What is at the centre of the universe?
No Mans Sky boasts a universe like no other. Endless stars and galaxies to explore with the ultimate goal to reach the centre of it all, but what will be find there?
"the mother of all Easter Eggs"
What will we find? Something big, something that has to be worth navigating the entire universe to get to. Starting the game with nothing and taking endless hours to reach it has to be the mother of all Easter eggs. I will be disappointed with however with the head of some God like figure, quoting Star Trek V here. But I will accept the meaning of life (other than 42).
Chris Sowry |
"go back to the outskirts"
You'll find a treasure map of sorts, with the new task of reaching certain points around the edge of the universe. With doing this you can increase the length of the game ten fold. The Dev's have said that reaching the centre is only the beginning, collecting these items will ensure dedicated players have plenty to keep there time occupied.
Clint Tokley |
"Play again with extra goodies"
You'd prestige and be whiskered away to another random location, starting again with nothing. But with access extra goodies to show off to others that you have reached the centre of the universe and king of space exploration. It would be handy if your allowed to keep your current multi-tool, but your basically playing the game again from scratch.
Andrew P Paschails |
"Nothing, just play till you get bored"
I reckon its a ploy by Hello Games, if you can even reach the centre its only been added to give your adventure a purpose. Emphasising on the journey rather than the destination itself. If you have no reason to play, you won't and they need to ensure people keep picking up and switching on No Mans Sky. If you do reach to centre you get a well done, pat on the back and ushered to continue exploring and upgrading.
Kyle Revell |
Should the new battlefront be a battlefield re-skin?
"Games have evolved"
I appear to be in a minority with my words, but just listen to
me out before jumping to any conclusions. The last Battlefront was out on the
PlayStation 2, not just a few years back but a whole decade ago. Games have
evolved just from last gen consoles, just how much have they changed from two
generations? Of course we all bang about wanting to play old classics like
Timesplitters and such, but do we? Nostalgia quickly wears off and ultimately
we judge these old games by today’s high standards that they can never compare to.
DICE taking over the franchise is a massive win for the name of Star Wars, the detail in the models in-game is fantastic. You could not want a more authentic looking title, recapturing the scenes from the original trilogy where it all started. But wait, there where floating rebel icons on Hoth during the second film right? Allowing the rebels to magically teleport into X-wings and Snow Speeders, or pull a rocket launcher from their butt’s. I also can’t remember Darth Vader and Luke dressed from Return of the Jedi having a showdown half way through either (another rant about this later). DICE have opted for an arcade game over realism, true to the original games yes. But my brain hurts to see this kind of spotless detail with random pick-ups and arcade action thrown in. The developers on the other hand, have built up a long reputation with large scale battlegrounds combining balanced vehicle and infantry combat. Anything new they have tried has ended in failure. Medal of Honour reboot jumps to mind. DICE excel at Battlefield games and with carrying this much weight on their shoulders they seriously cannot mess this up. The new Battlefront MUST be spot on at launch, So why try something different to what they already know? Tie Fighters can replace Jets; ST-AT’s can replace Tanks and M16’s swapped out for blasters, simple. For them to now show you calling in Y-wings to bomb targets, goes against everything they have done previous. “You are the air strike” I can distinctly remember their slogan when comparing themselves to other shooters. The power of today’s PC’s and consoles need to be used. Limiting the battles to the small areas may focus the action, but it’s not pushing the boundaries of today’s standards. Even previous Battlefronts you could hop into an A-wing and fly into different capital ships and fight within the corridors. Where’s this gone? The natural extension would be to have the battle spread across a planet as well. I’m sure an XboxOne could cope with a player spawning on a base planet side, jumping in a Tie, fly into orbit. Proceed with a dogfight in space and to then land on a Star Destroyer. This brings me to another problem I have, 20v20 battles. I know numbers don’t make or break games. But the jump from PS3 to PS4 with Battlefield 4 and the extra players count makes the game so much better, bigger maps allow more freedom and extra vehicles to cause mayhem. Maybe a Planetside 2 reskin of Star Wars would be too big. But I want to see every epic moment form the films reproduced in game format. The view from the Millennium Falcon at the beginning of the space battle over