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@nerdship-blog
Nerdship on the Faulty Pixel Podcast: Xbox One Bonus Round
I took part in the Faulty Pixel podcast show last night with host Paul Izod and Emma 'Hawkeye' Picknell.
We talk about all things Xbox One and you can check it out on faultypixel.co.uk or download it from iTunes. Please rate and leave a review if you get the chance!
Review: Tomb Raider
Tom Seymour
If I say Lara Croft what's the first thing that pops into your head? Oversexualised pixel chestery. Yep. Dual wiedling pistols. Uh-huh. Swan diving badassery? Most definitely.
But come on, Lara didn't start off her adventures jump circling and before blowing T-Rex's away- that's something you've got to build up to gradually.
It's been five years since Lara's last outing (Tomb Raider Underworld) and just like Batman had to rid himself of those awful Schumacher nipples and embrace reality in The Dark Knight trilogy, this pre-boot scraps most of what you might expect when looking for some tombs to raid (there are still some shameless boob shots in the game, but you'll have to take that up with the marketing department and spotty male target demographic).
Crystal Dynamics has managed to retain some of the original series' spirit but throwing off the constraints of the series has allowed the studio to bring the franchise into the modern era. Lara is fresh out of uni on her first archeological outing and ends up shipwrecked on a mysterious island in the Pacific with a weather system even a Glaswegian would admit looks miserable.
It's a testament to the art direction that even though the island is battered with violent storms, there is a still a ravaged beauty to it and it really makes the world stand out.
Separated from her crew, Lara needs to fend for herself on the island and find a way to get home or call for help. Think Lost, but with more answers and a survival horror edge. The story, while a bit rushed at the start, goes into more depth than previous games and the voice and motion capture actress Camilla Luddington does a great job of bringing Lara's fears and vulnerabilities to life.
Yamatai island is a nasty place and Luddington makes this young Lara feel believable - something the old Lara never was. Particularly towards the start of the game, Lara is put through the physical wringer. She's a shivering wreck and the initial events in the game which force her to take control and fight add a bit of justification to her rampages.
The pace of the game's set pieces are a bit of an onslaught and the rate at which they roll on is reminiscent of Uncharted (ironic seeing as Nathan Drake owes a debt to Miss Croft stealing her tomb raiding crown for current-gen).
Like Uncharted there's little gameplay to take part in these Indiana Jones moments (push up on stick to engage), but if you're ready to give yourself over to the ride, it works and meets those high standards set by Naughty Dog.
Lara works up to her combat proficiency relatively slowly at the start of the game but she is soon sneaking and ducking behind cover which has defined third person shooters since Gears of War.
The familiarity is pretty immediate as a result so it's easy to pick up and play. It's not quite solid enough to justify a tacked on multiplayer experience, however.
There are some staple weapon types Lara can get her hands on throughout the game and while it's possible to mix up the approach to gameplay, it is possible to opt for some stealthy ranged tactics with the compound bow.
The shooting mechanics aren't mindblowing, but they're precise enough to stick some gruesome headshots with arrows or pick people off from a distance. The pace is pretty well mixed too.
Lara will generally only encounter a handful of enemies at a time and you're given time in between to take in some of the savage, yet rather beautiful designs of the island.
Guns can be upgraded and collecting salvage and XP can be exchanged for improved combat techniques which will see Lara going from Bambi to Rambo before the credits.
Platforming has always been a staple of past Tomb Raider adventures and it's still an important part of the gameplay here.
There's great control of Lara in the air and access to new tools throughout the game, Metroid style, open up new areas and levels of verticality throughout the island.
Aiming for a ledge feels precise and it's actually an improvement over the old games where some gaps needed careful consideration as to the optimum amount sprinting steps necessary before gruesome spike pit horror. The times where the platforming does go wrong comes with some punishing death sequences.
Those with weak stomachs should hope to guide Lara safely down some treacherous rapids towards the start of the game on the first try.
