Category Archives: Xbox 360

PC, Platforms, PlayStation 3, PS4, PSN (PlayStation Store), Puzzle, Reviews, XBLA, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Valiant Hearts: The Great War (Review)

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An Essential Journey

With a World War I setting, Valiant Hearts: The Great War explores relatively unfamiliar ground for gaming, or even movies to be honest, as it was generally WWII that inspired so many films and games. It’s hard to believe that the human race had the capacity for war again after the events of WWI and Valiant Hearts plays an important role in showing us that this was one of the darkest moments of humanity’s very chequered past.

Unlike most war games though, Valiant Hearts isn’t another one-man-army first-person shooter or a strategic tactical sim. It’s a heavily story-driven experience with puzzling and old-school adventuring at the core of the gameplay.

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Action, PC, Platforms, PlayStation 3, PS4, Reviews, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Watch Dogs (Review)

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Watch Dogs is a game based around exploiting the possibilities made available by hacking our increasingly digitally reliant world with an exceedingly smart phone.

There is a story, based around revenge and private company conspiracies, but it’s simply filler material between missions. The lead character, Aiden Pierce is a moody git with a gravelly voice where you might usually find a personality and he comes across as rather unlikable. Thankfully, the supporting characters, including his sister and the (Lisbeth Salander rip-off) hacker Clara, do their best to give you someone else to listen to occasionally.

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Features, Mobile, PC, PlayStation 3, PS Vita, PS4, PSN (PlayStation Store), Wii U, XBLA, Xbox 360, Xbox One

2015’s Hits Are So Far Away. But So What?

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After the lengthy presentations on day zero of E3 concluded, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there really wasn’t much to look forwards to in the next few months. Every exciting trailer or tantalising CG reveal blasted the same message: come back and see me in 2015, Brendan.

This would seem the case for most console owners, be it PS4, Wii U or Xbox One. As a PS4 owner though, I felt there was that little bit less to look forwards to though. Sitting through the Microsoft presser and watching them make it all about the games, there was no getting around the fact they were having an amazing show.

I’ve never been a Halo fan, but for those that are, the lack of many new games to play at Christmas doesn’t seem too bad when they get to replay their old favourites with a next-gen lick of paint. Perhaps, it’s just the lack of interesting Holiday exclusives that are getting me down.

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Features, Hands-on previews, Platforms, PlayStation 3, Previews, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Destiny Could Own 2014… If It Fixes Some Problems

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It’s hard to feel bad about England’s early stumble in the World Cup when we’ve been able to play the Alpha test of Destiny all weekend. In short, it’s been tonnes of fun and it looks like Bungie are onto a winner. Naturally, there’s a lot to like about the new shooter (like being able to aim down the sights right, Bungie!), but we’ve also comes across a few things we’d like to see sorted by the time the full release touches down in September.

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Features, Platforms, PlayStation 3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One

E3 2014 Predictions: Brendan’s Last Gasp Picks

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E3 2014 Predictions: Brendan’s Last Gasp Picks

Having a cheeky pre-E3 holiday was a great idea. Well, aside from the lack of internet, being awake for the last 36 hours, still having sand from the Aegean in my hair and suffering from regular twitchy lucid flashbacks of that spider that invaded my apartment one night.

But it’s the day before the biggest day in any gamers’ calendar and now that I’m no longer at the mercy of Wi-Fi powered by stray cats on a treadmill, I thought I better chuck in my Day zero predictions as the rest of the team have done for Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, EA and Ubisoft at E3 2014. Enjoy! I’m off to check my bed for spiders as big as my face. Continue reading E3 2014 Predictions: Brendan’s Last Gasp Picks →

Action, Platforms, PlayStation 3, PS4, Reviews, Xbox 360, Xbox One

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (PS4 Review)

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amazing-spiderman-2-ps4-reviewWebbed Wonder or Missed Marvel?

Developers have been left fruitlessly chasing the ghost of 2004’s excellent Spider-Man 2 tie-in, with each of the releases since fixing and breaking things in equal measure. We’ve had cool cel-shaded art makeovers, noir and future settings to change things up, but we’ve also seen devs knacker the web-swinging and flush us down more sewer pipes than we’d care to remember.

Despite the numerous letdowns, I’ve been cautiously optimistic about Spidey’s next-gen debut, although this is more of a port rather than something purpose built for the new machines like Infamous: Second Son.

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PC, Platforms, PlayStation 3, PS Vita, PS4, PSN (PlayStation Store), Reviews, RPG, Wii U, XBLA, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Child of Light (Review)

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child-of-light-review-540x274RPG games are usually big-budget epics with the promise (threat?) of at least forty hours running time. Ubisoft’s Child of Light is here to change that assumption by providing a low-priced downloadable alternative.

