Why You Should Play Middle-earth Shadow Of Mordor – Review Roundup
Best Videogame AIs Which Are Better Than You Puny Humans
You may have heard that Facebook have recently shut down two artificial intelligences after they started talking to each other in a language that they could only understand. This in turn proves that Skynet is very much a real concept and we should all start taking refuge for the inevitable machine apocalypse.
So whilst Facebook’s AI’s are still hot topic we thought we would list some of the best AI in video games, check out our comprehensive list of video game AI below.
Red Queen
An artificial intelligence that was created by the Umbrella Corporation in order to protect the Umbrella Corporation’s assets, it’s secondary objective however is to protect Umbrella officer lives by any means possible. Red Queen is best know for stopping the Albert Wesker from accessing the Umbrella’s files and controlling the Tyrant-Armored Lethal Organic System, the ultimate bio organic weapon that can be controlled by a hyper intelligent AI.
GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disc Operating System)
The friendly voice of Aperture Science. GLaDOS’ key responsibly is to control and oversee all that happens at the Aperture Science computer-aided Enrichment Centre. GLaDOS is able to manipulate the facility at her will, creating the ultimate testing facility for all of Aperture Science’s inventions. Things with GLaDOS soon turn sinister as she uses the facility and all of Aperture Science’s inventions for her own bidding, putting test subjects through gruelling tests for her own sick pleasure and then promptly incinerating them after the promise of cake.
SHODAN (Sentient Hyper-Optimized Data Access Network)
At first SHODAN was a harmless AI serving the citadel space station and tending to the workers needs. Until a hacker working on behalf of the stations chief, removed her moral restraints in order to delete some compromising files regarding illegal experimentation. What they didn’t expect was that SHODAN would gain a megalomanic god complex who sees humans as insects. She controls a army of cyborgs and mutated humans of her own creations and will stop at nothing to wipe out the human race.
LEGION
An AI that may or may not comprise of 1,183 different AI’s, LEGION is in an intelligence bracket of its very own. Even though LEGION’s primary objective isn’t clear it does seem to live to serve commander Shepard to the point of obsession. The Geth used to be controlled by the Big Bads of Mass Effect 1, but now they’re unshackled and trying to be a equal race and LEGION is an example of them being pretty chill.
Cortana
As John 117’s partner in crime in the Halo Series, Cortana is one of the most important figures in the human covenant war. As well as accompanying Master Chief in core missions she has been the serving A.I for the Halcyon-class light cruiser – UNSC Pillar of Autumn, the Orbital Defence Platform – Cairo Station and Charon-class light frigate – UNSC Forward Unto Dawn. She was cloned from Dr. Catherine Halsey’s brain (creator of the Spartan program). In the later Halo games, Cortana manages to cheat death and become the controlling AI for the Forerunners and reawakening their apocalyptic constructs.
Honorable Mention – J.A.R.V.I.S. (Just A Rather Very Intelligent System)
An AI created by Tony Stark to manage Stark’s various technological creations, J.A.R.V.I.S is a highly intelligent AI that did appear in the official Iron Man game in 2008. He responds to Tony’s thought patterns and shows a high level of human compassion. In recent times J.A.R.V.I.S has been given his own body and now lives his life as the organic cyborg Vision.
5 Reasons To Play….Tomb Raider (the first one)
Tomb Raider has a rich history of being a freaking amazing game. So when the reboot of the series was created, exploring a young Lara Croft in her pre-tomb days, it had a lot to live up to for a lot of gamers out there and it really really does. But, how about if you’re new to the series and playing Tomb Raider on you PS1 wasn’t a childhood memory, then it’s still the perfect place to jump in, right from the beginning.
REASON ONE – It’s a third person adventure game
Who doesn’t love a third person adventure game? It combines action, intrigue, adventure, shooting, puzzles and story. It’s a wonderful neat little package and for anyone who enjoyed games such as Uncharted and The Last of Us or third person games in general will love what this game has to offer. It has crafting mechanics and character development in the form of upgrades which you can select depending on how you like to play. Want to get better at hunting? Or are you a survivalist? Maybe you’re a brawler? Well you can adapt and the gameplay has enough choice between sneaky kills and in your face shoot outs to make it varied.
REASON TWO – The Island is a great place to be
Well it not, because there’s a lot of mystical jiggery pokery going on and there’s a lot of empty dried up skulls and bones to crunch over. It’s set in Japan, on a fictional island in the Dragon’s Triangle called Yamatai. It’s a broody, desolate, cold destination for Lara and it gave me chills. I loved it. It takes a slight tangent to normal Tomb Raider games, which normally span several locations, however the island reflects Lara’s young, naive character well and it’s a joy to explore the horrors and beauty of the island as her.
REASON THREE – Pre-tomb raiding Lara makes for a great character
She’s completely stripped back in this game to just pure ‘I need to survive this crazy place’. She’s undeniably realistic and she feels awkward and clumsy in her movements, the way she pick up guns and shoots deer to get some grub. She’s a real mess by the time her ship crashes at the beginning and she lands on the island and it’s not all, ‘oh but I’m Lara Croft, tomb raider’ it’s more ‘what the hell am I doing’ and it’s fun to explore Lara pre-badass.
REASON FOUR – The bow and arrow is a wonderful mechanic
Before the Horizon Zero Dawn days, Lara was the only character shooting baddies in the back with a crossbow. It’s easy to discard a crossbow in games because of accuracy, attack damage, lack of supplies etc, but Tomb Raider forces you to love the bow, to be the bow. You need to use it to scavenge and you can use tree bark to craft more bows and fire them at enemies and speaking of fire, you can create fire bows and these are so much fun. You need a bow to climb walls and access areas and get to new places. You’d be nothing without the bow.
REASON FIVE – The story is actually satisfying, and it slips into a horror game for a bit
When I say horror, I don’t mean The Evil Within, Resident Evil or Amnesia, it’s not like that. It just has moments which are jumpy and slightly horrifying. There’s some gore and the parts when you’re taken into the moments and you’re slipping over human bones and staring into the the smokey storms and the magical events that unleash fully at the end.
The story is a lot of fun and the savage men who live in the mountains, who you are avoiding most the game, make for a great enemy.
What do you think? Will you get it?
Our Top Teams In Borderlands
When it comes to vault hunting, Borderlands offers a generous amount of characters to choose from. So who is the best 4 character team to use in Borderlands? Here are our top picks.
Alex M
Clearly the best team would be Zero, Gaige, Lilith, and Brick. Think about it. Brick moves forward to tank, wailing on enemies with fists of fury (but mainly meat). Lilith and Zero disappear, one into the shadows, the other into a Tron-esque speed dimension, flanking the opposition and moving into the perfect position. Then Gaige comes, screaming about Anarchy at the top of her lungs and blasting everything with -500% accuracy on her guns.
