Page 70 – Green Man Gaming Blog

Races You Need To Play In Dawn Of War

We here at Green Man Gaming love RTS games, we also love Warhammer. It’s safe to say then that Dawn Of War is right up our street, and with Dawn Of War III fast approaching we asked Alex M, Milo and Olly on what race they like to play as in Dawn Of War and why you should play as them.

The Orks

OLLY : “Orkses is never defeated in battle. If we win we win, if we die we die fighting so it don’t count. If we runs for it we don’t die neither, cos we can come back for annuver go, see!”

In the grimdark future of Warhammer 40K, there is only death. Or so the saying goes. Most races either serve evil incarnate or are desperately trying to stave off the slow and inevitable ruin of their species.

Enter the Orks. Technically a fungus, and therefore always in ample supply no matter the state of the galaxy, these hulking football hooligans of a race are the only ones perfectly happy in a situation so dire. Orks are bred for fighting. Literally. They were created to be foot-soldiers and inexhaustible in number. This makes them perfect enemies for games, but there is some great joys in taking control of the green horde yourself, and not just because they are the only species who are having a grand ol’ time. Seriously, they are the only creatures in 40K who actually LIKE it when their ships get boarded by chaos demons.

In Dawn of War III you will control the Bad Moons clan, the richest of the Ork clans. This is because their teeth grow faster than any other Orks, and Ork ‘teef’ are their currency! Meaning you don’t only get your swarms of green-skins, who on their own match Space Marines in terms of size and toughness and melee prowess, but also all the cool toys. Ork technology works, simply because the Orks believe it to do so. I’m not kidding. They throw hunks of junk together and because they think it works, it works. They think red paint makes vehicles ‘go fasta’, they go faster. Such a technological style means Ork vehicles look insane, but awesome.

And if you’re still not convinced, check out the Ork’s heaviest units: Mega-Nobz and Warbosses. Imagine the Hulk, encased in huge plates of armour, armed to the teef with flamethrowers (burnas), huge claws, and axes (choppas). Much like the Hulk, the only way to beat an Ork is to leave the field of battle as fast as possible.

The Eldar

MILO: “They shall come, expecting the obvious, the simple, the artless. They shall stab at the shadows with confused minds and troubled hearts. Meanwhile, we shall appear unseen from ten directions, and from every one strike a fatal blow.”

The Eldar are the last survivors of their ancient civilization. Fallen rulers of the galaxy, they remain an elusive yet fearsome power. They cling to survival by a thread, fighting the horrors of the galaxy with ritualised discipline and supreme skill.

A highly technologically advanced race, their shuriken and prism beam weapons strike with lethal precision. Where the Space Marines are a hammer, the Eldar are a dagger, striking their targets with finesse. In Dawn of War, you will come across some of their most recognisable warriors. Howling Banshees will descend upon their foes with fleet of foot and begin dismantling almost any unit in melee combat. Your farseers – powerful psychics – will bring eldritch fury upon your enemies and your agile Fire Prisms will deliver devastating superheated explosions to those on the wrong side.

The Eldar are a powerful, elegant force. They wield fearsome weapons, yet they are an undeniable force of glass cannons. This is a versatile race with powerful ranged and melee units, but all Eldar units are fragile compared to some of their more armoured Space Marine or Chaos counterparts. In previous Dawn of War games, the Eldar have worked for somebody who is willing to manage their force just a little more closely, and strategise with a touch more craft than the blunt instruments that are other races. However, if you play your cards right with these ancient warriors, you will dance around your foes like a lethal leaf on the wind and the lesser creatures of the galaxy will begin to comprehend your speed and fury.

The Space Marines

ALEX M: ‘Beware the alien, the heretic, and the mutant.’

One of the joys of 40k is that you can basically make up your own faction. Maybe there’s a previously undiscovered Eldar Craftworld, maybe you’ve written a backstory for a new Tyranid Hive, or maybe there’s a lost Space Marine chapter with a mysterious history.

Relic chose to do the last one for the Dawn of War series, creating a Space Marine chapter called the Blood Ravens whose chapter base is a fleet of spaceships and who don’t know what chapter spawned them. What’s unusual about this though, unlike some fan creations, is that the Blood Ravens work. They’re just cool enough, they’re not too overpowered, and their mystery is just mysterious enough.

Also they look kinda like The Blood Angels and that’s always good.

Over the course of the Dawn of War games you get to know the Blood Ravens pretty well, Gabriel Angelos, Tarkus, Cyrus, Thaddeus, and of course good old Davian Thule. You take them from being basically nobodies, to helping them weather a Tyranid invasion, a chapter master who’s fallen to chaos, and several big ol’ wars.

You get to do all that whilst wielding a massive hammer and being followed by a pack of terminators. Space Marines are awesome and the Blood Ravens in the Dawn of War games are doubly so, because you get to *be* them. They’re back in Dawn of War III, and we can only advise that you try them out. Remember; tread softly, and carry a big bolter.

The Chaos Marines

ALEX M: ‘Death to the False Emperor! Death to the weakling Imperium of Mankind!’

It was during the Great Crusade in the 30th Millennium that the truth became known to certain Space Marine chapters. The Emperor was no god, he wasn’t a ruler worthy of the worship that the Imperium lavished upon him, and he probably planned to do away with the Space Marines once the Great Crusade was over.

It fell to brave souls like Horus Lupercal, Lorgar, Fulgrim, and Angron to discover and spread this truth. Primarchs who were the Emperor’s sons turned against him and turned their service and that of their Space Marine chapters to a greater power, The Ruinous Powers; Chaos.

Now in the 41st Millennium, the war rages on and the Chaos Marines are a plague on the Imperium, quite literally in the case of Nurgle’s devotees. Using the training and abilities implanted in them via the gene-seed and astartes programmes, the Chaos Marines combine all this with the power granted them via their twisted worship of Chaos to subvert and destroy the Imperium of Man.

Chaos Marines in Dawn of War games tend to play fairly similarly to Space Marines, but at their heart is an unleashing, a savage joy that you are tearing down the rigid and stagnant Space Marines, that you’re the anathema to ‘good’ and ‘right’. Basically, they’re the choice of the aesthete and of the berzerker all at once.

Though they have yet to make an appearance in Dawn of War III, we who worship Chaos United live in hope that our Ruinous Powers will show their face at some point in this next instalment.

The Best Powers in Dishonored 2

Dishonored 2 separates itself from other assassin-based games by having an extraordinary array of cool powers, given to the protagonists by extra-dimensional entity ‘The Outsider’. The bottom line of all this is Dishonored 2’s levels are an open playground, where different uses and combinations of powers lead to awesome (and sometimes hilarious) outcomes. We’re going to tell you the best powers based on whether you want to play a ‘Low Chaos’ playthrough or ‘High Chaos’. This means stealth or all-out bloodbath, respectively.

Low Chaos

Blink

Corvo’s signature move, this allows you to teleport over short distances. Considering Dishonored 2’s sprawling cityscapes and buildings, travelling across gaps and higher than you can jump is essential. So essential that there is an achievement for finishing the game with no powers bar this one. Arkane Studios wouldn’t be that cruel. This can be used to speedily get next to someone to take them out, and hastily sneak their body away after.

