The Inpatient: PSVR Review

The Inpatient: PSVR Review

Released by Supermassive Games
Platform: PSVR

Until Dawn was a great title.

A clever one that used the Butterfly Effect to branch its DNA through the core gameplay, its horror edges made you feel like you were part of a film, albeit watching a scary movie from the sidelines.

Buoyed by the commercial success of the multi-narrative game, Supermassive Games have returned to the world they created with this prequel that's set within Blackwood Sanatorium, a place very familiar to those who experienced Until Dawn.

Taking the part of an amnesiac patient, you get to be part of the Sanatorium's world and scrabbling desperately to retain the important memories needed.

In many ways, it's the stock standard use of horror tropes throughout, and the deployment of VR to provide the requisite jump scares.

But yet, The Inpatient manages to use the microphone of the VR to help you engage with the game - with other NPCs reacting to it as you choose which of the dialogue options you want to voice (the branching narrative of the game itself) and placing you in more abject terror as time goes by.

Much like the first Until Dawn and the VR spinoff Rush of Blood, The Inpatient's graphics are excellent, a clever and deeply immersive etching of faces which bring the world vividly to life.

As emotions drip through the characters, you'll find yourself more engaged with the goings on and may actually find yourself completely lost in the world within and the quest to get your memories back.

The game may have a short run time (a few hours, which is probably good given the VR experience generally) but the encouragement to play again and follow different paths make it worth a second run through.

There are a few movement issues here and there, but nothing that's not in keeping with what VR is experiencing and with the technology struggling to map a virtual world and unnatural movements.

But all up, The Inpatient is another sign that experience is important for VR.

(Now if only they could move away from so many horror games and develop it a bit deeper in terms of entertainment, this truly could be VR's year.)

Dragon Ball FighterZ: PS4 Review

Dragon Ball FighterZ: PS4 Review

Released by Bandai Namco
Platform: PS4

If you've ever wondered what Dragon Ball Z is about, this is not the game for you.
Bandai Namco's ambitious fighter embraces both the online and offline world for those interested in spinning a line through Goku's adventures.

Teaming up with his friends Goku has to fight a revived Android 16 and a slew of androids made to look and behave like them in a series of smackdowns initiated by their appearance.
Dragon Ball FighterZ is really a game that actually does what you'd expect from it.

A sort of anime Tekken/ Street Fighter hybrid, the game's desire to have you relive long scenes of anime interspersed with brutal fights and mano-a-mano smackdowns may seem like a challenge to some.

But what emerges from Dragon Ball FighterZ is really a love letter to the series and to Goku.

It may be a touch alienating to those uninitiated with the series itself, and certainly with the long character cut-scenes within the main story of the game, there's a lot that feels like it's pandering to the fans, with apparent in game nods to the show and what's gone before.

In many ways, that labour of love is a good thing - as anything weaker than that would sell the game and the franchise short.

Fighting is much like the usual in these sorts of games - a combination of meshing buttons and stringing attacks together, be they heavy, mild or otherwise, the rushing attacks can mean a fight is over quicker than anticipated.

But given there are three rounds in each fight, sometimes, that's not a bad thing.

Online, the game's connectivity limits itself to Oceania, meaning servers are Australian and sometimes suffer from cconnection issues as well as match-making.

But when it works, it does so swimmingly and flawlessly, a sign that online fighting is still the way to go with these kinds of titles.

Ultimately, Dragon Ball FighterZ is a credit to its namesake.

As a piece of arcade smack-em-ups, it's certainly got the fighting chops to tackle the best of them - and while the reliance on the Dragon Ball Z world may struggle to make this fighter as widely loved as perhaps it should be, its slavish devotion to Goku's world and those who orbit may make it an anime-themed gaming KO.

Detroit: DVD Review

Detroit: DVD Review

Reuniting Zero Dark Thirty's team in the form of director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal proves in part to be potent for Detroit.

Centred around the summer of 1967 and the riots which hit the Detroit African American population, Bigelow's film finds its focus in one pivotal moment - a motel raid which spirals out of control, and police abused their power.

Boyega plays a security guard, treading a dangerous line between keeping the cops on side and sympathising and saving others from being caught in the riot; whereas Poulter plays a cop, whose momentary lapse early on when he shoots a fleeing man in the back seems to set his moral compass distinctly awry.

The film uses its NYPD Blue style shaky cam to good effect early on, throwing you slap bang into the middle of the riots and the urgency and danger of the situation. But the film hits the skids to centre its actions on the Algiers Hotel, and sacrifices the space it's created for a claustrophobic and unflinchingly difficult section within.

Against a backdrop of Motown uniting people and then suddenly dividing those caught within, the discomfort is palpable, even if one of the cops within the actual event feels like a lazy stereotype. It's a shame given the work done in the run up to the event with Poulter's character feeling a little more multi-faceted than his closeted hatred would demonstrate.

While the back half of the film and its PTSD approach and subsequent trial feel a little more disjointed and discombobulated, its first half, warzone and all,  is painful watching  made ever more disgusting by the fact this is no fiction, but a reality that occurred.
Detroit's searing strength lies in its mid-section execution, an interlude of pure hatred and abuse of power that's so tautly executed, it feels like a modern day horror sequence, guaranteed to leave you with your mouth agog in horror.

