xbox 360

Games at Retail: Adapt or Die

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Last week finally saw HMV find a new buyer, ensuring one more traditional bricks and mortar business would enable gaming to have a high street presence alongside Blockbuster and Game. With most of us using online retailers to buy and pre-order games nowadays, you may wonder why we still need video games to be represented on the high street.

As this console generation winds down, we’ve seen a steep decline in game sales across the board. In 2012, retail sales were hit the most and dropped by over 20%. Game, Blockbuster and HMV barely survived, as gamers’ attention wavered. The original Wii’s bubble burst and there was a lack of any serious mass appeal products to renew lapsed players’ (read: more casual than you and I for example) interest. The numbers for Call of Duty are down and we’re repeatedly hearing of sequels selling only a shadow of what the previous game did – hello DMC.

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Features, Platforms, PlayStation 3

The Sunday Seven: Coming to Terms with PS3’s YLOD

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The YLOD. The Yellow Light of Death. This is the dreaded sickness that PlayStation 3 owners fear. With my PS3 nearing its sixth birthday, it finally happened to me. While hardly as prevalent as the Red Ring of Death in the Xbox 360’s early days, the flashing yellow light is still cautiously feared amongst the PS3 community.

In order to cope with this grim occurrence I’ve incorporated the experience into my regular feature, The Sunday Seven. This isn’t a guide on how to fix the problem yourself, no, no, that’s a different fire hazard for a different day and for someone else to tell. This is what was running through my mind as I tried to come to terms with it and ultimately how to bring it back to life.

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Features, Platforms, PS4

The Sunday Seven: Sony’s Other Big Reveals for Feb 20th

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The Sunday Seven: Sony's Other Big Reveals for Feb 20th

By now I’m sure you’ve all heard that Sony has a big reveal lined up for a PlayStation Meeting on February 20th. We don’t think Sony would have the nerve to announce anything other than their Next Generation console at the meeting. Next gen rumours are at their highest point and it’s about time we got some answers and not something like PS Move+.

So, assuming Sony don’t just show us a console shell on a podium before cheerily bidding us goodnight and promising a second date at E3, I think we’ll be shown a few more things on February 20th. Don’t forget we still have a big year of gaming ahead of us regardless of the PS4 and Sony will be keen to avoid accidentally killing off the market for the PS3 and Vita by announcing their new machine alone. Instead, I think they will want to strengthen their brand to ensure they move onto the next gen leaving the best final impression of this generation. But yes, we think they’re going to show us some jaw-dropping new stuff too. I’ve already gone into detail about what they should do to rebuild their controller, so here’s my list of seven other things I think we may see at the meeting. Continue reading The Sunday Seven: Sony’s Other Big Reveals for Feb 20th →

Features, Platforms, PS4

The Sunday Seven – PS4: What We Still Don’t Know

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Sony’s PS4 reveal event this week gave us lots to look forwards to and get excited for over the coming months. Unlike Nintendo, they revealed the system specs straight away, which in the long run could be a big boost in gaining support from third-party developers at an early stage -the same area that is killing the Wii U right now.

We were always going to have questions left unanswered by the event though. Some for obvious reasons, like Sony themselves not even knowing yet, others a little less clear. We’ll be tapping Uncle Sony on the shoulder for info and leaning heavily on known squealers until launch day, so keep an eye on our news section for all the updates. For now, here’s what I thought were the seven most important items missing from the meeting. Continue reading The Sunday Seven – PS4: What We Still Don’t Know →

Features

The Sunday Seven: Most Wanted Franchise Comebacks

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Maybe it’s seeing Stallone and Arnie back in the cinemas recently that has me feeling nostalgic and hankering for the good old days. I even had a good root through some of my older games that I’d packed into the attic. Or perhaps I can’t blame it on the return of the aging action stars, it’s more likely to be the amount of kickstarter campaigns for retro game reboots, studio closures, stagnating sequels and brand retirements that made me think about what games from years gone by could lift gaming out of this over-familiar slump in which it finds itself.

