Back in 2010 I had to review the original Demon’s Souls on PS3. We did not get along. While I appreciated it trying to stand out from the crowd with its bastard hard difficulty and measured approach, it wasn’t for me. There’s a fun to challenge ratio I find acceptable in games and the unresponsive combat and miserly checkpoints just didn’t sit personally.
By the time Dark Souls appeared, I was relieved to see another member of staff take it on instead. And that was the last I saw of the series until From Software released Bloodborne in the PS4. Our Souls-friendly staffer was yet to grab Sony’s new machine, so I found myself handling the beta and review. Then something strange happened, I started to like it. Continue reading A Bloodborne convert plays Dark Souls III →
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) →
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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) →
Survival Horror has been a festering corpse for a while now. Resident Evil and Dead Space have mutated in shooting games with limited ammo and we’re left with the Silent Hill series that’s been struggling since SH3. Nowadays we have Demon’s Souls (ish) and Amy, the later being my frontrunner for worst game of the year.
I’m all for giving Silent Hill: Downpour a shot as it has to be better than SH: Homecoming at least. And I’m glad to say it is. Thankfully, the new developers, Vatra have at least played Alan Wake, one of the rare gems the genre has produced in recent times. Hold it; I should probably put a hold on the semi-optimistic slant this review was heading. This game’s no Alan Wake beater, just so you know.
Continue reading Silent Hill: Downpour (Review) →
Gaming reviews, previews and features by Brendan Griffiths
The No Sleep Gamer 