Others have failed quite miserably (Hello, Mars: War Logs), but ze Germans made a solid effort with the tough Rainbow Moon. But with Ubisoft providing genre classics in action, shooters and platforming (Assassin’s Creed IV, Far Cry 3 and Rayman Legendsif you’re asking), we can’t wait to see how they handle an RPG.

The first thing we all noticed about Child of Light was of course the visuals -and they don’t disappoint. Using Rayman’s UbiArt engine, Ubisoft have this time favoured a watercolour approach to the visuals instead of bright colours and cel-shaded lines. This has resulted in a classic fairy tale aesthetic that gives the game its own unique endearing personality throughout the ever-changing landscapes.

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

Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea Episode 2 Review

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Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea Episode 2 Review

Here it is then, the final piece of Irrational and Ken Levine’s adventures with the Bioshock series. With Levine’s decision to close down the studio, the only Bioshock content we’ll be seeing in the future is if 2K decides to put a new team together and go on ahead without the game’s inspirational creative lead. Today though, we’re here to see how Irrational bow out on one of the most respected legacies in gaming.

To fully appreciate everything that Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea – Episode 2 has to offer, you really need to have completed not only Episode 1 and Infinite, but also the original two Bioshock games. Gameplay innovations are thin on the ground here, but Burial at Sea carries on where it left off by serving as a tribute to the fans and a link between the worlds of Columbia and the underwater city of Rapture.

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Action, PC, Platformer, Platforms, PlayStation 3, PS Vita, PS4, Reviews, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Lego The Hobbit (Review)

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lego_hobbit-reviewTraveller’s Treasure or Witless Worm?


Yes, this is a review, not an advanced preview for a game which (with any sense) wouldn’t see a release until December when the final Hobbit movie hits cinemas. Instead, this Lego title encompasses the first two films with the third to be added as DLC later this year.

It would take the most upbeat of optimists to suggest that WB will do the right thing and release the add-on (the rest of the game) for free, but my cynical nature tells me to expect something around £15.99 –an oddly specific guess I admit. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see this game re-released complete with the remaining content in December for the same price it is today. So, I guess the only real question left, is how many Lego games do you need in your life? With Lego Marvel and the Lego Movie tie-in released just five and two months ago respectively, you have to wonder why WB didn’t wait.

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

Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate – Deluxe Edition (Review)

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After not getting around to finishing the final version of the original Vita release late last year, I was delighted to see that Blackgate was making its way to the main consoles in a similar manner to Assassin’s Creed: Liberation HD. Keen to fill the long gap between now and Rocksteady’s next-gen Arkham adventure I dove in with both feet -but sadly without a cape.

Blackgate takes place three months after the events of Arkham Origins, making its original simultaneous release a little odd. But now we’ve had time to finish the console game, we don’t have to worry about spoilers; although I’ll not give any away today.

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Platforms, PlayStation 3, Reviews, RPG, Xbox 360

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (Review)

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lightning returns“The brightest lights cast the darkest shadows”

Who among us dared to imagine that after playing the miserable corridor that was the first Final Fantasy XIII, we’d be lining up for a third game in the series a few years later. The sequel, XIII-2, eased up on the linearity, but was still a mess on the battlefield. It’s baffling to think that of all the great Final Fantasy games in years gone by, the almost universally slated XIII series is now a trilogy.

But throughout my time spent playing the previous two games, there remained a streak of perseverance. The ongoing story of sacrifice, family and loss always deserved a better game to be a part of. The cast have always been one of my favourites in a JRPG too, despite being a bit on the broody side a times.

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News, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

South Park Co-Creator Brands Ubisoft’s Censorship “lame and stupid”

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South Park Co-Creator Brands Ubisoft’s Censorship “lame and stupid”

Much has been made of Ubisoft’s decision to cut scenes from the console version of South Park: The Stick of Truth in some territories outside of the USA and it’ll come as no surprise that one of the show’s co-creators wasn’t best pleased about it.  Continue reading South Park Co-Creator Brands Ubisoft’s Censorship “lame and stupid” →

News, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Castlevania Director Lashes Out At Low Review Scores

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Castlevania Director Lashes Out At Low Review Scores

Enric Alvarez, Director of the recent Castlevania: Lords of shadow 2, has publicly lashed out against the low scores his game has received since launch, even going as far as to call Edge’s 4/10 review “blind”, “stupid” and “totally unfair.”“One must be blind or stupid to give it a 4/10 for a game of this quality. With a 4/10, people interpret it is a crappy game, badly done, it breaks, with mechanics that do not work, with some awful graphics.”  Continue reading Castlevania Director Lashes Out At Low Review Scores →

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

South Park: The Stick of Truth (Review)

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Review of the new RPG game South Park: The Stick of TruthThis generation of consoles hasn’t had the best run for licensed tie-ins or traditional RPG experiences. And now, as it winds to a close, the two genres get one last chance in an odd-sounding hybrid. A South Park RPG.

