Reviews

Class of Heroes 2G Set for Boxed PS3 Release, Very Limited Print Run - Mygamer.com

If you are a game collector or want to sell this on eBay in a few years to make a couple extra bucks, buying a copy of this super rare PS3 version of Class of Heroes 2 is the way to do it. MonkeyPaw just released this news about the physical disc version of Class of Heroes 2.  You can read our review of the PSP version HERE.

MonkeyPaw and GAIJINWORKS are proud to announce they have gathered enough support and will release a limited edition physical, boxed version of Class of Heroes 2G for the PlayStation 3.

Once the pre-sale wraps up on July 25, 2014, that batch of orders will be the only production run done. This will make Class of Heroes 2G one of the rarest boxed games in existence.

The limited edition physical package will entail a double-sided package cover insert, full color ink-scented manual, full color disk art and a serial numbered hologram attached to each game package.

The limited edition physical copies of the game will be available for purchase for $49.99 (+$4 shipping) directly from the GAIJINWORKS website at www.gaijinworks.com. The digital version of Class of Heroes 2G will continue to retail for $34.99.

To celebrate the rallying support of fans worldwide MonkeyPaw and GAIJINWORKS are also hosting a giveaway for simply ordering a copy through the pre-sale.

Every person who orders a copy will be entered into a giveaway to win a Tomba! plush. For the duration of the pre-sale, each copy ordered will count as an entry and will carry over each week untilJuly 25, 2014.

Class of Heroes 2G is an epic dungeon crawling RPG uniquely set in the environment of an adventuring school, Crostini Academy of Adventuring Arts.  Players can participate in almost 100 quests, encountering over 100 death-dealing Labyrinth maps teeming with 250 different monster types. Exclusive to the North American version is a dual-screen control feature that allows players to use a PlayStation Vita or PSP  to control the PlayStation 3 game.

About the author: squallsnake View all posts by squallsnake

Editor in Chief - been writing for MG for over a decade

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Free-To-Play World of Tanks Xbox 360 Edition Retail Version Coming Soon ... - Mygamer.com

Wargaming and Microsoft announced the street dates for the World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition Combat Ready Starter Pack that will be available worldwide at participating retailers starting on August 12, 2014. Specific dates and prices for each region are as follows:

• August 12 – North and South America
• August 14 – Asia-Pacific
• August 29 – Europe

Available at a discounted price of $19.99 (£15.99), the bundle will offer players additional value of exclusive items that will enhance their experience with the award-winning console game that is free-to-play for all Xbox Live Gold members. All other Xbox Live account holders can get in on the action for a free seven-day trial.

For the first time, players will get to drive the premium Panzer 38H Tier II German light tank, famously known for its heavy armor and quick firing gun.

The full contents of the Combat Ready Starter Pack are:

• The premium Panzer 38H Tier II German light tank, currently available through the retail package for a limited time
• 3 days of premium account time granting 50% boost in accumulated Silver and experience
• 200,000 in-game Silver
• 1500 in-game Gold
• 30-day voucher code for Xbox Live Gold status

About the author: squallsnake View all posts by squallsnake

Editor in Chief - been writing for MG for over a decade

Club Nintendo July 2014 Summary - Mygamer.com

Virtual Console Only Month -

It is a new month which means new Club Nintendo (CN) games are available! Dipping back into their 3D Classics catalog, Kid Icarus makes his return in this eShop exclusive and stands as the highlight this month. However, all the games available were previously available via CN at some point in the past so you might already have these games in your digital library.

Game #1 – 3D Classics: Kid Icarus (3DS eShop)
Price – 200 Coins, normally $5.99
Availability – July 7, 2014 – August 3, 2014
Summary – Experience Pit’s first NES adventure in 3D.
Opinion – This title was a part of the CN program back in March 2013 for 150 Coins. But if you do not already own this game, this is one of the better exclusive options available.
Worth Your Club Nintendo Coins? – Yes! Get it.

Game #2 – Metal Torrent (DSiWare on 3DS eShop)
Price – 200 Coins, normally
Availability – July 7, 2014 – August 3, 2014
Summary –An exclusive bullet hell on DSiWare.
Opinion – Metal Torrent has been available through CN before back in Feb 2013 but it for 150 Coins, 50 Coins less than today’s offering.
Worth Your Club Nintendo Coins?   3D Classics: Kid Icarus is the way to go this month but this is the one non-Virtual Console-ish title available.

Game #3 – Donkey Kong Jr. (Wii U Virtual Console)
Price – 200 Coins, normally
Availability – July 7, 2014 – August 3, 2014
Summary – DK Jr busts Dad out of prison.
Opinion – DK Jr is a piece of gaming history built around getting a high score.
Worth Your Club Nintendo Coins? – While it isn’t a bad game, 200 Coins is a little steep especially when there are other better alternatives this month for the same price.

Game #4 – Paper Mario (N64 on Wii U Virtual Console)
Price – 250 Coins, normally
Availability – July 7, 2014 – August 3, 2014
Summary – Mario’s first Paper adventure
Opinion – Like Kid Icarus and Metal Torrent, Paper Mario was available through CN back in Feb 2013 for 200 Coins; the cost of inflation, I guess.
Worth Your Club Nintendo Coins? – If you have Coins to spare and enjoy light hearted RPGs, this is the way to go.
For more information about Club Nintendo click HERE.

Previous Club Nintendo Games Offered in 2014:

June 2014:
Electroplankton Rec-Rec (3DS eShop)
Kirby’s Dream Land (3DS VC)
Kirby’s Adventure (WiiU VC)
Mario Party 2 (WiiU VC)
 

May 2014:
3D Classics: Kirby’s Adventure (3DS)
Brain Age Express Arts and Letters (3DS)
Mario Kart 64 (WiiU VC)
Super Metroid (WiiU VC)
April 2014:
Trajectile (DSiWare on 3DS eShop)
Super Mario World (SNES on Wii/Wii U VC)
Art Academy: First Semester (DSiWare on 3DS eShop)
Mario Golf (N64 on Wii/Wii U VC)
March 2014:
Kid Icarus Myths and Monsters (GB on 3DS VC)
Number Battle (DSiWare on 3DS eShop)
Yoshi (NES on Wii U VC)
Bonsai Barber (WiiWare)
February 2014:
Art Style: Pictobits (DSiWare on 3DS)
Donkey Kong Jr. (NES on 3DS VC)
Punch-Out!! (NES on Wii U VC)
Super Mario RPG (SNES on Wii U VC)
January 2014:
Game & Watch Mario’s Cement Factory (DSiWare on 3DS)
Spin Six (DSiWare on 3DS)
F-Zero (SNES on Wii U VC)
1080 Snowboarding (N64 on Wii U VC)

About the author: squallsnake View all posts by squallsnake

Editor in Chief - been writing for MG for over a decade

GRID Autosport, EA Sports UFC, Another World: 20th Anniversary Edition ... - The Independent

*****

PS3, Xbox 360, PC (£34.99)

After the bad handling of GRID 2, GRID Autosport gets down to the actual reason for playing a racing game: the racing. It is a triumph – fast-paced and exciting, with visuals no less jaw-dropping than next-gen counterparts. With day and night races, and 100 routes in 22 locations around the world, there is also plenty of variety. Codemasters has taken a game that was already oozing class and driven it forward, to deliver something racing fans will undoubtedly love.

David Crookes

Ultra Street Fighter IV; Transistor; Swords & Soldiers, gaming reviews - The Independent

****

Xbox 360, PS3, PC (£11.99)

The best incarnation of the legendary fighting game gets a makeover five years after its release with this new update. New game modes and a few additional characters (taking the total to 44) don't sound like substantial changes – but coupled with a rebalance of the existing fighters that brings the characters closer in ability, they make this classic more playable than ever. Frantically bashing buttons to make Blanka turn electric, infuriating friends with relentless hadoukens and keeping your distance with Dhalsim has never been so fun.

Simon Rice

Transistor

*****

PS4, PC (£14.99)

Transistor is a beautifully sculpted creation. The game's captivating story is relayed through the note-perfect narration emanating from the trapped soul within the eponymous weapon. Being locked within Transistor's vibrant, sublime world of sci-fi cyberpunk is a treat, as the ghostly electronic soundtrack melds with an elegant neon landscape. Equally impressive is the intuitive gameplay that introduces bursts of strategic, action RPG into real-time combat. A haunting, opulent work which is the PS4's first unequivocal masterpiece.

Oliver Cragg

Swords & Soldiers

***

Wii U (£2.69)

To celebrate its fifth anniversary, Swords & Soldiers gets an HD re-release on the Wii U. It works well with the touchscreen, as it maintains the simplicity of action that served the game well on mobile platforms. The difficulty curve is perfect to keep players going even when frustration rears its head, and a neat multiplayer mode is great if you do come to an impasse on single-player levels. With a quirky 2D art style and polished presentation, it's worth a look for any fans of real-time strategy.

Sam Gill

Video gaming reviews mixed in Wood River - Alton Telegraph

WOOD RIVER — Video gaming machines have had differing impacts on Wood River businesses in the years since being legalized, but one thing is certain — they’re here to stay.

Video gaming was legalized in the state of Illinois in October 2012, and machines started showing up in spots around Wood River as early as November of the same year. By January 2013, machines were in three different Wood River establishments, and those numbers have continued to grow. As of this past April, nine different Wood River establishments had a combined 42 video gaming terminals in operation.

Money spent at the machines has increased with their popularity. In April, the most recent month for which there’s information on the Illinois Gaming Board’s website, gaming machines in Wood River bars and restaurants earned $131,897.87. According to the website, area patrons put $494,799 into machines in April alone.

