Battlezone: PSVR Review

Battlezone: PSVR Review

Platform: PS VR
Developed by Rebellion Games

Imagine a game that was a mix of Tanks and Tron - that in a nutshell is the rather brilliant Battlezone, from Rebellion the people who bring you 2000AD.

A modern reboot of the classic game from 1980, this game is one of the best of the  current crop of PSVR releases.

Taking a first person perspective and throwing you into the cockpit of a tank that you then move about taking on enemies and shooting down saucers, and trying to progress to seize strategic targets. But you need to exercise a degree of caution as you blast your way around as weapons take time to reload and vital seconds could cost you your life.

Strategically the game sends you across a grid that you have to clear each section of before you can progress; like a sort of Adventure Game but for tanks. As you progress other areas unlock and you go hurtling into a new conflict with a desire to ensure that you win.

Destroying tanks and saucers, flying drones et al unlocks data for you to retrieve, weaponry to buy and also ammo. Different colour cubes scatter the landscape as you shatter their illusions and blow them all away.

As it's a tank, motion sickness is kept to a very minimum with little to no impact on this game as you move around the different arenas. The first person viewpoint adds a lot too with the very real feeling that you're inside a beast; sure there's a minimalist approach to what's inside, but quite frankly when you're taking on the bad guys, you only need a radar and an indication of what weaponry you have available to use.

Battlezone is a great game; it's fun and simple; it may be based on a game from the 80s with an 80s vibe to the gameplay and presentation, but it makes the very best of the VR's new wave. Simply put, this is one of the must-have titles of the first wave of releases.

New DEADLINE Mode and Shotaro Bike - Plus Special Bonuses in GTA Online

New DEADLINE Mode and Shotaro Bike - Plus Special Bonuses in GTA Online

New DEADLINE Mode and Shotaro Bike - Plus Special Bonuses in GTA Online

Turn the streets of Los Santos into a stylish electronic videogame battle to the death with the latest update to GTA Online. Achieve hyper speed on the futuristic Nagasaki Shotaro and demolish foes with the power of your light trail in the new Adversary Mode, Deadline. Check out the new trailer above and read on for more details, including special GTA Online bonuses happening now through Monday, November 21st. 

NEW VEHICLE: NAGASAKI SHOTARO

Light up the night with the blazingly fast Nagasaki Shotaro. Packed with enough energy to power the Los Santos grid and sporting the looks of an auto show concept vehicle, the Shotaro delivers a driving experience that is out of this world. Experience the delights of the Shotaro first in the new Deadline Adversary Mode, which will unlock the bike for purchase at Legendary Motorsport, and the Deadline Outfit is also unlocked for purchase at any clothing store. And for a limited time, proud new Shotaro owners will get a free Nagasaki Logo Tee added to their wardrobe. 

DEADLINE 

Deadline pits up to four players against another, each mounted on a different colored Shotaro, which emits a temporary light trail as you ride through the arena. Any competitor unfortunate enough to come in contact with said trail meets an instant explosion. Make calculated movements to force opponents to cross your trail’s path and take advantage of strategic power-ups for a competitive edge; use Boost to speed ahead and cut off your opponents, slow down time with Zoned for precision movement, or leap your opponent’s light trail with Hop. Step in the arena now and earn Double GTA$ and RP through November 21st.

UNLOCKABLE IN-GAME T-SHIRT & BONUSES

Feeling a sense of pride after picking up your latest mode of transport? Show your colors and shine bright in the Nagasaki Logo Tee, free with any Nagasaki Shotaro purchase. 

In addition to the Double GTA$ and RP in Deadline, get a boost to your Biker Business with 25% off Business supplies and resupplies plus an extra 50% GTA$ and 2X RP from Biker Business Sales. Plus, take advantage of discounted weapons and tactical vehicles listed below from now through the 21st.

Properties

• Biker Businesses – 25% 

Vehicles 

• Karin Technical – 25% (Heist completion requirement waived)
• Savage – 25% (Heist completion requirement waived)
• MTL Brickade – 50%

Weaponry

• Bullet Ammo – 25%
• Throwables and Explosives – 25%
• Body Armor – 25%
• Drum & Box Magazines – 25%

PREMIUM RACE: OVER THE BRIDGE (NOVEMBER 8TH - 21ST) 

Suit up and put that crotch rocket to work across the La Puerta Freeway and Los Santos’ docklands in the Over the Bridge Stunt Race, locked to Bikes. As always, it’s Triple RP to all whom participate with generous GTA$ prizes for the top three finishers.