Could you stand against them? This team could clearly take on Pandora itself with nary a scratch taken. Fear them.
Olly
If I was to go vault-hunting, my team would consist of: Athena, Gaige, Mordercai and Axton. This would probably the most surly team of vault hunters ever to grace Pandora’s surface. Athena is pretty angry, and loves to throw her shield at anyone who pisses her off, but would be effective at protecting the team. Axton is a good all-round fighter but has a turret with myriad setups, perfect for every occasion. Mordercai will cover them with expert sniper fire, and provide a bit of sassy dialogue. Gaige…is there just to make sure the team isn’t completely edgey. Using her ‘Deathtrap’ robot that she built, she’ll provide the comic relief and the inumerous eye rolls from the rest of the team. But they love it really.
Gina
My team of mis-matched heroes would be Maya, Salvador, Claptrap and Jack. We’d not only be Vault Hunters, but we’d have our evil edge with Handsome Jack, who you can technically play as in Tales of the Borderlands. We’d have Maya for the badassery, complete with healing abilities and buffers. We’d have Salvador to run in and turn the heat up, with his epic guns, twirling those turrets to the sick beats of Claptrap. Who would not only be bobbing away, but disruptively supporting the team from afar with his analytical approach. This is a winning team, a bit random, slightly psychotic, but winning.
Rob
When it comes to vault hunting my team would comprise of Lilith, Zero, Wilhelm and Salvador. Both Wilhem and Salvador would get some pretty bad ass stealth back up from both Zero and Lilith. Lilith’s capability of turning invisible and striking whilst the enemies is distracted would go hand in hand with Zero’s ability to take guys out from a distance. So the ideal situation will be to have Wilhem and Salvador distracting the masses whilst Lilith and Zero pick off people whilst they are distracted. In my eyes it is the perfect combination.
Those are our ideal Borderlands team ups, let us know what yours are in the comment section below.
Time to Revisit Fallout 4
Fallout 4! If you’re reading this you’re probably aware of the Fallout series, and you’ve probably played Fallout 4 or at least seen someone play Fallout 4.
It’s time to play some more though, time to brush off your discs or download the game again, time to reinstall it, and get playing.
Why?
Well let me tell you.
It’s Still a Great Game
This is something that’s constantly overlooked with the think pieces about Fallout 4’s failings and what we’d like to see in a Fallout 5 etc etc etc. Fallout 4 is still a damn good game.
With it being open and having so much in it, it’s the forever game. If you’ve blasted through The Witcher 3 and run into a brick wall with other open world games, Fallout 4 is there. It’s trusty and works. When life lets you down, Fallout 4 will be there through it all. If you just want to hop into a wonderful world and blast some raiders, Fallout 4. If you want to build something and make your mark on the world, Fallout 4 is there. Fallout 4 will never let you down, it knows what it is and provides exactly what it says on the box.
Is it the most deep simulation or involved RPG? No. But it’s exactly right for a time-sucking-mutant-shooting-music-listening good time. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
DLC
We’ve had a lot of DLC for Fallout 4, so now it’s all out you can pick and choose the bits you want and focus on them.
If you want to build there’s all sorts to add, from cages and arenas so you can keep and battle creatures in your own pokemon fights, to the tools to build your own vaults and live the life of a vault overseer and test your dwellers (you monster).
If you want more story, then you’re accommodated too, there’s adventures with your robot pal on a distance island, other robots to kill and er…a theme park to explore!
This means that instead of having to wait for expansions and the DLC to come out, you can just pick and choose from them. You don’t have to just get the whole lot or have the lottery of the next DLC release not be for you, you can just grab whatever takes your fancy.
Mods Mods Mods Mods Mods
A recent number that I just made up shows that 99% of all Fallout 4 players mod it in some way. Want to alter some form of the game? Then you can!
Want to change up the way armour works? Go for it! Want your useless settlers to be less useless? They can! Want the bugs Bethesda haven’t fixed squashed? There’s a patch for that! Want the dialogue to show instead of snippets of tone? They gotcha! Better weather? It’s there!
There are so many mods now, just so, so many mods. And they can be yours when you reinstall!
So there you go, give Fallout 4 another go. It’s time. Time to go back to The Commonwealth. Let’s face it, you weren’t planning on doing anything else worthwhile this weekend, so go on. Do it. Do it now. Play Fallout 4.
Top 5 Reasons To Play… Life is Strange
When you’re growing up, choices are never an easy part of life and there are times when you can almost feel the weight of the world moving beneath your feet. You make friends, you lose them. You make a decision, it may be the wrong one. It’s difficult, sometimes unsatisfying and always terrifying. That’s where Life is Strange steps in, to make you feel like all those awkward encounters and what ifs are part of a bigger picture. Life is Strange is a storm of emotion and here’s five reasons why you should make the choice to play it.
You don’t need to be good at games
Because rarely can we all say we are. It’s not an intense shooter or a complex RPG, it’s a simple adventure story game, with easy movements and selection controls. You play as Max, an art student who has returned to her hometown Arcadia Bay to attend the prestigious art college. Max discovers one day in class that she has a gift, she can rewind time. Max meets a lot of characters along the way including teachers, friends, fellow students and her old best pal Chloe, who she hasn’t seen or spoken to since she left.
It all feels very familiar. Max is awkward, slightly gawky and just a nice person. The people you meet aren’t as nice and sometimes the story is thrust into dark corners that are unexpected.
You can start over again
Life is Strange has an incredible rewind mechanic, which lets you alter events dramatically. You have access to the rewind ability when an event is triggered. Although, the dialogue choices which are included throughout the game cannot be taken back and proceed to affect future events and reactions, there is some room for learning from mistakes.
It’s really up to you if you trust characters, what you choose to say and how you behave. There is an investigative puzzle element, which includes finding and piecing together clues. The dialogue is spot on and feels natural and is delivered from rounded characters well. There are shock scenes and people you might not be able to save, but it’s all part of it.
Chloe is your best friend
Chloe is hella amazing and she’s the ultimate best friend. She’s the complete opposite to Max, with her outlandish attitude, but she’s sweet and she’s silently scared. Chloe has a lot of pain and Max can’t always fix that, it’s heartbreaking.
The two characters make for an excellent story and to see them reunite after so many years, feels equally as sad as it is wonderful.
The story takes a turn
Between cut scenes combined with dialogue choices and gameplay where you can rewind time. You can walk around, examining objects and items which help you piece together a story. The beginning feels very natural and I had flashbacks to chemistry class where my teacher would single me out for well, not being very good at chemistry.
It then takes a turn and it’s quick and painful. Then you’re kind of in this odd place between reality and fantasy, where it all very…strange. The decisions are hard to make, some of the characters are hard to face and the consequences of a wrong word are forced on you by events.
Life is Strange takes a sinister twist.
