Why You Should Play…ABZÛ
ABZÛ is a game about being underwater, and it’s really really beautiful.
Now that’s not enough to recommend a game, although it really helps. But ABZÛ is more than just a tech demo, more than just a floaty beautiful experience, more than a dive into the depths of the ocean.
You start in the shallows of a tropical part of the world’s ocean and you set off on a voyage of discovery down, down, down. You’re not alone on your journey, as the whole ocean is alive with creatures, both big and small, and much of your time will be spent gazing in awe at the creatures that bob and swim and scurry around you as you descend through layer after layer of oceanic bliss.
There’s a story to it too, one I won’t spoil here, but it has feelings in it, and a twist. It’s a much more disturbing experience than I expected when I set off on my oceanic adventure, having some moments of real peril and danger down there in the deeps.
It combines that with moments of pure joy and pure elation, especially towards the end. I never thought I could feel emotions over fish, but ABZÛ proves that in fact, it’s more than possible. Austin Wintory’s amazing score helps this, as his evocative string motifs play pirouettes on your heart and your emotions as your little swimmer careens through the waters.
That’s before we even talk about the swimmer itself, and the way it moves through the deeps. Swimming is always a chore in videogames, but in ABZÛ the frustrations are removed and it feels like flying, flying through clouds of fish and light and dark.
Overall ABZÛ is an utter joy to play and experience, and one I’d recommend to anyone. Don’t believe me? Let renowned explorer Jacques Custard show you via the medium of his recent adventure.
Injustice 2: Beginner Tips
Injustice 2 was released last week and plenty of players are getting stuck into the the next chapter in the Injustice universe.
For newcomers to the series, the Injustice multiverse can be a pretty daunting place, especially if you are not familiar with fighting games or indeed NetherRealms’ fighting game formula. So here is some top tips to get your started and help you find your feet in Injustice 2.
Character Basics
If you aren’t well versed in fighting games, we do suggest practicing with your favourite characters as much as possible. The great thing about Injustice 2 is that there are plenty of modes to choose from in the Multiverse for you to get practicing.
We also suggest really focussing on moves and combinations of moves. Special moves are always good and effective but if you dig deep into a characters move set you will come across some combos that will do just as much damage if not more. Injustice 2 prides itself by not being a button mashy game as a lot of basic attacks don’t really chain that well. So read up on your combos.
Story mode
A good way to get a grip on most of the character roster is through Injustice 2’s in depth story mode. Not only does it give you a great story, but you have the opportunity to try out a variety of the game’s fighters.
Story Mode also nets you some great gear which can be used to customise your character and tweak them to your own specifications. Each time you make a choice in Story Mode you will earn a piece of ‘Epic Gear’ for the character you choose. This gives Story Mode some pretty good replay value if you are looking for some epic level gear for some of your favourite heroes.
On the first play through, Story Mode will net you a good chunk of source crystals as well, after completing the mode you should be about two thirds of the way to having enough crystals to unlock a premier skin for a character.
Earning Gear and Abilities
As well as Story mode there are several ways you are able to get some gear. Gear drops in pretty much every mode you play.
If you are after some particular gear for a certain character then we suggest playing the challenges in the Multiverse. If you are looking for more random loot drops that are not character specific then be on the lookout for Mother Boxes. Mother Boxes are Injustice 2’s answer to loot boxes and contain varying amounts of items of random gear for any character. The amount of gear you obtain from a Mother Box is dependant on what sort of Mother Box you receive. Players can get either a Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond Mother Box.
Mother Boxes are obtained either by progressing to a new overall level (not to be confused with character level), or you can purchase them with in-game credits. Platinum and Diamond Mother Boxes can only be obtained by completing specific challenges, such as completing every character tutorial.
Any gear that has been equipped to a character will change their appearance as well at give them the necessary stat boosts. This is a great way for players to make the characters their own. If like most gamers out there you find yourself attached to a certain piece of gear, then you are able to spend tokens in order to bring the piece of gear up to your character’s current level.
Be aware though, it is very easy to lose hours of gameplay just in the Gear and customisation menus alone. So make sure you don’t forget to do some fighting.
Each character can also earn some new abilities which can be earned initially when a character reaches level 10 and at level 20, additional abilities can also be obtained from random Mother Box drops . Abilities are special moves that can be equipped to your character. They are either entirely new moves for you to learn or buffs for your current special moves.
The Multiverse
The Multiverse add a new level of challenge to Injustice 2 as players are able to take on challenges in order to level up their character and grab new gear. It is also worth noting that the Multiverse is also home to Injustice 2’s Arcade, Survival and Endless modes. These modes can be found on the Battle simulator planet and not through the game’s main menu as you would expect.
