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Monday, June 10, 2013
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Editorial - E3: 5 things to do and not to do
Sony
What to do:
1: Keep the momentum going after their PS4 reveal, that reveal was all about games, games, games, don't drudge down the E3 press conference with too much technical mumbo jumbo or showing us how fast we can change the channel for five minutes... oh wait
2: Show the box! It's pretty given that this will happen with the reveal teaser released and everything. still, just making sure: show it!
3: Address the issues Microsoft are facing and if you are doing some of the same things, give us the bad news then games, games, games!
4: Kevin Butler on stage!
5: End the conference with a bang, like a huge surprise, and it would be nice if it was about the console and not just a new game or IP. example: Playstation plus v 2.0 reworked with new benefits. or the actual price of the console.
What not to do:
1: Don't show the box.
2: Trophies will not carry over. Just bad.
3: show all the multimedia features of the box for like an hour or more, we get it, there's new stuff in it that you need to show, but keep it short please, this has been earmarked as a gamer's console. And we still know it will be a great multimedia machine, we got a PS3, the PS4 is an upgrade, so remember, an icon can do the same job in less than a second.
4: Always on = Always NO! just, don't do it ok, please?!?
5: Don't focus too much on move. if there's a huge upgrade to it, go ahead and show that, we know what it is, and we know what it does unless you have something new to show.
Bonus: Do. Not. Forget. The. Vita!
Nintendo
1: Hold a press conference. A lot of people say it's good of them not to hold one to come between the 'giants' Sony and Microsoft. And at some points i can agree, Nintendo don't really hold the same audience anymore, but not keeping a presence at E3 shows a lack of confidence and an overconfidence in Nintendo direct. Even without the hardcore audience your customers are nervous about their Wii u purchase and were waiting for E3 and some great game reveals to solidify their confidence in you.
Microsoft
What to do:
1: Apologize. I know that it would be a big pill to swallow, but recognize that the gaming community in general saw the X1 release as a failure. We know, it was never meant to show games, but neither did you show a games console, for instance, another site, let's call them "EGN" (please don't sue me!) said "even if they didn't show any games it doesn't mean there wont be games for X1, they're not taking anything away from the console" and I call BS on that, of course we know the games will be there, but show a tech demo or something! you had 0 in game footage, 0 graphical demonstrations, 0 outside-game features other than change the channel to watch TV. So for your core audience all you revealed was the design of the box and a whole bunch of bad news.
2: Get Gabe Newell on stage, cant help but love that guy.
3: Show the 'cool side' of Kinect. We know this conference could almost be called the Kinect conference, since it's integral to the whole system. I'll tell you a secret: nobody wants Kinect, we got burned on X360, it's inaccurate, laggy and prone to glitches, you have yet to prove it's worth, do it now in this year's E3.
4: Show off this 'upgraded achievement system'
5: Reveal the price. i talk more about this in my 'not to do'
What not to do:
1: don't estrange the larger part of your consumer base: Everywhere in the world other than the United States. What do I mean? well let's say the console costs $400 USD, that's about 2300 NOK (Norwegian krona) however, since we live in Europe, and only because we live in Europe the console would cost 400€. I realize it looks nice on paper $400 and 400€. but the price just went up for Europeans from 2300 NOK to about 3000 NOK. that is a considerable leap. that's one whole game plus 100 NOK more. Normally this would be fine because we're used to it, but we only get half the console, remember all those things you were so proud to show on your reveal conference? Well we cant use any of that, voice commands will probably not be localized either, not that English is a problem for most of us, however we do feel silly A: talking to our TV B: even more so doing it in a foreign language. So we should pay 25% more than the U.S. for half the features? I'd say 300€ sounds about right this time (2300 NOK, same price as U.S.). and then we wont mind if you raise the price a bit on your monthly fee or sale price Once you get all the features on our consoles as well!
2: Leave the whole 'One box to rule them all' concept out of this, we got it the first time, we will forever be reminded by the name of the box. We don't need any more.
3: keep talking about other things than games and game features on the box to an absolute minimum.
4: no fake tattoo reveals please, only real tattoo
5: don't try to 'explain' your press release to us, we're not idiots, you're trying to kill used games by 'letting publishers decide', the console requires online connection to work, even if it is once every 24 hours, that still requires an online connection. And the kinect will always be watching us as long as the console is on standby. these are not good things. but at least we know them.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Review - The Last of Us
How do you elevate storytelling to a new level after giants like Bioshock, Heavy Rain or Metal Gear Solid? Well Naughty Dog has raised the bar, and then some. From the start you're instantly sucked into the atmosphere, story, and character only to face a tearful turn of events only minutes later.