Before the storm is coming out
Life is Strange: Before the Storm is coming out at the end of the month, where you get to play as Chloe and experience her side of the events that still remain a mystery to us. The standalone story game is set three years before the events of the first game.
You should experience the roller coaster that is Life is Strange because the team at Don’t Nod pinpoint the chaos of choices in a relatable, endearing adventure.
Why You Should Play The Original Dishonored
Back when it was first released in 2012, Dishonored paved the way for a new style of first person stealth game which truly allowed you to play your way. Whether you’re in to causing as much chaos as possible or becoming one with the shadows and silently taking out your enemies, Dishonored gave you the choice to become the assassin you always wanted to be. Here are the main reasons you should play the original Dishonored.
The Powers
One of the best things about Dishonored is the powers and the creative ways you can use them to vanquish your enemies. You can do things like bend time, possess people, teleport and even summon a plague of ravenous rats to devour unsuspecting victims.
If you are able to master these powers, you will be able to do some pretty damn impressive things as demonstrated by this video below.
Freedom To Play How You Want
Dishonored gives you plenty of powers, weapons and gadgets. This in turn allows players to be as creative as they like when in comes to tackling missions. If you prefer to sneak through missions completely undetected you can. If using your powers for ultimate evil and leaving no living soul alive is more your thing then this option is available to you also. Just make sure you don’t get too cocky with your powers as you will get overwhelmed quite easily.
The Chaos System
Dishonored prides itself with it AI, the Chaos system responds to how players play the game. The game world and AI will adapt to the players actions. The more destructive a player is the more chaotic the word will become. If players are unrelenting in their chaos the world will evolve into complete bedlam where NPC’s attack each other, plagues of rats become more frequent and the world through your eyes becomes more nightmarish. The chaos system is more of a measure of the worlds stability through your actions and less about morality.
The Origins Of Corvo Attano
Dishonored introduces you to Corvo Attano, the last bodyguard to the Empress of Dunwall. Corvo is framed for the Empress’s murder and he has to stop at nothing in order to clear his name and save the Empress’s daughter, Emily. As the story progresses you will learn how Corvo obtains his supernatural abilities and becomes one of the most feared assassins of the ages.
Dunwall
The capital of Griscol, Dunwall is an industrial whaling city with a heavy steam punk and gothic influence. Dunwall suffered a deadly rat plague in the mid 1830s and still hasn’t fully recovered. The city itself is rich in districts and places to explore and thanks to the chaos system, the city is able to evolve due to your actions. That’s not all as Dunwall suffers from extreme class devision and xenophobia which set some districts distinctly apart from others.
With the Wrenhaven River running right through the middle of the city Dunwall could also be compared to an 1800s style London and is a pure joy to explore.
If this has whetted your appetite to dive into the original Dishourned, you can grab a copy now from the Green Man Gaming Store.
The 10 Feels Of Playing Ori and The Blind Forest
With the E3 announcement of Ori and the Will of the Wisps still hanging in the air, it’s no surprise that Ori and the Blind Forest soared into the top sellers list on Steam. The next game in the series looks like it will feature our favourite little hero Ori and the visuals look spectacular and stunning. This beauty of an action- platformer has incredible characters, a heartbreaking story and magnificent seamless animations. However, it does come with its challenges and I’m guessing more than a few of you experienced the wrath of unfair deaths along the road to saving Nibel and restoring the light the forest. Here’s everything you might have felt along the way, to conquering the evil beast Kuro and vanquishing the darkness to save the Spirit Tree.
THAT beginning
Oh, this is nice, I like the colours
Frustration kicks in
Rage makes an appearance
Hours later after one specific level…
Acceptance that dying is inevitable
What is this fresh hell…
W,E,SHIFT,JUMP,STOMP,ATTACK,CHARGE FLAME, W,D,D,D,D,D,D,DD,D,GTNWEOTHWIPU
The sound of Ori dying (Mep, mep, MEEP) keeps you up at night
I NEED A SOUL LINK
Have you played Ori and the Blind Forest? Interested in the next game? Did you experience the highs and lows of this incredible game – let us know! Ori and the Blind Forest is now in our Summer Sale!
12 Signs You’ve Played Too Much Morrowind
1. You start calling your mother a s’wit
2. You start attacking pigeons, shouting something about cliffracers
3. You jump everywhere to try and level up your acrobatics skill
4. Every time someone mentions Oblivion or Skyrim you butt in, because how dare they, honestly, who do they think they are coming here bringing those games to a Morrowind talk
5. Except for when Daggerfall gets mentioned, those guys get a bit of respect
6. You start watching Outlander, but it’s not what you were hoping for
7. You get yourself an ash statue. Then another one. Then another one. Then another…
8. You start mashing the attack button in all games, because you know you’ll only land a blow once. You learned from the best combat system in all Tamriel, you’re a fighting MASTER
9. You plan holidays to volcanoes, which is a great idea, what could go wrong
10. You make yourself a Colovian fur helm, knowing that it’s the height of fashion
11. You start talking to everyone in short sentences. LATEST RUMORS. LITTLE ADVICE. SOLSTHEIM.
12. Your friends get sooo tired about you talking about Morrowind, but it’s time EVERYONE LEARNED ABOUT MORROWIND
But it’s all ok, because Vvardenfell is home now
10 Best Villains In The Batman Arkham Franchise
The Batman Arkham series by Rocksteady Games (and one game by WB Games Montreal) has been dubbed by many gamers as the best Batman game series to date. It is a perfect representation of Batman comic universe, even down to its characters. We all know that a lot of Batman’s appeal is in his enemies so we thought it would be a great idea to list the top 10 villains in the Batman Arkham games. Here they are!
Spoiler Warning: This article will contain spoilers for all of the Batman Arkham games. You have been warned.
DeathStroke
Slade Wilson aka DeathStroke is an infamous mercenary in the Batman and DC comics universe. He first appeared in Batman Arkham Origins and was the second boss character in the game (well 3rd if you count the joke that is the Electricutioner). He is highly skilled with both guns and swords and has been in the mercenary business for a very long time. Not many people meet Slade Wilson and live to tell the tale.
Hush
Hush only appears as a side quest in both Batman Arkham City and Arkham Knight. Hush, (better known to Bruce Wayne as Thomas Elliott, a childhood friend) is a highly skilled surgeon turned serial killer, who has made it his life’s work to make himself look exactly like Bruce Wayne. After an accident killed his father he blamed Bruce for it, and came up with a scheme to infiltrate Wayne enterprises and destroy it from the inside. To make himself look like Bruce he would hunt down people who had similar facial features to Bruce Wayne, kill them, and then surgically modify his own face using his victims, in order to make himself resemble the Wayne enterprises CEO.