Beating the Battle simulator will unlock traditional arcade style endings for the character you are playing as. Any of these endings you have unlocked can be re-watched by going into your the summary tab in your characters customisation screen. This is also a handy way to keep track of which endings you have unlocked.
Some of the multiverse challenges require your characters to be a certain level before you are able to attempt them, so we do suggest levelling up your character to 20 (max level) before taking on some of the challenges.
Join a Guild
Last on our beginner’s guide is joining a guild. You can join any guild or make your own with friends. We suggest you do this as soon as possible as your you and your friends progression will unlock Guild Mother Boxes. There isn’t much difference between Guild Mother Boxes and standard ones, but guild boxes are easier to obtain as there are more players trying to unlock them.
This handy list should give you the footing you need in order to get stuck into Injustice 2. If you have any other beginner suggestions then let us know in the comment section below.
10 Signs You’ve Played Too Much Steel Division: Normandy 44
Steel Division is out, and it’s time to play it until you see in red and blue and want to hop on a plane to go liberate Normandy yourself, because you’re such a successful commander. In fact you should play it all weekend. Just be aware of showing these signs come early next week.
You prefer hedgerows to all other plants
When you think of crocodiles you think of fire not water
You unnecessarily pronounce everything in a German accent
When you need help you try to summon reinforcements
You wish people had a stress bar like in the game
When you go out, you go out in your Battlegroup
The frontline line is everything
Your house is your deployment zone
You never come towards someone from their front
Whenever you see a building you think it’s really important to get in it
Are you playing Steel Division right now? Tell us what you think.
Why You Should Play…Homeworld Remastered Collection
One of the recent remaster success stories, Homeworld was already a very well made RTS set in space. Even though blocky ships and starry backdrops don’t require much in the way of updating, the 4K resolutions and visual effects of the game look as amazing now as they did back when the original was released. The campaign is great too, the missions mold into one long journey through space, allowing your surviving ships to come with you into the next mission.
The user Interface has seen some work to make it look sharper and modern, and to fit with modern resolutions, but it was always quite well-made. It’s very minimalist so the screen is always dominated with the action: the ships, the stars and the space stations. All in all its an RTS so you should be remembering hot keys as best you can, so you can churn out and control your space fleet as best as possible.
The pacing is slower than most RTSs, especially if you’re used to games like Starcraft. Even building the smallest fighter crafts can take some time, and moving a fleet across the map takes a while too. But this is a RTS where you can be considered and tactical. This is never more evident than when trying to navigate the three dimensional space of the level. Most space strategy games ignore the z-axis in favour of simplicity, but Homeworld manages to pull it off without being too fiddly. You could say then that it is the one true space strategy game, where you can play space battles like you see and imagine from other universes.
If you grab the Remastered Collection you will get all of this as well.
- Homeworld Remastered Edition
- Homeworld 2 Remastered Edition
- Homeworld Remastered Steam Multiplayer
As a bonus, you will also receive free access to:
- Homeworld Classic
- Homeworld 2 Classic
ABZÛ – Voyage To The Bottom Of The World
Steel Division: Normandy 44 – The First Games
Steel Division: Normandy 44 has come out to critical acclaim. But did you know it’s not the first Steel Division game?
Here’s the entire Steel Division series up to the current date, see how many you’ve played!
- Steel Division: Normandy
- Steel Division: 2 Normandy 2 Division
- Steel Division: Normandy Drift
- Steel Division: The Normandies and the Divisions
- Steel 5
- Steel Division: Origins
- Steel Division: Mission to Moscow
- Steel Division: The One With The Tanks
- Steel Division: Black Flag
- Steel Division: Red Steel
- Steel Division 3D
- Steel Division: Stolen Division
- Steel Division: Black Ops
- Steel Division: Back in Training
- Steel Division: Grand Steel Auto
- Steel Division vs. Company of Heroes
- Steel Division: Lawsuit Edition
- Steel Division: Steel Divisioner
- Steel Division With a Vengeance
- Steel Division: The Steels Strike Back
- Steel Division: Endless War
- Steel Division: Return of the Division
- Steel Division: Attack of the Division
- Steel Division Does Pop
- Steel Division: Space 1999
- Steel Division: Human Revolution
- Steel Division: Dark Crusade
- Steel Division: Black Mesa
- Steel Division: Opposing Force
- Steel Division: Mecha-Churchill
- Steel Division: Godzilla vs Mecha-Churchill
- Steel Division: Mecha-Churchill Goes On Holiday
- Steel Division: Vietnam
- Steel Division: Montgomery Fights Germans
- Steel Division: Montgomery Fights Italians
- Steel Division: Montgomery On The Moon
- Steel Division: Back in Black
- Steel Division: Iron Chef
- Steel Division: The Serious One
- Steel Division: Kitchen Nightmares
- Steel Division: Punch a Nazi
- Steel Division: Groundhog Day
- Steel Division: Normandy 43, Liverpool 2
- Steel Division: Normandy 44
So there you go, you’re up to date with the Steel Division series! Now go buy Steel Division: Normandy 44 now.
