Life is Strange Review

Spoilers follow for Life is Strange!

Life is Strange is an episodic teen-drama game. It received praise for tackling serious issues like domestic abuse, drugs, kidnap, and the dangers of using your time powers too much to the extent that it causes a natural disaster (okay so maybe that last one isn’t a real-life ‘issue’ per se).

You play as Max who has moved back to her hometown, Arcadia Bay, to attend Blackwell Academy (after a few too many playing Dragon Age I want to write Blackwall Academy, but that would probably have less photography and more whittling). Here she discovers she has the power to rewind time after she saves her childhood friend Chloe from being shot. The pair catch up by running in front of moving trains (as all great friends do) and discussing how Chloe’s friend Rachael has been kidnapped. Soon they begin planning how to use Max’s power to find the kidnapper. However, there are also the problems of... deep breath… a bullied friend, a controlling step-father, an angry drug dealer and his dog, random dead birds/whales, a gun-wielding psychopath, an imminent natural disaster, and winning a photography competition. Pretty standard teenage problems then.

How on earth can one game cover all of that in just five episodes? Well poorly unfortunately. The first episode does well to introduce key characters, setting, and conflicts whilst staying engaging. However, after this the mid-section of the game spends a lot of time following Max and Chloe on adventures that do little to move the plot. It isn’t until the final episodes that major plot move towards a conclusion. At this point I found myself hopping between time zones, alternate realities and broken plains of existence. I couldn’t help but feel more than a little lost. What explanation I received rushed past me in a bid to get to the next scene. Had I not have had the entire collection on disk, I would probably have given up at episode two.

That isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy the story. There were aspects that I liked, for instance when Max is kidnapped it genuinely becomes nerve-wracking. It is also the only point when you feel like Max has actually become stronger as a character. I actually enjoyed the way that she manages to escape by hopping through time via photos, especially how we still have to deal with some consequences of changing history. I was also satisfied by the ending, and not in a thank god the credits are rolling kind of way. The idea that Max saving Chloe’s life so many times meant that other lives needed to be forfeit to restore the balance fitted in with the games themes and made sense (as much as any time travel plot can).

Playing on train tracks the perfect way to catch-up.

The puzzles involving time manipulation aren't anything newer then those seen before in games like Singularity or Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, but they are a little more intricate. The rewind ability did bring a cool twist on stealth, although many reviewers have slated. However, I thought that the rewind power brought an interesting twist on usual track the guard’s movements before walking slowly behind them action of most stealth games. There is also an interesting deduction puzzle where you need to pair up clues to find the kidnapper’s lair. This took a bit more thought than pairing random clues and made me feel like the world’s greatest detective (if only the Batman Arkham games had done the same).  And whilst there was nothing that set the world on fire, the gameplay was pretty solid throughout and the difficult progressed well.

What didn’t progress so well was the character development. I mentioned before how I liked that Max’s character changed that's true, but it isn’t until very late that this occurs. To add to this I took an immediate dislike to Max’s hipster personality, mainly because it was often rammed down my throat. It was her use of a polaroid camera, and wearing the hoodie and skinny jeans. I didn’t need every other character asserting it for me. There was also the problem of her inner monologue. After any action Max has a tendency to say something cynical which doesn't fit with her naïve exterior. When this happens she just comes off as being fake and I don't think it is intentional.


Chloe suffers from being a one dimensional character. Everything around her is ‘hella lame’ and she rants about pretty much everyone and everything. It pinpoints her father's death as the reason for her attitude, but it seems like a flimsy excuse. She reaches a moment of selflessness at the end, but it's a little too late. Considering the amount of time spent building the characters up a gradual character change could have been implemented better.

The background characters are fleshed out quite well. Every student at the academy felt they had history beyond the game. This was a nice touch that made Blackwell Academy believable as long as you are able to look past the clunky voice acting.

One thing I couldn’t look past was the character’s reactions to your dialogue choices throughout the game. Often when choosing dialogue characters would barely react to what Max actually said and would soon revert back to a neutral stance afterwards. I understand that in any choice game there is only so much a player's choice can branch away from the main plot, but usually the ease back into the script isn’t quite as bumpy.

The crucial story choices struggle with the same issue, and the course of action you choose soon becomes inconsequential. Two moments (Kate's potential suicide and Chloe asking to be euthinised) in the game which should be powerful lose impact as they are negated by the plot later on. However, whatever you choose in either instance is negated later on when Max has to fix the timelines Both instances lose a lot of impact because in the end the game will strong hand your choices to keep to the script.

By far my favourite aspect of Life is Strange is thesoundtrack. It has some great tracks including songs from Foals, Amanda Palmer, and José González, as well as many others. They are all indie tracks which go well with the atmosphere of the game itself. It is used very well to add extra emotion to integral scenes. The final scenes almost brought a tear to my eye which was helped more than a little by the track playing over the top. And in the end the Life is Strange soundtrack is probably the aspect of the game that will stay with me the longest.

There's a reason hipsters have become a bad thing.

Life is Strange made me feel quite sad after its completion. Surprisingly this sadness wasn't from the ending, but from the lost potential. In the moments when I enjoyed playing Life is Strange I could see that it could quite easily have been one of the most impact-full games I have played for a long while. Unfortunately a muddled midsection meant I was progressing through due to my own stubbornness rather than genuine enjoyment.