Endor would have been pathetic limited to only 20 Ties. Lastly the inclusion of the Hero’s, I read an article about why they didn’t what an over powered unit, dominating the game and I 100% agree. Even going back to the authentic argument, obviously hero and hero will clash and one will die. But can you imagine the videos of Darth Vader killed by a X-Wing ramming into him. It brings you out of the mind-set that you are taking part in this “re-telling” of the movies. While I will still purchase Battlefront, I can’t help the feeling DICE have been told to make an updated version of the old games. While this will please veterans on paper, I struggle to see new players flocking over and staying for the long haul. Even the veterans themselves, once the nostalgia wears off. It’s been catered for a wider audience in mind, it has the feeling of a simple game allowing anyone to jump in anytime and play with little or no effort and skill. We all know that if you try to please everyone, you please no one. If you want the simpler version of Star Wars you have other options including Disney’s Infinity 3.0, offering the more child friendly atmosphere. Don’t let us hardcore gamers suffer. The Battlefield formula has been perfected over its many years, its proven and can keep large number of players hooked years after release. |
"delight at Battlefront not
being a re-skin" So should the upcoming Star Wars Battlefront re-boot be a Battlefield re-skin? Hell no is the short answer.
Why on earth anyone would want a Battlefield re-skin is puzzling to me. Battlefield is one of my favourite franchises but simply taking that model and basically calling it Battlefront would cause an almighty and justified uproar. I’ve seen numerous comments from fans expressing delight at Battlefront not being a re-skin. I’m not going to go into to many details about gameplay as it’s been well documented already. I will say three things though; (1) I’m over the moon that 3rd person view is in. (2) DICE are not including Space Battles with their first shot at Battlefront. Why? Well I’d rather they don’t overload themselves with too many elements. Keep it simple, get it right and then add space battles to the next game. (3) thank the stars no Battlelog!! What went from an innovation and handy community tool in BF3 became a hindrance by the time it integrated BF4. Anyway, back to the point in question. Although Battlefront has many of the same elements as Battlefield and I’m sure DICE are drawing on their massive experience of making shooters, this simply is a different franchise and should be treated as such. May the Force be with you! |
Is virtual Reality the
next big thing?
It may change the way we play games, but not anytime soon. As someone who wears glasses and sometimes suffers from motion sickness, I'm not too comfortable with the idea of playing games with a massive headset on. It looks uncomfortable, and I don't think I'll enjoy shutting myself out from the world just for immersion.
However, technology does it evolve so it's too early to say. It'll either be a hit or miss, I don't think there'll be anything in between. Zarmena Khan For me it's not something that will catch on for a while at least. With these things the big three factors are usability, software support and cost. As we've seen in the past with Kinect, PS Move and 3DTV gaming, without those factors all working together it's very hard to get "the next big thing in gaming" off the ground. Edward Rose |
The most important thing is whichever device hits the mainstream first - there's only one chance to sell the general public on "wear this thing on your head to play games", whether that's from Oculus, Samsung, Valve, or someone else. If that first one isn't great, I think it'll put a lot of people off for several years.
I was skeptical in general but I played New Retro Arcade recently and that's sold me a lot more on the idea. It's a free tech demo where you can walk around an arcade playing on cabinets and game systems, it really captures the atmosphere well. That said, I've yet to see many actual games I'd want to play with it. The software really needs to hit for the thing to actually take off. I still think the hurdle of putting something so obtrusive on your head for potentially long periods of time is a massive one to overcome. Ken Allsop |
It will come down to pricing, accessability and integrating it to a must have before i see it actually taking off. My last 3 cars have all had voice recognition, do i use it? no. Mp3 players and mobile phones had been around for a fair while but apple (love em or hate them) made them a must have item because of the iphone/ipod design. @ the branding + how they intregated into other platforms. If sony had made the psp and vita more integral into the home console gaming i feel imho they would of done much better than they did. The VR gaming concept has been around since the 80's look at the sci fi films of that era but ive yet to see it implimented as anything more than a gimic or and expensive akward add on most folk wouldnt want to be seen using in a group.