Tom Clancy's The Division - Expansion II Survival public test now available

Tom Clancy's The Division - Expansion II Survival public test now available

TOM CLANCY’S THE DIVISION^® EXPANSION II: SURVIVAL PUBLIC TEST NOW AVAILABLE

Sydney, Australia — November 9, 2016 — Ubisoft^® has announced that a new Public Test Server (PTS) is now available for Windows PC players to join until November 13. The PTS will be used to test Update 1.5 as well as Survival, the second major expansion for Tom Clancy’s The Division^®.

In this new expansion, players will face extreme conditions after their chopper is taken down by a snowstorm. As Division agents, they have information about a potential cure for the pandemic and they will need to be extracted from the Dark Zone. Finding warm clothes, supplies, food, water and medicine will be vital to their success. However, the environment is not the only danger out there; players must also be aware of 23 other agents and face off against the Hunters, a new mysterious and deadly enemy who is always one step ahead of them.

To view the trailer click the image below

In Survival, players will be able to choose to enable either PvP or PvE. In PvP, while the Rogue mechanic does not apply, agents can fight against or cooperate with other players in every corner of New York, even outside of the Dark Zone. In PvE, players will be able to play in cooperation with other players, PvP is disabled, even in the Dark Zone.

Nocturnal Animals: Film Review

Nocturnal Animals: Film Review

Cast: Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Isla Fisher, Armie Hammer
Director: Tom Ford

There's an icy coolness that infects many frames of Tom Ford's sophomore cinematic outing, adapted from the 1993 novel Tony and Susan by Austin Wright - and it may leave you quivering in its wake.

A terrific on-edge Adams plays gallery owner Susan Morrow; unable to sleep, with cracks emerging from under the veneer of her calm composure and falling out of love with her salesman husband (a smarmy Hammer), she's intrigued when a manuscript from her former husband Edward shows up unexpectedly.

Entitled Nocturnal Animals and dedicated to her, Susan starts to read the tale of Tony and his quest for revenge after his family is kidnapped and brutally killed off a highway in West Texas....

Juxtaposing a gritty Texas crime tale that plumbs the depths of depravity and desperation with the cool pristine glamour of the art scene works incredibly well for Ford's visual aesthetic and feel.

This is a film that oozes style and fortunately, has the substance and the power of its actors to back it up as the inter-woven threads of the narrative spool ever tighter together.

Parts of the film burn with a deplorable and detestable intensity that's distinctly uncomfortable and sickeningly gripping; the sheer ugliness of the novel unfolding in front of Adams' Susan is vividly brought to life by a stunning turn from Gyllenhaal. As Tony, the man stuck in a truly horrific dilemma as his family are snatched in front of him, Gyllenhaal recaptures some of the intensive fire that burned so brightly in Nightcrawler.

Adams is stand-out as well, imbuing an emotionally detached Susan with that desire to know more but a repulsion to do so; early on, there's subtlety in her less-is-more delivery approach (Though there is an argument for saying she does little else in the back half of the film other than supply reaction - but, to be honest, she brings so much with simple facials and reactions to the unfolding fiction).

Equally, in flashbacks, Gyllenhaal brings a softness to the role of former husband Edward as we unpack the story of his and Susan's romance as another thread unwinds.

However, it's also the ensemble that excel as well - from Shannon's determined Southern lawman to Taylor-Johnson's hillbilly sleaze, there's much to luxuriate in this darkly delicious psychological puzzle as it plays out in its sophisticated manner.

While there's much debate to be garnered from the ending (and to a degree, whether there's style over substance in the present day storylines), there's a haunting melancholia that proves hard to shake from the revenge elements of Nocturnal Animals. There's no denying Ford's style and preciseness which shines from the screen (thanks largely to the work from cinematographer Seamus McGarvey) - the callous and ugly nature of Edward's story makes a great contrast to the pristine world that Susan inhabits.

Don't be surprised if Nocturnal Animals proves difficult to loosen its grip on you; one suspects come awards time, there'll be recognition for this piece of obtusely seductive noir and more acclaim for Ford's singular vision and execution.

