Features, Hands-on previews, PC, Platforms

Can Oculus Rift and VR become the future of gaming?

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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

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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, Platforms, PS4

Is Sony Slapping PS Plus Members in the Face with DriveClub?

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Earlier this week, DriveClub’s new director Paul Rustchynsky responded to comments about the PS Plus Edition of the game to give readers some much wanted details about the upcoming racing game. When asked how the full-priced retail edition and the PS Plus version would differ he said: “The difference is that you only have 10 cars and you can only race in one country (which gives you access to 5 tracks with 11 distinct variants).”

It wasn’t long before disgruntled gamers started to question the rather thin nature of the release, especially seeing as earlier interviews with Sony and Evolution implied that the PS Plus Edition would appear, by most standards, to have content akin to that of a full-sized game and the full-priced version was going to be more of an extras-packed version, something more like the special editions we see ahead of other releases. Continue reading Is Sony Slapping PS Plus Members in the Face with DriveClub? →

Beat 'em up, PC, Platforms, PS4, Reviews, Xbox One

Mortal Kombat X (Review) – Gore galore

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Mortal Kombat X Review | Gore galore

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 →

Horror, PC, Platforms, PS4, Reviews, Xbox One

White Night (Review) – A noire in the dark

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White Night Review | A noire in the dark

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 →

Features

Dead Island 2 joins the 2016 exodus – which could be great news

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Dead Island 2 is the latest game to slip into 2016. Oh well, Uncharted 4 will have some company at least. But maybe this is a good thing?

Yager’s upcoming zombie smasher had been very quiet of late and was originally pencilled in for a Spring 2015 release, which seeing as we’re in it, we should have realised wasn’t happening. It turns out Yager were not happy with where the game was at, so it’s getting considerably more development time, which we’re seeing happen more often nowadays. Continue reading Dead Island 2 joins the 2016 exodus – which could be great news →

News

You may still be able to download Silent Hills P.T. despite its removal from PSN

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The P.T. Silent Hills teaser demo has now been deleted from PSN stores worldwide. Already, we’ve seen a few cheeky gamers put their PS4s with the demo installed on eBay for prices upwards of £1000. And who can blame them? Many people made quite a bit of money by doing the very same thing with their mobile phones when Flappy Bird was originally taken offline. We don’t think P.T. will be coming back though. However, there is a chance that you can still download it.

Many of us download any freebie we can get our hands on. And PlayStation + subscribers may certainly have a full hard-drive by now. Chances are you downloaded P.T. at launch, then deleted it before you got time to play it in order to free up some space or just generally tidy up your PS4’s dashboard. Well, you’re in luck if you still want to play P.T. and sample what we’re all going to be missing out on since the cancellation of Silent Hills. Continue reading You may still be able to download Silent Hills P.T. despite its removal from PSN →

News

PlayStation + May 2015 games are…

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This month’s selection for the PlayStation + Instant Game Collection has just been announced. We have to say, we’re a little disappointed that they don’t match the ‘leaked’ ones from a German site a few days ago. Another month goes by where I don’t get a free copy of Knack. That’s probably for the best though, as there are some decent titles to choose from this month, along with a few that you may not have heard of before.

Here’s what’s coming on May 6th with our review hyperlinked in where applicable: Continue reading PlayStation + May 2015 games are… →

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

7 reasons to be excited about Just Cause 3

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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 →

News

Just Cause 3 trailer is suitably insane

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Here it is folks, leaked a few hours earlier than we were expecting, the first proper gameplay trailer for Just Cause 3. It certainly doesn’t disappoint and is packed with that wonderful grappling hook, ridiculously dangerous attitudes to vehicle safety and more explosions than a Michael Bay montage. In short, it looks like the most fun game of 2015. Take a peek and see for yourselves.

Also, stay tuned to Dealspwn as I’ll be bringing you a feature article later today on some of the finer points that’ll have you wanting Just Cause 3 even sooner. Continue reading Just Cause 3 trailer is suitably insane →

News

Call of Duty: Black Ops III gets ridiculously fun trailer

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The brand new gameplay debut trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops III from Treyarch just landed and it’s pretty damn awesome if we’re honest.

