The Lowdown – DiRT 4
DiRT 4 is the latest entry into the rallying game series DiRT, created by Codemasters. The last game in the numbered titles was the popular DiRT 3, a game that heavily focused on the stadium and stunt side of the rallying world. The game after that was DiRT Rally, which showed fans that Codemasters could still make one of the most satisfying and hardcore rallying experiences out there. So DiRT 4 has a lot to live up to, but I’m happy to report that it takes what it’s learnt from its past two titles and combines them in a majestic fashion.
Your Stage
The brand new feature being brought to the DiRT series in this iteration is ‘Your Stage’. It doesn’t contain any official WRC (World Rally Championship) cars or race tracks, but in lieu of that the game can procedurally generate a race track based off of variables that you input such as length, weather, and location. This produces potentially millions of different stages, and whilst you may be lamenting not racing around your favourite tracks from the WRC, you can challenge your friends to top your time on a stage you particularly enjoyed, that no-one else would’ve played.
Gamer and Simulation
As per usual, DiRT 4 has various difficulty affecting choices and handicaps for players who may or may not want the full rallying experience. On the more arcade-y end of the spectrum is Gamer mode. This turns on all handicaps, and turns off certain effects the cars will experience that mirror real-life. On the other side you have Simulation mode, which was perfected in DiRT Rally. This turns on incredibly realistic car physics, and switches off all aids, including visual cues from the co-driver. If you want to know what it’s like to be a proper rally driver, select Simulation.
Locations
DiRT 4 features 5 different locations for the rallying stages, which happen to be the ones you can pick from in Your Ride mode. They are Fitzroy in Australia, Tarragona in Spain, Michigan in the United States, Värmland in Sweden and Powys in Wales. These locations provide all the staples of a decent rallying stage: dusty and dry tracks, muddy woodland roads in the rain, and snowy forests with hazardous crests.
RallyCross and LandRush
Whereas DiRT 4 does not officially feature cars and tracks from the WRC, it does carry a World Rallycross Championship. This means it has perfectly recreated 5 real-life rallycross circuits: Lydden Hill Race Circuit in Great Britain, Höljesbanan in Sweden, Lånkebanen in Norway, the Circuit de Lohéac in France and the Pista Automóvel de Montalegre in Portugal. It will include official supercar and RX lite rallycross vehicles, for that authentic feel. Landrush is also in the game, allowing players to race around in stadium trucks and buggies.
Joyride
Remember when I said DiRT 4 was an amalgamation of DiRT 3 and DiRT Rally? Well the DiRT 3 genes come in the form of Joyride mode. Making its return this mode sets players in an area filled with obstacles, ramps and tunnels and are tasked with pulling off stunts to get the most points. Different game modes are included too, like Zombie, where one car is infected and most infect the others through physical contact. Think MarioKart’s battle mode but with real-life cars and stunts.
There’s our lowdown on DiRT 4. What are your thoughts on racing games, do you go for the arcade-y ones or the proper simulations?
The Best Game Intros Ever
Videogames come front loaded, that’s a fact. They tend to put their best ideas up front so that you get sucked into the game and often see the best that it has to offer straight away.
But some games go one better, they offer up iconic, amazing moments at the start that define the game or are talked about for years to come.
So here’s the best starts to games…EVER*
*As chosen by me, so don’t get angry with the whole of Green Man Gaming if you disagree. Fight me on Twitter instead!
If you weren’t around for the late 90s then you might not get just how amazing the start to Half Life was, and how much of a game-changer it was. I know this is the refrain of all elders, you had to be there, you weren’t there man, you didn’t see it. But in this case, it’s true.
Until Half Life most FPS games started you off with maybe a wall of text before you were into the game, blasting fools with whatever weapons you had. The nearest to a narrative opening was Duke Nukem 3D, and that was still ‘my ride got shot down let’s shoot some dudes’.
Half Life had you getting fully immersed in the world, getting to know Black Mesa and what it was like before anything went down. You did a bit of your job, knocked on toilet doors, ruined someone’s lunch, pressed alarm buttons in the reception, all before any aliens even turned up. It meant when stuff did go wrong in the resonance cascade and the world turned to poop, you cared more about it because you’d inhabited that space for a bit first.
Lengthy tram ride aside, that opening to Half Life was a stunner, and it’s still something that few games rarely nail on the same level.
The opening to The Last of Us is an entire zombie film in a few minutes. For a lot of games, the setup and intro of The Last of Us would be the whole game, and it’s certainly enough to sustain a 10 hour narrative. For Naughty Dog, they went one further and smashed that entire narrative into just a few minutes at the start of the game.
The first few minutes are filled with the kind of dread we’ve all felt upon waking during the night as a child. It takes that dread, twists it, and amplifies it as a father goes through the worst night of his life in front of your eyes. And you make it happen, you’re responsible, you pressed forward and you continued with the game. You could’ve stopped the game at any point, but you didn’t did you.
Monster.
Also if you’re not crying by the end of that intro then I really don’t know how to relate to you.
Journey
Less is more. Sometimes.
Wide open vistas of sand and little else. A star streaks overhead, stones arranged like graves underneath. Your eyes open and there you are, sat in the hot desert, and the game opens.
The beauty of this opening is that it’s all you need. Do you need to know why you’re there? Do you need to know who you are? Do you need to know where you’re going? Do you need to know what the desert is? Do you need to know what those stones mean?
