Child of Light: PS4 Preview

Child of Light: PS4 Preview

Released end of April 2014

Ubisoft are at it again.

Following in a similar visual vein of Rayman comes Child of Light, a downloadable title for the PS4 which is due out at the end of April.

Set in a fairy tale world, you play the Princess Aurora in this RPG style sidescroller. At a recent preview event, I was given the chance to play through the first four chapters of what can only be described as a charming little game that's both ethereal and nightmarish.

As the prelude reveals, Aurora is a child stolen from her home and is desperate to get home to her father. Initially lost in the woodlands, Aurora meets Igniculus, the firefly, who becomes her ally in this quest (and is controlled in a similar manner to Murfy from the Rayman game) - between the two of them they have to face all manner of nasty creatures in the woods, solve a few puzzles (using Igniculus' light powers) and try and face their darkest fears.

The artwork for the game shows Aurora wielding a Sword in the face of a dragon, but that beastie was nowhere to be seen, leading me to the conclusion that it shows up as the final big boss. However, the initial chapters have a feel of many fairy tales which you'll be familiar with. As Aurora sets about freeing the sword, you'll end up recalling the Sword in the Stone for many reasons.

Visually, the game is absolutely sumptuous. Once again, Ubisoft has used the paintings style backgrounding technique so deftly employed in Rayman and it works to bring an ethereal and childlike feel to this story. With her Merida style red hair, Aurora is a simply charming heroine that'll be fun to help on her quest. The animation is smoothly done and the action (such as it is) is occasionally interrupted by a kind of cartoon-like story being told, as well as with rhyming couplets being seen on screen. All of this (crudely described by me) adds to a feeling of a poem and tale being sketched out on the PS4 by the UBISOFT team.

There are many familiar traits shared with Rayman - parts of the landscape are hidden and will only be revealed when you wonder near to their locale and the wishes that appear for you to collect operate in a similar manner to the Lums of the games.

Combat is kind of intriguing in Child of Light and is not your tradition wield a sword and smash them sort of affair. In fact, you can be clever and can use Igniculus to blind any nearby beasties with his glow to avoid fighting them. But by doing so, you end up losing out on the chance to power up Aurora and improve her skills (which will no doubt be called into question further down the track)

Combat takes you to another screen where you have to decide whether to attack or defend and whether to fight or flee. Using a speed bar, it's a race to see who is the first to fight and strike - and you can delay your opponent's avatar reaching their goal by using Igniculus to blind them with his light for a short time, allowing you the chance to strike. Each blow takes a toll on the baddies and it's an intriguing combat strategy (quite similar to the mechanic of South Park: Stick of Truth) but doesn't quite reveal how much strength or weakness your baddie has left meaning sometimes, planning strategy can be hard. Companions can be brought into the fight and when you're facing off against 3 others, that's no bad thing.

Overall, Child of Light looks interesting, intriguing and with that small screen lusciousness that we've come to expect from Ubisoft. It's due to drop at the end of April and having invested a few hours into the game, I've really had my curiosity piqued as to how the journey will go - and what awaits Aurora in this nightmare fairytale.

Resogun: PS4 Review

Resogun: PS4 Review

Platform: PS4
As part of PlayStation Plus sub in December, currently on PSN

They say sometimes, simpler is better.

And in Resogun's sake, nothing could be truer.

This fast paced, simple shoot'em'up is one of the best titles currently on the PS4 and is, if you're serious about gaming, worth seeking out and investing time in. It's a simple concept - you just simply shoot stuff and try and save the humans silly enough to stick around in the face of an alien invasion.

In essence, it's an updated version of Defender, but one set in a cylindrical world which allows you to see all around and realise what threats lie around the corner, so you can scroll off and fight them. Using power ups and boosts, you do all you can to destroy the hordes of oncoming bad guys which come at you from all sides, show up without warning and swarm to you like flies to honey.

