Category Archives: GAMING

GAMING

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Gets The Hollywood Trailer Treatment

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It’s the beginning of November and we all know what that means: A new Call of Duty game is about to hit the shelves. Whatever your opinion might be on the games, we can appreciate the advertising blitz that Activision Blizzard puts up every year to market the game. Whether it’s seeing Jimmy Kimmel and Kobe Bryant dodging bullets and rockets, Sam Worthington teaching Jonah Hill the ropes in tactical combat, or watching Robert Downey Jr. take down people in his fighter jet during Guy Richie’s commercial spot, we can always rely on some fun times for the game’s release.

This year is no different as Peter Berg steps up to the director’s chair for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and brings along his long time buddy Taylor Kitsch from Lone Survivor and Friday Night Lights, the most underrated show on television in the last 10 years. We get Taylor showing you, in a first-person perspective, the ropes of Advanced Warfare. In this new Call of Duty game, you have a jet pack for added mobility. Jump, strafe in mid-air, slide…this pretty much adds a whole new dimension to the game and the former Tim Riggins is going to show you how to do it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GccGbdLqTmQ

Oh yeah, Emily Ratajkowski shows up too. Just in case you really need this trailer to be more geared towards the male demographic.

call of duty advanced warfare emily ratajkowski

Back to the task at hand, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is coming out on November 4th, 2014. Of course, you can get the Day Zero Edition and play the game 24 hours before the release date in case you just need to scratch that itch. Kevin Spacey figures prominently into the game although he only makes a digital cameo in the trailer above. It should be some good times and maybe this exoskeleton and new combat mechanics could be what the doctor ordered in order to revitalize this game franchise. On that note, I leave you with my favorite commercial from the Call of Duty series, starring the incomparable Peter Stormare as “The Replacer.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZwdpXgPbKc

Are you excited for the game or have you had enough? Let us know in the comments below or just comment on our Facebook page as well!

Images: Activision Blizzard

GAMING

Sunset Overdrive Review: Slick Parkour Meets Fun Monster Mashing

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When gamers hear the name Insomniac Games, visions of several first party PlayStation exclusives come to mind. Insomniac has crafted classic franchises, such as Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet & Clank and Resistance. The year is 2014 and Insomniac has opted to lend their creative talents to Microsoft’s next-gen machine. Their major contribution to the Xbox One comes in the form of an incredible open-world shooter called Sunset Overdrive.

Sunset Overdrive’s plot exudes elements of punk attitude and going against the big wigs that hover over the free world. A massive conglomerate known as FizzCo introduces a new energy drink – OverCharge Delirium XT. Those unlucky enough to chug a whole can of this stuff turn into mutated, bloodthirsty creatures. Your custom created character comes in close contact with the anarchy that erupts as the entire city is closed off to the world, leaving you and some fellow survivors to fend off these disgusting mutants. The story here is fun to follow thanks to jokes that always hit the mark, a wide range of interesting protagonists and antagonists, and several nods to modern pop culture.

Sunset Overdrive

Sunset Overdrive takes place within a huge open world. The conveniently named Sunset City looks like a punk rock poster come to life within a sprawling metropolis, with huge parks, hundreds of apartment buildings, enormous skyscrapers and an entire network of power lines, streets and alleyways between them, all pulsing with vibrant colors and lights. But the size of Sunset City isn’t about setting alone; Moving your hero around Sunset City provides half of the fun. Your character can boost through the air, bounce off of cars, skate alongside rails and perform an impressive array of parkour stunts. The feeling of constant motion and racking up your temporary boost meter by doing tricks adds so much to an open world setting that has become more of a convention than an exciting feature in most AAA titles. If there are any barriers to jumping straight into Sunset City it’s the controls, which take some getting used to, and a wonky camera that can be a hazard while you’re careening down the street and trying to focus on a specific point of interest.

The majority of Sunset Overdrive is composed of main story missions, traversal challenges, tower defense mini games and a myriad of smaller side missions. Each task is a joy to play through, thanks to an abundance of variety to be found in each subset. One minute you’re taking down a pissed off FizzCo mascot and the next you’re using a wrecking ball to smash tons of invading mutants. The mission variety here offers hours of gameplay. The multiplayer modes are just as engaging. Defending your base against swarms of energy drink filled mutant with human allies never grows tiresome.