Rating:

MASS EFFECT™: ANDROMEDA – Official Cinematic Reveal Trailer

MASS EFFECT™: ANDROMEDA – Official Cinematic Reveal Trailer

A brand new trailer for Mass Effect Andromeda has been released

Navigate the uncharted reaches of the Andromeda Galaxy to unravel its mysteries, discover vivid alien worlds, and lead the charge to find a new home among the stars. How far will you go to become humanity’s hero?.

Mass Effect: Andromeda will be released in Australia and New Zealand in Autumn 2017 on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Pro, and Xbox One. Join the Andromeda Initiative: http://x.ea.com/25657

Rise of The Tomb Raider 20th Year Celebration: PS4 Review

Rise of The Tomb Raider 20th Year Celebration: PS4 Review

Platform: PS4
Publisher - Square Enix

There's no disputing the brilliance that is Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Previously an exclusive on the XBox One, the PS4 version is finally here and well worth it.

Much like the first rebooted Tomb Raider received the same treatment, this 20th anniversary collection pulls together all of the previously released DLCs (including the Baba Yaga: The Temple of The Witch) as well as adding in some new expansions worthy of the platform and also the newly-launched VR experience.

In the previous review of the adventure , the feeling was With added tombs and challenges, this latest is simply one of the best of the year - and with its hidden treasures, it continues to grow the next gen legacy in more ways than one.

This time, it's about Lara trying to survive the machinations of a secretive group known as Trinity as their quest intersects in Lara's past with her father and the present with her rise to Tomb Raider.
Throwing a human element into the story makes all the difference and once again, the Square Enix guys really added more depth to the franchise and boosted what the series had with engagement, involvement and some truly stunning set pieces. It's no surprise the PS4 version benefits with a spit and polish that makes the best of the next gen graphics and grunt of the gameplay.

But one year on, there are no real surprises in the game's make-up and the gameplay remains as fresh and enticing as it ever did - this is an adventure that both embellishes and embraces Lara's mythology, creating an experience that's crying out for a cinematic makeover and a big screen outing.

It's the extra content in Rise of the Tomb Raider 20th Year Celebration that makes this set so worth buying.

From a new chapter called Blood Ties, which lets you look around Croft Manor trying to uncover secrets from the past and help you save the manor, to the Lara's Nightmare section which pits Croft against feverish and fiendish hordes, there's more to explore in the set than you'd first realise.
And the addition of the VR mode gives you the chance to look around the Manor too, exploring and embracing the immersiveness of the environment. Adding in Endurance Online is just the icing on the cake and shows that Tomb Raider has a long life still left within it.

It's these tweaks which make this adventure worth the time and give it a feeling of depth and scale that's befitting of the series.

Ultimately, it may have been 20 years since a rather gravity defiant pneumatic Lara hit the gaming screen - but the steps to evolve her and the depth of story-telling that's now in play make this one of the most impressive rebirths and emotional experiences on the console front. It may have been that a new title has been leaked (Shadow of the Tomb Raider indeed) but based on this complete collection, Lara's got plenty of life left within her - and that's a great thing.

Tumble: PS VR Review

Tumble: PS VR Review

Developed by Supermassive Games
Platform: PS VR

It was pretty obvious that once VR was announced, interactive puzzle games would be dropped into the release schedule.

Tumble VR is one such game.

Set in a virtual dome, it's your job to stack blocks, destroy blocks and redirect lights through blocks to gain glory in the forms of medals. Over 30 levels, your patience will be tested as you move the PS Move tool around, building and hoping gravity doesn't do its thing.

With an instructional floating ball robot at your side (looking like one of the robots out of the VR Playroom) the tutorial section of the game is easy to get through - though the lack of an option to scroll through instructions you've already heard if you're forced to repeat is a serious frustration.

Once in to the game, it becomes a case of using what you've learned to get through.

As the TETRIS Style stacking starts to take effect, some of the limitations of the VR become noticeable. Things by nature need to be a bit fiddly to ensure completion and the PS Move isn't quite up to the job; equally turning blocks over and around can be difficult to achieve because there's no way to literally grab and rotate the block as you would with a hand.

Overall, Tumble VR is quite a pleasant experience that shows puzzles may have a future in the VR world, but its minor niggles cause a slightly frustrating gameplay feeling as the game goes on.