Power ups appear every now and again, giving you the chance to tool up your ship with improved firepower (there's little modding on show here for you to abuse) and in all honesty, you have to be a bit smart with how you craft your attacks and when you look to try and save the humans who will be blasted out of their homes in the sky.

Swooping in you collect them and transport them to freedom for various rewards - but as with all of these styles of games, there is an end of the level boss to take on as well. Also, the game doesn't reward you for not shooting with a score multiplier increasing each time you blast the beejesus out of all and sundry. Stop for too long and that points ladder is swept from under you and you have to start all over again. A Voice keeps intoning to you the threats and rewards you get - and that's about as far as the interaction goes.

Resogun looks amazing in the PS4 environment - simply crafted graphics which glow and shimmer as the game play goes on suck you in and prove addictive. Boosts and an overpowerful weapon can be employed, but sense needs to prevail to pick the moment for maximum impact; boosting into the bad guys can also take them down.

Resogun is utterly addictive, completely entertaining and a welcome throwback to simple games which value playability over visual smarts and complexity. It's well worth seeking out as it may actually be one of the best things around on the PS4 - and I can guarantee that you'll lose plenty of time trying to beat this next gen shooter that's as impressive as it is simple.

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Titanfall: Xbox One Review

Titanfall: Xbox One Review

Released by EA Games
Platform: XBox One

It's not often that two words can describe a game

But when it comes to Titanfall, those two words are: simply stunning

The first person multiplayer shooter from Respawn entertainment is a thrill from the moment it starts up.

Fast paced and needing your full attention, this six on six multiplayer game serves up thrills from the early training phases through to the action combat of the game.

You are a pilot of one of these big beasts which hurtle around combat arenas. To start with you are trained on the basics of combat, running, jumping, vaulting along walls and generally impressing yourself

But it's when you get a big robot to play in that things get truly fun. An extension of the player, the robot can do all you can but in a beefier outer shell. Imagine being a transformer and that should give you some scope of what it's like

It's only multiplayer though so to get the real benefits you need to be able to go online - and it's once that's done, the game begins to grow in scope

Blasting things, multi kills with one target and simply wreaking havoc is incredibly addictive - almost a rush in many ways as you fight on

Through various game elements( catch the flag,et al) there's plenty of simple depth to get thrown into. Training is brief and to the point whereas combat can be frantic and engaging

It's quite simply the kind of FPS action that really begs you to be part of it and rewards you for your time. In terms of what Titanfall does for slick FPS action in an online environment, it's definitely a game changer - if you own an XBox One, you cannot afford to miss this - it's a game that keeps you coming back, makes you realise you're sucked in and then gives you one of the best gaming experiences you've ever had.

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One Chance: Bly Ray Review

One Chance: Bly Ray Review

Rating: PG

Released by Roadshow Home Ent

In this latest heart-warming, based on a true story, feel good audience film, tap shoes are swapped for choirboy singing and opera as the story of Paul Potts unfolds. Yep, you know Paul Potts, the winner of Britain's Got Talent who wowed the crowds with his Nessun Dorma. (Sorry, spoiler alert)

Set in Wales, in the UK, chubby comedian James Corden (of Gavin and Stacey) is the underdog Paul Potts, a likeable but bullied bloke with crooked teeth who lacks confidence. He's a mobile phone salesman whose bedroom is decorated with opera posters and who, by his own admission, "always wanted to sing". On his side is his boss (played with oddball charm by The Office's Mackenzie Crook), his met-her-on-an-internet-chatroom-potential-girlfriend Julie-Ann and his mum (Julie Walters). Opposed to his dream is the gruff been-down-the-coalface-in-the-steel-works-all-my-life dad (Colm Meaney) and most of the people he knows who believe opera is the green card to bully and abuse him.