You’ll find out some of the answers to those questions on your way through the game if you pay attention, but remember the name of the game. It’s the Journey that matters here. The start sets you up with everything you need to know to play and love Journey.
You’re in a desert. You can see something on top of a nearby dune.
Off you go.
Often copied and never equalled, the Bioshock opening is still stunning to this day. Seeing Rapture unveiled underneath you as you travel via bathysphere deep underwater is a phenomenal moment.
But let’s rewind for a second. The start asks a question that’s instantly a mystery you’ll work to answer for the rest of the game, just who the hell are you? Following that up with a plane crash into the cold Pacific waters lets the game show off its amazing water, and you’re pulled deeper up into the lighthouse and then down with very little prompting, just because it feels so natural to go and explore.
Then you take the bathysphere down, you see the outline of Andrew Ryan’s philosophy, and you begin to learn that all is not well in the wondrous city of Rapture.
But nothing can beat that view of the city, looking out over it with the music playing and the lights shining away like a treasure hidden away at the bottom of the world. It’s a moment that is writ large in gaming history, and it deserves to be.
The most tense start to a game. You wake up in a public toilet and you appear to have committed a murder. The game showcases the cinematic style that Quantic Dream and David Cage were, and still are, aiming at perfectly during this opening sequence. You simultaneously clean up after your crime, while keeping an eye on a policeman who’s about to take a whizz.
Clean up as quickly as you can, otherwise it’s jail for you sonny!
This approach means it doesn’t have to rely on clunky ‘gamey’ mechanics like a timer or a countdown or anything like that, you’re just watching someone about their business, knowing that their business means curtains for you.
It’s David Cage at his cinematic best, and it’s a shame the rest of the game doesn’t quite live up to those opening moments. Looking at *you*, giant bug-Matrix fight scene.
A man looms over you and burbles about blood, a creature emerges from the ichor seeping over the floor, a cluster of miniature homunculi edge their way up and over your body.
Then you’re into the game itself. You have no weapon, mysterious messages give you the basics of the control system, but all you can do is wander forward.
You meet a beast. It’s eating a meal, what you can only assume is a previous occupant of Iosefka’s Clinic. It turns, it growls, it attacks.
Inevitably you die, but instead of eternal rest you wake up in the Hunter’s Dream. The game begins properly now.
This is a brilliant intro to the game because it teaches you one valuable lesson. You will die. You will die a lot. You will die when you don’t expect it. You will die when you did your best. But death is not the end, you can pick yourself up and carry on and beat seven shades of hell out of whatever it was that sent you deathwards.
So you return, finally armed, and you give that beast hell. Yharnam awaits you, the hunt has begun.
Those are my choices for the Best Game Openings. What are yours? Let us know on social media, or in the comments below!
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5 Mac Games You Can’t Afford To Miss
If you think you’re missing out from playing the games that everyone is talking about, because you’ve opted for a Mac, instead of PC, you don’t have to feel left out. With a mix of adventures, RPGs, shooters and action games available on Mac, here’s what you can’t miss out on.
With the next Life is Strange, officially confirmed as in the works; it’s a great excuse to pick up a copy of the intense, emotional and complex adventure game. The game’s mechanics are beautifully surreal, as you’re able to rewind time and manipulate the story and gameplay based on your decisions and actions. Everything has a consequence, so choose your words carefully.
You’ll follow the story of Max Caulfield, a photography senior, who has returned to her hometown Arcadia Bay to attend the renowned art college. When Max discovers her mysterious new power, she’ll explore a whirlwind of decisions, as she discovers deceit, old friendships and the rotten core that envelopes all her choices.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
Now we’re going to have to wait a little longer for Shadow of War, with the title announcing it’s been pushed back a couple of months. There’s still time to squeeze in the first in the series. This third person RPG explores the tumultuous Tolkein universe, stepping into the role of Talion, a soldier out for revenge against Sauron.
The story takes place in between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings, with Talion merging with the disgraced wraith Celebrimbor. Now Talion must rise up and form an army to exact his revenge on the dark lord and finish the fight for Mordor. The action is impressive, with a complex Nemesis System, which makes each battle count.
The first game in the series reboot, Tomb Raider is a prequel to the original games, exploring how Lara Croft came to be the wild, badass adventurer she is now. Beginning the game as a young Lara, you’re quickly thrust onto an island. Threatened by the inhabitants and fighting for your life, Lara must learn quickly all the skills she needs to be a tomb raider.
The reboot is a fantastic game for Tomb Raider fans and beginners to the series. The game has a raw edge to it, where Lara feels slightly clumsy as she learns to find her footing. The bow and arrow mechanics are incredible, the enemy is enticing and the island is the perfect setting for Lara to investigate, hide, kill and survive.
Borderlands 2 is a first person shooter, set in Pandora, the manic and volatile world, full of quirky characters, a hostile enemy and an endless amount of guns. The story and four beginning playable characters as well as the people you meet throughout, make this game hours worth of explosive side missions, dynamic quests and level grinding in the vast expanses this open world has to offer.
Borderlands 2 is great for those who want to play a shooter their own way, you can choose a defensive play style, or an up in your grill approach, whether you want to play medic, hang back with a sniper of get into the nitty gritty with a shotgun. Borderlands 2 also have online co-op, so playing with mates has never been better.