That doesn’t mean area bar and restaurant owners are suddenly wealthy, though. As part of the state’s statute, 25 percent of the revenue brought in goes to the state, and another 5 percent is kicked back to the municipality in which they’re located. The remaining 70 percent is split between the businesses and terminal owners, leaving roughly 35 percent to the business owners.

Barb Nelson, an employee at the Wood River bar Chico’s Lounge, said the video gaming terminals have provided a small boost, but mostly, “they’re just there.

“They’re a nice addition, but they’re not the answer to everything,” Nelson said.

Among the complaints Nelson has heard is the machines’ “free spin” advertisement that isn’t free to players. Nelson also said the inability to offer promotions such as free food or drinks for video gamers also limits the bar’s ability to draw in new players. Ultimately, she said, some patrons would rather make the 10-minute drive down to the Alton Belle Casino.

Religious and anti-gaming groups have also moved to have the machines banned in some cities. Last year, a group of citizens collected signatures around Highland for the purpose of placing an advisory referendum on the ballot. Fifty-five percent of voters voted against allowing it in the city, but Highland lawmakers have not voted on an ordinance to make the machines illegal.

Other municipalities have made such a move, with Bethalto and Roxana having ordinances in place prohibiting the machines. Wood River City Manager Jim Schneider said he’s heard little opposition to the machines aside from one anonymous letter received by the city.

While some businesses have seen a negligible difference since the machines were legalized, others have noticed more of an effect. Donna Campbell, owner of Phil’s Bar and Grill in Wood River, said she’s seen an increase in business and profit since the machines were turned on in her bar a little over a year ago.

The machines may soon become more prevalent in Wood River, too. Along with the nine current bars and restaurants offering video gaming, the state gaming board’s website lists The Rubber Duck and the Corner Bar as having pending applications for a video gaming license.

As far as what’s next from the city’s perspective, Schneider said they have no intent to ban the machines but he said the city’s next step will be to attempt to regulate how many establishments receive licenses. Schneider said the idea is simply to avoid having “500 of these every 10 feet.

“I don’t think we’re going to attempt to outlaw it,” Schneider said. “We don’t want it to get out of hand with the number of establishments. That’s what we’re looking at right now — the number we’re going to allow, and go from there.”

Nathan Grimm may be reached at 618-208-6451 or on Twitter @GrimmTelegraph.

GRID Autosport, EA Sports UFC, Another World: 20th Anniversary Edition ... - The Independent

*****

PS3, Xbox 360, PC (£34.99)

After the bad handling of GRID 2, GRID Autosport gets down to the actual reason for playing a racing game: the racing. It is a triumph – fast-paced and exciting, with visuals no less jaw-dropping than next-gen counterparts. With day and night races, and 100 routes in 22 locations around the world, there is also plenty of variety. Codemasters has taken a game that was already oozing class and driven it forward, to deliver something racing fans will undoubtedly love.

David Crookes

Another World: 20th Anniversary Edition

****

Wii U, 3DS, PS3, PS4, Xbox One, PS Vita (£7.19)

Another World was originally launched for the Amiga and Atari ST in 1991, with the grandstanding claim that "It took six days to create the Earth – Another World took two years". Remarkably, it lived up to the hype: a moody alien platformer that built a strong feeling of isolation with high-stakes gameplay and a largely wordless narrative. This 20th anniversary edition (originally made for iOS in 2011) offers players a choice between the original graphics or a clean-lined HD version that faithfully updates the characters and backgrounds. It offers a welcome return to a videogame world that still possesses a unique sense of mystery and danger.

Sam Gill

Video Game Review: EA Sports UFC - New York Daily News

It looks so much like the real thing, from the jaw-jarring punches to the face to the dramatic flying knees off the cage. And then you hit the ground and you realize it's not close to the real thing at all.

Get ready to step into the octagon with EA Sports UFC, a game that definitely gets graphical detail, even if it misses the finer points of mixed martial arts brawling. Developer EA Canada's first go-round with the UFC franchise results in a game with flaws. But hey, at least those flaws look good on your brand-new next-gen console.

Few sports games look as good as EA Sports UFC and that's noticeable from the outset. From Chuck Liddell to Jon Jones, all the brawlers on the 97-person roster bare striking resemblances to their real-life counterparts. That includes little things like facial lines, and bags around the eyes and blemishes. When it comes to details on character models, this is the best-looking sports game on the market.

It's a brilliant, realistic tapestry of violence, one that gets bloodier as each bout goes on. There's realism in everything; brawlers move about the octagon with an appropriate amount of heft, and faces contort and skin ripples with every vicious punch and liver shot. Sweat and blood fly at contact, and as each bout goes on, the fighters' faces show signs of wear, their fatiguing breathes become obviously heavier. The violence of mixed martial arts has simply never looked this good.

It's a shame, then, that the mechanics of the game fall so short of good MMA battling. Start with too many kinds of controls (four different schemes, depending on the position of your foe), and add in inconsistencies within those schemes.

Stand-up action is the most sound, with the ability to target punches and kicks, which is good. And boy, does it feel satisfying to fly off the cage and deliver a knee to your opponent. The beautiful action visuals combined with the flair of the moves themselves make for great highlights.

The bad? A single block button keeps defense from being truly skill-based and wrecks the effect of a targeted combo.

The ground game, meanwhile, is the shakiest phase of the action. Here, the drama of UFC is largely reduced to right-stick wiggling and minigames. The mini-games in particular are so involved that they very nearly take you out of the MMA action.

Meanwhile, the game's offerings are also a bit behind the sports curve. Yes, there's a career mode, but it lags behind other titles, presenting none of the depth of Madden's Franchise and little of the creativity of NBA 2K's MyPlayer. It's more a yeoman's job that starts you off in a reality show and follows you through a career's worth of bouts. Yawn.

In the end, EA Sports UFC is hardly great, but it is a nice first effort from EA Canada. The developer has laid a solid visual groundwork on next-gen, and you have to hope they build out next year, polishing the controls and creating more impressive gameplay modes. The top sports games on the market all give you several reasons to play and that's something that EA Sports UFC is going to need in the future.

For now, it looks good. And hey, there are worse ways to get a franchise started.

Reviewed on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One

Video Game Review: Kim Kardashian: Hollywood - New York Daily News

Apparently, it takes a lot of work to do pretty much nothing in Hollywood. And it’s not all that much fun.

Maybe that’s the pearl of wisdom within Kim Kardashian’s egotistical little video game, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. The (sort of) free title was released on iOS and Android on Wednesday, giving anyone with no life a chance to “join Kim Kardashian on a red carpet adventure” that’s even more shallow than an episode of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.”

It’s all about rocketing from no-list to A-list in Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, and I got to do it with exactly one talent: an ability to mindlessly jab my finger against my iPad screen. Maybe that’s how it works in real life, too, in this age when we live on our smartphones, but it doesn’t make for a fun game.

It’s actually a painful one. The battle is against boredom and fatigue, two things that happen as you do absolutely nothing in Hollywood. You have to figure Mrs. Kanye fights the same issues in real life; she certainly sounds like it when she speaks to you in a monotone throughout the game.

But she’ll impart plenty of wisdom along the way. I first meet Kim shortly after I’ve made a surprisingly detailed, cartoony avatar of myself and closed up shop at the Hollywood boutique where I serve as a clerk. She wants back into my boutique for a new outfit, and I have no choice (even though the game pretends that I do) but to let her in. Moments later, she’s inviting me to a party and steering me towards an agent who will get me some modeling deals.

Things get interesting after that. I hit the party and flirt with a girl because hey, as Kim reminds me on a loading screen, “Dating famous people will get you more fans, too.” She’ll hook me up with somebody later, of course, but for now, I’m flirting. And for now, that gets me in trouble with a guy awaiting me outside the bar, saying I messed with his girl. We don’t fight, of course; he just disses me on Twitter later.

Hey, it’s 2014, and once you know Kim K., it’s easy to become a star. So somehow, I can wait a few hours after my first modeling shoot, watch the NBA draft, and come back to find that I’ve climbed to No. 317 on the E-List and actually picked up fans.

And I just tap the money that falls at my feet after modeling gigs and after walking in to meet a publicist and an agent. Need to pose for a modeling shoot? Tap the screen a few times.

Want to end a date with a kiss? Tap a few times for a smooch.

But all that tapping wears me out, because this Hollywood lifestyle isn’t easy. So midway through that impassioned kiss, the game tells me I’m out of energy (yeah, like that would happen). Turns out I need to either spend real money to purchase more energy, or I need to wait an hour or so in real life so that the game will automatically replenish my energy.

Talk about leaving a girl hanging, right? It’s the tradition of iPad games these days, the way these free games can actually make money. And Kim Kardashian, despite the tappy simplicity of her first (and hopefully last) tablet game, is here to make cash. It will come from the young fans who spend real money on in-game outfits, from the “Keeping Up With The Kardashian” diehards who hobnob with Kim, amd from all those who can’t leave the virtual date mid-virtual kiss.

But it won’t come from me. Two hours into this superficial Hollywood adventure, I have little interest in shelling out real dollars and less interest in continuing this game.

Sigh. No wonder I’m still on the E-list.

Reviewed on Apple iPad

Video Game Review: Entwined

LOVED IT: Interesting control mechanic, intriguing visual style, easy to jump in and play, relaxing vibe

HATED IT: Controls can seem imprecise, limited feedback on overall performance and limited overall payoff

GRAB IT IF: You liked Child of Eden

It’s a brilliant idea. A brilliant video game? Not quite.

There’s likely some scientific, right-brain, left-brain premise in Sony’s Entwined, the game that was the darling of the PlayStation E3 conference earlier this month, and on the surface, it’s an artistic, attractive indie title. But there’s not quite enough beneath the beautiful surface of this tunnel-runner.