Score: 6 out of 10

What did you think of Life is Strange? Let me know in the comments section.

Pax East Round Up/Rant Down

PAX East wasn't the only source of news, I also read that Tim Burton is making a live-action Dumbo movie. Clearly, I haven't seen everything after all.

On set photo of Burton's live-action Dumbo (joke)

But before I get onto a rant about another franchise being Burtonised I will talk about what I had intended for this blog-post. Very recently we had this year's PAX East event, this time being held in Boston. PAX are the Penny Arcade eXpos, established by the creators of the popular web-comic Penny Arcade's as a series of festivals dedicated to gaming. The festivals area place for games that are soon to be released to be aired, and demoed, and should hype gamers up for the year's releases.

I say should because, unfortunately, I feel like the games took a backseat this year. The focus shifted towards demonstrating virtual reality hardware instead, and as a result I feel like the event suffered in the same way that E3 suffered a few years ago when the new consoles took centre stage. Hardware advances are all well and good, but should not eclipse the software (games, apps etc.). Without that software the hardware has no purpose. And the software that was presented didn't get my gaming juices flowing, and felt rather stagnant.

It may be hard to believe that this is a game, not a film.

The parts I paid most attention to were those displays by Square Enix. Final Fantasy XV looks amazing and to see it in demo form got me excited. The cut scenes shown previously at E3 made my jaw drop as they looked almost like a live-action film and not a video game. But this has happened before, with games promotional material looking stunning but the game play looking like it's made of play dough. A clear demonstration of this divide was seen in Alien Colonial Marines, and all gamers know how that turned out. Too often shiny clips promise something that game play just can't fulfil. Yet, looking at the gameplay footage of Final Fantasy XV it would appear like this issue has been solved. And the gameplay visuals appear just as photo-realistic as the cut scenes. I should mention that I acknowledge that graphics aren't everything and a games story and gameplay are major deciding factors on whether it is a great game. But remember that this is a Final Fantasy game so story is hopefully assured. And gameplay wise it is looking rather innovative, for a FF game, which too is reassuring. Overall, I am really looking forward to FF XV's release, and hope that by then I will own a console that can play it.

The Alien Colonial Marines demo looked good... looked!

Other highlights include the trailer for Bloodborne by From Software (yes that is the developing companies name), the studio that have recently brought us Demon Souls, Dark Souls and Dark Souls II. All of these were dark bleak games, which were brutal in difficulty, and yet were both very enjoyable and beautiful in design. And it would appear that their trend continues to Bloodborne. The trailer shown at PAX showed a nightmarish land that had rich detail hiding beneath. It even made Amy, who is far from an avid gamer, sit up and take note. Stating that it looked beautiful. I have faith that this game will be just like the aforementioned, even if it has become a PS4 exclusive.

Worryingly little was heard from camp Nintendo. Although this could be due to an upcoming Nintendo Direct. Perhaps like their announcements during E3 they allow us to think there is nothing before blowing us out the water in private. Splatoon, their new first-person painting shooter got an airing. It still looks rather cool, but the real testament for me will be whether it has any single player appeal. As mentioned in this post, I am rather hesitant about Splatoon as I am no longer a big online gamer.

Courtesy of Forbes

Also worrying was the announcement that Mass Effect 4 will be including multiplayer. But then again the whole existence of the game confuses me. I would have preferred if Mass Effect had remained a trilogy, especially considering such a final end. Not that I am surprised considering it was a major franchise, but sometimes even that doesn't warrant not allowing something to end before it grows too old.

I was sad to hear that Sony have allowed the patent on The Last Guardian to run out. As this could be a sign that they have given up on the game. Considering how long it has been since any news appeared it could be rather likely that the game has been abandoned.

The Last Guardian, gone, but hopefully not forgotten.

Things that passed me by, other than the virtual reality, was that Far Cry 4 now has yetis. I guess at least it now has something that is different from Far Cry 3. And also the fact that Uncharted 4 has been pushed back and that the Assassin's Creed film has gathered some momentum with cast being announced. Neither of which made me excited as both franchises have become examples of overstaying your welcome.

I will try to end on a enthusiastic tone however. Indie games on show were all rather cool looking, which just reaffirms my belief that right now indie gaming Is the way to go. Which is my main reason for not buying either the PS4 or the Xbox One. Also we have heard some of this year's E3 line-up which includes some exciting titles. So, perhaps the gaming horizon isn't as bleak as PAX would suggest.

What do you all think of PAX East? Let me know in the comments section.

Unicycle elephant from johnlund, FFXV image from galleryhip, Aliens image from Scified, Final image from DualShockers.

Alien Isolation

As I mentioned in my previous EuroGamer Expo post, I was very fortunate to attend this years event. It gave me a chance to get hands on and see some of the biggest releases that would soon be hitting the highstreet. The biggest developers were there of course along with many indie developers and the event drew quite the crowd.

