Over the last week Koei Tecmo and Omega Force have been keeping a very close secret in regards to their next game as they have slowly doled out hints day after day on a teaser website. While the actual count down was set to be completed sometime tomorrow, it seems that the cat has been let out of the bag early thanks to the wrap around jacket of the most recent Attack on Titan manga volume advertising that anAttack on Titan game from Koei Tecmo is in the works for a PlayStation console and will be released sometime this Winter.
Of course it is entirely possible that the leaked information may not pertain to what Koei Tecmo has been hinting at, but with a QR code currently leading to anon-responsive websiteit is possible that we’ll know the truth within a few hours.
Microsoft has slowly been rolling out backwards compatible titles for preview members to access, such as Gears of Warand Shadow Complex earlier today, but most Xbox One owners are left waiting for the company to finally make backwards compatibility available for every owner of the console.
Thankfully the wait won’t be too much longer as Microsoft announced today during their Gamescom 2015 conference that they will backwards compatibility will be made available to everyone in November this year. To top that off the company also announced that all of the Xbox 360 games that have been included with Games with Gold will be made backwards compatible upon launch meaning that even those who never picked up a 360 can continue to take advantage of these freebies.
Overview
Kratos helped define the Playstation 3 with the release of God of War III, with that one title becoming what would essentially become the exclamation point on a fantastic franchise. Sony knows their audience though- and did deliver more God of War through prequels and side stories since, ensuring that this character would stay relevant to fans. While Santa Monica are surely working out something for the future – players are still yearning to have Kratos on their new Playstation 4, so of course a remake is the way to go…or is it? Is God of War III so dated that its time for a remake, or is this one title that had no reason to see a release this soon? Let’s find out.
Gameplay
I won’t touch much on the story of God of War III as most have played the game in full – as it is kind of like the Playstation brand to go to – just like Mario is to Nintendo and Master Chief is to Microsoft. Sure, this third entry in the series features an amazing story with Kratos chasing down Zeus and the other Gods – but since this is a remake, you should know a bit more about the gameplay. Let me say that since I have played Bayonetta and even DmC to a degree, God of War titles seemed a bit slower. I couldn’t really think of the word for it at the time, but now I realize that the third entry in particular is simply more straightforward. Instead of being stylistic, Kratos takes the fluid and polished combat mechanics and laces them with gore and brutal edge, delivering something satisfying to the player for even the smallest of battles. Sure, the quick time events are still in this title, but they are balanced with the action so well that they never become a bother. I feel like Kratos kind of introduced QTEs to the mainstream market, and while others have taken the idea too far, God of War III keeps it as a supplement for the experience.
Another reason these little button mashing moments have worth is due to the scope that the game has to offer. One minute you will be in a corridor, simply ripping through enemies with your blades and the next, you can be climbing up a God’s back- trying to simply survive while taking on a major boss. There really is a blurred line between boss battles and large brawls, and that line keeps the game exciting with a well-paced progressive challenge that simply grows as you move forward. The action takes breaks for the standard environmental puzzle, but usually these are quick and clever, never becoming an intrusion to the overall experience. The developers’ creativity still shines today, as Hera’s Garden remains as one of my favorite puzzles in the franchise due to all of the mechanics at work, and with this being the remastered version, you really get to feel as if you are actually doing more than hitting switches and pushing pillars. Its as if you are actually part of the world and each trigger feels like a reward in and of itself – meaning while you’re pulling and pushing, you feel like your actually doing something more than opening a passageway.
The gameplay has not aged, and even though we have seen a lot of other action titles since, it really hasn’t been topped for what it does. Do I still prefer Bayonetta over God of War? Sure, but these days that is like comparing sugar to honey, as both are sweet in the end. There is just so much to do in this game that can keep you coming back. This title was before DLC ran wild, so we get a lot of extra collectibles and side missions that would typically we held aside in most modern titles. With feathers, horns, and Gorgon eyes to be found, wider environments to explore, and multiple difficulty levels, God of War III will still take some time to “finish”. That being said, I do wonder why no effort was put into this game for just a little extra spice. There is a screenshot mode, but who needs that with what the Playstation 4 can already do? I wouldn’t want multiplayer here, but it is a bit baffling how there is a lack of care when it comes to delivering or simply adding one extra incentive for players to go back to due to this being a remake.
Visuals
Visually, well – the game runs in 1080p and sixty frames per second. Of course it looks absolutely amazing. It does feel like polish has been applied to most sections of the game and even though the models show it a bit more than the environment, the genre here keeps you focused on the models more – so most will not even think about a slightly plain texture in comparison to the shine and smoothness of the animations occurring before them. There is a real atmosphere that God of War III has with it that is unlike anything else and will absolutely consume the player in order to get their heart pumping. Its not just the larger than life boss battles, but its the way the platforming blends into the environment – where we as the players are watching Kratos so effortlessly traverse a large area and then go into full combat without the slightest bit of hesitation. Its a wonderful feeling and that sense of immersion is the main element that makes this remake worth its weight.