The game’s lone cutscene lays out a romantic story. A fish and a bird seek love, and it’s up to you, dear gamer, to unit them, one tunnel-level after another.

What follows is a blend of uniqueness and gradual boredom. The initial levels will hold your attention as you grow familiar with the controls. Entwined means to test your coordination, with one thumbstick navigating the bird and the other the fish.

You’ll steer them along the tunnel, trying to move through color-coded sections of the screen. Accurately pass through enough of these, and you join the fish and bird to form a dragon, allowing you to creatively skywrite at the end of the level to your heart’s content.

It’s intuitive yet surprisingly challenging, at least at the outset. We’re used our thumbs coordinating in tandem, something I’m reminded of every time I watch a newbie run into a hallway wall in a first-person shooter. But Entwined forces your mind to monitor two completely independent halves of the screen. At the start, it’s much like playing two separate games on one big TV screen.

But the novelty wears off, and you will adjust after a few levels (called “Lifetimes” in the poetic world of Entwined). And then you’ll note the game’s annoyances, which are led by control frustrations.

On occasion, the controls require just a little too much fine control, and you’ll travel through the wrong sections of screen through what feels like no fault of your own. It’s an absolute must to follow the game’s early advice and push the thumbsticks to their outer limits; even then, you’ll still make the occasional error.

And for all your troubles? Well, you only get to skywrite to your random heart’s content. It’s a unique payoff for a game, one that seems designed with something “different” than a boss in mind. But it’s also a rather lackluster payoff.

It’s fun to skywrite the first time, sure, but a boss, or a speed challenge, or even just a story-driven cutscene might have provided a stronger sense of completion. After each level, I found myself dying to get the skywriting over with, simply so I could return to the gameplay, hoping for a greater challenge.

Overall, challenge is what Entwined lacks most. The difficulty ascends as the game progresses, but it never truly places you on the edge of your seat. And with no scoring to measure your performance, there’s just not enough here to keep you invested or to drive you to “improve.”

Entwined has a solid, relaxing idea for a game. But it’s not quite a masterful game.

Video Game Review – Valiant Hearts: The Great War - Flickering Myth (blog)

Ray Willmott reviews Valiant Hearts: The Great War on Playstation 4…

World War games on consoles faded away around the early days of Medal of Honour and Call of Duty. The Playstation 2 era was saturated with titles that forced us to relive the horrific events of history’s darkest hours, but ever since then they’ve been far and few between. As a result, Ubisoft’s Valiant Hearts instantly feels quite refreshing. Not only does it explore the events of World War 1 from a third-person perspective, it tells a story from multiple viewpoints. Players will embark on an incredible adventure with Freddie, a US Commando, Emile, an old French war veteran, Anna, a Belgium nurse, a young female student and a dog. That’s really not a setup to a punchline of any kind. Seriously.

The story is beautifully realised with tone-perfect narration, comic-book cut-scenes and real-time events that pop up as you play. Valiant Hearts is predominantly a puzzle/adventure game, but does require timed reactions from players during certain scenes. Puzzle-solving varies from simplistic to occasional fiendish. In one scene, you’ll need to rescue several strapping men caught up in various predicaments, then band them together to push a heavy object out of the way. Another puzzle requires you to align pipes correctly in order to overload a gas machine so you can move forward without being poisoned. Each character is capable of different things. The dog, for instance, can climb into small spaces, distract guards with his playful demeanour, and collect items and bring them back to the player. However, the dog mostly only responds and listens to Emile. Emile, meanwhile, can dig down through earth and moves well underground. Freddie can cut through barbed wire fences and break down blockages and barricades and Anna can heal wounded soldiers, whether she’s applying band-aid or putting bones back into place. As you might expect, each character is vital to in-game progression and players must make best use of their abilities in order to progress.

Despite the challenging subject matter, Valiant Hearts isn’t afraid to be charming. Intimate moments with Emile and the dog provide some light relief and some over-the-top comic-book action will raise a snigger. Still, the underlying message of the game is extremely powerful and carries more of a poignant message in its short five hour span than most games manage in thirty.

Even though the experience is over quickly and there’s not much incentive to bring you back for an immediate second playthrough, I couldn’t put down Valiant Hearts. The story and the way it is told gripped me from the off and its insistence on educating as you encounter aspects of the environment is inspiring and enlightening.

Unfortunately, I did suffer several issues with the game which forced me to reset my progress. In some scenes, the game doesn’t like it when you deviate ever so slightly from your path and it forces a continuous loop of animation which stops a scene from progressing. This happened during a few action-packed sequences and in all cases I was forced to go to a checkpoint much further back. It wasn’t a massive disturbance to my game time, but it was disappointing to be faced with any issues at all.

All in all, Valiant Hearts is a fabulous UbiArt title that redefines your expectations of a World War title and manages to weave a memorable, heart-stopping yarn. Worth a look on any platform whether you’re a new-gen fanatic or still savouring the delights of last-gen, Valiant Hearts: The Great War is a monumental achievement that will stay with you for weeks, months and even years to come.

Rating – 8/10

Ray Willmott is a freelancer for various gaming websites and even runs his own. He also writes novels. Follow him on Twitter

VIDEO GAME REVIEW - Youngstown Vindicator

Published: Mon, June 23, 2014 @ 12:05 a.m.

“EA Sports UFC”

Grade: B-

Details: EA Sports, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, $59.99

After the closure of “UFC Undisputed” publisher THQ, it’s been a few years since gamers have been able to set foot in the virtual octagon of the most famous mixed martial arts brand. The ability to grapple with a video game controller is back, this time from an entirely new game publisher for the latest generation of consoles.

“EA Sports UFC” marks the first UFC game from Electronic Arts, which has long dominated the sports genre with series like “Madden NFL,” “FIFA” and “Tiger Woods PGA Tour,” though it’s not their first jab at a MMA game. They released the awkward “EA Sports MMA” in 2010.

This time, EA has both the cachet of the UFC and the power of next-generation consoles on its side.

The mostly robust roster of almost 100 fighters in “EA Sports UFC” features such vets as Anderson Silva and female fighters like Ronda Rousey. Bruce Lee is included as an unlockable player.

The artists at developer EA Canada have meticulously recreated the scrappers — right down to their tattoos, body hair and cauliflowered ears.

A similar level of detail is also available in the game’s career mode, where players can create custom fighters from scratch, adding such tidbits as nicknames, hometowns and moves before taking them from “The Ultimate Fighter” reality TV competition to a possible six-figure contract and eventually all the way to the UFC Hall of Fame.

With seemingly spontaneous commentary coming from Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg, and fighters’ flesh deteriorating as bouts progress, the audio-visual presentation of “EA Sports UFC” is fluidly flawless. The game’s controls — much like the actual sport of MMA — are equally accurate. They require precision, not floundering.

However, “EA Sports UFC” isn’t a total knockout.

While it lends itself to the game’s realism, there’s a steep learning curve for navigating among striking, clinching, wrestling and grappling, which relies on an odd octagon-shaped mini-game where quick flicks of the thumb sticks block submissions. It’s unfortunate there wasn’t a smarter solution — or smarter virtual opponents.

The artificial intelligence of the challengers is often a cinch to overcome, making the game feel more like a fantasy than a simulation. It only truly feels alive when played against other humans, either in-person or online.

After coaching a few fighters from rookies to retirees, there’s little reason to replay the career mode.

— Derrik J. Lang, Associated Press

Video Game Review – Ultra Street Fighter IV - Flickering Myth (blog)

Ray Willmott reviews Ultra Street Fighter IV…

With Capcom, you can rely on one thing: they know how to make a crazy game title. While Ultra Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition isn’t the most extreme interpretation of that – take a look at the title of the new Dead Rising 3 DLC – it certainly helps to paint a picture.

Sadly, we’re no closer to an announcement or release date for Street Fighter V, but fortunately the content offered to players with this new downloadable add-on pack (the last of its kind for SFIV) is going to keep you playing a game you already love for months to come.

For starters, Ultra gives you six new stages, all of which come from Street Fighter X Tekken and five new characters, including some old favourites. Characters include Hugo, a spoof of Andre the Giant who first appeared in the Final Fight games, but has gone on to be a popular, familiar warrior within the Street Fighter universe. Poison, his female manager, who has also enjoyed fame in both Final Fight and Street Fighter realms, firmly plants her stilettos into the battlefield. Elena, a tall, Kenyan female with dance steps in her fighting style, making her similar to DeeJay, jukes and jives her way to victories. Rolento, who can be closely likened to Guile in terms of his fighting style but with some new quirks and gimmicks.

And Decapre, a unique hybrid of Cammy and Vega, holds a very dark, powerful secret, unveiled through the character’s animated ending if you manage to beat the game. Without question, Decapre was my favourite to control. Where the likes of Hugo can throw a punch and knock off a quarter of an opponent’s health, Decapre can be all over the screen, hacking and slashing in a violent and sadistic way, systematically decimating an opponent from the moment the action starts. The good news is all fighters are good for different things and their style of fighting is unique and pleasing. With these five new challengers, there really is something for everyone.

Street Fighter X Tekken fans will also be pleased to know that six stages from the game have finally made their way to Street Fighter IV. Popular battlegrounds, such as Jurassic Era Research Facility, Cosmic Elevator and Blast Furnace can now be put in rotation, in addition to the beautiful Pitstop 109, The Half Pipe and Mad Gear Hideout.

