NetherRealm Studios come to their tenth canon Mortal Kombat release after the rather excellent Injustice: Gods Among Us. Working on the superhero title seems to have strengthened their resolve to come up with one of the best games we’ve seen in the long-running, face pummelling series.
The Story mode is a good place to start for any rusty brawler fans. You’ll control a set character for four fights before being put in the shoes of a new combatant. By the end of the story you’ll have played as most of the 24 strong cast and you should have an idea of which characters you’d like to develop your skills with and those you never want to see again. Continue reading Mortal Kombat X (Review) – Gore galore→
White Night blends classic themes that sound fantastic on paper. It’s essentially a survival horror/adventure title hybrid, inked with a gorgeous Sin City-esque graphic novel style, toned with a classic 1930s detective noir vibe. I already want a film version.
We begin the tale with a car accident, which sees our protagonist hobbling towards a nearby mansion for help. And boy do I mean hobble. I’ve never endured such a slow opening 30 minutes in my life. I plodded up to the gates when the camera eventually let me see them, then up to the porch, then around the graveyard until I found the key, and then around the house for ages until I found the first save point, a couch. Thankfully, when our hero awoke, his injuries were healed and I was treated to a run button too. Continue reading White Night (Review) – A noire in the dark→
Just watched the Just Cause 3 gameplay trailer? Excited? We’re pretty sure you are. As if the trailer wasn’t enough, we’ve dug out some extra details -including a few surprises- that will make the wait until ‘Holiday 2015’ seem even further away. So here are the Top 7 reasons to be excited about Just Cause 3.Continue reading 7 reasons to be excited about Just Cause 3→
Don’t take that title as a slur on Rocksteady’s excellent work on the Arkham series of Batman games, or as an ill-judged prediction that Arkham Knight is going to be anything other than brilliant. Far from it. Batman: Arkham Knight could be the crowning achievement of the trilogy, the realisation of years of hard work and the culmination of efforts and ideas that were finally allowed to exist as gaming hardware caught up to Rocksteady’s lofty ambitions.
So why so keen to see them let the Dark Knight go after June 23rd (well, after the inevitable expansion packs at least)? Rocksteady have proved themselves to be an excellent studio and it would be cruel to tie them to making one franchise over and over again. Let’s see them and Batman go out on a high, before ideas become stale and before the studio becomes fatigued trying to come up with fresh ideas in order to better their own impossibly high bench marks. They’ve been working on Arkham games nonstop since 2007! Continue reading Why Rocksteady quitting Batman after Arkham Knight is the right choice→
The roguelike genre has been spreading through the videogame genres over recent years in everything from RPGs to platformers, but now we have one for the FPS genre too. And it’s an absolute delight for anyone that remembers shooters before aiming down the sights was a thing.
The graphics-style may appear dated, but for the most part the controls are incredibly smooth and the twitch-handling is a fond throwback to older shooters; the responsive controls are fantastically fluid as you strafe enemies or nip between the hail of slow but thick storms of enemy fire. It has to be said though, there’s some awful slowdown in the larger rooms when they try to pack in too many enemies at once. It’s not a regular thing though. Continue reading Tower of Guns (Review) – Run n’ Gun Fun→
As much as we’re enjoying Bloodborne here at Dealspwn, there comes a time when we need a break. From Software’s game is extremely punishing as you know and it’s good sometimes to step back and play something else for a while to chill out and remember that not every game makes your blood boil or punishes slight slipups by snatching away all your progress from the last hour. So here’s a list of therapeutic games to play when the red mist builds up too much and you fear for your DualShock 4’s safety.Continue reading These 5 fun games will cure your Bloodborne rage→
Bikers get a seriously rough deal for video gaming thrills. The late 80s and 90s teased us all into getting bikes when we grew up with classics like Road Rash and Super Hang On and then the genre just up and died. Sure there have been Moto GP titles and a smattering of MX titles, but the genre’s glory days have long gone. And booting people on Vespas into oncoming traffic is generally frowned upon in real life.
