This time last year, I wrote some New Year Resolutions that we gamers should take to get the most from gaming and many of those points still stand today. Tempting as it was to adjust that article for 2014, I thought I’d set some resolutions for the Sony’s PlayStation 4 so it can have the best year possible.
It’s not going to be easy, especially with a resurgent Microsoft seemingly overcoming shooting themselves in the foot for most of 2013. Sony has a narrow lead right now, but here are 10 Resolutions to make sure they stay in front throughout 2014. Continue reading Top Ten Tuesdays | New Year Resolutions for the PS4 to Win 2014→
Since launch on the Xbox One, Jago has been the sole free fighter in Killer Instinct with everyone else available to purchase separately. However, Microsoft has just released a patch to replace him with Sabrewulf so players can try a new character free of charge, which could help lapsed gamers return to the fold.
For years, PSN and XBLA gamers have been enviously staring at the generous offerings PC gamers can gorge themselves on via sites like Steam, GOG and Green Man Gaming. The ever-increasing number of sites sees regular price war over these digital titles, leaving PC gamers the clear winners for cheap games.
For console gamers, it’s been a very different story as PlayStation and Xbox gamers have been left with one first-party option for a digital game store on their console. With only one option available, this has of course meant that there is no need for competitive prices or discounts bar the odd sale.
Square-Enix really want you to give Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII a chance. The new trailer for game number three in the XIII series is keen to show you the large numbers of quests available, the expansive maps and the reformatted combat. Oh and chocobos and moogles naturally.
Having had a hands-on with the game, I can say I enjoyed the new combat, which ditches the ‘press X to win’ mentality by assigning individual attacks/spells to the face buttons with more to choose from by changing your schemata (like the dress-sphere’s in FFX-2). And with 80 schemata to choose from -and all of them being customisable- it would seem like we’re finally getting some tactical depth in the series for the first time in years. Old stalwarts may still dismiss the lack of a traditional turn-based approach, but this is an improvement over the last two games, and is slightly turn-based in the sense that you can only dish out a few attacks at once before waiting for a meter to recharge. Continue reading Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Guided Tour Trailer→
While going to the cinema to see the movie will raise some eyebrows unless you have children, buying this is fine. Rock you inner man-child’s world by picking up the latest Lego game in February. The game ties in with the odd looking film which seems to be some sort of crime caper with new characters, but with the likes of Batman and other DC-types popping in to help out every now and then.
To be honest, we’ve no idea what’s going on in this latest trailer, but as Lego City Undercover showed, Traveller’s Tales don’t need to rely on a classic film/comic license to bring us a quality adventure. They know damn well by now we just want to collect shiny things. Speaking of shiny things, why not pick up the PS4/Xbone version of Lego Marvel Super Heroes for £29.99 with our deal. Enjoy the Lego Movie Videogame trailer after the break. Continue reading The Lego Movie Videogame Trailer→
I imagine many of our UK readers are familiar with our favourite satirist, Charlie Brooker with his sardonic take on the world that over the years has seen him rip into the worst of television and broadcasting, and write a few screenplays for satirical pieces like his zombie infested take on Big Brother, Dead Set or the ever-strange tales of Black Mirror.
Turns out he’s quite the gamer though, hell he might actually even like them. So much so, he’s put together a show entitled How Video Games Changed the World on Channel 4 to pick out the biggest titles from gaming’s history, we imagine with an idea of educating newbs. Those of you with access to 4 On Demand (or 4od) on your PC or gaming console should act fast, as today is the last day before the show disappears off the service. Continue reading Last Chance to Watch Charlie Brooker’s How Video Games Changed the World→
If you’re a late comer to the Assassin’s Creed series, or your interest for it has waned in recent years, this is the game for you. It’s also an essential purchase for any graphics-devouring next-gen console owners out there, as it’s a visual powerhouse from start to finish.
The story sees you essentially playing a game, within a game. You’re some sort of beta tester at Abstergo Entertainment, using the DNA-memory technology seen in the series beforehand to relive the memories of a famous line of Assassin’s. Rather than trying to save the world from Templars as Desmond Miles, this time you’re running through the life events of one Caribbean-based, Welsh pirate, Edward Kenway, to create a video game. It’s very Meta and inside knowledge of past events is handy for the little snippets of information you may find, but newcomers shouldn’t feel left out. There’s always a quick glance at Wikipedia if you need to catch up on the finale of the previous game(s).
Last week at the VGX Awards, Square Enix finally admitted they would be re-releasing Tomb Raider on the PS4 and Xbox One. This ‘Definitive Edition’ comes with a handful of visual upgrades including TressFX technology for Lara’s hair (like the original PC version), a remodelling for Lara’s face and better leaves and branches on the trees. And presumably better explosions, because that’s the next-gen dream right?
It will also include the previous pre-order incentive Tomb of the Lost Adventurer and there will be some unique touches that are only possible on next-gen machines. The Xbone version will include Kinect voice controls for weapon selection and the PS4’s DualShock light will light up when Lara’s lights a touch.