Mesmerize

If you’re an elderly jedi, and enjoy using your powers to trick people into ignoring you (and any droids you may be accompanying), then you’ll love this ability of Emily’s. Mesmerize does exactly that, but can be used on up to four guards or hounds at a time. Beware though as other guards may get cautious when seeing their colleagues bizarre behaviour. This at least puts the quality of the guards of Karnaca ahead of Stormtroopers.

Shadow Walk

Emily’s answer to Corvo’s possession, except this is much cooler and allows her to take out a trio of guards too. Emily becomes a shadow that crawls along the floor, not completely undetectable, but significantly harder to see. This power allows her to travel through grates, like Corvo’s rat possession, but instead of a rat, you’re a clawing black shadow creature. Its just really cool, okay?

High Chaos

Far Reach

Why teleport to enemies, when you can bring the enemies to you? This is no doubt the question the Outsider asked himself when devising this power for Emily. She can summon a black shadowy hand (The Outsider likes his black shadows) that can drag her to a location. It can also drag enemies towards Emily through the air. Sufficiently upgraded, this allows for some mid-air shish kebabing, which is very noticeable but very fun.

Domino

Using this power you can connect enemies together, so that whatever affects one, will affect all of them. So if you put one to sleep with a sleep dart, knock them out or decapitate them, up to three connected characters will share the outcome. Now hiding four bodies at once is a bit tough, so we don’t recommend doing this unless there are exactly four enemies, but if you’re going all out on an opposing force of guards, taking out four in one swing is incredibly useful.

Devouring Swarm

It may not be new, or dark, or shadowy, but summoning a swarm of flesh-eating rats to devour your opponent is just too darn good to not feature here. On the list of “ways to dishonorably win a duel”, this is pretty close to the top. In fact, we have it on good authority that this is how the game series got its name. It was going to be a victorian dueling simulator where one of the characters called Corvo could summon rat swarms. Arkane Studios realised this was way too overpowered, and such a great concept, they scrapped everything else and made the rat-based game from the ground up.

That’s our list, did we miss your favourite? Let us know!

Dishonored 2 is part of our Easter Sale, which you can find here

Make A Bold Purchase With GTA Shark Cards

What have you always wanted? A house, yacht, badass weapon? The GTA Online Shark Cards are here to save the day, with instant in-game money, so you don’t have to spend hours saving up for that one thing you’ve had your eye on for a while now.

We can’t advise how you spend your money, but we can make some pretty epic suggestions, including some of our personal favourites.

Become a CEO with top-notch offices

Being a CEO in GTA Online has never been more important, you’ve risen above the days of being a petty thief or rogue criminal, you’ve now got a good rep. Of course, all of it wouldn’t be possible without some monies and a large office, where you can leave your gang days behind and boss people around. There’s a lot of perks that come with being CEO, including VIP benefits, power and fortune. When you start out your journey to greatness, there are four offices you’ll be able to purchase including the Maze Bank Tower for $4 million, the Lombank West for $3.1 million, Arcadius Business Center for $2.25 million and the Maze Bank West for 1 million… choose wisely.

Rule the seas with the super yacht

Just the $7 million for me please. The Pieces Yacht will set you back, but it’s not the most expensive model out there. As well as being cool to own, the Pisces Yacht will unlock Piracy Prevention, a great VIP benefit which will help you out in combat as well as earning you the monies!

Grind the terrain with the Dubsta 6×6

Cars are tough to recommend as it does depend on your GTA style of play and if you’re going to purchase a Shark Card, it’s more than likely you have a car in mind, but we can talk favourites. The Dubsta 6×6 was included in the recent Cunning Stunts update as part of the new ‘buy-it-now’ feature, which means it will not have a rank requirement in order to unlock it. It’s also not the fastest or prettiest car, but we’re not sure that matters with its great versatility as an off road vehicle, for when things get a little ropey. If you want flash and fast then opt for the Nero, a fun car to upgrade and customise in at above $1 million.

Savage Attack Helicopter for savage attacks

If you’re going on the defence, then the attack helicopter is just that, savage. It will tear apart your enemies in missions and doubles up as protection when you’re sitting in your swanky high rise offices, ruling the world. In at over 2 million, the helicopter is a great investment and will come in very handy during missions.

Special Carbine, a boring yet bold purchase

Surprisingly affordable, this is our favourite all-rounder weapon and a particular go to for us when things get a bit sticky. It’s just a pretty standard assault rifle, but it feels right and we think everyone should own one of these bad boys, it’s accurate and versatile and although it doesn’t look ‘fancy’, you’ve already got the super yacht to fire it from.

That’s the five top purchases from us, what are you planning on getting with your Shark Card for GTA Online?

H1Z1: 7 Ways To Become King Of The Kill

H1Z1: King of the Kill is the large-scale multiplayer, free-for-all, fight till your last breath and then proceed to feel bitter with revenge title from Daybreak Games. Players are ranking up hours of grudges on the popular survival game, so if the Ghost Recon Wildlands Bolivian climate wasn’t hardcore enough for you, then step up to claim King of the Kill and here’s 7 ways to get you there, for the not so patient winners, because #DyingIsForLosers.

King of just stand still

Take a moment, aim and then shoot and go for the headshots… save that sweet sweet ammo.

King of pass me the bill

Wrecking stuff is fun and effective, go for the cars for those cheeky multi-kills.

King of I really need to heal

First Aid Kits are easy to craft, running away from poisonous gas isn’t.

King of the steal

We don’t condone this behaviour.

King of negotiations mean nil

Not even your closest pals…

King of the…hill

They make this look like fun, but don’t you want to win?

King of you know the drill

But also, remember to have fun and do silly things like this, so we can use them for gifs, thanks.

Street Fighter V: The Best Ways To Earn Fight Money

One of the most appealing things about Street Fighter V is the fact you don’t have to pay extra to unlock new characters. Well we say you don’t have to, you can just skip the grind and pump your whole pay check into the game if you like, there is nothing stopping you.

The best way to unlock characters in Street Fighter V (without having to fork out) is by earning fight money, an in game currency that can be spent in order to unlock characters, stages and some of the vast array of costumes. Here is a quick break down of how much things cost fight money (FM) wise:

New Characters – 100,000 FM
New Stages – 70,000 FM
Story Mode Costumes: 40,000 FM
Stage Variations: 40,000 FM
Costume Colours: Prices vary from 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000 FM
Profile Titles: 5,000 FM
Profile Designs: 5,000 FM

So how do you earn Street Fighter V’s answer to golden doubloons? Check out our tips below.

Warning: Accumulating fight money is not easy and may take some grinding, but if you are prepared to put the hours in then read on!

Demonstrations

Possibly the easiest way to accumulate a few thousand FM, Demonstrations are found in the’Challenges’ menu. All you need to do view each of the characters Demonstrations to accumulate some quick cash. The cool thing is that you can skip the the videos (whilst watching them) and still reap the rewards. You’ll be making 1,000 FM for each character segment you complete so by the end of it you will have quite the bank balance. Also demonstrations drop with each new fighter as well so make sure you keep on top of it.