Why You Should Play…Super Meat Boy
Super Meat Boy is the meaty platformer that started everything. Pretty much all indie-PC-platformers released now can see some DNA come from meat boy and his bloody adventures.
Starting out life as a small flash game back in the dark depths of time, Super Meat Boy expanded into a full title which kickstarted the wave of bastard hard platformers that we see today. Sticking to everything with an audible slurp, the eponymous meaty child bounds and slides around levels, all the while trying to rescue Bandage Girl from the evil Dr. Fetus.
Its controls are super tight meaning it feels brilliant to play. The other great thing about it is the post-level replay, showing you all your failed (and your one successful) attempts at a level. This means a tide of meat boys flows over the level, getting caught in traps and falling to their deaths, until one sole survivor bounds to the exit.
It’s got brilliant boss battles, which are designed for frustration but not in a way that stops you from playing. You’re going to want to take a few attempts at them, but their music and the sheer style of them keeps you coming back for more, and more, and more. This is a game, that like Dark Souls, is punishing but not unfair, so when you die you can try a different thing or you can learn from the experience to avoid it in future. Every second you spend playing Super Meat Boy is a second you spend getting better at it.
The game has a huge amount of collectables as well, so if you’re a junkie for completing a game you’ve got a tall order ahead of you, you can even play as different characters which change how you play. You can even dive into levels as the headcrab from Half-Life, which plays accordingly/
Combine all that with a brilliant soundtrack by Danny Baranowsky and a huge number of levels (featuring dark versions and retro levels), there’s a reason Super Meat Boy has had so many challengers to its throne, but remains king of the platformers.
Elder Scrolls Online: Warden Class Guide
Love Friday The 13th? Here’s Why You Should Play The Game
Based on the 1980s horror film which sprouted television shows, spin offs, comic books and now a video game, Friday The 13th: The Game is the twisted slasher survival game from Gun Media.
Taking you back to the infamous Camp Crystal, survive, never meant more in a survival horror game, with consequences etching around the decisions you make, the weapons you select and the way you chose to run. Friday the 13th: The Game is a third person horror, survival game where players can play as either a teen counsellor at Camp Crystal or as Jason Voorhees, for the first ever time in a video game.
The story feels a little clunky with a shimmer of comedic value relieving the tense gameplay. The premise is that playing as the counsellor, you and six other players at the camp must escape and survive.
Friday The 13th: The Game revolves around multiplayer, where you will team up with other players in order to survive and escape Jason. The ways in which you can escape are completely dependent on play, whether you team up with a fellow player or go at it alone. There are a number of options to outsmart the mass murderer, which could be crouching in the woods, or trying to escape via boat. Teaming up and banding together to defeat Jason seems like the best move, but it’s not always guaranteed that you’ll make it out alive.
Game progression is lengthy, but the rewards rightly so, come with sticking out full matches and unlocking customisation and upgrades. The sound effects are eerie and mimic the same threatening feel that the classic films get so right.
Playing as Jason is an incredibly fun feature, even if it’s a little disturbing, you’ll have access to a number of stalking abilities that will help you hunt down and pick off the group. The haunting voice of Jason’s mother trickles in the background as you lurch after unsuspecting victims.
Friday The 13th: The game is tonnes of fun and brilliantly entertaining, capturing the ambience of the classic films that will delight horror fans!
Playing Friday The 13th: The Game? Enjoying it so far? Give us a shout in the comments below…
Steel Division: Normandy 44 – Tips Before You Start
Steel Division has many levels of strategy and tactics that you can use to overcome your enemy. Because of this, you need to be aware of all the tools at your disposal, and make sure that you can read and use the battlefield for your own benefit, until you resemble the great General Eisenhower himself. We’ve got some tips to keep in mind before you start, so you can jump in and reach Berlin by teatime.