Whilst I don't tend to enjoy playing snippets of games pre-purchase I was quite eager to try Sega's Alien: Isolation.  This game has been causing quite a stir since its announcement and has won many awards at this years E3. After the last game in the franchise, Alien: Colonial Marines, ended in such devastation I was wary of the hype it was gaining. I as with many others had been burned by the previous game and felt I needed to see it first hand to avoid the problem a second time.

One big problem with bigger games such as this is that they drew the queues. Some of the lines boasted waiting times of over forty-five minutes for only a few seconds of demo. Thankfully this wasn't the case with Alien: Isolation. The queue seemed to dissipate in massive chunks and I started to question what they had behind the massive curtain perimeter. What didn't help was the smoke that seemed to be emanating from somewhere inside. Perhaps inside the infamous Xenomorph lurked and we gamers were in a production line of sorts fed to the hungry beast.

As I approached the staff energetically engaged with us in a refreshing manner that many other booth staff were not. All wearing uniform drawn from the film series, they ushered us forward stating that their 'Xenomorphs were hungry' or to move closer to 'warm us up, Aliens like their food hot. They also provided us with a free comic that ties into the game and told us of the competition that ran alongside the demo. If you could survive until the end of the level (a big IF they emphasised) your time taken, if good enough, would be added to a leaderboard. For those who made the top ten a free T-shirt was yours, if you came first a replica jacket from the game. With such customer interaction it is no wonder the booth apparently won an award for best visitor experience.

We entered the area in groups and were shown a short video about the games production. Then ushered into a darkened box filled with monitors ready to scare the unfortunate watchers. Many articles have said that the game is 'terrifying' and I hoped that it would live up to this. I am still very much on the hunt for something to scare me and I as of yet go rather sedate when confronted with all manner of horror media. I ensured I was sat comfortably, knew the controls and had the headphones secured to ensure I was as immersed as possible.

Immediately felt a sense of familiarity as I looked around the cramp cargo hold I started the level in. As a fan of the film series the iconic look that they carry was like an old friend. Everything is a light grey, piping hangs from the ceiling and tubes of coolant encompass me. This clearly where my character as the daughter of Ripley belongs. The developers clearly understood the feel of the franchise. It could have been tempting, with all the graphical technology at their disposal, to create a wondrous and eye-catching setting. But instead they have stayed true to the gritty, bleak, cargo ship feel that evokes the nostalgia.


I soon found myself gathering everything in the room to help my survival: metal scraps, extra batteries for the motion tracker, health bars and of course a handy flamethrower. I liked the sense of urgency this installed in me from the get go. I hope that a lack of resource will be big in the game making your chance of survival defendant on careful management.
Making my way cautiously towards the objective, a switch to activate the lifts door control. Utilising that trusty tracker to ensure I avoided any unwanted attention. I liked the fact that the tracker seems to take up a lot of the screen when used, which should discourage overuse. Anything else and a player could become reliant; much like Arkham Asylum's detective mode. I noticed a few times my wall-hugging technique would bring me in collision with the scenery. At which point a box would tumble and it's noise seemed to echo too loud for comfort. I felt the atmosphere was just right and really affected my playing style. I became very cautious of tight spaces where I may knock something; which drew me out into the open.

I soon learnt that this would be a bad sign.

I soon met my hunter of course, it was inevitable, unfortunately this wasn't as exciting or terrifying as I had hoped. I just watched him pass me by before sneaking behind him. A lot has been said about the Alien's intelligence, but I still saw the same adherence to a patrol pattern as any guard has in countless other games. Not to say it isn't imposing, I did find myself taking a breath in as it walked past hoping it wouldn't turn its gaze my way. When I made it to my destination I was given the next objective, head back to the lift. At this point there is a scripted attack, but as I kind of guessed there would be I was prepared. I flamed the Xenomorph in the face and then sprinted to the exit, pressing the lift control and surviving... on my first attempt.

It may be a bit boastful, but I will tell you that I did indeed make the leaderboard, unfortunately not the top. I was pretty proud of my free T-shirt especially since they had said no one had won for a while.

The demo was good, yet it wasn't quite as outstanding as I had hoped. Yes, it was atmospheric and yes, it is definitely an improvement on Alien: Colonial Marines (but the what isn't?). Groundbreaking, however, it isn't. The Alien was very easy to outsmart and this meant I never truly felt too vulnerable. I know in the main game there will also be other threats to deal with, I'm sure it has potential.

For now I will keep an eye on it, however, not enough  to pick it up on release day.







Alien: Isolation image from ABCgames, in-game image from Videogamewriters.

EuroGamer Expo London 2014

This weekend I was lucky enough to be able to attend Eurogamer Expo London 2014 (EGX). The expo is one of the biggest game shows held in the UK. At the show developers have gathered to showcase what they have in development and give gamers a chance to go hands on with the year’s releases. Whilst not as big as an American gaming convention, E3 especially, the show still excites me.

A massive thank you to my friend Lewis Bailey for allowing me to attend as his plus one. It was a great day and I really appreciated it.

There weren’t any big exclusive games announced at the event, but there were several game titles I was keen to see in action. The games I was most eager to see included: Namco Bandai’s Project Cars, Dragon Age:Inquisition, Arkham Knight and of course the much hyped Alien Isolation (which I even got a chance to go hands on with). For a full list of games I will provide a link at the end.  It was also my first opportunity to hold the Xbox One and PS4 controllers, both of which I am still unfamiliar with.