But what about the actually raiding of tombs? If that's what you've come to this game for you could be a little bit disappointed.
There is a sense of exploration around the island and the world feels substantial, but the puzzle tombs are largely missing.
There are side-quest tombs available with some simple puzzle mechanics and even a "tomb raided" prompt when completed, but it's certainly not of the level of complexity or variety from what has come before.
It's more of a nod to previous installments and the hint of what could hopefully be to come. Lara has so much baggage and expectation attached that starting again was really the only way to go.
If Crystal Dynamics can put a bit more meat on Lara's supporting characters and the story, while building on the puzzle elements, a next-gen sequel could be truly exceptional.
EA'S EMPIRE WILL BUILD NEXT-GEN STAR WARS GAMES
Tom Seymour
EA will be making next-generation console Star Wars games after signing a licensing deal with Disney following the closure of LucasArts in April.
EA’s empire of studios will be tackling new projects with Visceral Games, BioWare and DICE all confirmed to be taking on next-generation Star Wars titles.
Disney retains the rights to produce games for mobile platforms.
The match with the studios that put together Dead Space, Mass Effect and Battlefield is potentially quite an exciting prospect. Dead Space and Mass Effect did lose some of the appeal in what made them special by chasing a main stream audience, by Star Wars has always been about capturing the hearts of the masses as well as the nerd faithful.
BioWare has had particular success in the past with the franchise with Knights of the Old Republic so the pressure and expectation will be particularly high.
There is almost certainly going to be a videogame tie-in with JJ Abrams’ new Star Wars film in 2015 but with three studios developing new games set in a galaxy far far away, there’s a chance there could be room for something a bit more interesting.
Squad based Storm Trooper FPS using the new Frostbite engine? Or even Visceral picking up where Star Wars 1313 left off with a look at the criminal underworld on Coruscant?
Check out the footage of now cancelled Star Wars 1313 for a look at what could have been:
GTA V character trailers roll in
Tom Seymour
Rockstar has revealed its three GTA V character trailers based on the leads Michael, Franklin and Trevor.
The Sopranos are clearly a massive influence on the Michael story line, so much so that you don't get a real sense that Rockstar is offering a new twist from the trailer alone.
Hopefully Franklin will break out of the stereotypical "gangbanger" character traits that are shown in his clip and Trevor, well he looks like the sort of hick players will love to hate. Will players switch to play as Trevor to do all the despicable stuff they like to do in GTA V? The moral compass could switch quite drastically depending on which character players choose to embody.
These new trailers maintain what we've already seen so far of the game which looks to set more of a comedic tone in comparison to Niko Bellic's adventures in Liberty City.
I think the way the characters will play off each other will be interesting and could make for a potentially revolutionary final act, depending on where Rockstar goes with it. Who wants to put bets on each of the characters screwing each other over? But if you're in control of all of them, how is that going to work?
Check out the videos below:
Next Xbox details to be revealed on May 21: An end to speculation
Tom Seymour
Microsoft has finally broken the silence on the next Xbox with the official announcement of a launch conference on May 21.
It's a relief to finally put an end to the continuous speculation surrounding the launch of the new console which has been a tedious treadmill of rumour rehashing due to the lack of solid facts to go on.
The delayed reaction from Microsoft in revealing any information has to be an indication of the effect Sony's PS4 announcement had and needing more time to adjust the way it carefully approaches its wording and product features at the event ahead of E3.
But has the damage already been done? Rumours have been flying over how Microsoft hasn't been open with developers, how the console will always require an online connection and how it will block used games. That all sounds pretty shitty and it's all so easy to get sucked in. And hasn't it all fallen into place quite well for the PS4?
Microsoft absolutely has the right to withhold information until it feels like it's ready to go, but letting this cycle of misinformation continue has been damaging, with fanboys already disregarding the next Xbox as a cynical entertainment hub with no interest in gamers.