Ren Wolf Now when the Holodeck becomes a reality I'll be excited Andrew P Paschails |
We’ve all heard this story before; Motion Control, 3D
televisions and light guns. All promising the new and best way to play our
video games, but they all last a fraction of a time and just as easily
forgotten. It’s not like VR is anything new. I can remember trying it 20 years
ago, it was a great experience and the benefits are obvious. But the bottom
line is video games have had a controller and played on a big TV screen ever
since they were created and nothing will change that. It’s how we want and
expect to play our games. While a few people may deviate now and then, this is
fact and no matter how much money companies throw at the technology and
advertise it. This just won’t change.
And if it’s total emersion there are aiming for? You still need to trick the other five senses as well. The wind on your face, the smell of freshly cut grass and even the taste of burning ash all cannot be re-created via oversized goggles and headphones. Chris Sowry |
Could Chart/Licenced music improve video games?
Music can get the audience and players pumped up or make them cry depending on the feel of the game. But you can add any relevant paced music chart, licensed or composed specifically for the game and it will add the atmosphere as indented. Music is also powerful in the fact it helps aid memory and we associate that bit of music with a what we where doing at the time.
The idea of using chart or recognisable tracks is irrelevant. During my PS2 days, I played music on my CD player, over riding the games choice of music. Now when I hear those tracks again I instantly think of those games. But when I play those games again I don't necessarily think of the matching music that was playing at that time. I have purchased many tracks because they where in games I've played, but played no games because they featured a particular artist or track. Chris Sowry |
Licensed music can be great if it fits the game. GTA is an obvious example of how to do it right. I quite like its implementation in Hardline too. But it's certainly not great every time, plus nothing really stands out quite like a fantastic original score.
Ken Allsop I really enjoy chart music in games, I think it adds something to it. That Far Cry 3 level with Make it Bun Dem was a particular highlight. I also really enjoyed hearing Hank Williams in The Last of Us, it didn't feel out of place (I know that's not 'chart' music but I'm meaning music that isn't a score). Ross Cowie For me a game deserves a unique specially written score that compliments the game itself, the only exception being games with radio stations like on GTA. Scott Maynard |
I think when used to highlight a particular section of the game, a part that is supposed to be memorable and when the music choice is correct, its a good thing. Licensed credits music isn't so bad either, but if a game has a theme then that should be there in place of something else.
My most memorable experiences with songs in games were 'Blow Me Away' by Breaking Benjamin in Halo 2, 'Make It Burn Dem' by Skrillex in Far Cry 3, 'Power' by Kayne West in Saints Row The Third and 'Mad World' by Gary Jules in Gears of War 3. Each one of them times got me going in one way or another for something big that was happening at that point in time and in my eyes would have been wrong with an original score in place of it. The point I'm making is when used correctly its a powerful tool, because its something people have remembered from somewhere else, being used as a tool to make people remember something. Ben Hughes |
Do you need yearly release's of the same title?
Asked me this a few years ago and I would have said YES! But after many years of playing COD and FIFA, year after year. Now I just want to play something else.
COD:AW still plays like COD:4 and FIFA 15 plays like FIFA 08. Yes, small changes have crept in here and there over the years. But they are the same game dressed up for another generation. BUT this doesn't stop millions of us flocking for their products year after year. Plus new gamers emerge, never heard of AC2. To them Unity is the best thing ever and will repeat the cycle the slightly older gamers have just done. Buying the same title every 12 months for the next five years!! Chris Sowry |
Some franchises like COD make me think no as their happy to throw up the same game ever year with no changes and a bigger noticeable decline in each.