The first in the series, the first person shooter from 2K Games is a submerged, creepy game, set in the deep, dark, dank world called Rapture. This action-adventure-shooter has an exhilarating pulse that runs through the gameplay as your guided by a voice on the end of a walkie-talkie.
The enemy called Splicers vary in ability and will keep you on your toes as you wander the enclosed corridors and decaying rooms, climbing to your destination. Bioshock is a great game to join immediate action, with a range of average weapons that you can jazz up how you like. Your abilities are in the form of plasmids, which thrust the play your own way style on you from the get go, with a huge range of abilities including electric shocks, a bee swarm and setting your enemies on fire.
Playing a game on the Mac? Care to share? Drop us a comment.
Wonder Woman’s Video Game History
Wonder Woman hit cinemas last week to critical acclaim. If like me you caught the movie over the weekend and feel like you still want to ride the hype train, then here are some games that Wonder Woman has appeared in for you to try out.
Please Note: During the writing of this article, we realised that Wonder Woman needs to be in more games. She should also get her own stand alone title.
The Justice League games
There have been a fair few Justice League games throughout the years where Diana Prince has made an appearance, in the early days of DC she wasn’t really front and centre of the Justice League, but she has made some decent appearances in the early video games. Here is a list of all the Justice League games that include Wonder Woman.
1995 – Justice League Task Force – Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis – The first ever DC fighting game which shared some similarities to Street Fighter. The game featured Wonder Woman as a playable character as well as her arch enemy at the time, Cheetah.
2002 – Justice League: Injustice for All – Game Boy Advance – The first DC side scrolling beat ’em up on the Game Boy Advance, the game featured both Wonder Woman as a playable character and Cheetah as one of the villains and members of the Injustice Gang.
2003 – Justice League: Chronicles – Game Boy Advance – A game that was based on the Cartoon Network show of the same name, Justice League Chronicles was a side scrolling beat ’em up where players controlled different members of the Justice League. You can play as Wonder Woman on the level ‘Savage Time’ using her lasso of truth to attack enemies.
2006 – Justice League Heroes – PlayStation 2 and Xbox – A 3D beat ’em up game for the Xbox and PS2, Justice League Heroes let players control a number of members of the Justice League and save the world from a number of DC villains such as Brainiac, Darkseid and Professor Zoom. Wonder Woman is playable in this game during episode 4 where she teams up with Zatanna.
The LEGO Games
Wonder Woman features heavily in both LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes and LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, where she has access to her shield and her Lasso, she can also fly. She also features in the LEGO Movie Game and LEGO Dimensions complete with invisible jet.
Injustice: Gods Among Us and Injustice 2
The two games where Wonder Woman shines most! Even though Diana is technically evil in the Injustice games as she joins Superman’s world dominating regime, Injustice gets her characterisation spot on. For those not in the know, both Injustice: Gods Among Us and Injustice 2 are fighting games developed my NetherRealms Studios. The games heavily focus on story and Injustice 2 in particular focuses on character customisation.
NetherRealm have taken careful consideration when it comes to creating Diana. They have crafted a lot of her moves around her weapons such as the lasso of truth, her sword and her shield. Don’t just take my word for it though, check out her awesomeness in the trailer below.
In Conclusion: We need a stand alone Wonder Woman Game
After just getting a glimpse of Wonder Woman’s potential in Injustice, and her epic story alone in the Wonder Woman movie, there is so much potential for a great Wonder Woman game out there. Just imagine a game on the scale of God of War, with the characterisation of Injustice and Rocksteady’s Arkham series starring a nearly 7 foot tall amazonian woman with a cast of greek god villains. You really can’t go wrong.
Morrowind: A Look Back at Vvardenfell
Morrowind’s back, we’re heading back to Vvardenfell! The Elder Scrolls Online’s next expansion is to be set on the small island of Vvardenfell, a place we haven’t been since 2002! Or if you’re in-universe, a place we won’t go to again for 800 years.
We’re very excited to get to see Vvardenfell in a previous age, before the Sixth House awoke and before a certain stranger born under a certain sign reached its shores. Check out the latest trailer!
But what’s changed? Lets take a look back at Vvardenfell, and see what the place used to look like, all the way back in 2002-o-vision.
Seyda Neen
The first place you’ll see when you get to Vvardenfell is the Imperial hamlet of Seyda Neen, where all new arrivals are processed and where a guard stands on with bemusement as a prisoner changes their face a few thousand times before settling on something. A tiny and rough little place, it’s your gateway to Vvardenfell and the place where you learn about the clash of cultures across Morrowind. Also the home to Fargoth, the most hateful Wood Elf this side of Valenwood. Preview pictures from The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind show that Seyda Neen existed back then, but will it be filled with hateful Wood Elves?
Balmora
Probably home for a lot of players, Balmora is the first real city you’ll get to, having been sent there as the goal of your first quest. On the surface it’s a beautiful place made of adobe and wattle, spanning across a river. Scratch its surface and you’ll find that Balmora is a hub of villainy, the amoral Hlaalu family make it their seat of power and the local Fighters Guild is secretly run by the criminal Camonna Tong. We know that The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind will have Balmora in it, will it become your home?