The biopic follows the rags to riches story in true formulaic fashion as Potts faces (apparently) insurmountable odds to achieve his dream, get to an opera school in Venice and sing for Pavarotti. But Pavarotti crushes Potts' dream and a trip back to small town Wales and the depression of ordinary everyday life ends up being his destiny. However, in a move which will surprise no-one, Paul's passion for singing rises up from its apparent grave to face yet more setbacks....

It's very easy to dismiss the likes of One Chance; it's the kind of formulaic, cloying tosh that annoys the critics and proves to be a massive hit with audiences. Yet, thanks to Corden's warmth and empathy which radiates from the screen as much as the various arias he sings throughout, it's fairly innocuous if unsurprising and unoriginal stuff. (Even if some of the miming is a little overdone - Potts provided the actual vocals)

Every dramatic turn is signposted from a mile off - Will his father change his anti- stance? Will Paul's innumerable setbacks beat down the boy and destroy him? Will the bullies triumph after years of harassment? Will the shots of Venice, bathed in beauty and opera be a boon to the Venice Tourism Board?

And yet, thanks to a nicely rounded heart-warming romance between Corden and Roach and believe in yourself style journey, One Chance isn't as bad as you'd expect from the sentimental trailers around.

There's a naive charm to Corden's portrayal and a light comedic touch (as evidenced by his work on Gavin and Stacey) which helps you through the inevitable twists, plot contrivances, Pol Pot gags, fat jokes, (sample - "Couldn't you just eat him up?" opines his mother at one point; to which the father replies "You'd need a few sittings") and rags to riches cliches and tropes.

You've seen it all before in One Chance and The Devil Wears Prada director David Frankelbrings no new touches to the style of syrupy biopic storytelling; it's crowd-pleasing in the extreme and box-ticking to the max, but mark my words, it'll be more popular than the last boy-faces-extreme-adversity-only-to-triumph-against-all-the-odds film and you'll find it pointless to resist such generic familiar fare.

Extras: Simon Cowell featurette

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Wolfenstein: New Trailer here

Wolfenstein: New Trailer here

The resistance must rise despite being outclassed and outgunned. In the latest trailer, ‘Nowhere to Run’, for Wolfenstein: The New Order, B.J. Blazkowicz and the resistance fight back against General Deathshead, and his legion of Nazi forces despite the overwhelming odds against them. You can download this newly released trailer via the links below.  

Wolfenstein: The New Order, the upcoming first-person action-adventure shooter under development at MachineGames, reignites the franchise widely recognized for pioneering the first-person shooter genre. Set in the 1960s, the monstrous Nazi regime has used mysterious advanced technology to win World War II. They now rule the globe with an iron fist. Wolfenstein: The New Order sends you across Europe on a harrowing mission to bring down the Nazi war machine.

Wolfenstein is slated for release in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand on May 20^th on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. As an added bonus, everyone pre-ordering the game will be invited to access the DOOM beta with their copy of Wolfenstein. For more information on the DOOM beta access pre-order bonus, as well as applicable terms and restrictions, please visit: www.wolfenstein.com/doom.

GTA Online Capture Creator unleashed

GTA Online Capture Creator unleashed

GTA Online Capture Creator Coming this Friday - Get Double GTA$ & RP on Capture Jobs Now

This Friday, April 11th, we'll be adding the ability to construct your own Capture Jobs with the GTA Online Creator tool. This update will let you create Jobs across any of the four Capture Job variants (Contend, GTA, Hold and Raid) and publish them for all to play, rate and share via the Rockstar Games Social Club.

In honor of this forthcoming update, and to help you hone your skills for the wave of new player-made Capture creations to come - from now until Friday, playing any of the official Capture Jobs in GTA Online will earn you twice as much GTA$ and RP. If you haven't yet played Capture Mode in GTA Online, it's a GTA twist on classic capture the flag style confrontations that brings a whole new level of adversarial action to the world of Los Santos and Blaine County. Strategy plays a huge role as you run decoys, set traps and place obstacles to ensure your enemies don’t get close to your goods.