Sunset Overdrive

If there’s one thing we love about Insomniac Games, it has to be the developer’s creative collection of zany weaponry. Sunset Overdrive is packed with a ton of weapons that you wish you could stock up on for the zombie apocalypse, including a shotgun that shoots flame rounds, a harpoon gun that releases a pool of overcharge, a lethal bowling ball rocket launcher and a vinyl-launching machine gun. Each weapon feels distinct and fun to use, but it becomes clear pretty quickly that some guns are better than others. It’s easy to get attached to certain weapons because of their ability to down enemies more quickly. While there’s always the option to level up and upgrade each weapon, if the one you like happens to be fairly low on damage output, it’ll never match the firepower of its contemporaries.

The better implemented systems at play in this shooter are the use of amps and overdrives. These permanent boosters make your character stand out by adding special attributes to weapons and abilities. Equipping your melee weapon with the ability to send out flames, for example, mixes things up enough to make every subsequent enemy encounter feel fresh and new. The name of the game is mixing and matching different overdrives to power up your weapon classes and raise your defense against certain enemies.

Sunset Overdrive

Sunset Overdrive is one of the killer apps finally available on the Xbox One. The game’s personality-filled open world, rocking soundtrack, cool array of weaponry and never-ending variety of missoins make Sunset Overdrive a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Images: Insomniac Games

GAMING

Samurai Warriors 4: As Much Fun As Ever

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Another year, another Koei Tecmo feudal beat ’em up installment. This time, the royal Japanese warriors have joined forces once again to mash it out in Samurai Warriors 4. Longtime fans of the series have a pretty clear idea of what this fourth main sequel entails – smashing the opposition with flashy special attacks and racking up the body count. Series developer Omega Force knows its hack and slash games are a mindless but always entertaining time. They’ve set out to add even more cool wrinkles to the formula while still maintaining the frenetic pace this series is known for.

Samurai Warriors 4’s intense gameplay is split up into a fine mix of modes. The Story Mode offers players medium length campaigns that focus on particular characters and alliances. There’s a lot of playable tales to be had here as you discover the trials and tribulations of the game’s many characters. For history buffs and fans who have been following the series plot thus far, these fun plotlines offer up a bite-sized overview of the Warring States era. And as always, the game’s Free Mode gives you the option to take your favorite characters into any completed stage you desire. The formula here remains the same, but is still as fun as it’s ever been.

Samurai Warriors 4

The best mode has to be the game’s Chronicle Mode. Instead of running into battle with the huge roster of playable character you gradually unlock, you create one of your own. As you complete varying missions that have differing end goals, you’ll interact with the important generals that command you. This personal journey feels more involving and driven by your own actions, thanks to the choices given to you. You’ll have the option to expand your army of soldiers and even take on mission straight from your superior officer. The wealth of customizable items makes growing your character in this mode even more of a pleasure to play through.

Samurai Warriors 4

The gameplay seen in this latest sequel is all too familiar, but still a blast to play through. Continually slashing up hundreds of soldiers, adding new combos to your move list, collecting dozens upon dozens of stat boosting items, and going crazy with Hyper and Rage Attacks are still the bulk of the experience. Longtime fans will still love what’s offered here. The repetition felt from smashing the square and triangle button for entire missions can still be grating for newcomers. The game looks and sounds even better on its introduction to the PS4. It’s just disappointing that the overall mechanics of the game exhibit that “been there, done that” feeling.

Samurai Warriors 4

Samurai Warriors 4 does more of the same, for better or worse. The Story and Chronicles modes keep things from getting too stale, though. If you’ve loved these games up until this point, you already know what you’re getting into. Newcomers who find themselves getting bored quickly with all the hacking and slashing won’t have their mind changed with this sequel. Everyone else will still enjoy the Warring States beatdowns present here.