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Features, PC, Platforms, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

The Sunday Seven: THQ’s Best Games This Gen

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This week saw the sad end of an era as THQ’s assets were finally sold off at auction. While many of the licenses, franchises and development teams found new homes, there were a few that are still holding out hope for a lifeline.

Amongst all the misery, there have been numerous reminders of some of the great times THQ games have provided over the years. So here’s my tribute to some of the best games I’ve played from THQ over the years on this generation of consoles.

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Features, Platforms, PS4

The Sunday Seven: Steps to Rebuild the PS4 Controller

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The Sunday Seven: Steps to Rebuild the PS4 Controller

Scouring through patents, blueprints, rumours and ‘twitter leaks’ (aka bollocks) has put us on a seemingly endless chase in recent months for information about what we’re getting from the next-generation of consoles. With the Wii U sitting uncomfortably between two generations, Sony’s task of judging where to go next with their controller in an unenviable one. Do they once again add minor tweaks to the DualShock, an iconic controller that’s dutifully served them and millions of gamers for over a decade, or move forwards to keep up with what may turn out to be the popular trend in years to come?

There were undoubtedly some tough choices made at the drawing board, or perhaps nothing is set in stone yet, the rumours of a March reveal simply digital whispers and Sony will be gluing together a prototype minutes before this year’s E3 presentation. Fingers crossed they don’t try anything like that ridiculous bananarang redesign that they tried for the PS3. Continue reading The Sunday Seven: Steps to Rebuild the PS4 Controller →

Features

The Sunday Seven: Gaming New Year Resolutions

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Seeing as the apocalypse couldn’t quite be arsed turning up, it looks like we better shape up and carry on with the tradition of making up New Year’s Resolutions that we have no intention of keeping. Or maybe not. While eating five fruit and veg a day and swearing less is a distant and obscene pipe dream, there’s plenty of room to improve our gaming time with some healthy steps to enjoying our favourite past-time to its maximum potential.

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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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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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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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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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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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Features, News, Video

Sony E3 2012 Press Conference Highlights

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To kick things off, Jack Tretton (President and CEO of SCEA) welcomes David Cage to the stage. The creative mind behind Heavy Rain finally announces the next game from Quantic Dream, Beyond: Two Souls. Here’s what he had to say:

“Death is the biggest mystery of mankind. What will happen after we die is something no-one knows. We all have our hopes, our fears, our doubts. But what’s on the other side remains unknown. Jodie Holmes knows a little bit more about all this than you and I. As far as she remembers, she has always felt a link with an invisible entity. Some presence around her, a spirit or ghost; she doesn’t really know. Something living between our world and the other side. Beyond tells Jodie’s story over fifteen years of her life. We will see her growing, evolving, learning to live with a difference. And discovering more about what’s beyond. For the first time in a videogame we will live the life of a character, go with her through happy and difficult times and help her to become who she is.”

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Features, Hands-on previews, Platforms, Previews, PS Vita

PS Vita Preview: The Launch Lineup

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Less than a month to go now before the PS Vita arrives and we can’t wait. There’s a fantastic number of titles available around the launch and we’ve been everywhere from LA and E3, Germany and Gamescom, and more recently London and Manchester to try them out. So take a few minutes to look through our guide to see what you fancy picking up.

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Features, Hands-on previews, PlayStation 3, Previews, PS Vita, Xbox 360

Eurogamer Expo: The Good, The Bad & The Contenders

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Here’s a roundup of some of the games I managed to get some extensive hands-on time with at the recent Eurogamer Expo in London. As well as highlighting what was looking good, I’ve pointed out a few that you should definitely beware of before you splash the cash. The Contender category consists of a few games that you might usually overlook due to past form or generic looks, but have a read; you might just change your mind.

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