Category Archives: Previews

Hands-on previews, PC, Platforms, Previews, PS4, Xbox One

Hitman Beta Impressions – Agent 47’s job interview

Leave a comment

“Just drink the damn wine, you swine!” I mutter murderously. I’m dressed as a member of the cabin crew and am running out of glasses to clean behind the bar while I awkwardly wait for my target to pick up the glass of wine dosed with rat poison and save me the bother of getting throat flesh on my cheese wire. Aaaaand he’s walked away without taking his complimentary drink.

While rushing to follow him, I barge into some plantation owner-looking fossil, he alerts the guards which ends in me getting shot to shit while staggering down the gangway. This must be how Wile E. Coyote feels all damn day as he fails to murder the roadrunner. Welcome, to the Hitman beta. Continue reading Hitman Beta Impressions – Agent 47’s job interview →

Features, PC, Platforms, Previews, PS4, Regular previews, Xbox One

Cyberpunk 2077 may well be ‘bigger’ than Witcher 3, but not in the way you think

Leave a comment

In a recent interview with MCV, CD Projekt Red visual effects artist Jose Texeira said: “Cyberpunk is far bigger than anything else that CD Projekt Red has done before. Far, far bigger.”

The first thought that may pop into the head of any Witcher III: Wild Hunt player is probably going to be ‘how?’ Closely followed by anyone that had to review it with a cry of ‘WHY?!’ Witcher III is geographically massive. Made up of multiple maps that expand for miles, often requiring a boat to travel to until you unlock fast travel checkpoints. I’ve still not seen all locations in the game and I’ve put close to fifty hours in since release. And CDPR are expanding upon it again with the Hearts of Stone DLC later this month. Continue reading Cyberpunk 2077 may well be ‘bigger’ than Witcher 3, but not in the way you think →

Features, PC, Platforms, Previews, PS4, Regular previews, Xbox One

Why you won’t miss guns in Far Cry Primal

3 Comments

Far Cry: Primal wants to shake things up. For once, we’re seeing an established IP trying something far removed from why it became a success in the first place. The change to a Stone Age setting could be just what the series needs while it takes a break from modern times and guns. In fact, taking the guns away from Far Cry could allow the series’ strengths to shine.

Even the way the game was revealed is new for the series. Gone are the E3 demos or year-long waits (or longer). Instead, after a rather dull live stream of a cave painting (which we ignored until it became something to actually talk about), Ubisoft just went ahead announced the game and showed it in action via a new trailer yesterday. The biggest surprise though, was that it will be coming in February next year, just four months from now. Continue reading Why you won’t miss guns in Far Cry Primal →

Features, PC, Platforms, Previews, Regular previews, Xbox One

Did Microsoft choose the wrong stage demo for Rise of the Tomb Raider at E3?

Leave a comment

Well, that’s more like it Microsoft and Square-Enix! The new extended gameplay demo of Rise of the Tomb Raider is a considerable improvement over the arguably dull E3 2015 appearance. So much so, it’s hard to imagine why Microsoft went for the video they did for their on-stage gameplay reveal over the new one released over the weekend.

The timed Xbox exclusive is one of the year’s biggest releases and the gameplay reveal at E3 was one of our most anticipated parts of Microsoft’s show. But then it happened and they turned E3 into QTE3. It wasn’t a bad demo by any means, but there was a heavy focus on quick-time-events and climbing rather than showing us extended on-foot scenes. Tomb Raider scenes. Continue reading Did Microsoft choose the wrong stage demo for Rise of the Tomb Raider at E3? →

Features, PC, Platforms, Previews, PS4, Regular previews

Final Fantasy VII Remake facing drastic changes. Is Square-Enix playing with fire?

Leave a comment

Final Fantasy VII Remake facing drastic changes. Is Square-Enix playing with fire?

Hands up. Who’d given up on ever seeing a Final Fantasy VII remake? I certainly had, especially after reading one interview with Square-Enix a while back where they said they wouldn’t even consider it until they’d made a game as good as FFVII. Considering the XIII trilogy (they made three!) exists, it didn’t look good.

But as we saw during Sony’s presser, it is happening and will be coming to PS4 first and presumably other formats afterwards. We’re getting what we want. But are we? Continue reading Final Fantasy VII Remake facing drastic changes. Is Square-Enix playing with fire? →

Features, Platforms, Previews, PS4, Regular previews

Was The Last Guardian the real star of the most explosive E3 yet?

Leave a comment

Was The Last Guardian the real star of the most explosive E3 yet?

Now that all the E3 2015 press conferences are finally over, I’ve been able to take a much-needed step back and reflect on the games that have really stood out. And The Last Guardian stands out in way that few others did.

While we had explosive blockbuster displays and epic reveals from the like of Horizon: Zero Dawn, Fallout 4, Halo 5, Doom and many more, nothing really formed an emotional bond as much as the reappearance (demo video below) of The Last Guardian. But why? Continue reading Was The Last Guardian the real star of the most explosive E3 yet? →

Features, PC, Platforms, Previews, Regular previews

Oculus Rift rundown of new details and new controllers

Leave a comment

Oculus Rift rundown of new details and new controllers

The consumer model of the Oculus Rift has just been unveiled via a live stage show broadcast on Twitch. Here are all the updated details about the Virtual Reality headset that you’ve been waiting for along with the new game announcement details and some incredible details about TWO new controller input options that have just been confirmed.