Before I begin I will admit that I personally don’t like playing demos; worse still I don’t like playing in public (video games that is, honestly your dirty minds!) Firstly, I don’t like demos as often they are lifted from the games directly. I realise this is technically a good thing; it does after all give you a very good impression of the game. But I like my new games to feel fresh and new and hate replaying a whole section. Some games demos have understood this and offered demos that are challenge maps not in the main quest line or serve as prequels to the story. By doing this not only does it save spoilers until release, but also invests me into the story so that I am eager to pick it up on release.

I hope gamers are going to start seeing the lack of real ingenuity behind the triple A game's PR campaigns. Too much glitz, without any substance, is bad for any industry.

My second peeve about playing in public is that I get very self-conscious. I am always very aware that behind me stand several others who are eager to take my place. This realisation isn’t helped when they offer ‘helpful’ remarks or whisper about my techniques. A lot of this is down to my own pig-headed nature; I like to figure things out for myself. Another issue is the queues that come before the demo, often the most hyped games have lines well over 45 minutes long and when you only get a few minutes of game time to compensate I lose enthusiasm.

By the end of the day we were 'BFFs'

For this reason what actually stole the show in many ways for me wasn’t the big hitters it was actually the indie games. Not only are there shorter queues for them, but the developers are usually on hand. They are eager to get feedback from their games and genuinely interested in your opinion. Thankfully I think the gaming industry is starting to slide towards the indie trend. At this year’s E3 big games like Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare failed to gain as much attention as previous years. I think gamers are starting to see that behind their PR agent led pitches lies a lack of innovation.

The games I tried out were pretty decent and I will post about them separately in other posts. I got to grips with Alien Isolation, NBA 2015, Super Exploding Zoo, Little Big Planet 3, Terra Tech, Never Alone, Cloudbuilt. I also saw a lot of gameplay due to the aforementioned fact that I enjoy watching more than playing. I will go into detail about the games in later posts as I wouldn’t be able to go into enough depth in this post.

You may notice that my Euro Gamer Expo posts are slightly one sided towards what Sony had on show. This isn’t on any biased of my part, more on the part of the show. Sony seemed to get the better space and even the event programme came with a Sony advert attached. The billboards leading from the station to Earl’s court where plastered with their promotions too.  

What I will talk about is my first experiences with the PS4 and Xbox One controllers. I will say that right now due to the exclusives the PS4 is my preferred console (after the Wii U of course). It is also partly because of how the Xbox One’s reveal was handled which left a bitter taste in my mouth. It is rather unfortunate then that after giving both a whirl that the Xbox One controller felt more natural to me.  It hasn’t really changed that much from the old Xbox 360 pad except it has put on a few pounds. The buttons all remain the same and very much easy to understand. Some might complain that the fact that it didn’t change means there is nothing new to gain, but I’m more of the opinion that it isn’t broke, so why fix it?

Luminocity had a beautiful cardboard display.

The PS4 controller on the other hand is an attempt to revolutionise the dual shock pad. Once again it has put on a bit and become squarer at the top. I wanted to test out the touchpad of course, but was somewhat disappointed. The pad is plastic in texture and feels like the back of a Kindle eBook. This made it rather too fiddly for precise control. I found the slightest movement was interpreted as a mile long stroke, which is disappointing considering how advanced touchscreens can be. Despite it’s added size the buttons don’t seemed to have benefited. They instead have become smaller and more out of reach for my fingers to find, the analogue sticks were oddly indented too. I already miss the classic start and select buttons and found myself reaching for empty space. Overall the controller felt alien to me and just rather uncomfortable.

EGX was a fantastic opportunity for me to attend and I really enjoyed seeing what is to come in the year ahead. I saw some great games, met some lovely people, bought expensive merchandise and played spot the cosplayer. It is a must attend expo for those who need to keep up with gaming and geekery.

Link to games on show can be found Here.

Link to Vlog done by The Lewis Rocks, featuring myself, can be found Here.

DLC Done Right

One of the best innovations the last generations of consoles brought to gaming was DLC. DLC, or downloadable content, is content games developer create for the game after it has been released. This gives the opportunity for the games to expand beyond their original limits in ways that were not afforded to them before. In theory it is a great development in gaming, but as any politician can tell you, theories are open to abuse.

Unfortunately, it didn't take long for this abuse to occur either. The worst examples came in the form of on-disc DLC, which was content provided on the game, but locked until a pass was bought online. Capcom have become known for deploying this 'business strategy', which seeks to squeeze as much money out of the consumer as possible; they even tried to defend their action. Their defence is that by locking away content they can extend the life of the game. Giving gamers gameplay to look forward to way after release. I agree with the idea in theory, but it doesn't explain why the gamer needs to pay for these passes. After all haven't we already bought the disk and everything that is included on it?



Gamers are wise to the tactics.