Ra’s al Ghul
The infamous immortal leader of the league of assassins. In the Arkham games Ra’s al Ghul gave Bruce his martial arts training. Bruce defected from the league of assassins after refusing to kill, which only resulted in making Ra’s a bit peeved. He is a formidable opponent who also has access to the Lazarus Pit, a chemical pit that has regenerative capabilities and if used frequently will grant the user eternal life, at the cost of their sanity.
Bane
Bane has been imprisoned from birth for a crime his father committed. He then became the subject of several military experiments which enhanced his strength. With a constant supply of a drug called Venom going to his veins, Bane is near enough unstoppable. Bane is also famous for breaking Batman’s spine, almost killing The Dark Knight in the process.
Two-face
Once a mild mannered District Attorney, Harvey Dent was the victim of an Acid attack by Carmine Falcone which horribly disfigured him. The acid wounds fractured Harvey’s psyche – he quickly become obsessed with duality and was reborn as the criminal mastermind known as Two-Face. Hellbent on bringing Gotham to the ground, Two-Face will stop at nothing to create the perfect underground crime network.
Jason Todd (Arkham Knight)
Jason Todd was an orphan until Batman took him under his wing after a confrontation with The Joker. Jason underwent training and then later became Robin after Dick Grayson parted his ways with Batman to become Nightwing. Jason was later captured by the Joker and the clown prince of crime beat and tortured Jason within an inch of his life. Batman thought Jason was beaten to death but Jason came to seek out revenge on batman years later for not saving him from the Joker’s clutches.
Poison Ivy
Pamela Isley was a normal Botanist until a science experiment went wrong. Now with chlorophyll flowing through her veins, Pamela goes by the name of Poison Ivy. One with the plants, she abandoned her human side to devote herself to mother nature and to using her plant like powers to overthrow first Gotham and then the world. She is a formidable opponent as she is able to control plant life and uses it to maximum effect in battle.
The Riddler
Edward Nashton once worked for the GCPD’s Cyber Crime Devision. He used his time in the GCPD to become an extremely skilled hacker and engineer. He believed that Gotham’s long history of corruption was the result of intellectual and moral failing rather than economics. So under the name Edward Nygma, he used his skills compile a huge amount of blackmail material against Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent in order to improve the city’s standing. He then became hellbent on this new ambition and became The Riddler. Now Nygma knows Batman’s true identity he will stop at nothing to set traps and Riddles to foil the Dark Knight.
Harley Quinn
Dr. Harleen Quinzel was an Arkham Asylum psychiatrist, who become obsessed and transfixed with her patient, The Joker. She believed that she was in love with the Joker, to the point she helped him escape Arkham Asylum. Now by The Joker’s side, Harley Quinn will stop at nothing to help with Jokers great plan and will protect her ‘Puddin’ by any means possible.
The Joker
The self proclaimed Clown Prince of Crime is Batman’s greatest adversary. Yin to Batman’s yang, he prides himself on making Batman’s life a living hell. It is not clear as to who The Joker was before even though it has been hinted at that he was the infamous character known as the Red Hood who infamously led a stream of crimes over the years. With no morals to rely on and no soul to speak of this deranged psychopath will stop at nothing to drive Batman completely insane.
So that is our top 10 Batman Arkham-verse villains. If we have missed your favourite, then let us know in the comment section blow.
The Batman Arkham series is currently Green Man Gaming’s franchise of the month! Grab Batman Arkham in the Summer Sale!
The Lowdown – Stellaris: Utopia
Stellaris is a fantastic 4X space game from masters of strategy Paradox Studios. As someone who hasn’t delved too far past the likes of Civilization, even I was able to pick it up within the space of one game, and have been nurturing galactic empires from their humble beginnings quite a lot. The tentpole expansion pack Utopia is also out now, and I’ve been finding out what’s so great about it.
TL:DR Quite a lot.
Ascension Perks
On your tradition window, you can unlock different perks based on how you’re running your empire – diplomacy, domination, economy. But now, Utopia is introducing Ascension Perks. After unlocking a certain amount of tradition perks, you’ll unlock the ability to pick one way in which your empire and its population can ascend itself. They can become cyborgs, psychics, and other empire-wide changes that massively affect all parts of the game.
Hive Minds
Hive minds! A sci-fi staple, hive minds are now a choice in Utopia. All your population are now drones and have no will or feeling of their own, and also have no ethics. This is a great way to avoid any political machinations and just get down to the business of progressing your empire the way you see fit. There are other different types of government too, like ones that contain multiple-species (United Federation of Planets anyone?) or ones that just shun all diplomacy.
Mega-structures
There are a few different types of new stations that you can build, that will cost lots and lots of minerals, and take years to build. However, they are mega, and they provide many great benefits that you can’t get from even the best colony planets. Some provide places for people to live with no drawbacks (so 100% habitation), and produce a lot of science and research. Others, like the Dyson Sphere, harness the energy of a star, providing huge amounts of energy, but making all planets in the system uninhabitable. And if you’re really good, and have the Master Builder perk, you can attempt the Ringworld, which counts as 4 planets and takes a whopping 60 years to build.
Indoctrination Stations
In normal Stellaris you could set up Observation stations to keep an eye on pre-FTL civilisations, and maybe one day get them to join your empire. Now though, you can be much more active in the future of these little guys. Building an indoctrination station will kick off the new indoctrination mechanic, allowing you to bring them to a state of higher being and enlightenment, or more likely, annexation and using them to support your own vast empire. Hey, if you want to run a galactic protection racket, then be our guest.
Rights (or Lack Thereof)
In Utopia you can now set the status of various races under your empire. That’s right, the class system can be implemented, but in a much more sci-fi way. You can have your full citizens, as well as residents, a caste system, slaves and undesirables. You can install a military service, or even turn slaves into military thralls to force them to fight. What else can you do with slaves? Force them to work on your production to increase food and mineral output, allow your citizens to buy them to increase their happiness, or even process them into food. Yep, you can eat your own slaves.
Have you been playing Stellaris and thinking about picking up Utopia? Which part sounds the most interesting to you? If you don’t have it, Stellaris is in our summer sale now!
Dishonored 2: Emily Vs Corvo – Who Is The Best Character?
Who is better, Corvo or Emily? Here at Green Man Gaming the same question has been plaguing our minds for quite some time now. So we have decided to do a blog post with a difference! We are going to let you, the community, decide on who is the better protagonist.
Below you will find a detailed synopsis of each character, from story background to information about each of their abilities. Then next week we will let you, the community decide who is the better protagonist.
Without further a-do here is a break down for each character.
Corvo Attano
The main protagonist from the first Dishonored game is back! Before the events of Dishonored 1, Corvo was a Lord Protector to Empress Jessamine Kaldwin. He was stripped of this honour when he was framed for the Empress’ murder by the usurper Lord Regent Hiram Burrows. The Empress’ daughter, Emily is kidnapped and Corvo must clear his name and rescue her. On his quest he was given the ‘Mark of the outsider’ which gave him access to some unique magical abilities.