The last decent pair of wheels seen on PlayStation was the free bikes DLC in Burnout: Paradise. With Road Rash seemingly presumably dead in a desert ditch somewhere, we’ve had to look elsewhere for two-wheeled fun. Milestone (of recent WRC and Moto GP fame) are taking another swing at the sim-side of the genre, something akin to Riding Spirits. We’re not quite ready to call this the Gran Turismo of bikes either though. Continue reading Ride (Review) – More than a fair weather rider→
Visceral games had a daunting task on their hands when they were given the reigns for the latest Battlefield game. But rather than attempt another military shooter, they’ve come up with a fresh angle for the series’ single player campaign and the online multiplayer by infusing a cops and robbers vibe.
We’ll start with the campaign, as it’s always nice to get a feel for the guns before hopping online. That said, DICE’s last two campaigns in Battlefield 3 and 4 have been terrible, you’d barely know that the same team were behind the excellent Battlefield: Bad Company games. Visceral know their way around a campaign though, having developed the excellent Dead Space series. Continue reading Battlefield: Hardline (Review) – Campaign brings home the bacon→
Seven weeks is far too long to wait between episodes. Episode 1 was a fantastic opener, but the initial six-week wait between episodes became seven after a small delay. Considering Capcom recently released four episodes in four weeks for their episodic Resident Evil: Revelations 2, it would seem to make much more sense to follow their model by finishing development of a game and then releasing it, rather than frantically trying to meet deadlines every six weeks.
More to the point, with story-heavy content like this, it can be difficult to remember just what the hell is going on. The major events stuck in my head easily enough, but some of the interactions with smaller characters were much harder to recall. That said, checking Max’s diary and her character bios was a big help, and for the most part, I felt like I was up to speed enough without needing to replay the first episode. Naturally, if you’re holding off until every episode is out, you’re not going to have a problem. Continue reading Life is Strange Episode 2 – Out of Time Review→
After easing ourselves in though Battlefield: Hardline’s campaign (so much better than the last two games!), we’ve been hitting the servers pretty hard since launch. We’ve been impressed with how stable the online action has been and it looks like Visceral have learned from DICE’s mistakes in Battlefield 4. So you’ve no excuses to not get the most from the online action. However, life as a cop or criminal can be seriously tough out there. So why not improve your chances by checking out our Battlefield: Hardline multiplayer tips.Continue reading Battlefield: Hardline Multiplayer Tips→
Missed the earlier episode reviews? Use these links to get to Episode 1, Episode 2 and Episode 3. Unlike the previous episodes, I’ll be putting a score at the end of this one that reflects the complete Season Pass / retail release.
This is it then, the finale to what has been a very encouraging episodic series debut from Capcom and the Resident Evil series. This is where we find out what happened to Claire and Moira as they make their way to the top of the tower and we’ll find out if Barry and Natalia can catch up with them and get some answers of their own. Continue reading Resident Evil: Revelations 2 Episode 4 – Metamorphosis Review→
Capcom’s penultimate episode to Resident Evil: Revelations 2 edges us ever closer to what has so far been a very successful experiment for the series as it tries out an episodic model with four episodes over as many weeks.
Like previous episodes, you’ll control Claire and Moira for the first part and Barry and Natalia for the second. Given the ending of the last episode, you may be desperate to find out what happens to the latter pair, but you’ll just have to wait. Continue reading Resident Evil: Revelations 2 Episode 3 – Judgement Review→
Reviewing a game always comes with some degree of time pressure. We can pretend it doesn’t, but it does. Even with no official deadline, it’s sometimes hard to just play a game at your own pace. Bit bored? Tough. Stuck on a boss? No time for a breather – and so on.
I didn’t review Remember Me when it originally came out in 2013, but the game has been sat in my PlayStation + collection for a while now and I finally got around to playing it over the last few weeks. Some days I’d play for twenty minutes, others it would effortlessly pull me in for hours.
Earlier today we were given some extra details on over a dozen new Steam machines, including prices for the base models from multiple manufacturers. Many things remain unclear, but the consensus amongst the PC-savvy crowd seems to still be that they could build their own equivalent gaming rig for considerably less. This is hardly earth-shattering news though.