Character Levels

Each character in Street Fighter V has their own level, and experience points can be earned for each character in Story Mode and online ranked and casual modes. In classic video game fashion, as you earn experience points your character levels up. Each level up will award you 1,000 FM so we suggest playing as your favourite character until your hearts content.

Hot tip: It is pretty easy getting any character from Level 0 to 6/7. Playing a character story mode plus a few online matches should rack up the XP and get you to level 6 or 7 in no time.

Story Modes

Next to the Demonstrations, this is probably the easiest way to earn that sweet sweet FM. There are 2 story modes that players can play through to net some bucks.

Character Stories – Each character in Street Fighter V (including all new characters) has a story mode for players to fight though. Even though each characters story will only consist of a couple of fights players can get 10,000 FM for each character on the first play through. So even playing character story mode on the easiest level with each character will net you 160,000 FM off of the bat. You will also get XP for each character which will help with your levels.

Cinematic Story – The cinematic story mode is pretty cut-scene heavy, but like most cut-scenes in Street Fighter V these can be skipped. Once the story is complete you will get a hefty 30,000 FM on your first play through.

Character Trials

Each character has 10 trials to complete. Completing all 10 trials will earn you 1,000 FM, and is another great way to also earn you some character XP as well.

Survival Mode

Possibly the most challenging task on our list, survival mode is Street Fighter V’s answer to the traditional arcade ladder. There are four difficulty modes within Survival for players to choose from and it can be quite a bit of a grind (especially at the harder levels). You are however able to accumulate quite a bit of FM and XP from this mode, especially on your first completion of each level. Here is a break down of each level, how many fights it consists of and how much FM you will get on completion:

Easy – 10 Fights – 2,000 FM
Medium – 30 Fights – 5,000 FM
Hard – 50 Fights – 10,000 FM
Extreme – 100 Fights – 20,000 FM

On top of FM and XP, players are also able to unlock costume colours (that are not purchasable) for character costumes.

Online

Once you have rinsed all of the single player modes to either an inch of their lives or an inch of your sanity, we suggest jumping into online play. This is probably the least effective and not the best way of getting the big bucks as you only get 50FM for each match you win. But hey, at least it’s something to do to mix things up a bit.

That’s it from our handy Street Fighter V fight money guide, if there are some tricks we have missed then feel free to let us know in the comments below.

Did PT Influence Resident Evil 7

5 Reasons Why We Love Yooka-Laylee

The reviews for Yooka-Laylee went out on Tuesday and they have been a mixed bag! It seems that there’s a love hate relationship going on with Yooka-Laylee and the games industry at the moment. We of course have been playing Yooka-Laylee in the background and have simply fallen in love with the game! Everyone in the office has also lost count at how many times I have stated that I backed the game on Kickstarter (to the point where people are considering getting me a shock collar).

So without further ado here are the 5 reasons we love Yooka-Laylee so far!

It’s a Love Letter To The Old School 3D Platformer

When most people talk about Yooka-Laylee one of the things that is bound to come up is that the game harks back to old school 3D platformers If like me you grew up in the N64/PS1 era surrounded by games such as Banjo-Kazooie, Mario 64, and Spyro The Dragon then this game is going to appeal. A lot of criticism surrounding Yooka-Laylee stems from the fact it is stuck in that era. Yooka-Laylee never advertised itself as the next massive evolution gaming, it always stated that it was a revival of the original 3D platformer, and that is exactly what it is.

Yooka and Laylee

How can you not love the two main characters. Both Yooka and Laylee have that cute cartoon charm which is very hard not to fall in love with. Laylee the bat turns the sass up to eleven and breaks the 4th wall every now and again with some jokes, whilst Yooka is the more level headed character. It’s the perfect yin-yang situation andthe characters play off of each other perfectly. Yooka and Laylee both echo Banjo and Kazooie quite a lot but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s not just the dynamic duo that steal the show either, all the characters in the game bring some great charm and their own personality to the game.

The Variety Of Gameplay

On the surface, Yooka-Laylee looks like one of those 3D platformers where you complete jump puzzle after jump puzzle in order to reach the main goal and win. True, there is a lot of jumping and I have come to realise that gravity is my worst enemy in this game. However, the game also throws in some different gameplay elements to shake things up a bit, such as mine carting, shooting and even the ability to morph into different creatures and objects in order to complete puzzles. Playtonic have really thought about how they can shake things up a bit whilst staying true to original 3D platformers.

Collectables, Collectables, Collectables

Much like any 3D platformers from a few generations back, Yooka-Laylee is rammed full of collectables. The developers then thought it would be a good idea to throw in some more collectables and then top it off with even more collectables. Players are tasked with nabbing quills, collecting pagies and hunting ghost writers. So there is plenty of collectibles to keep any completionist busy.

Expandable Worlds

One of the things we weren’t expecting from Yooka-Laylee (besides turning into a snow plough at one point during the game) is that each world is expandable! If players collect enough pagies, they can expand the worlds in order to grab more collectables and unlock more things to do. It’s a pretty simple mechanic but it works well and gives players a lot more to explore. I did feel quite motivated to grab those difficult pagies in order to uncover what other delights each world had.

That is the 5 things we love most about Yooka-Laylee, feel free to let us know what you love about the game when it hits next week!

Rezzed 2017 Round Up

Last week Alex M and I (Rob) hit the Rezzed show floor to play and talk about games. You may have come across some of our Rezzed articles on this here blog over the past week. We are now rounding off our Rezzed coverage with this final article highlighting the other games we played on the show floor!

Gang Beasts

If you don’t know what Gang Beasts is, imagine someone making jelly babies fight while you cackle and roll around laughing. That’s basically it.

It’s come a long way since the free version that got downloaded a tonne of times a few years ago, it’s well on its way to becoming a platform by itself. I spoke to James Brown from developers Boneloaf and he mentioned that this was the eventual plan for the game, for it not only to be a hilarious multiplayer brawler, but also a platform for mods, for sandbox exploration levels, for much more than it currently is!

One of the most exciting features it has is that you can combine 8 players in order to play together, up to 4 can be in the same room, and the rest can be online. Or you can have 2 in one room and 6 online. Or 3 in a room and 5 online. Go crazy! It means you can have that sweet local gaming action combined with your friends that aren’t quite so close.

The core of the game hasn’t changed too much though, it’s a procedurally animated brawler that simply offers some of the most fun you can have. James let me know that there was a simple test for them when showing it at conventions; if you can hear laughter, you know you’re doing it right.

8 Bit Armies

Command and Conquer is undeniably a classic. If you don’t think so then well, scroll on. We don’t want you here in this retro-C&C-loving section.

Right now the losers have scrolled on, let’s talk strategy.

8 Bit Armies is a beautiful game that definitely recaptures some of that old-school C&C action. Build your base, gather resources, and recruit an army to go and give your opponent a good old fashioned thrashing.

The 8 Bit side of it comes from the art style, it uses a blocky approach but one that maintains a whole load of detail. It really feels like you’re bashing around armies made of LEGO, except LEGO that moves and kills other LEGO.

The best thing though, and this is a bit boring but it’s true, is the control scheme. You build your units by assigning them to controller buttons, which you can then switch between on the fly. Real time strategy games always feel better with a mouse, until now. This really feels good to control, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for 8 Bit Armies.