But Ultra isn’t just about cosmetic differences, the add-on fundamentally changes the SFIVexperience from the ground up. In fact, The Ultra Combo Double, Red Focus Attack and Delayed Standing additions will force you to completely change your battle strategies. For instance, Ultra Combo Doubles let players choose both character’s Ultra Combos, but at the expense of doing less damage. Red Focus Attacks absorb multiple hits and is a focus attack that turns the character red, and Delayed Standing alters the timing of a character’s wake-up while they get back to their feet. Unblockable setups have also been completely removed.

There are also new modes, such as Online Training, which lets you train online with your mates and Elimination, which is a team battle mode for online play, and to cap it all off, Ultra SFIV lets you record your online matches and put them on your own YouTube channels. You can even watch them and view them for your own self-interest to see where you went wrong – or right – and how you can continue to improve.

With a wealth of further tweaks and improved character balances, Ultra Street Fighter  IV is an absolute must for Street Fighter fans, and really is the fan service fight-fans have been waiting for. Essential if you’re a regular online Street Fighter IV player or continue to love and enjoy the game since the day you bought it.

And hey, if you’re an Xbox 360 owner with Gold, you can download Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition for free until the end of the month, then just purchase the Ultra update on top to reap all the benefits. Ultra-convenience!

Rating: 9/10

Ray Willmott writes about video games for various outlets and even runs his own website. He also writes novels – follow him on Twitter

Murdered: Soul Suspect (Video Game Review) - BioGamer Girl Magazine

Murdered: Soul Suspect is a new supernatural detective game from developer Airtight Games and publisher Square Enix. The game stars Ronan O'Connor as a former police officer that awakens in the afterlife needing to solve his own murder. The game features a really interesting storyline and some unique concepts, but the main campaign of the game is short lived and only some additional cases and collectibles offer any reason for players to go back and revisit the game after receiving the entire storyline. Murdered: Soul Suspect is still a good game, but some gamers will want to rent the new title or wait until it drops in price instead of purchasing the game new.

The storyline of Murdered: Soul Suspect is the game's most appealing quality. The game begins with protagonist Ronan falling out of a window to his death. He quickly realizes he's having an outer body experience and attempts to return to the world of living before he is gunned down in the middle of the street. The former detective must now solve his own murder in order to send his soul to the afterlife and escape the limbo prison known as Dusk. Ronan is later introduced to several ghostly spirits that will help him along the way, and the plot will take a few twists and turns along the way before the case can be solved.

There really has never been a game released that is like Murdered: Soul Suspect. The game is probably most comparable to L.A. Noire if only for the detective investigation gameplay. Ronan is a ghost though, so rather than interrogating witnesses and questioning fellow officers, Ronan must possess NPCs and read their mind or otherwise influence clues needed to solve a case. Solving cases is very interesting and unique from any other game in Murdered: Soul Suspect.

Ronan has other powers in the game that come from his ghost abilities. The character can see visions of events that happened previously at a crime scene when certain conditions are met. Ronan can also perform poltergeists on televisions and other electronics as a ghost. This can cause a distraction that allows Ronan to access new items or areas in the area. Ronan also has the limitations of a ghost in the game as well. Namely, Ronan cannot enter any closed doors on the outside of a building or pass through certain protected items, walls and other areas.

Combat is Murdered: Soul Suspect weakest area. Ronan will encounter demons throughout the game that must be avoided to keep his soul from being sucked in and absorbed for eternity. The demons come in different types including traps on the ground that must be carefully maneuvered around and full fledged demons that will need to be snuck up behind to rip apart in a quick-time event. If spotted, Ronan must quickly jump from one ghost body to the next to escape the demon's clutch. It's rare to die in Murdered: Soul Suspect, and it's almost to the point where you shouldn't expect to die except for a couple of tricky parts in the whole entire game.

Murdered: Soul Suspect only lasts a few hours from start to end. Once the game has been completed, there are some hidden collectibles, clues and side cases that can be accessed by playing through the game again, but it doesn't add anything that wasn't there the first time through, and the hidden items are hardly exciting enough to be appealing for anyone but Trophy and Achievement hunters. Murdered: Soul Suspect's lack of content is one of the biggest turn offs in the entire game, and even players that greatly enjoy going through the campaign for the first time may find it difficult to fill justified in paying full price for the game at launch.

Murdered: Soul Suspect is up and down in the presentation department. Character models and environments look fine; gamers will easily be able to tell the game is for next generation consoles, but it's not without some frame rate drops, stutters and other glitches. The game's camera is pretty troublesome for players as well, especially when looking for clues and other items inside a building. The game's sound design is top notch though with most characters featuring great voice actors and a soundtrack that helps gamers immerse themselves in the supernatural excitement the game has to offer.

Murdered: Soul Suspect is a good game that offers a completely unique gameplay experience, but it doesn't appear to be a game that will completely revolutionize the industry. The game offers exciting puzzles built around detective cases, and there are enough hidden items and other collectibles throughout the game to satisfy the needs of some fans. The game is a short one though, so players looking to get the most content out of their game purchases might want to look for other games for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One before picking up a copy of Murdered: Soul Suspect. Murdered: Soul Suspect is out now on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC.

Murdered: Soul Suspect is now available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC and can be purchased for $59.99. Murdered: Soul Suspect is rated M by the ESRB for Blood, Intense Violence, Strong Language & Use of Alcohol. For more information on the game, check out the officialMurdered: Soul Suspects website.

Game Features:

• Single Player
• Supernatural Investigative Gameplay
• Steam Trading Card Support
• DLC Support
• Trophy/Achievement Support

Game Information:
Developer: Airtight Games
Publisher: Square Enix
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One (reviewed), Xbox 360 & PC
Release Date: June 3, 2014

Score: 8 out of 10

Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack (Xbox 360 Video Game Review) - BioGamer Girl Magazine

Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack originally released exclusively for PlayStation Vita in 2012, but the game quickly became a hit and soon made its way to Steam. Now, players can enjoy the addicting puzzle platformer across PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 with its newest release. The game from DrinkBox Studios offers a fun experience with great puzzle design and tight controls. The experience is sort of short lived, but Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack does feature tons of hidden collectibles and online leaderboards, so players should be able to get their money's worth out of the new release if they've yet to pick up a copy.

Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack features a simple story of revenge when a vengeful slime monster escapes from a laboratory and begins consuming everything in his path to get his revenge on the humans who imprisoned him and performed all sorts of scientific tests on him. The storyline is easy to digest for players and features plenty of dark humor that makes the game a fun experience for as long as it lasts. There is no actual speech in the game, but humans will mumble on the television screen talking of strange occurrences throughout the city, as the blob continues to cause destruction and confusion in the human population.

Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack begins with very simplistic controls. The blob is the main character and is capable of moving from left to right in a 2D world, jumping and walking over smaller objects in the environment to automatically absorb them. When pellets and other items are absorbed, the blob grows larger, and this continues throughout the game as the tiny slime becomes a dense ball of rolling death. The gameplay is most akin to the Katamari video game series, though both games offer up some very different game design choices around a similar core concept.

The game doesn't stick to these basic commands for long though. The blob has a few other special powers beyond the capability of absorbing any item smaller than he is such as telekinesis to move around objects in the environment or magnetism that allows the blob to stick to metal surfaces. This creates all sorts of exciting puzzles for players to solve such as climbing up metal walls without falling or flipping a switch behind a wall with the power of the blob's mind. The puzzle design featured inTales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack is easily the game's strongest feature and the biggest reason players will have for picking up the new title..

One of the main drawbacks with Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack is the game's length and lack of game modes. The title features six different worlds all the way from a college dorm to the moon and back down to Earth at an army base. The level design is strong for the most part, but there are only about four or five levels per world, so players can easily finish the game in just a few hours of play. There are quite a lot of collectibles hidden in the game including pellets and the blob's friends, and level medals and online leaderboards also adds some longevity to the game.

Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack is one of the new downloadable games that is being offered at a lower price on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, as gamers begin making the transition to next generation consoles. This makes the game a better deal than previous releases that would have cost more than the current $7.99 asking price. It's also worth noting PlayStation 3 owners can pick up the Delicious Bundle version of the game that also includes the official soundtrack, a theme and avatars for only $11.49.

Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack does feature a pretty awesome soundtrack with some really catchy themes that helps make the PlayStation bundle worth its asking price. The game is a good looking title as well; fans can really see how much time and effort went into creating the characters and world of Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack with such fantastic artwork featured in every level. The game's controls are also top notch and work well on consoles and PC despite the game originally featuring touch screen controls on PlayStation Vita.

Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack is a fun puzzle platformer that offers some really great character and level design as well as a soundtrack full of catchy themes. We only wish the game lasted a bit longer and it would be a no-brainer recommendation. The discounted price offered up on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 make it a better deal than it has ever been though, so look for Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack on your console of choice today!

Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack is now available for PlayStation Network, Xbox LIVE Arcade and Steam and can be purchased for $7.99. Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack is rated E by the ESRB for Alcohol Reference & Fantasy Violence. For more information on the game, check out the official Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack website.

Game Features:

• Single Player
• Tons of Collectibles
• Exciting Platforming Puzzles
• Online Leaderboards
• Trophy/Achievement Support

Game Information:
Developer & Publisher: DrinkBox Studios
Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360 (reviewed) &
Release Date: June 18, 2014

Score: 7.8 out of 10

Film Review: 'Video Games: The Movie' - Variety (blog)

Ranking high on the list of movies you can’t quite believe nobody thought to make previously, “Video Games: The Movie” provides a slick, entertaining survey of electronic gaming’s history to date. Most folks under 50 are likely to find it all nostalgic fun; most folks over 50 needn’t bother, especially since Jeremy Snead’s documentary provides so little critical analysis, it eventually feels like a glorified promotional tool for an industry that, as noted here, now outstrips music and movies with its estimated $24 billion annual revenue. The Variance release hits U.S. and Canadian theaters July 18, digital platforms three days earlier; prospects should be hale by nonfiction cinema standards.