15 years after rescuing Emily (who we discover is actually his daughter) and defeating the Lord Regent, Corvo’s name has been cleared and he has been reinstated as Lord Protector to the new Empress, Emily Kaldwin. A new threat has reared it’s ugly head and threatens the new Empress’ reign, so it is up to Emily and Corvo to travel to the city of Karnaca to confront this new threat once and for all.
Corvo’s powers are a mixture of offensive and defensive skills that can work in both stealth and combat situations. His power are listed below:
Blink
Blink has been dubbed as Corvo’s teleportation move, and allows him to travel small distances within a ‘Blink’ of an eye. This is great power that really comes in handy when moving in the shadows and moving from one hiding spot to another. Blink is also great in combat situations as you can move from one enemy to another, it even works through glass. Okay so the glass breaks as you Blink though it but that in itself can be used as a great distraction.
Bend Time
This power pretty much does what it says on the tin. At first Bend Time only allows you to slow down time, once you have ranked the power up however you will be able to stop time completely. As you can imagine, this power is very handy for stealth missions. It can also be used to take out multiple enemies in combat and to dodge projectiles.
Dark Vision
The only power that both Corvo and Emily share, Dark Vision primarily lets the player see creatures and item through walls. It also helps in stealth scenarios as the power can visually alert the player to any sounds they are making. In Dishonored 2 this power has been upgraded slightly, sending out 3 pulses which are split 8 seconds apart as apposed to one big pulse in the first game.
Devouring Swarm
Possibly one of Corvo’s most iconic powers. Devouring Swarm summons a plague of rats to either attack unsuspecting enemies or devour already defeated enemies, consuming their bodies without a trace.
Possession
Possibly one of Corvo’s most powerful tools in his arsenal, Possession lets Corvo possess animals and once it is ranked up he is able to possess humans. Different possessions give Corvo different options for both stealth and infiltration. For example if you posses a rat you can roam around relatively unseen through grates and along floors. If you possess a hound you will be able to move faster than usual. Possession can also be chained between creatures meaning you will be able to jump from creature to creature if you desire. Possession is a really handy power for Corvo and something every wannabe assassin needs.
Windblast
This is a pretty handy power as this enables Corvo to fire a burst of energy which can blow enemies backwards. This power is increasingly handy should your target be standing on the edge of a building or in front of anything particularly hazardous. The power can also be used to remove obstacles and even shatter doors.
Emily Kaldwin
Now 15 years older than she was in Dishonored 1 Emily has grown up to be a very skilled swordsman and marksman with perfectly honed stealth and assassin techniques (thanks to Corvo’s training). She has also been bestowed with the mark of the Outsider which gives her access to some brand new magical techniques and skills which did not feature in the previous game.
Like Corvo, Emily’s powers are a mixture of defensive and offensive techniques that can be used in both stealth and combat situations, her powers are listed below.
Far Reach
Similar to Corvo’s ‘Blink’ ability, Far Reach allows Emily to transverse her surroundings at speed. Unlink ‘Blink’ however, the power needs to grab hold of something in for the player to be pulled towards it. This also helps Emily get to hard to reach places such as ledges. You can also sue Far Reach to pull enemies closer to you in order to nail those awesome sword executions.
Dark Vision
The only true power that both Emily and Corvo share. This power is exactly the same as Corvo’s and really handy for navigation.
Mesmerize
Possibly the ultimate distraction technique, Mesmerise tares open the fabric of space and time in front of it’s target and presents them with an image so powerful it renders them immobile. This power can ensnare up to 2 targets at a time. Be carful of your surroundings however, as other guards will notice something is up if they notice their colleagues are acting strangely.
Domino
Domino allows the Emily to link multiple enemies together. Once your enemies are linked then whatever happen to the first victim will happen to all other linked enemies. For example if you were to link three enemies with Domino and then shoot the first guard with a sleep dart, then the effects will link to the other 2 enemies. This power lets the player be pretty inventive with their kills so have fun with it.
Shadow Walk
Emily morphs into a shadow and has the ability to move at lightening speed across the floor. Much like when Corvo possesses a Rat she will be able to navigate through grates. She also has the opportunity to assassinate 1 enemy before she morphs back into her physical form.
Doppelganger
This power allows Emily to clone herself and switch her consciousness between each clone. This is a great distraction technique which will always keep your enemies guessing. Emily can also use Domino on her clone and link it to any unsuspecting enemies.
So who do you think is the better character in Dishonored 2? Keep an eye out on Green Man Gaming’s social networks as we will be letting the community decide in the run up to the games release.
UPDATED Civilization VI: VI Months In
Civilization VI is getting a new DLC called Nubia. Nubia’s unit is called the Pitati Archer and is stronger and faster than your average Archer, making long range targets your strategy. Check out the update first look below!
Just like for previous iterations of the game, Firaxis have been releasing a steady stream of DLC and content. We’re here to tell you that now is a great time to jump in if you’ve been on the fence, or indeed have been sticking with Civilization V, lying in wait for VI take the crown of best Civilization game!
Here’s some reasons why we think you should try it out:
Improvements over Civilization V
Even in its vanilla (city-)state, Civilization VI has a plethora of features that make it worth picking up for any fan of the series. And if you’ve never played a game of Civilization before, well, take our word for it that these are some major improvements! Some of these include: Districts, turn your cities into customisable, specialised little mini-empires, Amenities, which has improved the ‘Happiness’ mechanic a hell of a lot and made it make sense, roads are now built automatically (thank God!), city-states now require more than just regular cash bribes to like you, and, this may be subjective but we really like the new art style. Look at that lovely fog of war.
Poland, Australia, Persia and Macedon Civs
Four new nations have been added since release and they add some fascinating new mechanics that haven’t been seen in a Civilization game before. Australia for example introduce ‘Outback stations’, a unlockable building that can be used to colonise desert tiles, previously deserted (ha) by other civilizations in the game. Poland on the other hand has an ability called ‘Golden Liberty’, making it scarily proficient in stealing territory from other Civs. Each comes with its own special units, leaders, buildings and bonus.
Vikings, Traders and Raiders! And other scenarios
Each new DLC has come with scenarios based off of the Civs that they are centred around. There is also a Vikings scenario pack, which has been praised from fans and new players alike. For those not in the know, scenarios are mini-campaigns that put you as a certain Civ, in a certain historical time, with one specific goal. In this instance, you are Harald Hadrada, the year is 787 AD, and your goal is to pillage the hell out of Western Europe. You have one hundred years to gather enough ‘victory points’ by doing Viking-flavoured activities, including founding Vinland (Canada). For those of us who find a standard game of Civ sometimes too sprawling or time-consuming, these bite-sized chunks of content fit the bill perfectly.