Ald’ruhn
My personal favourite, the stodgy but valiant house Redoran call this place home, and it’s mainly made of bone houses situated in the desolate Ashlands. Its central area is contained within the chitinous shell of a huge crab, you don’t get THAT in Cyrodil! Hopefully in The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind we’ll get to go back there, stand in that giant crab, and dust our eyes from the ash storms pouring off the Red Mountain. And speaking of the Red Mountain…
The Red Mountain
Not so much important for what it is but for the shadow it casts, both literally and figuratively, the Red Mountain is the site of the Heart of Lorkhan, a Dwemer object that can confer near-godhood on its user. Dagoth Ur rests there, plotting and planning to take his revenge on the holy Triumvirate and become a living god. Will he still be there during the times of The Elder Scrolls Online? Or will his slumber cause mad dreams across Morrowind?
Sadrith Mora
Home to the wizardly and dastardly house Telvaani, this city is the polar opposite to Ald’ruhn, being instead a fleshy city of plant matter, podhouses and treehomes littering its island refuge. Even more than any other city, this is a playground for the utterly amoral, no rules exist for the Telvaani other than those which further their own interests and feeds their power. More than almost any other city, I’m excited to see it during its heyday, The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind also has the technical ability to show off this city in a way that we could only dream of, back in 2002.
Vivec
Both the city and the person! The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind apparently has both in, Vivec the city is still being built but Vivec the poet-god is alive and well and in full control of his powers at this point in time. You spend a lot of time in Vivec (the city) in Morrowind, getting very used to the cantons and waterways, it’ll be great to see it before it’s the behemoth of a city that it’ll become, like looking behind the curtain to peer at the secrets beneath. Exciting!
M’aiq The Liar’s Island
If M’aiq the Liar’s island doesn’t appear in Morrowind then this writer will KICK OFF, and I’ll have an armed mob protesting in front of the White-Gold Tower before the day is out!
So that’s all the places we’re looking forward to seeing again in The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind! What are you excited to see? Let us know in the comments below!
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Tekken 7 – An Esports Perspective With King Jae
Tekken 7 has now launched, and to give you an overview of the esports scene of the game, and tips on how you can get involved with the game and improve your skills, a member of our green team, BanKs Esports, has interviewed pro Tekken player King Jae. They talk about the Tekken story and its impact in Tekken 7, how to improve and deal with losing, and how it’s shaping up as an esport.
Tekken 7 New Features
With Tekken 7 coming out tomorrow we thought it would be a great idea to list the big changes that are coming to the game. Why should you pick up Tekken 7 and not stick with Tekken 6 or Tekken Tag 2? Here are the big changes coming to the latest instalment of the popular Tekken franchise.
New Gameplay Features
One of the main features in any fighting game is how it plays, so the mechanics have to be spot on and new features can either break a fighting game or improve it ten fold. Tekken 7 introduces Power Crush which adds a new dynamic to the classic Tekken gameplay.
Power Crush is an armoured attack which allows players to complete a move whilst you are taking damage. If a player times their Power Crush just at the right time then they can change the tide of battle to their favour within an instant. However, Power Crush is used against a low attack or a throw then this could be counter productive and give your opponent a pretty big advantage.
The Rage system from Tekken 6 makes a return, but has been improved with two new techniques for players to master. Rage Drive lets players use unique character combos in order to deal some massive damage, and Rage Art is Tekken’s answer to supermoves in Injustice, Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter.
Rage drives can be both defensive as well as offensive in order to give players the upper hand. Rage Arts need to be timed correctly in order to deal up to 40% damage. You can see both in action in the video below.
Interactive Cut Scenes
Tekken 7 introduces interactive cut scenes. Vital moments in the games story mode will break into an interactive cutscene and challenge the player to make choices through quicktime events. This adds a nice layer of intensity to an already pretty intense game.
New Characters
Possibly the most common addition to any new fighting game are the characters. Here is a break down of the brand new characters coming to Tekken 7.
- Katarina Alves – Designed as a beginner friendly character, Katrina hails from brazil and specialises in the Savate fighting style.
- Claudio Serafino – A member of the Anti-devil organisation Claudio is an Italian whose main focus is to combating the Devil Gene’s threat. His fighting style is empowered by Sirius Magic.
- Lucky Chloe – Hailing from Japan, Chloe loves all things anime and manga. She has a ‘freestyle dance’ fighting technique which can be quite unpredictable.
- Shaheen – Originally from Saudi Arabia, Shaheen specialises in military grade self defence. He is also a good character for beginners.
- Josie Rizal – A Filipino who specialises in Eskrima and Kickboxing. Even though she is described as a bit of a cry baby, she is a force to be reckoned with.
- Gigas – Part human, party cybernetic creative, Gigas specialises in the art of Destructive Impulse, he is a monster and his power has been unmatched.
- Jack-7 – Much like his 6 predecessors, Jack 7 is just a remodel of his predecessor and uses similar moves as Jack 6,5,4 (the list goes on) did in their games.
- Kazumi Mishima / Devil Kazumi – Heihachi’s wife, Kazumi practises Hachijo Style Karate which is similar to Kazuya and Heihachi’s style of Karate, but also includes the ability to levitate and summon tigers. She also possesses the Devil gene which helps her transform into her devil form.
- Akuma – Hired by Kazumi in order to kill Kazuya and Heihachi, Akuma is most famous for his appearance in the Street Fighter franchise.
- Master Raven – With a similar fighting style to Raven, Master Raven is a female ninja who is in charge for of the organisation Raven works for.
That’s it for the new features coming to Tekken 7. Grab the game now for the Green Man Gaming Store.