Knights and Bikes

A hark back to to most (if not all) people’s childhoods. Knights and Bikes is a co-op adventure set in Cornwall where players control of Nessa and Demelza as they explore the isle of Penfurzy and let their childhood imaginations come to life (literally).

We had great fun playing this game, the hand painted graphics are wonderful. Foam Sword have really taken the time over the finer details of the game. For example, you know how kids find value in anything? Whether it be a random toy, or an item that most grownups will see as junk. This is what makes up the currency in Knights and Bikes.

The gameplay is pretty straightforward but works really well with the setting. Players are able to combine moves with their partner in order to make super moves, for example Nessa can throw water bombs and Demelza is able to jump in the puddles they leave in order to make a big splash attack. It’s a great game mechanic which levels the playing field for both characters.

All in all we had a great time playing Knights and Bike and we are looking forward to the full release of the game next year for PC and PlayStation 4.

King Under The Mountain

I want to play Dwarf Fortress, I really do. I read the stories that come out of it and I think, that could be me, that could be my dwarves.

Then I look up a ‘beginner’s how to play’ manual and it’s 8371 pages long.

King Under the Mountain, which has recently started a Kickstarter campaign, feels very Dwarf-Fortress-y, but I was able to sit down and play it within moments. There’s not much to it yet, you can mine and dig out tunnels, you can construct some basic furniture items, and you can define zones that will become areas for your buildings, a bit similar to how Sim City or Cities: Skylines works.

That said, you can just feel the promise of this. The world’s surely crying out for a game like Dwarf Fortress that’s also a bit easier to get into, but still has some comparable depth. The art style is basic but beautiful, and I had a great time turning my villages into tunnel-dwelling-troglodytes. Shun the sun say I, shun the sun!

One of the pleasures of things like Rezzed is getting to see games like this, games that are just starting out on their journey to becoming realised and finished things, and I’m definitely excited to see what comes out of King Under the Mountain next.

MetaMorph: Dungeon Creatures

Have you ever wanted a game like Diablo where you could switch up to three characters on the fly? Then MetaMorph: Dungeon Creatures is the game for you!

This new title by FireFly Studios (Of Stronghold fame) is a nice break from their strategy game comfort zone. Players take control of three different characters as they explore dungeons and hack their way to the final goal. We got to play as the Ice Ogre, the Fire Nymph and the Rabbit (The Rabbit wields 2 swords so he is useful, honest!) as we battled our way through hordes of the undead and tackled some puzzles and time trials.

Each character has their own special moves which comes in handy should you want to mix things up a bit. It was especially handy when it came to the dungeon’s boss. Using a mix of fire, ice and swords really helped taking this boss down. Also we died against the boss a fair few times, but even that didn’t stop us.

So that’s it for a Rezzed coverage this year. Bring on EGX in September!

10 Signs You’re Living in Dishonored 2

Dishonored 2 is absolutely one of the best immersive sims available, full of different routes to take when murdering people, places to visit when murdering people, and people who get cross about you murdering people*. Now it even has a free trial so if you haven’t tried it yet, SHAME ON YOU.

*There are some reports that some players go through Dishonored 2 without murdering people, but who are they, really.

You might already be getting a lot of Dishonored 2 though, so if you suspect that you’re already living in the land of Dishonored 2 check these 10 signs to make sure!

1. Every meal is made of potted whale meat, and you eat it in a single bite

2. Everything gets a little…shadowy…when you’re around

3. You can’t stop smashing clocks

4. You give everyone hugs…for a little too long

5. Emo dudes keep calling you ‘interesting’

6. You keep leaping off rooftops

7. You keep fish around, just in case you need to possess one

8. You really, really, really, REALLY, don’t like flies

9. You have issues with your parents.

10. You start getting a little upset when near statues

If none of these sound familiar, you’re probably fine and living in the real world with the rest of us. If not, you’re a resident of Karnaca and should watch out for falling assassins!

Either way, come to sunny Dishonored 2: It’s an amazing place to spend some time doing a bit of the old sneaky murder in.

Rezzed 2017: The Signal from Tölva Beats S.T.A.L.K.E.R. At Its Own Game

I stood on an alien planet, my robot legs thumping the soil beneath me as my mechanical avatar crunched its way up a hillside. Overhead a flock of birds took flight and I stood for a moment, listening to the wind rustle the grass under alien skies. On that peaceful alien hillside I forgot for a moment that I was at Rezzed in London; in my mind I was on the planet of Tölva.

Then I got out my gun and shot a whole heck load of robots.

The Signal from Tölva is the latest game from Big Robot, whose previous game Sir! You are Being Hunted was a terrifying procedurally generated stealth game, with you being hunted down by a British robot posse.

The Signal from Tölva returns to robots, but this time you have a little bit more power to even the odds. Gone are the days of scurrying from bush to bush hoping that a nearby robot dog doesn’t sniff you out, now you have GUNS. And FRIENDS.

Right so a bit of backstory. The game starts with you finding out that there’s a signal coming from the planet Tölva. You head down to the planet by taking control of robots and inhabiting their bodies as you scurry about trying to find where the signal is coming from, and what the signal is. This means that if you die, it’s only your robot body that dies and you’ll immediately take control of an identical one, back at one of the bases or beacons you’ve captured and turned to your will.

The first thing you’ll notice about The Signal from Tölva (I’m getting really good at typing ö now) is that it’s utterly stunning to look at, it has a really strong art style which is influenced by renowned artist Ian McQue and this shines throughout the whole game. You know how Half Life 2 and Dishonored still look good a few years later? Signal from Tölva has that same kind of sense that it’ll be future proofed due to how clear its visual identity is. I chatted with Big Robot co-founder Jim Rossignol for a while about the game, and frankly I think I might’ve embarrassed myself with gushing over how good the game looks. Oh well.

I was really surprised to see a bit of wildlife on Tölva, there were flocks of alien birds flapping about high in the sky and that really helped sell the world as a ‘world’, not just as a background for game mechanics. What also helps sell that is that the other robots on the planet all have their own factions, identities, and tasks in that world.

Say you see a bandit spaceship that’s set down and unloaded some bandit robots. You can spy them from afar as they go about their business and if you use your binocular vision to zoom in on them, not only do they get tagged a-la Far Cry, but you get a bit of info about who they are, what faction they belong to, and what they’re up to. This ties into something that Jim mentioned during our chat, that feeling of not necessarily being the centre of the universe in a game. The world existed before you and might well exist after you, and you’re just one part of it instead of the ‘chosen one’ the whole world has been holding its breath for.

The combat felt absolutely right, the guns felt like guns, even though they might be firing lasers. They had a weight and an oomph that made it really feel like I was punching holes in these foolish robots who crossed my path. These robots also reacted to me, taking cover, joining up and trying to take me on, it really felt like a firefight against opponents instead of a shooting gallery. Combined with the guns I also had a recharging shield that I could activate for a short period of time to ward off a bit of damage, and an area of effect attack which had customisable effects. I chose to make enemies flee before me, channeling my inner Conan the Robarbarian.