Below are a few of the Capture Jobs we recommend you check out, and stay tuned for some tips straight from us on how to dominate at Capture Mode later this week.

Contend: Salty Snatch
Dog walkers and surfing talent agents look out - two import operations at either end of Chumash Beach are fighting over a shipment that's landed on the pier. Any product they can get to their spot in the sand is theirs to keep.

GTA: All Abhorred
Not just for parolees and perverts anymore, a fleet of buses at the Dashound Bus Center in Downtown LS becomes a target for two teams of hoods. They compete to get buses back to their bases on either side of the city, while trying to stop the other team from doing the same.

GTA: Field of Screams
A tractor shortage in Grapeseed leads to farmyard chaos. It's harvest time, and two rival gangs compete to bring a Fieldmaster tractor back to their bases. Farming is a deadly serious business in Blaine County.

Hold: Freight Fight
Two importers fight over rights to a shipment at the Terminal. Scrappy close quarters battle as they try to get as much product to their side of the containers as they can, and protect it when it gets there.

Raid: High Road
Chiliad Mountain State Wilderness: playground for uptight hikers, creepy bird watchers, trail mix enthusiasts and drug runners. Fight a rival crew for the rights to the tunnel shortcut to the Alamo Sea, and put them out of business by taking their product and banking it on your side of the tunnel.

Raid: Wargames
Like any military operation, when things kick off at Fort Zancudo Air Base, they escalate pretty quickly. Teams hoarding their black market profits raid each other's bases at either end of the facility. If they get the goods back, they're banked. Nothing's off limits to be used here, including the fighter jets.

NEW TITLE UPDATE 1.12
Today, there is also a new Title Update available that includes many of the fixes we announced in last week's spring updates story, including bonus RP every time you like or dislike content after playing it, the ability to call Lester and have him instruct the cops to turn a blind eye to criminal activity for a short period of time, as well as increased payouts for completing Parachute, Races, Deathmatches and LTS Jobs with less than four players. To get the new update, just go online with your PS3 or Xbox 360 and GTAV - you'll be prompted to download an automatic update (Xbox 360 players will also be prompted to download a compatibility pack). For the full list of fixes and changes, check outthis article at the Rockstar Support page.

The Crew Launch date revealed

The Crew Launch date revealed

UBISOFT ANNOUNCES THE CREW TO LAUNCH IN SPRING 2014, RELEASES WORLDWIDE PREMIERE GAMEPLAY TRAILER

Pre-orders are now open and players can take part in a genuine online quest for in-game rewards.

April 9, 2014 — Ubisoft^® has announced that The Crew will be available this spring for Xbox One^®, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PlayStation^® 4 computer entertainment system and PC.

The Crew is a revolutionary action-driving game that takes gamers on a reckless ride throughout a massive, open-world recreation of the United States, brimming with exciting challenges and populated by other real players.

The Crew’s worldwide premiere gameplay trailer (click the image below to view) shows four cars, each with different tuning specs and riding in an iconic region of the United States, forming a crew to continue their journey together across the living, breathing open-world.

Click the image below to see the trailer

The Crew is now available for pre-order with players in Australia and New Zealand able to pre-order the ANZ Limited Edition with exclusive access to a Mini Cooper S 2010 along with early access to a BMW Z4 sDrive35is.  

Players will also be able to access two different packs granting early access to either a 2015 Ford Mustang GT (available exclusively at JB HIFI) or a RAM SRT-10 (Available exclusively at EB Games). Each offer comes with a set of custom car parts and crew credits value.

Finally, starting April 9, players will be able to win exclusive rewards through the Golden Plates treasure hunt. Golden Plates are license plates hidden within the game assets (screenshots, trailers, etc.) that have already been revealed or that will be revealed until the launch of The Crew. At launch, submitting the license plate code into the dedicated website hub (http://thecrewgame.com/golden-plate) will unlock in-game rewards, goodies and mystery rewards. 

For more information on The Crew, please visit: http://thecrewgame.com