There’s even more packed in though! Like the extra skins, weapons and eight DLC maps for the multiplayer that everyone plays so much! Making of documentaries that you’d otherwise have to look for on YouTube! That really shitty digital prologue comic! And there’s an extra artbook in the Special Edition of the Definitive Edition for those of you wanting more than the Standard Edition of the Definitive Edition! What!
Not long after Ubisoft announced Watch Dogs, rumours and conspiracy theories began to float around that the game was going to be linked to the Assassin’s Creed series, possibly even as a full entry to the series’ canon.
Like any good zombie attack, you never see it coming and How to Survive will sink its teeth into your nights if you let your guard down while patiently awaiting the arrival of your shiny next-gen console.
EKO Software’s game is a top-down action-RPG that can be loosely compared with the likes of Diablo III or Dead Nation. After crash landing on a zombie-infested tropical island, you’ll need to scavenge for salvage and build weapons and armour to hold off the infected masses. The overall aim is to make a series of vehicle repairs via completing fetch quests. Ok, so not exactly a revolution of new ideas, but once How to Survive gets going, it’s hard to put down.
Tried out Killzone: Shadow Fall’s multiplayer yet? Pretty mean isn’t it? Don’t go running back to the warm embrace of Call of Duty just yet soldier. Man up, and check out our Sunday Seven Survival Tips to leave behind your days as a snivelling recruit and be reborn as a feared harbinger of doom. Failing that, maybe we can make that kill/death ratio a little less pitiful.
At last night’s VGX awards (formerly the VGA’s), Titanfall showed up to the party and unveiled two new classes of Titan gamers can look forward to piloting when the game lands in March on the Xbox One, 360 and PC.
Before today, we’d only seen and played as one regular Titan. To mix things up a little on the battlefield we will now have the Ogre and the Stryder to choose from too. The Ogre class is your choice for high damage output and resistance, but at the cost of speed. So it come’s as no surprise that the Stryder model is the opposite, sprinting around the battlefield and using nimble jet-thrust dodge moves to get the upper hand against slower opponents, although this means they will have the weakest armour of the Titans.
Contrast has been thrust into the limelight of the PS4’s launch thanks to its inclusion as a free game for all PS+ subscribers. And given that said subscription is required to play the PS4 online, it may be getting a bigger audience than it expected on opening night. No pressure then.
The game’s setup is an unusual one from the start as you control the odd pairing of Didi -the young girl- and Dawn, a female stage performer. More unusually, the other characters in the game don’t seem to see Dawn, and they only appear as shadows. This is the norm though as we see Didi talk with her parents in their shadow form throughout.
Bought a PS4 yesterday? Have a little trouble signing into PSN? Us too dear readers. As we expected, the servers strained and buckled under pressure as European gamers tried to sign into PSN on their new PS4’s to download demos, get their free PS Plus games, play online or redeem vouchers. At least the day one firmware patch was available to download without being signed into PSN.
You would think that buying a disc version of a top tier launch title would save some serious hard-drive space on your PS4. After all, who wants to download 50GB for Killzone: Shadow Fall?
Well you may want to consider upgrading your new PS4’s hard-drive to something much larger sooner thank you think as the mandatory installs from retail version Blu-rays for the likes of Killzone: Shadow Fall and Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag are freaking huge. Continue reading PS4 Game Discs Have Huge Mandatory Installs→
Bioshock Infinite’s first DLC surprised many of us when Irrational announced it would take place in the original game’s underwater city of Rapture and not in the floating city of Columbia. Surprised? Yes. Disappointed? Not one bit.
With Bioshock Infinite indicating the many possibilities of alternate universes, the concept of taking (a version of) Booker and Elizabeth to one of the most inspired locations in gaming history is one that pulls you in from the start, more so after teasing us with the idea in Infinite.
During the recent London Games Conference (LGC) it emerged that PEGI are helping to launch the International Age Ratings System Coalition. This new internationally recognised system will see a singular age ratings system being used across key gaming territories such as the UK, USA, South America, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand. Talks with Japan and south Korea to join are currently underway.
Time to clear out some of those old demos again folks. Next week sees a host of new titles arrive for PS Plus members on PS3, PS Vita and for the first time, PS4.
On November 27th, PS3 gamers will get one of the best racers out there in the form of Grid 2 and the mad mexican platformer beat’em up, Guacamelle. The Vita is getting Guacamelle too, Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed and the former PSP title GTA: Liberty City Stories. When the PS4 launches on the 29th, next-gen owners will be able to help themselves to the jazz noir platformer Contrast and the retro (but oh so shiny) shooter, Resogun. Continue reading Grid 2, Contrast, Resogun, Sonic Racing and More Coming to PS Plus Next Week→
Gaming reviews, previews and features by Brendan Griffiths
The No Sleep Gamer 