Ultimately, it's the little moments and the ripples of after effects in Detroit which make it, for the large part, so compelling.

Perhaps timely given the social divides we currently face and equivocally appalling, Detroit's light-the-touch-paper-and-stand-back execution of events makes it a livewire event that slightly fizzes in the back third. 

Win a double pass to see THE MERCY

Win a double pass to see THE MERCY

Following his Academy Award® nominated film The Theory of Everything, James Marsh directs the incredible true story of Donald Crowhurst (Colin Firth), an amateur sailor who competed in the 1968 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race in the hope of becoming the first person in history to single-handedly circumnavigate the globe without stopping.

With an unfinished boat and his business and house on the line, Donald leaves his wife, Clare (Rachel Weisz) and their children behind, hesitantly embarking on an adventure on his boat the Teignmouth Electron.

The Mercy is in cinemas March 8th

New Code Vein assets showing newly announced co-operative multiplyaer mode now avaialble to download

New Code Vein assets showing newly announced co-operative multiplyaer mode now avaialble to download

NEW CODE VEIN ASSETS SHOWING NEWLY ANNOUNCED

COOPERATIVE MULTIPLAYER MODE NOW AVAIABLE TO DOWNLOAD

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe released new screenshots for its upcoming action RPG title, CODE VEIN, available this year for PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, and PC via STEAM. The new screens show off a first look at the game’s online multiplayer mode as well as two new characters; Cruz and Karen.

CODE VEIN gives players the chance to answer requests for help from other Revenants finding difficulty battling against the Lost. Explore and defeat the enemies lurking through each dungeon with your A.I. companion and another human player to get through difficult areas of the game. Players can communicate through a combination of gestures, stamps and voice commands for added communication and teamwork.

Two new characters have been announced for CODE VEIN; Karen and Cruz. Karen is the older sister of Louis who passed away but was revived as a Revenant. Her job is to take care of and support Revenants in battle. Cruz has withstood horrific experiments in an attempt to save mankind. However, under the intense pressure of unsuccessful experiment, she became a destruction incarnate within the world of CODE VEIN due to complex matters.

DRAGON BALL FIGHTERZ roster gets an exciting update with Broly and Bardock to join the roster!

DRAGON BALL FIGHTERZ roster gets an exciting update with Broly and Bardock to join the roster!

 

Broly and Bardock are the latest fighters to join the spectacular fighting game’s ever-expanding roster

DRAGON BALL FighterZ takes the fighting genre to a whole new level, thanks to beloved characters from the well-known franchise and an immaculate gameplay flow. Today, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe is proud to unveil the first new paid content with Broly and Bardock that will join the fight. These two new characters are part of the FighterZ Pass which includes a total of 8 characters.

Broly is one of the last survivors of Frieza’s attack on Planet Vegeta that eliminated almost all Saiyans. The Legendary Super Saiyan’s huge physique grants his attacks an impressive reach and enormous power. His Meteor Ultimate Attack Gigantic Meteor lets him hover over his opponent and instantly unleash a huge blast of energy.

The father of Radditz and Goku, Bardock has perfected his skills as a mighty warrior in numerous battles – a character that’s easy to learn but hard to master. Extending his combos takes skill, but his invincible and deadly rush attacks are extremely difficult to counter. His Meteor Ultimate Attack turns Bardock into a Super Saiyan, channeling the might of the mysterious alien race.

DRAGON BALL FighterZ is out now on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PCs via STEAM and other distributors.

ONRUSH First Gameplay Trailer Revealed

ONRUSH First Gameplay Trailer Revealed

THE STAMPEDE IS COMING

NEW ONRUSH TRAILER SHOWCASES ALL-ACTION, OVER THE TOP RACING

Codemasters have today released a new gameplay trailer for ONRUSH, the action packed, arcade racer that will smash its way onto the PlayStation® 4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One on 5^th June 2018. The new trailer, available to view now at www.codemasters.com/onrush, showcases the game’s bold and vibrant approach to racing with thrilling boosts, insane jumps and incredible takedowns.

Designed to keep players always in the action, ONRUSH is a celebration of sensational speed, outright fun and over the top spectacle. Players battle it out on track to power up their RUSH meter which enables them to unleash the ultimate manifestation of boost and power as they wreak havoc on their opponents by performing death defying takedowns and stunts.

There are eight vehicle classes in ONRUSH, each of which has its own unique style, feel and advantages. This includes the vehicle’s RUSH state with each class having different effects and abilities that can help their side claim the victory.

Developed by the new Codemasters development team in Cheshire, UK (formerly Evolution Studios), ONRUSH is not about racing to the finish line. Racing with style and flair is what counts as you perform incredible takedowns and put everything on the line in order to power up your all-important RUSH bar.

ONRUSH will launch on PS4 and Xbox One on 5^th June 2018. For more information about the game, visit www.onrushgame.com. Fans can keep up to date with all the latest news by joining our communities on Facebook, Twitter and Reddit.