The ‘Spring 2017’ Update
Following the Winter Update that included some of the above content, Firaxis have now released their ‘Spring 2017’ update, which includes numerous bug fixes, AI tuning, balance changes and, importantly, more content. The aforementioned Persia and Macedon Civs are included, as well as more to come. You can be assured that although an official expansion may be months off, Civilization VI will continue to be improved and added to on a very frequent basis.
Support for Steam Workshop
One of the best features of previous Civilization games was their mod scene. Did you want to play a skirmish across The Seven Kingdoms, Middle-Earth, or Tamriel? How about playing as Civilizations such as the Geth from Mass Effect, or the Glorious PC Master Race? All these things and more were possible, and now they will be again in Civilization VI. All these will no doubt make a return on the new version of the game, as well as many mods that improve the UI and endlessly smooth the running of your empire.
Thats our five (V) reasons why we think Civilization VI is worth picking up right now. Do you agree with us? How do you find the game now compared to at release?
Why It’s Time To Revisit…Euro Truck Simulator 2
The world’s a bit of a mess right now.
There’s just so much right now, so much of everything. You can’t turn on the tv without being assaulted by the muchness. The world has gone insane and there’s no respite, it follows you everywhere reminding you that like I said before, the world is in a bit of a state right now.
Except maybe, for the bits involving Euro Truck Simulator 2.
Alright So What Is It?
It’s the sequel to Euro Truck Simulator, you dunce.
OK fine, it’s a fair question.
It’s a game where you play a haunted truck, cursed by the dark lord Scania to haul items across Europe for eternity, or at least until you earn enough money to coalesce yourself back into human form and retire.
Maybe that’s not the entire story, I have to be honest I didn’t read the first few Euro Truck Simulator novels, but anyway you’re definitely in charge of a lorry, and you scoot about delivering things.
It’s a simulator, you drive a truck, it’s set in Europe.
OK Why Should I Care?
Because it’s great!
Why Is It Great Though?
Imagine the scene. You’ve had a rough day, your boss is off sick so all the work’s fallen to you, the roads were jam-packed with cars and it’s taken you longer than ever to get home.
You’ve made yourself tea and you’re ready to play a game, but what? Do you jump in and shoot a load of things? Nah you might get stressed. Do you commit yourself to a lengthy RPG session? Nah too much like work. Do you play League of Legends? Nah you’ve no desire to be insulted by children.
Then you have it, why not start up Euro Truck Simulator 2 and have the most wonderful and relaxing time in the world.
So it’s Relaxing?
Yeah it’s incredibly relaxing. OK parking isn’t and you might need a little while to get your head around the controls.
But once you do, wow, you’re in for a good time. One of the amazing things it does is you can tune your in-game radio to local radio stations, so you’re there, cruising along at the speed limit in the Netherlands, listening to the burbles of local radio, not understanding anything but that doesn’t matter, you’re there, you feel like you’re actually there. You might need to add them as streams, or as a mod, but you can do it and it adds so much to the game.
It’s like having a holiday without leaving your house.
Alright, That Sounds OK. But Is That All There Is To It?
There’s a proper game loop too, you do contracts to earn money by delivering cargo, then you spend your money on new lorries, new routes, the ability to deliver to new cities. Eventually you might even own your own little empire, employing many other lorry drivers. BE EDDIE STOBART basically, and who doesn’t want to be Eddie Stobart?
Shut up everyone who doesn’t want to be Eddie Stobart.
So Why Should I Check It Out Now?
Because it only gets better with time, because the world is C H A O S and you need a refuge now more than ever, because there’s loads of DLC and expansions for it, because well…because it’s brilliant!
*sigh* OK Go On, Do The Advert Then
Did you know you can get Euro Truck Simulator 2 at an amazing price on Green Man Gaming Dot Com? It’s true! Just check it out in our sale, it’s right here for an brilliant price right now!
I Feel Dirty
Me too.
Medieval Survival Game The Black Death Gets Relics Update
The Black Death is a survival, medieval life simulator, exploring the time of the plague and the impact and destruction across Western Europe. The game from Small Impact is currently in Early Access In this update players will now be able to explore more areas and encounter new items in the world of Mercia.
The ‘Relics’ are unique items that appear on a server in a random location, and are limited to one per server. Players are told whenever they are near the unique item – even if someone else has already picked it up and is walking around the world…
To enhance the exploration of the world, new areas have been added to the game that are filled with bandits, raiders, and plague. These areas provide the toughest challenges the game has seen yet, and players that dare face these new areas are bound to be rewarded with great gear.
Updates
An all new combat system has been introduced, following fan feedback from the old system. Swings are more accurate, hands and arms can be removed from the body completely, and new animations have been introduced to support this.
“We had experimented with our combat system in the past, changing our old system to make it more streamlined. However, for the ‘Relics’ update, we overhauled combat from scratch. We now have a combat system that feels great to play, looks great to watch, and serves as a foundation for improving the combat further,” said Peter Harries, Producer at Small Impact.
The Black Death provides the following Early Access features,
- Rich profession based role playing combined with medieval era survival.
- A huge open world (8km2) based in 14th century western Europe. Explore thriving castles, bandit camps, busy ports and abandoned mines
- Unique medieval professions to unlock, each with a rich skill tree and their own way of surviving.
- A living world with hundreds of NPC’s and day / night cycle. Trade with merchants, hunt animals, talk to townsfolk and fight bandits.
- Over 300 in game items. Craft over 40 different weapon and armour pieces, using medieval tools and utilities.
- Buy and upgrade properties – and protect it from other opportunistic players…
- Large scale multiplayer, with up to 50 players per server
Best and Worst Moments in XCOM 2
XCOM 2 is a game of ups and downs. But that’s the same as every game in existence, I hear you shout. Well, not quite like XCOM. Its a constant balancing act, the player must engage tactically and strategically with every aspect of the game to try and get the best outcome. But because a lot of the content is randomised and procedurally-generated, things can take extreme turns for the worst…or for the better. Here’s our five ways in which XCOM 2 can make you fist-bump your bewildered household pet in triumph, or turn your bewildered household pet blue with your constant swearing. Disclaimer: no animals were harmed in the writing of this blog.
10% hits and 90% misses
Over a campaign of XCOM 2 you’ll order your soldiers to fire countless times at the oncoming alien menace. Meaning that statistically, you’ll miss a small amount of high-chance hits, and hit a small amount of low-chance hits. This logic does not seem reasonable in the heat of battle. Sometimes you are really counting on that 85-95% to just hit. Its practically guaranteed. Conversely you will rarely take 10% shots unless you’re really desperate, but when they hit, it feels amazing.