Whatever happens in the console war to come this Christmas, Sony is certainly on the front foot with the most positive PR/propaganda campaign.
Of course, all this negativity can be erased if Microsoft says all the right things on May 21.
You should wash your face too, while you're at it
Ben Hackney
Oh Meryl, Meryl, Meryl. My latest unexpected nostalgia flashback focuses on Metal Gear's Miss Silverburgh after a female uniformed army cadet's derrière caught my eye while I was driving home.
After I'd got over the initial "allo allo..." it launched me straight back to the time of watching Meryl wiggle nature's cushion all up on my tiny TV screen – a trait that would lead Snake to identify her as not being a piss-your-pants bad guy gunner but a shexy career soldier and foxy FOXHOUND family member.
Obviously it didn't take long before I was laughing at myself, remembering old times of revealing that patience and vent crawling leads to a variety of exercises and an eventual panty display. How lovely.
To celebrate days gone by, wipe your eyeballs all over this Meryl Silverburgh tribute video I found on YouToob, made by some random chap. It's a poor excuse for not finding the original bum vid. My apologies.
"Don't forget me," she said. How could we Meryl? You've got too nice a blocky, wiggly backside and pixelated triangle tits.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain trailer
Tom Seymour
Everybody knew it, but it's only just been confirmed that The Phantom Pain, a game first teased during the 2012 VGAs, is in fact Metal Gear Solid V.
To confuse things even further, Ground Zeroes will also be part of The Phantom Pain.
Hideo Kojima's most famous creation has a history of mixing amazingly cinematic stealth gameplay with pretentious philosophical musings and this latest trailer gives an indication about just how far things will veer into the bizarre, with flaming unicorns and a soundtrack by Garbage.
The Phantom Pain will be an open world game but the footage from the latest trailer below is taken from the opening tutorial which has been described as being "more on rails".
Check out the new trailer:
GDC 2013: Battlefield 4 revealed with 17 minutes of gameplay
Tom Seymour
Well, I certainly wasn't expecting Bonnie Tyler to accompany the reveal of DICE's next-gen Battlefield.
A chunk of gameplay was revealed at a launch event at GDC 2013 which showcases the next Frostbite engine and some of the single player campaign for Battlefield 4.
The game will be coming to PS4 and the next Xbox, potentially this year for the US and probably 2014 for the UK.
Battlefield is known for its excellent multiplayer and leaving out any hints at that in this reveal show how serious DICE is about getting people to pay attention to the campaign.
The visuals on display here are pretty amazing. The way DICE have played with light and used next-gen juice to add further detail like peeling paint on a wooden door or hundreds of birds circling over the construction site all add to the realism.
This footage of Battlefield 4 does suffer from the same problem that came with Killzone Shadow Fall from Sony’s press conference last month though. Yes the action is fast paced and extremely well put together, but is it different enough from what you can experience on current-gen right now and does it change the way we think about first person shooters? Is this truly next-gen?
Bet your money on DICE showing off some large-scale multiplayer mayhem at E3 in June to really show off what this game can do.
Review: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
(Xbox 360)
Platinum Games
Tom Seymour
Think back to playing Metal Gear Solid on the PlayStation for the first time and several moments immediately come to mind – the rumble of the DualShock for the first time (A Hind D?), footsteps in the snow and overdosing on Diazepam, but the introduction of Gray Fox tops it for me.
Walking down that bloody corridor, wondering what the hell was going on and then seeing a solider elevated in the air by an invisible force before the final reveal was one of the highlights of the game.
Gray Fox paved the way for Raiden's awesome Gekko fight in MGS4 and that planted the seed for what would become the idea behind Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. It transformed him from blonde sissy boy into the ultimate cyborg ninja.
Turning that cut scene into gameplay reality would take a real focus on fast paced melee combat gameplay – which wasn’t a natural fit for Kojima Productions.
So what do you do? Give it to Platinum Games, the team behind Bayonetta and Vanquish.