Take Cover
Cover is what is going to keep your units alive the longest, especially your infantry. The fields of Normandy are criss-crossed with hedgerows that stand taller than most tanks, and turn the battlefield into an ambush nightmare. These do provide heavy cover however (mouse over the land, if the mouse is green, it is heavy colour, yellow is light cover), and stop line of sight. If you need cover immediately, dive for a hedgerow. And remember, infantry can go through them, whereas vehicles can not – useful for escaping or sneaking up on vehicles, as infantry will plant anti-tank devices on vehicles when close enough.
Use Buildings
Buildings provide some of the best cover in the game, as well as a huge bonus in area of sight, particularly tall buildings like churches. Buildings are typically situated in clusters, such as farms and small villages along roads, meaning that holding them gives you a big advantage in controlling an area. You can get units behind enemy lines and secure buildings to cut off enemy reinforcements, which is a huge bonus. There is a downside to garrisoning in buildings, however. Once a unit is in a building, it’s very easily targeted by artillery, as they can fire indirectly and through fog-of-war. Another good way to clear occupied buildings is to pin the enemy with fire, then charge some infantry up to the building to force a surrender.
Be Smart When Moving
This is Normandy 44, not Normandy 17, so there’s no trenches to man day and night. This war is all about mobility. Getting into position to ensure victory is the tricky part. As mentioned before, hedgerows give good cover as well as breaks in line of sight, so use them to get out of machine gun fire, or note which units carry smoke grenades. Different units also have special move orders. Some infantry have Hunt (Q), meaning they will engage any enemy they come across. Vehicles have Go Fast (F), which makes them prioritise speed by taking roads when possible (just don’t confuse it with hotkey G, which is reverse).
Play The Single-Player
Yes, I know you want to jump straight into skirmishes, if not full-blown multiplayer. But wait, there is a very lean tutorial that is very much worth doing. The Boot Camp has several missions that cover the mechanics of the game, and help you understand the way everything works. And it doesn’t take long at all. Next you can move on to the Campaign, which features 3 separate campaigns featuring the US Airborne, the Panzer Division and Scottish Infantry. These feature missions that have unique objectives, getting you to learn the importance of certain parts of the game. For example in the first campaign mission you must simultaneously take and hold a village, and find and destroy enemy anti-tank guns. Doing this fast and efficiently leads to victory. The campaigns are not easy, and are an exciting challenge on their own.
Understand The Frontline
The Frontline is Steel Division’s unique mechanic that shows the clash of areas of influence between opposing forces. If an area is behind your Frontline, it means you have vision of it, and your enemy does not. Outflanking, encircling, cutting off lines of support and supply is all key to defeating your enemy; if an enemy force is cut off, then they will be much more likely to surrender. There are some special ways certain units react with the Frontline however. Airbourne units (which you can tell by the wings on its name) have no morale penalties for being surrounded. Whereas Recon units generate no area of influence, so they cannot push the Frontline, which can be a plus or a negative. Keep an eye on the way the Frontline is moving, ideally you want to be outflanking and encircling the enemy to take them out quickly.
Those are our tips for Steel Division: Normandy 44. How are you finding the game?
The Battleships Of Battlefleet Gothic: Armada
Fallout 4 – Best Companions
Fallout 4 is a game where you don’t have to face the apocalypse alone, if you want. There’s loads of people you can take with you, to make those eerie Bostonian nights a little less creepy, and to give you a little bit of backup against the hordes of rampaging…everyone…that infests The Commonwealth.
But which one is best? Here’s the final list, the last word, the 100% unarguable objective list of Fallout 4 companions, from worst to best.
Preston Garvey
“Another settlement needs your help.”
“Another settlement needs your help.”
“Another settlement needs your help.”
“Another settlement needs your help.”
No.
MacCready
‘Lets take one of the worst characters from Fallout 3 and show him all grown up in Fallout 4’. Yeah let’s not. He’s just as annoying as in the 3rd game, and now he’ll follow you home and take up valuable Sanctuary space if you let him. Send him back to Little Lamplight I say, no time for him.
Cait
She’s got attitude at least, but she makes up for that with being a bit too up in your grill. She’s not a fan of other people, or non-violence, or not taking loads of chems, so feel free to take her along with you. But be warned, she’s not a nice human being.
X6-88
The only real problem with X6-88 is that you spend the whole time with him wishing he were HK-47. It’s fine to have an evil robot, but whenever you see an evil robot there’s a worm inside you that just whispers ‘I miss HK-47’. That doesn’t mean there’s anything particularly wrong with X6-88, he’s just fine y’know? He’s ok.
Danse
Another fine companion, Paladin Danse is fine. He’s ok. Absolutely fine. Is he bad? No, he’s fine. Just absolutely ok.