 Images: Koei Tecmo, Omega Force

GAMING

Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2: Pac Is Making Quite The Comeback

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Everyone’s favorite chubby chomper has had quite the resurgence these past few years. Bandai Namco has plastered his unmistakable likeness to new downloadable games, made him an official member of the new Super Smash Bros. and given ol’ Pac his own TV show. Last year’s video game tie, Pac-Man and The Ghostly Adventures, was a solid, but not to0 memorable romp through the cartoon’s varied worlds. This year’s sequel expectedly arrives with a few new elements here and there, but it maintains the mediocre quality that its predecessor exhibited.

Once again, Pac and his best buds are set on a mission to stop Betrayus’ new evil schemes. The plot here is your typical Saturday morning, half-hour story fare so there’s nothing too interesting occurring this time around. You’ll take on the role of Pac-Man and run around various worlds that open up as you complete entire sets of one. Each world comes with a nice variety of platforming sections that pit Pac-Man against moving platforms, plenty of ghosts and tricky jumps. The abundance of power-ups and enemies to chomp on are your usual Pac-Man platforming fare. Each world and its fitting themes look good enough. The familiar sounds associated with old school and new school Pac-Man should put a smile on fans of all ages, too.

Pac Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2

From time to time, you’ll come into contact with certain items that change-up Pac-Man’s repertoire of moves. Pac’s bouncy form lets him smash crates and hop to higher ledges, while his Ice Form allows him to freeze water fountains and use them for extra platforms. These mechanics are fun to utilize, but the majority of them have been seen before. Most of the platforming sections and Pac-Man forms seen here harken back to the last game, making this sequel a retread that’s decent at best. Sure, eating hundreds of pellets and eating tons of ghost in succession is fun at first. But doing these activities over and over gets tiresome real fast…

Pac Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2

The only fresh and new play mechanics added here are the on-rails shooting stages that include Pac-Man’s friends, Cylindria and Spiral. There is some extra fun to be had as you shoot down airborne ghosts, blast through obstacles, collect pellets and nab the highest score and medal you can. Nabbing high scores and medals across the game’s many worlds are fun in short bursts. But the all-too familiar gameplay and not-so-new Pac-Man transformations may bore you before too long.

Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 is just more of the same. The game itself is a solid platformer that includes a few gimmicks that may keep younger games around long. As for the older crowd who may have taken a chance on the 1st game in the series, there isn’t much new and fresh to get attached to here. This sequel feels more like a inconsequential upgrade than an actual improvement to a somewhat decent prequel.

 Images: Bandai Namco Games

GAMING

The Evil Within Review: Survival Horror Gets A Satisfying New Game

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“There is nothing to fear but fear itself.” FDR’s most poignant statement rings true here, but The Evil Within gives way more things to be afraid of. Shinji Mikami‘s one of gaming’s most prolific developers thanks to this work on the Resident Evil series. His newest survival horror adventure adopts the best elements of his former games and offers in a brand new package that’s equal parts terrifying and enjoyable.

The Evil Within’s plot is pretty hard to fit into one simple summary. From the start of the game, you take control of a veteran police detective by the name of Sebastian Castellanos.  Sebastian and his allies in the force respond to a distress call from an insane asylum. Upon their arrival, they come upon a gory scene and a mysterious individual with frightening abilities. Sebastian is forced to deal with all the puzzling horrors that populate his physical and mental being as he looks to discover this powerful villain. The story doesn’t become quite clear for a while, which can be annoying for some. Moving through each chapter means will get you closer and closer to the overall storyline, but getting there definitely takes some time.

The Evil Within

The game’s mechanics should be a breeze to anyone who’s played Resident Evil 4 and its long list of successors. Sebastian is controlled from a behind-the-back, 3rd-person viewpoint. As you should expect, the aiming/shooting controls are mapped comfortably to the shoulder buttons. Sebastian’s arsenal includes a pistol, a shotgun, a sniper rifle and a very special crossbow that goes by the moniker of “Agony.” Shooting down dozens of haunting creatures feels very satisfying and visceral, as you have the ability to aim at different body parts. Performing one hit melee kills also feels great (in a sick and twisted sort of way).