You’ll have fun spotting some of the ‘influences’ from other hit games. So far we can see reminders of the likes of Vanquish, Titanfall, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Binary Domain and wait,,, Haze? We can’t wait to get our hands on the game as it looks set to continue in a similar manner to the highly enjoyable Advanced Warfare, despite development reverting back to Treyarch.

We didn’t see exo-suits, but enhanced movement like speed thrusts, wall-running and knee slides certainly seem to be in. Along with Deus Ex-style upgrades and robotic enemies and mechs as seen in the likes of Vanquish and Binary Domain. We’re certainly not complaining, mash up all these influences and you have the potential for a fantastic shooter. Advanced Warfare was the boot up the arse the series needed and Black Ops III looks like it may speed things up even more. We most certainly approve. Continue reading Call of Duty: Black Ops III gets ridiculously fun trailer →

News

Play Blackpool Arcade, Indie & Retro expo tickets still available

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Gaming fans should get themselves up north for the excellent Play Blackpool event running from May 2nd to May 4th. The show is an absolute bonanza for fans of all things retro, indie and arcade.

The show floor will once again be packed with consoles from every generation and fully unlocked classic arcade cabinets (do not insert coin!), featuring a classic selection of games for you to try. The console range is incredible and you’re bound to find a few that you never even knew existed. Or maybe you’ll finally get to play on something you’ve had your eye on for a while. Last year, I got to try out Nintendo’s ancient Virtual Reality headset, the Virtual Boy which was actually very impressive considering it was in people’s houses in 1995.

The range of modern indie games has been expanded this year. In addition to the wide selection of PC titles, there will also be Xbox One and PS4 areas sporting a wide range of titles, especially ones that feature local multiplayer. If you’ve wanted to try out the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, then this is the place to do it, just like I did last year. Llamasoft have confirmed they’ll once again be bringing something for you to play on it and a few other studios are said to be bringing VR games too. Continue reading Play Blackpool Arcade, Indie & Retro expo tickets still available →

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Mad Max gameplay trailer unleashes the Road Warrior

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Today’s brand new Mad Max trailer has been well worth the wait as we finally get to see lots of gameplay. As expected, there’s a large focus on the vehicular combat, which looks similar to Rage, but with the fun factor turned up to 11. The desert may be all sorts of brown, but it’s looking very detailed too.

The extensive trailer also shows off lots of combat features and emphasises that most of the on-foot action will be based around melee fights as ammo is incredibly rare in this post apocalyptic world. Customisation of your Magnum Opus car and Max’s gear also gets a look in showing that there’s much more depth to the game than we originally imagined.

Fans of the Mad Max movies may be a bit annoyed that the Australian setting seems to have been ditched for the States (are those the remains of the Golden Gate Bridge we see?), but we’re presuming this is something the upcoming movie remake has done anyway. That said, Gibson fans (he used to be cool, before he turned into a massive anti-semite) will enjoy brief glimpses of homages to the original movies, like Max eating dog food and a cheeky glimpse of the Thunderdome. Continue reading Mad Max gameplay trailer unleashes the Road Warrior →

Features, Platforms, PS4

Bloodborne’s new loading screens are a godsend

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Hunter’s gather! Bloodborne is now even better thanks to today’s 1.03 patch. Despite it being all sunny outside, I was tasked with stapling the curtains shut and checking out the new patch’s performance. A surprisingly large 2.75GB download later and I was able to do just that. What I found not only improved the game, but made failure that little bit easier to bear.

The new loading times are indeed much improved, with most now twice as fast. Before the patch, I’d typically expect a wait of around 40 seconds after death or nipping back to the Hunter’s Dream for fast travel or to spend some Blood Echoes. Today, respawning after death was a brisk 17 seconds and multiple trips back and forth from the hub world were also about 17 seconds. The only time it was any longer was when choosing to fast-travel to a location far away from my last one. Continue reading Bloodborne’s new loading screens are a godsend →

Features, Platforms, PS Vita

PS Vita Version 3 – Third time lucky?