My Time in Tokyo 42
I have to admit that the first time I saw trailers for Tokyo 42, I was put off.
“It looks so tiny” I thought. “I won’t be able to tell where my character is.”
I was so, so wrong.
If you’re not sure what Tokyo 42 is, it’s like if GTA, Syndicate, and Monument Valley met up, had a fight, and the result is an open world physics based shooting game that constantly brings a smile to your face.
The thing that stands out for me in Tokyo 42 is how sunny it is. I know that seems fairly obvious, but it’s so refreshing to have a game have such a strong colour pallette and be playful with it, whilst also being a cyberpunk game. Most cyberpunk games are grimdark, and that’s absolutely wonderful and definitely an aesthetic I’m in to, but Tokyo 42 is different and it’s got an unnerving feeling to the world that’s all its own.
Blade Runner is beautifully dark, but at some point the sun rises, and that’s where Tokyo 42 begins.
The game’s set on the sunny rooftops of Tokyo, with you fulfilling assassin contracts with the ultimate aim of uncovering the web of conspiracy which led to you being framed for murder. The game doesn’t put much between you starting it, and you playing it. Within a couple of minutes you’re bounding your way over cyberpunk roofs and taking contracts to blast opponents in a variety of ways. The game gives you a fair amount of help, with mission/context sensitive help menus appearing to give you a hint about controls, and a little line and selection circle around you that lets you know at all times, this is where you are, even when you’re in the air.
It’s a surprisingly deep game, when you start it you might just fall into thinking it’ll be a game about hopping about, platforming, and doing some almost-bullet-hell-style fights with multiple opponents.
It soon introduces stealth, with a stealth system that’s robust enough for you to ghost your way through missions and plot your path past enemies to reach your goal. When you’re spotted a detection triangle appears, narrowing in on your character. This gives you enough time to panic, and jump off a building to your death (if you’re like me), or react appropriately and get back into cover (if you’re good at games). If you do breach stealth, you can either run away and smack a button to change skins to hide, or blast the crap out of them.
You can also take your time when approaching a situation. You’re given a set of binoculars for scoping targets out and mark enemies of interest, and it’s quite rare in the missions at least that you’re not aware of what’s coming up in a fight. You can check out what’s ahead of you before you take that first step into the arena of death, and that gives you time to plan a way in, how you’ll deal with things, and what’ll happen if it all goes wrong.
This means you’ve got tools and options available to you throughout the game. Even though there’s stealth and a lot of shooting, you can change up how you approach them. Want to go in guns blazing? Tokyo 42 supports that. Want to stealth your way through gang territory to stab your target? Tokyo 42 supports that.
That doesn’t mean the game is a walkover though. The physics based combat system means that grenades take true arcs through the air and you’ll have to plan where they’re going as well as where your opponent’s, and if you’re engaging the enemy in open combat then you’ll see the screen quickly become a bullet hell of projectiles, any one of which is death. Just check any of the Cop Drop Dailies to see how this can end up, with cops pouring in via their cop…hover…things to blast at you, rapidly ramping up the action:
Thankfully respawning is quick and you’re back in the action in seconds, and it’s only rarely that I’ve found something too difficult where I’ve had to back out of the mission and go do something else for a bit. Even when I’ve had to do this, it’s only to learn the systems better and come back with (hopefully) enhanced skill. There’s a lot of weapons to pick up and stuff to buy, but most of what’s important in the game is learning its systems. Being better with the guns that you have is definitely always better than picking up a more powerful gun that you can barely aim in the right direction.
There’s just so much to do in Tokyo 42 and I’ve been surprised by just how much there is in there. Secrets litter the map, from new skins for your Trackacat, to new coats and just plain ol’ money. I’ve found a series of buttons and icons across the map, I’ve figured out what some of them do…but others still remain elusive. Every main mission seems to unlock loads of side missions too from a cast of characters that seems to grow the more you progress. Last night I unlocked a series of parkour-delivery missions, and another one that turned the whole map into a race course for me to bomb along on my motorbike.
I can’t bang on enough about the aesthetic, it’s so rare to see a game be so bold with colour, especially pink. The soundtrack is just sublime too, with ambient sounds and a more pumping soundtrack when you get into danger propelling you through your rooftop adventure. I mean look at it this game, LOOK AT IT.
There’s a multiplayer mode too which I haven’t really been able to dip into just yet, but it looks fascinating. Along similar lines to Watchdogs’ multiplayer or the one found in some of the Assassin’s Creed games. You spawn in an arena with a load of npcs, and you’re trying to kill the other player. The problem is you don’t know who they are, and they don’t know who you are. So you’re either watching them to slip up or you can set your Trackacat on them. Either way means there’ll probably be a gunfight at some point, but it feels like it’ll have a delicious hunt to it as you try to work out just which of the many NPCs on your screen is actually a real human.
Overall, I’ve fallen pretty hard for Tokyo 42. I’m sitting here in London writing this, but my heart, ah, my heart. It aches for the rooftops of cyberpunk, sunshine Tokyo. I shall return there soon.
Tokyo 42 is out today for Xbox One and PC, and will be coming to PS4 soon. Watch the launch trailer now!
10 Nintendo Games You Need To Play
There have been a wealth of amazing Nintendo games for the 3DS and the WiiU. Now with the release of the Nintendo Switch, now is the perfect time to go through your Nintendo backlog before the onslaught of amazing Switch titles hit.