DLC also gives publishers another benefit as well as being able to charge additional fees after purchase. By promising that DLC will follow they can coax the gamer into keeping the games and not trading them in. This was just another tool in publishers long standing battle against second-hand sale of games. I can see why publishers loathe second-hand games, they see none of the money that stores get from the sale of used games. But, I think a better incentive to buying a game new would be to stop increasing the price when they hit the shelves. It is no wonder that gamers will purchase a used game when the alternative, new games, come at a hefty price tag that is only seeming to increase.





However, I personally am a fan of DLC; or rather a fan of the concept. If done correctly it can breathe life into a game to keep it from going stale. A recent example of this is Mario Kart 8. Nintendo have announced two DLC packs (something quite new for a Nintendo game) that will be released later this year and early next. The packs will incluede new racers, vehicles and tracks for the game with the theme of other franchises. The first pack will include Link from Legend of Zelda and the second will have content inspired by Animal Crossing. Since the original game only had Mario characters the DLC expands the original game beyond what many, myself included, expected. Added to this is the staggering of it's release Mario Kart 8 arrived late May 2014, which means when the first DLC lands it will have been out for a while. Long enough to have allowed people to have played the game thoroughly, and if they are like me, they are eagerly anticipate a reason to hit the tarmac once more.

Luigi's deathstare should put the fear into bad DLC developers.

Not only does staggering release give people an excuse to delve back into a game they love, if they need more reason then enjoyment alone. But it also means the game isn't confusing at release. A game series I love is Mass Effect, but the third installment arrived with additional levels and characters already available. It left me slightly confused as to in what order I was supposed to play the game in. Did I download these extras first, or play the game and risk missing their mission start points if they took place during the main campaign.

DLC when used effectively can be a force for good. It breathes new life and potential into a game. Unfortunately at present I believe that there is more cases of misues than not.

But enough of my opinions. I want to hear yours. Rant, rave and recommend in the comments, I will always reply.



Luigi image from SuperLuigiBros, DLC chart from IGN comments.

Hyper Japan Cosplay: Ni No Kuni

So after much deliberation and a few helpful suggestions I have decided what to cosplay as for Hyper Japan.

It didn't take much persuading to choose Oliver from Ni No Kuni. I became obsessed with the game earlier this year, completing in a single week (with around 75 hours playtime). I loved the character Oliver and empathized with his quest throughout.

Not sure if I'm quite as innocent and naive as him, but I shall try my best. I even went out stick hunting for my starter wand.

In the end the others were either too easy, uninteresting to me personally or too hard in the short amount of time I gave myself. To the person who suggested Gygas from Earthbound, I'm sorry I disappointed you. But swirling fog of doom or machine alien are beyond me.

My costume all laid out for tomorrows early start.

I promise to update with pictures of Hyper Japan, and of course me as Oliver.

Let me know what you guys think below in the comments section.


Oliver image from theparanoidgamer.

What a gamer wants.

Like many gamers, I have an ever-increasing list of announcements that I want (read as need). Surprisingly, none of these is for the elusive Half Life 3; I have yet to complete Half Life 2. Also, I personally think the good people of Valve aren't quite sure what number follows two.

I thought I would post a list about what I want to see in the near future. You may not want another fan-boy wish list, but I'm going to give them to you anyway.

If by the end of this post you find yourself agreeing/disagreeing or discovering your own wishes, then please leave them in the comment section and we can banter about them there.

1. Minecraft for Wii U.                                                                                                          Just think how well the Wii U's tablet controller would lend itself to Minecraft, or for that matter Terraria. No more fiddling in inventory screens, just drag and drop, the thing touchscreens were made for.                                                                                             I'd even take a 3DS port of the pocket edition. Come on people of Nintendo and Mojang, get together; there's money to be made in this one.                                                                                    
2. Japan's Hyrule Warriors limited editions.                                                                            If you don't know about the Hyrule Warriors Treasure Box set then check out this link. I am rather envious of this limited edition, and very tempted to import it. I especially love the scarf and Tri-force alarm clock. Western special sets have yet to be announced, so I'm still holding out for a similar version to reach our shores.                                                                       
   
3. More respect for the Wii U.                                                                                               I won't rant about this one too much, for now. However, I could and have written many posts about the wasted potential of the Wii U. What annoys me isn't just the gamers who don't give it the time it deserves, developers too always seem very reluctant to give it a chance. The most recent example of this is Ubisoft, withholding a Wii U game that is ready to ship (link).                                                                                                                    
4. The end of console exclusives.                                                                                           Surely, I'm not the only one who is sick and tired of being pulled in all directions, just to play games. Why should we have to choose between missing out on exclusives, or spending money on buying multiple consoles? I know that the simple answer is to buy a PC, where the majority of games end up. But, for someone not tech savvy, PC gaming seems like a minefield.                                                                                                                          

   

   It looks cool but,
   can it play Crysis?

5. The cost.                                                                                                                          Number four leads nicely onto this one. It doesn't matter what console you pick, gaming is getting too expensive. Just a few years ago, a new release would cost about £39.99, that would only be a few days before there was some promotion making it affordable. But now, games release at around £45, and seem to hold that value. Games companies wonder why gamers buy pre-owned, it's because they are pricing themselves out of the market.

That's a few wants off my chest. I bet the moment I hit publish I will think of a dozen more.

For now, however I want to hear yours. Share them in the comments. I will reply and discuss them all, no matter how insane.