Eventually, by use of a special tool, you can recruit other robots to do your bidding. As you progress through the game you gain ranks, and this determines what robots you can take control of, they have to be of a lower rank than yourself. You can recruit them and then off you go, pointing out locations for them to visit or enemies to attack, meaning finally you have some backup in this big open world in front of you.

What also surprised me was the level of customisation you can do on your chassis, you can change your loadout at any base you claim and from there, spend the in-game currency to buy new parts and weapons and change up what you’re rolling as. If you die or teleport, you’ll always plop into a body with the same loadout you just chose, so the only thing you’re really losing is time and maybe progress on the map if, for example, you died defending a base against enemy assault.

The systemic and procedural nature of the game is something that really shone when I was chatting to Jim, he told me about a time at Rezzed where a player hadn’t bothered progressing through the initial starting tutorial area and what had happened was that friendly robots on this player’s faction had proceeded to wipe out much of the robots in that area, leaving it fairly open and empty. Jim hadn’t seen this kind of thing happen before, and it’s testament to the variety of the game and how differences of approach can really change up the game and what you’ll see in it.

In terms of the story of the game, Jim confirmed that there were really only a couple of missions and events that were essential to the game, so in theory you could pull a Breath of the Wild and head straight to the endgame and finish it fairly quickly, however there’s a huge wealth of things to do in that world. The world is divided up into territories, with differing factions controlling them. They battle it out, and similar to the later Far Cry games you can take out their bases and take their areas for your own. This can also work the other way though, with counter attacks and enemy strikes to watch out for. So prepare for war, but prepare for defence too!

In my brief time with the game I fought off robot bandits, explored ruins, teleported my consciousness from chassis to chassis, and found strange cubes that hinted at a bigger story.

Overall, if you’ve played a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game, you should check this out. If you haven’t? Then you should check it out because it’s looking like it’s going to be just that good. We had an absolute amazing time, and almost had to be dragged off the machines when it was time to move on.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole Character Customisation

Yooka-Laylee First Impressions

When Yooka-Laylee first hit Kickstarter back in 2015, the game’s developers, Playtonic Games dubbed the game as a ‘3D Platformer Rare-vival’. Having played a few hours into the game now, we can safely say that Yooka-Laylee is all that Playtonic promised and a hell of a lot more!

If you are reading this, there is maybe a 60% chance you have spent quite some time reading up about Yooka-Laylee, you may have even checked out the Yooka-Laylee hub to get all the info you need. So we won’t go into details about what the game is and who Yooka and Laylee are. Instead we plan to just go straight into how the game plays and feels and what the multiplayer offers as well.

As soon as you are thrown into the vibrant and enchanting world of Yooka-Laylee you are immediately struck by how amazing it looks. The vivid colours and cartoony aesthetic really works well. As stated in our EGX Preview it is truly an old-school 3D platformer and that has been given a next-gen lick of paint, and the combination works perfectly. Even if Playtonic love to stick googly eyes on pretty much everything and anything in the Yooka-Laylee world.

It’s nice to see that the game has a decent amount of character progression. Most games nowadays have a lot of the hero’s moves unlocked from the get go. Yooka-Laylee takes it back to basics and encourages players to purchase moves. Moves are purchased with quills which are scattered among the many worlds that Yooka and Laylee will explore, just have a chat with the wheeler-dealer snake, Trowzer, and he’ll give you some new moves for the right price. Most if not all these moves are needed to progress in the worlds in order to get those valuable pagies.

What’s also pretty cool is each world is expandable, you are able to make the worlds bigger in order to get more collectables and unlock more mini storylines. It’s a really nice addition that has not been explored in a 3D platformer before, and gives the player even more incentive to get all of those collectables and make the most of their gameplay. We’d be lying if we said that this game is a simple 10 hour linear affair, players can easily lose days, even weeks looking for every single collectable. The true beauty of this game however is that is appeals to both completionists and the more casual gamer, as you are still able to progress through the story even though you haven’t picked up every single collectable on the map.

Speaking of accessibility, Yooka-Laylee comes with a toned down co-op mode that is perfect for young families, especially for parents who want to get their kids into gaming. Player 2 controls the B team whilst Player 1 controls the dynamic Chameleon and Bat duo. As the name suggests, the B team are a mini swarm of Bees. These Bees are able to help Yooka and Laylee on their adventure by holding platforms and gathering collectables. It’s really a great little addition to the game which will appeal so much to families and young gamers alike.

Whilst we are on the subject of multiplayer, there are eight endearing multiplayer mini games that up to four players can hop on, entirely separate to the main campaign and story. With Kickstarter backers raising over 2 million for the 3D platformer, it’s easy to see why Yooka-Laylee has been bagged as the game which will revive the 3D platformer genre.

With all our favourite past platformers, the adorable characters, a not-so-menacing villain and quirky collectables are part of the package, but the local co-op is equally as important. Although Yooka-Laylee does heavily focus on the campaign, the multiplayer mini games are a welcome addition and ideal for family, friends and in our case, office battles.

For those that grew up in the era of the 3D platformers, when the Nintendo was at peak popularity and Sunday afternoons were spent crowded around a small TV, they seemed to fade into a hazy memory of Mario Kart storm outs, outbursts of giggles and the understanding that ‘I am the best at this game and my last score is no reflection on that’. Yeah, we relate.

So, it’s great to see these local co-op games make a comeback, complete with multi-coloured Yookas for each player and a series of quick (around 10 minutes) games, that are easy to fire up. Included in the eight mini-games are Glaciators, Kartos Karting, Blag the Flag, Gun-Let Run, Hurdle Hijinx and Jobstacle course. Learn all about the mini games on the Yooka-Laylee hub.

That’s it for our first impression of Yooka Laylee, for more info on the game jump straight to our hub here!

Rezzed 2017: Tokyo 42 Is Syndicate Meets Monument Valley

The first thing I noticed when I sat down to play a bit of Tokyo 42 was how beautiful it was.

That was the second thing and third thing I noticed too.

See I’d been labouring under a misapprehension. I’d seen trailers before and I’d assumed that Tokyo 42 was like Monument Valley, maybe not in how it played, but in how it made small worlds out of cubes. It may have a lot of levels, but each one would be contained.

It turns out Tokyo 42 isn’t a small world made of levels at all; it’s massive, it’s a whole city. You can zoom right out until the bustling metropolis looks like an ant farm, and it’s then that the true scope and scale of this game becomes apparent.

I’d expected the game to be pretty, but in the way that a snow globe is pretty. I didn’t expect it to combine both beauty and scope in such a way that it was almost breathtaking. It’s even more amazing due to the fact that this is the creation of the two brothers who make up Smac games, the game’s designers.

In the Bethesda Fallout games, there’s always a moment where you emerge from the vault and see the vastness and strange beauty of the wasteland. Tokyo 42 has a similar moment where you emerge from your tiny little Japanese-hotel-esque bedroom and there it is, the whole city is right in front of you. And I don’t know if I said this before, but bloody hell it’s beautiful.

As a hitman it’s your job to use guns on people for money. Simple yeah? At the start it really is simple, you run about, identify your target, spin the camera about to get a good angle on them, and bam you take the shot.