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Have you recently heard rumblings a new version of the PS Vita handheld could be in the works? While only a few diagrams have appeared, the validity of which are highly questionable, it got me thinking that maybe a third version of the Vita could be third time lucky for Sony. Here’s how they could turn things around.

Of course, the Vita’s ‘success’ so far is a divisive topic. Gamers expecting a handheld that pumped out AAA titles like Uncharted: Golden Abyss on a regular basis feel understandably short-changed as Sony and third-party developers never really supported the Vita with any true ambition. Continue reading PS Vita Version 3 – Third time lucky? →

Features, PC, Platforms, PS4, Xbox One

Why Rocksteady quitting Batman after Arkham Knight is the right choice

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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 →

News

Star Wars: Battlefront trailer shows gorgeous ‘in-engine’ footage

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It’s been a great day for Star Wars fans as many of us had breakfast while hitting repeat on the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer, and now we have the first proper trailer for Star Wars: Battlefront. It looks like we’ll get to play the game before the new movie too as EA announced a November 20th release date in the UK and November 17th in US for the game PS4, Xbox one and PC.

If you’ve missed out on earlier details on Star Wars: Battlefront, we’ll catch you up before you watch the trailer below. Up to 40 players will do battle as two teams across famous environments of the original Star Wars trilogy. Players will be able to switch between first and third-person perspectives while on foot or when controlling vehicles. Oh yes, those iconic vehicles like AT-ATs, X-Wings, speeder bikes and more are back and set to be ridiculous amounts of fun. There will also be hero/villain gameplay opportunities where players will get to control legendary characters like Darth Vadar and walk around the Battlefield with almost godlike powers.

Sounds almost perfect, but we’re a little disappointed that there will be no space battles (local atmosphere aerial battles are still a thing). Being able to go from the battlefield to space in one fight would have been great though, and we were kind of expecting it as a next-gen feature to be honest. DICE General Manager Patrick Bach told IGN: “The core of Star Wars battles — the Endors, the Hoths, et cetera — you want to take that to perfection. You want to do it right. Space is hard, right? Not from a [development] perspective, but from a logistical perspective. Is that fun? For us it doesn’t make sense to create a battle above you if you’re fighting other players who are not there to fight. Our focus is to do planetary battles.” We’re not entirely sold on that excuse, but given how poorly DICE’s choppers handle in Battlefield 3 and 4, we might be better off. Anyway, aren’t you the best for reading through all this first? Enjoy the trailer!

Continue reading Star Wars: Battlefront trailer shows gorgeous ‘in-engine’ footage →

News

Ultra Street Fighter IV dated and priced for PS4 release

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Sony have just posted on their US blog, that they’re ‘aiming’ for a May 26th release date for Ultra Street Fighter IV on PS4 in the US and Europe. Fingers crossed they make the date as we’re pretty pumped for a new version of Street Fighter IV.

You’d think that after multiple re-releases, we’d be burnt out on Capcom’s series, but no. This new version will contain all of the extra costume DLC, all the extra characters and all stages released from every version of SFIV. Better yet, this version will also include five new characters and six new stages. The input lag noticed by some players of Ultra SFIVC on PS3 has also been fixed. The Omega Mode where all the character balances are nerfed will also make an appearance. Best of all though is the price. Continue reading Ultra Street Fighter IV dated and priced for PS4 release →

Features, Platforms, PS4

Cheap PS4 Hard Drive Upgrade Guide

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Looking for cheap PS4 hard drive deals is incredibly daunting. I’ve just spent hours browsing through loads of different sites and whittling through scores of drives to ensure these are the best prices and that the drives are compatible with a PS4 console. If you feel like browsing yourself, or double checking any deals below, here are some important specs you’ll want to ensure a hard drive has. If it’s not listed, try to contact the seller or don’t bother. Continue reading Cheap PS4 Hard Drive Upgrade Guide →

First Person Shooters, PC, Platforms, PlayStation 3, PS4, Reviews, Xbox One

Tower of Guns (Review) – Run n’ Gun Fun

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Tower of Guns Review | Run n' Gun Fun

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 →

Gaming reviews, previews and features by Brendan Griffiths