How do you fit South Park into an RPG experience? Simple, just have the kids pretending to be on an epic adventure with elves, mages, wizards and warriors. Adults may know it as LARPing (Live Action Role Playing (like in the movie Role Models), but to the kids of South Park, they’re simply playing outside.

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Action, Platforms, PlayStation 3, Reviews, Xbox 360

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (Review)

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Way short of the full Belmonty

Hundreds of years after Gabriel Belmont’s journey began; we’re here to witness the grand finale as we see him return as Dracula, to take on Satan and his acolytes one last time in the hope of finally finding peace and an escape from his immortal torment.

If the events of the original Lords of Shadow, the expansion DLC and Mirror of Fate are a little faded in your memory, there’s a summative cutscene early on to bring you back up to speed. Robert Carlyle and Patrick Stewart reprise their roles from the first game, attempting to add as much brooding and grandiosity respectively as possible. And lots of hammy dialogue so cringe worthy, it’ll give you a sore neck.

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Features, Platforms, PlayStation 3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Tekken X Street Fighter: Going Next-Gen or Cancelled?

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Where is Tekken X Street Fighter? That’s the question many of us fight fans have been wondering recently. Nobody has even seen a screenshot of the game, and yet it has been two years since Capcom released Street Fighter X Tekken. Namco’s return effort was set to give the Street Fightercharacters a Tekken-style makeover, but it’s been a notorious no-show for years now.

Recently, we were sent a UK release schedule from Bandai Namco (they changed their name around, remember) and thankfully the game was still on there, but the date was only down as TBC. More interestingly, the formats no longer read PS3/360, instead they’ve also been replaced with TBC. The optimists inside us are hoping this means that we could be seeing the game on PS4 and Xbox One -two consoles desperately in need of a decent fighting game. With a relatively small install-base for the new consoles though, we’d still expect the PS3 and 360 (and probably the Vita) to see the game too.

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Features, PC, Platforms, PlayStation 3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Are Game Development Costs Set to Spiral out of Control?

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Last week we learned via a Eurogamer interview, that 2013’s Tomb Raider reboot only started to make a profit nine months after its March release date, despite selling 3.4 million copies in its first three weeks. If it takes that long for a game that good that sold that well to actually make money, how long can companies afford to make similar blockbuster big-budget games?

Tomb Raider’s budget was reportedly around £60 million ($100 million), which is probably why Square Enix set their sales targets so high (5 million units) in the first month,  which would have seem them move into the black straight away. Continue reading Are Game Development Costs Set to Spiral out of Control? →

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

Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD (Review)

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Releasing at the busiest time of year, Liberation went largely unnoticed when it released towards the back end of 2012 on the PS Vita. So when Ubisoft announced they would be polishing it up for a downloadable release on PSN and XBLA it was collective high fives all-round. Sorry Vita, but the big TV wins again.

So often, I cringe when I see the prices of digital games or HD remakes, but Liberation’s £15.99 asking price is very reasonable. Mainly because the original Vita version costs more and the visual upgrade is huge. Some of you may be disappointed to hear that the multiplayer options have been ditched, but this makes sense really. Why would Ubisoft want to dedicate resources to keeping more servers alive when they know most fans will be enjoying the superior multiplayer offerings of Assassin’s Creed IV?

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Platforms, PlayStation 3, Previews, Video, Xbox 360

Opening Scenes | Assassin’s Creed: Liberation HD – First 20 Mins

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Opening Scenes | Assassin's Creed: Liberation HD - First 20 Mins

Thanks to my recent acquisition of a Hauppauge capture device, I’m able to bring you an Opening Scenes video for Assassin’s Creed: Liberation HD, the new HD port of the 2012 Vita game. I’ll be bringing you a review very soon, but if you’re eager to see what the opening twenty minutes hold, then marvel at my restraint as I avoid succumbing to collecting all the shiny things instead of doing actual missions.

Instead of playing an Assassin’s game like my usual obsessive-compulsive (but very stabby) magpie, this playthrough video will show you cutscenes, climbing, fighting, costume changes, mistimed jumps and some ruddy vicious looking machetes. I’ve put a few hours into the game since recording this footage and am pleased to say it’s going well so far. Aveline is a delightful character and the story is shaping up to be better than most Assassin’s games. Stay tuned for that review. Continue reading Opening Scenes | Assassin’s Creed: Liberation HD – First 20 Mins →