Over the course of what I played I advanced through a few weapons, starting with pistols and eventually getting a sniper rifle, an SMG, and grenades. Combat seemed fairly simple feeling a bit like a twin stick shooter (but I was on mouse and keyboard), but it definitely ramped up in the time I had with the game. I was ambushed by a mob of folks who were quite upset that I’d just shot one of their friends, the amount of people coming at me armed to the teeth meant that it turned almost into a bullet hell shooter for a few seconds. Until I shot them all, that is.

I also found out that the game has a disguise system. You’re able to shift what you look like into another person’s outfit, almost Prototype-like, to evade pursuit or sneak closer to your prey. Of course I messed this up, having to rely on jumps and the city geometry to escape from a crowd of people I’d again quite annoyed. Chatting to Mode 7 head honcho Paul Kilduff-Taylor he let us know that this was just one of the tools available to you, that you could get around the guards and security without using the disguise system if you wanted. It means that Tokyo 42 has something of the Hitman to it; you can explore and create your own way to take down targets, depending on the mission you’re undertaking.

If you like collectables, then they’re here too! I spied a distant cat face floating on a shelf, and with no small degree of hopping about, I managed to reach it. The whole city is made up of nooks and crannies for you to explore, find things in, or just enjoy existing in. The jumping in T0kyo 42 is again something that took me by surprise by how much I enjoyed it. Smac games have been smart and put a little line below you so you can tell exactly what you’re above and where your character is at all times, so no more Mirror’s Edge style plummeting into the abyss. Unless you want to do that!

Ending the demo, Paul took us on a whistle-stop tour of the city using the in-game teleport network, and again our mouths were agog at the size and variety of the city that was on show here. We got to see areas where stealth missions would take place, areas where you could do some parkour, areas which zoomed in on you as you strolled through a densely populated market zone.

Overall Tokyo 42 is shaping up to be a brilliant game, combining a wonderful and rich city with combat and exploration mechanics that seem simple but have that ability to let you scratch deeper and master them.

But it’s the city that I’ll be dreaming about when I think of my time in Tokyo 42.

Did I say that it was beautiful?

The 8 Game Sequels You Can’t Miss In 2017

There are some fantastic sequels coming out in 2017 that we simply can’t wait to get our hands on. So we have come up with a list of 8 (because lists of 5 or 10 have been way overdone) of the best sequels coming out this year that everyone should have on their radar!

Big Rigs 2: Even Bigger Rigs!

What we truly loved about the first Big Rigs game was how astonishingly unfinished it felt, and we here at Green Man Gaming are hoping that Even Bigger Rigs will bring much of the same game breaking action! The last game had top notch AI, that not only didn’t move off the starting line, it also gave you absolutely no competition at all, making each race in Big Rigs an easy win. We also hope that the sequel will bring the same lacklustre terrain physics as its predecessor, I mean who doesn’t love driving straight up a vertical cliff without any problems? You’re winner indeed when you pick up this title!

E.T: The Search For Home

Remember back in the 80’s when E.T the Extra-Terrestrial for the Atari 2600 almost destroyed the video games industry? Well we have some great news for you as the sequel to the infamous game has been announced and we can’t wait for the destruction of the games industry to unfold once again! What made the original E.T on the Atari a cut above the rest was the sheer repetitive game play, it’s as if the game designers spent hours painstakingly copying and pasting levels and just adding more pits for players to fall down. We hope that the sequel adds even more pitfall traps and carries on its highly regarded monotonous and dull gameplay. We can’t wait to get our hands on E.T: The Search For Home just to experience burying it in a landfill in New Mexico first hand!

Aquaman 2: Atlantis Has Fallen

As we all know Aquaman is the best member of the Justice League and most beloved fish-based superhero we can think of (other than Namor the Submariner. And Aqualad. And…). We spent hours playing Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis just to experience the sheer repetitiveness of its combat and erratic camera movement. Rumour has it that Atlantis Has Fallen will be implementing new game modes just to fit in more with the Aquaman aesthetic. Players will be able to have in depth conversations with fish, jump into a dance mini game down at the Atlantis nightclub and even try and awkwardly fit in at Justice League social meet ups. Oh and Atlantis is under attack again so that will more than likely play into the story at some point as well.

Catfight 2

The classic 1996 beat ’em up Catfight is finally getting a sequel, because we all know that the world needs another ‘Ultimate Female Fighting Game‘. Described by fans as the sexist cheap knock off of Mortal Kombat the sequel promises to bring more cat fights, more highly cringe worthy voice overs and a HUD that features even more primary colours! Catfight 2 also promises to bring back its highly praised slow response times, making the AI virtually impossible to beat! Rumours have also been surfacing that there will be a bigger roster of scantily clad women for players to choose from. So if you are one of these naysayers who thought the Catfight game didn’t have enough pallet swapped characters, then Catfight 2 is the upgrade for you!

American McGee’s Bad Day LA 2: Viva Las Vegas

Bad Day In LA 2 takes the very idea of the worst day in Los Angeles history and transports it to the city of sin. Much like its predecessor Viva Las Vegas will be chock full of juvenile and offensive humour that everyone was raving about in the first game. You will once again play as Anthony Williams, and this time he will have to try and save Vegas from an array of natural and unnatural disasters. Using his razor sharp toilet humour and damn right offensive attitude, Williams will stop at nothing to complete his goal. He will come up against enemies such as bad camera angles, stupidly overpowered AI and even bosses that require no tactics whatsoever. You thought you had a Bad day in LA? Your day is going to get even worse in Vegas!

Even More Extreme Paintbrawl

If there’s one thing we love more than Extreme Paintbrawl it’s Even More Extreme Paintbrawl. If like us you love your shooting games to have absolutely no AI whatsoever, then the fifth instalment to the Extreme Paintbrawl saga is just for you! Even More Extreme Paintbrawl promises to follow exactly the same formula as the previous 4 iterations. Players will be thrown into a paint ball arena to duke it out, once you are hit by a single paintball the game ends. Back by popular demand, the highly immersive practice mode from the first game will be making a comeback. This mode will throw brawlers into an empty arena with absolutely no AI or player controlled characters, giving you the perfect opportunity to practise your aiming on walls, boxes and ramps! We can’t wait to bathe in the paint of our enemies!

NRA Varmint Hunter 2

The original Varmint Hunter game gave players the opportunity to shoot fluffy animals for sport such as Prairie Dogs, Groundhogs, Pixies and Coyotes. Varmint Hunter 2 promises to add even more cuddly creatures to its roster such as puppies, kittens and cute baby otters! Varmint Hunter 2 will also add even more steps to its heavily convoluted reloading system. If like us you thought a five step reloading system in a video game was too quick, then get ready for Varmint Hunter 2’s patented 11 step reload!

Catwoman 2: The Cat’s Out Of The Bag

The film Catwoman starring Halle Berry has been dubbed the best Catwoman movie to date. The game raised the bar even higher as Halle Berry didn’t even provide the voice for Catwoman! Catwoman 2: The Cat’s Out Of The Bag will bring back its overly simplistic combat and tedious platforming. What’s more, Cat’s Out of The Bag will also feature higher resolution graphics in the hope to distract players from broken game mechanics!