Deacon
Still just only ‘ok’, but he gets a bit more of a pass due to his ever evolving outfit collection. Also he’s on the right side of history, the Railroad are just the good guys, don’t @ me.
Curie
Curie gets bonus points because she’s a cool robot that just wants to help with the power of SCIENCE. Also you can smooch her up, so maybe that’s something to consider for all you robolovers out there. When I encountered her I did hide for a bit though, cos I thought she was hostile and was about to blast a hole in me. Nope though, she’s a friend. A big white sphere friend.
Dogmeat
Look he’s a dog so that makes him the winner right? Nope, his awesome points for being a dog get outweighed by him not having any character progression or character quest, making every second you spend with him feel like a bit of a waste. You could be unlocking Nick’s quest or dressing Hancock up instead. If only there was a reward for taking Dogmeat out with you, other than doggo joy.
Strong
Strong’s awesome for his strength. All the games since Fallout 2 have featured a Super Mutant companion, from the Worf-voiced Marcus of Fallout 2 tot he Worf-voiced Marcus of New Vegas. Strong is strong, and he’ll bash your enemies leaving you free to loot and dance and do whatever it is you want to do in Fallout 4. The only bad thing about Strong is that I found loads of armour for him before getting him, which kinda ruined the surprise that he’d be joining me. But that’s a tiny niggle.
Codsworth
Codsworth wouldn’t be the highest rated Mr Handy droid in this list if it weren’t for him saying your name. It actually gave me chills when he greeted me with a hearty ‘Mr. Alex’. It’s a simple trick, but it’s done well and makes him feel like he knows me and that he and my character share a history. His glee and breakdown when meeting you after the opening of the game gives a bit more depth to the character too, making him overall a Good Robot. Be kind to Codsworth, he’s fragile.
Piper
The best worst journalist in The Commonwealth, Piper is a journo from the old school. She’s all about investigative journalism, she’ll get to the truth no matter what, all the time caring about her little sister. She’s a top companion, and she’d be further up this list if her prose wasn’t just atrocious. Seriously, someone hire her an editor, post-apocalyptic newspapers deserve better.
Nick Valentine
The best robot in the list, he’s a saint is our Nicky. A robot with heart, a robot with soul. Admittedly someone else’s soul, but it’s a soul nonetheless. Working the beat as a PI, you join him and help out with a bit of the old Private Investigations. He’s probably the only ‘pure’ person on the planet by the time Fallout 4 starts, and who wouldn’t want to help that charming robot gent as he flatfoots around The Commonwealth? He’d be number 1 in our list, except for one person…
Hancock
That’s Mayor Hancock to you. The most stylish gent in The Commonwealth, with a fine hat and a musical all about him (but don’t tell him about that last bit, he’ll just get a big head). He introduces himself to you in the best way possible, stabbing someone giving you hassle. He’s a loyal friend, a peaceful buddy, and also a violent chap. He’s a dichotomy is Hancock, but that just adds to the allure. Just look at those black eyes, who can resist?
Also the best hat.
That’s it, your definitive list of best companions in Fallout 4, and we can see from this scientific analysis that Hancock, is best.
You can get Fallout 4 here, for an apocalyptic price.
Still here? OK here’s the actual best companion.
Secret Best Companion: Dogmeat in a Bandana
WHAT A GOOD DOG
Morrowind Release Date, Trailer And Editions
Steel Division: Normandy 44 Out Now
If strategy games are more your bag, then Steel Division Normandy 44 is for you.
The latest game from strategy game publishers, Paradox Interactive, puts players in the middle of World War II. Set during the invasion of Normandy by Allied forces in 1944, you must command up to six different armies to win battles across the bocage-strewn lands of Western and Northern France.
If that doesn’t whet your apatite then we have an extensive article covering what we know about Steel Division: Normandy 44. You can check out the article right here.
If you want to get into the nitty gritty of Steel Division’s tanks. Then we have a break down of tank units you can use in the game here.
So what are you waiting for? Grab your copy of Steel Division: Normandy 44 from the Green Man Gaming store right now. You can even try and win a copy right here on our blog.
Mirage: Arcane Warfare Is Out Now
The creators of Chivalry: Medieval Warfare have released their brand new title, Mirage: Arcane Warfare. The game promises “an intense mash up of blood, magic and blades set in a strange fantasy world”
If you are not at all familiar with Mirage: Arcane Warfare, then why not check out our handy article on all we know about Mirage: Arcane Warfare. If that doesn’t give you all the information you need then you can also check out our interview with Alex Hayter from Torn Banner.