Coming in Q1 2016, the Virtual Reality headset has been eagerly awaited for the last few years since smashing its kickstarter goal and more recently, being acquired by Facebook for millions. And we’re edging ever closer to making Virtual Reality an actual reality. So how about some details about that consumer model headset? First up, it’s no longer this awkward, large and bulky set of boxes and straps. The ergonomics of the headset have been tweaked over the years to create a lightweight unit, that can be put on with the simplicity of a baseball cap. Continue reading Oculus Rift rundown of new details and new controllers →

Hands-on previews, Platforms, Previews, PS4

Rocket League Preview | PS4’s hottest new exclusive?

Leave a comment

What is Rocket League? Put simply, it’s football/soccer with large remote controlled cars, and it’s kinda brilliant.

I’ve been getting stuck into the new beta and Rocket League is already shaping up to be an essential PS4 multiplayer title. There will be local multiplayer options in the final game, but this beta has focussed on the online matches and is already showing huge potential. Continue reading Rocket League Preview | PS4’s hottest new exclusive? →

Hands-on previews, PC, Platforms, Previews, Xbox One

Wulverblade Preview | The beat ’em up is back

Leave a comment

Wulverblade remembers the good ol’ days of playing side-scrolling beat ’em ups with friends on consoles like the Sega Mega-Drive and wants to bring that feeling back to modern consoles. At the Play Blackpool retro gaming expo it’s finding a lot of new fans, as many attendees were brought up on the likes of Streets of Rage and Double Dragon, so have no problem diving straight into Wulverblade.

Unlike many modern titles leaning on the nostalgic angle, you won’t see Wulverblade sporting a pixel art style or looking like it could have run on a console twenty years ago. Instead the art direction shows a stunning cel-shaded style more akin to Castle Crashers. But with additional limb-lopping. Continue reading Wulverblade Preview | The beat ’em up is back →

Features, Previews

Could all be forgiven with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5?

Leave a comment

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 is finally an official thing! Activision have just announced that Robomundo and Disruptive Games will be teaming up once again after their work on previous entries, Ride, Shred and the HD remaster of the original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater.

Obviously, we have a few reservations seeing as Shred and Ride (the ones with the criminally awful skateboard peripheral) were terrible games that effectively killed off the brand. Even their HD port of the original Pro Skater was rougher than we hoped. Continue reading Could all be forgiven with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5? →

Features, Hands-on previews, PC, Platforms

Can Oculus Rift and VR become the future of gaming?

Leave a comment

Over the course of the recent Play Blackpool expo, I was able to get my third hands-on experience with the Oculus Rift. It was the first time I’d been able to test the latest Crescent Bay model and earlier today we learned that the consumer model will launch in the first quarter of 2016. But is Virtual Reality ready to compete in the world of gaming? Can it be the next big thing? Let’s look at the latest evidence via hands-on experiences and by examining the VR climate.

With the ever-growing list of headsets being announced, there’s no denying the industry giants believe Virtual Reality has a large part in the future of gaming. In addition to the Oculus Rift, we have Sony’s Project Morpheus and the HoloLens from Microsoft. More recently we’ve seen Valve/HTC enter the fray with Vive, which could possibly arrive later this year, beating Oculus to the punch. Continue reading Can Oculus Rift and VR become the future of gaming? →

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

PREVIEW: Gunnihilation | Bullet Ballet Bloodbath

Leave a comment

When playing a game for the first time at a gaming expo, often with fellow gamers looking over your shoulder, you want it to have that essential pick up and play feel where you can settle into that groove of having a great time and looking like a badass all at once. Gunnihilation is that game.

Playable on PC at Play Blackpool, but using an Xbox One controller, this twin-stick shooter has classic retro visuals paired with vitally responsive controls as you combine shooting with platforming to enormously satisfying effect. It’s also playable in co-op, which is even better. Continue reading PREVIEW: Gunnihilation | Bullet Ballet Bloodbath →

Features, PC, Platforms, Previews, PS4, Regular previews, Xbox One

7 reasons to be excited about Just Cause 3

2 Comments

Top 7 reasons to be excited about Just Cause 3

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 →

Features, Previews

Lego Dimensions: how the magic of Lego could dethrone Skylanders

Leave a comment

Lego Dimensions has just been announced, finally confirming the rumours that Warner Bros Interactive were getting in on the toys-to-life genre that has flourished in recent years with the likes of Skylanders, Disney Infinity and more recently, Amiibos.