So there you have it, our most anticipated sequels for 2017! Let us know what you are the most excited about in the comments below!

Rezzed 2017: Frozen Synapse 2 Will Blow Your Socks Off

Frozen Synapse is an incredibly deep tactical game where you control a squad of clones as they undertake a series of missions in a cyber-punk inspired city. It is beautiful, it has an amazing soundtrack, and it’s incredibly unforgiving (especially if you’re not the best at strategy games, like me).

It is probably one of the purest strategical and tactical experiences you can get, with a focus on simultaneous action with turn based planning.

Frozen Synapse 2 looks to build on everything that the original achieved, and then some.

Set in the whole city this time, Frozen Synapse 2 simulates an entire procedurally generated city that’s being torn apart by warring factions. The first stunning thing for us when we sat down with Mode 7 co-founder Paul Kilduff-Taylor was just how deep that simulation goes, it’s not just buildings that are being generated, but it’s also the factions themselves, going about their business, running missions, transporting goods. The city feels alive in a way that strategy games haven’t really tried since XCOM: Apocalypse.

In that city your character actually exists, not only as the head of a faction, but also as a character that if you’re not careful, can be taken out. Which, while we didn’t see that happen, would probably be bad.

From the city view you can watch what your competitors are up to, react to what they’re doing and plan your own actions. You can recruit new clones for your burgeoning clone army, and plan just how you’re going to do over your rivals. One of the most impressive things was how reactive it is, if you see another faction rob a bank for example, you can then intercept them on the way back to their base, getting all the lovely lovely loot for your own faction.

You can also perform missions for other factions and raise your reputation with them, or set up your own missions for others to perform. Paul let us in on a little hint that you could even offer missions as a trap, by getting other factions to converge on a location and then you could ambush them with your own squad of clones. Sneaky!

Breathtakingly you can zoom right in on the city, and when you go to run a mission in the city it takes the procedurally generated map view of the city as its basis, generating the tactical map to fit in with the larger world. It even keeps things appropriate, so if you’re robbing a bank, it’ll be a bank. If you’re in a warehouse, then a warehouse is what you’ll fight in. This also ensures that you’ll never play the same game twice, as the city will be different, and as a result the maps you fight over in the tactical mode will be different too.

There’s a whole raft of new abilities for the clones, and the turn based part of the game has also had a bit of a rework, trying to help it combat the ‘hunker down and wait’ strategy many players used in the first game, especially in multiplayer.

Frozen Synapse 2 is shaping up to be something absolutely special, and something that any strategy, cyberpunk, or scifi fan should definitely check out.

Day 1 Of Rezzed 2017

We are at Rezzed this week and yesterday we only managed to scratch the surface of the amount of games here! So here is a quick rundown of what both Alex and I loved about Rezzed day 1.

Alex M

I really enjoyed sitting down with David Dino from Sumo digital to chat about Snake pass and Snakes in general! We also got the opportunity to meet up with SOEDESCO, an indie publisher who has some fantastic games coming out such as AereA, 8-Bit Armies, World to the West and Earthlock. The sheer variety of art styles in the SOEDESCO booth was pretty mesmerising. 8-Bit Armies in particular was great, taking me back to the good old days of Command and Conquer.

I also got to see Gang Beasts in action again, which always hilarious fun, and I got to have a sit down with Tokyo 42 and Frozen Synapse 2 for all my cat and strategy needs!

P/S: If you fancy taking a look at Frozen Synapse (part of the sequel), we’ve got it in store.

Rob

Much like Alex I loved getting to play a bit of Snake Pass. The developers have spent so much time on the game physics and it truly shows – you really do get the feeling like you’re actually controlling a Snake. It was great to chat with David and get the low down on the game.

At the last minute I managed to go and watch the Eurogamer Q&A with Ken Levine (I’m sure you already know who he is but, just in case, he’s the Creative Director and Co-founder of Ghost Story Games and led the creation of the much-loved BioShock series) It was a great session as we got a glimpse into how his mind works when it comes to game development and what we may expect from his next sci-fi game under his new development company.

I enjoyed playing 8-Bit Armies in the SOEDESCO booth. I’m not really a huge strategy player but it’s nice to see an RTS that has been developed with consoles in mind. I also kinda love the games 8 bit art style.

We also played some Tokyo 42 and Frozen Synapse 2. I think Tokyo 42 is my game of show so far, the art style and gameplay are brilliant. It reminded me a little of the film The Fifth Element in it’s style which is no way a bad thing.

We’ll be at Rezzed again today, if you see us around feel free to say hi.

What We Are Most Looking Forward To At Rezzed

Rezzed kicks off today so we have compiled a list of the games we are most excited to get our grubby mitts on!* Also if you spot either Rob or Alex M on the show floor feel free to say hi!

*We’ll wash our hands before we play any games, promise.

Snake Pass

Okay so this game came out on Wednesday, but if you are eager to try the game before you buy then Rezzed is the perfect opportunity. You play as Noodle the Snake as he tries to restore tranquility to his home of Haven Tor, what really sets this game above the rest though is the physics. I don’t think I have come across a game yet that nails snake physics so perfectly. You actually feel like you are a snake, if you don’t believe me give it a go yourself!

Knights And Bikes

A hand painted action adventure from Foamsword and renowned publisher Doublefine. Knights and bikes transports players back to the 1980’s as they take control of Nessa & Demelza and explore a fictional British island on their bikes, adventuring players will uncover treasure, mystery and trouble. Taking inspiration from The Goonies and Earthbound, Knights and Bikes looks set to steal the hearts of many gamers.

Yooka-Laylee

The game that is at the forefront of kicking off the 3D platformer revival! Yooka-Laylee is a bright, colourful and immersive 3D platformer from the original creators of Banjo-Kazooie. You take control of Yooka and Laylee as they try to save all of literature from the evil Capital B. You will explore different climates and worlds in order to stop his evil plans.

Signal From Tolva

Signal From Tolva is an open world, procedurally generated robot shooter. The game draws elements from S.T.A.L.K.E.R and Big Robot’s previous game, Sir! You are being hunted. Investigate the mysterious signal, join and exploit robot factions, and explore the world of Tolva. It also has an amazing art style.

King Under The Mountain

A game that has just gone live on Kickstarter and is a ‘simulation based, settlement building strategy game’. Players will be taking charge of a group of settlers who are founding a new colony. You will be able to plan out rooms and structures as your colony builds. It sounds like a really good sim which we can’t wait to try.

If you see either of us on the Rezzed show floor feel free to say hi! You can also discuss any games that you have played over the show in our community.

5 Things We Love In Mass Effect Andromeda

Mass Effect: Andromeda has finally landed! You may have noticed that the game has been getting some flack from reviewers over the past few days. When we jumped into the Andromeda Galaxy however, we had fun! So here are our top 5 things we love about Mass Effect: Andromeda.

The non-human characters

Much like the previous Mass Effect trilogy, the non human characters once again steal the show in Mass Effect: Andromeda. The amount of characterisation that goes into these unique alien characters is on another level compared to other RPGs. More often than not we found ourselves more engrossed in the alien stories than the humans.