If for some reason you need a helping hand out there on the Mirage battleground, then why not check out our tips video below.
Now you are up to speed, you can but Mirage: Arcane Warfare from the Green Man Gaming store right now!
PC Strategy Games You Need To Own
The PC is home to strategy games, a genre which works so well with a keyboard and mouse (and a desk for your favourite hot beverage). Whether we’re establishing trade routes with an alien civilisation, setting up control groups and harassing your opponent’s resources, or moving your massive army of undead across the map, we love strategy games. Here are the ones we think you should have in your games library.
One of the most popular strategy series in existence, Civilisation is at the forefront of turn-based strategy games, in the specific genre of ‘4X’ (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate). Its up to you to lead your chosen civilization – such as Greece, Aztec, USA, China – through the ages and to come out on top on your map. You can achieve victory through war, diplomacy, scientific achievement or bureaucracy. Every iteration of the game introduces new changes and mechanics that tweak the original 4X formula to make it better and better. There’s no game that’s more ‘one more turn’ than Civilization.
The most APM (actions-per-minute) intensive game on the list, Starcraft is the RTS that stands tall above all others. It simultaneously hosts the most balanced and exciting esport scene in RTS, and has plenty to offer for newer players and those not interested in living at a consistent 150 APM. The three separate campaigns are some of the best designed yet, their co-op mode allows you to take on vs AI missions with friends and level up your favourite commander, and then there’s all the normal skirmish, ranked and team games too.
Recently released, Steel Division gives you command of armies during the invasion of Normandy in 1944. Set up like a fully animated war game, players pick their units from a selection of cards, deploy them on the battlefield and push the front lines to envelop, crush and defeat their opponent. The game features many types of historical units, and different divisions contain different units based on their doctrines. Its tough, looks great, sounds great, and the battlegroup mechanic allows for some interesting experimentation and meta to form.
Invisible, Inc
Arguably more of a tactics game than strategy, Invisible, Inc combines cyberpunk with noir, and gives you a team of agents that must infiltrate corporations and achieve objectives, using stealth and turn-based strategy. Each level is procedurally-generated, so every mission needs exploration. Taking out guards and avoiding cameras is tough, and hacking terminals gives rewards but means you take more time. The clock is always ticking, and sometimes you just have to run and get out fast. A great little game for that strategy fix, and it looks amazing.
Total War: Warhammer
The Total War series, much like Civilization, is a cornerstone of PC strategy. It mixes the grand strategy and city building of Civ, but adds in real-time battles with thousands of units. Total War: Warhammer is the first of the series that doesn’t take place in a historical setting, adding magic, flying units, monsters and excitingly asymmetrical races that play very differently. Each race has its own objective, whether it’s simply to fight like the Greenskins, or to cross off all the grudges in the grudgebook like the Dwarves. There’s a play style to fit everyone, and it’s another one of those ‘one more turn’ addictive campaign games that you just can’t leave.
Our second 4X game on this list, this one is set in SPAAACE. If you’re not interested in reliving history and researching the written word and trade unions, why not play Stellaris and research fusion reactors and destroyers? Stellaris has a big focus on the ‘eXplore’ part of the genre, as your space-faring race starts off in one star system amongst hundreds. You’ll develop your technology in various ways, discover resources and other civilizations dead and alive, and take part in big space battles with your ships you’ve designed yourself. You can also create your own race to play, choosing how they look and act. There’s absolutely no reason to play as the xenophile humans.
Second Opinions
XCOM 2 – Milo
One of the best best turn-based strategy games ever, XCOM-2 is a turn based, squad based game where you control a team of combat specialists on guerilla missions with the aim of taking back control of alien-occupied Earth. In between missions you’ll be upgrading your base, building facilities and training new soldiers – which can be customised to no end. As soldiers grow in XP, they develop specialisms and unlock powerful abilities for their class, which includes rangers, snipers, heavy weapons specialists, robotic combat units and even psychic-ability users.
Combat comes with all the ups and downs of turn-based squad combats, with clutch shots to save the day to devastating critical hits on your beloved squadmates. In X-COM, when your soldiers die, they proper die. There is nothing in the world quite like the attachment you will form to your soldiers and when you lose that squaddie, you might just be heartbroken. And without a world-class alien-killer.
It’s got a solid campaign and great variety of missions, really improving on the few areas from the previous instalment that needed some love. If you like a challenge, then this is definitely one to pick up.