Then you get some series like AC where i'd say yes, cos for the most part, each game tries something different, adds something considerable to its gameplay and has a story thats memorable. Danny McGarry |
No. Not enough improvement or changes with such a fast turn around. Plus the story lines are so samey as they dont have enough time to think of and write it before production.
David Masser |
No. No franchise ever needs to be yearly because to make a great game that truly surpasses the last one you need time, not 12 months. You need to dedicate the whole team to it and not just some of them ad I cant thin of a franchise that is an exception to this.
Even AC doesn't hold up because when I see and play them they feel largely the same. Yes that's expected from a sequel but I actually have trouble distinguishing the Ezio trilogy from each other because they are so similar. There is nothing wrong with a franchise being built on similar sequels in my eyes, if a formula that makes the game good is found then stick to it. But a yearly regurgitation of that is unnecessary. Ben Hughes |
COD: Advanced Warfare first thoughts
"Looking forward to it"
As someone who isn't normally excited by Call of Duty, last years entry, Ghosts, really got me interested in the franchise again thanks to it taking a less serious approach to things. The new Advanced Warfare trailer got me a little bit excited for this years entry thanks to it doing a similar thing to Ghosts with its outrageous yet plausible plot. The idea of having a villain that isn't necessarily evil is also quite inciting as developer Sledgehammer Games could really play on some morality issues thanks to Kevin Spacey's intelligent bad guy. I'm not passing any major judgement yet, but based on how much I enjoyed last years entry and how quickly this years trailer grabbed me, Advanced Warfare could end up being one of my top games this year. Ben Hughes |
"Change the record!"
All the fancy cameos and futuristic technology will only fail to call back once die-hard fans like myself. We seem to forget that this is only a re-skinned version of all the predecessors in the series, the only difference is the developer. Yes, I do hold out hope that Sledgehammer games will push this game in a different direction, but I can't help but expect this title to be nothing more than Modern Warfare v7.0. Carl Faithful |
"Where do I order?"
Advanced Warfare' may sound like CoD is finally ready to parody itself but let's not underestimate it just yet. Yes exo-skeletons, invisibility cloaks and big name bad guys have all been done before but Sledgehammer bring plenty of talent to the party. The creator of Dead Space leading the best-selling FPS series that just happens to star Kevin Spacey? Count me in. Peter Whitehead |
"Wrong trailer"
Indeed, Kevin Spacey can sell anything and the trailer was not what you would call a disaster. It ticked all the right boxes and introduced enough to get the juices going. But why do we all play Call of Duty in the first place. Its not for the well scripted story or the fast paced gun play, Its Online. This was a campaign trailer and we all what to know what new features and tricks they will be bringing to try and reignite the increasing stale online play. Having re-written the book with online 7years ago with COD4, very little has changed. I will not be pre-ordering Advanced Warfare. Because unless they offer something ground breaking its just the same as any other COD. There's other new style of games I wish to play over another generic COD. Chris Sowry |
who deserves GOTY 2013?
Are trophies worth the effort?
Should you Pre-Order Video Games?
An interesting video was released by YouTuber totalbiscuit earlier this year. Asking gamers not to per-order their video games as it was hurting the industry and promoting bad practice from Developers, Publishers and Retailers. Here's our thoughts on the subject.
An interesting video was released by YouTuber totalbiscuit earlier this year. Asking gamers not to per-order their video games as it was hurting the industry and promoting bad practice from Developers, Publishers and Retailers. Here's our thoughts on the subject.
Connor kenway, deserving of all the hate?
Do games today need an online component to be successful?
Is easy mode pointless?
E3 2013 Console Showdown
A special E3 "In my opinion" this month. We hear from the gamers dedicated to their chosen console and hear their thoughts on what was said at E3.
Who will win the 'WAR of the CONSOLES'?
Who will win the 'WAR of the CONSOLES'?