Steam Machines are all about the convenience for the non-savvy consumer looking for a way into PC gaming, namely people who own a PC or laptop solely for work or console gamers. People like me. I know this, you know this. So why doesn’t Valve?
After a hugely promising opening episode, I couldn’t wait to get into stuck into the next one this week. It looks like the new series has some staying power as Capcom have delivered again with the episodic model looking like an increasingly natural fit for the series.
Again, the episode is split in two with the first half following Claire and Moira and the second continuing from where we last left Barry and Natalia. Claire and Moira come across another group of survivors and they team up to find some helicopter parts to make an escape attempt. Nothing’s ever that easy, especially when a hoard of infected lay siege to your safe house. It’ll be very familiar to Resident Evil 4 fans and is a fantastic scene as you defend multiple windows while the hoard attempt to smash through. Continue reading Resident Evil: Revelations 2 Episode 2 – Contemplation Review→
Episodic titles have proved to be a big success for games like The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us and more recently, Life is Strange. But how will the episodic model fare with a genre like survival horror? Well, if Episode 1 of Resident Evil: Revelations 2 is anything to go by, it could go rather well.
Unlike the aforementioned episodic titles, Revelations 2’s four episodes will be released weekly instead of every six weeks or more that we’re used to seeing. The benefits of this are obvious to everyone involved and it keeps the episodic/TV ideology plausible. Continue reading Resident Evil: Revelations 2 Episode 1 – Penal Colony Review→
For years, Telltale has been the only name associated with quality (yet incredibly buggy) episodic gaming, but we’re delighted to see some new blood enter the blossoming genre. Life is Strange is leading the way with Remember Me developers, Dontnod Entertainment, bringing us a brand new IP over five episodes through digital platforms.
I’ve always been rather cautious with this type of game. Knowing I have little patience for waiting, I’ve played the likes of Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us once a season has finished, as I didn’t want to wait weeks/months between episodes to find out what happens next. It’s a Netflix mentality that’s going to drive me insane with Life is Strange. I’ve played one episode and I’m hooked. The time between episodes is going to draaaag.
It’s ok, I know your pain. You promised yourself you’d put a bit of time into the likes of Battlefield 4, Destiny or Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare in order to get your online multiplayer skills up to scratch, but where has that time gone.
If you signed up to the new Battlefield: Hardline open beta you might be having a bit of tough time getting back into the swing of things. I can’t stop people shooting you in the back half a second after respawning, or offer any logical advice on how to fly a helicopter, but here are five survival tips that should make life less difficult. Continue reading Battlefield: Hardline Top 5 Survival Tips→
Assassin’s Creed Rogue has been living under the shadow of Assassin’s Creed Unity since it was announced that both games would be sharing a release window. When both were moved to the very same day, faithful and eager new-gen fans of course opted for Unity. Sadly, that loyalty was rewarded by a broken and oddly dull entry. But now that we’ve had time to play through both games, it’s clear that Ubisoft has released a fantastic Assassin’s title this year, but one you’ll have to dust off the PS3 or 360 for. So then, here are seven reasons why Rogue has absolutely smashed Unity.
We’ve been dying for another gargantuan open-world FPS since Far Cry 3 and nothing’s come close to providing an equal timesink if we’re honest. There was promise in Destiny, but their version of our local solar system ended up being a collection of corridors and desolate wastelands with inane missions and a leveling system that demanded too much for little in return. So, chances are Ubisoft are running unopposed here, it’s not like they’re going to mess up one of their leading franchises. Well, not two of them in one year…
You are Ajay Ghale, a prodigal son returning to the Himalayan region of Kyrat to carry on his father’s work of leading a rebel group called the Golden Path against the tyrannical forces of Pagan Min. Min himself is the pink-suited fellow we’ve come to know in reveals over the last few months and is a larger than life character that suitably camps things up one moment, only to shiv a soldier in the neck over nothing the next. He’s a brilliant villain, but I’m enormously sad to report that he rarely makes an appearance for most of the game.
The No Sleep Gamer 