Frozen Synapse – Alex M
Frozen Synapse is a simultaneous turn based real time squad based strategy game. OK that’s probably confusing, but here’s how it works: you’re in control of a squad with a top down view of where your squad is and where your enemies are. You plan out each member of your squad’s moves, from running to looking in a direction, to crouching to laying down covering fire. You can also plan out what you think the enemy will do, and then simulate that to test if your plans will work.
Then you hit execute, and watch as it plays out in real time. Every order you give takes a chunk of time, which then plays out in the execution phase. This allows you a level of control and a tactical depth that means you’re in utter control of your squad, and any failures and successes are yours alone.
For squad based strategy, Frozen Synapse can’t be beaten, it has a well written campaign and also comes with a multiplayer mode that lets you play multiple matches at once, if you’re so inclined.
It also has a banging soundtrack.
Thats our list of strategy games you should own. Did we miss out any?
Best Rockstar Games (That Aren’t GTA)
Rockstar made one or two videogames that you might have heard of. Something about Grand Theft Auto? Ringing any bells?
OK so Rockstar make a series called Grand Theft Auto, it sells quite well. But what are the best Rockstar games that aren’t GTA related?
Basically ‘Man on Fire’ the game, this differs considerably from the noir setting of the first two games and takes you on a roaring rampage of revenge through Brazil instead. Max Payne is washed up by this point, an alcoholic pill addict, he’s got nothing to live for other than bullet-time and shooting hordes of baddies that is. It takes itself both less and more seriously than the original ones, and despite being sneered at by some die hard fans of the series, it’s more than worth checking out.
Oh and Health’s soundtrack for it is absolutely immense. When you get to the airport…I shall say no more. But you’ll know the moment when you get there.
Oni
Remember when Bungie and Rockstar released a third person action shoot ’em up with hand to hand combat? No? Well they did, it was called Oni, and it was absolutely amazing. Heavily inspired by Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell film, it takes place in a dystopian future under an Orwellian government, as protagonist Konoko goes on a quest to simply do her job. Well, it starts off like that, by the end some larger themes have crept into the narrative, like I dunno, the fate of the cities on Earth?
Yeah. It’s a good one.
I almost feel like I don’t have to write anything for this one. You know it, I know it. It’s the one with horses and John Marsden, and that bit when you go to Mexico.
If you haven’t played it by now, what on earth are you waiting for? You can get a console for cheap and a copy of the game, get on it already. I’ll wait.
(I won’t wait.)
A.K.A. ‘So that’s what the Mad Men cast have been up to in between seasons’, L.A. Noire takes you, as Detective Phelps, on a tour of his life through a few years of being a cop in LA in the late 40s and 50s. Featuring facial fidelity and a feel for the time period that’s unmatched, this game makes you feel like you’re living Phelps’ life as he solves crimes and investigates the seedy underbelly of 50s LA.
Also it features a black and white mode, which is absolutely stunning.
Bully, or Hogwarts for Horrible Humans, features the most awful school known to humanity, the dreaded Bullworth Academy. Play as Jimmy as you avoid bullies, go to classes, avoid detention, and get up to scrapes as you explore your school and frankly just try to survive Bullworth. Eventually you’ll take over it and rise to be the top dog around Bullworth, but for today go and beat up some horrible kids and go skateboarding around town. Why not? You won’t be a kid forever.
OK let’s talk about Manhunt. You’re probably looking at this entry with trepidation, given the bad press it’s had. But Manhunt is a brilliant experience, it’s not ‘good’ or ‘fun’, but it’s brilliant in the same way that watching the TV series Hannibal is, or reading Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment. You put a toe into a world that’s somewhat sicker than our own, and you do it all the time lulled by the velvet-over-rocks tones of Brian Cox (no, not the physicist).
If you want to play it, I implore you to try to fish up the original version which separates out Brian Cox’s director into your headset, as that really makes the experience complete.
It’s not perfect and it can be a bit grim, but if you can handle it, Manhunt is worth dipping into.
So there you go, the best games from Rockstar that aren’t in the GTA series. Did we miss your favourite off? Let us know in the comments below, or on social media.
Final Fantasy XIV Leveling Guide
Shadow of War Hands On
To say that Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a considerable upgrade compared to its predecessor, Shadow of Mordor, would be an understatement. Shadow of War has built upon the game mechanics from Shadow of Mordor to bring an even more thrilling gameplay experience. These upgrades don’t just cover the Nemesis system, they cover every aspect of the game from the open world, to Talion and Celebrimbor’s combat.