Rage image from the christian nerd, Tri-force alarm from nerdreactor, PC image from techspot.

Valiant Hearts - The Great War

This week saw the release of puzzle/adventure game Valiant Hearts - The Great War; developed by Ubi Art Framework. Despite not yet playing it, I can tell it is a unique game; and a significant release.

I believe this game is evidence that not all games need realistic graphics. Like their previous games, Rayman Legends, Rayman Origins and Child of Light, Ubi Art have continued the tradition of a simplistic art style. The Rayman games stood out to me due for their vibrant colours, which helped make it gleefully frantic. Child of Light utilised a mix of light and dark shades, this added to the mystery of the story by literally keeping us in the dark. The studio clearly understands that even basic art styles can have a huge impact on a players experience.

Valiant Hearts uses a comic book form; with a dull palette of colours used for the majority. However, this enables vibrant colours to have a bigger impact when they are used - crimson blood and oozy mud browns hammer home the grimy side of war.

It definitely shows that war is hell.

Games with a cartoon look make us unconsciously vulnerable to the story. They lull us in to an innocent world; and the darker plot lines then have a massive impact upon us. One of the biggest examples of this is Limbo - a similar game which gained critical acclaimed. In which you play a small child as he hunts for his sister. Whilst this may sound innocent, the reality is a disturbing world about isolation and grief.

All these examples show that there is still a place for 2 dimensional side scrollers even now. Often games strive to give the player a feeling of immense freedom; but this can also create a dilemma. Do we really need ultimate freedom? A few years ago I was having a bit of a personal crisis - with many life choices open to me I was overwhelmed by life. Times when I tried to escape in a video game usually resulted in me hanging around in menu screens; before tuning off my console. But then I gave Limbo a shot, and was finally captivated by a game as I had in the past. I found comfort in the restrictions of a 2D plane, no choices to be made, no worrying about consequences. Just walking from left to right, trying to solve puzzles. I could let go and my mind didn't have to make any far reaching plans. The fact that new games such as Valiant Hearts and various re-releases of classic games show that there is still a need for simplistic structures in gaming.

Limbo's simplicity was what made it so touching.

Of course the subject matter that Valiant Hearts deals with is also what will make it memorable. We often see any media that seems to present the atrocities of war as being intrinsically important. The importance of never forgetting can automatically create respect for a story; whether we think it truly deserves it or not. I am rather cynical in the use of tragedies, believing that lazy writers can often use them to add significance to their tales. Yet, I don't think this is the case with Valiant Hearts. The story uses letters sent during World War I to tell the four characters experiences. To base the protagonists struggles on real evidence does show more dedication than that of lazy writing.

To add to this the characters aren't the usual soldier types, they are people caught in the middle of the conflict. This game will hopefully remind many that war isn't glorious or clean. its terrible and consumes the lives of those who want nothing to do with it.

On top of this the gameplay is all puzzle related, no killing comes from the protagonists directly. This too is rather refreshing; a war game that focuses on survival, not slaughter. Most would put you in the shoes of an unstoppable marine - death becomes a mere inconvenience, never a threat.  Valiant Heart's characters are fragile and out of their depth. This coupled with a story that gives them a reason for living, makes death genuinely terrifying. This creates a tense experience that you never want to put down.

For these reasons I believe Valiant Hearts will have a lasting legacy. In a generation of consoles thats obsessed with photo realistic graphics and constant action, there is still a place for innovation. The game looks beautiful and the story leaves its marks on you. Trailers alone will surely prove this to you. I'm sure you'll be waiting impatiently, as I have, for the download to finish.

What is your opinion on Valiant Hearts and games like it?
Let me know in the comments.



Valiant Hearts title picture from Dualshockers, War is hell image from mgnews, Limbo image from Imgur,

E3 2014 - My Overview

Before I start, I’d like to issue a slight disclaimer. As mentioned in my previous E3 posts I did not go to E3 myself, and all insight I provide has come from live blogs and articles. This is not due to laziness, but living in a totally different country and not having the funds - I would love to go to E3 someday.

With that out of the way let’s take a look at my opinion on E3 2014; an event that has brought back a part of me. For the past two years I have been hesitant to call myself a gamer; I blame this in part to a rather cynical view of the console wars and the handling of the new generation. After last few years of companies showing off who has the biggest CPU, it seems we have finally got back to the games. And to be honest it’s the games that get me excited, not the boxes I play them on. So as I believe that this year focused on the games, it stands to reason that I feel a bit like my old geeky self again.

Favourite Part:

This is an easy one; my favourite part of E3 was Nintendo’s live event. Yes, it can be argued that as the Wii U is the only new gen console I own that I’m biased. But, at least I am honest about that fact. However, Nintendo’s fun and enthusiastic event couldn’t help but raise a smile in anyone who watched. It pays off too, if the creators look enthusiastic then the fans shall be as well. It’s little wonder then that Microsoft, Sony, EA and Ubisoft all seen rather procedural when their announcements can feel like a business meeting. I think this article demonstrates my point; not many executives are seen enjoying themselves so much as Shigeru Miyamoto.

