Category Archives: Platforms

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

Lost Planet 3 (Review)

Leave a comment

After the slightly frosty reception the thawed out first sequel received, it would seem the Lost Planet series has been pining for those long cold winters again. So the third game is a prequel to the original, taking place many years before.

You are Jim, red-haired (finally!) and awesomely bearded-up for the cold. Jim has a wife and newborn son back on earth, but he’s taken this job on the frozen rock of E.D.N. III to earn some serious money as a Rig operator / go-to guy for exterminating the pesky Akrid wildlife while the NEVEC Corporation searches the planet for T-Energy.

Rather than the Vital Suits of the last two games, you get to romp around in a 50-foot high walking Rig. These huge mechs are essentially maintenance machines, hardly built for combat, but as you and Jim will find out, you’re stuck with what you have.

Continue reading Lost Planet 3 (Review) →

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

Splinter Cell: Blacklist (Review)

8 Comments

When the best stealth experiences this generation have come from first person games -take a bow Far Cry 3’s machete and Dishonored- you have to wonder if grizzled vet Sam Fisher and Splinter Cell can still compete. Like any stealth master though, you don’t even notice how good he is until you’ve been completely drawn in.

The so-so wrapping of this long-awaited return belies the high quality within though. Fans of TV’s 24/anything with terrorists will be able to spot the plot a mile off. A rogue ex-military group attempt to start World War III by threatening terrorist attacks on America if they don’t pull all their troops from foreign countries. A few familiar faces from Sam’s past turn up, but newbies can play the game without feeling they’re missing important facts. Blacklist is a great standalone entry point to the series.

Continue reading Splinter Cell: Blacklist (Review) →

Action, PC, Platforms, PlayStation 3, PSN (PlayStation Store), Reviews, RPG, XBLA, Xbox 360

Mars: War Logs (Review)

2 Comments

That’s One Red Dead Planet

Low cost downloadable RPGs are something of a rarity on consoles, with only Rainbow Moon coming to mind in recent years as anything vaguely worth your attention. Mars: War Logs would like to get involved with the genre too, despite being more of an action-RPG.

Set far into the future, Mars has undergone colonisation, but that new civilisation has long since collapsed. It has been replaced by warring water companies as everyone inexplicably fights over the dusty hellhole.

Continue reading Mars: War Logs (Review) →

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

The Bureau: XCOM Declassified (Review)

1 Comment

The Bureau: XCOM Declassified is far removed from the strategy roots of last year’s much-loved XCOM: Enemy Unknown. It was off to a rough start when originally revealed as an FPS, before the internet threw its toys from the pram over a few minutes of footage.

Fans were appeased when 2K released Enemy Unknown, and since then The Bureau transformed into a third-person shooter and the tactical side of the game was given some much-needed emphasis in the build-up. After all the fuss and returns to drawing boards, 2K may end up annoying fans anyway. There’s no escaping that this is essentially a third-person shooter with squad commands stapled on.

The story is standard alien invasion fare, but with an unusual setting for most video games, the early 1960s. This gives the early parts of the game something of a unique identity. The sharp suits, the hats, the cars, the picture perfect suburban homes and even the music all feel spot on. Mad Men fans will adore it.

Continue reading The Bureau: XCOM Declassified (Review) →

Platforms, PlayStation 3, Reviews, RPG

Tales of Xillia (Review)

Leave a comment

After waiting nearly two years more than our Japanese friends, we Western gamers have finally got our hands on one of the most eagerly awaited RPGs of recent memory. But was it worth the wait?

Tales of Xillia takes you on a journey with Milla Maxwell, a spirit deity in human form, and Jude Mathis, a young student, as they try to stop a corrupt king using a deadly weapon in a war he’s desperately trying to start.

Continue reading Tales of Xillia (Review) →

Features, Hands-on previews, Interviews, Platforms, PlayStation 3, Previews, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360

Seven Things You Should Know About Disney Infinity

3 Comments

What is it?

In a similar way to Skylanders, you place plastic toys on a docking station plugged into your console and those toys will appear on-screen allowing the player to use them in-game in specific Playsets.

Characters are linked to Playsets, specific stages based around famous Disney films or locations. John Day told us more at a recent hands-on event:

“In a given Playset you experience a single universe in a really immersive way. So when you play in Cars, you play as a Cars character you do things that makes sense to Cars like racing or building up the town of radiator springs. And if you play in the Pirates of the Caribbean Playset you get a very different experience, you play as a Pirate’s character, you get a pirate ship you sail the high seas, you fight the Kraken, the Kraken eats you, that’s what happens in Pirates. The two never really cross over, Jack sparrow will never go into the Cars Playset and McQueen will never go into the Pirates Playset.”

Continue reading Seven Things You Should Know About Disney Infinity →

Features, PC, Platforms, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

The Sunday Seven: Why You’ll Enjoy Saints Row IV More Than GTA V

Leave a comment

We’ve been looking forwards to Saints Row IV ever since Deep Silver surprised us all with its announcement earlier this year. Yet much of its hard-earned limelight has been stolen by Rockstar’s upcoming GTA V. Rockstar release a few screenshots, one gameplay trailer and the world goes nuts, despite the press not even being allowed to touch it. Same old story, same old Rockstar.