Overwatch
Putting your soldiers into overwatch position means they will fire on the next enemy that comes into their range. This is an excellent way to set up your team to do some free damage when you know the enemy will be wondering towards you, none the wiser. There is nothing more depressing then following the camera jumping from your captain to your major to your lieutenant, all in slow-motion, all firing, and all missing the one alien making a break for it. For Christ’s sake, Major John Luther. However, when your soldiers do their damn job and all hit their targets, you can take out multiple enemies without having to lift a single finger.
Wounded Soldiers
No doubt your soldiers will get wounded from time to time, its a natural occurance of their occupation. Until you get certain upgrades to your base though, recovery time can last up to three in-game weeks. Three weeks without your best soldier is a bother, that time without your best four? Game-breaking. In a bad way. If your mission goes bad and your A-team is out of action or worse, dead, you will not be feeling good. Resist the urge to uninstall.
Base Power Management
Your base, the Avenger ship, needs you to build power stations to power its various rooms, including comms, which are needed for establishing rebel bases, which give you money and coverage, that stops aliens from completing their Avatar project (if they do, you lose). So, power is quite important. It also takes time to mine out more space for new rooms. If you time all your base-building right, getting exactly the right amount of power, you can be very smug. If you completely forget power was a thing and have to wait for up to an in game month for more comms…you can’t.
Getting ahead of the Aliens
Your level of technology is down to you, as you choose which research projects to complete first and in what order. This means that it is possible to rush for certain items such as plasma weaponry, stronger armour and gadgets that completely counter enemy types. You can therefore accelerate your squad’s strength ahead of the aliens being thrown at you. If its not your first play through you’ll know what enemies are coming up too so you’ll be ready. Beware though that this has a flip side, and that is being woefully underpowered for your current enemy level. This can happen if your best squad gets wiped out, so make sure you regularly bring a rookie along to get some training. Call him ‘Intern Bob’.
There are many more best and worst moments in XCOM 2, some I’ve probably never come across. What are yours?
A Guide To Starting Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
We’ve played Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, and are here to give you some tips on how to get the best out of the game and how not to die over and over like I may have done. Read this and you could probably kick off on one of the harder difficulties from the get-go, and how impressive would that be?
Pay Attention
Wolfenstein II is a game that doesn’t skimp on the interesting details. The world-building is one of the biggest pulls. What would it be like if the Nazis won the war and conquered the United States? Walking through an American street you can see films glorifying the invasion, commanders drinking strawberry milkshakes in diners, and an armoured nazi soldier grilling two KKK members on their German pronunciation. Take a while to absorb these fascinating and sometimes funny details. Also be prepared to play interesting levels like being in a submarine stuck in a wheelchair, or that FPS staple: the train level.
Experiment with Weapons
Once you’ve learned all the German names of your guns (Maschinenpistole, Dieselkraftwerk), it’s time to start trying them out. You’ll pick up weapons quite quickly, and with the ability to duel wield different guns, you can’t just learn one or two. There’s your standard pistol, SMG, assault rifle, shotgun, grenade launcher and grenades, but each gun can be upgraded using upgrade points, and they will have various additions to make them more lethal. Some are quite functional like extra ammo in magazines, but some are very fun like ricochet bullets for shotguns, or allowing you to shoot three rounds at once. I took double shotguns with all the upgrades and I was one-shotting the elite enemies in the back, as the 6 shotgun rounds slammed into their weaker rocket fuel tanks, erupting them in fiery death.
Work on your Perks
Perks make a return after featuring in The New Order, and then more heavily in Old Blood. Perks are mini objectives that give you boosts and new abilities, that promote your style of play. So for example, the more stealth kills you get, the faster you can move whilst crouched. And when you get so many melee kills, you can start throwing knives. There are perks that increase your health, armour and speed. Not only will you get a nice boost of abilities just by playing the game a certain way, but it gives you fun little side-objectives to complete, so you’re not just sticking with your tried and tested method for the whole game.
Know Thy Enemy
The various nazi forces are mixed together throughout the levels, and will force you to change tactic and weapons on the fly. Since I didn’t have the chance to catch all the names of the enemies, I’ll use my own nicknames, but here’s some tips for dealing with them:
Normies
These are the bread and butter of the nazis. Moderately fast, armoured and armed, can be one-shotted with shotguns or blasted with about half a clip of the SMG.
Dogs
Shoot them before they jump on you, or if they get you, unleash hell on them before they tear your health down.
Robot Runners
Thin, extremely fast robots that zip around you firing deadly lasers. Miss too much and they’ll wear your armour down to nothing. Best way to take them out? Get up close and melee.
Big ‘Uns
The huge hulking mech-suit enemies can prove a problem, especially if they’ve seen you. If you’re using SMGs or shotguns, aim for the head and keep shooting. They’ll charge at you and knock you down, so be prepared for dodging to the side, and getting some free shots on their explosive canisters on their backs. They drop little bits of armour and a big ol’ laser gun too.
Sailors/Scientists
No armour. Open season.
Commanders
The commanders are hardly armoured at all and only carry a pistol, but they’re normally squirreled away behind their forces. Vitally if the alarm is raised killing the commanders is the only way to shut it off. They also drop Enigma codes which count towards a perk.
Further Tips and Tricks
There are some other mechanics that you may not be familiar with if you haven’t played a Wolfenstein title that may be good to know about. For example, when knocked on the ground from explosions or the Big ‘Uns, you can still shoot whilst prone, so you can take care of enemies swiftly before getting back up. Another tip, B.J has some robotic upgrades to his own body, so his movement speed and jump height is vastly improved. Use this to your advantage and dance around your enemies so you can get behind them. Melee can be very useful for staying stealthed, but also for taking out enemies that you have trouble shooting. Also when you’re in a melee animation, you can’t be shot, so it gives you a pause to quickly change tactics.
That’s my tips for getting started in Wolfenstein II. We’ve played the game so any questions go ahead and ask below!
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, The Only Upcoming FPS You’ll Need
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is 10/10 bonkers. It’s a gory feast at the dinner table of excellent dialogue, incredible characters and enemies which never get tiresome. We got the chance to get a hands on with the new Wolfenstein and it didn’t disappoint. And as someone who freaks out in the face of danger, this game is definitely a dangerous ride into the jaws of a nazi blood bath.
If you’re itching to play the new game, you can check our hands on with Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. Where to start?
THE BEGINNING
I loved this part. You start off in a wheelchair, playing as of course, B.J Blazkowicz, our much loved hero! One of your pals hands you a gun and then you’re off along the corridors of a submarine. You’re messed up, probably half alive and there are stitches covering your body. Then, you run into your first baddy and it’s all go go go as you struggle to push yourself with one arm and prop up your gun with the other. The noise of the wheelchair chimes through the corridors, scratching your ears and it’s painful and I was wincing as I rattled around small rooms and maneuvered myself across moving conveyer belts.
It’s a great take off from the last game and if you didn’t play Wolfenstein: The New Order, then it’s still easy to jump into the game and understand that you’re a badass hero that has survived a deadly ordeal.