Here are 10 Nintendo games you must play.
3DS
The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time 3D
When you ask most gamers what their favourite Legend Of Zelda title is, they are more often than not going to say the Ocarina of Time. This version of Ocarina of Time (Or OOT to the fans) has been visually upgraded and translates well to the 3DS console. For fans of the series this is the perfect nostalgia trip, to new comers, this is the perfect opportunity to pick up a Zelda classic!
The latest game in the Pokemon RPG series, Pokemon Sun/Moon is actually the first game in the series that breaks some of the classic Pokemon conventions. Gone are the days where you have to defeat gyms and their leaders. Instead you have to complete trials, which in itself is a nice change to the dynamic, also there are some pretty cool Alola versions of the classic 150 Pokemon. So if you love Pokemon and RPGs then this is the game for you.
Possibly the most classic of Nintendo Franchises, Mario Kart 7 is a great addition to the series. It introduces basic kart customisation, under water racing sections and flying. It also comes with classic characters such as Mario, Peach, Bowser and Wario, amongst others. Just beware of the Blue shells.
Fighting games don’t quite hit the same mark that Smash Bros does. Many have tried, but Smash Bros is the ultimate fighter where all of your favourite Nintendo character duke it out in a fast paced battle environment littered with items and weapons. It’s bright, colourful and cruel at times but if you master your favourite character you will become the ultimate Smash Bros force to be reckoned with. Just don’t rely on the items too much.
If you are one for going about your daily business, watering plants, collecting fruit and generally making building rapport with your neighbours, then Animal Crossing: New Leaf is you cup of tea. It’s surprising how addictive this game is as you are slowly absorbed into it’s serene world where you are the mayor of your own village of happy animals. DO not judge a book by it’s cover as this game is great, I have sunken so many hours into it you would not believe. The things I do to complete furniture sets!
WiiU
The ultimate team game where your main objective is to cover the arena in as much paint as you can. Games are usually split between teams where each team is assigned a paint colour and let loose into the battle arena to do some extreme decorating. It may sound weird but it is addictive and fun. Just make sure you keep this form or paint flinging in game, otherwise the people looking after the paint section of Homebase won’t be best pleased.
Pokken Tournament
It’s a Tekken game but with Pokemon characters, need I say any more? It’s like Pokemon stadium on the N64 amalgamated itself with Tekken to make the ultimate fighting game. It’s fun and addictive and has a pretty in depth move system too.
The idea of Super Mario in space sounds like Nintendo are just clutching at straws for a new Mario game. Super Mario Galaxy however has been praised as one of the best Mario games of all times, and quite rightly so as the physics in the game bring a whole new dimension to platforming. If you are looking for a platforming game with a new challenge, then give Super Mario Galaxy a go, you won’t regret it!
Possibly the best JRPG available on the Wii U Xenoblade Chronicles not only has it got in depth RPG and Battle systems but you can also pilot Mechs. There is a decent amount of character customisation as well and the story is amazing. Also it’s from the creators of Baten Kaitos which was a pretty awesome JRPG back on the game cube.
Now that you have completed Super Mario Galaxy, it is time for you to make your own Mario levels. Super Mario Maker lets you be the game designer as you are able to construct 2D Mario levels for you and your friends to play. The only stipulation is you have to be able to complete the games before you upload them for others to play. So if you fancy yourself as the ultimate Mario player and are able to create the most challenging Mario level in existence, then you should pick up Super Mario Maker now.
If there are any Nintendo games we have missed from this list, feel free to list them in the comments section below.
Top Characters In Tekken 7
With Tekken 7 coming out on the 2nd of June I thought I would list some of my top Tekken characters that have made the Tekken 7 cut. Do you agree?
Hwoarang
Let’s just get one thing out of the way first, my first Tekken game was Tekken 4. Now I know to most hardcore Tekken fans this is basically a cardinal sin so I thought I would just get that out in the air. When I first played I took a shine to Hwoarang and his style of Taekwondo, true it could be the fact that I was pretty new to fighting games and really liked mashing the kick buttons but as time went on I really got used to playing as him and still use him as one of my main characters to this day.
Also who doesn’t like a guy who wears aviator goggles? Or in Tekken’s case an eyepatch, for some reason.
Bryan Fury
Put simply, Bryan is fun to play. He’s a psychotic powerhouse whose discipline revolves around kickboxing. You could say Bryan is just a misunderstood war vet, and for the most part you’d be right. Thing is he was killed in a shoot out, then brought back to life Frankenstein’s monster style by a mad scientist. So it is no wonder that he is a bit of a loose cannon, which i just thinks adds to his personality. I also approve of his blood curdling evil laugh.
Yoshimitsu
Time for another shameful confession. I tend to use Yoshimitsu more in Soul Caliber than Tekken, but I believe that his inclusion in Tekken series is valid and I am glad he has made it into the Tekken 7 roster. Leader of the honourable Manji Clan, Yoshimitsu has a mechanical prosthetic arm, is an expert swordsman and is a practitioner of ninjutsu, so it is pretty had to not fall in love with the character on those three things alone. Also his sword is cursed so he must kill evil doers or it will lose power, so that’s pretty cool.
Also he looks more like an alien in Tekken 7, taking inspiration from Alien Covenant perhaps?