While opinions differ on the form’s origin point, the pic points at the seminal moment in 1962 when MIT staff and students created a game to showcase the abilities of a new computer with a then-novel display screen. Leading the charge into commercial arcades was Atari, which debuted “Pong” in 1972. Founder Nolan Bushnell says it soon became clear that the most popular games were “simple to learn but impossible to master,” making them addictively engrossing. As memory capacities grew, the rudimentary graphics of such early hits as “Pac-Man” and “Space Invaders” gave way to ever more elaborate designs, encompassing story elements, realistic figure rendering and immersive environments.

Frequently returning to a 3D timeline of developments, “Video Games: The Movie” checks off the arrival of significant companies, games and devices over the ensuing decades, including Nintendo, “Super Mario Bros.,” “Mortal Kombat,” Sony Playstation, “Tomb Raider,” Xbox, “Myst,” “Doom” and so on. Once treated as a fad by the huge corporations that now largely own and develop them, vidgames reached a point of market saturation in 1983, when the “legendary” flop of a heavily promoted, hastily designed “E.T.”-related dud helped prompt a backlash. Consumers tired of subpar product demanded and eventually received more innovative and interactive releases. Executiveproducer Zach Braff (the biggest name among a handful of middleweight celebrity enthusiasts interviewed) claims today that games rep “the ultimate example of art and science working together.”

There’s certainly a lot of colorful eye-candy to be had here, given the huge number of games excerpted onscreen. But there’s no real discussion of what constitute the medium’s real artistic highlights to date, or why. There’s a sunny take on the “global society” of players who compete, sometimes meet, develop real-world friendships, get married, and even experience their “shared passion” as a means of healing (or at least distracting) from personal loss or injury.

But long-standing (if shaky) accusations that gaming can be harmful are disposed of all too glibly. One interviewee notes, quite reasonably, that many other nations that have the same videogames don’t share our sky-high crime statistics; still, the extremely violent and misogynist fantasies peddled by many games can’t simply be shrugged off as “entertainment.” Other questions, such as whether obsessive gaming can shorten youthful attention spans or reduce the ability to learn in less hyper-stimulating situations, go unaddressed here. It’s posited that the lean-forward experience, as opposed to the lean-back one (gaming vs. the non-interactive media of movies, music or books), “lets you live the dream.” But really, how useful is a dream if it involves sitting alone for hours fighting imaginary dragons or gangbangers?

Those are matters for another film, or several. “Video Games: The Movie” is content to celebrate without much insight. It offers brief, general appreciation of the enormous time and team effort that can go into game creation, from idea to voice acting to market testing. As if made for Comic-Con, the pic ends with the promise that the future can only be bigger, better and full of surprises. Such a lightweight industry portrait isn’t really flattered by the inclusion of some very lofty onscreen quotes from Gandhi, JFK and the like.

The lineup of interviewed designers, engineers, execs, marketers and so forth is well chosen (if predictably light on women who aren’t just fans — another topic left unaddressed), and well integrated into a lively, smartly paced whole. Packaging is glossy, with diverse pop tracks adding more flavor than Craig Richey’s original score.

Reviewed at San Francisco Documentary Festival, June 15, 2014. Running time: 100 MIN.

Production

A Variance Films release of a Mediajuice Studios production. Produced by Jeremy Snead. Executiveproducers, Zach Braff, Cliff Bleszinski, David Perry. Co-producers, J Allard, Kimberly Much.

Crew

Directed, written by Jeremy Snead. Camera (color, HD), Snead; editor, Kenny Price; music, Craig Richey; motion graphics/animation, Aaron Becker, Seth Kleinberg; sound (Dolby 5.1), Dave Nelson, Miik Dinko.

With

Al Alcorn, Peter Armstrong, Chuck Beaver, Cliff Bleszinski, Zach Braff, Jim Brown, Nolan Bushnell, Louis Castle, Mark Cerny, Jim Charne, Ernie Cline, Christine Converse, Wil Wheaton, Chloe Dykstra, Donald Faison, Brian Fargo, David Fox, Ed Fries, Alison Haislip, Chris Hardwick, Craig Harris, David Crane, Karl Stewart, John Sharp. Narrator: Sean Astin.

Follow @Variety on Twitter for breaking news, reviews and more

Mario Kart 8 Review - GamingBolt

It’s easy to forget given all of the problems they often face as a console manufacturer, but Nintendo is probably the greatest game developer in the world. They owe this title to their complete understanding of what makes a game great, and their thorough mastery of game design. Unlike other games, which are increasingly becoming bloated with needless options, modes, and an emphasis on telling a grand story, there is often a refreshing simplicity to Nintendo’s approach to games- you boot it up, and you’re playing almost right away. No aspirations to overwhelm you with needless options, or to tell you a grand story. You’re playing a game, and Nintendo understands that.

In that regard, Mario Kart 8 is probably Nintendo’s greatest triumph in over a decade. The developers at Nintendo EAD have stripped away everything that was extraneous, and distilled the game down to its simplest essence- the core formula of racing, drifting, tailgating, and item usage. The focus is now squarely on the racing, and the racing alone, and everything in Mario Kart 8 exists to enable that racing. There is something to be said for starting up a game, and being well into it just thirty seconds later.

But at the same time, there’s also the nagging feeling that Nintendo, in their great hurry to have a bona fide system seller out for their struggling Wii U, made concessions, and compromised on the final product a bit more than you would expect. While it’s refreshing to see a simple main menu with just two game mode selections separating you from some high octane kart action, there is also some dismay associated with the fact when you realize that those two modes are really all that you get. And that right there is the curse and boon of Mario Kart 8- in its unyielding focus on simplicity, it has become what might be the greatest Nintendo game as far as pure game design goes in over a decade. But that same focus also holds the game back from true greatness as an overall product.

“The developers at Nintendo EAD have stripped away everything that was extraneous, and distilled the game down to its simplest essence- the core formula of racing, drifting, tailgating, and item usage. The focus is now squarely on the racing, and the racing alone, and everything in Mario Kart 8 exists to enable that racing.

Mario Kart 8, for those of you who are just now joining the rest of the world in its over twenty year long obsession with the franchise, is structured like every other game in the series- it splits itself into a single player mode and a multiplayer mode. The single player modes are racing (either in a Grand Prix, or custom tournaments), or the battle mode (more on this one in a bit). The Grand Prix functions as the main ‘career’ mode of the game, as you have to steadily make your way through all the 32 tracks, separated into 16 cups of 4 courses each, to unlock new characters and karts. The karts, characters, and tracks are all based on the Mushroom Kingdom that the main Mario games take place in.

You race to unlock more karts and characters, and you have to race across three ‘classes’ (roughly equivalent to difficulty levels) and complete the Grand Prix mode on each. Racing itself is extremely simple, and after eight iterations, Nintendo has this formula down to an art, with racing, drifting, drafting, gliding, and boosting feeling the best they ever have. In this regard, Mario Kart 8 also benefits from being the first game in the series that doesn’t dismiss the mechanical base of its predecessor to start afresh- it uses the already adept mechanical framework of Mario Kart 7, and finetunes and tweaks it. Mario Kart 8 as a result feels absolutely tight. The racing physics are amazing, and the kart seems to respond to what you want it to do, rather than your button presses on the controller. Newcomers and veterans to the series alike will be entirely comfortable with the mechanics of Mario Kart 8 within minutes, though both will probably spend inordinate hours of their lives trying to master said mechanics.

Of course, pure racing prowess will only take you so far in Mario Kart 8- a hallmark of the series has always been its emphasis on items and weapons. Indeed, item usage in the Mario Kart series is always emphasized, to the extent that it often compromises on the core racing, and makes the games unbalanced. This was an issue most endemic in Mario Kart Wii, where it felt like the game was actively punishing you for being good at it- it was impossible to be in first place for more than half a minute, and not be bombarded by all manner of red shells, blue shells, lightning bolts, and squids, and suddenly dropping down at least half a dozen places.

“Mario Kart has always been known for its stellar track design, but for the first time ever, it feels like the developers found themselves unconstrained, and went all out.

Mario Kart 8, however, is different. Item usage in the game is almost shockingly de-emphasized, as it places the focus squarely on the actual racing. Most items that you get aren’t offensive, they’re defensive, challenging you to try and maintain your lead or your current position as you try to work your way up. Existing items have all been retweaked to ensure that they remain balanced, with even the dreaded Blue Shell finally getting a counter in the form of the Super Horn, a new item that can destroy anything in its vicinity, including, yes, blue shells.

It’s just as well that items aren’t the focus of the game anymore, because the game’s exemplary track design demands absolute focus. Mario Kart has always been known for its stellar track design, but for the first time ever, it feels like the developers found themselves unconstrained, and went all out- Mario Kart 8′s new tracks will have you racing in forests, on cloudtops, at an airport, down a waterfall, underwater, gliding through the air, and even defying gravity. Functionally, there is little difference between racing up a wall, and racing on the ground, but it opens up so many alternate paths on each track, it encourages players to try and find shortcuts even where they wouldn’t ordinarily think of trying to find them. The new batch of 16 tracks that Mario Kart 8 introduces is, without question, the best new batch of tracks ever introduced in a Mario Kart game. Meanwhile, the 16 old remastered tracks that you are encouraged to revisit might as well be brand new tracks, with so much work having gone into rebuilding them that they feel brand new, and end up standing proud with the new introductions.