Audio
The soundtrack is of course fantastic and really didn’t need any kind of upgrade. Most of the soundtrack features orchestral tunes that capture the action perfectly, building inward so players get to blend their senses of vision and sound for some of the most exciting battles we have seen in a game to date. Seriously, without one word this music could easily ingrain in your head for hours after hearing it, as the quality is simply wonderful and helped make the original experience so critically beloved. The voice acting is fine I suppose as well, but I have never been to big of a fan for some of the voicework in any of the God of War franchise as I feel it takes itself a bit too seriously – but my opinion is a rare one and most will still enjoy what is offered.
Overall
God of War III did not need to be remastered. The experience is honestly one of the finest for a Sony platform – but I still don’t see the value of upgrading visuals when the original game still looks and plays great today in terms of longevity for Kratos – unless this is a placeholder for gamers until the next installment. That being said and lack of any extra features aside, you really need to see this game again if you are a fan as God of War III has never looked better than it does with this upgrade. Some titles will be remade for no reason, over and over because they’re simply that good. God of War III fits the bill and viola, we have another release that will fit nicely in with any Playstation 4 library.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Today during Microsoft’s Gamescom 2015 press conference Cystal Dynamics and Square Enix took the opportunity to show off a new gameplay video for Rise of the Tomb Raider where the game director, Brian Horton, guides viewers through Lara’s search to find out if immortality really can be attained before a group called Trinity does.
The roughly five minute long gameplay video follows Lara as she explores some parts of the geothermal valley, an area that is described as being three times larger than anything found in prior Tomb Raider titles. Also shown off in the video is a glimpse at the Brawler, Hunter, and Survivor skill trees, a new base camp, and the ability to sneak up on members of the Trinity to take them out one by one.
Rise of the Tomb Raider is currently set to be released on the Xbox One and Xbox 360 on November 10th in North America and November 13th in Europe while the PC release will occur sometime in early 2016 and finally on the PlayStation 4 sometime during the holidays in 2016.
Today during their Gamescom 2015 presentation Microsoft announced that they are working on a brand new Halo game and it is a spin-off that quite a few fans loved. They announced that Halo Wars 2 is in the works for the Xbox One and PC and will be released in Fall 2016.
Halo Wars 2 is being developed by Sega’s The Creative Assembly who usually handles the Total War franchise that ranges from Warhammer titles to classic war titles. You can check out the announcement trailer for the strategy game, which promises “fast-paced action, massive battles and an all-new Halo story” as well as a few images below.
Square Enixand Avalanche Studios have released a new trailer for Just Cause 3 which debuted during Microsoft’s Gamescom 2015 press conference. Besides the ‘Burn it’ trailer, the company also announced that all Xbox One copies of Just Cause 3 will include an Xbox 360 version of Just Cause 2 so players can take advantage of the console’s upcoming backwards compatibility.
The aforementioned trailer, that can be found below, shows off plenty of gameplay from Just Cause 3 as well as just how destructible most of the world and vehicles will be when the title is released on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on December 1st.
Indie Gala is making a huge announcement ahead of gamescom 2015. The Italian video game store and indie bundle purveyor experiment with publishing indie games with Blockstorm’s release last year. Since then, the game left Steam Early Access and has seen a string of major updates. Now, Indie Gala is taking the next step by announcing the start of their publishing department.
The company is seeking to specialize in games developed in Italy. The first of two titles will be Die Young, a open-world survival title developed by the in-house development team. Players take on a role of a girl caught in a horror movie plot, kidnapped by villains who have been murdering tourists on an idyllic Greek island. Now she must escape her captors and get to safety off the island.
Red Rope: Don’t Fall Behind is developed by Rome based indie developers Yonder. The game is a two player co-op game that binds the two together with an red rope that symbolizes their relationship. Players will need to navigate the maze and survive the onslaught of ghosts together.
Both games will be available at the Indie Gala gamescom 2015 booth locatedGamescom Hall 2.2 – business area, stand D023, where gamers can check out both titles and enjoy some good old fashioned Italian hospitality at the same time.
During Microsoft’s Gamescom 2015 press conference Deep Silver debuted a couple of brand new trailers as well as some new screenshots for Homefront: The Revolution which is set to be released on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC sometime in spring 2016.
The first video serves as a cinematic trailer for Homefront: The Revolution called “Thank You” while the second one features roughly two and a half minutes of gameplay footage where a few of the different mechanics that players can use in combat are shown off. You can check out both videos as well as the handful of new screenshots below.
It looks like one of the creepiest looking upcoming games will be making its way first to the Xbox One as ID@Xbox head Chris Charla revealed during Microsoft‘s Gamescom press conference. Compulsion Games’ We Happy Few will be released first on the Xbox One and PC sometime in 2016 though at the moment it is unknown if this is simply a timed-exclusive or a complete console exclusive as the previously held Kickstarter was only slated for a PC version of the game.
To go along with this announcement a new, extremely creepy, trailer for We Happy Few has been released and you can check it out below.
After successfully raising a massive $5.7 million on KickstarterBloodstained: Ritual of the Night made yet another appearance today when it was announced that Koji Igarashi’s newest title would feature crossplay between the Xbox One and Windows 10.
That wasn’t all that was revealed for Bloodstained however, as a new, yet to be named, character was also revealed. Despite not knowing his name we do know that he will utilize dual swords when facing off against demons and can also unleash Japanese spells to defeat his opponents.
Currently Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is set to be released sometime in 2017 by Deep Silver for the Xbox One, PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, Wii U, and PlayStation Vita.