Ling Xiaoyu
Xiaoyu has always been a fan favourite and made her way onto the Tekken scene in Tekken 3. She is one of the fastest characters on the roster to date and specialises in various Chinese martial arts including Baguazhang and Piguaquan. She has a graceful style and which is both a joy to look at and very satisfying to use once you have mastered it. It’s also useful to know that Heihachi trained Xiaoyu’s pet giant panda (aptly names Panda) to fight and serve as Xiaoyu’s bodyguard. Who doesn’t want a giant panda as a bodyguard?
King
Back in the days of Tekken 1 and 2 King was a ruthless street brawling orphan whose main focus was fighting and to win the King of iron fist tournament in order to use the prise money for the orphanage where he grew up. He also wears a jaguar mask and is a pretty bad ass wrestler. Sadly King was killed by Ogre, the god of fighting, after Tekken 2. King II took up his mantle and is still fighting in the series today, he was brought up in the same orphanage as the first King and was trained by King 1’s rival Armour King (yes there are a lot of dudes named King who wear cat themed masks, it’s pretty cool though)
Honorable Mention – Akuma
For those of you who are wondering where Tekken X Street Fighter is (The Bandai Namco answer to Street Fighter X Tekken) then fear not as we don’t know either! It seems as though in order to tide us over in Tekken 7 players will have the opportunity to play as the Street Fighter bad ass Akuma. Father of Ryu, and overall spokesperson of the Dark Hadou, Akuma is a force to be reckoned with, there is a reason they call this guy Devil/Demon.
So there you have it, these are the top characters I am looking forward to in Tekken 7. Are you excited to play any of these or is there anyone else I haven’t mentioned? Let us know in the comments below.
5 PS4 Games You May Have Missed
The Playstation 4 was released in November 2013, and a lot of great titles have been released since then, and we covered a bunch in our Playstation Games You Need To Play article. However, there are some games that came out quite some time ago, or maybe slipped your attention and are now great pick-ups at reduced prices. Here’s 5 games you may have missed, and why you should give them a go.
The Infamous series has released 3 pretty great games over its life on Playstation 3 and 4. It is well known for its heavy use of visual effects and busy open world, a reputation that follows it to the Playstation 4. In Infamous: Second Son, you once again play an unlikely hero who gains powers. But not just one type. In Second Son, you gain a whole suit of different powers that allow you to do many different things. You can fly, you can fight, you can zip around as lightning, lighting up the rain-soaked streets. It looks fantastic and it’s a solid open-world game if you’re looking for something a bit different.
Making level design fun, Little Big Planet 3 lets you make side-scrolling levels to play and share with people online. It contains endless possibilities, adding in new mechanics from the old games as well as different types of characters, not just the mascot Sackboy. The improved graphics and new layers of depth for the levels makes it a must have for any fans of creation games. The story mode takes you through a fun story that’s multiplayer, and goes through all the different themes of levels you can craft. It also acts as a very good advert for what you can craft yourself. So go get started!
The final installment in the highly acclaimed FPS series, and the debut on the PS4, Killzone has never looked so good. The shooting is tight and feels great, and the dystopian future of the setting is still morbidly fascinating, and the Helghast make for great villains. You play a Shadow Marshall, a sort of spy/assassin/undercover agent, and you can experience first-hand the Cold War-esque split between your faction and the Helghast, who have had to settle on the same planet, but continue to oppress and get up to no good.
Most people’s first memories of playing on their playstation’s were trying to jump on platforms, falling off, dying, trying again. They were playing Jak and Daxter, Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, or Ratchet and Clank. The latter has a new entry into its series of jumping and collecting mad weapons, that takes full advantage of the PS4’s tech. It may look like a Saturday morning cartoon, but its hilariously awesome weapons make it incredibly violent and satisfying. A shotgun that turns enemies into pixelated sprites? A grenade launcher that shoots disco balls that makes enemies dance? Or Mr Zurkon, a summonable robot that shoots enemies and delivers great 80’s one-liners? This game has all these and more.
Another series the Playstation is absolutely famous for, God of War puts you in the sandals of Kratos, a man so angry he can take down the pantheon of Greek gods. In God of War III, which was remastered for PS4, Kratos’ rage reaches an all-time high, as he goes after Hades, Poseidon, even Zeus himself. Get new weapons, abilities, and enjoy the most gruesome quicktime events in any video game. A brief smattering of puzzles don’t get in the way of intense fights, dizzying level design and gargantuan bosses.
Have you played any of these? What did you think?
Rising Storm 2: Vietnam – The Rising Storms We Didn’t Get
Rising Storm 2: Vietnam continues Tripwire Interactive’s series of ultra-realistic FPS games into a new age, the dawn of the modern war in Vietnam. Never mind boots on the ground, Rising Storm 2: Vietnam has your boots sink into the mud while bullets whistle through the air around you, each one certain death.
But it’s not the only war that the developers considered for a Rising Storm sequel. Did you know they considered lots of different conflicts before settling on this one? We have the inside scoop on the Rising Storm 2s that almost were:
Rising Storm 2: War of the Worlds
Did you know that originally there was going to be a Mars entry in the series? Featuring the little-known conflict of the Martian wars that occurred during the early part of the 20th century, it would’ve been us vs the Tripods, battling over red dunes to blow up the nefarious Martian bases.
Rising Storm 2: Dogs vs Cats
The biggest conflict in the history of the universe, the ongoing war betwixt feline and canine would’ve been the setting for this entry in the Rising Storm series. Taking control of a dog or a cat, you’d use incredibly detailed and modelled weaponry to blow up your opponents and help win the war in historically accurate battlegrounds, such as Dog Harbour or Cat Castle.