All of this also carries over to the multiplayer portions of the game. Mario Kart 8 supports up to four players locally, or twelve players online (with up to two players per console being allowed to go online). The multiplayer mode is surprisingly progressive- the netcode is impeccable, with there being no lag, the races go without a hitch, lobbies are easy to find, and the matchmaking is great. It’s easy to join races with friends too, and you even get a (very limited) voice chat option for friend races. To add to all of that, Mario Kart 8 also lets you set up tournaments, which is an expansion of the communities concept introduced in Mario Kart 7. Essentially, tournaments can function like custom servers or lobbies, with you being able to set custom playlists, decide what items will be allowed, decide what class and kinds of vehicles will be eligible, and deciding whether the tournament is open to the public, or to friends only. You can even make tournaments timed, so that they begin and end at certain times. It’s really all very well done, and the multiplayer, which has long been the lifeline of the Mario Kart series, is the best in Mario Kart 8 than it ever was.

Equally astonishing are Mario Kart 8′s sharing features- in addition to the standard screenshot sharing features that the Wii U supports at an OS level, Mario Kart 8 also supports video sharing and uploading, over both, Nintendo’s own Miiverse, as well as Youtube. After any race, you get the option to create a simple and short highlight reel (using a simple but to the point video editor suite), and to share it with your friends (or simply to save it so you can view it later). The feature, which is called Mario Kart TV, is actually the centerpiece of the game, and once again, represents an unusually progressive move for Nintendo, a company which is traditionally averse to online interactions. MKTV isn’t necessarily the best or most full featured video sharing suite on the market at all, but it’s simple enough to get into, and creates some truly memorable sizzle reels of some of your best moments.

“Mario Kart 8 is a gorgeous game. It won’t be too much of a stretch to say that it might be the prettiest game on the market right now, and this owes itself to Nintendo’s excellent artstyle, and also the technical accomplishments of the game, which include dynamic lighting and shadows, and a blistering 60FPS at 720p.

All of this is wrapped up in one stellar looking and sounding package. You see, Mario Kart 8 is a gorgeous game. It won’t be too much of a stretch to say that it might be the prettiest game on the market right now, and this owes itself to Nintendo’s excellent artstyle, and also the technical accomplishments of the game, which include dynamic lighting and shadows, and a blistering 60FPS at 720p. It’s a treat for the eyes, and it’s actually incredible that Nintendo managed to get this out of the Wii U. Weak the console might be, but if this is the kind of visual output that we can expect from Nintendo games on the system, I don’t think Wii U fans have much to worry about.

As good as Mario Kart 8 looks, it somehow manages to sound even better. For the first time in series history, the music is all fully orchestrated, and it makes a world of a difference. The tracks all sound lively, upbeat, and jazzy, and they’ll immediately be stuck in your head. In fact, the title screen theme alone is so good that you probably won’t want to proceed to the main menu for a while, just so you can listen to it a bit more. The music is absolutely amazing, and the remixes of the old tracks that show up are incredible too, with Rainbow Road 64 probably being a standout of the entire set.

With the game doing so much right, it’s actually shocking to realize how much it does wrong (or more accurately, doesn’t do at all). The Battle Mode is the first instance of this- although Battle Modes have always been divisive ever since Mario Kart 64, they have also always been fun. Mario Kart 8′s Battle Mode is probably the first instance of a battle mode in the series being poorly designed. No longer do you get custom battle mode arenas to battle in, and are instead relegated to running around the same courses that you race on, trying to find other players before the time runs out. Not only is this tedious and boring- you aren’t likely to ever actually come across another player, and a battle will never be properly finished, with winners instead being decided by the standings at the end of the timer- but it’s also shockingly lazy, and is perhaps the first indication that the game was rushed.

And then you realize that for all of its mechanical and visual flair, there really isn’t much to do in Mario Kart 8- once you’re done racing and unlocking things, what’s left to do? You can go online and race there, you can race locally, or you can try your luck at the butchered battle mode. There’s a Time Trial mode, and there are always Miiverse Stamps to unlock, but unlike previous games in the series, which have offered a wide range of single player content, Mario Kart 8 feels very barebones.

“And then you realize that for all of its mechanical and visual flair, there really isn’t much to do in Mario Kart 8. Unlike previous games in the series, which have offered a wide range of single player content, Mario Kart 8 feels very barebones.

There are multiple other such problems with Mario Kart 8 too- for example, the game somehow doesn’t have an options menu. Yes, I know what I said before about an admirable focus on game design and a reluctance to overwhelm the player with a bloated options menu, but just a simple one, that maybe let players set custom controls, or just set the volume of the music and sound effects individually, would have been acceptable. But it doesn’t exist, it’s not there. Also not there is a stats tracker, which feels like a baffling omission. And perhaps most relevant tot he actual game, the character roster feels very padded- we have over 30 characters to choose from, but they’re padded out with seven different Koopalings and a lot of Baby and reskinned characters.

None of this really detracts from the core game’s brilliance, of course. Mario Kart 8 is a masterwork of pure mechanical and game design, and it’s a very progressive game. A lack of options or content does not change from any of that, or from the fact that Mario Kart 8 probably represents the series at its best, even eclipsing the innovative Double Dash, or the loaded to the brim with content Mario Kart DS. And ultimately, like I said before, there’s something to be said for the stark focus on simplicity that Mario Kart 8 emphasizes. We can sit here all day and debate the merits of including a proper battle mode, or a better character roster (both of which are highly likely anyway in the form of post game DLC), but when all is said and done, Mario Kart 8 represents the best game currently available on the three next gen consoles, and is the best reason to get a Wii U if there ever was one.

This game was reviewed on Wii U.

WildStar review – Welcome to Nexus, Cupcake! - Lazygamer

"There is just something addictive about Wildstar"

Reviewing MMORPG’s is always a darn tricky affair. They are filled with dozens, if not hundreds of hours of content, many, MANY acres to explore, millions of quests, and of course, a variety of classes to choose from which plays a part in dictating how you experience the game. WildStar is no different, offering up the experience you’d expect, but with its own crazy flavour. I’ve spent twenty hours in game, spread unevenly across two classes from two opposing factions. I’ve barely dented what the game has to offer, but I already know that it’s something I’d be happy to spend more time with.

WildStar’s playground is Nexus, a planet that has just been discovered by two factions. The Exiles are a ragtag bunch of folk, looking to make Nexus their new home. Not far behind them are The Dominion, a super power looking to claim Nexus as their own.

Character creation is surprisingly limited in terms of customising the aesthetics of your character. Messing with your face is fine, and tiny details can be fine tuned. Everything else though gives you very little in terms of customisation. You can only choose from a handful of options for your skin, hair, and eye colour. There are also a limited number of hairstyles and accessories to choose from. It’s really a minor gripe though because the gear you pick up in game will allow you to really customise the look of your character if you wish.

There are a total of eight races to choose from, four for each faction. You can choose from the Dominions completely evil looking Draken (claws, horns, OMG SO EVIL), or the Exile’s Aurin (fluffy tails, incredibly cute, AWWW) . Each race has its own unique look and history that accompanies it. Your biggest choice really boils down to the class that you choose to play. There are six to choose from; Warrior, Engineer, Esper, Medic, Stalker, Spellslinger. I opted for a Spellslinger on my Exile character. Much like the name hints, you dual wield pistols, but you combine their firepower with some pretty awesome spells and abilities. My Dominion character was a Stalker, a class that excels at stealth and deals out a hefty amount of damage.

Your last choice comes down to the path you wish to follow. You can be a Soldier, Settler, Scientist, or Explorer. These all offer unique in game opportunities and side quests that in my opinion, really added to the game and made it that teeny bit more enjoyable. My one character was a soldier, which meant that there were many missions where the objective was simply to hold out against wave after wave of enemies. I definitely enjoyed the Explorer path more. You are on a new planet after all, and there are peaks to be scaled and caves to be explored. These quests are completely optional, but it was incredibly satisfying trying to figure out how to reach a seemingly unreachable area simply to place a flag and claim the area (FOR THE DOMINION!)

Different Paths can work together on some of these side quests too. I discovered an opening which lead to a network of caves. I explored the whole area except for one section, a section that was blocked by a wall which only a Scientist could destroy. If you’re looking to play the game with friends, try select different Paths because you can unlock some pretty darn cool rewards and buffs for the whole party if you all work together.

Path quests aside, the main and secondary quests are also quite enjoyable. There are the usual go do something, kill that, fetch this quests, but they hardly feel like a chore (at least to me they didn’t). There are also community quests spaced throughout, allowing complete strangers to work together towards a common goal. One quest took me off planet to a creepy outpost. I couldn’t help but feel that it was a homage of sort to the Alien franchise, and as pointed out by a familiar Wookie face, it had Dead Space written all over it too. It made for a nice change of scenery and enemies, a short but perfect distraction from the already crazy world of Nexus.

Speaking of Nexus, the locales are pretty darn awesome. Once you complete the tutorial with your character (on your relevant factions space station), you get to choose two locations in which to land on Nexus. Both of these are completely different in terms of look, enemies, as well as quests. So if you’re looking to start a new character, don’t fear having to grind your early levels, because there is a whole separate area to do so. Keep in mind that it is two starting areas per faction, leaving you with a four new early level areas in which to start afresh.

Each area has a distinct look, but you can see exactly where their inspiration came from. Deradune for example, was the area I spent my most time in, and it definitely feels like it was inspired by the wildlife and areas found right here in Africa. Vast veld, large cat and rhino like enemies, you get the idea. One area I explored was being created in Deradune itself by some large machinery. It was quite something to walk from the expansive yellow stretches right into a lush green forest in the space of a metre or two. The music is great too with each area having a distinct track to go with it. It can range from downright playful to deadly serious, and it was definitely one of the games highlights for me.