Well, balls to them. Less than a month before GTA lands, one of the worst gaming droughts we’ve seen ends with numerous big hitters and none of them look half as entertaining as Saints Row IV. Here at Dealspwn we’ve had plenty of updates, trailers, interviews and hands-on sessions and it’s time to tell you why you’ll be having more fun with the dudes in purple.

Continue reading The Sunday Seven: Why You’ll Enjoy Saints Row IV More Than GTA V →

Arcade Shooter, Platforms, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Move, Reviews

Heavy Fire: Shattered Spear (Review)

3 Comments

Remember Time Crisis? Great fun wasn’t it? Yes, then Namco went a bit mental and attached half a PlayStation pad to the Guncom and we’ve never been able to look it in the eye since.

So why haven’t the Wii or PS Move stepped in to fill the void with imitator shooters? Hell we barely even have any gallery blasters. Step forward young challenger, Heavy Fire: Shattered Spear. May the spirit of Virtua Cop be with you.

We’ll forgive you for not having heard of the game, it was something of a surprise to us until a few weeks ago too. It’s an on-rails FPS, which can also be played with a control pad. But you really shouldn’t, it’s awful with a pad. The aiming is all over the place. It’s so over-sensitive it feels as though the crosshairs are attached to a hockey puck.

Continue reading Heavy Fire: Shattered Spear (Review) →

Action, Platforms, PlayStation 3, Reviews, Xbox 360

Deadpool (Review)

Leave a comment

The spandex-sporting shooty, slicy, shouty scamp

The superhero barrel gets another scraping for yet another video game tie-in. This time, for Marvel’s Merc With a Mouth, Deadpool. The dude hasn’t even had a movie yet. But hey, that might work in his favour.

Newcomers to Deadpool’s universe should know that he’s known as a character that frequently breaks the fourth wall in comics. Essentially, he knows he’s a comic book character even though everyone else in the Marvel Universe has no idea. This allows him to constantly talk to the readers and share jokes with them, often at the bewilderment of the likes of Wolverine who can’t fathom why he’s so laid-back all the time (he’s already skimmed through the script of this game for example). Continue reading Deadpool (Review) →

Hands-on previews, Interviews, Platforms, PlayStation 3, Previews, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360

Disney Infinity (Hands-On Preview)

1 Comment

Skylanders makes millions. Serious millions. So it was only a matter of time before other companies decided to get into toy/video game hybrids and names don’t come much bigger than Disney. When we learned that the biggest name in animated movies was stepping into the fray, we knew things were about to get interesting in the war for a spot under Christmas trees.

Like Skylanders, Disney Infinity is going to sell toys that are placed on a docking device (the Infinity Base) which makes them appear in-game. These characters will be sold in ‘Play Sets’ based around specific film franchises. These sets will include a couple of toy characters along with single-player stages/missions based around that film. Pirates of the Caribbean, Monster’s University, The Incredibles, The Lone Ranger and so on.

Continue reading Disney Infinity (Hands-On Preview) →

Hardware, PC, PlayStation 3, Reviews

Aftershokz Bluez Bone Conduction Headset (Review)

1 Comment

We love a bit of innovative gadgetry here at No Sleep Gamer, and ‘military bone conduction technology’ on the side of the box of Artershokz’s new Bluez Bluetooth stereo headset is certainly a good way to get our attention. Mainly because we’ll need all the help we can get when Battlefield 4 rolls out later this year.

This open ear headset isn’t like ones you’ve used before (shh, you military types, it’s new to us). Instead, the earpieces rest near your ears on your ears bones (see above image), leaving your ear holes free and still able to take in sounds around you.

Continue reading Aftershokz Bluez Bone Conduction Headset (Review) →

Platforms, PlayStation 3

Strength of the Sword 3 (Review)

Leave a comment

Remember those bits in Demon’s Souls when you finally overcame a tough stage or defeated a boss that had been smashing your broken body into the ground every time you scrambled through hell on earth just to get to him? Felt good, yes? Well, it’s a good thing you probably still have plenty to do in Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls, because despite Strength of the Sword 3 proudly wearing its tough difficulty badge with honour, it’s amateur hour when it steps into the arena with its rivals.

I like to think I have a fairly sound knowledge of games released in the last ten years, so it was with a mild sense of shame I accepted the task of reviewing part three of a series I’d never heard of. After my first hour with the game though, I was convinced something was amiss. How the hell had this monster managed to escape from a dev kit beforehand? Had it always been like this?