To be more specific, I would say that Nintendo’s showcasing of their Amiibo concept was my highlight. I love the potential behind the idea, and as an avid collect of geeky merchandise, I can’t wait to fill my shelves with my favourite characters.

I can't help but want all of these.

Unexpectedly Impressed By:

On the other hand, I was rather impressed by both Sony’s and Microsoft’s first day conferences. Yes, they may have been a bit business like in their presentation, but they gave us a good look at some amazing games. With the competition between their machine's releases are out of the way we can finally see what they can play. In the exclusivity department I think Microsft did well; with Phantom Dust, Project Spark and Scalebound all looking rather appealing, despite not much gameplay being shown. Sony however, won in my mind with a single game, No Man's Sky - 

which if it is as it appeared, could be revolutionary. Having a genuinely new experience each time you play sounds great, and the fact that you can go from walking on land to space flight seamlessly adds a whole new level.

Disappointed by:

This one shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who has been keeping even a small interest in E3 -  its Ubisoft. Two reasons for this: firstly, the fact that playable female characters are not being included in two of their biggest upcoming releases co-op modes (article concerning the statement is here). Both Far Cry 4 and Assassin’s Creed: Unity features co-op with multiple playable characters but with no female option provided. I find it especially odd considering how Far Cry 3 and the Assassin's Creed series have had the option before.  This has been put down to time and resource constraints, which as explanations go is more offensive than the issue itself. There is a lot wrong with Ubisoft’s decision and if I'm honest it is an issue that runs throughout the industry, it will take full blog rant to cover it – look forward to that one!

The second reason is the announcement of a game that has been developed for the Wii U. But wait, surely this is good news? Well no, because Ubisoft refuse to release the game until the Wii U sells enough consoles to justify them releasing the game (article here). This came off as being a dig at Nintendo and a bit unprofessional in my mind. Why mention the game at all? I find nothing wrong with holding back a game ,if you believe it will sell better later. But, when it concerns a sensitive issue concerning another companies product, keep the reason to yourself. 

Looking forward to:

My top three games that I am hyped for are:

• No Man’s Sky
• Mario Maker
• Dragon Age:Inquisition

I also love the idea of Project Spark, however until I see some solid gameplay footage showing the kind of games we could create I will be wary of it. The concept sounds great, but seems a bit too ambitious.


Least looking forward to:

Well the yearly additions of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Battlefield Hardline go without saying. I hate how both series release yearly with little to no new features being added. Yet, the game I dread has got to be Let it Die; which from what I’ve seen, looks like a murder simulator along the lines of Manhunt and Mad World. The only outcome of this game is yet another media outcry against video games. For once too I would agree as the game looks like violence for the sake of being violent.

Conclusion:

Overall I was impressed by this year’s E3 and came away feeling rather enthusiastic for being a gamer again.

What did you think? Let me know in the comment section.


E3 logo from Arkhamverse, Amiibo image from Nintendo, Assassin's creed image from Rkbwrites, Shigeru Miyamoto image from paper architect blog

E3 Day One

Today's post is going to be a brief summary of what I thought about some of the announcements made at E3 on day one.

Microsoft

The first day of E3 2014 kicked off yesterday with Microsoft's press conference, and I've got to admit they impressed me. Which is a hard thing to type, considering my current feelings towards the company after the last few years. However their slot didn't start off this way, as they opened with a trailer for the newest Call of Duty. I use the word 'newest' in the loosest possible terms here. The only change appeared to be that they had managed to slip in a celebrity cameo, (Kevin Spacey) in amongst all of the explosions. As the show progressed, I saw some games that did peak my interest and I will give a brief summary of them in this post.

After Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, they showed Forza Horizon 2, not much has changed since the first one; but it is hard to innovate on a racing game apart from better graphics. They were keen to mention the addition of what they called 'dynamic weather' (what I presume means wet surfaces will affect your driving etc.); as I enjoyed the first Forza Horizon I will keep an eye on the sequel.

Kevin Spacey looking rather plastic.

Next came Valve's Evolve, which looks like a cross between Team Fortress, Left 4 Dead and Borderlands. Considering it is a Valve game and they rarely put a foot wrong in my opinion; means this is definitely of interest to me.

What isn't of interest to me is Assassin's Creed: Unity but this is mainly due to how disappointed number three made me. The inclusion of co-op does little to appease this. Similarly my feelings towards the announcement of Crackdown 3 and based on how the first had failed to hook me and the sequal passed me by in the same way I wasn't very impressed.

Project Spark stood out to me however, by suggesting it would allow gamers to create and share games of their own creation. On the face of it this sounds amazing. However I fear it is rather over ambitious idea; and the fact that most of what was shown was little more than a CGI movie did little to abate these fears. I will reserve my excitement for this game when actual game play is shown. The same for both Scalebound and Phantom Dust, games which had no actual game play footage, so whilst looking rather cool and stylish I can't really make a judgement on whether I think they will be any good.

I love that Conker the Squirrel will finally return through Project Spark,
but can't help but wish he would get his own game again.

My highlight of Microsoft's conference was the trailer for Dragon Age: Inquisition, it showcased a return to Dragon Age: Origin's focus on beautiful open landscapes and an epic story line. The trailer left me feeling excited for its release and worried about the state of Fereldon (the world it is set in). I can't wait to get my hands on it, and experience the conclusion to the trilogies story.