Rising Storm 2: Terror from the Deep
Back in the 90s XCOM covered this underwater war against aquatic aliens, and we would’ve seen Tripwire take the Rising Storm series under the waves too. Armed solely with gauss guns, you would’ve shot and been shot at by lobstermen deep under the waves, trying to defend your planet from these evil underwater foes.
Rising Storm 2: Liverpool 1
Amazingly, one of the ideas for a Rising Storm sequel was for it to become an intricately detailed football sim. You would’ve played off against a variety of football teams, each more nefarious than the last. Blasting them with foot and ball, you would’ve taken your team, Rising Storm United, to victory of the FA Cup. A shame we’ll never get to see it now.
Rising Storm 2: Dragon Attack
Set in the last war between man and dragons, this version of the game would’ve featured exquisitely detailed dragons that with full physics allowing you to really feel like you actually were one of these 100% historically accurate beasts. Or you would’ve felt like a hero taking them down with the intricately modelled ballistae and spear throwers that you would’ve used to clip dragons on the wing and win the war for humanity.
Rising Storm 2: Belgium Rising
The Belgian war of 1729-1974 would’ve been the setting for this entry, featuring the time the Belgians rose up and took control over the entire world, you would’ve played as a plucky rebellion fighter, keeping those dastardly Belges out of your home town. Alas, we shall never play this version, as all memory of this war has been written out of the history books due to ‘implausibility’.
So there you go, six versions of Rising Storm 2 that you’ll never get to see. At least you can have Rising Storm 2: Vietnam to play, which is out today and which features incredibly detailed battlefields and weaponry mixed with ultra realistic Rising Storm action.
(Note Tripwire lawyers, this article is a joke, please do not sue).
I think You’re Supposed To Die A Lot In Limbo
I think? Limbo has been likened to Little Nightmares a lot recently and I decided to not agree with this and have proceeded to play the game, to back myself up. Not that it’s a bad thing, because Limbo is wholly unique as well and what I found is, that I died a lot, but that’s normal right?
The puzzles are fantastic, tricky, complicated and varied, making the gameplay intriguing and fresh. I loved this part of the game, where it wasn’t always immediately obvious what you had to do and the mechanics and distortion of Limbo add constant elements of surprise.
Limbo is of course, the place between life and death and if you’re delving into the game, be expected to feel moments of helplessness, as the game conjures up a lot of raw emotions that I feel dig a little deeper than Little Nightmares.
It’s pretty dark and I started noting down the ways I died and it’s an extensive list:
– Impaled
– Squashed by spider
– Crushed by box
– Drowning
– Beheaded
– Just falling
– Sawn in half
– Zapped to death
– Poison arrow to the back of the head
– Crushed by boulder
– Electrocuted
– Trapped by a lever
I mean, it goes on. Limbo is a story about death and it did take a toll on me, it’s more than a nightmare because it feels utterly hopeless, like you’ll never wake up and escape. The art design is mesmerising, it has this twisted noir thriller feel, with minimal music to cascade along to the many deaths I experienced. In some parts of the game, death is a trial and error and adds to the excruciating experience of attempting to get your character to safety – wherever that is.
Limbo is a stylish, sinister game, which I spent a couple of hours playing on a rainy Saturday afternoon. It’s a beautiful little puzzler that I enjoyed immensely, as well as being quietly saddened by the ending. Also there’s a fat off spider in it, so if you’re scared of spiders then do what I did and get someone to take over on that part.
Limbo is at a great price on our store, for just £5.99 on PC.
Elder Scrolls Online: Dragonknight Class Guide
Why You Should Play…Teleglitch
Teleglitch is a roguelike game about shooting lots of things, crafting weapons, and trying to get through levels without dying. On the face of it, Teleglitch sounds like a lot of things.
Wrong.
There’s nothing like Teleglitch.
True it’s a top down shooter, true it’s a roguelike, but it’s got a feel, a difficulty, and an aesthetic to it that’s like nothing else out there. Picture the scene; you’re alone in a science facility, your colleagues are coming at you – reanimated by a rogue AI, and down a corridor a black void crackles at you – humming with intense evil.
That’s Teleglitch. It’s fear and dread and the unknown all channelled together into one glorious terrifying blaster. You’re always on the edge of having no ammo, of having to cobble together explosives from tin cans, from running down the wrong corridor and having no way out other than to step into the horrible blackness that looms out of nothing and fills the air with a deep unsettling thunder. You’re on your own and all you have is your wits, a gun that’s almost empty, and a drive to survive. Get moving, get shooting, and get out.
It’s every roguelike shooter, every science-gone-wrong horror story, every log-filled-what-happened-here all rolled into one. It’s damned hard, and it’s got a damned good aesthetic.
And what an aesthetic, it feels like a grainy found footage film mixed with System Shock 2, it’s got that horror feel just perfect and even though it’s top-down you can feel the griminess of the corridors and feel the horror that’s unfolded in their maze-like depths. You know something bad has happened, and that you were part of it. The story unfolds as you work your way through the levels, through notes and logs left by your now-dead colleagues, and it fleshes out a tale of intense horror fueled by corporate greed.
Teleglitch is available now, and you should play it because if you don’t, you’re a coward.