The Evil Within ditches the run and gun gameplay of Resident Evil’s post-survival horror status and adopts its more traditional survival horror antics. Ammo is scarce, there are rare moments of sunshine, plenty of violent goons are on your tail and mind-bending puzzles await you at various intervals. You’ll no doubt get sucked into the madness that takes over Sebastian at times. Moving into the plane where you upgrade and save is a harrowing but memorable experience all unto itself. The rest of the game’s jump scares and intense boss encounters guarantee you’ll be on edge but also be in the middle of having fun.

The Evil Within

The biggest issue with The Evil Within comes from its graphical hiccups from time to time. As cut scenes begin, it’s hard not to notice the texture pop-in and rough visuals. The dark interiors and heart wrenching environments fit the mood of the game, but they appear to be a bit rough and unfinished. The monster designs are nothing to scoff at though. Once you set your eyes on a certain deformed canine and relentless female creature, you won’t ever forget them. It’s just too bad that the graphics take a hit from time to time during the more involved scenes of the game. As for the sound, everything is just right in the audio department. Getting entrenched in this survival horror adventure feels even better with headphones on.

The Evil Within

The Evil Within is a quality horror adventure that revives the feeling of dread and unimaginable fear that was present during Resident Evil’s early beginnings. While the plot takes a bit long to start becoming clear and the visual hiccups are damaging, the overall experience here should be experienced. You’ll want to discover every creepy crawly and disturbed nightmare that lies within The Evil Within.

 Images: Tango Gameworks, Bethesda Games

GAMING

RetroN 5 – The Ultimate Console For Retro Gaming?

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People love looking back to the past and the older you get, the more desirable the days gone by can seem. How else can you explain the constant rebooting, remaking and continuing of franchises in pop culture affairs? Sure, some of it is laziness and the fact that it’s easier to continue on with an old concept than embark on a new one, but it’s not all that.  It is the fact that a key audience are already exists for these products. The memories of our youth and the thrill we got in experiencing these forms of entertainment for the first time makes us want to relive those moments again. That is why retro gaming continues to be popular among most gamers, a time when limited technology meant limited graphics, but not necessarily limited ideas, and certainly not limited game play.

To satisfy this demand for past gaming experiences you can use three methods. One is buying up all the old consoles themselves, games and all, and experiencing them first hand.  A huge amount of space is required for this endeavor however, so the second option is using combined gaming packages and emulators? Emulators tend to lose some of the appeal that a hard console would have, while gaming pack deals (like the 10 in 1 style systems) only give a limited range of games to play. This is where option three comes in -the RetroN 5 console.

retroN 5 console 1

The RetroN 5 is a multi-gaming consoles that has the capacity to play this wide range of games. The list includes the original Nintendo Entertainment System, Famicom, Super Nintendo, Super Famicom, Genesis, Mega Drive, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and the Game Boy Advance. As you will have noticed this includes both international and UK versions of the consoles meaning finally UK users can play Genesis carts without having to clumsily put them onto other carts, or downloading them onto the computer. There are ports included to plug in the original controllers for the SNES, Genesis and NES as well as having their own control pad.

retroN 5 console 2

It looks slightly cumbersome and has some harsh corners to it, but it is Bluetooth enabled and the design is kind of irrelevant when you can plug a retro controller in anyway. It also has an SD card inside to save images, stats and upload cheat patches. Oh yes, there are cheats included in this package to just like the old days! It even has a Game Genie cheat cart built into it, meaning an easier way to start skipping levels on games. And the HD cable link up gives a crisper image on all your games automatically.

retroN 5 console 3

The console design looks quite sleek, with a slightly Tron style vibe to it all. It comes in two colors, black and white and for having so many ports for games, the overall console is quite tightly wrapped together. Prices vary but it seems to retail for about $159.99 or roughly £119.99 for UK users (but sales in the UK seem to be limited). For what is basically five consoles in one, it’s a pretty solid price, and it’s available to purchase now. If you want to study the console in more detail you could visit the official website or the Hyperkin site and see for yourself what all the fuss is about.

Whether you get one will all depend on how strong the allure of the past is, but retro gamers would be well advised to check it out.

Images: Hyperkin , RetroN 5