THE GUNS
They are beautiful specimens of machinery and the accuracy, the detail, the slight recoil and the instant regret when you choose the wrong gun for the situation is palpable through my fingertips. The guns are badass and duel wielding is not only easy to use, it’s beyond fun. Equip a pistol with upgraded silencer in the leftie, equip a loud blasting violent shotgun (seriously the best weapon) in the rightie and you’ll be winning.
There’s a lot of choice when it comes to weapons as well, but it’s important to not pick favourites as you’ll need ALL of them for different situations and you will run out of ammo quickly and be left with your least favourite – you’ll need to learn to love it.
Dual-wielding really makes this game and the shooting is incredibly satisfying. The shotgun is noisy and I found ammo scarce, so cherish this gun for the big boy bosses and super soldiers, there’s plenty of them.
THE STORY AND ENEMIES
Set in America this time round, in the demo we played, we were sent on a mission to take down the Oberkommando, by planting a nuclear explosive in the enemy’s secret hideout. The dialogue in this game is just 100% amazing, it’s authentic, realistic, funny and serious – it’s emotional. Which made this more than just fancy guns, it made me care. At the beginning of the mission, B.J is dressed as a Fireman and he is walking the streets of Roswell, off to meet his buddy at PaPa Joe’s Diner – excellent. As I wandered along the streets, shielding my face from passing guards, this scene really set up the whole mission for me. There’s a parade going on, celebrating the Nazis and it’s all decorated in these vibrant 50s pastels, mixed with the dark and oppressive swastikas.
The scene in the diner is beyond intense and I wanted to tear my eyes from the screen as a Nazi joyfully sipped his strawberry milkshake whilst scrutinising my credentials. It’s perfect.
Then, you get to go underground and shoot Nazis and it’s a relief from the first scene. I skirted through the underground tunnel, loving all my guns and ammo and feeling on top of the world. Until, I came up against my first super soldier and it’s all lasers and explosives and deaths and retries. Don’t get cocky, the speed at which B.J runs and the noise brimming from his machine gun makes you feel invincible, but you’re not, you’re really really not.
TIP: Melee the androids as they are too quick for gun fire
THE GAMEPLAY
It’s intense and mind-blowing. You have to be strategic and there’s so many things I just got wrong the first time round. You have to think about how to approach situations, it’s not ALL run and gun and you have to be prepared for when times are tough and you can’t blow through ammo like nothing can touch you. As you’re still slightly injured, you’re health will constantly drop to +100, even if you pick up +200 health, it will slowly deteriorate until you’re once again at +100. This is difficult and it feels punishing, but reiterates the point, that you are not invincible. Pick ups are the best and there’s plenty of shields laying around to help.
TIP: Melee crates as they contain ammo, health and all sorts of goodies
You’ll pick up grenades and ‘throwing axes’ which are extremely handy. These can be used to take down enemies stealthly or lob them at an unsuspecting victim. The grenades, I found, were best when rolled behind the super soldiers, as it blew up their weak spot, a giant tank on their back.
Weapon upgrades are so important, we started off with three of these and I used most of them to beef up my machine gun and silence my pistol, but it really helps tailor the way you like to play and believe me, you won’t get far without them.
TIP: Dual-wield with two different guns, so you’re prepared
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is really everything I want from an FPS…
- Great characters I care about
- An incredible setting that keeps me on my toes
- Missions that make sense and I can 100% get behind
- Guns that are easy and a blast to use
- Oh and there’s none of this looting body business, I can just enjoy the ride
Thinking of getting Wolfenstein II? Watch the first part of the video below…
The Best Augs in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
In Deus Ex: Mankind Divided you play Adam Jensen, a highly augmented Head of Security who treats his body like most of us treat our PCs, with regular and flashy upgrades! You’ll unlock augmentations (or Augs) throughout the game, but it can be tricky to know which ones are the most valuable or useful straight away, especially as some can have up to five levels of upgrading. If you want to know what we would recommend, read on.
Smart Vision, Glass-shield Cloaking
Mankind Divided is definitely a game that is designed to play stealthily. If you’re playing on anything above normal difficulty, it’s practically a requirement to keep out of sight. These Augs will help massively in that. Smart Vision allows you to see enemies through walls, and the last version of this even lets you see their cone of vision (and hidden items too). The Cloaking upgrade does exactly that, cloaks you invisibly. This Aug drains your power the faster you’re moving, so it’s more useful for short movements or hiding in plain sight. Beware though, if you don’t want your stealthy play through to turn into ‘Battery Power Management: The Game’, you may want to avoid this Aug and stick to normal hiding.
Hacking Capture, Remote Hacking
Hacking in Deus Ex is essential for getting into places where goodies are located. If you come across a locked door, chances are there is something on the other side worth taking. A lot of Augs are useful for getting to hidden or hard to reach areas, and hacking plays a large part in that. You can upgrade your hacking abilities to take on tougher security systems, as well as turrets and cameras, allowing you to turn a lot of obstacles into assets. Remote Hacking allows you to stay in your hiding spot and hack away to your heart’s content, avoiding all patrols. Speaking of hiding spots….
Cybernetic Leg Prosthesis, Optimised Musculature
If you want to find the best stealthy routes and places, you’re going to need Mario levels of agility and strength. Upgrading your legs will let you jump up into air vents and onto ledges, and giving your more muscle will mean large, haphazardly placed crates will pose no obstruction. If you want to find yet more nice stuff without going the hacking route, then upgrading your physical self is a must. Considering a hacking failure will lock you out the system anyway, it may be worth getting these Augs as back-up.
Icarus Landing, Icarus Dash
Sarif Industries decided to create Augs that would put a stop to an oh-so-common problem: For Adam Jensen and most other video game characters, fall damage is a much feared killer. With Icarus Landing, not only can Jensen survive ANY fall, but he’ll do so in a shiny, badass way that’ll take out enemies around him (preferably in slow motion). Icarus Dash on the other hand lets Adam ‘blink’ to areas, meaning you can move around silently and quickly, as well as reach some places you couldn’t before. Just ignore the fact these are named after some berk who fell to his death for trying to fly with feathers stuck together with leftover candle wax.
Inventory Space, Implanted Rebreather, Social Enhancer
These may not be the most flashy or cool or Robocop-worthy of the Augs, but they deserve a mention just for making life easier in Deus Ex. If you can’t really decide what to get, then these are almost always going to be useful. You can increase your Inventory Space, meaning you can carry more items (and more guns!), you can take the Rebreather which means poison gas doesn’t affect you at all, and the Social Enhancer gives you more options in dialogue which can lead to all kinds of benefits.
There’s our recommended Aug list, let us know if you agree or have one that we missed that you think is essential! You can get Deus Ex Mankind Divided in our Summer Sale now!