Overall Microsoft did impress me, with their focus returning back to the games. I did notice a certain lack of Kinect related games and with the announcement of a Kinectless Xbox One package, suggests that perhaps they have finally stopped trying to push what many gamers like myself don't want.

EA

EA's press conference seemed to focus a lot on their sporting games, the Sims 4 and of course Battlefield 5. None of these really peak my interest. They gave some very bare details about both Mass effect 4 and Star Wars Battlefront, two of their games I had hoped to hear about. However, they seem to be a long way off and still very much in development. I do like that they emphasized Mass Effect 4's story which will feature new characters and locations; so at least fears of them trying to rehash Shephard's story from the original trilogy are eased for now.

Ubisoft

Ubisoft did little to enthuse me, but considering a large part of their efforts centered around Assassins Creed: Unity this is of little wonder as to why. Their trailer for The Division was cited as the highlight of their presentation, this looked a lot like a combination of The Last of Us and Homefront. It didn't look bad but with no gameplay shown it is hard to judge as I have mentioned earlier. They gave us a good look at Pagan Min, the lead bad guy in Far Cry 4, as I enjoyed the last game  I looked forward to this one. However the new villain feels very similar to Vaas, Far Cry 3's insane bad guy. Whilst Vaas was what made the game enjoyable I don't believe copying the character is a good way to go, after all if I wanted to see him again I'd just replay it. Still it isn't often a game will allow me to ride war elephant, so my interest has been caught somewhat. Lastly racing simulator The Crew suffers the same problem as Forza Horizon 2, that it looks like any other modern racer with little innovation apart from a shinier setting.

Pagan Min looking both stylish and insane!

However, any good feelings I could have had towards Ubisoft was lost when they made a statement concerning a yet to be released Wii U exclusive. A game that whilst complete, they refuse to release until the Wii U sells more consoles. They justify this action as they need to make the marketing financially viable, to me this just sounds petty and downright dirty. I understand that they need to ensure that a game will be able to at least break even and that sometimes this means being tactical in its release. But then why tease a game with minimal details and say it won't be released until a console sells better. To me this just seemed like a bit of a dig towards the Wii U and a bit unprofessional.

Sony

The last presentation of the night came from Sony and I have rather mixed feelings towards this one. It did not look good at first, as they opened with a trailer for Bungie's newest game Destiny. It looked a lot like a mix of Halo and Mass Effect, which whilst should sound good I think I'd rather see something that looks innovative. This feeling wasn't helped by the trailer for Uncharted 4 which showed Drake once more at a seemingly low point of a new expedition. It repeated the line 'one last time' a few times which I found ironic considering I believe that Uncharted 3 should be the end of the series. Then there is Little Big Planet 3, which also looked rather the same as past iterations; except with the introduction of three new characters. I admit that I do like how it will be backwards compatible with levels created from the first two, and that the new guys do indeed look cute.

What wasn't cute was the trailer for Dead Island 2, which I can assume was meant to be a funny look at the beginning stages of yet another zombie apocalypse. Instead it just looked gross and rather samey. Considering how I quickly grew bored of the first Dead Island I doubt I'll show much interest here. The gore only got worse with Let it Die a game that from the trailer looks like disemboweling people in the most vicious ways possible. The only thing I can see resulting from this one is yet more fodder for the media's hate towards Video games. I honestly felt ill watching this one and can't imagine myself going near it.

Then there was some great looking concepts that emerged. For instance, The Order: 1886 the upcoming Sony exclusive steampunk game, which from the trailer seemed now to be taking a survival horror approach. It showed a man walking the dark corridors of an asylum before taking on what I believe to be a werewolf. Werewolves themselves don't appear much in games so that is a different idea at least. Also looking rather different was Abzu, an underwater exploration game from the makers of Journey. This looked visually beautiful although I can't imagine it will have much storyline which is something I always want in a game.

Let it Die looks too grim and gore related for me

My two biggest highlights were the announcement of No Mans Sky and the remastering of Grim Fandango. The first from the trailers looks amazing; as we were shown game play footage of both planet exploration (with dinosaurs) followed by hoping in a spacecraft and flying through space. They seemed to suggest that the game would be different for every player with the the world being 'procedural generated'. This means to me that the game creates itself as you play, which if it becomes a reality is an awesome concept. The second whilst being the most removed you can get from a new idea still interests me. As Grim Fandango is a game I have always wanted to try, so now seems to a good time to.

Sony's presentation left me feeling rather mixed, they showed some games that didn't interest me, some that really interested me and the one that made me feel ill. However, I still think that between the PS4 and Xbox One I would buy a PS4 first. This isn't really as a result of E3 so far; as Microsoft impressed me this year more than Sony. Instead my choice comes from the exclusives already out for PS4 Although on principle I hate the idea of exclusives they do clearly have an impact.

I'm still holding out for Nintendo's digital event and really hope they give me something good, especially after the Ubisoft statement.

What have you seen that has interested you? I want to  know below!

Kevin Spacey image from the verge, Project Spark image from gameinformer, Pagan Min image from gamepur, Let it Die image from gamereactor,