As adult gamers, we’re often quite cynical about this burgeoning genre, as it often seems like an exploitative cash grab designed to prey upon the pester power of kids on their parents. Or as we’ve seen with the Amiibos, honing in on your most loyal fans with toys that add very little to a gaming experience and even worse, releasing limited numbers of some of them, making fans snap them up even sooner, before the eBay merchants get them all. Worse yet, most of these toys add nothing to a game that couldn’t have just been DLC. Continue reading Lego Dimensions: how the magic of Lego could dethrone Skylanders →

Features, Platforms, PlayStation 3, Previews, Video, Xbox 360

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII | Combat Playthrough

Leave a comment
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII | Combat Playthrough

Only a few short weeks to go now before the concluding part of the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy and we’re celebrating with a video playthrough to show you the new combat system. The apparently not backwardly-named Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, has ditched the stale combat of the last two games by assigning various attacks and spells to the face buttons of your controller.

Customisation is back in style too as you can enter battle with three different Schema, each with their own set of skills to give you extra combat options. With around 70 Schema to choose from in the final game -each of them customisable too- the depth on offer is looking absolutely huge. For the most part, Lightning will be on her own, but the Schema changes give the game a quasi team-based feel and the slicker combat feels like Square Enix could be onto a winner. Plus, Lightning is easily the best member of the XIII cast. Continue reading Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII | Combat Playthrough →

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

Bloodborne (Hands-On Preview)

2 Comments

Chances are, you’re either a big fan of the Dark Souls series or you just can’t be doing with their brand of no-nonsense difficulty and downright unresponsive controls.

Me? I’m not a fan and haven’t been since I played the original Demon’s Souls. So why am I the one talking to you about Bloodborne, a game by the same devs and seen as a potential killer exclusive on the PS4 for fans of From Software’s series? Well, after trying out the recent Alpha, I’m thinking maybe Bloodborne will be worth a look after all and those of you that aren’t fans of the Souls games probably shouldn’t dismiss it so soon.

Continue reading Bloodborne (Hands-On Preview) →

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

The Evil Within (Hands-on Preview)

1 Comment

 

Remember: Burn After Bleeding

Today’s session sees our detective leading man making his way through a sinister mansion full of strange noises, tortured sobbing, wet ripping sounds and a host of nasties sporting dead-eyed barbwire couture. Forget any concerns about the ‘haunted mansion’ cliché, this is the sort of nasty setting we’ve missed in recent years. And don’t forget, this is just one stage of Shinji Mikami’s blood-soaked love letter to the genre he helped to define.

It’s also the first decent taste of horror on new-gen hardware and it suitably impresses on the graphical front from the start. It’s the shadows that really put you on edge though. Be it the flickering shards emitted by your gas lamp as you edge down a dim corridor, the light behind a sheet betraying the twitching silhouette or the gradual pouring of light into a dark room as you slowly creak open a door into the unknown.

Continue reading The Evil Within (Hands-on Preview) →

Hands-on previews, PC, Platforms, Previews, PS4, Xbox One

Project Cars (Hands-On Preview)

Leave a comment

“Try to catch that car in front or just bring it back in one piece.” These are the deflating words of my pit manager when skidding around in last place on the final lap in Project Cars.

Project Cars is tough. With no driving aids turned on for my first play session with the new racing IP, I can’t help but feel the pressure mount as every time I look up in the Bandai Namco offices, I see a Dark Souls II poster – judging, mocking and not helping my blood temperature one bit.

Things improve though and despite the harsh challenge, which comes mainly from the handling rather than the AI (but more on those guys later), I found myself keen to iron out my racing sim wrinkles and lose those pesky kart racer habits. To be fair, it’s not like PS4 is exactly packed with skill-honing racing sims right now.

Continue reading Project Cars (Hands-On Preview) →

Features, PC, Platforms, PlayStation 3, Previews, PS4, Regular previews, Xbox 360, Xbox One

The Sunday Seven: Under the Radar Releases This Xmas

Leave a comment

The Christmas release line-up has a long tradition of being ridiculously packed every year. After one of the driest gaming summers in recent memory, this is all the more frustrating. The big publishers will often drown out the marketing efforts of any releases that aren’t Call of Duty, FIFA, Halo or other major console branded spots, so this list is for seven games that deserve a little boost and ones we hope won’t get brushed aside in favour of the usual suspects. Keep your browser aimed at Dealspwn as we’ll be aiming to review the lot of them.

Continue reading The Sunday Seven: Under the Radar Releases This Xmas →

Features, Hands-on previews, Platforms, Previews, PS Vita, PS4, Video

Opening Scenes: Velocity 2X – 27 Mins of Gameplay

Leave a comment
Opening Scenes: Velocity 2X - 27 Mins of Gameplay

The PS4 offerings for PS+ have been a bit too niche for their own good in recent months, but Velocity 2X is a stone cold classic. This newly released title is available for free to anyone on Sony’s subscription service and is out now on both PS4 and Vita.

Today we have 27 minutes of gameplay footage for you, captured from the PS4 version as I play the game for the first time. Velocity 2X is a hybrid of retro shooter and 2D platformer and works best when played at full tilt. The video shows off how effortlessly the game switches between the two genres to become one of the best releases of the year so far. We’ll have a review for you soon, but for now check out what you’re missing, then go and download it. Continue reading Opening Scenes: Velocity 2X – 27 Mins of Gameplay →