Platinum threw out the stealth elements which were originally intended to be included in the game and turned the crazy dial up to increase the pace of the game to the point where it makes you feel like you’re moving at a million miles an hour.
There are plenty of nods to the MGS series though and Platinum does a great job of carrying over Yoji Shinkawa’s aesthetic, with slick visuals that push the current-gen hardware and the game even takes a couple of knowing swipes at Kojima’s penchant for discussing the philosophy of war before a boss battle.
That doesn't mean it avoids those rants completely though. You can almost sense moments in the game where Kojima have pushed back against Platinum's desire to inject more pace into how some of the cut scenes play out.
Rising's approach to combat revolves around a parry system. Rather than dodging attacks, the idea is to time a counter strike just before an enemy hits you. Miss the timing and Raiden will just absorb the blow, but quick reflexes will open up enemies for some frantic slice and dice.
Blade Mode is another major gameplay mechanic which slows down time and lets you slice through enemies any way you see fit, taking off arms, legs, heads and even cleaving people in half. It's pretty gruesome, but Rising sort of gets away with how graphic the violence is because it's the sort of heightened reality style violence you would find in anime or films like Casshern, which is clearly a massive influence on Platinum.
Feel free to mash the right thumbstick to cut people up into minced beef, but use a bit of precision and Raiden can slice a specific area on an enemy and pluck out a juicy spine which will replenish his energy levels. It creates an interesting dynamic in the boss battles particularly, as extra grunts thrown into the mix actually act as health packs that you'll welcome.
The swordplay is pretty satisfying and timing your parry involves skill, particularly on the harder difficulties. Each gameplay section will rate your performance and perfectionists can aim for an S rank with multiple play throughs.
Over time you can customise Raiden's sword, suit and expand his combo list (eventually even a dodge move can be unlocked too).
There's not a huge amount of hand holding when it comes to explaining some of the gameplay systems (I didn't even realise you could lock on until about half way through the game or save by talking to a character in the codec) so it's worth going through some of the VR training missions. Figuring things out for yourself is part of the fun but it might annoy some people.
It's worth pointing out that Rising is pretty short. Even with multiple retries on some challenging and inventive boss battles, my total play time was about 5 hours 30 mins.There are VR missions and there's a re-playability factor with S ranking the game, but it's short for £40.
Even at that price this Rising is another example of why Platinum is helping Japanese developers claw back some of their reputation after being kicked for so long. Whether it's worth your hard earned cash depends on how much you love solid third person action games that is insane enough to let you prance across a barrage of missiles before delivering a killing blow. Awesome stuff.
TWO WORD REVIEW: TURBO NINJUTSU
Watch all of the new PlayStation 4 game trailers
Tom Seymour
Sony confirmed several new games for its new PlayStation 4 last night.
You can watch all the reveal trailers below and view more information about the DualShock4 controller and Eye here:
Killzone: Shadowfall
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DriveClub
Deep Down
Infamous: Second Son
Watch Dogs
The Witness
Knack
Elemental: Unreal Engine 4 tech demo
Tom Seymour
So after all that - there's no sign of the console itself, but Sony's PlayStation 4 will be available this Christmas with a pretty good line-up of launch titles.
Eurogamer.net also managed to get Sony to confirm that it will not be blocking people from playing used games. The Xbox teams will be hunkering down in meeting rooms right now trying to decide whether they should follow suit or block used games. Could be a big selling point for the PS4 over the next Xbox.
The guys at Eurogamer.net have a really good interview with Sony's Shuhei Yoshida about the PS4 which you should check out.
The DualShock 4 and new PlayStation Eye were the only bits of kit that were shown at the launch event.