New cover system

When it comes to cover systems, the Mass Effect franchise has been a bit hit and miss. In our opinion the Mass Effect 1 cover system was a cut above the rest in the original trilogy, and it’s great to see that Andromeda is bringing those mechanics back again. The cover system is more dynamic and players are able to use pretty much anything as cover, which is pretty handy when caught under fire.

Exploration is the key focus

Seeing as the main focus in Mass Effect: Andromeda is to explore a brand new galaxy, it would be a little surprising if the game in this day and age then went down a linear path. Luckily it doesn’t, and the amount of exploration available to Pathfinders from the get go is pretty great. Each planet is like a mini open world for players to dive into and discover.

Combat is great fun

The combat in Mass Effect: Andromeda is great fun, the sheer variety you get when it comes to combat situations make for a truly player unique experience. Want to go in sneaky? Go for it! Want to go in all guns blazing? No problem! Want to go in wielding you powers like some sort of intergalactic space wizard? Yep, this game has you truly covered.

Character abilities

Whilst we are on the subject of space wizards, the sheer variety of character abilities in Andromeda is quite frankly, awesome. You can have Star Wars style force abilities, the ability to shoot fire from your hands, invisibility, the list goes on. So feel free to mix and match your abilities and dominate Andromeda with your wizardry! In previous Mass Effect game abilities were locked behind whatever class you chose at the start of the game, in Andromeda you can mix and match abilities freely which in turn can make you into a unstoppable ability wielding machine. We still like the term Space Wizard though.

So there you have it, plenty of reasons to go on and play Mass Effect: Andromeda! If you feel like we have missed a key feature or you just love anything else in Andromeda, then feel free to shout out in the comments below.

The Best Video Game Wolves

Vikings: Wolves of Midgard is coming out today! So we thought it would be a great idea to come up with a comprehensive and super serious* list of the best wolves in Video Games.

*This list is in no way serious, we aren’t even sure that wolves are a main feature of Vikings: Wolves of Midgard, but lets just roll with it!

Wolf O’Donnell- Star Fox

The leader of the ‘Star Wolf’ group of mercenaries. Wolf is a slick space pilot who has a grudge against Star Fox and will stop at nothing to become the best space pilot in the Lylat system. That and he is a wolf who can pilot a space ship. I’ll let you chew on that.

Sif – Dark Souls

Previously on the Green Man Gaming blog, Sif made an appearance in our best dogs in games twitter battle. We could not leave her out of this list as she is a giant wolf who wields a sword, what more could you ever need? That and her characterisation in Dark Souls is pretty heartbreaking.

Wolf… enstein

Now I know what you are thinking, it’s probably something along the lines of “I’ll think you’ll find that Wolfenstein hasn’t got any wolves in it!”. Fun Fact time! The German versions of Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Wolfenstein 2009 had players fighting against the Wolves not the Nazis. True, these aren’t the normal furry quadruped animals you are used to but it still counts!

Wolf Link – Twilight Princess

Possibly one of the best wolves in games in my opinion (but not good enough to take the top spot) Wolf link in Twilight Princess is the form Link takes when adventuring in the Twilight realm. He comes complete with Midna, a princess of the Twili who has some pretty epic magical powers. Who also pets link when he’s a good boy!

Bigby Wolf – The Wolf Among Us

Good ol’ Bigby is taking our number one spot in this list. Making his first appearance in the Fables comic books by Vertigo, and then becoming the main protagonist in the Wolf Among Us video game by Telltale. Once the infamous Big Bad Wolf, Bigby is now a sheriff in New York City and is able to take a human form at will. He’s also married to Snow White (in the comics) which is a bonus! He also has to smoke constantly to dull his wolf like senses, but hey, no one is perfect.

So that’s it for our best wolves in video games. We hope in some way this has got you stoked for Vikings: Wolves of Midgard, however, this has just probably got you wondering whether Wolves of Midgard has any wolves in it. Why not go buy it and find out!

Editor’s Survival Guide – How To Survive An Open World According To Video Games

Here at Green Man Gaming we care a lot about our readers, so much so that we are slowly putting together a survival guide in order to help you, the gamer, just in case you get caught in a particularly life threatening situation.

Last month we covered How To Survive War According To Video Games. This month we are tackling the sometimes desolate and yet sometimes over stuffed typical open world environment. Check out our top tips below.

The 3 C’s! Crafting, Crafting and err… Crafting.

If games like Horizon Zero Dawn and FarCry have taught us anything, it’s that you can craft supplies out of pretty much anything! Just grab some random plants, a couple of twigs and some sweet McGiver skills and you will have a bountiful supply of weapons and healing items in no time. What makes the whole experience even is better is being able to craft items whilst in the middle of battle! Short of arrows? Never fear as you are able to slow down time and take five to make yourself some much needed supplies.

Animals are the best vehicles

For a long time vehicles have been the popular choice for getting around. After some research however we have found out that animals are better! Can you feed and pet you car? Can you teach your car new tricks? Can you even develop a unified bond with your car? The simple answer to this is no. Both FarCry Primal and Blood Dragon prove to us that animals are the best vehicles, whether is is a dead saber-toothed tiger who you have affectionally called Dave or a overzealous thirsty blood dragon who shoots lasers from it’s eyes. These vehicles just don’t give you the cool factor they can also be your best friend.

Please note: Remember to keep your vehicles well fed and watered at all times.

No idea where you are? Climb a tower!

Open worlds are vast landscapes that are easy to get lost in. It is also traditional (according to video games) that when you receive a map of the landscape, it will only highlight your current area and maybe 2 or 3 landmarks. The rest of the map is either completely shrouded in darkness obscuring what would usually be a handy tool for getting around. Instead of going to your map supplier and demanding a refund, we suggest climbing the nearest tower. Once you have climbed said tower is has been scientifically proved that roads, landmarks and even shops in your area will start appearing on you map. We suggest climbing any tower you come across on your travels to uncover your map fully.

Water is your Best Friend!

Sooner or later you will come across a heavily guarded out post, or a group of enemies enjoying a leisurely stroll. Usually the best tactic for these situation is to take them out from a distance from the warming embrace of a shrubbery or some un kept grass. If however there is a pond or indeed small lake nearby, this has been proven as the best cover. More often than not if you find yourself overwhelmed by enemy fire, jump into some water. We have also come to realise that water helps when coming up against most robots in Horizon Zero Dawn. Except robot crocodiles…

Bored of doing quests? Then Bulldozers are your best friend!

There is that point in most open worlds where you are tired of running from point A, talking to someone then running to point B killing/picking up something then running back to point A to brag about your accomplishments. (basically being a glorified post man in most cases). If we take a leaf from Ghost Recon Wildland’s book the best way to pass the time is racing Bulldozers, or instead of racing the bulldozer why not take the vehicle on your stealth recon mission with you. Infiltrating a militia base? BULLDOZER! Getting some intel from a local village? BULLDOZER! Taking out a group of enemies as they are enjoying the sites, smells and sounds of their surroundings? BULLDOZER!

So there you have it! If you take this guide with you when out in the mysterious (and sometimes overwhelming) open world then you should be able to tackle the harsh landscapes in no time. Be sure to keep an eye on the Green Man Gaming blog as next month we will bring you another edition of The Editor’s Survival Guide.