For those who love closely exploring and finding lore, there is more than enough to keep you thirst for information quenched. There are journals scattered throughout for your reading pleasure. There are also Datacubes which narrate a history or brief explanation of the area you are exploring or the enemy you are fighting.

One of the most important parts of any MMO is of course, the combat. Sadly, I never got the chance to explore the PvP WildStar had to offer (bar one random encounter where I was challenged by another player when I arrived in a new area). Combat with the creatures and enemies however, I spent so much time doing, and I really enjoyed it. Most of your spells and abilities can be performed while moving, and moving is what you will need to do to survive. Enemies attacks are indicated by red markers on the floor which either fill up before activating, or merely hint at where their next attack is going to land. Worried about lag? Don’t, I never experienced one latency issue.

The early levels are fine, you can pretty much tank anything that comes your way. As you progress though, you will find that ignoring enemies attacks will result in your untimely demise. I certainly died a few times because I felt I could take the enemy, or I was merely being ignorant and looking for loot and glory. Revival can be done at the location of your death either by spending some of your in-game currency, or simply reviving at a nearby station. Honestly though, with so many abilities, spells, and effects on offer to each class, customising your character and killing enemies never got dull for me.

I really loved the look and design of WildStar, but I know it’s something that will put a few people off. For lack of a better description, it’s what I would call “cartoony”, but it just works so well and fits the game like a glove (or vice versa). It’s just so gosh darn charming, and I feel people would be silly to dismiss the WildStar based purely on its design. The humour is awesome, and levelling up is all fireworks and guitar solos with the narrator saying stuff like, “welcome to the next level, Sparky!” I am a complete MMORPG noob. Yet, I was able to understand exactly how my levelling worked, where to go, what to do, and so on. The game is very welcoming to newcomers of the genre.

Lastly, bugs. I was genuinely gobsmacked when I only experienced a total of one bug in my twenty hours with the game. This is not to say that they don’t exist somewhere else in the game, but my experience was almost perfect. I really have to hand it to NCsoft for ironing out the game before its release, especially considering that it is a MMO which has the potential to have lots of issues.

WildStar was reviewed by Matthew Figueira on the 19th of June , 2014 at 3:30 PM on PC

GAMEPLAY

9.0

There is just something addictive about Wildstar. Whether you are questing, exploring, or just engaging in warfare, it's really quite enjoyable.

DESIGN

9.0

While the design might not appeal to everybody, I really don't see how this game would be Wildstar if any other approach was taken. Visually, the game is awesome and something the developers should be proud of. One bug? Just a drop in the desert, I had a near flawless experience.

VALUE

8.5

There is a monthly subscription fee, something which most people won't be happy with. It really depends on whether you see yourself putting the time into your monthly investment or not. Keep in mind that there will be constant updates too. Personally, I can see myself spending some money to back and keep exploring Nexus.

TOTAL

8.5

If you've never tried an MMO, Wildstar may be the game to get its hooks in to you. If you're a veteran, I have a strong feeling that you will like what is on offer.

How To Train Your Dragon 2: The Game Review - We Got This Covered

Review of: How To Train Your Dragon 2: The Game Review

gaming:

Eric Hall

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Reviewed by: Eric Hall

Rating:

1.5

On June 18, 2014

Last modified:June 19, 2014

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Summary:

Ugly to look at and frustrating to play, How To Train Your Dragon 2: The Game wastes an excellent license on a series of boring and tired mini-games.

More Details

The original How To Train Your Dragon is still something of an anomaly in the world of computer animated movies. Much like the recently released The LEGO Movie and nostalgic tear-jerker Toy Story 3, the film appeals to both children and adults alike thanks to gorgeous visuals and an extremely entertaining story. After a rough start at the box office ($43.7 million opening weekend), it would go onto to achieve massive success and spawn a sequel, which was just released this past weekend. And, as expected, releasing alongside it is How To Train Your Dragon 2: The Game.

In How To Train Your Dragon 2, viewers are once again transported to the Viking village of Berk. Taking place five years after the events of the first film, the village has achieved peaceful cohabitation between dragons and humans, mostly thanks to the efforts of Hiccup and his dragon, Toothless. However, this peace is soon threatened by a mysterious new foe who has the ability to place dragons under his control. If you’re like me, you are probably thinking that this sounds like it could make a pretty entertaining video game. So what does developer Little Orbit choose to focus on instead? Why, the Dragon Games segment that makes up the opening of the film, of course!

Yes, rather than focus on the main storyline of the film (and, once again, the fact that it lends itself perfectly to a game), we instead get a glorified mini-game compilation for How To Train Your Dragon 2: The Game. This isn’t a lengthy set of mini-games, either. HTTYD2: The Game only features five different competitions, and they’re all repeated over a series of different levels. There’s a target blasting game, which has you honing your skills against viking cutouts, a game where you pick color coordinated sheep and drop them off in their respective pens, two games that require you to fly through a series of rings in a set amount of time and finally, the major tournament that groups together all four previous games. As you can see, there is not a whole lot of variety to be had with the content here.

Besides the main Dragon Games component of How To Train Your Dragon 2: The Game, adventure seeking players can also explore the world of Berk and its surrounding areas. If there was one point where this title manages to shine, it was here, as there is a solid amount of content here to play around with. There are various collectibles to be found, challenges from Stoick to be completed and even hidden bonus quests. While this additional content is not enough to save the game, I can definitely see children enjoying their time spent flying around the world in search of new adventures.

Although the actual content of the game may be lacking, Little Orbit did do a relatively solid job with the controls here. It is no easy feat to make a game that requires dragon riding control in any way other than garbage (See: Lair), so the fact that they aren’t terrible here is a minor miracle. However, this makes it all the more disappointing that the camera in How To Train Your Dragon 2: The Game is seriously problematic. For one, it has a tendency to change focus and not give you the proper view you need, particularly when you are ascending and descending. All it needs to do is focus on your back at all times, but instead the camera likes to spin itself around and face your rider instead. So, while you have a great look at Hiccup’s face, good luck trying to avoid that wall in front of you.

While I would never expect any past-gen console game to match the graphical power of a modern animated film, How To Train Your Dragon 2: The Game is far from pleasing on the eye. The graphics are blocky and ugly and remind me more of a title that would have come out closer to the launch of the Xbox 360 rather than its end. The sound work is slightly more enjoyable as the score is a solid reminder of the excellent music that has accompanied both films. I just wish I didn’t have to hear the same tired voice recordings from the film’s cast on repeat. I thought I could deal with hearing Jay Baruchel say the same phrases over and over again, but I was wrong. So very, very wrong.

Realistically, I know it is silly for me to get so upset about How To Train Your Dragon 2: The Gamesince it was made with children in mind. In fact, it’s the same type of game that fellow animated films such as Rio and The Croods received when they first came out. However, this doesn’t mean that every game targeted at youngsters has to be this tired and lazy. In the past few years, we’ve had a few really solid games that are not only based off animated films (Toy Story 3), but games that are also fun for both kids and adults alike (pretty much any recently released LEGO game). The additional open-world content here is definitely a plus, it’s just unfortunate that Little Orbit took a license that was ripe for a solid adaptation and completely squandered the opportunity.

This review was based off the Xbox 360 version of the title, which we were provided with.

Ugly to look at and frustrating to play, How To Train Your Dragon 2: The Game wastes an excellent license on a series of boring and tired mini-games.

• 1.5
  Rating
• More Details

Android Headlines - Android News

Description: Solitaire Tales is a game for Android that delivers the classic card game, Solitaire, to a young audience like never before. Solitaire Tales puts you in charge of getting back the Cards of Power from the evil Deckromancer. There’s a genuine progression from level to level and while this isn’t like any other Solitaire game you might have played, the core mechanics of the classical card game remain. This is a great chance to get young ones interested in card games and for those bigger kids looking for a new way to play Solitaire with a fast and fun pace.

How it Works: As with other games on Android, you’ll need to get Solitaire Tales downloaded from the Play Store. After that, you’re ready to play. You can choose to log in with Facebook or simply play as a guest.

For those new players, the game will take you through the fundamental basics with some introduction.

Solitaire Tales will take through the first few levels with some hints and tips.

The game board is laid out a little different from a typical solitaire game, but the deck is still present and you’ll need to choose cards from it from time-to-time. Simply hit the higher or lower cards in order to collect the goal cards from each level.

As you progress through the levels, you’ll travel across the Kingdom and see which levels you got three stars on, these you can go back and play again to get higher scores.

The later levels can be quite difficult, which is where you’ll need to use power-ups that you’ll find along the bottom of the play area which destroy cards or swap them around.

Opinion: Solitaire, Rummy and Go Fish are all great classic card games most of us know how to play and enjoy playing around a few drinks with good conversation. However, there’s a whole generation growing up that won’t be exposed to card games in the same way. Solitaire Tales is a great game to introduce younger players to how much fun Solitaire Tales can be. Regardless though, the game is a of fun and the progression from one level to the next adds a sense of adventure and the gameplay brings a much needed speed boost to Solitaires play speed. Solitaire is, at its core, all about hitting the right card as quickly as possible, and not missing a thing. Solitaire Tales brings these core elements to a new audience.

Ratings

• Speed (4/5) – The game itself runs great and the change to the core game’s pacing make Solitaire even more accessible than before.
• Features (4/5) – With a goo sense of adventure and funky power-ups, Solitaire Tales brings something fresh and something new to a classic game.
• Theme (5/5) – With a cool art style and flashy animations, young players will find a lot to love here and Solitaire fans of old will be treated to something new.
• Overall (4/5) – Solitaire Tales is a fun game that takes core elements of Solitaire and makes them accessible to all ages and brings with it its own unique identity.