Continue reading Strength of the Sword 3 (Review) →

Features, Platforms, PlayStation 3, PS Vita, PS4, PSN (PlayStation Store)

The Sunday Seven: How the PS4 Could Win Next-Gen

1 Comment

Last week, I looked at how Microsoft could come out on top in the next-gen console wars despite their initial self-inflicted setbacks. So it’s only fair that I give the same treatment to Sony’s upcoming PlayStation 4. Both consoles are going to release around the same period, just in time for the Christmas madness. We’ve not had consoles launch head-to-head for generations, which means we’re going to see a real fight between the two. Ring that bell Mr. Shopkeeper. It’s so on.

Continue reading The Sunday Seven: How the PS4 Could Win Next-Gen →

Features, Platforms, PS4, XBLA, Xbox One

Sunday Seven: How the Xbox One Could Win Next-Gen

1 Comment

A few weeks ago, Microsoft were fighting a losing battle against the PS4. Every time they said anything via statement or twitter, gamers would become enraged and bewildered at why the company seemed determined to alienate consumers around the world. But then they sobered up ditched the two features of the Xbox One that may have handed an early victory to the PS4 – pre-owned blocking and daily online requirement.

However, is the damage already done? We’re far from writing off the big company yet, just look at how many times they’ve screwed up Windows and survived. So here’s our Sunday Seven on How the Xbox One Could Win Next-Gen.

Continue reading Sunday Seven: How the Xbox One Could Win Next-Gen →

Action, Platforms, PlayStation 3, PSN (PlayStation Store), Puzzle, Reviews

Journey: Collector’s Edition (Review)

Leave a comment

The Genesis of Greatness

*This collection encompasses ThatGameCompay’s previously download-only games including Flow, Flower and Journey. I’ve reviewed all three and discussed the extras also included.

Flow

The first time I played Flow six years ago, I started it late and ended up glued to the screen until 6am. It’s an experience you can just be swallowed up in. Just as it gets difficult, it expands and resets.

You play as a basic underwater life form that must eat smaller creatures in order to grow. The game takes place on a series of 2D stages and movement is controlled by turning the PS3 SixAxis controller with a press of any button making you move faster. As with all of ThatGameCompany’s PS3 games, there isn’t a heads-up display and next-to no tutorial, but you should find this an easy experience to get into.

Continue reading Journey: Collector’s Edition (Review) →

Action, Platforms, PlayStation 3, Reviews, Xbox 360

Fuse (Review)

3 Comments

Insomniac’s first outing since leaving Sony’s nest was always going to be a tough task. But with such a strong history of inventive weaponry in the Ratchet & Clank and Resistance games, chances were that anything they put their minds too involving boomsticks would be fun.

Fuse is a third-person cover shooter with a heavy emphasis on co-op. With the multiplatform competition consisting of the like of Kane & Lynch and Army of Two, it’s all there for the taking. Fusepacks a little extra punch by allowing for four-player co-op action, rather than a paltry two.

Continue reading Fuse (Review) →

News, Platforms, PS4, Video, Xbox One

New Mirror’s Edge Game Is Officially A Prequel

3 Comments

UPDATE: We can confirm via a press release that the game will indeed be a reboot origins story: “The new Mirror’s Edge reboots the franchise for the next generation with advanced visuals and an all-new origin story for Faith.”

EA and DICE have just announced at E3 that we are finally getting a new Mirror’s Edge game. A new trailer even shows us some early gameplay using a new engine.

What is also interesting is how we see Faith getting her trademark tattoos for the first time. The star over the eye and the weird grid thing on her arm are getting inked onto her inbetween the action shots in the trailer and the one her face looks like it’ll be stinging for a while. Rather than keep it out of the sun though, we’re sure she’ll be running around crisp, bright and clean rooftops again soon.

Another hint that it’s not a direct sequel, at no point do they call it Mirror’s Edge 2, even in the small print at the end. We’ll keep you posted.

Continue reading New Mirror’s Edge Game Is Officially A Prequel →

Party, PlayStation 3, PSN (PlayStation Store), Puzzle, Reviews, Sport

Pool Nation (Review)

1 Comment

With only Hustle Kings to really compete with, Pool Nation enters the digital pool hall looking to wipe the floor with the posers. No cutscenes, no irritating voice-overs, just pool. We like it already.

You can dive straight into the lengthy tournament campaigns without bothering with the tutorials if you just want to get stuck in. Basic shots are a breeze. Some very handy aiming lines are turned on by default showing the path of the white ball and a separate path for the ball you’ll hit, making even the sharpest angled shots effortlessly simple.

Continue reading Pool Nation (Review) →

Features, Hands-on previews, Platforms, Previews, PS4

The Sunday Seven: Reasons You Want The Last of Us

Leave a comment

I recently took advantage of Game’s extensive The Last of Us lock-in event tour (dates still available) to get some hands-on experience with the game. Naturally, I left wanting the game more than ever. Naughty Dogs’s post-apocalypse survival adventure looks set to offer so much more than the never-ending line of zombie games and shooters out there. So, I felt it deserved the Sunday Seven treatment this week. Here are seven reasons you should really want to get your hands on The Last of Us. Continue reading The Sunday Seven: Reasons You Want The Last of Us →

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

The Walking Dead: Retail Edition (Review)

2 Comments

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) →