Simply the attention to detail in this game shows how much love, time and appreciation went into this game, sitting in the backseat of a moving car and panning the camera around while your character moves around following the field of view, or quip remarks after reading collectibles.
The story takes place 20-21 years after the initial outbreak of a Cordyceps virus (this is a real thing by the way) epidemic, where the infection starts growing rapidly on the anger-inducing part of the brain, making them feral and highly agitated, after some time the fungus grows out of the skull taking over most of the face and upper part of the head.
These advanced mutations render the unfortunate infected blind and are referred to as clickers because they use a growling clicking sound to see around them using sonar waves. But when these creatures are at the end of their life, they sit down against a wall and sort of becomes one with their environment.
These 'dead' clickers produce and release spores around them, infecting anyone who inhales them. The not-so-far-gone infected still sees, and depending on their visually represented stage of infection some have already started clicking, these are fast and vicious, referred to as 'Runners'. Still easier to handle than the clickers themselves.
To talk about the main characters themselves it's hard not to go into spoiler territory, but their archetypes are easier defined, but harder to emote until you actually play the game. Joel is gruff, a hard ass and pretty averagely normal guy, making the best out of a bad situation for him, and to some extent his partner, Tess.
Ellie is a typical teenager, testing limits, rebellious and foul mouthed, and clearly the star of the show, she is completely capable and never seem out of place in combat, so even though this whole game is basically one huge escort mission, Ellie seems more like a willing participant, rather than a helpless girl who 'needs' anyone.
The third honorary main character, would be mother nature herself, every room and every object in whatever area you may be in is somehow connected to the earth, anywhere you look, you will either see something green or brown, and completely jaw dropping beautiful, several instances will have you just stopping whatever you are doing, just looking around.
Far into the game there are still areas that surprise and beautifully represent the time of year you're currently playing. During winter you might find yourself just looking at the prints you made walking backwards or in circles. For the keen of eye, you will even notice that the snow glitters, it glitters!
Naughty Dog, yet again proves how much care and thought are put into even the smallest segments. The meat and potatoes in the game here is all about story, and what a story it is, this is one of those games that are not about reaching the ending, but rather absorbing and enjoying the journey to get there.
The writing, directing, voice and motion capture acting are amazing all on their own terms, earning their own score and we give them 5/5. there's not much to talk about here, anything you ask if they do right, the answer is 'yes' or 'better than you have ever seen before'. and Gustavo Santaolalla completely captures the energy and atmosphere of every scene with his score, someone throw this guy another Oscar right now!
Every character is cast perfectly as well, with the fantastic actress Ashley Johnson playing the likeness of Ellen Page, Ellie. And veteran voice actor Troy Baker, recently known for voicing Booker Dewitt and soon to be known for voicing The Joker in Batman Origins, seriously, talk about acting range! And it wouldn't be a Naughty Dog game without the big guy himself, Nolan North.
And although those are just the main characters, absolutely everyone in the game just sound and act brilliantly, putting in a performance few can match and even fewer still can top. Thanks to a creepy old fortune teller and a magic eight ball, we now know the next soon-to-be announced release coming out of Naughty Dog; it'll be a book, its title: "how it's done!".
During our time with the game, we only ever managed to get into one multiplayer game, so we are forced to release this review without a thorough knowledge of the multiplayer, but we will release a part two of the review, we can however score the game, because even if you never touch the multiplayer you get a hundred times worth your money with the single player alone, so naturally;
Game Score : 5/5
The combat never becomes monotonous because the strategy, stealth and possibility to avoid combat altogether makes every encounter so tense and involving. The story is masterfully paced, the visuals, animations, acting, simply perfect. Giving this game any less than 100% would be a disservice to both you and us. Buy it!
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
News - Murdered: Soul Suspect, New IP out of Square Enix
MURDERED: SOUL SUSPECT takes players into a whole new realm of mystery where the case is personal and the clues just out of reach. A new take on the action/adventure genre, MURDERED: SOUL SUSPECT challenges players to solve possibly the hardest case of all… their own murder.
MURDERED: SOUL SUSPECT sees players take the role of Ronan O’Connor, a detective with a checkered past, whose life is brought to an untimely end by a brutal and relentless killer. Unable to move on and stuck in the limbo world of Dusk, he won’t find peace until he can bring his killer to justice from the afterlife.
Using his new-found supernatural abilities, Ronan is free to explore the town of Salem, Massachusetts, from his shadowy afterlife. Unable to communicate with the detectives on his case, Ronan must read the minds of the living, influencing their thoughts and actions. As part of his investigation, he must interrogate the ghosts of Salem’s past citizens to piece together the puzzle, while battling demonic spirits to save his soul and uncover the shocking truth about who is responsible for his death.
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