The new DualShock4 controller features:
Multi-touch pad
Built-in speaker
Headset jack
Motion control is enabled by a new six-axis sensor
Dual analog sticks have been fine-tuned for better precision
L2/R2 buttons on the top of the controller employ a curved design for easier, smoother interaction
A new “Options” button combines the functions of the DualShock 3′s “Select” and “Start” buttons for operating in-game menus
Share button allows players to broadcast gameplay in real-time through streaming sites such as Ustream, where fellow gamers can comment and join the game in new ways. For example, if you’re stuck in a difficult level, your friends can offer health potions or special weapons that you can use during gameplay. You can also instantly upload images or video to Facebook by pressing the “Share” button.
PlayStation Eye sensor to track motion.
LED feature which lights up with different colours to indicate Player 1, Player 2 etc.
Not massively sold on the design of the new control, although it does look a little bit chunkier than the DualShock3. The touch screen looks tacked on but the extra features Sony has packed into the controller should be pretty cool in how they impact on gameplay.
The Eye looks massive as well. I don't want something that big on top of my TV!
Playstation 4 Live stream reveal
Sony will be streaming the reveal of the new Playstation 4 at 11pm tonight UK time.
You can view the video below:
Video streaming by Ustream
Tom Seymour
This gallery shows of some of the official concept art images for Destiny - the new game from Bungie.
It's an open world always online-multiplayer. Think Skyrim in space, although in Destiny all your friends will be able to join you on your adventures.
"Destiny is a shared world shooter," - Bungie
No word on what platforms it will be released on yet, but a spring 2014 release has been hinted at, which means there will have to be a next-gen version. Some sources are predicting a cross-platform release, with the game going out across Xbox 360, Playstation 4, as well as next-gen consoles. It will be interesting to see if Bungie allow Sony and Microsoft communities to combine online to form this always-online multiplayer world.
Bungie put out a marketing video documentary to accompany the new images and it hints at what they're going for with the game, although it's pretty short on specifics.
Edge has some more detail on what the game means for Bungie and Activision, as well as some more hints at what the gameplay might be like.
Nerd Alert: Latest gameplay footage from The Last of Us
It's out in the UK on June 14 after the release got pushed back by a month. Can't wait for this though.
Nerd Alert: PlayStation 4 will be unveiled on February 20
Tom Seymour
Sony has posted a teaser trailer for what is most likely to be the official announcement of the PlayStation 4 on February 20.
We'll have to wait and see if Sony jumping out of the gate first will prompt Microsoft to reveal more information about its Xbox 720/Durango project too.
Microsoft have already launched a countdown to E3 in June, where it is expected to reveal more about the next Xbox, but PlayStation's February announcement will give it a few months to try and build up some headwind going into E3.
The Wall Street Journal have quoted sources as saying Sony's next PlayStation will be on sale before the end of this year. It also mentions that the new Xbox will be on sale by Christmas this year.
Edge has got hold of some more details on specs for the next PlayStation here. Looks like the UK will have to wait until 2014 for new hardware.
Nerd Alert: Bit Socket
Just wanted to draw attention to this online video game show about games, put together by a couple of rather inventive Glaswegians. Worth checking out some of the videos too if you have a chance.
Nerdship's VGA 2012 trailer selection
There's quite a crowded schedule of gaming awesomeness coming our way in the spring and that's without including GTA V (it's big enough to have its own trailer reveal away from the Video Game Awards).
One interesting thing about the reveals at the VGAs is that it doesn't really confirm any games in the autumn which will fuel the rumours that next generation consoles will be available before the end of the year, with a load of as yet unannounced launch titles to go with them (Watch Dogs and Star Wars 1313?).
The Phantom Pain and Dark Souls II could end up on current gen and next gen consoles, depending on where their release dates lie. Which one are you most looking forward to on this list? Probably The Last of Us for me.
The Phantom Pain/Metal Gear Solid 5
Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3
Release date: TBA
The Last of Us
Platform: Playstation 3
Release date: May 7, 2013
Tomb Raider
Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Microsoft Windows
Release date: March 3, 2013
Bioshock Infinite
Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Microsoft Windows
Release date: March 26, 2013
Dark Souls II
Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Microsoft Windows
Release date: TBA