Pros

• Great way of introducing younger players to the core fun of Solitaire.
• Offers core Solitaire mechanics with a fresh new attitude and a new look.
• Adventure side of things will appeal to younger players, as well as give others a reason to keep on playing.
• Art style is cool and fresh, with an identity of its own that will appeal to most.

Cons

• Can be a little slow to get going for new plyers.
• Some of what makes Solitaire so much fun seems to be missing, with only the higher or lower side of things included.

Conclusion: Solitaire Tales is a game that obviously appeals to younger players, and those looking to introduce their little ones to Solitaire and the simple fun of card games should give this a go with them. Still, the game is good for all ages and if you like Solitaire but want a bit of an experience to go along with it, then Solitaire Tales is something you should give a go. Easy to get into, with some good depth to it, this is a fun new way to enjoy Solitaire.

Tom Dawson Managing Editor

For years now I've had a heavy interest in technology, I grew up with 8-bit computers and gaming consoles and have been using Linux for years now. Android saved me from the boredom of iOS years ago and I've loved every minute of it. As a big reader and writer nothing pleases me more than to write about the exciting world of Android and technology as a whole.

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Game reviews: Watch Dogs - Garstang Today

Open world games are always trying something new, something to stand out.

Numerous playable characters, super powers, good or evil but what hasn’t been done before is the ability to use the setting as your own weapon of mass destruction. This is where  Ubisoft’s highly anticipated hacking title, Watch Dogs, stands in. Supposed to be a PlayStation 4 launch title but to polish off the game, Ubisoft pushed it back a few months which is entirely forgivable considering how good of a game its turned out to be. Even on the PS3 and Xbox 360 Watch Dogs manages to stand proud amongst the best open world titles available.

Watch Dogs revolves around protagonist Aiden Pierce, a professional hacker and vigilante who witnesses the accidental death of his niece which was intended to be him after a robbery attempt went awry. Aiden sets out to seek revenge against everyone involved in her murder but things go deeper than expected. Thing is, Aiden has a secret weapon; his phone, which has backdoor entry to the city of Chicago’s internal operating system (or ctOS) allowing him access to the infrastructure of the whole city and you as Aiden has full control. The acting in Watch Dogs as well as the motion capture is top notch. Sometimes heart felt, sometimes testosterone fuelled and the conspiracy of the main storyline keeps you guessing. Aiden is also a surprisingly deep character, it’s clear a lot of effort has been put into Aiden to make him feel like he can be empathized with along with his supporting cast like his sister and mute nephew.

Controlling Aiden feels natural and responsive, vaulting over fences or walls whilst running flows brilliantly and the combat is tense. Enemy AI however is a little hit and miss, hiding behind a wall using the smart cover system without shooting causes some of the daredevil goons to take a risk and walk towards your position leaving him wide open, as unrealistic as this is, it does simplify the combat scenarios as Aiden’s take down manoeuvres are satisfyingly brutal however he doesn’t possess any sort of fighting moves. That being said, the combat is exciting, exciting because the game encourages you to use the fantastically implemented cover system similar to that seen in recent Splinter Cell games and failure to do so means you will die quickly as the enemies are a great shot. The cover system is also ideal for stealth gameplay which again is excellently executed and nicely balances out the high octane spray of bullets. The driving mechanic is another shining entry on Watch Dogs’ CV. Its arcadey style makes it easy to learn and also means that car chase missions are fast paced, smooth and incredible fun. The campaign missions mix the three components with one difference, Aiden’s ability to hack.

At the push of a button, Aiden can activate an app on his smart phone which turns the screen into a scanner or Profiler. This scanner highlights any NPC and displays a small randomly generated profile of that person and at times makes their phones available to hack for special rewards whether its cash, songs for the in-game music player or even a type of car for the games quick delivery service. The Profiler can also highlight environmental traps which can be activated by hacking them. These are by far the star of the show and are especially effective during high speed chases to fend off followers. These traps range from changing the traffic lights to green, bursting gas pipes , raising bridges to an all-out black-out and taking out a pursuer by any of these means makes the screen zip to the unfortunate one so you can see your accomplishment. The profiler is also used for helpful means such as distracting guards and activating switches which sometimes require completion of a little mini-game. Hacking is superb and changing the cities functions never gets old, sitting back and watching a car slam into barriers you had raised at the last minute is a blast.

As you wander the streets, every now and again, you will get chance to intervene in a potential street crime, it is purely optional however but successful intervention means a higher reputation level and also gives Experience. More experience means more skill points to spend in the quite extensive upgrade wheel whether it is on hacking abilities, driving abilities or perks or being better with a gun it’s entirely up to you. Aside from street crimes, online hacks trigger from time to time which is another player invading your game to steal data from you which incurs a cat and mouse kind of scenario, these can get cumbersome but a handy option to turn them off is present. Other mini games includes Digital Trips which range from driving a car from hell in a Carmageddon type mission to the fantastic Spider bot mission, you have to try that for yourself! Augmented reality missions such as races and shooting waves of aliens to aim for a high score are available too so there’s a lot to do in Watch Dogs if you fancy a break from the story.

Now the biggest difference between the formats is the graphics. PS3 and Xbox 360 looks uglier than those of next gen versions with shorter draw distance, more screen tearing and rougher textures but it doesn’t slow down and handles the game quite well. Next gen versions however play silky smooth at 30fps and the city looks authentic and brimming with activity. The character models are impressively detailed which makes the cut scenes a joy to watch.

Using Aiden’s online app, you are able to invade other players’ games to steal data from them as well as participate in online races and missions which has its own rewards. It’s fun to play with human players as it provides a nice change from the aforementioned substandard enemy AI.

Summary

Ubisoft haven’t let us down with Watch Dogs and them extra couple of months of waiting has certainly been worth it. The only thing that tells the format version apart is the graphics but all have the same mixture of fast paced high octane car chases, tense shootouts and edge of your seat stealth sections with the star of the show being Aiden’s incredible executed ability to hack elements of a beautiful Chicago’s infrastructure. Watch Dogs is definitely a contender for game of the year.

Story – 5/5

Graphics – 5/5 (Xbox One) 3/5 (PS3)

Game-play – 5/5

Overall – 4/5

Versions reviewed – Xbox One with PS3 version played to comment on the graphics.

PC Games Most Looked Forward To At E3 - Game Reviews

You cannot be a gamer and not know what E3 is all about. It would be like being a fan of cars and not knowing what a Ferrari or a Lamborghini is. The same way those iconic cars redefined the automotive industry, E3 has redefined the gaming industry, it being the place where all the new titles are being announced or launched. As you might expect this year’s edition will not disappoint, there are a lot of attractive titles being announced or highly anticipated. Here are some top titles to keep your eyes on:

Assassin’s Creed Unity

Assassin’s Creed is an iconic game when it comes to stealthy gameplay, parkour and captivating battles. But after numerous versions released, it became a bit boring. Assassin’s Creed Unity is here to change that by adding one element that the game desperately needed – co-op multiplayer! If you thought sneaking around and planning tactical attacks on your own was awesome, wait till you start doing that with a bunch of friends! Before you get too excited about it, know that the game is planned to be released in October, so what you’ll see at the E3 will be just some more teasers.

Rainbow Six Siege

Rainbow Six is definitely not an unknown name to first person shooter fans, as there have been several releases wearing this signature name. However, if you think that Rainbow Six Siege will be just another plain shooter where you’re the good guy walking around eliminating bad guys, you’re in for one hell of a surprise – Rainbow Six Siege will allow you to choose the dark side as well! The plot of the game is simple: a building has been captured, fortified and the bad guys have hostages. You get to pick a side, and fight till the end for it. Will you be the good guy that saves the day and releases all the hostages, or the evil mastermind that outsmarts the law? It’s up to you!

Evolve

With so many first-person shooters out there, it is hard to think that developers could come with something new to the table. However, Evolve is here to prove this wrong – the game introduces a new concept of co-op multiplayer gaming, by having four players teaming up to fight a single player. If it sounds a bit unfair, rest assured that it’s not. If you happen to be on the one-player side, you’ll be happy to find out that you’re not controlling your average mercenary, but rather a highly-evolved monster, with unique abilities, which can be evolved even further to be even deadlier. That’s the good part; the bad part is that Evolve isn't planned to be released until October as well, so what you’ll see at E3 will just boost your appetite and leave you hanging, hungry for more.

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor

Fans of Lord of the Rings, you were not forgotten! Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor promises to bring a lot of goodies to the classical role-playing-game style the previous Lord of the Rings games got you used to playing. So you may be wondering what makes this game so anticipated, and the answer is simple; but it’s not a single factor, it's a combination of new things. First of all we’ve got the Nemesis System, which makes each character you will encounter in the game truly unique, each having a unique personality, memories and features. The improved gameplay mode, with moves that seem to be borrowed from the Assassin’s Creed franchise or Batman, also makes battles and other encounters much more attractive.

Mortal Kombat X

If you still have chills down your spine because of the gory scenes following the dreaded “Finish Him!” expression you are so familiar with from previous Mortal Kombat games, get ready, as it is about to get worse. Well, worse in terms of bloodiness because the upcoming Mortal Kombat X promises to be more aggressive, gorier and more addictive than ever. While there isn’t a lot of information about the game available yet, fans expect it to make an apparition at the E3 conference; if not with some confirmed details, at least with some more teasers, as the one that’s been available online where Sub Zero fights Scorpion is absolutely stunning. Ready? Fight!

About christopheraustin

Christopher Austin is a lifelong gamer and article writer. He has written several articles on gaming and technology. He is now expert in this field and writes many high quality articles for various sites. At his free time he enjoys playing craziest games and his favorite site to play games is
Aeroplane Games 365.