During my hands on time with the game, I was tasked with the straightforward mission of taking over a Nemesis fortress. Nemesis Fortresses are just one of the many upgrades to the Nemesis system. In Shadow of Mordor you were tasked with overthrowing procedurally generated Warchiefs in order to take back Middle-earth from Sauron’s clutches. Shadow of War takes this a step further as you have to take back Middle-earth by usurping Nemesis Fortresses.
Fortresses are strongholds full of Warchiefs, Uruks, beasts and heavy artillery. Attacking a fortress is done by taking over key areas within it and then coming face to face with the Overlord in an attempt to usurp them from their throne. Thanks to the Nemesis system the Overlord and their respective Warchiefs are procedurally generated with their own stats and attributes. Each Warchief also brings their own fortress defence, just to make things a little bit more challenging. For example one of my Warchiefs, Norsko The Pickler, had installed fire spouts for defence. Where as other Warchiefs had brought with them things like poison siege beasts and a whole army of berzerkers. The Overlord, Garl Caragor Slayer, had also built up the defences with stonewalls, making the fortress fireproof. This wasn’t going to be easy.
The Nemesis system doesn’t just affect your enemies in Shadow of War, it also affects your army. In Shadow of War you are able to recruit Uruks to fight your cause by using Celebrimbor’s wraith powers to bend their will in battle. For my run I had a couple of my own Warchiefs to back me up. I had Ur-Hakon Man-Stalker, Krosh Corpse Eater and my personal bodyguard Thrack Archer Trainer. What made Thrack especially useful was the fact that he was a commander, this means he was able to summon troops as back up if needed.
Much like the enemy had built up their own fortress defences, I was also able to add attributes to my army to build up my offence. I chose cursed siege beasts, War Graugs which could knock down stone walls, mounted cavalry and savages, who are effectively Uruk bezerkers. Once my army was how I liked it, it was time to infiltrate and take over the fortress.
How you breach the main gate of the fortress is entirely up you. My tactic was to take out one of the opposing poison throwing siege beasts guarding the wall, then use Celebrimbor’s abilities to posses the beast and have it turn on its own army. This plan went off without a hitch, however things started to turn against me when a couple of wild Drake’s turned up and started to burn everyone and anyone in sight.
You can easily get overwhelmed in Shadow of War, so tactics are vital to overthrowing these fortresses. Careful planning and knowing your enemy will soon become second nature to players who have been playing the game for a while, for me however I found myself trying to mainly stay alive. Luckily I was able to tame one of the Drakes and set fire to a fair few things giving my army the upper hand. During the battle I also got used to a few more of Celebrimbor’s abilities which have had a huge upgrade. As Talion and Celebrimbor are more of a partnership this time around, there have been several wraith abilities which have been added to Talion’s move set, all of which can be levelled up. There is a ground pound attack which can be combined with the element of your choice, in my case fire, as well as Celebrimbor’s hammer which can be used as a sort of wraith boomerang. Celebrimbor has also been given a new weapon in the form of a spear/halberd which is able to take out a load of Uruks in a timely manner. These are just some of the new moves I was able to use in the demo, with a lot more which can be unlocked as the game progresses.
Finally, after taking down half an army, three siege beats, two drakes and a handful of Warchiefs I was able to take on the Overlord. Garl Caragor Slayer was a beast of an Uruck who rode a Caragor. His stats stated that he was enraged by Caragors and cowards, he was arrow proof and was extra strong against Caragors and other beasts. To say this boss fight was a challenge would have been the understatement of the year.
Garl had decked out the main hall of the fortress in with his own tribal flare, much like Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, his decoration featured a lot of antlers. Each Overlord will uniquely theme their own throne room, and also equip it with various traps and hazards. As Garl was primarily a beast rider, there wasn’t much in the way of traps this time around.
As you can imagine Garl was not easy to defeat. Put simply, I died. I was overwhelmed by his cronies and was tossed around like a rag doll several times. As taking him one on one wasn’t going to work I decided to recruit the help of my buddy Urad, Thrack Archer Trainer. I summoned Thrack, who was also able to summon in some back up due to his Commander status. After a heated battle, Thrack managed to save the day and landed the final blow on Garl, killing him once and for all.
After Talion gave a victory speech and presented Garl’s head as a trophy, the time had come to select a new Overlord for my recently acquired fortress. It will come to no one’s surprise that Thrack got promoted to Overlord which gave him a nice level boost and he was able to make the fortress his own. Taking over fortresses unlocks a region of Mordor which is free for Talion to explore.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a huge upgrade from its predecessor. Even though we only got a chance to experience one of the many things you can do in Middle-earth, we can safely say that Middle-earth: Shadow of War will be a hard title to beat this year.